uttrells. by the crescent upon it, it should be the
second son of old sir hugh, who had a bolt through his ankle at
the intaking of romorantin, he having rushed into the fray ere
his squire had time to clasp his solleret to his greave. there
too is the hackle which is the old device of the de brays. i
have served under sir thomas de bray, who was as jolly as a pie,
and a lusty swordsman until he got too fat for his harness."
so the archer gossiped as the three wayfarers threaded their way
among the stamping horses, the busy grooms, and the knots of
pages and squires who disputed over the merits of their masters'
horses and deerhounds. as they passed the old church, which
stood upon a mound at the left-hand side of the village street
the door was flung open, and a stream of worshippers wound down
the sloping path, coming from the morning mass, all chattering
like a cloud of jays. alleyne bent knee and doffed hat at the
sight of the open door; but ere he had finished an ave his
comrades were out of sight round the curve of the path, and he
had to run to overtake them."
"what!" he said, "not one word of prayer before god's own open
house? how can ye hope for his blessing upon the day?"
"my friend," said hordle john, "i have prayed so much during the
last two months, not only during the day, but at matins, lauds,
and the like, when i could scarce keep my head upon my shoulders
for nodding, that i feel that i have somewhat over-prayed
myself."
"how can a man have too much religion?" cried alleyne earnestly.
"it is the one thing that availeth. a man is but a beast as he
lives from day to day, eating and drinking, breathing and
sleeping. it is only when he raises himself, and concerns
himself with the immortal spirit within him, that he becomes in
very truth a man. bethink ye how sad a thing it would be that
the blood of the redeemer should be spilled to no purpose."
"bless the lad, if he doth not blush like any girl, and yet
preach like the whole college of cardinals," cried the archer.
"in truth i blush that any one so weak and so unworthy as i
should try to teach another that which he finds it so passing
hard to follow himself."
"prettily said, mon garcon. touching that same slaying of the
redeemer, it was a bad business. a good padre in france read to
us from a scroll the whole truth of the matter. the soldiers
came upon him in the garden. in truth, these apostles of his may
have been holy men, but they were of no great account as men-at-
arms. there was one, indeed, sir peter, who smote out like a
true man; but, unless he is belied, he did but clip a varlet's
ear, which was no very knightly deed. by these ten finger-bones!
had i been there with black simon of norwich, and but one score
picked men of the company, we had held them in play. could we do
no more, we had at least filled the false knight, sir judas, so
full of english arrows that he would curse the day that ever he
came on such an errand."
the young clerk smiled at his companion's earnestness. "had he
wished help," he said, "he could have summoned legions of
archangels from heaven, so what need had he of your poor bow and
arrow? besides, bethink you of his own words--that those who
live by the sword shall perish by the sword."
"and how could man die better?" asked the archer. "if i had my
wish, it would be to fall so--not, mark you, in any mere skirmish
of the company, but in a stricken field, with the great lion
banner waving over us and the red oriflamme in front, amid the
shouting of my fellows and the twanging of the strings. but let
it be sword, lance, or bolt that strikes me down: for i should
think it shame to die from an iron ball from the hre-crake or
bombard or any such unsoldierly weapon, which is only fitted to
scare babes with its foolish noise and smoke."
"i have heard much even in the quiet cloisters of these new and
dreadful engines," quoth alleyne. "it is said, though i can
scarce bring myself to believe it, that they will send a ball
twice as far as a bowman can shoot his shaft, and with such force
as to break through armor of proof."
"true enough, my lad. but while the armorer is thrusting in his
devil's-dust, and dropping his ball, and lighting his flambeau, i
can very easily loose six shafts, or eight maybe, so he hath no
great vantage after all. yet i will not deny that at the
intaking of a town it is well to have good store of bombards. i
am told that at calais they made dints in the wall that a man
might put his head into. but surely, comrades, some one who is
grievously hurt hath passed along this road before us."
all along the woodland track there did indeed run a scattered
straggling trail of blood-marks, sometimes in single drops, and
in other places in broad, ruddy gouts, smudged over the dead
leaves or
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