CHAP. X.
Some of the company in the knights' hall were entertaining themselveswith singing and lutes, but Junker Christopher had sat down to a gravegame at chess with the Duke of Langeland. Sir Niels Brock, Sir JohanPapae and their silent friend with the helmet, tried their fortune atdice and backgammon. Count Gerhard listened with the king, the Marsk,and the young knights, to the adventures and songs of the Germanminstrels. These foreign masters of song sought especially to entertainthe king and his guests with lays composed in honour of all crownedheads, whom they lauded as their munificent patrons and protectors. Atlast they addressed themselves immediately to the king in a strain ofsomewhat exaggerated panegyric, particularly on his learning, and inthe same metre and high-flown phrase in which the Minnesingers formerlysang the praises of their loves. Count Gerhard smiled, and the king atlast became impatient. "No! this goes too far!" he exclaimed; "wouldyou make me believe, Master Rumelant, that you are enamoured of me asthough I were a fair maiden? No more of this! Sing to us, rather of thebrave Nibelungen, and the hero Siegfred."
"As you command! most mighty prince! My generous and noble patron!"answered Master Rumelant, with a bow; but he had been thrown into suchconfusion by the king's displeasure at his flatteries, that he couldrecollect nothing perfectly, but jumbled different songs together."Stop! let _me_!" interrupted Master Poppe, with his warrior-likevoice, and he now began the bold and spirited German epic poem of thebrave Nibelungen, in tones which rang through the hall. The lay gainedgreat applause, but it was a long epic, which became wearisome by themonotony of the melody or recitative. When Poppe paused only for amoment to take breath, or recollect, Master Rumelant instantly took upthe lay, and as soon as he made any mistake, or faultered, Master Popperecommenced with renovated powers; and thus it seemed as though thepoem would never be ended.
The king was, however, an attentive listener, and laughed once or twiceright heartily at the naive and vivid descriptions; but at last he grewtired, and cleared his throat several times. "Excellent! excellent!good sirs; thanks!" he said, interrupting the unwearied singers. "Thatis enough for one time. There is marrow and bone in your heroic lays,as well as in your warriors; they are almost as hard to despatch. Nowwe should like to hear a Danish song. We have, indeed, no such singleheroic poem, unless it be our chronicles. In reality, they compose anepic which I trust will never be ended. Our war songs are but fragmentsof them, but they are therefore better suited for songs. They neverflag, but go on briskly, and that I ought to like right well, since Iam myself of a somewhat impetuous temper. We have, besides, no realmaster of the art as yet," he continued: "but our songs are national,and are sung both by knight and peasant. Where is the Drost?"
The Drost had been some time ago summoned from the hall, and no oneknew where he was.
"Now Marsk Oluffsen! do _you_ sing of our warriors and heroes!" saidthe king. "But have a care you split not the good arches here in ourhall! I know your voice well."
"I would rather fight than sing songs for you, my liege!" answered theMarsk; "they say I sing like a growling bear, but if you desire it Iwill willingly growl you out a song." He then cleared his throat, andbegan in a bass voice as deep and hollow as from an abyss.
"It was young Ulf van Jern, Unto the king went he, My father's death for to avenge, Your men will you lend me."[8]
"Silence!" exclaimed the king, stamping vehemently on the floor.
The Marsk was silent, and stared at him in astonishment.
"What are ye thinking of, Sir Marsk! would you remind the king of hisfather's death?" whispered Count Henrik in his ear.
"By all the martyrs! who ever thought of that?" said the Marsk, andhastily withdrew. Soon after, the master of the household steppedforward, and summoned the king and his guests to the supper-table, ashe threw open the door of the dining-hall.
As was customary when the king was present, all the etiquettes of thetable were observed according to chivalrous usage. Each knight had hisappointed seat, with a small separate trencher and napkin. When theking went to take his place, he was wont to walk round the table of hisknights, and at times to cast an observant glance over these smallnapkins, which were to lie whole and smoothly spread before the seatsof the knights, with bread and trenchers, or plates, in a prescribedposition. If a rent or a slit was found in the napkin, or if the breadlay reversed, it implied a charge touching the honour of the knight towhom the bread and napkin belonged, and the person thus accused wasinstantly obliged to leave the table, and remain shut out from thecommunity of knights, until he should have justified himself. The daypreceding a tournament there were generally a herald and twopursuivants, or under-heralds, present, at the king's table and that ofhis knights, to watch over the observance of these customs. This wasthe case on this evening.
When the king came to the middle of the knights' table, he stopped, onremarking three trenchers upon which the bread lay reversed; hestarted, and nodded to the herald.
"Who are to sit here?" asked the king with a stern look.
"The high-born knights, Sir Niels Brock and Sir Johan Papae, my liege,"answered the herald, with lowered staff and a precise deportment. "Alsoa certain Ako Krummedige, whom no one knows. It is he to whom it hathbeen permitted to wear his helmet here in the hall, and keep silencetowards every one, according to his knights' vow at the holysepulchre."
"Who is their accuser?"
"An unknown knight, my liege! but he hath placed his covered shield asa pledge in the armoury; he will appear and give his name when it isdemanded."
"Well! be watchful, herald! fulfil thy duty!" so saying, the king wentto take his seat.
Shortly afterwards Sir Niels and Sir Papae, with their mysteriousfriend, appeared, and were about to take their accustomed places. Onseeing the reversed bread, however, they started; the knight of thehelmet changed colour and drew back a step; but Brock and Papae hastilyreplaced the bread in prescribed form, and took their seats with a lookof haughty defiance; at the same moment the herald advanced with adrawn sword in his hand, directly opposite to them on the other side ofthe table; he slit, with the point of his sword, the three smallnapkins before them. "Sir Niels Brock, Sir Johan Papae, and you who callyourself Sir Ako Krummedige!" he said, solemnly, "In the name of Danishchivalry, I cut asunder, as I have done your table napkins, every tieof fellowship between you and knighthood. You are accused of treacheryand treason; of a Judas deed and projected regicide; therefore you areejected from the king's, and every honourable knight's society, untilyou have met your accuser and justified yourselves, if you are able todo so; in consideration of the gravity of the accusation, I demand ofye, besides, your weapons, and announce to you that you are put underknightly arrest."
The herald then beckoned, and the two pursuivants advanced to receivethe swords of the prisoners, and lead them to their confinement. Allthe guests rose in astonishment, and the king's knights and halberdiersdrew their swords.
"Confounded mummery!" muttered the tall knight, Brock, as he rose."There, herald!" he called in a loud voice, and threw his glove on thetable--"Take that to my accuser! wherever he meets me, my good swordshall prove him to be a liar and a fool--where is he? Dare he not namehimself and look me in the face?"
"Here he stands!" said a voice from the door of the dining hall, andDrost Aage stood there erect and calm on the threshold, with his handon his sword, gazing with a searching look on the three accusedknights.
"I laugh at the accusation of a dreamer and a visionary," cried Brockin a proud and scornful tone. "We meet. Sir Drost! I do but deposit mysword in the hands of these men that I may receive it to-morrow,acquitted by the king and knighthood, after washing out the blot herecast on mine and my friends' honour with the blood of the calumniator."He then delivered up his sword to the pursuivants.
Papae had risen likewise; he also threw his glove with a contemptuoussmile on the table--"There lies my pledge." he said, "and h
ere is myanswer to my accuser, whoever he may be, even though he should be givenover to the devil, and the destruction of the flesh." So saying, heflung his large battle sword on the flagged floor at the herald's feet.They then both went with haughty and hasty strides out of the door,casting one or two flashing glances at the Drost, and with thepretended Ako Krummedige between them. This silent and disguised knighthad become as blanched in the face as his slit trencher-napkin. He hadgiven up his sword to the pursuivants; no sound issued from his bluecompressed lips--but his glance rolled with fearful wildness beneathhis bushy and blackened eyebrows; his legs tottered under him, and hewas forced to take hold of the strong Sir Niels to keep himself fromsinking on the floor. The Drost himself followed these dangerousprisoners to see that the formalities of their imprisonment werelegally and properly conducted.
This singular occurrence had excited great astonishment. The generalsilence was soon succeeded by a low whispering. The two daring knightswere well known; every one was aware that they were suspected of havingabetted the archbishop's flight. It was also known that they belongedto the discontented in the land;--of friends they had not a few; andthey passed for brave, independent lovers of their country, who carednot to flatter royalty, but had strength and courage to maintain theliberties of the people, and their own rights in council against themightiest. That they should have joined in treasonable conspiracies didnot seem probable; and it was supposed the Drost had been tooprecipitate in making this singular charge. As the king's favourite, hewas not free from the attacks of envy. "It is sad to think of the youngDrost," whispered one of the junker's knights, "he is such a dreamer hescents treason everywhere, and makes the king to be hated, by hisill-timed zeal." Respecting the unknown knight with the helmet, and hisguilt, there were many conjectures; he appeared in a suspicious lightto most of the company--but that one of the outlaws should have daredto enter into the king's presence and sit at his table, seemed an actof such presumptuous daring, that none believed it to be possible.Meanwhile, all took their seats. Although the wine-flasks soon wentround, the company appeared, however, unable to forget the unpleasanttransaction which had clouded the king's countenance, as well as hisstep-father's; and, as it seemed, had also thrown Junker Christopherinto an anxious and uneasy mood. It was not until all were seated, thatDrost Aage again entered the supper hall. He also was silent anddepressed. He took his seat directly opposite the king and JunkerChristopher. The three nearest knights rose to make room for him,according to the ancient usages of the table, and he sat down withoutsaying a word respecting the accused and their crime. He seemed lost inreverie, and appeared not to notice the unusual flagging of theconversation around him; but his attention was in reality rivetted withaffectionate sympathy on the deep emotion he thought he discovered inthe king's countenance. The gloomy sternness before depicted in itseemed now to be lost in thoughtful sadness. Eric sat with his wine cupin his hand, and regarded with a kindly look his friend and step-fatherCount Gerhard; at last he nodded involuntarily, and turned towards hisreconciled foe, Duke Eric of Langeland. "A health in honour of thenegotiator of peace and of my reconciled kinsman!" he said, suddenlyrising from his seat. All the knights stood up--and the kingcontinued--"Even this feast in honour of peace hath been made gloomy tome by traitors; they shall have their deserts; to-morrow is the day forpassing sentence; to-day we will not think on it. At _this_ moment, Itrust in the Lord and our blessed Lady that no secret traitor drains acup in our hall. Long live Count Gerhard and Duke Eric!"
"Long life to them, and long live our noble king!" was echoed frommouth to mouth, with great and nearly universal enthusiasm, while thegoblets rang, and the horn-players, on a signal from the herald, madetheir instruments resound through the hall.
Junker Christopher had also joined in the general shout of acclamation,and the king appeared especially to rejoice at hearing his brother'svoice so animated on this occasion. His eye sought the junker's whilehe rung his glass against his; but Christopher's glance was cold,restless, and irresolute, while his cheek glowed, and he twisted thecorner of his napkin with his left hand. A smothered sigh escaped theking's breast as he again resumed his seat. Aage now observed, withgreat astonishment, that there was a large rent in Junker Christopher'snapkin, which he was vainly striving to conceal with his hand. The kingseemed to have made the same discovery at the same instant. He hadsuddenly changed colour, and his countenance expressed a fearful degreeof wrath and grief; he made a movement as if he were about to start up,but instantly recovered himself by a strong internal effort; he setdown his cup directly before him on the table, and, by pushing his ownnapkin from him, contrived to hide with it the rent in his brother's.
A look of affectionate admiration from Drost Aage was repressed by astern glance of the king's serious eye while he laid his finger on hislips. "Music!" he called, and gave a signal to the herald. The hallsoon resounded with lively hunting horns. The gravity of the guestspresently disappeared, and each talked gaily with his neighbour; theking himself appeared gay and in spirits, although Aage, indeed,remarked that it cost him a desperate effort. When the castle chaplain,at the conclusion of the feast, was about to pronounce the blessing,all the knights had become so joyous and loud-tongued, that the heraldwas twice compelled to remind them of the etiquette of the table. Whenthe repast was ended the king retired in haste to his private chamber,and beckoned gravely to Aage to follow him. When Christopher rose, hethrew his napkin, as if by accident, under the table; he then went outon the hall balcony, and whistled; soon afterwards the prince's largehunting-hound came bounding through the hall, with a crumpled napkin inhis mouth.
The king had entered the private chamber with Aage; he had thrownhimself into a chair, and held his hand before his eyes. He remained along time in this posture. Aage stood in silence opposite to him,regarding him with a look of sorrowful sympathy. The king at last tookhis hand from his eyes, and he appeared to have wept. "Who hath daredto destroy love and confidence between brothers?" he exclaimed; "if itwas you, Drost Aage, it is the last time I call you my Drost."
"I it was not, my noble liege!" answered Aage; "_who_ it was I knownot. May the Lord pardon that man among your true servants who sounwisely and rashly hath grieved you! It must have been done secretly,and without the herald's knowledge."
"I despise a secret accusation," continued the king; "it is unlawful;it is in a high degree deserving of chastisement; it shall--yet no--noexamination can take place in this case. If he _is_ a traitor," hecontinued, and deep grief was again visible in his countenance, "werehe capable! Be it as God wills--_I_ injure not a hair of his head.Should I disgrace my father in his children? Should I doom my mother'sson outlawed and dishonoured? Should I myself, Great God!----" Hepaused, and his hair seemed to stand on end with horror. "Look at me,Aage," he resumed; "could _such_ a thought be harboured here?" He laidhis hand on his high and glowing forehead. "It burns within," hecontinued; "but no unseen Cain's mark burns there. My hand was sternlyraised against him--love me he cannot--fear me he must. Well! let himtremble before his liege and sovereign until he learns to love hisbrother. Now, not a word more of this! It is perhaps only spite andslander. Who dares charge my left hand of treachery against the right?I know nothing as yet--I _will_ know nothing--I have known enough ofevil----" He began again after a thoughtful pause, and with a gloomydowncast look--"have I not had traitors around me since I was a child?Have I not seen my father murdered, and his shameless murderers in mypresence? Have not their bloody hands been secretly and openly raisedagainst my life from the hour in which I doomed them outlawed? yet havethey not had the power to touch me," he continued with cheerfulness,and raised his head. "No assassin's dagger hath yet reached me, eventhough excommunicated and given over to the Evil One. I know it, Aage;I have seen it--the hand of the righteous Lord was betwixt me and mydeadly foes. No traitor and murderer--not even a soul murderer--nosinful archbishop or pope--not the arch-fiend himself--shall shake thecrown upon this head." As he said these words he raised his hand andlo
oked upwards with a glance of almost prophetic inspiration, and therewas a nobleness and majesty in his countenance which seemed capable ofhumbling the most presumptuous foe.
"My liege!" exclaimed Aage, with heartfelt joy, "the spirit whichspeaks through you at this hour is not alone the spirit of royalty andjustice, but surely that of love also."
"Go to my brother, my faithful Aage," interrupted the king hastily;"take him this----" He took a gold chain from his neck, to which hungan image of the Madonna. "Pray him to accept this jewel from hisbrother, as a memorial of this celebration of peace. Tell him ourunhappy father wore this image to the day of his death." The kingturned hastily away, and seemed desirous to hide the sorrowful emotionwhich had caused his voice to falter. Aage stood with the chain in hishand, and was about to give vent to the warmth of his feelings; but theking turned suddenly, and said, in a stern voice, "Tomorrow a councilof knights will be held. The accused shall be arraigned, and defendthemselves if they can. All are equal here with respect to the law--bethey friends or foes. Woe to the accuser who hath not ample proof, werehe even my dearest friend! Go! and the Lord be with thee."
Aage bowed in silence, with wounded feelings, and would have departed,but the king, on perceiving his emotion, stretched out his arms towardshim, and pressed him to his heart, without saying a word more.
Aage hastily departed with the chain. When the king was alone in hischamber, he put his hand into his vest, and drew forth a rosary,garnished with pearls and rubies. "Thy Christmas gift when we werechildren, my Ingeborg!" he said, with deep emotion. "What thou knewestI would ask for besides, thy angel joined me in prayer for at thethrone of Grace.--Christopher! Christopher! may God forgive thee thethought thine eye betrayed!" He then imprinted a kiss on the rosary,replaced it in his vest, and sat down quietly before his table toattend to state affairs.
King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 2 Page 10