Cedric, the Forester Part 20

At this, still louder shouts burst forth, especially from the younger men; and some did loudly call Sir Cedric's name, insisting that he serve. When partial silence came once more, the Marshal brought all question to an end by announcing all the names of the group and ending with that of Cedric De La Roche. Then, it being near the supper hour, the company broke up amid cheering and noisy overthrow of benches and the clamor of many voices in eager talk of the day's events.

The meeting next day of the group that should do the writing of the scroll was scarcely better than that of the whole a.s.sembly. Esmond and De Longville disputed long and loud over exemption from the tax levied for the French war; and some suggestions that we others made for the Kingdom's better ordering went all unheeded in the din. The Abbot, smiling and crafty as always, patiently awaited the time, so sure to come, when noise and clamor should exhaust itself, and his own smooth-spoken counsel should prevail. He had with him a copy of the old charter of the First Henry; and Cedric a draft of some of the laws of Edward the Confessor which he believed should be included. At last, when 'twas seen that we made no headway, my own voice was for a moment listened to; and 'twas agreed that our two scholars, the Abbot and Cedric De La Roche, should work together, making from the ancient laws and grants, with such additions as were found needful, the articles we should put before the King.

With all my comradely thought for Cedric, I could but smile as I thought of the task that now confronted him. I knew well that he had certain cherished plans with regard to these articles whereby he hoped to gain for the commons some of the privileges and immunities which he regarded as the natural rights of freeborn men. Often and often he had declaimed to me of these things, and with such eloquence and conviction as well nigh made me a convert to his party-if that could be called a party which had no leaders and no program and scarce a voice save his own. The commons knew no other way of protest against the wrongs they suffered than such violent and fruitless revolts as that of the churls of De Lancey Manor, with mayhap the killing of a tyrannous n.o.ble and the later hunting down and hanging of the leaders of the mob. Cedric had for years maintained that their natural rights should be a.s.sured to them by charter and not left to the caprice of some careless or greedy overlord.

But the Abbot of Moberley was allied by blood and by early training to powerful Norman families; and 'twas likely that he had but little sympathy with any such ideas. Handsome, learned and eloquent, he was accustomed to win his way among rough and heavy-handed lords and barons and the little better schooled officials of the royal courts by the skill and grace of his address, and yet more, if all rumors were true, by a readiness to shift his allegiance to any cause in accordance with circ.u.mstance and his own prevailing interest. In truth, he had been bred for the law as much as for the Church; and his great services to his order, which had been amply rewarded with power and place, were those performed in court or council rather than in church or monastery.

At this very time, Lord Geoffrey of Carleton, Cedric and I had reason to suspect the Abbot of secret communications with the Archbishop, who was still nominally of the King's party, and who would perhaps have much to do with the final shaping of our articles if ever we should force the King to consent to their sealing. 'Twas evident that the rights of churchmen would not be overlooked in the final treaty; and, although this too had our approval, we were the more determined that those of other estates should also be well guarded.

On the morrow, nevertheless, it seemed certain that this co-working of two such diverse men would be effective, and that we would soon be prepared to take before the a.s.semblage of leaders the completed scroll.

The Abbot and Cedric De La Roche came late to our meeting, and still debating hotly on the way; but they brought a list of articles they had most cunningly devised for the remedy of the ills of which we most loudly complained. The Abbot read them to us clearly and with most just accent, like the learned speaker that he is; and I think the two old northern lords were mightily impressed with the power and worth of words so skillfully marshalled. When he had finished we might have then and there adopted the articles and ended our labors. But at the end of his reading, the Abbot said:

"My lords, I wish to testify that from Sir Cedric De La Roche I have received most welcome a.s.sistance in the drawing of this scroll, both in the reading of the ancient laws and charters and in the devising of new provisions toward the wise and just ordering of the Kingdom.

Nevertheless, upon some minor points we have not yet agreed; and upon these he wishes to address you."

Sir Cedric rose to his feet, and for a moment looked from one to the other of our company. His fine and open countenance and clear blue eyes and the martial squareness of his broad shoulders would have won him high regard in any great a.s.sembly. It seemed to me at that moment that the youth whom I had first known as a forester of Pelham and whom I had seen rise to knightly dignities, well deserved, was at the summit of his career when those whose decisions were weighty in the affairs of our time awaited his words on a matter of such moment. Baron De Longville was looking at Cedric with no unfriendly eye; but the Lord of Esmond, who had wished to adopt the articles at once, frowned with impatience at the end of the Abbot's speech, and now gazed moodily at the floor.

"My lords," began Cedric clearly, "we have as the twentieth of these articles-'Let no Sheriff or Bailiff of the King take horses or carts of any free man for doing carriage except with his own consent.' Upon the next page we have the provision-'Let not the body of a baron, knight or other n.o.ble person be taken, or imprisoned or disseized, or outlawed or banished, or in any way destroyed, nor let the King go or send upon him by force, except by the judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.' These things are just and right, but to my thinking they go not far enough. Why should we not deserve the good wishes for the triumph of our cause and the strong right arms not only of the baronage but of all the freemen of England? Why should not these provisions be altered to guard their rights also?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: _SIR CEDRIC ROSE TO HIS FEET AND FOR A MOMENT LOOKED FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF OUR COMPANY_]

Lord Esmond raised his head and gazed sharply at Cedric's face.

"And how would'st _thou_ amend them," he growled.

"I would say, in the first instance, 'Let no Sheriff or Bailiff of the King _nor any other person_ take horses or carts of any free man for doing carriage except with his own consent.' And in the second, would have the words _a free man_ in place of _baron, knight or other n.o.ble person_, so that it would read: 'Let not the body of a free man be taken or imprisoned or disseized, or outlawed'-and the rest."

"Mayhap these churls have made thee their spokesman," sneered Esmond.

"Nay," replied Cedric, "I speak for no party, whether high or low, but for the common good of England."

Lord Esmond turned with sour and vinegary look first to De Longville, then to the Abbot.

"What did I say in the a.s.sembly? This man hath no conception of the rights of our order. All his concern is for churls and clowns."

Cedric grew very red, and his hand went to his sword hilt. I sprang up to address our chief, De Longville, and placed myself between the Knight of Grimsby and the fiery old lord from the North.

"My lords," I cried, "we gain nothing by arguments that speedily pa.s.s into brawls. Come, let us vote upon these provisions. 'Tis the rightful way. To-morrow, or the next day at the furthest, we must take our report to the a.s.sembly; and we should come to agreement."

"'Tis so," replied De Longville, "we waste our time in bickering. Come Esmond, what say'st thou as to these amendments?"

"I say _nay_," shouted Esmond. "Let the articles even stand as they were."

"And thou, Most Reverend Abbot?"

"I say _nay_," replied the churchman quietly.

"And thou, Mountjoy?"

"Aye," I answered loudly. "These changes seem to me to take naught from us and to be well conceived to gain us many friends."

"De La Roche?"

"Aye."

De Longville gazed first at the floor beneath his feet then at the ceiling overhead and bent his brows in a painful frown. At length he said:

"It seems I have the casting vote. I see little use in these changes, save to pamper churls and thralls that too often already raise their heads with complaints and demands. Some of them verily believe they might govern the land as well as their betters. 'Tis a dangerous tendency that must be checked. I say _nay_ also."

Lord Esmond turned toward Cedric with a smile of triumph; and my heart became as lead to think of his defeat. But the Knight of Grimsby was instantly on his feet again with a new proposal, which to my amaze he uttered with a broad and pleasant smile on his face, such as he might have worn had his amendings been received with utmost acclaim.

"Has the thought come to you, my lords, that in this scroll, thus far, we have made no provision for the enforcement of our demands? We deal with a strong and crafty monarch. Even if he place his seal upon our demands, what surety have we that he will adhere to them after our levies have been dispersed? He will then be stronger than any one or two or three of us. How shall we ensure his adherence to the treaty?"

The rest of us gazed at one another in silence. This was a new thought, it seemed, to our whole a.s.sembly; and none could deny the seriousness of the question. At last De Longville spoke again:

"And hast thou, Grimsby, given thought to this so that thou canst now produce a remedy?"

"Not on the instant, my lord; but in the main my thought is this: In this instrument itself must be provision for its enforcement. The King must agree that a body of ten or a score or more of us shall be named by ourselves; and that these shall be responsible to see that the charter be not impaired or overridden. In another night I can form the language to carry this provision into our articles."

Then the Abbot spoke, suggesting that Sir Cedric be instructed to do this; and finally, on motion of mine, the articles were back referred to Cedric and the Abbot with instruction to bring to our meeting, at two o'

the clock on the following day, a fair and perfect copy that we might adopt and place before the a.s.sembled leaders.

'Twas then high noon. As we left the Council Hall, Sir Cedric took me by the arm and insisted that I come to his inn for the midday meal. There was in his inviting a special urgency and a look in his eyes from which I who knew him so well of old instantly gained the knowledge that this was no ordinary matter of courtesy but something of vastly greater moment. So I easily suffered myself to be led toward his quarters; and soon we were seated at a board that was graced with a goodly roast and all other due refreshment.

When we had something satisfied our hunger, and the old serving man who waited on us had departed, Cedric bent toward me across the board to say:

"What sayest thou, Sir Richard, to a ride of a dozen leagues or so and a little adventure whereby, if Fortune favors, we may do our cause full loyal service?"

"With all my heart!" I cried, "whither shall we ride, and on what errand?"

'Twas two months and more since we had seen activity; and this dull life of the camp and the town was little to my liking. Sir Hubert Gillespie had lately struck a blow for the King by the surprise and capture of two strong castles in the Midlands that we had thought safely in our hands, while we with our brave array at Stamford consumed the days and our dwindling substance in idleness.

"'Tis one that's something dangerous, forsooth," replied my friend, "and I doubt much whether our elderly and prudent leaders would approve it."

"Say no more, for Mountjoy is with thee to the hilt. What followers shall I bring, and with what arms?"

"A dozen l.u.s.ty swordsmen-men still young and light on the feet and with heads to understand a stratagem. d.i.c.kon and John o' the Wallfield and Elbert the Smith are the right sort. See that every man wears beneath his outer garment a coat of linked mail and carries a sword no longer than his arm. Within the hour I will meet thee at the beech wood thou knowest to the south of the town; and will bring a like number of the men of Grimsby. We shall ride hard and far; so look to it, I pray thee, that thy men be well mounted. We may have cause for speed on the homeward road."

An hour later, with four and twenty proper men, Cedric and I rode out of the beech wood, and took the high road toward the south, where, but five or six leagues away, the castles and most of the towns were still in the hands of the King's mercenaries. I knew full well that the quest on which we were embarked was one that meant our cause's advancement, and would have willingly trusted Cedric for the rest; but now we drew ahead of our hors.e.m.e.n, and he explained full clearly his design. 'Twas such a plan as only Cedric would have formed, and its outcome in truth, exceeding dubious; but we were comrades of old in many a venture that would have been refused by prudent men; and now he had no labor in convincing me that this was worth the trial.

After an hour's riding, we came to a thick wood, and turned aside in this into a little glade where we halted to rest our mounts and to bring about a most surprising change in our appareling. At a word from Cedric, each of the Grimsby men proceeded to withdraw from his saddle bags some garments which, being unfolded, appeared as the long gray cloaks and hoods of palmers. Each, it seemed, had brought a costume for himself and for one of the Mountjoy men; and now, in less time than the telling takes, we had all laid aside among the bracken any headwear or other dress that might not properly consort with these, and stood forth as a body of pilgrims in the dress that marked those who had accomplished the toilsome journey to the Holy Land. Soon we were on the road again, and, save for now and again the rattle of a sword hilt or a robust, laughing word, might not have been distinguished from a cavalcade of devout returning pilgrims such as were not uncommon on our roads.

Without mishap we pursued our way into a region where all the points of vantage were held by our enemies; and where armed parties, far too strong for our gainsaying, patrolled the roads or watched them from the hilltops. In the late afternoon we came within sight of the Castle of Moberley which was held for the King by Sir John Champney with a hundred lances and six score cross-bowmen.

On the left, and but half a mile from the castle, lay the Abbey where William De Bellair, favorite of the King, renegade cleric and forsworn Crusader, held usurping sway over the monks and lay brethren and the fields and vineyards that had been the rightful domain of our a.s.sociate at Stamford whom we still greeted as the Abbot of Moberley.

At a like distance from Moberley Castle was a fork in the road just beyond a timbered bridge o'er a stream. There the left-hand track led to the Abbey and that on the right went straight to the castle gates. At the full trot we took the former turning, and soon were calling for admittance at the Abbey doors.

This, to a devoted band of pilgrims, was not long denied. The gates were thrown ajar, and, leaving two trusty fellows to care for the horses in the outer courtyard, we pa.s.sed into the refection hall of the monastery to pay our respects to this venerable seat of piety and learning. Our worthy palmers scattered themselves about the great room with its low timbered ceiling and mighty fireplace, and engaged in talk with the monks or in reverent examining of the painted series on the walls, the work of an earnest though not too highly skilled lay brother, and setting forth the story of Joseph and his brethren.