"We must carry out our original plan," he said at length, "and journey into the Tyrol. In one of the fortresses7 there he is most likely to be confined."
Leaving the capital they wandered up into the mountains for weeks, visiting one castle after another. It was no easy matter in all cases to get so near to these prisons as to give a hope that their voice might be heard within, or an answer received without. More than once cross-bow bolts were shot at them from the walls when they did not obey the sentinel's challenge and move further away. Generally, however, it was in the day time that they sang. Wandering carelessly up, they would sit down within earshot of the castle, open their wallets, and take out provisions from their store, and then, having eaten and drunk, Blondel would produce his lute8 and sing, as if for his own pleasure. It needed, however, four visits to each castle before they could be sure that the captive was not there; for the song had to be sung on each side. Sometimes they would cheat themselves with the thought that they heard an answering voice; but it was not until the end of the fourth week, when singing outside the castle of Diernstein, that a full rich voice, when Blondel ceased, sang out the second stanza9 of the poem. With difficulty Blondel and Cuthbert restrained themselves from an extravagant10 exhibition of joy. They knew, however, that men on the prison wall were watching them as they sat singing, and Blondel, with a final strain taken from a ballad11 of a knight12 who, having discovered the hiding place of his ladylove, prepared to free her from her oppressors, shouldered his lute, and they started on their homeward journey.
There was no delay now. At times they sang indeed at castles; but only when their store was exhausted13, for upon these occasions Blondel would be presented with a handsome goblet14 or other solid token of the owner's approval, and the sale of this at the next city would take them far on their way. They thought it better not to pass through France, as Philip, they knew, was on the watch to prevent any news of King Richard reaching England. They therefore again passed through Brabant, and so by ship to England.
Hearing that Longchamp, Bishop15 of Ely, one of Richard's vicegerents, was over in Normandy, and rightly deeming him the most earnest of his adherents16, they at once recrossed the sea, and found the warlike prelate at Rouen. Greatly delighted was he at hearing that Richard's hiding-place had been discovered. He at once sent across the news to England, and ordered it to be published far and wide, and himself announced it to the barons17 of Normandy. Then with a gorgeous retinue18, including Cuthbert and Blondel, he started for Vienna, and arriving there demanded an interview with the emperor.
The news that it was now certain that Richard was imprisoned19 in a castle of the emperor, had already spread through Europe, and the bishop had been received everywhere with tokens of sympathy; and so great was the feeling shown by the counts and barons of the empire, that the Emperor Henry felt that he could no longer refuse to treat for the surrender of his captive. Therefore he granted the interview which Longchamp demanded. The English envoy20 was received by the emperor surrounded by his nobles. The prelate advanced with great dignity.
"I come," he said, "in the name of the people of England to demand the restoration of King Richard, most unjustly and unknightly detained a prisoner in his passage through your dominions21."
"King Richard was my foe," the emperor said, "open and secret, and I was justified23 in detaining one who is alike my enemy and a scourge24 to Europe as a prisoner, when fortune threw him in my hands. I am, however, willing to put him to a ransom25, and will upon the payment of 150,000 marks allow him to go free."
"I deny your right to detain him or to put him to ransom," the bishop said. "But as you have the power, so my denial is useless. England is poor, impoverished26 with war and by the efforts which she made in the service of our holy religion. Nevertheless, poor as she is, she will raise the sum you demand. There is not an Englishman who will not furnish all he can afford for the rescue of our king. But once again, in the presence of your nobles, I denounce your conduct as base and unkingly."
The emperor could with difficulty restrain his passion; but the sight of the sombre visages of his nobles showed that they shared in no slight degree the feelings which the English envoy had so boldly announced.
"Before, however," the emperor said, "I surrender King Richard, he must be tried by my peers of many and various crimes of which he is accused. Should he be found guilty of these, no gold can purchase his release. Should he, however, be acquitted27, then as my word is given so shall it be."
"Although," the prelate said, "I deny your right to try our king, and believe that he himself will refuse to accept your jurisdiction28, yet I fear not the result if our lord be left in the hands of the nobles of the empire and not in yours. I can trust their honour and courtesy."
And turning upon his heel, without another word he quitted the apartment.
An hour later the bishop and his following took horse and rode with all speed to the north coast, and thence sailed for England. The news of the amount of ransom filled the people with consternation29; but preparations were at once made for collecting the sum demanded. Queen Eleanor was unceasing in her efforts to raise the money for the release of her favourite son. The nobles contributed their jewels and silver; the people gave contributions of goods, for money was so scarce in England that few had the wherewithal to pay in coin. Prince John placed every obstacle in the way of the collection; but the barons had since their successful stand obtained the upper hand, and it was by intrigue30 only that he could hinder the collection.
In the meantime, popular opinion throughout Europe was strong upon the side of King Richard. The pope himself wrote to the emperor on his behalf. The barons of the empire were indignant at the shame placed upon their country; and the emperor, although he would fain have thrown further delays in the way, was obliged at last to order the first step to be taken.
A solemn diet was ordered to assemble at Worms. Here were collected all the nobles of the empire, and before them King Richard was brought. It was a grand assembly. Upon a raised throne on the dais sat the emperor himself, and beside him and near him were the great feudatories of the empire, and along the sides of the walls were ranged in long rows the lesser31 barons. When the doors were opened and King Richard entered, the whole assembly, save the emperor, rose in respect to the captive monarch. Although pale from his long confinement32, the proud air of Richard was in no way abated33, and the eyes that had flashed so fearlessly upon the Saracens looked as sternly down the long lines of the barons of Germany. Of splendid stature34 and physique, King Richard was unquestionably the finest man of his time. He was handsome, with a frank face, but with a fierce and passionate35 eye. He wore his moustache with a short beard and closely-cut whisker. His short curly hair was cropped closely to his head, upon which he wore a velvet36 cap with gold coronet, while a scarlet37 robe lined with fur fell over his coat of mail, for the emperor had deemed it imprudent to excite the feeling of the assembly in favour of the prisoner by depriving him of the symbols of his rank.
King Richard strode to the place prepared for him, and then turning to the assembly he said, in a voice which rang through the hall,—
"Counts and lords of the Empire of Germany, I, Richard, King of England, do deny your right to try me. I am a king, and can only be tried by my peers and by the pope, who is the head of Christendom. I might refuse to plead, refuse to take any part in this assembly, and appeal to the pope, who alone has power to punish kings. But I will waive38 my rights. I rely upon the honour and probity39 of the barons of Germany. I have done no man wrong, and would appear as fearlessly before an assembly of peasants as before a gathering40 of barons. Such faults as I may have, and none are without them, are not such as those with which I am charged. I have slain41 many men in anger, but none by treachery. When Richard of England strikes, he strikes in the light of day. He leaves poison and treachery to his enemies, and I hurl42 back with indignation and scorn in the teeth of him who makes them the charges brought against me."
The trial then commenced. The accusations45 against Richard were of many kinds. Chief among them was the murder of Conrad of Montferat; but there were charges of having brought the crusade to naught46 by thwarting47 the general plans, by his arrogance48 in refusing to be bound by the decision of the other leaders, and by having made a peace contrary to the interests of the crusaders. The list was a long one; but the evidence adduced was pitiably weak. Beyond the breath of suspicion, no word of real evidence connecting him with the murder of Conrad of Montferat was adduced, and the other charges were supported by no better evidence. Many of the German barons who had been at the crusades themselves came forward to testify to the falsity of these charges, and the fact that Richard had himself placed Conrad of Montferat upon the throne, and had no possible interest in his death, was alone more than sufficient to nullify the vague rumours49 brought against him. Richard himself in a few scornful words disposed of this accusation44. The accusation that he, Richard of England, would stoop to poison a man whom he could have crushed in an instant, was too absurd to be seriously treated.
"I am sure," the king said, "that not one person here believes this idle tale. That I did not always agree with the other leaders is true; but I call upon every one here to say whether, had they listened to me and followed my advice, the crusade would not have had another ending. Even after Phillip of France had withdrawn50; even after I had been deserted51 by John of Austria, I led the troops of the crusaders from every danger and every difficulty to within sight of the walls of Jerusalem. Had I been supported with zeal52, the holy city would have been ours; but the apathy53, the folly54, and the weakness of the leaders brought ruin upon the army. They thought not of conquering Jerusalem, but of thwarting me; and I retort upon them the charge of having sacrificed the success of the crusade. As to the terms of peace, how were they made? I, with some fifty knights55 and 1000 followers57 alone remained in the Holy Land. Who else, I ask, so circumstanced, could have obtained any terms whatever from Saladin? It was the weight of my arm alone which saved Jaffa and Acre, and the line of seacoast, to the Cross. And had I followed the example set me by him of Austria and the Frenchman, not one foot of the Holy Land would now remain in Christian58 hands."
The trial was soon over, and without a single dissentient the King of England was acquitted of all the charges brought against him. But the money was not yet raised, and King Richard was taken back into the heart of Germany. At length, by prodigious59 exertions60, half the amount claimed was collected, and upon the solicitations of the pope and of the counts of his own empire, the emperor consented to release Richard upon, receipt of this sum and his royal promise that the remainder should be made up.
Not as yet, however, were the intrigues61 at an end. Prince John and King Phillip alike implored62 the emperor to retain his captive, and offered to him a larger sum than the ransom if he would still hold him in his hands. Popular opinion was, however, too strong. When the news of these negotiations63 became bruited64 abroad, the counts of the empire, filled with indignation, protested against this shame and dishonour65 being brought upon the country. The pope threatened him with excommunication; and at last the emperor, feeling that he would risk his throne did he further insist, was forced to open the prison gates and let the king free. Cuthbert, Blondel, and a few other trusty friends were at hand, and their joy at receiving their long-lost sovereign was indeed intense. Horses had been provided in readiness, and without a moment's delay the king started, for even at the last moment it was feared that the emperor might change his mind. This indeed was the case. The king had not started many hours, when the arrival of fresh messengers from Phillip and John induced the emperor once more to change his intentions, and a body of men were sent in pursuit of the king. The latter fortunately made no stay on the way, but changing horses frequently—for everywhere he was received with honour and attention—he pushed forward for the coast of the North Sea, and arrived there two or three hours only before his oppressors. Fortunately it was night, and taking a boat he embarked66 without a moment's delay; and when the emissaries of the emperor arrived the boat was already out of sight, and in the darkness pursuit was hopeless.
On landing at Dover, the first to present himself before him was Prince John, who, in the most abject67 terms besought68 pardon for the injuries he had inflicted69. King Richard waved him contemptuously aside.
"Go," he said, "and may I forget your injuries as speedily as you will forget my pardon."
Then taking horse, he rode on to London, where he was received with the most lively acclamation by his subjects.
The first step of King Richard was to dispossess all the minions22 of John from the castles and lands which had been taken from his faithful adherents. Some of these resisted; but their fortresses were speedily stormed. Sir Rudolph was not one of these. Immediately the news of King Richard's arrival in England reached him, feeling that all was now lost, he rode to the seacoast, took ship, and passed into France, and Cuthbert, on his arrival at Evesham, found himself undisputed lord of the place. He found that the hiding-place of his mother had not been discovered, and, after a short delay to put matters in train, he, attended by a gallant70 retinue, rode into Wiltshire to the castle of Sir Baldwin of B?thune. Here he found the Lady Margaret safe and sound, and mightily71 pleased to see him. She was now seventeen, and offered no objections whatever to the commands of King Richard that she should at once bestow72 her hand upon the Earl of Evesham. By the king's order, the wedding took place at London, the king himself bestowing73 the bride upon his faithful follower56, whom we may now leave to the enjoyment74 of the fortune and wife he had so valiantly75 won.
THE END.
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1
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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imprisoning
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| v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 ) | |
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fortresses
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| 堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 ) | |
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lute
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| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
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stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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ballad
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| n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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adherents
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| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
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barons
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| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
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retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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envoy
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| n.使节，使者，代表，公使 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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minions
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| n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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waive
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| vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等) | |
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probity
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| n.刚直；廉洁，正直 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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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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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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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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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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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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50
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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51
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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52
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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bruited
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| v.传播（传说或谣言）( bruit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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66
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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74
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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75
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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