Henry IV.
Matilda had carried her point with the baron1 of ranging at liberty whithersoever she would, under her positive promise to return home; she was a sort of prisoner on parole: she had obtained this indulgence by means of an obsolete2 habit of always telling the truth and keeping her word, which our enlightened age has discarded with other barbarisms, but which had the effect of giving her father so much confidence in her, that he could not help considering her word a better security than locks and bars.
The baron had been one of the last to hear of the rumours3 of the new outlaws5 of Sherwood, as Matilda had taken all possible precautions to keep those rumours from his knowledge, fearing that they might cause the interruption of her greenwood liberty; and it was only during her absence at Gamwell feast, that the butler, being thrown off his guard by liquor, forgot her injunctions, and regaled the baron with a long story of the right merry adventure of Robin6 Hood7 and the abbot of Doubleflask.
The baron was one morning, as usual, cutting his way valorously through a rampart of cold provision, when his ears were suddenly assailed8 by a tremendous alarum, and sallying forth9, and looking from his castle wall, he perceived a large party of armed men on the other side of the moat, who were calling on the warder in the king’s name to lower the drawbridge and raise the portcullis, which had both been secured by Matilda’s order. The baron walked along the battlement till he came opposite to these unexpected visitors, who, as soon as they saw him, called out, “Lower the drawbridge, in the king’s name.”
“For what, in the devil’s name?” said the baron.
“The sheriff of Nottingham,” said one, “lies in bed grievously bruised11, and many of his men are wounded, and several of them slain12; and Sir Ralph Montfaucon, knight13, is sore wounded in the arm; and we are charged to apprehend14 William Gamwell the younger, of Gamwell Hall, and father Michael of Rubygill Abbey, and Matilda Fitzwater of Arlingford Castle, as agents and accomplices15 in the said breach16 of the king’s peace.”
“Breach of the king’s fiddlestick!” answered the baron. “What do you mean by coming here with your cock and bull, stories of my daughter grievously bruising17 the sheriff of Nottingham? You are a set of vagabond rascals18 in disguise; and I hear, by the bye, there is a gang of thieves that has just set up business in Sherwood Forest: a pretty presence, indeed, to get into my castle with force and arms, and make a famine in my buttery, and a drought in my cellar, and a void in my strong box, and a vacuum in my silver scullery.”
“Lord Fitzwater,” cried one, “take heed19 how you resist lawful20 authority: we will prove ourselves ——”
“You will prove yourselves arrant21 knaves22, I doubt not,” answered the baron; “but, villains23, you shall be more grievously bruised by me than ever was the sheriff by my daughter (a pretty tale truly!), if you do not forthwith avoid my territory.”
By this time the baron’s men had flocked to the battlements, with long-bows and cross-bows, slings24 and stones, and Matilda with her bow and quiver at their head. The assailants, finding the castle so well defended, deemed it expedient25 to withdraw till they could return in greater force, and rode off to Rubygill Abbey, where they made known their errand to the father abbot, who, having satisfied himself of their legitimacy26, and conned27 over the allegations, said that doubtless brother Michael had heinously28 offended; but it was not for the civil law to take cognizance of the misdoings of a holy friar; that he would summon a chapter of monks29, and pass on the offender30 a sentence proportionate to his offence. The ministers of civil justice said that would not do. The abbot said it would do and should; and bade them not provoke the meekness31 of his catholic charity to lay them under the curse of Rome. This threat had its effect, and the party rode off to Gamwell–Hall, where they found the Gamwells and their men just sitting down to dinner, which they saved them the trouble of eating by consuming it in the king’s name themselves, having first seized and bound young Gamwell; all which they accomplished32 by dint33 of superior numbers, in despite of a most vigorous stand made by the Gamwellites in defence of their young master and their provisions.
The baron, meanwhile, after the ministers of justice had departed, interrogated34 Matilda concerning the alleged35 fact of the grievous bruising of the sheriff of Nottingham. Matilda told him the whole history of Gamwell feast, and of their battle on the bridge, which had its origin in a design of the sheriff of Nottingham to take one of the foresters into custody36.
“Ay! ay!” said the baron, “and I guess who that forester was; but truly this friar is a desperate fellow. I did not think there could have been so much valour under a grey frock. And so you wounded the knight in the arm. You are a wild girl, Mawd — a chip of the old block, Mawd. A wild girl, and a wild friar, and three or four foresters, wild lads all, to keep a bridge against a tame knight, and a tame sheriff, and fifty tame varlets; by this light, the like was never heard! But do you know, Mawd, you must not go about so any more, sweet Mawd: you must stay at home, you must ensconce; for there is your tame sheriff on the one hand, that will take you perforce; and there is your wild forester on the other hand, that will take you without any force at all, Mawd: your wild forester, Robin, cousin Robin, Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest, that beats and binds37 bishops38, spreads nets for archbishops, and hunts a fat abbot as if he were a buck39: excellent game, no doubt, but you must hunt no more in such company. I see it now: truly I might have guessed before that the bold outlaw4 Robin, the most courteous40 Robin, the new thief of Sherwood Forest, was your lover, the earl that has been: I might have guessed it before, and what led you so much to the woods; but you hunt no more in such company. No more May games and Gamwell feasts. My lands and castle would be the forfeit41 of a few more such pranks42; and I think they are as well in my hands as the king’s, quite as well.”
“You know, father,” said Matilda, “the condition of keeping me at home: I get out if I can, and not on parole.”
“Ay! ay!” said the baron, “if you can; very true: watch and ward10, Mawd, watch and ward is my word: if you can, is yours. The mark is set, and so start fair.”
The baron would have gone on in this way for an hour; but the friar made his appearance with a long oak staff in his hand, singing —
Drink and sing, and eat and laugh,
And so go forth to battle:
For the top of a skull43 and the end of a staff
Do make a ghostly rattle44.
“Ho! ho! friar!” said the baron —“singing friar, laughing friar, roaring friar, fighting friar, hacking45 friar, thwacking friar; cracking, cracking, cracking friar; joke-cracking, bottle-cracking, skull-cracking friar!”
“And ho! ho!” said the friar — “bold baron, old baron, sturdy baron, wordy baron, long baron, strong baron, mighty46 baron, flighty baron, mazed47 baron, crazed baron, hacked48 baron, thwacked baron; cracked, cracked, cracked baron; bone-cracked, sconce-cracked, brain-cracked baron!”
“What do you mean,” said the baron, “bully friar, by calling me hacked and thwacked?”
“Were you not in the wars?” said the friar, “where he who escapes untracked does more credit to his heels than his arms. I pay tribute to your valour in calling you hacked and thwacked.”
“I never was thwacked in my life,” said the baron; “I stood my ground manfully, and covered my body with my sword. If I had had the luck to meet with a fighting friar indeed, I might have been thwacked, and soundly too; but I hold myself a match for any two laymen49; it takes nine fighting laymen to make a fighting friar.”
“Whence come you now, holy father?” asked Matilda.
“From Rubygill Abbey,” said the friar, “whither I never return:
For I must seek some hermit50 cell, Where I alone my beads51 may tell, And on the wight who that way fares Levy52 a toll53 for my ghostly pray’rs,
Levy a toll, levy a toll,
Levy a toll for my ghostly pray’rs.”
“What is the matter then, father?” said Matilda.
“This is the matter,” said the friar: “my holy brethren have held a chapter on me, and sentenced me to seven years’ privation of wine. I therefore deemed it fitting to take my departure, which they would fain have prohibited. I was enforced to clear the way with my staff. I have grievously beaten my dearly beloved brethren: I grieve thereat; but they enforced me thereto. I have beaten them much; I mowed54 them down to the right and to the left, and left them like an ill-reaped field of wheat, ear and straw pointing all ways, scattered55 in singleness and jumbled56 in masses; and so bade them farewell, saying, Peace be with you. But I must not tarry, lest danger be in my rear: therefore, farewell, sweet Matilda; and farewell, noble baron; and farewell, sweet Matilda again, the alpha and omega of father Michael, the first and the last.”
“Farewell, father,” said the baron, a little softened57; “and God send you be never assailed by more than fifty men at a time.”
“Amen,” said the friar, “to that good wish.”
“And we shall meet again, father, I trust,” said Matilda.
“When the storm is blown over,” said the baron.
“Doubt it not,” said the friar, “though flooded Trent were between us, and fifty devils guarded the bridge.”
He kissed Matilda’s forehead, and walked away without a song.
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1
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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2
obsolete
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| adj.已废弃的，过时的 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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4
outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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7
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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8
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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9
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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10
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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11
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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12
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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13
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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14
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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15
accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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16
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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17
bruising
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| adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式) | |
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18
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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19
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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20
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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21
arrant
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| adj.极端的；最大的 | |
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22
knaves
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| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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23
villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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24
slings
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| 抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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25
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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26
legitimacy
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| n.合法，正当 | |
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27
conned
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| adj.被骗了v.指挥操舵( conn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
heinously
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| adv.可憎地，极恶地 | |
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29
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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30
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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31
meekness
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| n.温顺，柔和 | |
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32
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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33
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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34
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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35
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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36
custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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37
binds
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| v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕 | |
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38
bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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39
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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40
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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41
forfeit
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| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
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42
pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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43
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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44
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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45
hacking
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| n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动 | |
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46
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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47
mazed
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| 迷惘的，困惑的 | |
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48
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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49
laymen
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| 门外汉，外行人( layman的名词复数 )； 普通教徒（有别于神职人员） | |
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50
hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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51
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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52
levy
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| n.征收税或其他款项，征收额 | |
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53
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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54
mowed
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| v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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56
jumbled
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| adj.混乱的；杂乱的 | |
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57
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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