XIX.
Truth and Freedom
"Man is greater than you thought him; The bondage of long slumber he will break. His just and ancient rights he will reclaim, With Nero and Busiris he will rank The name of Philip."--Schiller
Never before had it fallen to the lot of Don Juan Alvarez to experiencesuch bewilderment as that which his brother's disclosure occasioned him.That brother, whom he had always regarded as the embodiment of goodnessand piety, who was rendered illustrious in his eyes by all sorts ofacademic honours, and sanctified by the shadow of the coming priesthood,had actually confessed himself to be--what he had been taught to hold indeepest, deadliest abomination--a Lutheran heretic. But, on the otherhand, from the wise, pious, and in every way unexceptionable manner inwhich Carlos had spoken, Juan could not help hoping that what, probablythrough some unaccountable aberration of mind, he himself persisted instyling Lutheranism, might prove in the end some very harmless andorthodox kind of devotion. Perhaps, eventually, his brother might foundsome new and holy order of monks and friars. Or even (he was so clever)he might take the lead in a Reformation of the Church, which, there wasno use in an honest man's denying, was sorely needed. Still, he couldnot help admitting that the Sieur de Ramenais had sometimes expressedhimself with nearly as much apparent orthodoxy; and he was undoubtedly aconfirmed heretic--a Huguenot.
But if the recollection of this man, who for months had been his guestrather than his prisoner, served, from one point of view, to increasehis difficulties, from another, it helped to clear away the mostformidable of them. Don Juan had never been religious; but he hadalways been hotly orthodox, as became a Castilian gentleman of purestblood, and heir to all the traditions of an ancient house, foremost forgenerations in the great conflict with the infidel. He had been wont tolook upon the Catholic faith as a thing bound up irrevocably with theknightly honour, the stainless fame, the noble pride of his race, and,consequently, with all that was dearest to his heart. Heresy he regardedas something unspeakably mean and degrading. It was associated in hismind with Jews and Moors, "caitiffs," "beggarly fellows;" all of themvulgar and unclean, some of them the hereditary enemies of his race.Heretics were Moslems, infidels, such as "my Cid" delighted in hewingdown with his good sword Tizona, "for God and Our Lady's honour."Heretics kept the passover with mysterious, unhallowed rites, into whichit would be best not to inquire; heretics killed (and perhaps ate)Christian children; they spat upon the cross; they had to wear uglyyellow sanbenitos at _autos-da-fe_; and, to sum up all in one word, they"smelled of the fire." To give full weight to the last allusion, itmust be remembered that in the eyes of Don Juan and his cotemporaries,death by fire had no hallowed or ennobling associations to veil itshorrors. The burning pile was to him what the cross was to ourforefathers, and what the gibbet is to us, only far more disgraceful.Thus it was not so much his conscience as his honour and his pride thatwere arrayed against the new faith.
But, unconsciously to himself, opposition had been silently underminedby his intercourse with the Sieur de Ramenais. It would probably havebeen fatal to Protestantism with Don Juan, had his first specimen of aProtestant been an humble muleteer. Fortunately, the new opinions hadcome to him represented by a noble and gallant knight, who
"In open battle or in tilting field Forbore his own advantage;"
who was as careful of his "pundonor"[#] as any Castilian gentleman, andscarcely yielded even to himself in all those marks of good breeding,which, to say the truth, Don Juan Alvarez de Santillanos y Menaya valuedfar more than any abstract dogmas of faith.
[#] Point of honour.
This circumstance produced a willingness on his part to give fair playto his brother's convictions. When Carlos returned to Seville, which hedid about a week after the meeting of the Chapter, he was overjoyed tofind Juan ready to hear all he had to say with patience and candour.Moreover, the young soldier was greatly attracted by the preaching ofFray Constantino, whom he pronounced, in language borrowed from thecamp, "a right good camerado." Using these favourable dispositions tothe best advantage, Carlos repeated to him passages from the NewTestament; and with deep and prayerful earnestness explained andenforced the truths they taught, taking care, of course, notunnecessarily to shock his prejudices.
And, as time passed on, it became every day more and more apparent thatDon Juan was receiving "the new ideas;" and that with far lessdifficulty and conflict than Carlos himself had done. For with him theReformed faith had only prejudices, not convictions, to contend against.These once broken down, the rest was easy. And then it came to him sonaturally to follow the guidance of Carlos in all that pertained to_thinking_.
Unmeasured was the joy of the affectionate brother when at last he foundthat he might safely venture to introduce him privately to Losada as apromising inquirer.
In the meantime their outward life passed on smoothly and happily. Withmuch feasting and rejoicing, Juan was betrothed to Dona Beatriz. He hadloved her devotedly since boyhood; he loved her now more than ever. Buthis love was a deep, life-long passion--no sudden delirium of thefancy--so that it did not render him oblivious of every other tie, andcallous to every other impression; it rather stimulated, and at the sametime softened his whole nature. It made him not less, but more,sensitive to all the exciting and ennobling influences which were beingbrought to bear upon him.
In Dona Beatriz Carlos perceived a change that surprised him, while, atthe same time, it made more evident than ever how great would have beenhis own mistake, had he accepted the passive gratitude of a childtowards one who noticed and flattered her for the true deep love of awoman's heart. Dona Beatriz was a passive child no longer now. On thebetrothal day, a proud and beautiful woman leaned on the arm of hishandsome brother, and looked around her upon the assembled family,queen-like in air and mien, her cheek rivalling the crimson of thedamask rose, her large dark eye beaming with passionate, exulting joy.Carlos compared her in thought to the fair, carved alabaster lamp thatstood on the inlaid centre table of his aunt's state receiving-room.Love had wrought in her the change which light within always did inthat, revealing its hidden transparency, and glorifying its pale, coldwhiteness with tints so warmly beautiful, that the clouds of eveningmight have envied them.
The betrothal of Dona Sancha to Don Beltran Vivarez quickly followed.Don Balthazar also succeeded in obtaining the desired Governmentappointment, and henceforth enjoyed, much to his satisfaction, thehonours and emoluments of an "_empleado_." To crown the family goodfortune, Dona Inez rejoiced in the birth of a son and heir; while evenDon Gonsalvo, not to be left out, acknowledged some improvement in hishealth, which he attributed to the judicious treatment of Losada. Themind of an intelligent man can scarcely be deeply exercised upon onegreat subject, without the result making itself felt throughout thewhole range of his occupations. Losada's patients could not fail tobenefit by his habits of independent thought and searchinginvestigation, and his freedom from vulgar prejudices. This freedom, sorare in his nation, led him occasionally, though very cautiously, evento hazard the adoption of a few remedies which were not altogether"_cosas de Espana_."[#]
[#] Things of Spain.
The physician deserved less credit for his treatment of Juan's woundedarm, which nature healed, almost as soon as her beneficent operationsceased to be retarded by ignorant and blundering leech-craft.
Don Juan was occasionally heard to utter aspirations for the fullrestoration of his cousin Gonsalvo's health, more hearty in theirexpression than charitable in their motive. "I would give one of myfingers he could ride a horse and handle a sword, or at least a goodfoil with the button off, and I would soon make him repent his bearingand language to thee, Carlos. But what can a man do with a thing likethat, save let him alone for very shame? Yet he is dastard enough topresume on such toleration, and to strike those whom his own infirmitieshinder from returning the blow."
"If he could ride a horse or handle a
sword, brother, I think you wouldfind a marvellous change for the better in his bearing and language.That bitterness, what is it, after all, but the fruit of pain? Or ofwhat is even worse than pain, repressed force and energy. He would bein the great world doing and daring; and behold, he is chained to anarrow room, or at best toils with difficulty a few hundred paces. Nowonder that the strong winds, bound in their caverns, moan and shriekpiteously at times. When I hear them I feel far too much compassion tothink of anger. And I would give one of my fingers--nay, I would givemy right hand," he added with a smile, "that he shared our blessed hope,Juan, my brother."
"The most unlikely person of all our acquaintance to become a convert."
"So say not I. Do you know that he has given money--he that has solittle--more than once to Senor Cristobal for the poor?"
"That is nothing," said Juan. "He was ever free-handed. Do you notremember, in our childhood, how he would strike us upon the leastprovocation, yet insist on our sharing his sweetmeats and his toys, andeven sometimes fight us for refusing them? While the others knew thevalue of a ducat before they knew their Angelus, and would sell andbarter their small possessions like Dutch merchants."
"Which you spared not to call them, bearing yourself in the quarrelsthat naturally ensued with undaunted prowess; while I too oftendisgraced you by tearful entreaties for peace at all costs," returnedCarlos, laughing. "But, my brother," he resumed more gravely, "I oftenask myself, are we doing all that is possible in our presentcircumstances to share with others the treasure we have found?"
"I trust it will soon be open to them all," said Juan, who had now comejust far enough to grasp strongly his right to think and judge forhimself, and with it the idea of emancipation from the control of aproud and domineering priesthood. "Great is truth, and shall prevail."
"Certainly, in the end. But much that to mortal eyes looks like defeatmay come first."
"I think my learned brother, so much wiser than I upon many subjects,fails to read well the signs of the times. Whose Word saith, 'When yesee the fig-tree put forth her buds, know ye that summer is nigh, evenat the door'? Everywhere the fig-trees are budding now."
"Still the frosts may return."
"Hold thy peace, too desponding brother. Thou shouldst have learnedanother lesson yesterday, when thou and I watched the eager thousands asthey hung breathless on the lips of our Fray Constantino. Are not thosethousands really for us, and for truth and freedom?"
"No doubt Christ has his own amongst them."
"You always think of individuals, Carlos, rather than of our country.You forget we are sons of Spain, Castilian nobles. Of course we rejoicewhen even one man here and there is won for the truth. But our Spain!our glorious land, first and fairest of all the earth! our land ofconquerors, whose arms reach to the ends of the world--one hand tamingthe infidel in his African stronghold, while the other crowns her withthe gold and jewels of the far West! She who has led the nations in thepath of discovery--whose fleets gem the ocean--whose armies rule theland,--shall she not also lead the way to the great city of God, andbring in the good coming time when all shall know him from the least tothe greatest--when they shall know the truth, and the truth shall makethem free? Carlos, my brother, I do not dare to doubt it."
It was not often that Don Juan expressed himself in such a lengthenedand energetic, not to say grandiloquent manner. But his love for Spainwas a passion, and to extol her or to plead her cause words were neverlacking with him. In reply to this outburst of enthusiasm, Carlos onlysaid gently, "Amen, and the Lord establish it in his time."
Don Juan looked keenly at him. "I thought you had faith, Carlos?" hesaid.
"Faith?" Carlos repeated inquiringly.
"Such faith," said Juan, "as I have. Faith in truth and freedom?" Andhe rang out the sonorous words, "_Verdad y libertad_," as if he thought,as indeed he did, that they had but to go forth through a submissive,rejoicing world, "conquering and to conquer."
"I have faith _in Christ_," Carlos answered quietly.
And in those two brief phrases each unconsciously revealed to the otherthe very depths of his soul, and told the secret of his history.
The Spanish Brothers: A Tale of the Sixteenth Century Page 19