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Introduction To Ivanhoe
The Author of the Waverley Novels had hitherto proceeded in an unabated course of popularity, and might, in his peculiar district of literature, have been termed "L'Enfant Gate" of success. It was plain, however, that frequent publication must finally wear out the public favour, unless some mode could be devised to give an appearance of novelty to subsequent productions. Scottish manners, Scottish dialect, and Scottish characters of note, being those with which the author was most intimately, and familiarly acquainted, were the groundwork upon which he had hitherto relied for giving effect to his narrative. It was, however, obvious, that this kind of interest must in the end occasion a degree of sameness and repetition, if exclusively resorted to, and that the reader was likely at length to adopt the language of Edwin, in Parnell's Tale:
"'Reverse the spell,' he cries, 'And let it fairly now suffice. The gambol has been shown.'"
Nothing can be more dangerous for the fame of a professor of the fine arts, than to permit (if he can possibly prevent it) the character of a mannerist to be attached to him, or that he should be supposed capable of success only in a particular and limited style. The public are, in general, very ready to adopt the opinion, that he who has pleased them in one peculiar mode of composition, is, by means of that very talent, rendered incapable of venturing upon other subjects. The effect of this disinclination, on the part of the public, towards the artificers of their pleasures, when they attempt to enlarge their means of amusing, may be seen in the censures usually passed by vulgar criticism upon actors or artists who venture to change the character of their efforts, that, in so doing, they may enlarge the scale of their art.
There is some justice in this opinion, as there always is in such as attain general currency. It may often happen on the stage, that an actor, by possessing in a preeminent degree the external qualities necessary to give effect to comedy, may be deprived of the right to aspire to tragic excellence; and in painting or literary composition, an artist or poet may be master exclusively of modes of thought, and powers of expression, which confine him to a single course of subjects. But much more frequently the same capacity which carries a man to popularity in one department will obtain for him success in another, and that must be more particularly the case in literary composition, than either in acting or painting, because the adventurer in that department is not impeded in his exertions by any peculiarity of features, or conformation of person, proper for particular parts, or, by any peculiar mechanical habits of using the pencil, limited to a particular class of subjects.
Whether this reasoning be correct or otherwise, the present author felt, that, in confining himself to subjects purely Scottish, he was not only likely to weary out the indulgence of his readers, but also greatly to limit his own power of affording them pleasure. In a highly polished country, where so much genius is monthly employed in catering for public amusement, a fresh topic, such as he had himself had the happiness to light upon, is the untasted spring of the desert;---
"Men bless their stars and call it luxury."
But when men and horses, cattle, camels, and dromedaries, have poached the spring into mud, it becomes loathsome to those who at first drank of it with rapture; and he who had the merit of discovering it, if he would preserve his reputation with the tribe, must display his talent by a fresh discovery of untasted fountains.
If the author, who finds himself limited to a particular class of subjects, endeavours to sustain his reputation by striving to add a novelty of attraction to themes of the same character which have been formerly successful under his management, there are manifest reasons why, after a certain point, he is likely to fail. If the mine be not wrought out, the strength and capacity of the miner become necessarily exhausted. If he closely imitates the narratives which he has before rendered successful, he is doomed to "wonder that they please no more." If he struggles to take a different view of the same class of subjects, he speedily discovers that what is obvious, graceful, and natural, has been exhausted; and, in order to obtain the indispensable charm of novelty, he is forced upon caricature, and, to avoid being trite, must become extravagant.
It is not, perhaps, necessary to enumerate so many reasons why the author of the Scottish Novels, as they were then exclusively termed, should be desirous to make an experiment on a subject purely English. It was his purpose, at the same time, to have rendered the experiment as complete as possible, by bringing the intended work before the public as the effort of a new candidate for their favour, in order that no degree of prejudice, whether favourable or the reverse, might attach to it, as a new production of the Author of Waverley; but this intention was afterwards departed from, for reasons to be hereafter mentioned.
The period of the narrative adopted was the reign of Richard I., not only as abounding with characters whose very names were sure to attract general attention, but as affording a striking contrast betwixt the Saxons, by whom the soil was cultivated, and the Normans, who still reigned in it as conquerors, reluctant to mix with the vanquished, or acknowledge themselves of the same stock. The idea of this contrast was taken from the ingenious and unfortunate Logan's tragedy of Runnamede, in which, about the same period of history, the author had seen the Saxon and Norman barons opposed to each other on different sides of the stage. He does not recollect that there was any attempt to contrast the two races in their habits and sentiments; and indeed it was obvious, that history was violated by introducing the Saxons still existing as a high-minded and martial race of nobles.
They did, however, survive as a people, and some of the ancient Saxon families possessed wealth and power, although they were exceptions to the humble condition of the race in general. It seemed to the author, that the existence of the two races in the same country, the vanquished distinguished by their plain, homely, blunt manners, and the free spirit infused by their ancient institutions and laws; the victors, by the high spirit of military fame, personal adventure, and whatever could distinguish them as the Flower of Chivalry, might, intermixed with other characters belonging to the same time and country, interest the reader by the contrast, if the author should not fail on his part.
Scotland, however, had been of late used so exclusively as the scene of what is called Historical Romance, that the preliminary letter of Mr Laurence Templeton became in some measure necessary. To this, as to an Introduction, the reader is referred, as expressing author's purpose and opinions in undertaking this species of composition, under the necessary reservation, that he is far from thinking he has attained the point at which he aimed.
It is scarcely necessary to add, that there was no idea or wish to pass off the supposed Mr Templeton as a real person. But a kind of continuation of the Tales of my Landlord had been recently attempted by a stranger, and it was supposed this Dedicatory Epistle might pass for some imitation of the same kind, and thus putting enquirers upon a false scent, induce them to believe they had before them the work of some new candidate for their favour.
After a considerable part of the work had been finished and printed, the Publishers, who pretended to discern in it a germ of popularity, remonstrated strenuously against its appearing as an absolutely anonymous production, and contended that it should have the advantage of being announced as by the Author of Waverley. The author did not make any obstinate opposition, for he began to be of opinion with Dr Wheeler, in Miss Edgeworth's excellent tale of "Maneuvering," that "Trick upon Trick" might be too much for the patience of an indulgent public, and might be reasonably considered as trifling with their favour.
The book, therefore, appeared as an avowed continuation of the Waverley Novels; and it would be ungrateful not to acknowledge, that it met with the same favourable reception as its predecessors.
Such annotations as may be useful to assist the reader in comprehending the characters of the Jew, the Templar, the Captain of the mercenaries, or Free Companions, as they were called, and others proper to the period, are added, but with a sparing hand, since sufficient information on these subjects is to be found in general history.
An incident in the tale, which had the good fortune to find favour in the eyes of many readers, is more directly borrowed from the stores of old romance. I mean the meeting of the King with Friar Tuck at the cell of that buxom hermit. The general tone of the story belongs to all ranks and all countries, which emulate each other in describing the rambles of a disguised sovereign, who, going in search of information or amusement, into the lower ranks of life, meets with adventures diverting to the reader or hearer, from the contrast betwixt the monarch's outward appearance, and his real character. The Eastern tale-teller has for his theme the disguised expeditions of Haroun Alraschid with his faithful attendants, Mesrour and Giafar, through the midnight streets of Bagdad; and Scottish tradition dwells upon the similar exploits of James V., distinguished during such excursions by the travelling name of the Goodman of Ballengeigh, as the Commander of the Faithful, when he desired to be incognito, was known by that of Il Bondocani. The French minstrels are not silent on so popular a theme. There must have been a Norman original of the Scottish metrical romance of Rauf Colziar, in which Charlemagne is introduced as the unknown guest of a charcoal-man.*
* This very curious poem, long a desideratum in Scottish * literature, and given up as irrecoverably lost, was * lately brought to light by the researches of Dr Irvine of * the Advocates' Library, and has been reprinted by Mr David * Laing, Edinburgh.
It seems to have been the original of other poems of the kind.
In merry England there is no end of popular ballads on this theme. The poem of John the Reeve, or Steward, mentioned by Bishop Percy, in the Reliques of English Poetry,* is said to
* Vol. ii. p. 167.
have turned on such an incident; and we have besides, the King and the Tanner of Tamworth, the King and the Miller of Mansfield, and others on the same topic. But the peculiar tale of this nature to which the author of Ivanhoe has to acknowledge an obligation, is more ancient by two centuries than any of these last mentioned.
It was first communicated to the public in that curious record of ancient literature, which has been accumulated by the combined exertions of Sir Egerton Brydges. and Mr Hazlewood, in the periodical work entitled the British Bibliographer. From thence it has been transferred by the Reverend Charles Henry Hartsborne, M.A., editor of a very curious volume, entitled "Ancient Metrical Tales, printed chiefly from original sources, 1829." Mr Hartshorne gives no other authority for the present fragment, except the article in the Bibliographer, where it is entitled the Kyng and the Hermite. A short abstract of its contents will show its similarity to the meeting of King Richard and Friar Tuck.
King Edward (we are not told which among the monarchs of that name, but, from his temper and habits, we may suppose Edward IV.) sets forth with his court to a gallant hunting-match in Sherwood Forest, in which, as is not unusual for princes in romance, he falls in with a deer of extraordinary size and swiftness, and pursues it closely, till he has outstripped his whole retinue, tired out hounds and horse, and finds himself alone under the gloom of an extensive forest, upon which night is descending. Under the apprehensions natural to a situation so uncomfortable, the king recollects that he has heard how poor men, when apprehensive of a bad nights lodging, pray to Saint Julian, who, in the Romish calendar, stands Quarter-Master-General to all forlorn travellers that render him due homage. Edward puts up his orisons accordingly, and by the guidance, doubtless, of the good Saint, reaches a small path, conducting him to a chapel in the forest, having a hermit's cell in its close vicinity. The King hears the reverend man, with a companion of his solitude, telling his beads within, and meekly requests of him quarters for the night. "I have no accommodation for such a lord as ye be," said the Hermit. "I live here in the wilderness upon roots and rinds, and may not receive into my dwelling even the poorest wretch that lives, unless it were to save his life." The King enquires the way to the next town, and, understanding it is by a road which he cannot find without difficulty, even if he had daylight to befriend him, he declares, that with or without the Hermit's consent, he is determined to be his guest that night. He is admitted accordingly, not without a hint from the Recluse, that were he himself out of his priestly weeds, he would care little for his threats of using violence, and that he gives way to him not out of intimidation, but simply to avoid scandal.
The King is admitted into the cell --- two bundles of straw are shaken down for his accommodation, and he comforts himself that he is now under shelter, and that
"A night will soon be gone."
Other wants, however, arise. The guest becomes clamorous for supper, observing,
"For certainly, as I you say, I ne had never so sorry a day, That I ne had a merry night."
But this indication of his taste for good cheer, joined to the annunciation of his being a follower of the Court, who had lost himself at the great hunting-match, cannot induce the niggard Hermit to produce better fare than bread and cheese, for which his guest showed little appetite; and "thin drink," which was even less acceptable. At length the King presses his host on a point to which he had more than once alluded, without obtaining a satisfactory reply:
"Then said the King, 'by God's grace, Thou wert in a merry place, To shoot should thou here When the foresters go to rest, Sometyme thou might have of the best, All of the wild deer; I wold hold it for no scathe, Though thou hadst bow and arrows baith, Althoff thou best a Frere.'"
The Hermit, in return, expresses his apprehension that his guest means to drag him into some confession of offence against the forest laws, which, being betrayed to the King, might cost him his life. Edward answers by fresh assurances of secrecy, and again urges on him the necessity of procuring some venison. The Hermit replies, by once more insisting on the duties incumbent upon him as a churchman, and continues to affirm himself free from all such breaches of order:
"Many day I have here been, And flesh-meat I eat never, But milk of the kye; Warm thee well, and go to sleep, And I will lap thee with my cope, Softly to lye."
It would seem that the manuscript is here imperfect, for we do not find the reasons which finally induce the curtal Friar to amend the King's cheer. But acknowledging his guest to be such a "good fellow" as has seldom graced his board, the holy man at length produces the best his cell affords. Two candles are placed on a table, white bread and baked pasties are displayed by the light, besides choice of venison, both salt and fresh, from which they select collops. "I might have eaten my bread dry," said the King, "had I not pressed thee on the score of archery, but now have I dined like a prince---if we had but drink enow."
This too is afforded by the hospitable anchorite, who dispatches an assistant to fetch a pot of four gallons from a secret corner near his bed, and the whole three set in to serious drinking. This amusement is superintended by the Friar, according to the recurrence of certain fustian words, to be repeated by every compotator in turn before he drank---a species of High Jinks, as it were, by which they regulated their potations, as toasts were given in latter times. The one toper says "fusty bandias", to which the other is obliged to reply, "strike pantnere", and the Friar passes many jests on the King's want of memory, who sometimes forgets the words of action. The night is spent in this jolly pastime. Before his departure in the morning, the King invites his reverend host to Court, promises, at least, to requite his hospitality, and expresses himself much pleased with his entertainment. The jolly Hermit at length agrees to venture thither, and to enquire for Jack Fletcher, which is the name assumed by the King. After the Hermit has shown Edward some feats of archery, the joyous pair separate. The King rides home, and rejoins his retinue. As the romance is imperfect, we are not acquainted how the discovery takes place; but it is probably much in the same manner as in other narratives turning on the same subject, where the host, apprehensive of death for having trespassed on the respect due to his Sovereign, while incognito, is agreeably surprised by receiving honours and reward.
In Mr Hartshorne's collection, there is a romance on the same foundation, called King Edward and the Shepherd,*
* Like the Hermit, the Shepherd makes havock amongst the * King's game; but by means of a sling, not of a bow; like * the Hermit, too, he has his peculiar phrases of * compotation, the sign and countersign being Passelodion * and Berafriend. One can scarce conceive what humour our * ancestors found in this species of gibberish; but * "I warrant it proved an excuse for the glass."
which, considered as illustrating manners, is still more curious than the King and the Hermit; but it is foreign to the present purpose. The reader has here the original legend from which the incident in the romance is derived; and the identifying the irregular Eremite with the Friar Tuck of Robin Hood's story, was an obvious expedient.
The name of Ivanhoe was suggested by an old rhyme. All novelists have had occasion at some time or other to wish with Falstaff, that they knew where a commodity of good names was to be had. On such an occasion the author chanced to call to memory a rhyme recording three names of the manors forfeited by the ancestor of the celebrated Hampden, for striking the Black Prince a blow with his racket, when they quarrelled at tennis:
"Tring, Wing, and Ivanhoe, For striking of a blow, Hampden did forego, And glad he could escape so."
The word suited the author's purpose in two material respects, ---for, first, it had an ancient English sound; and secondly, it conveyed no indication whatever of the nature of the story. He presumes to hold this last quality to be of no small importance. What is called a taking title, serves the direct interest of the bookseller or publisher, who by this means sometimes sells an edition while it is yet passing the press. But if the author permits an over degree of attention to be drawn to his work ere it has appeared, he places himself in the embarrassing condition of having excited a degree of expectation which, if he proves unable to satisfy, is an error fatal to his literary reputation. Besides, when we meet such a title as the Gunpowder Plot, or any other connected with general history, each reader, before he has seen the book, has formed to himself some particular idea of the sort of manner in which the story is to be conducted, and the nature of the amusement which he is to derive from it. In this he is probably disappointed, and in that case may be naturally disposed to visit upon the author or the work, the unpleasant feelings thus excited. In such a case the literary adventurer is censured, not for having missed the mark at which he himself aimed, but for not having shot off his shaft in a direction he never thought of.
On the footing of unreserved communication which the Author has established with the reader, he may here add the trifling circumstance, that a roll of Norman warriors, occurring in the Auchinleck Manuscript, gave him the formidable name of Front-de-Boeuf.
Ivanhoe was highly successful upon its appearance, and may be said to have procured for its author the freedom of the Rules, since he has ever since been permitted to exercise his powers of fictitious composition in England, as well as Scotland.
The character of the fair Jewess found so much favour in the eyes of some fair readers, that the writer was censured, because, when arranging the fates of the characters of the drama, he had not assigned the hand of Wilfred to Rebecca, rather than the less interesting Rowena. But, not to mention that the prejudices of the age rendered such an union almost impossible, the author may, in passing, observe, that he thinks a character of a highly virtuous and lofty stamp, is degraded rather than exalted by an attempt to reward virtue with temporal prosperity. Such is not the recompense which Providence has deemed worthy of suffering merit, and it is a dangerous and fatal doctrine to teach young persons, the most common readers of romance, that rectitude of conduct and of principle are either naturally allied with, or adequately rewarded by, the gratification of our passions, or attainment of our wishes. In a word, if a virtuous and self-denied character is dismissed with temporal wealth, greatness, rank, or the indulgence of such a rashly formed or ill assorted passion as that of Rebecca for Ivanhoe, the reader will be apt to say, verily Virtue has had its reward. But a glance on the great picture of life will show, that the duties of self-denial, and the sacrifice of passion to principle, are seldom thus remunerated; and that the internal consciousness of their high-minded discharge of duty, produces on their own reflections a more adequate recompense, in the form of that peace which the world cannot give or take away.
Abbotsford, 1st September, 1830.

威弗利小说作者的名望迄今为止一直不断上升，在这个特殊的文学领域，他已称得上是成功的宠儿。然而很清楚，一再的重复势必导致公众兴趣的衰退，除非他能找到一种方式，给后来的出版物技上新的面貌。苏格兰的风俗习惯，苏格兰的方言土语，苏格兰的知名人物，都是作者所深切理解和十分熟悉的，它们是他迄今为止的作品的基础，他的叙述也得力于此。然而如果完全以此为凭借，一成不变，日久之后，这种爱好必然造成一定程度的雷同和反复，最后读者很可能会发出帕内尔 (注)的《神话故事》中埃德温所讲的话：
“收回你的符咒吧，”他喊道，
“这场表演已经淋漓尽致，
再也引不起新的兴趣了。”
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(注)托马斯•帕内尔（1679—1718），英国诗人，《神话故事》是他的一篇诗。
对一个艺术家的声誉而言，最危险的莫过于听任（如果他可以制止的话）别人把墨守成规的恶名加在他的身上，仿佛他只能在一种独特的、固定的风格中获得成功。一般说，读者往往对他怀有一种看法，认为他既然在一种写作方式上赢得了人们的欢心，这种才能也会使他对其他题材不敢轻易尝试。读者一旦对给他们提供乐趣的作者，产生这样的成见，那么在他企图扩大他的写作范围时，通常也会像演员或画家为了扩大自己的艺术表现手段，改变努力的性质时一样，遭到来自庸俗批评界的指责。
这种看法含有一定的道理，它之得以流行，原因便在于此。在舞台艺术上常有这样的情形：一个演员在很大程度上掌握了产生喜剧效果所必需的一些外形表现特点，可能因而失去悲剧表演上出神入化的权利；在绘画或文学写作方面，一个画家或诗人所擅长的思想方式或表现能力，也可能只适用于一类题材。然而在绝大多数场合，能在一个部门给人带来声誉的才力，也能在别的部门使他获得成功；在文学写作方面，比在表演或绘画方面尤其如此，因为在那个部门施展抱负的人，他的努力不受任何特殊面部表情，人体某些部分所特有的造型方式，或者画笔运用上的任何独特操作方式的限制，以致只适合于表现某一类题材。
不论这些推理是否正确，本文作者觉得，把他的作品局限在纯粹的苏格兰题材上，不仅会逐渐丧失读者对他的青睐，而且会大大降低他为他们提供乐趣的能力。一个高度发达的国家人才辈出，每月都有不少人在竞相争夺公众的好感，这时谁有幸发现一种新鲜题材，它便会像沙漠中涌现的无人问津过的清泉：
人们庆幸它的出现，称之为意外的享乐。但是当人和马，牛群和骆驼，把这泓清泉践踏成污泥后，那些起先对它赞不绝口的人，便会产生厌倦之感；而那个曾因发现它而博得赞誉的人，若要保持他的声誉，就得运用他的才能，发掘无人问津过的新源泉了。
假定作者发现他只限于表现某一类题材，为了维护他的名声，尽量给他以前获得成功的同一类主题，增添新的吸引力，那么超过一定的限度，他便可能以失败告终，这原因是很明显的。如果不是矿藏已采掘净尽，一定是采矿者的力量和才能枯竭了。如果他一成不变，继续照以前给他带来成功的故事模式做去，他注定会“惊异不止，发现它不再受到欢迎了”。如果他力图从不同的观点来叙述同一类事物，他也马上会发觉，那鲜明、优美和自然的一切，都已丧失殆尽；为了获得不可缺少的新的魅力，他只得求助于怪诞，为了避免老一套，只得采取夸大失实的手法。
当时被专门称之为苏格兰小说的作者，为什么需要在纯粹的英国题材方面进行尝试，理由是很多的，似乎不必-一缕述。同时，他的意图是要使他的尝试尽可能彻底，让他打算带给读者的作品，作为争取他们好评的一位新人的努力成果出现，免得它作为威弗利作者的新成果，受到读者对他的成见的丝毫影响，不论这些成见对他是否有利；但是这个意图后来没有实现，原因后面会提到。
这故事选择的时期是在理查一世治下，它不仅充满了必然引起广泛兴趣的许多人物，而且提供了开发这片土地的撒克逊人和仍作为胜利者统治着这个地区，不愿与战败者混合，或者不承认自己与他们属于同一种人的诺曼人之间的强烈对照。这个对照的想法来自卓越而不幸的洛根(注)的悲剧《兰尼米德》，它写的是同一历史时期，作者看到在戏里，撒克逊和诺曼贵族作为对立的双方出现在舞台上。据作者看来，戏中不存在把两个种族的生活习惯和思想情绪加以对比的任何意图；确实，让撒克逊贵族仍作为意气风发、具有尚武精神的民族出现，这显然是违反历史的。
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(注)约翰•洛根（1748—1788），苏格兰教士和诗人。兰尼米德是英国萨里郡的一个地方，1215年6月英王约翰（即本书中的约翰亲王，他于1199年继理查一世为国王）在这里与贵族签定“大宪章”，《兰尼米德》一剧即写此事。
不过他们仍作为一支民族存在着，某些古老的撒克逊家族依然拥有财富和权力，尽管从整个民族所处的委曲求全的地位而言，它们只是一些例外。作者认为，在一个国家中存在着两支种族，一支为战败者，他们的特点是浑厚、简朴、粗犷的生活作风，以及古老制度及法律所培植的自由精神，另一支是胜利者，特点是高涨的军事声望和个人的冒险精神，以及作为骑士阶级精华的各种品质，它们与属于这个时代和国家的其他特点结合在一起，如果作者处理恰当的话，便可以为读者提供有趣的对照。
然而近来，苏格兰已成为历史传奇故事的独一无二的背景，以致劳伦斯•坦普尔顿先生前言性质的信函在一定程度上是必要的。读者应该把它看作与前言一样，表现了作者从事这类著述的意图和看法，必要的保留只是他根本不认为他已达到了预期的目的。
几乎用不到再说，让虚构的坦普尔顿先生充当真实人物的想法或希望，这里是没有的。但是最近有一个局外人企图续写《我的地主的故事》(注)，这篇致敬信便很可能被当作是仿效这类做法的，因而成为迷惑好事者的假象，诱使他们相信，他们面对的是希冀获取他们好感的一位新人的作品。
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(注)司各特给自己的一系列小说起的一个名称，由于它不符合它们的内容，因此后来很少使用。
当这著作的大部分业已完成并付印后，出版者认为从中看到了可以大受欢迎的因素，因而竭力反对它作为完全匿名的作品问世，主张它有权署上“威弗利作者”的大名。作者对此没有坚决反对，因为他开始赞同埃奇沃思小姐(注)的优秀故事《演习》中惠勒博士的意见，即“过分故弄玄虚”可能使宽厚的读者忍受不了，因而理所当然地被认为是在玩弄他们对他的偏爱。
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(注)玛丽亚•埃奇沃思（1767—1849），英国小说家，司各特十分推重她的作品。
这样，本书便公开作为威弗利小说的继续出现了；而且我不能忘恩负义，不承认它也像它的前辈一样，受到了热情的接待。
为了帮助读者理解犹太人、圣殿骑士、号称自由兵团的雇佣兵的队长、以及这个时期特有的其他人物的性质，我加上了一些在这方面有用的注释，但尽量做到要言不烦，因为有关这些问题的情况在一般历史书中都可找到。
在这篇故事中有一个插曲很幸运，获得了许多读者的喜爱，它更直接来自一些古老的传奇故事。我指的薀旺王与塔克修士在那位身强力壮的隐士的小屋中的邂逅。这样的故事，一切阶层和一切国家都有，它带有普遍的性质，它们竞相描写乔装改扮的君主微服私行，深入下层社会了解民情或者寻找乐趣，由于国王的外表和实际身份的不同，引起了一些对读者或听众饶有兴趣的奇遇。东方故事中也有这类题材，鲁纳•拉施德(注1)如何带着忠实的随从马师伦和张尔蕃，在巴格达午夜的街道上私行察访；苏格兰传说中也有詹姆斯五世(注2)的类似活动，他在微眼出行时，自称为巴伦格奇的商人，就像那位“穆民的长官”(注3)在不希望人家知道他的身份时，自称为庞多卡尼的商人一样。法国的行吟诗人自然不会放弃这种流行的主题。苏格兰的诗体小说《烧炭人劳夫之歌》，似乎便以诺曼人的原作为依据，它讲的是查理大帝作为匿名的客人出现在烧炭人屋中的故事(注4)。这看来也是其他同类诗歌的来源。
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(注1)《一千零一夜》中阿拉伯国家的哈里发（君主），马师伦和张尔著是他的大臣，关于他私行察访的事即见该书。
(注2)詹姆斯五世（1512一1542），苏格兰国王，出生十七个月即继承王位，至去世为止。
(注3)伊斯兰国家的哈里发（君主），自称为“穆民的长官”，即穆斯林民众的首领。
(注4)这篇非常罕见的诗歌，长期以来在苏格兰文学中一直是寻找的目标，被认为已经失传，无法找到了，直到最近由于律师图书馆的欧文博士的多方搜求，才得以重见天日，并由爱丁堡的戴维•莱恩先生予以印行。——原注
在快活的英格兰，这类题材的民谣多不胜数。拍西主教(注)在《英诗辑古》中提到的《村吏约翰》，据说便写到了这样的事；此外，我们还有《国王和塔姆沃斯的皮革匠》、《国王和曼斯菲德的磨坊主》等，都涉及这一主题。但是对本书作者而言，他特别应该感谢的，是比上面提到的那些诗歌更早两个世纪的一篇作品。
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(注)托马斯•帕西（1729—1816），英国教士，古诗研究者。1765年将其辑录的英国古诗编成《英诗辑古》出版，该书在英国古诗研究中具有重要意义，司各特早期的诗歌创作也深受它的影响。
它最先发表在名为《英国文献学家》(注)的期刊上，由于埃杰顿•布里奇斯爵士和黑兹尔伍德先生的共同努力，这刊物收集了大量古代文学精品。后来查尔斯•亨利•哈茨霍恩牧师，又把它载入他编的一本非常珍贵的文集中，该书于1829年出版，书名为《古代诗歌故事（主要根据原始资料辑集）》。关于这段故事，哈茨霍恩先生除了《文献学家》上的文章，没有提供其他依据，它在那里的题目是《国王和隐士》。就它的内容作一简单摘要，便足以看出，它与理查国王和塔克修士的邂逅如何相似。
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(注)1810一1814年在英国出版的文献学期刊，由埃杰顿•布里奇斯（1762—1837）
爱德华国王（我们不知道这是指哪一位国王，但是从他的性情和作风看，我们可以假定这是爱德华四世(注1)）带着他的臣子们，在舍伍德森林进行盛大的打猎活动；正如传奇故事中国工们常有的遭遇一样，他遇到了一头特别大、又跑得特别快的鹿，于是对它紧追不舍，终于离开了他的全部扈从人员，猎狗和马也给弄得疲乏不堪，最后他独自一人落进了一片昏暗的大森林中，天也逐渐黑了。处在这种不利状况，国王自然感到担忧，他想起他曾听说，穷人在找不到宿处时，往往祈求圣朱利安(注2)的保佑，因为在罗马历书中，后者对一切绝望的旅人可以发挥军需官的作用。爱德华便照此行事，作了祈祷，不用说，在善良的圣徒的指引下，他来到了一条小路上，它通向森林中的一栋教堂，离教堂不远便是一所隐修士的小屋。国王听到，那位修士与一个孤独的同伴正在屋里诵经，于是他委婉地央求他让他进屋过夜。修士答道：“我无法供应你这样一位老爷的食宿，这儿是荒野，我只能靠树皮草根过活，哪怕最穷苦的可怜虫，我这儿也无法接待，除非是为了救他的性命。”国王便打听到附近城镇的道路，在得知这条路哪怕在大白天也不能轻易找到以后，他宣称，不论隐修士答应不答应，他非在他这儿过夜不可。这样总算让他进屋了，但隐士还是声明，要不是他穿着这身教士衣服，他根本不会把他的武力威胁放在心上，他对他让步不是出于害怕，只是为了避免闹出不愉快的事。
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(注1)1461—1483年的英国国王。
(注2)旅人的保护神。
国王给放进了屋子，两捆麦秆丢在地上作他的床铺；他现在庆幸有了个宿处，心想一夜时间很快就会过去。
然而其他的需要出现了。客人开始嚷嚷要吃晚饭，他指出：
“毫无疑问，我得告诉你，
我从没有过这种落魄的日子，
我每夜都是在灯红酒绿中度过的。”
但是他想吃好酒好菜的这种表示，连同他声称他是在盛大的打猎活动中失散的朝廷臣子的话，至多只能使吝啬的隐士拿出一些面包和乳酪供他食用，可是他的客人对这种伙食胃口不大，那“淡而无味的酒”更引不起他的兴趣。最后国王利用他一再提到，却没有得到满意答复的一点，对主人施加压力：
“于薀旺王说道：‘上帝保佑，
你生活在一个快活的地方，
射击应该是你的拿手好戏；
等管林人上床休息的时候，
森林便成了你的一统天下，
野鹿都落进了你的手掌之中；
我认为这无伤大雅，
反正你手里有的薀铜和箭，
尽管你名义上是一位教士。”
隐修士的回答表示他担心，这是他的客人想引诱他供认他违反了森林法，如果这事报告了国王，便可使他因而丧命。爱德华重又保证他会严守秘密，并且再次敦促他必须设法搞到些鹿肉。隐修士再度重申他作为教士应尽的职责，继续声明他从未干过这类违法勾当：
“我在这儿生活过许多岁月，
但从未吃过一块新鲜鹿肉，
“我只喝牛奶；
你还是盖好被子，安心睡觉吧，
我会再给你盖上我的斗篷，
让你睡得舒服一些。”
看来原稿在这里并不完整，因为我们没有看到促使那位粗野的修士最后满足国王的食欲的原因。但是教士后来承认，他的客人是一个“有趣的家伙”，他还很少接待过这样的人，因此终于把他最好的食品端了出来。两支蜡烛放上了桌子，烛光下出现了白面包和烤馅饼，此外还有精美的鹿肉，有咸的也有新鲜的，可以任意选择。国王�

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Chapter 1
Thus communed these; while to their lowly dome, The full-fed swine return'd with evening home; Compell'd, reluctant, to the several sties, With din obstreperous, and ungrateful cries. Pope's Odyssey
In that pleasant district of merry England which is watered by the river Don, there extended in ancient times a large forest, covering the greater part of the beautiful hills and valleys which lie between Sheffield and the pleasant town of Doncaster. The remains of this extensive wood are still to be seen at the noble seats of Wentworth, of Warncliffe Park, and around Rotherham. Here haunted of yore the fabulous Dragon of Wantley; here were fought many of the most desperate battles during the Civil Wars of the Roses; and here also flourished in ancient times those bands of gallant outlaws, whose deeds have been rendered so popular in English song.
Such being our chief scene, the date of our story refers to a period towards the end of the reign of Richard I., when his return from his long captivity had become an event rather wished than hoped for by his despairing subjects, who were in the meantime subjected to every species of subordinate oppression. The nobles, whose power had become exorbitant during the reign of Stephen, and whom the prudence of Henry the Second had scarce reduced to some degree of subjection to the crown, had now resumed their ancient license in its utmost extent; despising the feeble interference of the English Council of State, fortifying their castles, increasing the number of their dependants, reducing all around them to a state of vassalage, and striving by every means in their power, to place themselves each at the head of such forces as might enable him to make a figure in the national convulsions which appeared to be impending.
The situation of the inferior gentry, or Franklins, as they were called, who, by the law and spirit of the English constitution, were entitled to hold themselves independent of feudal tyranny, became now unusually precarious. If, as was most generally the case, they placed themselves under the protection of any of the petty kings in their vicinity, accepted of feudal offices in his household, or bound themselves by mutual treaties of alliance and protection, to support him in his enterprises, they might indeed purchase temporary repose; but it must be with the sacrifice of that independence which was so dear to every English bosom, and at the certain hazard of being involved as a party in whatever rash expedition the ambition of their protector might lead him to undertake. On the other hand, such and so multiplied were the means of vexation and oppression possessed by the great Barons, that they never wanted the pretext, and seldom the will, to harass and pursue, even to the very edge of destruction, any of their less powerful neighbours, who attempted to separate themselves from their authority, and to trust for their protection, during the dangers of the times, to their own inoffensive conduct, and to the laws of the land.
A circumstance which greatly tended to enhance the tyranny of the nobility, and the sufferings of the inferior classes, arose from the consequences of the Conquest by Duke William of Normandy. Four generations had not sufficed to blend the hostile blood of the Normans and Anglo-Saxons, or to unite, by common language and mutual interests, two hostile races, one of which still felt the elation of triumph, while the other groaned under all the consequences of defeat. The power had been completely placed in the hands of the Norman nobility, by the event of the battle of Hastings, and it had been used, as our histories assure us, with no moderate hand. The whole race of Saxon princes and nobles had been extirpated or disinherited, with few or no exceptions; nor were the numbers great who possessed land in the country of their fathers, even as proprietors of the second, or of yet inferior classes. The royal policy had long been to weaken, by every means, legal or illegal, the strength of a part of the population which was justly considered as nourishing the most inveterate antipathy to their victor. All the monarchs of the Norman race had shown the most marked predilection for their Norman subjects; the laws of the chase, and many others equally unknown to the milder and more free spirit of the Saxon constitution, had been fixed upon the necks of the subjugated inhabitants, to add weight, as it were, to the feudal chains with which they were loaded. At court, and in the castles of the great nobles, where the pomp and state of a court was emulated, Norman-French was the only language employed; in courts of law, the pleadings and judgments were delivered in the same tongue. In short, French was the language of honour, of chivalry, and even of justice, while the far more manly and expressive Anglo-Saxon was abandoned to the use of rustics and hinds, who knew no other. Still, however, the necessary intercourse between the lords of the soil, and those oppressed inferior beings by whom that soil was cultivated, occasioned the gradual formation of a dialect, compounded betwixt the French and the Anglo-Saxon, in which they could render themselves mutually intelligible to each other; and from this necessity arose by degrees the structure of our present English language, in which the speech of the victors and the vanquished have been so happily blended together; and which has since been so richly improved by importations from the classical languages, and from those spoken by the southern nations of Europe.
This state of things I have thought it necessary to premise for the information of the general reader, who might be apt to forget, that, although no great historical events, such as war or insurrection, mark the existence of the Anglo-Saxons as a separate people subsequent to the reign of William the Second; yet the great national distinctions betwixt them and their conquerors, the recollection of what they had formerly been, and to what they were now reduced, continued down to the reign of Edward the Third, to keep open the wounds which the Conquest had inflicted, and to maintain a line of separation betwixt the descendants of the victor Normans and the vanquished Saxons.
The sun was setting upon one of the rich grassy glades of that forest, which we have mentioned in the beginning of the chapter. Hundreds of broad-headed, short-stemmed, wide-branched oaks, which had witnessed perhaps the stately march of the Roman soldiery, flung their gnarled arms over a thick carpet of the most delicious green sward; in some places they were intermingled with beeches, hollies, and copsewood of various descriptions, so closely as totally to intercept the level beams of the sinking sun; in others they receded from each other, forming those long sweeping vistas, in the intricacy of which the eye delights to lose itself, while imagination considers them as the paths to yet wilder scenes of silvan solitude. Here the red rays of the sun shot a broken and discoloured light, that partially hung upon the shattered boughs and mossy trunks of the trees, and there they illuminated in brilliant patches the portions of turf to which they made their way. A considerable open space, in the midst of this glade, seemed formerly to have been dedicated to the rites of Druidical superstition; for, on the summit of a hillock, so regular as to seem artificial, there still remained part of a circle of rough unhewn stones, of large dimensions. Seven stood upright; the rest had been dislodged from their places, probably by the zeal of some convert to Christianity, and lay, some prostrate near their former site, and others on the side of the hill. One large stone only had found its way to the bottom, and in stopping the course of a small brook, which glided smoothly round the foot of the eminence, gave, by its opposition, a feeble voice of murmur to the placid and elsewhere silent streamlet.
The human figures which completed this landscape, were in number two, partaking, in their dress and appearance, of that wild and rustic character, which belonged to the woodlands of the West-Riding of Yorkshire at that early period. The eldest of these men had a stern, savage, and wild aspect. His garment was of the simplest form imaginable, being a close jacket with sleeves, composed of the tanned skin of some animal, on which the hair had been originally left, but which had been worn off in so many places, that it would have been difficult to distinguish from the patches that remained, to what creature the fur had belonged. This primeval vestment reached from the throat to the knees, and served at once all the usual purposes of body-clothing; there was no wider opening at the collar, than was necessary to admit the passage of the head, from which it may be inferred, that it was put on by slipping it over the head and shoulders, in the manner of a modern shirt, or ancient hauberk. Sandals, bound with thongs made of boars' hide, protected the feet, and a roll of thin leather was twined artificially round the legs, and, ascending above the calf, left the knees bare, like those of a Scottish Highlander. To make the jacket sit yet more close to the body, it was gathered at the middle by a broad leathern belt, secured by a brass buckle; to one side of which was attached a sort of scrip, and to the other a ram's horn, accoutred with a mouthpiece, for the purpose of blowing. In the same belt was stuck one of those long, broad, sharp-pointed, and two-edged knives, with a buck's-horn handle, which were fabricated in the neighbourhood, and bore even at this early period the name of a Sheffield whittle. The man had no covering upon his head, which was only defended by his own thick hair, matted and twisted together, and scorched by the influence of the sun into a rusty dark-red colour, forming a contrast with the overgrown beard upon his cheeks, which was rather of a yellow or amber hue. One part of his dress only remains, but it is too remarkable to be suppressed; it was a brass ring, resembling a dog's collar, but without any opening, and soldered fast round his neck, so loose as to form no impediment to his breathing, yet so tight as to be incapable of being removed, excepting by the use of the file. On this singular gorget was engraved, in Saxon characters, an inscription of the following purport:---"Gurth, the son of Beowulph, is the born thrall of Cedric of Rotherwood."
Beside the swine-herd, for such was Gurth's occupation, was seated, upon one of the fallen Druidical monuments, a person about ten years younger in appearance, and whose dress, though resembling his companion's in form, was of better materials, and of a more fantastic appearance. His jacket had been stained of a bright purple hue, upon which there had been some attempt to paint grotesque ornaments in different colours. To the jacket he added a short cloak, which scarcely reached half way down his thigh; it was of crimson cloth, though a good deal soiled, lined with bright yellow; and as he could transfer it from one shoulder to the other, or at his pleasure draw it all around him, its width, contrasted with its want of longitude, formed a fantastic piece of drapery. He had thin silver bracelets upon his arms, and on his neck a collar of the same metal bearing the inscription, "Wamba, the son of Witless, is the thrall of Cedric of Rotherwood." This personage had the same sort of sandals with his companion, but instead of the roll of leather thong, his legs were cased in a sort of gaiters, of which one was red and the other yellow. He was provided also with a cap, having around it more than one bell, about the size of those attached to hawks, which jingled as he turned his head to one side or other; and as he seldom remained a minute in the same posture, the sound might be considered as incessant. Around the edge of this cap was a stiff bandeau of leather, cut at the top into open work, resembling a coronet, while a prolonged bag arose from within it, and fell down on one shoulder like an old-fashioned nightcap, or a jelly-bag, or the head-gear of a modern hussar. It was to this part of the cap that the bells were attached; which circumstance, as well as the shape of his head-dress, and his own half-crazed, half-cunning expression of countenance, sufficiently pointed him out as belonging to the race of domestic clowns or jesters, maintained in the houses of the wealthy, to help away the tedium of those lingering hours which they were obliged to spend within doors. He bore, like his companion, a scrip, attached to his belt, but had neither horn nor knife, being probably considered as belonging to a class whom it is esteemed dangerous to intrust with edge-tools. In place of these, he was equipped with a sword of lath, resembling that with which Harlequin operates his wonders upon the modern stage.
The outward appearance of these two men formed scarce a stronger contrast than their look and demeanour. That of the serf, or bondsman, was sad and sullen; his aspect was bent on the ground with an appearance of deep dejection, which might be almost construed into apathy, had not the fire which occasionally sparkled in his red eye manifested that there slumbered, under the appearance of sullen despondency, a sense of oppression, and a disposition to resistance. The looks of Wamba, on the other hand, indicated, as usual with his class, a sort of vacant curiosity, and fidgetty impatience of any posture of repose, together with the utmost self-satisfaction respecting his own situation, and the appearance which he made. The dialogue which they maintained between them, was carried on in Anglo-Saxon, which, as we said before, was universally spoken by the inferior classes, excepting the Norman soldiers, and the immediate personal dependants of the great feudal nobles. But to give their conversation in the original would convey but little information to the modern reader, for whose benefit we beg to offer the following translation:
"The curse of St Withold upon these infernal porkers!" said the swine-herd, after blowing his horn obstreperously, to collect together the scattered herd of swine, which, answering his call with notes equally melodious, made, however, no haste to remove themselves from the luxurious banquet of beech-mast and acorns on which they had fattened, or to forsake the marshy banks of the rivulet, where several of them, half plunged in mud, lay stretched at their ease, altogether regardless of the voice of their keeper. "The curse of St Withold upon them and upon me!" said Gurth; "if the two-legged wolf snap not up some of them ere nightfall, I am no true man. Here, Fangs! Fangs!" he ejaculated at the top of his voice to a ragged wolfish-looking dog, a sort of lurcher, half mastiff, half greyhound, which ran limping about as if with the purpose of seconding his master in collecting the refractory grunters; but which, in fact, from misapprehension of the swine-herd's signals, ignorance of his own duty, or malice prepense, only drove them hither and thither, and increased the evil which he seemed to design to remedy. "A devil draw the teeth of him," said Gurth, "and the mother of mischief confound the Ranger of the forest, that cuts the foreclaws off our dogs, and makes them unfit for their trade!* Wamba, up and help me an thou be'st a man; take a turn round the back o' the hill to gain the wind on them; and when thous't got the weather-gage, thou mayst drive them before thee as gently as so many innocent lambs."
* Note A. The Ranger of the Forest, that cuts the * fore-claws off our dogs.
"Truly," said Wamba, without stirring from the spot, "I have consulted my legs upon this matter, and they are altogether of opinion, that to carry my gay garments through these sloughs, would be an act of unfriendship to my sovereign person and royal wardrobe; wherefore, Gurth, I advise thee to call off Fangs, and leave the herd to their destiny, which, whether they meet with bands of travelling soldiers, or of outlaws, or of wandering pilgrims, can be little else than to be converted into Normans before morning, to thy no small ease and comfort."
"The swine turned Normans to my comfort!" quoth Gurth; "expound that to me, Wamba, for my brain is too dull, and my mind too vexed, to read riddles."
"Why, how call you those grunting brutes running about on their four legs?" demanded Wamba.
"Swine, fool, swine," said the herd, "every fool knows that."
"And swine is good Saxon," said the Jester; "but how call you the sow when she is flayed, and drawn, and quartered, and hung up by the heels, like a traitor?"
"Pork," answered the swine-herd.
"I am very glad every fool knows that too," said Wamba, "and pork, I think, is good Norman-French; and so when the brute lives, and is in the charge of a Saxon slave, she goes by her Saxon name; but becomes a Norman, and is called pork, when she is carried to the Castle-hall to feast among the nobles; what dost thou think of this, friend Gurth, ha?"
"It is but too true doctrine, friend Wamba, however it got into thy fool's pate."
"Nay, I can tell you more," said Wamba, in the same tone; there is old Alderman Ox continues to hold his Saxon epithet, while he is under the charge of serfs and bondsmen such as thou, but becomes Beef, a fiery French gallant, when he arrives before the worshipful jaws that are destined to consume him. Mynheer Calf, too, becomes Monsieur de Veau in the like manner; he is Saxon when he requires tendance, and takes a Norman name when he becomes matter of enjoyment."
"By St Dunstan," answered Gurth, "thou speakest but sad truths; little is left to us but the air we breathe, and that appears to have been reserved with much hesitation, solely for the purpose of enabling us to endure the tasks they lay upon our shoulders. The finest and the fattest is for their board; the loveliest is for their couch; the best and bravest supply their foreign masters with soldiers, and whiten distant lands with their bones, leaving few here who have either will or the power to protect the unfortunate Saxon. God's blessing on our master Cedric, he hath done the work of a man in standing in the gap; but Reginald Front-de-Boeuf is coming down to this country in person, and we shall soon see how little Cedric's trouble will avail him. ---Here, here," he exclaimed again, raising his voice, "So ho! so ho! well done, Fangs! thou hast them all before thee now, and bring'st them on bravely, lad."
"Gurth," said the Jester, "I know thou thinkest me a fool, or thou wouldst not be so rash in putting thy head into my mouth. One word to Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, or Philip de Malvoisin, that thou hast spoken treason against the Norman, ---and thou art but a cast-away swineherd,---thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities."
"Dog, thou wouldst not betray me," said Gurth, "after having led me on to speak so much at disadvantage?"
"Betray thee!" answered the Jester; "no, that were the trick of a wise man; a fool cannot half so well help himself---but soft, whom have we here?" he said, listening to the trampling of several horses which became then audible.
"Never mind whom," answered Gurth, who had now got his herd before him, and, with the aid of Fangs, was driving them down one of the long dim vistas which we have endeavoured to describe.
"Nay, but I must see the riders," answered Wamba; "perhaps they are come from Fairy-land with a message from King Oberon."
"A murrain take thee," rejoined the swine-herd; "wilt thou talk of such things, while a terrible storm of thunder and lightning is raging within a few miles of us? Hark, how the thunder rumbles! and for summer rain, I never saw such broad downright flat drops fall out of the clouds; the oaks, too, notwithstanding the calm weather, sob and creak with their great boughs as if announcing a tempest. Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt; credit me for once, and let us home ere the storm begins to rage, for the night will be fearful."
Wamba seemed to feel the force of this appeal, and accompanied his companion, who began his journey after catching up a long quarter-staff which lay upon the grass beside him. This second Eumaeus strode hastily down the forest glade, driving before him, with the assistance of Fangs, the whole herd of his inharmonious charge.

他们正这么亲切交谈的时候，
喂饱的猪群也迎着夕阳走回低矮的住处，
无可奈何地钻进各自的圈栏，
一边吵吵嚷嚷发出不满的哼叫。
蒲柏的《奥德赛》(注)
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(注)亚历山大•蒲柏（1688—1744），英国古典主义的重耍诗人。他翻译的《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》，实际是按照他的美学观念对荷马原诗进行的改写，但在当时影响极大。
在快活的英格兰一个风光明媚的地区，有一条唐河，它的两岸从前是一大片森林，它郁郁葱葱，覆盖着设菲尔德和繁华的唐卡斯特之间大部分美丽的山丘和峡谷。在文特沃思、旺恩克利夫园林和罗瑟勒姆周围的贵族庄园中，还能看到这片辽阔的森林的遗迹。这里从前曾是传说中的旺特利龙(注1)出没的所在；红白玫瑰战争(注2)中许多生死存亡的战斗也在这里展开；从前还有不少绿林好汉在这里落草为寇，他们的事迹成了英国民谣中妇孺皆知的故事。
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(注1)英国民谣中的一条孽龙，后为一位勇士杀死，托马斯•帕西的《英诗辑古》中收有这故事。
(注2)英国1455—1485年间发生的一次大规模封建内战。
我们的故事主要便发生在这个区域，它涉及的是理查一世(注1)统治的末期，当时他刚从长期的囚禁中脱险回国，这是他绝望的臣民在水深火热中翘首以待，又不敢指望真能实现的事。封建贵族的权力在斯蒂芬(注2)统治时期，已变得炙手可热，亨利二世(注3)的深谋远虑也只能使他们在一定程度上臣服于国王，到了现在，他们又故态复萌，把从前享受的权力提高到了登峰造极的地步；国务会议的软弱干预根本不在他们眼里，他们修筑城堡，招降纳叛，扩大藩属的数目，把周围所有的地区都变成了他们的势力范围；他们用尽一切办法扩充实力，招兵买马，以便在即将来临的民族动乱中成为叱咤风云的显赫人物。
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(注1)理查一世即狮心王理查（1157—1199），他于1189年登基，随即与法、德等国组织第三次十字军东征。东征失败，他于1192年底回国，途经奥地利时被扣留，直至1194年2月才获得释放。
(注2)诺曼王朝的第四代君主，1135—1154年在位。
(注3)斯蒂芬死后无嗣，由安茹伯国的亨利继位，是为金雀花王朝的第一代君主亨利二世（1154—1189年在位），理查一世即他的儿子。
那些并非封建贵族出身的所谓小地主，按照英国宪法的条文和精神，本来享有独立于封建专制制度以外的自主权，现在他们的地位已每况愈下，变得危如累卵了。就一般的情况看，他们大多只得把自己置于当地一个土皇帝的保护下，承担他的朝廷的封建义务，或者根据相互合作和援助的协议，保证支持他的一切活动；这样，他们确实可以换得暂时的安宁，但是那必须以牺牲每个英国人所珍惜的独立为代价，还难免冒一定的风险，给卷进他们的保护者的野心可能给他们带来的战争灾难。另一方面，大贵族手握着多种多样生杀予夺的大权，他们不难找到借口，随心所欲地迫害和折磨他们属下的任何一个邻居，甚至把他们逼上毁灭的边缘，只要这些人敢于摆脱他们的权势，企图在那个危机四伏的时代，把自己的安全寄托在法律的保护和奉公守法上。
诺曼底公爵威廉(注1)的征服造成的后果，大大加剧了封建贵族的暴虐统治和下层阶级的苦难。现在四个世代过去了，还不足以调和诺曼人和盎格鲁一撒克逊人之间的仇恨情绪，或者通过共同的语言和休戚相关的利益，使两个敌对民族和睦相处，其中一个仍在为胜利扬扬自得，另一个仍在战败的一切恶果下辗转呻吟。黑斯廷斯战役(注2)已使统治权完全掌握在诺曼贵族手中，正如我们的历史书上讲的，这是一只残酷无情的手。整个撒克逊民族的王公贵族，全给消灭或剥夺了继承权，只有少数例外或毫无例外；依然在祖先的土地上占有土地的人，哪怕二、三等的业主，也已为数不多。朝廷的施政方针长期以来一直是千方百计，用合法或不合法的手段，削弱对战胜者确实怀有根深蒂固的仇恨的那部分国民。诺曼族的每一个国王都毫不掩饰他们对诺曼臣民的偏袒做法；狩猎法(注3)和其他许多法律，对撒克逊民族政治传统中比较温和的自由精神说来，都是前所未闻的，现在它们给加到了被征服的居民头上，这可以说更加重了他们所承担的封建锁链的压力。在朝廷上，在排场和奢靡不下于朝廷的大贵族城堡中，诺曼法语是唯一通用的语言；在法庭上，辩护和审判也用这种语言进行。总之，法语是高尚的、骑士的语言，甚至正义的语言，而远为成熟和表达力丰富的盎格鲁一撒克逊语却被抛在一边，只有粗俗的下等人才使用它，他们也只懂这种语言。然而在土地的主人和被压迫的、耕种土地的下等人之间，必须有互相沟通的工具，这就逐渐形成了一种由法语和盎格鲁一撒克逊语混合而成的方言，使他们可以互相了解；正是从这种需要出发，才慢慢产生了我们今天所使用的英语，在它中间，胜利者和被征服者的语言得到了巧妙的结合，后来它又靠引入古典语言和南欧各国的语言，获得了十分丰富的表现力。
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(注1)威廉一世（约1028—1087），他本为法国诺曼底公爵，1066年征服英国，建立了诺曼王朝，号称征服者威廉。
(注2)威廉入侵英国后，于1066年10月在黑斯廷斯镇与撒克逊国王哈罗德二世展开激战，哈罗德二世战死。黑斯廷斯战役宣告了英国撒克逊王朝的彻底覆灭。
(注3)威廉征服英国后，不仅没收了撒克逊人的土地，分封给诺曼贵族，还把大量森林据为己有，并颁布了严厉的森林法规，凡违反这些法规进入森林打猎的，可处以极刑。
这些情况，我认为是一般读者理解本书的必要前提，他们可能已经忘记，尽管在威廉二世(注1)的统治之后，没有过战争或叛乱之类重大历史事件表明盎格鲁一撒克逊人作为一个单独的民族的存在，然而他们和他们的征服者之间的民族分歧还是巨大的；对他们从前的状况的回忆，对他们现在所处的屈辱地位的不满，直到爱德华三世(注2)统治时期，仍使诺曼征服造成的创伤不能愈合，因而在胜利的诺曼人和战败的撒克逊人的后代之间依然保持着一条鸿沟。
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(注1)威廉二世（1056？一1100），威廉一世之子，1087—1100年在位，是诺曼王朝的第二代国王。
(注2)爱德华三世（1312—1377），英国金雀花王朝的国王，1327—1377年在位。
我们在本章开端提到的那个森林中，现在夕阳正照在一片长满青草的空地上。千百棵树顶宽阔、树身粗矮、树枝远远伸出的栎树，矗立在周围，这些也许目睹过罗马大军长驱直入的树木(注1)，用多节的手臂覆盖着这片苍翠欲滴的、厚厚的绿茵；有的地方，它们与山毛榉、冬青和形形色色的矮树丛交叉在一起，彼此靠得这么近，以致隔断了夕阳平射的光线；在另一些地方，它们又互相退让，在错综复杂的间隙中开拓了一条狭长的林荫道，令人一眼望去不由得心旷神怡，遐想联翩，仿佛那是通往更偏僻的森林深处的小径。在这儿，发红的阳光显得断断续续，深浅不一，也有的滞留在摇摇欲坠的树枝和长满青苔的树干上；在那儿，它们投向草坪各处，照出了一块块闪闪发亮的光斑。草地中央有一块相当大的空地，这似乎是从前专供德鲁伊特巫师(注2)祭祀作法的场所；因为在一个整齐的、像是人工堆筑的小丘顶上，有一圈未经雕凿的、巨大粗糙的石块，然而它们已残缺不全，只有七块还直立着，其余的都离开了原来的位置，这可能是有些人皈依了基督教以后，出于宗教的虔诚干的，现在它们有的躺在原地附近，有的滚到了山坡上。只有一块大石头掉到下面，落在一条绕着山麓缓缓流动的小溪中，由于它的阻挡，这条平静的、有些地方甚至听不到一丝声息的溪水，发出了一些微弱的淙淙声。
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(注1)在公元前一世纪至公元五世纪，英国曾被罗马军队占领。
(注2)古代克尔特人的巫师称为德鲁伊特，他们主持祭祀、占卜等等。据说他们崇拜栎树，常出没于栎树林中。
点缀在这片风景中的人物一共两个，从衣着和外表看，他们薀团代约克郡西区丛林地带的居民，带有那个地区粗犷质朴的气质。其中年长的那个，相貌显得严峻、粗野、强悍。他的衣服简单得不能再简单，只是一件贴身带袖上衣，由鞣过的兽皮制成，皮上原来是有毛的，但许多地方已经磨光，以致从剩下的那几块已很难看出，这皮毛是属于什么野兽了。这件原始的衣服从喉咙口一直延伸到膝部，一举解决了上衣通常所有的各种要求；在领围那里只开了一个不大的口子，头颅正好能够通过，由此可见，它是从头上和肩上套进身子的，有些像我们今天的汗衫，或者古代的锁子甲。鞋子没有鞋帮，只用几根野猪皮带子缚在脚上，保护脚底；小腿用薄皮革一直包扎到腿肚子上面，但像苏格兰高地人一样，让膝盖露在外面。为了使上衣更贴紧身子，他在腰里束着一根阔皮带，用钢扣子扣紧；带子的一边缚着一只小袋子，另一边别着一只山羊角，角上配有吹角的口。另外，带子里还插着一把又阔又长的尖头双刃刀，栖是羊角做的，这是这一带锻造的一种刀，甚至在那个古老的时期已被称作设菲尔德屠刀(注)。这人头上没戴什么，只能靠自己浓密的头发保护头顶，头发乱蓬蓬的，纠结在一起，经过日光的长期曝晒，已带有铁锈的赭红色，与他几乎接近琥珀色的满脸胡子，形成了鲜明的对照。他的服饰中只有一件东西还没讲到，但这是触目惊心，不能忽略的，那便是他脖于上的一只铜环，它与狗的颈圈相似，只是没有任何口子，而是绕着他的脖子焊得紧紧的，大小仅仅不致妨碍他的呼吸，可是又不能从脑袋上取下，除非用挫刀把它挫断。这独特的护喉甲上刻着几个字，那是撒克逊文，大意如下：“贝奥武尔夫之子葛四，生为罗瑟伍德乡绅塞德里克老爷之家奴。”
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(注)英国的设菲尔德在中世纪即以冶金业闻名。
除了牧猪人--因为这便是葛四的身份--在一块倒塌的德鲁伊特巫师的石头上，坐着另一个人，他的样子似乎比前者年轻十岁，那身衣服式样虽然与他的同伴穿的差不多，但质地较好，色彩也较花哨多变。他的上衣染了一层鲜艳的紫色，紫色上又用各种颜料画了些怪诞的图样。上衣外面罩了一件短披风，几乎只达到大腿的一半；这是红布做的，但大部分已腌（月赞）不堪，它的反面有浅黄色的衬里；由于他可以把它从一个肩膀披到分一个肩膀，还可以随意把它包住整个身子，它尽管不长，宽度一定很大，有些像一幅光怪陆离的帷幕。他的胳臂上戴着几只细细的银镯子，脖颈上也戴着同样金属的项圈，上面刻的字是： “愚人之子汪八，罗瑟伍德乡绅塞德里克老爷之家奴。”这人的鞋子与他的同伴穿的一样，只是小腿上裹的不是薄皮革，而是绑腿套那样的东西，它们一只是红的，另一只却是黄的。他还戴着一顶帽子，帽子周围挂着几只小铃铛，大小与猎鹰身上挂的差不多，当他转动脑袋时，它们便会发出叮叮咚咚的声音；由于他没有一刻不在变换姿势，因此铃声总是响个不停。他的帽子边上围着一条坚硬的皮带，皮带顶部雕了花，有些像公爵的冠冕，还有一只长袋子从皮带中间挂下来，落到一边肩上，像一种老式睡帽，或者果汁袋，或者现代轻骑兵的头饰(注1)。那些铃铛便挂在帽子的这条边上。这些铃子，帽子的式样，以及他本人那些装疯卖傻的表情，便足以说明他是属于家庭小丑或弄儿那一类人，也就是财主家中豢养的丑角，在这些主人不得不待在家里，百无聊赖的时候，给他们说笑逗趣消磨时光的奴仆。他的腰带上也像他的同伴一样，挂着一只小口袋，但是没有号角，也没有刀--也许这是因为把锋利的工具交给这类人是危险的。代替它们的是他挂着一把木剑，像今天在舞台上变戏法的丑角手中拿的道具。(注2)
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(注1)轻骑兵以服饰华丽著称。
(注2)英国宫廷中早在威廉一世以前，即已设有所谓弄臣，他们的职责便是为国王说笑逗乐，后来有钱人家也仿效这种做法，豢养一些专供取乐的小丑，他们戴着古怪的帽子，穿着彩衣，两只裤管也往往颜色不同，手中还拿着雕有驴首的所谓小丑节杖，表明他们的身份。他们自称傻瓜，实际却是以机智隽永的谈吐为主人解闷。
这两人外表上的差别，也许没有比他们的神态和举止的不同更显著的了。那个农奴或家仆显得忧伤或悲观；他的脸总是朝着地面，带有闷闷不乐的消沉神色，要不是那对发红的眼睛有时会流露出一丝火花，说明在沮丧失望的外表下，还潜伏着一股受压迫的意识和反抗的倾向，那么他的神态便可能被看作冷漠寡情的表现。相反，汪八的脸色与他这类人常有的那样，流露出一种无意识的好奇心，他总是坐立不定，一刻也不能安静，对自己的地位和那副装束似乎还扬扬得意。他们之间的谈话用的是盎格鲁一撒克逊语，我们已经说过，除了诺曼士兵和大封建贵族的贴身仆役，所有的下层阶级都使用这种语言。但是如果照原样记录它们，现代的读者势必难以理解，因此我们只得依靠翻译，把这些话记在下面。
“圣维索尔特啊，把灾难降临给这些蠢猪吧！”放猪人说，拿起号角大吹了一阵，想把跑散的猪群召集到一起，可是它们对他那些抑扬顿挫的号音却无动于衷，只是发出了一阵阵同样节奏分明的哼叫，并不想听从指挥，放弃可以养肥它们的山毛榉实和槲果构成的丰盛筵席，离开草木丛生的溪边，有的还把半个身子舒舒服服地躺在泥浆里，根本不理睬它们的管理员。“让这些该死的东西和我都遭殃吧！”葛四说。“要是在天黑以前，它们不给两条腿的狼抓走几只，我就不是人！喂，方斯，方斯！”他拉直喉咙，向一只癞毛狗吆喝道，这狗样子凶猛，有些像狼，那是一种一半像警犬，一半像灵提的猎狗，它一瘸一拐地跑着，仿佛想执行主人的命令，把不听话的咕噜咕噜呼叫的猪赶到一起，但是事实上，由于它误会了主人的信号，不理解自己的任务，或者幸灾乐祸，反而把它们赶得七零八落，使它本来似乎想挽回的尴尬局面变得更加不可收拾。“那个狗（上人下肉）的护林宫(注)，但愿魔鬼拔掉他的牙齿才好，”葛四又道，“他居然把我们的狗割掉了前爪，害得它们无法履行自己的职责！汪八，起来，像一个真正的男子汉那样帮我一把，绕到山背后，堵住它们的路；只要你占了上风，它们便无可奈何，只得乖乖地听你摆布，跟一群绵羊似的，随你要它们上哪儿了。”
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(注)见作者附注一。——原注
“一点不错，”汪八说，可是坐在那儿一动没动，“不过我已经跟我的两条腿商量过，它们一致的意见是：穿着我这身漂亮衣服，跑进那些烂泥地，这对老爷我本人和我的华丽装束是一种大不敬的行为；因此，葛四，我劝你还是把方斯叫开，随那些猪爱上哪儿就上哪儿，哪怕落进散兵游勇、绿林强盗、或者江湖骗子手中，也是它们命该如此，这跟它们到了早上给改造成诺曼人没有什么两样，对你说来倒可以少操些心，舒服一些。”
“这些猪变成了诺曼人，我还舒服！”葛四说道，“我不懂你的意思，江八，因为我的头脑太迟钝，心情又这么烦躁，我猜不透你这种哑谜。”
“怎么，你管这些咕噜咕噜、用四只脚奔跑的畜生，叫什么啦？”汪八问他。
“Swine（猪）呗，傻瓜，swine呗，”放猪人说，“这是每个傻瓜都知道的。”
“着呀，swine是地道的撒克逊语，”小丑说，“那么在它给开膛剖肚，掏出内脏，肢解分割之后，像卖国贼那样给倒挂起来的时候，你管它叫什么呢？”
“Pork（猪肉），”放猪的答道。
“一点不错，这也是每个傻瓜都知道的，”汪八说。“我想，pork是十足的诺曼法语；这样，在这些牲畜活着，由撒克逊奴隶照管的时候，它属于撒克�

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Chapter 2
A Monk there was, a fayre for the maistrie, An outrider that loved venerie; A manly man, to be an Abbot able, Full many a daintie horse had he in stable: And whan he rode, men might his bridle hear Gingeling in a whistling wind as clear, And eke as loud, as doth the chapell bell, There as this lord was keeper of the cell. Chaucer.
Notwithstanding the occasional exhortation and chiding of his companion, the noise of the horsemen's feet continuing to approach, Wamba could not be prevented from lingering occasionally on the road, upon every pretence which occurred; now catching from the hazel a cluster of half-ripe nuts, and now turning his head to leer after a cottage maiden who crossed their path. The horsemen, therefore, soon overtook them on the road.
Their numbers amounted to ten men, of whom the two who rode foremost seemed to be persons of considerable importance, and the others their attendants. It was not difficult to ascertain the condition and character of one of these personages. He was obviously an ecclesiastic of high rank; his dress was that of a Cistercian Monk, but composed of materials much finer than those which the rule of that order admitted. His mantle and hood were of the best Flanders cloth, and fell in ample, and not ungraceful folds, around a handsome, though somewhat corpulent person. His countenance bore as little the marks of self-denial, as his habit indicated contempt of worldly splendour. His features might have been called good, had there not lurked under the pent-house of his eye, that sly epicurean twinkle which indicates the cautious voluptuary. In other respects, his profession and situation had taught him a ready command over his countenance, which he could contract at pleasure into solemnity, although its natural expression was that of good-humoured social indulgence. In defiance of conventual rules, and the edicts of popes and councils, the sleeves of this dignitary were lined and turned up with rich furs, his mantle secured at the throat with a golden clasp, and the whole dress proper to his order as much refined upon and ornamented, as that of a quaker beauty of the present day, who, while she retains the garb and costume of her sect continues to give to its simplicity, by the choice of materials and the mode of disposing them, a certain air of coquettish attraction, savouring but too much of the vanities of the world.
This worthy churchman rode upon a well-fed ambling mule, whose furniture was highly decorated, and whose bridle, according to the fashion of the day, was ornamented with silver bells. In his seat he had nothing of the awkwardness of the convent, but displayed the easy and habitual grace of a well-trained horseman. Indeed, it seemed that so humble a conveyance as a mule, in however good case, and however well broken to a pleasant and accommodating amble, was only used by the gallant monk for travelling on the road. A lay brother, one of those who followed in the train, had, for his use on other occasions, one of the most handsome Spanish jennets ever bred at Andalusia, which merchants used at that time to import, with great trouble and risk, for the use of persons of wealth and distinction. The saddle and housings of this superb palfrey were covered by a long foot-cloth, which reached nearly to the ground, and on which were richly embroidered, mitres, crosses, and other ecclesiastical emblems. Another lay brother led a sumpter mule, loaded probably with his superior's baggage; and two monks of his own order, of inferior station, rode together in the rear, laughing and conversing with each other, without taking much notice of the other members of the cavalcade.
The companion of the church dignitary was a man past forty, thin, strong, tall, and muscular; an athletic figure, which long fatigue and constant exercise seemed to have left none of the softer part of the human form, having reduced the whole to brawn, bones, and sinews, which had sustained a thousand toils, and were ready to dare a thousand more. His head was covered with a scarlet cap, faced with fur---of that kind which the French call "mortier", from its resemblance to the shape of an inverted mortar. His countenance was therefore fully displayed, and its expression was calculated to impress a degree of awe, if not of fear, upon strangers. High features, naturally strong and powerfully expressive, had been burnt almost into Negro blackness by constant exposure to the tropical sun, and might, in their ordinary state, be said to slumber after the storm of passion had passed away; but the projection of the veins of the forehead, the readiness with which the upper lip and its thick black moustaches quivered upon the slightest emotion, plainly intimated that the tempest might be again and easily awakened. His keen, piercing, dark eyes, told in every glance a history of difficulties subdued, and dangers dared, and seemed to challenge opposition to his wishes, for the pleasure of sweeping it from his road by a determined exertion of courage and of will; a deep scar on his brow gave additional sternness to his countenance, and a sinister expression to one of his eyes, which had been slightly injured on the same occasion, and of which the vision, though perfect, was in a slight and partial degree distorted.
The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in shape, being a long monastic mantle; but the colour, being scarlet, showed that he did not belong to any of the four regular orders of monks. On the right shoulder of the mantle there was cut, in white cloth, a cross of a peculiar form. This upper robe concealed what at first view seemed rather inconsistent with its form, a shirt, namely, of linked mail, with sleeves and gloves of the same, curiously plaited and interwoven, as flexible to the body as those which are now wrought in the stocking-loom, out of less obdurate materials. The fore-part of his thighs, where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen, were also covered with linked mail; the knees and feet were defended by splints, or thin plates of steel, ingeniously jointed upon each other; and mail hose, reaching from the ankle to the knee, effectually protected the legs, and completed the rider's defensive armour. In his girdle he wore a long and double-edged dagger, which was the only offensive weapon about his person.
He rode, not a mule, like his companion, but a strong hackney for the road, to save his gallant war-horse, which a squire led behind, fully accoutred for battle, with a chamfron or plaited head-piece upon his head, having a short spike projecting from the front. On one side of the saddle hung a short battle-axe, richly inlaid with Damascene carving; on the other the rider's plumed head-piece and hood of mail, with a long two-handed sword, used by the chivalry of the period. A second squire held aloft his master's lance, from the extremity of which fluttered a small banderole, or streamer, bearing a cross of the same form with that embroidered upon his cloak. He also carried his small triangular shield, broad enough at the top to protect the breast, and from thence diminishing to a point. It was covered with a scarlet cloth, which prevented the device from being seen.
These two squires were followed by two attendants, whose dark visages, white turbans, and the Oriental form of their garments, showed them to be natives of some distant Eastern country.*
* Note B. Negro Slaves.
The whole appearance of this warrior and his retinue was wild and outlandish; the dress of his squires was gorgeous, and his Eastern attendants wore silver collars round their throats, and bracelets of the same metal upon their swarthy arms and legs, of which the former were naked from the elbow, and the latter from mid-leg to ankle. Silk and embroidery distinguished their dresses, and marked the wealth and importance of their master; forming, at the same time, a striking contrast with the martial simplicity of his own attire. They were armed with crooked sabres, having the hilt and baldric inlaid with gold, and matched with Turkish daggers of yet more costly workmanship. Each of them bore at his saddle-bow a bundle of darts or javelins, about four feet in length, having sharp steel heads, a weapon much in use among the Saracens, and of which the memory is yet preserved in the martial exercise called "El Jerrid", still practised in the Eastern countries.
The steeds of these attendants were in appearance as foreign as their riders. They were of Saracen origin, and consequently of Arabian descent; and their fine slender limbs, small fetlocks, thin manes, and easy springy motion, formed a marked contrast with the large-jointed, heavy horses, of which the race was cultivated in Flanders and in Normandy, for mounting the men-at-arms of the period in all the panoply of plate and mail; and which, placed by the side of those Eastern coursers, might have passed for a personification of substance and of shadow.
The singular appearance of this cavalcade not only attracted the curiosity of Wamba, but excited even that of his less volatile companion. The monk he instantly knew to be the Prior of Jorvaulx Abbey, well known for many miles around as a lover of the chase, of the banquet, and, if fame did him not wrong, of other worldly pleasures still more inconsistent with his monastic vows.
Yet so loose were the ideas of the times respecting the conduct of the clergy, whether secular or regular, that the Prior Aymer maintained a fair character in the neighbourhood of his abbey. His free and jovial temper, and the readiness with which he granted absolution from all ordinary delinquencies, rendered him a favourite among the nobility and principal gentry, to several of whom he was allied by birth, being of a distinguished Norman family. The ladies, in particular, were not disposed to scan too nicely the morals of a man who was a professed admirer of their sex, and who possessed many means of dispelling the ennui which was too apt to intrude upon the halls and bowers of an ancient feudal castle. The Prior mingled in the sports of the field with more than due eagerness, and was allowed to possess the best-trained hawks, and the fleetest greyhounds in the North Riding; circumstances which strongly recommended him to the youthful gentry. With the old, he had another part to play, which, when needful, he could sustain with great decorum. His knowledge of books, however superficial, was sufficient to impress upon their ignorance respect for his supposed learning; and the gravity of his deportment and language, with the high tone which he exerted in setting forth the authority of the church and of the priesthood, impressed them no less with an opinion of his sanctity. Even the common people, the severest critics of the conduct of their betters, had commiseration with the follies of Prior Aymer. He was generous; and charity, as it is well known, covereth a multitude of sins, in another sense than that in which it is said to do so in Scripture. The revenues of the monastery, of which a large part was at his disposal, while they gave him the means of supplying his own very considerable expenses, afforded also those largesses which he bestowed among the peasantry, and with which he frequently relieved the distresses of the oppressed. If Prior Aymer rode hard in the chase, or remained long at the banquet,---if Prior Aymer was seen, at the early peep of dawn, to enter the postern of the abbey, as he glided home from some rendezvous which had occupied the hours of darkness, men only shrugged up their shoulders, and reconciled themselves to his irregularities, by recollecting that the same were practised by many of his brethren who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever to atone for them. Prior Aymer, therefore, and his character, were well known to our Saxon serfs, who made their rude obeisance, and received his "benedicite, mes filz," in return.
But the singular appearance of his companion and his attendants, arrested their attention and excited their wonder, and they could scarcely attend to the Prior of Jorvaulx' question, when he demanded if they knew of any place of harbourage in the vicinity; so much were they surprised at the half monastic, half military appearance of the swarthy stranger, and at the uncouth dress and arms of his Eastern attendants. It is probable, too, that the language in which the benediction was conferred, and the information asked, sounded ungracious, though not probably unintelligible, in the ears of the Saxon peasants.
"I asked you, my children," said the Prior, raising his voice, and using the lingua Franca, or mixed language, in which the Norman and Saxon races conversed with each other, "if there be in this neighbourhood any good man, who, for the love of God, and devotion to Mother Church, will give two of her humblest servants, with their train, a night's hospitality and refreshment?"
This he spoke with a tone of conscious importance, which formed a strong contrast to the modest terms which he thought it proper to employ.
"Two of the humblest servants of Mother Church!" repeated Wamba to himself,---but, fool as he was, taking care not to make his observation audible; "I should like to see her seneschals, her chief butlers, and other principal domestics!"
After this internal commentary on the Prior's speech, he raised his eyes, and replied to the question which had been put.
"If the reverend fathers," he said, "loved good cheer and soft lodging, few miles of riding would carry them to the Priory of Brinxworth, where their quality could not but secure them the most honourable reception; or if they preferred spending a penitential evening, they might turn down yonder wild glade, which would bring them to the hermitage of Copmanhurst, where a pious anchoret would make them sharers for the night of the shelter of his roof and the benefit of his prayers."
The Prior shook his head at both proposals.
"Mine honest friend," said he, "if the jangling of thy bells had not dizzied thine understanding, thou mightst know "Clericus clericum non decimat"; that is to say, we churchmen do not exhaust each other's hospitality, but rather require that of the laity, giving them thus an opportunity to serve God in honouring and relieving his appointed servants."
"It is true," replied Wamba, "that I, being but an ass, am, nevertheless, honoured to hear the bells as well as your reverence's mule; notwithstanding, I did conceive that the charity of Mother Church and her servants might be said, with other charity, to begin at home."
"A truce to thine insolence, fellow," said the armed rider, breaking in on his prattle with a high and stern voice, "and tell us, if thou canst, the road to---How call'd you your Franklin, Prior Aymer?"
"Cedric," answered the Prior; "Cedric the Saxon.---Tell me, good fellow, are we near his dwelling, and can you show us the road?"
"The road will be uneasy to find," answered Gurth, who broke silence for the first time, "and the family of Cedric retire early to rest."
"Tush, tell not me, fellow," said the military rider; "'tis easy for them to arise and supply the wants of travellers such as we are, who will not stoop to beg the hospitality which we have a right to command."
"I know not," said Gurth, sullenly, "if I should show the way to my master's house, to those who demand as a right, the shelter which most are fain to ask as a favour."
"Do you dispute with me, slave!" said the soldier; and, setting spurs to his horse, he caused him make a demivolte across the path, raising at the same time the riding rod which he held in his hand, with a purpose of chastising what he considered as the insolence of the peasant.
Gurth darted at him a savage and revengeful scowl, and with a fierce, yet hesitating motion, laid his hand on the haft of his knife; but the interference of Prior Aymer, who pushed his mule betwixt his companion and the swineherd, prevented the meditated violence.
"Nay, by St Mary, brother Brian, you must not think you are now in Palestine, predominating over heathen Turks and infidel Saracens; we islanders love not blows, save those of holy Church, who chasteneth whom she loveth.---Tell me, good fellow," said he to Wamba, and seconded his speech by a small piece of silver coin, "the way to Cedric the Saxon's; you cannot be ignorant of it, and it is your duty to direct the wanderer even when his character is less sanctified than ours."
"In truth, venerable father," answered the Jester, "the Saracen head of your right reverend companion has frightened out of mine the way home---I am not sure I shall get there to-night myself."
"Tush," said the Abbot, "thou canst tell us if thou wilt. This reverend brother has been all his life engaged in fighting among the Saracens for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre; he is of the order of Knights Templars, whom you may have heard of; he is half a monk, half a soldier."
"If he is but half a monk," said the Jester, "he should not be wholly unreasonable with those whom he meets upon the road, even if they should be in no hurry to answer questions that no way concern them."
"I forgive thy wit," replied the Abbot, "on condition thou wilt show me the way to Cedric's mansion."
"Well, then," answered Wamba, "your reverences must hold on this path till you come to a sunken cross, of which scarce a cubit's length remains above ground; then take the path to the left, for there are four which meet at Sunken Cross, and I trust your reverences will obtain shelter before the storm comes on."
The Abbot thanked his sage adviser; and the cavalcade, setting spurs to their horses, rode on as men do who wish to reach their inn before the bursting of a night-storm. As their horses' hoofs died away, Gurth said to his companion, "If they follow thy wise direction, the reverend fathers will hardly reach Rotherwood this night."
"No," said the Jester, grinning, "but they may reach Sheffield if they have good luck, and that is as fit a place for them. I am not so bad a woodsman as to show the dog where the deer lies, if I have no mind he should chase him."
"Thou art right," said Gurth; "it were ill that Aymer saw the Lady Rowena; and it were worse, it may be, for Cedric to quarrel, as is most likely he would, with this military monk. But, like good servants let us hear and see, and say nothing."
We return to the riders, who had soon left the bondsmen far behind them, and who maintained the following conversation in the Norman-French language, usually employed by the superior classes, with the exception of the few who were still inclined to boast their Saxon descent.
"What mean these fellows by their capricious insolence?" said the Templar to the Benedictine, "and why did you prevent me from chastising it?"
"Marry, brother Brian," replied the Prior, "touching the one of them, it were hard for me to render a reason for a fool speaking according to his folly; and the other churl is of that savage, fierce, intractable race, some of whom, as I have often told you, are still to be found among the descendants of the conquered Saxons, and whose supreme pleasure it is to testify, by all means in their power, their aversion to their conquerors."
"I would soon have beat him into courtesy," observed Brian; "I am accustomed to deal with such spirits: Our Turkish captives are as fierce and intractable as Odin himself could have been; yet two months in my household, under the management of my master of the slaves, has made them humble, submissive, serviceable, and observant of your will. Marry, sir, you must be aware of the poison and the dagger; for they use either with free will when you give them the slightest opportunity."
"Ay, but," answered Prior Aymer, "every land has its own manners and fashions; and, besides that beating this fellow could procure us no information respecting the road to Cedric's house, it would have been sure to have established a quarrel betwixt you and him had we found our way thither. Remember what I told you: this wealthy franklin is proud, fierce, jealous, and irritable, a withstander of the nobility, and even of his neighbors, Reginald Front-de-Boeuf and Philip Malvoisin, who are no babies to strive with. He stands up sternly for the privileges of his race, and is so proud of his uninterrupted descend from Hereward, a renowned champion of the Heptarchy, that he is universally called Cedric the Saxon; and makes a boast of his belonging to a people from whom many others endeaver to hide their descent, lest they should encounter a share of the 'vae victis,' or severities imposed upon the vanquished."
"Prior Aymer," said the Templar, "you are a man of gallantry, learned in the study of beauty, and as expert as a troubadour in all matters concerning the 'arrets' of love; but I shall expect much beauty in this celebrated Rowena to counterbalance the self-denial and forbearance which I must exert if I am to court the favor of such a seditious churl as you have described her father Cedric."
"Cedric is not her father," replied the Prior, "and is but of remote relation: she is descended from higher blood than even he pretends to, and is but distantly connected with him by birth. Her guardian, however, he is, self-constituted as I believe; but his ward is as dear to him as if she were his own child. Of her beauty you shall soon be judge; and if the purity of her complexion, and the majestic, yet soft expression of a mild blue eye, do not chase from your memory the black-tressed girls of Palestine, ay, or the houris of old Mahound's paradise, I am an infidel, and no true son of the church."
"Should your boasted beauty," said the Templar, "be weighed in the balance and found wanting, you know our wager?"
"My gold collar," answered the Prior, "against ten butts of Chian wine;---they are mine as securely as if they were already in the convent vaults, under the key of old Dennis the cellarer."
"And I am myself to be judge," said the Templar, "and am only to be convicted on my own admission, that I have seen no maiden so beautiful since Pentecost was a twelvemonth. Ran it not so? ---Prior, your collar is in danger; I will wear it over my gorget in the lists of Ashby-de-la-Zouche."
"Win it fairly," said the Prior, "and wear it as ye will; I will trust your giving true response, on your word as a knight and as a churchman. Yet, brother, take my advice, and file your tongue to a little more courtesy than your habits of predominating over infidel captives and Eastern bondsmen have accustomed you. Cedric the Saxon, if offended,---and he is noway slack in taking offence,---is a man who, without respect to your knighthood, my high office, or the sanctity of either, would clear his house of us, and send us to lodge with the larks, though the hour were midnight. And be careful how you look on Rowena, whom he cherishes with the most jealous care; an he take the least alarm in that quarter we are but lost men. It is said he banished his only son from his family for lifting his eyes in the way of affection towards this beauty, who may be worshipped, it seems, at a distance, but is not to be approached with other thoughts than such as we bring to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin."
"Well, you have said enough," answered the Templar; "I will for a night put on the needful restraint, and deport me as meekly as a maiden; but as for the fear of his expelling us by violence, myself and squires, with Hamet and Abdalla, will warrant you against that disgrace. Doubt not that we shall be strong enough to make good our quarters."
"We must not let it come so far," answered the Prior; "but here is the clown's sunken cross, and the night is so dark that we can hardly see which of the roads we are to follow. He bid us turn, I think to the left."
"To the right," said Brian, "to the best of my remembrance."
"To the left, certainly, the left; I remember his pointing with his wooden sword."
"Ay, but he held his sword in his left hand, and so pointed across his body with it," said the Templar.
Each maintained his opinion with sufficient obstinacy, as is usual in all such cases; the attendants were appealed to, but they had not been near enough to hear Wamba's directions. At length Brian remarked, what had at first escaped him in the twilight; "Here is some one either asleep, or lying dead at the foot of this cross---Hugo, stir him with the butt-end of thy lance."
This was no sooner done than the figure arose, exclaiming in good French, "Whosoever thou art, it is discourteous in you to disturb my thoughts."
"We did but wish to ask you," said the Prior, "the road to Rotherwood, the abode of Cedric the Saxon."
"I myself am bound thither," replied the stranger; "and if I had a horse, I would be your guide, for the way is somewhat intricate, though perfectly well known to me."
"Thou shalt have both thanks and reward, my friend," said the Prior, "if thou wilt bring us to Cedric's in safety."
And he caused one of his attendants to mount his own led horse, and give that upon which he had hitherto ridden to the stranger, who was to serve for a guide.
Their conductor pursued an opposite road from that which Wamba had recommended, for the purpose of misleading them. The path soon led deeper into the woodland, and crossed more than one brook, the approach to which was rendered perilous by the marshes through which it flowed; but the stranger seemed to know, as if by instinct, the soundest ground and the safest points of passage; and by dint of caution and attention, brought the party safely into a wilder avenue than any they had yet seen; and, pointing to a large low irregular building at the upper extremity, he said to the Prior, "Yonder is Rotherwood, the dwelling of Cedric the Saxon."
This was a joyful intimation to Aymer, whose nerves were none of the strongest, and who had suffered such agitation and alarm in the course of passing through the dangerous bogs, that he had not yet had the curiosity to ask his guide a single question. Finding himself now at his ease and near shelter, his curiosity began to awake, and he demanded of the guide who and what he was.
"A Palmer, just returned from the Holy Land," was the answer.
"You had better have tarried there to fight for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre," said the Templar.
"True, Reverend Sir Knight," answered the Palmer, to whom the appearance of the Templar seemed perfectly familiar; "but when those who are under oath to recover the holy city, are found travelling at such a distance from the scene of their duties, can you wonder that a peaceful peasant like me should decline the task which they have abandoned?"
The Templar would have made an angry reply, but was interrupted by the Prior, who again expressed his astonishment, that their guide, after such long absence, should be so perfectly acquainted with the passes of the forest.
"I was born a native of these parts," answered their guide, and as he made the reply they stood before the mansion of Cedric;---a low irregular building, containing several court-yards or enclosures, extending over a considerable space of ground, and which, though its size argued the inhabitant to be a person of wealth, differed entirely from the tall, turretted, and castellated buildings in which the Norman nobility resided, and which had become the universal style of architecture throughout England.
Rotherwood was not, however, without defences; no habitation, in that disturbed period, could have been so, without the risk of being plundered and burnt before the next morning. A deep fosse, or ditch, was drawn round the whole building, and filled with water from a neighbouring stream. A double stockade, or palisade, composed of pointed beams, which the adjacent forest supplied, defended the outer and inner bank of the trench. There was an entrance from the west through the outer stockade, which communicated by a drawbridge, with a similar opening in the interior defences. Some precautions had been taken to place those entrances under the protection of projecting angles, by which they might be flanked in case of need by archers or slingers.
Before this entrance the Templar wound his horn loudly; for the rain, which had long threatened, began now to descend with great violence.

还有一个修道士仪表堂堂，像个长者，
他爱好打猎，骑在马上威风凛凛，
又道貌岸然，有资格当一名修道院长，
他的马厩里有的是漂亮的高头大马。
每逢他骑上马背飞驰，缰辔上的铃铛
便随着风的呼啸叮当直响，
宛如教堂中发出的嘹亮清晰的钟声，
他作为它的长老在那里拥有一个酒窖。
乔叟(注)
--------
(注)见乔叟的《坎特伯雷故事集》的“总引”一节。
尽管他的伙伴不时叮嘱和指责，而且马蹄声也越来越近，汪八还是一种上磨磨蹭蹭，找各种借口闲逛，一会儿在榛树上抓一把半熟的坚果，一会儿扭回头去打量路过的农村姑娘。这样，那些骑马的人很快就赶上了他们。
这些人大约有十来个，骑在前面的两个似乎是有些来头的大人物，其余的只是他们的随从。一个大人物的身份和地位是不难确定的，显然那是一个高级教士，他穿着西多会(注)修士的服装，只是它的质地比那个修会一般所允许的好得多。他的斗篷和风帽是用最精细的佛兰德毛料做的，褶裥宽大，然而裹在他有些发胖、但仍很优美的身体周围，并不显得臃肿。他的脸色很少安贫乐道的气息，正如他的衣着毫无鄙视世俗浮华的迹象。他的相貌可以算得端正，只是眼角边总是隐隐约约潜伏着一抹贪图逸乐的闪光，这表明他怀有一种小心掩饰的酒色之欲。在其他方面，他的职务和地位教会了他随时控制他的表情，他可以一下子板起脸来，变得道貌岸然，尽管那张脸天然轻松愉快，他的性情也爱好寻欢作乐。修道院的清规戒律，教皇和教廷的皇皇上谕都不能约束这位贵人，他翻起的衣袖上露出了珍贵的皮毛，他的斗篷领圈上用的是金搭襻，他的整个装束虽然与他的修会一致，但衣服之精美，饰物之华贵，就像当代公谊会女教徒，尽管保持着本教派的衣着打扮，然而精致的衣料和做工，仍能给简朴的服饰增添一种卖弄风情的妩媚意味，让人嗅到太多的世俗的虚荣作风。
--------
(注)天主教隐修会中的一派，以会规严格著称。
这位尊贵的教士骑着一匹饲养得很好的、步子从容不迫的骡子，它的全套装备都显得富丽堂皇，缰绳上按照当时的风气，饰有许多银铃铛。他骑在马上毫无出家人的笨拙姿势，态度相当悠闲、潇洒，完全像一个训练有素的骑士。确实，像骡子这种低等坐骑，不论装饰多么华丽，也不论步子多么从容不迫、安闲自在，对这位气派不凡的修士而言，只薀桐旅途中行路之用。他的后面跟着几名随从，其中一个在俗的仆役牵着一匹非常漂亮的酉班牙小种马，它来自安达卢西亚种马场，薀桐他在其他场合使用的——当时的商人费了不少周折，冒了不少风险，才引进了这种专供达官贵人乘坐的马。这匹马打扮得十分豪华，鞍子和马衣上还覆盖着一块长及马蹄、几乎触及地面的马披，马披上绣了复杂的花纹，其中有主教冠、十字架和教会的其他标记。另一个在俗的杂役牵着一匹驮骡，上面载的也许便是那位上司的行李；还有两个地位较低的修士、也属于他的修会，他们骑在最后，彼此说说笑笑，但不大理睬队伍中的其他人。
高级教士的同伴约四十多岁，瘦高个子，生得身强力壮，肌肉发达，像一个运动员；长期的劳累和不断的磨练，似乎没有放过他身上任何一个较柔软的部位，以致他的整个身体几乎全由肌肉、骨骼和腱子组成，它们已经历过一千次的苦役，还准备再接受一千次。他头上戴一顶镶皮边的鲜红便帽，它的形状像倒置的研钵，因此法国人把它称作白帽。这使他的脸完全露在外面，它的表情即使不致引起恐惧，至少会使别人对他产生一定程度的忌惮。脸上各部分由于经常接触炎热的阳光，几乎晒得像黑人那么黑了；它们轮廓分明，天然具有强烈的表现力，但在一般情况下，它们只是处在感情的暴风雨过去之后的沉睡阶段；然而他额头上那些突出的青筋，以及情绪稍有激动，上嘴唇和浓密乌黑的唇髭便会出现的颤动，让人鲜明地看到，感情的暴风雨随时可能重新苏醒。他那对敏捷锐利的黑眼睛发出的每一次闪光都在表示，他一生中克服过无数困难，战胜过不少危险，因此任何违背他意愿的挑战，都不在他的话下，他可以凭他的坚定意志和勇敢无畏，把它们从他的道路上一扫而光。他的眉毛上有一条深深的刀伤，这使他的容貌更显得严峻可怕，也给他的一只眼睛增添了一种凶险的神色，这只眼睛同时受了些轻伤，虽然没有影响视力，但眼睛有些斜视和损坏了。
这个人外面的衣服，从形状看与他的同伴穿的差不多，是一件修道士的长披风，但颜色是深红的，这说明他不属于四大修会

Chapter 3 Then (sad relief!) from the bleak coast that hears The German Ocean roar, deep-blooming, strong, And yellow hair'd, the blue-eyed Saxon came. Thomson's Liberty In a hall, the height of which was greatly disproportioned to its extreme length and width, a long oaken table, formed of planks rough-hewn from the forest, and which had scarcely received any polish, stood ready prepared for the evening meal of Cedric the Saxon. The roof, composed of beams and rafters, had nothing to divide the apartment from the sky excepting the planking and thatch; there was a huge fireplace at either end of the hall, but as the chimneys were constructed in a very clumsy manner, at least as much of the smoke found its way into the apartment as escaped by the proper vent. The constant vapour which this occasioned, had polished the rafters and beams of the low-browed hall, by encrusting them with a black varnish of soot. On the sides of the apartment hung implements of war and of the chase, and there were at each corner folding doors, which gave access to other parts of the extensive building. The other appointments of the mansion partook of the rude simplicity of the Saxon period, which Cedric piqued himself upon maintaining. The floor was composed of earth mixed with lime, trodden into a hard substance, such as is often employed in flooring our modern barns. For about one quarter of the length of the apartment, the floor was raised by a step, and this space, which was called the dais, was occupied only by the principal members of the family, and visitors of distinction. For this purpose, a table richly covered with scarlet cloth was placed transversely across the platform, from the middle of which ran the longer and lower board, at which the domestics and inferior persons fed, down towards the bottom of the hall. The whole resembled the form of the letter T, or some of those ancient dinner-tables, which, arranged on the same principles, may be still seen in the antique Colleges of Oxford or Cambridge. Massive chairs and settles of carved oak were placed upon the dais, and over these seats and the more elevated table was fastened a canopy of cloth, which served in some degree to protect the dignitaries who occupied that distinguished station from the weather, and especially from the rain, which in some places found its way through the ill-constructed roof. The walls of this upper end of the hall, as far as the dais extended, were covered with hangings or curtains, and upon the floor there was a carpet, both of which were adorned with some attempts at tapestry, or embroidery, executed with brilliant or rather gaudy colouring. Over the lower range of table, the roof, as we have noticed, had no covering; the rough plastered walls were left bare, and the rude earthen floor was uncarpeted; the board was uncovered by a cloth, and rude massive benches supplied the place of chairs. In the centre of the upper table, were placed two chairs more elevated than the rest, for the master and mistress of the family, who presided over the scene of hospitality, and from doing so derived their Saxon title of honour, which signifies "the Dividers of Bread." To each of these chairs was added a footstool, curiously carved and inlaid with ivory, which mark of distinction was peculiar to them. One of these seats was at present occupied by Cedric the Saxon, who, though but in rank a thane, or, as the Normans called him, a Franklin, felt, at the delay of his evening meal, an irritable impatience, which might have become an alderman, whether of ancient or of modern times. It appeared, indeed, from the countenance of this proprietor, that he was of a frank, but hasty and choleric temper. He was not above the middle stature, but broad-shouldered, long-armed, and powerfully made, like one accustomed to endure the fatigue of war or of the chase; his face was broad, with large blue eyes, open and frank features, fine teeth, and a well formed head, altogether expressive of that sort of good-humour which often lodges with a sudden and hasty temper. Pride and jealousy there was in his eye, for his life had been spent in asserting rights which were constantly liable to invasion; and the prompt, fiery, and resolute disposition of the man, had been kept constantly upon the alert by the circumstances of his situation. His long yellow hair was equally divided on the top of his head and upon his brow, and combed down on each side to the length of his shoulders; it had but little tendency to grey, although Cedric was approaching to his sixtieth year. His dress was a tunic of forest green, furred at the throat and cuffs with what was called minever; a kind of fur inferior in quality to ermine, and formed, it is believed, of the skin of the grey squirrel. This doublet hung unbuttoned over a close dress of scarlet which sat tight to his body; he had breeches of the same, but they did not reach below the lower part of the thigh, leaving the knee exposed. His feet had sandals of the same fashion with the peasants, but of finer materials, and secured in the front with golden clasps. He had bracelets of gold upon his arms, and a broad collar of the same precious metal around his neck. About his waist he wore a richly-studded belt, in which was stuck a short straight two-edged sword, with a sharp point, so disposed as to hang almost perpendicularly by his side. Behind his seat was hung a scarlet cloth cloak lined with fur, and a cap of the same materials richly embroidered, which completed the dress of the opulent landholder when he chose to go forth. A short boar-spear, with a broad and bright steel head, also reclined against the back of his chair, which served him, when he walked abroad, for the purposes of a staff or of a weapon, as chance might require. Several domestics, whose dress held various proportions betwixt the richness of their master's, and the coarse and simple attire of Gurth the swine-herd, watched the looks and waited the commands of the Saxon dignitary. Two or three servants of a superior order stood behind their master upon the dais; the rest occupied the lower part of the hall. Other attendants there were of a different description; two or three large and shaggy greyhounds, such as were then employed in hunting the stag and wolf; as many slow-hounds of a large bony breed, with thick necks, large heads, and long ears; and one or two of the smaller dogs, now called terriers, which waited with impatience the arrival of the supper; but, with the sagacious knowledge of physiognomy peculiar to their race, forbore to intrude upon the moody silence of their master, apprehensive probably of a small white truncheon which lay by Cedric's trencher, for the purpose of repelling the advances of his four-legged dependants. One grisly old wolf-dog alone, with the liberty of an indulged favourite, had planted himself close by the chair of state, and occasionally ventured to solicit notice by putting his large hairy head upon his master's knee, or pushing his nose into his hand. Even he was repelled by the stern command, "Down, Balder, down! I am not in the humour for foolery." In fact, Cedric, as we have observed, was in no very placid state of mind. The Lady Rowena, who had been absent to attend an evening mass at a distant church, had but just returned, and was changing her garments, which had been wetted by the storm. There were as yet no tidings of Gurth and his charge, which should long since have been driven home from the forest and such was the insecurity of the period, as to render it probable that the delay might be explained by some depreciation of the outlaws, with whom the adjacent forest abounded, or by the violence of some neighbouring baron, whose consciousness of strength made him equally negligent of the laws of property. The matter was of consequence, for great part of the domestic wealth of the Saxon proprietors consisted in numerous herds of swine, especially in forest-land, where those animals easily found their food. Besides these subjects of anxiety, the Saxon thane was impatient for the presence of his favourite clown Wamba, whose jests, such as they were, served for a sort of seasoning to his evening meal, and to the deep draughts of ale and wine with which he was in the habit of accompanying it. Add to all this, Cedric had fasted since noon, and his usual supper hour was long past, a cause of irritation common to country squires, both in ancient and modern times. His displeasure was expressed in broken sentences, partly muttered to himself, partly addressed to the domestics who stood around; and particularly to his cupbearer, who offered him from time to time, as a sedative, a silver goblet filled with wine ---"Why tarries the Lady Rowena?" "She is but changing her head-gear," replied a female attendant, with as much confidence as the favourite lady's-maid usually answers the master of a modern family; "you would not wish her to sit down to the banquet in her hood and kirtle? and no lady within the shire can be quicker in arraying herself than my mistress." This undeniable argument produced a sort of acquiescent umph! on the part of the Saxon, with the addition, "I wish her devotion may choose fair weather for the next visit to St John's Kirk; ---but what, in the name of ten devils," continued he, turning to the cupbearer, and raising his voice as if happy to have found a channel into which he might divert his indignation without fear or control---"what, in the name of ten devils, keeps Gurth so long afield? I suppose we shall have an evil account of the herd; he was wont to be a faithful and cautious drudge, and I had destined him for something better; perchance I might even have made him one of my warders."* * The original has "Cnichts", by which the Saxons seem to * have designated a class of military attendants, sometimes * free, sometimes bondsmen, but always ranking above an * ordinary domestic, whether in the royal household or in * those of the aldermen and thanes. But the term cnicht, * now spelt knight, having been received into the English * language as equivalent to the Norman word chevalier, I * have avoided using it in its more ancient sense, to * prevent confusion. L. T. Oswald the cupbearer modestly suggested, "that it was scarce an hour since the tolling of the curfew;" an ill-chosen apology, since it turned upon a topic so harsh to Saxon ears. "The foul fiend," exclaimed Cedric, "take the curfew-bell, and the tyrannical bastard by whom it was devised, and the heartless slave who names it with a Saxon tongue to a Saxon ear! The curfew!" he added, pausing, "ay, the curfew; which compels true men to extinguish their lights, that thieves and robbers may work their deeds in darkness!--- Ay, the curfew;---Reginald Front-de-Boeuf and Philip de Malvoisin know the use of the curfew as well as William the Bastard himself, or e'er a Norman adventurer that fought at Hastings. I shall hear, I guess, that my property has been swept off to save from starving the hungry banditti, whom they cannot support but by theft and robbery. My faithful slave is murdered, and my goods are taken for a prey --and Wamba---where is Wamba? Said not some one he had gone forth with Gurth?" Oswald replied in the affirmative. "Ay? why this is better and better! he is carried off too, the Saxon fool, to serve the Norman lord. Fools are we all indeed that serve them, and fitter subjects for their scorn and laughter, than if we were born with but half our wits. But I will be avenged," he added, starting from his chair in impatience at the supposed injury, and catching hold of his boar-spear; "I will go with my complaint to the great council; I have friends, I have followers---man to man will I appeal the Norman to the lists; let him come in his plate and his mail, and all that can render cowardice bold; I have sent such a javelin as this through a stronger fence than three of their war shields!---Haply they think me old; but they shall find, alone and childless as I am, the blood of Hereward is in the veins of Cedric.---Ah, Wilfred, Wilfred!" he exclaimed in a lower tone, "couldst thou have ruled thine unreasonable passion, thy father had not been left in his age like the solitary oak that throws out its shattered and unprotected branches against the full sweep of the tempest!" The reflection seemed to conjure into sadness his irritated feelings. Replacing his javelin, he resumed his seat, bent his looks downward, and appeared to be absorbed in melancholy reflection. From his musing, Cedric was suddenly awakened by the blast of a horn, which was replied to by the clamorous yells and barking of all the dogs in the hall, and some twenty or thirty which were quartered in other parts of the building. It cost some exercise of the white truncheon, well seconded by the exertions of the domestics, to silence this canine clamour. "To the gate, knaves!" said the Saxon, hastily, as soon as the tumult was so much appeased that the dependants could hear his voice. "See what tidings that horn tells us of---to announce, I ween, some hership* and robbery which has been done upon my lands." * Pillage. Returning in less than three minutes, a warder announced "that the Prior Aymer of Jorvaulx, and the good knight Brian de Bois-Guilbert, commander of the valiant and venerable order of Knights Templars, with a small retinue, requested hospitality and lodging for the night, being on their way to a tournament which was to be held not far from Ashby-de-la-Zouche, on the second day from the present." "Aymer, the Prior Aymer? Brian de Bois-Guilbert?"---muttered Cedric; "Normans both;---but Norman or Saxon, the hospitality of Rotherwood must not be impeached; they are welcome, since they have chosen to halt---more welcome would they have been to have ridden further on their way---But it were unworthy to murmur for a night's lodging and a night's food; in the quality of guests, at least, even Normans must suppress their insolence.---Go, Hundebert," he added, to a sort of major-domo who stood behind him with a white wand; "take six of the attendants, and introduce the strangers to the guests' lodging. Look after their horses and mules, and see their train lack nothing. Let them have change of vestments if they require it, and fire, and water to wash, and wine and ale; and bid the cooks add what they hastily can to our evening meal; and let it be put on the board when those strangers are ready to share it. Say to them, Hundebert, that Cedric would himself bid them welcome, but he is under a vow never to step more than three steps from the dais of his own hall to meet any who shares not the blood of Saxon royalty. Begone! see them carefully tended; let them not say in their pride, the Saxon churl has shown at once his poverty and his avarice." The major-domo departed with several attendants, to execute his master's commands. "The Prior Aymer!" repeated Cedric, looking to Oswald, "the brother, if I mistake not, of Giles de Mauleverer, now lord of Middleham?" Oswald made a respectful sign of assent. "His brother sits in the seat, and usurps the patrimony, of a better race, the race of Ulfgar of Middleham; but what Norman lord doth not the same? This Prior is, they say, a free and jovial priest, who loves the wine-cup and the bugle-horn better than bell and book: Good; let him come, he shall be welcome. How named ye the Templar?" "Brian de Bois-Guilbert." "Bois-Guilbert," said Cedric, still in the musing, half-arguing tone, which the habit of living among dependants had accustomed him to employ, and which resembled a man who talks to himself rather than to those around him---"Bois-Guilbert? that name has been spread wide both for good and evil. They say he is valiant as the bravest of his order; but stained with their usual vices, pride, arrogance, cruelty, and voluptuousness; a hard-hearted man, who knows neither fear of earth, nor awe of heaven. So say the few warriors who have returned from Palestine.---Well; it is but for one night; he shall be welcome too.---Oswald, broach the oldest wine-cask; place the best mead, the mightiest ale, the richest morat, the most sparkling cider, the most odoriferous pigments, upon the board; fill the largest horns* * These were drinks used by the Saxons, as we are informed * by Mr Turner: Morat was made of honey flavoured with the * juice of mulberries; Pigment was a sweet and rich liquor, * composed of wine highly spiced, and sweetened also with * honey; the other liquors need no explanation. L. T. ---Templars and Abbots love good wines and good measure. ---Elgitha, let thy Lady Rowena, know we shall not this night expect her in the hall, unless such be her especial pleasure." "But it will be her especial pleasure," answered Elgitha, with great readiness, "for she is ever desirous to hear the latest news from Palestine." Cedric darted at the forward damsel a glance of hasty resentment; but Rowena, and whatever belonged to her, were privileged and secure from his anger. He only replied, "Silence, maiden; thy tongue outruns thy discretion. Say my message to thy mistress, and let her do her pleasure. Here, at least, the descendant of Alfred still reigns a princess." Elgitha left the apartment. "Palestine!" repeated the Saxon; "Palestine! how many ears are turned to the tales which dissolute crusaders, or hypocritical pilgrims, bring from that fatal land! I too might ask---I too might enquire---I too might listen with a beating heart to fables which the wily strollers devise to cheat us into hospitality ---but no---The son who has disobeyed me is no longer mine; nor will I concern myself more for his fate than for that of the most worthless among the millions that ever shaped the cross on their shoulder, rushed into excess and blood-guiltiness, and called it an accomplishment of the will of God." He knit his brows, and fixed his eyes for an instant on the ground; as he raised them, the folding doors at the bottom of the hall were cast wide, and, preceded by the major-domo with his wand, and four domestics bearing blazing torches, the guests of the evening entered the apartment. 于是新的多灾多难的一页开始了， 精力充沛、身体强壮、黄发碧眼的撒克逊人 在日耳曼海的咆哮声中登上了英国的荒凉海岸。 汤姆森：《自由》(注) -------- (注)詹姆斯•汤姆森（1700—1748），苏格兰诗人。自由》是他的一篇长诗，诗中将自由拟人化，铺叙它在希腊、罗马和英国的沧桑变化。英国最早的居民为克尔特人，公元五世纪，撒克逊人才从北欧来到不列颠岛。 这是一间非常长又非常阔，但矮得极不相称的大厅，厅里放着一张栎木长桌子，它的木板十分粗糙，是直接从森林中砍伐的，几乎没有刨过，桌上已摆好了撒克逊人塞德里克的晚餐。屋顶除了横梁和椽子上铺的一层木板和茅草，没有任何东酉与天空隔开；大厅的两头都有一个大壁炉，由于烟囱的结构十分简陋，烟雾闯进屋内的至少与飞到外面的一样多。在它持续不断的熏染下，这间屋顶不高的大厅的横梁和椽子都蒙上了一层墨黑的烟又。大厅的墙壁上挂着打仗和狩猎的用具，每个屋角都有两扇折门，通往这栋空旷住宅的各个部分。 房屋的其他设施也都保持着撒克逊时期粗犷简陋的外表，塞德里克是以这种风格自豪的。地面由泥土与石灰混合而成，夯得结结实实，与我们现在仓库的地面差不多。它的一头，大约占屋长的四分之一，比其他地面高出一级，称作台座，专供家族的长辈或显贵的客人使用。为了这个目的，一张铺了富丽堂皇的大红台布的桌子，横放在土台上；另一张比它长、比它矮的饭桌，从上台中部一直延伸到大厅末端，这薀桐家人和下等人使用的。这两张桌子构成了一个T字形，这种古代的餐桌排列方式，在牛津或剑桥那些历史悠久的学院中还能见到。士台上放着雕花栎木制作的笨重座椅和靠背长椅，在升高的餐桌和这些坐位顶上张着天篷、它可以在一定程度上给坐在这里的大人物挡风，尤其是挡雨，因为那个结构简陋的屋子有些地方是常常会漏水的。 大厅上首土台部分的墙壁挂满了布慢或帷幕，地上铺着地毯，这些装饰品都做工精细，有些像挂毯，或者绣了鲜艳的、甚至华丽的花纹。在下面那行桌子上空，我们已经说过，屋顶下没有任何遮盖；毛糙的灰泥墙壁空空荡荡的，什么也没挂，简陋的泥地也不铺地毯；餐桌上没有台布，周围只用一些粗糙笨重的长凳代替椅子。 上首桌子的正中，有两把椅子比其他的高一些，这薀桐家中的男女主人坐的，他们得主持宴会，这职责使他们获得了一个撒克逊人的尊贵称号，它的意思便是所谓“面包分配者”。 这两张椅子前面都设有脚凳，它们雕刻精细，镶了象牙，作为它们独特的荣誉标志。撒克逊人塞德里克目前正坐在其中的一把椅子上，他虽然只是一个普通乡绅，也就是诺曼人所说的庄园主，但对这顿晚饭的不能准时开始非常生气，很不耐烦，简直跟从古到今的一切政府要员一样。 确实，从这位一家之长的面貌看，他是个坦率的人，只是脾气有些急躁和粗暴。他不过中等身材，但肩膀宽阔，手臂又长，显得体格强壮，像一个习惯于忍受战争或打猎的辛劳的人。他脸膛方方的，生着一对大大的蓝眼睛，脸色开朗直爽，牙齿整齐，容貌端正，整个说来表现了一种性情忠厚，但时常不免焦躁生气的个性。高傲和猜疑流露在他的眼神中，因为他的一生就是倾注全力来维护不断遭到侵犯的权科；他那干脆、激烈、坚定的意志总是保持着警惕，密切注视着周围环境的变化。他的一头金黄色长发，在头顶和额上从中央分开，向两边一直垂到肩头；它似乎离苍白还很远，尽管塞德里克已年近花甲了。 他穿一件草绿色紧身上衣，领圈和袖口镶有一种灰白色皮毛，这种专用作镶边的皮毛名为貂皮，但不如貂皮名贵，据说是用灰色的松鼠皮做的。上衣设扣纽扣，可以看到里边是一件紧紧裹在身上的绛红色里衣；下身的裤子也同样颜色，只是很短，没有达到两腿的下部，膝盖露在外面。脚上的鞋子与农民穿的同一式样，但质地较好，鞋面上有镀金的搭扣。他的两臂都戴着金镯子，脖颈上套着一只阔阔的项圈，是同样的贵金属做的。他腰里的皮带上也镶着许多金饰钮，带子里插着一把笔直的双刃短剑，头尖尖的，几乎垂直地靠在他的腿边。他的椅子背后挂着一件镶裘皮的深红呢大氅，还有一顶绣得很讲究的同样料子的便帽，它们便是这位富裕的地主外出时的全部装束。一把带有又阔又亮的钢尖的、狩猎用的短梭镖，靠在他的椅背后面，每逢他出门时，视情况需要，它可以作他的手杖，也可以作武器。 几个仆人注视着这位撒克逊贵人的脸色，等待着他的命令，他们的服饰在不同程度上介于主人的华丽和放猪人葛四的粗劣寒酸之间。两三个地位较高的仆役站在土台上，主人的背后；其余的都待在大厅中较低的部分。伺候在这里的还有其他生物：两三只生着乱蓬蓬的粗毛的高大灵提，那种捕捉野鹿和狼用的猎犬；几只一般的猎狗，这种狗骨路大，脖颈粗，头大耳长，但跑得较慢；另外还有一两只现在称作便犬的小猎狗；它们似乎对这顿姗姗来迟的晚餐已等得不耐烦，只是因为天生善于揣摩人的表情，还耐着性子，没敢打扰主人郁郁不乐的沉默，或者对主人放在喂狗的木盘旁边，随时准备用来打退这些四脚侍从的骚扰的小白木棍，还存有戒心，不敢乱来。唯独一只骇人的老罒头，由于一向得宠，放肆惯了，钻到了那只高贵的椅子旁边，为了引起主人的注意，有时还不惜冒险，把毛茸茸的大脑袋凑近他的膝盖，或者把鼻子伸到他的手上。然而它也遭到了严厉的申斥：“下去，巴尔德，下去！我现在没心思跟你闹着玩。” 确实，正如我们看到的，塞德里克这时的心情很不平静。罗文娜小姐到远处的教堂作晚祷后，刚刚回家，路上给暴风雨淋湿了，正在更换衣服。葛四也还没有消息，按理说，他应该早把猪群赶回家了，而在这个不太平的时代，造成这种延误的原因很可能是遇到了强盗，在附近的森林里这种人多似牛毛，即或不然，邻近的某些贵族也无法无天，他们自恃力量强大，同样不把别人的财物放在眼里。这件事会造成严重后果，因为撒克逊业主的家产大多只是拥有无数猪群，在森林地带尤其如此 ——在那里这些牲口是很容易找到食物的。 除了这些心事，撒克逊庄园主还为他宠爱的小丑汪八迟迟不归，十分焦急；这个人的说笑逗趣，尽管不见得怎么样，对他的晚餐，以及晚餐时照例要大口大口喝个不停的啤酒和葡萄酒，可以说是一盘不可缺少的菜肴。不仅如此，塞德里克从中午起还没吃过东西，而平常的晚餐时间早已过去，这不论在古代和现代，都会成为乡绅们心情烦躁的原因。他的不快表现在断断续续的一些话中，它们一部分是自言自语，一部分是对周围的仆人，尤其是那个斟酒人讲的，后者每隔一会，总要给他的银高脚杯把酒斟满，似乎这是一种镇静剂。“罗文娜小姐怎么还在磨蹭？” “她正在换帽子呢，”一个女佣人答道，口气满不在乎，就像现代家庭中一位小姐的心腹使女那样，“您不致要她戴着风帽、穿着斗篷来就餐吧？全郡还没有一个小姐穿衣服像我的主人那么快的。” 这个不可否认的论点，使那位撒克逊主人哑口无言，只得“哼”了一声，表示默认，然后又道：“我希望她下次上圣约翰教堂做礼拜，要挑一个晴朗的日子。但那是怎么回事？”他转过脸去对斟酒人继续道，还提高了嗓音，好像找到了另一条发泄愤怒的畅通无阻的渠道，“究竟是什么魔鬼让葛四在野外待了这么久？我担心我们那些猪恐怕要遭殃了；他做事一向忠实、谨慎，我本来已预备提拔他，说不定还会让他给我当一名卫士呢。” 斟酒人奥斯瓦尔德小心地提醒他道：“宵禁的钟声响过还不到一个钟头。”不过这辩解选择得不太合适，因为它触及了一个敏感的问题，在塞德里克听来非常刺耳。 “什么宵禁钟，让它见鬼去吧，”撒克逊人喊道，“这是残暴的私生子(注)搞的花招，只有没良心的奴才会用撒克逊人的嘴巴对着撒克逊人的耳朵讲这种话！宵禁！”他停了一下又说，“哼，宵禁，这无非是强迫正直的人熄灭灯火，可以让窃贼和强盗在黑暗中横行不法！哼，宵禁！牛面将军雷金纳德和菲利普•马尔沃辛，还有黑斯廷斯战役中的每个诺曼冒险家，都像私生子威廉一样，懂得宵禁的妙用。我琢磨，我的家产一定给那些强盗抢走”了，他们养不活这些匪徒，只得靠偷盗和掠夺来维持这支部队。我的忠实奴隶给杀害了，我的家畜给抢走了；还有汪八——汪八在哪儿呢？不是有人说他是跟葛四一起出去的吗？” -------- (注)指征服者威廉，他是诺曼底公爵罗伯特一世的私生子。 奥斯瓦尔德作了肯定的回答。 “哼！这真是太妙了！把他也带走，让撒克逊小丑去给诺曼老爷逗乐。说真的，我们凡是替诺曼人当差的都是小丑，都应该遭到他们的轻视和嘲笑，比生来只有半个脑袋的家伙更适合当这种脚色。但是我非报仇不可，”他又说，想起可能受到的损害，从椅上跳了起来，抓住了那支打野猪的梭镖，“我要向乡绅会议(注)提出申诉。那里有我的朋友，他们会支持我；我要向诺曼人提出挑战，一对一进行决斗。让他们全身披挂的来吧，不论他们穿什么，胆小鬼还是胆小鬼。我曾用这样的梭镖，穿透过比他们的盾牌还厚三倍的护身甲！也许他们以为我老了，但他们会发现，尽管我了然一身，没有孩子，塞德里克的血管里流的仍是赫里沃德的血。唉，威尔弗莱德，威尔弗莱德！”他轻轻地喊道，“要是你能克制一下你那没有道理的感情，你的父亲便不致到了风烛残年，还像一棵孤单的栎树站在暴风雨中，听任它的枝柯遭受风吹雨打了！”这么一想，他的烦躁心情变成了一种痛苦的感觉。他把梭镖放回原处，重又坐下，把目光注视着地面，仿佛沉浸在忧伤的思索中。 -------- (注)诺曼王朝期间由国有土地承租人组成的咨询会议。 这时蓦地传来了一阵号角声，把塞德里克从沉思中惊醒了，接着又响起了汪汪不断的狗吠声，不仅大厅上的狗，还有关在房子里其他地方的二三十条狗，都参加了这场狗声大合唱，最后多亏那根白木棍加上仆人们的共同努力，骚乱才得以平息。 “小子们，到门口看看！”撒克逊人等狗叫大致平静，仆役们可以听清他的声音时说道。一谁在那里吹号角，是怎么回事？我想，这也许是告诉我们，在我的土地上发生了抢劫或掳掠的勾当。” 过了不到三分钟，一个家丁回来报告道：“茹尔沃修道院的艾默长老，还有英勇而高贵的圣殿骑士团统领布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔骑士，带着一小队人，要求在庄上借宿一夜，吃些东西，他们是前往阿什贝镇，预备参加后天在那里举行的比武大会的。” “艾默……艾默长老！布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔！”塞德里克嘟哝道，“两个诺曼人；但不论诺曼人还是撒克逊人，罗瑟伍德一向好客，不会把远道而来的人拒诸门外；他们要借宿，我们欢迎，如果他们肯多跑些路，上别处投宿，我们更加欢迎，但是不值得为一夜的借宿，一夜的酒食多费唇舌；既然是客人，哪怕诺曼人也不致太嚣张吧。去，亨德贝特，”他扭头对站在背后手持管家的白权杖的仆人说道，“带六个小厮把那伙人领往客房休息。照料好他们的马和骡子，别让他们缺少什么。如果他们要换衣服，就让他们换，给他们准备火和洗澡水，还有啤酒和葡萄酒；吩咐厨子尽快给我们的晚餐增加一些食物，等这些客人预备就餐时就端上桌来。对他们说，亨德贝特，塞德里克本想亲自迎接他们，但他发过誓，绝不为了接待任何没有撒克逊高贵血统的人，离开他家客厅的土坛三步。去吧，好好招待他们，别让他们自鸣得意，说我们撒克逊庄户人又寒酸又吝啬。” 管家率领几个仆人去执行主人的命令了。“艾默长老！”塞德里克望着奥斯瓦尔德念叨道。“如果我记得不错，是贾尔斯•莫尔维勒，现在的米德尔海姆勋爵的兄弟吧？” 奥斯瓦尔德恭敬地点了点头。“他的哥哥现在独自当家，还侵占了另一份更好的家产——乌尔弗加•米德尔海姆家的产业；但是哪一个诺曼贵族不是这样呢？据说，这位修道院长是个不拘小节、逍遥快活的教士，对杯中物和打猎，比对钟声和经卷更有兴趣。好，让他来吧，可以欢迎他。你说，那个圣殿骑士名叫什么？” “布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔。” “布瓦吉贝尔！”塞德里克说，用的仍是既像独自沉思，又像跟人讨论的口气，这是生活在仆役中间的主人常有的习惯，仿佛他们是在自言自语，不是在跟周围的人讲话。“布瓦吉贝尔！他的名字传播得很广，有讲好的，也有讲坏的。据说这个人非常勇敢，在那个骑士团里是个首屈一指的人物，但也沾染了他们的恶劣作风—— 骄横，自大，残忍，好色，心肠狠毒，不怕天不怕地，什么都不在他眼里。这是从巴勒斯坦回来的几个武士讲的。好吧，既然只住一宵，对他也可以表示欢迎。奥斯瓦尔德，打开年代最久的酒桶；拿最好的蜂蜜酒，最浓烈的麦酒，最醇厚的桑仁酒，最新鲜的苹果酒，最香最甜的豆蔻酒招待他们；用最大的羊角酒杯把酒斟得满满的，圣殿骑士和修道士都是好酒量。艾尔吉莎，告诉你的罗文娜小姐，今晚她不必到大厅用膳了，除非她自己乐意来。” “但是她一定乐意来的，”艾尔吉莎马上答道，“因为她总是想听听巴勒斯坦来的最新消息。” 塞德里克气呼呼的，瞪了一眼这位口没遮拦的使女；可是罗文娜和属于她的一切都享有特权，是不可侵犯的。他只得答道：“小丫头，别多嘴，你的舌头已经越出范围了。把我的话传达给你的主人，让她自己决定怎么做。至少在这儿，阿尔弗烈德(注)的后裔还是一位公主。” -------- (注)阿尔弗烈德（849—899），威廉一世征服英国前，撒克逊王朝的一位君主，公元871—899年在位。他曾多次打退丹麦人的入侵，因此成为英国传说中的英雄人物，被称为阿尔弗烈德大王。在本书中，塞德里克认为罗文娜是阿尔弗烈德的后代。 艾尔吉莎离开了大厅。 “巴勒斯坦！”撒克逊人叨咕道，“巴勒斯坦！放荡的十字军和虚伪的朝圣者从那个不祥的地方带来的故事，偏偏有那么多人喜欢听！我也可以问……可以打听…… 可以怀着一颗跳动的心，听那些狡猾的流浪汉为了骗一顿饭吃编造的海外奇谈，但是不，我不想这么做，不服从老子的儿子不再是我的儿子；我也不必关心他的命运，对我说来，他与千千万万肩上镶十字架花纹的家伙一样，都是根本不值得我关心的，这些人行为偏激，嗜杀成性，却把这称作实施上帝的意旨。”(注) -------- (注)第三次十字军（1189—1192）主要由英国的狮心王理查和法王腓力二世领导。理杏是诺曼人，参加战斗的骑士也大多为诺曼人，因此它遭到塞德里克的强烈抨击。 他蹙紧眉头，朝地上注视了一会，等他抬起头来的时候，大厅末端的两扇折门打开了，总管手持权杖在前引导，四个家人举着明晃晃的火炬，带领晚上到达的客人走进了大厅。

Chapter 4 With sheep and shaggy goats the porkers bled, And the proud steer was on the marble spread; With fire prepared, they deal the morsels round, Wine rosy bright the brimming goblets crown'd. * * * * * Disposed apart, Ulysses shares the treat; A trivet table and ignobler seat, The Prince assigns--- Odyssey, Book XXI The Prior Aymer had taken the opportunity afforded him, of changing his riding robe for one of yet more costly materials, over which he wore a cope curiously embroidered. Besides the massive golden signet ring, which marked his ecclesiastical dignity, his fingers, though contrary to the canon, were loaded with precious gems; his sandals were of the finest leather which was imported from Spain; his beard trimmed to as small dimensions as his order would possibly permit, and his shaven crown concealed by a scarlet cap richly embroidered. The appearance of the Knight Templar was also changed; and, though less studiously bedecked with ornament, his dress was as rich, and his appearance far more commanding, than that of his companion. He had exchanged his shirt of mail for an under tunic of dark purple silk, garnished with furs, over which flowed his long robe of spotless white, in ample folds. The eight-pointed cross of his order was cut on the shoulder of his mantle in black velvet. The high cap no longer invested his brows, which were only shaded by short and thick curled hair of a raven blackness, corresponding to his unusually swart complexion. Nothing could be more gracefully majestic than his step and manner, had they not been marked by a predominant air of haughtiness, easily acquired by the exercise of unresisted authority. These two dignified persons were followed by their respective attendants, and at a more humble distance by their guide, whose figure had nothing more remarkable than it derived from the usual weeds of a pilgrim. A cloak or mantle of coarse black serge, enveloped his whole body. It was in shape something like the cloak of a modern hussar, having similar flaps for covering the arms, and was called a "Sclaveyn", or "Sclavonian". Coarse sandals, bound with thongs, on his bare feet; a broad and shadowy hat, with cockle-shells stitched on its brim, and a long staff shod with iron, to the upper end of which was attached a branch of palm, completed the palmer's attire. He followed modestly the last of the train which entered the hall, and, observing that the lower table scarce afforded room sufficient for the domestics of Cedric and the retinue of his guests, he withdrew to a settle placed beside and almost under one of the large chimneys, and seemed to employ himself in drying his garments, until the retreat of some one should make room at the board, or the hospitality of the steward should supply him with refreshments in the place he had chosen apart. Cedric rose to receive his guests with an air of dignified hospitality, and, descending from the dais, or elevated part of his hall, made three steps towards them, and then awaited their approach. "I grieve," he said, "reverend Prior, that my vow binds me to advance no farther upon this floor of my fathers, even to receive such guests as you, and this valiant Knight of the Holy Temple. But my steward has expounded to you the cause of my seeming discourtesy. Let me also pray, that you will excuse my speaking to you in my native language, and that you will reply in the same if your knowledge of it permits; if not, I sufficiently understand Norman to follow your meaning." "Vows," said the Abbot, "must be unloosed, worthy Franklin, or permit me rather to say, worthy Thane, though the title is antiquated. Vows are the knots which tie us to Heaven---they are the cords which bind the sacrifice to the horns of the altar, ---and are therefore,---as I said before,---to be unloosened and discharged, unless our holy Mother Church shall pronounce the contrary. And respecting language, I willingly hold communication in that spoken by my respected grandmother, Hilda of Middleham, who died in odour of sanctity, little short, if we may presume to say so, of her glorious namesake, the blessed Saint Hilda of Whitby, God be gracious to her soul!" When the Prior had ceased what he meant as a conciliatory harangue, his companion said briefly and emphatically, "I speak ever French, the language of King Richard and his nobles; but I understand English sufficiently to communicate with the natives of the country." Cedric darted at the speaker one of those hasty and impatient glances, which comparisons between the two rival nations seldom failed to call forth; but, recollecting the duties of hospitality, he suppressed further show of resentment, and, motioning with his hand, caused his guests to assume two seats a little lower than his own, but placed close beside him, and gave a signal that the evening meal should be placed upon the board. While the attendants hastened to obey Cedric's commands, his eye distinguished Gurth the swineherd, who, with his companion Wamba, had just entered the hall. "Send these loitering knaves up hither," said the Saxon, impatiently. And when the culprits came before the dais,---"How comes it, villains! that you have loitered abroad so late as this? Hast thou brought home thy charge, sirrah Gurth, or hast thou left them to robbers and marauders?" "The herd is safe, so please ye," said Gurth. "But it does not please me, thou knave," said Cedric, "that I should be made to suppose otherwise for two hours, and sit here devising vengeance against my neighbours for wrongs they have not done me. I tell thee, shackles and the prison-house shall punish the next offence of this kind." Gurth, knowing his master's irritable temper, attempted no exculpation; but the Jester, who could presume upon Cedric's tolerance, by virtue of his privileges as a fool, replied for them both; "In troth, uncle Cedric, you are neither wise nor reasonable to-night." "'How, sir?" said his master; "you shall to the porter's lodge, and taste of the discipline there, if you give your foolery such license." "First let your wisdom tell me," said Wamba, "is it just and reasonable to punish one person for the fault of another?" "Certainly not, fool," answered Cedric. "Then why should you shackle poor Gurth, uncle, for the fault of his dog Fangs? for I dare be sworn we lost not a minute by the way, when we had got our herd together, which Fangs did not manage until we heard the vesper-bell." "Then hang up Fangs," said Cedric, turning hastily towards the swineherd, "if the fault is his, and get thee another dog." "Under favour, uncle," said the Jester, "that were still somewhat on the bow-hand of fair justice; for it was no fault of Fangs that he was lame and could not gather the herd, but the fault of those that struck off two of his fore-claws, an operation for which, if the poor fellow had been consulted, he would scarce have given his voice." "And who dared to lame an animal which belonged to my bondsman?" said the Saxon, kindling in wrath. "Marry, that did old Hubert," said Wamba, "Sir Philip de Malvoisin's keeper of the chase. He caught Fangs strolling in the forest, and said he chased the deer contrary to his master's right, as warden of the walk." "The foul fiend take Malvoisin," answered the Saxon, "and his keeper both! I will teach them that the wood was disforested in terms of the great Forest Charter. But enough of this. Go to, knave, go to thy place---and thou, Gurth, get thee another dog, and should the keeper dare to touch it, I will mar his archery; the curse of a coward on my head, if I strike not off the forefinger of his right hand!---he shall draw bowstring no more. ---I crave your pardon, my worthy guests. I am beset here with neighbours that match your infidels, Sir Knight, in Holy Land. But your homely fare is before you; feed, and let welcome make amends for hard fare." The feast, however, which was spread upon the board, needed no apologies from the lord of the mansion. Swine's flesh, dressed in several modes, appeared on the lower part of the board, as also that of fowls, deer, goats, and hares, and various kinds of fish, together with huge loaves and cakes of bread, and sundry confections made of fruits and honey. The smaller sorts of wild-fowl, of which there was abundance, were not served up in platters, but brought in upon small wooden spits or broaches, and offered by the pages and domestics who bore them, to each guest in succession, who cut from them such a portion as he pleased. Beside each person of rank was placed a goblet of silver; the lower board was accommodated with large drinking horns. When the repast was about to commence, the major-domo, or steward, suddenly raising his wand, said aloud,---"Forbear! ---Place for the Lady Rowena." A side-door at the upper end of the hall now opened behind the banquet table, and Rowena, followed by four female attendants, entered the apartment. Cedric, though surprised, and perhaps not altogether agreeably so, at his ward appearing in public on this occasion, hastened to meet her, and to conduct her, with respectful ceremony, to the elevated seat at his own right hand, appropriated to the lady of the mansion. All stood up to receive her; and, replying to their courtesy by a mute gesture of salutation, she moved gracefully forward to assume her place at the board. Ere she had time to do so, the Templar whispered to the Prior, "I shall wear no collar of gold of yours at the tournament. The Chian wine is your own." "Said I not so?" answered the Prior; "but check your raptures, the Franklin observes you." Unheeding this remonstrance, and accustomed only to act upon the immediate impulse of his own wishes, Brian de Bois-Guilbert kept his eyes riveted on the Saxon beauty, more striking perhaps to his imagination, because differing widely from those of the Eastern sultanas. Formed in the best proportions of her sex, Rowena was tall in stature, yet not so much so as to attract observation on account of superior height. Her complexion was exquisitely fair, but the noble cast of her head and features prevented the insipidity which sometimes attaches to fair beauties. Her clear blue eye, which sat enshrined beneath a graceful eyebrow of brown sufficiently marked to give expression to the forehead, seemed capable to kindle as well as melt, to command as well as to beseech. If mildness were the more natural expression of such a combination of features, it was plain, that in the present instance, the exercise of habitual superiority, and the reception of general homage, had given to the Saxon lady a loftier character, which mingled with and qualified that bestowed by nature. Her profuse hair, of a colour betwixt brown and flaxen, was arranged in a fanciful and graceful manner in numerous ringlets, to form which art had probably aided nature. These locks were braided with gems, and, being worn at full length, intimated the noble birth and free-born condition of the maiden. A golden chain, to which was attached a small reliquary of the same metal, hung round her neck. She wore bracelets on her arms, which were bare. Her dress was an under-gown and kirtle of pale sea-green silk, over which hung a long loose robe, which reached to the ground, having very wide sleeves, which came down, however, very little below the elbow. This robe was crimson, and manufactured out of the very finest wool. A veil of silk, interwoven with gold, was attached to the upper part of it, which could be, at the wearer's pleasure, either drawn over the face and bosom after the Spanish fashion, or disposed as a sort of drapery round the shoulders. When Rowena perceived the Knight Templar's eyes bent on her with an ardour, that, compared with the dark caverns under which they moved, gave them the effect of lighted charcoal, she drew with dignity the veil around her face, as an intimation that the determined freedom of his glance was disagreeable. Cedric saw the motion and its cause. "Sir Templar," said he, "the cheeks of our Saxon maidens have seen too little of the sun to enable them to bear the fixed glance of a crusader." "If I have offended," replied Sir Brian, "I crave your pardon, --that is, I crave the Lady Rowena's pardon,---for my humility will carry me no lower." "The Lady Rowena," said the Prior, "has punished us all, in chastising the boldness of my friend. Let me hope she will be less cruel to the splendid train which are to meet at the tournament." "Our going thither," said Cedric, "is uncertain. I love not these vanities, which were unknown to my fathers when England was free." "Let us hope, nevertheless," said the Prior, "our company may determine you to travel thitherward; when the roads are so unsafe, the escort of Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert is not to be despised." "Sir Prior," answered the Saxon, "wheresoever I have travelled in this land, I have hitherto found myself, with the assistance of my good sword and faithful followers, in no respect needful of other aid. At present, if we indeed journey to Ashby-de-la-Zouche, we do so with my noble neighbour and countryman Athelstane of Coningsburgh, and with such a train as would set outlaws and feudal enemies at defiance.---I drink to you, Sir Prior, in this cup of wine, which I trust your taste will approve, and I thank you for your courtesy. Should you be so rigid in adhering to monastic rule," he added, "as to prefer your acid preparation of milk, I hope you will not strain courtesy to do me reason." "Nay," said the Priest, laughing, "it is only in our abbey that we confine ourselves to the 'lac dulce' or the 'lac acidum' either. Conversing with, the world, we use the world's fashions, and therefore I answer your pledge in this honest wine, and leave the weaker liquor to my lay-brother." "And I," said the Templar, filling his goblet, "drink wassail to the fair Rowena; for since her namesake introduced the word into England, has never been one more worthy of such a tribute. By my faith, I could pardon the unhappy Vortigern, had he half the cause that we now witness, for making shipwreck of his honour and his kingdom." "I will spare your courtesy, Sir Knight," said Rowena with dignity, and without unveiling herself; "or rather I will tax it so far as to require of you the latest news from Palestine, a theme more agreeable to our English ears than the compliments which your French breeding teaches." "I have little of importance to say, lady," answered Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, "excepting the confirmed tidings of a truce with Saladin." He was interrupted by Wamba, who had taken his appropriated seat upon a chair, the back of which was decorated with two ass's ears, and which was placed about two steps behind that of his master, who, from time to time, supplied him with victuals from his own trencher; a favour, however, which the Jester shared with the favourite dogs, of whom, as we have already noticed, there were several in attendance. Here sat Wamba, with a small table before him, his heels tucked up against the bar of the chair, his cheeks sucked up so as to make his jaws resemble a pair of nut-crackers, and his eyes half-shut, yet watching with alertness every opportunity to exercise his licensed foolery. "These truces with the infidels," he exclaimed, without caring how suddenly he interrupted the stately Templar, "make an old man of me!" "Go to, knave, how so?" said Cedric, his features prepared to receive favourably the expected jest. "Because," answered Wamba, "I remember three of them in my day, each of which was to endure for the course of fifty years; so that, by computation, I must be at least a hundred and fifty years old." "I will warrant you against dying of old age, however," said the Templar, who now recognised his friend of the forest; "I will assure you from all deaths but a violent one, if you give such directions to wayfarers, as you did this night to the Prior and me." "How, sirrah!" said Cedric, "misdirect travellers? We must have you whipt; you are at least as much rogue as fool." "I pray thee, uncle," answered the Jester, "let my folly, for once, protect my roguery. I did but make a mistake between my right hand and my left; and he might have pardoned a greater, who took a fool for his counsellor and guide." Conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of the porter's page, who announced that there was a stranger at the gate, imploring admittance and hospitality, "Admit him," said Cedric, "be he who or what he may;---a night like that which roars without, compels even wild animals to herd with tame, and to seek the protection of man, their mortal foe, rather than perish by the elements. Let his wants be ministered to with all care---look to it, Oswald." And the steward left the banqueting hall to see the commands of his patron obeyed. 宰了羊和猪，还有粗野多毛的山羊， 神气活现的小公牛摊开四肢躺在大理石上； 大块的肉烤熟后在酒席上到处传递， 透明的红葡萄酒在斟得满满的杯子中闪光。 ………………………………………………… 俄底修斯给安排在一边参加宴会； 王子还下令给了他一张三角架式的小桌子， 一个更不体面的座位…… 《奥德赛》第二十卷 艾默长老已利用休息的机会，脱下了骑马穿的斗篷，换了一件衣料更贵重的长袍，外面罩了绣花精致的披风。手指上除了标明他在教会中的尊贵身份的图章金指环以外，他还不顾教规，戴了好几只宝石戒指；他的鞋子是用西班牙输入的最细的皮革做的；他的胡须按照他的修会所允许的程度，修剪得小巧玲戏；他那薙发的头顶则藏在绣满精致花纹的红色小帽下。 圣殿骑士的装束也换过了，他虽然没戴那么多珠宝，但衣服同样豪华，外表也比他的同伴神气得多。他的锁子甲上衣换成了镶皮毛的深紫色绸短袄，外面罩一件纯白色大褶裥长袍。长袍肩上仍用黑丝绒镶着他的骑士团的八角十字架。但那顶高帽子不再压在他的眉毛上，帽檐下露出了一圈又短又浓的鬈发，这些乌油油的墨黑头发，与他晒得黑不溜秋的皮肤显得很相称。他的举止神态也许本来算得上风度翩翩、英俊威武，可惜由于手握不可抗柜的权力，他养成了骄横跋扈的作风，以致这成了他压倒一切的特征。 这两个贵人后面跟着他们各自的随从，稍远一些则是保持着谦恭距离的他们的向导；这个人除了朝圣者的一般装束，没有任何引人注目的地方。一件粗呢黑外套或大氅裹住了他的全身，它的式样有些像现代轻骑兵的所谓斯拉夫式披风，肩上也有两片翼子遮盖着手臂。他光着脚，粗糙的鞋子用皮带绑在脚上；阔边的帽子给脸部投下了一层阴影，帽边上缝着一排海扇壳；他拄着一根长长的手杖，它底部包了铁，顶端缚着一枝棕榈叶——这便是朝圣者的全部眼饰(注)。他小心翼翼地跟在这队人后面，走进了大厅，发现下面那张餐桌已挤满了塞德里克的仆人和宾客们的随从，于是退到旁边一张长凳上坐下，长凳紧靠大壁炉，几乎就在它下面；他似乎在烤干衣服，一边等待别人退席，餐桌出现空位子，或者管家出于好心，给他选择的边座另外送些食物。 -------- (注)这里的朝圣者是专指上圣地耶路撒冷朝拜的基督徒。海扇壳被他们看作圣物，在上面画了圣母马利亚和耶稣等图像，作为护身符系在帽上。朝圣者离开圣地时得携带一支祝圣过的棕榈叶，把它带回本国，放在自己的教区教堂的祭台上。 塞德里克站起身来，露出殷勤待客的庄严神态，从他那块高出地面的土坛上下来，朝前走了三步，然后站在那里，等待客人脽妄来。 “很对不起，”他说，“尊敬的院长，我的誓言束缚了我，在我祖先的这块地方，我不能再向前走了，尽管我要迎接的是您和这位勇敢的圣殿骑士那样的客人。但是我的管家已向您说明了我这种貌似不恭敬的行为的原因。还有，我希望您能原谅我用我的本族语言与您谈话，如果您懂得它，请您也用这种语言回答我；如果不，我对诺曼语也有所了解，可以明白您的意思。” “誓言是不能违背的，”院长答道，“可敬的庄园主先生，或者不如说，可敬的乡绅先生，虽然这称呼已太古老了。誓言是把我们与天国联系在一起的纽带——一种把祭品拴在祭台上的绳子，因此正如我以前所说，它是不能解开的，不能违背的，除非我们神圣的教会作出相反的决定。至于语言，我很乐于听到我尊敬的祖母希尔达•米德尔海姆使用过的语言，她是带着圣洁的灵魂去世的，也许我可以不揣冒昧地说，她与她那位光辉的同名者惠特比的圣希尔达(注)只是稍差一筹而已——愿上帝保佑她的在天之灵！” -------- (注)惠特比的希尔达（614—680），英国的基督教女教士，曾创建惠特比修道院等，死后被尊为圣徒。 长老讲完了这一番意在调和气氛的高论之后，他的同伴也简单扼要地说道：“我一向讲法语，这是理查王和他的贵族的语言；但是我懂得英语，可以跟这个国家的本地人互相交谈。” 塞德里克向讲话人发出了急遽而厌烦的一瞥，这是他每逢听到把两个敌对民族作比较时，往往会有的表现；但是想到作为主人的责任，他克制了怒气的进一步发展，摆了摆手，请他的客人在两把比他的座位略低，然而紧挨着他的椅子上坐下，然后做了个手势，表示晚餐可以端上桌子了。 仆人们为执行他的命令匆匆走了，这时他的眼睛发现了放猎人葛四，后者正与他的伙伴汪八走进大厅。“叫这些游荡的混蛋马上来见我，”撒克逊人不耐烦地说。两个罪犯来到了土台前面，他又道：“混蛋，你们在外面闲逛，到这个时候才回家，是怎么回事？葛四这小子，你的牲口呢，赶回家了，还是送给强盗和土匪了？” “牲口安好无损，您老可以放心，”葛回答道。 “你这小子，说得倒好，叫我放心，我怎么放心得了，”塞德里克说道。“我已经担心了两个钟头，尽在琢磨，怎么跟那些邻居算帐，谁知他们并没干什么。好吧，告诉你，下次再发生这种事，非把你套上脚镣、关进地牢不可。” 葛四了解主人的急躁脾气，不想声辩；但是汪八自恃享有小丑的特权，塞德里克对他的话从不计较，因此替他们两人答道：“不过，塞德里克老爷子，您今儿晚上可不够高明，头脑有些糊涂了。” “怎么，先生！”主人道，“要是你以为凭你几句笑话，便可以肆无忌惮，我就得把你关进门房间，让你尝尝禁闭的滋味。” “那么我先请教您老一个问题，”汪八说，“一个人做了错事，却处罚另一个人，这是不薀瞳平？” “当然不，傻瓜，”塞德里克答道。 “那么，老爷子，您为什么要可怜的葛四，为他的狗方斯的错误戴脚镣？因为我可以起誓，我们没在路上玩儿一分钟，只是为了把猪赶到一起，方斯磨磨蹭蹭的，直到晚祷的钟声响了，才把这事办好。” “既然方斯不对，那就把方斯吊死，”塞德里克说，随即扭过头去，对放猪人道，“你可以另外找条狗。” “对不起，老爷子，”小丑说道，“您的处罚还是没有打中要害；因为这也不能怪方斯，它的腿瘸了，没法把猪赶到一起，这是那些割断了它两只前爪的家伙作的孽，要是动这个手术以前，先跟可怜的方斯商量一下，我想它是肯定不会同意的。” “我的仆人的狗，谁敢割断它的前爪？”撒克逊人勃然大怒，说道。 “告诉您，那是菲利普•马尔沃辛的猎场管理人老体伯特干的好事，”汪人说。“方斯走过他的森林，他便摆出护林人的架势，说方斯想捕捉鹿，侵犯他的主人的利益。” “该死的马尔沃辛，”撒克逊人答道，“还有那个护林人，统统该死！我得让他们明白，按照森林宪章的规定，这一带树林已不属于禁猎范围(注)。但这事不必再谈了。去吧，小子，干你的事去；还有你，葛四，你另外挑只狗，要是那个管林人再敢碰它一下，他就甭想再挽弓了；我不打断他右手的食指，我就是个胆小鬼！我要让他永远拉不了弓，射不了箭。请两位原谅，尊贵的客人，我这儿一些邻舍简直不讲道理，骑士先生，跟您在圣地遇到的异教徒差不多。但是现在，简陋的食物已摆上桌子，请用吧，酒菜固然粗劣，我们的心意是真诚的。” -------- (注)参见作者附注一。 话虽这么说，桌上的食物还是应有尽有，主人的歉意是多余的。在餐桌的下端放着用各种方式烹调的猪肉，还有家禽、鹿肉、山羊和兔子，各种鱼，以及大片的面包和大块的糕饼，水果和蜜糖做的各色甜点。较小的野味也十分丰盛，它们不是放在盘子里，而是插在小木棍或铁叉上，由小厮和仆人接连不断送到客人面前，让客人自行割取的。每个有身份的人面前都放着一只银高脚酒杯，下面的餐桌上用的则是角制大酒杯。 正当就餐即将开始时，管家或膳食总管突然举起权杖，朗声说道：“且慢！罗文娜小姐驾到。”大厅上首，筵席背后的一扇边门随即打开了，罗文娜走进了屋子，后面跟着四个使女。塞德里克虽有些诧异，或许对他的义女抛头露面出现在这个场合，也有些不以为然，但仍赶紧起立迎候，彬彬有礼地把她领到他右边那把较高的椅子那儿，这是女主人的专座。大家全都站了起来迎接她，她一边默默颔首，向他们答礼，一边雍容大方地走到桌边就坐。早在她坐下以前，圣殿骑士已凑在长者耳边说道；“我不会在比武会上戴你的金项圈了。那些希俄斯酒已归你所有。” “我不说过了吗？”长老答道。“但是不要神魂颠倒，我们的主人在瞧着你呢。” 然而布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔一向随心所欲，不知顾忌，拿院长的警告当耳边风，依然把眼睛死死盯在撒克逊美女身上；也许正因为她与苏丹的姬妾差别太大了，这才使他特别心醉神迷。 罗文娜体态优美，一切都恰到好处；她身材颀长，显得亭亭玉立，但又不是高得过分，以致引人注目。她的皮肤细腻洁白，然而高贵的脸型和容貌，却防止了一般美女有时出现的呆板乏味的神色。弯弯的深褐色眉毛，把她的前额衬托得格外动人，那对清澈的蓝眼睛隐藏在眉毛下，似乎既热烈又温和，既威严又亲切。如果温厚平和是这种面容的天然表情，那么很清楚，从目前看来，她的优越地位养成的习惯，她一贯受到尊敬的身份，都赋予了这位撒克逊少女一种更崇高的气质，它与自然所给予她的特点结合在一起，冲淡了后者的表现。她的浓密头发介于棕色和金黄色之间，以各种优美动人的方式，分散成无数条一绺绺的鬈发，在这方面人力也许给自然帮了些忙。这些鬈发上点缀着宝石首饰，长长的垂挂下来，让人看到这是一个名门出身，又生来自由自在的少女。一串金项链围在她的脖子上，项链下挂了一只也是金质的小圣物盒。她露出的手臂上戴着镯子，身上穿着浅绿色绸小袄和裙子，外面罩了一件宽松的长大褂，几乎拖到地上，袖子也非常大，然而只达到臂弯那儿。大褂颜色深红，是用非常精美的毛料制作的。一块镶金线的丝面纱披到了罩袍的上半身，戴的人可以任意调整，既可以像酉班牙人那样把它遮在脸上和胸前，也可以把它当作围巾披在肩上。 罗文娜发觉圣殿骑士的眼睛正盯着她瞧，它们露出炽烈的情欲，仿佛躲在黑暗的山洞中向外窥探，这使那对眼睛变得像燃烧的火炭那么亮亮的，于是她庄严地用面纱遮住了脸，似乎在警告他，他那种放肆的目光是不受欢迎的。 塞德里克看到了这动作和它的原因，说道：“骑士阁下，我们撒克逊姑娘的脸皮没有经过风吹日晒，是受不了十字军武士的注视的。” “如果我有冒犯之处，”布里恩爵士答道，“请多多原谅——我是说，请罗文娜小姐原谅，因为我的歉意只能到此为止。” “罗文娜小姐谴责我的朋友的大胆表现，也是对我们两人的惩罚，’旧老说。“但愿她在比武大会上，对那些光彩夺目的武士们不致这么残忍才好。” “我们去不去那儿还没一定，”塞德里克说。“我不喜欢这种繁华的场面，在英国还是自由国家的时候，我们的祖先是不欣赏这类事的。” “不过我们希望，”长老说，“我们的作伴能使您拿定主意，上那儿去走走；现在路上很不太平，布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔爵士的护送还是不可少的。” “院长阁下，”撒克逊人答道，“在这片土地上，不论我要上哪儿，在我的利剑和忠诚的随从的帮助下，我一直觉得自己很安全，不需要别人的保护。至于目前，如果我们当真要去阿什贝镇，我们会跟我高贵的邻居和同胞科宁斯堡的阿特尔斯坦同行，我们的随行人员便足以保证我们不必担心强人和仇敌的骚扰。院长阁下，我感谢您的关心，敬您这杯酒，我相信它会合您的口味。不过如果您为了严格遵守修院的戒律，”他又道，“只喝酸奶制品，那么您也不必为了礼节，过分勉强。” “不，”长老笑道，“我们只在修道院内才用甜奶或酸奶代替酒。在与世人交往时，我们便按照世俗的方式行事，因此我可以用真正的酒与您互相祝贺，把清淡的饮料留给教友兄弟们。” “我也得为美丽的罗文娜干一杯，向她表示敬意，”圣殿骑士说，一边往自己的酒杯里斟酒，“因为自从她的同名者(注1)把这名字引进英国以来，还没有一位小姐更有资格得到美丽这样的称赞。我担保我能原谅不幸的沃尔蒂格恩(注2)，只要他爱的美人有我们见到的这位一半那么美，他为她牺牲自己的荣誉和江山就是值得的。” -------- (注1)指最早到达不列颠的盎格鲁-撒克逊人的领袖亨吉斯特的女儿罗文娜。 (注2)沃尔蒂格恩，传说中的公元五世纪时不列颠人的国王，他为了抵抗皮克特人和苏格兰人，与刚进入不列颠的亨吉斯特联姻，娶了他的女儿罗文娜，但后来撒克逊人拒绝离开，占领了不列颠。 “我可不敢接受您的恭维，骑士阁下，”罗文娜庄重地回答，没有揭开她的面纱，“我倒是宁可听听，您从巴勒斯坦带回来的最新消息，这对我们英国人说来，比您的法国式教养所擅长的赞美更加动听。” “我没有什么重要消息可以奉告，小姐，”布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔爵士答道，“只能说，我们与萨拉丁(注)同意暂时停战了。” -------- (注)萨拉丁，中世纪埃及和巴勒斯坦等的苏丹，1171—1193年在位。他是第三次十字军的主要对手，由于萨拉丁的强大，这次十字军没有取得任何成果，只得于1192年与萨拉丁缔结和约，暂时停战。 他的话给汪八打断了，后者这时正坐在他专用的、椅背上饰有两只驴耳的椅子上，它位在主人后面，大约两步远的地方，主人不时从自己的盘子里挑一些食物给他，让这位滑稽人可以与那些得宠的狗享受同等的优惠待遇——我们已经说过，有好几只狗待在那里，享有这种待遇。汪八面前是一张小桌子，他坐在椅上只得把脚跟抬起，抵住椅子的横档。他缩紧了腮帮子，使他的嘴巴变得像一把轧胡桃的小钳子；他的眼睛半睁半闭，然而仍密切注意着每一个可供他插科打浑行使特权的机会。 “谈到这种跟邪教徒的停战，”他不顾神气活现的圣殿骑士正在讲话，突然嚷了起来，“我便觉得自己一下子变成了老头子！” “胡说什么，小混蛋，怎么会这样？”塞德里克说，不过他的神色倒好像准备听一段笑话似的。 “因为我记得，”汪八答道，“我这一辈子已听到过三次这样的停战，假定每次可以维持五十年，那么按照正规的计算方法，我至少该有一百五十岁了。” “不过我保证你不会活到那么老才死，”圣殿骑士说，他现在认出这位森林朋友了。“你要担心的不是其他死法，倒是给人揍死，因为如果你老像今晚给长老和我指路那样，给赶路的人胡乱指点方向，你的下场便是这样。” “怎么，老兄！”塞德里克说，“给行人胡乱指点方向？我得打你一顿才成；你不仅是个傻子，至少也是个骗子。” “请你听我说，老爷子，”小丑答道，“我的欺骗只是我的愚昧造成的，我把左当成了右，右当成了左；可是他却把傻子当作聪明人，向他问路，这是更大的错误。” 谈话这时给打断了，门房间的小厮来报告，外面来了个陌生人，要求在庄上借宿一宵，吃些东西。 “放他进来，”塞德里克说，“不管他是谁，是干什么的；在这种风雨交加的夜晚，哪怕野兽也得寻找藏身之处，人虽然是它们不共戴天的仇敌，为了不致死在荒野中，它们也会向人乞求保护。我们可以满足他的一切需要，奥斯瓦尔德，你去料理这事。” 管家离开宴会大厅，为执行主人的命令作安排去了。

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Chapter 5
Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? Merchant of Venice
Oswald, returning, whispered into the ear of his master, "It is a Jew, who calls himself Isaac of York; is it fit I should marshall him into the hall?"
"Let Gurth do thine office, Oswald," said Wamba with his usual effrontery; "the swineherd will be a fit usher to the Jew."
"St Mary," said the Abbot, crossing himself, "an unbelieving Jew, and admitted into this presence!"
"A dog Jew," echoed the Templar, "to approach a defender of the Holy Sepulchre?"
"By my faith," said Wamba, "it would seem the Templars love the Jews' inheritance better than they do their company."
"Peace, my worthy guests," said Cedric; "my hospitality must not be bounded by your dislikes. If Heaven bore with the whole nation of stiff-necked unbelievers for more years than a layman can number, we may endure the presence of one Jew for a few hours. But I constrain no man to converse or to feed with him. ---Let him have a board and a morsel apart,---unless," he said smiling, "these turban'd strangers will admit his society."
"Sir Franklin," answered the Templar, "my Saracen slaves are true Moslems, and scorn as much as any Christian to hold intercourse with a Jew."
"Now, in faith," said Wamba, "I cannot see that the worshippers of Mahound and Termagaunt have so greatly the advantage over the people once chosen of Heaven."
"He shall sit with thee, Wamba," said Cedric; "the fool and the knave will be well met."
"The fool," answered Wamba, raising the relics of a gammon of bacon, "will take care to erect a bulwark against the knave."
"Hush," said Cedric, "for here he comes."
Introduced with little ceremony, and advancing with fear and hesitation, and many a bow of deep humility, a tall thin old man, who, however, had lost by the habit of stooping much of his actual height, approached the lower end of the board. His features, keen and regular, with an aquiline nose, and piercing black eyes; his high and wrinkled forehead, and long grey hair and beard, would have been considered as handsome, had they not been the marks of a physiognomy peculiar to a race, which, during those dark ages, was alike detested by the credulous and prejudiced vulgar, and persecuted by the greedy and rapacious nobility, and who, perhaps, owing to that very hatred and persecution, had adopted a national character, in which there was much, to say the least, mean and unamiable.
The Jew's dress, which appeared to have suffered considerably from the storm, was a plain russet cloak of many folds, covering a dark purple tunic. He had large boots lined with fur, and a belt around his waist, which sustained a small knife, together with a case for writing materials, but no weapon. He wore a high square yellow cap of a peculiar fashion, assigned to his nation to distinguish them from Christians, and which he doffed with great humility at the door of the hall.
The reception of this person in the hall of Cedric the Saxon, was such as might have satisfied the most prejudiced enemy of the tribes of Israel. Cedric himself coldly nodded in answer to the Jew's repeated salutations, and signed to him to take place at the lower end of the table, where, however, no one offered to make room for him. On the contrary, as he passed along the file, casting a timid supplicating glance, and turning towards each of those who occupied the lower end of the board, the Saxon domestics squared their shoulders, and continued to devour their supper with great perseverance, paying not the least attention to the wants of the new guest. The attendants of the Abbot crossed themselves, with looks of pious horror, and the very heathen Saracens, as Isaac drew near them, curled up their whiskers with indignation, and laid their hands on their poniards, as if ready to rid themselves by the most desperate means from the apprehended contamination of his nearer approach.
Probably the same motives which induced Cedric to open his hall to this son of a rejected people, would have made him insist on his attendants receiving Isaac with more courtesy. But the Abbot had, at this moment, engaged him in a most interesting discussion on the breed and character of his favourite hounds, which he would not have interrupted for matters of much greater importance than that of a Jew going to bed supperless. While Isaac thus stood an outcast in the present society, like his people among the nations, looking in vain for welcome or resting place, the pilgrim who sat by the chimney took compassion upon him, and resigned his seat, saying briefly, "Old man, my garments are dried, my hunger is appeased, thou art both wet and fasting." So saying, he gathered together, and brought to a flame, the decaying brands which lay scattered on the ample hearth; took from the larger board a mess of pottage and seethed kid, placed it upon the small table at which he had himself supped, and, without waiting the Jew's thanks, went to the other side of the hall;---whether from unwillingness to hold more close communication with the object of his benevolence, or from a wish to draw near to the upper end of the table, seemed uncertain.
Had there been painters in those days capable to execute such a subject, the Jew, as he bent his withered form, and expanded his chilled and trembling hands over the fire, would have formed no bad emblematical personification of the Winter season. Having dispelled the cold, he turned eagerly to the smoking mess which was placed before him, and ate with a haste and an apparent relish, that seemed to betoken long abstinence from food.
Meanwhile the Abbot and Cedric continued their discourse upon hunting; the Lady Rowena seemed engaged in conversation with one of her attendant females; and the haughty Templar, whose eye wandered from the Jew to the Saxon beauty, revolved in his mind thoughts which appeared deeply to interest him.
"I marvel, worthy Cedric," said the Abbot, as their discourse proceeded, "that, great as your predilection is for your own manly language, you do not receive the Norman-French into your favour, so far at least as the mystery of wood-craft and hunting is concerned. Surely no tongue is so rich in the various phrases which the field-sports demand, or furnishes means to the experienced woodman so well to express his jovial art."
"Good Father Aymer," said the Saxon, "be it known to you, I care not for those over-sea refinements, without which I can well enough take my pleasure in the woods. I can wind my horn, though I call not the blast either a 'recheate' or a 'morte'---I can cheer my dogs on the prey, and I can flay and quarter the animal when it is brought down, without using the newfangled jargon of 'curee, arbor, nombles', and all the babble of the fabulous Sir Tristrem."*
* There was no language which the Normans more formally * separated from that of common life than the terms of the * chase. The objects of their pursuit, whether bird or * animal, changed their name each year, and there were a * hundred conventional terms, to be ignorant of which was to * be without one of the distinguishing marks of a gentleman. * The reader may consult Dame Juliana Berners' book on the * subject. The origin of this science was imputed to the * celebrated Sir Tristrem, famous for his tragic intrigue * with the beautiful Ysolte. As the Normans reserved the * amusement of hunting strictly to themselves, the terms of * this formal jargon were all taken from the French language.
"The French," said the Templar, raising his voice with the presumptuous and authoritative tone which he used upon all occasions, "is not only the natural language of the chase, but that of love and of war, in which ladies should be won and enemies defied."
"Pledge me in a cup of wine, Sir Templar," said Cedric, "and fill another to the Abbot, while I look back some thirty years to tell you another tale. As Cedric the Saxon then was, his plain English tale needed no garnish from French troubadours, when it was told in the ear of beauty; and the field of Northallerton, upon the day of the Holy Standard, could tell whether the Saxon war-cry was not heard as far within the ranks of the Scottish host as the 'cri de guerre' of the boldest Norman baron. To the memory of the brave who fought there!---Pledge me, my guests." He drank deep, and went on with increasing warmth. "Ay, that was a day of cleaving of shields, when a hundred banners were bent forwards over the heads of the valiant, and blood flowed round like water, and death was held better than flight. A Saxon bard had called it a feast of the swords---a gathering of the eagles to the prey---the clashing of bills upon shield and helmet, the shouting of battle more joyful than the clamour of a bridal. But our bards are no more," he said; "our deeds are lost in those of another race---our language---our very name---is hastening to decay, and none mourns for it save one solitary old man ---Cupbearer! knave, fill the goblets---To the strong in arms, Sir Templar, be their race or language what it will, who now bear them best in Palestine among the champions of the Cross!"
"It becomes not one wearing this badge to answer," said Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert; "yet to whom, besides the sworn Champions of the Holy Sepulchre, can the palm be assigned among the champions of the Cross?"
"To the Knights Hospitallers," said the Abbot; "I have a brother of their order."
"I impeach not their fame," said the Templar; "nevertheless-----"
"I think, friend Cedric," said Wamba, interfering, "that had Richard of the Lion's Heart been wise enough to have taken a fool's advice, he might have staid at home with his merry Englishmen, and left the recovery of Jerusalem to those same Knights who had most to do with the loss of it."
"Were there, then, none in the English army," said the Lady Rowena, "whose names are worthy to be mentioned with the Knights of the Temple, and of St John?"
"Forgive me, lady," replied De Bois-Guilbert; "the English monarch did, indeed, bring to Palestine a host of gallant warriors, second only to those whose breasts have been the unceasing bulwark of that blessed land."
"Second to NONE," said the Pilgrim, who had stood near enough to hear, and had listened to this conversation with marked impatience. All turned toward the spot from whence this unexpected asseveration was heard.
"I say," repeated the Pilgrim in a firm and strong voice, "that the English chivalry were second to NONE who ever drew sword in defence of the Holy Land. I say besides, for I saw it, that King Richard himself, and five of his knights, held a tournament after the taking of St John-de-Acre, as challengers against all comers. I say that, on that day, each knight ran three courses, and cast to the ground three antagonists. I add, that seven of these assailants were Knights of the Temple---and Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert well knows the truth of what I tell you."
It is impossible for language to describe the bitter scowl of rage which rendered yet darker the swarthy countenance of the Templar. In the extremity of his resentment and confusion, his quivering fingers griped towards the handle of his sword, and perhaps only withdrew, from the consciousness that no act of violence could be safely executed in that place and presence. Cedric, whose feelings were all of a right onward and simple kind, and were seldom occupied by more than one object at once, omitted, in the joyous glee with which he heard of the glory of his countrymen, to remark the angry confusion of his guest; "I would give thee this golden bracelet, Pilgrim," he said, "couldst thou tell me the names of those knights who upheld so gallantly the renown of merry England."
"That will I do blithely," replied the Pilgrim, "and without guerdon; my oath, for a time, prohibits me from touching gold."
"I will wear the bracelet for you, if you will, friend Palmer," said Wamba.
"The first in honour as in arms, in renown as in place," said the Pilgrim, "was the brave Richard, King of England."
"I forgive him," said Cedric; "I forgive him his descent from the tyrant Duke William."
"The Earl of Leicester was the second," continued the Pilgrim; "Sir Thomas Multon of Gilsland was the third."
"Of Saxon descent, he at least," said Cedric, with exultation.
"Sir Foulk Doilly the fourth," proceeded the Pilgrim.
"Saxon also, at least by the mother's side," continued Cedric, who listened with the utmost eagerness, and forgot, in part at least, his hatred to the Normans, in the common triumph of the King of England and his islanders. "And who was the fifth?" he demanded.
"The fifth was Sir Edwin Turneham."
"Genuine Saxon, by the soul of Hengist!" shouted Cedric---"And the sixth?" he continued with eagerness---"how name you the sixth?"
"The sixth," said the Palmer, after a pause, in which he seemed to recollect himself, "was a young knight of lesser renown and lower rank, assumed into that honourable company, less to aid their enterprise than to make up their number---his name dwells not in my memory."
"Sir Palmer," said Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert scornfully, "this assumed forgetfulness, after so much has been remembered, comes too late to serve your purpose. I will myself tell the name of the knight before whose lance fortune and my horse's fault occasioned my falling---it was the Knight of Ivanhoe; nor was there one of the six that, for his years, had more renown in arms.---Yet this will I say, and loudly---that were he in England, and durst repeat, in this week's tournament, the challenge of St John-de-Acre, I, mounted and armed as I now am, would give him every advantage of weapons, and abide the result."
"Your challenge would soon be answered," replied the Palmer, "were your antagonist near you. As the matter is, disturb not the peaceful hall with vaunts of the issue of the conflict, which you well know cannot take place. If Ivanhoe ever returns from Palestine, I will be his surety that he meets you."
"A goodly security!" said the Knight Templar; "and what do you proffer as a pledge?"
"This reliquary," said the Palmer, taking a small ivory box from his bosom, and crossing himself, "containing a portion of the true cross, brought from the Monastery of Mount Carmel."
The Prior of Jorvaulx crossed himself and repeated a pater noster, in which all devoutly joined, excepting the Jew, the Mahomedans, and the Templar; the latter of whom, without vailing his bonnet, or testifying any reverence for the alleged sanctity of the relic, took from his neck a gold chain, which he flung on the board, saying---"Let Prior Aymer hold my pledge and that of this nameless vagrant, in token that when the Knight of Ivanhoe comes within the four seas of Britain, he underlies the challenge of Brian de Bois-Guilbert, which, if he answer not, I will proclaim him as a coward on the walls of every Temple Court in Europe."
"It will not need," said the Lady Rowena, breaking silence; "My voice shall be heard, if no other in this hall is raised in behalf of the absent Ivanhoe. I affirm he will meet fairly every honourable challenge. Could my weak warrant add security to the inestimable pledge of this holy pilgrim, I would pledge name and fame that Ivanhoe gives this proud knight the meeting he desires."
A crowd of conflicting emotions seemed to have occupied Cedric, and kept him silent during this discussion. Gratified pride, resentment, embarrassment, chased each other over his broad and open brow, like the shadow of clouds drifting over a harvest-field; while his attendants, on whom the name of the sixth knight seemed to produce an effect almost electrical, hung in suspense upon their master's looks. But when Rowena spoke, the sound of her voice seemed to startle him from his silence.
"Lady," said Cedric, "this beseems not; were further pledge necessary, I myself, offended, and justly offended, as I am, would yet gage my honour for the honour of Ivanhoe. But the wager of battle is complete, even according to the fantastic fashions of Norman chivalry---Is it not, Father Aymer?"
"It is," replied the Prior; "and the blessed relic and rich chain will I bestow safely in the treasury of our convent, until the decision of this warlike challenge."
Having thus spoken, he crossed himself again and again, and after many genuflections and muttered prayers, he delivered the reliquary to Brother Ambrose, his attendant monk, while he himself swept up with less ceremony, but perhaps with no less internal satisfaction, the golden chain, and bestowed it in a pouch lined with perfumed leather, which opened under his arm. "And now, Sir Cedric," he said, "my ears are chiming vespers with the strength of your good wine---permit us another pledge to the welfare of the Lady Rowena, and indulge us with liberty to pass to our repose."
"By the rood of Bromholme," said the Saxon, "you do but small credit to your fame, Sir Prior! Report speaks you a bonny monk, that would hear the matin chime ere he quitted his bowl; and, old as I am, I feared to have shame in encountering you. But, by my faith, a Saxon boy of twelve, in my time, would not so soon have relinquished his goblet."
The Prior had his own reasons, however, for persevering in the course of temperance which he had adopted. He was not only a professional peacemaker, but from practice a hater of all feuds and brawls. It was not altogether from a love to his neighbour, or to himself, or from a mixture of both. On the present occasion, he had an instinctive apprehension of the fiery temper of the Saxon, and saw the danger that the reckless and presumptuous spirit, of which his companion had already given so many proofs, might at length produce some disagreeable explosion. He therefore gently insinuated the incapacity of the native of any other country to engage in the genial conflict of the bowl with the hardy and strong-headed Saxons; something he mentioned, but slightly, about his own holy character, and ended by pressing his proposal to depart to repose.
The grace-cup was accordingly served round, and the guests, after making deep obeisance to their landlord and to the Lady Rowena, arose and mingled in the hall, while the heads of the family, by separate doors, retired with their attendants.
"Unbelieving dog," said the Templar to Isaac the Jew, as he passed him in the throng, "dost thou bend thy course to the tournament?"
"I do so propose," replied Isaac, bowing in all humility, "if it please your reverend valour."
"Ay," said the Knight, "to gnaw the bowels of our nobles with usury, and to gull women and boys with gauds and toys---I warrant thee store of shekels in thy Jewish scrip."
"Not a shekel, not a silver penny, not a halfling---so help me the God of Abraham!" said the Jew, clasping his hands; "I go but to seek the assistance of some brethren of my tribe to aid me to pay the fine which the Exchequer of the Jews have imposed upon me---Father Jacob be my speed! I am an impoverished wretch---the very gaberdine I wear is borrowed from Reuben of Tadcaster."
* In those days the Jews were subjected to an Exchequer, * specially dedicated to that purpose, and which laid them * under the most exorbitant impositions.---L. T.
The Templar smiled sourly as he replied, "Beshrew thee for a false-hearted liar!" and passing onward, as if disdaining farther conference, he communed with his Moslem slaves in a language unknown to the bystanders. The poor Israelite seemed so staggered by the address of the military monk, that the Templar had passed on to the extremity of the hall ere he raised his head from the humble posture which he had assumed, so far as to be sensible of his departure. And when he did look around, it was with the astonished air of one at whose feet a thunderbolt has just burst, and who hears still the astounding report ringing in his ears.
The Templar and Prior were shortly after marshalled to their sleeping apartments by the steward and the cupbearer, each attended by two torchbearers and two servants carrying refreshments, while servants of inferior condition indicated to their retinue and to the other guests their respective places of repose.

难道犹太人没有眼睛吗？难道犹太人没有五
官四肢，没有身体，没有知觉和感情，没有
喜怒哀乐？他吃的是同样的食物，可以受同样的
武器伤害，生同样的病，靠同样的医药治疗，
冬天同样觉得冷，夏天同样觉得热，与基督徒
并无不同，难道不是这样吗？
《威尼斯商人》(注)
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(注)莎士比亚的喜剧，引文见该剧第三幕第一场。
奥斯瓦尔德回来凑在主人耳边小声说道：“这是一个犹太人，自称名叫约克的以撒，我把他领进大厅合适吗？”
“让葛四行使你的职务，奥斯瓦尔德，”汪八说，他一贯自作主张，“放猪的充当犹太佬的招待员，这再也合适不过。”
“圣母马利亚呀！”修道院长说，在身上划了个十字，“一个不信基督的犹太人，还让他走进大厅！”
“一只犹太狗，”圣殿骑士说道，“居然要跟圣墓的保卫者待在一起？”
“我保证，”汪八说道，“圣殿骑士不爱跟犹太人待在一起，他爱的只是他们的财产。”
“安静一些，尊敬的客人们，”塞德里克开口道，“我不能因为你们不喜欢便不接待他。上帝既然让不信基督、顽固不化的整个犹太民族，生存了数不清的年代，我们自然也可以容忍一个犹太人在我们中间待几个小时。但是我不想强迫任何人与他一起吃饭或谈话。我们可以给他单独开饭，不过，”他又笑着道，“如果这些戴头巾的外国人愿意让他同席，那就不必这么做了。”
“庄主先生，”圣殿骑士道，“我的萨拉森奴仆是真正的穆斯林，也像任何基督徒一样，不愿与犹太人往来。”
“这倒奇了，”汪八插口道，“我看不出穆罕默德和特马冈特(注)的崇拜者，与犹太人有多大的差别，犹太人一度还是上帝的选民呢。”
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(注)特马冈特，十字军杜撰的恶神的名字，认为这便是萨拉森人崇泰的神。。
“那么让他跟你坐在一起，汪八，”塞德里克说，“傻瓜和贱民应该是很好的搭档。”
“傻瓜不怕他，”汪八答道，举起了一块吃剩的咸猪肉，“我会在他面前筑起一道防波堤。”(注)
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(注)犹太教把猪肉等视为不洁之物，不得取食或接触，因此对犹太人举起猪肉便可以使他们退避三舍。
“别作声，”塞德里克说，“瞧，他来了。”
给不太有礼貌地带进来的那个人，露出惶恐和犹豫的神态，向餐桌的下首走去；他佝偻着身子，一边还不断地鞠躬；这本来是一个又瘦又高的老人，只是由于长期弯腰的习惯，几乎看不出他有多高了。他那清癯端正的容貌，那鹰钩鼻，那炯炯有神的黑眼睛，那布满皱纹的高高的额头，那灰白的长长的须发，应该算得上是漂亮的，然而只因它们带有犹太种族的特色，便成了卑贱的标志润为在那个黑暗的时代里，这个种族不仅遭到一般群众中幼稚轻信、思想简单的人的普遍歧视，也成了贪婪和残忍的贵族迫害的对象，但或许正是这种歧视和迫害，使这些人养成了一种民族性格，在这种性格中，至少可以说包含着许多鄙陋和庸俗的成分。
犹太人的衣服看来遭到了暴风雨的严重摧残，那是一件朴素的黄褐色土布外套，上面有许多褶子，里边是深紫色长袍。他脚登一双镶皮毛的大靴子，腰里束着皮带，带上挂着裁纸刀和文具袋，但没有武器。他的帽子很别致，是一种方顶黄色小帽，那薀玩定犹太人戴的，使他们与基督徒有所区别，但到了大厅门口，他便把它摘下了。
这个人在撒克逊人塞德里克的大厅中受到的接待，也许是连最仇视以色列各宗族的人也会感到满意的。塞德里克本人对犹太人的一再哈腰致意，只是冷冷地点了点头，示意他在餐桌的末端就座，然而没有一个人让座位给他。相反，他沿着餐桌走去，向围坐在那儿下首的每一个人投出胆怯而乞求同情的目光时，那些撒克逊仆人却伸开双臂安然不动，继续扑在桌上狼吞虎咽，对新到的客人的需要不理不睬，佯作不知。修道院长的仆从在身上划十字，露出了虔诚惶恐的脸色，连那些萨拉森异教徒，看到以撒走近，也怒冲冲地捻着络腮胡子，还把手搭到了他们的短剑上，仿佛准备用最粗暴的手段阻挡他的接近，免得沾染他的邪气似的。
按理说，塞德里克既然宽大为怀，肯向那个被歧视民族的一个儿子打开大厅的门，他也应该会坚持要他的仆人在接待以撒时以礼相待；可惜修道院长正在与他讨论他心爱的猎狗的品种和习性，这是他最感兴趣的话题，一个犹太人饿着肚子上床这种微不足道的事，自然不在他的心上，不会使他中断他的谈话。这样，以撒只得像个无家可归的孤儿站在一边，找不到座位，也没人理睬，就像他的民族给排斥在世界各国之外一样。这时，坐在壁炉旁边的朝圣者对他产生了同情，把自己的座位让给了他，向他简单地说道：“老头儿，我的衣服干了，肚子也吃饱了，可是你还又湿又饿呢。”他一边这么讲，一边把大壁炉里散开的木炭拨到一起，还从大餐桌上搬了一份浓汤和滚热的山羊肉，放在他刚才吃饭用的小桌子上，没等犹太人道谢，便走到大厅的另一头去了——这是他不愿与他照料的人发生更多的接触，还是急于到餐桌的上首去，似乎很难确定。
要是在那种日子里，有画家能把这样的场面画下来，那么犹太人弓起。瞧怀的身子，对着火伸出冰凉发抖的手的情景，便可成为一幅像征寒冬的拟人化图画。他让身子暖和一些以后，马上转过身子，对着放在他面前的热气腾腾的食物吃了起来；他吃得很快，显得津津有味，由此可见，他早已饥肠辘辘了。
这时，修道院长和塞德里克仍在讨论他们的打猎；罗文娜小姐似乎跟她的一个使女在聊天；那位气焰嚣张的圣殿骑士则把眼睛在撒克逊美女和犹太人之间来回转动，仿佛他正在心中盘算，他究竟应该更关心哪一个。
“尊敬的塞德里克，”修道院长在高谈阔论中突然说道，“我觉得奇怪，您对您本国的完美语言这么爱如珠宝，却不肯接受诺曼法语，可是至少在有关森林和狩猎的奥秘方面，这种语言是值得重视的。毫无疑问，野外运动所需要的各种词语，它无不应有尽有，经验丰富的猎手可以为他的乐趣找到各种表现手段。”
“尊敬的艾默长老，”撒克逊人答道，“不妨向您直说，我并不希罕海外的那些华丽辞藻，没有它们，我照样可以在树林中得到娱乐。我能吹我的号角，尽管我不能把这种号声称作recheat或mort，我也能嗾使我的狗捕捉猎物，在捉到猎物后把它们开膛剖肚，不必非要用cur6e、arbor、nombles等等新奇的行话不可，这一切只是那位传说中的特里斯特勒姆骑士发明的废话。”(注)
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(注)诺曼人把狩猎用语与普通生活用语截然分开，这是其他语言所没有的。他们把捕捉的猎物，不论飞禽或走兽，都按年龄一年换一个名称，不懂得这一百来个通用的名称，便是丧失了绅士所应该具备的一个必要条件。关于这问题，读者可参阅朱莉安娜•巴恩斯的书。据说这门学问的首创者便是著名的骑士特里斯特勒姆，那个因与美丽的伊瑟尔特的爱情悲剧而闻名的人物。由于诺曼人把狩猎严格看作自己独享的娱乐，这些正式的行话用的都是法语。——原注。按朱莉安娜•巴思斯是十五世纪英国的一个女作家，曾任修道院长，编写过一本《狩猎艺术》。特里斯特勒姆，又称特里斯丹，传说人物，据说曾是亚瑟王的圆桌骑士之一。他与美丽的公主伊瑟尔特相爱，经过各种曲折，最后两人殉情而死。
“法语不仅是狩猎的自然语言，在赢得爱情和征服敌人的战斗中，它也是最自然的语言，”圣殿骑士提高了嗓音，用他一贯使用的盛气凌人、自以为是的口气说道。
“我们干一杯，骑士阁下，”塞德里克说道，“也给院长斟一杯；让我回忆一下，再把三十年前的往事讲给你们听听。那时，我这个撒克逊人塞德里克讲的都是普通的英语，哪怕谈情说爱，也不必搬弄法国行吟诗人歌词中的美丽辞藻；在圣合大战(注)那一天，诺萨勒顿的战场也会告诉大家，撒克逊战士冲锋陷阵的呐喊声，也像最勇敢的诺曼绅士的喊杀声一样，曾经传播在苏格兰大军的阵地上。客人们，为了曾在那里战斗过的英雄们干杯吧！”他把酒一饮而尽，又意气风发地往下说，“啊，那真是你死我活的战斗，千百面旗子在勇士们的头顶向前飞驰，地上血流成河，每个人都不怕牺牲，视死如归。一个撒克逊吟游诗人称这是军刀的盛宴，猛禽的攫食，剑戟对盾牌和盔甲的冲击，战场上杀声震天，比婚宴上的欢呼声更加热烈。但是现在这样的歌声没有了，”他又道，“我们的事迹已湮灭在另一个民族的事迹中；我们的语言，甚至我们的姓名，都在迅速消亡；可是除了一个孤独的老人，没有人为此悲痛。斟酒的，你这混蛋，把杯子筛满。骑士阁下，让我们为坚强的战士干杯，不论他属于哪个民族，用的什么语言，只要他是今天巴勒斯坦的十字军中最勇猛的战士！”
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(注)圣纛大战，苏格兰国王戴维一世与英王斯蒂芬进行的一场血战，战斗于1138年8月22日在约克郡的诺萨勒顿附近展开。
“戴有这肩章的人对这话可不能随声附和，”布里思•布瓦吉贝尔说道，“因为除了圣墓的誓死保卫者，还有谁可以得到这样的荣誉呢？”
“还有医护骑士团(注)的骑士们，”院长说，“我有一个兄弟在那个骑士团中战斗。”
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(注)医护骑士团，十字军中另一个著名的骑士组织，主要由意大利骑士组成，因以医护伤员为主要任务，故名，又称圣约翰骑士团。
“我不想低毁他们的名誉，”圣殿骑士说，“不过……”
“我想，塞德里克老朋友，”汪八插口道，“狮心王理查要是聪明一些，肯采纳一个傻瓜的忠告，他还是别出外奔波，跟快活的英格兰人一起待在家里的好，至于耶路撒冷，让那些丢掉它的骑士去收复它得了。”
“在英国军队中，除了圣殿骑士和圣约翰骑士以外，难道真的没有一个人值得一提吗？”罗文娜小姐说道。
“请原谅，小姐，”布瓦吉贝尔答道。“英国国王确实率领了一大批英勇的武士前往巴勒斯坦，但是他们与坚定不移地用自己的胸膛保卫圣地的人相比，还是差了一些。”
“比什么人也不差，”朝圣者突然插口道，他正站在附近，听了这些议论，早已按捺不住。这句出乎意外的话使大家都向他转过了脸去。朝圣者又用坚定而沉着的声音继续道：“我是说，在一切用剑保卫圣地的人中，英国的骑士并不比任何人差。而且我得说——因为这是我亲眼所见——在攻占艾克的圣约翰教堂后，理查王本人和他的五位骑士，曾举行过一次比武大会，作为挑战者战败了一切人的进攻。我还得说，在那一天他们每人都战斗了三次，每次都把对手打翻在地上。我还得补充一句：这些进攻者中，有七个是圣殿骑士团的骑士；布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔爵士也完全知道，我讲的都是事实。”
圣殿骑士一听这话，顿时满面怒容，那张黝黑的脸也变得更黑了，简直不是笔墨所能形容的。他的狼狈和气愤都达到了顶点，以致手指索索发抖，伸到了剑柄上，也许只是由于意识到，在这样的场合和这些人面前，使用武力并不合适，才没有真的拔出剑来。塞德里克是个性情直爽，十分单纯的人，不大会同时考虑到两件事，现在听到他的同胞的光辉事迹，不禁心花怒放，以致根本没有注意他那位客人恼怒惊慌的样子。他说道：“参拜过圣地的人，如果你能告诉我，那些使快活的英格兰扬眉吐气的英勇骑士都是谁，我就把这只金镯子送给你。”
“那正是我所乐意做的，”朝圣者答道，“不需要报酬，我许过愿，在一段时间内不接触黄金。”
“你同意的话，我可以替你戴镯子，朝圣者朋友，”汪八插嘴道。
“第一位武艺高强又地位显赫的，便是英国勇敢的理查国王，”朝圣者说。
“很好，”塞德里克说道，“尽管他是暴君威廉公爵的后代，对这点我可以不予计较。”
“莱斯特伯爵是第二位，”朝圣者继续道。“吉尔斯兰的托马斯•麦尔顿爵士居第三位。”
“他至少是撒克逊血统，”塞德里克兴奋地说。
“第四位是福克•杜依利爵士，”朝圣者接着道。
“他也是撒克逊人，至少从母亲方面说是这样，”塞德里克继续道，他听得非常起劲，以致陶醉在英国国王和英伦三岛臣民取得的共同胜利中，至少把他对诺曼人的仇恨忘记了一部分。“谁是第五位？”他问道。
“第五位是埃德温•特尼汉姆爵士。”
“他是真正的撒克逊人，不愧是亨吉斯特(注)的后代！”塞德里克大喊，接着又兴奋地问道：“第六位呢？……第六位名叫什么？”
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(注)亨吉斯特，传说中最早来到不列颠的盎格鲁一撒克逊人的领袖，他于公元455年在肯特郡建立了第一个微克逊人的王国，英国历史上的所谓七国时代便是从这时开始。
“第六位……”朝圣者似乎在努力回忆，停顿了一下以后说，“那是一个年轻的骑士，地位较低，也不太显赫，在那群光辉的人物中不起重要作用，只是凑数而已；他的名字我一时想不起来了。”
“得啦，朝圣者先生，”布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔骑士用讥笑的口气说道，“你这是装忘记，你刚才对一切都记得清清楚楚，现在这么讲太迟了。我可以来补充这位骑士的名字，尽管命运和战马的失足，曾使我摔倒在他的长熗前面；那是艾文荷骑士，他虽然年轻，论武艺和声望，六个人中没有人能超过他。然而我得说，而且大声地说，要是他目前在英国，敢在本周的比武大会上；像在艾克一样向我挑战，我保证，不论他使用什么武器，我凭我现在的坐骑和刀剑，便可打败他。”
“可惜你的对手不在这儿，否则你的挑战马上可以实现，”朝圣者答道。“在目前的情况下你很清楚，这场决斗不可能发生，因此对它的结局大事吹嘘，扰乱这间和平的大厅，似乎大可不必。不过一旦艾文荷从巴勒斯坦回来，我可以保证，他会接受你的挑战。”
“讲得很漂亮！”圣殿骑士道，“那么你拿什么作保证呢？”
“这只圣物盒，”朝圣者说，从胸前掏出了一只小象牙盒，在身上画了个十字，“它里边装的东西，是从加尔默罗山修道院(注)的真正十字架上取来的。”
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(注)加尔默罗修会，又称“圣衣会”，于十二世纪创建于巴勒斯坦的加尔默罗山，系天主教托钵修会之一。
茹尔沃修道院院长在身上画了个十字，念了一句祷告，在场的人除了犹太人、穆斯林和圣殿骑士，都跟着他念了一遍。圣殿骑士没有摘下帽子，也没对那件所谓圣物表示任何敬意，只是从脖子上取下一根金项链，把它丢在餐桌上，说道：“我和这个无名的流浪汉的信物，由艾默长老保管，它们表示，在艾文荷骑士回到不列颠本土以后，他应立即对布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔的挑战作出反应，如果他不接受，我便得在欧洲每一个圣殿的墙上宣布他是个懦夫。”
“不必这样，”罗文娜小姐突然打破沉默，说道。“如果在这大厅里没有人出声，那么让我代表现在不在的艾文荷讲句话。我相信，他会光明磊落地接受任何正直的挑战。要是我的无力保证可以给这位朝圣者极其珍贵的信物，增添一些分量，那么我�

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Chapter 6
To buy his favour I extend this friendship: If he will take it, so; if not, adieu; And, for my love, I pray you wrong me not. Merchant of Venice
As the Palmer, lighted by a domestic with a torch, passed through the intricate combination of apartments of this large and irregular mansion, the cupbearer coming behind him whispered in his ear, that if he had no objection to a cup of good mead in his apartment, there were many domestics in that family who would gladly hear the news he had brought from the Holy Land, and particularly that which concerned the Knight of Ivanhoe. Wamba presently appeared to urge the same request, observing that a cup after midnight was worth three after curfew. Without disputing a maxim urged by such grave authority, the Palmer thanked them for their courtesy, but observed that he had included in his religious vow, an obligation never to speak in the kitchen on matters which were prohibited in the hall. "That vow," said Wamba to the cupbearer, "would scarce suit a serving-man."
The cupbearer shrugged up his shoulders in displeasure. "I thought to have lodged him in the solere chamber," said he; "but since he is so unsocial to Christians, e'en let him take the next stall to Isaac the Jew's.---Anwold," said he to the torchbearer, "carry the Pilgrim to the southern cell.---I give you good-night," he added, "Sir Palmer, with small thanks for short courtesy."
"Good-night, and Our Lady's benison," said the Palmer, with composure; and his guide moved forward.
In a small antechamber, into which several doors opened, and which was lighted by a small iron lamp, they met a second interruption from the waiting-maid of Rowena, who, saying in a tone of authority, that her mistress desired to speak with the Palmer, took the torch from the hand of Anwold, and, bidding him await her return, made a sign to the Palmer to follow. Apparently he did not think it proper to decline this invitation as he had done the former; for, though his gesture indicated some surprise at the summons, he obeyed it without answer or remonstrance.
A short passage, and an ascent of seven steps, each of which was composed of a solid beam of oak, led him to the apartment of the Lady Rowena, the rude magnificence of which corresponded to the respect which was paid to her by the lord of the mansion. The walls were covered with embroidered hangings, on which different-coloured silks, interwoven with gold and silver threads, had been employed with all the art of which the age was capable, to represent the sports of hunting and hawking. The bed was adorned with the same rich tapestry, and surrounded with curtains dyed with purple. The seats had also their stained coverings, and one, which was higher than the rest, was accommodated with a footstool of ivory, curiously carved.
No fewer than four silver candelabras, holding great waxen torches, served to illuminate this apartment. Yet let not modern beauty envy the magnificence of a Saxon princess. The walls of the apartment were so ill finished and so full of crevices, that the rich hangings shook in the night blast, and, in despite of a sort of screen intended to protect them from the wind, the flame of the torches streamed sideways into the air, like the unfurled pennon of a chieftain. Magnificence there was, with some rude attempt at taste; but of comfort there was little, and, being unknown, it was unmissed.
The Lady Rowena, with three of her attendants standing at her back, and arranging her hair ere she lay down to rest, was seated in the sort of throne already mentioned, and looked as if born to exact general homage. The Pilgrim acknowledged her claim to it by a low genuflection.
"Rise, Palmer," said she graciously. "The defender of the absent has a right to favourable reception from all who value truth, and honour manhood." She then said to her train, "Retire, excepting only Elgitha; I would speak with this holy Pilgrim."
The maidens, without leaving the apartment, retired to its further extremity, and sat down on a small bench against the wall, where they remained mute as statues, though at such a distance that their whispers could not have interrupted the conversation of their mistress.
"Pilgrim," said the lady, after a moment's pause, during which she seemed uncertain how to address him, "you this night mentioned a name---I mean," she said, with a degree of effort, "the name of Ivanhoe, in the halls where by nature and kindred it should have sounded most acceptably; and yet, such is the perverse course of fate, that of many whose hearts must have throbbed at the sound, I, only, dare ask you where, and in what condition, you left him of whom you spoke?---We heard, that, having remained in Palestine, on account of his impaired health, after the departure of the English army, he had experienced the persecution of the French faction, to whom the Templars are known to be attached."
"I know little of the Knight of Ivanhoe," answered the Palmer, with a troubled voice. "I would I knew him better, since you, lady, are interested in his fate. He hath, I believe, surmounted the persecution of his enemies in Palestine, and is on the eve of returning to England, where you, lady, must know better than I, what is his chance of happiness."
The Lady Rowena sighed deeply, and asked more particularly when the Knight of Ivanhoe might be expected in his native country, and whether he would not be exposed to great dangers by the road. On the first point, the Palmer professed ignorance; on the second, he said that the voyage might be safely made by the way of Venice and Genoa, and from thence through France to England. "Ivanhoe," he said, "was so well acquainted with the language and manners of the French, that there was no fear of his incurring any hazard during that part of his travels."
"Would to God," said the Lady Rowena, "he were here safely arrived, and able to bear arms in the approaching tourney, in which the chivalry of this land are expected to display their address and valour. Should Athelstane of Coningsburgh obtain the prize, Ivanhoe is like to hear evil tidings when he reaches England.---How looked he, stranger, when you last saw him? Had disease laid her hand heavy upon his strength and comeliness?"
"He was darker," said the Palmer, "and thinner, than when he came from Cyprus in the train of Coeur-de-Lion, and care seemed to sit heavy on his brow; but I approached not his presence, because he is unknown to me."
"He will," said the lady, "I fear, find little in his native land to clear those clouds from his countenance. Thanks, good Pilgrim, for your information concerning the companion of my childhood.---Maidens," she said, "draw near---offer the sleeping cup to this holy man, whom I will no longer detain from repose."
One of the maidens presented a silver cup, containing a rich mixture of wine and spice, which Rowena barely put to her lips. It was then offered to the Palmer, who, after a low obeisance, tasted a few drops.
"Accept this alms, friend," continued the lady, offering a piece of gold, "in acknowledgment of thy painful travail, and of the shrines thou hast visited."
The Palmer received the boon with another low reverence, and followed Edwina out of the apartment.
In the anteroom he found his attendant Anwold, who, taking the torch from the hand of the waiting-maid, conducted him with more haste than ceremony to an exterior and ignoble part of the building, where a number of small apartments, or rather cells, served for sleeping places to the lower order of domestics, and to strangers of mean degree.
"In which of these sleeps the Jew?" said the Pilgrim.
"The unbelieving dog," answered Anwold, "kennels in the cell next your holiness.---St Dunstan, how it must be scraped and cleansed ere it be again fit for a Christian!"
"And where sleeps Gurth the swineherd?" said the stranger.
"Gurth," replied the bondsman, "sleeps in the cell on your right, as the Jew on that to your left; you serve to keep the child of circumcision separate from the abomination of his tribe. You might have occupied a more honourable place had you accepted of Oswald's invitation."
"It is as well as it is," said the Palmer; "the company, even of a Jew, can hardly spread contamination through an oaken partition."
So saying, he entered the cabin allotted to him, and taking the torch from the domestic's hand, thanked him, and wished him good-night. Having shut the door of his cell, he placed the torch in a candlestick made of wood, and looked around his sleeping apartment, the furniture of which was of the most simple kind. It consisted of a rude wooden stool, and still ruder hutch or bed-frame, stuffed with clean straw, and accommodated with two or three sheepskins by way of bed-clothes.
The Palmer, having extinguished his torch, threw himself, without taking off any part of his clothes, on this rude couch, and slept, or at least retained his recumbent posture, till the earliest sunbeams found their way through the little grated window, which served at once to admit both air and light to his uncomfortable cell. He then started up, and after repeating his matins, and adjusting his dress, he left it, and entered that of Isaac the Jew, lifting the latch as gently as he could.
The inmate was lying in troubled slumber upon a couch similar to that on which the Palmer himself had passed the night. Such parts of his dress as the Jew had laid aside on the preceding evening, were disposed carefully around his person, as if to prevent the hazard of their being carried off during his slumbers. There was a trouble on his brow amounting almost to agony. His hands and arms moved convulsively, as if struggling with the nightmare; and besides several ejaculations in Hebrew, the following were distinctly heard in the Norman-English, or mixed language of the country: "For the sake of the God of Abraham, spare an unhappy old man! I am poor, I am penniless ---should your irons wrench my limbs asunder, I could not gratify you!"
The Palmer awaited not the end of the Jew's vision, but stirred him with his pilgrim's staff. The touch probably associated, as is usual, with some of the apprehensions excited by his dream; for the old man started up, his grey hair standing almost erect upon his head, and huddling some part of his garments about him, while he held the detached pieces with the tenacious grasp of a falcon, he fixed upon the Palmer his keen black eyes, expressive of wild surprise and of bodily apprehension.
"Fear nothing from me, Isaac," said the Palmer, "I come as your friend."
"The God of Israel requite you," said the Jew, greatly relieved; "I dreamed---But Father Abraham be praised, it was but a dream." Then, collecting himself, he added in his usual tone, "And what may it be your pleasure to want at so early an hour with the poor Jew?"
"It is to tell you," said the Palmer, "that if you leave not this mansion instantly, and travel not with some haste, your journey may prove a dangerous one."
"Holy father!" said the Jew, "whom could it interest to endanger so poor a wretch as I am?"
"The purpose you can best guess," said the Pilgrim; "but rely on this, that when the Templar crossed the hall yesternight, he spoke to his Mussulman slaves in the Saracen language, which I well understand, and charged them this morning to watch the journey of the Jew, to seize upon him when at a convenient distance from the mansion, and to conduct him to the castle of Philip de Malvoisin, or to that of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf."
It is impossible to describe the extremity of terror which seized upon the Jew at this information, and seemed at once to overpower his whole faculties. His arms fell down to his sides, and his head drooped on his breast, his knees bent under his weight, every nerve and muscle of his frame seemed to collapse and lose its energy, and he sunk at the foot of the Palmer, not in the fashion of one who intentionally stoops, kneels, or prostrates himself to excite compassion, but like a man borne down on all sides by the pressure of some invisible force, which crushes him to the earth without the power of resistance.
"Holy God of Abraham!" was his first exclamation, folding and elevating his wrinkled hands, but without raising his grey head from the pavement; "Oh, holy Moses! O, blessed Aaron! the dream is not dreamed for nought, and the vision cometh not in vain! I feel their irons already tear my sinews! I feel the rack pass over my body like the saws, and harrows, and axes of iron over the men of Rabbah, and of the cities of the children of Ammon!"
"Stand up, Isaac, and hearken to me," said the Palmer, who viewed the extremity of his distress with a compassion in which contempt was largely mingled; "you have cause for your terror, considering how your brethren have been used, in order to extort from them their hoards, both by princes and nobles; but stand up, I say, and I will point out to you the means of escape. Leave this mansion instantly, while its inmates sleep sound after the last night's revel. I will guide you by the secret paths of the forest, known as well to me as to any forester that ranges it, and I will not leave you till you are under safe conduct of some chief or baron going to the tournament, whose good-will you have probably the means of securing."
As the ears of Isaac received the hopes of escape which this speech intimated, he began gradually, and inch by inch, as it were, to raise himself up from the ground, until he fairly rested upon his knees, throwing back his long grey hair and beard, and fixing his keen black eyes upon the Palmer's face, with a look expressive at once of hope and fear, not unmingled with suspicion. But when he heard the concluding part of the sentence, his original terror appeared to revive in full force, and he dropt once more on his face, exclaiming, "'I' possess the means of securing good-will! alas! there is but one road to the favour of a Christian, and how can the poor Jew find it, whom extortions have already reduced to the misery of Lazarus?" Then, as if suspicion had overpowered his other feelings, he suddenly exclaimed, "For the love of God, young man, betray me not---for the sake of the Great Father who made us all, Jew as well as Gentile, Israelite and Ishmaelite---do me no treason! I have not means to secure the good-will of a Christian beggar, were he rating it at a single penny." As he spoke these last words, he raised himself, and grasped the Palmer's mantle with a look of the most earnest entreaty. The pilgrim extricated himself, as if there were contamination in the touch.
"Wert thou loaded with all the wealth of thy tribe," he said, "what interest have I to injure thee?---In this dress I am vowed to poverty, nor do I change it for aught save a horse and a coat of mail. Yet think not that I care for thy company, or propose myself advantage by it; remain here if thou wilt---Cedric the Saxon may protect thee."
"Alas!" said the Jew, "he will not let me travel in his train ---Saxon or Norman will be equally ashamed of the poor Israelite; and to travel by myself through the domains of Philip de Malvoisin and Reginald Front-de-Boeuf---Good youth, I will go with you!---Let us haste---let us gird up our loins---let us flee!---Here is thy staff, why wilt thou tarry?"
"I tarry not," said the Pilgrim, giving way to the urgency of his companion; "but I must secure the means of leaving this place --follow me."
He led the way to the adjoining cell, which, as the reader is apprised, was occupied by Gurth the swineherd.---"Arise, Gurth," said the Pilgrim, "arise quickly. Undo the postern gate, and let out the Jew and me."
Gurth, whose occupation, though now held so mean, gave him as much consequence in Saxon England as that of Eumaeus in Ithaca, was offended at the familiar and commanding tone assumed by the Palmer. "The Jew leaving Rotherwood," said he, raising himself on his elbow, and looking superciliously at him without quitting his pallet, "and travelling in company with the Palmer to boot---"
"I should as soon have dreamt," said Wamba, who entered the apartment at the instant, "of his stealing away with a gammon of bacon."
"Nevertheless," said Gurth, again laying down his head on the wooden log which served him for a pillow, "both Jew and Gentile must be content to abide the opening of the great gate---we suffer no visitors to depart by stealth at these unseasonable hours."
"Nevertheless," said the Pilgrim, in a commanding tone, "you will not, I think, refuse me that favour."
So saying, he stooped over the bed of the recumbent swineherd, and whispered something in his ear in Saxon. Gurth started up as if electrified. The Pilgrim, raising his finger in an attitude as if to express caution, added, "Gurth, beware---thou are wont to be prudent. I say, undo the postern---thou shalt know more anon."
With hasty alacrity Gurth obeyed him, while Wamba and the Jew followed, both wondering at the sudden change in the swineherd's demeanour. "My mule, my mule!" said the Jew, as soon as they stood without the postern.
"Fetch him his mule," said the Pilgrim; "and, hearest thou, ---let me have another, that I may bear him company till he is beyond these parts---I will return it safely to some of Cedric's train at Ashby. And do thou"---he whispered the rest in Gurth's ear.
"Willingly, most willingly shall it be done," said Gurth, and instantly departed to execute the commission.
"I wish I knew," said Wamba, when his comrade's back was turned, "what you Palmers learn in the Holy Land."
"To say our orisons, fool," answered the Pilgrim, "to repent our sins, and to mortify ourselves with fastings, vigils, and long prayers."
"Something more potent than that," answered the Jester; "for when would repentance or prayer make Gurth do a courtesy, or fasting or vigil persuade him to lend you a mule?---I trow you might as well have told his favourite black boar of thy vigils and penance, and wouldst have gotten as civil an answer."
"Go to," said the Pilgrim, "thou art but a Saxon fool."
"Thou sayst well," said the Jester; "had I been born a Norman, as I think thou art, I would have had luck on my side, and been next door to a wise man."
At this moment Gurth appeared on the opposite side of the moat with the mules. The travellers crossed the ditch upon a drawbridge of only two planks breadth, the narrowness of which was matched with the straitness of the postern, and with a little wicket in the exterior palisade, which gave access to the forest. No sooner had they reached the mules, than the Jew, with hasty and trembling hands, secured behind the saddle a small bag of blue buckram, which he took from under his cloak, containing, as he muttered, "a change of raiment---only a change of raiment." Then getting upon the animal with more alacrity and haste than could have been anticipated from his years, he lost no time in so disposing of the skirts of his gabardine as to conceal completely from observation the burden which he had thus deposited "en croupe".
The Pilgrim mounted with more deliberation, reaching, as he departed, his hand to Gurth, who kissed it with the utmost possible veneration. The swineherd stood gazing after the travellers until they were lost under the boughs of the forest path, when he was disturbed from his reverie by the voice of Wamba.
"Knowest thou," said the Jester, "my good friend Gurth, that thou art strangely courteous and most unwontedly pious on this summer morning? I would I were a black Prior or a barefoot Palmer, to avail myself of thy unwonted zeal and courtesy ---certes, I would make more out of it than a kiss of the hand."
"Thou art no fool thus far, Wamba," answered Gurth, "though thou arguest from appearances, and the wisest of us can do no more ---But it is time to look after my charge."
So saying, he turned back to the mansion, attended by the Jester.
Meanwhile the travellers continued to press on their journey with a dispatch which argued the extremity of the Jew's fears, since persons at his age are seldom fond of rapid motion. The Palmer, to whom every path and outlet in the wood appeared to be familiar, led the way through the most devious paths, and more than once excited anew the suspicion of the Israelite, that he intended to betray him into some ambuscade of his enemies.
His doubts might have been indeed pardoned; for, except perhaps the flying fish, there was no race existing on the earth, in the air, or the waters, who were the object of such an unintermitting, general, and relentless persecution as the Jews of this period. Upon the slightest and most unreasonable pretences, as well as upon accusations the most absurd and groundless, their persons and property were exposed to every turn of popular fury; for Norman, Saxon, Dane, and Briton, however adverse these races were to each other, contended which should look with greatest detestation upon a people, whom it was accounted a point of religion to hate, to revile, to despise, to plunder, and to persecute. The kings of the Norman race, and the independent nobles, who followed their example in all acts of tyranny, maintained against this devoted people a persecution of a more regular, calculated, and self-interested kind. It is a well-known story of King John, that he confined a wealthy Jew in one of the royal castles, and daily caused one of his teeth to be torn out, until, when the jaw of the unhappy Israelite was half disfurnished, he consented to pay a large sum, which it was the tyrant's object to extort from him. The little ready money which was in the country was chiefly in possession of this persecuted people, and the nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign, in wringing it from them by every species of oppression, and even personal torture. Yet the passive courage inspired by the love of gain, induced the Jews to dare the various evils to which they were subjected, in consideration of the immense profits which they were enabled to realize in a country naturally so wealthy as England. In spite of every kind of discouragement, and even of the special court of taxations already mentioned, called the Jews' Exchequer, erected for the very purpose of despoiling and distressing them, the Jews increased, multiplied, and accumulated huge sums, which they transferred from one hand to another by means of bills of exchange---an invention for which commerce is said to be indebted to them, and which enabled them to transfer their wealth from land to land, that when threatened with oppression in one country, their treasure might be secured in another.
The obstinacy and avarice of the Jews being thus in a measure placed in opposition to the fanaticism that tyranny of those under whom they lived, seemed to increase in proportion to the persecution with which they were visited; and the immense wealth they usually acquired in commerce, while it frequently placed them in danger, was at other times used to extend their influence, and to secure to them a certain degree of protection. On these terms they lived; and their character, influenced accordingly, was watchful, suspicious, and timid---yet obstinate, uncomplying, and skilful in evading the dangers to which they were exposed.
When the travellers had pushed on at a rapid rate through many devious paths, the Palmer at length broke silence.
"That large decayed oak," he said, "marks the boundaries over which Front-de-Boeuf claims authority---we are long since far from those of Malvoisin. There is now no fear of pursuit."
"May the wheels of their chariots be taken off," said the Jew, "like those of the host of Pharaoh, that they may drive heavily! ---But leave me not, good Pilgrim---Think but of that fierce and savage Templar, with his Saracen slaves---they will regard neither territory, nor manor, nor lordship."
"Our road," said the Palmer, "should here separate; for it beseems not men of my character and thine to travel together longer than needs must be. Besides, what succour couldst thou have from me, a peaceful Pilgrim, against two armed heathens?"
"O good youth," answered the Jew, "thou canst defend me, and I know thou wouldst. Poor as I am, I will requite it---not with money, for money, so help me my Father Abraham, I have none---but ------"
"Money and recompense," said the Palmer, interrupting him, "I have already said I require not of thee. Guide thee I can; and, it may be, even in some sort defend thee; since to protect a Jew against a Saracen, can scarce be accounted unworthy of a Christian. Therefore, Jew, I will see thee safe under some fitting escort. We are now not far from the town of Sheffield, where thou mayest easily find many of thy tribe with whom to take refuge."
"The blessing of Jacob be upon thee, good youth!" said the Jew; "in Sheffield I can harbour with my kinsman Zareth, and find some means of travelling forth with safety."
"Be it so," said the Palmer; "at Sheffield then we part, and half-an-hour's riding will bring us in sight of that town."
The half hour was spent in perfect silence on both parts; the Pilgrim perhaps disdaining to address the Jew, except in case of absolute necessity, and the Jew not presuming to force a conversation with a person whose journey to the Holy Sepulchre gave a sort of sanctity to his character. They paused on the top of a gently rising bank, and the Pilgrim, pointing to the town of Sheffield, which lay beneath them, repeated the words, "Here, then, we part."
"Not till you have had the poor Jew's thanks," said Isaac; "for I presume not to ask you to go with me to my kinsman Zareth's, who might aid me with some means of repaying your good offices."
"I have already said," answered the Pilgrim, "that I desire no recompense. If among the huge list of thy debtors, thou wilt, for my sake, spare the gyves and the dungeon to some unhappy Christian who stands in thy danger, I shall hold this morning's service to thee well bestowed."
"Stay, stay," said the Jew, laying hold of his garment; "something would I do more than this, something for thyself. ---God knows the Jew is poor---yes, Isaac is the beggar of his tribe---but forgive me should I guess what thou most lackest at this moment."
"If thou wert to guess truly," said the Palmer, "it is what thou canst not supply, wert thou as wealthy as thou sayst thou art poor."
"As I say?" echoed the Jew; "O! believe it, I say but the truth; I am a plundered, indebted, distressed man. Hard hands have wrung from me my goods, my money, my ships, and all that I possessed---Yet I can tell thee what thou lackest, and, it may be, supply it too. Thy wish even now is for a horse and armour."
The Palmer started, and turned suddenly towards the Jew:---"What fiend prompted that guess?" said he, hastily.
"No matter," said the Jew, smiling, "so that it be a true one ---and, as I can guess thy want, so I can supply it."
"But consider," said the Palmer, "my character, my dress, my vow."
"I know you Christians," replied the Jew, "and that the noblest of you will take the staff and sandal in superstitious penance, and walk afoot to visit the graves of dead men."
"Blaspheme not, Jew," said the Pilgrim, sternly.
"Forgive me," said the Jew; "I spoke rashly. But there dropt words from you last night and this morning, that, like sparks from flint, showed the metal within; and in the bosom of that Palmer's gown, is hidden a knight's chain and spurs of gold. They glanced as you stooped over my bed in the morning."
The Pilgrim could not forbear smiling. "Were thy garments searched by as curious an eye, Isaac," said he, "what discoveries might not be made?"
"No more of that," said the Jew, changing colour; and drawing forth his writing materials in haste, as if to stop the conversation, he began to write upon a piece of paper which he supported on the top of his yellow cap, without dismounting from his mule. When he had finished, he delivered the scroll, which was in the Hebrew character, to the Pilgrim, saying, "In the town of Leicester all men know the rich Jew, Kirjath Jairam of Lombardy; give him this scroll---he hath on sale six Milan harnesses, the worst would suit a crowned head---ten goodly steeds, the worst might mount a king, were he to do battle for his throne. Of these he will give thee thy choice, with every thing else that can furnish thee forth for the tournament: when it is over, thou wilt return them safely---unless thou shouldst have wherewith to pay their value to the owner."
"But, Isaac," said the Pilgrim, smiling, "dost thou know that in these sports, the arms and steed of the knight who is unhorsed are forfeit to his victor? Now I may be unfortunate, and so lose what I cannot replace or repay."
The Jew looked somewhat astounded at this possibility; but collecting his courage, he replied hastily. "No---no---no---It is impossible---I will not think so. The blessing of Our Father will be upon thee. Thy lance will be powerful as the rod of Moses."
So saying, he was turning his mule's head away, when the Palmer, in his turn, took hold of his gaberdine. "Nay, but Isaac, thou knowest not all the risk. The steed may be slain, the armour injured---for I will spare neither horse nor man. Besides, those of thy tribe give nothing for nothing; something there must be paid for their use."
The Jew twisted himself in the saddle, like a man in a fit of the colic; but his better feelings predominated over those which were most familiar to him. "I care not," he said, "I care not---let me go. If there is damage, it will cost you nothing---if there is usage money, Kirjath Jairam will forgive it for the sake of his kinsman Isaac. Fare thee well!---Yet hark thee, good youth," said he, turning about, "thrust thyself not too forward into this vain hurly-burly---I speak not for endangering the steed, and coat of armour, but for the sake of thine own life and limbs."
"Gramercy for thy caution," said the Palmer, again smiling; "I will use thy courtesy frankly, and it will go hard with me but I will requite it."
They parted, and took different roads for the town of Sheffield.

我为了博得他的好感才向他伸出友谊之手，
他接受固然好，不接受我也无所谓，
诸位请不要误会我的好意。
《威尼斯商人》(注)
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(注)《威尼斯商人》是莎士比亚的喜剧，引文见该剧第一幕第三场。
朝圣者由一个仆人举着火炬带路，穿过这幢不规则的大房子中错综复杂的房间，这时斟酒人来到了他背后，凑在他耳边小声说，如果他不嫌弃的话，请到他屋里喝一杯蜜酒，不少仆人正聚集在那里，想听听他从圣地带回的消息，尤其薀拓于艾文荷骑士的情形。汪八也蓦地出现了，提出了同样的要求，还说，午夜后喝一杯，抵得上宵禁后喝三杯。朝圣者不想否认这位庄严的大人物提出的格言的正确性，只是对他们的好意表示了感谢，同时说明他的宗教誓言中包括一条：在大厅中禁止谈论的事，在厨房中他也绝对不讲。
“那条誓言仆人大概是不欢迎的，”汪八对斟酒人说。
斟酒人耸了耸肩膀，有些不高兴。“我本想安排他住在向阳的房间里，”他说，“既然他这么不识抬举，只得委屈他，让他住犹太佬隔壁的小屋子了。”于是对拿火炬的仆人说道：“安沃德，把朝圣者带到南边的小木屋去。”然后又道：“晚安，朝圣者先生，没有礼貌是占不到便宜的。”
“晚安，愿圣母保佑我们！”朝圣者心平气和地说。他的向导随即走了。
一间小小的前室，有几扇门开着，里边点着一盏小铁灯，朝圣者走到这里，第二次给人拦住了，那是罗文娜的一个使女，她用命令的口气说，她的小姐要找朝圣者问话

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Chapter 7
Knights, with a long retinue of their squires, In gaudy liveries march and quaint attires; One laced the helm, another held the lance, A third the shining buckler did advance. The courser paw'd the ground with restless feet, And snorting foam'd and champ'd the golden bit. The smiths and armourers on palfreys ride, Files in their hands, and hammers at their side; And nails for loosen'd spears, and thongs for shields provide. The yeomen guard the streets in seemly bands; And clowns come crowding on, with cudgels in their hands. Palamon and Arcite
The condition of the English nation was at this time sufficiently miserable. King Richard was absent a prisoner, and in the power of the perfidious and cruel Duke of Austria. Even the very place of his captivity was uncertain, and his fate but very imperfectly known to the generality of his subjects, who were, in the meantime, a prey to every species of subaltern oppression.
Prince John, in league with Philip of France, Coeur-de-Lion's mortal enemy, was using every species of influence with the Duke of Austria, to prolong the captivity of his brother Richard, to whom he stood indebted for so many favours. In the meantime, he was strengthening his own faction in the kingdom, of which he proposed to dispute the succession, in case of the King's death, with the legitimate heir, Arthur Duke of Brittany, son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, the elder brother of John. This usurpation, it is well known, he afterwards effected. His own character being light, profligate, and perfidious, John easily attached to his person and faction, not only all who had reason to dread the resentment of Richard for criminal proceedings during his absence, but also the numerous class of "lawless resolutes," whom the crusades had turned back on their country, accomplished in the vices of the East, impoverished in substance, and hardened in character, and who placed their hopes of harvest in civil commotion. To these causes of public distress and apprehension, must be added, the multitude of outlaws, who, driven to despair by the oppression of the feudal nobility, and the severe exercise of the forest laws, banded together in large gangs, and, keeping possession of the forests and the wastes, set at defiance the justice and magistracy of the country. The nobles themselves, each fortified within his own castle, and playing the petty sovereign over his own dominions, were the leaders of bands scarce less lawless and oppressive than those of the avowed depredators. To maintain these retainers, and to support the extravagance and magnificence which their pride induced them to affect, the nobility borrowed sums of money from the Jews at the most usurious interest, which gnawed into their estates like consuming cankers, scarce to be cured unless when circumstances gave them an opportunity of getting free, by exercising upon their creditors some act of unprincipled violence.
Under the various burdens imposed by this unhappy state of affairs, the people of England suffered deeply for the present, and had yet more dreadful cause to fear for the future. To augment their misery, a contagious disorder of a dangerous nature spread through the land; and, rendered more virulent by the uncleanness, the indifferent food, and the wretched lodging of the lower classes, swept off many whose fate the survivors were tempted to envy, as exempting them from the evils which were to come.
Yet amid these accumulated distresses, the poor as well as the rich, the vulgar as well as the noble, in the event of a tournament, which was the grand spectacle of that age, felt as much interested as the half-starved citizen of Madrid, who has not a real left to buy provisions for his family, feels in the issue of a bull-feast. Neither duty nor infirmity could keep youth or age from such exhibitions. The Passage of Arms, as it was called, which was to take place at Ashby, in the county of Leicester, as champions of the first renown were to take the field in the presence of Prince John himself, who was expected to grace the lists, had attracted universal attention, and an immense confluence of persons of all ranks hastened upon the appointed morning to the place of combat.
The scene was singularly romantic. On the verge of a wood, which approached to within a mile of the town of Ashby, was an extensive meadow, of the finest and most beautiful green turf, surrounded on one side by the forest, and fringed on the other by straggling oak-trees, some of which had grown to an immense size. The ground, as if fashioned on purpose for the martial display which was intended, sloped gradually down on all sides to a level bottom, which was enclosed for the lists with strong palisades, forming a space of a quarter of a mile in length, and about half as broad. The form of the enclosure was an oblong square, save that the corners were considerably rounded off, in order to afford more convenience for the spectators. The openings for the entry of the combatants were at the northern and southern extremities of the lists, accessible by strong wooden gates, each wide enough to admit two horsemen riding abreast. At each of these portals were stationed two heralds, attended by six trumpets, as many pursuivants, and a strong body of men-at-arms for maintaining order, and ascertaining the quality of the knights who proposed to engage in this martial game.
On a platform beyond the southern entrance, formed by a natural elevation of the ground, were pitched five magnificent pavilions, adorned with pennons of russet and black, the chosen colours of the five knights challengers. The cords of the tents were of the same colour. Before each pavilion was suspended the shield of the knight by whom it was occupied, and beside it stood his squire, quaintly disguised as a salvage or silvan man, or in some other fantastic dress, according to the taste of his master, and the character he was pleased to assume during the game.*
* This sort of masquerade is supposed to have occasioned the * introduction of supporters into the science of heraldry.
The central pavilion, as the place of honour, had been assigned to Brian be Bois-Guilbert, whose renown in all games of chivalry, no less than his connexions with the knights who had undertaken this Passage of Arms, had occasioned him to be eagerly received into the company of the challengers, and even adopted as their chief and leader, though he had so recently joined them. On one side of his tent were pitched those of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf and Richard de Malvoisin, and on the other was the pavilion of Hugh de Grantmesnil, a noble baron in the vicinity, whose ancestor had been Lord High Steward of England in the time of the Conqueror, and his son William Rufus. Ralph de Vipont, a knight of St John of Jerusalem, who had some ancient possessions at a place called Heather, near Ashby-de-la-Zouche, occupied the fifth pavilion. From the entrance into the lists, a gently sloping passage, ten yards in breadth, led up to the platform on which the tents were pitched. It was strongly secured by a palisade on each side, as was the esplanade in front of the pavilions, and the whole was guarded by men-at-arms.
The northern access to the lists terminated in a similar entrance of thirty feet in breadth, at the extremity of which was a large enclosed space for such knights as might be disposed to enter the lists with the challengers, behind which were placed tents containing refreshments of every kind for their accommodation, with armourers, tarriers, and other attendants, in readiness to give their services wherever they might be necessary.
The exterior of the lists was in part occupied by temporary galleries, spread with tapestry and carpets, and accommodated with cushions for the convenience of those ladies and nobles who were expected to attend the tournament. A narrow space, betwixt these galleries and the lists, gave accommodation for yeomanry and spectators of a better degree than the mere vulgar, and might be compared to the pit of a theatre. The promiscuous multitude arranged themselves upon large banks of turf prepared for the purpose, which, aided by the natural elevation of the ground, enabled them to overlook the galleries, and obtain a fair view into the lists. Besides the accommodation which these stations afforded, many hundreds had perched themselves on the branches of the trees which surrounded the meadow; and even the steeple of a country church, at some distance, was crowded with spectators.
It only remains to notice respecting the general arrangement, that one gallery in the very centre of the eastern side of the lists, and consequently exactly opposite to the spot where the shock of the combat was to take place, was raised higher than the others, more richly decorated, and graced by a sort of throne and canopy, on which the royal arms were emblazoned. Squires, pages, and yeomen in rich liveries, waited around this place of honour, which was designed for Prince John and his attendants. Opposite to this royal gallery was another, elevated to the same height, on the western side of the lists; and more gaily, if less sumptuously decorated, than that destined for the Prince himself. A train of pages and of young maidens, the most beautiful who could be selected, gaily dressed in fancy habits of green and pink, surrounded a throne decorated in the same colours. Among pennons and flags bearing wounded hearts, burning hearts, bleeding hearts, bows and quivers, and all the commonplace emblems of the triumphs of Cupid, a blazoned inscription informed the spectators, that this seat of honour was designed for "La Royne de las Beaulte et des Amours". But who was to represent the Queen of Beauty and of Love on the present occasion no one was prepared to guess.
Meanwhile, spectators of every description thronged forward to occupy their respective stations, and not without many quarrels concerning those which they were entitled to hold. Some of these were settled by the men-at-arms with brief ceremony; the shafts of their battle-axes, and pummels of their swords, being readily employed as arguments to convince the more refractory. Others, which involved the rival claims of more elevated persons, were determined by the heralds, or by the two marshals of the field, William de Wyvil, and Stephen de Martival, who, armed at all points, rode up and down the lists to enforce and preserve good order among the spectators.
Gradually the galleries became filled with knights and nobles, in their robes of peace, whose long and rich-tinted mantles were contrasted with the gayer and more splendid habits of the ladies, who, in a greater proportion than even the men themselves, thronged to witness a sport, which one would have thought too bloody and dangerous to afford their sex much pleasure. The lower and interior space was soon filled by substantial yeomen and burghers, and such of the lesser gentry, as, from modesty, poverty, or dubious title, durst not assume any higher place. It was of course amongst these that the most frequent disputes for precedence occurred.
"Dog of an unbeliever," said an old man, whose threadbare tunic bore witness to his poverty, as his sword, and dagger, and golden chain intimated his pretensions to rank,---"whelp of a she-wolf! darest thou press upon a Christian, and a Norman gentleman of the blood of Montdidier?"
This rough expostulation was addressed to no other than our acquaintance Isaac, who, richly and even magnificently dressed in a gaberdine ornamented with lace and lined with fur, was endeavouring to make place in the foremost row beneath the gallery for his daughter, the beautiful Rebecca, who had joined him at Ashby, and who was now hanging on her father's arm, not a little terrified by the popular displeasure which seemed generally excited by her parent's presumption. But Isaac, though we have seen him sufficiently timid on other occasions, knew well that at present he had nothing to fear. It was not in places of general resort, or where their equals were assembled, that any avaricious or malevolent noble durst offer him injury. At such meetings the Jews were under the protection of the general law; and if that proved a weak assurance, it usually happened that there were among the persons assembled some barons, who, for their own interested motives, were ready to act as their protectors. On the present occasion, Isaac felt more than usually confident, being aware that Prince John was even then in the very act of negotiating a large loan from the Jews of York, to be secured upon certain jewels and lands. Isaac's own share in this transaction was considerable, and he well knew that the Prince's eager desire to bring it to a conclusion would ensure him his protection in the dilemma in which he stood.
Emboldened by these considerations, the Jew pursued his point, and jostled the Norman Christian, without respect either to his descent, quality, or religion. The complaints of the old man, however, excited the indignation of the bystanders. One of these, a stout well-set yeoman, arrayed in Lincoln green, having twelve arrows stuck in his belt, with a baldric and badge of silver, and a bow of six feet length in his hand, turned short round, and while his countenance, which his constant exposure to weather had rendered brown as a hazel nut, grew darker with anger, he advised the Jew to remember that all the wealth he had acquired by sucking the blood of his miserable victims had but swelled him like a bloated spider, which might be overlooked while he kept in a comer, but would be crushed if it ventured into the light. This intimation, delivered in Norman-English with a firm voice and a stern aspect, made the Jew shrink back; and he would have probably withdrawn himself altogether from a vicinity so dangerous, had not the attention of every one been called to the sudden entrance of Prince John, who at that moment entered the lists, attended by a numerous and gay train, consisting partly of laymen, partly of churchmen, as light in their dress, and as gay in their demeanour, as their companions. Among the latter was the Prior of Jorvaulx, in the most gallant trim which a dignitary of the church could venture to exhibit. Fur and gold were not spared in his garments; and the points of his boots, out-heroding the preposterous fashion of the time, turned up so very far, as to be attached, not to his knees merely, but to his very girdle, and effectually prevented him from putting his foot into the stirrup. This, however, was a slight inconvenience to the gallant Abbot, who, perhaps, even rejoicing in the opportunity to display his accomplished horsemanship before so many spectators, especially of the fair sex, dispensed with the use of these supports to a timid rider. The rest of Prince John's retinue consisted of the favourite leaders of his mercenary troops, some marauding barons and profligate attendants upon the court, with several Knights Templars and Knights of St John.
It may be here remarked, that the knights of these two orders were accounted hostile to King Richard, having adopted the side of Philip of France in the long train of disputes which took place in Palestine betwixt that monarch and the lion-hearted King of England. It was the well-known consequence of this discord that Richard's repeated victories had been rendered fruitless, his romantic attempts to besiege Jerusalem disappointed, and the fruit of all the glory which he had acquired had dwindled into an uncertain truce with the Sultan Saladin. With the same policy which had dictated the conduct of their brethren in the Holy Land, the Templars and Hospitallers in England and Normandy attached themselves to the faction of Prince John, having little reason to desire the return of Richard to England, or the succession of Arthur, his legitimate heir. For the opposite reason, Prince John hated and contemned the few Saxon families of consequence which subsisted in England, and omitted no opportunity of mortifying and affronting them; being conscious that his person and pretensions were disliked by them, as well as by the greater part of the English commons, who feared farther innovation upon their rights and liberties, from a sovereign of John's licentious and tyrannical disposition.
Attended by this gallant equipage, himself well mounted, and splendidly dressed in crimson and in gold, bearing upon his hand a falcon, and having his head covered by a rich fur bonnet, adorned with a circle of precious stones, from which his long curled hair escaped and overspread his shoulders, Prince John, upon a grey and high-mettled palfrey, caracoled within the lists at the head of his jovial party, laughing loud with his train, and eyeing with all the boldness of royal criticism the beauties who adorned the lofty galleries.
Those who remarked in the physiognomy of the Prince a dissolute audacity, mingled with extreme haughtiness and indifference to the feelings of others could not yet deny to his countenance that sort of comeliness which belongs to an open set of features, well formed by nature, modelled by art to the usual rules of courtesy, yet so far frank and honest, that they seemed as if they disclaimed to conceal the natural workings of the soul. Such an expression is often mistaken for manly frankness, when in truth it arises from the reckless indifference of a libertine disposition, conscious of superiority of birth, of wealth, or of some other adventitious advantage, totally unconnected with personal merit. To those who did not think so deeply, and they were the greater number by a hundred to one, the splendour of Prince John's "rheno", (i.e. fur tippet,) the richness of his cloak, lined with the most costly sables, his maroquin boots and golden spurs, together with the grace with which he managed his palfrey, were sufficient to merit clamorous applause.
In his joyous caracole round the lists, the attention of the Prince was called by the commotion, not yet subsided, which had attended the ambitious movement of Isaac towards the higher places of the assembly. The quick eye of Prince John instantly recognised the Jew, but was much more agreeably attracted by the beautiful daughter of Zion, who, terrified by the tumult, clung close to the arm of her aged father.
The figure of Rebecca might indeed have compared with the proudest beauties of England, even though it had been judged by as shrewd a connoisseur as Prince John. Her form was exquisitely symmetrical, and was shown to advantage by a sort of Eastern dress, which she wore according to the fashion of the females of her nation. Her turban of yellow silk suited well with the darkness of her complexion. The brilliancy of her eyes, the superb arch of her eyebrows, her well-formed aquiline nose, her teeth as white as pearl, and the profusion of her sable tresses, which, each arranged in its own little spiral of twisted curls, fell down upon as much of a lovely neck and bosom as a simarre of the richest Persian silk, exhibiting flowers in their natural colours embossed upon a purple ground, permitted to be visible ---all these constituted a combination of loveliness, which yielded not to the most beautiful of the maidens who surrounded her. It is true, that of the golden and pearl-studded clasps, which closed her vest from the throat to the waist, the three uppermost were left unfastened on account of the heat, which something enlarged the prospect to which we allude. A diamond necklace, with pendants of inestimable value, were by this means also made more conspicuous. The feather of an ostrich, fastened in her turban by an agraffe set with brilliants, was another distinction of the beautiful Jewess, scoffed and sneered at by the proud dames who sat above her, but secretly envied by those who affected to deride them.
"By the bald scalp of Abraham," said Prince John, "yonder Jewess must be the very model of that perfection, whose charms drove frantic the wisest king that ever lived! What sayest thou, Prior Aymer?---By the Temple of that wise king, which our wiser brother Richard proved unable to recover, she is the very Bride of the Canticles!"
"The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley,"---answered the Prior, in a sort of snuffling tone; "but your Grace must remember she is still but a Jewess."
"Ay!" added Prince John, without heeding him, "and there is my Mammon of unrighteousness too---the Marquis of Marks, the Baron of Byzants, contesting for place with penniless dogs, whose threadbare cloaks have not a single cross in their pouches to keep the devil from dancing there. By the body of St Mark, my prince of supplies, with his lovely Jewess, shall have a place in the gallery!---What is she, Isaac? Thy wife or thy daughter, that Eastern houri that thou lockest under thy arm as thou wouldst thy treasure-casket?"
"My daughter Rebecca, so please your Grace," answered Isaac, with a low congee, nothing embarrassed by the Prince's salutation, in which, however, there was at least as much mockery as courtesy.
"The wiser man thou," said John, with a peal of laughter, in which his gay followers obsequiously joined. "But, daughter or wife, she should be preferred according to her beauty and thy merits.---Who sits above there?" he continued, bending his eye on the gallery. "Saxon churls, lolling at their lazy length!---out upon them!---let them sit close, and make room for my prince of usurers and his lovely daughter. I'll make the hinds know they must share the high places of the synagogue with those whom the synagogue properly belongs to."
Those who occupied the gallery to whom this injurious and unpolite speech was addressed, were the family of Cedric the Saxon, with that of his ally and kinsman, Athelstane of Coningsburgh, a personage, who, on account of his descent from the last Saxon monarchs of England, was held in the highest respect by all the Saxon natives of the north of England. But with the blood of this ancient royal race, many of their infirmities had descended to Athelstane. He was comely in countenance, bulky and strong in person, and in the flower of his age---yet inanimate in expression, dull-eyed, heavy-browed, inactive and sluggish in all his motions, and so slow in resolution, that the soubriquet of one of his ancestors was conferred upon him, and he was very generally called Athelstane the Unready. His friends, and he had many, who, as well as Cedric, were passionately attached to him, contended that this sluggish temper arose not from want of courage, but from mere want of decision; others alleged that his hereditary vice of drunkenness had obscured his faculties, never of a very acute order, and that the passive courage and meek good-nature which remained behind, were merely the dregs of a character that might have been deserving of praise, but of which all the valuable parts had flown off in the progress of a long course of brutal debauchery.
It was to this person, such as we have described him, that the Prince addressed his imperious command to make place for Isaac and Rebecca. Athelstane, utterly confounded at an order which the manners and feelings of the times rendered so injuriously insulting, unwilling to obey, yet undetermined how to resist, opposed only the "vis inertiae" to the will of John; and, without stirring or making any motion whatever of obedience, opened his large grey eyes, and stared at the Prince with an astonishment which had in it something extremely ludicrous. But the impatient John regarded it in no such light.
"The Saxon porker," he said, "is either asleep or minds me not ---Prick him with your lance, De Bracy," speaking to a knight who rode near him, the leader of a band of Free Companions, or Condottieri; that is, of mercenaries belonging to no particular nation, but attached for the time to any prince by whom they were paid. There was a murmur even among the attendants of Prince John; but De Bracy, whose profession freed him from all scruples, extended his long lance over the space which separated the gallery from the lists, and would have executed the commands of the Prince before Athelstane the Unready had recovered presence of mind sufficient even to draw back his person from the weapon, had not Cedric, as prompt as his companion was tardy, unsheathed, with the speed of lightning, the short sword which he wore, and at a single blow severed the point of the lance from the handle. The blood rushed into the countenance of Prince John. He swore one of his deepest oaths, and was about to utter some threat corresponding in violence, when he was diverted from his purpose, partly by his own attendants, who gathered around him conjuring him to be patient, partly by a general exclamation of the crowd, uttered in loud applause of the spirited conduct of Cedric. The Prince rolled his eyes in indignation, as if to collect some safe and easy victim; and chancing to encounter the firm glance of the same archer whom we have already noticed, and who seemed to persist in his gesture of applause, in spite of the frowning aspect which the Prince bent upon him, he demanded his reason for clamouring thus.
"I always add my hollo," said the yeoman, "when I see a good shot, or a gallant blow."
"Sayst thou?" answered the Prince; "then thou canst hit the white thyself, I'll warrant."
"A woodsman's mark, and at woodsman's distance, I can hit," answered the yeoman.
"And Wat Tyrrel's mark, at a hundred yards," said a voice from behind, but by whom uttered could not be discerned.
This allusion to the fate of William Rufus, his Relative, at once incensed and alarmed Prince John. He satisfied himself, however, with commanding the men-at-arms, who surrounded the lists, to keep an eye on the braggart, pointing to the yeoman.
"By St Grizzel," he added, "we will try his own skill, who is so ready to give his voice to the feats of others!"
"I shall not fly the trial," said the yeoman, with the composure which marked his whole deportment.
"Meanwhile, stand up, ye Saxon churls," said the fiery Prince; "for, by the light of Heaven, since I have said it, the Jew shall have his seat amongst ye!"
"By no means, an it please your Grace!---it is not fit for such as we to sit with the rulers of the land," said the Jew; whose ambition for precedence though it had led him to dispute Place with the extenuated and impoverished descendant of the line of Montdidier, by no means stimulated him to an intrusion upon the privileges of the wealthy Saxons.
"Up, infidel dog when I command you," said Prince John, "or I will have thy swarthy hide stript off, and tanned for horse-furniture."
Thus urged, the Jew began to ascend the steep and narrow steps which led up to the gallery.
"Let me see," said the Prince, "who dare stop him," fixing his eye on Cedric, whose attitude intimated his intention to hurl the Jew down headlong.
The catastrophe was prevented by the clown Wamba, who, springing betwixt his master and Isaac, and exclaiming, in answer to the Prince's defiance, "Marry, that will I!" opposed to the beard of the Jew a shield of brawn, which he plucked from beneath his cloak, and with which, doubtless, he had furnished himself, lest the tournament should have proved longer than his appetite could endure abstinence. Finding the abomination of his tribe opposed to his very nose, while the Jester, at the same time, flourished his wooden sword above his head, the Jew recoiled, missed his footing, and rolled down the steps,---an excellent jest to the spectators, who set up a loud laughter, in which Prince John and his attendants heartily joined.
"Deal me the prize, cousin Prince," said Wamba; "I have vanquished my foe in fair fight with sword and shield," he added, brandishing the brawn in one hand and the wooden sword in the other.
"Who, and what art thou, noble champion?" said Prince John, still laughing.
"A fool by right of descent," answered the Jester; "I am Wamba, the son of Witless, who was the son of Weatherbrain, who was the son of an Alderman."
"Make room for the Jew in front of the lower ring," said Prince John, not unwilling perhaps to, seize an apology to desist from his original purpose; "to place the vanquished beside the victor were false heraldry."
"Knave upon fool were worse," answered the Jester, "and Jew upon bacon worst of all."
"Gramercy! good fellow," cried Prince John, "thou pleasest me ---Here, Isaac, lend me a handful of byzants."
As the Jew, stunned by the request, afraid to refuse, and unwilling to comply, fumbled in the furred bag which hung by his girdle, and was perhaps endeavouring to ascertain how few coins might pass for a handful, the Prince stooped from his jennet and settled Isaac's doubts by snatching the pouch itself from his side; and flinging to Wamba a couple of the gold pieces which it contained, he pursued his career round the lists, leaving the Jew to the derision of those around him, and himself receiving as much applause from the spectators as if he had done some honest and honourable action.

骑士后面跟着一大队各自的扈从，
全都服饰鲜艳，穿得希奇古怪，
一个用饰带系住头盔，另一个举起了长矛，
第三个拿着闪光的盾牌昂首前进。
战马用蹄子不断瑞踏地面，
口中的白沫喷满了金质的嚼子。
铁匠和盔甲匠骑着马随侍左右，
他们手持锉刀，腰挂铁锤，
为抢子准备了钉子，为盾牌准备了皮带。
卫士排成大致的队伍站立在街旁，
乡下佬手拿棍棒争先恐后向前拥挤。
《派拉蒙和阿赛特》(注)
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(注)英国古典主义诗人约翰•德莱顿（1631—1700）根据乔叟的《坎特伯雷故事集》中第一篇故事《骑士的故事》改写的诗篇。派拉蒙和阿赛特本为好友，因爱上了同一个少女反目成仇，以致阿赛特在比武中死去。
英国的状况这时是相当悲惨的。理查国王遭到监禁，回不了国，成了背信弃义、残忍无情的奥地利公爵的阶下囚。(注)甚至他关在哪里也无人知晓，英国臣民对他的处境只有一鳞半爪的消息，这使他们也陷入水深火热之中，成了形形色色封建领主的俎上肉。
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(注)1193年理查王从巴勒斯坦回国途中，被奥地利公爵利奥波特拘留，理查的兄弟约翰便乘机阴谋篡位，本书的故事即由此而来。
约翰亲王以狮心王的死敌法王胖力二世为奥援，利用各种手段联络奥地利公爵，要公爵尽量延长囚禁王兄的时间，尽管这位兄长对他患重如山。同时他又在国内扩充自己的势力，企图在国王一旦去世后，与合法继承人，约翰的另一个哥哥杰弗里亲王的儿子，布列塔尼的亚瑟公爵争夺王位。大家知道，这篡位后来他如愿以偿了 (注)。这个人本来浅薄．轻浮，不守信义，善于笼络人心，招降纳叛，归附他的不仅有在理查出国期间干尽罪恶勾当，对他心存忌惮的臣子，还有十字军东征后回到本国的大批“骄兵悍将”，这些人在东方罪恶累累，又囊空如洗，生性残暴，现在便指望从国内的动乱中趁火打劫，捞取利益。
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(注)亚瑟于1196年（理查去世前）被法王腓力二世俘获，约翰登基后，把他囚禁在鲁昂，1203年派人将他秘密处死，这样扫除了他继承王位的一切障碍。
造成社会动荡、人心不安的原因还不仅这些；封建贵族的压迫和森林法规的残酷措施，也驱使许多人无家可归成为亡命之徒，他们啸聚在山林和荒野中，与官府和法律相抗衡。那些贵族又在各自的城堡内大兴土木，构筑工事，妄图在自己的领地上称王称霸，他们手下的部队，与公然以劫掠为生的土匪不相上下。为了豢养他们的家丁仆从，维持他们的傲慢自大所需要的豪华生活和阔绰排场，他们不得不靠高利贷从犹太人那里获取大量借款，这些借款又像无法治愈的痈疽一样侵袭着他们的家业，这样，他们的唯一希望就是天下大乱，给他们提供机会，让他们用蛮横无理的手段胁迫债主，把债务一笔勾销。
这种风雨飘摇的时局，给人民带来的灾难是深重的，他们不仅为眼前忧心忡忡，对未来更充满了恐惧。此外，一种带有危险性质的传染病，当时正在英国蔓延，不清洁的环境，下层阶级不良的食物和恶劣的居住条件，更增加了它的危害，这对人民真是雪上加霜，它使许多人丧失了生命，然而幸存者却羡慕他们的命运，因为未来的灾难对他们已无可奈何了。
但是尽管有这些深重的灾难，穷人和富人，老百姓和贵族，对即将来临的比武大会还是兴致勃勃，因为这是那个时代里万众瞩目的大事，就像马德里的市民哪怕衣食不周，没钱支付家庭开支，也不肯错过斗牛大会的盛举一样。不论工作或疾病，都不能阻止男女老少前去一睹盛况。这场所谓交战定在莱斯特郡阿什贝镇举行，据说参加的都是第一流的武士，约翰亲王也要亲临观战，因此它吸引了千万人的注意，到了比赛举行的那天早上，各个阶层的人便像潮水一般涌向那里。
这个地点富有独特的传奇色彩。它离阿什贝镇不到一英里，那里有一片树林，树林旁边是一块广阔的草地，周围风景优美，绿草如茵，一边有森林环抱，另一边是错落不齐的一些株树，其中几株还生得相当高大。这里的地形好像是专为比武开辟的，地面从�

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Chapter 8
At this the challenger with fierce defy His trumpet sounds; the challenged makes reply: With clangour rings the field, resounds the vaulted sky. Their visors closed, their lances in the rest, Or at the helmet pointed or the crest, They vanish from the barrier, speed the race, And spurring see decrease the middle space. Palamon and Arcite
In the midst of Prince John's cavalcade, he suddenly stopt, and appealing to the Prior of Jorvaulx, declared the principal business of the day had been forgotten.
"By my halidom," said he, "we have forgotten, Sir Prior, to name the fair Sovereign of Love and of Beauty, by whose white hand the palm is to be distributed. For my part, I am liberal in my ideas, and I care not if I give my vote for the black-eyed Rebecca."
"Holy Virgin," answered the Prior, turning up his eyes in horror, "a Jewess!---We should deserve to be stoned out of the lists; and I am not yet old enough to be a martyr. Besides, I swear by my patron saint, that she is far inferior to the lovely Saxon, Rowena."
"Saxon or Jew," answered the Prince, "Saxon or Jew, dog or hog, what matters it? I say, name Rebecca, were it only to mortify the Saxon churls."
A murmur arose even among his own immediate attendants.
"This passes a jest, my lord," said De Bracy; "no knight here will lay lance in rest if such an insult is attempted."
"It is the mere wantonness of insult," said one of the oldest and most important of Prince John's followers, Waldemar Fitzurse, "and if your Grace attempt it, cannot but prove ruinous to your projects."
"I entertained you, sir," said John, reining up his palfrey haughtily, "for my follower, but not for my counsellor."
"Those who follow your Grace in the paths which you tread," said Waldemar, but speaking in a low voice, "acquire the right of counsellors; for your interest and safety are not more deeply gaged than their own."
From the tone in which this was spoken, John saw the necessity of acquiescence "I did but jest," he said; "and you turn upon me like so many adders! Name whom you will, in the fiend's name, and please yourselves."
"Nay, nay," said De Bracy, "let the fair sovereign's throne remain unoccupied, until the conqueror shall be named, and then let him choose the lady by whom it shall be filled. It will add another grace to his triumph, and teach fair ladies to prize the love of valiant knights, who can exalt them to such distinction."
"If Brian de Bois-Guilbert gain the prize," said the Prior, "I will gage my rosary that I name the Sovereign of Love and Beauty."
"Bois-Guilbert," answered De Bracy, "is a good lance; but there are others around these lists, Sir Prior, who will not fear to encounter him."
"Silence, sirs," said Waldemar, "and let the Prince assume his seat. The knights and spectators are alike impatient, the time advances, and highly fit it is that the sports should commence."
Prince John, though not yet a monarch, had in Waldemar Fitzurse all the inconveniences of a favourite minister, who, in serving his sovereign, must always do so in his own way. The Prince acquiesced, however, although his disposition was precisely of that kind which is apt to be obstinate upon trifles, and, assuming his throne, and being surrounded by his followers, gave signal to the heralds to proclaim the laws of the tournament, which were briefly as follows:
First, the five challengers were to undertake all comers.
Secondly, any knight proposing to combat, might, if he pleased, select a special antagonist from among the challengers, by touching his shield. If he did so with the reverse of his lance, the trial of skill was made with what were called the arms of courtesy, that is, with lances at whose extremity a piece of round flat board was fixed, so that no danger was encountered, save from the shock of the horses and riders. But if the shield was touched with the sharp end of the lance, the combat was understood to be at "outrance", that is, the knights were to fight with sharp weapons, as in actual battle.
Thirdly, when the knights present had accomplished their vow, by each of them breaking five lances, the Prince was to declare the victor in the first day's tourney, who should receive as prize a warhorse of exquisite beauty and matchless strength; and in addition to this reward of valour, it was now declared, he should have the peculiar honour of naming the Queen of Love and Beauty, by whom the prize should be given on the ensuing day.
Fourthly, it was announced, that, on the second day, there should be a general tournament, in which all the knights present, who were desirous to win praise, might take part; and being divided into two bands of equal numbers, might fight it out manfully, until the signal was given by Prince John to cease the combat. The elected Queen of Love and Beauty was then to crown the knight whom the Prince should adjudge to have borne himself best in this second day, with a coronet composed of thin gold plate, cut into the shape of a laurel crown. On this second day the knightly games ceased. But on that which was to follow, feats of archery, of bull-baiting, and other popular amusements, were to be practised, for the more immediate amusement of the populace. In this manner did Prince John endeavour to lay the foundation of a popularity, which he was perpetually throwing down by some inconsiderate act of wanton aggression upon the feelings and prejudices of the people.
The lists now presented a most splendid spectacle. The sloping galleries were crowded with all that was noble, great, wealthy, and beautiful in the northern and midland parts of England; and the contrast of the various dresses of these dignified spectators, rendered the view as gay as it was rich, while the interior and lower space, filled with the substantial burgesses and yeomen of merry England, formed, in their more plain attire, a dark fringe, or border, around this circle of brilliant embroidery, relieving, and, at the same time, setting off its splendour.
The heralds finished their proclamation with their usual cry of "Largesse, largesse, gallant knights!" and gold and silver pieces were showered on them from the galleries, it being a high point of chivalry to exhibit liberality towards those whom the age accounted at once the secretaries and the historians of honour. The bounty of the spectators was acknowledged by the customary shouts of "Love of Ladies---Death of Champions---Honour to the Generous---Glory to the Brave!" To which the more humble spectators added their acclamations, and a numerous band of trumpeters the flourish of their martial instruments. When these sounds had ceased, the heralds withdrew from the lists in gay and glittering procession, and none remained within them save the marshals of the field, who, armed cap-a-pie, sat on horseback, motionless as statues, at the opposite ends of the lists. Meantime, the enclosed space at the northern extremity of the lists, large as it was, was now completely crowded with knights desirous to prove their skill against the challengers, and, when viewed from the galleries, presented the appearance of a sea of waving plumage, intermixed with glistening helmets, and tall lances, to the extremities of which were, in many cases, attached small pennons of about a span's breadth, which, fluttering in the air as the breeze caught them, joined with the restless motion of the feathers to add liveliness to the scene.
At length the barriers were opened, and five knights, chosen by lot, advanced slowly into the area; a single champion riding in front, and the other four following in pairs. All were splendidly armed, and my Saxon authority (in the Wardour Manuscript) records at great length their devices, their colours, and the embroidery of their horse trappings. It is unnecessary to be particular on these subjects. To borrow lines from a contemporary poet, who has written but too little:
"The knights are dust, And their good swords are rust, Their souls are with the saints, we trust."*
* These lines are part of an unpublished poem, by Coleridge, * whose Muse so often tantalizes with fragments which * indicate her powers, while the manner in which she flings * them from her betrays her caprice, yet whose unfinished * sketches display more talent than the laboured * masterpieces of others.
Their escutcheons have long mouldered from the walls of their castles. Their castles themselves are but green mounds and shattered ruins---the place that once knew them, knows them no more---nay, many a race since theirs has died out and been forgotten in the very land which they occupied, with all the authority of feudal proprietors and feudal lords. What, then, would it avail the reader to know their names, or the evanescent symbols of their martial rank!
Now, however, no whit anticipating the oblivion which awaited their names and feats, the champions advanced through the lists, restraining their fiery steeds, and compelling them to move slowly, while, at the same time, they exhibited their paces, together with the grace and dexterity of the riders. As the procession entered the lists, the sound of a wild Barbaric music was heard from behind the tents of the challengers, where the performers were concealed. It was of Eastern origin, having been brought from the Holy Land; and the mixture of the cymbals and bells seemed to bid welcome at once, and defiance, to the knights as they advanced. With the eyes of an immense concourse of spectators fixed upon them, the five knights advanced up the platform upon which the tents of the challengers stood, and there separating themselves, each touched slightly, and with the reverse of his lance, the shield of the antagonist to whom he wished to oppose himself. The lower orders of spectators in general---nay, many of the higher class, and it is even said several of the ladies, were rather disappointed at the champions choosing the arms of courtesy. For the same sort of persons, who, in the present day, applaud most highly the deepest tragedies, were then interested in a tournament exactly in proportion to the danger incurred by the champions engaged.
Having intimated their more pacific purpose, the champions retreated to the extremity of the lists, where they remained drawn up in a line; while the challengers, sallying each from his pavilion, mounted their horses, and, headed by Brian de Bois-Guilbert, descended from the platform, and opposed themselves individually to the knights who had touched their respective shields.
At the flourish of clarions and trumpets, they started out against each other at full gallop; and such was the superior dexterity or good fortune of the challengers, that those opposed to Bois-Guilbert, Malvoisin, and Front-de-Boeuf, rolled on the ground. The antagonist of Grantmesnil, instead of bearing his lance-point fair against the crest or the shield of his enemy, swerved so much from the direct line as to break the weapon athwart the person of his opponent---a circumstance which was accounted more disgraceful than that of being actually unhorsed; because the latter might happen from accident, whereas the former evinced awkwardness and want of management of the weapon and of the horse. The fifth knight alone maintained the honour of his party, and parted fairly with the Knight of St John, both splintering their lances without advantage on either side.
The shouts of the multitude, together with the acclamations of the heralds, and the clangour of the trumpets, announced the triumph of the victors and the defeat of the vanquished. The former retreated to their pavilions, and the latter, gathering themselves up as they could, withdrew from the lists in disgrace and dejection, to agree with their victors concerning the redemption of their arms and their horses, which, according to the laws of the tournament, they had forfeited. The fifth of their number alone tarried in the lists long enough to be greeted by the applauses of the spectators, amongst whom he retreated, to the aggravation, doubtless, of his companions' mortification.
A second and a third party of knights took the field; and although they had various success, yet, upon the whole, the advantage decidedly remained with the challengers, not one of whom lost his seat or swerved from his charge---misfortunes which befell one or two of their antagonists in each encounter. The spirits, therefore, of those opposed to them, seemed to be considerably damped by their continued success. Three knights only appeared on the fourth entry, who, avoiding the shields of Bois-Guilbert and Front-de-Boeuf, contented themselves with touching those of the three other knights, who had not altogether manifested the same strength and dexterity. This politic selection did not alter the fortune of the field, the challengers were still successful: one of their antagonists was overthrown, and both the others failed in the "attaint",*
* This term of chivalry, transferred to the law, gives the * phrase of being attainted of treason.
that is, in striking the helmet and shield of their antagonist firmly and strongly, with the lance held in a direct line, so that the weapon might break unless the champion was overthrown.
After this fourth encounter, there was a considerable pause; nor did it appear that any one was very desirous of renewing the contest. The spectators murmured among themselves; for, among the challengers, Malvoisin and Front-de-Boeuf were unpopular from their characters, and the others, except Grantmesnil, were disliked as strangers and foreigners.
But none shared the general feeling of dissatisfaction so keenly as Cedric the Saxon, who saw, in each advantage gained by the Norman challengers, a repeated triumph over the honour of England. His own education had taught him no skill in the games of chivalry, although, with the arms of his Saxon ancestors, he had manifested himself, on many occasions, a brave and determined soldier. He looked anxiously to Athelstane, who had learned the accomplishments of the age, as if desiring that he should make some personal effort to recover the victory which was passing into the hands of the Templar and his associates. But, though both stout of heart, and strong of person, Athelstane had a disposition too inert and unambitious to make the exertions which Cedric seemed to expect from him.
"The day is against England, my lord," said Cedric, in a marked tone; "are you not tempted to take the lance?"
"I shall tilt to-morrow" answered Athelstane, "in the 'melee'; it is not worth while for me to arm myself to-day."
Two things displeased Cedric in this speech. It contained the Norman word "melee", (to express the general conflict,) and it evinced some indifference to the honour of the country; but it was spoken by Athelstane, whom he held in such profound respect, that he would not trust himself to canvass his motives or his foibles. Moreover, he had no time to make any remark, for Wamba thrust in his word, observing, "It was better, though scarce easier, to be the best man among a hundred, than the best man of two."
Athelstane took the observation as a serious compliment; but Cedric, who better understood the Jester's meaning, darted at him a severe and menacing look; and lucky it was for Wamba, perhaps, that the time and place prevented his receiving, notwithstanding his place and service, more sensible marks of his master's resentment.
The pause in the tournament was still uninterrupted, excepting by the voices of the heralds exclaiming---"Love of ladies, splintering of lances! stand forth gallant knights, fair eyes look upon your deeds!"
The music also of the challengers breathed from time to time wild bursts expressive of triumph or defiance, while the clowns grudged a holiday which seemed to pass away in inactivity; and old knights and nobles lamented in whispers the decay of martial spirit, spoke of the triumphs of their younger days, but agreed that the land did not now supply dames of such transcendent beauty as had animated the jousts of former times. Prince John began to talk to his attendants about making ready the banquet, and the necessity of adjudging the prize to Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who had, with a single spear, overthrown two knights, and foiled a third.
At length, as the Saracenic music of the challengers concluded one of those long and high flourishes with which they had broken the silence of the lists, it was answered by a solitary trumpet, which breathed a note of defiance from the northern extremity. All eyes were turned to see the new champion which these sounds announced, and no sooner were the barriers opened than he paced into the lists. As far as could be judged of a man sheathed in armour, the new adventurer did not greatly exceed the middle size, and seemed to be rather slender than strongly made. His suit of armour was formed of steel, richly inlaid with gold, and the device on his shield was a young oak-tree pulled up by the roots, with the Spanish word Desdichado, signifying Disinherited. He was mounted on a gallant black horse, and as he passed through the lists he gracefully saluted the Prince and the ladies by lowering his lance. The dexterity with which he managed his steed, and something of youthful grace which he displayed in his manner, won him the favour of the multitude, which some of the lower classes expressed by calling out, "Touch Ralph de Vipont's shield---touch the Hospitallers shield; he has the least sure seat, he is your cheapest bargain."
The champion, moving onward amid these well-meant hints, ascended the platform by the sloping alley which led to it from the lists, and, to the astonishment of all present, riding straight up to the central pavilion, struck with the sharp end of his spear the shield of Brian de Bois-Guilbert until it rung again. All stood astonished at his presumption, but none more than the redoubted Knight whom he had thus defied to mortal combat, and who, little expecting so rude a challenge, was standing carelessly at the door of the pavilion.
"Have you confessed yourself, brother," said the Templar, "and have you heard mass this morning, that you peril your life so frankly?"
"I am fitter to meet death than thou art" answered the Disinherited Knight; for by this name the stranger had recorded himself in the books of the tourney.
"Then take your place in the lists," said Bois-Guilbert, "and look your last upon the sun; for this night thou shalt sleep in paradise."
"Gramercy for thy courtesy," replied the Disinherited Knight, "and to requite it, I advise thee to take a fresh horse and a new lance, for by my honour you will need both."
Having expressed himself thus confidently, he reined his horse backward down the slope which he had ascended, and compelled him in the same manner to move backward through the lists, till he reached the northern extremity, where he remained stationary, in expectation of his antagonist. This feat of horsemanship again attracted the applause of the multitude.
However incensed at his adversary for the precautions which he recommended, Brian de Bois-Guilbert did not neglect his advice; for his honour was too nearly concerned, to permit his neglecting any means which might ensure victory over his presumptuous opponent. He changed his horse for a proved and fresh one of great strength and spirit. He chose a new and a tough spear, lest the wood of the former might have been strained in the previous encounters he had sustained. Lastly, he laid aside his shield, which had received some little damage, and received another from his squires. His first had only borne the general device of his rider, representing two knights riding upon one horse, an emblem expressive of the original humility and poverty of the Templars, qualities which they had since exchanged for the arrogance and wealth that finally occasioned their suppression. Bois-Guilbert's new shield bore a raven in full flight, holding in its claws a skull, and bearing the motto, "Gare le Corbeau".
When the two champions stood opposed to each other at the two extremities of the lists, the public expectation was strained to the highest pitch. Few augured the possibility that the encounter could terminate well for the Disinherited Knight, yet his courage and gallantry secured the general good wishes of the spectators.
The trumpets had no sooner given the signal, than the champions vanished from their posts with the speed of lightning, and closed in the centre of the lists with the shock of a thunderbolt. The lances burst into shivers up to the very grasp, and it seemed at the moment that both knights had fallen, for the shock had made each horse recoil backwards upon its haunches. The address of the riders recovered their steeds by use of the bridle and spur; and having glared on each other for an instant with eyes which seemed to flash fire through the bars of their visors, each made a demi-volte, and, retiring to the extremity of the lists, received a fresh lance from the attendants.
A loud shout from the spectators, waving of scarfs and handkerchiefs, and general acclamations, attested the interest taken by the spectators in this encounter; the most equal, as well as the best performed, which had graced the day. But no sooner had the knights resumed their station, than the clamour of applause was hushed into a silence, so deep and so dead, that it seemed the multitude were afraid even to breathe.
A few minutes pause having been allowed, that the combatants and their horses might recover breath, Prince John with his truncheon signed to the trumpets to sound the onset. The champions a second time sprung from their stations, and closed in the centre of the lists, with the same speed, the same dexterity, the same violence, but not the same equal fortune as before.
In this second encounter, the Templar aimed at the centre of his antagonist's shield, and struck it so fair and forcibly, that his spear went to shivers, and the Disinherited Knight reeled in his saddle. On the other hand, that champion had, in the beginning of his career, directed the point of his lance towards Bois-Guilbert's shield, but, changing his aim almost in the moment of encounter, he addressed it to the helmet, a mark more difficult to hit, but which, if attained, rendered the shock more irresistible. Fair and true he hit the Norman on the visor, where his lance's point kept hold of the bars. Yet, even at this disadvantage, the Templar sustained his high reputation; and had not the girths of his saddle burst, he might not have been unhorsed. As it chanced, however, saddle, horse, and man, rolled on the ground under a cloud of dust.
To extricate himself from the stirrups and fallen steed, was to the Templar scarce the work of a moment; and, stung with madness, both at his disgrace and at the acclamations with which it was hailed by the spectators, he drew his sword and waved it in defiance of his conqueror. The Disinherited Knight sprung from his steed, and also unsheathed his sword. The marshals of the field, however, spurred their horses between them, and reminded them, that the laws of the tournament did not, on the present occasion, permit this species of encounter.
"We shall meet again, I trust," said the Templar, casting a resentful glance at his antagonist; "and where there are none to separate us."
"If we do not," said the Disinherited Knight, "the fault shall not be mine. On foot or horseback, with spear, with axe, or with sword, I am alike ready to encounter thee."
More and angrier words would have been exchanged, but the marshals, crossing their lances betwixt them, compelled them to separate. The Disinherited Knight returned to his first station, and Bois-Guilbert to his tent, where he remained for the rest of the day in an agony of despair.
Without alighting from his horse, the conqueror called for a bowl of wine, and opening the beaver, or lower part of his helmet, announced that he quaffed it, "To all true English hearts, and to the confusion of foreign tyrants." He then commanded his trumpet to sound a defiance to the challengers, and desired a herald to announce to them, that he should make no election, but was willing to encounter them in the order in which they pleased to advance against him.
The gigantic Front-de-Boeuf, armed in sable armour, was the first who took the field. He bore on a white shield a black bull's head, half defaced by the numerous encounters which he had undergone, and bearing the arrogant motto, "Cave, Adsum". Over this champion the Disinherited Knight obtained a slight but decisive advantage. Both Knights broke their lances fairly, but Front-de-Boeuf, who lost a stirrup in the encounter, was adjudged to have the disadvantage.
In the stranger's third encounter with Sir Philip Malvoisin, he was equally successful; striking that baron so forcibly on the casque, that the laces of the helmet broke, and Malvoisin, only saved from falling by being unhelmeted, was declared vanquished like his companions.
In his fourth combat with De Grantmesnil, the Disinherited Knight showed as much courtesy as he had hitherto evinced courage and dexterity. De Grantmesnil's horse, which was young and violent, reared and plunged in the course of the career so as to disturb the rider's aim, and the stranger, declining to take the advantage which this accident afforded him, raised his lance, and passing his antagonist without touching him, wheeled his horse and rode back again to his own end of the lists, offering his antagonist, by a herald, the chance of a second encounter. This De Grantmesnil declined, avowing himself vanquished as much by the courtesy as by the address of his opponent.
Ralph de Vipont summed up the list of the stranger's triumphs, being hurled to the ground with such force, that the blood gushed from his nose and his mouth, and he was borne senseless from the lists.
The acclamations of thousands applauded the unanimous award of the Prince and marshals, announcing that day's honours to the Disinherited Knight.

挑战者精神抖擞吹响了号角，
迎战者不甘示弱也作了回答，
顿时间号音嘹亮，震天动地。
他们的面甲合拢了，长熗平举着，
瞄准了对方的头盔或翎毛，
双方篡地飞离栅栏向前疾驰，
两匹马之间的距离终于越来越小。
《派拉蒙和阿赛特》
约翰亲王在前呼后拥中突然站住，回头对茹尔沃修道院的长老宣称，这天还有一件大事，他忘记办了。
“我的老天爷，”他说，“长老，我们忘记指定‘爱与美的女王’了，可是颁奖是要通过她漂亮的手进行的。从我说来，我的观念是很开明的，我认为把这殊荣给予那个黑眼睛的丽贝卡，也未尝不可。”
“圣母马利亚啊，”长老回答，吃惊得翻起了眼珠，“一个犹太女子！看来我们该给石块打出比武场了，可是我还不太老，不想在这儿殉难呢。再说，我凭我的保护神起誓，她远远比不上可爱的撒克逊美女罗文娜。”
“撒克逊人或犹太人，”亲王答道。“撒克逊人或犹太人，狗或猪，对我说来都一样！我觉得，即使为了气气那些撒克逊乡巴佬，也应该指定丽贝卡。”
甚至在他的贴身随从中也响起了一片嘟哝声。
“这玩笑开得太大了，亲王，”德布拉西开口道，“在这样的侮辱面前，没有一个骑士会端起长熗的。”
“这对骑士们是奇耻大辱，”约翰亲王身边一个最年长、最重要的随员沃尔德马•菲泽酉说，“如果殿下果真这么做，只能使您的计划中途夭折。”
“我是请你来当随从，不是来当参谋的，”约翰说，傲慢地勒紧了马组绳。
“那些追随殿下的人，”沃尔德马说，但压低了嗓音，“既然与您走上了一条道路，他们就有权提出自己的看法，因为他们也像您一样，把自己的利益和安全都押在这上面了。”
这话的口气使约翰明白，他必须承认这点。“我只是开开玩笑而已，”他说道，“你们却像一条条蝗蛇要围攻我！好吧，随你们爱选谁就选谁，我不管。”
“不，不，”德布拉西说，“还是让女王的位置暂且空着，等确定了胜利者，由他来选择应该登上这宝座的小姐。这给他的胜利增添了又一道光彩，它让美人们懂得，勇士可以使她们获得如此大的荣誉，因而更珍惜他们的爱情。”
“如果布里思•布瓦吉贝尔获得胜利，”长老说，“我可以保证，他选出的爱与美的女王一定就是我说的那个人。”
“布瓦吉贝尔是一个出色的骑士，”德布拉西说，“但是场子里还有不少武士，院长阁下，他们都是敢于与他一决雌雄的。”
“安静，各位，”沃尔德马说道，“让亲王升座吧。骑士0］和观众都等得不耐烦了，时间已经不早，比赛应该开始了。”
约翰亲王虽然还没当上国王，沃尔德马•菲泽西却已经负起了一位亲信大臣的责任，时时不忘向他的君主直言劝谏，提出自己的看法。亲王采纳了他的意见，尽管按照他的脾气，他是喜欢在枝节问题上固执己见的；于是他坐上了宝座，在随从人员的护卫下，向典礼官作了个手势，让他们宣布比武大会的规则，它们大致如下：
第一，五位挑战者不得拒绝应战者的比武要求。
第二，任何要求比武的骑士，都可以从挑战者中选择他的对手，只须用长熗轻击一下该人的盾牌。他这么做时如果用的是熗柄，那就表示他要求的是所谓友谊比赛，即熗尖上装有一块国头木板，因此交锋时没有危险，至多人和马受些震动。但如果用熗尖轻击盾牌，那么比武就得“真干”，也就是用锐利的武器厮打，像真正作战一样。
第三，当出场的骑士完成各自的誓约，每人打败五名对手以后，亲王便可宣布第一天比武的胜利者，他获得的奖品是一匹十分漂亮、无比强壮的战马；除此以外，他的勇敢还可获得一项殊荣，那就是指定爱和美的女E，第二天这位女工便将负责颁发奖品。
第四，根据规定，第二天将举行团体比武，所有在场的骑士，凡是想争夺荣誉的都可以参加。全体参加者将分成两队，人数相等，双方可各尽所能，英勇拼杀，直到约翰亲王发出号令，宣布比赛结束为止。第二天表现最出色的骑士，经亲王裁定后，即由爱和美的女王为他加冕，戴上用薄金叶制作的、雕成桂冠形的头饰。这样，骑士比赛在第二天便结束了。但下一天还要举行群众性的射箭比赛、斗牛和其他娱乐活动，让大家从直接参与中获得更大乐趣。原来约翰亲王企图通过这方式，为他的笼络人心打下基础，因为他平日荒淫无耻，轻举妄动，伤害了人民的感情，造成了不良的影响。
这时比武场上真是五彩缤纷，热闹异常。斜坡的看台上人头攒动，英国北部和中部的贵族、官僚、阔老和美女，几乎全都汇集到了这儿；这些尊贵的观众穿着形形色色、鲜艳夺目的衣服，构成了一幅欢乐轻快、奢华繁荣的景象；场内平地上则挤满了殷实的市民和快活的自由民，他们的衣着比较朴实，在那个富丽堂皇的圆圈周围，形成了一条暗淡的边缘地带，既对它起了调和作用，也把它衬托得更加光辉灿烂了。
典礼官宣布比武规则后，照例要拉开嗓门大喊：“赏钱，赏钱，勇敢的骑士们！”于是大把大把的金银钱币从看台上扔了下来。原来当时的风气认为，典礼官是荣誉的保护者和记录者，对他们的慷慨赠予是骑士精神的豪迈表现。他们也照例会用响亮的呼喊答谢观众的好意：“美人献出爱情，武士视死如归，慷慨解囊得到赞美，英勇无畏人人钦佩！”普通的观众随即大声喝彩，一大队号手也吹响了雄壮的曲子。等这些声音平息以后，典礼官们便在兴高采烈中纷纷退场，只剩下两个警卫督察留在场子两头，他们全副武装，骑在马上一动不动，像两尊塑像。这时场子北端那块围场虽然宽广，已挤满了自告奋勇要与挑战者对阵的骑士，从看台上望去，那里成了一片翎毛的海洋，其中夹杂着闪光的头盔和高举的长熗，熗尖上大多挂着一作宽的小燕尾旗，微风吹过，旗子便在空中翻滚飞扬，与不断拂动的羽翎组合在一起，把整个场面点缀得更加生气勃勃。
最后，栅栏门打开了，靠抽签决定的五名骑上缓缓进入了广场，一个武士骑在前面，另外四个分为两对跟在后面。他们全都穿着光辉夺目的盔甲，我的撒克逊权威（在《沃杜尔文稿》(注1)中）曾连篇累牍记录过它们的式样、颜色，以至马饰的绣花等等，对这一切，这里就无需详加说明了。我只想引用当代一位诗人的几行诗，他写得十分简单：
骑士业已化作尘埃，
宝剑业已锈成废铁，
但愿他们的灵魂仍与圣徒在一起。(注2)
--------
(注1)指司各特的《考古家》的主人公正瑟•沃杜尔所珍藏的文献，见本书第二篇序言（给德赖斯达斯特的致敬信）。
(注2)这是柯勒律治未发表的一首诗中的几行，他的诗神抛出的往往是一些令人逻想联翩的片断，这反映了他完全凭一时兴趣写作的写诗态度，然而这些未完成的片断有时比别人精心制作的巨著更能发人深省。——原注
塞缪尔•泰勒•柯勒律治（1772—1834），英国浪漫主义诗人，“湖畔派”的代表人物之一。
在这些骑士的城堡中，他们的盾形纹章早已在墙上腐烂。城堡本身也成了野草丛生的废墟，本来熟悉他们的地方已把他们视同陌路——是的，在这片土地上他们曾享有过封建领主和贵族的全部特权，可是自从那时以来，许多家族已在这里相继消失，被人遗忘了，那么读者又何必一定要知道他们的姓名，或者代表他们的军人身分的那些转瞬即逝的标志呢？
不过现在，这五位勇士还不会想到，他们的名声和功绩必将湮没无闻的命运，他们骑在马上穿过场子，一边勒紧缰绳，迫使骠悍的战马缓步慢行，以便展示它们的雄健步伐，表现骑马者的优美姿态和风度。这队人一进入比武场，挑战者的帐篷后面立即响起了震耳欲聋的粗野乐声，演奏的人都隐藏在那里。这支东方风格的乐队是从圣地带回来的，饶钹声和钟声的混合，对缓缓走近的骑士，似乎既是表示欢迎，也是表示蔑视。全场的观众都把目光集中到了那五个骑士身上，只见他们朝着挑战者的帐篷所在的平台走去，到了那里随即分开，各自用熗柄的末端轻轻击打了一下他所选择的对手的

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Chapter 9
--------In the midst was seen A lady of a more majestic mien, By stature and by beauty mark'd their sovereign Queen. * * * * * And as in beauty she surpass'd the choir, So nobler than the rest was her attire; A crown of ruddy gold enclosed her brow, Plain without pomp, and rich without a show; A branch of Agnus Castus in her hand, She bore aloft her symbol of command. The Flower and the Leaf
William de Wyvil and Stephen de Martival, the marshals of the field, were the first to offer their congratulations to the victor, praying him, at the same time, to suffer his helmet to be unlaced, or, at least, that he would raise his visor ere they conducted him to receive the prize of the day's tourney from the hands of Prince John. The Disinherited Knight, with all knightly courtesy, declined their request, alleging, that he could not at this time suffer his face to be seen, for reasons which he had assigned to the heralds when he entered the lists. The marshals were perfectly satisfied by this reply; for amidst the frequent and capricious vows by which knights were accustomed to bind themselves in the days of chivalry, there were none more common than those by which they engaged to remain incognito for a certain space, or until some particular adventure was achieved. The marshals, therefore, pressed no farther into the mystery of the Disinherited Knight, but, announcing to Prince John the conqueror's desire to remain unknown, they requested permission to bring him before his Grace, in order that he might receive the reward of his valour.
John's curiosity was excited by the mystery observed by the stranger; and, being already displeased with the issue of the tournament, in which the challengers whom he favoured had been successively defeated by one knight, he answered haughtily to the marshals, "By the light of Our Lady's brow, this same knight hath been disinherited as well of his courtesy as of his lands, since he desires to appear before us without uncovering his face. ---Wot ye, my lords," he said, turning round to his train, "who this gallant can be, that bears himself thus proudly?"
"I cannot guess," answered De Bracy, "nor did I think there had been within the four seas that girth Britain a champion that could bear down these five knights in one day's jousting. By my faith, I shall never forget the force with which he shocked De Vipont. The poor Hospitaller was hurled from his saddle like a stone from a sling."
"Boast not of that," said a Knight of St John, who was present; "your Temple champion had no better luck. I saw your brave lance, Bois-Guilbert, roll thrice over, grasping his hands full of sand at every turn."
De Bracy, being attached to the Templars, would have replied, but was prevented by Prince John. "Silence, sirs!" he said; "what unprofitable debate have we here?"
"The victor," said De Wyvil, "still waits the pleasure of your highness."
"It is our pleasure," answered John, "that he do so wait until we learn whether there is not some one who can at least guess at his name and quality. Should he remain there till night-fall, he has had work enough to keep him warm."
"Your Grace," said Waldemar Fitzurse, "will do less than due honour to the victor, if you compel him to wait till we tell your highness that which we cannot know; at least I can form no guess ---unless he be one of the good lances who accompanied King Richard to Palestine, and who are now straggling homeward from the Holy Land."
"It may be the Earl of Salisbury," said De Bracy; "he is about the same pitch."
"Sir Thomas de Multon, the Knight of Gilsland, rather," said Fitzurse; "Salisbury is bigger in the bones." A whisper arose among the train, but by whom first suggested could not be ascertained. "It might be the King---it might be Richard Coeur-de-Lion himself!"
"Over God's forbode!" said Prince John, involuntarily turning at the same time as pale as death, and shrinking as if blighted by a flash of lightning; "Waldemar!---De Bracy! brave knights and gentlemen, remember your promises, and stand truly by me!"
"Here is no danger impending," said Waldemar Fitzurse; "are you so little acquainted with the gigantic limbs of your father's son, as to think they can be held within the circumference of yonder suit of armour?---De Wyvil and Martival, you will best serve the Prince by bringing forward the victor to the throne, and ending an error that has conjured all the blood from his cheeks.---Look at him more closely," he continued, "your highness will see that he wants three inches of King Richard's height, and twice as much of his shoulder-breadth. The very horse he backs, could not have carried the ponderous weight of King Richard through a single course."
While he was yet speaking, the marshals brought forward the Disinherited Knight to the foot of a wooden flight of steps, which formed the ascent from the lists to Prince John's throne. Still discomposed with the idea that his brother, so much injured, and to whom he was so much indebted, had suddenly arrived in his native kingdom, even the distinctions pointed out by Fitzurse did not altogether remove the Prince's apprehensions; and while, with a short and embarrassed eulogy upon his valour, he caused to be delivered to him the war-horse assigned as the prize, he trembled lest from the barred visor of the mailed form before him, an answer might be returned, in the deep and awful accents of Richard the Lion-hearted.
But the Disinherited Knight spoke not a word in reply to the compliment of the Prince, which he only acknowledged with a profound obeisance.
The horse was led into the lists by two grooms richly dressed, the animal itself being fully accoutred with the richest war-furniture; which, however, scarcely added to the value of the noble creature in the eyes of those who were judges. Laying one hand upon the pommel of the saddle, the Disinherited Knight vaulted at once upon the back of the steed without making use of the stirrup, and, brandishing aloft his lance, rode twice around the lists, exhibiting the points and paces of the horse with the skill of a perfect horseman.
The appearance of vanity, which might otherwise have been attributed to this display, was removed by the propriety shown in exhibiting to the best advantage the princely reward with which he had been just honoured, and the Knight was again greeted by the acclamations of all present.
In the meanwhile, the bustling Prior of Jorvaulx had reminded Prince John, in a whisper, that the victor must now display his good judgment, instead of his valour, by selecting from among the beauties who graced the galleries a lady, who should fill the throne of the Queen of Beauty and of Love, and deliver the prize of the tourney upon the ensuing day. The Prince accordingly made a sign with his truncheon, as the Knight passed him in his second career around the lists. The Knight turned towards the throne, and, sinking his lance, until the point was within a foot of the ground, remained motionless, as if expecting John's commands; while all admired the sudden dexterity with which he instantly reduced his fiery steed from a state of violent emotion and high excitation to the stillness of an equestrian statue.
"Sir Disinherited Knight," said Prince John, "since that is the only title by which we can address you, it is now your duty, as well as privilege, to name the fair lady, who, as Queen of Honour and of Love, is to preside over next day's festival. If, as a stranger in our land, you should require the aid of other judgment to guide your own, we can only say that Alicia, the daughter of our gallant knight Waldemar Fitzurse, has at our court been long held the first in beauty as in place. Nevertheless, it is your undoubted prerogative to confer on whom you please this crown, by the delivery of which to the lady of your choice, the election of to-morrow's Queen will be formal and complete.---Raise your lance."
The Knight obeyed; and Prince John placed upon its point a coronet of green satin, having around its edge a circlet of gold, the upper edge of which was relieved by arrow-points and hearts placed interchangeably, like the strawberry leaves and balls upon a ducal crown.
In the broad hint which he dropped respecting the daughter of Waldemar Fitzurse, John had more than one motive, each the offspring of a mind, which was a strange mixture of carelessness and presumption with low artifice and cunning. He wished to banish from the minds of the chivalry around him his own indecent and unacceptable jest respecting the Jewess Rebecca; he was desirous of conciliating Alicia's father Waldemar, of whom he stood in awe, and who had more than once shown himself dissatisfied during the course of the day's proceedings. He had also a wish to establish himself in the good graces of the lady; for John was at least as licentious in his pleasures as profligate in his ambition. But besides all these reasons, he was desirous to raise up against the Disinherited Knight (towards whom he already entertained a strong dislike) a powerful enemy in the person of Waldemar Fitzurse, who was likely, he thought, highly to resent the injury done to his daughter, in case, as was not unlikely, the victor should make another choice.
And so indeed it proved. For the Disinherited Knight passed the gallery close to that of the Prince, in which the Lady Alicia was seated in the full pride of triumphant beauty, and, pacing forwards as slowly as he had hitherto rode swiftly around the lists, he seemed to exercise his right of examining the numerous fair faces which adorned that splendid circle.
It was worth while to see the different conduct of the beauties who underwent this examination, during the time it was proceeding. Some blushed, some assumed an air of pride and dignity, some looked straight forward, and essayed to seem utterly unconscious of what was going on, some drew back in alarm, which was perhaps affected, some endeavoured to forbear smiling, and there were two or three who laughed outright. There were also some who dropped their veils over their charms; but, as the Wardour Manuscript says these were fair ones of ten years standing, it may be supposed that, having had their full share of such vanities, they were willing to withdraw their claim, in order to give a fair chance to the rising beauties of the age.
At length the champion paused beneath the balcony in which the Lady Rowena was placed, and the expectation of the spectators was excited to the utmost.
It must be owned, that if an interest displayed in his success could have bribed the Disinherited Knight, the part of the lists before which he paused had merited his predilection. Cedric the Saxon, overjoyed at the discomfiture of the Templar, and still more so at the miscarriage of his two malevolent neighbours, Front-de-Boeuf and Malvoisin, had, with his body half stretched over the balcony, accompanied the victor in each course, not with his eyes only, but with his whole heart and soul. The Lady Rowena had watched the progress of the day with equal attention, though without openly betraying the same intense interest. Even the unmoved Athelstane had shown symptoms of shaking off his apathy, when, calling for a huge goblet of muscadine, he quaffed it to the health of the Disinherited Knight. Another group, stationed under the gallery occupied by the Saxons, had shown no less interest in the fate of the day.
"Father Abraham!" said Isaac of York, when the first course was run betwixt the Templar and the Disinherited Knight, "how fiercely that Gentile rides! Ah, the good horse that was brought all the long way from Barbary, he takes no more care of him than if he were a wild ass's colt---and the noble armour, that was worth so many zecchins to Joseph Pareira, the armourer of Milan, besides seventy in the hundred of profits, he cares for it as little as if he had found it in the highways!"
"If he risks his own person and limbs, father," said Rebecca, "in doing such a dreadful battle, he can scarce be expected to spare his horse and armour."
"Child!" replied Isaac, somewhat heated, "thou knowest not what thou speakest---His neck and limbs are his own, but his horse and armour belong to---Holy Jacob! what was I about to say! ---Nevertheless, it is a good youth---See, Rebecca! see, he is again about to go up to battle against the Philistine---Pray, child---pray for the safety of the good youth,---and of the speedy horse, and the rich armour.---God of my fathers!" he again exclaimed, "he hath conquered, and the uncircumcised Philistine hath fallen before his lance,---even as Og the King of Bashan, and Sihon, King of the Amorites, fell before the sword of our fathers!---Surely he shall take their gold and their silver, and their war-horses, and their armour of brass and of steel, for a prey and for a spoil."
The same anxiety did the worthy Jew display during every course that was run, seldom failing to hazard a hasty calculation concerning the value of the horse and armour which was forfeited to the champion upon each new success. There had been therefore no small interest taken in the success of the Disinherited Knight, by those who occupied the part of the lists before which he now paused.
Whether from indecision, or some other motive of hesitation, the champion of the day remained stationary for more than a minute, while the eyes of the silent audience were riveted upon his motions; and then, gradually and gracefully sinking the point of his lance, he deposited the coronet which it supported at the feet of the fair Rowena. The trumpets instantly sounded, while the heralds proclaimed the Lady Rowena the Queen of Beauty and of Love for the ensuing day, menacing with suitable penalties those who should be disobedient to her authority. They then repeated their cry of Largesse, to which Cedric, in the height of his joy, replied by an ample donative, and to which Athelstane, though less promptly, added one equally large.
There was some murmuring among the damsels of Norman descent, who were as much unused to see the preference given to a Saxon beauty, as the Norman nobles were to sustain defeat in the games of chivalry which they themselves had introduced. But these sounds of disaffection were drowned by the popular shout of "Long live the Lady Rowena, the chosen and lawful Queen of Love and of Beauty!" To which many in the lower area added, "Long live the Saxon Princess! long live the race of the immortal Alfred!"
However unacceptable these sounds might be to Prince John, and to those around him, he saw himself nevertheless obliged to confirm the nomination of the victor, and accordingly calling to horse, he left his throne; and mounting his jennet, accompanied by his train, he again entered the lists. The Prince paused a moment beneath the gallery of the Lady Alicia, to whom he paid his compliments, observing, at the same time, to those around him ---"By my halidome, sirs! if the Knight's feats in arms have shown that he hath limbs and sinews, his choice hath no less proved that his eyes are none of the clearest."
It was on this occasion, as during his whole life, John's misfortune, not perfectly to understand the characters of those whom he wished to conciliate. Waldemar Fitzurse was rather offended than pleased at the Prince stating thus broadly an opinion, that his daughter had been slighted.
"I know no right of chivalry," he said, "more precious or inalienable than that of each free knight to choose his lady-love by his own judgment. My daughter courts distinction from no one; and in her own character, and in her own sphere, will never fail to receive the full proportion of that which is her due."
Prince John replied not; but, spurring his horse, as if to give vent to his vexation, he made the animal bound forward to the gallery where Rowena was seated, with the crown still at her feet.
"Assume," he said, "fair lady, the mark of your sovereignty, to which none vows homage more sincerely than ourself, John of Anjou; and if it please you to-day, with your noble sire and friends, to grace our banquet in the Castle of Ashby, we shall learn to know the empress to whose service we devote to-morrow."
Rowena remained silent, and Cedric answered for her in his native Saxon.
"The Lady Rowena," he said, "possesses not the language in which to reply to your courtesy, or to sustain her part in your festival. I also, and the noble Athelstane of Coningsburgh, speak only the language, and practise only the manners, of our fathers. We therefore decline with thanks your Highness's courteous invitation to the banquet. To-morrow, the Lady Rowena will take upon her the state to which she has been called by the free election of the victor Knight, confirmed by the acclamations of the people."
So saying, he lifted the coronet, and placed it upon Rowena's head, in token of her acceptance of the temporary authority assigned to her.
"What says he?" said Prince John, affecting not to understand the Saxon language, in which, however, he was well skilled. The purport of Cedric's speech was repeated to him in French. "It is well," he said; "to-morrow we will ourself conduct this mute sovereign to her seat of dignity.---You, at least, Sir Knight," he added, turning to the victor, who had remained near the gallery, "will this day share our banquet?"
The Knight, speaking for the first time, in a low and hurried voice, excused himself by pleading fatigue, and the necessity of preparing for to-morrow's encounter.
"It is well," said Prince John, haughtily; "although unused to such refusals, we will endeavour to digest our banquet as we may, though ungraced by the most successful in arms, and his elected Queen of Beauty."
So saying, he prepared to leave the lists with his glittering train, and his turning his steed for that purpose, was the signal for the breaking up and dispersion of the spectators.
Yet, with the vindictive memory proper to offended pride, especially when combined with conscious want of desert, John had hardly proceeded three paces, ere again, turning around, he fixed an eye of stern resentment upon the yeoman who had displeased him in the early part of the day, and issued his commands to the men-at-arms who stood near---"On your life, suffer not that fellow to escape."
The yeoman stood the angry glance of the Prince with the same unvaried steadiness which had marked his former deportment, saying, with a smile, "I have no intention to leave Ashby until the day after to-morrow---I must see how Staffordshire and Leicestershire can draw their bows---the forests of Needwood and Charnwood must rear good archers."
"I," said Prince John to his attendants, but not in direct reply, ---"I will see how he can draw his own; and woe betide him unless his skill should prove some apology for his insolence!"
"It is full time," said De Bracy, "that the 'outrecuidance'*
* Presumption, insolence.
of these peasants should be restrained by some striking example."
Waldemar Fitzurse, who probably thought his patron was not taking the readiest road to popularity, shrugged up his shoulders and was silent. Prince John resumed his retreat from the lists, and the dispersion of the multitude became general.
In various routes, according to the different quarters from which they came, and in groups of various numbers, the spectators were seen retiring over the plain. By far the most numerous part streamed towards the town of Ashby, where many of the distinguished persons were lodged in the castle, and where others found accommodation in the town itself. Among these were most of the knights who had already appeared in the tournament, or who proposed to fight there the ensuing day, and who, as they rode slowly along, talking over the events of the day, were greeted with loud shouts by the populace. The same acclamations were bestowed upon Prince John, although he was indebted for them rather to the splendour of his appearance and train, than to the popularity of his character.
A more sincere and more general, as well as a better-merited acclamation, attended the victor of the day, until, anxious to withdraw himself from popular notice, he accepted the accommodation of one of those pavilions pitched at the extremities of the lists, the use of which was courteously tendered him by the marshals of the field. On his retiring to his tent, many who had lingered in the lists, to look upon and form conjectures concerning him, also dispersed.
The signs and sounds of a tumultuous concourse of men lately crowded together in one place, and agitated by the same passing events, were now exchanged for the distant hum of voices of different groups retreating in all directions, and these speedily died away in silence. No other sounds were heard save the voices of the menials who stripped the galleries of their cushions and tapestry, in order to put them in safety for the night, and wrangled among themselves for the half-used bottles of wine and relics of the refreshment which had been served round to the spectators.
Beyond the precincts of the lists more than one forge was erected; and these now began to glimmer through the twilight, announcing the toil of the armourers, which was to continue through the whole night, in order to repair or alter the suits of armour to be used again on the morrow.
A strong guard of men-at-arms, renewed at intervals, from two hours to two hours, surrounded the lists, and kept watch during the night.

在人群中可以看到
一位女子雍容华贵，气概不凡，
论风度和美貌应是她们的女王。
她的姿色足以压倒群芳，
她的衣衫优美端庄，超群绝伦；
赤金王冠戴在她的头上，
庄严而不华丽，高贵而不浮夸，
一枝贞洁木高举在她手中，
这便是她权力的象征。
《花与叶》(注)
--------
(注)这是英国古代的一首长诗，作者已不可考，从前一度曾被认为是乔叟的作品；
最先向胜利者表示祝贺的，是两位警卫督察威廉•怀维尔和斯蒂芬•马提瓦尔，同时他们还要求他解下帽盔，至少把面甲拉起一些，好让他们带他前去参见约翰亲王，领取当天比武的奖赏。剥夺继承权的骑士按照骑士的礼节，表示了感谢，但拒绝了他们的要求，声称他目前还不便公开他的面貌，理由他已在入场时向典礼官说明过了。警卫督察对这答复完全满意，因为在骑士时代，骑士往往会许下各种不可思议的誓愿，约束自己的行动，他们在一定时期内，或者在完成某种惊人的业绩以前，隐瞒自己的姓名更是司空见惯的。这样，两位警卫督察不再向剥夺继承权的骑士追问他的秘密，径直向约翰亲王报告，胜利者不愿透露姓名，要求让他就这样前来谒见殿下，以便为他的勇敢接受犒赏。
陌生人的古怪举措引起了亲王的好奇心；这次比武的结果本来已使他很不高兴，几个挑战者都是他所器重的，现在却接连败在一个无名小子手下，这小子对警卫督察的回答又如此傲慢，于是他说道：“我凭圣母头上的灵光起誓，这个骑士既然不肯在我们面前揭开脸甲，那么他不仅失去了他的继承权，也失去了他应该得到的礼遇。”接着又转身对他周围的人说道：“诸位大人，你们说，这个小伙子这么自以为了不起，他究竟是谁？”
“我猜不出，”德布拉西回答，“我还认为，在英伦三岛内没有一个武士能在一天的比武中，接连打败这五名骑士。老实说，我永远不会忘记，他冲向维庞特的力量有多大。可怜的医护骑士竟在马上坐不住，像弹石弓上的石块一样，一下子给撂到了地上。”
“别夸大其词，”在场的一个医护团骑士说道，“你们的圣殿骑士也不见得高明多少。我看见你们那位勇敢的武士布瓦吉贝尔在地上滚了三次，每次都抓了满满两手的黄土。”
德布拉西一向偏袒圣殿骑士，正想回答，给约翰亲王拦住了。“安静，各位先生！”他说，“这种争论有什么意义？”
“胜利者还在等待殿下的召见呢，”怀维尔说。
“那就请他等着，”约翰回答，“至少等到我们中间有人猜到他的姓名和身分以后再说。哪怕他要等到天黑也没关系，他累了一天该休息一会了。”
“殿下，”沃尔德马•菲泽西说道，“如果您非要他等待不可，这对胜利者未免有失公允，因为我们所不知道的事是无从猜测的，至少我猜不出，除非说，那是跟随理查国王前往巴勒斯坦的几个武艺高强的武士中的一个，他们现在正仆仆风尘从圣地回国呢。”
“那么这可能是索尔兹伯里伯爵，”德布拉酉说，“他的身材差不多。”
“还是像吉尔斯兰的骑士托马斯•麦尔顿，”菲泽西说，“索尔兹伯里的骨骼还要大一些。”这时随员中有人在轻轻议论，但是不能确定是谁说出了这么一句话：“说不定这便薀旺王——狮心工理查本人！”
“这简直太荒唐了！”约翰亲王说，不禁转过身来，脸色变得死一般苍白，仿佛给突然发出的闪电吓了一跳。“沃尔德马！德布拉酉！勇敢的骑士们和绅士们，别忘记你们的诺言，忠诚不渝地站在我一边！”
“目前还不存在这种危险，”沃尔德马•菲泽西答道，“难道您对您父亲那个儿子的四肢有多大，竟也不知道，以致认为那套铠甲容纳得了他的身体不成？怀维尔和马提瓦尔，你们现在能为亲王做的最好的事，还是把胜利者马上带来见他，别再胡乱猜测，弄得他心神不定。您不妨仔细瞧瞧他，”他继续对亲王说，“您就会发现，他比理查国王矮三英寸，肩膀更是窄了六英寸。他骑的那匹马载不动理查国王，哪怕跑一圈也不成。”
他还没讲完，警卫督察已把剥夺继承权的骑士带到约翰亲王的宝座下面，站在通向看台的木阶梯前面。亲王这时仍心烦意乱，想到那位对他恩重如山，他又思将仇报的兄长，忽然回到了祖国，怎么也安静不下，菲泽西指出的那些特征，并不能完全消除他的疑虑；他心乱如麻，勉强对骑士讲了几句赞扬的话，便吩咐把他赏赐的一匹战马牵给他，但心里仍惴惴不安，唯恐从面甲后面发出的声音，终于证实那便是狮心工理查深沉而可怕的嗓音。
但是剥夺继承权的骑士听了亲王的赞扬，没有回答一句话，只是用深深的鞠躬表示了感谢。
马由两个衣着华丽的马夫牵到了场子中间，牲口身上的全副作战装备也是最豪华的；然而在真正识马的人眼中，这套装备与那匹骏马本身的价值相比，依然微不足道。剥夺继承权的骑士把一只手搭在鞍子的前鞒上，纵身一跃，跳上了马背，没有使用脚镫；他在马上挥舞着长熗，绕场子骑了两圈，凭一个骑手纯熟的技巧，显示了马的英姿和步态。
这番表演本可以被人讥为虚荣心理的流露，然而这马是亲王的赏赐，充分显示它的优点是合乎礼节，无可非议的，因此场子里又欢声雷动，再一次向骑士表示了祝贺。
茹尔沃修道院院长趁此机会，赶紧凑在约翰亲王耳边，提醒他现在得让胜利者表现他高超的判断力，而不是他的武艺了，他应该从看台上花枝招展的美女中选出一位小姐，充当爱和美的女王，为明天的比武颁奖了。这样，当骑士在场上跑第二圈，经过亲王面前时，他便举起权杖，示意他停下。骑士立即向亲王驰去，把熗尖朝下，等它离地不到一英尺时，他已一动不动地站住，仿佛在等待亲王的命令；这种能使一匹战马从剧烈的奔跑和兴奋中，蓦地站住，变成塑像一般的娴熟骑术，赢得了场上所有的人的啧啧赞赏。
“剥夺继承权的骑士，”约翰亲王说， “由于你没有别的名字，我们只得这么称呼你了。现在你的责任，同时也是你的特权，便是指定一位漂亮的小姐担任爱和美的女王，主持明天的比武盛典。如果你在我们这片国土上是外地人，需要别人帮助你作出选择，那么我们能说的只是：我们的英勇骑士沃尔德马•菲泽西的女儿艾利西姬，论美貌和地位在我们的朝廷中，都是久负盛誉，被公认为首屈一指的。不过你喜欢把这顶王冠给予谁，便可给予谁，这是你不可剥夺的权利，你所选中的小姐，便是手续完备的、正式选出的明天的女王。举起你的熗。”
骑士举起了熗，约翰亲王把一顶翠绿缎子冠冕挂在熗尖上，冠冕边缘有一圈黄金，金圈上面的边是由箭头和鸡心交错组成，与公爵冠冕上的草莓叶和圆球一样。
约翰亲王为沃尔德马•菲泽西的女儿作了明确的提示，这不止出于一个动机，但每个动机都是轻率、自负的心理，与卑鄙的权术和狡猾结合而成的产物。他就犹太女子而贝卡讲的笑话，显得过于粗俗，不能为人接受，现在他希望从周围骑士的心目中消除它所造成的影响。他对艾利西娅的父亲沃尔德马一向有些畏惧，这天在比武场上，后者又多次表示了对他的不满，现在他想借此机会取得他的欢心；他还希望得到那位小姐的青睐，因为约翰不仅野心勃勃，至少还热衷于寻欢作乐。除了这一切，他还对剥夺继承权的骑士怀有强烈的不满，现在便试图煽起沃尔德马•菲泽西对他的仇恨，因为艾利西娅很可能落选，而一旦落选，这位大臣自然会为她的耻辱，与那个骑士结下深仇大恨。
事实证明的确如此。艾利西姬小姐便坐在亲王旁边的那个看台上，显得扬扬得意，似乎女王的头衔非她莫属，可是剥夺继承权的骑士从台前走了过去，尽管他现在骑得相当慢，与刚才的绕场飞驰大不相同，仿佛在行使审查的权利，仔细端详点缀在场子周围的无数漂亮脸蛋。
在接受审查的过程中，美女们的表现真是千姿百态，值得一看。有的涨红了脸；有的装出一副矜持和端庄的神态；有的眼睛望着前面，仿佛根本不知道发生了什么事；有的吓得缩在后面，不过这也可能是假装害羞；有的强作镇静，露出了微笑；也有两三个人若无其事，只顾放声大笑。还有几个人放下了面纱，不让人看到她们的容貌，不过据《沃杜尔文稿》说，这些都是红颜半老的美女，可以想象，她们对这类虚名已有过十年的体会，现在只得心甘情愿不再争妍斗胜，把机会让给后起之秀了。
最后，武士停在一个看台下，罗文娜小姐便在上面，全场观众的心终于兴奋到了极点。
必须承认，剥夺继承权的骑士获得胜利时，这部分看台的反应最为强烈，如果这引起了他的好感，那么他对这看台有所偏爱，停留在这儿是不奇怪的。圣殿骑士的狼狈下场，固然令撒克逊人塞德里克大喜过望，他那两个心怀叵测的邻居牛面将军和马尔沃辛的失败，更叫他兴奋不已，把半个身子伸到了看台外面；在每次交锋中他不是用眼睛盯着胜利者，而是把整个心灵都扑到了他身上。罗文娜小姐也同样目不转睛地注视着比武的进展，只是没有公开流露紧张的心情。甚至从不激动的阿特尔斯坦也显得兴致勃勃，不再无动于衷，还叫人给了他一大杯麝香葡萄酒，把它一饮而尽，向剥夺继承权的骑士表示祝贺。
撒克逊人占据的看台下面，还有另一群人对当天比武的结果表现了同样大的兴趣。
“我们的始祖亚伯拉罕啊！”约克的以撒在圣殿骑士和剥夺继承权的骑士进行第一轮比赛时，这么说，“这些外邦人骑起马来简直不要命了！唉，这么好一匹马是千里迢迢从柏柏里(注)运来的，他却不当它一回事，好像这是一只小野驴崽子；那身贵重的盔甲，在米兰的盔甲匠约瑟夫•佩莱拉眼里一定价值连城，卖出去可以有百分之七十的利润，他却满不在乎，好像那是路上捡来的！”
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(注)柏柏里，北非沿海地区的古代名称。
“既然他不惜拿他的性命和身体冒险，参加这么一场可怕的战斗，”丽贝卡说，“父亲，你怎么还能指望他顾全他的马和盔甲呢？”
“孩子！”以撒回答，有些烦躁，“你不明白你在说些什么。他的性命和身体是他自己的，但是他的马和盔甲是属于……啊，神圣的雅各！我怎么差点说了出来？不过话说回来，这是一个好青年。瞧，丽贝卡！……瞧，他又要跟非利士人(注1)决斗了！祈祷吧，孩子，为这个好青年的安全，为这匹瞟悍的马和这套贵重的盔甲祈祷吧。我们祖先的上帝啊！”他又喊道，“他胜利了，不行割礼的非利士人倒在他的长熗前面，简直像巴珊的王噩，亚摩利人的王西宏，(注2)倒在我们祖先的剑下一样！他一定会夺取他们的黄金和白银，他们的战马，他们的铜的和钢的盔甲，他可以发一笔大财了！”
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(注1)非利士人，古代与犹太人为敌的一支民族．后为以色列王大卫所打败，见《圣经》。
(注2)巴珊和亚摩利都是巴勒斯坦一带的古国，后被以色列人征服，见《圣经•申命记》等。
精明的犹太人对每一轮比赛都看得同样起劲，同时没有忘记在心里匆匆计算，勇士可以从每一次新的胜利中没收的战马和盔甲的价值。就这样，现在剥夺继承权的骑士面前那部分场子上的人，都是对他的胜利表现过极大的兴趣的。
不知是出于拿不定主意，还是其他犹豫的动机，这位今天的英雄在看台前站立了不止一分钟，肃静的观众都把眼睛紧盯着他的举动；接着，他不慌不忙、从容不迫地让熗尖降低一些，把挑在熗尖上的王冠放到了美丽的罗文娜的脚边。号声顿时响了，典礼官宣布，罗文娜小姐当选为下一天爱和美的女王，谁不服从她的权威便将受到相应的惩罚。然后他们又大喊：“赏钱”，塞德里克欢天喜地的，当即扔下了一大笔赏金，阿特尔斯坦虽然迟了一步，也丢下了同样多的数目。
诺曼血统的妇女中发出了一片喊喊喳喳的低语声，把荣誉给予一个撒克逊美女是从未有过的，她们受不了，正如诺曼贵族受不了在他们自己引进的武艺比赛中惨败一样。但这些不满的声音都湮没在群众的欢呼中了，他们大喊：“正式当选为爱和美的女王的罗文娜小姐万岁！”下面场地上的许多人还喊道：“撒克逊公主万岁！不朽的阿尔弗烈德工族万岁！”
不论这些喊声，约翰亲王和他周围的人多么不能接受，他还是看到他不得不允准优胜者的任命，因此吩咐备马，离开了座位，骑上他的西班牙马，在众人的簇拥下，再度走进场子。在艾利西娅小姐的看台前面，亲王停了一下向她表示敬意，同时对他身边的人说道：“上帝知道，诸位大人！如果这位勇士的武艺说明他的四肢和肌肉多么发达，他的选择却证明他的眼光还是很不高明的。”
约翰的这一举动，正如他一生的其他表现一样，让人看到，他的不幸正在于不能深刻理解他希望笼络的那些人的性格。沃尔德马•菲泽西听到亲王这么大事渲染他的女儿遭到的轻视，只是觉得生气，不是高兴。
“我只知道，”他说，“骑士制度最公正无私、最不容侵犯的规则，便是骑士有权根据他自己的判断，选择他心爱的小姐。我的女儿不想靠任何人的恩赐出人头地，她凭自己的品质和身分，永远不会得不到与她完全相称的荣誉。”
约翰亲王没有回答，只是踢了踢马，仿佛要发泄他的烦恼，让马向前直跑，来到了罗文娜的看台前面，那顶王冠还在她的脚下。
“美丽的小姐，”他说，“请戴上女王的标志吧，它赋予您的权力是安茹家(注)的约翰所衷心尊敬的。如果您愿意，请与今尊和您的亲友一起光临今天在阿什口城堡举行的宴会，以便我们与我们明天要效忠的女王增进一些了解。”
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(注)诺曼王朝传至斯蒂芬无嗣，由法国安茹家的亨利（诺曼王朝亨利一世的外孙）继承，称亨利二世，是为金雀花王朝的开始。
罗文娜没有作声，塞德里克用撒克逊语替她作了回答。
“罗文娜小姐不懂得您的语言，”他说，“因此她无法回答您的礼遇，也不能参加您的宴会。我和尊贵的科宁斯堡的阿特尔斯坦也一样，我们只讲我们祖先的语言，按照祖先的方式行事。因此我们感谢殿下的好意邀请，但只得谢

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Chapter 10
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 squires and pages in abundance tendered their services to disarm him, to bring fresh attire, and to offer him the refreshment of the bath. Their zeal on this occasion was perhaps sharpened by curiosity, since every one desired to know who the knight was that had gained so many laurels, yet had refused, even at the command of Prince John, to lift his visor or to name his name. But their officious inquisitiveness was not gratified. The Disinherited Knight refused all other assistance save that of his own squire, or rather yeoman---a clownish-looking man, who, wrapt in a cloak of dark-coloured felt, and having his head and face half-buried in a Norman bonnet made of black fur, seemed to affect the incognito as much as his master. All others being excluded from the tent, this attendant relieved his master from the more burdensome parts of his armour, and placed food and wine before him, which the exertions of the day rendered very acceptable.
The Knight had scarcely finished a hasty meal, ere his menial announced to him that five men, each leading a barbed steed, desired to speak with him. The Disinherited Knight had exchanged his armour for the long robe usually worn by those of his condition, which, being furnished with a hood, concealed the features, when such was the pleasure of the wearer, almost as completely as the visor of the helmet itself, but the twilight, which was now fast darkening, would of itself have rendered a disguise unnecessary, unless to persons to whom the face of an individual chanced to be particularly well known.
The Disinherited Knight, therefore, stept boldly forth to the front of his tent, and found in attendance the squires of the challengers, whom he easily knew by their russet and black dresses, each of whom led his master's charger, loaded with the armour in which he had that day fought.
"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 Disinherited Knight, of the horse and armour used by the said Brian de Bois-Guilbert in this day's Passage of Arms, leaving it with your nobleness to retain or to ransom the same, according to your pleasure; for such is the law of arms."
The other squires repeated nearly the same formula, and then stood to await the decision of the Disinherited Knight.
"To you four, sirs," replied the Knight, addressing those who had last spoken, "and to your honourable and valiant masters, I have one common reply. Commend me to the noble knights, your masters, and say, I should do ill to deprive them of steeds and arms which can never be used by braver cavaliers.---I would I could here end my message to these gallant knights; but being, as I term myself, in truth and earnest, the Disinherited, I must be thus far bound to your masters, that they will, of their courtesy, be pleased to ransom their steeds and armour, since that which I wear I can hardly term mine own."
"We stand commissioned, each of us," answered the squire of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, "to offer a hundred zecchins in ransom of these horses and suits of armour."
"It is sufficient," said the Disinherited Knight. "Half the sum my present necessities compel me to accept; of the remaining half, distribute one moiety among yourselves, sir squires, and divide the other half betwixt the heralds and the pursuivants, and minstrels, and attendants."
The squires, with cap in hand, and low reverences, expressed their deep sense of a courtesy and generosity not often practised, at least upon a scale so extensive. The Disinherited Knight then addressed his discourse to Baldwin, the squire of Brian de 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 with swords as with lances---as well on foot as on horseback. To this mortal quarrel he has himself defied me, and I shall not forget the challenge.---Meantime, let him be assured, that I hold him not as one of his companions, with whom I can with pleasure exchange courtesies; but rather as one with whom I stand upon 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 you disdain to accept from him any share of the ransom at which you have rated the arms of the other knights, I must leave his armour and his horse here, being well assured that he will never deign to mount the one nor 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 absent master. Leave not, however, the horse and armour here. Restore them to thy master; or, if he scorns to accept them, retain them, good friend, for thine own use. So far as they are mine, I bestow them upon you freely."
Baldwin made a deep obeisance, and retired with his companions; and the Disinherited Knight entered the pavilion.
"Thus far, Gurth," said he, addressing his attendant, "the reputation of English chivalry hath not suffered in my hands."
"And I," said Gurth, "for a Saxon swineherd, have not ill played the personage of a Norman squire-at-arms."
"Yea, but," answered the Disinherited Knight, "thou hast ever kept me in anxiety lest thy clownish bearing should discover thee."
"Tush!" said Gurth, "I fear discovery from none, saving my playfellow, Wamba the Jester, of whom I could never discover whether he were most knave or fool. Yet I could scarce choose but laugh, when my old master passed so near to me, dreaming all the while that Gurth was keeping his porkers many a mile off, in the thickets and swamps of Rotherwood. If I am discovered------"
"Enough," said the Disinherited Knight, "thou knowest my promise."
"Nay, for that matter," said Gurth, "I will never fail my friend for fear of my skin-cutting. I have a tough hide, that will bear knife or scourge as well as any boar's hide in my herd."
"Trust me, I will requite the risk you run for my love, Gurth," said the Knight. "Meanwhile, I pray you to accept these ten pieces of gold."
"I am richer," said Gurth, putting them into his pouch, "than ever was swineherd or bondsman."
"Take this bag of gold to Ashby," continued his master, "and find out Isaac the Jew of York, and let him pay himself for the horse and arms with 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 be dishonest, for it would be cheating my master; and unreasonable, for it were the part of a fool; and unchristian, since it would be plundering a believer to enrich an infidel."
"See him contented, however, thou stubborn varlet," said the Disinherited Knight.
"I will do so," said Gurth, taking the bag under his cloak, and leaving the apartment; "and it will go hard," he muttered, "but I content him with one-half of his own asking." So saying, he departed, and left the Disinherited Knight to his own perplexed ruminations; which, upon more accounts than it is now possible to communicate to the reader, were of a nature peculiarly agitating and painful.
We must now change the scene to the village of Ashby, or rather to a country house in its vicinity belonging to a wealthy Israelite, with whom Isaac, his daughter, and retinue, had taken up their quarters; the Jews, it is well known, being as liberal in exercising the duties of hospitality and charity among their own people, as they were alleged to be reluctant and churlish in extending them to those whom they termed Gentiles, and whose treatment of them certainly merited little hospitality at their hand.
In an apartment, small indeed, but richly furnished with decorations of an Oriental taste, Rebecca was seated on a heap of embroidered cushions, which, piled along a low platform that surrounded the chamber, served, like the estrada of the Spaniards, instead of chairs and stools. She was watching the motions of her father with a look of anxious and filial affection, while he paced the apartment with a dejected mien and disordered step; sometimes clasping his hands together ---sometimes casting his eyes to the roof of the apartment, as one who laboured under great mental tribulation. "O, Jacob!" he exclaimed---"O, all ye twelve Holy Fathers of our tribe! what a losing venture is this for one who hath duly kept every jot and tittle of the law of Moses---Fifty zecchins wrenched from me at one clutch, and by the talons of a tyrant!"
"But, father," said Rebecca, "you seemed to give the gold to Prince John willingly."
"Willingly? the blotch of Egypt upon him!---Willingly, saidst thou?---Ay, as willingly as when, in the Gulf of Lyons, I flung over my merchandise to lighten the ship, while she laboured in the tempest---robed the seething billows in my choice silks ---perfumed their briny foam with myrrh and aloes---enriched their caverns with gold and silver work! And was not that an hour of unutterable misery, though my own hands made the sacrifice?"
"But it was a sacrifice which Heaven exacted to save our lives," answered Rebecca, "and the God of our fathers has since blessed your store and your gettings."
"Ay," answered Isaac, "but if the tyrant lays hold on them as he did to-day, and compels me to smile while he is robbing me?---O, daughter, disinherited and wandering as we are, the worst evil which befalls our race is, that when we are wronged and plundered, all the world laughs around, and we are compelled to suppress our sense of injury, and to smile tamely, when we would revenge bravely."
"Think not thus of it, my father," said Rebecca; "we also have advantages. These Gentiles, cruel and oppressive as they are, are in some sort dependent on the dispersed children of Zion, whom they despise and persecute. Without the aid of our wealth, they could neither furnish forth their hosts in war, nor their triumphs in peace, and the gold which we lend them returns with increase to our coffers. We are like the herb which flourisheth most when it is most trampled on. Even this day's pageant had not proceeded without the consent of the despised Jew, who furnished 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 my adventure with our Kirjath Jairam of Leicester ---there is a dead loss too---ay, a loss which swallows up the gains of a week; ay, of the space between 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 the good deed received of the stranger knight."
"I trust so, daughter," said Isaac, "and I trust too in the rebuilding of Zion; but as well do I hope with my own bodily eyes to see the walls and battlements of the new Temple, as to see a Christian, yea, the very best of Christians, repay a debt to a Jew, unless under the awe of the judge and jailor."
So saying, he resumed his discontented walk through the apartment; and Rebecca, perceiving that her attempts at consolation only served to awaken new subjects of complaint, wisely desisted from her unavailing efforts---a prudential line of conduct, and we recommend to all who set up for comforters and advisers, to follow it in the like circumstances.
The evening was now becoming dark, when a Jewish servant entered the apartment, and placed upon the table two silver lamps, fed with perfumed oil; the richest wines, and the most delicate refreshments, were at the same time displayed by another Israelitish domestic on a small ebony table, inlaid with silver; for, in the interior of their houses, the Jews refused themselves no expensive indulgences. At the same time the servant informed Isaac, that a Nazarene (so they termed Christians, while conversing among themselves) desired to speak with him. He that would live by traffic, must hold himself at the disposal of every one claiming business with him. Isaac at once replaced on the table the untasted glass of Greek wine which he had just raised to his lips, and saying hastily to his daughter, "Rebecca, veil thyself," commanded the stranger to be admitted.
Just as Rebecca had dropped over her fine features a screen of silver gauze which reached to her feet, the door opened, and Gurth entered, wrapt in the ample folds of his Norman mantle. His appearance was rather suspicious than prepossessing, especially as, instead of doffing his bonnet, he pulled it still deeper over his rugged brow.
"Art thou Isaac the Jew of York?" said Gurth, in Saxon.
"I am," replied Isaac, in the same language, (for his traffic had rendered every tongue spoken in Britain familiar to him)---"and who art thou?"
"That is not to the purpose," answered Gurth.
"As much as my name is to thee," replied Isaac; "for without knowing thine, how can I hold intercourse with thee?"
"Easily," answered Gurth; "I, being to pay money, must know that I deliver it to the right person; thou, who are to receive it, will not, I think, care very greatly by whose hands it is delivered."
"O," said the Jew, "you are come to pay moneys?---Holy Father Abraham! that altereth our relation to each other. And from whom dost thou bring it?"
"From the Disinherited Knight," said Gurth, "victor in this day's tournament. It is the price of the armour supplied to him by Kirjath Jairam of Leicester, on thy recommendation. The steed is restored to thy stable. I desire to know the amount of the sum which I am to pay for the armour."
"I said he was a good youth!" exclaimed Isaac with joyful exultation. "A cup of wine will do thee no harm," he added, filling and handing to the swineherd a richer drought than Gurth had ever before tasted. "And how much money," continued Isaac, "has thou brought with thee?"
"Holy Virgin!" said Gurth, setting down the cup, "what nectar these unbelieving dogs drink, while true Christians are fain to quaff ale as muddy and thick as the draff we give to hogs!---What money have I brought with me?" continued the Saxon, when he had finished this uncivil ejaculation, "even but a small sum; something in hand the whilst. What, Isaac! thou must bear a conscience, though it be a Jewish one."
"Nay, but," said Isaac, "thy master has won goodly steeds and rich armours with the strength of his lance, and of his right hand---but 'tis a good youth---the Jew will take these in present payment, and render him back 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. No Christians here could buy so many horses and armour---no Jew except myself would give him half the values. But thou hast a hundred zecchins with thee in that bag," said Isaac, prying under Gurth's cloak, "it is a heavy one."
"I have heads for cross-bow bolts in it," said Gurth, readily.
"Well, then"---said Isaac, panting and hesitating between habitual love of gain and a new-born desire to be liberal in the present instance, "if I should say that I would take eighty zecchins for the good steed and the rich armour, which leaves me not a guilder's profit, have you money to pay me?"
"Barely," said Gurth, though the sum demanded was more reasonable than he expected, "and it will leave my master nigh penniless. Nevertheless, if such be your least offer, I must be content."
"Fill thyself another goblet of wine," said the Jew. "Ah! eighty zecchins is too little. It leaveth no profit for the usages of the moneys; and, besides, the good horse may have suffered wrong in this day's encounter. O, it was a hard and a dangerous meeting! man and steed rushing on each other like wild bulls of Bashan! The horse cannot but have had wrong."
"And I say," replied Gurth, "he is sound, wind and limb; and you may see him now, in your stable. And I say, over and above, that seventy zecchins is enough for the armour, and I hope a Christian's word is as good as a Jew's. If you will not take seventy, I will carry this bag" (and he shook it till the contents jingled) "back to my master."
"Nay, nay!" said Isaac; "lay down the talents---the shekels---the eighty zecchins, and thou shalt see I will consider thee liberally."
Gurth at length complied; and telling out eighty zecchins upon the table, the Jew delivered out to him an acquittance for the horse and suit of armour. The Jew's hand trembled for joy as he wrapped up the first seventy pieces of gold. The last ten he told over with much deliberation, pausing, and saying something as he took each piece from the table, and dropt it into his purse. It seemed as if his avarice were struggling with his better nature, and compelling him to pouch zecchin after zecchin while his generosity urged him to restore some part at least to his benefactor, or as a donation to his agent. His whole speech ran nearly thus:
"Seventy-one---seventy-two; thy master is a good youth ---seventy-three, an excellent youth---seventy-four---that piece hath been clipt within the ring---seventy-five---and that looketh light of weight ---seventy-six---when thy master wants money, let him come to Isaac of York---seventy-seven---that is, with reasonable security." Here he made a considerable pause, and Gurth had good hope that the last three pieces might escape the fate of their comrades; but the enumeration proceeded. ---"Seventy-eight---thou art a good fellow---seventy-nine---and deservest 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 his finger, and made it ring by dropping it upon the table. Had it rung too flat, or had it felt a hair's breadth too light, generosity had carried the day; but, unhappily for Gurth, the chime was full and true, the zecchin plump, newly coined, and a grain above weight. Isaac could not find in his heart to part with it, so dropt it into his purse as if in absence of mind, with the words, "Eighty completes the tale, and I trust thy master will reward thee handsomely.---Surely," he added, looking earnestly at the bag, "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,---"Peril of thy beard, Jew, see that this be full and ample!" He filled himself unbidden, a third goblet of wine, and left the apartment without ceremony.
"Rebecca," said the Jew, "that Ishmaelite hath gone somewhat beyond me. Nevertheless his master is a good youth---ay, and I am well pleased that he hath gained shekels of gold and shekels of silver, even by the speed of his horse and by the strength of his lance, which, like that of Goliath the Philistine, might vie with a weaver's beam."
As he turned to receive Rebecca's answer, he observed, that during his chattering with Gurth, she had left the apartment unperceived.
In the meanwhile, Gurth had descended the stair, and, having reached the dark antechamber or hall, was puzzling about to discover the entrance, when a figure in white, shown by a small silver lamp which she held in her hand, beckoned him into a side apartment. Gurth had some reluctance to obey the summons. Rough and impetuous as a wild boar, where only earthly force was to be apprehended, he had all the characteristic terrors of a Saxon respecting fawns, forest-fiends, white women, and the whole of the superstitions which his ancestors had brought with them from the wilds of Germany. He remembered, moreover, that he was in the house of a Jew, a people who, besides the other unamiable qualities which popular report ascribed to them, were supposed to be profound necromancers and cabalists. Nevertheless, after a moment's pause, he obeyed the beckoning summons of the apparition, and followed her into the apartment which she indicated, where he found to his joyful surprise that his fair guide was the beautiful Jewess whom he had seen at the tournament, and a short time in her father's apartment.
She asked him the particulars of his transaction with Isaac, which he detailed accurately.
"My father did but jest with thee, good fellow," said Rebecca; "he owes thy master deeper kindness than these arms and steed could pay, were their value tenfold. What sum didst thou pay my father even now?"
"Eighty zecchins," said Gurth, surprised at the question.
"In this purse," said Rebecca, "thou wilt find a hundred. Restore to thy master that which is his due, and enrich thyself with the remainder. Haste---begone---stay not to render thanks! and beware how you pass through this crowded town, where thou mayst easily lose both thy burden and thy life.---Reuben," she added, clapping her hands together, "light forth this stranger, and fail not to draw lock and bar behind him." Reuben, a dark-brow'd and black-bearded Israelite, obeyed her summons, with a torch in his hand; undid the outward door of the house, and conducting Gurth across a paved court, let him out through a wicket in the entrance-gate, which he closed behind him with such bolts and chains as would well have become that of a prison.
"By St Dunstan," said Gurth, as he stumbled up the dark avenue, "this is no Jewess, but an angel from heaven! Ten zecchins from my brave young master---twenty from this pearl of Zion---Oh, happy day!---Such another, Gurth, will redeem thy bondage, and make thee a brother as free of thy guild as the best. And then do I lay down my swineherd's horn and staff, and take the freeman's sword and buckler, and follow my young master to the death, without hiding either my face or my name."

像一只预报凶信的乌鸦在天空盘旋，
要向病入膏盲的人送来死亡的消息，
在万籁俱寂的夜的魔影下，
从乌黑的翅膀上把疫病洒向人间；
受尽折磨、穷途末路的巴拉巴斯
向基督徒发出了一个个恶毒的诅咒。
《马耳他的犹太人》(注)
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(注)英国剧作家克里斯托弗•马洛（1564—1593）的剧本，描写一个犹太人巴拉巴斯在不公正的待遇下进行的疯狂报复，最后他自己也同归于尽。
剥夺继承权的骑士刚来到他的帐篷内，扈从和小厮们便一拥而上，要帮他解盔卸甲，改换服装，或者伺候梳洗。他们这么热情也可能是出于好奇心调为每人都想知道，这个骑士是何许人，他不仅屡战屡胜，而巨违抗约翰亲王的命令，拒绝揭开脸甲，公开他的姓名。但是他们的殷勤询问一无所获。剥夺继承权的骑士谢绝了一切人的帮助，只留下他自己的扈从——其实只是一个农夫，一个土头上脑的乡巴佬，穿一件深褐色毡大褂，戴一顶诺曼人的黑皮帽，把脸遮没了一半，仿佛也像他的主人一样，存心不让人认出他的真面目。等所有的人都离开帐篷后，这个仆役给主人卸下了盔甲上的笨重部分，然后端来了食物和酒，让他在一天的辛劳之后饱餐一顿。
骑士狼吞虎咽地刚才吃完，他的仆人已来报告，有五个人，每人都牵了一匹披鞍铝的战马，要面见他禀报一切。剥夺继承权的骑士已脱下盔甲，换了一件长袍，那是这类人常穿的，它附有兜帽，可以在需要的时候遮住脸部，作用几乎跟面甲完全一样；何况现在夜色已越来越浓，除非要与一个特别熟悉的人会面，一般说来，伪装已没有必要。
因此剥夺继承权的骑士大胆走出了帐篷，发现等待他的便是挑战者们的扈从，这凭他们的褐色和黑色衣服便可看出，他们每人牵着主人的战马，战马上载着他那天比武时穿的盔甲。
“我是著名的骑士布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔的扈从鲍德温•奥伊勒，”站在最前面的一个人说，“现在特地前来，按照骑士的规矩，向您——用您自己的说法，也就是剥夺继承权的骑士，呈交上述布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔在今天比武中所使用的战马和盔甲；您是留下它们，还是收取同等价值的赎金，由您自行决定，因为比武的规则就是这样的。”
其余几个扈从几乎重复了同一套话，然后站在那里，等待剥夺继承权的骑士作出决定。
“对于你们四人，先生们，”骑士向后面四人答道，“还有你们正直而勇敢的主人们，我可以一起回答。请代我向你们的主人，尊贵的骑士们致意，并转达我的话：我不想做不该做的事，夺取他们的战马和盔甲，使这些勇敢的骑士失去它们。我对他们的答复本可到此为止，但是正如我忠实而真诚地称呼自己的，我是个剥夺了继承权的人，我不得不要求你们的主人谅解，请他们为他们的战马和盔甲支付一定的赎金，因为我现在所使用的这些东西，可以说不是属于我自己的。”
“我们的主人已交代过，”牛面将军雷金纳德的扈从答道，“我们每人可以拿出一百枚金币，作这些战马和盔甲的赎金。”
“这就够了，”剥夺继承权的骑士说，“我目前的需要使我必须收下其中的一半；至于其余一半，不妨再分作两份，一份分给你们作酬劳，扈从先生们，另一份则分给典礼官和他们的助手，以及那些行吟诗人和仆人。”
扈从们摘下帽子，深深鞠躬，表示了对这种不常遇到的、至少不会这么慷慨的赏赐和馈赠的敬意。剥夺继承权的骑士接着向布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔的扈从鲍德温继续他的谈话。“我不能接受你的主人的作战装备，也不能收取他的赎金，”他说， “请你用我的名义转告他，我们的战斗还没有结束——是的，我们还没有像比熗那样比过剑，像骑马比武那样徒步比过武。这种生死搏斗是他自己向我提出的，我不应忘记他的挑战。同时，请告诉他，我不能像对待他的朋友那样，对他也以礼相待，我只能把他当作一个誓不两立的敌人。”
“我的主人知道怎样用礼貌回答礼貌，”鲍德温答道，“但也知道怎么用蔑视回答蔑视，用打击回答打击。既然您不屑按照其他骑士支付赎金的标准，接受他的赎金，那么我只得把他的战马和盔甲留在这儿，因为我相信，他决不愿再骑上这战马，再穿上这盔甲了二”
“你讲得很好，英勇的扈从，”剥夺继承权的骑士说，“讲得很好，也很勇敢，像一个人的主人不在时应该为他讲的那样。然而你不能把战马和盔甲留在这儿。把它们交还你的主人，如果他不屑收回它们，那就你自己留着使用吧，我的朋友。既然它们算是我的，我就有权把它们转送给你。”
鲍德温深深鞠了一躬，便随同他的伙伴们一起走了。剥夺继承权的骑士回进了帐篷。
“就这样，葛四，”他对他的扈从说道，“到现在为止，我还没有损害过英国骑士的荣誉。”
“我作为撒克逊放猪人，”葛四说，“扮演诺曼扈从的角色也扮得不赖呀。”
“对，”剥夺继承权的骑士答道，“但是你这副乡巴佬的模样，一直叫我提心吊胆，怕给人看出破绽呢。”
“嘘！”葛四说，“我不怕别人，只怕我那位小兄弟小丑汪八发现这秘密；我还摸不透，他究竟是无赖还是傻瓜。不过有一次我的老主人离我那么近，还是没有发现我，我开心得差点大笑，他还以为葛四仍在几英里以外，在罗瑟伍德的森林和沼泽里替他放猪呢。如果我给发现……”
“够了，”剥夺继承权的骑士说，“我答应你的话是算数的。”
“不，关于那点，”葛四说，“我决不会为了怕皮肉受苦，对不起我的朋友。我有一层坚韧的皮肤，它像我饲养的任何一头公猪的皮那么厚，不怕刀和鞭子。”
“相信我，你为爱护我冒了危险，我会报答你的，葛四，”骑士说。“现在请你收下这十枚金币。”
“那么我比任何一个放猪的，任何一个奴隶都富裕了，”葛四说，把金币放进了口袋。
“把这袋金币送往阿什贝，”主人继续道，“找到约克的犹太人以撒，把钱给他，让他结清战马和盔甲的帐，这是我靠他担保借到的。”
“不，凭圣邓斯坦起誓，”葛回答道，“这件事我不能干。”
“怎么，你这小子，”主人说道，“你不愿服从我的命令？”
“只要命令是对的，合理的，符合基督精神，我一定服从，”葛回答道，“但这个命令不是这样。把钱拿给犹太人去结帐，这便不对，因为他一定会欺骗我的主人；也不合理，因为只有傻瓜才这么做；也不符合基督精神，因为这是把基督徒的钱送给一个邪教徒。”
“不管怎样，总得跟他结帐，你必须照我的话办，不能自作主张，”剥夺继承权的骑士说。
“那好吧，我去，”葛四说，把钱袋藏在大褂里，走出了帐篷。“这件事不好办，”他嘟哝道，“不过既然让我跟他结帐，我可以照他开的价钱只付他一半。”他一边这么说，一边便动身了。剥夺继承权的骑士独自呆在那儿想心事，不过这心里带有特别烦恼和痛苦的性质，一时说不清楚，只能让读者自己去领会了。
现在我们必须把场面转往阿什贝镇，或者不如说它郊外的一幢乡村别墅了，那是一个以色列富商的房屋，以撒、他的女儿和随从们目前便借住在这里——大家知道，犹太人对本民族的人，一向是慷慨而仁慈的／尽管对他们所说的外邦人，他们十分刻薄和小气，觉得这些人既然对他们不仁不义，他们也就没有必要对这些人太客气了。
这时父女俩所在的那间屋于，诚然不太宽敞，但布置得富丽堂皇，具有东方色彩；房间周围有一圈比地面略高的平台，上面堆满了一叠叠绣花软垫，像西班牙人的起居室，用它们代替椅子和凳子。丽贝卡坐在一堆软垫上，露出忧虑而孝顺的目光，注视着父亲的动作；后者在室内踱来踱去，神情颓丧，步履螨跚，有时握紧了双手，有时抬起眼睛望望屋顶，仿佛心事重重，不知如何是好。 “唉，雅各啊！”他喊道，“我们宗族的十二列祖哟(注)！对一个从不违背摩西的律法，一向循规蹈矩的人说来，这是多大的损失啊！这个暴君，他伸出爪子，一下子从我手中抢走了五十个金币！”
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(注)据《圣经》传说，犹太人的始祖是亚伯拉罕，亚伯拉罕生子以撒，以微生子雅各，雅各生子十二人，即为犹太十二宗族的祖先，见《创世记》第49章。
“但是，父亲，”丽贝卡说，“我看你好像是自愿把金币给约翰亲王的呢。”
“自愿！让埃及的疫病降临在他身上吧！你说我是自愿的？对，就像我从前把货物丢进里昂湾一样，也是自愿的，因为我的商船遇到了暴风雨，为了减轻船的重量，我只得把它们丢进水里，把我最好的丝绸送给翻腾的波浪穿，把我的沉香和没药喂它的白沫，把我的金银器皿抛进它的无底洞！尽管这是我亲手作出的牺牲，难道我就不痛心吗？”
“但这是上帝为了挽救我们的生命，要我们作出的牺牲，”丽贝卡答道，“后来我们祖先的上帝便一直保佑你。让你生意兴隆，发了大财。”
“对，”以撒答道，“但是如果这个暴君像今天这样把它们抢走，一边掠夺我，一边还强迫我装出笑脸呢？唉，女儿啊，我们给剥夺了家园，到处流浪，但是我们的最大灾难，还是在我们被侮辱被掠夺的时候，我们周围的整个世界却在嘲笑我们，在我们应该挺起腰杆进行报复的时候，我们却不得不克制受损害的感觉，装出笑脸忍受一切。”
“别这么想吧，爸爸，”丽贝卡说，“我们也有自己的有利条件。这些残忍的外帮人尽管可以压迫我们，在一定程度上还得依靠我们这些流浪的犹太人，这些他们所鄙视和迫害的人。没有我们的金钱的支持，他们就既不能在战争中维持他们的大量军队，也不能在和平时期享受胜利的幸福；我们借给他们的钱却会增加我们的财富。我们像野草一样不怕踩踏，越踩踏生得越茂盛。就拿今天的比武说吧，没有被鄙视的犹太人的资助，它就不可能举办。”
“女儿呀，”以撒说，“你又触及了另一根伤心的琴弦。那匹精壮的战马和那套贵重的盔甲，相当于我跟莱斯特的吉尔约斯•贾拉姆做的那笔买卖的全部利润呢。唉，这又是一笔亏本生意，它的损失吞没了我从一个安息日到另一个安息日的整个礼拜的收入。不过结果也许会比我现在想象的好，因为那是一个好青年。”
“我相信，”丽贝卡说，“你为了报答陌生骑士为你做的好事，是不会后悔的。”
“我相信这样，女儿，”以撒说，“我也相信锡安的重建(注)，但是正如我希望亲眼看到新神殿的城墙和雉谍只是空想一样，我也不能指望一个基督徒，对，哪怕是最好的基督徒，会给犹太人还债，除非在法律和监狱的威胁下。”
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(注)锡安是耶路撒冷的一座山，又译郎山，从前是犹太王国的政治和宗教中心，建有王宫及神殿，后为罗马帝国摧毁，但犹太人相信“锡安必蒙救赎”（见《旧约•以赛亚书》），因此犹太民族的复兴便以重建锡安为号召。
说到这里，他又开始迈着不满的步子在屋内踱来踱去了；丽贝卡发现，她本想安慰他，反而勾起了新的牢骚涸此明智地放弃了徒劳无益的努力——这种适可而止的态度，值得推荐给每个企图充当安慰者和忠告者的人，在遇到类似情况时参照执行。
现在暮色逐渐浓了，一个犹太仆人走进屋子，把两盏银台灯放到了桌上，灯里用的是香油；同时另一个以色列仆人在一张镶银的小乌木桌上，摆开了最珍贵的美酒和一些精致细巧的食品；因为犹太人在自己家中是非常阔绰，从不拒绝任何奢侈享受的。这时仆人还向以撒报告，一个拿撒勒人(注)（他们在自己人中间谈到基督徒便这么称呼他们）要见他。凡是做买卖的，必须随时准备接见每一个要与他谈生意的人。以撒正把一杯希腊名酒举到唇边，还没尝一口，马上又把它放回了桌上，匆匆叮嘱女儿戴上面纱，然后吩咐让陌生人进屋。
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(注)根据《新约全书》，耶稣的故乡是拿撒勒，因此耶稣有时便被称作拿撒勒人，犹太教徒也把基督教徒都称作拿撒勒人。
丽贝卡刚把一块垂到脚边的银色薄纱放下，让它遮没美丽的脸庞，门便开了，葛四走了进来，宽大的诺曼斗篷重重叠叠地裹在他的身上，那副样子叫人看了很不舒服，简直显得形迹可疑，尤其是他一进屋，非但不摘下帽子，还把帽檐拉到了乱蓬蓬的眉毛上面。
“你是约克的犹太人以撒吗？’噶四用撒克逊语说。
“正是，”以撒用同样

Chapter 11 1st Outlaw: Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about you; If not, we'll make you sit, and rifle you. Speed: Sir, we are undone! these are the villains That all the travellers do fear so much. Val: My friends,--- 1st Out: That's not so, sir, we are your enemies. 2d Out: Peace! we'll hear him. 3d Out: Ay, by my beard, will we; For he's a proper man. Two Gentlemen of Verona The nocturnal adventures of Gurth were not yet concluded; indeed he himself became partly of that mind, when, after passing one or two straggling houses which stood in the outskirts of the village, he found himself in a deep lane, running between two banks overgrown with hazel and holly, while here and there a dwarf oak flung its arms altogether across the path. The lane was moreover much rutted and broken up by the carriages which had recently transported articles of various kinds to the tournament; and it was dark, for the banks and bushes intercepted the light of the harvest moon. From the village were heard the distant sounds of revelry, mixed occasionally with loud laughter, sometimes broken by screams, and sometimes by wild strains of distant music. All these sounds, intimating the disorderly state of the town, crowded with military nobles and their dissolute attendants, gave Gurth some uneasiness. "The Jewess was right," he said to himself. "By heaven and St Dunstan, I would I were safe at my journey's end with all this treasure! Here are such numbers, I will not say of arrant thieves, but of errant knights and errant squires, errant monks and errant minstrels, errant jugglers and errant jesters, that a man with a single merk would be in danger, much more a poor swineherd with a whole bagful of zecchins. Would I were out of the shade of these infernal bushes, that I might at least see any of St Nicholas's clerks before they spring on my shoulders." Gurth accordingly hastened his pace, in order to gain the open common to which the lane led, but was not so fortunate as to accomplish his object. Just as he had attained the upper end of the lane, where the underwood was thickest, four men sprung upon him, even as his fears anticipated, two from each side of the road, and seized him so fast, that resistance, if at first practicable, would have been now too late.---"Surrender your charge," said one of them; "we are the deliverers of the commonwealth, who ease every man of his burden." "You should not ease me of mine so lightly," muttered Gurth, whose surly honesty could not be tamed even by the pressure of immediate violence,---"had I it but in my power to give three strokes in its defence." "We shall see that presently," said the robber; and, speaking to his companions, he added, "bring along the knave. I see he would have his head broken, as well as his purse cut, and so be let blood in two veins at once." Gurth was hurried along agreeably to this mandate, and having been dragged somewhat roughly over the bank, on the left-hand side of the lane, found himself in a straggling thicket, which lay betwixt it and the open common. He was compelled to follow his rough conductors into the very depth of this cover, where they stopt unexpectedly in an irregular open space, free in a great measure from trees, and on which, therefore, the beams of the moon fell without much interruption from boughs and leaves. Here his captors were joined by two other persons, apparently belonging to the gang. They had short swords by their sides, and quarter-staves in their hands, and Gurth could now observe that all six wore visors, which rendered their occupation a matter of no question, even had their former proceedings left it in doubt. "What money hast thou, churl?" said one of the thieves. "Thirty zecchins of my own property," answered Gurth, doggedly. "A forfeit---a forfeit," shouted the robbers; "a Saxon hath thirty zecchins, and returns sober from a village! An undeniable and unredeemable forfeit of all he hath about him." "I hoarded it to purchase my freedom," said Gurth. "Thou art an ass," replied one of the thieves "three quarts of double ale had rendered thee as free as thy master, ay, and freer too, if he be a Saxon like thyself." "A sad truth," replied Gurth; "but if these same thirty zecchins will buy my freedom from you, unloose my hands, and I will pay them to you." "Hold," said one who seemed to exercise some authority over the others; "this bag which thou bearest, as I can feel through thy cloak, contains more coin than thou hast told us of." "It is the good knight my master's," answered Gurth, "of which, assuredly, I would not have spoken a word, had you been satisfied with working your will upon mine own property." "Thou art an honest fellow," replied the robber, "I warrant thee; and we worship not St Nicholas so devoutly but what thy thirty zecchins may yet escape, if thou deal uprightly with us. Meantime render up thy trust for a time." So saying, he took from Gurth's breast the large leathern pouch, in which the purse given him by Rebecca was enclosed, as well as the rest of the zecchins, and then continued his interrogation.---"Who is thy master?" "The Disinherited Knight," said Gurth. "Whose good lance," replied the robber, "won the prize in to-day's tourney? What is his name and lineage?" "It is his pleasure," answered Gurth, "that they be concealed; and from me, assuredly, you will learn nought of them." "What is thine own name and lineage?" "To tell that," said Gurth, "might reveal my master's." "Thou art a saucy groom," said the robber, "but of that anon. How comes thy master by this gold? is it of his inheritance, or by what means hath it accrued to him?" "By his good lance," answered Gurth.---"These bags contain the ransom of four good horses, and four good suits of armour." "How much is there?" demanded the robber. "Two hundred zecchins." "Only two hundred zecchins!" said the bandit; "your master hath dealt liberally by the vanquished, and put them to a cheap ransom. Name those who paid the gold." Gurth did so. "The armour and horse of the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert, at what ransom were they held?---Thou seest thou canst not deceive me." "My master," replied Gurth, "will take nought from the Templar save his life's-blood. They are on terms of mortal defiance, and cannot hold courteous intercourse together." "Indeed!"---repeated the robber, and paused after he had said the word. "And what wert thou now doing at Ashby with such a charge in thy custody?" "I went thither to render to Isaac the Jew of York," replied Gurth, "the price of a suit of armour with which he fitted my master for this tournament." "And how much didst thou pay to Isaac?---Methinks, to judge by weight, there is still two hundred zecchins in this pouch." "I paid to Isaac," said the Saxon, "eighty zecchins, and he restored me a hundred in lieu thereof." "How! what!" exclaimed all the robbers at once; "darest thou trifle with us, that thou tellest such improbable lies?" "What I tell you," said Gurth, "is as true as the moon is in heaven. You will find the just sum in a silken purse within the leathern pouch, and separate from the rest of the gold." "Bethink thee, man," said the Captain, "thou speakest of a Jew ---of an Israelite,---as unapt to restore gold, as the dry sand of his deserts to return the cup of water which the pilgrim spills upon them." "There is no more mercy in them," said another of the banditti, "than in an unbribed sheriffs officer." "It is, however, as I say," said Gurth. "Strike a light instantly," said the Captain; "I will examine this said purse; and if it be as this fellow says, the Jew's bounty is little less miraculous than the stream which relieved his fathers in the wilderness." A light was procured accordingly, and the robber proceeded to examine the purse. The others crowded around him, and even two who had hold of Gurth relaxed their grasp while they stretched their necks to see the issue of the search. Availing himself of their negligence, by a sudden exertion of strength and activity, Gurth shook himself free of their hold, and might have escaped, could he have resolved to leave his master's property behind him. But such was no part of his intention. He wrenched a quarter-staff from one of the fellows, struck down the Captain, who was altogether unaware of his purpose, and had well-nigh repossessed himself of the pouch and treasure. The thieves, however, were too nimble for him, and again secured both the bag and the trusty Gurth. "Knave!" said the Captain, getting up, "thou hast broken my head; and with other men of our sort thou wouldst fare the worse for thy insolence. But thou shalt know thy fate instantly. First let us speak of thy master; the knight's matters must go before the squire's, according to the due order of chivalry. Stand thou fast in the meantime---if thou stir again, thou shalt have that will make thee quiet for thy life---Comrades!" he then said, addressing his gang, "this purse is embroidered with Hebrew characters, and I well believe the yeoman's tale is true. The errant knight, his master, must needs pass us toll-free. He is too like ourselves for us to make booty of him, since dogs should not worry dogs where wolves and foxes are to be found in abundance." "Like us?" answered one of the gang; "I should like to hear how that is made good." "Why, thou fool," answered the Captain, "is he not poor and disinherited as we are?---Doth he not win his substance at the sword's point as we do?---Hath he not beaten Front-de-Boeuf and Malvoisin, even as we would beat them if we could? Is he not the enemy to life and death of Brian de Bois-Guilbert, whom we have so much reason to fear? And were all this otherwise, wouldst thou have us show a worse conscience than an unbeliever, a Hebrew Jew?" "Nay, that were a shame," muttered the other fellow; "and yet, when I served in the band of stout old Gandelyn, we had no such scruples of conscience. And this insolent peasant,---he too, I warrant me, is to be dismissed scatheless?" "Not if THOU canst scathe him," replied the Captain.---"Here, fellow," continued he, addressing Gurth, "canst thou use the staff, that thou starts to it so readily?" "I think," said Gurth, "thou shouldst be best able to reply to that question." "Nay, by my troth, thou gavest me a round knock," replied the Captain; "do as much for this fellow, and thou shalt pass scot-free; and if thou dost not---why, by my faith, as thou art such a sturdy knave, I think I must pay thy ransom myself.---Take thy staff, Miller," he added, "and keep thy head; and do you others let the fellow go, and give him a staff---there is light enough to lay on load by." The two champions being alike armed with quarter-staves, stepped forward into the centre of the open space, in order to have the full benefit of the moonlight; the thieves in the meantime laughing, and crying to their comrade, "Miller! beware thy toll-dish." The Miller, on the other hand, holding his quarter-staff by the middle, and making it flourish round his head after the fashion which the French call "faire le moulinet", exclaimed boastfully, "Come on, churl, an thou darest: thou shalt feel the strength of a miller's thumb!" "If thou be'st a miller," answered Gurth, undauntedly, making his weapon play around his head with equal dexterity, "thou art doubly a thief, and I, as a true man, bid thee defiance." So saying, the two champions closed together, and for a few minutes they displayed great equality in strength, courage, and skill, intercepting and returning the blows of their adversary with the most rapid dexterity, while, from the continued clatter of their weapons, a person at a distance might have supposed that there were at least six persons engaged on each side. Less obstinate, and even less dangerous combats, have been described in good heroic verse; but that of Gurth and the Miller must remain unsung, for want of a sacred poet to do justice to its eventful progress. Yet, though quarter-staff play be out of date, what we can in prose we will do for these bold champions. Long they fought equally, until the Miller began to lose temper at finding himself so stoutly opposed, and at hearing the laughter of his companions, who, as usual in such cases, enjoyed his vexation. This was not a state of mind favourable to the noble game of quarter-staff, in which, as in ordinary cudgel-playing, the utmost coolness is requisite; and it gave Gurth, whose temper was steady, though surly, the opportunity of acquiring a decided advantage, in availing himself of which he displayed great mastery. The Miller pressed furiously forward, dealing blows with either end of his weapon alternately, and striving to come to half-staff distance, while Gurth defended himself against the attack, keeping his hands about a yard asunder, and covering himself by shifting his weapon with great celerity, so as to protect his head and body. Thus did he maintain the defensive, making his eye, foot, and hand keep true time, until, observing his antagonist to lose wind, he darted the staff at his face with his left hand; and, as the Miller endeavoured to parry the thrust, he slid his right hand down to his left, and with the full swing of the weapon struck his opponent on the left side of the head, who instantly measured his length upon the green sward. "Well and yeomanly done!" shouted the robbers; "fair play and Old England for ever! The Saxon hath saved both his purse and his hide, and the Miller has met his match." "Thou mayst go thy ways, my friend," said the Captain, addressing Gurth, in special confirmation of the general voice, "and I will cause two of my comrades to guide thee by the best way to thy master's pavilion, and to guard thee from night-walkers that might have less tender consciences than ours; for there is many one of them upon the amble in such a night as this. Take heed, however," he added sternly; "remember thou hast refused to tell thy name---ask not after ours, nor endeavour to discover who or what we are; for, if thou makest such an attempt, thou wilt come by worse fortune than has yet befallen thee." Gurth thanked the Captain for his courtesy, and promised to attend to his recommendation. Two of the outlaws, taking up their quarter-staves, and desiring Gurth to follow close in the rear, walked roundly forward along a by-path, which traversed the thicket and the broken ground adjacent to it. On the very verge of the thicket two men spoke to his conductors, and receiving an answer in a whisper, withdrew into the wood, and suffered them to pass unmolested. This circumstance induced Gurth to believe both that the gang was strong in numbers, and that they kept regular guards around their place of rendezvous. When they arrived on the open heath, where Gurth might have had some trouble in finding his road, the thieves guided him straight forward to the top of a little eminence, whence he could see, spread beneath him in the moonlight, the palisades of the lists, the glimmering pavilions pitched at either end, with the pennons which adorned them fluttering in the moonbeams, and from which could be heard the hum of the song with which the sentinels were beguiling their night-watch. Here the thieves stopt. "We go with you no farther," said they; "it were not safe that we should do so.---Remember the warning you have received---keep secret what has this night befallen you, and you will have no room to repent it---neglect what is now told you, and the Tower of London shall not protect you against our revenge." "Good night to you, kind sirs," said Gurth; "I shall remember your orders, and trust that there is no offence in wishing you a safer and an honester trade." Thus they parted, the outlaws returning in the direction from whence they had come, and Gurth proceeding to the tent of his master, to whom, notwithstanding the injunction he had received, he communicated the whole adventures of the evening. The Disinherited Knight was filled with astonishment, no less at the generosity of Rebecca, by which, however, he resolved he would not profit, than that of the robbers, to whose profession such a quality seemed totally foreign. His course of reflections upon these singular circumstances was, however, interrupted by the necessity for taking repose, which the fatigue of the preceding day, and the propriety of refreshing himself for the morrow's encounter, rendered alike indispensable. The knight, therefore, stretched himself for repose upon a rich couch with which the tent was provided; and the faithful Gurth, extending his hardy limbs upon a bear-skin which formed a sort of carpet to the pavilion, laid himself across the opening of the tent, so that no one could enter without awakening him. 盗甲　站住，老兄，把你的东西留下， 倘有半个不字，别怪我们不客气。 史比德　少爷，咱们这回完了；这些坏蛋， 出门人最怕遇到的就是他们。 凡伦丁　列位朋友…… 盗甲　你错了，老兄，我们是你的仇敌。 盗乙　别嚷！听他怎么说。 盗丙　不错，我们先听听他怎么说； 因为瞧样子他还像个正派人。 《维洛那二绅士》(注) -------- (注)莎士比亚的喜剧，引文见该剧第四幕第一场。 葛四的黑夜冒险还没有结束；确实，到了镇外，走过一两所荒凉的小屋，进入一条深不见底的小巷以后，他自己也不免心里发怵；小巷两边的士坎上长满了高大的榛树和冬青，不时还有一两棵矮壮的栎树，伸出胳臂邀在道路上空。而且最近为比武大会运送各种物品的车子来来往往，把路面压得坎坷不平，尽是一条条车辙。土堤和树木又挡住了仲秋时节的月光，以致巷子里更显得阴森可怕。 镇上饮酒作乐的声音从远处传来，不时还夹杂着疯狂的笑声，断断续续的尖叫和遥远的乐调发出的粗野节奏。这一切声响都让人想到镇上混乱嘈杂的状态，那里住满了军官、贵族和他们那些放荡的随从；葛四感到有些不安，在心里嘀咕：“犹太姑娘说得对，但愿上帝和圣邓斯坦保佑我一路平安，把这许多金币带到目的地！这种地方什么样的人都可能遇到，除了杀人越货的强盗，还有闯荡江湖的骑士和扈从，闯荡江湖的修士和吟游诗人，闯荡江湖的杂耍艺人和戏子小丑，一个人只要身边有那么几个钱。便难免遭到危险，何况我这个穷放猪的又带着整整一袋金币！但愿我快些走出这些该死的树荫，那么在圣尼古拉的徒弟(注)扑到我身上来以前，我至少可以先看到他！” -------- (注)据说，圣尼古拉是盗贼的保护神，因此“圣尼古拉的徒弟”习惯上即指盗贼。 这样，葛四加紧了步子，想尽早走出巷子，来到空旷的平地上，可是他命中注定达不到这个目的。他刚走到巷子的另一头，从旁边茂密的矮树丛中蓦地跳出了四条大汉，而且正如他提心吊胆预料的，一边两个，从路两旁一下子扑到他身上，紧紧抓住了他，哪怕他想反抗，这时已经来不及了。“交出你的东西，”其中一个人说，“我们是劫富济贫的好汉，专门减轻每个人的负担的。” “你们要减轻我的负担可不那么容易，”葛四嘟哝道，他生性鲠直，哪怕刀架在脖子上也是不买账的，“只要我还有力气保护它，你们就休想得手。” “那就试试吧，”强盗说，又对他的伙伴道：“把这混蛋带走。我看他不光要丢掉他的钱袋，还想丢掉他的脑袋呢，那就让他两个一起丢吧。” 葛四乖乖地接受了这判决，给架走了。在几个强盗的押送下，他趔趔趄趄地迈过小巷左边的堤岸，来到了位在小巷和空旷的公地之间一片稀疏的丛林中。粗暴的押送人不容分说，强迫他走进丛林深处，然后在一块不规则的空地上突然站住，这里的树木间隔较大，因此月光可以从树枝和树叶中间倾泻而下。这时又来了两个人，显然也是他们一伙的。他们佩着短剑，手里拿着铁头木棍，现在葛四可以看到，所有这六个人都戴着面罩，那么他们是于什么的就可想而知了，尽管起先他还有些怀疑。 “乡巴佬，你有多少钱？”一个强盗问。 “三十枚金币，是我自己的，”葛四理直气壮地回答。 “这钱来路不明，”强盗们喊道，“一个撒克逊人带着三十枚金币，不去喝酒，却从镇上回家去！毫无疑问，应该立即没收他的全部财产。” “这是我的积蓄，预备赎身用的，我要自由，”葛四说。 “你是一头蠢驴，”一个强盗答道，“三夸脱双料麦酒就可以使你像你的主人一样自由了，对，如果他像你一样是撒克逊人，你还可以比他更自由。” “这是个不幸的事实，”葛回答道，“不过如果这三十枚金币可以从你们手里赎回我的自由，你们放开我的手，我把这些钱给你们就是了。” “慢着，”一个人说，他似乎是这伙人的头头，“你的钱袋藏在大褂里面，我看得出来，它很沉，不止你讲的那个数目。” “那是杰出的骑士，我的主人的，”葛回答道，“我当然不必提到它们，因为你们要的只是我自己的财产。” “你很老实，我保证，”强盗答道。“我们对圣尼古拉本来并不怎么虔诚，只要你对我们老老实实，说不定连你的三十枚金币，我们也不要呢。现在，请你把你代管的钱袋暂时交给我。”他一边这么说，一边就从葛四胸口把那只皮制大钱包掏了出来，丽贝卡给他的钱袋便与其他金币一起，放在这包里。那个强盗继续询问：“你的主人是谁？” “剥夺继承权的骑士，”葛回答道。 “今天在比武中赢得胜利的那个骑士？”强盗问。“他名叫什么，什么门第？” “他不愿公开他的姓名，”葛回答道，“当然，你们也甭想从我嘴里打听到什么。” “那么你自己的姓名和身分呢？” “这也不能告诉你，”葛四说，“否则就会暴露我主人的姓名了。” “你是个机灵的家伙，”强盗说，“不过这以后再讲。这些金币你的主人怎么弄到的？是他继承了财产，还是靠别的办法得到的？” “靠他的一枝熗得到的，”葛四答道。“这些袋子里装的薀旺匹战马和四套盔甲的赎金。” “一共多少数目？”强盗问。 “两百枚金币。” “仅仅两百枚金币！”强盗说。“你的主人对待打败的人太大方了，让他们占了便宜。报一下付金币的人的姓名。” 葛四照办了。 “圣殿骑士布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔的战马和盔甲——它们是多少赎金？你瞧，你别想欺骗我。” “我的主人不要圣殿骑士的赎金，噶回答道，“只要他的性命。他们讲好要进行一场生死搏斗，没有别的交易可做。” “是啊！”强盗说，停了一会又重复了一遍。“那么你带着这些托你保管的钱，跑到阿什贝镇来干什么？” “我是上那儿找约克的犹太人以撒付钱的，”葛四答道，“那是一套盔甲的钱，也就是今天比武大会上我主人穿的那套，它是向犹太人借的。” “你付了以撒多少钱？从袋子的重量看，我想，那里面仍有两百枚金币呢。” “我付给了以撒八十枚金币，”撒克逊人说，“他又退回了我一百枚。” “怎么！什么！”所有的强盗异口同声喊了起来，“你敢跟我们开玩笑，拿这种混帐话糊弄我们？” “我讲的句句是真话，”葛四说，“真得像天上的月亮一样。你们瞧好了，皮钱包里还有一只丝钱袋，钱袋里就是那个数，它们跟其他金币不在一起。” “老兄，你倒想想，”头领说，“你讲的是一个犹太人，一个以色列人，他们像干燥的沙漠，旅人把一杯水泼在沙漠上，马上会给它吸干，犹太人也这样，他能把金币还给你吗？” “他们从来不发善心，”另一个强盗说，“就像税务官不会不受贿一样。” “不过我讲的都是真话，”葛四说。 “马上点个火来，”头领说，“我得检查一下这只钱袋，如果真像这家伙说的，犹太人发了善心，那么这确实是奇迹，就像他们的祖先能从盘石里打出活命的水来一样(注)。” -------- (注)以色列人逃出埃及时，到了旷野中没有水喝，口出怨言，摩西便用手中的枝击打盘石，盘石便流出了水来，见《约•出埃及记》第17章。 于是火点亮了，那个强盗开始检查钱包。其余的人都围在他身边，甚至那两个抓住葛四的人也松了手，伸长脖子争看检查的结果。葛四利用他们没抓紧的机会，立即用足力气，挣脱了身子；他本可逃跑，要是他肯丢下主人的钱财不管，可是他不愿这么做，只从一个人手里夺下一根木棍，朝头领脑袋上打去，后者没有提防他这一着，差点给他抢走皮包和钱。不过这些强盗手脚麻利，立刻又抓住了忠心的葛四，夺回了钱袋。 “混蛋！”头领说，从地上爬了起来，“你打破了我的头，这样的事要是犯在别人手里，他们就不会像我这么客气了。至于我们怎么对付你，你马上就会知道。首先让我们谈谈你的主人——按照骑士制度的法则，骑士问题得优先处理，然后解决扈从的事。现在请你站稳一些，如果你再胡来，我就叫你一辈子休想再动弹一下。伙计们！”他对着他的同伴们继续道，“这钱袋上绣着希伯来字，我完全相信这个乡巴佬讲的是真话。那个流浪的骑士，他的主人，可以不必在我们这儿留下买路钱。他与我们是同路人，我们不能剥夺他的钱财，因为同类不能互相残害，要知道，现在狼和狐狸还在我们周围为非作歹。” “同类人！”一个强盗开口道，“我倒想问问，这是什么道理。” “怎么，你这傻瓜，”头领答道，“他不是剥夺了继承权，与我们一样穷吗？他不是与我们一样，也得靠自己的剑维持生活吗？他不是打败了牛面将军和马尔沃辛，做了我们也要做的事吗？他与我们有充分理由害怕的布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔，不也是誓不两立的仇敌吗？要是这还不够，难道你要我们比一个不信基督的犹太佬良心更坏吗？” “当然不，那太丢脸了，”另一个人叨咕道，“不过从前我跟硬汉子老首迪林干的时候，我们从不讲什么良心。这个乡下人这么傲慢，难道我们不教训他一下，便放他走不成？” “那倒不是，只要你能教训他，”头领回答。接着他对葛四继续道：“喂，你这家伙，刚才你一下子就夺下了一根木棍，你能使不能使啊？” “我想，”葛四说，“这个问题最好问你自己。” “对，说实话，你给了我狠狠一棍，”头领答道，“现在你就给这家伙也来一下，如果得手，我们便放你过去，不难为你；如果赢不了，那么……可你是个死不服输的无赖，那么恐怕只得我替你付买路钱了。拿起你的棍子，磨坊老板(注)。”他又说，“保护好你的脑袋；还有你们这些人，放开那家伙，也给他一根木棍；好在这儿很亮，正可以让你们较量一番。” -------- (注)这是罗宾汉一个伙伴的诨名，在有关罗宾汉的故事中屡屡提到，但真实姓名已无从查考。 两个勇士同样拿起铁头木棍，跨前几步，走到了空地中央，那里月光照耀得如同白昼。其余的人嘻嘻哈哈，在旁边看热闹，一边朝他们的伙伴大喊：“磨坊老板，当心你的脑袋瓜子。”这时，磨坊老板已握住木棍中部，按照法国人所说的“风车方式”，把它在头顶上抡得转个不停，一边气势汹汹地大喊：“来吧，乡巴佬，有种的就上来，尝尝你磨坊老爷手上的力气！” “如果你真是磨坊老板，”葛四答道，毫不气馁，同样熟练地把木棍在头顶抢得刷刷直响，“那么你是双料的强盗，可我是个真正的人，根本不把你放在眼里。” 两人一边呐喊，一边靠拢，打了几分钟谁也没有得手，从管力、勇气和武艺看都不分上下；他们一会儿招架，一会儿反击，两根棍子快得像飞一样，只听得它们噼噼啪啪的碰击声，要是有人站在远处，一定会以为至少边边都有六个人在对打。没这么顽强，甚至没这么危险的格斗，都得到了英雄诗篇的描绘，偏偏葛四和磨坊老板的这场鏖战却无人汇歌，这只因为还没有神圣的诗人对它千变万化的表现引起足够的重视。尽管木棍比武已不时兴(注)，我们还得竭尽所能，用散文为这两位勇敢的斗士作些记载。 -------- (注)铁头木棍是英国农民的传统武器，以罗宾汉为首的侠盗大多出身农民，因此这成了他们的主要武器，每人几乎都随身携带。 他们打了好久，还是不分胜负；磨坊老板发现自己遇到了旗鼓相当的敌手，又听得同伴们在取笑他——因为在这种场合，总是他越焦急，他们越觉得有趣——这样，他终于沉不住气，可是这种心情对高尚的木棍比武，也像对一般的棍棒比赛一样不利，这时绝对的冷静是必要的，这给了意志坚定，但相当沉着的葛四可乘之机，他的能耐也得到了充分发挥，以致他占了明显的优势。 磨坊老板暴跳如雷，用木棍的两头轮流向前猛攻，竭力想使距离缩短到半根木棍那么长，可是葛四仍把握在木棍上的双手分开一码左右，一边挡住对方的攻击，一边用最快的速度旋转木棍，保护脑袋和身体。这样，他既达到了防御目的，又使他的眼睛和手脚保持着正确的节奏，终于看准对方的失着，用左手举起木棍朝他虚晃一记，趁磨坊老板急于挡开这一击的时机，把右手溜到左手那里，抡起整条木棍，使劲朝对方打去，从左边击中了他的脑袋，让他直挺挺地躺到了草地上。 “打得好，像个英国农民！”强盗们齐声喝彩，“公平的比赛万岁！古老的英格兰万岁！这个撒克逊人保住了他的钱袋，也保住了他的脑袋，磨坊老板碰到对头啦。” “你可以走你的路了，朋友，”头领向葛四说，用这种特殊的方式对众人的欢呼表示了赞同，“我派两个伙计给你带路，让你可以尽快回到你主人的帐篷，同时也保护你，免得再遇到夜游神的袭击，要知道，有的人可不像我们这么慈悲心肠。在这种漆黑的夜里，到处都有那些人在溜达呢。不过，听着，”他又严厉地说，“请你记住，你没告诉我们你的名字，你也不要打听我们的名字，不要想知道我们是谁，是于什么的、如果你不听劝告，下次碰到我们，你就不会这么便宜了。” 葛四感谢了头领的以礼相待，答应一定记住他的忠告。两个强盗拿了木棍，叮嘱葛四紧紧跟在他们后面，便迈开双腿，沿着一条小径朝前直走。小径得通过树丛和毗连的一块空地，在树丛边上，有两个人与向导小声谈了几句，听了回答，便返回树林，放他们通过了，没有难为他。这情形使葛四相信，他遇到的那伙强人力量很大，他们聚会的地点周围都布置着正规的岗哨。 他们来到了一片野草丛生的荒原，要不是有人带路，葛四便可能迷失方向；这以后两个强盗领着他直奔一块高地，到了山顶，他已从月光中望见，比武场的栅栏铺展在他的脚下，场子两头的帐篷闪闪发亮，它们旁边的燕尾旗不断飘拂，还能隐隐听到，值夜的哨兵们为了消磨漫漫长夜低低哼唱的小曲。 这时两个强盗站住了。 “我们不再陪你朝前走了，”他们说，“否则就不安全了。记住我们给你的警告，对你今夜遇到的事必须严守秘密，免得后悔莫及；别把我们的话当作耳边风，要不，伦敦塔(注)也不能在我们的报复面前保护你。” -------- (注)伦敦塔，英国的皇家要塞，威廉一世时开始兴建，十七世纪前一直为王室住地，戒备森严。 “晚安，好心的朋友，”葛四说，“你们的嘱咐我会记住；相信我，我对你们并无恶意，只是希望你们能干些更安全、更有益的买卖。” 他们就这样分手了，强盗从他们来的路上回去，葛四则朝他主人的帐篷直跑；不过尽管他接受过谆谆告诫，他还是把这晚上的全部经过告诉了他的主人。 剥夺继承权的骑士听得目瞪口呆，然而丽贝卡的慷慨馈赠，他不打算接受，强盗们的宽宏大量也使他大惑不解，觉得这与他平素听到的他们的作为完全背道而驰。但是这些奇遇引起的思索没有继续下去，他必须好好休息，这对恢复一天的疲劳和养精蓄锐迎接明夭的战斗，都是不可缺少的。 帐篷中设有一张华丽的卧榻，于是骑士躺下去休息了；忠实的葛四则在帐篷门口铺上一块熊皮，仿佛地毯似的，他便伸直劳累的四肢躺在那里，这样，任何人不惊醒他就无法入内。

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Chapter 12
The heralds left their pricking up and down, Now ringen trumpets loud and clarion. There is no more to say, but east and west, In go the speares sadly in the rest, In goth the sharp spur into the side, There see men who can just and who can ride; There shiver shaftes upon shieldes thick, He feeleth through the heart-spone the prick; Up springen speares, twenty feet in height, Out go the swordes to the silver bright; The helms they to-hewn and to-shred; Out burst the blood with stern streames red. Chaucer.
Morning arose in unclouded splendour, and ere the sun was much above the horizon, the idlest or the most eager of the spectators appeared on the common, moving to the lists as to a general centre, in order to secure a favourable situation for viewing the continuation of the expected games.
The marshals and their attendants appeared next on the field, together with the heralds, for the purpose of receiving the names of the knights who intended to joust, with the side which each chose to espouse. This was a necessary precaution, in order to secure equality betwixt the two bodies who should be opposed to each other.
According to due formality, the Disinherited Knight was to be considered as leader of the one body, while Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who had been rated as having done second-best in the preceding day, was named first champion of the other band. Those who had concurred in the challenge adhered to his party of course, excepting only Ralph de Vipont, whom his fall had rendered unfit so soon to put on his armour. There was no want of distinguished and noble candidates to fill up the ranks on either side.
In fact, although the general tournament, in which all knights fought at once, was more dangerous than single encounters, they were, nevertheless, more frequented and practised by the chivalry of the age. Many knights, who had not sufficient confidence in their own skill to defy a single adversary of high reputation, were, nevertheless, desirous of displaying their valour in the general combat, where they might meet others with whom they were more upon an equality. On the present occasion, about fifty knights were inscribed as desirous of combating upon each side, when the marshals declared that no more could be admitted, to the disappointment of several who were too late in preferring their claim to be included.
About the hour of ten o'clock, the whole plain was crowded with horsemen, horsewomen, and foot-passengers, hastening to the tournament; and shortly after, a grand flourish of trumpets announced Prince John and his retinue, attended by many of those knights who meant to take share in the game, as well as others who had no such intention.
About the same time arrived Cedric the Saxon, with the Lady Rowena, unattended, however, by Athelstane. This Saxon lord had arrayed his tall and strong person in armour, in order to take his place among the combatants; and, considerably to the surprise of Cedric, had chosen to enlist himself on the part of the Knight Templar. The Saxon, indeed, had remonstrated strongly with his friend upon the injudicious choice he had made of his party; but he had only received that sort of answer usually given by those who are more obstinate in following their own course, than strong in justifying it.
His best, if not his only reason, for adhering to the party of Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Athelstane had the prudence to keep to himself. Though his apathy of disposition prevented his taking any means to recommend himself to the Lady Rowena, he was, nevertheless, by no means insensible to her charms, and considered his union with her as a matter already fixed beyond doubt, by the assent of Cedric and her other friends. It had therefore been with smothered displeasure that the proud though indolent Lord of Coningsburgh beheld the victor of the preceding day select Rowena as the object of that honour which it became his privilege to confer. In order to punish him for a preference which seemed to interfere with his own suit, Athelstane, confident of his strength, and to whom his flatterers, at least, ascribed great skill in arms, had determined not only to deprive the Disinherited Knight of his powerful succour, but, if an opportunity should occur, to make him feel the weight of his battle-axe.
De Bracy, and other knights attached to Prince John, in obedience to a hint from him, had joined the party of the challengers, John being desirous to secure, if possible, the victory to that side. On the other hand, many other knights, both English and Norman, natives and strangers, took part against the challengers, the more readily that the opposite band was to be led by so distinguished a champion as the Disinherited Knight had approved himself.
As soon as Prince John observed that the destined Queen of the day had arrived upon the field, assuming that air of courtesy which sat well upon him when he was pleased to exhibit it, he rode forward to meet her, doffed his bonnet, and, alighting from his horse, assisted the Lady Rowena from her saddle, while his followers uncovered at the same time, and one of the most distinguished dismounted to hold her palfrey.
"It is thus," said Prince John, "that we set the dutiful example of loyalty to the Queen of Love and Beauty, and are ourselves her guide to the throne which she must this day occupy.---Ladies," he said, "attend your Queen, as you wish in your turn to be distinguished by like honours."
So saying, the Prince marshalled Rowena to the seat of honour opposite his own, while the fairest and most distinguished ladies present crowded after her to obtain places as near as possible to their temporary sovereign.
No sooner was Rowena seated, than a burst of music, half-drowned by the shouts of the multitude, greeted her new dignity. Meantime, the sun shone fierce and bright upon the polished arms of the knights of either side, who crowded the opposite extremities of the lists, and held eager conference together concerning the best mode of arranging their line of battle, and supporting the conflict.
The heralds then proclaimed silence until the laws of the tourney should be rehearsed. These were calculated in some degree to abate the dangers of the day; a precaution the more necessary, as the conflict was to be maintained with sharp swords and pointed lances.
The champions were therefore prohibited to thrust with the sword, and were confined to striking. A knight, it was announced, might use a mace or battle-axe at pleasure, but the dagger was a prohibited weapon. A knight unhorsed might renew the fight on foot with any other on the opposite side in the same predicament; but mounted horsemen were in that case forbidden to assail him. When any knight could force his antagonist to the extremity of the lists, so as to touch the palisade with his person or arms, such opponent was obliged to yield himself vanquished, and his armour and horse were placed at the disposal of the conqueror. A knight thus overcome was not permitted to take farther share in the combat. If any combatant was struck down, and unable to recover his feet, his squire or page might enter the lists, and drag his master out of the press; but in that case the knight was adjudged vanquished, and his arms and horse declared forfeited. The combat was to cease as soon as Prince John should throw down his leading staff, or truncheon; another precaution usually taken to prevent the unnecessary effusion of blood by the too long endurance of a sport so desperate. Any knight breaking the rules of the tournament, or otherwise transgressing the rules of honourable chivalry, was liable to be stript of his arms, and, having his shield reversed to be placed in that posture astride upon the bars of the palisade, and exposed to public derision, in punishment of his unknightly conduct. Having announced these precautions, the heralds concluded with an exhortation to each good knight to do his duty, and to merit favour from the Queen of Beauty and of Love.
This proclamation having been made, the heralds withdrew to their stations. The knights, entering at either end of the lists in long procession, arranged themselves in a double file, precisely opposite to each other, the leader of each party being in the centre of the foremost rank, a post which he did not occupy until each had carefully marshalled the ranks of his party, and stationed every one in his place.
It was a goodly, and at the same time an anxious, sight, to behold so many gallant champions, mounted bravely, and armed richly, stand ready prepared for an encounter so formidable, seated on their war-saddles like so many pillars of iron, and awaiting the signal of encounter with the same ardour as their generous steeds, which, by neighing and pawing the ground, gave signal of their impatience.
As yet the knights held their long lances upright, their bright points glancing to the sun, and the streamers with which they were decorated fluttering over the plumage of the helmets. Thus they remained while the marshals of the field surveyed their ranks with the utmost exactness, lest either party had more or fewer than the appointed number. The tale was found exactly complete. The marshals then withdrew from the lists, and William de Wyvil, with a voice of thunder, pronounced the signal words --"Laissez aller!" The trumpets sounded as he spoke---the spears of the champions were at once lowered and placed in the rests ---the spurs were dashed into the flanks of the horses, and the two foremost ranks of either party rushed upon each other in full gallop, and met in the middle of the lists with a shock, the sound of which was heard at a mile's distance. The rear rank of each party advanced at a slower pace to sustain the defeated, and follow up the success of the victors of their party.
The consequences of the encounter were not instantly seen, for the dust raised by the trampling of so many steeds darkened the air, and it was a minute ere the anxious spectator could see the fate of the encounter. When the fight became visible, half the knights on each side were dismounted, some by the dexterity of their adversary's lance,---some by the superior weight and strength of opponents, which had borne down both horse and man, ---some lay stretched on earth as if never more to rise,---some had already gained their feet, and were closing hand to hand with those of their antagonists who were in the same predicament, ---and several on both sides, who had received wounds by which they were disabled, were stopping their blood by their scarfs, and endeavouring to extricate themselves from the tumult. The mounted knights, whose lances had been almost all broken by the fury of the encounter, were now closely engaged with their swords, shouting their war-cries, and exchanging buffets, as if honour and life depended on the issue of the combat.
The tumult was presently increased by the advance of the second rank on either side, which, acting as a reserve, now rushed on to aid their companions. The followers of Brian de Bois-Guilbert shouted ---"Ha! Beau-seant! Beau-seant!*
* "Beau-seant" was the name of the Templars' banner, which * was half black, half white, to intimate, it is said, that * they were candid and fair towards Christians, but black * and terrible towards infidels.
"--- For the Temple---For the Temple!" The opposite party shouted in answer---"Desdichado! Desdichado!"---which watch-word they took from the motto upon their leader's shield.
The champions thus encountering each other with the utmost fury, and with alternate success, the tide of battle seemed to flow now toward the southern, now toward the northern extremity of the lists, as the one or the other party prevailed. Meantime the clang of the blows, and the shouts of the combatants, mixed fearfully with the sound of the trumpets, and drowned the groans of those who fell, and lay rolling defenceless beneath the feet of the horses. The splendid armour of the combatants was now defaced with dust and blood, and gave way at every stroke of the sword and battle-axe. The gay plumage, shorn from the crests, drifted upon the breeze like snow-flakes. All that was beautiful and graceful in the martial array had disappeared, and what was now visible was only calculated to awake terror or compassion.
Yet such is the force of habit, that not only the vulgar spectators, who are naturally attracted by sights of horror, but even the ladies of distinction who crowded the galleries, saw the conflict with a thrilling interest certainly, but without a wish to withdraw their eyes from a sight so terrible. Here and there, indeed, a fair cheek might turn pale, or a faint scream might be heard, as a lover, a brother, or a husband, was struck from his horse. But, in general, the ladies around encouraged the combatants, not only by clapping their hands and waving their veils and kerchiefs, but even by exclaiming, "Brave lance! Good sword!" when any successful thrust or blow took place under their observation.
Such being the interest taken by the fair sex in this bloody game, that of the men is the more easily understood. It showed itself in loud acclamations upon every change of fortune, while all eyes were so riveted on the lists, that the spectators seemed as if they themselves had dealt and received the blows which were there so freely bestowed. And between every pause was heard the voice of the heralds, exclaiming, "Fight on, brave knights! Man dies, but glory lives!---Fight on---death is better than defeat! ---Fight on, brave knights!---for bright eyes behold your deeds!"
Amid the varied fortunes of the combat, the eyes of all endeavoured to discover the leaders of each band, who, mingling in the thick of the fight, encouraged their companions both by voice and example. Both displayed great feats of gallantry, nor did either Bois-Guilbert or the Disinherited Knight find in the ranks opposed to them a champion who could be termed their unquestioned match. They repeatedly endeavoured to single out each other, spurred by mutual animosity, and aware that the fall of either leader might be considered as decisive of victory. Such, however, was the crowd and confusion, that, during the earlier part of the conflict, their efforts to meet were unavailing, and they were repeatedly separated by the eagerness of their followers, each of whom was anxious to win honour, by measuring his strength against the leader of the opposite party.
But when the field became thin by the numbers on either side who had yielded themselves vanquished, had been compelled to the extremity of the lists, or been otherwise rendered incapable of continuing the strife, the Templar and the Disinherited Knight at length encountered hand to hand, with all the fury that mortal animosity, joined to rivalry of honour, could inspire. Such was the address of each in parrying and striking, that the spectators broke forth into a unanimous and involuntary shout, expressive of their delight and admiration.
But at this moment the party of the Disinherited Knight had the worst; the gigantic arm of Front-de-Boeuf on the one flank, and the ponderous strength of Athelstane on the other, bearing down and dispersing those immediately exposed to them. Finding themselves freed from their immediate antagonists, it seems to have occurred to both these knights at the same instant, that they would render the most decisive advantage to their party, by aiding the Templar in his contest with his rival. Turning their horses, therefore, at the same moment, the Norman spurred against the Disinherited Knight on the one side, and the Saxon on the other. It was utterly impossible that the object of this unequal and unexpected assault could have sustained it, had he not been warned by a general cry from the spectators, who could not but take interest in one exposed to such disadvantage.
"Beware! beware! Sir Disinherited!" was shouted so universally, that the knight became aware of his danger; and, striking a full blow at the Templar, he reined back his steed in the same moment, so as to escape the charge of Athelstane and Front-de-Boeuf. These knights, therefore, their aim being thus eluded, rushed from opposite sides betwixt the object of their attack and the Templar, almost running their horses against each other ere they could stop their career. Recovering their horses however, and wheeling them round, the whole three pursued their united purpose of bearing to the earth the Disinherited Knight.
Nothing could have saved him, except the remarkable strength and activity of the noble horse which he had won on the preceding day.
This stood him in the more stead, as the horse of Bois-Guilbert was wounded, and those of Front-de-Boeuf and Athelstane were both tired with the weight of their gigantic masters, clad in complete armour, and with the preceding exertions of the day. The masterly horsemanship of the Disinherited Knight, and the activity of the noble animal which he mounted, enabled him for a few minutes to keep at sword's point his three antagonists, turning and wheeling with the agility of a hawk upon the wing, keeping his enemies as far separate as he could, and rushing now against the one, now against the other, dealing sweeping blows with his sword, without waiting to receive those which were aimed at him in return.
But although the lists rang with the applauses of his dexterity, it was evident that he must at last be overpowered; and the nobles around Prince John implored him with one voice to throw down his warder, and to save so brave a knight from the disgrace of being overcome by odds.
"Not I, by the light of Heaven!" answered Prince John; "this same springald, who conceals his name, and despises our proffered hospitality, hath already gained one prize, and may now afford to let others have their turn." As he spoke thus, an unexpected incident changed the fortune of the day.
There was among the ranks of the Disinherited Knight a champion in black armour, mounted on a black horse, large of size, tall, and to all appearance powerful and strong, like the rider by whom he was mounted, This knight, who bore on his shield no device of any kind, had hitherto evinced very little interest in the event of the fight, beating off with seeming ease those combatants who attacked him, but neither pursuing his advantages, nor himself assailing any one. In short, he had hitherto acted the part rather of a spectator than of a party in the tournament, a circumstance which procured him among the spectators the name of "Le Noir Faineant", or the Black Sluggard.
At once this knight seemed to throw aside his apathy, when he discovered the leader of his party so hard bestead; for, setting spurs to his horse, which was quite fresh, he came to his assistance like a thunderbolt, exclaiming, in a voice like a trumpet-call, "Desdichado, to the rescue!" It was high time; for, while the Disinherited Knight was pressing upon the Templar, Front-de-Boeuf had got nigh to him with his uplifted sword; but ere the blow could descend, the Sable Knight dealt a stroke on his head, which, glancing from the polished helmet, lighted with violence scarcely abated on the "chamfron" of the steed, and Front-de-Boeuf rolled on the ground, both horse and man equally stunned by the fury of the blow. "Le Noir Faineant" then turned his horse upon Athelstane of Coningsburgh; and his own sword having been broken in his encounter with Front-de-Boeuf, he wrenched from the hand of the bulky Saxon the battle-axe which he wielded, and, like one familiar with the use of the weapon, bestowed him such a blow upon the crest, that Athelstane also lay senseless on the field. Having achieved this double feat, for which he was the more highly applauded that it was totally unexpected from him, the knight seemed to resume the sluggishness of his character, returning calmly to the northern extremity of the lists, leaving his leader to cope as he best could with Brian de Bois-Guilbert. This was no longer matter of so much difficulty as formerly. The Templars horse had bled much, and gave way under the shock of the Disinherited Knight's charge. Brian de Bois-Guilbert rolled on the field, encumbered with the stirrup, from which he was unable to draw his foot. His antagonist sprung from horseback, waved his fatal sword over the head of his adversary, and commanded him to yield himself; when Prince John, more moved by the Templars dangerous situation than he had been by that of his rival, saved him the mortification of confessing himself vanquished, by casting down his warder, and putting an end to the conflict.
It was, indeed, only the relics and embers of the fight which continued to burn; for of the few knights who still continued in the lists, the greater part had, by tacit consent, forborne the conflict for some time, leaving it to be determined by the strife of the leaders.
The squires, who had found it a matter of danger and difficulty to attend their masters during the engagement, now thronged into the lists to pay their dutiful attendance to the wounded, who were removed with the utmost care and attention to the neighbouring pavilions, or to the quarters prepared for them in the adjoining village.
Thus ended the memorable field of Ashby-de-la-Zouche, one of the most gallantly contested tournaments of that age; for although only four knights, including one who was smothered by the heat of his armour, had died upon the field, yet upwards of thirty were desperately wounded, four or five of whom never recovered. Several more were disabled for life; and those who escaped best carried the marks of the conflict to the grave with them. Hence it is always mentioned in the old records, as the Gentle and Joyous Passage of Arms of Ashby.
It being now the duty of Prince John to name the knight who had done best, he determined that the honour of the day remained with the knight whom the popular voice had termed "Le Noir Faineant." It was pointed out to the Prince, in impeachment of this decree, that the victory had been in fact won by the Disinherited Knight, who, in the course of the day, had overcome six champions with his own hand, and who had finally unhorsed and struck down the leader of the opposite party. But Prince John adhered to his own opinion, on the ground that the Disinherited Knight and his party had lost the day, but for the powerful assistance of the Knight of the Black Armour, to whom, therefore, he persisted in awarding the prize.
To the surprise of all present, however, the knight thus preferred was nowhere to be found. He had left the lists immediately when the conflict ceased, and had been observed by some spectators to move down one of the forest glades with the same slow pace and listless and indifferent manner which had procured him the epithet of the Black Sluggard. After he had been summoned twice by sound of trumpet, and proclamation of the heralds, it became necessary to name another to receive the honours which had been assigned to him. Prince John had now no further excuse for resisting the claim of the Disinherited Knight, whom, therefore, he named the champion of the day.
Through a field slippery with blood, and encumbered with broken armour and the bodies of slain and wounded horses, the marshals of the lists again conducted the victor to the foot of Prince John's throne.
"Disinherited Knight," said Prince John, "since by that title only you will consent to be known to us, we a second time award to you the honours of this tournament, and announce to you your right to claim and receive from the hands of the Queen of Love and Beauty, the Chaplet of Honour which your valour has justly deserved." The Knight bowed low and gracefully, but returned no answer.
While the trumpets sounded, while the heralds strained their voices in proclaiming honour to the brave and glory to the victor ---while ladies waved their silken kerchiefs and embroidered veils, and while all ranks joined in a clamorous shout of exultation, the marshals conducted the Disinherited Knight across the lists to the foot of that throne of honour which was occupied by the Lady Rowena.
On the lower step of this throne the champion was made to kneel down. Indeed his whole action since the fight had ended, seemed rather to have been upon the impulse of those around him than from his own free will; and it was observed that he tottered as they guided him the second time across the lists. Rowena, descending from her station with a graceful and dignified step, was about to place the chaplet which she held in her hand upon the helmet of the champion, when the marshals exclaimed with one voice, "It must not be thus---his head must be bare." The knight muttered faintly a few words, which were lost in the hollow of his helmet, but their purport seemed to be a desire that his casque might not be removed.
Whether from love of form, or from curiosity, the marshals paid no attention to his expressions of reluctance, but unhelmed him by cutting the laces of his casque, and undoing the fastening of his gorget. When the helmet was removed, the well-formed, yet sun-burnt features of a young man of twenty-five were seen, amidst a profusion of short fair hair. His countenance was as pale as death, and marked in one or two places with streaks of blood.
Rowena had no sooner beheld him than she uttered a faint shriek; but at once summoning up the energy of her disposition, and compelling herself, as it were, to proceed, while her frame yet trembled with the violence of sudden emotion, she placed upon the drooping head of the victor the splendid chaplet which was the destined reward of the day, and pronounced, in a clear and distinct tone, these words: "I bestow on thee this chaplet, Sir Knight, as the meed of valour assigned to this day's victor:" Here she paused a moment, and then firmly added, "And upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry never be placed!"
The knight stooped his head, and kissed the hand of the lovely Sovereign by whom his valour had been rewarded; and then, sinking yet farther forward, lay prostrate at her feet.
There was a general consternation. Cedric, who had been struck mute by the sudden appearance of his banished son, now rushed forward, as if to separate him from Rowena. But this had been already accomplished by the marshals of the field, who, guessing the cause of Ivanhoe's swoon, had hastened to undo his armour, and found that the head of a lance had penetrated his breastplate, and inflicted a wound in his side.

典礼官不再来回驰骋，
号角和喇叭终于吹响，
其余不需多讲，只说三又方东西对阵，
熗矛森严，摆好了冲锋的架势，
踢马刺频频击打马腹，
谁能厮打，谁善骑马，这时一目了然；
熗杆在厚实的盾牌上震颤，
有人发觉熗尖刺进了胸骨；
长矛飞起离地二十英尺，
刀剑出鞘舞成白花花一片；
帽盔有的劈成两半，有的变为碎片；
血如涌泉汇成了恐怖的红流。
乔叟(注)
--------
(注)引自乔叟的《坎特伯雷故事集》中《骑士的故事》。
曙光刚在灿烂无云的碧空中出现，太阳刚从地平线上冉冉升起，不论最懒惰的还是最热心的观众，便已来到大路上，纷纷向比武场这个共同的中心汇集，以便找到一个称心如意的位置，继续观看万众瞩目的比赛。
接着，警卫督察和他们的部属，也到达了场内，会同典礼官登记要求参加比武的骑士的姓名，以及他们希望参加的一方。这是必要的准备，可以保证比赛双方人数相等。
按照规定，剥夺继承权的骑士应该充当一方的带头人，布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔在前一天排在第二名，他便被指定为另一方的首席斗士。那些与他一起担任挑战者的人，当然便属于他这一边，只有拉尔夫•维庞特不在其内，因为他摔下马背时受了伤，不宜立即穿上盔甲。反正场上有的是武艺高强的优秀骑士，可以补充双方的队伍。
事实上，团体比武虽然是所有的骑士同时上场，危险比单人比赛更大，可是在当时却是更常见的比武方式。许多骑士对自己的武艺缺乏信心，不敢与素负盛名的骑士单独比赛，便想在共同的战斗中显露头角，指望在那里找到旗鼓相当的对手。在目前这场合，登记参加比武的，每一边大约已多达五十人，于是警卫督察宣布停止报名，致使那些稍迟提出要求的，只得向隅了。
到了十点钟左右，整个平原上，骑马和步行的男女老少已到处可见，大家都在匆匆奔赴比武大会；过了不久，响亮的号音宣告了约翰亲王和他的随员的到达，无数将要参加比武或者不打算参加的骑士簇拥在他们后面。
大约与此同时，撒克逊人塞德里克也到达了，他带着罗文娜小姐，然而阿特尔斯坦没有与他们在一起。这位撒克逊贵族已在高大强壮的身体上：穿好了盔甲，准备在比武中占有一席位置；令塞德里克大吃一惊的是，他报名参加的却是圣殿骑士一边。确实，塞德里克对这位朋友提出了强烈抗议，认为他的选择简直不可理喻、但得到的不是合理的解释，只是一意孤行的人通常作出的固执回答。
其实阿特尔斯坦选择布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔一边是有原因的，即使这不是唯一的，也是他最充足的理由，只是为了谨慎，他不愿公开而已。原来尽管他疏懒成性，从来不屑以任何方式向罗文娜小姐表示爱慕之意，他对她的美貌绝不是无动于衷的，而且认为他与她的结合，早已得到塞德里克和她的其他亲属首肯，因而已是确定无疑的事。因此前一天的优胜者选择罗文娜作女王时，这位自负而又懒散的科宁斯堡领主不免闷闷不乐，认为只有他才有资格授予她这种荣誉。就为了这个原因，阿特尔斯坦决定要惩罚那个侵犯了他的特权的优胜者。他相信自己力大无穷，奉承他的人至少还夸赞他武艺超群，这使他不仅不愿让剥夺继承权的骑士得到他的强大支援，而且在机会许可时，还要叫他尝尝自己那把战斧的威力。
德布拉西和约翰亲王身边的其他骑士，遵照他的示意，参加了挑战者一边；亲王决心尽可能帮助这一边取得胜利。另一方面，其他许多武士，包括英格兰人和诺曼人，本地人和外来人，却参加了反对挑战者的一边；因为大家看到，这一边是由剥夺继承权的骑士领头的，这个杰出的勇士的英勇无敌，在前一天的比赛中已得到证实。
约翰亲王一看到这天选定的女王到达比武场，立刻装出一副彬彬有礼的神气迎了上去；在他需要表现这种脸色的时候，那是轻而易举的，他摘下帽子，从马上下来，把罗文娜小姐搀下了马鞍；这时他的随从们也纷纷摘下帽子，一个最显赫的官员还跨下马背，牵住了她的小马。
“我们就是这么作出表率，让大家知道应该怎样效忠于爱和美的女王的，”约翰亲王说，“我还要亲自引导她登上她今天理应占有的宝座呢。小姐们，”他又说，“好好侍候你们的女王，你们将来也是有希望获得这样的荣誉的。”
亲王一边这么说，一边便带领罗文娜，登上了他对面看台上的宝座；那些天仙美女般的阔小姐簇拥在她后面，也一个个占有了各自的位置，尽可能靠近这位临时女王。
罗文娜坐下不久，音乐便开始演奏了，但是群众为她新的尊贵身分发出的欢呼更响，湮没了一半乐声。这时，太阳射出的强烈光线，已把两边骑士的武器照得闪闪发亮。他们拥挤在场子两端，正在热烈讨论怎样安排各自的阵容，以及迎接战斗的最好方式。
然后典礼官请大家肃静，宣读了比武的规则。在一定程度上，它们是为了减少今天比武的危险性——由于比武是用锋利的刀剑和熗矛进行的，这种预防措施更其必要。
根据规则，比武时不得用剑冲刺，只限于砍劈。骑士们可以随自己爱好，使用钉头锤或战斧，但禁止使用匕首。参战者被打下马背，可以在地上与处于同样不利状态的对手继续战斗，但骑在马上的人这时不得向他发起攻击。任何骑士只要把对方逼到场子一端，使他的身体或武器碰到栅栏，这个对手便必须承认自己输了，他的盔甲和战马便得听任胜利者处置。一个这样被打败的骑士，不准继续参加战斗。任何战斗者被打落马以后，不能重新站起的，他的扈从或侍仆可以进入场内，将他们的主人扶出人群；但在这种情况下，该骑士便应裁定为战败者，他的武器和战马均应没收。在约翰亲王掷下他的指挥棒或权杖后，战斗便得立即停止——这是通常采取的又一防范措施，以免激烈的对抗拖得时间太长，引起不必要的流血。任何骑士违反了比武规则，或者在其他方面背离了骑士的光荣准则，应被解除武装，并把他的盾牌倒置在栅栏的木柱上示众，供人们嘲笑，这是对不符合骑士身分的行为的惩罚。在宣布了这些纪律之后，典礼官便告诫骑士们应恪守本分，以赢得爱和美的女王的恩宠。
宣讲完毕，典礼官们随即退回了各自的位置。接着，骑士们分别从两头的栅栏外鱼贯入场，排成两行，双方相对站立，每一边的带头人站在前排的中央，但他必须等自己的队伍排列整齐，每人都到位之后，才得进入那个位置。
这真是蔚为大观、引人入胜的场面，那么多英姿飒爽的勇士全身披挂，作好了进行一场生死搏斗的准备，昂首挺胸骑在马上一动不动，仿佛一根根铁的柱子；那些雄壮的战马也喷着鼻息，用蹄子刨着泥土，似乎已等得不耐烦了；但等一声令下，这些人和马便会同样奋不顾身地投入战斗。
然而目前，骑士们的长熗还直举着，明亮的熗尖朝着太阳，装饰在长熗上的飘带在帽盔的翎毛上空飞舞。双方排好队伍之后，警卫督察便对他们进行最严格的检查，不让任何一方比规定的人数多一个或少一个。计数准确无误之后，督察们退出了场子，于是威廉•怀维尔以雷鸣般的嗓音宣布了号令：“开始！”话声刚落，号角顿时吹响了，战士们纷纷降下长熗，平举在手中，踢马刺迅速击打着马腹，于是前排的人马风驰电掣般冲向对方，两队人以排山倒海之势在场子中央相遇，发出了震耳欲聋的响声，连一英里外也能听到。对方的后排则以较慢的速度前进，以便支援战败者，或接应各自的战胜者。
交锋的结果不是一下子就能看清楚的；因为这么多战马扬起的尘士这没了一切，焦急的观众必须等一会才知道冲突的结局。当战斗可以看清时，双方已有一半骑士落下了马背——有的是由于对方的长熗来得太快，招架不住；有的则由于双方力量悬殊，无法抵挡，以致人仰马

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Chapter 13
"Heroes, approach!" Atrides thus aloud, "Stand forth distinguish'd from the circling crowd, Ye who by skill or manly force may claim, Your rivals to surpass and merit fame. This cow, worth twenty oxen, is decreed, For him who farthest sends the winged reed." Iliad
The name of Ivanhoe was no sooner pronounced than it flew from mouth to mouth, with all the celerity with which eagerness could convey and curiosity receive it. It was not long ere it reached the circle of the Prince, whose brow darkened as he heard the news. Looking around him, however, with an air of scorn, "My Lords," said he, "and especially you, Sir Prior, what think ye of the doctrine the learned tell us, concerning innate attractions and antipathies? Methinks that I felt the presence of my brother's minion, even when I least guessed whom yonder suit of armour enclosed."
"Front-de-Boeuf must prepare to restore his fief of Ivanhoe," said De Bracy, who, having discharged his part honourably in the tournament, had laid his shield and helmet aside, and again mingled with the Prince's retinue.
"Ay," answered Waldemar Fitzurse, "this gallant is likely to reclaim the castle and manor which Richard assigned to him, and which your Highness's generosity has since given to Front-de-Boeuf."
"Front-de-Boeuf," replied John, "is a man more willing to swallow three manors such as Ivanhoe, than to disgorge one of them. For the rest, sirs, I hope none here will deny my right to confer the fiefs of the crown upon the faithful followers who are around me, and ready to perform the usual military service, in the room of those who have wandered to foreign Countries, and can neither render homage nor service when called upon."
The audience were too much interested in the question not to pronounce the Prince's assumed right altogether indubitable. "A generous Prince!---a most noble Lord, who thus takes upon himself the task of rewarding his faithful followers!"
Such were the words which burst from the train, expectants all of them of similar grants at the expense of King Richard's followers and favourites, if indeed they had not as yet received such. Prior Aymer also assented to the general proposition, observing, however, "That the blessed Jerusalem could not indeed be termed a foreign country. She was 'communis mater'---the mother of all Christians. But he saw not," he declared, "how the Knight of Ivanhoe could plead any advantage from this, since he" (the Prior) "was assured that the crusaders, under Richard, had never proceeded much farther than Askalon, which, as all the world knew, was a town of the Philistines, and entitled to none of the privileges of the Holy City."
Waldemar, whose curiosity had led him towards the place where Ivanhoe had fallen to the ground, now returned. "The gallant," said he, "is likely to give your Highness little disturbance, and to leave Front-de-Boeuf in the quiet possession of his gains--he is severely wounded."
"Whatever becomes of him," said Prince John, "he is victor of the day; and were he tenfold our enemy, or the devoted friend of our brother, which is perhaps the same, his wounds must be looked to ---our own physician shall attend him."
A stern smile curled the Prince's lip as he spoke. Waldemar Fitzurse hastened to reply, that Ivanhoe was already removed from the lists, and in the custody of his friends.
"I was somewhat afflicted," he said, "to see the grief of the Queen of Love and Beauty, whose sovereignty of a day this event has changed into mourning. I am not a man to be moved by a woman's lament for her lover, but this same Lady Rowena suppressed her sorrow with such dignity of manner, that it could only be discovered by her folded hands, and her tearless eye, which trembled as it remained fixed on the lifeless form before her."
"Who is this Lady Rowena," said Prince John, "of whom we have heard so much?"
"A Saxon heiress of large possessions," replied the Prior Aymer; "a rose of loveliness, and a jewel of wealth; the fairest among a thousand, a bundle of myrrh, and a cluster of camphire."
"We shall cheer her sorrows," said Prince John, "and amend her blood, by wedding her to a Norman. She seems a minor, and must therefore be at our royal disposal in marriage.---How sayst thou, De Bracy? What thinkst thou of gaining fair lands and livings, by wedding a Saxon, after the fashion of the followers of the Conqueror?"
"If the lands are to my liking, my lord," answered De Bracy, "it will be hard to displease me with a bride; and deeply will I hold myself bound to your highness for a good deed, which will fulfil all promises made in favour of your servant and vassal."
"We will not forget it," said Prince John; "and that we may instantly go to work, command our seneschal presently to order the attendance of the Lady Rowena and her company---that is, the rude churl her guardian, and the Saxon ox whom the Black Knight struck down in the tournament, upon this evening's banquet.---De Bigot," he added to his seneschal, "thou wilt word this our second summons so courteously, as to gratify the pride of these Saxons, and make it impossible for them again to refuse; although, by the bones of Becket, courtesy to them is casting pearls before swine."
Prince John had proceeded thus far, and was about to give the signal for retiring from the lists, when a small billet was put into his hand.
"From whence?" said Prince John, looking at the person by whom it was delivered.
"From foreign parts, my lord, but from whence I know not" replied his attendant. "A Frenchman brought it hither, who said, he had ridden night and day to put it into the hands of your highness."
The Prince looked narrowly at the superscription, and then at the seal, placed so as to secure the flex-silk with which the billet was surrounded, and which bore the impression of three fleurs-de-lis. John then opened the billet with apparent agitation, which visibly and greatly increased when he had perused the contents, which were expressed in these words:
"Take heed to yourself for the Devil is unchained!"
The Prince turned as pale as death, looked first on the earth, and then up to heaven, like a man who has received news that sentence of execution has been passed upon him. Recovering from the first effects of his surprise, he took Waldemar Fitzurse and De Bracy aside, and put the billet into their hands successively. "It means," he added, in a faltering voice, "that my brother Richard has obtained his freedom."
"This may be a false alarm, or a forged letter," said De Bracy.
"It is France's own hand and seal," replied Prince John.
"It is time, then," said Fitzurse, "to draw our party to a head, either at York, or some other centrical place. A few days later, and it will be indeed too late. Your highness must break short this present mummery."
"The yeomen and commons," said De Bracy, "must not be dismissed discontented, for lack of their share in the sports."
"The day," said Waldemar, "is not yet very far spent---let the archers shoot a few rounds at the target, and the prize be adjudged. This will be an abundant fulfilment of the Prince's promises, so far as this herd of Saxon serfs is concerned."
"I thank thee, Waldemar," said the Prince; "thou remindest me, too, that I have a debt to pay to that insolent peasant who yesterday insulted our person. Our banquet also shall go forward to-night as we proposed. Were this my last hour of power, it should be an hour sacred to revenge and to pleasure---let new cares come with to-morrow's new day."
The sound of the trumpets soon recalled those spectators who had already begun to leave the field; and proclamation was made that Prince John, suddenly called by high and peremptory public duties, held himself obliged to discontinue the entertainments of to-morrow's festival: Nevertheless, that, unwilling so many good yeoman should depart without a trial of skill, he was pleased to appoint them, before leaving the ground, presently to execute the competition of archery intended for the morrow. To the best archer a prize was to be awarded, being a bugle-horn, mounted with silver, and a silken baldric richly ornamented with a medallion of St Hubert, the patron of silvan sport.
More than thirty yeomen at first presented themselves as competitors, several of whom were rangers and under-keepers in the royal forests of Needwood and Charnwood. When, however, the archers understood with whom they were to be matched, upwards of twenty withdrew themselves from the contest, unwilling to encounter the dishonour of almost certain defeat. For in those days the skill of each celebrated marksman was as well known for many miles round him, as the qualities of a horse trained at Newmarket are familiar to those who frequent that well-known meeting.
The diminished list of competitors for silvan fame still amounted to eight. Prince John stepped from his royal seat to view more nearly the persons of these chosen yeomen, several of whom wore the royal livery. Having satisfied his curiosity by this investigation, he looked for the object of his resentment, whom he observed standing on the same spot, and with the same composed countenance which he had exhibited upon the preceding day.
"Fellow," said Prince John, "I guessed by thy insolent babble that thou wert no true lover of the longbow, and I see thou darest not adventure thy skill among such merry-men as stand yonder."
"Under favour, sir," replied the yeoman, "I have another reason for refraining to shoot, besides the fearing discomfiture and disgrace."
"And what is thy other reason?" said Prince John, who, for some cause which perhaps he could not himself have explained, felt a painful curiosity respecting this individual.
"Because," replied the woodsman, "I know not if these yeomen and I are used to shoot at the same marks; and because, moreover, I know not how your Grace might relish the winning of a third prize by one who has unwittingly fallen under your displeasure."
Prince John coloured as he put the question, "What is thy name, yeoman?"
"Locksley," answered the yeoman.
"Then, Locksley," said Prince John, "thou shalt shoot in thy turn, when these yeomen have displayed their skill. If thou carriest the prize, I will add to it twenty nobles; but if thou losest it, thou shalt be stript of thy Lincoln green, and scourged out of the lists with bowstrings, for a wordy and insolent braggart."
"And how if I refuse to shoot on such a wager?" said the yeoman. ---"Your Grace's power, supported, as it is, by so many men-at-arms, may indeed easily strip and scourge me, but cannot compel me to bend or to draw my bow."
"If thou refusest my fair proffer," said the Prince, "the Provost of the lists shall cut thy bowstring, break thy bow and arrows, and expel thee from the presence as a faint-hearted craven."
"This is no fair chance you put on me, proud Prince," said the yeoman, "to compel me to peril myself against the best archers of Leicester And Staffordshire, under the penalty of infamy if they should overshoot me. Nevertheless, I will obey your pleasure."
"Look to him close, men-at-arms," said Prince John, "his heart is sinking; I am jealous lest he attempt to escape the trial.---And do you, good fellows, shoot boldly round; a buck and a butt of wine are ready for your refreshment in yonder tent, when the prize is won."
A target was placed at the upper end of the southern avenue which led to the lists. The contending archers took their station in turn, at the bottom of the southern access, the distance between that station and the mark allowing full distance for what was called a shot at rovers. The archers, having previously determined by lot their order of precedence, were to shoot each three shafts in succession. The sports were regulated by an officer of inferior rank, termed the Provost of the Games; for the high rank of the marshals of the lists would have been held degraded, had they condescended to superintend the sports of the yeomanry.
One by one the archers, stepping forward, delivered their shafts yeomanlike and bravely. Of twenty-four arrows, shot in succession, ten were fixed in the target, and the others ranged so near it, that, considering the distance of the mark, it was accounted good archery. Of the ten shafts which hit the target, two within the inner ring were shot by Hubert, a forester in the service of Malvoisin, who was accordingly pronounced victorious.
"Now, Locksley," said Prince John to the bold yeoman, with a bitter smile, "wilt thou try conclusions with Hubert, or wilt thou yield up bow, baldric, and quiver, to the Provost of the sports?"
"Sith it be no better," said Locksley, "I am content to try my fortune; on condition that when I have shot two shafts at yonder mark of Hubert's, he shall be bound to shoot one at that which I shall propose."
"That is but fair," answered Prince John, "and it shall not be refused thee.---If thou dost beat this braggart, Hubert, I will fill the bugle with silver-pennies for thee."
"A man can do but his best," answered Hubert; "but my grandsire drew a good long bow at Hastings, and I trust not to dishonour his memory."
The former target was now removed, and a fresh one of the same size placed in its room. Hubert, who, as victor in the first trial of skill, had the right to shoot first, took his aim with great deliberation, long measuring the distance with his eye, while he held in his hand his bended bow, with the arrow placed on the string. At length he made a step forward, and raising the bow at the full stretch of his left arm, till the centre or grasping-place was nigh level with his face, he drew his bowstring to his ear. The arrow whistled through the air, and lighted within the inner ring of the target, but not exactly in the centre.
"You have not allowed for the wind, Hubert," said his antagonist, bending his bow, "or that had been a better shot."
So saying, and without showing the least anxiety to pause upon his aim, Locksley stept to the appointed station, and shot his arrow as carelessly in appearance as if he had not even looked at the mark. He was speaking almost at the instant that the shaft left the bowstring, yet it alighted in the target two inches nearer to the white spot which marked the centre than that of Hubert.
"By the light of heaven!" said Prince John to Hubert, "an thou suffer that runagate knave to overcome thee, thou art worthy of the gallows!"
Hubert had but one set speech for all occasions. "An your highness were to hang me," he said, "a man can but do his best. Nevertheless, my grandsire drew a good bow---"
"The foul fiend on thy grandsire and all his generation!" interrupted John , "shoot, knave, and shoot thy best, or it shall be the worse for thee!"
Thus exhorted, Hubert resumed his place, and not neglecting the caution which he had received from his adversary, he made the necessary allowance for a very light air of wind, which had just arisen, and shot so successfully that his arrow alighted in the very centre of the target.
"A Hubert! a Hubert!" shouted the populace, more interested in a known person than in a stranger. "In the clout!---in the clout! ---a Hubert for ever!"
"Thou canst not mend that shot, Locksley," said the Prince, with an insulting smile.
"I will notch his shaft for him, however," replied Locksley.
And letting fly his arrow with a little more precaution than before, it lighted right upon that of his competitor, which it split to shivers. The people who stood around were so astonished at his wonderful dexterity, that they could not even give vent to their surprise in their usual clamour. "This must be the devil, and no man of flesh and blood," whispered the yeomen to each other; "such archery was never seen since a bow was first bent in Britain."
"And now," said Locksley, "I will crave your Grace's permission to plant such a mark as is used in the North Country; and welcome every brave yeoman who shall try a shot at it to win a smile from the bonny lass he loves best."
He then turned to leave the lists. "Let your guards attend me," he said, "if you please---I go but to cut a rod from the next willow-bush."
Prince John made a signal that some attendants should follow him in case of his escape: but the cry of "Shame! shame!" which burst from the multitude, induced him to alter his ungenerous purpose.
Locksley returned almost instantly with a willow wand about six feet in length, perfectly straight, and rather thicker than a man's thumb. He began to peel this with great composure, observing at the same time, that to ask a good woodsman to shoot at a target so broad as had hitherto been used, was to put shame upon his skill. "For his own part," he said, "and in the land where he was bred, men would as soon take for their mark King Arthur's round-table, which held sixty knights around it. A child of seven years old," he said, "might hit yonder target with a headless shaft; but," added he, walking deliberately to the other end of the lists, and sticking the willow wand upright in the ground, "he that hits that rod at five-score yards, I call him an archer fit to bear both bow and quiver before a king, an it were the stout King Richard himself."
"My grandsire," said Hubert, "drew a good bow at the battle of Hastings, and never shot at such a mark in his life---and neither will I. If this yeoman can cleave that rod, I give him the bucklers---or rather, I yield to the devil that is in his jerkin, and not to any human skill; a man can but do his best, and I will not shoot where I am sure to miss. I might as well shoot at the edge of our parson's whittle, or at a wheat straw, or at a sunbeam, as at a twinkling white streak which I can hardly see."
"Cowardly dog!" said Prince John.---"Sirrah Locksley, do thou shoot; but, if thou hittest such a mark, I will say thou art the first man ever did so. However it be, thou shalt not crow over us with a mere show of superior skill."
"I will do my best, as Hubert says," answered Locksley; "no man can do more."
So saying, he again bent his bow, but on the present occasion looked with attention to his weapon, and changed the string, which he thought was no longer truly round, having been a little frayed by the two former shots. He then took his aim with some deliberation, and the multitude awaited the event in breathless silence. The archer vindicated their opinion of his skill: his arrow split the willow rod against which it was aimed. A jubilee of acclamations followed; and even Prince John, in admiration of Locksley's skill, lost for an instant his dislike to his person. "These twenty nobles," he said, "which, with the bugle, thou hast fairly won, are thine own; we will make them fifty, if thou wilt take livery and service with us as a yeoman of our body guard, and be near to our person. For never did so strong a hand bend a bow, or so true an eye direct a shaft."
"Pardon me, noble Prince," said Locksley; "but I have vowed, that if ever I take service, it should be with your royal brother King Richard. These twenty nobles I leave to Hubert, who has this day drawn as brave a bow as his grandsire did at Hastings. Had his modesty not refused the trial, he would have hit the wand as well I."
Hubert shook his head as he received with reluctance the bounty of the stranger, and Locksley, anxious to escape further observation, mixed with the crowd, and was seen no more.
The victorious archer would not perhaps have escaped John's attention so easily, had not that Prince had other subjects of anxious and more important meditation pressing upon his mind at that instant. He called upon his chamberlain as he gave the signal for retiring from the lists, and commanded him instantly to gallop to Ashby, and seek out Isaac the Jew. "Tell the dog," he said, "to send me, before sun-down, two thousand crowns. He knows the security; but thou mayst show him this ring for a token. The rest of the money must be paid at York within six days. If he neglects, I will have the unbelieving villain's head. Look that thou pass him not on the way; for the circumcised slave was displaying his stolen finery amongst us."
So saying, the Prince resumed his horse, and returned to Ashby, the whole crowd breaking up and dispersing upon his retreat.

阿特柔斯之子喊道：“英雄们，上前来！
从周围的人群中勇敢地站出来。
所有的人都可以凭武艺和强大的膂力
压倒你们的对手赢得荣誉。
这头母牛值二十头公牛，它就是
为射箭射得最远的人设置的奖品。”
《伊利亚特》(注)
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(注)与第一章的题词一样，这只的诗句也引自蒲柏的《伊利亚特》英译本，因此与《伊利亚特》原诗有些不同。
艾文荷的名字一经讲出，立即从一张嘴飞向另一张嘴，速度之快说明了人们的关心和好奇心如何之大。不用多久，它就传到了亲王的圈子中，他听到这消息，脸色顿时变得阴沉了。然而他向周围扫了一眼，装出鄙夷的神气，说道：“各位爷们，尤其是你，艾默长老，博学之士说，人的内心天然会对事物产生好感和恶感，你们觉得这个理论怎么样？在我还根本没有猜到裹在那套盔甲中的人是谁时，我便意识到，我兄长的宠臣已来到我们面前。”
“牛面将军必须准备归还他得到的艾文荷封地了，”德布拉酉说，他刚完成了比武的光荣任务，丢下盾牌和帽盔，重又回到亲王的随员中间。
“对，”沃尔德马•菲泽西答道，“这小伙子看来是会要求把理查赐给他的城堡和采邑还给他的，尽管殿下已慷慨地把它们赏给了牛面将军。”
“艾文荷这样的领地，”约翰答道，“哪怕有三个，牛面将军也不会嫌多，他是不会把到手的东西再吐出来的。再说，诸位，我希望你们没有人会否认，我有权把王室的领地分封给忠实追随我，随时准备完成作战任务的人，让他们取代那些在国外游荡，到了需要的时候，却既不能出力也无法效忠的人。”
这个问题对那些人关系太大了，他们不可能不认为，亲王自封的权力是完全不容否认的。一致恭维他是“一个慷慨的亲王！一个对忠实的追随者赏罚分明的、高贵正直的王爷！”
随员中的这一片颂扬声，自然都来自怀有非分之想的人，他们即使还没有真正从损害理查工的亲信和随从的利益中得到好处，也指望有朝一日能得到这样的好处。艾默院长也赞同大家的看法，只是指出：“不能把神圣的耶路撒冷真的称作外国，它薀筒同的母亲——一切基督徒的圣地。”但是他宣称，他认为“艾文荷骑士不能以此为口实，替自己辩解”，因为他相信，“理查统率的十字军至多只到达了阿什克伦(注)，全世界都知道，那本来是非利士人的城市，没有任何权利享受圣城的名义。”沃尔德马出于好奇心，曾到艾文荷倒下的地方查看过，现在他回来了，说道：“那小伙子看来不会给殿下增添什么麻烦，牛面将军大可放心，不必为他得到的封地发愁；那人的伤势非常重呢。”
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(注)阿什克伦在巴勒斯坦，加沙以北，非利士人的古城。
“但不论他的伤势怎样，”约翰亲王说，“他是今天的优胜者；哪怕他是我们十倍的敌人，或者我兄长的赤胆忠心的臣子，反正都一样他的伤势仍必须得到医疗，让我们的医生去照料他吧。”＿
他讲话时，嘴角露出了一抹阴险的微笑。沃尔德马赶紧答道。艾文荷早已给扶出比武场，处在他的亲友的照料下了。
“我看到爱和美的女王那么悲痛，确实有些难过，”他说道，“想不到女王的大喜日子给这件事搞成了悲剧。我这个人看到女人为她的情人伤心，是从来不会感动的，但是这个罗文娜小姐不同，她忍住了悲伤，态度仍那么庄严，要不是她握紧双手，没有眼泪的眼睛微微颤动，盯住了面前那个气息奄奄的身子，谁也不会发现她的痛苦。”
“这个罗文娜小姐大家谈得这么多，”约翰亲王说道，“她究竟是谁啊？”
“一个撒克逊女继承人，拥有大量家产，”艾默长老回答，“一朵可爱的玫瑰花，一颗价值连城的珍珠，千里挑一的美人，一束芳草，一株龙脑香。”
“我们要使她破涕为笑，转悲为喜，”约翰亲王说，“把她嫁给一个诺曼人，改变她的血统。她好像还没成年，我们王室有权支配她的婚姻。德布拉西，你说这话对吗？如果让你效法征服者的部下，娶一个撒克逊女子，获得大片富饶的田地和大量财产，你觉得怎么样？”
“只要这些田地合我的心意，殿下，”德布拉西答道，“那么加上一个新娘，我是不会不愿意的；这件好事会使我终生忠于殿下，您对您的仆人和藩臣所作的一切许诺，也就真的兑现了。”
“我不会忘记这事，”约翰亲王说，“我们可以马上着手办理，命令我的总管立即通知罗文娜小姐和她的伴当——我是指那个乡巴佬，她的监护人，还有那个在比武大会上给黑甲骑士打翻在地的撒克逊公牛——出席今晚的宴会。德比戈特，”他转身对他的管家说，“这第二次邀请，你可得尽量客气一些，满足那些撒克逊人的自尊心，使他们无法再度拒绝，虽然我可以凭圣贝克特的遗骨起誓，跟这些家伙讲礼貌只是对牛弹琴。”
约翰亲王边说边走，打算示意大家离开比武场了，但正在这时，一封小小的信递到了他手中。
“从哪儿来的？”约翰亲王问，看了看递信的人。
“从国外来的，殿下，但这是谁发出的，我不知道，”侍仆回答。“这是一个法国人带到这儿的，他说他一路上马不停蹄，日夜兼程，务求把它及时送到殿下手中。”
亲王仔细端详了一会信封上的字，又看看盖在扎信封的丝线上的火漆印，那上面有三个百合花纹(注)。约翰拆开信封时显得有些不安，随着读到的内容，这种不安越来越明显和强烈了。信上的话是这么几个字：
“务必小心，魔鬼已逃出牢笼！”
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(注)这是法国王室的纹章图案。
亲王的脸色变得死一般苍白，他先看看地上，又望望天空，仿佛一个人接到了判处死刑的消息。从开头的惊慌中定下神来以后，他把沃尔德马•菲泽西和德布拉西叫到一边，将信相继拿给他们看，然后用颤抖的声音说道：“这是告诉我，我的哥哥理查已获得自由。”
“这可能只是一场虚惊，信是伪造的，”德布拉西说。
“这是法王的亲笔，盖着他的印，”约翰亲王答道。
“那么，”菲泽西说，“事不宜迟，得立刻集合我们的人马了，在约克或其他中心地点都可以。再晚几天恐怕就真的来不及了。殿下得马上宣布中断这场游戏才是。”
“农民和老百姓还没参加比赛，这么草草收场，他们一定会不满意，”德布拉西说。
“今天时间还早，”沃尔德马说，“不妨立即举行射箭比赛，评出胜负，颁发奖品。这样，对那些撒克逊奴才说来，亲王的诺言已充分履行了。”
“谢谢你，沃尔德马，”亲王说道，“你也提醒了我，那个傲慢的农民昨天侮辱过我，我还没跟他算账呢。我们的宴会也得在今天晚上按原计划举行。哪怕这是我最后一小时掌握权力，这一小时仍是神圣的，不论报复和取乐都应照常进行。新的麻烦等新的一天到来时再说吧。”
号声立刻吹响了，把正要离开比武场的观众又叫了回来。典礼官宣布，约翰亲王因有重大而紧急的公事亟待处理，不得不取消明日继续举行的比赛；然而他不愿让这么多身怀绝技的平民就这么离开，得不到施展能耐的机会，因此决定在散场之前，立即进行预定在明天举行的射箭比赛。射箭的优胜者将获得奖赏，即一只镶银的号角和一条绣有狩猎保护神圣休伯特图像的贵重丝肩带。
起先有三十多个庄稼人报名参加比赛，其中几个是尼德伍德森林和查恩伍德森林的护林人和他们的助手。然而当射手们发现要与这些人进行比赛时，有二十来人退出了竞赛，不愿在几乎必然失败的角逐中自讨没趣。因为在那些日子，每个著名弓箭手的技艺，在周围许多英里以内是无人不知的，正如在新市场(注)训练出来的每匹马的优点，凡是经常出入那个著名集市的人都了如指掌。
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(注)英国以驯马和赛马闻名的集镇，买卖马匹的中心之一。
争夺射手荣誉的名单虽然少了一些，仍有八人。约翰亲王从他的宝座走前几步，打量了一下那些入选的庄稼人，其中几人穿着王家猎园仆役的制服。这检查满足了他的好奇心之后，他开始用眼睛搜寻他憎恨的那个人了。他发现这人仍站在原地，脸上的神色也与昨天一样，仍显得那么泰然自若。
“汉子，”约翰亲王说，“我听了你昨天傲慢无礼的大话，就知道你不是真正喜欢弯弓射箭的人现在果真如此，你看到这些快活的小伙子站在那里，便不敢冒险，与他们比试高低了。””
“对不起，殿下，”自耕农回答，“我不参加射箭，除了怕失败，怕丢脸之外，还另有原因。”
“你的另有原因是什么？”约翰亲王问，他出于某种也许连他自己也解释不清的理由，对这个人怀有一种欲罢不能的好奇心。
“首先，”庄户人答道，“我不知道，这些弓箭手平时用的靶子，是不是与我的相同；其次，我不明白，殿下对一个出言不逊、得罪了您的人，为什么兴趣这么大，万一他得了个三等奖，这对您也不见得光彩。”
约翰亲王的脸蓦地红了，他问道；“庄稼人，你叫什么名字？”
“洛克斯利(注)，”庄稼人答道。
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(注)这里写的自耕农就是罗宾汉，他作为英国民间传说中的英雄人物，无真实姓名可查，但据说他出生在一个名叫洛克斯利的村子里，因此有时人们便用它作他的名字。罗宾汉也以神箭手闻名。
“那么，洛克斯利，”约翰亲王说，“你可以等这些人表演完以后，你再射箭。如果你得了奖，我可以另外再赏你二十枚金币；但是如果你输了，你就得剥下你那身草绿色衣服(注)，让人用弓弦把你打出比武场，作为对一个夸夸其谈、专讲大话的无礼汉子的惩戒。”
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(注)英国的护林人和猎人大多穿草绿色衣服，他们以善于射箭著称。
“但是如果我不愿打赌，拒绝参加比赛呢？”自耕农说。“殿下有权有势，又有这么多卫士听您使唤，要剥掉我的衣服打我，确实很容易，但是您无法强迫我射箭。”
“如果你不识抬举，拒绝我的建议，”亲王说，“比武场的值勤官就得割断你的弓弦，折断你的弓箭，把你当一个胆小鬼赶出场子。”
“可这并不公正，骄傲的亲王，”自耕农说，“您强迫我冒风险，跟莱斯特郡和斯塔福郡最好的弓箭手较量，可是如果他们赢了，我还得受到不体面的惩罚，哪有这种事。不过既然您要这么办，我可以服从。”
“卫士们，仔细看好他，”约翰亲王说，“他已经害怕了；我得留心，别让他溜走，逃避这场比赛。小伙子们，你们是好样的，拿出射箭的本领来吧；一只公羊和一大桶酒已在那边帐篷里准备犒赏你们了。”
靶子设在比武场南面通道的上端。比赛的人便站在通道的出人口轮流射击，这里与目标的距离正好符合所谓远距离射箭的标准。弓箭手们先抽签决定前后次序，他们每人可以接连射三次。比赛由一位称作竞技监督官的较低级官员主持，因为警卫督察职位较高，他们不愿降低身分，主持平民百姓的比赛。
弓箭手们一个接一个抖擞精神，雄赳赳地跨前几步，走到规定的位置上进行射击。二十四枝箭接连发出了，十枝射中了靶子，其余的也离它不远，从目标的距离看，仍可算作成绩良好。在十枝射中靶子的箭中，两校在内圈以内，是马尔沃辛家的护林人休伯特射的，因此他被宣布为优胜者。
“洛克斯利，现在轮到你了，”约翰亲王对大胆的自耕农说，露出了讥笑，“你是愿意与休伯特一决胜负呢，还是愿意向竞技监督官交出你的弓箭和肩带？”
“既然没有别的法子，”洛克斯利说，“那么我还是碰碰运气吧；不过我有个条件，我在休伯特的靶子上射过两箭以后，他也必须在我要他射的靶子上射一次。”
“那完全公平合理，”约翰亲王答道，“我不反对你的要求。休伯特，只要你能打败这个牛皮大王，我可以把那个号角装满了银币送给你。”
“一个人只能尽力而为，”休伯特答道，“不过我有一个祖宗在黑斯廷斯战役中挽得一手好弓，我相信我不会辱没他的名声。”
原来的靶子取走了，换了一个新的，大小一样，放在原地。休伯特作为前一轮比赛的优胜者，有权先射；他把弓挽在手里，在弦上搭好箭，小心翼翼瞄准目标，又用眼睛量了好久距离。最后他跨前一步，伸直左臂，把弓举起一些，使它的中心或者握手处几乎与脸同一高度，然后把弓弦拉到耳朵那里。箭呼啸着穿过空中，落在靶子的内圈里边，但不是在正中央。
“你没有考虑到风力，休怕特，”他的对手一边说，一边弯弓，“要不，成绩还会好些。”
这么说时，洛克斯利已跨前几步，走到指定的地点，似乎根本没把他的目标当一回事，举起弓，好像连瞧也没瞧那个靶子，便漫不经心似的射出了箭。他的话几乎还没停，那枝箭已离开弓弦，飞到了靶子上，离正中心的白点比休伯特的箭更近两英寸。
“老天爷作证！”约翰亲王对休伯特说，“要是你败在那个跑江湖的混蛋手中，你就应该在绞架上吊死！”
休伯特回答的反正还是那套话：“殿下可以绞死我，”他说，“一个人只能尽力而为。不过我的一个祖宗挽得一手好弓……”
“见你的鬼，我不管你的祖宗怎么样！”约翰打断了他的话。“射箭，混蛋，射出成绩来，要不然我烧不了你！”
经过这么开导之后，休伯特回到了射箭的地方，这次没有忽略他的对手向他提出的劝告，对正好吹过的一阵微风给予了必要的考虑；这次他射得很成功，箭头落在靶子的正中央。
“好箭，好箭！不愧是休伯特(注)！”场内一片喝彩声，似乎是在为那个大名鼎鼎的圣徒，而不是在为一个陌生人欢呼。“射中靶心了，射中靶心了！休伯特永远是休伯特！”
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(注)指狩猎守护神圣休伯特，这只是利用这人与圣休怕特同一名字玩弄的文字游戏。
“这一次你可输定了，洛克斯利，”亲王说，露出了嘲笑。
“那么我只得赶走他这枝箭了，”洛克斯利答道。
现在他比上一次小心了一些，一箭射去正好击中那位对手的箭，把它打成了碎片。这精采的一箭把站在周围的人惊得愣住了，甚至忘记了用叫喊来表示他们的钦佩。“这一定是一个魔鬼，不是有血肉的凡人，”弓箭手们在窃窃低语。“这样好的箭术，从英国有弓箭以来还从没见到过。”
“现在，”洛克斯利说，“我得要求殿下允许我另立一个靶子了，那是北方人常用的；我欢迎每一个勇敢的射手都来试试，借此博得他心爱的漂亮姑娘的一笑。”
于是他转身向场外走去，一边说道：“您不放心，可以派人跟着我；我只是要上附近的柳树林砍一枝柳条。”
约翰亲王做个手势，正打算让几个卫士跟着他，免得他逃走；但是人群中爆发了一片“可耻！可耻！”的喊声，这使他不得不打消了这个不够大方的主意。
洛克斯利几乎马上带着一根柳树干回来了，它大约六英尺长，全部笔直的，比一个人的拇指略粗一些。他开始从容不迫地剥树皮，同时说道，要一个好猎户射刚才那么大的靶子，这简直是对他的箭来的侮辱。他说，照他看，在他生长的那片土地上，“这好比是拿亚瑟王的圆桌面作靶子(注)，那张桌子容得六十名骑士围桌而坐呢。一个七岁的小孩都可以闭着眼睛，射中那样的靶子。”然后他不慌不忙地走到场子的另一头，把柳干直直的插在地上，

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Chapter 14
In rough magnificence array'd, When ancient Chivalry display'd The pomp of her heroic games, And crested chiefs and tissued dames Assembled, at the clarion's call, In some proud castle's high arch'd hall. Warton
Prince John held his high festival in the Castle of Ashby. This was not the same building of which the stately ruins still interest the traveller, and which was erected at a later period by the Lord Hastings, High Chamberlain of England, one of the first victims of the tyranny of Richard the Third, and yet better known as one of Shakspeare's characters than by his historical fame. The castle and town of Ashby, at this time, belonged to Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, who, during the period of our history, was absent in the Holy Land. Prince John, in the meanwhile, occupied his castle, and disposed of his domains without scruple; and seeking at present to dazzle men's eyes by his hospitality and magnificence, had given orders for great preparations, in order to render the banquet as splendid as possible.
The purveyors of the Prince, who exercised on this and other occasions the full authority of royalty, had swept the country of all that could be collected which was esteemed fit for their master's table. Guests also were invited in great numbers; and in the necessity in which he then found himself of courting popularity, Prince John had extended his invitation to a few distinguished Saxon and Danish families, as well as to the Norman nobility and gentry of the neighbourhood. However despised and degraded on ordinary occasions, the great numbers of the Anglo-Saxons must necessarily render them formidable in the civil commotions which seemed approaching, and it was an obvious point of policy to secure popularity with their leaders.
It was accordingly the Prince's intention, which he for some time maintained, to treat these unwonted guests with a courtesy to which they had been little accustomed. But although no man with less scruple made his ordinary habits and feelings bend to his interest, it was the misfortune of this Prince, that his levity and petulance were perpetually breaking out, and undoing all that had been gained by his previous dissimulation.
Of this fickle temper he gave a memorable example in Ireland, when sent thither by his father, Henry the Second, with the purpose of buying golden opinions of the inhabitants of that new and important acquisition to the English crown. Upon this occasion the Irish chieftains contended which should first offer to the young Prince their loyal homage and the kiss of peace. But, instead of receiving their salutations with courtesy, John and his petulant attendants could not resist the temptation of pulling the long beards of the Irish chieftains; a conduct which, as might have been expected, was highly resented by these insulted dignitaries, and produced fatal consequences to the English domination in Ireland. It is necessary to keep these inconsistencies of John's character in view, that the reader may understand his conduct during the present evening.
In execution of the resolution which he had formed during his cooler moments, Prince John received Cedric and Athelstane with distinguished courtesy, and expressed his disappointment, without resentment, when the indisposition of Rowena was alleged by the former as a reason for her not attending upon his gracious summons. Cedric and Athelstane were both dressed in the ancient Saxon garb, which, although not unhandsome in itself, and in the present instance composed of costly materials, was so remote in shape and appearance from that of the other guests, that Prince John took great credit to himself with Waldemar Fitzurse for refraining from laughter at a sight which the fashion of the day rendered ridiculous. Yet, in the eye of sober judgment, the short close tunic and long mantle of the Saxons was a more graceful, as well as a more convenient dress, than the garb of the Normans, whose under garment was a long doublet, so loose as to resemble a shirt or waggoner's frock, covered by a cloak of scanty dimensions, neither fit to defend the wearer from cold or from rain, and the only purpose of which appeared to be to display as much fur, embroidery, and jewellery work, as the ingenuity of the tailor could contrive to lay upon it. The Emperor Charlemagne, in whose reign they were first introduced, seems to have been very sensible of the inconveniences arising from the fashion of this garment. "In Heaven's name," said he, "to what purpose serve these abridged cloaks? If we are in bed they are no cover, on horseback they are no protection from the wind and rain, and when seated, they do not guard our legs from the damp or the frost."
Nevertheless, spite of this imperial objurgation, the short cloaks continued in fashion down to the time of which we treat, and particularly among the princes of the House of Anjou. They were therefore in universal use among Prince John's courtiers; and the long mantle, which formed the upper garment of the Saxons, was held in proportional derision.
The guests were seated at a table which groaned under the quantity of good cheer. The numerous cooks who attended on the Prince's progress, having exerted all their art in varying the forms in which the ordinary provisions were served up, had succeeded almost as well as the modern professors of the culinary art in rendering them perfectly unlike their natural appearance. Besides these dishes of domestic origin, there were various delicacies brought from foreign parts, and a quantity of rich pastry, as well as of the simnel-bread and wastle cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility. The banquet was crowned with the richest wines, both foreign and domestic.
But, though luxurious, the Norman nobles were not generally speaking an intemperate race. While indulging themselves in the pleasures of the table, they aimed at delicacy, but avoided excess, and were apt to attribute gluttony and drunkenness to the vanquished Saxons, as vices peculiar to their inferior station. Prince John, indeed, and those who courted his pleasure by imitating his foibles, were apt to indulge to excess in the pleasures of the trencher and the goblet; and indeed it is well known that his death was occasioned by a surfeit upon peaches and new ale. His conduct, however, was an exception to the general manners of his countrymen.
With sly gravity, interrupted only by private signs to each other, the Norman knights and nobles beheld the ruder demeanour of Athelstane and Cedric at a banquet, to the form and fashion of which they were unaccustomed. And while their manners were thus the subject of sarcastic observation, the untaught Saxons unwittingly transgressed several of the arbitrary rules established for the regulation of society. Now, it is well known, that a man may with more impunity be guilty of an actual breach either of real good breeding or of good morals, than appear ignorant of the most minute point of fashionable etiquette. Thus Cedric, who dried his hands with a towel, instead of suffering the moisture to exhale by waving them gracefully in the air, incurred more ridicule than his companion Athelstane, when he swallowed to his own single share the whole of a large pasty composed of the most exquisite foreign delicacies, and termed at that time a "Karum-Pie". When, however, it was discovered, by a serious cross-examination, that the Thane of Coningsburgh (or Franklin, as the Normans termed him) had no idea what he had been devouring, and that he had taken the contents of the Karum-pie for larks and pigeons, whereas they were in fact beccaficoes and nightingales, his ignorance brought him in for an ample share of the ridicule which would have been more justly bestowed on his gluttony.
The long feast had at length its end; and, while the goblet circulated freely, men talked of the feats of the preceding tournament,---of the unknown victor in the archery games, of the Black Knight, whose self-denial had induced him to withdraw from the honours he had won,---and of the gallant Ivanhoe, who had so dearly bought the honours of the day. The topics were treated with military frankness, and the jest and laugh went round the hall. The brow of Prince John alone was overclouded during these discussions; some overpowering care seemed agitating his mind, and it was only when he received occasional hints from his attendants, that he seemed to take interest in what was passing around him. On such occasions he would start up, quaff a cup of wine as if to raise his spirits, and then mingle in the conversation by some observation made abruptly or at random.
"We drink this beaker," said he, "to the health of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, champion of this Passage of Arms, and grieve that his wound renders him absent from our board---Let all fill to the pledge, and especially Cedric of Rotherwood, the worthy father of a son so promising."
"No, my lord," replied Cedric, standing up, and placing on the table his untasted cup, "I yield not the name of son to the disobedient youth, who at once despises my commands, and relinquishes the manners and customs of his fathers."
"'Tis impossible," cried Prince John, with well-feigned astonishment, "that so gallant a knight should be an unworthy or disobedient son!"
"Yet, my lord," answered Cedric, "so it is with this Wilfred. He left my homely dwelling to mingle with the gay nobility of your brother's court, where he learned to do those tricks of horsemanship which you prize so highly. He left it contrary to my wish and command; and in the days of Alfred that would have been termed disobedience---ay, and a crime severely punishable."
"Alas!" replied Prince John, with a deep sigh of affected sympathy, "since your son was a follower of my unhappy brother, it need not be enquired where or from whom he learned the lesson of filial disobedience."
Thus spake Prince John, wilfully forgetting, that of all the sons of Henry the Second, though no one was free from the charge, he himself had been most distinguished for rebellion and ingratitude to his father.
"I think," said he, after a moment's pause, "that my brother proposed to confer upon his favourite the rich manor of Ivanhoe."
"He did endow him with it," answered Cedric; "nor is it my least quarrel with my son, that he stooped to hold, as a feudal vassal, the very domains which his fathers possessed in free and independent right."
"We shall then have your willing sanction, good Cedric," said Prince John, "to confer this fief upon a person whose dignity will not be diminished by holding land of the British crown. ---Sir Reginald Front-de-Boeuf," he said, turning towards that Baron, "I trust you will so keep the goodly Barony of Ivanhoe, that Sir Wilfred shall not incur his father's farther displeasure by again entering upon that fief."
"By St Anthony!" answered the black-brow'd giant, "I will consent that your highness shall hold me a Saxon, if either Cedric or Wilfred, or the best that ever bore English blood, shall wrench from me the gift with which your highness has graced me."
"Whoever shall call thee Saxon, Sir Baron," replied Cedric, offended at a mode of expression by which the Normans frequently expressed their habitual contempt of the English, "will do thee an honour as great as it is undeserved."
Front-de-Boeuf would have replied, but Prince John's petulance and levity got the start.
"Assuredly," said be, "my lords, the noble Cedric speaks truth; and his race may claim precedence over us as much in the length of their pedigrees as in the longitude of their cloaks."
"They go before us indeed in the field---as deer before dogs," said Malvoisin.
"And with good right may they go before us---forget not," said the Prior Aymer, "the superior decency and decorum of their manners."
"Their singular abstemiousness and temperance," said De Bracy, forgetting the plan which promised him a Saxon bride.
"Together with the courage and conduct," said Brian de Bois-Guilbert, "by which they distinguished themselves at Hastings and elsewhere."
While, with smooth and smiling cheek, the courtiers, each in turn, followed their Prince's example, and aimed a shaft of ridicule at Cedric, the face of the Saxon became inflamed with passion, and he glanced his eyes fiercely from one to another, as if the quick succession of so many injuries had prevented his replying to them in turn; or, like a baited bull, who, surrounded by his tormentors, is at a loss to choose from among them the immediate object of his revenge. At length he spoke, in a voice half choked with passion; and, addressing himself to Prince John as the head and front of the offence which he had received, "Whatever," he said, "have been the follies and vices of our race, a Saxon would have been held 'nidering'," *
* There was nothing accounted so ignominious among the * Saxons as to merit this disgraceful epithet. Even William * the Conqueror, hated as he was by them, continued to draw * a considerable army of Anglo-Saxons to his standard, by * threatening to stigmatize those who staid at home, as * nidering. Bartholinus, I think, mentions a similar phrase * which had like influence on the Danes. L. T.
(the most emphatic term for abject worthlessness,) "who should in his own hall, and while his own wine-cup passed, have treated, or suffered to be treated, an unoffending guest as your highness has this day beheld me used; and whatever was the misfortune of our fathers on the field of Hastings, those may at least be silent," here he looked at Front-de-Boeuf and the Templar, "who have within these few hours once and again lost saddle and stirrup before the lance of a Saxon."
"By my faith, a biting jest!" said Prince John. "How like you it, sirs?---Our Saxon subjects rise in spirit and courage; become shrewd in wit, and bold in bearing, in these unsettled times ---What say ye, my lords?---By this good light, I hold it best to take our galleys, and return to Normandy in time."
"For fear of the Saxons?" said De Bracy, laughing; "we should need no weapon but our hunting spears to bring these boars to bay."
"A truce with your raillery, Sir Knights," said Fitzurse;---"and it were well," he added, addressing the Prince, "that your highness should assure the worthy Cedric there is no insult intended him by jests, which must sound but harshly in the ear of a stranger."
"Insult?" answered Prince John, resuming his courtesy of demeanour; "I trust it will not be thought that I could mean, or permit any, to be offered in my presence. Here! I fill my cup to Cedric himself, since he refuses to pledge his son's health."
The cup went round amid the well-dissembled applause of the courtiers, which, however, failed to make the impression on the mind of the Saxon that had been designed. He was not naturally acute of perception, but those too much undervalued his understanding who deemed that this flattering compliment would obliterate the sense of the prior insult. He was silent, however, when the royal pledge again passed round, "To Sir Athelstane of Coningsburgh."
The knight made his obeisance, and showed his sense of the honour by draining a huge goblet in answer to it.
"And now, sirs," said Prince John, who began to be warmed with the wine which he had drank, "having done justice to our Saxon guests, we will pray of them some requital to our courtesy. ---Worthy Thane," he continued, addressing Cedric, "may we pray you to name to us some Norman whose mention may least sully your mouth, and to wash down with a goblet of wine all bitterness which the sound may leave behind it?"
Fitzurse arose while Prince John spoke, and gliding behind the seat of the Saxon, whispered to him not to omit the opportunity of putting an end to unkindness betwixt the two races, by naming Prince John. The Saxon replied not to this politic insinuation, but, rising up, and filling his cup to the brim, he addressed Prince John in these words: "Your highness has required that I should name a Norman deserving to be remembered at our banquet. This, perchance, is a hard task, since it calls on the slave to sing the praises of the master---upon the vanquished, while pressed by all the evils of conquest, to sing the praises of the conqueror. Yet I will name a Norman---the first in arms and in place---the best and the noblest of his race. And the lips that shall refuse to pledge me to his well-earned fame, I term false and dishonoured, and will so maintain them with my life.---I quaff this goblet to the health of Richard the Lion-hearted!"
Prince John, who had expected that his own name would have closed the Saxon's speech, started when that of his injured brother was so unexpectedly introduced. He raised mechanically the wine-cup to his lips, then instantly set it down, to view the demeanour of the company at this unexpected proposal, which many of them felt it as unsafe to oppose as to comply with. Some of them, ancient and experienced courtiers, closely imitated the example of the Prince himself, raising the goblet to their lips, and again replacing it before them. There were many who, with a more generous feeling, exclaimed, "Long live King Richard! and may he be speedily restored to us!" And some few, among whom were Front-de-Boeuf and the Templar, in sullen disdain suffered their goblets to stand untasted before them. But no man ventured directly to gainsay a pledge filled to the health of the reigning monarch.
Having enjoyed his triumph for about a minute, Cedric said to his companion, "Up, noble Athelstane! we have remained here long enough, since we have requited the hospitable courtesy of Prince John's banquet. Those who wish to know further of our rude Saxon manners must henceforth seek us in the homes of our fathers, since we have seen enough of royal banquets, and enough of Norman courtesy."
So saying, he arose and left the banqueting room, followed by Athelstane, and by several other guests, who, partaking of the Saxon lineage, held themselves insulted by the sarcasms of Prince John and his courtiers.
"By the bones of St Thomas," said Prince John, as they retreated, "the Saxon churls have borne off the best of the day, and have retreated with triumph!"
"'Conclamatum est, poculatum est'," said Prior Aymer; "we have drunk and we have shouted,---it were time we left our wine flagons."
"The monk hath some fair penitent to shrive to-night, that he is in such a hurry to depart," said De Bracy.
"Not so, Sir Knight," replied the Abbot; "but I must move several miles forward this evening upon my homeward journey."
"They are breaking up," said the Prince in a whisper to Fitzurse; "their fears anticipate the event, and this coward Prior is the first to shrink from me."
"Fear not, my lord," said Waldemar; "I will show him such reasons as shall induce him to join us when we hold our meeting at York. ---Sir Prior," he said, "I must speak with you in private, before you mount your palfrey."
The other guests were now fast dispersing, with the exception of those immediately attached to Prince John's faction, and his retinue.
"This, then, is the result of your advice," said the Prince, turning an angry countenance upon Fitzurse; "that I should be bearded at my own board by a drunken Saxon churl, and that, on the mere sound of my brother's name, men should fall off from me as if I had the leprosy?"
"Have patience, sir," replied his counsellor; "I might retort your accusation, and blame the inconsiderate levity which foiled my design, and misled your own better judgment. But this is no time for recrimination. De Bracy and I will instantly go among these shuffling cowards, and convince them they have gone too far to recede."
"It will be in vain," said Prince John, pacing the apartment with disordered steps, and expressing himself with an agitation to which the wine he had drank partly contributed---"It will be in vain--they have seen the handwriting on the wall---they have marked the paw of the lion in the sand---they have heard his approaching roar shake the wood---nothing will reanimate their courage."
"Would to God," said Fitzurse to De Bracy, "that aught could reanimate his own! His brother's very name is an ague to him. Unhappy are the counsellors of a Prince, who wants fortitude and perseverance alike in good and in evil!"

古老的骑士精神
在粗野而豪华的装束中粉墨登场，
扮演着绚丽多彩的英雄故事；
戴帽盔的武士和穿盛装的夫人
在号角的声声召唤下，
向雄伟的城堡中高耸的拱形大厅汇集。
沃顿(注)
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(注)托马斯•沃顿（1728—1790），英国诗人，作品以中世纪题材为主。
约翰亲王的盛大宴会是在阿什贝城堡举行。
这不是至今仍留下宏伟的遗址供游人凭吊的那座建筑，这些建筑已是后来的英国宫内大臣黑斯廷斯勋爵(注1)修建的，这人是理查三世的暴政的最早牺牲者之一，但他主要是作为莎士比亚剧本(注2)中的一个角色闻名的，在历史上他没有多大地位。在这个时期，阿什贝镇和城堡属于温切斯特伯爵罗杰•德昆西，他在我们这个故事期间，已经外出，去了圣地；于是约翰亲王住进了他的城堡，无所顾忌地支配着他的领地；现在为了用慷慨和豪华迷惑人们的眼睛，亲王命令多方张罗，务必把这次宴会办得尽善尽美。
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(注1)威廉•黑斯廷斯（约1430—1483），英国贵族，因反对理查三世被杀。
(注2)指莎士比亚的历史剧《理查三世》。
为了举办这样的宴会，亲王的采办大员自然会充分行使王室的特权，在全国各地大事搜罗，凡是他们认为他们主人的宴会上需要的一切，无不具备。邀请的客人也特别多；当时约翰亲王意识到他必须获得人心，因此把邀请的范围扩大到了少数撒克逊人和丹麦人的知名家族，不仅限于附近的诺曼贵族和绅士。尽管在一般情况下，盎格鲁一撒克逊人都遭到蔑视和侮辱，然而必须承认，他们人多势众，在即将来临的内乱中，具有举足轻重的作用，拉拢他们的领袖人物，从策略上看显然是必要的。
就因为这样，亲王在一段时间内坚持着自己的做法，对素无来往的客人也尽量以礼相待，以致使他们受宠若惊。但是尽管所有的人为了自身的利益，几乎都毫不迟疑地改变了平素对他的态度和情绪，不幸的是这位亲王一向反复无常、刚愎自用，往往使他原来的伪装前功尽弃。
他在爱尔兰的一件事，是这种轻浮浅薄性格的一个难忘的例子。他是奉父王亨利二世之命到那里去的，目的是要在英国王室新取得的这块重要领土上收买人心。当时爱尔兰的部族领袖竞相讨好这位青年王子，向他请安问候，表示忠诚。但他对他们的进见不是以礼相待，却伙同他那些骄横自大的随员任意戏弄他们，拉他们的长胡须；可想而知，这样的行为招致了爱尔兰部族领袖们的极大愤怒，给英国在爱尔兰的统治造成了严重的后果。读者必须记住约翰性格中这种随心所欲的特点，才能理解他今天晚上的表现。
约翰亲王根据他在比较冷静的时刻作出的决定，彬彬有礼地接待了塞德里克和阿特尔斯坦，听到塞德里克说，罗文娜小姐由于身体不适，未能前来参加亲王的宴会时，只是表示了失望，没有动怒。塞德里克和阿特尔斯坦都穿着撒克逊服装，这种服装本身并不难看，它们又都是用贵重衣料做的，然而在式样和外观上，它们又与其他宾客的衣服截然不同，不过约翰亲王看到这种在当时已显得可笑的服饰，还是像沃尔德马•菲泽西一样，强迫自己顾全大局，没有把它当作调笑的材料。其实平心而论，撒克逊人的束腰短上衣和长披风，比诺曼人的服装更美观，也更方便，诺曼人的内衣是长坎肩，它这么宽大，有些像衬衫或者马车夫穿的外衣，外面又罩一件短小的外套，既不能御寒，也不能挡雨，它的唯一目的，似乎只是为了炫耀身上的裘皮、绣花和珠宝工艺，那些心灵手巧的裁缝赋予它们的东西。查理大帝(注)——它们是在他的统治时期开始流行的——似乎对这种衣服式样的不方便也深有感触，曾说道：“我不明白，这些截短的外套有什么好处？我们躺在床上，不能用它作被子；骑在马上，又不能靠它遮挡风雨；坐在椅子上，它又不能保护我们的腿，抵御潮气或寒冷。”
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(注)法兰克王国的一位伟大君主，公元768一814年在位。经过他的统治，法兰克王国扩张成了所谓“查理帝国”，它的版图几乎与西罗马帝国相仿。
然而尽管这位大皇帝对此颇有非议，短外套仍继续风行，直到我们描写的这个时期依然如此，尤其是在安茹家的王孙公子中间。因此约翰亲王的臣僚普遍采用这样的服饰，撒克逊人作为外套穿的长大褂自然会受到相应的嘲笑。
餐桌上堆满了山珍海味，宾客们围坐在它的四周。亲王巡行时随同侍候的许多厨师，费尽心机把平常的食物装点得千奇百怪，就像当今的烹任大师总要把它们弄得面目全非，失去它们的自然形态才行。除了本地出产的菜肴，还有来自国外的各种珍馐美味，大量的精美糕点，以及只有在名门望族的盛大酒筵上才能见到的细巧面包和精致蛋糕。各色名酒，包括本国的和外国的，更是应有尽有，为宴会增色不少。
不过诺曼贵族虽然生活奢华，一般说来在饮食上不是毫无节制的。他们沉湎于灯红酒绿之中，但要求的是高雅精致，不是大吃大喝，相反，他们总是把贪食和酗酒看作撒克逊人的作风，认为这是他们作为战败者的下等地位赋予他们的恶劣品质。确实，约翰亲王，以及他身边那些迎合他的爱好，模仿他的缺点的人，在满足口腹之欲方面都是无所顾忌的；大家知道，这位亲王后来便是因为贪吃桃子和新酿的麦酒，结果导致死亡的。不过，从他的国人的一般作风而言，他的行为毋宁说是一个例外。
诺曼贵族和骑士装出一副谦谦君子的外表，只是有时偷偷使个眼色，要大家注意阿特尔斯坦和塞德里克的粗俗表现，可是阿特尔斯坦和塞德里克不习惯宴会上的那套礼节和规矩，他们没有受过这方面的教育，因此往往违反交际活动中任意制定的一些准则，成为人们嘲笑的目标。而且众所周知，一个人在真正的良好修养或道德方面犯了错误，还能得到谅解，唯独对上流社会的礼数稍有忽略，便会受到指责，成为笑柄。这样，塞德里克用毛巾擦干手，而不是把手在空中轻轻挥动，让水分自行蒸发，便招来了耻笑，似乎这比他的朋友阿特尔斯坦独自狼吞虎咽，把一大块馅饼吃光，更加不雅观。那种馅饼当时称为“杂碎馅饼”，是用国外最精致的食物制作的。不过后来经过仔细盘问，大家却发现，那位科宁斯堡的庄园主——或者诺曼人所说的土财主——根本不知道他吞下的是什么，他把那些杂碎当作了云雀和鸽子肉，其实它们却是用一种小鸣禽和夜鸟肉做的。他对外国这类精致食品的无知，引起了普遍的嘲笑，而大家对他真的不大雅观的狼吞虎咽，反倒不以为意。
漫长的酒筵终于接近了尾声；在觥筹交错中，大家又谈起了这次比武的盛况，那个在弓箭比赛中无人认识的优胜者，那个不愿出头露面，打赢以后便悄然离场的黑甲骑士，还有为赢得荣誉付出了巨大代价的勇士艾文荷，成了议论的中心。人们谈笑风生，以军人的坦率对待这些话题，整个大厅洋溢着欢声笑语。唯独约翰亲王紧锁双眉，闷闷不乐，似乎有什么烦恼压在他心头，只是靠左右人的提醒，他才偶尔对周围的谈话表示一点兴趣。每逢这时，他会一跃而起，仿佛为了振作精神，拿起酒杯，一饮而尽，在别人的话中随意插几句。
现在他说道：“我用这一杯酒，向这次比武的优胜者艾文荷的威尔弗莱德表示祝贺，对他由于伤重未能出席宴会，我感到遗憾。让我们满饮一杯，向他祝贺，尤其要祝贺罗瑟伍德的塞德里克，祝贺这位杰出的父亲生了这么一个前途无量的儿子。”
“不，亲王，”塞德里克答道，站了起来，但是没有喝酒，把酒杯放回了桌上，“我不能承认这个不孝的年轻人是我的儿子，他既不服从我的命令，又不遵守祖宗的规矩和家法。”
“这是不可能的，”约翰亲王假装惊异，喊道，“一个这么英勇的骑士不可能是不守规矩的不孝儿子！”
“然而这个威尔弗莱德确实这样，亲王，”塞德里克答道。“他离开我的家，跟您兄长的那些亲贵重臣混在一起，出外游荡，这才学会了那一身马上功夫，赢得了您的高度赞扬。他的离开是违背了我的意愿和命令的，这在阿尔弗烈德大王的时代，便可称作忤过不孝——是的，这是一种应该严厉惩处的罪行。”
“啊！”约翰亲王答道，深深叹了口气，装出同情的样子，“既然令郎是在我不幸的王兄手下当差，那么不问也可以知道，他是从哪里学会这种忤逆不孝的行为的。”
约翰亲王这么讲，薀褪意要抹煞一件事：在亨利二世的所有儿子中，虽然没有一个可以免除这种指责，但是从对父亲的忘恩负义和桀骛不驯而言，亲王本人却是其中最突出的一个。(注)
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(注)狮心理查是亨利二世的第三子，约翰是第四子，早在他们的父王在位时，他们就曾为了争夺王位继承权，多次发动叛乱。
“我想，”停了一会他又说，“我的王兄曾提议，把富饶的艾文荷领地赐予他这位宠臣。”
“他是把它赐给他了，”塞德里克答道，“这也是我与我儿子争吵的一个重要原因；那些领地，他的祖先本来享有充分而独立的领主权，他却卑躬屈膝，甘愿作为一个封建藩臣接受赏赐。”
“好一个塞德里克，我们可以批准您的要求，”约翰亲王说，“把这块领地赐予另一个人，这个人是不会为了接受英国王室的封地而降低身分的。雷金纳德男爵，”他转身向牛面将军说道，“我相信你会把这块富饶的领地艾文荷保管好，这样，威尔弗莱德骑士便不致进入那里，引起他父亲的不快了。”
“凭圣安东尼起誓！”那个满脸煞气的大个子军人答道，“我可以向殿下保证，如果塞德里克或威尔弗莱德，或者任何一个英国血统的人，能把殿下赐给我的这块领地从我手中夺走，您可以把我也当作一个撒克逊人。”
这是诺曼人为了表示对英国人的蔑视，经常使用的说法，塞德里克一听不禁大怒，当即答道：“男爵先生，如果有人把你称作撒克逊人，那是大大抬举了你，让你得到了你不该得到的荣誉。”
牛面将军正要回答，但约翰亲王的急躁和轻率使他抢先开了口。
“毫无疑问，”他说道，“各位大臣，高贵的塞德里克讲的是实话；他的种族确实比我们优秀，就像他们的族谱比我们的悠久，他们的外套比我们的长一样。”
“真的，他们在战场上也总是跑在我们前面，就像鹿跑在猎犬前面一样，”马尔沃辛说道。
“他们确实有资格跑在我们前面，”艾默长者插口道，“瞧，他们在宴会上多么文雅，多么懂得礼貌。”
“他们吃东西从容不迫，喝酒从不过量呢，”德布拉西说，忘记了他要娶一位撒克逊新娘的计划。
“而且他们在黑斯廷斯和其他地方都连连得胜，表现得那么勇敢，”布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔说。
那些巨子纷纷效法亲王的榜样，露出得意的微笑，向塞德里克发出了一枝枝嘲笑的毒箭，那个撒克逊人的脸上堆起了怒火，他睁起凶恶的眼睛，瞧瞧这个又瞧瞧那个，仿佛这么多的打击纷至沓来，使他一时不知回答哪个好，就像一头遭到戏弄的公牛，面对周围的许多折磨者，不知该挑选哪一个作他首先报复的对手。最后他开口了，声音气得有些发抖；他把约翰亲王作为他受到的侮辱的主要来源，面对着他说道。；“不论我们撒克逊人多么愚蠢，多么不行，我们还不致这么卑鄙（这对下流无耻的行为是份量最重的一个词），竟然在自己的大厅中，在举起杯子互相敬酒的时候，对一个并无恶意的客人横加戏弄，或者听任别人戏弄他，像亲王今天对待我一样；也不论我们的祖先在黑斯廷斯战场上如何不幸，至少那些不多几个钟头以前，刚在一个撒克逊人的刀熗面前一再滚落马背、死里逃生的人（说到这里他看了看牛面将军和圣殿骑士），还是兔开尊口的好。”
“说真的，这是一个辛辣的玩笑！”约翰亲王答道。“各位，你们觉得怎么样？在这个动乱的时代，我们的撒克逊臣民的勇气和精神都提高了，他们变得头脑灵敏，敢作敢为了。从这个兆头看来，恐怕我们都得赶紧上船，逃回诺曼底才好。”
一因为怕这些撒克逊人？”德布拉西大笑道。一我们不必动用武器，光凭几枝校镖就可以把这些野猪赶上绝路了。”
“各位骑士，你们的胡闹可以收场了，”菲泽西开口道。“殿下，”他继续对亲王说，“应该明确告诉尊贵的塞德里克，这一切只是闹着玩的，并无侮辱他的意思，尽管在一个不了解的人听来，可能觉得有些刺耳。”
“侮辱！”约翰亲王答道，又恢复了彬彬有礼的态度，“我相信，没有人会当着我的面侮辱任何人，我不允许这么做。好啦！我敬塞德里克本人一杯酒，因为他拒绝为他的儿子举杯庆贺。”
祝酒在臣僚中间引起了一片虚情假意的喝采声，但没有在撒克逊人心头产生预期的效果。尽管他的天性并不敏感，那些人对他的领会能力仍然估计得太低了，以为只要这么奉承他几句，便可以抵消先前的侮辱留下的印象。不过他没有作声，听任亲王继续他的祝酒：“我再敬科宁斯堡的阿特尔斯坦阁下一杯。”
那位骑士随即鞠躬还礼，喝干了一大杯酒，表示接受了主人的好意。
“现在，诸位，”约翰亲王又说，连喝几杯后情绪有些激动了，一我们已经公正地对待了我们的撒克逊客人，我们要求他们也对我们的礼遇作出一些回报。”
“尊敬的庄主，”他接着对塞德里克说道，“您能够提出一个不致引起您的反感的诺曼人的名字，并且为他祝酒，表示随着这杯酒，您对诺曼人的一切嫌怨已完全消释了吗？”
在约翰亲王讲话时，菲泽西站了起来，悄悄走到塞德里克的座位背后，小声叮嘱他，不要错过消除两个民族之间的仇恨的机会，提出约翰亲王的名字。撒克逊人没有理睬他怂恿他采取的策略，只是站起身来，把酒杯斟得满满的，面对约翰亲王讲了这么一席话：“殿下要求我提出一个值得在这次宴会上想起的诺曼人的名字。这也许是一件棘手的任务，因为这是要奴隶为他的主子唱赞歌，要受尽欺凌的被征服的战败者，为征服他的人唱赞歌。然而我还是可以提出一个诺曼人，一个在武功和地位上都高人一等，在他的民族中也出类拔革的优秀人物。如果谁拒绝与我一起为他应得的荣誉祝酒，我得认为这是错误而不公正的，我要一辈子坚持这点。我用这杯酒祝狮心工理查健康长寿！”．
约翰亲王一直以为他自己的名字会出现在撒克逊人这篇讲话的最后，现在突然听到他那位受损害的兄长的名字跳了出来，不禁吃了一惊。他机械地举起酒杯，在唇边碰了一下，随即又放下了。他观看着那些臣僚对这个出乎意料的提议的反应；许多人觉得反对或附和都不保险，有些人是老奸巨滑，便完全照亲王的样子行事，把酒杯举到唇边碰一下，随即放下。但也有不少人怀着豪迈的心情高喊：“理查王万岁！祝他早日返回祖国！”只有几个人，其中包括牛面将军和圣殿骑士，露出闷闷不乐、不屑理睬的神情，听任面前的杯子放在桌上，没有动一下。然而没有一个人敢于公开反对为当今在位的国王祝福。
这一胜利使塞德里克扬扬得意，高兴了一会，然后对他的朋友说道：“起来吧，尊贵的阿特尔斯坦！我们在这儿已待得太久，对约翰亲王的盛情款待也报答过了。如果谁想对撒克逊人的粗俗作风了解得更多的话，只得请他脽外临舍间，好好观察了，而我们对诺曼人的高贵宴会和礼貌，已领教得够了。”
他一边说一边站了起来，离开了宴会大厅，阿特尔斯坦和另外几个客

Chapter 15 And yet he thinks,---ha, ha, ha, ha,---he thinks I am the tool and servant of his will. Well, let it be; through all the maze of trouble His plots and base oppression must create, I'll shape myself a way to higher things, And who will say 'tis wrong? Basil, a Tragedy No spider ever took more pains to repair the shattered meshes of his web, than did Waldemar Fitzurse to reunite and combine the scattered members of Prince John's cabal. Few of these were attached to him from inclination, and none from personal regard. It was therefore necessary, that Fitzurse should open to them new prospects of advantage, and remind them of those which they at present enjoyed. To the young and wild nobles, he held out the prospect of unpunished license and uncontrolled revelry; to the ambitious, that of power, and to the covetous, that of increased wealth and extended domains. The leaders of the mercenaries received a donation in gold; an argument the most persuasive to their minds, and without which all others would have proved in vain. Promises were still more liberally distributed than money by this active agent; and, in fine, nothing was left undone that could determine the wavering, or animate the disheartened. The return of King Richard he spoke of as an event altogether beyond the reach of probability; yet, when he observed, from the doubtful looks and uncertain answers which he received, that this was the apprehension by which the minds of his accomplices were most haunted, he boldly treated that event, should it really take place, as one which ought not to alter their political calculations. "If Richard returns," said Fitzurse, "he returns to enrich his needy and impoverished crusaders at the expense of those who did not follow him to the Holy Land. He returns to call to a fearful reckoning, those who, during his absence, have done aught that can be construed offence or encroachment upon either the laws of the land or the privileges of the crown. He returns to avenge upon the Orders of the Temple and the Hospital, the preference which they showed to Philip of France during the wars in the Holy Land. He returns, in fine, to punish as a rebel every adherent of his brother Prince John. Are ye afraid of his power?" continued the artful confident of that Prince, "we acknowledge him a strong and valiant knight; but these are not the days of King Arthur, when a champion could encounter an army. If Richard indeed comes back, it must be alone,---unfollowed---unfriended. The bones of his gallant army have whitened the sands of Palestine. The few of his followers who have returned have straggled hither like this Wilfred of Ivanhoe, beggared and broken men.---And what talk ye of Richard's right of birth?" he proceeded, in answer to those who objected scruples on that head. "Is Richard's title of primogeniture more decidedly certain than that of Duke Robert of Normandy, the Conqueror's eldest son? And yet William the Red, and Henry, his second and third brothers, were successively preferred to him by the voice of the nation, Robert had every merit which can be pleaded for Richard; he was a bold knight, a good leader, generous to his friends and to the church, and, to crown the whole, a crusader and a conqueror of the Holy Sepulchre; and yet he died a blind and miserable prisoner in the Castle of Cardiff, because he opposed himself to the will of the people, who chose that he should not rule over them. It is our right," he said, "to choose from the blood royal the prince who is best qualified to hold the supreme power ---that is," said he, correcting himself, "him whose election will best promote the interests of the nobility. In personal qualifications," he added, "it was possible that Prince John might be inferior to his brother Richard; but when it was considered that the latter returned with the sword of vengeance in his hand, while the former held out rewards, immunities, privileges, wealth, and honours, it could not be doubted which was the king whom in wisdom the nobility were called on to support." These, and many more arguments, some adapted to the peculiar circumstances of those whom he addressed, had the expected weight with the nobles of Prince John's faction. Most of them consented to attend the proposed meeting at York, for the purpose of making general arrangements for placing the crown upon the head of Prince John. It was late at night, when, worn out and exhausted with his various exertions, however gratified with the result, Fitzurse, returning to the Castle of Ashby, met with De Bracy, who had exchanged his banqueting garments for a short green kirtle, with hose of the same cloth and colour, a leathern cap or head-piece, a short sword, a horn slung over his shoulder, a long bow in his hand, and a bundle of arrows stuck in his belt. Had Fitzurse met this figure in an outer apartment, he would have passed him without notice, as one of the yeomen of the guard; but finding him in the inner hall, he looked at him with more attention, and recognised the Norman knight in the dress of an English yeoman. "What mummery is this, De Bracy?" said Fitzurse, somewhat angrily; "is this a time for Christmas gambols and quaint maskings, when the fate of our master, Prince John, is on the very verge of decision? Why hast thou not been, like me, among these heartless cravens, whom the very name of King Richard terrifies, as it is said to do the children of the Saracens?" "I have been attending to mine own business," answered De Bracy calmly, "as you, Fitzurse, have been minding yours." "I minding mine own business!" echoed Waldemar; "I have been engaged in that of Prince John, our joint patron." "As if thou hadst any other reason for that, Waldemar," said De Bracy, "than the promotion of thine own individual interest? Come, Fitzurse, we know each other---ambition is thy pursuit, pleasure is mine, and they become our different ages. Of Prince John thou thinkest as I do; that he is too weak to be a determined monarch, too tyrannical to be an easy monarch, too insolent and presumptuous to be a popular monarch, and too fickle and timid to be long a monarch of any kind. But he is a monarch by whom Fitzurse and De Bracy hope to rise and thrive; and therefore you aid him with your policy, and I with the lances of my Free Companions." "A hopeful auxiliary," said Fitzurse impatiently; "playing the fool in the very moment of utter necessity.---What on earth dost thou purpose by this absurd disguise at a moment so urgent?" "To get me a wife," answered De Bracy coolly, "after the manner of the tribe of Benjamin." "The tribe of Benjamin?" said Fitzurse; "I comprehend thee not." "Wert thou not in presence yester-even," said De Bracy, "when we heard the Prior Aymer tell us a tale in reply to the romance which was sung by the Minstrel?---He told how, long since in Palestine, a deadly feud arose between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the Israelitish nation; and how they cut to pieces well-nigh all the chivalry of that tribe; and how they swore by our blessed Lady, that they would not permit those who remained to marry in their lineage; and how they became grieved for their vow, and sent to consult his holiness the Pope how they might be absolved from it; and how, by the advice of the Holy Father, the youth of the tribe of Benjamin carried off from a superb tournament all the ladies who were there present, and thus won them wives without the consent either of their brides or their brides' families." "I have heard the story," said Fitzurse, "though either the Prior or thou has made some singular alterations in date and circumstances." "I tell thee," said De Bracy, "that I mean to purvey me a wife after the fashion of the tribe of Benjamin; which is as much as to say, that in this same equipment I will fall upon that herd of Saxon bullocks, who have this night left the castle, and carry off from them the lovely Rowena." "Art thou mad, De Bracy?" said Fitzurse. "Bethink thee that, though the men be Saxons, they are rich and powerful, and regarded with the more respect by their countrymen, that wealth and honour are but the lot of few of Saxon descent." "And should belong to none," said De Bracy; "the work of the Conquest should be completed." "This is no time for it at least," said Fitzurse "the approaching crisis renders the favour of the multitude indispensable, and Prince John cannot refuse justice to any one who injures their favourites." "Let him grant it, if he dare," said De Bracy; "he will soon see the difference betwixt the support of such a lusty lot of spears as mine, and that of a heartless mob of Saxon churls. Yet I mean no immediate discovery of myself. Seem I not in this garb as bold a forester as ever blew horn? The blame of the violence shall rest with the outlaws of the Yorkshire forests. I have sure spies on the Saxon's motions---To-night they sleep in the convent of Saint Wittol, or Withold, or whatever they call that churl of a Saxon Saint at Burton-on-Trent. Next day's march brings them within our reach, and, falcon-ways, we swoop on them at once. Presently after I will appear in mine own shape, play the courteous knight, rescue the unfortunate and afflicted fair one from the hands of the rude ravishers, conduct her to Front-de-Boeuf's Castle, or to Normandy, if it should be necessary, and produce her not again to her kindred until she be the bride and dame of Maurice de Bracy." "A marvellously sage plan," said Fitzurse, "and, as I think, not entirely of thine own device.---Come, be frank, De Bracy, who aided thee in the invention? and who is to assist in the execution? for, as I think, thine own band lies as far off as York." "Marry, if thou must needs know," said De Bracy, "it was the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert that shaped out the enterprise, which the adventure of the men of Benjamin suggested to me. He is to aid me in the onslaught, and he and his followers will personate the outlaws, from whom my valorous arm is, after changing my garb, to rescue the lady." "By my halidome," said Fitzurse, "the plan was worthy of your united wisdom! and thy prudence, De Bracy, is most especially manifested in the project of leaving the lady in the hands of thy worthy confederate. Thou mayst, I think, succeed in taking her from her Saxon friends, but how thou wilt rescue her afterwards from the clutches of Bois-Guilbert seems considerably more doubtful---He is a falcon well accustomed to pounce on a partridge, and to hold his prey fast." "He is a Templar," said De Bracy, "and cannot therefore rival me in my plan of wedding this heiress;---and to attempt aught dishonourable against the intended bride of De Bracy---By Heaven! were he a whole Chapter of his Order in his single person, he dared not do me such an injury!" "Then since nought that I can say," said Fitzurse, "will put this folly from thy imagination, (for well I know the obstinacy of thy disposition,) at least waste as little time as possible---let not thy folly be lasting as well as untimely." "I tell thee," answered De Bracy, "that it will be the work of a few hours, and I shall be at York---at the head of my daring and valorous fellows, as ready to support any bold design as thy policy can be to form one.---But I hear my comrades assembling, and the steeds stamping and neighing in the outer court. ---Farewell.---I go, like a true knight, to win the smiles of beauty." "Like a true knight?" repeated Fitzurse, looking after him; "like a fool, I should say, or like a child, who will leave the most serious and needful occupation, to chase the down of the thistle that drives past him.---But it is with such tools that I must work;---and for whose advantage?---For that of a Prince as unwise as he is profligate, and as likely to be an ungrateful master as he has already proved a rebellious son and an unnatural brother. ---But he---he, too, is but one of the tools with which I labour; and, proud as he is, should he presume to separate his interest from mine, this is a secret which he shall soon learn." The meditations of the statesman were here interrupted by the voice of the Prince from an interior apartment, calling out, "Noble Waldemar Fitzurse!" and, with bonnet doffed, the future Chancellor (for to such high preferment did the wily Norman aspire) hastened to receive the orders of the future sovereign. 然而——哈哈哈哈——他以为 我是他的愿望的工具和奴仆。 其实我只想在他的阴谋和卑鄙压迫 所必然造成的混乱中混水摸鱼， 为自己找到一条取得更大收获的道路， 谁能说这是不应该的？ 《巴西尔，一出悲剧》 就像蜘蛛费尽心机要修补它支离破碎的网一样，沃尔德马•菲泽西也干方百计要让约翰亲王人心涣散的小集团重整旗鼓，东山再起。在这个集团中真心参加的人本来不多，真正拥戴亲王的更是没有。这使菲泽酉必须许给他们各种新的利益，同时也让他们看到他们目前的权势来自哪里。对年轻放荡的贵族，他让他们明白，只有在亲王的统治下，他们才能胡作非为不受惩罚，过无法无天、荒淫无耻的生活；对野心勃勃的人，他许给他们权力，对贪婪的人，他答应他们增加财富，扩充领地。雇佣兵的头领从他这里拿到了金银珠宝——这对他们是最有说服力的理由，没有它，其他一切只是废话。除了金钱，这位长袖善舞的说客还许下了各种更广泛的诺言。总之，凡是可以制止动摇，振奋人心的一切手段都用尽了。关于理查国王回国的事，在他嘴里成了根本不可能的海外奇谈；然而那些怀疑的目光和模棱两可的回答却告诉他，这仍是索绕在那些党羽心头的一大隐忧，于是他大胆加以驳斥，认为即使这成为事实，也不能改变他们对政治形势的整个估计。 “如果理查回来了，”菲泽西说，“那些没有跟他前往圣地的人就会倒霉，不得不把财产让给穷苦潦倒、囊空如洗的十字军战士；那些在他外出期间违反法律，侵犯了王室领地和特权的，便会遭到清算。他会为圣殿骑士团和医护骑士团在圣地作战期间，偏袒法王腓力二世的行为进行报复。总之，他回来后，会把一切依附他的兄弟约翰亲王的人，都当作叛逆给予惩罚。你们怕他的强大力量吗？”亲王的这位能说会道的亲信继续道，“我们承认他是一个坚强而英勇的骑士，但现在已不是亚瑟王的时代，不是一个勇士可以对抗一支军队的时代了。如果理查真的回到国内，他必然只成了孤家寡人，没有部下，也没有朋友。他那支英勇的军队已变成白骨，堆积在巴勒斯坦的沙漠中了。他的部下回来的寥寥无几，只是像艾文荷的威尔弗莱德那样一些身无分文、心力交瘁的人。再说，所谓理查的继承权算得什么呢？”他又对在这个问题上怀有疑虑的人继续道，“按照长子继承法，理查的权利难道还能超过征服者的长子，诺曼底公爵罗伯特吗？(注)然而红脸威廉和亨利，征服者的第二个和第三个儿子，却相继得到了全国一致的拥戴。罗伯特具备理查所有的一切优点：他是一个勇敢的骑士，一个优秀的领导人，对朋友和教会慷慨大方，除了这一切，他还是一个十字军战士，圣墓的收复者，然而他却成了双目失明的悲惨囚徒，死在加的夫城堡中了，因为他违背人民的意志，人民不愿接受他的统治。我们有权利从王室血统的后裔中，选择最有条件掌握国家权力的人，那就是说，”他又赶紧纠正道，“选择最能促进贵族的利益的人。从个人的品质而言，”他又道，“约翰亲王可能不如他的兄长理查；但是如果考虑到后者是拿着复仇的剑回来的，而前者带给我们的却是恩赏、宽恕（特权、财富和荣誉，那么毫无疑问，聪明的贵族应该拥戴这个人作国王。” -------- (注)征服者即指征服者威廉一世，他征眼英国后，把诺曼底赐给长子罗伯特作封地，又把英国赐给次子红脸威廉（登基后称威廉二世）。威廉一世去世后，罗伯特便发动叛乱，争夺英国王位。威廉二世利用减税等手段笼络人心，得到了诸侯的拥戴，罗伯特因而失败，退回诺曼底。红脸威廉于1100年去世，由兄弟亨利继位，称亨利一世；1106年罗伯特再度发动叛乱，争夺王位，战败后被亨利一世囚禁在加的夫城堡，历时二十多年，于1134年死在狱中。 这些和其他许多理由，有些是针对他所游说的人的特殊情况提出的，但它们都对约翰亲王的小集团中的贵族产生了预期的效果。他们中的大部分人允诺出席预定在约克城举行的会议，它的目的便是要为拥立约翰亲王作出全面的安排。 到了深夜，在多方奔走之后，菲泽西精疲力竭地回到阿什贝城堡时，虽然踌躇满志，却发现德布拉西已脱下参加宴会的服饰，换了一身打扮：上身穿着草绿色短外衣，下身穿着同样质地和颜色的裤子，头上戴着皮帽或头盔，身边佩着一柄短剑，肩上用皮带挂着一只号角，手里拿着一把长弓，腰带上插着一束箭。要是菲泽西在外屋遇见他，会把他当作卫队中的一名弓箭手，毫不理会地走过去，但是在里屋看到他，他不得不引起注意，这才认出那只是一个穿着英国卫士服装的诺曼骑士。 “德布拉西，你这身打扮是怎么回事？”菲泽西说，有些生气，“难道在我们的主人约翰亲王的命运正处在危急关头的时候，你还有兴趣玩圣诞游戏，或者举办假面舞会不成？你为什么不像我一样，到那些没心肝的胆小鬼中间去？据说，萨拉森人的孩子听到理查王的名字都害怕，现在这些胆小鬼也是这样呢！” “我得忙我自己的事，”德布拉西满不在乎地回答，“正如你也在忙你自己的事一样，菲泽酉。” “我这是忙我自己的事？”沃尔德马反问道，“我是在为我脽筒同的主人约翰亲王办事?” “你那么做除了为你自己升官发财，难道还有别的原因不成？”德布拉西说。“得啦，沃尔德马，我们谁也骗不了谁，你是野心勃勃，我却只想寻欢作乐，这是我们不同的年龄决定的。关于约翰亲王，你的想法同我的一样，那就是说，他太懦弱，不可能成为一个雄才大略的国王，太残暴，不可能是一个平易近人的国王，太傲慢和专横，不可能变成一个深得人心的国王，又太反复无常，太胆小怕事，不论他是怎样一个国王，都不可能长期不变。然而他是菲泽西和德布拉西所支持和拥戴的国王，因此你用你的政治手腕，我用我的自由兵团帮助他。” “好一个得力的助手！”菲泽西不耐烦地说，“到了危急存亡的关键时刻还在那么胡闹。请问，你在这个紧急关头穿上这套奇装异服，是为了什么？” “为了得到一个妻子，”德布拉西泰然自若地答道，“按照便雅悯人的办法，实行抢亲(注)。” -------- (注)便雅悯人本来是以色列十二支派中的一支，后来因得罪了其他支派，互相残杀，其他支派相约不准本族的女子嫁给便雅悯人，便雅悯人只得实行抢亲，把她们占为己有，见《旧约•士师记》第20至21章。 “抢亲！”菲泽西说，“我不明白你的意思。” “昨天晚上你不也在场吗？”德布拉西说。“我们听行吟诗人唱浪漫曲子后，艾默长老不是给我们讲了一个故事？他说，很早以前在巴勒斯坦，使雅悯部族与以色列民族的其他部族成了水火不相容的仇敌，他们怎样把那个部族的勇士几乎斩尽杀绝，又怎样向圣母起誓，不让剩下的那些人娶他们的女儿为妻；后来他们怎么为自己起的誓后悔了，便找会中的长老商量怎样解除那个誓言；于是便雅悯的年轻人便按照长老的劝告，在一次盛大的比武大会上把那里所有的女子抢走，不经过新娘本人和家族的同意，便把她们占为己有，作了妻子。” “我听说过这个故事，”菲泽西说，“只是时间和情节都有些不同，不知这是长老还是你别出心裁改的。” “不瞒你说，”德布拉酉答道，“我现在便是要按照便雅们人的办法，给自己找一个妻子，那就是说，我要穿着这身衣服，趁那些撒克逊公牛今天晚上挈带家眷离开城堡的时候，在半路上袭击他们，把可爱的罗文娜熗到手中。” “你疯了不成，德布拉酉？”菲泽酉说。“你得想想，他们虽然是撒克逊人，但都有财有势，而且深得他脽旺人的尊敬，因为现在撒克逊血统的人有钱有地位的已屈指可数了。” “他们本来不该拥有这一切，”德布拉西说，“征服者的事业必须完成。” “至少目前还不是时候，”菲泽西说，“眼前出现的危机使民众的支持变得不可缺少，任何人伤害了他们所尊重的人，他们告到约翰亲王那里，亲王也不能不秉公处理。” “他敢处理就让他处理，”德布拉西说，“他马上就会看到，究竟是靠我手下这批强壮的小伙子好，还是靠撒克逊人那些没有心肝的乌合之众好。何况我并不想马上暴露我的身分。瞧，我这身打扮不像一个惯吹号角的山林大盗吗？抢亲的罪责会落在约克郡森林中那些亡命之徒身上。我已派出探子，监视撒克逊人的行动。今晚他们得在特伦特河畔伯顿的一所修道院过夜，它名叫圣维特尔修道院或圣维索尔修道院，管它呢，随他们把这个圣徒叫什么名字。明天他们就会进入我们的势力范围，我们可以像老鹰抓小鸡那样把他们抓走。这以后我就恢复我的本来面目，像一个彬彬有礼的骑士，从那些粗鲁的土匪手里救出落难的不幸美女，把她送往牛面将军的城堡，必要的话，也可以把她带往诺曼底，在她成为莫里斯•德布拉西的新娘和夫人以前，再也见不到她的亲属。” “这计划称得上神机妙算，”菲泽酉说，“不过据我看，这不完全是你自己策划的。好吧，德布拉西，老实告诉我，这是谁帮你出的主意，实行时又是谁给你当帮手？因为据我所知，你的队伍还远在约克城呢。” “行，你要知道，告诉你也可以，”德布拉酉说，“这是我与圣殿骑士布里恩•布瓦吉贝尔一起，从便雅悯人的冒险活动中得到了启示，一起商定的计策。他帮助我进行这次袭击，他和他的部下扮作强盗，然后我改变装束后，凭这条强有力的胳臂从他们手中救出小姐。” “我的老天爷，”菲泽酉说，“这计划称得上你们两人的智慧结晶！你很谨慎，这尤其表现在你打算把那位小姐先留在得力的助手那里，德布拉西。不过我想，你可以轻而易举地把她从她的撒克逊亲人那里抢走，可是接着，怎么从布瓦吉贝尔手掌中救出她，恐怕就不那么容易了。他是一只苍鹰，一向只习惯抓走鹧鸪，不会把到手的东西放走的。” “他是一名圣殿骑士，”德布拉西说，“因此不可能与我作对，破坏我娶这位女继承人的计划，也不至于干出任何不光彩的事，想抢走德布拉西看中的新娘。凭上帝起誓，哪怕他有整个骑士团作他的后盾，他也不敢干这种伤害我的事！” “我知道，不论我讲什么，”菲泽西说，“你也不会醒悟，抛弃你的幻想，因为你天生就这么固执；那么你尽量少花些时间，别把这件不合时宜的蠢事拖得太久吧。” “你放心，”德布拉西答道，“这事只需要几个钟头，办好后，我马上带领我那些大胆勇敢的部下奔赴约克城，不论你定下的方针多么危险，我也一定支持你。现在我听得我的伙计们在集合了，马已在外面院子里踢蹄子和嘶叫。再见。我走了，像一个真正的骑士，要去赢得美人的微笑了。” “像一个真正的骑士！”菲泽西望着他的背影念叨道，“不如说像一个傻瓜，像一个孩子，丢下最重要的大事不干，去追逐飘过他身边的一簇飞絮。可是我能利用的只是这些工具，而且这是为了谁的利益？为了一个既愚蠢无知，又放荡任性的亲王，还可能是一个忘恩负义的主子，就像他已证明是一个叛逆的儿子和邪恶的弟兄一样。但是他——他也只是我手中的一件工具罢了；尽管他自命不凡，也不敢把他的利益与我的分开，这是一个他不久就会明白的秘密。” 那位大臣想到这里，便给亲王的声音打断了；后者在里屋喊道：“高贵的沃尔德马•菲泽西！”于是未来的首相——因为那个狡猾的诺曼人指望的正是这个显赫的职位——便摘下帽子，赶快进去接受未来的国王的指示了。

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Chapter 16
Far in a wild, unknown to public view, From youth to age a reverend hermit grew; The moss his bed, the cave his humble cell, His food the fruits, his drink the crystal well Remote from man, with God he pass'd his days, Prayer all his business---all his pleasure praise. Parnell
The reader cannot have forgotten that the event of the tournament was decided by the exertions of an unknown knight, whom, on account of the passive and indifferent conduct which he had manifested on the former part of the day, the spectators had entitled, "Le Noir Faineant". This knight had left the field abruptly when the victory was achieved; and when he was called upon to receive the reward of his valour, he was nowhere to be found. In the meantime, while summoned by heralds and by trumpets, the knight was holding his course northward, avoiding all frequented paths, and taking the shortest road through the woodlands. He paused for the night at a small hostelry lying out of the ordinary route, where, however, he obtained from a wandering minstrel news of the event of the tourney.
On the next morning the knight departed early, with the intention of making a long journey; the condition of his horse, which he had carefully spared during the preceding morning, being such as enabled him to travel far without the necessity of much repose. Yet his purpose was baffled by the devious paths through which he rode, so that when evening closed upon him, he only found himself on the frontiers of the West Riding of Yorkshire. By this time both horse and man required refreshment, and it became necessary, moreover, to look out for some place in which they might spend the night, which was now fast approaching.
The place where the traveller found himself seemed unpropitious for obtaining either shelter or refreshment, and he was likely to be reduced to the usual expedient of knights-errant, who, on such occasions, turned their horses to graze, and laid themselves down to meditate on their lady-mistress, with an oak-tree for a canopy. But the Black Knight either had no mistress to meditate upon, or, being as indifferent in love as he seemed to be in war, was not sufficiently occupied by passionate reflections upon her beauty and cruelty, to be able to parry the effects of fatigue and hunger, and suffer love to act as a substitute for the solid comforts of a bed and supper. He felt dissatisfied, therefore, when, looking around, he found himself deeply involved in woods, through which indeed there were many open glades, and some paths, but such as seemed only formed by the numerous herds of cattle which grazed in the forest, or by the animals of chase, and the hunters who made prey of them.
The sun, by which the knight had chiefly directed his course, had now sunk behind the Derbyshire hills on his left, and every effort which he might make to pursue his journey was as likely to lead him out of his road as to advance him on his route. After having in vain endeavoured to select the most beaten path, in hopes it might lead to the cottage of some herdsman, or the silvan lodge of a forester, and having repeatedly found himself totally unable to determine on a choice, the knight resolved to trust to the sagacity of his horse; experience having, on former occasions, made him acquainted with the wonderful talent possessed by these animals for extricating themselves and their riders on such emergencies.
The good steed, grievously fatigued with so long a day's journey under a rider cased in mail, had no sooner found, by the slackened reins, that he was abandoned to his own guidance, than he seemed to assume new strength and spirit; and whereas, formerly he had scarce replied to the spur, otherwise than by a groan, he now, as if proud of the confidence reposed in him, pricked up his ears, and assumed, of his own accord, a more lively motion. The path which the animal adopted rather turned off from the course pursued by the knight during the day; but as the horse seemed confident in his choice, the rider abandoned himself to his discretion.
He was justified by the event; for the footpath soon after appeared a little wider and more worn, and the tinkle of a small bell gave the knight to understand that he was in the vicinity of some chapel or hermitage.
Accordingly, he soon reached an open plat of turf, on the opposite side of which, a rock, rising abruptly from a gently sloping plain, offered its grey and weatherbeaten front to the traveller. Ivy mantled its sides in some places, and in others oaks and holly bushes, whose roots found nourishment in the cliffs of the crag, waved over the precipices below, like the plumage of the warrior over his steel helmet, giving grace to that whose chief expression was terror. At the bottom of the rock, and leaning, as it were, against it, was constructed a rude hut, built chiefly of the trunks of trees felled in the neighbouring forest, and secured against the weather by having its crevices stuffed with moss mingled with clay. The stem of a young fir-tree lopped of its branches, with a piece of wood tied across near the top, was planted upright by the door, as a rude emblem of the holy cross. At a little distance on the right hand, a fountain of the purest water trickled out of the rock, and was received in a hollow stone, which labour had formed into a rustic basin. Escaping from thence, the stream murmured down the descent by a channel which its course had long worn, and so wandered through the little plain to lose itself in the neighbouring wood.
Beside this fountain were the ruins of a very small chapel, of which the roof had partly fallen in. The building, when entire, had never been above sixteen feet long by twelve feet in breadth, and the roof, low in proportion, rested upon four concentric arches which sprung from the four corners of the building, each supported upon a short and heavy pillar. The ribs of two of these arches remained, though the roof had fallen down betwixt them; over the others it remained entire. The entrance to this ancient place of devotion was under a very low round arch, ornamented by several courses of that zig-zag moulding, resembling shark's teeth, which appears so often in the more ancient Saxon architecture. A belfry rose above the porch on four small pillars, within which hung the green and weatherbeaten bell, the feeble sounds of which had been some time before heard by the Black Knight.
The whole peaceful and quiet scene lay glimmering in twilight before the eyes of the traveller, giving him good assurance of lodging for the night; since it was a special duty of those hermits who dwelt in the woods, to exercise hospitality towards benighted or bewildered passengers.
Accordingly, the knight took no time to consider minutely the particulars which we have detailed, but thanking Saint Julian (the patron of travellers) who had sent him good harbourage, he leaped from his horse and assailed the door of the hermitage with the butt of his lance, in order to arouse attention and gain admittance.
It was some time before he obtained any answer, and the reply, when made, was unpropitious.
"Pass on, whosoever thou art," was the answer given by a deep hoarse voice from within the hut, "and disturb not the servant of God and St Dunstan in his evening devotions."
"Worthy father," answered the knight, "here is a poor wanderer bewildered in these woods, who gives thee the opportunity of exercising thy charity and hospitality."
"Good brother," replied the inhabitant of the hermitage, "it has pleased Our Lady and St Dunstan to destine me for the object of those virtues, instead of the exercise thereof. I have no provisions here which even a dog would share with me, and a horse of any tenderness of nurture would despise my couch---pass therefore on thy way, and God speed thee."
"But how," replied the knight, "is it possible for me to find my way through such a wood as this, when darkness is coming on? I pray you, reverend father as you are a Christian, to undo your door, and at least point out to me my road."
"And I pray you, good Christian brother," replied the anchorite, "to disturb me no more. You have already interrupted one 'pater', two 'aves', and a 'credo', which I, miserable sinner that I am, should, according to my vow, have said before moonrise."
"The road---the road!" vociferated the knight, "give me directions for the road, if I am to expect no more from thee."
"The road," replied the hermit, "is easy to hit. The path from the wood leads to a morass, and from thence to a ford, which, as the rains have abated, may now be passable. When thou hast crossed the ford, thou wilt take care of thy footing up the left bank, as it is somewhat precipitous; and the path, which hangs over the river, has lately, as I learn, (for I seldom leave the duties of my chapel,) given way in sundry places. Thou wilt then keep straight forward-----"
"A broken path---a precipice---a ford, and a morass!" said the knight interrupting him,---"Sir Hermit, if you were the holiest that ever wore beard or told bead, you shall scarce prevail on me to hold this road to-night. I tell thee, that thou, who livest by the charity of the country---ill deserved, as I doubt it is ---hast no right to refuse shelter to the wayfarer when in distress. Either open the door quickly, or, by the rood, I will beat it down and make entry for myself."
"Friend wayfarer," replied the hermit, "be not importunate; if thou puttest me to use the carnal weapon in mine own defence, it will be e'en the worse for you."
At this moment a distant noise of barking and growling, which the traveller had for some time heard, became extremely loud and furious, and made the knight suppose that the hermit, alarmed by his threat of making forcible entry, had called the dogs who made this clamour to aid him in his defence, out of some inner recess in which they had been kennelled. Incensed at this preparation on the hermit's part for making good his inhospitable purpose, the knight struck the door so furiously with his foot, that posts as well as staples shook with violence.
The anchorite, not caring again to expose his door to a similar shock, now called out aloud, "Patience, patience---spare thy strength, good traveller, and I will presently undo the door, though, it may be, my doing so will be little to thy pleasure."
The door accordingly was opened; and the hermit, a large, strong-built man, in his sackcloth gown and hood, girt with a rope of rushes, stood before the knight. He had in one hand a lighted torch, or link, and in the other a baton of crab-tree, so thick and heavy, that it might well be termed a club. Two large shaggy dogs, half greyhound half mastiff, stood ready to rush upon the traveller as soon as the door should be opened. But when the torch glanced upon the lofty crest and golden spurs of the knight, who stood without, the hermit, altering probably his original intentions, repressed the rage of his auxiliaries, and, changing his tone to a sort of churlish courtesy, invited the knight to enter his hut, making excuse for his unwillingness to open his lodge after sunset, by alleging the multitude of robbers and outlaws who were abroad, and who gave no honour to Our Lady or St Dunstan, nor to those holy men who spent life in their service.
"The poverty of your cell, good father," said the knight, looking around him, and seeing nothing but a bed of leaves, a crucifix rudely carved in oak, a missal, with a rough-hewn table and two stools, and one or two clumsy articles of furniture---"the poverty of your cell should seem a sufficient defence against any risk of thieves, not to mention the aid of two trusty dogs, large and strong enough, I think, to pull down a stag, and of course, to match with most men."
"The good keeper of the forest," said the hermit, "hath allowed me the use of these animals, to protect my solitude until the times shall mend."
Having said this, he fixed his torch in a twisted branch of iron which served for a candlestick; and, placing the oaken trivet before the embers of the fire, which he refreshed with some dry wood, he placed a stool upon one side of the table, and beckoned to the knight to do the same upon the other.
They sat down, and gazed with great gravity at each other, each thinking in his heart that he had seldom seen a stronger or more athletic figure than was placed opposite to him.
"Reverend hermit," said the knight, after looking long and fixedly at his host, "were it not to interrupt your devout meditations, I would pray to know three things of your holiness; first, where I am to put my horse?---secondly, what I can have for supper?---thirdly, where I am to take up my couch for the night?"
"I will reply to you," said the hermit, "with my finger, it being against my rule to speak by words where signs can answer the purpose." So saying, he pointed successively to two corners of the hut. "Your stable," said he, "is there---your bed there; and," reaching down a platter with two handfuls of parched pease upon it from the neighbouring shelf, and placing it upon the table, he added, "your supper is here."
The knight shrugged his shoulders, and leaving the hut, brought in his horse, (which in the interim he had fastened to a tree,) unsaddled him with much attention, and spread upon the steed's weary back his own mantle.
The hermit was apparently somewhat moved to compassion by the anxiety as well as address which the stranger displayed in tending his horse; for, muttering something about provender left for the keeper's palfrey, he dragged out of a recess a bundle of forage, which he spread before the knight's charger, and immediately afterwards shook down a quantity of dried fern in the corner which he had assigned for the rider's couch. The knight returned him thanks for his courtesy; and, this duty done, both resumed their seats by the table, whereon stood the trencher of pease placed between them. The hermit, after a long grace, which had once been Latin, but of which original language few traces remained, excepting here and there the long rolling termination of some word or phrase, set example to his guest, by modestly putting into a very large mouth, furnished with teeth which might have ranked with those of a boar both in sharpness and whiteness, some three or four dried pease, a miserable grist as it seemed for so large and able a mill.
The knight, in order to follow so laudable an example, laid aside his helmet, his corslet, and the greater part of his armour, and showed to the hermit a head thick-curled with yellow hair, high features, blue eyes, remarkably bright and sparkling, a mouth well formed, having an upper lip clothed with mustachoes darker than his hair, and bearing altogether the look of a bold, daring, and enterprising man, with which his strong form well corresponded.
The hermit, as if wishing to answer to the confidence of his guest, threw back his cowl, and showed a round bullet head belonging to a man in the prime of life. His close-shaven crown, surrounded by a circle of stiff curled black hair, had something the appearance of a parish pinfold begirt by its high hedge. The features expressed nothing of monastic austerity, or of ascetic privations; on the contrary, it was a bold bluff countenance, with broad black eyebrows, a well-turned forehead, and cheeks as round and vermilion as those of a trumpeter, from which descended a long and curly black beard. Such a visage, joined to the brawny form of the holy man, spoke rather of sirloins and haunches, than of pease and pulse. This incongruity did not escape the guest. After he had with great difficulty accomplished the mastication of a mouthful of the dried pease, he found it absolutely necessary to request his pious entertainer to furnish him with some liquor; who replied to his request by placing before him a large can of the purest water from the fountain.
"It is from the well of St Dunstan," said he, "in which, betwixt sun and sun, he baptized five hundred heathen Danes and Britons ---blessed be his name!" And applying his black beard to the pitcher, he took a draught much more moderate in quantity than his encomium seemed to warrant.
"It seems to me, reverend father," said the knight, "that the small morsels which you eat, together with this holy, but somewhat thin beverage, have thriven with you marvellously. You appear a man more fit to win the ram at a wrestling match, or the ring at a bout at quarter-staff, or the bucklers at a sword-play, than to linger out your time in this desolate wilderness, saying masses, and living upon parched pease and cold water."
"Sir Knight," answered the hermit, "your thoughts, like those of the ignorant laity, are according to the flesh. It has pleased Our Lady and my patron saint to bless the pittance to which I restrain myself, even as the pulse and water was blessed to the children Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, who drank the same rather than defile themselves with the wine and meats which were appointed them by the King of the Saracens."
"Holy father," said the knight, "upon whose countenance it hath pleased Heaven to work such a miracle, permit a sinful layman to crave thy name?"
"Thou mayst call me," answered the hermit, "the Clerk of Copmanhurst, for so I am termed in these parts---They add, it is true, the epithet holy, but I stand not upon that, as being unworthy of such addition.---And now, valiant knight, may I pray ye for the name of my honourable guest?"
"Truly," said the knight, "Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst, men call me in these parts the Black Knight,---many, sir, add to it the epithet of Sluggard, whereby I am no way ambitious to be distinguished."
The hermit could scarcely forbear from smiling at his guest's reply.
"I see," said he, "Sir Sluggish Knight, that thou art a man of prudence and of counsel; and moreover, I see that my poor monastic fare likes thee not, accustomed, perhaps, as thou hast been, to the license of courts and of camps, and the luxuries of cities; and now I bethink me, Sir Sluggard, that when the charitable keeper of this forest-walk left those dogs for my protection, and also those bundles of forage, he left me also some food, which, being unfit for my use, the very recollection of it had escaped me amid my more weighty meditations."
"I dare be sworn he did so," said the knight; "I was convinced that there was better food in the cell, Holy Clerk, since you first doffed your cowl.---Your keeper is ever a jovial fellow; and none who beheld thy grinders contending with these pease, and thy throat flooded with this ungenial element, could see thee doomed to such horse-provender and horse-beverage," (pointing to the provisions upon the table,) "and refrain from mending thy cheer. Let us see the keeper's bounty, therefore, without delay."
The hermit cast a wistful look upon the knight, in which there was a sort of comic expression of hesitation, as if uncertain how far he should act prudently in trusting his guest. There was, however, as much of bold frankness in the knight's countenance as was possible to be expressed by features. His smile, too, had something in it irresistibly comic, and gave an assurance of faith and loyalty, with which his host could not refrain from sympathizing.
After exchanging a mute glance or two, the hermit went to the further side of the hut, and opened a hutch, which was concealed with great care and some ingenuity. Out of the recesses of a dark closet, into which this aperture gave admittance, he brought a large pasty, baked in a pewter platter of unusual dimensions. This mighty dish he placed before his guest, who, using his poniard to cut it open, lost no time in making himself acquainted with its contents.
"How long is it since the good keeper has been here?" said the knight to his host, after having swallowed several hasty morsels of this reinforcement to the hermit's good cheer.
"About two months," answered the father hastily.
"By the true Lord," answered the knight, "every thing in your hermitage is miraculous, Holy Clerk! for I would have been sworn that the fat buck which furnished this venison had been running on foot within the week."
The hermit was somewhat discountenanced by this observation; and, moreover, he made but a poor figure while gazing on the diminution of the pasty, on which his guest was making desperate inroads; a warfare in which his previous profession of abstinence left him no pretext for joining.
"I have been in Palestine, Sir Clerk," said the knight, stopping short of a sudden, "and I bethink me it is a custom there that every host who entertains a guest shall assure him of the wholesomeness of his food, by partaking of it along with him. Far be it from me to suspect so holy a man of aught inhospitable; nevertheless I will be highly bound to you would you comply with this Eastern custom."
"To ease your unnecessary scruples, Sir Knight, I will for once depart from my rule," replied the hermit. And as there were no forks in those days, his clutches were instantly in the bowels of the pasty.
The ice of ceremony being once broken, it seemed matter of rivalry between the guest and the entertainer which should display the best appetite; and although the former had probably fasted longest, yet the hermit fairly surpassed him.
"Holy Clerk," said the knight, when his hunger was appeased, "I would gage my good horse yonder against a zecchin, that that same honest keeper to whom we are obliged for the venison has left thee a stoup of wine, or a runlet of canary, or some such trifle, by way of ally to this noble pasty. This would be a circumstance, doubtless, totally unworthy to dwell in the memory of so rigid an anchorite; yet, I think, were you to search yonder crypt once more, you would find that I am right in my conjecture."
The hermit only replied by a grin; and returning to the hutch, he produced a leathern bottle, which might contain about four quarts. He also brought forth two large drinking cups, made out of the horn of the urus, and hooped with silver. Having made this goodly provision for washing down the supper, he seemed to think no farther ceremonious scruple necessary on his part; but filling both cups, and saying, in the Saxon fashion, "'Waes hael', Sir Sluggish Knight!" he emptied his own at a draught.
"'Drink hael', Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst!" answered the warrior, and did his host reason in a similar brimmer.
"Holy Clerk," said the stranger, after the first cup was thus swallowed, "I cannot but marvel that a man possessed of such thews and sinews as thine, and who therewithal shows the talent of so goodly a trencher-man, should think of abiding by himself in this wilderness. In my judgment, you are fitter to keep a castle or a fort, eating of the fat and drinking of the strong, than to live here upon pulse and water, or even upon the charity of the keeper. At least, were I as thou, I should find myself both disport and plenty out of the king's deer. There is many a goodly herd in these forests, and a buck will never be missed that goes to the use of Saint Dunstan's chaplain."
"Sir Sluggish Knight," replied the Clerk, "these are dangerous words, and I pray you to forbear them. I am true hermit to the king and law, and were I to spoil my liege's game, I should be sure of the prison, and, an my gown saved me not, were in some peril of hanging."
"Nevertheless, were I as thou," said the knight, "I would take my walk by moonlight, when foresters and keepers were warm in bed, and ever and anon,---as I pattered my prayers,---I would let fly a shaft among the herds of dun deer that feed in the glades --Resolve me, Holy Clerk, hast thou never practised such a pastime?"
"Friend Sluggard," answered the hermit, "thou hast seen all that can concern thee of my housekeeping, and something more than he deserves who takes up his quarters by violence. Credit me, it is better to enjoy the good which God sends thee, than to be impertinently curious how it comes. Fill thy cup, and welcome; and do not, I pray thee, by further impertinent enquiries, put me to show that thou couldst hardly have made good thy lodging had I been earnest to oppose thee."
"By my faith," said the knight, "thou makest me more curious than ever! Thou art the most mysterious hermit I ever met; and I will know more of thee ere we part. As for thy threats, know, holy man, thou speakest to one whose trade it is to find out danger wherever it is to be met with."
"Sir Sluggish Knight, I drink to thee," said the hermit; "respecting thy valour much, but deeming wondrous slightly of thy discretion. If thou wilt take equal arms with me, I will give thee, in all friendship and brotherly love, such sufficing penance and complete absolution, that thou shalt not for the next twelve months sin the sin of excess of curiosity."
The knight pledged him, and desired him to name his weapons.
"There is none," replied the hermit, "from the scissors of Delilah, and the tenpenny nail of Jael, to the scimitar of Goliath, at which I am not a match for thee---But, if I am to make the election, what sayst thou, good friend, to these trinkets?"
Thus speaking, he opened another hutch, and took out from it a couple of broadswords and bucklers, such as were used by the yeomanry of the period. The knight, who watched his motions, observed that this second place of concealment was furnished with two or three good long-bows, a cross-bow, a bundle of bolts for the latter, and half-a-dozen sheaves of arrows for the former. A harp, and other matters of a very uncanonical appearance, were also visible when this dark recess was opened.
"I promise thee, brother Clerk," said he, "I will ask thee no more offensive questions. The contents of that cupboard are an answer to all my enquiries; and I see a weapon there" (here he stooped and took out the harp) "on which I would more gladly prove my skill with thee, than at the sword and buckler."
"I hope, Sir Knight," said the hermit, "thou hast given no good reason for thy surname of the Sluggard. I do promise thee I suspect thee grievously. Nevertheless, thou art my guest, and I will not put thy manhood to the proof without thine own free will. Sit thee down, then, and fill thy cup; let us drink, sing, and be merry. If thou knowest ever a good lay, thou shalt be welcome to a nook of pasty at Copmanhurst so long as I serve the chapel of St Dunstan, which, please God, shall be till I change my grey covering for one of green turf. But come, fill a flagon, for it will crave some time to tune the harp; and nought pitches the voice and sharpens the ear like a cup of wine. For my part, I love to feel the grape at my very finger-ends before they make the harp-strings tinkle."*
* The Jolly Hermit.---All readers, however slightly * acquainted with black letter, must recognise in the Clerk * of Copmanhurst, Friar Tuck, the buxom Confessor of Robin * Hood's gang, the Curtal Friar of Fountain's Abbey.

在遥远的荒原上与世隔绝的地方，
一位隐士从年轻生活到了年老；
苔藓是他的床铺，洞穴是他的居室，
鲜果是他的食物，清泉是他的饮料，
他远离人间，却与上帝终日作伴，
他的生活是祈祷，他的欢乐便是赞美。
帕内尔
读者想必还没忘记，那天的比武是靠一个无人知晓的骑士的出马，决定胜负的；由于那天的前一段时间，这个骑士的举止一直显得没精打采，随随便便，观众便送了他一个外号：黑甲懒汉。(注)但是他取得胜利后，便突然从场子里消失了，当大家要为他的英勇向他授奖时，他已不知去向。其实就在典礼官千呼万唤找他，号角一遍遍吹响时，他早已循着人迹罕至的小径，穿过森林中最近的道路，向北疾驰而去。当天他是在远离大路的一家小客栈中过的夜，也是在那里，他从一个流浪的行吟诗人口中知道了比武的结果。
--------
(注)这里写的黑甲骑士便是狮心正理查（1157—1199）。他于工189年继亨利二世之后登基，但不久即率领十字军东征，1194年回国后又立即奔赴诺曼底，与法王腓力二世进行了五年战争，最后在利摩日附近中箭身亡。因此在政治上他毫无政绩可言，然而由于他骁勇善战，表现了高尚的骑士风度，因而深得人心，成了英国民间传说中的英雄人物。司各特在这里所写的，便是这样一个带有传奇色彩的人物。
第二天一早，骑士便动身了，打算这一天多赶些路。从清早起他就留心，不让他的马累着，希望它经得起长途跋涉，不必多作休息。然而他经过的都是崎岖曲折的小径，结果事与愿违，在夜幕降临时，他还刚到达约克郡的西区边睡。这时人和马都已饥肠辘辘，而且夜色逐渐加深，眼看必须找个住宿的地方了。
可是旅人发现这一带满目荒凉，既不能找到宿处，也不能找到饮食，似乎唯一的办法，便是照漫游的骑士通常采取的权宜之计行事，那就是让马在地上吃草，自己则把一棵株树当作床帐，蜷缩在它下面，用想念自己心目中的情人来打发时间。但是黑甲骑士也许没有情人供他想念，或者他对爱情也像对比武一样不以为意，热烈的感情不能占有他，对她的美貌和残忍的回忆，也不足以抵挡疲劳和饥饿的压力，使爱情成为床铺和晚餐之类物质享受的代替品。因此他闷闷不乐，举目四望，只见周围尽是参天古木，虽然有许多林间空地和几条羊肠小道，看来只是成群的牛羊经常来这里吃草，或者猎人不时在这一带追逐猎物留下的痕迹。
这位骑士主要得靠太阳辨别方向，可是现在它已落到他左边的德比郡山脉后面，他继续赶路的任何努力，既可能使他找到路径，同样也可能使他迷失方向。他竭力想选择一条人迹最多的道路，希望它能通往一间牧人的小屋。或者一个护林人的住所。可是怎么也不能决定选哪一条，最后他只得放弃这种努力，让他的马凭它的灵性行动；根据他从前的经验，他知道这些牲口具有特异功能，会在这类紧急关头，为它们自己和骑它们的人找到出路。
这匹马载着这位全身披挂的骑士，已奔波了一整天，觉得筋疲力尽了，但这是匹好马，一旦发现缰绳放松，主人要它自己充当向导时，立刻振作精神，有了力气。以前它对踢马刺大多没有反应，只是哼几声，现在主人的信任似乎令它感到自豪，它竖起耳朵，主动恢复了活跃的姿态。它选择了一条小径，这与骑士白天走的路线并不一致，但这牲口似乎对自己的选择充满信心，于是骑马的人不再约束它，听任它自由行动。
事实证明它是对的，因为那条小径不久便宽了一些，足印也多了，还可以听到小钟楼传来的一阵阵叮当声，这一切让骑士明白，他已来到一个小教堂或隐修所的附近。
这样，不多一会他便看到了一片空旷的草坪，它对面有一大块岩石矗立在缓缓倾斜的平地上，把它饱经风霜的灰色岩壁呈现在旅人面前。它的边上有的地方缠络着常春藤，有的地方生长着一些栎木和冬青树丛，它们的根是从山崖峭壁的间隙中吸取营养的；这些树木在崖顶随风飘拂，像武士钢盔上的羽饰，可以给他的一脸杀气增添一些柔和的色彩。岩石底部有一所简陋的小屋，它仿佛紧靠在岩壁上，主要是由附近森林中砍伐的一些粗大树干建成；为了阻挡风雨，它的隙缝中塞满了青苔和泥土。一棵小小的冷杉砍光了枝权，靠近顶端横缚着一根木棒，直立在门口，这便算是十字架的神圣象征。右首不远处，有一泓清澈透明的泉水，从山岩间瀑瀑流出，滴进一个石潭中，时间久了，石潭变成了一只粗糙的水盂。从那里溢出的水，又沿着一条磨光的小沟泊泪流下，在小小的平地上徘徊一会之后，消失在附近的树林中。
这泉水旁边便是一所极小的教堂，它破败不堪，屋顶已塌陷了一部分。在完好的时候，整个建筑也不过十六英尺长，十二英尺宽，屋顶也相应较矮，由房屋四角升起的四个同心拱架支撑，拱架下是又矮又粗的柱子。两个拱架的助拱还保留着，然而它们之间的屋顶下沉了，得靠另两个完整的拱架支持。这个古老的祈祷场所的门上，有一个非常矮的半圆拱顶，上面雕着几道之字形花纹，有些像鲨鱼的牙齿，这在撒克逊人的古代建筑中是屡见不鲜的。门前的走廊上有一个架在四根小柱子上的钟塔，里边挂着一只经过风雨剥蚀已经发绿的钟，刚才黑甲骑士听到的隐隐钟声，便来自那里。
这一幅和平宁静的画面，从苍茫暮色中出现在旅人眼前，使他终于有恃无恐，觉得已找到了过夜的地方，因为接待过往行人或迷路的客商，是这些居住在森林中的隐士义不容辞的责任。
现在这位骑士无心浪费时间，仔细观赏我们描写的这些景物，只是一边感谢旅人的保护神圣朱利安及时指点了他一个宿处，一边便跳下马背，用他的熗柄叩击隐修所的大门，让屋内的人赶快放他进去。
但薀妄了老大一会才有人答应，听那口气，似乎对他还不太欢迎。
“走吧，不论你是谁，”屋里一个深沉嘶哑的声音这么回答，“别打搅上帝和圣邓斯坦的仆人，他正在做晚祷呢。”
“尊敬的神父，”骑士答道，“有一个可怜的出门人在树林中迷了路，需要投宿，这正是你发挥恻隐之心，行善积德的机会啊。”
“好兄弟，”隐修所的主人答道，“圣母和圣邓斯坦注定我只是一个接受这些善行的人，不是实施它们的人。我没有多余的食物，连一只狗也养不活；我住的地方，一匹养尊处优的马也不屑一顾。你还是走你的路吧，上帝会保佑你的。”
“可是天越来越黑了，在这样的森林里，我�

Chapter 17 At eve, within yon studious nook, I ope my brass-embossed book, Portray'd with many a holy deed Of martyrs crown'd with heavenly meed; Then, as my taper waxes dim, Chant, ere I sleep, my measured hymn. * * * * * Who but would cast his pomp away, To take my staff and amice grey, And to the world's tumultuous stage, Prefer the peaceful Hermitage? Warton Notwithstanding the prescription of the genial hermit, with which his guest willingly complied, he found it no easy matter to bring the harp to harmony. "Methinks, holy father," said he, "the instrument wants one string, and the rest have been somewhat misused." "Ay, mark'st thou that?" replied the hermit; "that shows thee a master of the craft. Wine and wassail," he added, gravely casting up his eyes---"all the fault of wine and wassail!---I told Allan-a-Dale, the northern minstrel, that he would damage the harp if he touched it after the seventh cup, but he would not be controlled---Friend, I drink to thy successful performance." So saying, he took off his cup with much gravity, at the same time shaking his head at the intemperance of the Scottish harper. The knight in the meantime, had brought the strings into some order, and after a short prelude, asked his host whether he would choose a "sirvente" in the language of "oc", or a "lai" in the language of "oui", or a "virelai", or a ballad in the vulgar English.* * Note C. Minstrelsy. "A ballad, a ballad," said the hermit, "against all the 'ocs' and 'ouis' of France. Downright English am I, Sir Knight, and downright English was my patron St Dunstan, and scorned 'oc' and 'oui', as he would have scorned the parings of the devil's hoof ---downright English alone shall be sung in this cell." "I will assay, then," said the knight, "a ballad composed by a Saxon glee-man, whom I knew in Holy Land." It speedily appeared, that if the knight was not a complete master of the minstrel art, his taste for it had at least been cultivated under the best instructors. Art had taught him to soften the faults of a voice which had little compass, and was naturally rough rather than mellow, and, in short, had done all that culture can do in supplying natural deficiencies. His performance, therefore, might have been termed very respectable by abler judges than the hermit, especially as the knight threw into the notes now a degree of spirit, and now of plaintive enthusiasm, which gave force and energy to the verses which he sung. THE CRUSADER'S RETURN. 1. High deeds achieved of knightly fame, From Palestine the champion came; The cross upon his shoulders borne, Battle and blast had dimm'd and torn. Each dint upon his batter'd shield Was token of a foughten field; And thus, beneath his lady's bower, He sung as fell the twilight hour:--- 2. "Joy to the fair!---thy knight behold, Return'd from yonder land of gold; No wealth he brings, nor wealth can need, Save his good arms and battle-steed His spurs, to dash against a foe, His lance and sword to lay him low; Such all the trophies of his toil, Such---and the hope of Tekla's smile! 3. "Joy to the fair! whose constant knight Her favour fired to feats of might; Unnoted shall she not remain, Where meet the bright and noble train; Minstrel shall sing and herald tell--- 'Mark yonder maid of beauty well, 'Tis she for whose bright eyes were won The listed field at Askalon! 4. "'Note well her smile!---it edged the blade Which fifty wives to widows made, When, vain his strength and Mahound's spell, Iconium's turban'd Soldan fell. Seest thou her locks, whose sunny glow Half shows, half shades, her neck of snow? Twines not of them one golden thread, But for its sake a Paynim bled.' 5. "Joy to the fair!---my name unknown, Each deed, and all its praise thine own Then, oh! unbar this churlish gate, The night dew falls, the hour is late. Inured to Syria's glowing breath, I feel the north breeze chill as death; Let grateful love quell maiden shame, And grant him bliss who brings thee fame." During this performance, the hermit demeaned himself much like a first-rate critic of the present day at a new opera. He reclined back upon his seat, with his eyes half shut; now, folding his hands and twisting his thumbs, he seemed absorbed in attention, and anon, balancing his expanded palms, he gently flourished them in time to the music. At one or two favourite cadences, he threw in a little assistance of his own, where the knight's voice seemed unable to carry the air so high as his worshipful taste approved. When the song was ended, the anchorite emphatically declared it a good one, and well sung. "And yet," said he, "I think my Saxon countrymen had herded long enough with the Normans, to fall into the tone of their melancholy ditties. What took the honest knight from home? or what could he expect but to find his mistress agreeably engaged with a rival on his return, and his serenade, as they call it, as little regarded as the caterwauling of a cat in the gutter? Nevertheless, Sir Knight, I drink this cup to thee, to the success of all true lovers---I fear you are none," he added, on observing that the knight (whose brain began to be heated with these repeated draughts) qualified his flagon from the water pitcher. "Why," said the knight, "did you not tell me that this water was from the well of your blessed patron, St Dunstan?" "Ay, truly," said the hermit, "and many a hundred of pagans did he baptize there, but I never heard that he drank any of it. Every thing should be put to its proper use in this world. St Dunstan knew, as well as any one, the prerogatives of a jovial friar." And so saying, he reached the harp, and entertained his guest with the following characteristic song, to a sort of derry-down chorus, appropriate to an old English ditty.* * It may be proper to remind the reader, that the chorus of * "derry down" is supposed to be as ancient, not only as * the times of the Heptarchy, but as those of the Druids, * and to have furnished the chorus to the hymns of those * venerable persons when they went to the wood to gather * mistletoe. THE BAREFOOTED FRIAR. 1. I'll give thee, good fellow, a twelvemonth or twain, To search Europe through, from Byzantium to Spain; But ne'er shall you find, should you search till you tire, So happy a man as the Barefooted Friar. 2. Your knight for his lady pricks forth in career, And is brought home at even-song prick'd through with a spear; I confess him in haste---for his lady desires No comfort on earth save the Barefooted Friar's. 3. Your monarch?---Pshaw! many a prince has been known To barter his robes for our cowl and our gown, But which of us e'er felt the idle desire To exchange for a crown the grey hood of a Friar! 4. The Friar has walk'd out, and where'er he has gone, The land and its fatness is mark'd for his own; He can roam where he lists, he can stop when he tires, For every man's house is the Barefooted Friar's. 5. He's expected at noon, and no wight till he comes May profane the great chair, or the porridge of plums For the best of the cheer, and the seat by the fire, Is the undenied right of the Barefooted Friar. 6. He's expected at night, and the pasty's made hot, They broach the brown ale, and they fill the black pot, And the goodwife would wish the goodman in the mire, Ere he lack'd a soft pillow, the Barefooted Friar. 7. Long flourish the sandal, the cord, and the cope, The dread of the devil and trust of the Pope; For to gather life's roses, unscathed by the briar, Is granted alone to the Barefooted Friar. "By my troth," said the knight, "thou hast sung well and lustily, and in high praise of thine order. And, talking of the devil, Holy Clerk, are you not afraid that he may pay you a visit during some of your uncanonical pastimes?" "I uncanonical!" answered the hermit; "I scorn the charge---I scorn it with my heels!---I serve the duty of my chapel duly and truly---Two masses daily, morning and evening, primes, noons, and vespers, 'aves, credos, paters'------" "Excepting moonlight nights, when the venison is in season," said his guest. "'Exceptis excipiendis'" replied the hermit, "as our old abbot taught me to say, when impertinent laymen should ask me if I kept every punctilio of mine order." "True, holy father," said the knight; "but the devil is apt to keep an eye on such exceptions; he goes about, thou knowest, like a roaring lion." "Let him roar here if he dares," said the friar; "a touch of my cord will make him roar as loud as the tongs of St Dunstan himself did. I never feared man, and I as little fear the devil and his imps. Saint Dunstan, Saint Dubric, Saint Winibald, Saint Winifred, Saint Swibert, Saint Willick, not forgetting Saint Thomas a Kent, and my own poor merits to speed, I defy every devil of them, come cut and long tail.---But to let you into a secret, I never speak upon such subjects, my friend, until after morning vespers." He changed the conversation; fast and furious grew the mirth of the parties, and many a song was exchanged betwixt them, when their revels were interrupted by a loud knocking at the door of the hermitage. The occasion of this interruption we can only explain by resuming the adventures of another set of our characters; for, like old Ariosto, we do not pique ourselves upon continuing uniformly to keep company with any one personage of our drama. 在黄昏寂静的书斋中， 我翻开镶铜精装的古书， 披阅许多圣徒的事迹， 殉难已使他们升入天堂。 随着烛光的逐渐暗淡， 我唱过赞美诗安然入睡。 可谁愿抛弃功名富贵， 拿起牧杖围上灰布披肩， 离开热闹繁华的世界， 蛰居在清静的隐修室中？ 沃顿 隐士的谆谆劝告，客人自然乐于从命，可是调准琴弦却不像喝酒那么容易。 “神父，”他说道，“我看这乐器大概少了一条弦，其余几根好像也损坏了。” “哦，你看出来了？”隐士答道，“那么你还是真正懂得这玩艺的，这都是贪酒的结果，”他抬起眼睛．又一本正经地说，“一切都得怪他大贪酒！我是指我们的苏格兰行吟诗人阿伦阿代尔(注)，我告诉他，喝过七杯酒以后，别碰我的竖琴，否则非把它搞坏不可，但他不听劝告。朋友，我喝一杯，祝你弹唱成功。” -------- (注)阿伦阿代尔，这也是罗宾汉的一个伙伴。他是民间艺人，据说，罗宾汉曾帮助他从一个年老的骑士手中救出他的未婚妻，从此他便追随罗宾汉，本书后半部中也多次提到他。 说完，他又郑重其事地喝干了一杯酒，同时摇摇头，表示对那位苏格兰竖琴手的好酒贪杯不以为然。 这时，骑士已把琴弦多少摄弄好了，先弹了段过门，然后问主人，他是唱诺曼人的曲子，还是法国人的曲子，或者英国的通俗民谣呢？ “唱民谣，唱民谣，”隐士说，“我不要听诺曼人的曲子，也不要听法国人的曲子。骑士先生，我是地地道道的英国人，正如我的保护神圣邓斯坦也是地地道道的英国人，我不爱听诺曼话和法国话，正如他不爱给魔鬼修蹄子一样(注)。在这间屋子里只能唱英国歌。” -------- (注)据英国的民间传说，圣邓斯坦生前当过铁匠（因此被认为是铁匠的保护神），有一次魔鬼去找他修蹄子，给他作弄了一番，从此再也不敢小看这位圣徒。 “那么我试试吧，”骑士说，“这是一支英文谣曲，我在圣地认识的一个撒克逊吟游诗人编的。” 情况立刻清楚了，这位骑士即使不擅长弹唱艺术，至少他的演唱方式说明他是经历过名师指点的。他的音域不太宽广，嗓音也天生较粗，不够圆润，然而他的修养发挥了应有的作用，弥补了一切天然的缺陷，因此他的演唱，哪怕比隐士更高明的评判者，也会觉得无可挑剔，何况骑士在弹唱中有时显得慷慨激昂，有时又变得悲哀凄切，给他的曲调增添了生动的活力。 十字军人远征归来 在激烈的战斗中赢得了荣誉， 勇士从巴勒斯坦回来了； 肩上绣的十字架花纹， 已在战斗和风雨中褪色和破损； 盾牌上留下的每一道刀痕， 都标志着一次腥风血雨的鏖战。 在暮色降临大地的时刻， 他来到姑娘的窗下歌唱： “告诉姑娘一个喜讯！你的骑士 已从那片黄金的土地上回来。 发他没有带回财宝，也不需要财宝， 他有的只是锋利的刀剑和战马， 他向敌人冲锋陷阵的踢马刺， 他使敌人望风披靡的长熗； 这就是他浴血奋战的全部纪念品， 只希望它们能博得美人的一笑！ “告诉美人一个喜讯！她的忠诚骑士 在爱情的鼓舞下建立了丰功伟绩； 从此她的名字将传遍远近各地， 光辉而尊贵的接待随时恭候着她； 诗人歌唱她，典礼官也向世界宣布： ‘仔细瞧瞧那位美丽的少女， 正是为了她那双明亮的眼睛， 骑士才在阿什克伦的比武中赢得了胜利！ “‘仔细瞧瞧她的笑容！它使刀剑锋利无比， 尽管拥有千军万马和穆罕默德的保佑， 包头巾的偶像苏丹却在他的剑下丧生， 他的五十个妻妾顷刻之间成了寡妇！ 瞧瞧她的鬈发，它那么光艳照人， 半掩半映地披在她雪白的脖颈上， 它们中间没有一缕金银丝线， 可是为了它们，异教徒倒在了血泊中。’ “告诉姑娘一个喜讯！我不想扬名天下， 一切功绩和赞美都属于你。 只是在这夜深露冷的时刻， 请你打开这简陋的大门； 在叙利亚的炎热中生活惯了， 北风使我觉得像死一般寒冷。 让感激的爱情消除少女的羞涩， 把幸福赐予带给你荣誉的人吧。” 在这支歌弹唱时，隐士那副神态活像今天一位第一流批评家在欣赏一出新歌剧。他把身子靠后一些，仰起了头，半闭着眼睛，有时交叉双手，摩弄着拇指，似乎正全神贯注在静听，有时又伸开巴掌，随着音乐的节拍轻轻挥舞。遇到一两个他喜爱的乐段，他仿佛觉得骑士的嗓音还不够嘹亮，不足以达到他的欣赏水平所要求的高度，于是不免助他一臂之力，随声哼上几下。演唱结束，隐士便郑重宣布，这是首好歌，唱得也婉转悦耳。 “然而我想，”他说，“我的撒克逊同胞跟诺曼人混得久了，不免沾染了他们的感伤情调。你说，这个正直的骑士为什么要离开家乡？他回来后，除了发现他的情人已倒在别人的怀抱中，他的小夜曲——按照诺曼人的说法——只能像猫在阴沟中叫春一样，得不到反应，还能指望什么呢？不过，骑士老弟，我与你干这一杯，祝一切有情人真正成为眷属。但恐怕你不是其中的一个，”他又说，发觉骑士一再喝酒，头脑已有些迷糊，以致把水罐里的水倒进了酒杯中。 “咦，”骑士说，“你刚才不是告诉我，水罐里装的是你的保护神圣邓斯坦的泉水吗？” “千真万确，”隐士答道，“好几百异教徒在这儿受过洗礼呢，但我从未听说他拿它当酒喝。世界上的任何事物都有固定的用途。圣邓斯坦也像别人一样，了解快活的出家人的特殊需要。” 他一边这么说，一边拿过竖琴来，给客人唱了下面这支歌，那）用原始的歌谣方式演唱的英国民间小调： 赤脚修士之歌 朋友，我可以给你一年或两年时间， 让你从拜占庭到西班牙找遍整个欧洲， 可是哪怕你找得筋疲力尽也无法找到 像赤脚修士这么快活的人。 你的骑士为了心爱的人赴汤蹈火， 晚祷声中带着熗伤回到她的身边， 她却把我匆匆叫去替他作临终忏悔， 因为除了赤脚修士她不要别人作伴。 你的国王分文不值！因为许多君主 情愿用他的龙袍换一身修士衣服， 可是我们中间又有谁会忽发奇想， 要把僧帽去交换一顶王冠！ 我们的修士去游四方，到处为家， 天下的珍馐美味都可以供他享受， 他在哪里都来去自由，无牵无挂， 因为每个人的家都是赤脚修士的家。 他预定中午到达，中午以前 大家已备好丰盛的筵席虚位以待， 因为精美的饮食和炉边的座位， 永远是赤脚修士不可剥夺的权利。 他预定晚上到达，浓冽的麦酒， 热气腾腾的馅饼已在恭候大骂， 主妇宁可让当家人睡在野外， 也不愿赤脚修士没有温暖的床铺。 修士的芒鞋、腰带和长施早已风行无阻， 魔鬼怕它们，教皇信赖它们； 为了采集没刺的玫瑰，享受生活的欢乐， 最好的办法便是当一名赤脚修士。 “说老实话，”骑士说道，“你唱得很好，振奋人心，高度赞扬了你们的修会。不过讲到魔鬼，你不怕他趁你违反教规，寻欢作乐的时候，光顾你的茅庐吗？” “我违反教规！”隐士答道，“这是无中生有的指责，根本不在我的话下！我在教堂中格守清规，按时祈祷。一天晨昏两次弥撒，早上祷告，中午祷告，晚上祷告，念主待文，万福马利亚，使徒信经……” “月光之夜是例外，正好乘机猎取鹿肉，”客人说。 “例外只是例外，”隐士答道，“我们修道院的老院长教导我说，如果自不量力的俗人问我，是不是遵守修会的规则，我可以这么回答他们。” “说得有理，神父，”骑士道，“不过魔鬼总是把眼睛盯住这些例外；你知道，他到处转悠，像一只吼叫的狮子。” “他要吼叫就让它吼叫，”修士说，“我的腰带一碰到他，他就不敢张牙舞爪，好像给圣邓斯坦的钳子夹住了鼻子(注)。我不怕任何人，也不怕魔鬼和他的徒子徒孙。圣邓斯坦，圣杜布里克，圣威尼巴尔德，圣威尼弗莱德，圣斯威伯特，圣威利克，还不能忘记肯特的圣托马斯和我自己的功德——这一切都会保护我，我不怕任何一个魔鬼，不论它是长尾巴的还是短尾巴的。不过告诉你一个秘密，我的朋友，我从来不在晨待以前谈这些问题。” -------- (注)据有关圣邓斯坦的另一个传说，魔鬼曾在夜间骚扰圣邓斯坦，被后者乘其不备，用烧红的铁钳夹住了鼻子。 他改变了话题，于是两人兴高采烈，开怀畅饮，还唱了不少歌，互相应和，正在这时，有人大声打门了。 这使他们的饮酒作乐只得宣告终止；至于谁在打门，那得回头先谈另一些人物的活动了，因为我们也像老阿里奥斯托(注)一样，不能一成不变，老是跟故事中的一两个角色作伴。 -------- (注)阿里奥斯托（1474—1533），意大利人文主义诗人，他的主要作品长篇叙事诗《疯狂的罗兰》情节复杂，人物众多，经常变换场景。

Chapter 17 At eve, within yon studious nook, I ope my brass-embossed book, Portray'd with many a holy deed Of martyrs crown'd with heavenly meed; Then, as my taper waxes dim, Chant, ere I sleep, my measured hymn. * * * * * Who but would cast his pomp away, To take my staff and amice grey, And to the world's tumultuous stage, Prefer the peaceful Hermitage? Warton Notwithstanding the prescription of the genial hermit, with which his guest willingly complied, he found it no easy matter to bring the harp to harmony. "Methinks, holy father," said he, "the instrument wants one string, and the rest have been somewhat misused." "Ay, mark'st thou that?" replied the hermit; "that shows thee a master of the craft. Wine and wassail," he added, gravely casting up his eyes---"all the fault of wine and wassail!---I told Allan-a-Dale, the northern minstrel, that he would damage the harp if he touched it after the seventh cup, but he would not be controlled---Friend, I drink to thy successful performance." So saying, he took off his cup with much gravity, at the same time shaking his head at the intemperance of the Scottish harper. The knight in the meantime, had brought the strings into some order, and after a short prelude, asked his host whether he would choose a "sirvente" in the language of "oc", or a "lai" in the language of "oui", or a "virelai", or a ballad in the vulgar English.* * Note C. Minstrelsy. "A ballad, a ballad," said the hermit, "against all the 'ocs' and 'ouis' of France. Downright English am I, Sir Knight, and downright English was my patron St Dunstan, and scorned 'oc' and 'oui', as he would have scorned the parings of the devil's hoof ---downright English alone shall be sung in this cell." "I will assay, then," said the knight, "a ballad composed by a Saxon glee-man, whom I knew in Holy Land." It speedily appeared, that if the knight was not a complete master of the minstrel art, his taste for it had at least been cultivated under the best instructors. Art had taught him to soften the faults of a voice which had little compass, and was naturally rough rather than mellow, and, in short, had done all that culture can do in supplying natural deficiencies. His performance, therefore, might have been termed very respectable by abler judges than the hermit, especially as the knight threw into the notes now a degree of spirit, and now of plaintive enthusiasm, which gave force and energy to the verses which he sung. THE CRUSADER'S RETURN. 1. High deeds achieved of knightly fame, From Palestine the champion came; The cross upon his shoulders borne, Battle and blast had dimm'd and torn. Each dint upon his batter'd shield Was token of a foughten field; And thus, beneath his lady's bower, He sung as fell the twilight hour:--- 2. "Joy to the fair!---thy knight behold, Return'd from yonder land of gold; No wealth he brings, nor wealth can need, Save his good arms and battle-steed His spurs, to dash against a foe, His lance and sword to lay him low; Such all the trophies of his toil, Such---and the hope of Tekla's smile! 3. "Joy to the fair! whose constant knight Her favour fired to feats of might; Unnoted shall she not remain, Where meet the bright and noble train; Minstrel shall sing and herald tell--- 'Mark yonder maid of beauty well, 'Tis she for whose bright eyes were won The listed field at Askalon! 4. "'Note well her smile!---it edged the blade Which fifty wives to widows made, When, vain his strength and Mahound's spell, Iconium's turban'd Soldan fell. Seest thou her locks, whose sunny glow Half shows, half shades, her neck of snow? Twines not of them one golden thread, But for its sake a Paynim bled.' 5. "Joy to the fair!---my name unknown, Each deed, and all its praise thine own Then, oh! unbar this churlish gate, The night dew falls, the hour is late. Inured to Syria's glowing breath, I feel the north breeze chill as death; Let grateful love quell maiden shame, And grant him bliss who brings thee fame." During this performance, the hermit demeaned himself much like a first-rate critic of the present day at a new opera. He reclined back upon his seat, with his eyes half shut; now, folding his hands and twisting his thumbs, he seemed absorbed in attention, and anon, balancing his expanded palms, he gently flourished them in time to the music. At one or two favourite cadences, he threw in a little assistance of his own, where the knight's voice seemed unable to carry the air so high as his worshipful taste approved. When the song was ended, the anchorite emphatically declared it a good one, and well sung. "And yet," said he, "I think my Saxon countrymen had herded long enough with the Normans, to fall into the tone of their melancholy ditties. What took the honest knight from home? or what could he expect but to find his mistress agreeably engaged with a rival on his return, and his serenade, as they call it, as little regarded as the caterwauling of a cat in the gutter? Nevertheless, Sir Knight, I drink this cup to thee, to the success of all true lovers---I fear you are none," he added, on observing that the knight (whose brain began to be heated with these repeated draughts) qualified his flagon from the water pitcher. "Why," said the knight, "did you not tell me that this water was from the well of your blessed patron, St Dunstan?" "Ay, truly," said the hermit, "and many a hundred of pagans did he baptize there, but I never heard that he drank any of it. Every thing should be put to its proper use in this world. St Dunstan knew, as well as any one, the prerogatives of a jovial friar." And so saying, he reached the harp, and entertained his guest with the following characteristic song, to a sort of derry-down chorus, appropriate to an old English ditty.* * It may be proper to remind the reader, that the chorus of * "derry down" is supposed to be as ancient, not only as * the times of the Heptarchy, but as those of the Druids, * and to have furnished the chorus to the hymns of those * venerable persons when they went to the wood to gather * mistletoe. THE BAREFOOTED FRIAR. 1. I'll give thee, good fellow, a twelvemonth or twain, To search Europe through, from Byzantium to Spain; But ne'er shall you find, should you search till you tire, So happy a man as the Barefooted Friar. 2. Your knight for his lady pricks forth in career, And is brought home at even-song prick'd through with a spear; I confess him in haste---for his lady desires No comfort on earth save the Barefooted Friar's. 3. Your monarch?---Pshaw! many a prince has been known To barter his robes for our cowl and our gown, But which of us e'er felt the idle desire To exchange for a crown the grey hood of a Friar! 4. The Friar has walk'd out, and where'er he has gone, The land and its fatness is mark'd for his own; He can roam where he lists, he can stop when he tires, For every man's house is the Barefooted Friar's. 5. He's expected at noon, and no wight till he comes May profane the great chair, or the porridge of plums For the best of the cheer, and the seat by the fire, Is the undenied right of the Barefooted Friar. 6. He's expected at night, and the pasty's made hot, They broach the brown ale, and they fill the black pot, And the goodwife would wish the goodman in the mire, Ere he lack'd a soft pillow, the Barefooted Friar. 7. Long flourish the sandal, the cord, and the cope, The dread of the devil and trust of the Pope; For to gather life's roses, unscathed by the briar, Is granted alone to the Barefooted Friar. "By my troth," said the knight, "thou hast sung well and lustily, and in high praise of thine order. And, talking of the devil, Holy Clerk, are you not afraid that he may pay you a visit during some of your uncanonical pastimes?" "I uncanonical!" answered the hermit; "I scorn the charge---I scorn it with my heels!---I serve the duty of my chapel duly and truly---Two masses daily, morning and evening, primes, noons, and vespers, 'aves, credos, paters'------" "Excepting moonlight nights, when the venison is in season," said his guest. "'Exceptis excipiendis'" replied the hermit, "as our old abbot taught me to say, when impertinent laymen should ask me if I kept every punctilio of mine order." "True, holy father," said the knight; "but the devil is apt to keep an eye on such exceptions; he goes about, thou knowest, like a roaring lion." "Let him roar here if he dares," said the friar; "a touch of my cord will make him roar as loud as the tongs of St Dunstan himself did. I never feared man, and I as little fear the devil and his imps. Saint Dunstan, Saint Dubric, Saint Winibald, Saint Winifred, Saint Swibert, Saint Willick, not forgetting Saint Thomas a Kent, and my own poor merits to speed, I defy every devil of them, come cut and long tail.---But to let you into a secret, I never speak upon such subjects, my friend, until after morning vespers." He changed the conversation; fast and furious grew the mirth of the parties, and many a song was exchanged betwixt them, when their revels were interrupted by a loud knocking at the door of the hermitage. The occasion of this interruption we can only explain by resuming the adventures of another set of our characters; for, like old Ariosto, we do not pique ourselves upon continuing uniformly to keep company with any one personage of our drama. 在黄昏寂静的书斋中， 我翻开镶铜精装的古书， 披阅许多圣徒的事迹， 殉难已使他们升入天堂。 随着烛光的逐渐暗淡， 我唱过赞美诗安然入睡。 可谁愿抛弃功名富贵， 拿起牧杖围上灰布披肩， 离开热闹繁华的世界， 蛰居在清静的隐修室中？ 沃顿 隐士的谆谆劝告，客人自然乐于从命，可是调准琴弦却不像喝酒那么容易。 “神父，”他说道，“我看这乐器大概少了一条弦，其余几根好像也损坏了。” “哦，你看出来了？”隐士答道，“那么你还是真正懂得这玩艺的，这都是贪酒的结果，”他抬起眼睛．又一本正经地说，“一切都得怪他大贪酒！我是指我们的苏格兰行吟诗人阿伦阿代尔(注)，我告诉他，喝过七杯酒以后，别碰我的竖琴，否则非把它搞坏不可，但他不听劝告。朋友，我喝一杯，祝你弹唱成功。” -------- (注)阿伦阿代尔，这也是罗宾汉的一个伙伴。他是民间艺人，据说，罗宾汉曾帮助他从一个年老的骑士手中救出他的未婚妻，从此他便追随罗宾汉，本书后半部中也多次提到他。 说完，他又郑重其事地喝干了一杯酒，同时摇摇头，表示对那位苏格兰竖琴手的好酒贪杯不以为然。 这时，骑士已把琴弦多少摄弄好了，先弹了段过门，然后问主人，他是唱诺曼人的曲子，还是法国人的曲子，或者英国的通俗民谣呢？ “唱民谣，唱民谣，”隐士说，“我不要听诺曼人的曲子，也不要听法国人的曲子。骑士先生，我是地地道道的英国人，正如我的保护神圣邓斯坦也是地地道道的英国人，我不爱听诺曼话和法国话，正如他不爱给魔鬼修蹄子一样(注)。在这间屋子里只能唱英国歌。” -------- (注)据英国的民间传说，圣邓斯坦生前当过铁匠（因此被认为是铁匠的保护神），有一次魔鬼去找他修蹄子，给他作弄了一番，从此再也不敢小看这位圣徒。 “那么我试试吧，”骑士说，“这是一支英文谣曲，我在圣地认识的一个撒克逊吟游诗人编的。” 情况立刻清楚了，这位骑士即使不擅长弹唱艺术，至少他的演唱方式说明他是经历过名师指点的。他的音域不太宽广，嗓音也天生较粗，不够圆润，然而他的修养发挥了应有的作用，弥补了一切天然的缺陷，因此他的演唱，哪怕比隐士更高明的评判者，也会觉得无可挑剔，何况骑士在弹唱中有时显得慷慨激昂，有时又变得悲哀凄切，给他的曲调增添了生动的活力。 十字军人远征归来 在激烈的战斗中赢得了荣誉， 勇士从巴勒斯坦回来了； 肩上绣的十字架花纹， 已在战斗和风雨中褪色和破损； 盾牌上留下的每一道刀痕， 都标志着一次腥风血雨的鏖战。 在暮色降临大地的时刻， 他来到姑娘的窗下歌唱： “告诉姑娘一个喜讯！你的骑士 已从那片黄金的土地上回来。 发他没有带回财宝，也不需要财宝， 他有的只是锋利的刀剑和战马， 他向敌人冲锋陷阵的踢马刺， 他使敌人望风披靡的长熗； 这就是他浴血奋战的全部纪念品， 只希望它们能博得美人的一笑！ “告诉美人一个喜讯！她的忠诚骑士 在爱情的鼓舞下建立了丰功伟绩； 从此她的名字将传遍远近各地， 光辉而尊贵的接待随时恭候着她； 诗人歌唱她，典礼官也向世界宣布： ‘仔细瞧瞧那位美丽的少女， 正是为了她那双明亮的眼睛， 骑士才在阿什克伦的比武中赢得了胜利！ “‘仔细瞧瞧她的笑容！它使刀剑锋利无比， 尽管拥有千军万马和穆罕默德的保佑， 包头巾的偶像苏丹却在他的剑下丧生， 他的五十个妻妾顷刻之间成了寡妇！ 瞧瞧她的鬈发，它那么光艳照人， 半掩半映地披在她雪白的脖颈上， 它们中间没有一缕金银丝线， 可是为了它们，异教徒倒在了血泊中。’ “告诉姑娘一个喜讯！我不想扬名天下， 一切功绩和赞美都属于你。 只是在这夜深露冷的时刻， 请你打开这简陋的大门； 在叙利亚的炎热中生活惯了， 北风使我觉得像死一般寒冷。 让感激的爱情消除少女的羞涩， 把幸福赐予带给你荣誉的人吧。” 在这支歌弹唱时，隐士那副神态活像今天一位第一流批评家在欣赏一出新歌剧。他把身子靠后一些，仰起了头，半闭着眼睛，有时交叉双手，摩弄着拇指，似乎正全神贯注在静听，有时又伸开巴掌，随着音乐的节拍轻轻挥舞。遇到一两个他喜爱的乐段，他仿佛觉得骑士的嗓音还不够嘹亮，不足以达到他的欣赏水平所要求的高度，于是不免助他一臂之力，随声哼上几下。演唱结束，隐士便郑重宣布，这是首好歌，唱得也婉转悦耳。 “然而我想，”他说，“我的撒克逊同胞跟诺曼人混得久了，不免沾染了他们的感伤情调。你说，这个正直的骑士为什么要离开家乡？他回来后，除了发现他的情人已倒在别人的怀抱中，他的小夜曲——按照诺曼人的说法——只能像猫在阴沟中叫春一样，得不到反应，还能指望什么呢？不过，骑士老弟，我与你干这一杯，祝一切有情人真正成为眷属。但恐怕你不是其中的一个，”他又说，发觉骑士一再喝酒，头脑已有些迷糊，以致把水罐里的水倒进了酒杯中。 “咦，”骑士说，“你刚才不是告诉我，水罐里装的是你的保护神圣邓斯坦的泉水吗？” “千真万确，”隐士答道，“好几百异教徒在这儿受过洗礼呢，但我从未听说他拿它当酒喝。世界上的任何事物都有固定的用途。圣邓斯坦也像别人一样，了解快活的出家人的特殊需要。” 他一边这么说，一边拿过竖琴来，给客人唱了下面这支歌，那）用原始的歌谣方式演唱的英国民间小调： 赤脚修士之歌 朋友，我可以给你一年或两年时间， 让你从拜占庭到西班牙找遍整个欧洲， 可是哪怕你找得筋疲力尽也无法找到 像赤脚修士这么快活的人。 你的骑士为了心爱的人赴汤蹈火， 晚祷声中带着熗伤回到她的身边， 她却把我匆匆叫去替他作临终忏悔， 因为除了赤脚修士她不要别人作伴。 你的国王分文不值！因为许多君主 情愿用他的龙袍换一身修士衣服， 可是我们中间又有谁会忽发奇想， 要把僧帽去交换一顶王冠！ 我们的修士去游四方，到处为家， 天下的珍馐美味都可以供他享受， 他在哪里都来去自由，无牵无挂， 因为每个人的家都是赤脚修士的家。 他预定中午到达，中午以前 大家已备好丰盛的筵席虚位以待， 因为精美的饮食和炉边的座位， 永远是赤脚修士不可剥夺的权利。 他预定晚上到达，浓冽的麦酒， 热气腾腾的馅饼已在恭候大骂， 主妇宁可让当家人睡在野外， 也不愿赤脚修士没有温暖的床铺。 修士的芒鞋、腰带和长施早已风行无阻， 魔鬼怕它们，教皇信赖它们； 为了采集没刺的玫瑰，享受生活的欢乐， 最好的办法便是当一名赤脚修士。 “说老实话，”骑士说道，“你唱得很好，振奋人心，高度赞扬了你们的修会。不过讲到魔鬼，你不怕他趁你违反教规，寻欢作乐的时候，光顾你的茅庐吗？” “我违反教规！”隐士答道，“这是无中生有的指责，根本不在我的话下！我在教堂中格守清规，按时祈祷。一天晨昏两次弥撒，早上祷告，中午祷告，晚上祷告，念主待文，万福马利亚，使徒信经……” “月光之夜是例外，正好乘机猎取鹿肉，”客人说。 “例外只是例外，”隐士答道，“我们修道院的老院长教导我说，如果自不量力的俗人问我，是不是遵守修会的规则，我可以这么回答他们。” “说得有理，神父，”骑士道，“不过魔鬼总是把眼睛盯住这些例外；你知道，他到处转悠，像一只吼叫的狮子。” “他要吼叫就让它吼叫，”修士说，“我的腰带一碰到他，他就不敢张牙舞爪，好像给圣邓斯坦的钳子夹住了鼻子(注)。我不怕任何人，也不怕魔鬼和他的徒子徒孙。圣邓斯坦，圣杜布里克，圣威尼巴尔德，圣威尼弗莱德，圣斯威伯特，圣威利克，还不能忘记肯特的圣托马斯和我自己的功德——这一切都会保护我，我不怕任何一个魔鬼，不论它是长尾巴的还是短尾巴的。不过告诉你一个秘密，我的朋友，我从来不在晨待以前谈这些问题。” -------- (注)据有关圣邓斯坦的另一个传说，魔鬼曾在夜间骚扰圣邓斯坦，被后者乘其不备，用烧红的铁钳夹住了鼻子。 他改变了话题，于是两人兴高采烈，开怀畅饮，还唱了不少歌，互相应和，正在这时，有人大声打门了。 这使他们的饮酒作乐只得宣告终止；至于谁在打门，那得回头先谈另一些人物的活动了，因为我们也像老阿里奥斯托(注)一样，不能一成不变，老是跟故事中的一两个角色作伴。 -------- (注)阿里奥斯托（1474—1533），意大利人文主义诗人，他的主要作品长篇叙事诗《疯狂的罗兰》情节复杂，人物众多，经常变换场景。

Chapter 18 Away! our journey lies through dell and dingle, Where the blithe fawn trips by its timid mother, Where the broad oak, with intercepting boughs, Chequers the sunbeam in the green-sward alley--- Up and away!---for lovely paths are these To tread, when the glad Sun is on his throne Less pleasant, and less safe, when Cynthia's lamp With doubtful glimmer lights the dreary forest. Ettrick Forest When Cedric the Saxon saw his son drop down senseless in the lists at Ashby, his first impulse was to order him into the custody and care of his own attendants, but the words choked in his throat. He could not bring himself to acknowledge, in presence of such an assembly, the son whom he had renounced and disinherited. He ordered, however, Oswald to keep an eye upon him; and directed that officer, with two of his serfs, to convey Ivanhoe to Ashby as soon as the crowd had dispersed. Oswald, however, was anticipated in this good office. The crowd dispersed, indeed, but the knight was nowhere to be seen. It was in vain that Cedric's cupbearer looked around for his young master---he saw the bloody spot on which he had lately sunk down, but himself he saw no longer; it seemed as if the fairies had conveyed him from the spot. Perhaps Oswald (for the Saxons were very superstitious) might have adopted some such hypothesis, to account for Ivanhoe's disappearance, had he not suddenly cast his eye upon a person attired like a squire, in whom he recognised the features of his fellow-servant Gurth. Anxious concerning his master's fate, and in despair at his sudden disappearance, the translated swineherd was searching for him everywhere, and had neglected, in doing so, the concealment on which his own safety depended. Oswald deemed it his duty to secure Gurth, as a fugitive of whose fate his master was to judge. Renewing his enquiries concerning the fate of Ivanhoe, the only information which the cupbearer could collect from the bystanders was, that the knight had been raised with care by certain well-attired grooms, and placed in a litter belonging to a lady among the spectators, which had immediately transported him out of the press. Oswald, on receiving this intelligence, resolved to return to his master for farther instructions, carrying along with him Gurth, whom he considered in some sort as a deserter from the service of Cedric. The Saxon had been under very intense and agonizing apprehensions concerning his son; for Nature had asserted her rights, in spite of the patriotic stoicism which laboured to disown her. But no sooner was he informed that Ivanhoe was in careful, and probably in friendly hands, than the paternal anxiety which had been excited by the dubiety of his fate, gave way anew to the feeling of injured pride and resentment, at what he termed Wilfred's filial disobedience. "Let him wander his way," said he---"let those leech his wounds for whose sake he encountered them. He is fitter to do the juggling tricks of the Norman chivalry than to maintain the fame and honour of his English ancestry with the glaive and brown-bill, the good old weapons of his country." "If to maintain the honour of ancestry," said Rowena, who was present, "it is sufficient to be wise in council and brave in execution---to be boldest among the bold, and gentlest among the gentle, I know no voice, save his father's------" "Be silent, Lady Rowena!---on this subject only I hear you not. Prepare yourself for the Prince's festival: we have been summoned thither with unwonted circumstance of honour and of courtesy, such as the haughty Normans have rarely used to our race since the fatal day of Hastings. Thither will I go, were it only to show these proud Normans how little the fate of a son, who could defeat their bravest, can affect a Saxon." "Thither," said Rowena, "do I NOT go; and I pray you to beware, lest what you mean for courage and constancy, shall be accounted hardness of heart." "Remain at home, then, ungrateful lady," answered Cedric; "thine is the hard heart, which can sacrifice the weal of an oppressed people to an idle and unauthorized attachment. I seek the noble Athelstane, and with him attend the banquet of John of Anjou." He went accordingly to the banquet, of which we have already mentioned the principal events. Immediately upon retiring from the castle, the Saxon thanes, with their attendants, took horse; and it was during the bustle which attended their doing so, that Cedric, for the first time, cast his eyes upon the deserter Gurth. The noble Saxon had returned from the banquet, as we have seen, in no very placid humour, and wanted but a pretext for wreaking his anger upon some one. "The gyves!" he said, "the gyves!---Oswald---Hundibert!---Dogs and villains!---why leave ye the knave unfettered?" Without daring to remonstrate, the companions of Gurth bound him with a halter, as the readiest cord which occurred. He submitted to the operation without remonstrance, except that, darting a reproachful look at his master, he said, "This comes of loving your flesh and blood better than mine own." "To horse, and forward!" said Cedric. "It is indeed full time," said the noble Athelstane; "for, if we ride not the faster, the worthy Abbot Waltheoff's preparations for a rere-supper* * A rere-supper was a night-meal, and sometimes signified a * collation, which was given at a late hour, after the * regular supper had made its appearance. L. T. will be altogether spoiled." The travellers, however, used such speed as to reach the convent of St Withold's before the apprehended evil took place. The Abbot, himself of ancient Saxon descent, received the noble Saxons with the profuse and exuberant hospitality of their nation, wherein they indulged to a late, or rather an early hour; nor did they take leave of their reverend host the next morning until they had shared with him a sumptuous refection. As the cavalcade left the court of the monastery, an incident happened somewhat alarming to the Saxons, who, of all people of Europe, were most addicted to a superstitious observance of omens, and to whose opinions can be traced most of those notions upon such subjects, still to be found among our popular antiquities. For the Normans being a mixed race, and better informed according to the information of the times, had lost most of the superstitious prejudices which their ancestors had brought from Scandinavia, and piqued themselves upon thinking freely on such topics. In the present instance, the apprehension of impending evil was inspired by no less respectable a prophet than a large lean black dog, which, sitting upright, howled most piteously as the foremost riders left the gate, and presently afterwards, barking wildly, and jumping to and fro, seemed bent upon attaching itself to the party. "I like not that music, father Cedric," said Athelstane; for by this title of respect he was accustomed to address him. "Nor I either, uncle," said Wamba; "I greatly fear we shall have to pay the piper." "In my mind," said Athelstane, upon whose memory the Abbot's good ale (for Burton was already famous for that genial liquor) had made a favourable impression,---"in my mind we had better turn back, and abide with the Abbot until the afternoon. It is unlucky to travel where your path is crossed by a monk, a hare, or a howling dog, until you have eaten your next meal." "Away!" said Cedric, impatiently; "the day is already too short for our journey. For the dog, I know it to be the cur of the runaway slave Gurth, a useless fugitive like its master." So saying, and rising at the same time in his stirrups, impatient at the interruption of his journey, he launched his javelin at poor Fangs---for Fangs it was, who, having traced his master thus far upon his stolen expedition, had here lost him, and was now, in his uncouth way, rejoicing at his reappearance. The javelin inflicted a wound upon the animal's shoulder, and narrowly missed pinning him to the earth; and Fangs fled howling from the presence of the enraged thane. Gurth's heart swelled within him; for he felt this meditated slaughter of his faithful adherent in a degree much deeper than the harsh treatment he had himself received. Having in vain attempted to raise his hand to his eyes, he said to Wamba, who, seeing his master's ill humour had prudently retreated to the rear, "I pray thee, do me the kindness to wipe my eyes with the skirt of thy mantle; the dust offends me, and these bonds will not let me help myself one way or another." Wamba did him the service he required, and they rode side by side for some time, during which Gurth maintained a moody silence. At length he could repress his feelings no longer. "Friend Wamba," said he, "of all those who are fools enough to serve Cedric, thou alone hast dexterity enough to make thy folly acceptable to him. Go to him, therefore, and tell him that neither for love nor fear will Gurth serve him longer. He may strike the head from me---he may scourge me---he may load me with irons---but henceforth he shall never compel me either to love or to obey him. Go to him, then, and tell him that Gurth the son of Beowulph renounces his service." "Assuredly," said Wamba, "fool as I am, I shall not do your fool's errand. Cedric hath another javelin stuck into his girdle, and thou knowest he does not always miss his mark." "I care not," replied Gurth, "how soon he makes a mark of me. Yesterday he left Wilfred, my young master, in his blood. To-day he has striven to kill before my face the only other living creature that ever showed me kindness. By St Edmund, St Dunstan, St Withold, St Edward the Confessor, and every other Saxon saint in the calendar," (for Cedric never swore by any that was not of Saxon lineage, and all his household had the same limited devotion,) "I will never forgive him!" "To my thinking now," said the Jester, who was frequently wont to act as peace-maker in the family, "our master did not propose to hurt Fangs, but only to affright him. For, if you observed, he rose in his stirrups, as thereby meaning to overcast the mark; and so he would have done, but Fangs happening to bound up at the very moment, received a scratch, which I will be bound to heal with a penny's breadth of tar." "If I thought so," said Gurth---"if I could but think so---but no---I saw the javelin was well aimed---I heard it whizz through the air with all the wrathful malevolence of him who cast it, and it quivered after it had pitched in the ground, as if with regret for having missed its mark. By the hog dear to St Anthony, I renounce him!" And the indignant swineherd resumed his sullen silence, which no efforts of the Jester could again induce him to break. Meanwhile Cedric and Athelstane, the leaders of the troop, conversed together on the state of the land, on the dissensions of the royal family, on the feuds and quarrels among the Norman nobles, and on the chance which there was that the oppressed Saxons might be able to free themselves from the yoke of the Normans, or at least to elevate themselves into national consequence and independence, during the civil convulsions which were likely to ensue. On this subject Cedric was all animation. The restoration of the independence of his race was the idol of his heart, to which he had willingly sacrificed domestic happiness and the interests of his own son. But, in order to achieve this great revolution in favour of the native English, it was necessary that they should be united among themselves, and act under an acknowledged head. The necessity of choosing their chief from the Saxon blood-royal was not only evident in itself, but had been made a solemn condition by those whom Cedric had intrusted with his secret plans and hopes. Athelstane had this quality at least; and though he had few mental accomplishments or talents to recommend him as a leader, he had still a goodly person, was no coward, had been accustomed to martial exercises, and seemed willing to defer to the advice of counsellors more wise than himself. Above all, he was known to be liberal and hospitable, and believed to be good-natured. But whatever pretensions Athelstane had to be considered as head of the Saxon confederacy, many of that nation were disposed to prefer to the title of the Lady Rowena, who drew her descent from Alfred, and whose father having been a chief renowned for wisdom, courage, and generosity, his memory was highly honoured by his oppressed countrymen. It would have been no difficult thing for Cedric, had he been so disposed, to have placed himself at the head of a third party, as formidable at least as any of the others. To counterbalance their royal descent, he had courage, activity, energy, and, above all, that devoted attachment to the cause which had procured him the epithet of The Saxon, and his birth was inferior to none, excepting only that of Athelstane and his ward. These qualities, however, were unalloyed by the slightest shade of selfishness; and, instead of dividing yet farther his weakened nation by forming a faction of his own, it was a leading part of Cedric's plan to extinguish that which already existed, by promoting a marriage betwixt Rowena and Athelstane. An obstacle occurred to this his favourite project, in the mutual attachment of his ward and his son and hence the original cause of the banishment of Wilfred from the house of his father. This stern measure Cedric had adopted, in hopes that, during Wilfred's absence, Rowena might relinquish her preference, but in this hope he was disappointed; a disappointment which might be attributed in part to the mode in which his ward had been educated. Cedric, to whom the name of Alfred was as that of a deity, had treated the sole remaining scion of that great monarch with a degree of observance, such as, perhaps, was in those days scarce paid to an acknowledged princess. Rowena's will had been in almost all cases a law to his household; and Cedric himself, as if determined that her sovereignty should be fully acknowledged within that little circle at least, seemed to take a pride in acting as the first of her subjects. Thus trained in the exercise not only of free will, but despotic authority, Rowena was, by her previous education, disposed both to resist and to resent any attempt to control her affections, or dispose of her hand contrary to her inclinations, and to assert her independence in a case in which even those females who have been trained up to obedience and subjection, are not infrequently apt to dispute the authority of guardians and parents. The opinions which she felt strongly, she avowed boldly; and Cedric, who could not free himself from his habitual deference to her opinions, felt totally at a loss how to enforce his authority of guardian. It was in vain that he attempted to dazzle her with the prospect of a visionary throne. Rowena, who possessed strong sense, neither considered his plan as practicable, nor as desirable, so far as she was concerned, could it have been achieved. Without attempting to conceal her avowed preference of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, she declared that, were that favoured knight out of question, she would rather take refuge in a convent, than share a throne with Athelstane, whom, having always despised, she now began, on account of the trouble she received on his account, thoroughly to detest. Nevertheless, Cedric, whose opinions of women's constancy was far from strong, persisted in using every means in his power to bring about the proposed match, in which he conceived he was rendering an important service to the Saxon cause. The sudden and romantic appearance of his son in the lists at Ashby, he had justly regarded as almost a death's blow to his hopes. His paternal affection, it is true, had for an instant gained the victory over pride and patriotism; but both had returned in full force, and under their joint operation, he was now bent upon making a determined effort for the union of Athelstane and Rowena, together with expediting those other measures which seemed necessary to forward the restoration of Saxon independence. On this last subject, he was now labouring with Athelstane, not without having reason, every now and then, to lament, like Hotspur, that he should have moved such a dish of skimmed milk to so honourable an action. Athelstane, it is true, was vain enough, and loved to have his ears tickled with tales of his high descent, and of his right by inheritance to homage and sovereignty. But his petty vanity was sufficiently gratified by receiving this homage at the hands of his immediate attendants, and of the Saxons who approached him. If he had the courage to encounter danger, he at least hated the trouble of going to seek it; and while he agreed in the general principles laid down by Cedric concerning the claim of the Saxons to independence, and was still more easily convinced of his own title to reign over them when that independence should be attained, yet when the means of asserting these rights came to be discussed, he was still "Athelstane the Unready," slow, irresolute, procrastinating, and unenterprising. The warm and impassioned exhortations of Cedric had as little effect upon his impassive temper, as red-hot balls alighting in the water, which produce a little sound and smoke, and are instantly extinguished. If, leaving this task, which might be compared to spurring a tired jade, or to hammering upon cold iron, Cedric fell back to his ward Rowena, he received little more satisfaction from conferring with her. For, as his presence interrupted the discourse between the lady and her favourite attendant upon the gallantry and fate of Wilfred, Elgitha failed not to revenge both her mistress and herself, by recurring to the overthrow of Athelstane in the lists, the most disagreeable subject which could greet the ears of Cedric. To this sturdy Saxon, therefore, the day's journey was fraught with all manner of displeasure and discomfort; so that he more than once internally cursed the tournament, and him who had proclaimed it, together with his own folly in ever thinking of going thither. At noon, upon the motion of Athelstane, the travellers paused in a woodland shade by a fountain, to repose their horses and partake of some provisions, with which the hospitable Abbot had loaded a sumpter mule. Their repast was a pretty long one; and these several interruptions rendered it impossible for them to hope to reach Rotherwood without travelling all night, a conviction which induced them to proceed on their way at a more hasty pace than they had hitherto used. 走吧！我们的旅行经过的是幽静的山谷， 幸福的小鹿随着胆怯的母亲在那里漫步， 绿荫覆盖的烁树伸开粗大的枝柯， 阳光穿过它们在草地上纵横交叉； 快动身吧！因为我们要走的是可爱的旅途， 欢乐明亮的太阳已高高升起在天空。 别等辛西娅用朦胧的灯光照亮寂寞的森林， 到那时便不太安全，不太愉快了。 《厄特里克森林》(注) -------- (注)苏格兰诗人詹姆斯•合格（1770—1835）的诗。霍格曾得到司各特的揄对，口而闻名，被称为“厄特里克牧人”。辛西娅即月神狄安娜。 在阿什贝比武场上，撒克逊人塞德里克看见他的儿子倒在地上昏迷不醒时，他的第一个冲动是要命令他的仆人保护和照料他，但是话到嘴边又缩了回去。在这么多的人面前，他不能让自己承认，这就是被他赶走和剥夺继承权的儿子。然而他吩咐奥斯瓦尔德对他留点儿心，要那个家人和两个奴隶等观众一散，马上把艾文荷送往阿什贝。谁知这个好差使给别人抢了先，观众确实散了，可是骑士已不知去向。 塞德里克的斟酒人到处找他的少爷，却遍寻无着，他刚才昏倒的地上只留下了一摊血迹，人已不见踪影，仿佛给仙人抬走了。撒克逊人都是非常迷信的，奥斯瓦尔德便可能用这样的假设，向主人报告艾文荷失踪的秘密，可这时他的眼睛突然发现了一个人，他穿得像扈从，面貌却明明是老爷的仆人葛四。原来乔装改扮的放猪人为了主人的突然消失，正为他的命运万分焦急，到处寻找，以致疏忽了与自己的安全直接有关的伪装。奥斯瓦尔德认为葛四是潜逃的奴隶，抓住他是他的责任，至于如何发落，那是主人的事。 斟酒人重又开始打听艾文荷的下落，但从旁观者收集到的全部情况，只是这位骑士给一些衣着华丽的仆役小心抬起，在一位小姐的指挥下，放到一只担架上，随即给抬出了拥挤的人群。奥斯瓦尔德得到这个消息，决定立即回禀主人，听取进一步的指示；他把葛四当作塞德里克家的逃犯，带在身边。 撒克逊人忧心忡忡，一心惦记着他的儿子，这是天性发挥了作用，尽管大义灭亲的坚定意志要否定它，也无法办到。但是他一旦获悉，艾文荷已得到了妥善的，也许还是友好的照料，由于担心他的命运而引起的父爱，又重新被自尊心受到伤害而产生的愤怒所取代了，认为这是他所说的威尔弗莱德的件逆不孝罪有应得的结果。 “他无家可归是自作自受，”他说，“他为什么人卖命，就让什么人给他医伤吧。他只配跟着诺曼骑士跑江湖，玩把戏，不配拿起我们的大刀和战钺为祖国杀敌雪耻，为英国祖先的威名和荣誉战斗。” “要保持祖先的荣誉，”罗文娜说道，她正好在场，“只要头脑聪明，行为果敢，比所有的人都英勇，比所有的人都高尚便够了，可是除了他的父亲，我还没听人说过……” “别多嘴，罗文娜小姐！只有在这件事上，我不能听你的。穿好衣服，准备参加亲王的宴会吧；我们得到了邀请。这是不同寻常的荣誉和体面，自从黑斯廷斯战役败绩以来，傲慢的诺曼人还很少这么对待我们。我得去参加，我至少要让那些目中无人的诺曼人看到，一个儿子哪怕打败了他们最勇敢的人，他的命运也不能影响我这个撒克逊人。” “可是我不想参加，”罗文娜说，“我还得提醒您，别让您的所谓勇敢和坚定，在别人眼中变成了冷酷无情。” “那你就待在家里，忘恩负义的小姐，”塞德里克答道，“你才是铁石心肠，宁可牺牲一个被压迫民族的利益，却不愿放弃痴心妄想、自作主张的爱情。我去找高贵的阿特尔斯坦，与他一起出席安茹家的约翰的宴会。”。 他就这样参加了宴会，关于这次宴会上的一些重要事件，我们已经叙述过了。两位撒克逊庄主离开城堡后，立刻带着他们的随从骑马走了。就是在他们出发的忙乱时刻，塞德里克才第一次发现了逃奴葛四。我们知道，这位撒克逊贵人离开筵席时，心里很不平静，只要找到一个借口，便会把怒火发泄在任何一个人身上。“手铐！”他说，“手铐！奥斯瓦尔德，亨德伯特！你们这些畜生，这些混蛋！为什么不给这个无赖戴上手铐？” 葛四的那些伙伴不敢反对，只得用缰绳把他捆了，这是当时最现成的绳索。他没有反抗，听任他们捆绑，只是向主人发出了谴责的目光，说道：“这是为了爱您的亲骨肉，超过了爱我自己。” “上马，快走！”塞德里克说。 “确实得快走了，”高贵的阿特尔斯坦说，“要不赶紧一些，沃尔西奥夫长老为我们准备的盲夜，就得全部报废了。” 不过这些旅人快马加鞭，终于在他们担心的事发生以前，赶到了圣维索尔特修道院。长老也是撒克逊的世家望族出身，按照本民族的习惯，给两位撒克逊贵人准备了丰富精美的菜肴，让他们大吃了一顿，一直吃到深夜，或者不如说清早；而且在第二天早上他们向长老告辞以前，又吃了一顿丰盛的早点。 这一行人走出修道院的院子时，碰到了一件事，撒克逊人认为这是不祥之兆，因为欧洲各民族中，撒克逊人是最迷信预兆的，关于这类观念，在我们的民间传说里大多还能找到。诺曼人是一支混杂的民族，按照当时的水平看，可算得见多识广，他们的祖先从斯堪的纳维亚带来的许多迷信观念，早已被他们抛弃，因此在这类问题上，他们的思想比较开通。 在目前这场合，面临灾祸的感觉是由一位不太体面的先知引起的，那就是一只又大又瘦的黑狗，它直挺挺坐在地上，看到前面的骑士走出大门，便嗥叫起来，叫得那么凄惨，等他们走过以后，更是使劲狂吠，跳来跳去，怎么也不肯离开这伙人。 “我不喜欢这种音乐，塞德里克伯父，”阿特尔斯坦说，他习惯对他用这样的尊称。 “我也不喜欢，老爷子，”汪八说。“我怕得很，恐怕我们得出些买路钱了。” ”照我看，”阿特尔斯坦说，他还在惦记长老的美酒——那时伯顿(注)已以这种鲜美的麦酒著称——它留给了他难忘的印象，“照我看，我们还是回去，在长老那里待到下午再走。在路上遇到一个修士，一只兔子，或者一只朝你嚎叫的狗，都是不宜旅行的，不如吃过一顿饭再动身。” -------- (注)即特伦特河畔伯顿，从古代起即以酿酒业著称。 “快走！”塞德里克不耐烦地说，“白天太短，我们已经来不及了。至于这狗，我认得它，那是逃奴葛四的狗，服它的主人一样，也是逃走的孬种。” 他一边这么说。一边踩住脚镫，挺直身子，怒不可遏地向于扰他旅程的狗，投出了标熗——原来那确实是可怜的方斯，它一直跟踪着那位偷偷外出的主人，他到哪里，它也跟到哪里，后来跑到这里，却失去了他的踪迹，现在重又发现了他，便不禁用这种不文明的方式表示它的欢乐。梭镖在牲畜的肩头擦过，伤了点皮肉，幸好并没把它钉在地上：方斯在愤怒的庄主面前，一边大叫一边逃走。葛四气得肚子都涨破了，认为这是对他忠实的追随者的蓄意谋害，论罪行比他自己受到的粗暴待遇严重得多。他想用手擦擦眼睛，可是举不起来，这时汪八正好为了躲避主人的火气，退到了后边，于是葛四对他说：“我求你帮个忙，用你的衣襟给我擦一下眼睛；我的眼睛吹进了沙子，可这些绳索把我捆得紧紧的，一动也动不了。” 汪八满足了他的要求，他们便暂时骑着马并排行走；这时葛四一直闷闷不乐，一声不吭。最后他再也忍不住了。 “汪八老弟，”他说。“给塞德里克于活的都是傻瓜，只有你一个人还算乖巧，可以使他接受你的傻话。所以请你去找他，告诉他，我葛四既不爱他，也不怕他，不会老给他干活的。他可以杀我的头，用鞭子打我，给我锁上脚镣手铐，但是他今后休想要我爱他或者服从他。你去告诉他，贝奥武尔夫的儿子葛四再也不给他当奴隶了。” “告诉你，”汪八说，“我尽管是个傻瓜，不会给你传这种傻话。塞德里克的腰带上还插着一支梭缥呢，你知道，他不是每回都投不准目标的。” “我不在乎他什么时候把我当他的靶子，”葛回答道，“昨天他丢下我的少爷，让他躺在血泊中。今天他又当着我的面，想杀死我的另一个伙伴。那个唯一待我亲热的朋友。我凭圣埃德蒙，圣邓斯坦，圣维索尔特，忏悔者圣爱德华，以及历书上的每一个撒克逊圣徒起誓（因为塞德里克从来不对不是撒克逊血统的圣徒起誓，以致他的家人起誓时也有这种局限），我绝对不会宽恕他！” “不过按照我的想法，”滑稽人说，他在家中一向喜欢充当和事佬，“我们的主人不是真的要伤害方斯，只是想吓唬吓唬它。如果你留意一下，你便会发现，他从脚镫上挺直身子，便薀褪意要把梭镖投得超过目标，这本来可能做到，但是方斯这时正好向前一跳，以致反而给擦破了皮，我保证，这点伤涂一下焦油便没事。” “只要能够，我也愿意这么想，”葛四说，“但我不能，我看见梭镖是瞄准了投出的。我听得它咝咝地飞过空中，他是带着仇恨，恶狠狠地投出它的；它着地之后还在颤动，仿佛因为没有打中，很不甘心呢。凭圣安东尼所爱护的猪起誓，我再也不给他干活了！” 愤怒的放猪人又闷闷不乐，保持着沉默，不论小丑用什么办法，都不能使他再开口。 这时，塞德里克和阿特尔斯坦带着这队人一边走，一边谈论国家大事，王室内部的分崩离析，诺曼贵族之间的明争暗斗；他们认为，被压迫的撒克逊人正可利用这时机，摆脱诺曼人的桎梏，至少在眼看即将到来的动乱中，提高他们的民族地位和民主权利。这是使塞德里克精神振奋的一件事，因为恢复撒克逊民族的独立是他一心向往的目标，正是为了它，他甘愿牺牲家庭的幸福，放弃儿子的利益。但是要完成这一伟大的变革，保护英国本族人民的权利，他们就必须联合起来，在一个公认的首领下统一行动。这个首领必须从撒克逊王室成员中遴选，这不仅十分明显，而且也是与塞德里克怀有同样希望，共同商讨这个秘密计划的人，一致赞同的庄严条件。阿特尔斯坦至少具备这个条件，尽管他缺乏远大的抱负，能力上也不足以担当领导人，然而他还是一个合适的人选，他不是懦夫，经历过战斗的锤炼，看来还从善如流，愿意接受志士仁人的指导。最重要的是大家知道他慷慨豪爽，热情好客，而且相信他是一个温和忠厚的人。但是不论阿特尔斯坦作为撒克逊联盟的首领，具有多少可取之处，他们中的许多人还是认为，罗文娜小姐比他更为合适，她的血统可以上溯到阿尔弗烈德大王，她的父亲又是一个以智慧、勇敢和慷慨闻名的大臣，在他被压迫的国人中享有崇高的声望。 如果塞德里克愿意，他也可以成为第三种势力的领导人，这并不困难，它至少可以与其他势力一样强大。尽管他不是王族出身，他的勇敢、活动能力和充沛的精力，尤其是对这件复国大计始终不渝的忠诚——正是这点使他获得了“撒克逊人”的诨名——都是别人比不上的，何况除了阿特尔斯坦和他的义女，他的身分也不比任何人低。然而那些品质中不包含丝毫自私观念，组成第三种势力，使本来业已削弱的民族进一步削弱，这不符合塞德里克的要求，相反，他的计划的首要部分，是要促进罗文娜和阿特尔斯坦的结合，消除已经存在的分歧。这样，他的义女和儿子的相互依恋，成了他这个心爱的计划的障碍，这便是他要把威尔弗莱德赶出家门的根本原因。 塞德里克采取这个严厉的措施，是指望在威尔弗莱德外出期间，罗文娜可能忘记他，把他抛在脑后，但这个希望并未实现，原因也许与他的义女从小接受的培养方式有关。对于塞德里克，阿尔弗烈德无异是神的化身，那位伟大君主留下的唯一后人，在他眼里是至高无上的，他对她几乎比对一位正式的公主更恭敬。罗文娜的意愿差不多在一切场合对他的家庭都是法律；他仿佛决定，至少在他的小圈子里，她要具有公认的女王身分，他自己只是她的首席大臣，他也以此为荣。在这样的培养下，罗文娜不仅可以充分行使她的自由意志，而且握有独断独行的权力；现在，控制她的感情，或者违反她的意愿，支配她的婚姻的任何企图，便由于她早年的养育方式，遭到了抵制或反抗。何况这种事，哪怕从小接受三从四德教育的妇女，也往往会违抗父母或保护人的命令，罗文娜自然要坚持自主的权利了。只要她认为她的看法是对的，她便会公开承认，无所畏惧。塞德里克一向尊重她的意志，至今仍不能摆脱这种习惯，因此有些束手无策，不知如何贯彻监护人的权力。 他企图用展望中的王位打动她的心，但这只是徒劳而已。罗文娜具有清醒的头脑，认为他的计划不切实际，也没必要，在她看来，这是不可能成功的。她对艾文荷的威尔弗莱德的倾心相爱，她也不想隐瞒，公然声称，如果她不能与心爱的骑士结合，她宁可进修道院，也不会与阿特尔斯坦一起登上王位；她一向瞧不起他，现在由于他给她造成了这种麻烦，更是觉得他十分讨厌。 然而在塞德里克看来，妇女的观点根本不可能保持不变，因此他坚持要用尽他掌握的一切办法，使他所向往的婚姻成为事实；他认为，这是他为撒克逊民族的事业作出的一大贡献。他的儿子在阿什贝比武场上，出其不意地突然露面，在他看来，无异是对他的希望的致命打击，这是难怪的。确实，他作为父亲的感情一度曾占据上风，克服了他的自尊心和爱国精神；但两者随即以不可抗拒的力量重新崛起，在它们的共同作用下，他痛下决心，务必促成阿特尔斯坦和罗文娜的结合；他认为，只要这样，随着其他一些必要措施的付诸实行，恢复撒克逊民族的独立便指日可待了。 现在他便为后面这件事，在竭力说服阿特尔斯坦，关于这个人，他是时常怀有隐忧的，他似乎觉得自己有些像霍茨波(注)，是在动员一个窝囊废参加一次光辉的壮举。不错，阿特尔斯坦自命不凡，喜欢听人奉承，谁谈到他的高贵出身，他对至高无上的君主地位的继承权，他便沾沾自喜；但这不过是一种无聊的虚荣心，只要他身边的仆人和接近他的一些撒克逊人恭维他几句，他就满足了。如果说他有勇气面对危险，那么他至少不想自找麻烦，惹火烧身。他对塞德里克就撒克逊人的独立提出的一些主张，固然表示赞同，对独立以后，他应该享有的统治权更是深信不疑，然而当讨论涉及实现这些权利的途径时，他仍然是“优柔寡断的阿特尔斯坦”—— 没精打采，迟疑不决，顾虑重重，胸无大志。塞德里克那些激昂慷慨的规劝，对他意志消沉的心情几乎毫无作用，就像烧红的铁球落进水中，发出了一阵烟和一些咝咝声之后，随即熄灭了。 -------- (注)霍茨波是莎士比亚的历史剧《亨利四世上篇》中的人物。在该剧第。幕第三场中，霍茨波说：“我瞎了眼睛，居然会劝诱这么一个窝囊废参加我们的壮举。” 塞德里克的苦口婆心，只是好比在用踢马刺踢一匹疲乏不堪的马，或者用榔头锤打一块冰冷的铁，于是他只得退回义女身边，与罗文娜计议，但结果也只是自讨没趣。原来这位小姐正与她的心腹使女，谈论威尔弗莱德的武艺和命运，塞德里克的打岔使她不快，艾尔吉莎为了替她的小姐和她本人出气，故意把谈话扯到阿特尔斯坦在比武场上给打落马背的丑态，这正是塞德里克的耳朵最不愿听到的话。就因为这样，对这位撒克逊硬汉子说来，这天的旅程一点也不顺利。到处都是烦恼；于是他在心中一再咒骂这次比武大会和它的主持人，也骂他自己怎么会心血来潮跑到那儿去。 到了中午，根据阿特尔斯坦的提议，这伙旅人在林子里泉水旁边的树荫下休息，让他们的马歇一会力，也让他们自己吃些东酉，因为出手大方的长老给他们的食物装满了一只驮骡呢。这顿点心吃了不少时候；经过几次停顿之后，眼看不连夜赶路已别想到得了罗瑟伍德，这使他们不得不加快速度，再也不能像刚才那么磨蹭了。