_OUR DELIVERER._
I had seldom been so near the sea as I was now approaching, and for a
moment the boundlessness of the horizon, the sweep of sky and sea, the
outline of coast, and the tranquil beauty of the summer's afternoon,
filled my senses and drew my thoughts temporarily away from the more
personal and exciting matters upon which they had dwelt so long.
But as I sat Blackbird on the brow of the green eminence which
overlooked Lyme, and saw the little town nestling as it were beside the
blue sea, groups of trees giving beauty and variety to its aspect, and
the brooding peace of a cloudless summer's day seeming to rest upon it,
I became aware of a small stir behind me, and turning my head saw that
a party of some twenty rustics, with flushed faces and damp brows, had
come swinging up from below; and as soon as they were within speaking
distance the foremost called out to me, asking me, in the broadest and
softest of Dorset drawl, whether I could tell him where the Duke was to
be found.
"Us have heard that he's coomed," he explained, wiping his brow, and
shifting to the other shoulder the great scythe he carried. Five of his
companions carried scythes, and three or four sickles, whilst the rest
had a miscellaneous assortment of weapons such as bill-hooks and picks.
One had an ancient carbine, which looked better able to slay the person
who fired it than any other; and a tall lad, with the face of one whose
wits were not all under command, brandished with an air of fierce
triumph the broken remnant of what had once been a sword.
"They du tell we that he's coom, and us be going tu join him," panted
the first speaker as the rest came up. "Happen thee may be able tu put
us in the way of finding him. Thee be bound on the same errand, I take
it, young master."
"As for that, I have come to seek the Duke," I answered, forgetting
all else now in the excitement of the news just imparted; "but I knew
not that he had yet landed, nor where. What dost thou know of it, good
fellow?"
"Us heerd tell as he'd landed at Lyme. Us have come out to fight for
un," was all the answer I could get; and being unable to extract more,
and consumed with curiosity to know more of the matter, I wished them
a good journey, and set spurs to Blackbird, heading straight down the
slope of the down and towards Lyme.
I saw in the bay there two or three white-sailed vessels, and this
in itself seemed to give weight to what the men had said. Those
white-winged messengers might have brought our deliverer to us; and
with ever-increasing excitement and eagerness I drew near to the place,
and was more and more certain that rumour had this time not played me
false, but that some unwonted commotion was on foot.
I passed numbers of groups of rustics more or less like my first
friends, all hastening in one direction; and the question on all lips
was not whether the Duke had come, but where he was to be found. That
in itself was significant, and seemed to show that something had really
happened to awake such certainty in the minds of the people; and very
soon this certainty was confirmed by a strange and goodly sight which
presently burst upon my eyes.
Just to the east of the town, and hard by the church which raised its
square tower heavenwards, was a wide expanse of greensward which went
by the name of Church Cliff. Men tell me that since those days a part
of this same cliff has slipped into the sea, and that more is like to
follow. Be that as it may, when I saw it, many long years ago now, it
was a pleasant green plateau, spacious and convenient for the assembly
of a multitude of persons; and to-day it presented an aspect which I
trow it has never done before, and never will again--particularly if it
is like to be engulfed by the hungry waves!
On a small eminence nigh to the church, but not too near for
convenience, fluttered in the light summer breeze a banner or
standard--for I am not learned in the right names of these things. All
I know was that it was planted upon a tall halberd, and floated in the
breeze with a gentle swaying motion. Even from a distance I could see
that there were letters emblazoned upon it; but only later on, when I
was able to come anigh it, was I able to read the device, which ran as
follows: "_Pro Religione et Libertate._" The meaning of that (as I had
occasion to explain to many an unlettered hind ere the day closed) was,
"for religion and liberty," those two precious gifts to men which the
rule of the present monarch so greatly imperilled.
But the standard was not the only thing that took the eye of the
spectator. The field was gay with gathering crowds of people of all
degrees. Hard by the standard stood a group of gentlemen, as I could
see by the colours of their riding coats, and the plumes in their
hats. My heart beat as I scanned them. Could the Duke indeed be one of
these? It looked like it, for it was towards this group that the crowds
were for ever pressing. And plainly there was some order observed in
the method of approach; for there was no jostling or crowding in the
immediate proximity of this small group, but persons from the crowd
seemed to be detached from it and brought up one by one, and then to
melt away into the press again, as though their turn had come and gone.
As I advanced ever nearer and nearer, losing my vantage as I drew more
close, and finding myself gradually drawn into the throng of eager
watchers, I heard men talking one to another, and this was the burden
of their talk:--
"The Duke! the Duke! He is enlisting recruits. All the country is
flocking to him! Heaven be praised, our deliverer is come! Down with
the tyranny of the false usurper! A Monmouth! a Monmouth!"
And this cry was ever and anon taken up by all, and went surging
through the crowd like a mighty thunderclap.
"A Monmouth! a Monmouth! God save the noble Duke! God fight for the
righteous cause! A Monmouth! a Monmouth!"
I caught the enthusiasm of the people, and forgetting all about mine
uncle's errand, the prudence inculcated by him, and the mission on
which I had been sent, I flung my cap into the air and shouted aloud
for the Duke as lustily as any. Then finding that I could not make
shift to get nearer to him on horseback, for the press was very great,
I dismounted and turned Blackbird loose on the greensward, knowing well
that he would let none but me catch him again, though he would come
at my whistle like a dog, and gradually approached to the floating
standard, eager above all things else to look once more upon the face
of the Duke.
Little by little I made my way into the forefront of the crowd, which
had made a ring round the standard and the group near to it, and kept
an orderly and respectful bearing, only breaking out from time to time
into the joyous shouts of which I have made mention. One of such shouts
was being given as I wormed and twisted myself into the foremost ranks,
some good-natured spectators making way for me because that I was small
of stature, and could not otherwise witness what was passing.
"A Monmouth! a Monmouth!" shouted the crowd, tossing caps and waving
kerchiefs. "Down with Popery! Down with tyrants! Down with all
usurpers! A Monmouth! a Monmouth!"
And as the people thus shouted, he who stood in the centre of the gay
group about the standard lifted his plumed hat with a courtly grace and
smiled upon us with a winning kindliness and confidence that made the
populace redouble their shouting; and only after several minutes had
gone by was comparative silence restored, and proceedings went on as
before.
These were simple enough. A man would step forward and ask leave to
enlist in the Duke's army. His name would be asked, and duly inscribed
in a roll which was being kept by a busy scribe. If he had any arms,
he was bidden to one part of the field; if not (as was generally the
case), he was sent to another, and was equipped with some sort of
weapon from the stores brought over by the Duke or obtained for him by
his confederates here.
We believed then that he had arms and ammunition for half England,
should so many flock to his standard, and at least for the equipment
of as many thousand soldiers as he wanted. It was only later on that
we heard that arms had speedily run short, and that scythes stuck upon
poles, and other barbarous makeshifts, had to be substituted for the
regular weapons of true soldiers.
My friends the rustics came up in due course, and were enrolled in the
list; and the Duke had a smile and a pleasant word for each, so that
every man believed himself known and remembered by his Grace, and
every mouth was filled with his praises.
The difficulty seemed to be in getting the names set down fast enough;
and as that fact dawned upon me I plucked up my courage, for being in a
state of great excitement and exhilaration, almost like intoxication,
by the stress of my feelings, I forgot everything but my desire of
winning the approbation of the Duke, and doing somewhat in the good
cause. So I stepped up before him, making a low reverence, without
waiting to be led or bidden by those who were marshalling up the
recruits.
"Well, my good lad, and art thou come to make a soldier in our ranks?"
asked the Duke, with that pleasant smile which had beamed upon me once
before in my life. "Who art thou, boy, and what is thine errand?"
"May it please your Grace, I am the boy whom your gracious touch did
cure of the King's Evil five years agone, and who has never ceased to
bless you for that gracious act. Nature has not been pleased to grant
me the strength or the stature for a soldier, but I can make shift to
wield a pen with any scribe, and would humbly ask that I might help in
this matter of writing down the names."
"Well thought, boy," answered the Duke. "Our worthy scribe there will
be right glad of thy help. There be so many come to join us that his
labours are something severe. Where dost thou hail from, boy, and what
news dost thou bring of the temper of the country?"
For my travel-stained garments, and the dust upon my clothing, showed
that I had come some distance; and though the Duke's smile was full of
light and confidence, methought there was something of anxiety in his
eyes.
"All the people be very eager and forward in the good cause, your
Grace, and rejoice to think you near," I answered. "I myself come from
Taunton, where your friends muster strong. But Axminster and Ilminster
are almost as forward to give you welcome, as you will find when you
pass through them. But Taunton will give you royal honours, and I pray
you tarry not longer than need be ere you set foot in that queen of
cities."
The Duke's face lightened at my answer; and truly I spoke only as
I felt, and I had no thought to tell more than the truth. Looking
round on this crowd of gallant officers and gentlemen, and seeing the
hundreds pressing to join the standard, how could I feel that the Duke
had aught but a triumphal march before him? He rewarded my confidence
by taking me by the hand, and calling me a right brave and honest lad,
whom he should remember in days to come; and then, whilst my hand was
still tingling with the pressure, and my heart leaping for triumph and
joy, I was given a place beside the other scribe, and commenced my
duties as writer of names.
I know not how long I had been writing when a hand was laid upon my
shoulder, and a familiar voice spoke in my ear,--
"Dicon lad, Dicon Snowe, is this the way in which thou dost follow the
behests of thy prudent uncle? Is this how thou dost cater for true news
for him? Is this how thou dost prudently wait the issue of events ere
thou dost declare for one side or the other?"
Looking up quickly--for the enlisting was well-nigh done for the day,
and there were few left to be enrolled--I encountered the gaze of my
lord the Viscount's dark-blue eyes fixed full upon me with a glance
half of reproach, half of humorous amusement.
Truth to tell, I had indeed forgotten my character of scout, and had
flung myself into the very thick of the movement; though the future
alone could say whether men would come to call it by the name of
victorious revolution or seditious rebellion. I had been carried away
by the excitement of the scene and by my personal bias, and I had
thrown to the wind alike the prudence inculcated by my uncle and the
diplomacy I had promised to exercise on his behalf. Nevertheless I had
not betrayed myself, and I had not enlisted as a soldier; for who would
enlist a hunchbacked lad like me? Nor had I even told my name, it not
having been asked of me; so that I was not exactly committed to aught.
Yet I felt a thrill of shame run through me, as though I had in some
sort betrayed trust; and I said to my lord with some humbleness,--
"My uncle shall not suffer aught through any act of mine. I will keep
my pledge to him, and let him know all I can find ere the Duke enters
Taunton; but how may I hold back from him when I see him face to face,
and when you, my lord, are serving with him, whom I would fain follow
to the world's end or to death?"
The Viscount smiled that smile of his which I never quite understood,
but the pressure of his hand upon my shoulder was kindly and friendly.
"It is like enough to be one or the other, wert thou simple enough to
throw in thy lot with me," he said in a low voice. "Exile or death is
like enough to be the fate of those who meddle in this matter."
His voice was only for my ear, and I heard his words with a start of
dismay and incredulity.
"But, good my lord, look on these rolls--look on this list of names! A
few hours have brought all these men flocking to the Duke's standard.
What will not days do, and when all the country side knows that he is
here at last?"
Over the Viscount's face there passed another fleeting smile, and his
eye rested upon my scroll with a strange expression.
"A few hundred ill-armed, undisciplined, untrained rustic hinds, who
know no more of warfare than I of the plough! Dicon, hast thou read thy
history so ill as that thou thinkest England and England's armies can
be subdued by such as these?"
"But, good my lord, the train-bands will desert to the Duke as fast as
they are brought into the field against him," I answered eagerly. "All
men say so; and those I have spoken to have sons or brothers or lovers
in the ranks, and they know what they say. O fear not, my lord; be not
down-hearted. The will of the nation is with the Duke."
"The will of the nation--the hearts of the people!" repeated the
Viscount slowly. "That may be, Dicon, in thy sense, and yet misfortune
may not be far off. Dost know, lad, that except my unworthy self, not
one bearing the name of gentleman has joined the Duke to-day? Even Mr.
Trenchard, who was to have met him with fifteen hundred men, has fled
to France out of the way of peril. We will see what the morrow and the
morrow's morrow bring forth; but methinks if his Grace be wise he will
take to his ships again, and quit the country ere he rouses up the lion
to intercept and destroy him!"
"O my lord," I cried in distress, "not that--not that!"
But he made no direct reply, and we could no longer talk together
where we were, for a great cry was raised, "The Declaration! the
Declaration!" and one whom I may call a herald stood forth before the
people with a printed paper in his hand, and forthwith avowed that he
would read in the ears of the people the Declaration drawn up by the
noble Duke of Monmouth, stating wherefore he had come to England, and
what was his object in so doing.
Now all the people were very attentive to hear this, and held a great
silence; and I listened with the best of them, striving to retain all
in my memory, that I might retail it in Taunton Town when I returned,
and have wherewithal to answer the questions which should be put to me.
I cannot set down all here, for it was very long, and would weary both
reader and writer; but it was a clear exposition of the wrongs that the
people were enduring from an "unlawful and absolute tyranny" foreign to
the constitution and rights of the nation. It stated also the perils
of Popery and Papist plots, reminding us that the burning of London in
the last King's reign was held to have been the work of Papists; that
the Duke of York, now calling himself King, had unlawfully instituted
all manner of Popish idolatries, had set up the Mass, and was about
to persecute with fierce cruelty all those who opposed him or upheld
the true religion of the land. Next, we were reminded how he had done
to death the late King by poison, and mention was made of others also
who had been put from his path by like means; and as these things were
read, the wrath and ire of the people grew so great and terrible that
they broke at last into yells of rage and execrations against the
false usurper on the throne, and some voice raised a shout, which was
instantly taken up by hundreds and thousands,--
"King Monmouth! King Monmouth! We will have no King but him!"
Was this cry raised spontaneously at this point, or had it been begun
by some person for the sake of effect? At the time I never thought
of such a thing, but later on I have wondered whether some agent of
the treacherous Ferguson may not have been primed to the part. For
the words which followed seemed to fall almost too aptly on our ears,
although we none of us felt it at the time. I can repeat this paragraph
by heart to-day, having studied it from the Declaration itself, which
was once in my hands, though soon it was death and dishonour to have a
copy of it in one's keeping:--
"And forasmuch as the said James, Duke of Monmouth, the now Head
and General of the Protestant forces of this kingdom, assembled in
pursuance of the ends aforesaid, hath been and still is believed to
have a legitimate and legal right to the crowns of England, France,
Scotland, and Ireland, with the dominions thereunto belonging, of
which he doubts not in the least to give the world full satisfaction
notwithstanding the means used by the late King, his father, upon
Popish motives, and at the instigation of the said James, Duke of
York, to weaken and obscure it,--the said James, Duke of Monmouth,
from the generousness of his own nature, and the love he bears to
these nations (whose welfare and settlement he infinitely prefers to
whatsoever may concern himself), doth not at present insist upon his
title, but leaves the determination thereof to the wisdom, justice,
and authority of a Parliament legally chosen, and acting with freedom;
and in the meantime doth profess and declare, by all that is sacred,
that he will, in conjunction with the people of England, employ all the
abilities bestowed upon him by God and nature for the re-establishment
and preservation of the Protestant Reformed Religion in these kingdoms,
and for restoring the subjects of the same to a free exercise thereof,
in opposition to Popery, and the consequences of it, tyranny and
slavery. To the obtaining of which ends he doth hereby promise and
oblige himself to the people of England to consent unto and promote
the passing into laws all the methods aforesaid, that it may never
more be in the power of any single person on the throne to deprive
the subjects of their rights, or subvert the fundamental laws of the
Government designed for their preservation."
Was it wonderful that such words as these raised our enthusiasm and joy
to the greatest height? No more packed Parliaments subservient to the
will of the King, instead of breathing forth the will of the nation!
No more pandering to France, and receiving bribes from her for the
perverting and corrupting of English ministers! No more Mass! No more
idolatry! No more absolutism and oppression and tyranny!
Oh, how the people cheered and flung their hats into the air! Was it
wonderful that we shouted aloud for "King Monmouth! King Monmouth!"
Who had drawn up that Declaration? I afterwards heard it was the Rev.
Robert Ferguson, the man who was ever in the Duke's counsels now,
and who was foremost in the cause, and eager to counsel boldness and
advance.
Long afterwards I heard it whispered that he was one of those crawling
creatures who, to make their own skins safe, play false to their own
friends, by giving secret intelligence to the other side, and therefore
are bold to urge rash counsel on others. What the truth of this may be
I know not. I can only say that Ferguson had the face of a villain, and
that I marvelled to see the Duke take so much heed to him.
But I must not omit to mention my other acquaintances and friends whom
I saw in the muster about the Duke. Young Mr. William Hewling was
there, and Masters Hucker and Herring, both looking very soldier-like
in their trappings, and now bearing the commission of captains of the
Duke's forces. I quickly distinguished, too, the fine face of Heywood
Dare, which I had not seen for some while. He was paymaster of the
forces, and seemed much in the confidence of the Duke. His son was
ensign to Captain Goodenough, and both gave me a nod and a smile when
they saw me.
Besides the Viscount, known to my readers, there was no man of rank
in this assembly save Lord Grey, who was in command of the cavalry,
and had solicited the assistance of Viscount Vere. Many harsh things
have since been spoken of Lord Grey, and methinks he lacked skill and
courage in action, as will be seen anon; but he was faithful to the
cause of the Duke, and I like not to hear him railed upon.
So soon as I could get away after hearing the Declaration read, I
hastened to the town-hall, where the recruits were all taken when
enrolled to be provided with arms, and put through certain martial
exercises in preparation for what might lie before them. The Mayor
of Lyme had fled, we heard, to the Duke of Albemarle at Exeter, with
news of what was passing. Another gentleman, Mr. Dassell, who had
striven to induce the authorities to fire upon the vessels of the Duke
before he landed, had started off, it was said, for London. We began
to understand that we must make the best of our time before the enemy
came upon us; but it was needful that the recruits should be trained
at least how to carry their arms, and how to obey the word of command,
ere they were brought into the field and set in array against trained
soldiers.
Thursday evening and Friday were thus spent, my lord the Viscount being
one of the most forward and ready to assist in these matters.
In the counsels of the Duke he seemed to take but little part, but he
was ready to do his utmost in showing the raw rustics how to shoulder
a pike or aim a carbine. And sometimes he would step aside and speak
a few words to me (for I could not keep away from the Bowling Green,
where these things were going on), and he would say with something of
sternness in his aspect,--
"At least the honest rogues shall not be shot down like sheep, or
butchered as if in the shambles. They shall learn all that can be
taught them in a few days."
But as more and more men kept pouring in, it became evident that arms
were giving out, and that all sorts of shifts would have to be resorted
to to put them into the field at all. True, we were cheered by the
sight of many small companies of armed militiamen deserting to the
Duke, and making gay and martial-looking those companies which were
forming with all possible speed.
We began to speak of the Blue Regiment, the White Regiment, the Yellow
Regiment, according to the prevailing colour of the militia uniform. No
enemy appeared against us. No news came of anything but loyal support.
It was said by scouts from Devonshire that the Duke of Albemarle was
approaching, but that his soldiers were deserting in great numbers--a
fact of which we had the best testimony--and that he was more than
half afraid to bring the rest against us, lest they should go over in a
mass to our Duke.
All faces brightened at this news. We cheered and huzzahed till the
welkin rang. Even the Viscount's smile was a little more free and full,
and he clapped me on the shoulder and said,--
"Perchance I have been a false prophet after all, lad. At least thou
canst bear back good tidings to Taunton and to Mistress Mary. The
issue of the day is yet to come, but at least so far the auguries seem
happy. Let us live in the present, and leave the future to take care of
itself."