The Last of the Barons — Complete

by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton

  CHAPTER I. WHEREIN MASTER ADAM WARNER IS NOTABLY COMMENDED ANDADVANCED--AND GREATNESS SAYS TO WISDOM, "THY DESTINY BE MINE, AMEN."

  The Chronicles inform us, that two or three days after the entranceof Warwick and Clarence,--namely, on the 6th of October,--those twoleaders, accompanied by the Lords Shrewsbury, Stanley, and a numerousand noble train, visited the Tower in formal state, and escortedthe king, robed in blue velvet, the crown on his head, to publicthanksgivings at St. Paul's, and thence to the Bishop's Palace, [not tothe Palace at Westminster, as some historians, preferring the French tothe English authorities, have asserted,--that palace was out of repair]where he continued chiefly to reside.

  The proclamation that announced the change of dynasty was received withapparent acquiescence through the length and breadth of the kingdom,and the restoration of the Lancastrian line seemed yet the more firm andsolid by the magnanimous forbearance of Warwick and his councils. Notone execution that could be termed the act of a private revenge stainedwith blood the second reign of the peaceful Henry. One only head fell onthe scaffold,--that of the Earl of Worcester. [Lord Warwick himself didnot sit in judgment on Worcester. He was tried and condemned by LordOxford. Though some old offences in his Irish government were allegedagainst him, the cruelties which rendered him so odious were of recentdate. He had (as we before took occasion to relate) impaled twentypersons after Warwick's flight into France. The "Warkworth Chronicle"says, "He was ever afterwardes greatly behated among the people for thisdisordynate dethe that he used, contrary to the laws of the lande."]This solitary execution, which was regarded by all classes as a dueconcession to justice, only yet more illustrated the general mildness ofthe new rule.

  It was in the earliest days of this sudden restoration that Alwyn foundthe occasion to serve his friends in the Tower. Warwick was eager toconciliate all the citizens, who, whether frankly or grudgingly, hadsupported his cause; and, amongst these, he was soon informed of thepart taken in the Guildhall by the rising goldsmith. He sent for Alwynto his house in Warwick-lane, and after complimenting him on his advancein life and repute, since Nicholas had waited on him with baubles forhis embassy to France, he offered him the special rank of goldsmith tothe king.

  The wary, yet honest, trader paused a moment in some embarrassmentbefore he answered,--

  "My good lord, you are noble and gracious eno' to understand and forgiveme when I say that I have had, in the upstart of my fortunes, thecountenance of the late King Edward and his queen; and though the publicweal made me advise my fellow-citizens not to resist your entry, I wouldnot, at least, have it said that my desertion had benefited my privatefortunes."

  Warwick coloured, and his lip curled. "Tush, man, assume not virtueswhich do not exist amongst the sons of trade, nor, much I trow, amongstthe sons of Adam. I read thy mind. Thou thinkest it unsafe openly tocommit thyself to the new state. Fear not,--we are firm."

  "Nay, my lord," returned Alwyn, "it is not so. But there are many bettercitizens than I, who remember that the Yorkists were ever friends tocommerce. And you will find that only by great tenderness to our craftsyou can win the heart of London, though you have passed its gates."

  "I shall be just to all men," answered the earl, dryly; "but if theflat-caps are false, there are eno' of bonnets of steel to watch overthe Red Rose!"

  "You are said, my lord," returned Alwyn, bluntly, "to love the barons,the knights, the gentry, the yeomen, and the peasants, but to despisethe traders,--I fear me that report in this is true."

  "I love not the trader spirit, man,--the spirit that cheats, andcringes, and haggles, and splits straws for pence, and roasts eggsby other men's blazing rafters. Edward of York, forsooth, was a greattrader! It was a sorry hour for England when such as ye, Nick Alwyn,left your green villages for loom and booth. But thus far have I spokento you as a brave fellow, and of the north countree. I have no time towaste on words. Wilt thou accept mine offer, or name another boon inmy power? The man who hath served me wrongs me,--till I have served himagain!"

  "My lord, yes; I will name such a boon,--safety, and, if you will,some grace and honour, to a learned scholar now in the Tower, one AdamWarner, whom--"

  "Now in the Tower! Adam Warner! And wanting a friend, I no more anexile! That is my affair, not thine. Grace, honour,--ay, to his heart'scontent. And his noble daughter? Mort Dieu! she shall choose herbridegroom among the best of England. Is she, too, in the fortress?"

  "Yes," said Alwyn, briefly, not liking the last part of the earl'sspeech.

  The earl rang the bell on his table. "Send hither Sir Marmaduke Nevile."

  Alwyn saw his former rival enter, and heard the earl commission him toaccompany, with a fitting train, his own litter to the Tower. "Andyou, Alwyn, go with your foster-brother, and pray Master Warner and hisdaughter to be my guests for their own pleasure. Come hither, my rudeNorthman,--come. I see I shall have many secret foes in this city: wiltnot thou at least be Warwick's open friend?"

  Alwyn found it hard to resist the charm of the earl's manner and voice;but, convinced in his own mind that the age was against Warwick, andthat commerce and London would be little advantaged by the earl's rule,the trading spirit prevailed in his breast.

  "Gracious my lord," he said, bending his knee in no servile homage, "hewho befriends my order, commands me."

  The proud noble bit his lip, and with a silent wave of his handdismissed the foster-brothers.

  "Thou art but a churl at best, Nick," said Marmaduke, as the door closedon the young men. "Many a baron would have sold his father's hall forsuch words from the earl's lip."

  "Let barons sell their free conduct for fair words. I keep myselfunshackled to join that cause which best fills the market and reformsthe law. But tell me, I pray thee, Sir Knight, what makes Warner and hisdaughter so dear to your lord?"

  "What! know you not?--and has she not told you?--Ah, what was I about tosay?"

  "Can there be a secret between the earl and the scholar?" asked Alwyn,in wonder.

  "If there be, it is our place to respect it," returned the Nevile,adjusting his manteline; "and now we must command the litter."

  In spite of all the more urgent and harassing affairs that pressed uponhim, the earl found an early time to attend to his guests. His welcometo Sibyll was more than courteous,--it was paternal. As she approachedhim, timidly and with a downcast eye, he advanced, placed his hand uponher head,--

  "The Holy Mother ever have thee in her charge, child!--This is afather's kiss, young mistress," added the earl, pressing his lips to herforehead; "and in this kiss, remember that I pledge to thee care for thyfortunes, honour for thy name, my heart to do thee service, my arm toshield from wrong! Brave scholar, thy lot has become interwoven with myown. Prosperous is now my destiny,--my destiny be thine! Amen!"

  He turned then to Warner, and without further reference to a past whichso galled his proud spirit, he made the scholar explain to him thenature of his labours. In the mind of every man who has passed much ofhis life in successful action, there is a certain, if we may so say,untaught mathesis,--but especially among those who have been bred to theart of war. A great soldier is a great mechanic, a great mathematician,though he may know it not; and Warwick, therefore, better than manya scholar comprehended the principle upon which Adam founded hisexperiments. But though he caught also a glimpse of the vast resultswhich such experiments in themselves were calculated to effect, hisstrong common-sense perceived yet more clearly that the time was notripe for such startling inventions.

  "My friend," he said, "I comprehend thee passably. It is clear to me,that if thou canst succeed in making the elements do the work of manwith equal precision, but with far greater force and rapidity, thou mustmultiply eventually, and, by multiplying, cheapen, all the products ofindustry; that thou must give to this country the market of the world;and that thine would be the true alchemy that turneth all to gold."

  "Mighty intellect, thou graspest the truth!" exclaimed Adam.

  "But," pursued the earl, with a mixtur
e of prejudice and judgment,"grant thee success to the full, and thou wouldst turn this bold landof yeomanry and manhood into one community of griping traders and sicklyartisans. Mort Dieu! we are over-commerced as it is,--the bow is alreadydeserted for the ell-measure. The town populations are ever the mostworthless in war. England is begirt with mailed foes; and if by oneprocess she were to accumulate treasure and lose soldiers, she wouldbut tempt invasion and emasculate defenders. Verily, I avise and implorethee to turn thy wit and scholarship to a manlier occupation!"

  "My life knows no other object; kill my labour and thou destroyest me,"said Adam, in a voice of gloomy despair. Alas, it seemed that, whateverthe changes of power, no change could better the hopes of science inan age of iron! Warwick was moved. "Well," he said, after a pause, "behappy in thine own way. I will do my best at least to protect thee.To-morrow resume thy labours; but this day, at least, thou must feastwith me."

  And at his banquet that day, among the knights and barons, and theabbots and the warriors, Adam sat on the dais near the earl, and Sibyllat "the mess" of the ladies of the Duchess of Clarence. And ere thefeast broke up, Warwick thus addressed his company:--

  "My friends, though I, and most of us reared in the lap of war, havelittle other clerkship than sufficed our bold fathers before us, yet inthe free towns of Italy and the Rhine,--yea, and in France, under herpolitic king,--we may see that a day is dawning wherein new knowledgewill teach many marvels to our wiser sons. Wherefore it is good that aState should foster men who devote laborious nights and weary days tothe advancement of arts and letters, for the glory of our common land. Aworthy gentleman, now at this board, hath deeply meditated contrivanceswhich may make our English artisans excel the Flemish loons, who nowfatten upon our industry to the impoverishment of the realm. And, aboveall, he also purposes to complete an invention which may render ourship-craft the most notable in Europe. Of this I say no more at present;but I commend our guest, Master Adam Warner, to your good service,and pray you especially, worshipful sirs of the Church now present, toshield his good name from that charge which most paineth and endangerethhonest men. For ye wot well that the commons, from ignorance, wouldimpute all to witchcraft that passeth their understanding. Not," addedthe earl, crossing himself, "that witchcraft does not horribly infectthe land, and hath been largely practised by Jacquetta of Bedford, andher confederates, Bungey and others. But our cause needeth no such aid;and all that Master Warner purposes is in behalf of the people, and inconformity with Holy Church. So this wassail to his health and House."

  This characteristic address being received with respect, though withless applause than usually greeted the speeches of the great earl,Warwick added, in a softer and more earnest tone, "And in the fairdemoiselle, his daughter, I pray you to acknowledge the dear friend ofmy beloved lady and child, Anne, Princess of Wales; and for the sake ofher highness and in her name, I arrogate to myself a share with MasterWarner in this young donzell's guardianship and charge. Know ye, mygallant gentles and fair squires, that he who can succeed in achieving,either by leal love or by bold deeds, as best befit a wooer, the graceof my young ward, shall claim from my hands a knight's fee, with as muchof my best land as a bull's hide can cover; and when heaven shall grantsafe passage to the Princess Anne and her noble spouse, we will hold atSmithfield a tourney in honor of Saint George and our ladies, wherein,pardie, I myself would be sorely tempted to provoke my jealous countess,and break a lance for the fame of the demoiselle whose fair face ismarried to a noble heart."

  That evening, in the galliard, many an admiring eye turned to Sibyll,and many a young gallant, recalling the earl's words, sighed to winher grace. There had been a time when such honour and such homage wouldhave, indeed, been welcome; but now ONE saw them not, and they werevalueless. All that, in her earlier girlhood, Sibyll's ambition hadcoveted, when musing on the brilliant world, seemed now well-nighfulfilled,--her father protected by the first noble of the land, andthat not with the degrading condescension of the Duchess of Bedford,but as Power alone should protect Genius, honoured while it honours; hergentle birth recognized; her position elevated; fair fortunes smilingafter such rude trials; and all won without servility or abasement.But her ambition having once exhausted itself in a diviner passion, allexcitement seemed poor and spiritless compared to the lonely waitingat the humble farm for the voice and step of Hastings. Nay, but for herfather's sake, she could almost have loathed the pleasure and the pomp,and the admiration and the homage, which seemed to insult the reversesof the wandering exile.

  The earl had designed to place Sibyll among Isabel's ladies, but thehaughty air of the duchess chilled the poor girl; and pleading theexcuse that her father's health required her constant attendance, sheprayed permission to rest with Warner wherever he might be lodged. Adamhimself, now that the Duchess of Bedford and Friar Bungey were no longerin the Tower, entreated permission to return to the place where he hadworked the most successfully upon the beloved Eureka; and, as the Towerseemed a safer residence than any private home could be, from popularprejudice and assault, Warwick kindly offered apartments, far morecommodious than they had yet occupied, to be appropriated to the fatherand daughter. Several attendants were assigned to them, and never wasman of letters or science more honoured now than the poor scholar who,till then, had been so persecuted and despised.

  Who shall tell Adam's serene delight? Alchemy and astrology at rest,no imperious duchess, no hateful Bungey, his free mind left to itscongenial labours! And Sibyll, when they met, strove to wear a cheerfulbrow, praying him only never to speak to her of Hastings. The goodold man, relapsing into his wonted mechanical existence, hoped she hadforgotten a girl's evanescent fancy.

  But the peculiar distinction showed by the earl to Warner confirmedthe reports circulated by Bungey,--"that he was, indeed, a fearfulnigromancer, who had much helped the earl in his emprise." The earl'saddress to his guests in behalf both of Warner and Sibyll, the highstate accorded to the student, reached even the Sanctuary; for thefugitives there easily contrived to learn all the gossip of the city.Judge of the effect the tale produced upon the envious Bungey! judge ofthe representations it enabled him to make to the credulous duchess! Itwas clear now to Jacquetta as the sun in noonday that Warwick rewardedthe evil-predicting astrologer for much dark and secret service, whichBungey, had she listened to him, might have frustrated; and she promisedthe friar that, if ever again she had the power, Warner and the Eurekashould be placed at his sole mercy and discretion.

  The friar himself, however, growing very weary of the dulness of theSanctuary, and covetous of the advantages enjoyed by Adam, began tomeditate acquiescence in the fashion of the day, and a transfer of hisallegiance to the party in power. Emboldened by the clemency of thevictors, learning that no rewards for his own apprehension had beenoffered, hoping that the stout earl would forget or forgive the oldoffence of the waxen effigies, and aware of the comparative security hisfriar's gown and cowl afforded him, he resolved one day to ventureforth from his retreat. He even flattered himself that he could cajoleAdam--whom he really believed the possessor of some high and weirdsecrets, but whom otherwise he despised as a very weak creature--intoforgiving his past brutalities, and soliciting the earl to take him intofavour.

  At dusk, then, and by the aid of one of the subalterns of the Tower,whom he had formerly made his friend, the friar got admittanceinto Warner's chamber. Now it so chanced that Adam, having his ownsuperstitions, had lately taken it into his head that all the variousdisasters which had befallen the Eureka, together with all the littleblemishes and defects that yet marred its construction, were owing tothe want of the diamond bathed in the mystic moonbeams, which his Germanauthority had long so emphatically prescribed; and now that a monthlystipend far exceeding his wants was at his disposal, and that it becamehim to do all possible honour to the earl's patronage, he resolved thatthe diamond should be no longer absent from the operations it was toinfluence. He obtained one of passable size and sparkle, exposed it thedue number of nights to the n
ew moon, and had already prepared its placein the Eureka, and was contemplating it with solemn joy, when Bungeyentered.

  "Mighty brother," said the friar, bowing to the ground, "be merciful asthou art strong! Verily thou hast proved thyself the magician, and I buta poor wretch in comparison,--for lo! thou art rich and honoured, and Ipoor and proscribed. Deign to forgive thine enemy, and take him as thyslave by right of conquest. Oh, Cogsbones! oh, Gemini! what a jewel thouhast got!"

  "Depart! thou disturbest me," said Adam, oblivious, in his absorption,of the exact reasons for his repugnance, but feeling indistinctly thatsomething very loathsome and hateful was at his elbow; and, as he spoke,he fitted the diamond into its socket.

  "What! a jewel, a diamond--in the--in the--in the--MECHANICAL!" falteredthe friar, in profound astonishment, his mouth watering at the sight.If the Eureka were to be envied before, how much more enviable now."If ever I get thee again, O ugly talisman," he muttered to himself, "Ishall know where to look for something better than a pot to boil eggs."

  "Depart, I say!" repeated Adam, turning round at last, and shuddering ashe now clearly recognized the friar, and recalled his malignity. "Darestthou molest me still?"

  The friar abjectly fell on his knees, and, after a long exordium ofpenitent excuses, entreated the scholar to intercede in his favour withthe earl.

  "I want not all thy honours and advancement, great Adam, I want only toserve thee, trim thy furnace, and hand thee thy tools, and work out myapprenticeship under thee, master. As for the earl, he will listen tothee, I know, if thou tellest him that I had the trust of his foe, theduchess; that I can give him all her closest secrets; that I--"

  "Avaunt! Thou art worse than I deemed thee, wretch! Cruel and ignorant Iknew thee,--and now mean and perfidious! I work with thee! I commendto the earl a living disgrace to the name of scholar! Never! If thouwantest bread and alms, those I can give, as a Christian gives to want;but trust and honour, and learned repute and noble toils, those are notfor the impostor and the traitor. There, there, there!" And he ran tothe closet, took out a handful of small coins, thrust them into thefriar's hands, and, pushing him to the door, called to the servants tosee his visitor to the gates. The friar turned round with a scowl. Hedid not dare to utter a threat, but he vowed a vow in his soul, and wenthis way.

  It chanced, some days after this, that Adam, in one of his musingrambles about the precincts of the Tower, which (since it was notthen inhabited as a palace) was all free to his rare and desultorywanderings, came by some workmen employed in repairing a bombard; and aswhatever was of mechanical art always woke his interest, he paused, andpointed out to them a very simple improvement which would necessarilytend to make the balls go farther and more direct to their object. Theprincipal workman, struck with his remarks, ran to one of the officersof the Tower; the officer came to listen to the learned man, and thenwent to the earl of Warwick to declare that Master Warner had the mostwonderful comprehension of military mechanism. The earl sent for Warner,seized at once upon the very simple truth he suggested as to the properwidth of the bore, and holding him in higher esteem than he had everdone before, placed some new cannon he was constructing under hissuperintendence. As this care occupied but little of his time, Warnerwas glad to show gratitude to the earl, looking upon the destructiveengines as mechanical contrivances, and wholly unconscious of the newterror he gave to his name.

  Soon did the indignant and conscience-stricken Duchess of Bedford hear,in the Sanctuary, that the fell wizard she had saved from the clutchesof Bungey was preparing the most dreadful, infallible, and murtherousinstruments of war against the possible return of her son-in-law!

  Leaving Adam to his dreams, and his toils, and his horrible reputation,we return to the world upon the surface,--the Life of Action.