With the King at Oxford: A Tale of the Great Rebellion

by Alfred John Church

  CHAPTER XX.

  OF MATTERS AT ENSTONE.

  How we felt, seeing the axe fall upon that sacred head, I shall notseek to write. We stood, as it were, astonished, looking, it may be,for vengeance to fall from Heaven on the city that had suffered suchthings to be done in its midst. After a while, when the people werenow all dispersed, and the soldiers began to look as if they wouldquestion them that still tarried, we went very sadly to our lodging,and there debated between ourselves what it were best to do. Ourerrand in London was now at an end; nor had we the desire to tarrythere any longer; and, indeed, so to do had imperilled our lives, or,at the least, our liberty. For it was manifest that they who had slainthe King were determined to make an end of the business; and whom,indeed, having done such a deed, were they like to spare? I say notthat they used their power with cruelty. 'Tis not so; rather theyshowed more mercy than could have been reasonably looked for. Yet thiswas afterwards to be proved; the danger for the present seemedimminent.

  On the fourth day of February, therefore, John Ellgood and I departedfrom London, habited in Roundhead fashion for greater security oftravelling. But there was no watch kept on them that would leaveLondon, so we met with none to question us on our road. We travelledon foot, a mode that suited the slenderness of our purses, and alsolent itself more readily to secrecy, for a man can hide himself whenhe cannot hide his horse; and on the third day came to our journey'send.

  We found Dorothy and her husband in no little trouble; not yet,indeed, dispossessed but almost daily expecting so to be. At supper,Master Blagrove set forth to us how his affairs stood.

  "I doubt," said he, "but that the end is well nigh come; and, indeed,I marvel, not without thankfulness, that it has been delayed so long:

  '_Quem sors dierum cunque dabit lucro Appone_,'[11]

  as the poet Horace has it. And, indeed, I have had many days that havebeen denied to my neighbours. But for more I can, scarce hope. Thegood knight, my patron, is in disgrace with the powers that be, andcan scarce keep himself out of prison, much less help his friends.Therefore, I am looking every day for a summons, and can but pray forGod's grace to help me play valiantly a confessor's part."

  [11] "Reckon for gain whatever days Fate shall give thee."

  And even while he was speaking his expectation was fulfilled, forthere came a loud knocking at the door, and soon after a messagebrought into the parlour, which the little countrymaid could scarcedeliver for fear, that a constable would speak with the parson.

  "Let him come in hither," quoth my brother, whereupon the constablecomes into the parlour. He was a rough fellow and given to someinsolence of speech, but now he was civil enough, partly, may be,seeing he had to do with them that could presently chastise anyliberty of speech; and partly, I do believe, because he was ashamed toshow rudeness to so gracious a woman as was my sister Dorothy, and toMaster Blagrove that was honoured both for courtesy and learningthrough the whole country side. He now delivered a brief to mybrother, excusing his coming as a matter of necessity, and so, havingfirst drunk a cup of ale to our health, which he did though 'twasagainst his principles, presently departed.

  The brief summoned my brother to appear the day following at ten ofthe clock in the forenoon, at a tavern in Enstone, before certainCommissioners therein named, there to answer sundry charges madeagainst his doctrine and manner of life. We had much talk about thematter, sitting up together till near upon midnight, but there wassmall comfort to be got concerning it, and I could see that my brotherhad no hope of a good ending.

  The next day when he came back from the sitting of the Court (whichwas not till about three of the clock in the afternoon), he seemedsomewhat more cheerful of aspect; but Dorothy crying to him, "Things,then, are better than you looked for," he said, "Nay, sweet love, 'tisonly that I am easier in my mind, as a man will be, after longbattling for life, when sentence has been pronounced, even though itbe sentence of death. But hear my tale. As for the goodly list ofCommissioners, 'twas, as I expected, all moonshine. There was notpresent one gentleman of birth and education. Timothy Fenn, themiller, whom they had chosen for their president, was as good a man asany; and Timothy, as you know, though passably honest, is not ashining light either for wit or knowledge. Others were rude fellowsthat could scarce put their names to a paper, and one or two had beento my knowledge in time past men of evil life; what they are I knownot, but they were, I noted, especially bitter against me. But now fortheir doings. First, they examined me concerning doctrine. Were I totell you what they said, what questions they asked, and in what waythey received my answers, 'twould sound as a foolish jest. Let itsuffice to say that there was not one that knew a word of Greek oreven of Latin. When I quoted a few words of this last they took it asan affront, though it was but a common saw that every lawyer, and manya one that is no lawyer, has on the tip of his tongue. When I offeredto prove that I had taught nothing but what was agreeable to HolyScripture and the Fathers, they stopped me peremptorily. 'As for theFathers, we desire to hear nothing of such papistical writers; but asfor Scripture it is not you, but we that must be judges of what agreesthereto.' But these questions kept them but a little while; and,indeed, they were not at their ease in them.

  "After this they proceeded to examine me about certain things in mylife and conversation. I marvelled what charges would be broughtagainst me, for, though I am not blameless, God knows, yet I havealways walked soberly and discreetly, even denying myself in what Ijudged to be lawful recreations that I might not give offence to any;for I know that in these times any stick is good enough to beat a dogwithal, especially if the dog be a poor parson.

  "'We are credibly informed,' says Master President, 'that you havebeen seen coursing hares on the Sabbath day. What say you to this?'

  "For a while I could say nothing, having no remembrance of anythingthat could be made to bear such a colour; but at the last I rememberedsomething that might by great malice and ingenuity be so interpreted.My brother going abroad after Naseby fight, gave me a greyhound tokeep, and though I cared not much for the beast, this kind of doghaving but little in him of wit or of affection, I received him forhis master's sake. Well, walking abroad one Sunday evening, for thepoor creature had been kept at home for some days by ill-weather, ahare chanced to cross my path, which the dog, almost before I couldspeak his name, had caught and killed. I thought that none had beenoffended in the matter, save, may be, my patron, and his pardon I had,when I confessed my offence to him. Master President looked mightygrave when I told my story, and said that the Court would consider it.

  "After this breaks in another Commissioner with, 'We have beeninformed, Master Parson, that you were seen to stand by a bonfire somethree years since.'

  "''Tis true,' said I, 'I do remember hearing a great shouting in thevillage; I went forth and found three parts, as I should guess, of myparishioners assembled about a bonfire, but I had no other concernwith it.'

  "'Know you not,' said the Commissioner, 'that there is somethingsuperstitious and papistical about bonfires?'

  "'This, at the least,' said I, 'was not papistical, for 'twas lightedon the fifth of November, and the people had burned--for so I heard,being myself too late to see it--the effigies of the Pope of Rome.'

  "Then another Commissioner had his turn at me. 'We have heard that yousuffer your children to play at cards for pins. Is this so?'

  "'Am I bound,' said I, 'to answer any question to my own damage?' (ForI was minded to have a little sport with them.)

  "'We shall know how to interpret your silence,' says Master President.

  "'Nay, then,' said I, 'if I must answer, I will. Children I have not,but one child only, a babe of six months only, who, I warrant you, socareful a mother has he--has never so much as had a pin in hisfingers. And as for cards, he knows no more of such things than youyourself, Master Commissioner,' at which speech he reddened, havingbeen not so long since, till he found his account in other ways, anoted card player and gamester. To make a long matter short, they
madeout no case against me, for all that they brought everygood-for-nothing fellow in the whole country side to give testimonyagainst me. But I build not on this; I know right well that sentencewas passed on me before ever I came into court."

  And so indeed it turned out. Two days after my brother was summoned bythe Commissioners to appear before them, and received sentence ofdeprivation, but to have as a _solatium_ one fifth part of theproceeds of the living. This fifth part, I should here say, he neverreceived, for the intruding minister alleged that he had some temporalmeans of his own, and that he had but one child (which was true, butscarce relevant, seeing that one child must eat as well as two), andthat he himself could scarce get anything of tithes; which also Ibelieve, for the farmers, who love not paying tithes at any time, weremore especially set against them when they were to be received by theintruding minister.

  My brother had angered some of the Commissioners by the freedom of hisanswering, and receiving warning that he had best be absent when thesentence was executed, went into hiding in a neighbour's house. Thenext day comes the constable, with some soldiers at his back, with awarrant to apprehend his person, and was greatly enraged when he foundthat the bird was flown. He and his fellows had at the best but littlecivility in them, and this they had done their best to banish by tooplentiful cups, and indeed they behaved themselves more like savagesthan Christian men. They searched the house through for my brother,the constable running his sword two or three times through the bedfrom which my sister was but newly risen (for they came before seveno'clock in the forenoon), pretending that he might be there hidden.All the stores in the house they wasted most cruelly, spoiling thatwhich they could not carry away. Indeed, they were bent on insultrather than plunder. Thus the troopers pulled the bridles off theirhorses, and whipped them round the garden to tread all under foot.After that they brake open the barn door and turned them into thesacks of corn to fill their bellies. Indeed, they would have burnedthe barn and all the hay and corn, but that the neighbours hinderedthem, fearing the fire for their own stack-yards. Nor would thesesuffer them to profane the church, which they would have done undercover of destroying papistical ornaments. Verily, I know not whatthese savages would have left undone but for the singular affectionwhich the people had for my brother, who, indeed, had well dischargedhis priest's office among them since his coming into the parish,ministering without wearying both to their souls and bodies. Many ofhis brethren suffered worse things than he, especially in thecruelties that were wrought upon their wives and children, for thesepoor creatures were ofttimes driven out of their homes in the verydepth and severity of winter, and forced to find such shelter as theycould in barns and stables, and to live upon any broken victuals whichthey could beg or pick up, robbing the very swine. I know that theclergy which suffered such things were not blameless. Some had bornethemselves haughtily and wantonly in the day of their prosperity, aslords of God's heritage rather than as shepherds of the flock; andsome had been careless livers, or worse, tippling at ale-houses, orwandering about the country to bull-baiting, and village feasts, andchurch ales, where they brought the name of the Church into greatdisrepute. That these were rightly dispossessed I deny not. Such menare not worthy to labour in the garden of the Lord. But many pious menalso suffered for nought else than that they kept that which they hadvowed and promised. And when they who are now trodden under foot shallget the upper hand, as I doubt not they will--before we that are nowyoung are come to middle-age--they, I fear me, will use the samecruelty. So does wrong beget wrong, and hatreds are stored up for thetime to come that many generations shall not exhaust. I pray God thatHe may give my countrymen a better mind.