惊婚记 英文版 Quentin Durward
瓦尔特.司各特 Sir Walter Scott
CHAPTER X: THE SENTINEL Page 2
"Treason, Sire! and in this guarded castle!" exclaimed Durward.
"You think it impossible," said the King, not offended, it wouldseem, by his frankness; "but our history has shown that treason cancreep into an auger hole. -- Treason excluded by guards! Oh, thousilly boy! -- quis custodiat ipsos custodes -- who shall excludethe treason of those very warders?"
"Their Scottish honour," answered Durward, boldly.
"True: most right: -- thou pleasest me," said the King, cheerfully;"the Scottish honour was ever true, and I trust it accordingly.But treason!" -- here he relapsed into his former gloomy mood, andtraversed the apartment with unequal steps -- "she sits at our feasts,she sparkles in our bowls, she wears the beard of our counsellors,the smiles of our courtiers, the crazy laugh of our jesters -- aboveall, she lies hid under the friendly air of a reconciled enemy.Louis of Orleans trusted John of Burgundy -- he was murdered inthe Rue Barbette. John of Burgundy trusted the faction of Orleans-- he was murdered on the bridge of Montereau. -- I will trust noone -- no one. Hark ye; I will keep my eye on that insolent Count;ay, and on the churchman too, whom I hold not too faithful. WhenI say, Ecosse, en avant (Forward, Scotland), shoot Crevecoeur deadon the spot."
"It is my duty," said Quentin, "your Majesty's life being endangered."
"Certainly -- I mean it no otherwise," said the King. "What shouldI get by slaying this insolent soldier? -- Were it the ConstableSaint Paul indeed" -- here he paused, as if he thought he had saida word too much, but resumed, laughing, "our brother-in-law, Jamesof Scotland -- your own James, Quentin -- poniarded the Douglaswhen on a hospitable visit, within his own royal castle of Skirling."
(Douglas: the allusion in the text is to the fate of James, Earl ofDouglas, who, upon the faith of a safe conduct, after several actsof rebellion, visited James the Second in the Castle of Stirling.The king stabbed Douglas, who received his mortal wound from SirPatrick Grey, one of the king's attendants.)
"Of Stirling," said Quentin, "and so please your Highness. -- Itwas a deed of which came little good."
"Stirling call you the castle?" said the King, overlooking thelatter part of Quentin's speech. "Well, let it be Stirling -- thename is nothing to the purpose. But I meditate no injury to thesemen -- none. -- It would serve me nothing. They may not purposeequally fair by me -- I rely on thy harquebuss."
"I shall be prompt at the signal," said Quentin; "but yet"
"You hesitate," said the King. "Speak out -- I give thee full leave.From such as thou art, hints may be caught that are right valuable."
"I would only presume to say," replied Quentin, "that your Majestyhaving occasion to distrust this Burgundian, I marvel that yousuffer him to approach so near your person, and that in privacy."
"Oh, content you, Sir Squire," said the King. "There are somedangers which when they are braved, disappear, and which yet, whenthere is an obvious and apparent dread of them displayed, becomecertain and inevitable. When I walk boldly up to a surly mastiff,and caress him, it is ten to one I soothe him to good temper; if Ishow fear of him, he flies on me and rends me. I will be thus farfrank with thee. -- It concerns me nearly that this man returnsnot to his headlong master in a resentful humour. I run my risk,therefore. I have never shunned to expose my life for the weal ofmy kingdom. Follow me."
Louis led his young Life Guardsman, for whom he seemed to have takena special favour, through the side door by which he had himselfentered, saying, as he showed it him, "He who would thrive at Courtmust know the private wickets and concealed staircases -- ay, andthe traps and pitfalls of the palace, as well as the principalentrances, folding doors, and portals."
After several turns and passages, the King entered a small vaultedroom, where a table was prepared for dinner with three covers. Thewhole furniture and arrangements of the room were plain almost tomeanness. A beauffet, or folding and movable cupboard, held a fewpieces of gold and silver plate, and was the only article in thechamber which had in the slightest degree the appearance of royalty.Behind this cupboard, and completely hidden by it, was the post whichLouis assigned to Quentin Durward; and after having ascertained,by going to different parts of the room, that he was invisiblefrom all quarters, he gave him his last charge: "Remember the word,Posse, en avant; and so soon as ever I utter these sounds, throwdown the screen -- spare not for cup or goblet, and be sure thoutake good aim at Crevecoeur -- if thy piece fail, cling to him,and use thy knife -- Oliver and I can deal with the Cardinal."
Having thus spoken, he whistled aloud, and summoned into theapartment Oliver, who was premier valet of the chamber as well asbarber, and who, in fact, performed all offices immediately connectedwith the King's person, and who now appeared, attended by two oldmen, who were the only assistants or waiters at the royal table. Sosoon as the King had taken his place, the visitors were admitted;and Quentin, though himself unseen, was so situated as to remarkall the particulars of the interview.
The King welcomed his visitors with a degree of cordiality whichQuentin had the utmost difficulty to reconcile with the directionswhich he had previously received, and the purpose for which he stoodbehind the beauffet with his deadly weapon in readiness. Not onlydid Louis appear totally free from apprehension of any kind, butone would have supposed that those visitors whom he had done thehigh honour to admit to his table were the very persons in whom hecould most unreservedly confide, and whom he was, most willing tohonour. Nothing could be more dignified, and, at the same time,more courteous than his demeanour. While all around him, includingeven his own dress, was far beneath the splendour which the pettyprinces of the kingdom displayed in their festivities, his ownlanguage and manners were those of a mighty Sovereign in his mostcondescending mood. Quentin was tempted to suppose, either that thewhole of his previous conversation with Louis had been a dream, orthat the dutiful demeanour of the Cardinal, and the frank, open,and gallant bearing of the Burgundian noble had entirely erasedthe King's suspicion.
But whilst the guests, in obedience to the King, were in the actof placing themselves at the table, his Majesty darted one keenglance on them, and then instantly directed his look to Quentin'spost. This was done in an instant; but the glance conveyed so muchdoubt and hatred towards his guests, such a peremptory injunctionon Quentin to be watchful in attendance, and prompt in execution,that no room was left for doubting that the sentiments of Louiscontinued unaltered, and his apprehensions unabated. He was,therefore, more than ever astonished at the deep veil under whichthat Monarch was able to conceal the movements of his jealousdisposition.
Appearing to have entirely forgotten the language which Crevecoeurhad held towards him in the face of his Court, the King conversedwith him of old times, of events which had occurred during his ownexile in the territories of Burgundy, and inquired respecting allthe nobles with whom he had been then familiar, as if that periodhad indeed been the happiest of his life, and as if he retainedtowards all who had contributed to soften the term of his exile,the kindest and most grateful sentiments.
"To an ambassador of another nation," he said, "I would havethrown something of state into our reception; but to an old friend,who often shared my board at the Castle of Genappes (during hisresidence in Burgundy, in his father's lifetime, Genappes was theusual abode of Louis. . . . S.), I wished to show myself, as I lovebest to live, old Louis of Valois, as simple and plain as any ofhis Parisian badauds (idlers). But I directed them to make somebetter cheer than ordinary for you, Sir Count, for I know yourBurgundian proverb, 'Mieux vault bon repas que bel habit' (a goodmeal is better than a beautiful coat. (Present spelling is vaut.));and therefore I bid them have some care of our table. For our wine,you know well it is the subject of an old emulation betwixt Franceand Burgundy, which we will presently reconcile; for I will drinkto you in Burgundy, and you, Sir Count, shall pledge me in Champagne.-- Here, Oliver, let me have a cup of Vin d'Auxerre;" and he hummedgaily a song then well known,
"Auxerre est le boisson des Rois."
(Auxerre wine is the beverage of kings)
"Here, Sir Count, I drink to the health of the noble Duke of Burgundy,our kind and loving cousin. -- Oliver, replenish yon golden cupwith Vin de Rheims, and give it to the Count on your knee -- herepresents our loving brother. -- My Lord Cardinal, we will ourselffill your cup."
of Orleans trusted John of Burgundy -- he was murdered inthe Rue Barbette. John?
"You have already, Sire, even to overflowing," said the Cardinal,with the lowly mien of a favourite towards an indulgent master.
"Because we know that your Eminence can carry it with a steadyhand," said Louis. "But which side do you espouse in the greatcontroversy, Sillery or Auxerre -- France or Burgundy?"
"I will stand neutral, Sire," said the Cardinal, "and replenish mycup with Auvernat."
"A neutral has a perilous part to sustain," said the King; but as heobserved the Cardinal colour somewhat, he glided from the subjectand added, "But you prefer the Auvernat, because it is so noblea wine it endures not water. -- You, Sir Count, hesitate to emptyyour cup. I trust you have found no national bitterness at thebottom."
traps and pitfalls of the palace, as well as the principalentrances, folding doors, and portals.
"I would, Sire," said the Count de Crevecoeur, "that all nationalquarrels could be as pleasantly ended as the rivalry betwixt ourvineyards."
"With time, Sir Count," answered the King, "with time -- such timeas you have taken to your draught of Champagne. -- And now that itis finished, favour me by putting the goblet in your bosom, andkeeping it as a pledge of our regard. It is not to every one that wewould part with it. It belonged of yore to that terror of France,Henry V of England, and was taken when Rouen was reduced, and thoseislanders expelled from Normandy by the joint arms of France andBurgundy. It cannot be better bestowed than on a noble and valiantBurgundian, who well knows that on the union of these two nationsdepends the continuance of the freedom of the continent from theEnglish yoke."
The Count made a suitable answer, and Louis gave unrestrained wayto the satirical gaiety of disposition which sometimes enlivenedthe darker shades of his character. Leading, of course, theconversation, his remarks, always shrewd and caustic, and oftenactually witty, were seldom good natured, and the anecdotes withwhich he illustrated them were often more humorous than delicate;but in no one word, syllable, or letter did he betray the state ofmind of one who, apprehensive of assassination, hath in his apartmentan armed soldier with his piece loaded, in order to prevent oranticipate an attack on his person.
The Count de Crevecoeur gave frankly in to the King's humour (thenature of Louis XI's coarse humour may be guessed at by those whohave perused the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles, which are grosser thanmost similar collections of the age. S.); while the smooth churchmanlaughed at every jest and enhanced every ludicrous idea, withoutexhibiting any shame at expressions which made the rustic youngScot blush even in his place of concealment. In about an hour anda half the tables were drawn; and the King, taking courteous leaveof his guests, gave the signal that it was his desire to be alone.
So soon as all, even Oliver, had retired, he called Quentin fromhis place of concealment; but with a voice so faint, that the youthcould scarcely believe it to be the same which had so lately givenanimation to the jest, and zest to the tale. As he approached, he sawan equal change in his countenance. The light of assumed vivacityhad left the King's eyes, the smile had deserted his face, andhe exhibited all the fatigue of a celebrated actor, when he hasfinished the exhausting representation of some favourite character,in which, while upon the stage, he had displayed the utmost vivacity.
"Thy watch is not yet over," said he to Quentin; "refresh thyselffor an instant -- yonder table affords the means; I will theninstruct thee in thy farther duty. Meanwhile it is ill talkingbetween a full man and a fasting."
He threw himself back on his seat, covered his brow with his hand,and was silent.