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

Voice And Intellectual

Cultivation, Failed Not To Exert Their Wonted Fascination Over One So

Likely To Be Influenced By Exactly Such Qualities And Acquirements As

Bradford, And, Indeed, Nowhere Were They Calculated To Exercise So

Great A Power As In A Country Where They Were Uncommon.

 

 

 The Two Gentlemen Had Met Before, But The Interview Had Never Ripened

Into Acquaintance; And Now, That Fortune Had Thrown Them Together In

Relations Which Might Seem None Of The Most Agreeable, But Which The

Kindness Of The One And The Polish Of The Other Hid In Flowers, It

Appeared As If They Were Welcome To Both.

 

 

 "We Have Become Acquainted Under Singular Circumstances, Sir

Christopher," Said Bradford, A Day Or Two After The Knight Came To

Plymouth; "And, Although Wishing They Were Somewhat Different, I Can

Scarcely Regret The Providence Which Has Brought So Every Way

Accomplished A Gentleman To Honor My Roof. Your Mind, Wonderfully

Imbued With The Gentler Humanities, Sweetly Accords With Mine Own, And

When You Are Gone I Shall Look Back With Refreshment And A Sad Longing

To Our Thoughtful Conferences. Never Have The Strains Of The Divine

Harper Of Israel, Whether Exulting In The Favor Of Jehovah Or

Sorrowing For Sin, So Affected My Spirit As When Read By You In The

Original Speech Of Eden."

  

 

"For Your Kind Expressions, Right Worshipful Sir," Answered The

Knight, "And The Delicate Attentions Which Make My Imprisonment Sweet,

Receive My Unforgetting Gratitude. I, Too, Whatever Unjust Suspicion

May Inflict, Will Revert To These Our Religious And Philosophic Hours,

Wherein We Discussed Questions Nobler Than Those Which, In The Shades

Of Tusculum, Engaged The Minds Of The Great Roman Orator And Of His

Friends, With A Satisfaction Which Shall Not Run Out With The Sands In

The Hour-Glass Of Time."

  

 

"If Outraged, By I Scarcely Know What Wild Reports, For The Moment,"

Replied Bradford, "I Entreat You To Forgive It, And To Believe Me That

I Believe Them Not. Remember That David Fled Before His Enemies, Yet

The Lord Delivered Him And Brought Him To Great Honor."

 

 

 "I Am Not Worthy To Be Joined In Thought With The Shepherd King, Who,

To The Ringing Strings Of The Harp, Warbled Inspiration," Said The

Knight. "Yet, Noble Sir, Do I Accept Your Words Of Cheer, And They

Shall Be A Buoy To Bear Me Up As I Cross This Tempestuous Jordan. When

Is It Your Purpose That I Should Depart? Accompany You Me, Or Go I

Melancholy, Alone?"

  

 

"As For The First Question, You Shall Remain At Your Pleasure, Or

Until Governor Winthrop Requires Your Presence; As For The Latter,

Though Unable To Leave Home At Present, I Hope Shortly To Be At

Leisure. Thus Generally Can I Answer, But Present Or Absent, My Best

Wishes Shall Attend You."

  

 

The Above Conversation Is Sufficient To Give An Idea Of The Relation

Of The Governor And Knight To One Another, And Of The Feelings Of

Both. In Truth, The Enjoyment Of Sir Christopher Was Almost As Great

As Bradford's, And Neither Manifested Any Desire To Shorten Their

Intercourse. Every Leisure Moment Devoted The Plymouth Governor To His

Agreeable Companion--Their Conversations Turning More On Questions Of

Literature Than On Political Matters. These Latter, The Knight

Avoided, Seeking Thereby To Impress The Other With The Opinion, That

He Felt But Little Interest In Them.

  

 

In This Manner Passed The Time, Until One Morning The Governor

Announced That Messengers Had Arrived From Winthrop, Commissioned To

Wait On Sir Christopher To His Presence.

 

  

"I Grieve," Said Bradford, "That I Cannot Go With You. Matters Of

Instant Importance Demand My Presence Here, But So Far As Friendly

Words In A Letter May Avail They Shall Not Be Wanting. May It Please

You To Be Ready At Your Convenience, And Meanwhile I Will Prepare My

Epistle."

  

 

At The Time Appointed, Four Armed Men Appeared At The Governor's House

To Receive The Prisoner. To Them Sir Christopher Was Delivered By

Bradford, Who, At The Same Time, Handed Them A Letter For Winthrop.

 

  

Upon The Departure Of One Whose Presence Had Imparted So Much

Pleasure; From Whom No Unguarded Word Of Censure Or Impatience Had

Escaped, And Who Had Revealed A Mind Adorned With Such Rich Stores Of

Culture, The Scholastic Bradford Sought His Study, A Small Room, Or

Closet, Well Supplied With Books, To Meditate On What Had Happened And

To Pursue His Studies. Absorbed In His Books, Hours Passed Away

Unheeded, And He Remarked Not The Opening Of The Door And Entrance Of

A Serving-Man, Who, Seeing His Master Engaged, Waited Respectfully

Until He Should Be Noticed. At Length Bradford Looked Up And Demanded

His Business. 

 

 

"This," Said The Man, "Was Found In The Chamber Of Sir Christopher

Gardiner." So Saying, He Handed To The Governor A Small Leathern

Pocket-Book, Such As Were Used For Making Memoranda, And Withdrew.

  

 

Bradford, On Being Left Alone, Turned The Book Several Times In His

Hand With A Doubting Air, Then Placing It At A Little Distance Before

Him, Leaned His Head On His Elbow, And Began To Muse.

 

  

"_Publico Utilitati Cedet Jus Privatum_," He Said At Last Aloud, And

Opened The Book. He Had Hardly Glanced His Eyes At The Page, When They

Lighted Up, And He Seemed To Read With Intense Interest.

 

  

"Ha!" He Exclaimed, After Reading Through Several Leaves: "Was Ever

Man Worse Deceived? Here Have I Been Harboring In My House And Taking

To My Bosom A Concealed Papist, As This Writing Sufficiently

Discloses. Nor Yet A Born Papist Either, Laboring Under A Delusion

Sucked In With Mother's Milk, But A Recreant Protestant, A Voluntary

Seeker After Error; For Here Are Written Down The Memorial Of His

Shame, The Very Time And Place Where And When He Struck Hands With

Anti-Christ, The Name Of The University Where He Assumed The Scapula,

As The Blinded Errorists Call Two Woollen Bands, The One Crossing The

Breast And The Other The Back, One Of Those Ridiculous Mummeries

Whereby, With Other Devices And Unseemly Grimaces, They Have Contrived

To Bring The Cross Itself Of The Redeemer Into Disrespect, And The

Degrees In Superstition Taken By This Wretched Backslider. Woe Is Me!

How Can The Arch-Deceiver Assume The Form Of An Angel Of Light! Yet Is

Here No Name Written. The Memorandum May Refer To Some-One Else. But

That Cannot Be. Himself Is Meant. Why Should He Carry About With Him A

Note Of This Kind Respecting Another? This Betrayer Of Treachery, This

Touchstone Of Truth, Shall Off Forthwith To Winthrop, And Be The

Antidote To The Bane Of My Letter."

  

 

Thus Murmured Governor Bradford, Grieved As Well As Vexed At The

Deceit, As He Supposed It To Be. With A Rapid Hand, He Wrote An

Account Of His Discovery, And Entrusting It, With The Note-Book, To A

Messenger, Commanded Him To Hasten After The Soldiers From Governor

Winthrop, And Deliver To Them The Package.

 

Chapter XXXV (Nought Is On Earth More Sacred Or Divine, That Gods And Men Do Equally Adore, Than This Same Virtue That Doth Right Define, For Th' Heavens Themselves, Whence Mortal Men Implore, Right In Their Wrongs, Are Ruled By Righteo

 

 

 

 Spenser's Faery Queen.

 

   

It Was With Some Embarrassment That Governor Winthrop Received His

Prisoner, Though None Was Manifested In The Mien Of Sir Christopher.

On The Contrary, His Manner Indicated Conscious Innocence, And Just

That Degree Of Resentment Which A Well-Balanced Mind And Good Temper

Might Be Expected To Exhibit Under The Circumstances. If There Was Any

Change In His Bearing, He Was A Trifle Haughtier, As Presuming On His

Rank--A Trait Never Noticed In Him Before, And It Showed Itself By His

Speaking First, Without Waiting To Be Addressed, The Moment He Entered

The Presence Of The Governor.

 

 

 "By What Authority," He Demanded With Some Sternness, "Is It, That I,

A Free-Born Englishman, Innocent Of Crime, Have A Price Set On My

Head, And Am Hunted By Savages Bribed For That Purpose?"

  

 

Before Making A Reply, The Governor Intimated His Desire To Be Left

Alone With The Knight, Whereupon Those Present Retired.

 

  

"You Inquire By What Authority You Are Arrested," Said Winthrop. "I

Answer, By That Authority Vested In Me By Charter, As The Ruler Of A

State; By Common Law, And By Common Sense. The Question Is Not Asked

By One With The Endowments Of Sir Christopher Gardiner Because He Is

Ignorant, But For Some Other Reason."

  

 

"Is It In Humanity," Returned The Knight, "Not To Be Annoyed At The

Outrage? How Bitterly," He Added, Looking Sorrowfully At Winthrop, "Is

The Pain Of The Wound Aggravated By The Knowledge From Whose Quiver

Flew The Arrow!"

 

 

 "I May Not Choose Between My Duty And My Inclination," Responded The

Governor. "I Were, Otherwise, More Unworthy Than I Am Of The Awfully

Responsible Station Which Providence Hath Assigned Me. It Shall Never

Be Said That, Through Favor Or Other Motive, I Buried The One Talent

Committed To My Keeping."

 

 

 "I Dared Not, At My Entrance," Replied The Knight, Who Strove To Make

His Tone And Demeanor Conciliatory, "Entertain The Thought That A

Friendly Feeling Toward Me Lurked In His Bosom, By Whose Mandate My

Helpless Household Has Been Invaded In The Night And Made Prisoners,

And My House Turned Into A Heap Of Ashes."

  

 

"It Was By No Order Of Mine," Said Winthrop, Hastily, "That The House

Was Burned, And I Lament Its Destruction As Deeply As Yourself. How It

Caught Fire, Is To Me Unknown; But If By The Act Of Our People And Not

Of The Savages, Ample Recompense Shall Be Made."

 

 

 "How Shall That Be Determined? But I Will Not Waste My Words

Thereupon. The Loss Of My House And Other Property Is Insignificant,

Compared With The Cruel Wrong Done The Lady Geraldine And The Dishonor

To My Name."

 

 

"She, Whom You Call The Lady Geraldine, Has Been Treated With All

Courtesy; And, Considering What, In The Judgment Of The Council, Has

Been Proved Against Her, With More Than She Is Entitled To. For

Yourself, Every Opportunity Shall Be Granted To Clear Off The Clouds

Of Suspicion Hovering Over You."

 

  

"Only A Clear Field And No Favor Do I Desire For Myself; But For The

Persecuted Lady, My Cousin, I Pledge You My Knightly Word That Any

Charges Reflecting Upon Her Character As A Virtuous And Godly Lady,

Are Infamous And False. You Perceive, Right Worshipful Sir, That I Do

Not Pretend To Be Ignorant Of The Accusations Which Inventive Malice,

Hatched Out Of What Cockatrice Egg I Know Not, Has Brought Against My

Suffering Cousin, But I Pronounce Them, Again, Alike Dastardly And

Without Truth."

 

  

"If So, She Is, Indeed, Greatly Wronged, Though Partly Responsible

Herself Therefor, As Having Confessed The Same."

 

  

"Then Have Strange Means Been Employed To Make Her Acknowledge A Lie,"

Said The Knight, Warmly, "For Any Such Confession Were Utterly Untrue.

I Have Heard Of Wretches, Who, Upon The Rack, In Order To Escape Its

Intolerable Agonies, Have Accused Themselves Of All Sorts Of Crimes Of

Which They Were Innocent. Is This The Way You Have Abused My

Relative?"

 

 

"Sir Christopher," Answered Winthrop, Mildly, "You Know As Well As I

That Such Practices Are Alien To The Spirit Of British Law And Unused

By Us. Touching This Unhappy Female, I Think It Meet To Say No More At

Present, But Will Wish You Success In The Vindication Of Yourself."

  

 

"For Myself," Replied The Knight, "I Care Little. The Character Of A

Man Is Like A Garment, Which, When Soiled, May Be Washed And Restored

To A Likeness Of Its Pristine Beauty; That Of A Woman Resembles White

Paper, Whereupon If A Drop Of Blood Has Ever Fallen, It May Never Be

Erased. But What Are The Accusations Devised Against Me?"

  

 

"Sir Christopher," Answered Winthrop, With Some Hesitation, "It Were

Hardly Orderly To Communicate Them To You Now. Before The Council,

Perhaps, Should You Hear Them First. And Yet See I No Reason Why, In

Harmony With The Merciful Spirit Of Our Law, They Should Not Be

Disclosed. We Desire To Overpower No Man By Surprise, Or To Deprive

Truth Of A Single Aid. You Shall Know."

  

 

Here Winthrop Entered Into The Particulars, Which It Is, We Trust,

Unnecessary To Set Down, As The Reader Is Supposed To Be Already

Informed Of Them.