The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 33, 2 September 1925, Page 3

The Storyteller

f (By Gkorgb Hbnbt Milbi.)

J CHAPTER Vlll—(Continued.) Some hours after nightfall, when - all the requisite precautions had been taken, Gilbert de Hers, unharmed, but worn out by the fatigues of the day, retired to his father's tent. He ,was alone, for the Lord of Hers was in council with the king. It was a sultry night ,in August, and, stripping off his armor, he threw himself upon a couch and gazed languidly but steadily at the flickering watch fires. He had been knighted on the field by the king, and had nobly worn his spurs, but his thoughts were evidently not running on his own prowess or the praises of his monarch. A listless calm had succeeded his late excitement. His meditations were rather rudely interrupted by the entrance of a man who dashed aside the curtains of his tent? and pressed the young noble's hand to his lips. \ "Humbert!" exclaimed the astonished youth, springing to his feet; and embracing his trusty follower, he .poured forth question upon question with such rapidity that Humbert did not even attempt a reply. When Gilbert had composed himself sufficiently, to listen, the gallant retainer began to relate all that had. occurred at the lordship of Stramen. Gilbert listened mute and breathless .until, informed of the Lady Margaret's safe arrival and princely reception ,at the fortress of Tubingen. Then, forgetting his rank in his joy- and gratitude, he threw his arms around his companion's neck, and forced into-his hands the chain of gold which had nearly proved fatal to. him- at the tournament. ' \, i ; T-••".'. "The morning after our arrival at Tubingen" resumed Humbert. "Yes* — go on!" said the youth, who not until then had reflected upon the danger of her position, even at Tubingen, and was eagerly drinking in the words of his companion. "The morning after our arrival we saw Henry's whole army drawn out in the plain. We were summoned to surrender. The whole court replied : ' A Montfort holds no parley with | a perjured J king and . false knight.' Instantly we were furiously assaulted on all sides. But the defences were complete and completely manned, and they fell back foiled at every point. For three, long days we held the barbican against their united efforts. On. the morning of the fourth they began to retire, and before sunset we were left without an enemy When I found that my services were ■no longer required, I determined to return to Hers, and then seek you here." "Had the Lady Margaret;; recovered from her fright afckd fatigue?" asked the youth. . "With the exception of a slight cough, brought<onj, I suppose, by the rain." Gilbert's next X question related to his ; paternal estate. v. • \~>. -'■/■'•'■' :v ;;''. -'V/;"''•'. '":' ; "The chapel stands uninjured," said Humbert. ... -- ;..*. - : .'\ ■

J The Truce of God W A TALE OF THE ELEVENTH CENTURY.

"And the castle?" ;V^> ' ''The Slackened walls alone remain 1" "We shall be avenged!" ; cried the young knight, drawing a deep breath. "How was the chapel preserved ?" ' ' -"Numbers of women and children had fled there for protection; and our good :'(] Father Herman, standing in the doorway, , " told the miscreants they must pass over his body. He would have fallen a victim to his . '- zeal, had not the Duke Godfrey de Bouillon interposed and driven back his soldiers with > '•; loud reproaches." ' "Where is Herman now?'?. , "Among 'his poor flock, who have lost almost all—endeavoring to procure them food ; and shelter, and exhorting them to patience and submission to the will of God." "How fared Stramen Castle?" "Even worse than your own." • , -'l-fiti "And the church?" continued Gilbert. "Was despoiled and fired." At this instant the curtain of the tent ; was parted again, and Father Gmehr stood before them. '' "■ v | When informed of > the fate of his church, the missionary calmly raised his eyes to heaven and repeated, in 'a' clear, steady voice, those sublime words: "The Lord has ■ : i-~ given and the Lord has taken away; bless- . '■•.; eel be the name of the Lord!" * v But when apprised of the position of his ! "~ parishioners, who must inevitably have per-' :" ished from the oldest to the youngest, the - old man bent his head upon his breast, and, pressing his hands to his face, wept bitterly. He soon recovered his habitual resignation, - and then, turning to Gilbert, said mourn- ' . • J fully: . . -. " • • - ,- | "Do you see, my son, that God is beginning to punish our feud." ' ~ •• : Immediately after his victory, -Rodolph , >1 despatched messengers to the Pope to give *d him the intelligence, and implore' him to . recognise the king in the' victor. . * " We" always approach with veneration and extreme diffidence the character of this mighty man. It is difficult, indeed, to form \ an adequate* idea of his moral grandeur. The hetter you study his views, the more :." you are astonished at his wisdom and fore-: r/ sight; the deeper your scrutiny of his mo- ; I tives, the higher your respect for his sanctity. His was an age of transition. The great question was still undecided: Shall liberty -or tyranny prevail—barbarism or* civilisation? This question depended upon the answer to another : Shall the Church of ; God be free or become the creature of tem- V poral power? Already William' the -Conqueror and Henry of Austria -were: trying ' to fetter the spouse of, Christ—already the gulf was opening.. that threatened spiritual Rome with destruction. Then it was that Gregory VII saved the Church as Curtius • saved the city; but while the pagan has been ■ < raised to the skies,*the Christian'- has been ■: "" 7 ' insulted and belied. r ■■ • "

Never can we sufficiently contemplate the -spectacle of one man contending against V'" - the" world P. Not a chieftain, at the head of ■''"-'^n- army, subduing; kingdom after ; kingdoni,; 1a»» a priest," without a carnal weapon, rebut a priest, without a carnal weapon, resisting -a continent combined/ at once to crush him, and finally vanquishing by his ' death. - Uninspired by ambition, assailed by every earthly motive, God alone could have directed, and God oidy" could have upheld him. The Emperor of Austria had sworn to depose him, the Italians promised to as- :/ sist his antagonist. With scarce a footing --: in Germany or Italy, cooped up on a barren peak, he wrestled with the haughty conqueror of England, humbled the pride of Nicephorus Botoriiates who had usurped from ' Michael Paripinasses the empire of the East, * and deposed Guibert, the guilty Bishop of Ravenna. Yet amid these cares, such as human : shoulders seldom knew before or since, he forgot riot the objects to which ho ~ had dedicated his life—the punishment of simony and- the preservation of ' ecclesiasti- " cal purity. It was in the attainment' of these, that" he arrayed kingdoms against him and died in exile at Salerno. Harassed and chained down as. he was, the councils . of Anse, Clermont, Dijon, Autun, Poictiers and Lyons were thundering against simony - / and incontinency. . . * It would be presumptuous to offer a word in defence of the conduct of such a man, ,; had not his actions been so grievously misstated, and his aims so ungenerously misinterpreted. It were- as well to point out the sun when the eye is dazzled by its brightness. "", '. - ■ ?v :'. Gregory received Rodolph's envoys with every mark of affection, but dismissed them, saying he could not comply with their request. The Pontiff's object was to keep • royalty within its legitimate sphere, not to - ;;; depose a particular king, and he wished to accomplish this with- as little bloodshed as possible. He saw clearly enough that to ; : declare for Rodolph would be to proclaim war to the knife. He also hoped that Henry - would have recourse to his mediation after ■ r ;/. his defeat. He was again disappointed. His very friends now began to desert him, upbraiding him with ingratitude and cold- ■{ _- j- ness. The Saxons addressed him several epistles in which they threatened to abandonhim. But less moved by their threats than . their entreaties, the Pontiff accused them of ;•' ./."weakness and insolence. There . was another. ;;.->-; reason sufficient to deter him from confirming the nomination of Rodolph, had none other ; . opposed.. it.;. AIL Italy, with , few exceptions, ~:_ espoused the cause of Henry, and waited • only the pontifical coronation of his rival, to rise in open rebellion. When. the history of the times is carefully, studied, it will be > confessed that the; Pope's refusal to accede /^ : to Rodolph's request was. dictated by : the !;„:; greatest wisdom, enlightened and purified ; by the greatest virtue arid forbearance. ■}-.- >..Still hoping to arrest the purple tide of ; civil war, .Gregory; despatched legate after ( 'jd legate to Henry, charging them to - omit \ no - lawful-means, to incline the monarch to ? ■:, \ peace, \ and induce ( him to abide; by the de T £ : ;:V, cisiori; of a diet which should; be convened to >•-'"'" judge between * him and - is i val .-•■.-- This was -

the pacific adjustmenti to; which the Pontiff looked. But Henry remained deaf to all these remonstrances, constantly declaring that the sword alone must decide. He was again at the head ; of a" powerful army, and burned to \ retrieve the * lustre of his arms. Rodolph, perceiving that another battle 'was inevitable, prepared - for it without delay.. Each king was now in quest of the other. They met near Fladenheim in Thuringia. As at Melrichstadt, the allied forces of -Su-/ abia and Saxony were drawn up in two divisions under Rodolph and Otto. The" former \ occupied a; steep hill on the bank of a deep stream, which separated 1 the combatants.■:.. Otto with his Saxons was stationed in the van arid was to sustain the attack, while the' division of Rodolph was to act as a reserve. It was a bitter cold day in January, and a thick mist had canopied the river. Under cover of this, Henry, by a retrograde movement, "gained the rear of his adversary. Rodolph, unconscious of this, was anxiously listening for the din of battle as the fog partially obscured his view. Gilbert had never seen the new king's noble brow so calm and unclouded—he had never seen his eye flash so proudly and joyously, or the same sweet, buoyant smile upon his lips. But as the hostile army filed out into the plain, and Rodolph found that the enemy he had expected in front was in"his rear, a deep frown for a moment dispelled his smiles. It was only for a moment. He saw that Henry was now between him and. Ctto. • ' % . "Ride to my noble Qtto," he said to Gilbert, who was at his side, "and bid him charge at once." -'** i ; Before Rodolph had altered his array, Gilbert brought back tho Saxon's answer: "Otto of Nordheim declines to abandon" the advantages of his position, and says he will not fail you, should you require his assistance." "It is well," said the king, frowning slightly; "he will not fail us." Then turning to Albert of Hers, he said, in a whisper: "Otto wishes the glory of deciding the day, as at Melrichstadt. Let us try that he may obtain the laurel of victory instead of the odium of defeat. Gentlemen!" he said, in a loud voioe, exchanging cheerful smiles with the Suabian nobles around him, "you have now an opportunity of meeting face to face the desolators of your country. Soldiers!": he said, mingling among- his troops, "there are : the Bohemians who butchered your wives and families As the whole body clamored for the signal to begin, Rodolph gave the : word, and the chivalry and yeomanry of Su- J abia swept rapidly down the hill. They were met at the base by the whole army of Henry. Still, nothing daunted,; Rodolph ? displayed l: his impetuous valor, the lords, of Hers and*" i Stramen rushed on the destroyers of their castles, and Gilbert and Henry fought side by side, each tryingr to outstrip the other. At this moment, as Rodolph was tugging at • his lance to draw it from a body of a knight. he. had pierced, it was seized by/Vratislaus, ) Duke of ..Bohemia: ;; As Vratislaus put forth all his strength to disarm his antagonist, ; Rodolph suddenly |yielded, up ; the weapon, * and as the duke staggered -back sprang upon him with his swords Timely -succor: alone saved the Bohemian. "„ ~

"He will be rewarded, for capturing my' 7 ' lance," said Rodolph calmly.^'HadfnoV his friends been so fleet, he might have had his § recompense in another world;" --? V -" ! •'■-. '": But the Suabians, opposed to three times their number, were beginning to retreat, '- when Otto or Nordheim, true to his word, emerged from the mist • and fell upon the enemy's flank. "Well done, thou Saxon eagle! 3 ' exclaimed ' Rodolph, eagerly, seeing the discomfited foe staggering before- this unexpected and vigor- J ous attack. "Henry of Stramen, ride to the duke, and tell him he has won the day." .■ "" Rodolph, ; surrounded by some of his barons, among whom were the lords of Hers. - and Stramen and Gilbert, was posted upon ;- a little knoll, watching the progress of the ' fight, when Henry returned with Otto's acknowledgments to the king. N . "Sire!" said Albert of Hers, riding up to the monarch, ?< your cunning rival there has "' profited by this mist, and I think we may now turn it to our account." "How?" asked the king. .. * 4% . "The enemy has left his camp in our rear, V —we may cross the river unperceived and M surprise it. Give me five hundred men, arid::'~.' I will not leave him as much as would satisfy 3 a peasant." ; ; , -; -• Redolph instantly acceded to the request,: and commanded the Baron of Stramen to ' assist in the enterprise. Though somewhat loath to unite v in any undertaking with his I sworn enemy, Sir Sandrit had learned t 0,. .: subdue his v personal prejudices for the wel- 7 L fare of Germany/And perhaps his desire to' •-. avenge his recent - wrongs overpowered his I aversion to the author of older injuries.' He •;• readily assented, and now, united for once, the rival clans of Hers and Stramen moved rapidly across the * ice on their chivalrous mission. By a well-executed movement they came unperceived upon the guard. No quarter was given there; scarce a hostile soldier W escaped. Sir Albert bade. his men spare not ■ the cowards whose swords were red with the' * blood of babes and mothers. Sir Sandrit, at:; the top of his voice, shouted, "RememberVthe castle !" Henry and Gilbert unrelentingly pursued the -.terror-stricken fugitives. When they returned to the captured camp, every article of luxury was gone. The vessels 11 of gold and silver, which the Patriarch of; ; Aquileia and many of the other nobles had brought to-grace; the revels of their king, were now in the hands of their rough victors, B who brandished the precious : goblets in the-, air, crying, "Death to the spoilers of Suabia !" The purple curtains, torn into shreds,§l were trailed in; the clotted gore. and dust. | -Before many minutes the pillage was as com- . plete ; as the surprise. r When nothing re-11 mained to slay or plunder, the barons gave 1 the signal to retreat, and they recrossed the 1 ice. Had they remained an instant longer, I Henry IV would have fallen into their hands; for hardly had they left, before the .'monarch, ffl flying ; from. the : battlefield, " conducted by% guide named Louis, entered his ruined camp. The battle was over when the detachment reached the scene of action. Folkmar, governor of Prague, had fallen, Henry had fled, and the Bohemians, were routed with prodigious slaughter. The fugitives rallied under *-/ •-".:..'•■:■■•■;';'•■ '■■'■■■■ ■'•:'i".'-''^'v vr; ""- v ■■~' K h\' i - T: f : r:'^ u -'-

the walls of, Wartburg. But they were speedily dispersed and pursued, until nightfall c them from further molestation.' - f | y The mist of Fladenheim is- clearing 3(pray,” said Rodolph, pointing to the setting / sun, which - now . broke r out v- in - unclouded / splendor, as the fog vanished before a strong north wind. - That day was like his life, most v- brilliant at its close! Otto now advanced, and the • two nionarchs embraced with mu- • tual affection - and esteem. Whatever rivalry there might be between them was forgotten in success. js;s Henry retired into Franconia and dismissed his army, and Rodolph again solicited the Pope to confirm his election. The news of these victories imparted some consolation to the" Lady Margaret’s breast, now torn with anxiety and solicitude/ Her grief was not lightened because her own mis- _ fortunes were avenged in Henry’s adversity, but because the chances of peace, were in- ■ creased by Rudolph’s success. She was now V. incapable of relishing revenge. The feudal antipathies so long nourished and so early instilled as to be almost a part of her existence, were: entirely eradicated. From the evening of her interview with Father Omehr, before the now ruined Church of the Nativity, she had dedicated her life to the extinguishment of the feud between the houses of Hers and Stramen. For this she had prayed, for- this she had toiled. But her labors were interrupted by the harsh music of war, by gong and tymbalon. What could she do now? Nothing. Northing? When she knelt before the altar at yJ; Tubingen before the sun had "risen, and the Countess of ; Mont fort felt as if she. had , given 'shelter to an angel, was she doing S nothing? When she lingered in the ora- : tory of our Blessed Mother long after the sun /"’had ’ set, and the menials passed by on tiptoe lest they should mar the celestial expression of her face, was she doing nothing ? There had come a deeper lustre still into the Lady Margaret’s eye, / and the blush on her cheek mingled not so / freely with the pure white in which it was cradled. Perhaps her head was not so erect ■ perhaps the line of the back had lost in .firmness what it gained in grace. Already the men and women of Montfort had learned to love and bless her, and as she passed ; v:among them serenely and silently, like a . spirit of light, and as they marked the ' strange transparency of her features, they would salute her.with a feeling in which awe /prevailed, arid, after thoughtfully-gazing at her awhile, transfer their glance to the skies. The : Lady of Montfort loved to hear the maiden sweetly singing the Salve Itegino, / .for. which Humbert had invented or selected ' a melody of singular beauty, but often, when the hymn was concluded, the countess’s cheeks would be bathed in tears, and she would fold the Lady Margaret in her arms, and gaze up earnestly into her face. > Gilbert ! Gilbert ! come read this face of / more than earthly beauty ! See if the words - that haunt you are chiselled there • . (To be continued.) • —_**_ .