CHAPTER VIII
A ROYAL ALCHEMIST
The object of her greatest desire, the meeting with her father, havingbeen attained, the princess was in no haste to leave Castle Hohenberg,and as the archduke was glad to rest a while from the cares of state, anumber of merry days were spent under its hospitable roof, whereeverything that could be thought of to add to the enjoyment of theguests was done, with probably a vast increase in the housekeepingaccounts, for it is expensive to entertain royal visitors.
In the evening there was dancing in the great hall, and it was led byMaximilian, who chose for his partner the prettiest lady in the room, orthe oldest and most ill-favored, for he made himself agreeable to all.
When he spoke of taking his departure one of the ladies declared thatshe would hide his boots and spurs, which would detain him as long asshe should see fit to keep him there, for a prince riding away withoutthose useful articles of wearing apparel would present an odd spectacle.This same trick had been played upon Maximilian in another mansion, andhe had good-naturedly yielded to the wishes of the mischievous damesand prolonged his stay in consequence. The archduke was friendly toeverybody, and on his way to and from the outdoor sports that werearranged for him he chatted affably with any peasant with whom hehappened to come in contact, and when we read such things of him we arenot surprised that the people adored him.
But, however pleasant it may have been at Castle Hohenberg, there wereplenty of other places in Maximilian's wide domain that longed for himor needed him, or both, and ere long the party was ready to continue itsjourney along the Rhine.
Marguerite heard a gay song in the courtyard]
On the morning of their departure Marguerite heard a gay song in thecourtyard beneath her window; it was Cimburga, who was going to feed thedoves. The birds immediately flew to meet their friend, settling on hershoulders, her head, and the basket in which she had brought their food,the sunlight bringing out the rose tints in the gray of their plumage.The girl scattered the grain with a lavish hand, and then held the endof a crust of bread between her white teeth, turning her face toward hershoulder, upon which two of the most impertinent of the doves hadsettled, followed by a host of others, who quarreled over the morsel atsuch a rate that Cimburga, laughing, threw it at them, saying, "Take it,then, greedy ones, since you can not wait."
The Lady Marguerite called to the maid, and the latter glancing upwardbeheld a picture which she never forgot as long as she lived, and whichalways seemed to her like the recollection of a beautiful young saintwho had come to life in its niche. In the arched window of the gray oldcastle stood the little princess, her bright uncovered hair like a haloabout her face, which beamed upon the maid with a gracious smile.Marguerite was not an angel, as the jester had well said, but to thegirl who now gazed upon her, and who had received so great a boon at herhands, she seemed more than human.
The daughter of the Hapsburgs ignored for the moment the gulf thatdivided her from this child of the people, just as her father often didin similar circumstances. "Are you happy now, Cimburga?" she askedgently.
"Oh, so happy, your gracious Highness, and all thanks to you!" returnedthe girl. "The mistress has given me a wedding dress of a beautifulblue, the color that belongs to the Blessed Virgin, and we are to bemarried next week. And Karl's father has found an inn for him farthersouth, called The Flying Fawn. And I am to be the landlady of an inn!"She paused and looked very serious for a moment at the thought of hernew dignity. Then she broke into a peal of laughter at nothing at all,but just from pure happiness.
"I am glad because you are glad, Cimburga," said the princess gently.
"And indeed, your Highness, I shall pray every night to Saint Joseph tosend you as good a husband as I have myself," continued the girlearnestly. Marguerite smiled at this, but after all there was many aprince who would not be so kind to his royal wife as humble Karl wouldbe to the maiden of his choice.
At Metz they were greeted by Marguerite's brother, a handsome boy knownto history as Philip of Flanders. He was about to go to that country toremain, and so we shall see very little of him in this story.
Everywhere in their own domain the emperor and his daughter had beenreceived with every demonstration of delight by their loyal people, andat Metz they were royally entertained by the Duke of Lorraine, whocaused to be given on his wonderful stage a play for their amusement.
It was a very queer theater, or at least it would look so to us to-day,and the plays produced there did not in the least resemble those we areaccustomed to see.
Plays in the beginning were given in Latin, and were played in churcheson Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday. But when they began to be recitedin the language spoken by the people the church would have none of them,and they were performed in the open air. The stage at Metz was ninestories high, and as to whether their costumes were appropriate or thecontrary was a question which seemed to trouble the actors very little,and it must have seemed rather odd to see the angel Gabriel appear in arobe that had been worn by his Satanic Majesty in a previous scene.There were a great many people in the play, which must have been veryconfusing, because of the comic interludes where clowns danced aboutperforming their various antics, which had nothing whatever to do withthe play itself. The piece witnessed by Maximilian and his suite lastedfor three days, and Le Glorieux declared that he for one was glad whenit was finished.
"But you can not see such spectacles every day," said Philibert.
"Thank fortune for that!" said the fool.
"But are you not fond of the drama?"
"Yes, and I am also fond of bread, but I should not like to eat breadevery minute for three days."
At Linz they stopped to pay their respects to the old emperor, whomMarguerite never had seen, or at least not since her babyhood, whichdoes not count. Frederick the Third was almost eighty years old now. Hehad given up the government of the country to his son, and had retiredto his palace at Linz, where he pursued his "studies," as he calledthem, and which he fondly imagined them to be, though to-day hispursuits would make a boy of average intelligence smile broadly.
When Frederick was selected to be the emperor of Austria he thought overthe matter for eleven weeks before he could make up his mind to acceptthe honor thus proffered him. He never has been called a wise or aworthy ruler; quite the contrary, indeed; but the fact that he took timeto think the matter over shows that he realized that the duties of hisposition would not be child's play, and as he had reigned for more thanfifty years, it may be supposed that he was rather tired of it by thistime. The emperor was a tall, white-haired old man of majesticappearance, with a heavy, protruding under lip. He kissed his son onboth cheeks, and saluted his granddaughter in the same way, thoughwithout any extravagant display of affection, doubtless having his mindat the moment on his laboratory, where he was engaged in trying a numberof experiments, of which writers of his day speak with a great deal ofrespect, not to say awe.
Wishing to entertain her royal grandfather, Marguerite asked Antoine tosing for him. The old emperor listened with a dreamy expression ofcountenance, as one who is absorbed in his own thoughts, and when thesong was finished he asked his granddaughter and the boys to accompanyhim to his laboratory, where they were, of course, followed by LeGlorieux.
The laboratory was fitted up with all the appointments that couldpossibly be suggested by the "studies" of the great man who spent somuch of his time within its four walls. There were globes andcompasses, and maps of the starry heavens, for the emperor was verylearned in astrology. "It was a comet that came to tell me of the birthof the King of the Romans, my son," said he solemnly. "It was necessarythat a brave and wise prince should succeed me, and just before hisbirth a pale light was seen in the sky, which attracted the attention oflearned men everywhere, and which proved to be a comet, growing largerand larger each night, reaching its greatest brilliancy on the night ofmy son's birth. The next night it was less bright, and before manynights it had disappeared!"
The empero
r paused here, and no one remarked that this behavior on thepart of comets is not unusual. Then he continued, "Until my son wastwelve years of age I thought he was going to be either a mute or afool. There was no sign of any but a very ordinary grade ofintelligence, and I lost faith in the glorious predictions regarding himthat I had read in the heavens. He learned his lessons only after aseries of floggings, and I feared that my realm was to be governed by aweakling. But why should I have doubted the assurance given me by theplanets? My son came out of his stupidity as from a dream, and he is nowone of the most learned of men. He can address the ambassadors of eightdifferent countries, each in his own language; he can dictate a numberof letters at once, each in a different tongue. And the stars have saidthat Austria will become the mistress of the world."
Although we know that the old emperor left a writing to the effect thathis country would exceed all others in greatness, the prediction did notcome true, showing that the stars frequently make mistakes.
The visitors examined the contents of the laboratory with greatinterest. The shelves contained all sorts of bottles and retorts, andthe vessels in which he stirred his mixtures were marked with a redcross to keep out the demon, who, it was believed, had an inconvenientand impertinent way of meddling with such things.
He popped the rose into a jar]
The Lady Marguerite held in her hand a red rose, which was given to herby the head gardener, and which, being of a rare variety, was greatlycherished by that functionary, and thought to be a suitable gift, evenfor a princess. The emperor reached out his hand for the rose, andtaking it from her, he popped it into a jar, where it soon became aswhite as snow. Then, taking it out again, he said, "It would be a pityto spoil a lady's flower," and throwing it into another jar, it becameits own rich red again.
This feat seemed almost a miracle to the four spectators who witnessedit, though a chemist to-day would think nothing of it. To make sugar andalcohol out of an old linen shirt, to make all the colors of therainbow, to say nothing of medicines and perfumes, and a substancemany times sweeter than sugar, out of a thing so black and sticky andgenerally unpromising as coal tar, are a few of the feats accomplishedby the chemists of our own time, but which would have made thealchemists of Frederick's day gasp for breath.
"Here," said the emperor, taking up a long slender vial, "is a specificfor many ailments, which I have succeeded in making out of a few dropsof water. And here," he went on, taking up a yellow piece of parchmentcovered with hieroglyphics and strange characters, "is a recipe whichcame to me from the Orient, and said to have been greatly prized byHermes Tris-me-gistus." He drew out the long name to its fullest extent,and Le Glorieux whispered to Antoine, "Is it not strange that at his agehe can remember such things? If I had a friend of that name and wantedto write him a letter, I could never do it in this world, for by thetime I had written the first part of the name I would have forgotten thelast of it. Yet this old man rattles it off as easily as if he weretelling what he would like for breakfast. It must be because the Germansare used to such long words that nothing in that line staggers them."
"This tells how to make gold," said the emperor, regarding the parchmentwith great satisfaction. "It begins, 'Catch the flying bird and drown itthat it may fly no more.' You would be puzzled at the meaning of thatsentence, would you not?" he asked, turning with a superior smile to hisaudience, all of whom murmured a respectful affirmative, save LeGlorieux, who said, "I should say it was directions as to how to preparea fowl for the spit. Though I should advise cutting its head off, whichis a much quicker and more respectable way than to drown it."
"Ha, ha!" cackled the old emperor. "Wiser men than yourself, Fool, mightthink the same thing. 'The flying bird' means quicksilver, which is veryeasy to change into gold."
"Since he knows so well how to make gold, I wonder why he is so stingy,"whispered the jester to Antoine. The latter shook his head and made noreply, this being a problem too deep for him to solve.
"But the making of gold," went on Frederick, "is attended with greatdanger. Nature is very jealous of her riches, and conceals her preciousmetals in the most inaccessible spots, and in trying to make it we arelikely to meet with a terrible explosive."
The emperor took a ring from his finger set with a large diamond. "Thisstone," said he, "is called the 'indomitable one,' for it is the hardestof all. It is the most beautiful of gems, for it has the flash of theemerald, the gleam of the sapphire, and the glow of the ruby. Around theorigin of this stone Nature has woven a mystery; she has allied it tocharcoal and other black substances. But I can make it by adding colorsto pebbles, as I can make rubies, emeralds, and sapphires."
"Did you make the stone in your ring, Grandfather?" asked the princessinnocently.
"No," replied the emperor.
"Why does he not show us one that he _has_ made?" whispered Le Glorieuxto Antoine, and it certainly seemed as if the proof of this statementshould be forthcoming, since, "_If_ Peter Piper picked a peck of pickledpeppers, _where_ is the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piperpicked?" But a writer of his time assures us that Frederick actuallymade precious stones out of pebbles, so he must have been content totake the emperor's word for it.
"Here," said the royal alchemist, taking up a second scroll of yellowparchment, "is another formula which caused me much trouble and expenseto procure. It tells how to make thunder and lightning."
The emperor, with his profound knowledge of the heavens and the secretsof the earth, was an object of too much awe to Le Glorieux to be jokedwith, as he was in the habit of doing, but he said to Philibert as theyleft their august host, "Of course, it may be a great pleasure to knowhow to make thunder and lightning, and a man who is fond of excitementand tired of a quiet life might do it sometimes just to amuse himself.But, speaking for myself, I do not think I should like to mix up such amess, at least not often."
It was in that same year that the emperor died, leaving Maximilian rulerin name as he had been for some time in fact. He was in possession ofthe domains of the Hapsburgs, as well as those of the Dukes of Burgundy,and he was served by kings and electors. Still, in spite of his exaltedposition, he did not become cold and forbidding in his manner, remainingfrank and affable as he had been before. Writers have criticised him forhis friendly ways, but after all is it not better for a ruler to be thedarling of his people than always to be on his dignity, afraid to show alittle human friendliness and good feeling?
The year after Maximilian became emperor he was united in marriage toBianca Sforza, an Italian lady. When this marriage was first mentionedLe Glorieux said to the Lady Marguerite, "I can learn nothing about yournew mother save that she is high-tempered, and fond of a certain kind ofshellfish. It seems to me there ought to be something more to say abouta woman than just that!"
The princess accepted her new mother as a matter of course. Thismarriage was an affair of mere business; the emperor needed money withwhich to fight Charles the Eighth of France, and money he would obtainby his marriage with this lady, who was far inferior to herpredecessor, Mary of Burgundy, both in education and beauty. AlthoughFrederick had claimed to have discovered the secret of turningquicksilver into gold, he did not seem to have left the recipe behindhim, for the purse of his son was always gaunt and longing to be filled.
The Lady Clotilde had not returned to France, as it had been herintention to do; she had found that the climate of Austria agreed withher health to a degree little short of marvelous. She said that therewere certain viands that she would not dare to touch in Burgundy,Brittany, or France, but which in the German empire did her all the goodin the world. Of course, she was going away soon, next month, or surelythe month after; but still the Lady Clotilde lingered on.
Philibert, finding greater advantages here for a young gentleman of rankthan in his own country, also remained. It seemed that the Count deBresse, his father, absorbed in his own schemes--and they were notalways innocent ones--had almost forgotten that he owned a son, and theboy was well contented to be thus neg
lected, being perfectly happy inhis new surroundings. In those days nations were almost continuallyengaged in some kind of turmoil, either fighting each other or trying tomake peace, and Austria had its share of such proceedings; but at thistime the principal characters of this story saw only the pleasant sideof life. Antoine became more and more proficient in his music;Philibert became quite scholarly at the court of this emperor, whosurrounded himself with scholars; Le Glorieux amused himself andeverybody else, while the princess was put under the care of her tutors,and, taking a leaf from her father's book, was always affable andgracious to her inferiors.