King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 2 Read online

  CHAP. VI.

  On Sommersted heath, in the province of Haddersleben, a bloody battleseemed likely to take place between Eric and his haughty kinsmen, theDukes of Slesvig and Langeland, in whose army it was asserted many ofthe regicides were enlisted; notwithstanding it had been stipulated bytreaty the preceding year, that these exiled criminals should be noless outlawed by these princes, than by the king, and his brother. Whenthe dukes beheld the forces, at the head of which the incensed king,attended by his fifty chosen knights, was marching against them, theyappeared to hesitate, and the swords of the one party seemed to keepthose of the other in the sheath. Through the Drost's mediation a trucewas negotiated; according to which all hostilities were to cease, thedukes' troops were to lay down their arms, and no outlaws suffered tocontinue in their service; all claims also on the part of the dukeswere to be suspended, until formal terms could be agreed upon. For thispurpose an amicable interview between these princes and their royalliege was proposed to take place at Wordingborg castle.

  The Drost and privy council rarely succeeded in persuading the king toa reconciliation, or to enter into a formal treaty of peace with anyopponent who had protected his father's murderers. The only person who,under such circumstances, had been occasionally successful in acting asmediator, was Eric's sagacious and kindhearted stepfather, CountGerhard, who ever stood in a friendly and almost fatherly relation tothe young monarch.

  The present peace also with Norway was only a truce, occasionallyrenewed for single years or months; for the outlaws had constantly metwith protection from the Norwegian King Eric, and Duke Hako; andaccording to his promise given to these fugitives, the Norwegian kingwas unable to conclude a permanent peace with Denmark, unless hisDanish guests should be again admitted into their native land. Many ofthese deadly foes to the royal house of Denmark had, indeed, fallen intheir unsuccessful expedition against Denmark; some had been seized andmaltreated by the populace, or captured by the king's commanders, andexecuted for robbery and incendiarism. This had been the fate of ArvedBengtson, one of the wildest and fiercest of the regicides, who withten of his comrades had fallen into the hands of the stern TuleEbbeson, and the whole of the eleven had been mercilessly beheaded. Buteach time the number of their chiefs was thus diminished, the revengeand defiance of those who were left increased. From their connectionwith foreign powers, with Archbishop Grand, and with the papal see,these exiled noblemen were the most dangerous enemies of the country.So long as one of them was living the king considered himself under thenecessity of being constantly prepared for war, and the mention of anoutlaw was almost sufficient to make him gird on his armour.

  After the conclusion of the truce with the Dukes of Slesvig, the kingvisited his royal manors in Jutland and in the Isles; but he disbandedhis troops only so far as to admit of their being assembled again in afew days at the Marsk's summons. The young king sought, as much as itwas possible, to atone for whatever injustice had been committed duringthe government of his unhappy father. Even his bitterest enemies wereforced to acknowledge his disinterested zeal in the administration ofjustice; but despite the respect and affection of which Eric receivedthe most gratifying proofs from his people, his personal safety was,nevertheless, often endangered, as the condition of the country was ingeneral in a very unsettled state. The outlaws belonged to most noblefamilies in Denmark, and had not a few kinsmen, friends, and secretadherents, who endeavoured to protect them from the indignation of thepeople, whenever they secretly or openly dared to venture back to theirfather-land, for the purpose of exciting disturbance or seekingopportunities for revenge. All the discontented in the country, allrestless spirits, and those who were at war with law and authority, allcriminals and burgher politicians, who feared or hated kingly rule,joined themselves to these martyrs in the cause of liberty, and foes ofdespotism as they were denominated. Some powerful prelates, thearchbishop's friends, were on their side, although the clergy ingeneral were devoted to the king. Meanwhile the most sincere patriotscould not deny that the discontented had often real grievances tocomplain of, and that the lawful rights of citizenship were frequentlyinfringed. The king's friends and devoted subjects often went too farin their zeal for his security; and state functionaries notunfrequently exercised violence and injustice in his name, where theysuspected any one of siding with the outlaws. Among the discontented inthe country, and the secret partisans of the outlaws, such proceedingsserved as a pretext and excuse for similar conduct towards the king'sservants and friends; what especially disquieted all lovers of theircountry, was the dread of a general closing of the churches, in casethe king did not yield in the affair of the archbishop. An apprehensionalso prevailed of civil war and dangerous conspiracies of the outlaws,and other disturbers of the peace; particularly if any open breachshould take place between the king and his brother, the junker.

  During the first chilly days of spring, the roads to Wordingborg wereunusually thronged on occasion of the important treaty of peace justconcluded with the Dukes of Slesvig. The splendid festivities andtournaments which were the delight of the chivalrous king, were now inpreparation to celebrate the event. Many knights and nobles fromJutland and the Isles journeyed to Wordingborg, to display theirsplendour before the king and the court, as well as to share in theexpected festivities in honour of the peace, which however was regardedby the king's friends rather in the light of a victory.

  A party of three knights, with a numerous train of squires andattendants, rode one evening amid storm and hail through the forestnear Susea, and approached the great forest monastery of St. Peter. Theaccommodations for travellers were but scarce and simple. The publicinns established in the time of King Eric Glipping were few andgenerally despised; travellers of high degree, therefore, often tookshelter in monasteries, which were occasionally put to much cost andinconvenience by these sometimes forcibly-imposed visitations. Themonasteries had been, in fact, exempted by a royal decree, from theancient obligation of giving free entertainment to travellers; theywere even forbidden to receive wayfaring guests, where there was anypublic inn in the neighbourhood; but the prohibition was hardly everobserved even by the clergy themselves, as it was contrary to the rulesof the monasteries.

  The knights and their train seemed nowise inclined to pass by withoutvisiting the rich "Forest Monastery" (as it was called) which now, withits high, white and notched gable ends, and its shining copper roof,came in sight above the forest in the fitful light of the stormyevening. The party drew near the great oak avenue within the domain ofthe monastery, and the attendants pointed, gladly, to the smokingchimneys: but the two foremost knights had shrouded themselves in theirmantles, and drawn their large travelling hoods over their eyes. Theyseemed, notwithstanding the increasing storm, so absorbed in their ownthoughts that they cared but little about the road, or the invitinghearth of the monastery. They were the same tall, silent knights, whohad so mysteriously visited Prince Christopher at Holbek Castle, thenight on which it was garrisoned by Drost Aage. The little hump-backedman in the red cloak, who was then their companion, was not now seen intheir train; but they were accompanied by Prince Christopher'sgentleman of the bedchamber, the fat short-necked Sir Palle, whofrequently lamented over the weather, and seemed as weary of thejourney as of his taciturn and unsociable travelling companions.

  "This way! up the monastery avenue, sir knights!" he called,impatiently. "You would not surely go farther in this infernal tempest?It is a good way yet to Nestved, and to that dog-hole of an inn, theroad every way is long. We stand in need of a good supper, and a goodnight's rest--I know Pater, head-cook."

  "_I_ know the _abbot_," answered the taller of the two grave knights,with a haughty mien. "At all events, I know myself and my squires, andwhat a wayfaring man may demand."

  "For the Lord's sake! let us not play the braggart, excellent SirBrock!" said Palle, rather in alarm, and drawing his bridle. "If weproceed with violence and bragging, the pious monks may shut the doorin our faces, and make the
king our enemy to boot; one should, by mytroth, seek a shelter by fair means when one slinks past law andordinance."

  "Bah! Here one may make light of secular law and royal ordinance,"answered Sir Brock, scornfully. "St. Bent's rules no king can shake."

  "Let us only not attack the rules of the monastery, worthy knights!"sighed Sir Palle, slapping his empty stomach, "or we may have to put upwith fasting fare this evening, and learn of St. Bent to knock out theflesh tooth."

  "If that tooth had been knocked out in the monastery there wouldscarcely be so many butchers in Nestved," remarked the otherknight; "keep easy, Sir Palle; I promise you a fat roast for thisevening--Every Sunday the Nestved butchers are forced to pay theirtribute in good roasts and sausages."

  "The Abbot understands that," said Sir Brock, with a nod. "That is afellow who knows how to uphold his rights both with high and low--trustme, Sir Papae, the Nestved burghers may well provide him wine for hisroast--the whole town hath to thank the monastery and the rich abbotfor its rise. Truly, these are burgher and grocer times we live in--wenow see villages and towns where before we saw lordly castles, anddomains, and mark, now, if the grocers' houses will not at last shootup over both lordly castles and monasteries. It passes thecomprehension, both of king and statesmen, how to keep the people underfinger and thumb; but it is well enough understood by _him_ yonder."

  "You know the abbot then, Sir Brock?" resumed Palle, inquisitively, andwith a look of curiosity. "He must be a mighty prelate; they say, hewas a good friend of Archbishop Grand's. You have surely no errand tohim? You know more of him, perhaps, than I do of Pater, head-cook; forthat is but a slight acquaintance. On second thoughts. Sir Knight,would it not be better in these troublous and suspicious times, to passby the monastery and put up with the dog-hole of an inn?--unless youreally have any errand here--you have perhaps known the abbot long. SirBrock? You are even perhaps of his kindred?"

  "Excellent! Go on! if you have more queries, or any more scruples, letme have all out at once, and have done with it," said the tall SirBrock, with an air of contempt. "To speak plainly, my good Sir Palle,you seem somewhat inquisitive. You have asked me of more during thisjourney, than I would answer my confessor in a whole year.

  "And you are as mysterious and cautious as though you took me for atell-tale, and a man not to be counted on," answered Palle, in a toneof annoyance. "If the high-born junker hath trusted me to bring you aprivate letter, you may well suppose I am among his most confidentialfriends."

  "A confidant is wont, however, to know what tidings he brings,"remarked the tall knight.

  "You think, perhaps, I know them not," returned Palle, assuming an airof consequence. "It will rejoice the noble junker to see you and yourfriends at Wordingborg, in order to come to a closer and mutualunderstanding.--Is it not so?"

  "Ha, indeed! my sly Sir Palle; you understand then, the noble art ofopening wax seals?--another time you must do it more dexterously, or,at least, be able to hold your tongue about it. The high-born junkerhath known his messenger, and hath not entrusted you with a greatersecret than he might suffer to be cried in the streets through everytown."

  The other knight laughed scornfully. Palle was silent, wroth, and crestfallen. The party now halted, drew bridle before the gate of themonastery, and knocked loudly at it. The porter put forth his shavenhead from a shutter, and inquired in a peevish tone, who it was, andwhat was wanted so late.

  "Wayfaring and christian men," was the answer. "If you are a pious manof God, Father Porter, sin not by asking forbidden questions, butunlock the gate instantly, in St. Bent's and St. Peter's name!"

  "In nomine St. Benedict! Anianensis et St. Petri Apostoli," answeredthe clerical porter, and instantly withdrew the great iron bolt whichsecured the gate.

  "See ye," said Sir Niels Brock, "St. Bent and St. Peter are morepowerful here than kings and worldly despots."

  Although the most important household matters were managed by the monksthemselves, according to monastic rule, the travellers, on theirentering the monastery, were instantly received by a whole crowd ofattendant lay-brothers and conversers, who took off their mantles, andeagerly waited on them with handbasons and whatever they required.Father Porter had allowed himself to be replaced at his post by alay-brother, that he might not miss the evening devotion and theevening meal that accompanied it. After an announcement to the Abbot,he followed the three knights to the refectory, while a lay-brotherattended to the wants of the train.