SCENE 5
(Enter Jeronimus.)
JERONIMUS. Your servant, Mr. Bailiff. I am surprised to find you here. I have come to see my future son-in-law, Rasmus Berg.
JESPER. He will be here in a moment. It is a shame that you didn't come a half hour sooner. You would then have heard him and the deacon disputing together.
JERONIMUS. How did it come out?
JESPER. Shame on Peer the deacon! He is worse than I thought. I see well enough that he has forgot nothing either of his Latin or Hebrew.
JERONIMUS. I believe that well enough, for he probably never knew much of either.
JESPER. Don't say that, Monsieur Jeronimus! He has a devilish clever tongue. It is really a joy to hear the man talk Latin.
JERONIMUS. That is more than I should have expected. But how does my son look?
JESPER. He looks confoundedly learned. You would hardly recognize him. He has another name, too.
JERONIMUS. Another name! What does he call himself?
JESPER. He calls himself Montanus, which is said to be the same as
Rasmus in Latin.
JERONIMUS. Oh, shame! that is wicked. I have known many who have changed their Christian names in that way, but they never have prospered. Some years ago I knew a person who was christened Peer, and afterwards, when he had become a man of consequence, wanted to be coined again, and called himself Peter. But that name cost him dear, for he broke his leg and died in great misery. Our Lord doesn't allow such a thing, Mr. Bailiff.
JESPER. I don't care what his name is, but I don't like it that he has such peculiar opinions in religion.
JERONIMUS. What kind of opinions has he, then?
JESPER. Oh, it's terrible! My hair stands on end when I think of it. I can't remember all that I heard, but I know that among other things he said that the earth was round. What can I call such a thing, Monsieur Jeronimus? That is nothing else than overthrowing all religion and leading folk away from the faith. A heathen certainly cannot speak worse.
JERONIMUS. He must have said that only in jest.
JESPER. It is going rather too far to joke about such things as that. See, here he comes himself.