But one morning while he was at meat in his castle, when his father
and sister were gone to Bruges to buy corn-coloured cloth-of-scarlet
for their clothes,
And he was being served, with all humility, by his mother and brother,
He became suddenly quite cold, for the heart had ceased to beat.
Putting his hand to his breast, he touched dried-up skin.
Then he felt his face go back as it was before, his shoulders shrink
down, his back hump up, and all his body lessen in stature.
Looking at his mother and brother in turn, he saw them laughing and
saying to each other: "See, here is our master back in his old ugly
skin, and with his old ugly face."
"Ha, My Lord," said his brother, coming boldly up to him and speaking
insolently, "will you not take some of this clauwaert to hearten
yourself? You have no longer, it seems, your former strength."
"Wilt try it?" said the Miserable, and struck him with his fist,
but did him no more hurt than if he had been a fly.
Seeing this the younger brother grew bolder, and seating himself
close to Halewyn on the seat:
"My lord," said he, "you have had pudding enough, I think, 'tis my
turn to eat."
And he took the pudding from off his platter.
"My lord son," said his mother, "now you shall give to me, who am old,
some of this old wine you have kept for yourself."
And she took the cup out of his hand.
"My lord brother," said the younger son, "methinks you have too
much of this roast of lamb with sweet chestnuts; I will take it,
if you please."
And he put the roast of lamb before his own place.
"My lord son," said his mother, "you do not much like, it seems,
this fair cheese and barley tart, give it to me, I pray you."
And the Miserable, dumbfounded, gave it to her.
"My lord brother," said the younger son, "you have been sitting there
long enough like an emperor, will you be pleased to stir your limbs
now and serve us?"
And the Miserable, getting up, served them as he was bidden.
"My lord son," said his mother, "I see you now submissive to our
orders, will you be pleased to ask my pardon for having so long kept
me standing like a private servant, fetching you food and drink,
though I am your mother?"
And the Miserable fell at her feet.
"My lord brother," said the younger son, "wilt thou be pleased to
fall at my feet likewise, and kiss them, for that thou hast made me
do the work of a serf?"
"That I will not," said the Miserable.
"Thou wilt not?"
"I will not," said the Miserable, and stepped back a pace.
"Come hither," said his brother.
"I will not," said the Miserable.
Then the younger ran at him, and, bearing him to the ground without
difficulty, began thumping and pommelling him, and striking him in the
face with his golden spurs, saying: "Avenge thyself, Siewert Halewyn
the Invincible. None can stand against thee, save I. Thou hast long
treated us as serfs in thy house, now I will treat thee as a cheese
and crush thee underfoot. Why dost thou not now caper as a kid, or
fly away as a bird, Siewert the enchanted?" and, going into a frenzy
of rage, he drew his knife, saying: "I will cut thee off thy head
unless thou cry mercy."
"I will not," said the Miserable.
But his mother, hearing these words, took quickly from the fire a
handful of embers, and notwithstanding their heat, threw them into
the eyes and mouth of the younger brother, saying: "Thou shalt not
kill my first-born, wicked son."
And while the younger brother was howling by reason of the pain from
the embers, which blinded him, his mother took the knife from him,
and while he was twisting this way and that, swinging up his arms to
strike whomever he could, she threw him down, shut him up in the room,
and went out dragging her first-born after her. Then, although she was
feeble with age, she carried Halewyn up into the tower on her back,
as a shepherd carries a lamb (for he had quite lost his senses),
and there tended him and bathed his face and breast, which were torn
and bleeding, and there at nightfall left him and went away.
XIV. Of the great weakness of Sir Halewyn and of the days and nights
which he spent in the forest.
The Miserable, alone and somewhat comforted, rose to his feet, and
was right glad to feel the sickle still at his belt; opened the door,
listened to make sure that he could hear nothing, and that his brother
was not there.
And when the night was fully dark, went down the stair slowly,
sitting-wise.
For he was so weakened by the blows and wounds he had received that
he could not hold himself upright by any means; and in this fashion
he went on until he reached the bridge, and, finding that still down,
crossed over it.
And very wearily he made his way to the forest.
But he could not, on account of his weakness, go so far as the
cottages, which were a good two leagues distant to the northward.
So, lying down among the leaves, he sang.
But no maid came, for the song could not be heard from so far away.
And so passed the first day.
When night came again, cold rain began to fall, which sent him into
a fever. But notwithstanding this he would not go back to his castle,
for fear of his brother. Shivering, and with his teeth a-chatter, he
dragged himself northward through the brake, and saw in a clearing
a fair pretty maid, rosy-cheeked, fresh, slender, and neat, and he
sang his song. But the girl did not come to him.
And so passed the second day.
That night the rain fell anew, and he could not move, so stiff was
he from the cold, and he sang, but no maid came. At dawn the rain
continued, and while he was lying there among the leaves a wolf came
and sniffed at him, thinking him dead, but on seeing it draw near he
cried out in a terrible fashion, and the wolf took fright and went
off. Then he grew hungry, but could find himself nothing to eat. At
vespers he sang anew, but no maid came.
And so passed the third day.
Towards midnight the sky cleared, and the wind grew warmer. But the
Miserable, though he was suffering greatly from hunger, thirst, and
weariness, dared not sleep. On the morning of the fourth day he saw
a girl coming towards him who seemed to be a burgess's daughter. The
girl would have run away on seeing him, but he cried out loudly:
"Help me! I am worn out with hunger and sickness." Then she drew near
to him and said: "I also am hungry." "Art thou," he said, "a maid? "
"Ah," said she, "I have had to flee from Bruges, because the priests
would have burnt me alive, on account of a brown mole which I have
on my neck, of the size of a pea, coming, they say, from my having
had fleshly commerce with the devil. But I have never seen the devil,
and do not know what he is like."
He, without listening to her, asked again if she were a virgin, and,
as the girl said nothing, he sang his song.
But she did not move from where she stood, only saying: "You have
a very sweet and strong voice for one so wasted with sickness and
hunger."
Then he said to her: "I am the lord Siewert Halewyn. Go to my castle
and ask to be taken to my lady mother, and without speaking to any
one else, whosoever he be, tell her that her son is hard put to it
in the forest with hunger, fever, and weariness, and will die before
long if none bring him help."
The girl went off as he bid her, but coming out of the wood she saw
in the Gallows-field the body of the maid hanging, and ran away in a
fright. Passing into the territory of Sir Roel de Heurne she craved
food and drink at the cottage of one of his peasants. And there she
told how she had found Sir Halewyn dying of hunger. But she was told
in reply that the said lord was crueller and more wicked than the
devil himself, and should be left to be eaten by the wolves and other
beasts of the forest.
And the Miserable waited, lying in the leaves in great anguish.
And so passed the fourth day.
And at dawn of the fifth, having seen no more of the girl, he supposed
that she had been caught by the priests and taken back to Bruges to
be burnt.
Quite disheartened, and chilled with the cold, and saying that he
would soon die, he cursed the Prince of the Stones.
Nevertheless, at vespers he sang once more.
And he was then by the side of a forest way.
And he saw coming through the trees a fair maid, who fell on her
knees before him.
And he did to her as he had done to the others.
Then rose full of fresh strength, vigour, and beauty, and with the
heart resting against his own went off to the Gallows-field, carrying
the body, and there hanged it by that of the first virgin.
XV. How the Miserable, having hanged fifteen virgins in the
Gallows-field, held wicked revels and cruel orgies.
Sir Halewyn became most powerful and greatly feared, and killed up
to fifteen virgins, whom he hanged in the Gallows-field.
And he led a riotous life, eating, drinking, and carousing continually.
All those ladies who had made fun of him in the days of his impotence
and ugliness were brought to his castle.
And having had his will of them he turned them out of doors like
bitches, so wreaking upon them his evil vengeance.
And from Lille, Ghent, and Bruges came the most beautiful courtesans,
with their badge on their arms, and they ministered to his pleasure
and to that of his friends, among whom the more evil were Diederich
Pater-noster, so called because he was a great frequenter of churches;
Nellin the Wolf, who in battle attacked only the fallen, as wolves
do; and Baudouin Sans Ears, who in his court of justice always cried:
"Death, death," without waiting to hear any defence whatever.
In company with the fair courtesans these same lords held revels and
orgies without end, and took from their poor peasants all they had,
corn, cheese, jewels, cocks, oxen, calves, and swine.
Then, having stuffed themselves as full as they could hold, threw to
their dogs choice viands and rich cakes.
Gave to be broken and pounded up for their hawks and falcons, the
meat of fowls, cockerels, and doves; had the hooves of their horses
bathed in wine.
Oftentimes until midnight, or even until cock-crow, there would be
beating of drums, trilling of pipes, squeaking of viols, skirling of
bagpipes, and winding of horns, for their entertainment.
XVI. How the burgesses of the good town of Ghent gave protection to
the virgins of the domain of Halewyn.
Meanwhile in the cottages of the peasant folk were tears, hunger,
and great misery.
And when the fifteenth maid had been taken in the domain of Halewyn,
The mothers prayed to God that he would make them barren, or else
that they might bear men-children only.
And the fathers complained and said to one another sadly: "Is it not
a pitiful thing to see these sweet and gentle flowers of youth so
brought to death and dishonour!"
And some among them said: "Let us go by night to the good town of
Ghent, taking with us all our virgin daughters, and tell the whole
tale to the burgesses, begging their blessed protection for them,
and leaving them there in the town if we are so permitted. So they
will escape death at the hands of our master."
Every one who heard this plan thought it a good one; and all the
peasants with daughters who were virgins took them off to Ghent,
and there told the story to the commune, and the good men gave them
protection.
Then with lighter hearts the peasants returned to the domain of
Halewyn.