CHAPTER CII
IN compliance with a custom I despise, but have not the spirit to resist, I linger on the stage to pick up the smaller fragments of humanity I have scattered about: i. e. some of them, for the wayside characters have no claim on me; they have served their turn if they have persuaded the reader that Gerard travelled from Holland to Rome through human beings, and not through a population of dolls.
Eli and Catherine lived to a great age: lived so long that both Gerard and Margaret grew to be dim memories. Giles also was longævous; he went to the court of Bavaria, and was alive there at ninety, but had somehow turned into bones and leather, trumpet toned.
Cornelis, free from all rivals, and forgiven long ago by his mother, who clung to him more and more now all her brood was scattered, waited, and waited, and waited, for his parents' decease. But Catherine's shrewd word came true: ere she and her mate wore out, this worthy rusted away. At sixty-five he lay dying of old age in his mother's arms, a hale woman of eighty-six. He had lain unconscious a while; but came to himself in articulo mortis, and seeing her near him, told her how he would transform the shop and premises as soon as they should be his. "Yes, my darling," said the poor old woman, soothingly; and in another minute he was clay: and that clay was followed to the grave by all the feet whose shoes he had waited for.
Denys, broken-hearted at his comrade's death, was glad to return to Burgundy, and there a small pension the court allowed him kept him until unexpectedly he inherited a considerable sum from a relation. He was known in his native place for many years as a crusty old soldier, who could tell good stories of war, when he chose; and a bitter railer against women.
Jerome, disgusted with northern laxity, retired to Italy, and, having high connections, became at seventy a mitred abbot. He put on the screw of discipline: his monks revered and hated him. He ruled with iron rod ten years. And one night he died, alone; for he had not found the way to a single heart. The Vulgate was on his pillow, and the crucifix in his hand, and on his lips something more like a smile, than was ever seen there while he lived; so that, methinks, at that awful hour he was not quite alone. Requiescat in pace. The Master he served has many servants, and they have many minds, and now and then a faithful one will be a surly one, as it is in these our mortal mansions.
The yellow-haired laddie, Gerard Gerardson, belongs not to Fiction but to History. She has recorded his birth in other terms than mine. Over the tailor's house in the Brede Kirk Straet she has inscribed:—
"Hæc est parva domus natus quâ magnus Erasmus";
and she has written half a dozen lives of him. But there is something left for her yet to do. She has no more comprehended magnum Erasmum, than any other pigmy comprehends a giant, or partisan a judge.
First scholar and divine of his epoch, he was also the heaven-born dramatist of his century. Some of the best scenes in this new book are from his mediæval pen, and illumine the pages where they come; for the words of a genius, so high as his are not born to die: their immediate work upon mankind fulfilled, they may seem to lie torpid; but, at each fresh shower of intelligence Time pours upon their students, they prove their immortal race: they revive, they spring from the dust of great libraries; they bud, they flower, they fruit, they seed, from generation to generation, and from age to age.
FOOTNOTES:
[A] Sinclair was a singer; and complained to the manager that in the operatic play of Rob Roy he had a multitude of mere words to utter between the songs. 'Cut, my boy, cut!' said the manager. On this vox et p. n. cut Scott, and doubtless many of his cuts would not have discredited the condensers of evidence. But only one of his master-strokes has reached posterity. His melodious organs had been taxed with this sentence: "Rashleigh is my cousin; but, for what reason I cannot divine, he is my bitterest enemy." This he condensed and delivered thus:—"Rashleigh is my cousin, but for what reason I cannot divine."
[B] Anglice, a Thing-em-bob.
[C] Pietro Vanucci, and Andrea, did not recognize him without his beard. The fact is, that the beard, which has never known a razor, grows in a very picturesque and characteristic form, and becomes a feature in the face; so that its removal may in some cases be an effectual disguise.
[D] "Loricatus," vide Ducange, in voce
[E] It requires now-a-days a strong effort of the imagination to realize the effect on poor people who had never seen them before, of such sentences as this: "Blessed are the poor," &c.
[F] The primitive writer was so interpreted by others besides Clement; and, in particular by Peter of Blois, a divine of the twelfth century, whose comment is noteworthy, as he himself was a forty-year hermit.
[1] Beat down Satan under our feet.
[2] Up, Hearts!
[3] Oh God our refuge and strength.
[4] Oh! Lamb of God, that takest away the Sins of the world, have mercy upon me!
[5] Oh! Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy upon us.
[6] From the assaults of demons—from the wrath to come—from everlasting damnation—
Deliver us O Lord!
[7] See the English collect, St. Michael and all Angels.
[8] Of whom may we seek succour, but of thee, Oh Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased (and that torrent of prayer, the following verse).
[G] Dr. Dickson, author of Fallacies of the Faculty, etc.
[H] It is related of a mediæval hermit, that being offered a garment made of cats' skins, he rejected it, saying, "I have heard of a lamb of God, but I never heard of a cat of God."
[I] More than one hermit had received a present of this kind.
[J] Query? "looking-glass."
[K] Craft. He means trade or profession.
[L] I think she means prejudice.
[M] Let me not be understood to apply this to the bare outline of the relation. Many bishops and priests, and not a few popes had wives and children as laymen; and entering orders were parted from the wives and not from the children. But in the case before the reader are the additional features of a strong surviving attachment on both sides, and of neighbourhood, besides that here the man had been led into holy orders by a false statement of the woman's death. On a summary of all the essential features, the situation was, to the best of my belief, unique.
[N] He was citing from Clement of Rome—
'Thy di heantôn dikaioumetha oude dia tês hêmeteras sophias, ê eusebeias, ê ergôn ôn kateirgasametha en hosiotêti kardias, alla dia tês pisteôs.'——Epist. ad Corinth., i. 32.
[O] Celibacy of the Clergy, an invention truly fiendish.
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Archaic spelling, where recognized, such as "Ilias" for "Iliad" was retained. Corrections for others listed below. Varied hyphenation was retained. Text uses both Bergundy and Burgundy.
Page [18], "fiends" changed to "friends" (the friends go with him)
Page [72], "fortell" changed to "foretell" (who may foretell)
Page [77], "gladened" changed to "gladdened" (the urchin was gladdened)
Page [80], "he" changed to "be" (be in Tergou)
Page [84], "contemptuuously" changed to "contemptuously" (said Martin contemptuuusly)
Page [86], "befel" changed to "befell" (if evil befell him)
Page [123], "exit" changed to "exited" (and exited with an injured)
Page [135] and [173], "Gerald" changed to "Gerard" (Gerard more than thunder) (waked by Gerard moving)
Page [147], "gruffy" changed to "gruffly" (said gruffly, "Good morrow.")
Page [147], word "to" inserted into text. Orginal read (Denys whispered Gerard)
Page [153], "brethern" changed to "brethren" (my learned brethren)
Page [164], "assulting" changed to "assaulting" (assaulting a Dusseldorf)
Page [165], "pow" changed to "paw" (Samson's hairy paw)
Page [188], "Deny's" changed to "Denys's" (Denys's infinite amusement)
Page [210], "sorowfully" changed to "sorrowfully" (said Denys, sorrowfully)
Page [231], "worldy" changed to "worldly" (piety and worldly prudence)
Page [271], "I'l" changed to "I'll" (I'll tell her tho)
Page [275], repeated line of text deleted. Original read:
being sincere. Dierich Brower, who was discovered at "The Three
Kings," making a chatterbox drunk in order to worm out of him the
whereabouts of Martin Wittenhaagen, was actually taken and flung
into a horse-pond, and threatened with worse usage, should he ever
show his face in the burgh again; and finally, municipal jealousy
being roused, the burgomaster of Sevenbergen sent a formal missive
being sincere. Dierich Brower, who was discovered at "The Three
to the burgomaster of Tergou, reminding him he had overstepped
Page [287], "Itay" changed to "Italy" (will never leave Italy)
Page [287], "occured" changed to "occurred" (unlooked-for interruption occurred)
Page [298], "occurence" changed to "occurrence" (occurrence as a miracle)
Page [300], "condensd" changed to "condensed" (Covered by their condensed)
Page [301], "beseigers" changed to "besiegers" (besiegers got spiteful)
Page [311], "Maragaret" changed to "Margaret" (soon at Margaret Van Eyck's house)
Page [315], "wondred" changed to "wondered" (your ways, and wondered)
Page [364], "mesage" changed to "message" (message to Tergou)
Page [380], "be" changed to "he" (he bade me untruss)
Page [409], word "had" added to text (Ere I had gone)
Page [414], "beseiged" changed to "besieged" (where they besieged)
Page [414], "beseigers" changed to "besiegers" (their besiegers, and hashed)
Page [418], "patriach" changed to "patriarch" (one the patriarch)
Page [421], the word "thof" appears. The transcriber could find no meaning for this word nor any word or words that would be appropriate, although it might be a dialectic combination of "though if". It was left as printed. (Writing, thof it had no sale)
Page [428], "runing" changed to "running" (only kept running)
Page [436], word "the" added to text (out of the window)
Page [464], "blazé" changed to "blasé" (blasé. A high bred)
Page [491], "carressed" changed to "caressed" (young tones, caressed)
Page [536], "Wo" changed to "We" (We love our own)
Page [537], "forseen" changed to "foreseen" (Heaven hath foreseen)
Page [540], "aim" changed to "am" (vile I am)
Page [561], "bethrothal" changed to "betrothal" (recognizing her betrothal)
Page [570], "Maragret" changed to "Margaret" (Margaret said she thought)
Page [577], "liker" changed to "like" (like iron cobwebs)
Page [594], the footnote at the bottom of this page had no anchor in the text. The transcriber placed the anchor on the last paragraph from the previous page as the text seemed to fit better.
Page [605], "pilows" changed to "pillows" (pillows, lay his deadly)
Page [608], "reconcilation" changed to "reconciliation" (least of a reconciliation)
Page [650], "cubboard" changed to "cupboard" (in the little cupboard)
Page [622], "marrige" changed to "marriage" (me my marriage lines)
Page [639], first footnote missing anchor in text. Anchor placed after Greek quotation. Also footnote switched from letters to numbers here.
Page [642], "creasli" changed to "creasti" (Quae tu creasti)
Page [645], "litle" changed to "little" (little water every day)
Page [653], "ectasy" changed to "ecstasy" (gazed with ecstasy)
Page [653], "wonderfuly" changed to "wonderfully" (wonderfully intelligent for)
Page [659], "croning" changed to "crooning" (he stopped crooning)