The Camp of Refuge: A Tale of the Conquest of the Isle of Ely

by Charles MacFarlane

  CHAPTER XIII.

  HOW LORD HEREWARD AND HIS LADIE LIVED AT EY.

  Even when the marriage festival was over it was a happy and a merrylife that which they led in the good Saxon manor-house, and discreetand orderly withal. It being the wolf-month of the year (Januarius),when the days are still short and the nights long, Hereward and theLadie Alftrude, together with the whole household, rose long before itwas daylight. Before attending to any household or other duties,prayers were said in the hall by Alefric, the good mass-priest, all theservants of the house and all the indwelling serfs being presentthereat. Some short time after prayers the first of the four meals ofthe day was served by torch or candle-light, and the lord and ladiebroke their fast; and when they had finished the meal the door of thehouse was thrown open, and the poor from the neighbouring township, orthe wanderers that had no home, were admitted into the house, and thelord and lady with their own hands distributed food among them, andwhile they distributed it the mass-priest blessed the meat and said aprayer. And this being over they went forth at early-dawn to the littlechurch on the hill behind the linden-grove and there heard mass. Theladie then went home to attend unto domestic concerns, and the lordwent forth with his hawks and proper attendants to hawk by the river,or he took forth his hounds (of that famous breed of English dogs whichhath been famed in all times, and as well for war as for hunting, andwhich hath been so much coveted by foreign nations that already itbeginneth to disappear from this land), and he called together the freemen of the vicinage that loved the sport, and such of the serfs as werebest practised in it, and went well armed with _venabula_ orhunting-spears into the fens and covers to hunt the hart and hind, orthe wild goat, or the wild bull of the fens, or the wild boar, or thegrey wolf, which was not yet extinct in these parts of England.

  [It was a good law of King Canute, which said that every free man inEngland might hunt in his own woods and grounds, and hunt as much as helist, provided only he interfered not with the royal parks anddemesnes. But the Norman princes, not content with spreading theirparks all over the country, and with seizing upon the lands of thechurch and the poor to make them great hunting-grounds and deer-parks,established cruel laws therewith, so that whosoever slew a hart or ahind should be deprived of his eyesight; and Duke William forbade mento kill the hart or the boar, and, as our Saxon chronicler saith, heloved the tall deer as if he were their father! and likewise he decreedthat none should kill so much as a hare, and at this the rich menbemoaned and the poor men shuddered. Old England will not be Englanduntil these un-Saxon laws be entirely gone from us!][151]

  From this good sport Lord Hereward returned to the house about an hourbefore the sun reached the meridian, and then was served the abundantdinner in the hall; and the not stinted dinner in the kitchen for thechurls and serfs followed the dinner in the hall. If the weather wasfine, the lady as well as the lord went out in the afternoon to hawk,or to fish, or to see the pleasant and profitable sport of their expertfenners who snared the wild fowl, or took the animals of the chace bymeans of _fovea_ or deep pitfalls which they cunningly dug in theground in the likeliest places, and still more cunningly concealed bylaying across them sticks, and twigs, and moss, and turf. As the sunset they returned again to the house and sang in concert with all thehousehold the _Ave Maria_ or they went into the little church and heardthe full service of Vespers. Upon these duties of religion therefollowed a slight _merenda_ or afternoon's drinking, or refectionbetween dinner and supper; and then Elfric or some other skilful wightmade music in the hall by playing upon the harp and singing; orAlefricus, that learned clerk, brought down a book and read in it, orthe freedmen and elders of the township gathered round the cheerfulhearth with the lord and ladie, and related tales and legends of theold times, or took counsel with Hereward as to the future. If a Saxongleeman came that way he was ever welcome; and these evening hours wereoften made to pass away the more pleasantly by the arrival of such astranger, who, mayhap, could sing a new song, or tell an unheard tale,or give some little intelligence of what was passing in the uplandcountry and in the world beyond the fens. No Saxon chief of fame everstinted the bard; and whether he went south or north, east or west, themenestrel found every hall open to him, and had but to speak his wantsand to raise his grateful voice, and all and more than he wanted wasgiven unto him. When he entered a house they brought him water to washhis hands and warm water for his feet, or they prepared for him thewarm bath, which was ever offered in good Saxon houses on the arrivalof an honoured and welcome guest--and where was the guest that could bemore welcome than the bard? So dearly did the Lord of Brunn love thesound of the harp that it was his occasional custom now, and hisconstant custom in after-life, to place a harper near his bedchamber toamuse and solace him upon occasion, and for the exhilaration of hisspirits and as an excitement to devotion. And it was because Herewardso loved menestrels, and pious and learned men of the Saxon stock, thathis friends and adherents were so numerous while he was living, and hisdeeds so faithfully recorded and lovingly preserved when he was dead.Thus music and talk brought on the hour for supper; and after supperthe good mass-priest said prayers in the hall to gentle and simple; andthen, when a good watch had been set, all of the household went totheir beds and prayed to lead as happy a life on the morrow as thatwhich they had led to day: for, whether serfs, or free-born men, ormanumitted churls, all were happy at Ey, and most kindly entreated bylord and ladie twain; in such sort that what happened in other houses,as the running away of serfs, or the putting collars round their necksand gyves to their legs to prevent their running away, never happenedhere or at Brunn.

  And if they lived thus happily and orderly for these few days at Ey,when danger was close at hand, and when they might be said to be livingin the midst of perils and uncertainties, I wist their rule was notchanged at a later time of their lives, when Hereward and Alftrude cameto dwell in safety and tranquility at the noble old house at Brunn.

  But during these few tranquil days at Ey the young bride's mind was attimes clouded by the thought that her husband must soon leave her tocontend with the pitiless Normans, and to rush into all the hazards ofwar; and, Saxon-hearted as she was, this afflictive thought, beingaided by the gentleness of her nature, which ever revolted atbloodshed, made her long for a peace upon almost any terms, not evenexcepting that of submission to the Norman dominion. "My Hereward!"said the Ladie Alftrude, "it is now more than four years since thebanner of King Harold was laid low, and yet blood hath never ceasedflowing in England! When will this cruel war come to an end? Oh,Hereward, why wilt thou leave me again, and so soon? What art thoufighting for?"

  "Sweet Alftrude," quoth the Lord of Brunn, "I am fighting for mycountry, for the Saxon church, and for mine own inheritance! A man canhardly have more to fight for!"

  "But, Hereward, is not all the country, save this most fenny part ofit, quietly submitting to the Conqueror! Doth not Lanfranc thearchbishop give assurance that no lasting usurpation of the goods ofthe church is contemplated, and that it is his wish and intention onlyto improve the Saxon church and the great and rich Saxon houses ofreligion by bringing over from foreign parts some more learned priests,and more learned and more active monks? And are not these broad landsenough for thee and me? Nay, frown not! and might not thine own landsat Brunn be secured if thou wouldst submit and take the peace of theNorman ruler? Forgive me if I err, as the error all proceeds from thelove I bear thee and the dread I have of losing thee. England, we aretold, was happy under the dominion of Canute the Dane, and what wasKing Canute in England but a conqueror? And if Englishmen were happyunder one foreign conqueror, might they not be happy under another?"

  "Not so, sweet Alftrude. Canute was contented to govern according tothe old Saxon laws. When he gave some new laws, they were the freestand best that were ever given until those of Edward the Confessor, andthey were given with counsel of his Witan, a free and honouredassemblage of Saxon lords and Saxon bishops, Saxon abbats and priests,and Sa
xon eldermen.[152] And in those dooms or laws King Canute,speaking with and for the Saxon Witan, said that just laws should beestablished, and every unjust law carefully suppressed, and that everyinjustice should be weeded out and rooted up from this country; andthat God's justice should be exalted; and that thenceforth every man,whether poor or rich, should be esteemed worthy of his folk-right, andhave just dooms[153] doomed to him. And likewise did Canute, in thesedooms, which were conceived in the mild Saxon spirit, raise his voiceand set his face against death punishments and all barbarous penalties.'And we instruct and command,' said he, 'that though a man sin and sindeeply, his correction shall be so regulated as to be becoming beforeGod and tolerable before men; and let him who hath power of judgmentvery earnestly bear in mind what he himself desires when he thusprays--Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespassagainst us. And we command that Christian men be not, on any account,for altogether too little, condemned to death, but rather let gentlepunishments be decreed, for the benefit of the people; and let not bedestroyed, for little God's handiwork, and his own purchase which hedearly bought.' Thus said King Canute in his dooms, and in his days menin power were made to act according to those mild laws. But how is itnow, under the Normans? My gentle-hearted bride, I would not wring thyheart and bring tears into thine eyes, but is it not true that for anywrong done or offence given--nay, for the allowable deed of defendingtheir own, and standing up for their country, Saxons of all degrees arebutchered like sheep in the shambles, or are put to slow and horribledeaths, or are mutilated in the limbs, or have their eyes put out, asif it were no sin to spoil and destroy God's noblest handiwork? Nay, isnot the life of a Saxon held as a thing of less price than the life ofa small deer? By our old laws, if the greatest thane in the land slewbut the poorest serf or lowliest churl, he made bot for it; but now,and even in those parts of England where the war hath ceased, if themeanest Norman soldier kill twenty Saxon serfs or slay a Saxon lord, noheed is taken of it. The Saxons have no redress except that which theymay find in their own swords. Even in London city, there is one law forthe Saxons and another law for the Normans. If a Saxon be accused ofmurder or robbery he is bound to justify himself according to ourancient custom, by compurgation, and by the ordeal of red-hot iron orboiling water; but if a Frenchman be accused of the like crime by aSaxon, he vindicates himself by duello or single combat, or simply byhis oath, according to the law of Normandie. King Canute said, 'Let thefree people of England manage their own townships and shires, and learnto govern themselves; let no man apply to the king unless he cannot getjustice within his own hundred; let there be thrice a-year aburgh-gemot, and twice a-year a shire-gemot, unless there be needoftener; and let there be present the bishop of the shire and theelderman, and there let both expound as well the law of God as the lawof man.' But William the Norman alloweth not of these free things;William the Norman consulteth not the Witan of the nation, butgoverneth the country through a Norman council. When he was coming backfrom his pilgrimage to Rome, King Canute sent a long letter to Egelnoththe metropolitan,[154] to Archbishop Alfric, to all bishops and chiefs,and to all the nation of the English, both nobles and commoners,greeting them all, and telling them all that he had dedicated his lifeto God, to govern his kingdoms with justice, and to observe the rightin all things. 'And therefore,' said he, 'I beg and command those untowhom I have entrusted the government, as they wish to preserve my goodwill, and save their own souls, to do no injustice either to rich or topoor: and let those who are noble, and those who are not, equallyobtain their rights according to their laws, from which no departureshall be allowed either from fear of me, or through favour to thepowerful, or to the end of supplying my treasury, for _I want no moneyraised by injustice_.' But what saith this Norman William? He saith,'Get me all the money ye can, and heed not the means!' And hath he notextorted money by right and by unright? And have not his greedyfollowers done worse than he in the land? And are they not buildingcastles everywhere to make robbers' dens of them? And have they notmade beggars of the rich, and miserably swinked[155] the poor--aye,even where resistance was none after Hastings, and where the Saxonsprostrated themselves and trusted to the promises and oaths pledged byWilliam at Westminster and Berkhampstead, that he would govern the landaccording to our old laws? For the church, my sweet Alftrude, I see notthat it is to be improved by thrusting out peaceful monks and priestsof English birth, and by thrusting in turbulent fighting priests, whospeak not and comprehend not the tongue of the English people. Bettermen may come hereafter; but, certes, it is but an ungodly crew which,as yet hath followed Duke William, and Lanfranc, the whilom Abbat ofCaen, into England! Touching my poor house and lands at Brunn, it isnot by a mean submission to Duke William that I should ever keep themfrom Raoul the Norman plunderer that had seized upon them. They must bekept at the sword's point, and at the sword's point must these thineown good house and lands be maintained. The protection of Lanfranc,given to the noble maiden and heiress of Ey, will not be extended tothe wife of Hereward of Brunn, whom Normans call a rebel and an outlaw.Oh Alftrude, the wife of a soldier like me, and in a war like this,hath need of a soldier's heart within her own bosom!"

  "And I will find it or make it there, mine own Hereward! I knew thedanger, and all the risk, and thou thyself toldest me of it all beforeI became thine. As I live and love thee, and by all the saints to whomI pray for better times, I was thinking less of myself than of theewhen I spoke that which I have spoken. Thou knowest the state of thesegreat matters better than a poor woman can know them, albeit I canunderstand the difference between Canute the Dane and William theNorman. If submission will not avail, or if submission bedishonouring"....

  "It were in the lowest degree base and dishonourable; for although Icame over into England at thy summons, it was to fight, and not tosubmit; and I have since so pledged my faith to the Abbat of Ely and toall the good lords in the Camp of Refuge, that I would rather perish inthese the first days of my happiness than forego or wax cold in thegood cause."

  "Then fight on, mine own brave Hereward! And come what may, I willnever murmur so that I be near to thee; and whether we live in plentyat Ey or at Brunn, or wander through the wild fens poorer and moreunprovided than is the poorest churl that now dwelleth within thesegates, thou shalt hear no complaint from me. Let not the wide seas, andevil tongues, and false tales divide us evermore, and I shall be happy."

  "And with such a bride, and such a wife, I shall be invincible. Cheerup, my own Alftrude! If submission will bring down utter ruin as wellas utter shame, a bold and persevering resistance, and an unflinchinghand-to-hand fight with the enemy, may bring her old laws and libertiesback to England, and bring to us glory and happiness, and a peacefuland honoured life in after-times. I would be a peaceful man, even now,if so I might, and if I had less to fight for; for, albeit, I love theart and stratagems of war, and the rapture that is given by thewell-contested combat, I love not much blood, and never could getmyself to hate any man or parties of men, for any length of time. Weretheir rule less cruel and tyrannical to the English people, and were mygood friends and allies secured in their lives, honours, andproperties, I could sit down quietly and in good fellowship with thesesame Norman knights; nay, I would not refuse a seat on my hearth to IvoTaille-Bois, or even to his brother Geoffroy."

  "Name not that ugly name," said the Lady Alftrude, blushing a little.And here the discourses ended. The gentle lady had strengthened herheart with the great love that was in it, so as to bear whatsoevermight befall her as the mate of Lord Hereward, the last champion of theSaxon liberties.

  While the lord and lady talked this above stairs, there was somethingof the like discourse below stairs between the waiting-woman and thesword-bearer; for maid Mildred, merry as she was, could not but feelthat Elfric was running a course of great peril, and that peace andtranquility would be a blessed thing, if it could only be obtained.Albeit the young sword-bearer spoke not so knowingly of the old Saxonlaws, and the dooms[156] of King Canute, and of Witans and Gemots, a
sdid his lord, he found sufficiently good arguments to show that the warwas a just and unavoidable war; and that while everything was to behoped from bravery, there was nothing to be gotten by a timidsubmission. There was another consideration:--"But for this war," saidElfric, "I must have become a monk! I am now a soldier and liege-man toLord Hereward, and ready, as soon as the lord and ladie permit, to bethy loving husband, oh Mildred of Hadenham!"