Ivanhoe by Walter Scott (world best books to read .TXT) 📖

the Poor Military Brotherhood of the Temple, which occur in the Works of St Bernard. L. T.

that he would not that brethren be called together in council,

save at the will and command of the Master; leaving it free to

us, as to those more worthy fathers who have preceded us in this

our office, to judge, as well of the occasion as of the time and

place in which a chapter of the whole Order, or of any part

thereof, may be convoked. Also, in all such chapters, it is our

duty to hear the advice of our brethren, and to proceed according

to our own pleasure. But when the raging wolf hath made an

inroad upon the flock, and carried off one member thereof, it is

the duty of the kind shepherd to call his comrades together, that

with bows and slings they may quell the invader, according to our

well-known rule, that the lion is ever to be beaten down. We

have therefore summoned to our presence a Jewish woman, by name

Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of York---a woman infamous for

sortileges and for witcheries; whereby she hath maddened the

blood, and besotted the brain, not of a churl, but of a Knight

---not of a secular Knight, but of one devoted to the service of

the Holy Temple---not of a Knight Companion, but of a Preceptor

of our Order, first in honour as in place. Our brother, Brian de

Bois-Guilbert, is well known to ourselves, and to all degrees who

now hear me, as a true and zealous champion of the Cross, by

whose arm many deeds of valour have been wrought in the Holy

Land, and the holy places purified from pollution by the blood of

those infidels who defiled them. Neither have our brother’s

sagacity and prudence been less in repute among his brethren than

his valour and discipline; in so much, that knights, both in

eastern and western lands, have named De Bois-Guilbert as one who

may well be put in nomination as successor to this batoon, when

it shall please Heaven to release us from the toil of bearing it.

If we were told that such a man, so honoured, and so honourable,

suddenly casting away regard for his character, his vows, his

brethren, and his prospects, had associated to himself a Jewish

damsel, wandered in this lewd company, through solitary places,

defended her person in preference to his own, and, finally, was

so utterly blinded and besotted by his folly, as to bring her

even to one of our own Preceptories, what should we say but that

the noble knight was possessed by some evil demon, or influenced

by some wicked spell?---If we could suppose it otherwise, think

not rank, valour, high repute, or any earthly consideration,

should prevent us from visiting him with punishment, that the

evil thing might be removed, even according to the text, ‘Auferte

malum ex vobis’. For various and heinous are the acts of

transgression against the rule of our blessed Order in this

lamentable history.---1st, He hath walked according to his proper

will, contrary to capital 33, ‘Quod nullus juxta propriam

voluntatem incedat’.---2d, He hath held communication with an

excommunicated person, capital 57, ‘Ut fratres non participent

cum excommunicatis’, and therefore hath a portion in ‘Anathema

Maranatha’.---3d, He hath conversed with strange women, contrary

to the capital, ‘Ut fratres non conversantur cum extraneis

mulieribus’.---4th, He hath not avoided, nay, he hath, it is to

be feared, solicited the kiss of woman; by which, saith the last

rule of our renowned Order, ‘Ut fugiantur oscula’, the soldiers

of the Cross are brought into a snare. For which heinous and

multiplied guilt, Brian de Bois-Guilbert should be cut off and

cast out from our congregation, were he the right hand and right

eye thereof.”

He paused. A low murmur went through the assembly. Some of the

younger part, who had been inclined to smile at the statute ‘De

osculis fugiendis’, became now grave enough, and anxiously waited

what the Grand Master was next to propose.

“Such,” he said, “and so great should indeed be the punishment of

a Knight Templar, who wilfully offended against the rules of his

Order in such weighty points. But if, by means of charms and of

spells, Satan had obtained dominion over the Knight, perchance

because he cast his eyes too lightly upon a damsel’s beauty, we

are then rather to lament than chastise his backsliding; and,

imposing on him only such penance as may purify him from his

iniquity, we are to turn the full edge of our indignation upon

the accursed instrument, which had so well-nigh occasioned his

utter falling away.---Stand forth, therefore, and bear witness,

ye who have witnessed these unhappy doings, that we may judge of

the sum and bearing thereof; and judge whether our justice may be

satisfied with the punishment of this infidel woman, or if we

must go on, with a bleeding heart, to the further proceeding

against our brother.”

Several witnesses were called upon to prove the risks to which

Bois-Guilbert exposed himself in endeavouring to save Rebecca

from the blazing castle, and his neglect of his personal defence

in attending to her safety. The men gave these details with the

exaggerations common to vulgar minds which have been strongly

excited by any remarkable event, and their natural disposition to

the marvellous was greatly increased by the satisfaction which

their evidence seemed to afford to the eminent person for whose

information it had been delivered. Thus the dangers which

Bois-Guilbert surmounted, in themselves sufficiently great,

became portentous in their narrative. The devotion of the Knight

to Rebecca’s defence was exaggerated beyond the bounds, not only

of discretion, but even of the most frantic excess of chivalrous

zeal; and his deference to what she said, even although her

language was often severe and upbraiding, was painted as carried

to an excess, which, in a man of his haughty temper, seemed

almost preternatural.

The Preceptor of Templestowe was then called on to describe the

manner in which Bois-Guilbert and the Jewess arrived at the

Preceptory. The evidence of Malvoisin was skilfully guarded.

But while he apparently studied to spare the feelings of

Bois-Guilbert, he threw in, from time to time, such hints, as

seemed to infer that he laboured under some temporary alienation

of mind, so deeply did he appear to be enamoured of the damsel

whom he brought along with him. With sighs of penitence, the

Preceptor avowed his own contrition for having admitted Rebecca

and her lover within the walls of the Preceptory---“But my

defence,” he concluded, “has been made in my confession to our

most reverend father the Grand Master; he knows my motives were

not evil, though my conduct may have been irregular. Joyfully

will I submit to any penance he shall assign me.”

“Thou hast spoken well, Brother Albert,” said Beaumanoir; “thy

motives were good, since thou didst judge it right to arrest

thine erring brother in his career of precipitate folly. But

thy conduct was wrong; as he that would stop a runaway steed,

and seizing by the stirrup instead of the bridle, receiveth

injury himself, instead of accomplishing his purpose. Thirteen

paternosters are assigned by our pious founder for matins, and

nine for vespers; be those services doubled by thee. Thrice

a-week are Templars permitted the use of flesh; but do thou keep

fast for all the seven days. This do for six weeks to come, and

thy penance is accomplished.”

With a hypocritical look of the deepest submission, the Preceptor

of Templestowe bowed to the ground before his Superior, and

resumed his seat.

“Were it not well, brethren,” said the Grand Master, “that we

examine something into the former life and conversation of this

woman, specially that we may discover whether she be one likely

to use magical charms and spells, since the truths which we have

heard may well incline us to suppose, that in this unhappy course

our erring brother has been acted upon by some infernal

enticement and delusion?”

Herman of Goodalricke was the Fourth Preceptor present; the other

three were Conrade, Malvoisin, and Bois-Guilbert himself. Herman

was an ancient warrior, whose face was marked with scars

inflicted by the sabre of the Moslemah, and had great rank and

consideration among his brethren. He arose and bowed to the

Grand Master, who instantly granted him license of speech. “I

would crave to know, most Reverend Father, of our valiant

brother, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, what he says to these wondrous

accusations, and with what eye he himself now regards his unhappy

intercourse with this Jewish maiden?”

“Brian de Bois-Guilbert,” said the Grand Master, “thou hearest

the question which our Brother of Goodalricke desirest thou

shouldst answer. I command thee to reply to him.”

Bois-Guilbert turned his head towards the Grand Master when thus

addressed, and remained silent.

“He is possessed by a dumb devil,” said the Grand Master. “Avoid

thee, Sathanus!---Speak, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, I conjure thee,

by this symbol of our Holy Order.”

Bois-Guilbert made an effort to suppress his rising scorn and

indignation, the expression of which, he was well aware, would

have little availed him. “Brian de Bois-Guilbert,” he answered,

“replies not, most Reverend Father, to such wild and vague

charges. If his honour be impeached, he will defend it with his

body, and with that sword which has often fought for

Christendom.”

“We forgive thee, Brother Brian,” said the Grand Master; “though

that thou hast boasted thy warlike achievements before us, is a

glorifying of thine own deeds, and cometh of the Enemy, who

tempteth us to exalt our own worship. But thou hast our pardon,

judging thou speakest less of thine own suggestion than from the

impulse of him whom by Heaven’s leave, we will quell and drive

forth from our assembly.” A glance of disdain flashed from the

dark fierce eyes of Bois-Guilbert, but he made no reply.---“And

now,” pursued the Grand Master, “since our Brother of

Goodalricke’s question has been thus imperfectly answered, pursue

we our quest, brethren, and with our patron’s assistance, we will

search to the bottom this mystery of iniquity.---Let those who

have aught to witness of the life and conversation of this Jewish

woman, stand forth before us.” There was a bustle in the lower

part of the hall, and when the Grand Master enquired the reason,

it was replied, there was in the crowd a bedridden man, whom the

prisoner had restored to the perfect use of his limbs, by a

miraculous balsam.

The poor peasant, a Saxon by birth, was dragged forward to the

bar, terrified at the penal consequences which he might have

incurred by the guilt of having been cured of the palsy by a

Jewish damsel. Perfectly cured he certainly was not, for he

supported himself forward on crutches to give evidence. Most

unwilling was his testimony, and given with many tears; but he

admitted that two years since, when residing at York, he was

suddenly afflicted with a sore disease, while labouring for Isaac

the rich Jew, in his vocation of a joiner; that he had been

unable to stir from his bed until the remedies applied by

Rebecca’s directions, and especially a warming and spicy-smelling

balsam, had in some degree restored him to the use of his limbs.

Moreover, he said, she had given him a pot of that precious

ointment, and furnished him with a piece of money withal, to

return to the house of his father, near to Templestowe. “And may

it please your gracious Reverence,” said the man, “I cannot think

the damsel meant harm by me, though she hath the ill hap to be a

Jewess; for even when I used her remedy, I said the Pater and the

Creed, and it never operated a whit less kindly---”

“Peace, slave,” said the Grand Master, “and begone! It well

suits brutes like