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

Of Complaint.

Nor Can I Conceal From Myself That The Sentence Of The Soldier Is

Harsh. It Was Against Both My Feeling And My Judgment. How Often Am I

Compelled To Practise A Severity Over Which My Softer, And Perhaps

Weaker Nature, Mourns!"

 

 

Chapter III ("I Am Sorry One So Learned And So Wise, As You, Lord Angelo, Have Still Appeared, Should Slip So Grossly, Both In The Heat Of Blood And Lack Of Tempered Judgment Afterward.")

 

 

 

Measure For Measure.

  

 

Early In The Afternoon Of The Same Day, A Man Whom We Recognize As The

Servant We Saw At The Governor's House, Entered A Building Which Stood

Not Far From The Margin Of The Bay. It Belonged To The Assistant

Spikeman, And It Was He Whom The Man Sought. The Assistant Was Found

Sitting Before His Ledger, Whose Pages Were Open, And Surrounded By

The Articles Of His Traffic, For He Was A Merchant, Largely Engaged In

The Purchase And Sale Of The Products Of The Country, From Which He

Had Drawn Substantial Gains. Quintals Of Dried Fish Were Piled Up In

One Part Of The Store-Room, In Another, Bundles Of Furs Procured From

The Indians, In A Third, Casks And Barrels Containing Spirituous

Liquors, And Elsewhere Were Stored Cloths Of Various Descriptions, And

Hardware, And Staves And Hoops, And, In Short, Almost Everything

Necessary To Prosecute A Trade Between The Old Country And The New.

  

 

The Assistant Raised His Head At The Noise Made By The Entrance Of The

Man, And Passing His Fingers Through The Short, Thick Red Hair That

Garnished His Head, Demanded, "What New Thing Bringest Thou, Ephraim?"

  

 

"There Has Been," Answered The Man, "Him Whom They Call The Knight Of

The Golden Melice, Though I Know Not What It Means, With The Governor

This Morning, And According To Your Wishes, I Have Come To Acquaint

You Therewith."

  

 

"Thou Hast Well Done, And Thy Zeal In The Service Of The Commonwealth

And Of The Congregation Merits And Shall Have Reward. What Passages

Passed Between Them?" 

 

 

"I Heard Only Part Of The Conversation, But Enough To Make Me Believe

That The Governor, At The Prayer Of The Strange Knight, Means To

Release The Soldier Philip Joy."

  

 

"Verily!" Exclaimed Spikeman. "Art Sure You Heard Aright? Rehearse To

Me What Was Said."

 

  

The Spy Employed By The Assistant To Be A Watch Upon The Conduct Of

Winthrop, Here Went Into A Detail Of His Discoveries, To All Which The

Other Listened With Fixed Attention.

 

  

When The Man Had Concluded His Narration, Which Was Interlarded With

Protestations Of Pious Zeal, The Assistant Said:

  

 

"I Do Commend Thee Greatly, Ephraim, For Thy Sagacity, And The

Promptitude Wherewith Thou Hast Made Me Acquainted With These Matters.

Not That Thou Or I Have Any More Interest In This Thing Than Other

Godly Men Who Have Fled From The Persecution Of The Priests Of Baal,

To Worship The God Of Our Fathers In The Wilderness According To The

Promptings Of Our Own Conscience, But It Doth Become Every One To Keep

His Lamp Trimmed And Burning, And To Watch, Lest The Lion Leap Into

The Fold. I Misdoubt Me Much, That This Same Sir Christopher Gardiner,

As He Calls Himself, Or This Knight Of The Golden Melice, As Some Have

It, Meaning Thereby, Doubtless, Malice, Is No Better Than Some

Emissary Of Satan, Unto Which Opinion His Interposing For This

Blaspheming Joy Doth Strongly Incline Me. Therefore, Good Ephraim,

Keep Thou Thine Eyes Upon Him, And Shouldest Thou Be The Instrument

Elected By Providence To Bring His Wicked Devices To Light, Great Will

Be Thy Praise And Reward."

  

 

Having Thus Spoken, Spikeman Waved His Hand And Turned Away, To

Intimate That The Conference Was At An End, But The Man Remained

Standing.

 

 

"Wherefore Do You Delay? You May Retire," Said Spikeman. "I Bethink Me

That But A Little Time Remains For Preparation For The AfternoonLecture."

  

 

"Is Not The Laborer Worthy Of His Hire?" Inquired Ephraim. "Shall They

Who Work In The Lord's Vineyard Receive No Wage?"

  

 

"My Mind Ran Not On The Perishable Riches Of This World," Answered The

Assistant, Pulling Out, With A Very Ill Grace, A Well Filled Leathern

Purse, And Taking From It A Silver Piece, Which He Offered To The

Servant, But The Fellow Had Caught Sight Of Gold, And Was Not So

Easily To Be Satisfied.

 

  

"Is Thy Servant A Dog?" He Demanded. "The Princely Governor Would Give

Me Gold For Information Of Less Value. 

 

 

"Take Two," Replied Spikeman, Holding Out Another, "And Be Content.

Reflect That You Are One Of The Congregation, And Have An Equal Part

In This Inheritance With Myself."

  

 

"I Think Not," Said Ephraim, Looking Around The Well-Filled

Store-House. "Is That A Proper Wage, Your Worship," He Added, Glancing

Disdainfully At The Money, "To Offer One, Who, On Your Account, Risks

The Slitting Of His Nose, And Cutting Off Of His Ears? Make The White

Yellow And It Will Not Be Too Much."

  

 

"Would That I Had The Treasures Of Ophir For Thy Sake," Exclaimed

Spikeman; "But I Am A Ruined Man If Thou Require So Much, Ephraim

Pike. But There, Take The Carolus, And Let It Be An Incentive To Godly

Action." 

 

 

Ephraim Received The Gold Piece, And His Features Relaxed Into

Something Like A Smile.

 

  

"Truly," Said He, "Did David, The Man After God's Heart, Speak By

Inspiration When He Declared--'Never Saw I The Righteous Forsaken, Or

His Seed Begging Bread.'" 

 

 

Spikeman Made No Reply, And The Man Having Attained His Object, And

Observing The Other's Desire To Be Rid Of Him, Withdrew.

 

  

The Countenance Of The Assistant Expressed Chagrin And Displeasure As

He Looked After The Retiring Form Of The Serving-Man; But Presently He

Buried His Face In His Hands, Leaning His Elbows On The Tall

Writing-Table That Stood Before Him. In This Attitude He Remained Some

Little Time, And When He Removed Them, The Expression Of His Face Was

Changed, And His Mind Evidently Filled With Other Thoughts. The Look

Of Vexation Had Been Succeeded By One It Is Difficult To Describe--A

Kind Of Smile Played Around His Lips, His Eyes Sparkled, His Color Was

Heightened, And A Slight Moisture Exuded From The Corners Of His

Mouth--He Was Uglier And More Repulsive Than Before. He Bent Over, And

On A Piece Of Paper Which Lay Before Him, Wrote With A Hand That

Trembled A Little--"How Fair And How Pleasant, Art Thou O Love, For

Delights." This Sentence He Scrawled Several Times, And Then Taking Up

The Piece Of Paper, He Tore It Into Small Fragments, And Scattered

Them On The Floor, After Which, Composing His Face Into An Austere

Seeming, He Placed His High Steeple-Crowned Hat On His Head, And,

Leaving The Building, Proceeded In The Direction Of His

Dwelling-House. As He Advanced Leisurely Along, He Soon Heard The

Sound Of A Drum Beaten Through The Streets, To Summon The People To

One Of Those Weekly Lectures, In Which Spiritual Instruction Was Not

Unfrequently Leavened With Worldly Wisdom And Directions For Political

Conduct.

  

 

Meetings For Religious Lecture, On Week Days, Were Exceedingly Common,

And Held In High Favor; Indeed, So Attractive Were They, That In The

Language Of An Old Historian, An Actor On The Spot--"Many Poor Persons

Would Usually Resort To Two Or Three In The Week, To The Great Neglect

Of Their Affairs And The Damage Of The Public." To These, The People

Were Summoned By Beat Of Drum, The Martial Roll Of Which Instrument

Called Them Also To Muster For Defence, Upon A Hostile Alarm, A

Different Tattoo Being Adopted For The Latter Purpose. An Attempt Was

At One Time Made By The Magistrates To Diminish The Frequency Of These

Meetings, As A Serious Inroad Upon The Industry Of The Colony; But The

Effort Was Resisted, And That Successfully, By The Elders, "Alleging

Their Tenderness Of The Church's Liberty, As If Such A Precedent Might

Enthrall Them To The Civil Power, And As If It Would Cast A Blemish

Upon The Elders, Which Would Remain To Posterity; That They Should

Need To Be Regulated By The Civil Magistrate, And Also Raise An Ill

Savor Of The People's Coldness, That Would Complain Of Much Preaching,

&C, Whereas Liberty For The Ordinances Was The Main End Professed Of

Our Coming Hither." They Were Social Beings, And Loved Stimulus Like

The Rest Of Mankind, And Had No Public Amusements. These Causes Are

Sufficient To Account For The Fondness For The Weekly Lecture; But If

To Them Be Superadded The Peculiarity Of Their Civil And Religious

Polity, Which Inculcated An Extraordinary Affection For Each Other As

God's Chosen People Destined To Communion, Not Here Only, But Forever;

And The Isolation Of Their Situation, Cutting Them Off From

Participation In The Stirring Events To Which They Had Been

Accustomed, We Should Wonder If They Had Not Met Frequently Together.

The Elders, Jealous Of Their Influence, Showed In This Instance, As

They Did In Others, A Knowledge Of Human Nature, Superior To That Of

The Magistrates, And The Latter Were Glad To Retreat From The Position

They Had Taken, "Lest The People Should Break Their Bonds Through

Abuse Of Liberty," If The Wholesome Restraint Exerted By The Elders,

By Means Of The Lectures, In Order To Retain The People In Subjection

To The Civil Power, Should Be Withdrawn.

  

 

As The Assistant Walked On, He Began To Meet Persons Coming Out Of

Their Houses, In Obedience To The Invitation. There Was The Staid

Citizen, Whose Sobriety Bordered On Sternness, With Hair Closely

Cropped To Avoid The "Unloveliness Of Love-Locks," Covered With A

Large Flapped Peaked Hat, And Arrayed In Broad White Band And

Sad-Colored Garments, On Whose Arm Leaned His Wife, Or Walked

Independently At His Side, Bearing On Her Head A Hat Of Similar Shape

To Her Husband's, Or Else Having It Protected With Hood, Or Cap, Or

Coif; A White Vandyke Neckerchief Falling Over The Shoulders, And

Rising High In The Neck; Long-Waisted Bodice Of Velvet Or Silk, Open

In Front, And Laced Down To A Point, On Which Was Placed A Rosette,

With Voluminous Fardingale Of Like Material, Gathered Up In Folds

Behind, And Supplying, Though With More Modesty And Less Bad Taste,

The Place Of The More Modern "Bishop," Now Happily Banished These

Regions. Behind Came The Sons And Daughters, Attired Like Their

Parents, And Imitating Them In Gravity Of Demeanor. There Were Also

Some Indented Apprentices And Serving Men And Serving Women, Whom

Either The Zeal Of Their Masters And Mistresses Required, Or Their Own

Tastes Or Ideas Of Duty Induced To Be Present, While Here And There,

At The Corners Of The Streets, Might Be Seen An Occasional Indian,

With Bow In Hand, Listening With Admiration To The Marvellous Music Of

The Blood-Stirring Instrument, And Gazing With Feelings Compounded Of

Fear And Envy At The Strange People Gathering Together To A Talk With

The Great Spirit.

  

 

The Assistant Spikeman, As He Passed The Wayfarers, Returned Their

Demure Salutations With Solemn Dignity, As Became One In High Station,

And In Whose Ears Was Sounding A Call To A Meeting Of The

Congregation. Thus Exchanging Greetings, He Proceeded To His House,

Where, Entering The Room Used By The Family As A Sitting Apartment, He

Hung Up His Hat And Took A Seat. But His Agitation Did Not Permit Him

To Remain Still, And Almost Immediately He Arose And Began To Pace The

Floor. Hearing Presently Advancing Footsteps, He Dropped Into A

Chair, And Leaning Back And Shutting His Eyes, Assumed An Expression

Of Pain And Lassitude. In A Moment The Door Of The Room Was Opened,

And A Comely Woman Of Middle Age Entered, Dressed For The "Meeting."

 

  

"Dear Heart," She Exclaimed, "Here Have Eveline And I Been Waiting For

Thee This Quarter Of An Hour. You Must Not, If You Are So Late,

Complain Of Me Hereafter, When The Lacet Of My Bodice Troubles Me, Or

The Plaits Of My Hair Refuse To Keep Their Place, And So I Delay Thee

Unreasonably, As Thou Sayest, Though It Is All To Honor Thee; For

Would It Not Be Unbeseeming For The Help-Meet Of A Worshipful

Assistant To Appear Like A Common Mechanic's Wife? But Art Thou Ill?"

She Added, Observing His Air Of Dejection, And Instantly Changing The

Tone That Had In It Something Of Reproach