Raimond V. made the trembling clerk sit down to the table and take supper with him, but every time the man of the law opened his mouth to ask the baron to appear before the tribunal, the old gentleman would cry out, “Laramée, pour out some wine for my guest!”
Then he had the clerk taken back to La Ciotat somewhat intoxicated3.
Interpreting the conduct of the baron according to their own view, Master Isnard and the consul saw in his refusal to answer their summons the most outrageous4 contempt.
The next day, which was Sunday, after the mass, at which, notwithstanding his resolution the evening before, the baron did not appear, the consuls5 and the recorder went through the houses of the principal citizens, exciting public sentiment against Raimond V., who had so openly braved and insulted the privileges of Proven?al communities.
Much artifice6, much deceit, and a great deal of persistence7 on the part of Master Isnard were necessary to make the inhabitants of La Ciotat share his hostility8 against the lord of Maison-Forte, because the instinct of the multitude is always in sympathy with the rebellion of a lord against a lord more powerful than himself; but on account of recent disputes about fishing privileges, the recorder succeeded in arousing the indignation of the multitude.
As we have said, it was Sunday morning; after mass the overseers of the port held their sessions in the large town hall, situated9 near the new harbour. It was a massive, heavy building, constructed of brick, and had many small windows.
On each side rose the dwellings10 of the wealthiest citizens.
The site of the town hall was separated from the port by a narrow little street.
A noisy crowd of citizens, fishermen, sailors, artisans, and country people were pressing into the yard, and many had already seated themselves at the door of the town hall, so as to be present at the session of the overseers.
The citizens, instructed by the recorder, circulated in groups among the multitude, and spread the news that Raimond V. despised the rights of the people by refusing to appear before the overseers.
Master Talebard-Talebardon, one of the consuls, a large man, corpulent and florid, with a shrewd, sly look, wearing his felt hood11 and official robe, occupied with the recorder the centre of one of these animated12 groups of which we have spoken, and which was composed of men of all sorts and conditions.
“Yes, my friends,” said the consul, “Raimond V. treats Christians13 as he treats the dogs he hunts with. The other day he threatened this respectable Master Isnard whom you see here with his whip after having exposed him to the fury of two of the fiercest bulls from Camargne; it was a miracle that this worthy14 officer of the admiralty of Toulon escaped the awful peril15 that threatened his life,” said the consul, with an important air.
“A real miracle, for which I return thanks to Our Lady of la Garde,” added the recorder, devoutly16. “I never saw such furious bulls.”
“By St Elmo, my patron!” said a sailor, “I would gladly have given my new scarf to have been a witness of that race. I have never seen bull-fights except in Barcelona.”
“Without taking into account that recorder-toreadors are very rare,” said another sailor.
Master Isnard, deeply wounded at inspiring so little interest, replied, with a doleful air, “I assure you, my friends, that it is a terrible, a formidable thing to be exposed to an attack from these ferocious17 animals.”
“Since you have been pursued by bulls,” asked an honest tailor, “do tell us, M. Recorder, if it is true that angry bulls have the tail curled up, and that they shut their eyes when they strike?”
Master Talebard-Talebardon shrugged18 his shoulders, and replied, sternly, to the inquirer:
“You think then, cut-cloth, that a person amuses himself by looking at a bull’s tail and eyes, when he is charging on him?”
“That is true, that is true,” replied several assistants. “Certain it is,” continued the consul, wishing to move the crowd to pity the recorder, and irritate it against the baron, “certain it is that this officer of justice and of the king narrowly escaped being a victim to the diabolical19 wickedness of Raimond V.”
“Raimond V. destroyed two litters of wolves’ whelps that ravaged20 our farm, to say nothing of the present he made us of the heads of the wolf and the whelps, which are nailed to our door,” said a peasant, shaking his head.
“Raimond V. is not a bad master. If the harvest fails, he comes to your aid; he replaced two draught-oxen that I lost through witchcraft21.”
“That is true, when one holds out a hand to the lord of Anbiez, he never draws it back empty,” said an artisan.
“And at the time of the last descent of the pirates in this place, he and his people bravely fought the miscreants22; but for him, I, my wife, and my daughter, would have been carried off by these demons,” said a citizen.
“And the two sons of the good man Jacbuin were redeemed23 and brought back from Barbary by good Father Elzear, the brother of Raimond V. But for him they would still have been in chains galling24 enough to damn their souls,” replied another.
“And the other brother, the commander, who looks as sombre as his black galley25,” said a patron of a merchant vessel26, “did he not keep those pagans in awe27 for more than two months while his galley lay soaked in the gulf28? Come, a good and noble family is that of Anbiez. After all, this man of law is not one of us,” and pointed29 to the recorder. “What does it matter to us if he is or is not run through by a bull’s horn?”
“That is true, that is true; he is not one of us,” repeated several voices.
“Raimond V. is a good old gentleman who never refuses a pound of powder and a pound of lead to a sailor, to defend his boat,” said a sailor.
“There is always a good place at the fireside of Maison-Forte, a good glass of Sauve-chrétien wine and a piece of silver for those who go there,” said a beggar.
“And his daughter! An angel! A perfect Notre Dame30 for the poor people,” said another.
“Well, who in the devil denies all that?” cried the consul. “Raimond V. kills wolves because he is fond of the chase. He does not mind a piece of silver or a pound of powder or a glass of wine, because he is rich, very rich; but he does all this to hide his perfidious32 designs.”
“What designs?” asked several auditors34.
“The design of ruining our commerce, ravaging35 our city, in short, doing worse than the pirates, or the Duke d’Eperaon with his Gascons,” said the consul, with a mysterious air.
All this, which he did not believe, the consul had uttered as an experiment, and the alarming disclosure of some hidden design, exciting the curiosity of the crowd, was at last listened to with attention.
“Explain that to us, consul,” said all, with one voice.
“Master Isnard, who is a man of the law, is going to explain this tissue of dark and pernicious schemes,” said Talebard-Talebardon.
The recorder came forward with an anxious air, raised his eyes to heaven, and said:
“Your worthy consul, my friends, has told you nothing but what is, unfortunately, too true. We have proofs of it.”
“Proofs!” repeated several hearers, looking at each other.
“Give me your attention. The king, our master, and monseigneur the cardinal36 have only one thought,—the happiness of the French people.”
“But we are not French, we are quite another thing,” said a Proven?al, proud of his nationality. “The king is not our master, he is our count.”
“You talk finely, my comrade, but listen to me, if you please,” replied the recorder. “The king, our count, not wishing to have his Proven?al communities exposed to the despotic power of the nobles and lords, has ordered us to disarm37 them. His Eminence38 remembers too well the violences of the Duke d’Epernon, of the lords of Baux, of Noirol, of Traviez, and many others. He desires now to take away from the nobility the power of injuring the people and the peasantry. Thus, for instance, his Eminence wished,—and these sovereign orders will be executed sooner or later,—he wished, I repeat, to remove from Maison-Forte, the castle of Raimond V., the cannon39 and small pieces of ordnance40 which guard the entrance of your port, and which can prevent the going out of the smallest fishing-boat.”
“But which can also prevent the entrance of pirates,” said a sailor.
“No doubt, my friends, the fire bums41 or purifies; the arrow kills the friend or the enemy, according to the hand which holds the crossbow. I should not have had any suspicion of Raimond V., if he had not himself unveiled to me his perfidious designs. Let us put aside his cruelty to me. I am happy to be the martyr42 of our sacred cause.”
“You are not a martyr, as you are still living,” said the incorrigible43 sailor.
“I am living at this moment,” replied the recorder, “but the Lord knows at what price, with what perils44, I have bought my life, or what dangers I may still be required to meet. But let us not talk of myself.”
“No, no, do not talk of yourself,—that does not concern us,—but tell us how you obtained proof of the wicked designs Raimond V. has against our city,” said an inquirer.
“Nothing more evident, my friends. He has fortified45 his castle again, and why? To resist the pirates, say some. But never would the pirates dare attack such a fortress46, where they would gain nothing but blows. He has made a strong fort in his house, from which the cannon can founder47 your vessels48 and destroy your city. Do you know why? In order to tyrannise over you for his profit, and tread Proven?al customs under foot with impunity49. Wait; let me give you an instance. He has, contrary to all law, established his fishing-nets outside of his legal boundary.”
“That is true,” said Talebard-Talebardon; “you know he has no right to do it. What injury that does to our fisheries, often our only resource!”
“That is evident,” answered a few hearers; “the seines of Raimond V. have injured us, especially now when the supply of fish is smaller. But if it is his right?”
“But it is not his right!” shouted the recorder.
“We will know to-day, as the suit is to be decided50 by the overseers of the port,” said an auditor33.
The recorder exchanged a glance of intelligence with the consul, and said:
“Doubtless the tribunal of overseers is all-powerful to decide the question, but it is exactly on this point that my doubts have arisen. I fear very much that Raimond V. is not willing to refer to this popular tribunal. He is capable of refusing to obey that summons, made, after all, by poor people, on a high and powerful baron—”
“It is impossible! it is impossible! for it is our special right. The people have their rights, the nobility have theirs. Freedom for all!” cried many voices.
“I hold Raimond V. to be a good and generous noble,” said another, “but I shall regard him as a traitor51 if he refuses to recognise our privileges.”
“No, no, that is impossible,” repeated several voices.
“He will come—”
“He is going to appear before the overseers—”
“God grant it!” said the recorder, exchanging another glance with the consul. “God grant it, my friends; because, if he despises our customs enough to act otherwise, we must think that he put his house in a state of such formidable defence only to brave the laws.”
“We repeat that what you are saying, recorder, is impossible. Raimond V. cannot deny the authority of the overseers, nor can he deny the authority of the king,” said an auditor.
“But, first, he denies the authority of the king,” cried Master Isnard, triumphantly52; “and, since I must tell you, I believe, even after what your worthy consul has told me, that he will deny, not only the royal power, but the rights of the community also; in a word, that he will positively53 refuse to appear before the overseers, and that he wishes to keep his seines and nets where they are, to the detriment54 of the general fishery.”
A hollow murmur55 of astonishment56 and indignation welcomed this news.
“Speak, speak, consul; is it true?”
“Raimond V. is too brave a nobleman for that.”
“If it is true, yet—”
“They are our rights, after all, and—”
Such were the various remarks which rapidly crossed each other through the restless crowd.
The consul and recorder saw themselves surrounded and pressed by a multitude which was becoming angrily impatient.
Talebard-Talebardon, in collusion with the recorder, had prepared this scene with diabolical cunning.
The consul replied, hoping to increase the dissatisfaction of the populace:
“Without being absolutely certain of the refusal of Raimond V., I have every reason to fear it; but the recorder’s clerk, who carried the summons to Maison-Forte yesterday, and who has been obliged to go to Curjol on business, will arrive in a moment, and confirm the news. Our Lady grant that it may not be what I apprehend57. Alas58! what would become of our communities, if our only right, the only privilege accorded to us poor people, should be snatched away from us?”
“Snatched away!” repeated the recorder; “it is impossible. The nobility and the clergy59 have their rights. How dare they rob the people of the last, the only resource they have against the oppression of the powerful!”
Nothing is more easily moved than the mind of the populace, and especially of the populace on Mediterranean60 shores. This crowd, but a moment before controlled by their gratitude61 to the baron, now forgot almost entirely62 the important services rendered to them by the family of Anbiez, at the bare suspicion that Raimond V. wished to attack one of the privileges of the community.
These rumours63, circulated among different groups, singularly irritated the minds of the fishermen. The recorder and the consul, thinking the moment had arrived in which they could strike a final blow, ordered one of their attendants to go in quest of the recorder’s clerk, who ought, they said, to have returned from his journey, although, in fact, he had not left La Ciotat.
At this moment, the five overseers of the port and their syndic, having met after mass under the porch of the church, passed through the crowd to enter the town hall, where they were to hold their solemn audience.
The new circumstances gave additional interest to their appearance; they were saluted64 on all sides with numerous bravos, accompanied with the cries:
“Long live the overseers of the port!”
“Long live the Proven?al communities!”
“Down with those who attack them!”
The crowd, now greatly excited, pressed hard upon the steps of the overseers, so as to be present at the session.
Then the clerk arrived. Although he said much in protest of the interpretation65 given to his words by the recorder and the consul, those men continued to exclaim with hypocritical lamentations.
“Ah, well, ah, well, consul,” cried one of the crowd, “is Raimond V. coming? Will he appear before the tribunal?”
“Alas! my friends,” replied the consul, “do not question me. The worthy recorder has predicted only too well. The tyrannical, imperious, irascible character of the baron has been again made manifest.”
“How? How?”
“The clerk was charged yesterday to notify Raimond V. to appear before the tribunal of overseers; he has returned and—”
“There he is! Ah,—well, come to the point!”
“Ah!”
“Ah, well!”
“Ah, well, he has been overwhelmed with the cruel treatment of Raimond V.”
“But,” whispered the clerk, “on the contrary, the baron made me drink so much wine that I—”
Master Isnard seized the clerk so violently by his smock-frock, and threw such a furious glance on him, that the poor man did not dare utter a word.
“After having overwhelmed him with cruel treatment,” continued the consul, “Raimond formally declared to him that he would make straw of our privileges, that he intended to keep his seines, and that he was strong enough to overcome us, if we dared act contrary to his will, and that—”
An explosion of fury interrupted the consul.
The tumult66 was at its height; the most violent threats burst out against Raimond V.
“To the fishing-nets! the fishing-nets!” cried some.
“To Maison-Forte!” cried others.
“Do not leave one stone upon another!”
“To arms! to arms!”
“Let us make a petard to blow up the gate of the moat on the land side!”
“Death, death to Raimond V.!”
Seeing the fury of the populace, the recorder and the consul began to fear that they had gone too far, and that they would find it impossible to control the passions they had so imprudently unchained.
“My friends,—my children!” cried Talebard-Tale-bardon, addressing the most excited of the speakers, “be moderate. Run to the fishing-nets,—that you may do, but make no attack upon Maison-Forte, or upon the life of the baron!”
“No pity!—no pity! You yourself have told us, consul, that Raimond was going to fire on the city and the port and do worse than the Duke d’Epernon and his Gascons.”
“Yes, yes. Let us destroy the old wolfs den31 and nail him to his door!”
“To Maison-Forte!”
“To Maison-Forte!”
Such were the furious cries which met the tardy67 words of moderation, which the consul now tried to make the excited people heed68.
The more peaceable inhabitants pressed around the town hall, so as to enter the room of the tribunal where the overseers were already seated. Others, divided into two bands, were preparing, in spite of the entreaties69 of the consul, to destroy the fishing-nets and attack Maison-Forte des Anbiez, when an extraordinary incident struck the crowd with amazement70, and rendered it silent and motionless.
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1
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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consuls
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| 领事( consul的名词复数 )； （古罗马共和国时期）执政官 （古罗马共和国及其军队的最高首长，同时共有两位，每年选举一次） | |
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artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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miscreants
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| n.恶棍，歹徒( miscreant的名词复数 ) | |
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redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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galley
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| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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auditor
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| n.审计员，旁听着 | |
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auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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ravaging
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| 毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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disarm
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| v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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bums
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| n. 游荡者，流浪汉，懒鬼，闹饮，屁股 adj. 没有价值的，不灵光的，不合理的 vt. 令人失望，乞讨 vi. 混日子，以乞讨为生 | |
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martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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incorrigible
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| adj.难以纠正的，屡教不改的 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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60
Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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61
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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62
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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63
rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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64
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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65
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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66
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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67
tardy
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| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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68
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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69
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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70
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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