Légende d'Ulenspiegel. English Read online

  "The King replies that he will obey His Sacred Majesty in allthings. Whereupon His Sacred Majesty has a fit of coughing anddrinks some draughts of hippocras. After which he addresses his son,sorrowfully, in these words:

  "'You must know, my son, that very soon I am to give to the world themighty spectacle of the abdication of my throne in the favour of you,my son. And I shall speak before a great crowd of people, coughingand hiccuping as I am--for all my life I have eaten too heartily. Andvery hard-hearted must you be if you shed no tears when you hear whatI shall have to say.

  "'I shall shed many tears,' answers King Philip.

  "And now His Sacred Majesty is speaking to his valet, a man namedDubois.

  "'Bring me some sugar dipped in Madeira,' he cries. 'I have thehiccups. Pray heaven they do not attack me when I am making myspeech before all those people. Oh, that goose I had last nightfor dinner! Will it never pass? I think I had better take a glassof Orleans wine? No, it is too harsh. Or perhaps if I ate someanchovies? No, they are oily. Dubois, there, give me some Roman wine!'

  "Dubois does as he is told, then dresses his master in a robe ofcrimson velvet, wraps a golden cloak about him, girds on his sword,places the globe and sceptre in his hands, and on his head thecrown. Thus arrayed, His Sacred Majesty goes forth from the ParkHouse, riding on a little mule and followed by King Philip and manynotables. Presently they arrive at a large building called the Palace,and they come to a room wherein is a tall thin man, most richlydressed. He is the Prince of Orange, William, surnamed the Silent.

  "'Do I look well, Cousin William?' His Sacred Majesty inquires.

  "But the man makes no answer, till at length His Sacred Majesty speaksagain, half mused, half angry.

  "'Still silent, cousin? Still without a word?--even when you havethe chance of telling the truth to a grey-beard! Come now, shall Iabdicate or stay upon my throne, O silent one?'

  "'Most Sacred Majesty,' replies the thin man, 'at the approach ofwinter even the strongest oaks let fall their leaves.'

  "Three o'clock strikes.

  "'Lend me your shoulder, silent one, that I may lean upon it.'

  "And, so saying, His Most Sacred Majesty leads the way into a greatroom wherein is a canopy, and under the canopy a dais covered witha carpet of crimson silk. On the dais are three chairs. His SacredMajesty seats himself on the mid-most one, which is more ornamentedthan the others and surmounted by the imperial crown. King Philip takesthe second chair, and the third is occupied by a woman, who is no doubtthe Queen. On either side are long benches covered with tapestry, andsitting upon them are men dressed in red robes and wearing round theirnecks the image of a golden sheep. Behind stand various personages whowould seem to be princes and lords. Opposite these, and at the bottomof the dais, there is a row of bare benches which are occupied by mendressed in plain cloth. I hear it said that these men are clothed andseated so modestly because it is themselves that have to pay all thecosts. At the entrance of His Sacred Majesty these people all standup, but when he has sat down he makes a sign and they sit also.

  "Now a very aged man is talking of his gout interminably. After whichthe woman, who seems to be a Queen, presents a roll of parchment toHis Majesty. His Sacred Majesty reads what is written thereon in a lowvoice, coughing all the time, and then he begins to speak for himself.

  "'Many and long are the journeys that I have made through Spain andItaly and the Netherlands, through England and through Africa, all forGod's glory, for the renown of my arms, and the good of my peoples.'

  "And so on, and so on, till at last he comes to tell of his growingweakness and fatigue, and of his determination to relinquish thecrown of Spain, together with the counties, duchies, and marquisatesof all those countries, and of his desire to hand them over to hisson. Thereafter he begins to weep, and every one weeps with him, andKing Philip gets up from his chair and falls upon his knees beforehis father.

  "'Most Sacred Majesty,' he cries, 'am I indeed to receive this crownfrom your hands while yet you are so strong to wear it?'

  "Then His Majesty whispers into his son's ear that he should speaksome kindly words to those men who are seated upon the tapestriedchairs. Whereupon King Philip turns towards them, and without risingaddresses them in a sharp tone of voice.

  "'I understand French fairly well,' he says, 'but not well enough tobe able to talk to any one in that language. But the Bishop of Arras,Monsieur Grandvelle, he will say something to you on my behalf.'

  "'That is not the way to speak to them, my son,' says His SacredMajesty.

  "And in truth the whole assembly begins to murmur, seeing theyoung King so proud and unbending. The woman, she who is the Queen,then makes an oration, and is followed by an aged professor, who,on sitting down, receives a wave of the hand from His Sacred Majestyby way of thanks. These ceremonies and harangues being finished, HisSacred Majesty makes a declaration to the effect that his subjectsare released from their oath of fidelity, signs the deeds drawn upto ratify his abdication, and then, rising from his throne, placeshis son upon it in his stead. Every one in the hall weeps. Then theyreturn again to the Park House.

  "Once more His Sacred Majesty and his son Philip are alone together inthe green chamber. As soon as the doors are shut His Sacred Majestygoes off into a peal of laughter, and begins talking to King Philip,who keeps quite solemn all the time.

  "'Did you notice,' says the Emperor, laughing and hiccuping at thesame time, 'how little was needed to move these good people to tears?Heavens, how they wept! You would have thought it was the deluge!That fat Maes who made the long speech, why, he cried like a calf!Even you appeared to be affected--but not quite sufficiently,perhaps. Really there is no doubt that these are the best of all theentertainments which one can provide for the populace. For just as wenobles are wont to cherish most those mistresses who cost us most,so also it is with the people. The more we make them pay the morethey love us. That is why I have tolerated the reformed religionin Germany while punishing it severely in the Low Countries. If,however, the German princes had been Catholics I would have mademyself a Lutheran so that I might confiscate their property. Verilythey all believe in the integrity of my zeal for the Roman faith,and when I leave them they are full of regrets. Yet for heresy therehave perished at my hands fifty thousand of their bravest men and oftheir tenderest maidens, in the Netherlands alone. But still theygrieve at my departure. And without making any count of what hasbeen got from confiscations, I have raised in taxes more than thewealth of all the Indies or Peru; yet they are sorry to lose me.And I have torn up the Peace of Cadzant, brought the city of Ghentunder subjection, suppressed every one who might be dangerous tome, put down all liberties, freedoms, and privileges, and placedthem under the authority of the royal officers; but yet do thesegood people think they are still free inasmuch as I allow them toshoot with the crossbow, and to carry in procession the banners oftheir guilds. Willingly do they submit themselves to the hand oftheir master, finding happiness in a cage, and singing his praiseswhile he is with them, and weeping when he departs. My son, be youto them even as I have been, kindly in words but harsh in deed. Lickthat which you have no need to bite, and never leave off swearingto maintain liberties, freedoms, and privileges, however little youmay scruple to destroy those liberties if they show signs of becomingdangerous. For such things as these are like iron if handled timidly,but brittle as glass if grappled with a strong hand. Therefore youshould root out all heresy, not because it differs from the Romanreligion, but because, if allowed to flourish, it would mean the endof our rule in all the Netherlands. For they that attack the Popewith his three crowns would finish by denying the authority of thetemporal princes who wear but one. So, then, you should follow myexample, and regard all claims to freedom of conscience as crimesof high treason to be punished by immediate confiscation. Herebyyou will inherit great riches, as I also have done all my life long;and when you come to die or to abdicate, everybody will say, 'Ah me,the good and noble prince!' and many are the tears that will be shed!'
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  "And now I hear no more," said Nele, "for His Sacred Majesty has laidhim down to sleep. And King Philip, that proud and haughty prince,stands gazing at him with loveless eyes."

  And when she had thus spoken, Nele was awakened from her trance byKatheline. And Claes gazed thoughtfully into the fire as it flamedand lit up all the chimney.

  XXXV

  It was the month of April. The weather had been mild, but now therewas come a sharp frost and a sky grey and overcast as it were thesky of All Souls' Day. The third year of Ulenspiegel's banishment hadlong since passed, and Nele was waiting day after day for the returnof her lover.

  "Alas!" she cried, "there will be snow on the pear-trees, and snowupon the flowering jasmines, and on all the poor plants that havebloomed in confidence of the mildness and the warmth of an earlyspring. Already from the sky little snowflakes are falling on theroads. And on my poor heart as well the snow is falling.

  "Where, oh where are the bright rays of sunshine that should be playingnow on our happy spring-time faces--and upon red roofs that were usedto grow the redder for that warmth, and on window-panes that flashedas they caught that sunny brightness? Where indeed are those flamingbeams that kindled earth to life again, and the sky, and the birds,and the insects? Alas! For day and night am I chilled by sorrow andlong waiting. Oh where, where are you, my lover Ulenspiegel?"

  XXXVI

  That Sunday there was held at Bruges the Procession of the HolyBlood. Claes told his wife that she and Nele ought to go and see theprocession, and that if they did so, it was not impossible they mightfind Ulenspiegel in the city. As for himself, he would stay behindand look after the cottage and be ready to welcome their pilgrim ifhe should return.

  So the two women went off together. Claes remained at home and sathimself down on the doorstep and gazed into the deserted villagestreet. All was quiet as the grave, except now and again for thecrystal sound of the bell of some village church, or, rising andfalling with every little gust of wind from Bruges, the far-off musicof the carillon and the sound of the guns and fireworks that werebeing let off in honour of the Holy Blood. But in spite of all thesesounds of joy, Claes was filled with sadness, scanning the grey mistthat hung over the fields for a sight of his son, and trying to hearhis footfall in the jolly rustling of leaves and gay concert of birdsas they sang among the trees. Suddenly he noticed a man coming downtowards him on the road from Maldeghem. It was a man tall of stature,but it was not Ulenspiegel. And presently Claes saw him come to a standbeside a field of carrots, and bend down to eat of the vegetables asif he were starving for food.

  "There's a hungry man sure," said Claes to himself.

  But after a while the man continued his walk, and passed out of view;to reappear a little later at the corner of the rue Heron. Claesrecognized him at once as the messenger who had brought the sevenhundred ducats from his brother Josse. He went to meet him, andasked him in.

  "Blessed are they that are kind to the wandering traveller," saidthe man, and readily accepted the proffered invitation.

  Now on the window-ledge of the cottage window lay some bread-crumbswhich Soetkin kept ready for the birds of the neighbourhood, who hadlearnt to come there during the winter for their food. The man tookthese crumbs and ate them.

  "You must be hungry and thirsty," said Claes.

  "Eight days ago was I robbed by thieves," the man replied, "and sincethen I have had nothing to eat but the carrots I have found in thefields and roots in the forest."

  "Well then," said Claes, "I am thinking it is time you had a good roundmeal." And so saying he opened the bread-pan. "Look," he continued,"here is a dishful of peas, and here are eggs, puddings, hams,sausages from Ghent, waterzoey, a hotchpotch of fish. And down belowin the cellar there slumbers our good wine from Louvain, made afterthe manner of Burgundy wine, all clear and red as rubies. Only theglasses are wanting now to rouse it from its sleep. And to crown all,let us put a faggot to the fire. Already I can hear the pudding singingin the grill! And that's a song of right good cheer, my friend!"

  Claes kept turning the puddings, and as he did so he inquired of thestranger whether he had seen his son, Ulenspiegel.

  "No," was the answer.

  "Then perhaps you bring me news of my brother?" Claes said, as heplaced the puddings, now well grilled, upon the table, together witha ham omelette, some cheese, and two big tankards of gleaming Louvainwine, both red and white.

  The man said:

  "Your brother Josse has been done to death upon the rack at Sippenakennear to Aix. And all because he was a heretic, and bore arms againstthe Emperor."

  Claes was like one mad, and he shook all over, for his wrath was great.

  "Wicked brutes!" he cried. "O Josse! My poor Josse!"

  Then the stranger spoke again, but in a voice that held no sweetness.

  "Not in this world, my friend, is to be found just cause either forjoy or for sorrow." And he fell to his food. But after a while hespoke again.

  "You must know that I was able to be of some assistance to your brotherwhile he was in prison, by pretending that I was one of his relatives,a peasant from Nieswieler. I am now come hither in obedience to hiscommand that if I was not killed for the Faith like him, I should goto you, and charge you in his name to live in the faith and peace ofour Saviour, practising all works of mercy, and educating your son insecret in the law of Christ. 'That money,' he said, 'which I gave tomy brother was money taken from the poor and ignorant. Let Claes makeuse of it in rearing Tyl in the knowledge of God and of His word.'"

  And when he had thus spoken, the messenger gave Claes the kiss ofpeace. And Claes made moan and lamentation, saying:

  "Dead upon the rack! Alas! My poor Josse!" And his grief was sogreat that he could not put it from him. Nevertheless, when he sawthat the messenger was consumed with thirst and held out his glassfor more wine, Claes poured out again. But he himself ate and drankwithout pleasure.

  Now Soetkin and Nele remained away for seven days; and all this timethe messenger stayed beneath the roof of Claes, and every night theyheard Katheline howling in her cottage over the way:

  "Fire! Fire! Make a hole! My soul wants to get out!"

  And Claes went to her, comforting her with gentle words, and afterwardsreturned to his own house.

  At the end of the seven days the messenger departed. Claes offeredhim money, but he would only accept two caroluses with which to feedhimself and find lodging on his way back home.

  XXXVII

  When Nele and Soetkin returned from Bruges, they found Claes in thekitchen, sitting on the floor like a tailor, sewing buttons on anold pair of breeches. Titus Bibulus Schnouffius barked his welcome;Claes smiled, and Nele smiled in answer. But Soetkin did not take hereyes from the road, gazing continually in hopes to see her belovedUlenspiegel.

  All of a sudden she broke silence. "Look," she cried, "here is theProvost-Marshal. He is coming along the road with four sergeants ofthe peace. They cannot be wanting any one from here, surely! And yetthere are two of them turning off by the cottage!"

  Claes looked up from his work.

  "And the other two have stopped at the front," Soetkin said.

  Then Claes got up.

  "Who can they want to arrest in this road?" his wife continued,and then: "O Christ! They are coming in here."

  "Look to the money!" cried Claes. "The caroluses are hidden away behindthe fireplace." And with these words he ran out of the kitchen intothe garden. Nele understood what he meant, and saw that he was goingto try and make his escape over the hedge. But the sergeants seizedhim by the collar, and now he was hitting out at them in a hopelessendeavour to break free.

  "He is innocent!" Nele cried aloud amid her tears. "He is innocent! Donot hurt him. It is Claes, my father! O Ulenspiegel, where areyou? Where are you? If you were only here you would kill them both!"

  And she threw herself on one of the sergeants and tore at his face withher nails. Then she cried out again: "They will kill him!" and felldown upon the grass in th
e garden, and rolled there in her despair.

  Katheline, hearing the noise, had come out from her cottage, and stoodup straight and immovable, gazing at the piteous scene. Then she spoke,wagging her head:

  "Fire! Fire! Make a hole! My soul wants to get out!"

  Soetkin meanwhile, who had seen nothing of all this, was talking tothe sergeants who had entered the cottage.