Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

ancient chivalry In rough and luxurious attire, Playing a colorful hero story; Samurai in helmet and lady in costume Called by the sound of the trumpet, Gather to the soaring vaulted halls of the majestic castle. Wharton [Note: Thomas.Wharton, English poet. 】 Prince John's grand banquet was held at Ashby Castle. This is not the building that still leaves magnificent ruins for visitors. These buildings are the later Lord Hastings, the British House Secretary.Hastings, an English nobleman, was killed for opposing Richard III. ], who was one of the earliest victims of the tyranny of Richard III, but he was primarily written as a Shakespeare play. ] in a well-known character, he did not have much status in history.During this period, the town and castle of Ashby belonged to Roger Earl of Winchester.De Quincey, who during the period of our story, had gone out, to the Holy Land; so Prince John lived in his castle, and commanded his dominions without scruple; I ordered all parties to make arrangements to make this banquet a perfect one.

In order to hold such a banquet, the prince's procurement officers will naturally make full use of the royal prerogatives to search all over the country for everything they think their master's banquet needs.The invitations were also unusually large; and Prince John, realizing that he must win hearts, extended the invitations to a small number of well-known Saxon and Dane families, and not only to the nearby Norman nobles and gentlemen.Although in general the Anglo-Saxons were scorned and insulted, it must be admitted that their numbers and their importance in the impending civil strife, and that it was obviously strategically important to win over their leaders necessary.

Because of this, the prince insisted on his own way for a period of time, and tried his best to treat the guests who had never been in touch with each other with courtesy, so that they were flattered.But although all men, for their own benefit, almost without hesitation changed their usual attitudes and sentiments toward him, it was unfortunate that the Prince's capriciousness and capriciousness tended to spoil his original pretense. One of his events in Ireland is a memorable example of this frivolous character.He was there on the orders of his father, King Henry II, in order to buy hearts and minds in this important new territory acquired by the British crown.At that time, the tribal leaders of Ireland competed to please the young prince, greeted him and expressed their loyalty.But he didn't treat them with courtesy, but together with his arrogant entourage, he teased them at will and pulled their long beard; British rule in Ireland had serious consequences.The reader must bear in mind this freewheeling quality of John's character in order to understand his performance this evening.

Prince John received Cedric and Athelstan courteously, as he had decided in his calmer moments, and heard Cedric say that Miss Rowena was unable to attend the Prince's banquet because of her ill health. , just expressed disappointment, not anger.Both Cedric and Athelstan were dressed in Saxon clothes, which were not ugly in themselves, and were made of expensive materials, but were quite different in style and appearance from those of the other guests, but John When the prince saw this kind of costume that seemed ridiculous at the time, he still looked like Waldemar.Like Fizzy, he forced himself to keep the big picture in mind and didn't use it as joke material.In fact, in all fairness, the Saxon tunic and long cape are more beautiful and convenient than the Norman clothing. The Norman underwear is a long waistcoat. Over this was a short coat, which served neither to keep out the cold nor the rain, and whose sole purpose seemed to be to show off the furs, embroidery, and jewellery, which the ingenious tailor had endowed them with.Charlemagne [Note: A great monarch of the Frankish Kingdom, after his rule, the Frankish Kingdom expanded into the so-called Charlie Empire. ] They became popular during his reign. He seemed to be deeply touched by the inconvenience of this style of clothing, and once said: I don't understand, what good are these truncated coats?It cannot be used as a quilt when we are lying in bed; it cannot be used as a shelter when we are riding a horse; it cannot protect our legs from moisture or cold when sitting in a chair.

Yet in spite of the great emperor's disapproval of it, the short coat continued to prevail until the period we describe, especially among the princes and grandsons of the house of Anjou.Such dress was therefore generally adopted by the courtiers of Prince John, and the long coat worn by the Saxon as an overcoat was, of course, met with corresponding ridicule. The dining table is full of delicacies from mountains and seas, and the guests sit around it.Many of the cooks who accompanied the Prince on his tours took pains to embellish the commonplace foods, just as master culinary masters of the day always disfigure them and lose their natural form.In addition to local dishes, there are also various delicacies from abroad, a large number of exquisite pastries, and delicate breads and delicate cakes that can only be seen at grand banquets of famous families.There are all kinds of famous wines, including domestic and foreign, which add a lot to the banquet.

However, although the Norman nobles lived luxuriously, they generally did not eat without restraint.They indulge in feasting and feasting, but what they demand is elegance and refinement, not gluttony. On the contrary, they always regard gluttony and alcoholism as the Saxon style, which they think is given to them by their inferior status as the defeated. Bad quality.Indeed, Prince John, and those around him who catered to his inclinations, and imitated his faults, had no scruples in gratifying their appetites; Ale, which resulted in death.His conduct, however, was rather an exception to the general manner of his countrymen.

The Norman nobles and knights put on an appearance of modesty, but sometimes they secretly winked and called everyone's attention to the vulgar behavior of Athelstan and Cedric, but Athelstan and Cedric were not used to banquets. The etiquette and the rules, which they have not been educated, often violate some arbitrary canon of intercourse, and become the object of ridicule.And it is well known that a man can be forgiven for his mistakes in real good manners or morals, but he will be blamed and made a laughing stock if he neglects the etiquette of the upper class.Thus, Cedric was ridiculed for drying his hands with a towel instead of waving them lightly in the air to let the water evaporate, which seemed to be more ridiculed than his friend Athelstan, who gobbled up a hunk of pie by himself. Eat up, even more unsightly.That pie was then called the hash pie, and was made of the finest food abroad.However, after careful interrogation, everyone found that the manor of Coningsberg or the rich man in the Normans did not know what he swallowed. He regarded the offal as skylark and pigeon meat. Instead they are made from the meat of a small songbird and night bird.His ignorance of such exquisite foreign foods has aroused widespread ridicule, but people don't care about his really unsightly wolfing down.

The long banquet was finally coming to an end; amidst the mingling of wine and chips, everyone talked about the grand occasion of this contest, the winner of the bow and arrow competition that no one knew, the black armored knight who didn't want to show his face and left quietly after winning , and the warrior Ivanhoe, who paid a huge price for the honor, became the center of discussion.People talked and laughed, and the subjects were treated with military candor, and the hall was filled with laughter.Only Prince John frowned, sullen, and seemed to have some troubles pressing on his heart. Only relying on the reminders of people around him, he occasionally showed a little interest in the conversation around him.At this time, he would jump up, as if to cheer up, take up the glass, drink it in one gulp, and insert a few words at random in the conversation of others.

Now he said: With this glass of wine, I congratulate the winner of this tournament, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, and regret that he was unable to attend the banquet due to his serious injury.Let us drink a full glass and congratulate him, and especially Cedric of Rotherwood, on the son of such a promising father to such a distinguished father. No, my lord, replied Cedric, getting up, but without drinking, and putting the glass back on the table, I cannot admit that this unfilial young man is my son, who neither obeys my orders nor obeys them. Ancestral rules and family law. It is impossible, exclaimed Prince John, with feigned astonishment, that such a gallant knight could not be an unruly and unfilial son!

But this Wilfred is so, my lord, replied Cedric, who left my house, and wandered among your brother's lords, and learned his horsemanship to win you over. highly praised.His departure was contrary to my wishes and orders. In the time of King Alfred, this can be called disobedience. Yes, this is a crime that should be severely punished. ah!replied Prince John, with a deep sigh, and feigned sympathy, that since your son is in the service of my unfortunate brother, it is not necessary to ask where he learned such disobedience. By saying this, Prince John was deliberately obliterating one thing: although none of Henry II's sons can be exempted from this accusation, the Prince himself is the worst in terms of ingratitude and rebelliousness towards his father. Standout one. [Note: Charles the Lionheart is the third son of Henry II, and John is the fourth son. As early as when their father was in power, they had repeatedly launched rebellions in order to compete for the succession to the throne. 】

I thought, he said after a pause, that my brother had offered to grant his favorite the rich land of Ivanhoe. He gave it to him, replied Cedric, and this is a great cause of my quarrel with my son; those lands, which his ancestors had had full and independent lordships, he groveled and contented himself as a feudal lord. Vassals accept rewards. Good Cedric, we can grant your request, said Prince John, to give this land to another man who will not degrade himself to accept the fief of the British crown."Lord Reginald," he said, turning to General Bullface, "I trust you will keep this rich land of Ivanhoe safe, so that Knight Wilfred will not enter there and cause his father's displeasure." By St. Anthony!The big soldier with the angry face replied, I can assure your highness that if Cedric or Wilfred, or anyone of English blood, can take this territory that his highness has given me, I will take it from me. Come on, you can take me for a Saxon too. This is a expression often used by the Normans to express their contempt for the English. Cedric was furious when he heard it, and immediately replied: "Mr. Baron, if someone calls you a Saxon, it is a great flattery to you. Let you get the honor you don't deserve. General Buffalo was about to answer, but Prince John's impatience and indiscretion made him speak first. No doubt, said he, my lords, the noble Cedric speaks the truth; his race is indeed superior to ours, as their genealogy is longer than ours, and their coats are longer than ours. Verily, they are always ahead of us in the field of battle, as the deer are ahead of the hounds.Malvorshin said. They do have a right to run ahead of us, interposed Elder Emer, and look how elegant and polite they are at the banquet. They ate at their leisure and never drank to excess.De Blasey said he had forgotten his plans to marry a Saxon bride. And they've been winning back and forth at Hastings and elsewhere, and they've been so brave.Brian.Bois Guibert said. All the courtiers followed the prince's example, smiled smugly, and shot poisonous arrows of ridicule at Cedric. The Saxon's face was filled with anger, and he opened his fierce eyes, looking at this and looking at it again. That, as if so many blows had been thrown at him, that for a moment he did not know which to answer, like a teased bull who, in the face of the many tormentors around him, did not know which one to choose as the first to take revenge.At last he spoke, in a voice trembling with rage; and turning to Prince John as the chief source of his insults, he said: however stupid and bad we Saxons are, we are not so vile (this is shameless to the filthy) Behavior is the word with the most weight), to tease a harmless guest in his own hall, while raising glasses to each other, or let others tease him, just like the prince treated me today; And however unlucky our ancestors may have been on the battlefield of Hastings, at least those who had just escaped death by rolling off their horses repeatedly before a Saxon's gun a few hours ago (Here he looked Bull-faced General and Templar Knights), it is better not to open your mouth. Seriously, this is a spicy joke!Prince John replied, everyone, what do you think?In these troubled times, the courage and spirit of our Saxon subjects have been raised, and they have grown quicker and bolder.From this omen, I am afraid we must all get on board, and flee back to Normandy. For fear of these Saxons?De Blasey laughed.We don't need to use weapons, just a few spears can drive these wild boars to the road. Ladies and gentlemen, your nonsense can be put to an end, Fizzy said, Your Highness, he went on to say to the prince, you should tell the noble Cedric clearly that all this is just a joke, and there is no intention to insult him, although in It might sound harsh to someone who doesn't know it. insult!replied Prince John, returning to his polite manner, I am sure no one would insult anyone in my presence, and I will not allow it.all right!I toast Cedric himself for refusing to toast his son. The toast produced a false applause among the courtiers, but had no desired effect on the hearts of the Saxons.Notwithstanding the insensitivity of his nature, they underestimated his understanding, thinking that a few words of flattery would counteract the impression of a previous insult.But he was silent, and allowed the prince to continue his toast: I offer another toast to His Excellency Althelstein of Königsberg. The knight then bowed back, drank a large glass of wine, and accepted the master's kindness. Now, gentlemen, continued Prince John, a little agitated after a few drinks, we have done justice to our Saxon guests, and we ask them to do something in return for our courtesy. My lord, he then said to Cedric, if you can name a Norman who will not offend you, and toast him, that with this drink all your hatred of the Norman is over. Is it completely gone? When Prince John was speaking, Fizersi stood up, quietly walked behind Cedric's seat, and whispered to him not to miss the opportunity to eliminate the hatred between the two peoples, and to mention Prince John's name.The Saxon, ignoring his urgings, rose to his feet, filled his glass, and addressed Prince John with these words: Your Highness has asked me to name a Norman worthy of remembrance at this feast. .A tricky task, perhaps, for it is for the slave to sing the praises of his master, for the bullied conquered vanquished to sing the praises of his conqueror.Yet I can suggest a Norman, a man of excellence both in martial arts and in position, and eminently distinguished among his people.If anyone refuses to join me in a toast to his well-deserved honor, I must consider it wrong and unjust, and I will insist on that for the rest of my life.I wish Richard the Lionheart a long and healthy life with this glass of wine! Prince John, who had always expected his own name to appear at the end of the Saxon's speech, was surprised to hear the name of his victimized brother pop up.He raised his glass mechanically, touched it to his lips, and then put it down again.He watched the reaction of his courtiers to this unexpected proposal; many felt that it was not safe to oppose or agree, and some were cunning, so they did exactly as the prince did, and raised their glasses to their lips. Then put it down.But there were also many people who shouted with a heroic mood: Long live King Richard!I wish him an early return to the motherland!Only a few people, including General Buffalo and the Templars, showed sullen and dismissive expressions, and let the cups in front of them be placed on the table without moving.Yet no one dared to speak out against the blessing of the present reigning king. Cedric, elated with this victory, rejoiced for a moment, and then said to his friend: Arise, noble Athelstan!We have been here too long, and have repaid Prince John for his hospitality.Those who wished to know more about the coarse manners of the Saxons had to invite them into the cottages and observe them, and we have had enough of the noble banquets and manners of the Normans. He stood up as he spoke, and left the banquet hall, and Athelsstein and several other guests, all of Saxon blood, went with him. They feel insulted. By the bones of St. Thomas, Prince John waited for them to go, said these Saxon bumpkins had the upper hand today, and they came home victorious! After drinking the wine and cheering, Elder Aimer said, now we have to leave these wine bottles. The monk probably has to listen to the confession of some beauty tonight, so he is so busy to leave.De Blasey said. Otherwise, Monsieur Chevalier, replied the Abbess, I'll have to drive many miles all night to get home. They were going to break up, the prince whispered to Fizesi, and everyone was afraid and had a premonition that something was wrong, and the timid elder was the first to try to escape. Don't worry, my lord, said Waldemar, I will persuade him to see that he has a stake in the matter, and let him attend our meeting at Yorktown.Your Excellency, he continued, I must speak to you alone before you ride away. The other guests had now hurried away, leaving only those who were directly involved in Prince John's party and his entourage. Look, it's all your good idea, said the prince, scowling, and turning to Fizzy, and let me be at his banquet.Fooled by a drunken Saxon yokel, when people heard my brother's name, they hurried away from me as if I were a leper. Be patient, my lord, replied his counselor, I do not think your accusation is right, but your own rashness, which disturbs my plans and prevents you from making a clear estimate.But now is not the time to blame each other.De Blasey and I had to go out to the timid vacillators and convince them that it was too late to back off now. It's no use, said Prince John, walking up and down the house, staggering and looking restless, but that's partly the result of too much drinking, it's no use, they see the writing on the wall Bad omen.According to the Bible.The Book of Daniel states that Belshazzar, king of Babylon, saw the writing written on the wall by a hand when he was feasting his officials, which foretells the end of Babylon has come; ] found the footprints of the lion on the sand, and heard his roar that shook the woods as he approached; they could no longer cheer their courage now. The most important thing is that he has to muster up his courage!Fizesi told De Blasey that he trembled at the mention of his brother's name.If a prince cannot maintain courage and perseverance in good times and bad times, then his ministers must suffer!