The Knight Of The Golden Melice, John Turvill Adams [the reading list TXT] 📗

Be Quieted."

 

 

"Come, Master Spikeman, Remember That You May Be Called To Sit As A

Judge On The Fate Of This Gentleman, And That It Becomes Men In Our

Positions To Keep The Mind Free From Injurious Prepossessions, For

Only Thus May Justice, Which Is A Ray From The Effulgent Countenance

Of Him Who Sits On The Circle Of The Heavens, Be Attained."

  

 

"This Is No Private Matter Of Mine Own," Answered The Assistant, "But

A Thing Of Public Concernment; And I Humbly Trust, Should Ever My

Voice Be Demanded In Its Decision, That It Will Be Raised To The Glory

Of God, And The Advancement Of The Interests Of The Colony Which He

Has Planted. But I Should Consider Myself Derelict To Duty, And

Unworthy Of The Trust Committed To Me, Were I To Hold Back My Honest

Judgment, In View Of The Evidence Now Before Me, Subject To Such

Modification As Further Examination May Give Rise To, Especially When

That Judgment Is Asked For By The Honored Head Of Our Oppressed

Israel."

  

 

"It Is My Purpose," Said Winthrop, Rising, Wherein He Was Imitated By

The Other, "To Call Together, This Evening, At This Place, For The Due

Consideration Of This Subject, Such Of The Assistants As May Be Here

Present In Boston, And To Advise With Them Thereupon, When And Where I

Shall Hope To Be Favored With The Presence And Counsel Of My Friend,

Whose Zeal Is Never Slack In Aught That May Redound To The Welfare Of

The Commonwealth."

 

  

"My Presence, God Willing, May Be Depended On, Worshipful Sir,"

Answered Spikeman.

  

 

A Meeting Of The Assistants Was Accordingly Held At The House Of The

Governor The Same Evening, And The Subject Of The Letters Received

From England, And The Course To Be Pursued In View Of Their Contents,

Considered In All Their Aspects. No Great Diversity Of Opinion

Prevailed In Respect To The Necessity Of Caution, In Reposing Any

Further Confidence In Sir Christopher; But As For The Proceedings To

Be Adopted On His Return, There Was A Considerable Difference Of

Sentiment. The More Moderate, And Least Prejudiced Against The Knight,

At The Head Of Whom Was Winthrop, Advised That He Should Be Received

With All Honor, And The Charges Laid Privately Before Him, In The

First Instance, And An Opportunity Afforded Him To Refute Them. This

They Urged Was The More Just And Honorable Mode, Inasmuch As The

Accusations Came Not Before Them Invested With Any Judicial Authority.

But An Opposite Party, Headed By Spikeman, Strenuously Insisted On

Another Course. They Contended, That In A Matter Of The Kind,

Severity, And Even What Might Look Like Precipitation, Was Better Than

A Slackness, Which Might Defeat Their Object. They Pressed The Point,

That Such Was The Number Of Letters Received (Some Of Them By Private

Persons) Reflecting On The Character Of Sir Christopher, It Was

Impossible The Information They Contained Should Be Concealed From The

Public, And That, Consequently, Even Before The Return Of The Knight,

News Of It Would Reach His House. This, They Said, Would Put The False

Lady Geraldine On Her Guard, And Afford Opportunity To Destroy Papers,

Or Whatever Else Might Be In Existence To Inculpate The Knight. It

Was, Therefore, Their Opinion, That The Lady, With Whatever Might Be

Found In The House To Assist Their Judgment, Should Be Instantly

Seized, And Such Other Measures Taken As To Insure The Arrest Of Sir

Christopher. There Was, However, Too Much Nobleness Of Feeling In A

Majority Of The Council To Relish Invading The Privacy Of A Female, On

Mere Suspicion, While Her Protector Was Absent, Engaged In Business Of

The State. Winthrop Looked Displeased At The Suggestion, And Even The

Brow Of The Rough Dudley Was Corrugated Into A Haughty Frown. As

Usually Happens Between Differing Opinions, A Half Measure Was

Resolved Upon, Which Satisfied Neither Party. It Was To Keep So Strict

A Watch, That The Moment Of Sir Christopher's Return Should Be Known,

And A File Of Armed Men Despatched By Night, Who Should Serve Partly

As A Guard Of Honor, And Partly As A Restraint Upon The Person, To

Escort Him To Boston. At The Same Time, With Apologies For Its

Necessity, His Books And Papers Were To Be Secured, And The Lady

Brought In All Honor With Him. This Was The Plan, Should The Knight

Visit His House Before Coming To Boston; But If He Arrived At The

Settlement First, He Was To Be Detained And Examined, After An Account

Of His Mission Had Been Received.

 

 

Chapter XXIV ("The Flying Rumors Gathered As They Rolled; Scarce Any Tale Was Sooner Heard Than Told; And All Who Told It Added Something New, And All Who Heard It Made Enlargement Too;-- In Every Ear It Spread--On Every Tongue It Grew.")

Pope's "_Temple Of Fame_."

 

   

Ignorant, Of Course, Of The Events Which Had Occurred During His

Absence, The Knight Started From The Indian Village In High Spirits,

As It Appeared To Arundel, At The Success Of His Embassy.

 

  

"These Savages Are More Placable Than I Anticipated," Said Sir

Christopher, "For It Must Be Admitted That, In Appearance At Least,

They Have Cause For Grievous Resentment. One Might Almost Suspect

That, Since Their Late Defiance, A Suspicion Of The Truth Had Somehow

Penetrated Their Untutored Minds. At Any Rate, No War-Whoop Will Be

Heard For The Present, And We Have Been Received And Treated With All

Courtesy."

 

  

"A Gentler Race Of Wild Chivalry," Said The Young Man, "Doth Surely

Nowhere Exist. Their Free And Careless Lives Make Me More Than Ever In

Love With Nature, And Long Shall I Remember The Noble Taranteens With

Pleasure."

 

 

 Admired You Them Enough To Cast In Your Lot With Them," Said The

Knight, With A Smile, "I Doubt Not That You Might Become A King Over

Regions As Extensive As Those Which Owe Allegiance To The Sceptre Of

Our Gracious Monarch, Charles."

 

  

"My Admiration Soars Not To That Height; Yet, To My Imagination, Is

There Something Delightful In The Condition Of These Children Of

Nature, Thoughtful Only Of To-Day, And Careless Of Tomorrow, When

Compared With That Of The Painful Delvers Of Civilization. The Former

Are Birds Flying Freely In The Air; The Latter, Poultry Scratching In

A Barn-Yard."

 

  

Sir Christopher Laughed Good Naturedly At The Sally Of His Friend.

"Verily," He Said, "Were It Not For Thy Mistress, I Do Believe Thou

Hadst Remained Amongst The Taranteens. Unfortunate For Them Is It That

Civilization Has An Ally In Love. Were This Life All," He Added,

Gravely, His Whole Manner Changing, "There Were Some Reason In What

You Say. It Were Wisdom, Then, To Sport Like Insects In Sunbeams--To

Sink At Night Into Dreamless Sleep. But Such Is Not Man's Destiny.

What Infinite Concernments Hang On The Present Moment! How Imperative

And Urgent Is Our Duty To Wean These Poor Heathen From Their Wild Ways

And False Creed, That They May Be Rescued From The Intolerable

Perdition That Awaits All Who Are Not Of Holy Church."

 

 

 "It Surely Is A Lamentable Future For The Poor Creatures," Said The

Young Man; "And Yet I Suppose It Must Be So, Because The Learned Of

All Creeds, Which Call Themselves Christian, Do Agree Therein. Ah, Me!

Poor Sassacus!"

  

 

"I Opine," Said The Gentle Knight, "That The Flames Of Hell Will Be

Tempered To Such Poor Wretches, In Consideration Of Their Ignorance."

 

  

"It Is Horrible To Think Of," Said Arundel, Shuddering; And, As If

Desirous To Change The Subject, He Inquired, "May I Ask, Without

Offence, After The Country Of Sassacus?"

  

 

"Assuredly You May. It Is Some Hundred Miles To The South Of

Boston--The Principal Villages Of The Pequots Being On A River Of The

Same Name, And On A Lesser Stream Called The Mystic, And Along The

Reverberating Shores Of The Atlantic. It Is A Pleasant Land Of Bright

Waters, And Fair Valleys, And Towering Hills, Fit To Produce A Race Of

Hardy Warriors."

 

  

"Hast Thou Visited It Thyself?"

 

  

"Once, On A Hunting Expedition, Did I Wander Thus Far, And Partake Of

The Hospitality Of The Pequot Chief, Who, In Return, Was Prevailed

Upon To Visit My Poor Quarters."

 

  

"I Wonder What Induces The Noble Savage To Linger So Long About

Massachusetts Bay, After Having Made His Visit To You, And Confess To

Some Apprehensions On His Account."

  

 

"Have No Fear On That Score," Said The Knight, Cheerfully. "Sassacus

Is Prudent As Well As Brave, And, As You Saw On The Night When He Was

Attacked By The Taranteens, Has Some Of His Men With Him; Besides, The

Aberginians Are At Peace With His Tribe."

  

 

"It Is Only The Ingenious Malice Of The Assistant Spikeman That I

Dread."

  

 

"Be Assured, Also, On That Head. He Will Not Venture Into Boston

During Our Absence, And Will So Carefully Keep Out Of The Way As To

Allow No Opportunity For Violence."

  

 

How Mistaken Was The Knight, Is Already Known; But The Most Consummate

Tact And Profoundest Wisdom Are Not Able To Guard Against Every

Possible Emergency. 

 

 

With Conversations Of This Kind Did The Two Companions Beguile The

Way, On Their Journey Homeward, Which Occupied Somewhat Less Time Than

It Took To Reach The Indian Village. It Was Early In The Morning--That

Is To Say, The Sun Had Just Risen--When They Stood On The Edge Of The

Clearing Within Which Stood The Knight's Habitation. Here They Were

Met By An Indian, Who, To Sir Christopher's Inquiry If All Was Well,

Answered, Sententiously, "All Well." On Arriving At The House, They

Found The Soldier, Philip, Who Manifested His Joy At Seeing Them Again

In A Manner Contrasting Somewhat With That Of The Phlegmatic Native.

  

 

After The Demonstrations Of Welcome, Philip Said, "I Know Not, Sir

Christopher, Whether You Have Not Got Away From One Danger, Only To

Fall Into Another. According To My Thinking, A Man Of Any Spirit May

Better Trust Himself With The Salvages, Whom I Find Nice, Reasonable

People Enough, Who Will Not Interfere With Him If He Will Let Them

Alone, Than With The Meddlesome, Crop-Eared Knaves Down On The Bay."

 

 

 "Remember In Whose Presence You Are Speaking, Philip," Said The

Knight, "And That It Becomes Not Me To Hear Those Whose Ambassador I

Am, Evil Spoken Of."

  

 

"I Crave Pardon," Said Philip; "But, If All Tales Be True, They

Deserve No Such Forbearance. It Was Out Of No Friendship, They Sent

You To Be Murdered By Them Taranteens, Nor Will They Fire A Culverin

At Your Return."

 

  

"Out With Thy News, At Once," Cried The Impatient Arundel, "Nor Stand

There Hanging Fire, Like A Musket When The Priming Is Wet. What Hast

To Tell?"

  

 

"Ill News, Master Arundel, Folk Say Can Travel A Mile, While Good Is

Putting On His Boots; But You Seem Not To Be Contented With Its Haste.

Nay," Added Philip, Noticing That The Knight Began To Show Impatience,

"An' You Will Have It. It Is Little Less Than Treason, I Fear, They

Are Charging Against Sir Christopher. It Is A Kind Of Guy-Fawks Plot

They Are Accusing Him Of Hatching--That Is To Say, That He Means To

Make Himself King Of Both Colonies."

  

 

"Is That All, Philip," Said The Knight, Laughing. "By Our Lady, I Have

Heard Worse Stories About Myself Many A Time, Since I Lived In These

Woods."

 

  

"I Tell Thee, Sir Christopher," Said The Soldier, Earnestly, "This Is

No Laughing Matter. If I Were In Thy Place, I Would Either Fall Back

On Sassacus And His Tribe Of Pequots, Or Gather Me Forthwith A Few

Hundred Salvages, Under Arms, If You Mean To Stand Your Ground. It Is

True, Bows And Arrows Are Beggarly Things Against Muskets, In A Fight

At Arms-Length, But At Close Quarters, Knives And Tomahawks Can Do

Somewhat."

 

 

"But, Good Philip," Said The Knight, "Thy Words Convey Little

Information. Canst Not Be More Precise?"

 

  

"All I Know," Said The Soldier, "Is, That They Say The Trouble Comes

From Certain Letters Which Have Just Arrived From England, Charging

You, Sir Christopher, With I Know Not What Horrid Crimes. The Person

Who Told Me Was Sure They Were Very Bad; But What They Were, Knew,

Forsooth, No Better Than I."

 

  

"Perhaps The Lady Geraldine Will Be Able To Clear Up The Mystery,"

Said The Knight To Arundel. "Let Us Dismiss All Thought Of It For