King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 3

by Bernhard Severin Ingemann

  CHAP. II.

  The inmates of Axelhuus appeared to feel sufficiently secure to despisethese disturbances which had commenced, though in a less degree, somedays before.

  The bishop's well-fortified castle was situated on an island, theferry-boats that usually plied there lay, during these commotions, inthe harbour, under the high walls of the castle, by which means allcommunication between the town and the castle Island was cut off. Thedistance from the town, however, was not so great, but that Axelhuusmight be reached from the strand by arrows, and especially by balista,when these dangerous engines of war were worked with proper skill. Inthe upper hall at Axelhuus, sat the spiritual and temporal ruler of thetown, the little authoritative bishop Johan of Roskild, in solemncouncil, between his guests Archbishop Grand and Cardinal Isarnus. Atthe archbishop's right hand sat his faithful friend, the haughty abbotfrom the forest monastery. Grand's agent, the canon Nicholas fromRoskild, was also present, as well as the canon Hans Rodis, who hadassisted his flight from Sjoeberg. At the great hall table sat also thecardinal's famulus and his secretary, with two Italian ecclesiasticsbelonging to his train. For the convenience of the foreign cardinal,the conversation was chiefly carried on in Latin. The lord of thecastle, the little bishop Johan, seemed to have assumed a determinedand authoritative deportment in imitation of the archbishop, by whoseside, however, he appeared wholly insignificant, although he now actedas the protector both of the powerful Grand, and of the cardinal. Henow and then cast an observant glance out of the window towards thetown and the increasing crowd on the strand, yet without betraying fearor uneasiness. Archbishop Grand had not yet overcome the consequencesof his severe imprisonment. He rested his swollen feet on a softstuffed foot-stool. There was a look of gloomy asperity on his pale,emaciated countenance. Every movement appeared to cost him an effort,while all his vital energy seemed as if concentrated in his largeflashing eye. He sat lost in reverie, gazing before him in silence,while the cardinal, with a lurking smile in his small crafty eye,perused a document which his secretary had just drawn up.

  "Trust him not, venerable brother," whispered the abbot from the forestmonastery in the archbishop's ear; "he secretly sides with the king: Iknow it; he aims at your archbishopric."

  Grand changed colour and clenched his hands convulsively, but wassilent, and cast a searching look at the papal nuncio.

  "In the name and on the behalf of the holy father!" commenced thecardinal, in Latin, ridding himself of the red cap which covered histonsure; "ere the royal ambassadors come into our presence, I once morecounsel my aggrieved brother to submission and a wise resignation. Inthis treaty which I have here caused to be cursorily drawn up, and thecontents of which you already know Archbishop Grand! I have at your ownrequest, according to the strict principles of ecclesiastical law,enjoined the King of Denmark to make such a considerable compensationfor towns, villages, castles, and temporal offices, that I seebeforehand he will reject the negociation."

  "I now reject it also, even on these conditions," answered theArchbishop impetuously, "That in which King Eric hath sinned against meand my holy office, he can never fully atone for, even with the loss ofhis--crown!"

  "You surely would not, however, strain the bow still tighter, venerablebrother! and at last insist on your king being punished by loss ofhonour, life, and possessions, like a criminal by temporal justice?"asked the cardinal, with a crafty smile on his unruffled countenance,"in the matter of soul and salvation, you have dealt as hardly with himas possible. Forget not, my venerable brother! That your opponent is acrowned and anointed monarch, at the head of a brave and loyal people,and with many mighty princes for his friends! Every spiritual decree towhich a temporal potentate will not _voluntarily_ submit out ofchristian piety and humility, will be ineffectual, and become the scoffof the children of this world, especially here in the north, where eventhe holy lightnings, as I perceive, fall somewhat cooled and weakened.The king's charges against my venerable brother in Christ are, besides,very grave and heavy, and," added the Cardinal with a thoughtful look,"if the royal advocate in Rome can but prove the half of what isalleged, you will assuredly act most wisely in lowering your demandssomewhat, and will even desire yourself that the whole unhappy affairshould be hushed up. This, at all events, is my brotherly counsel, andif you could master yourself so far as to follow it, an honourabletreaty will doubtless be possible. It is my heartfelt wish, as well foryour peace as that of the church, and to prevent all scandal anddissension for the future--that you, with consent of the holy father,should exchange the archbishopric of Lund for another (perhaps of moreimportance, and more worthy of your merits) without these northernlands, where your personal misunderstanding with temporal authoritieswill hardly ever be wholly removed. I say this with kindly concern formy excellent brother's peace and safety. Even at this moment we areboth, in some sort, in the power of the temporal ruler, of whoseimpetuosity you have had such sensible proofs."

  "Ay indeed, your eminence!" exclaimed Grand in the greatestexasperation, as he kicked the footstool from him, and rose, "Speak yenow to me in this tone? Was it for this you summoned me from my secureHammershuus, and bade me trust to the passport of my deadly foe? Youthink, perhaps, to have trapped me into a snare I cannot escape from!You imagine, perhaps, that my pious colleague, our mutual and venerablehost, who here sways town and castle, will, out of base and cowardlyfear, betray his friend and guest, and lawful archbishop, to flatterthe temporal tyrant, who already, as I perceive, hath rendered a papalnuncio his spiritual slave? No, lord Cardinal! In that case, you knowneither me, nor the meritorious servant of the Lord here, at our side.If he hath already for my sake, and that of the church, with courageousenergy exposed himself to the tyrant's wrath, and even to tumult andsedition in his own town, he will surely not now stoop to degradehimself by an act of treachery which would brand him as a dastardlytraitor. My safety and freedom are provided for; any moment I please Ican embark, and neither the king nor the seditious burgher-pack shallforbid me to wend free from hence, and seek justice before St. Peter'sjudgment seat. Here I dare speak out freely that which I deem of you,as well as of that presumptuous and ungodly king. You have notfulfilled your duty here as papal nuncio.--Instead of confirming banand interdict with the holy Father's authority----"

  "That is my own affair, my brother!" interrupted Isarnus, with coolcalmness, "Since your own counsellors have enforced the interdictaccording to the constitution of Veile no confirmation was needed. Wespeak now only of the king, and whether you will be reconciled to himand recall the ban."

  "No, never! To all eternity!" cried Grand, impetuously; "and I laugh athis accusations: that which I once spoke of his father's murder, andwhich he now makes the plea for his tyrannical conduct, I dare repeathere, and before the highest judgment seat. If the king's murder was_destined_ to take place, it was unfortunate that it did _not_ takeplace sixteen years before, then that wretched monarch would have leftno posterity behind him, and the descendants of Eric Glipping wouldnever have dishonoured Denmark's throne. Yes! I made that intrepidspeech, and I repeat it now; but I deny all share in the tyrant'smurder, and all connection with Duke Valdemar and the outlaws. Itmatters not to me, henceforth, who reigns in Denmark, be it DukeValdemar or a Jew, a Saracen or a heathen, or--the devil himself, ifonly King Eric and his wretched brother may never be obeyed here askings and lieges."

  "Will you also defend what you _now_ say, before the highest judgmentseat? venerable brother!" asked Isarnus, with unruffled calmness, andwith an almost imperceptible smile. "Your bodily weakness is, however,reasonable excuse for your not being always master of your mind andtongue. Now I have heard your declaration, despite the exaggeration offeeling it betrays, it still in some sort agrees, both with the will ofthe Holy Father and of the king. Your cause immediately depends uponthe papal see; nevertheless, let the king's ambassadors appear, myworthy brother!" he said to Bishop Johan, who instantly rose and leftthe hall.

  There was a silence of a f
ew moments. Grand had resumed his seat; herested his long chin upon his clenched hand, and seemed angry, both athis own vehemence, and the calmness of the cardinal. Shortly afterwardsBishop Johan entered, accompanied by two ecclesiastics. They were theking's ambassadors; the provincial prior of the Dominicans, thevenerable Master Olaus, with his handsome snow-white head, and EsgerIuul, the canon of Ribe--a young priest, well versed in law, and of abold, intelligent countenance. They had been waiting for admission somehours in an antechamber. They now greeted the prelates with reverence,and the cardinal half rose from his seat to return their salutation;but the Archbishop remained seated in gloomy reverie. Bishop Johanrequested the king's plenipotentiaries to seat themselves. Theprovincial prior sat down, but the canon remained standing, and began,"Pardon me, your eminence! and you, most learned lord archbishop! andall ye reverend ecclesiastics! if I am here necessitated to say whatdispleases you I stand forth here, not as the church's, but as theking's, my temporal master's, servant and spokesman. What he hathordered me to propound, I must utter, even though I may not dare toattribute to myself the thoughts and opinions which I have taken onmyself to expound."

  "Speak boldly, brother Canonicus! I have been advised of yourauthority," interrupted the cardinal, with a gracious nod, and thecanon continued, "My lord and king hath three hours ago arrived at hisroyal castle here in the village of Sorretslov, without the town ofCopenhagen, in order personally to confirm and sign what may be here,with his consent, agreed upon; and, in case of need, with his royalpower and authority to hinder the breach of the public peace, withwhich state and kingdom are threatened by the presence of Bishop Grand,and the enforcement of the interdict. He desires not to see _that_ manin his presence whom he considers as an accomplice in the murder of hisroyal father of blessed memory, and who hath also dared to pronouncethe church's ban on his own royal head; but the peace and safe conducthe hath promised his opponent, he will honourably and chivalrouslyobserve. The King hath expressly enjoined me to declare, that he comeshither in no wise to excuse and defend that, which, compelled bynecessity, he hath been forced to enact against canonical law and theconstitution of Veile, by the personal imprisonment of ArchbishopGrand. This affair he confidently trusts to justify before the highesttribunal in Christendom; but he comes hither as lord of the land, forthe restoration of public peace, and as the accuser of the fugitivearchbishop before his eminence the papal nuncio. All reconciliation inthis kingdom with this prelate, charged as he is with treason, myliege, the king, decidedly rejects; but he promises him free and safedeparture for Rome, whither he hath already expedited his ambassadors,and whence he awaits a righteous sentence upon the accused. Till thissentence is awarded, he demands to be freed from the unlawful banpronounced upon him by a prisoned traitor. (These are not my words, butthe king's.) He demands likewise that the kingdom be freed from theinterdict, which the councils of Veile, Roskild, and Lund, haveannounced to his loyal and innocent people. Against the right of thecouncils and bishops therein assisting, to take this step withoutconsent of their chapter and the rest of the clergy, the chapter of thecathedral of Roskild hath solemnly protested--and the provincial priorof the Dominicans, the venerable Master Olaus, is here present inperson to confirm the protest."

  The aged provincial prior now rose--"In the name of my holy order, andthat of the chapter of Roskild cathedral, I declare the conduct of thecouncils in this matter to be unlawful and invalid," he said in a clearand calm voice, "I consider not the chapters and the Danish clergy tobe under the necessity of giving up the performance of divine worship,and I require you, Bishop Johan of Roskild! as speedily as possible torecall the unhappy church interdict, which hath already caused suchgreat disturbance here in the town, where you, yourself, meanwhile,bear rule. If God's service is to cease, Satan's service will sooncommence, with all manner of dissoluteness and profligacy; of discordand variance between the shepherd and his flock; spiritual, as well asall temporal peace and security will be at an end, and no priest willbe sure of his life. Enthusiasts and sectarians, atheists and Leccarbrothers, will inundate the land, and mislead the people; laymen anddrunken guild-brethren will preside in the congregation, as they havealready begun to do here. Neither the church nor the holy father candesire that we, to maintain the stern and impracticable constitution ofVeile, should overthrow all order and fear of God in Denmark, andsuffer the people to fall into barbarism, and into the greatesterrors--ay, even into heathenism and devil-worship. In the name of theDanish clergy, I solemnly protest against the interdict; but in thusprotesting against it, I consider that I in nowise encroach on thechurches freedom, or attack you, most learned archbishop!--or any otherspiritual authority. The church but uses its freedom and power in suchwise, that we, its servants, should not corrupt and destroy the soulsentrusted to us, instead of leading them to the peace of God andeternal salvation! Dixi et liberavi animam. Now act as you can answerto God and your conscience, venerable sirs! but you will be responsiblein this world and the next for the consequences! They might provebloody and terrible."

  He hardly finished speaking, ere a shower of stones and arrows struckagainst the wall with great noise, forced in the windows, and pouredinto the midst of the hall, among the dismayed ecclesiastics, whostarted from their seats, and sought safety between the massive windowpillars, and behind the thick walls of the hall; the cardinal alsoquitted his seat, but the archbishop remained seated with an air ofdefiance.

  "Doth he break his promise of safe conduct? the godless king ofBelial!" cried Grand. "Shall I and my faithful friends be stoned herelike prophets and martyrs, that our blood may cry to Heaven and calldown the lightnings of eternal damnation upon his head?"

  "I witness before the Lord and our Holy Lady! The king hath no share inthis attack," resumed the provincial prior, who remained standing."When he hears of it, he will assuredly highly disapprove this unlawfuland presumptuous breach of peace: but here, venerable sirs! you alreadysee the consequences of the interdict; the whole town is in uproar; themob was storming against the closed churches of St. Peter and Our Lady,as we were on our way hither, and threatened with fire and sword. Ifyou do not now yield to necessity. Bishop Johan! Axelhuus will beperhaps taken by storm, or laid in ashes ere midnight."

  A fresh shower of stones and arrows interrupted the provincial prior'sspeech; he crossed himself and retreated. A large stone from a balistafell just before the archbishop's face, and split the table. Grandarose, with a look which flashed fire, and quitted his dangerousposition.

  "Follow me, my guests!" said the little Bishop Johan in a squeakingvoice, and hastily opening a door,--"Could we but pass unharmed throughthe north corridor to the tower, no arrow or balista stone shall reachus. The castle can stand both siege and storm. I will show you that Isuffer not myself to be thus mastered by my rebellious flock; but wemust hasten--here we are still exposed to the greatest danger." Sosaying, he himself quitted the hall in great trepidation; all followedhim through a long corridor to a more secure retreat. Meanwhile, theattack upon the castle increased in vigour every moment, and thewhole northern wing, which looked upon the town, was everywhereexposed to arrows and showers of stones. Some exclaimed that they werewounded--they rushed forward headlong, and jostled each other withoutceremony. Care for personal safety had nearly chased away all regard torank and position and decorum--most of the ecclesiastics ran past thearchbishop and the cardinal. The papal nuncio, however, passed hastilyand unharmed through the corridor, accompanied by the provincial priorand Esger Iuul. Grand's slow and laboured step was alone supported bythe abbot from the forest monastery, whose heavy-built person permittedhim not to haste. The long corridor, through the whole length of whichthey were forced to pass, had, on the one side, open gothic arches overa walled parapet. Here at every moment poured in a number of arrows andstones, which forced the fugitive prelates to pursue their way,stooping, and almost creeping under the parapet.

  "God's judgment upon the presumptuous, and upon their traitorous king!"panted forth the archbishop. "It i
s his creatures who stir up thepeople. Now he rejoices over our distress, and would make use of it forour humiliation."

  "St. Bent and St. Peter assist us! Stoop your head!" cried the heavyAbbot, creeping under the parapet. "Yonder comes another balista stone!Merciful heaven, what a swarm of people!" he continued, looking outcautiously towards the town. "Hear how they bluster! They utter yourname, venerable brother, with ungodly oaths; they are busy withboats--they are dragging more balista forward. I see one of the king'shalberdiers among them."

  "Mark! _he_ is the ring-leader, the faithless despot!" cried thearchbishop, "from him comes all our tribulation, and the country'smisery! Send forth thy destroying angel, righteous Lord! root out theperjurer! Pluck him up by the roots!"

  "This way, venerable sirs! and ye are safe!" said a hollow voice fromthe end of the corridor, and a tall manly form with a wild pallidcountenance, appeared at the door; he was clad like a German pepper'prentice, and had a large red scar on his forehead.

  "My guest of the sanctuary! your persecuted friend and avenger!"whispered the abbot from the forest monastery. "St. Peter and St. Bentbe thanked--the All-righteous hath heard your prayer, the destroyingangel is come."

  The tall form in the door-way laid his finger on his lips, anddisappeared with the two prelates, while the door of the corridorclosed after them.