THE MAIDS OF TAUNTON.
The next day was made remarkable in our eyes by an event which,
though doubtless of less importance than the enlistment of a dozen
recruits, seemed to us a very great thing indeed--namely, the
presentation to the Duke of the colours embroidered for him by Susan
Blake's school-girls. I was myself permitted to walk with the girls
on this occasion, as if I had been one of them, though a stranger
to the place, and but newly arrived--such was the kindness of Susan
Blake and her respect for the name of the learned and pious Dr.
Comfort Eykin.
At nine of the clock the girls who were to carry the flags began
to gather in the school-room. There were twenty-seven in all; but
twelve only were the pupils of Miss Blake. The others were the
pupils of Mrs. Musgrave, another school-mistress in the town. I
remember not the names of all the girls, but some of them I can
still write down. One was Katharine Bovet, daughter of Colonel
Bovet: she it was who walked first and named to the Duke those
who followed; there was also Mary Blake, cousin of Susan, who
was afterwards thrown into prison with her cousin, but presently
was pardoned. Miss Hucker, daughter of Captain Hucker, the
Master-Serge-maker who entertained the Duke, was another; there were
three daughters of Captain Herring; two daughters of Mr. Thomas
Baker, one of Monmouth's Privy Councillors; there was Mary Meade,
the girl who carried the famous Golden Flag; and others whom I have
forgotten. When we were assembled, being dressed all in white,
and each maid wearing the Monmouth colours, we took our flags and
sallied forth. In the street there was almost as great a crowd to
look on as the day before, when the Duke rode in; and, certainly,
it was a very pretty sight to see. First marched a man playing on
the crowd very briskly; after him, one who beat a tabor, and one who
played a fife; so that we had music on our march. When the music
stopped, we lifted our voices and sang a Psalm all together; that
done the crowder began again.
As for the procession, no one surely had ever seen the like of it!
After the music walked six-and-twenty maids, the youngest eight
and the eldest not more than twelve. They marched two by two,
very orderly, all dressed in white with blue favours, and every
girl carrying in her hands a flag of silk embroidered by herself,
assisted by Miss Blake or some other older person, with devices
appropriate to the nature of the enterprise in hand. For one flag
had upon it, truly figured in scarlet silk, an open Bible, because
it was for liberty to read and expound that book that the men were
going forth to fight. Upon another was embroidered a great cross;
upon a third were the arms of the Duke; a fourth bore upon it, to
show the zeal of the people, the arms of the town of Taunton; and
a fifth had both a Bible and a drawn sword; and so forth, every
one with a legend embroidered upon it plain for all to read. The
flags were affixed to stout white staves, and as the maids walked
apart from each other and at a due distance, the flags all flying
in the wind made a pretty sight indeed; so that some of the women
who looked on shed tears. Among the flags was one which I needs must
mention, because, unless the device was communicated by some person
deep in the Duke's counsels, it most strangely jumped with the event
of the following day. Mary Meade, poor child! carried it. We called
it the Golden Flag, because it had a crown worked in gold thread
upon it and the letters 'J. R.' A fringe of lace was sewn round it,
so that it was the richest flag of all. What could the Crown with
the letters 'J. R.' mean, but that James, Duke of Monmouth, would
shortly assume the Crown of these three kingdoms?
Last of all walked Miss Susan Blake, and I by her side. She bore in
one hand a Bible bound in red leather, stamped with gold, and in the
other a naked sword.
The Duke came forth to meet us, standing bareheaded before the
porch. There were standing beside and behind him, the Lord Grey, his
two Chaplains, Dr. Hooke and Mr. Ferguson, my father, Mr. Larke,
the Baptist minister of Lyme Regis (he wore a corslet and carried
a sword), and the Colonels of his regiments. His bodyguard were
drawn up across the street, looking brave and splendid in their new
favours. The varlets waited beyond with the horses for the Duke's
party. Who, to look upon the martial array, the bravery of the
Guard, the gallant bearing of all, the confidence in their looks,
and the presence, which should surely bring a blessing, of the
ministers of religion, would think that all this pomp and promise
could be shattered at a single blow?
As each girl advanced in her turn, she knelt on one knee and offered
her flag, bowing her head (we had practised this ceremony several
times at the school until we were all quite perfect in our parts).
Then the Duke stepped forward and raised her, tenderly kissing her.
Then she stood aside holding her flag still in her hands.
My turn--because I had no flag--came last but one, Miss Susan Blake
being the last. Now--I hope it was not folly, or a vainglorious
desire to be distinguished by any particular notice of his Grace--I
could not refrain from hanging the ring, which the Duke had given me
at Ilchester five years ago, outside my dress by a blue ribbon. Miss
Blake, to whom I had told the story of the ring, advised me to do
so, partly to show my loyalty to the Duke, and partly because it was
a pretty thing and one which some women would much desire to possess.
Miss Katharine Bovet informed the Duke that I was the daughter of
the learned preacher, Dr. Comfort Eykin. When I knelt he raised me.
Then, as he was about to salute me, his eyes fell upon the ring, and
he looked first at me and then at the ring.
'Madam,' he said, 'this ring I ought to know. If I mistake not,
there are the initials of "J. S." upon it.'
'Sir,' I replied, 'the ring was your own. Your Grace was so good as
to bestow it upon me in your progress through the town of Ilchester
five years ago.'
'Gad so!' he said, laughing; 'I remember now. 'Twas a sweet and
lovely child whom I kissed--and now thou art a sweet and lovely
maiden. Art thou truly the daughter of Dr. Comfort Eykin?'--he
looked behind him; but my father neither heard nor attended, being
wrapped in thought. ''Tis strange: his daughter! 'Tis indeed
wonderful that such a child should'----Here he stopped. 'Fair Rose
of Somerset I called thee then. Fair Rose of Somerset I call thee
again. Why, if I could place thee at the head of my army all England
would certainly follow, as if Helen of Troy or Queen Venus herself
did lead.' So he kissed me on the cheek with much warmth--more,
indeed, than was necessary to show a gracious and friendly goodwill;
and suffered me to step aside. 'Dr. Eykin's daughter!' he repeated,
with a kind of wonder. 'How could Dr. Eykin have such a daughter!'
When I told Robin of this gracious salutation, he first turned very
red and then he laughed. Then he said that everybody knew the Duke,
but he must not attempt any Court freedoms in the Protestant camp;
and if he were to try----Then he broke off short, changed colour
again, and then he kissed me, saying that, of course, the Duke meant
nothing but kindliness, but that, for his own part, he desired not
his sweetheart to be kissed by anybody but himself. So I suppose
my boy was jealous. But the folly of being jealous of so great a
Prince, who could not possibly have the least regard for a simple
country maiden, and who had known the great and beautiful Court
ladies! It made me laugh to think that Robin could be so foolish as
to be jealous of the Duke.
Then it was Miss Susan Blake's turn. She stepped forward very
briskly, and knelt down, and placed the Bible in the Duke's left
hand and the sword in his right.
'Sir,' she said (speaking the words we had made up and she had
learned), 'it is in the name of the women of Taunton--nay, of the
women of all England--that I give you the Book of the Word of God,
the most precious treasure vouchsafed to man, so that all may learn
that you are come for no other purpose than to maintain the right
of the English people to search the Scriptures for themselves. I
give you also, Sir, a sword with which to defend those rights. In
addition, Sir, the women can only give your Grace the offering of
their continual prayers in behalf of the Cause, and for the safety
and prosperity of your Highness and your army.'
'Madam,' said the Duke, much moved by this spectacle of devotion, 'I
am come, believe me, for no other purpose than to defend the truths
contained in this book, and to seal my defence with my blood, if
that need be.'
Then the Duke mounted, and we marched behind him in single file,
each girl led by a soldier, till we came to the camp, when our
flags were taken from us, and we returned home and took off our
white dresses. I confess that I laid mine down with a sigh. White
becomes every maiden, and my only wear till then had been of
russet brown. And all that day we acted over again--in our talk
and in our thoughts--our beautiful procession, and we repeated the
condescending words of the Duke, and admired the graciousness of
his kisses, and praised each other for our admirable behaviour, and
listened, with pleasure unspeakable while Susan Blake prophesied
that we should become immortal by the ceremony of that day.