Complete Works of Henryk Sienkiewicz

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  “You told me that you were God’s servant, and yet you do not know that one must give help, not for earthly recompense, but for spiritual reward. But how is it that you have the chests now if the horse carried them away?”

  “The wolves devoured the horse in the forest, but the chests remained; I brought them to the road, and then waited for mercy and help.”

  Wishing to prove that he was speaking the truth, he pointed to two chests made of leather, lying under a pine tree. Zbyszko still looked at him suspiciously, because the man did not look honest, and his speech indicated that he came from a distant part of the country. He did not refuse to help him, however, but permitted him to ride the horse led by the Czech and take the chests, which proved to be very light.

  “May God multiply your victories, valiant knight!” said the stranger.

  Then, seeing Zbyszko’s youthful face, he added softly:

  “And the hairs of your beard, also.”

  He rode beside the Czech. For a time they could not talk, because a strong wind was blowing, and roaring in the forest; but when it decreased, Zbyszko heard the following conversation behind him.

  “I don’t deny that you were in Rome; but you look like a beer drunkard,” said the Czech.

  “Look out for eternal damnation,” answered the stranger; “you are talking to a man who last Easter ate hard boiled eggs with the holy father. Don’t speak to me in such cold weather about beer; but if you have a flask of wine with you, then give me two or three swallows of it, and I will pardon you a month of purgatory.”

  “You have not been ordained; I heard you say you had not. How then can you grant me pardon for a month of purgatory?”

  “I have not received ordination, but I have my head shaved, because I received permission for that; beside, I am carrying indulgences and relics.”

  “In the chests?” asked the Czech.

  “Yes, in the chests. If you saw all I have there, you would fall on your face, not only you, but all the pines in the forest and all the wild beasts.”

  But the Czech, being an intelligent and experienced attendant, looked suspiciously at this peddler of indulgences, and said:

  “The wolves devoured your horse?”

  “Yes, they devoured him, because they are the devil’s relatives. If you have any wine, give me some; although the wind has ceased, yet I am frozen, having sat by the road so long.”

  The Czech would not give him any wine; and they rode along silently, until the stranger began to ask:

  “Where are you going?”

  “Far. At first to Sieradz. Are you going with us?”

  “I must. I will sleep in the stable, and perhaps to-morrow this pious knight will give me a present of a horse; then I will go further.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “From under Prussian lords, not far from Marienburg.”

  Having heard this, Zbyszko turned and motioned to the stranger to come nearer to him.

  “Did you come from Marienburg?” said he

  “Yes, sir.”

  “But are you a German? You speak our language very well. What is your name?”

  “I am a German, and they call me Sanderus; I speak your language well, because I was born in Torun, where everybody speaks that language; then I lived in Marienburg, and there it is the same. Bah! even the brothers of the Order understand your language.”

  “How long since you left Marienburg?”

  “I was in the Holy Land, then in Constantinople, and in Rome; thence through France I came to Marienburg and from there I was going to Mazowsze, carrying the holy relics which pious Christians buy willingly, for the salvation of their souls.”

  “Have you been in Plock or in Warszawa?”

  “I was in both cities. May God give good health to both of the princesses! Princess Alexandra is greatly esteemed even by the Prussian lords, because she is a pious lady; the princess Anna Januszowna is also pious.”

  “Did you see the court in Warszawa?”

  “I did not see it in Warszawa but in Ciechanow, where both the princesses received me hospitably, and gave me munificent presents, as God’s servant deserves to receive. I left them relics, which will bring them God’s blessing.”

  Zbyszko wanted to ask about Danusia; but he understood that it would be unwise to make a confidant of this stranger, a man of low origin. Therefore, after a short silence, he asked:

  “What kind of relics are you carrying?”

  “I carry indulgences and relics; the indulgences are different kinds; there are total indulgences, some for five hundred years, some for three hundred, some for two hundred and some for less time, which are cheaper, so that even poor people can buy them and shorten the torments of purgatory. I have indulgences for future and for past sins; but don’t think, sir, that I keep the money I receive for them. I am satisfied with a piece of black bread and a glass of water — that is all for me; the rest I carry to Rome, to accumulate enough for a new crusade. It is true, there are many swindlers who carry false indulgences, false relics, false seals and false testimonials; and they are righteously pursued by the holy father’s letters; but I was wronged by the prior of Sieradz, because my seals are authentic. Look, sir, at the wax and tell me what you think of them.”

  “What about the prior of Sieradz?”

  “Ah, sir! I fear that he is infected with Wiklef’s heresy. If, as your shield-bearer told me, you are going to Sieradz, it will be better for me not to show myself to him, because I do not want to lead him into the sin of blasphemy against holy things.”

  “This means, speaking frankly, that he thinks that you are a swindler.”

  “If the question were about myself, I would pardon him for the sake of brotherly love; but he has blasphemed against my holy wares, for which, I am very much afraid, he will be eternally damned.”

  “What kind of holy wares have you?”

  “It is not right to talk about them with covered head; but this time, having many indulgences ready, I give you, sir, permission to keep your cowl on, because the wind is blowing again. For that you will buy an indulgence and the sin will not be counted against you. What have I not? I have a hoof of the ass on which the Holy Family rode during the flight into Egypt; it was found near the pyramids. The king of Aragon offered me fifty ducats for it. I have a feather from the wings of the archangel Gabriel, which he dropped during the annunciation; I have the heads of two quails, sent to the Israelites in the desert; I have the oil in which the heathen wanted to fry St. John; a step of the ladder about which Jacob dreamed; the tears of St. Mary of Egypt and some rust of St. Peter’s keys. But I cannot mention any more. I am very cold and your shield-bearer would not give me any wine.”

  “Those are great relics, if they are authentic!” said Zbyszko.

  “If they are authentic? Take the spear from your attendant and aim it, because the devil is near and brings such thoughts to you. Hold him, sir, at the length of the spear. If you do not wish to bring some misfortune on yourself, then buy an indulgence from me; otherwise within three weeks somebody whom you love, will die.”

  Zbyszko was frightened at this threat, because he thought about Danusia, and said:

  “It is not I, but the prior of the Dominicans in Sieradz who does not believe.”

  “Look, sir, for yourself, at the wax on the seals; as for the prior, I do not know whether he is still living, because God’s justice is quick.”

  But when they came to Sieradz they found the prior alive. Zbyszko went to see him, and purchased two masses; one of which was to be read to insure success for Macko’s vow, and the other to insure success for his vow to obtain three peacocks’ crests. The prior was a foreigner, having been born in Cylia; but during his forty years’ residence in Sieradz, he had learned the Polish language very well, and was a great enemy of the Knights of the Cross. Therefore, having learned about Zbyszko’s enterprise, he said:

  “A still greater punishment will fall upon them; but I shall not dissuade you, because you
promised it upon your knightly honor; neither can there be punishment enough administered by Polish hands for the wrongs they hare perpetrated in this land.”

  “What have they done?” asked Zbyszko, who was anxious to hear about the iniquities of the Knights of the Cross.

  CHAPTER III.

  The old prior crossed his hands and began to recite aloud “The eternal rest;” then he sat down on a bench and kept his eyes closed for a while as if to collect his thoughts; finally he began to talk:

  “Wincenty of Szamotul brought them here. I was twenty years old then, and I had just come from Cylia with my uncle Petzoldt. The Krzyzaks attacked the town and set it on fire. We could see from the walls, how in the market square they cut men and women’s heads off, and how they threw little children into the fire. They even killed the priests, because in their fury they spared nobody. The prior Mikolaj, having been born in Elblong, was acquainted with Comthur Herman, the chief of their army. Therefore he went accompanied by the senior brothers, to that dreadful knight, and having kneeled before him, entreated him in German, to have pity on Christian blood. Comthur Herman replied: “I do not understand,” and ordered his soldiers to continue killing the people. They slaughtered the monks also, among them my uncle Petzoldt; the prior Mikolaj was tied to a horse’s tail. The next morning there was no man alive in this town except the Krzyzaks and myself. I hid on a beam in the belfry. God punished them at Plowce; but they still want to destroy this Christian kingdom, and nothing will deter them unless God’s arm crush them.”

  “At Plowce,” said Zbyszko, “almost all the men of my family perished; but I do not regret it, for God granted a great victory to the king Lokietek, and twenty thousand Germans were destroyed.

  “You will see a still greater war and a greater victory,” said the prior.

  “Amen!” answered Zbyszko.

  Then they began to talk about other matters. The young knight asked about the peddler of relics whom he met on the road. He learned that many similar swindlers were wandering on the roads, cheating credulous people. The prior also told him that there were papal bulls ordering the bishops to examine such peddlers and immediately punish those who did not have authentic letters and seals. The testimonials of the stranger seemed spurious to the prior; therefore he wanted to deliver him to the bishop’s jurisdiction. If he proved that he was sent by the pope, then no harm would be done him. He escaped, however. Perhaps he was afraid of the delay in his journey; but on account of this flight, he had drawn on himself still greater suspicion.

  The prior invited Zbyszko to remain and pass the night in the monastery; but he would not, because he wanted to hang in front of the inn an inscription challenging all knights who denied that Panna Danuta Jurandowna was the most beautiful and the most virtuous girl in the kingdom, to a combat on horseback or on foot. It was not proper to hang such a challenge over the gate of the monastery. When he arrived at the inn, he asked for Sanderus.

  “The prior thinks you are a scoundrel,” said Zbyszko, “because he said: ‘Why should he be afraid of the bishop’s judgment, if he had good testimonials?’”

  “I am not afraid of the bishop,” answered Sanderus; “I am afraid of the monks, who do not know anything about seals. I wanted to go to Krakow, but I have no horse; therefore I must wait until somebody makes me a present of one. Meanwhile, I will send a letter, and I will put my own seal on it.”

  “If you show that you know how to write, that will prove that you are not a churl; but how will you send the letter?”

  “By some pilgrim, or wandering monk. There are many people going on a pilgrimage to the queen’s tomb.”

  “Can you write a card for me?”

  “I will write, sir, even on a board, anything you wish.”

  “I think it will be better on a board,” said Zbyszko, “because it will not tear and I can use it again later on.”

  In fact, after awhile the attendants brought a new board and Sanderus wrote on it. Zbyszko could not read what was written on the board; but he ordered it fastened with nails on the door of the inn, under it to be hung a shield, which was watched by the Turks alternately. Whoever struck the shield would declare that he wished to fight. But neither that day nor the following day, did the shield resound from a blow; and in the afternoon the sorrowful knight was ready to pursue his journey.

  Before that, however, Sanderus came to Zbyszko and said to him:

  “Sir, if you hang your shield in the land of the Prussian lords, I am sure your shield-bearer will buckle your armor.”

  “What do you mean! Don’t you know that a Krzyzak, being a monk, cannot have a lady nor be in love with one, because it is forbidden him.”

  “I do not know whether it is forbidden them or not; but I know that they have them. It is true that a Krzyzak cannot fight a duel without bringing reproach on himself, because he swore that he would fight only for the faith; but besides the monks, there are many secular knights from distant countries, who came to help the Prussian lords. They are looking for some one to fight with, and especially the French knights.”

  “Owa! I saw them at Wilno, and with God’s permission I shall see them in Marienburg. I need the peacocks’ crests from their helmets, because I made a vow — do you understand?”

  “Sir, I will sell you two or three drops of the perspiration, which St. George shed while fighting with the dragon. There is no relic, which could be more useful to a knight. Give me the horse for it, on which you permitted me to ride; then I will also give you an indulgence for the Christian blood which you will shed in the fight.”

  “Let me be, or I shall become angry. I shall not buy your wares until I know they are genuine.”

  “You are going, sir, so you have said, to the Mazowiecki court. Ask there how many relics they bought from me, the princess herself, the knights and the girls for their weddings, at which I was present.”

  “For what weddings?” asked Zbyszko.

  “As is customary before advent, the knights were marrying as soon as they could, because the people are expecting that there will be a war between the Polish king and the Prussian lords about the province of Dobrzyn. Therefore some of them say: ‘God knows whether I shall return.’”

  Zbyszko was very anxious to hear about the war, but still more anxious to hear about the weddings, of which Sanderus was talking; therefore he asked:

  “Which girls were married there?”

  “The princess’ ladies-in-waiting. I do not know whether even one remained, because I heard the princess say that she would be obliged to look for other attendants.”

  Having heard this, Zbyszko was silent for awhile; then he asked in an altered voice:

  “Was Panna Danuta Jurandówna, whose name is on the board, married also?”

  Sanderus hesitated before he answered. He did not know anything correctly himself; then he thought that if he kept the knight anxious and perplexed, he would have more influence over him. He wanted to retain his power over this knight who had a goodly retinue, and was well provided with everything.

  Zbyszko’s youth led him to suppose that he would be a generous lord, without forethought and careless of money. He had noticed already the costly armor made in Milan, and the enormous stallions, which everybody could not possess; then he assured himself that if he traveled with such a knight, he would receive hospitality in noblemen’s houses, and a good opportunity to sell his indulgences; he would be safe during the journey, and have abundance of food and drink, about which he cared greatly.

  Therefore having heard Zbyszko’s question, he frowned, lifted his eyes as if he were trying to recollect, and answered:

  “Panna Danuta Jurandowna? Where is she from?”

  “Jurandowna Danuta of Spychow.”

  “I saw all of them, but I cannot remember their names.”

  “She is very young; she plays the lute, and amuses the princess with her singing.”

  “Aha — young — plays the lute — there were some young ones married also. Is she
dark like an agate?”

  Zbyszko breathed more freely.

  “No, that was not she! Danusia is as white as snow, but has pink cheeks.”

  To this Sanderus replied:

  “One of them, dark as an agate, remained with the princess; the others were almost all married.”

  “You say ‘almost all,’ therefore not all. For God’s sake, if you wish to get anything from me, then try to recollect.”

  “In two or three days I could recollect; the best way will be to give me a horse, on which I can carry my holy wares.”

  “You will get it if you only tell me the truth.”

  At that moment the Czech, who was listening to the conversation, smiled and said:

  “The truth will be known at the Mazowiecki court.”

  Sanderus looked at him for a while; then he said:

  “Do you think that I am afraid of the Mazowiecki court?”

  “I do not say you are afraid of the Mazowiecki court; but neither now, nor after three days will you go away with the horse. If it prove that you were lying, then you will not be able to go on your feet either, because my lord will order me to break them.”

  “Be sure of that!” answered Zbyszko.

  Sanderus now thought that it would be wiser to be more careful, and said:

  “If I wanted to lie, I would have said immediately whether she was married or not; but I said: ‘I don’t remember.’ If you had common sense, you would recognize my virtue by that answer.”

  “My common sense is not a brother of your virtue, because that is the sister of a dog.”

  “My virtue does not bark, as your common sense does; and the one who barks when alive, may howl after death.”

  “That is sure! Your virtue will not howl after your death; it will gnash its teeth, provided it does not lose its teeth in the service of the devil while living.” Thus they quarreled; the Czech’s tongue was ready, and for every word of the German, he answered two. Zbyszko having asked about the road to Lenczyca, ordered the retinue to move forward. Beyond Sieradz, they entered thick forests which covered the greater part of the country; but the highways through these forests, had been paved with logs and ditches dug along the sides, by the order of King Kazimierz. It is true that after his death, during the disturbances of the war aroused by Nalenczs and Grzymalits, the roads were neglected; but during Jadwiga’s reign, when peace was restored to the kingdom, shovels were again busy in the marshes, and axes in the forests; soon everywhere between the important cities, merchants could conduct their loaded wagons in safety. The only danger was from wild beasts and robbers; but against the beasts, they had lanterns for night, and crossbows for defence during the day; then there were fewer highway robbers than in other countries, and one who traveled with an armed retinue, need fear nothing.