Danger was a spur and not a bridle10 to Campion’s devoted11 will. But he began to foresee little fruit from labours on his native ground, with so much fierce misunderstanding against him; and to fear that he had not done well in so gladly laying down what was, after all, steady and successful work in Bohemia. With this buzzing scruple13 he went to the President for advice. Allen replied that the work in “Boemeland,” excellent at all points as it had been, yet could be done by any equally qualified14 person, or “at least by two or three” such persons, whereas in his own necessitous England Campion would be given strength and grace to supply for many men.
At Rheims, during his waiting-time, Campion preached one of his famous sermons to the students. It gave him a pathetic pleasure to be complimented upon his ready English, of which he had spoken little in private, and not a word in public, for eight[91] years. His text is reported to have been Luke xii. 49: “I am come to send fire upon the earth; and what will I but that it shall be kindled15?” and at one point he cried out in so earnest a manner: “Fire, fire, fire, fire!” that those outside the Chapel16 ran for the water-buckets! But a careful reading of what was then spoken suggests quite a different passage of Holy Scripture17 as present in Campion’s mind. His theme was the ruin wrought18 by the conflagration19 of heresy20, now attacking a third generation of Christian21 souls, and to be put out, he says, by “water of Catholic doctrine22, milk of sweet and holy conversation, blood of potent23 martyrdom.” Isaiah lxiv. 11, runs: “Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire; and all our pleasant things are laid waste.” This very passage had been alluded24 to in one of Campion’s former exhortations25, and may have been a favourite with him. The whole trend, indeed, and every part of this Rheims sermon bear out the thoughts not of the Apostle’s page, but of the Prophet’s.
Bishop26 Goldwell and Dr. Morton, the[92] highest in office of the missionary27 party, remained at Rheims. Three Englishmen, a lay Professor of Law, and two priests, joined in, to fill up the gap, then another Jesuit, who had been labouring in Poland: this was Fr. Thomas Cottam, ordered home to restore his health, but destined28, as were so many of his comrades, for martyrdom. The little band of fifteen divided, and sailed from different ports: Campion, with Parsons and one lay brother, Ralph Emerson, headed for Calais as their point of departure, going by way of St. Omers, “not a little encouraged to think that the first mission of St. Augustine and his fellows into [our] island was by that city.” Here there was another Jesuit College. The Flemish Fathers croaked29 friendly warnings in their ears, for it was common rumour30 in St. Omers that the Queen’s Council had full information of the appearance, dress and movements of the exiles, and had officers posted to waylay31 them on arrival. They had come on foot nearly nine hundred miles, and were not likely to give up the object of their journey. But they took precautions. It was decided32 that[93] Parsons should go first, in military attire33, accompanied from the Low Countries by a good youth who passed as his man George; and that if Parsons got safely to Dover, he was to send for Campion and the faithful little soul Ralph Emerson. An English gentleman “living over seas for his conscience,” brought Fr. Parsons his fine disguise: nothing less than a Captain’s uniform of buff leather, with gold lace, big boots, sword, hat, plume34, and all. Campion, when he had gone, sat down to write to the General of the Society about him, with his inevitably35 pictorial36 touch. “Father Robert sailed from Calais after midnight. . . . They got him up like a soldier: such a peacock! such a swaggerer! . . . such duds, such a glance, such a strut37! A man must have a sharp eye indeed,” he adds, “to catch any glimpse of the holiness and modesty38 that lurk39 there underneath40 it all.” He goes on to explain how he is laying out money to buy numerous and silly clothes “to dress up myself and Ralph,” whereby “to cheat the madness of this world.” Fr. Parsons, like Campion himself in lesser41 r?les, must have[94] been a dramatic genius, for arriving at Dover on the 12th of June, and falling into the hands of the searcher, he so won him over, by the mere42 swagger and strut aforementioned, as not only to be passed without inquiry43, but to be helped to a horse to carry him to Gravesend. Thereupon the Captain was quick to bespeak44 the interest of so unexpectedly polite a functionary45 in his friend “Mr. Edmunds,” described as a jewel-merchant lying at St. Omers; and he gave the searcher a letter recommending London as a good market, to be forwarded post-haste to that gentleman, and to be shown to the searcher again by “Mr. Edmunds” himself when he came over. And by the reception of that letter Campion learned that Fr. Parsons was scot-free, and speeded on his way.
On the Feast of his old College patron, St. John the Baptist, “Mr. Edmunds,” followed by Brother Ralph, his supposed servant, boarded the vessel46 bound for Dover. At daybreak they stepped ashore47 under the white cliffs, and there kneeling a moment in the shadow of a rock, Campion renewed his[95] offering of himself, without reserve or condition, to the God of Hosts, for the dark “warfare” which lay before him.
Meanwhile, the dispositions48 of the searcher (who evidently put in no appearance) had undergone a forced change. He and the Mayor of the town had been reprimanded by the Council for letting Papists slip through their nets. Moreover, there had been furnished, by a spy, a detailed49 description of Cardinal50 Allen’s brother, who was about to pass through Dover on his way to relatives in Lancashire; and as Gabriel Allen and Edmund Campion looked very much alike, our jewel-merchant found himself instantly under arrest. With an accuracy which he was not in the least aware of, the Mayor charged him and the lay brother of being “foes to the Queen’s religion and friends to the old Faith; with sailing under false names, and with returning for the purpose of propagating Popery.” Campion offered to swear that he was not Gabriel Allen, but offered in vain. The Mayor held a hasty conference, and ordered a mounted guard to carry both prisoners up to Sir[96] Francis Walsingham and the Council. All this time, Campion was praying to God for deliverance, and earnestly begging St. John the Baptist to intercede51 for himself and his companion. They were waiting near the closed door of a room. “Suddenly,” wrote Campion himself long after, to the Father-General, “suddenly cometh forth52 an old man: God give him grace for his pains! ‘Well,’ quoth he, ‘it is agreed you shall be dismissed: fare ye well.’” After which the two Jesuits left without further notice or opposition53, and travelled as fast as ever they could to London.
Fr. Parsons had reached the city not without adventure, but without mishap54, a fortnight before. Yet as no word had been received since from him, Campion had no idea how to proceed or whither to go; nor could he inquire without arousing suspicion. Fortunately Parsons had given to some watchful55 young Catholics a description of the jewel-merchant and his man: Ralph Emerson was easily recognizable on account of his extremely short stature56. Thus they had hardly touched the wharf57 at the Hythe[97] before a stranger, Thomas Jay, stepped to the gangway, with a welcoming gesture, saying: “Mr. Edmunds, give me your hand: I stay here for you, to lead you to your friends.” Under this guidance Campion reached London and Chancery Lane, where he was clothed and armed, and provided with a horse. He must have been astonished to learn under whose roof he was so safe and so comfortable: for it was none other than that of the chief pursuivant! Here was, indeed, a case of the bird nesting in the cannon’s mouth. St. Augustine warns us that we are not to think that ungodly men are kept in this world for nothing, nor that God has no good purposes of His own to fulfil through them. One cause of the miraculous58 preservation59 of the ancient Faith under Elizabeth lay in the fact that many an official, high and low, of that time-serving Government, was in the pay of the Recusant gentry60. A strange situation it was, and by no means an infrequent one, when some of these, brought before the magistrates61, would be discharged on the assurance of the bought-over official that the[98] prisoner was “an honest gentleman”: thus averting62 all suspicion from the latter for the time being.
The band of lay Catholics, some of whom Campion had known from boyhood, like Henry Vaux and Richard Stanihurst, were acting63 as friends, freely leagued together, as occasion arose, for the helping64 of priests, and the furthering of religion. Their time, their thoughts, their self-sacrifice, their purses, were at the service particularly of the Jesuits, persons habitually65 being described by Sir Walter Mildmay in the Star Chamber66 as “lewd runagates,” “a sort of hypocrites,” “a rabble67 of vagrant68 friars.” The leader of them all, in his inspiring zeal69, though not highest in station, was George Gilbert, a rich young squire70 owning estates (which were confiscated71 in the end) in Buckinghamshire and Suffolk. He was a convert, a great rider and athlete, dear to many; but in secret a lover of apostolic poverty, living for others: in short, a saint. He spent himself to the last breath for the Faith as truly as if he had perished at Tyburn Tree. In banishment72, he still[99] served the same cause by his forethought and his generosity73 in the use of such worldly goods as were left to him: for he became responsible, at Rome, for the series of paintings of the English martyrdoms which gave their chief historical standing12 to the Beatifications of 1886. Thus Gilbert, living and dead, was Blessed Edmund Campion’s availing friend and lover.
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1
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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tardy
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| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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piracies
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| n.海上抢劫( piracy的名词复数 )；盗版行为，非法复制 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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7
plausibility
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| n. 似有道理, 能言善辩 | |
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malefactor
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| n.罪犯 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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18
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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exhortations
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| n.敦促( exhortation的名词复数 )；极力推荐；（正式的）演讲；（宗教仪式中的）劝诫 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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waylay
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| v.埋伏，伏击 | |
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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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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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pictorial
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| adj.绘画的；图片的；n．画报 | |
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strut
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| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
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38
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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40
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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41
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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42
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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43
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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bespeak
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| v.预定；预先请求 | |
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45
functionary
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| n.官员；公职人员 | |
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46
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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47
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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48
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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49
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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50
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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51
intercede
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| vi.仲裁，说情 | |
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52
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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53
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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54
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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55
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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56
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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57
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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58
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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59
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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60
gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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61
magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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62
averting
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| 防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移 | |
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63
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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64
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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66
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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rabble
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| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
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68
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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69
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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71
confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
banishment
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| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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