CHAPTER XVI: THE VAGRANT
I am as free as Nature first made man, Ere the base laws of servitude began When wild in woods the noble savage ran.
THE CONQUEST OF GRENADA
While Quentin held the brief communication with the ladies necessaryto assure them that this extraordinary addition to their party was theguide whom they were to expect on the King's part, he noticed (for hewas as alert in observing the motions of the stranger, as the Bohemiancould be on his part) that the man not only turned his head as far backas he could to peer at them, but that, with a singular sort of agility,more resembling that of a monkey than of a man, he had screwed his wholeperson around on the saddle so as to sit almost sidelong upon the horse,for the convenience, as it seemed, of watching them more attentively.
Not greatly pleased with this manoeuvre, Quentin rode up to the Bohemianand said to him, as he suddenly assumed his proper position on thehorse, "Methinks, friend, you will prove but a blind guide, if you lookat the tail of your horse rather than his ears."
"And if I were actually blind," answered the Bohemian, "I could not theless guide you through any county in this realm of France, or in thoseadjoining to it."
"Yet you are no Frenchman," said the Scot.
"I am not," answered the guide.
"What countryman, then, are you," demanded Quentin.
"I am of no country," answered the guide.
"How! of no country?" repeated the Scot.
"No," answered the Bohemian, "of none. I am a Zingaro, a Bohemian, anEgyptian, or whatever the Europeans, in their different languages, maychoose to call our people, but I have no country."
"Are you a Christian?" asked the Scotchman.
The Bohemian shook his head.
"Dog," said Quentin (for there was little toleration in the spirit ofCatholicism in those days), "dost thou worship Mahoun?"
[Mahoun: Mohammed. It was a remarkable feature of the character of thesewanderers that they did not, like the Jews whom they otherwise resembledin some particulars, possess or profess any particular religion,whether in form or principle. They readily conformed, as far as mightbe required, with the religion of any country in which they happened tosojourn, but they did not practise it more than was demanded of them....S.]
"No," was the indifferent and concise answer of the guide, who neitherseemed offended nor surprised at the young man's violence of manner.
"Are you a Pagan, then, or what are you?"
"I have no religion," answered the Bohemian.
Durward started back, for though he had heard of Saracens and Idolaters,it had never entered into his ideas or belief that any body of men couldexist who practised no mode of worship whatever. He recovered from hisastonishment to ask his guide where he usually dwelt.
"Wherever I chance to be for the time," replied the Bohemian. "I have nohome."
"How do you guard your property?"
"Excepting the clothes which I wear, and the horse I ride on, I have noproperty."
"Yet you dress gaily, and ride gallantly," said Durward. "What are yourmeans of subsistence?"
"I eat when I am hungry, drink when I am thirsty, and have no othermeans of subsistence than chance throws in my Way," replied thevagabond.
"Under whose laws do you live?"
"I acknowledge obedience to none, but an it suits my pleasure or mynecessities," said the Bohemian.
"Who is your leader, and commands you?"
"The father of our tribe--if I choose to obey him," said the guide,"otherwise I have no commander."
"You are, then," said the wondering querist, "destitute of all thatother men are combined by--you have no law, no leader, no settled meansof subsistence, no house or home. You have, may Heaven compassionateyou, no country--and, may Heaven enlighten and forgive you, you have noGod! What is it that remains to you, deprived of government, domestichappiness, and religion?"
"I have liberty," said the Bohemian "I crouch to no one, obey noone--respect no one--I go where I will--live as I can--and die when myday comes."
"But you are subject to instant execution, at the pleasure of theJudge?"
"Be it so," returned the Bohemian, "I can but die so much the sooner."
"And to imprisonment also," said the Scot, "and where, then, is yourboasted freedom?"
"In my thoughts," said the Bohemian, "which no chains can bind, whileyours, even when your limbs are free, remain fettered by your laws andyour superstitions, your dreams of local attachment, and your fantasticvisions of civil policy. Such as I are free in spirit when our limbs arechained.--You are imprisoned in mind even when your limbs are most atfreedom."
"Yet the freedom of your thoughts," said the Scot, "relieves not thepressure of the gyves on your limbs."
"For a brief time that may be endured," answered the vagrant, "and ifwithin that period I cannot extricate myself, and fail of relief frommy comrades, I can always die, and death is the most perfect freedom ofall."
There was a deep pause of some duration, which Quentin at length brokeby resuming his queries.
"Yours is a wandering race, unknown to the nations of Europe.--Whence dothey derive their origin?"
"I may not tell you," answered the Bohemian.
"When will they relieve this kingdom from their presence, and return tothe land from whence they came?" said the Scot.
"When the day of their pilgrimage shall be accomplished," replied hisvagrant guide.
"Are you not sprung from those tribes of Israel which were carried intocaptivity beyond the great river Euphrates?" said Quentin, who had notforgotten the lore which had been taught him at Aberbrothick.
"Had we been so," answered the Bohemian, "we had followed their faithand practised their rites."
"What is thine own name?" said Durward.
"My proper name is only known to my brethren. The men beyond our tentscall me Hayraddin Maugrabin--that is, Hayraddin the African Moor."
"Thou speakest too well for one who hath lived always in thy filthyhorde," said the Scot.
"I have learned some of the knowledge of this land," said Hayraddin."When I was a little boy, our tribe was chased by the hunters afterhuman flesh. An arrow went through my mother's head, and she died. Iwas entangled in the blanket on her shoulders, and was taken by thepursuers. A priest begged me from the Provost's archers, and trained meup in Frankish learning for two or three years."
"How came you to part with him?" demanded Durward.
"I stole money from him--even the God which he worshipped," answeredHayraddin, with perfect composure, "he detected me, and beat me--Istabbed him with my knife, fled to the woods, and was again united to mypeople."
"Wretch!" said Durward, "did you murder your benefactor?"
"What had he to do to burden me with his benefits?--The Zingaro boy wasno house bred cur, to dog the heels of his master, and crouch beneathhis blows, for scraps of food:--He was the imprisoned wolf whelp,which at the first opportunity broke his chain, rended his master, andreturned to his wilderness."
There was another pause, when the young Scot, with a view of stillfarther investigating the character and purpose of this suspiciousguide, asked Hayraddin whether it was not true that his people, amidtheir ignorance, pretended to a knowledge of futurity which was notgiven to the sages, philosophers, and divines of more polished society.
"We pretend to it," said Hayraddin, "and it is with justice."
"How can it be that so high a gift is bestowed on so abject a race?"said Quentin.
"Can I tell you?" answered Hayraddin.--"Yes, I may indeed, but it iswhen you shall explain to me why the dog can trace the footsteps of aman, while man, the nobler animal, hath not power to trace those of thedog. These powers, which seem to you so wonderful, are instinctive inour race. From the lines on the face and on the hand, we can tell thefuture fate of those who consult us, even as surely as you know from theblossom of the tree in spring what fruit it will bear in the harvest."
"I doubt of your knowledge, and defy
you to the proof."
"Defy me not, Sir Squire," said Hayraddin Maugrabin. "I can tell youthat, say what you will of your religion, the Goddess whom you worshiprides in this company."
"Peace!" said Quentin, in astonishment, "on thy life, not a wordfarther, but in answer to what I ask thee.--Canst thou be faithful?"
"I can--all men can," said the Bohemian.
"But wilt thou be faithful?"
"Wouldst thou believe me the more should I swear it?" answeredMaugrabin, with a sneer.
"Thy life is in my hand," said the young Scot.
"Strike, and see whether I fear to die," answered the Bohemian.
"Will money render thee a trusty guide?" demanded Durward.
"If I be not such without it, no," replied the heathen.
"Then what will bind thee?" asked the Scot.
"Kindness," replied the Bohemian.
"Shall I swear to show thee such, if thou art true guide to us on thispilgrimage?"
"No," replied Hayraddin, "it were extravagant waste of a commodity sorare. To thee I am bound already."
"How?" exclaimed Durward, more surprised than ever.
"Remember the chestnut trees on the banks of the Cher! The victim whosebody thou didst cut down was my brother, Zamet the Maugrabin."
"And yet," said Quentin, "I find you in correspondence with those veryofficers by whom your brother was done to death, for it was one ofthem who directed me where to meet with you--the same, doubtless, whoprocured yonder ladies your services as a guide."
"What can we do?" answered Hayraddin, gloomily. "These men deal with usas the sheepdogs do with the flock, they protect us for a while, driveus hither and thither at their pleasure, and always end by guiding us tothe shambles."
Quentin had afterwards occasion to learn that the Bohemian spoke truthin this particular, and that the Provost guard, employed to suppressthe vagabond bands by which the kingdom was infested, entertainedcorrespondence among them, and forbore, for a certain time, the exerciseof their duty, which always at last ended in conducting their alliesto the gallows. This is a sort of political relation between thief andofficer, for the profitable exercise of their mutual professions, whichhas subsisted in all countries, and is by no means unknown to our own.
Durward, parting from the guide, fell back to the rest of the retinue,very little satisfied with the character of Hayraddin, and entertaininglittle confidence in the professions of gratitude which he hadpersonally made to him. He proceeded to sound the other two men whohad been assigned him for attendants, and he was concerned to find themstupid and as unfit to assist him with counsel, as in the rencounterthey had shown themselves reluctant to use their weapons.
"It is all the better," said Quentin to himself, his spirit rising withthe apprehended difficulties of his situation, "that lovely young ladyshall owe all to me. What one hand--ay, and one head can do--methinks Ican boldly count upon. I have seen my father's house on fire, and he andmy brothers lying dead amongst the flames--I gave not an inch back, butfought it out to the last. Now I am two years older, and have the bestand fairest cause to bear me well that ever kindled mettle within abrave man's bosom."
Acting upon this resolution, the attention and activity which Quentinbestowed during the journey had in it something that gave him theappearance of ubiquity. His principal and most favourite post was ofcourse by the side of the ladies, who, sensible of his extreme attentionto their safety, began to converse with him in almost the tone offamiliar friendship, and appeared to take great pleasure in the naivete,yet shrewdness, of his conversation. Yet Quentin did not suffer thefascination of this intercourse to interfere with the vigilant dischargeof his duty.
If he was often by the side of the Countesses, labouring to describe tothe natives of a level country the Grampian mountains, and, above all,the beauties of Glen Houlakin, he was as often riding with Hayraddinin the front of the cavalcade, questioning him about the road and theresting places, and recording his answers in his mind, to ascertainwhether upon cross examination he could discover anything like meditatedtreachery. As often again he was in the rear, endeavouring to securethe attachment of the two horsemen by kind words, gifts, and promises ofadditional recompense, when their task should be accomplished.
In this way they travelled for more than a week, through bypaths andunfrequented districts, and by circuitous routes, in order to avoidlarge towns. Nothing remarkable occurred, though they now and then metstrolling gangs of Bohemians, who respected them, as under the conductof one of their tribe--straggling soldiers, or perhaps banditti,Who deemed their party too strong to be attacked--or parties of theMarechaussee [mounted police], as they would now be termed, whom Louis,who searched the wounds of the land with steel and cautery, employed tosuppress the disorderly bands which infested the interior. These lastsuffered them to pursue, their way unmolested by virtue of a passwordwith which Quentin had been furnished for that purpose by the Kinghimself.
Their resting places were chiefly the monasteries, most of which wereobliged by the rules of their foundation to receive pilgrims, underwhich character the ladies travelled, with hospitality and without anytroublesome inquiries into their rank and character, which most personsof distinction were desirous of concealing while in the dischargeof their vows. The pretence of weariness was usually employed by theCountesses of Croye as an excuse for instantly retiring to rest, andQuentin, as their majordomo, arranged all that was necessary betwixtthem and their entertainers, with a shrewdness which saved them alltrouble, and an alacrity that failed not to excite a correspondingdegree of good will on the part of those who were thus sedulouslyattended to.
One circumstance gave Quentin peculiar trouble, which was the characterand nation of his guide, who, as a heathen and an infidel vagabond,addicted besides to occult arts (the badge of all his tribe), was oftenlooked upon as a very improper guest for the holy resting places atwhich the company usually halted, and was not in consequence admittedwithin even the outer circuit of their walls, save with extremereluctance. This was very embarrassing, for, on the one hand, it wasnecessary to keep in good humour a man who was possessed of the secretof their expedition, and, on the other, Quentin deemed it indispensableto maintain a vigilant though secret watch on Hayraddin's conduct, inorder that, as far as might be, he should hold no communication withany one without being observed. This of course was impossible, if theBohemian was lodged without the precincts of the convent at which theystopped, and Durward could not help thinking that Hayraddin was desirousof bringing about this latter arrangement for, instead of keepinghimself still and quiet in the quarters allotted to him, hisconversation, tricks, and songs were at the same time so entertainingto the novices and younger brethren, and so unedifying in the opinion ofthe seniors of the fraternity, that, in more cases than one, it requiredall the authority, supported by threats, which Quentin could exert overhim, to restrain his irreverent and untimeous jocularity, and all theinterest he could make with the Superiors, to prevent the heathen houndfrom being thrust out of the doors. He succeeded, however, by the adroitmanner in which he apologized for the acts of indecorum committed bytheir attendant, and the skill with which he hinted the hope of hisbeing brought to a better sense of principles and behaviour, by theneighbourhood of holy relics, consecrated buildings, and, above all, ofmen dedicated to religion.
But upon the tenth or twelfth day of their journey, after they hadentered Flanders, and were approaching the town of Namur, all theefforts of Quentin became inadequate to suppress the consequences of thescandal given by his heathen guide. The scene was a Franciscan convent,and of a strict and reformed order, and the Prior a man who afterwardsdied in the odour of sanctity. After rather more than the usual scruples(which were indeed in such a case to be expected) had been surmounted,the obnoxious Bohemian at length obtained quarters in an out houseinhabited by a lay brother, who acted as gardener. The ladies retiredto their apartment, as usual, and the Prior, who chanced to have somedistant alliances and friends in Scotland, and who was fond of
hearingforeigners tell of their native countries, invited Quentin, with whosemien and conduct he seemed much pleased, to a slight monastic refectionin his own cell. Finding the Father a man of intelligence, Quentin didnot neglect the opportunity of making himself acquainted with the stateof affairs in the country of Liege, of which, during the last twodays of their journey, he had heard such reports as made him veryapprehensive for the security of his charge during the remainder oftheir route, nay, even of the Bishop's power to protect them, when theyshould be safely conducted to his residence. The replies of the Priorwere not very consolatory.
He said that the people of Liege were wealthy burghers, who, likeJeshurun [a designation for Israel] of old, had waxed fat andkicked--that they were uplifted in heart because of their wealthand their privileges--that they had divers disputes with the Duke ofBurgundy, their liege lord, upon the subject of imports and immunitiesand that they had repeatedly broken out into open mutiny, whereat theDuke was so much incensed, as being a man of a hot and fiery nature,that he had sworn, by Saint George, on the next provocation, he wouldmake the city of Liege like to the desolation of Babylon and thedownfall of Tyre, a hissing and a reproach to the whole territory ofFlanders.
[Babylon: taken by Cyrus in 538 B. C. See Revelation xviii, 21: "Amighty angel took up a stone... and cast it into the sea, saying, Thuswith violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall befound no more."]
[Tyre: conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 B. C. "I will make theea terror, and thou shalt be no more... yet shalt thou never be foundagain, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel xxvi, 21.]
"And he is a prince by all report likely to keep such a vow," saidQuentin, "so the men of Liege will probably beware how they give himoccasion."
"It were to be so hoped," said the Prior, "and such are the prayers ofthe godly in the land, who would not that the blood of the citizenswere poured forth like water, and that they should perish, even as uttercastaways, ere they make their peace with Heaven. Also the good Bishoplabours night and day to preserve peace, as well becometh a servantof the altar, for it is written in Holy Scripture, Beati pacifici.But"--Here the good Prior stopped, with a deep sigh.
Quentin modestly urged the great importance of which it was to theladies whom he attended, to have some assured information respecting theinternal state of the country, and what an act of Christian charity itwould be, if the worthy and reverend Father would enlighten them uponthat subject.
"It is one," said the Prior, "on which no man speaks with willingness,for those who speak evil of the powerful, etiam in cubiculo [even in thebed chamber], may find that a winged thing shall carry the matter to hisears. Nevertheless, to render you, who seem an ingenuous youth, and yourladies, who are devout votaresses accomplishing a holy pilgrimage, thelittle service that is in my power, I will be plain with you."
He then looked cautiously round and lowered his voice, as if afraid ofbeing overheard.
"The people of Liege," he said, "are privily instigated to theirfrequent mutinies by men of Belial [in the Bible this term is used asan appellative of Satan], who pretend, but, as I hope, falsely, to havecommission to that effect from our most Christian King, whom, however,I hold to deserve that term better than were consistent with his thusdisturbing the peace of a neighbouring state. Yet so it is, that hisname is freely used by those who uphold and inflame the discontents atLiege. There is, moreover, in the land, a nobleman of good descent, andfame in warlike affairs, but otherwise, so to speak, Lapis offensioniset petra scandali--and a stumbling block of offence to the countries ofBurgundy and Flanders. His name is William de la Marck."
"Called William with the Beard," said the young Scot, "or the Wild Boarof Ardennes?"
"And rightly so called, my son," said the Prior, "because he is as thewild boar of the forest, which treadeth down with his hoofs and rendethwith his tusks. And he hath formed to himself a band of more than athousand men, all, like himself, contemners of civil and ecclesiasticalauthority, and holds himself independent of the Duke of Burgundy, andmaintains himself and his followers by rapine and wrong, wrought withoutdistinction upon churchmen and laymen. Imposuit manus in ChristosDomini--he hath stretched forth his hand upon the anointed of the Lord,regardless of what is written, 'Touch not mine anointed, and do myprophets no wrong.'--Even to our poor house did he send for sums ofgold and sums of silver, as a ransom for our lives, and those ofour brethren, to which we returned a Latin supplication, stating ourinability to answer his demand, and exhorting him in the words of thepreacher, Ne moliaris amico tuo malum, cum habet in te fiduciam [devisenot evil against thy neighbour who dwelleth by thee in security].Nevertheless, this Guilielmus Barbatus, this William de la Marck, ascompletely ignorant of humane letters as of humanity itself, replied, inhis ridiculous jargon, Si non payatis, brulabo monasterium vestrum [ifyou do not pay, I will burn your monastery. A similar story is told ofthe Duke of Vendome, who answered in this sort of macaronic Latin theclassical expostulations of a German convent against the imposition of acontribution. S.]."
"Of which rude Latin, however, you, my good father," said the youth,"were at no loss to conceive the meaning?"
"Alas! my son," said the Prior, "Fear and Necessity are shrewdinterpreters, and we were obliged to melt down the silver vessels of ouraltar to satisfy the rapacity of this cruel chief. May Heaven requite itto him seven fold! Pereat improbus--Amen, amen, anathema esto! [let thewicked perish. Let him be anathema! 'In pronouncing an anathema againsta person, the church excludes him from her communion; and he must, if hecontinue obstinate, perish eternally.' Cent. Dict.]"
"I marvel," said Quentin, "that the Duke of Burgundy, who is so strongand powerful, doth not bait this boar to purpose, of whose ravages Ihave already heard so much."
"Alas! my son," said the Prior, "the Duke Charles is now at Peronne,assembling his captains of hundreds and his captains of thousands, tomake war against France, and thus, while Heaven hath set discord betweenthe hearts of those great princes, the country is misused by suchsubordinate oppressors. But it is in evil time that the Duke neglectsthe cure of these internal gangrenes, for this William de la Marck hathof late entertained open communication with Rouslaer and Pavillon, thechiefs of the discontented at Liege, and it is to be feared he will soonstir them up to some desperate enterprise."
"But the Bishop of Liege," said Quentin, "he hath still power enough tosubdue this disquieted and turbulent spirit--hath he not, good father?Your answer to this question concerns me much."
"The Bishop, my child," replied the Prior, "hath the sword of SaintPeter, as well as the keys. He hath power as a secular prince, andhe hath the protection of the mighty House of Burgundy, he hath alsospiritual authority as a prelate, and he supports both with a reasonableforce--of good soldiers and men at arms. This William de la Marck wasbred in his household, and bound to him by many benefits. But he gavevent, even in the court of the Bishop, to his fierce and bloodthirstytemper, and was expelled thence for a homicide committed on one of theBishop's chief domestics. From thenceforward, being banished from thegood Prelate's presence, he hath been his constant and unrelenting foe,and now, I grieve to say, he hath girded his loins, and strengthened hishorn against him."
"You consider, then, the situation of the worthy Prelate as beingdangerous?" said Quentin, very, anxiously.
"Alas! my son," said the good Franciscan, "what or who is there in thisweary wilderness, whom we may not hold as in danger? But Heaven forefendI should speak of the reverend Prelate as one whose peril is imminent.He has much treasure, true counsellors, and brave soldiers, and,moreover, a messenger who passed hither to the eastward yesterday saiththat the Duke of Burgundy hath dispatched, upon the Bishop's request,an hundred men at arms to his assistance. This reinforcement, with theretinue belonging to each lance, are enough to deal with William de laMarck, on whose name be sorrow!--Amen."
At this crisis their conversation was interrupted by the Sacristan,who, in a voice almost inarticulate with anger, accused the Bohemian ofhaving p
ractised the most abominable arts of delusion among the youngerbrethren. He had added to their nightly meal cups of a heady andintoxicating cordial, of ten times the strength of the most powerfulwine, under which several of the fraternity had succumbed, and indeed,although the Sacristan had been strong to resist its influence, theymight yet see, from his inflamed countenance and thick speech, that evenhe, the accuser himself, was in some degree affected by this unhallowedpotation. Moreover, the Bohemian had sung songs of worldly vanity andimpure pleasures, he had derided the cord of Saint Francis, made jest ofhis miracles, and termed his votaries fools and lazy knaves. Lastly, hehad practised palmistry, and foretold to the young Father Cherubinthat he was helped by a beautiful lady, who should make him father to athriving boy.
The Father Prior listened to these complaints for some time in silence,as struck with mute horror by their enormous atrocity. When theSacristan had concluded, he rose up, descended to the court of theconvent, and ordered the lay brethren, on pain of the worst consequencesof spiritual disobedience, to beat Hayraddin out of the sacred precinctswith their broom staves and cart whips.
This sentence was executed accordingly, in the presence of QuentinDurward, who, however vexed at the occurrence, easily saw that hisinterference would be of no avail.
The discipline inflicted upon the delinquent, notwithstanding theexhortations of the Superior, was more ludicrous than formidable. TheBohemian ran hither and thither through the court, amongst the clamourof voices, and noise of blows, some of which reached him not becausepurposely misaimed, others, sincerely designed for his person, wereeluded by his activity, and the few that fell upon his back andshoulders he took without either complaint or reply. The noise andriot was the greater, that the inexperienced cudgel players, among whomHayraddin ran the gauntlet, hit each other more frequently than theydid him, till at length, desirous of ending a scene which was morescandalous than edifying, the Prior commanded the wicket to be flungopen, and the Bohemian, darting through it with the speed of lightning,fled forth into the moonlight. During this scene, a suspicion whichDurward had formerly entertained, recurred with additional strength.Hayraddin had, that very morning, promised to him more modest anddiscreet behaviour than he was wont to exhibit, when they rested in aconvent on their journey, yet he had broken his engagement, and had beeneven more offensively obstreperous than usual. Something probably lurkedunder this, for whatever were the Bohemian's deficiencies, he lackedneither sense, nor, when he pleased, self command, and might it not beprobable that he wished to hold some communication, either with, his ownhorde or some one else, from which he was debarred in the course ofthe day by the vigilance with which he was watched by Quentin, and hadrecourse to this stratagem in order to get himself turned out of theconvent?
No sooner did this suspicion dart once more through Quentin's mind,than, alert as he always was in his motions, he resolved to follow hiscudgelled guide, and observe (secretly if possible) how he disposed ofhimself. Accordingly, when the Bohemian fled, as already mentioned, outat the gate of the convent, Quentin, hastily explaining to the Prior thenecessity of keeping sight of his guide, followed in pursuit of him.