THE RELICS BROUGHT FROM CONSTANTINOPLE.
The young bride Eleanora, in her residence at Bordeaux, had formed the
acquaintance of Guy de Lusignan, second son of the ex-queen Isabella and
Count Hugh le Marche, and through his kindly attentions she had been
apprized of the events that agitated England. She learned that her royal
parents had been under the necessity of taking up their residence in the
Tower of London, almost in the condition of state prisoners, and that her
gallant husband had exchanged the sports of a knight for "the game of
kings." Anxious for his safety, and desirous to assist in the release of
the royal family, or share their captivity, she besought Count Guy to
conduct her thither. He represented the danger of such a proceeding, and
strove by every argument to induce her to remain in France, but in vain.
The traits of character, that subsequently made her the heroine, already
developed in unchanging affection, and invincible firmness, overbore all
opposition, and with a retinue scarcely suitable for her rank, and
insufficient for her protection in case of attack, she set off for
England.
They reached the island without accident, and had approached in sight of
London, when the great bell of St. Paul's startled them with its hurried
peal, and they almost instantly found themselves surrounded by an
infuriated mob. The simplicity of their attire shielded them from
observation, and they passed some time unmolested among the crowd, but the
vindictive shouts of the multitude, crying, "Down with the Jews! down with
the followers of the virago of Provence!" so alarmed the little Eva, that
she was unable to keep her seat upon the pillion of the knight who had her
in charge, and Sir Guy at length obtained for them a shelter in an humble
tenement upon the banks of the Thames.
From the window of the cottage, they beheld the terrible massacre that
characterized the first popular outbreak against the government of Henry
III. The harmless Jews were dragged from their houses and mercilessly
slaughtered, amidst protestations of innocence, and heart-rending cries
for pity, while the furniture of their dwellings, and valuables of every
kind, were hurled into the streets, and distributed among the crowd. A
venerable man, Ben Abraham, of majestic demeanor, was pursued to the door
of the house in which the royal fugitives had taken refuge.
Count Guy in his agitation sprang to bar the entrance, but the young queen
with readier tact removed the bolt, and throwing open an opposite door,
motioned all the armed retainers to retire. Scarcely had the helpless old
man crossed the threshold, when the mob with demoniac cries, rushed in
after him, and the leader seizing him by his long white beard, severed his
head from his body, and held it up a grim and ghastly spectacle for the
plaudits of his followers. The terrified Eva, clinging close to Eleanora,
shrunk behind the open door, and the queen controlling her own agitation,
placed her hand over the child's mouth to repress her screams, while the
murderers dragging the bleeding corpse upon the pavement, began to search
the body for gold. Down the street rolled the tide of blood. Mad yells of
vengeance and frantic cries of terror mingled on the air, and swept away
toward the river.
Now the roar seemed advancing and now retreating, when a barge loosing
from the tower stairs, drew the concourse in that direction. It was the
Queen of Henry III. with her children, seeking to escape to Windsor
castle, where Prince Edward was quartered with his troops. Cries of "Drown
the Witch! Down with the Witch! No favor to foreigners! Death to the
Italians!" rent the air. The mob tore up the paving stones, stripped the
tiles from the houses, plundered butchers' shambles, and hucksters' shops,
and a shower of deadly missiles rained upon the river. The boat approached
the bridge, at the west end of which thousands of fierce eyes glared for
its appearance, and thousands of bloody hands were raised for its
destruction. At this moment the figure of an armed knight, of lofty
stature, appeared upon the bridge. Forcing his way through the mob, he
shouted to the sailors as the boat was about to shoot the arch, "Back!
Bear back!! upon your lives!!! Return to the tower!!!!" The frightened
boatmen turned at the critical moment, and the knight, by the prowess of
his single arm, diverted the attack to himself, till the queen was again
sheltered by the walls of the fortress.
Roar upon roar again swelled through the streets. The crowd hurried on in
search of prey, swaying to and fro, like trees in a tempest. Again the
feeble walls that sheltered the fair Castilian, felt the terrible presence
of demons in human form. The sight of a French attendant again raised the
cry of "Death to foreigners," and madly they rushed to the onslaught. But
the strange knight was already at the door, and backed by Guy de Lusignan
and the retainers, for some hours kept the infuriated multitude at bay,
but at every moment the crowd became denser, the cries more terrific, and
Eleanora drawing the little Eva to her bosom, and surrounded by her own
maidens, and the females of the household, was striving to recall the
prayers for the dying, when a distant shout of rescue swelled upon the
breeze. The shrill blast of a trumpet confirmed the uncertain hope, and
the defiant threats of the multitude began to give place to the howlings
of baffled rage. On came the tramp of horsemen, the clangor of armor;
louder roared the din of the fight; not now the sounds of falling
dwellings, flying missiles, and female shrieks, but the ringing clash of
Damascus steel, and the regular tramp of mounted horsemen. The warlike
shout of "Edward to the rescue," "Give way to the prince," drove on the
motley mass like sands before the desert wind, and scattered them through
all the lanes and alleys of the vast metropolis. At the sound of her
husband's name, Eleanora sprang from her knees and rushed to the door-way,
where she beheld, advancing at the head of the troops, taller than all
his compeers, more firmly seated upon his noble destriar, and more
gracefully managing the rein and wielding the sword, her long-absent lord.
He raised his vizor, as he paused to return the salutation of his uncle,
De Lusignan, and his fine, manly features, radiant with pleasure, and
flushed with triumph, his fair hair curling round his helmet, made him
appear to Eleanora, more brave and beautiful than a hero of romance. But
the eye that "kindled in war, now melted in love" at the unexpected
apparition of his bride, who with tearful eyes gazed upon him, uncertain
whether her presence would more embarrass or pleasure him. It was not,
however, in the heart of a chivalric prince to frown upon any distressed
damsel, much less upon the beautiful young being, whose fair face, the
sensitive index of every emotion, now paled with fear, now flushed with
joy, seemed each moment changing to a lovelier hue, while she awaited his
approach in doubt as to the greeting she should receive from her lord. The
generous prince hastily dismounting, and clasping her in his arms,
tenderly reassured her with words of affectionate welcome, not however,
without a gentle upbraiding, that she had not tarried at Dover till he had
been able, with a retinue befitting her rank, himself to escort her to
Windsor. The little Eva, meanwhile, had found a safe asylum in the arms of
the stranger knight, and, through the bars of his vizor, obtained a
glimpse of eyes, whose color and expression she never forgot, and listened
to words that made a lasting impression upon her mind.
Prince Edward found it necessary to establish his mother and queen, with
the ladies and attendants, under a strong guard, at Bristol castle, where
they remained during a part of that stormy period, consequent upon
Leicester's rebellion. Restricted to the narrow enjoyments which the
castle walls afforded, and to the society of the few knights who had them
in charge, the royal ladies found their chief entertainment in the
volatile spirits, and restless gaiety of the orphan Eva. No caution nor
command could prevent her mingling with the dependents, and listening to
and relating to her mistress every flying report that reached the castle.
But so gentle was her temper, and so ready her submission, that it was
impossible to be seriously offended with her, and her light footsteps and
joyous laugh were equally welcome in the royal apartments, and in the
servants' kitchen. The maids of honor, who were the most frequent victims
of her pranks, surnamed her, "Dame Madcap," while her cordial interest in
inferiors caused the retainers to dub her with the equally appropriate
soubriquet of "Little Sunbeam."
One day, the Princess Eleanora, passing the hall of audience, was
surprised by hearing shouts of irrepressible laughter. Suspecting that her
protegee was engaged in some frolic, she cautiously opened the door and
stood an unobserved spectator. Every piece of furniture capable of being
moved, had been torn from its mooring, and placed in some fantastic
position. The arras had been stripped from the walls, and hung in
grotesque festoons at the farther extremity of the room, above and around
a throne, ornamented with every article of embroidered velvet and silk
brocade, that the royal wardrobe afforded, on which was seated her Madcap
majesty, bedecked and bedizened with all sorts of holiday finery, while
every maid and retainer, not on duty, was passing before her, and
repeating the oath of fealty in giggling succession. The fair queen,
meanwhile, diversified her state duties by lecturing her new subjects upon
the indecorum of such ill-timed levity. The princess, in doubt what notice
to take of the affair, prudently withdrew, but not till Eva had caught
sight of her retreating figure, whereon, she assured her vassals, that
they had all been guilty of high treason, and that, no doubt, the Don Jon,
or some other Spanish cavalier would soon have them in close keeping.
When Eva again appeared in the presence of the princess, she fell on her
knees and begged pardon with an air of mock humility that changed
Eleanora's frowns to smiles in spite of herself, though she felt it
necessary to remonstrate with her upon the oft-reiterated subject of her
undignified familiarity with dependents. "I was but acting the queen,
your majesty, and would be glad of more exalted subjects," said she,
archly, in extenuation of her fault. "Royalty is but a pageant, and I
shall doubtless exercise the prerogative of a sovereign, when it is proved
that the wicked little Eva de la Mer is heiress of the gallant Strongbow."
"Thou, Queen of Ireland!" exclaimed Eleanora. "Who has put this foolish
conceit into thy young head? Thou must beware, sweet one, of these odd
fancies. Rememberest thou not the words of the confessor, that the pomps
and vanities of the world lead the soul astray?"
Tears filled the blue eyes of Eva, but instantly dashing them away with
spirit, she exclaimed, "And why not I a queen! 'Tis sure I would be a
better sovereign than most. They should not say as they do of our liege,
King Henry, that I robbed my subjects to make presents to my favorites."
"Eva, Eva," gravely rejoined the princess, "the Scripture saith we should
not speak evil of dignities." But Eva was in the vein, and her volubility
was not to be silenced.
"I would not be a queen," exclaimed she, "for then I should have none to
love me or to tell me the truth."
"None to love thee!" replied Eleanora. "Do not the people love her
gracious majesty, my royal mother?"
"Thou shouldst hear what all men say of her," exclaimed the child, almost
frightened at her own audacity.
"And what do men say?" inquired Eleanora, her curiosity getting the better
of her judgment.
"They say," continued Eva, "that all the troubles in England are owing to
the queen and her relations. That King Henry took the marriage portion of
his sister Isabella to furnish the decorations for the coronation; and
thou knowest well, my lady, that she hath nine garlands for her hair,
besides a great gold crown most glorious with gems."
"In sooth," returned the princess, "thou knowest more than I of the
queen's wardrobe. But how learnedst thou these things?"
"Her maidens, who love her none too well, tell me everything."
"And dost thou encourage them in evil speaking of their mistress, by
listening to their idle tales?"
"Nay, I told them they were sinners, and that the father of evil would
surely get them; but they only laughed, and said, in that case, I should
certainly bear them company."
Eleanora, looking gravely, said, "I fear my darling is learning sad ways,
and I must henceforth keep her always by my side."
Eva threw her arms around the princess, and pillowing her fair cheek upon
her bosom, whispered, "Let not my noble mistress omit this punishment, for
in her presence 'tis easy to be good." There was a pause of some minutes,
when the child gently resumed, "My lady will one day be a queen, shall Eva
then speak only the words of adulation, such as the false dames d'honneur
employ in the presence of her majesty? I heard them whispering low
concerning the queen's gold, and the extortions and exactions she had
brought upon the people, and when she inquired what they whispered, they
turned it with some fine compliment. I sought to tell her of the
falsehood, but the ladies would not give me entrance to her apartment. I
will tell thee, for thou art wise and mayest perchance warn her of her
false friends. What first caught my ear was the name of my lord, Prince
Edward. They said that when he was a lad of eight years, his royal father
brought him forth with his brother Edmund and his sisters Margaret and
Beatrice, and had them all weighed up like the calves at the butchers, and
then scattered their weight in coin among the ragged beggar children that
stood in the court below, laughing at the screams of the royal babies."
"Eva! Eva! How couldst thou listen to such vain parlance?"
"Oh! my lady, this is not the half of the vile things they told. They said
that when the king had oppressed the people till he could wring no more
money from them, he broke up his court, and then, to avoid the expense of
keeping his family, he invited himself with his retinue to the castles of
the nobles, and after being feasted right royally, he begged gifts at his
departure, telling them it was a greater charity to bestow alms upon him
than upon any beggar in the realm."
"Eva! darling! no more of this," said Eleanora, in a decided tone. "I will
give thee for thy penance three paternosters and a creed. Repair to my
oriel, and let me hear thee prate no more."
Eva received so much spiritual benefit from her devotions in the oratory,
that the next day she was permitted to go where she pleased, and her first
works of supererogation were distributed among those who had participated
in her offence. Accordingly, the princess found her robed in the
chaplain's gown, and receiving the confessions of those who had assisted
at her coronation the previous day, in which capacity she exhibited a
wonderful facility in prompting treacherous memories and callous
consciences. In the midst of the scene, a sharp blast from the warder's
horn startled the merry group. In times of public calamity, every
unexpected event seems fraught with a fearful interest. Each vassal
hurried to his post, and the females hastened away, while Eva, dropping
her sacred character, ran with all speed to reconnoitre from the
arrow-slit of the turret. The portcullis was raised, the sound of hoofs
was heard upon the drawbridge, and the next moment a messenger, toil worn
and travel-stained, dashed into the court. The tidings which he brought
were of the most important character. King Henry, apparently on the most
friendly terms with Leicester, was, in reality, a prisoner in his castle,
and subject to the will of the earl. Prince Edward was rapidly preparing
for war with the rebel barons, and, deeming the royal ladies unsafe in
England, had sent to bid them haste with all speed to the court of the
good King of France. Straining her eyes to command a view beyond the
castle walls, Eva discerned a band of huntsmen lingering in the skirts of
an adjoining wood, but in the bustle of departure, she could not find
opportunity to communicate the suspicious circumstance to any in
authority.
Apparelled in the utmost haste, the parties set forth, and slacked not
their riding till they reached the port. There seemed to be a great crowd
in the vicinity, of sailors, boatmen, clowns, in cartmen's frocks, and
occasionally a man in armor. Eva fancied that she discerned among them the
huntsmen of the wood, and her fears were confirmed when a moment after the
royal train were completely environed by the band. But so adroitly was the
manoeuvre effected, that the fugitives had scarcely time to feel
themselves prisoners, when a troop of Leicester's men appeared in the
distance, and they comprehended that, but for the timely interposition of
these unknown friends, their retreat would have been cut off. As the
vessel receded from shore, swords were drawn, and a fierce contest ensued
between the huntsmen and the soldiers, and Eva recognized in the leader of
their defenders the figure of the tall knight who had rescued them at
London bridge.
At the court of Queen Margaret, the exiled princesses received a cordial
welcome, and the piety of Eleanora was strengthened by intercourse with
the good St. Louis: while Eva's vivacity soon made her a favorite with the
ladies of the French court. The unaffected piety of the saintly monarch
was scarcely a fit subject for the humor which Eva exercised without
discrimination, upon the grave and gay. But many of the superstitious
observances of the church, ridiculous in themselves, excited her native
merriment; nor could all the penances of the confessor restrict the
playful license of her tongue.
The Latin dynasty of Constantinople was now tottering to its fall. The
young Greek emperor Baldwin, deprived of the counsels of his
father-in-law, Jean de Brienne (who had taken the habit of St. Francis,
and died on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem), was exposed to the attacks of
every disaffected noble that chose to rebel against him. He had made every
possible concession to avoid open warfare with his enemies, and had
suffered every conceivable inconvenience from utter poverty. He had given
his niece in marriage to a Turkish emir, and ratified a treaty with a
haughty pagan by tasting his blood. He demolished vacant houses in
Constantinople for winter fuel, stripped the lead from the churches for
the daily expense of his family; mortgaged his father's estates in France
to increase the public revenue; and pawned the heir of the purple at
Venice, as security for a debt. One only treasure yet remained, the Holy
Crown of Thorns; but piety forbade him to make merchandise of that which
all Christendom regarded with such superstitious veneration. It was
therefore determined to present the precious bauble to the most honorable
prince in Europe, and rely upon his pious gratitude to make suitable
return. A wooden box conveyed the inestimable relic to France. It was
opened in the presence of the nobility, discovering within a silver shrine
in which was preserved the monument of the Passion, enclosed in a golden
vase. St. Louis, with all his court, made a pilgrimage to Troyes, to
receive the precious deposit. And the devout monarch, barefoot, and
without other clothing than a simple tunic, carried it in triumph through
the streets of Paris, and placed it in La Sainte Chapelle, which he
prepared for the purpose. This solemn ceremony roused all the mirthfulness
of Eva, nor could the habitual reverence of Eleanora so far prevail over
her good sense, as to prevent some slight misgivings concerning the
authenticity of the various and multiplied relics that then formed so
lucrative a branch of commerce.
"I warrant me," said the madcap, Eva, to the maidens, "we shall all of us
be compelled to kneel upon the cold pavement before that prickly emblem,
as a punishment for our many transgressions." Shocked at her impiety, yet
inwardly amused, the merry party mingled their reproaches with encouraging
peals of laughter.
"No doubt," continued she, "it will cure all diseases, at least it has
humbled the holy king like St. Paul's thorn in the flesh. For me, though I
strove to wear a devout face, I could not help laughing at the sight of
his royal shins." The volatile French ladies, who had experienced very
much the same sensation, joined in the merriment. "I hear," said Eva, "we
are to have another procession of the same kind ere long, and mayhaps they
will require us to transport the holy relic in the same flimsy guise.
Thou, Felice, who art so jealous of Sir Francis d'Essai's attentions to
me, shall carry the cross. And the sharp-witted Beatrice shall bear the
lance. Thou, Caliste, who hearest all and sayest naught, shall wear the
sponge, and as for me, I shall take the rod of Moses and smite your rocky
hearts, till the waters of repentance flow forth." "Hush! hush!" exclaimed
the damsels, "her majesty approaches."
Scarcely were their countenances composed to the approved pattern of court
propriety, and their eyes fixed upon their embroidery, when Queen Margaret
entered, and, in her serenely gracious manner, informed them that his
highness, the Emperor Baldwin, had presented another invaluable gift to
her royal husband, and she counselled them, by fasting and prayer, to put
themselves in readiness to join the court in a procession to deposit the
sacred relic in St. Chapelle. While each maiden dropped her head with
apparent assent, but in reality to conceal her smiles brought up by the
prospective realization of Eva's panorama, the facile girl devoutly
crossed herself, and with a demure look replied, "We have heard of the
noble Courtenay's munificence, and have endeavored, according to our poor
ability, to prepare our minds for the solemn duty." No sooner had the
queen departed, than in a tone of mock gravity, she exhorted them to be
diligent in their worship, for now she thought of it, she resolved to
smile upon the young Squire Courtenay, who had besought her to embroider a
shamrock upon his pennon. Winning him, she should doubtless one day share
the imperial purple, in which case she should reclaim those sacred
treasures, and they would then be under the necessity of making a
pilgrimage to Constantinople, for as Baldwin's last heir was in pawn, the
crown would doubtless descend to the younger branches of his house.