Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

I'll chase her like a lion seeking its mate. "Douglas" [Note: Scottish poet John.A tragedy written by Home. 】 While the scenes we described were going on in various parts of the castle, the Jewish girl Rebecca was also waiting for her fate in a remote tower. She was brought here by two masked strong men and thrown into a Looking into a small room, she found an old witch sitting before her; the old witch was humming a Saxon tune, as if to time her spindle, which was spinning on the ground.The old woman raised her head when she noticed that someone had entered the house, and frowned at Rebecca with a look of gloating. It was an ugly old woman who was in a bad situation and saw a young and beautiful girl fall to her own condition. , will have the expression.

You must get up and go, old woman, said a masked man, this is the master's order.The room must be given over to a young and pretty guest. Well, muttered the old woman, this is my reward.I've seen it before, A word from me used to make the best cavalrymen among you get off their horses and lose their errands; but now, a servant like you comes to order me to go away. My old Mrs. Everid, said the other, don't grumble, but get up and go.Master's orders must be obeyed, not sloppy.You have had a good time, ma'am, but you are out of date.Now you are like an old war horse that has to be driven into the wilderness. You used to show off your might and gallop on the battlefield, but now you are only fit to walk around there.Well, you'd better go obediently.

Both of you are ominous dogs!The old woman said that in the future, they will also be buried in the kennel!I shall not leave this house until I have finished spinning the twine on this spinning rod, and I shall leave at once, unless the devil drags me away! Then the master blames it, and you take responsibility yourself, old godmother.The servant said, and left immediately.Now Rebecca had to be alone with the old woman, though she didn't want to. What the hell are these bastards up to?said the old woman to herself, casting a wicked glance at Rebecca from time to time, but it was not difficult to guess.Bright eyes, black hair, white skin, but one day the priest will anoint them with ominous ointment!Well, it was easy to guess that they had sent her to this lonely tower because no one heard her shouting here, it was like being in a bottomless hole.From now on, little girl, only the owls will keep you company; your cries will be like their cheeps, and no one will hear or care.She is still a foreigner, seeing Rebecca's clothes and head scarf, she said again, which country are you from?Saracens or Egyptians?why are you not replying?You can cry, but can't you speak?

Don't be mad at me, good mother.Rebecca said. You don't have to say any more, Everid replied, you can tell it's a fox by your tail, and you can tell you're a Jewish girl by your accent. Will you please, said Rebecca, and tell me what will happen to me when they have brought me here?To kill me for my religion?I'd be better off dead than alive. Kill you, little girl!The old woman replied, what do they want to kill you for?Believe me, your little life is in no danger.The treatment you get will not be worse than that of a Saxon noble lady in the past.You Jewish girl, what can you complain about?Just look at me.I was as young as you, and twice as handsome, when this Reginald's father and his Normans stormed this castle.My father and seven brothers fought from floor to floor, from room to room, in order to defend their ancestral inheritance.There is not a single room here, not a single staircase, not spilled with their blood.They died in battle, everyone died, and before their bodies had cooled and their blood hadn't solidified, I was the plaything of the victors and insulted!

Is there no one here who can save me?Is there no way to escape?Rebecca said, I am willing to repay your help heavily and heavily. Still don't hope, said the old woman, there is no escape from here, except through the gates of hell; but it will be a long, long time before this gate will open to us, she added, shaking her gray head, but We die without hatred when we think that after we die, those who remain on earth will still have the same miserable life.Goodbye, little girl!It doesn't matter if you're Jewish or not, your fate is the same; for you'll always have to deal with people who know neither tolerance nor mercy.Well, good luck to you.My twine is done, now it's your turn.

Don't go, don't go, let's go!Rebecca said, don't go, even if you scold and curse me, it's better than leaving me alone; staying here is also a kind of protection for me. The Madonna can't protect you here, the old woman replied, look, there she is, and she pointed to a rough statue of the Madonna, just wait and see if she can change the fate that awaits you. As she walked out of the room, she curled her lips in a contemptuous sneer, which was more uncomfortable than the sullen expression just now.When she went out, she locked the door behind her; Rebecca could hear her descending the stairs, which were so steep that she cursed at every step, slow and difficult.

Rebecca's fate was even more dreadful than Rowena's; for a Saxon heiress had to be somewhat civilized, but why should it be so with Rebecca's oppressed race?She had her advantage, however, in that her habits of thought and her natural strength of will better prepared her to meet the dangers before her.She had a firm and perceptive character, and from childhood the pomp and ostentation of her father in the family circle, or the extravagance she had witnessed in the homes of other wealthy Hebrews, did not seal her eyes, She does not see the dangers involved in their life of pleasure.Rebecca, like Damocles at that famous banquet, is always seen in the grandeur, with a sword suspended by a strand of hair from the head of her people.This kind of imagination restrained and moderated her character that might become arrogant, supercilious, self-willed and stubborn in other circumstances, and enabled her to keep a clear head.

[Note] According to Greek mythology, Damocles, a Syracuse, was always envious of the emperor's happiness, so one day the Syracuse king invited him to a banquet, and hung a sharp sword by the hair on his seat, which made him terrified. , Knowing that the situation of the emperor is exactly like this, disaster can befall them at any time. From her father's behavior and teaching, Rebecca learned a modest and cautious style in dealing with others.She could not, indeed, be as servile and submissive as her father was, for she was out of tune with this vulgarity, and the appearance of constant trepidation which it demanded; As if she realized that, as a woman of a despised people, she had to accept the bad circumstances in which she was placed, but that this was only imposed on her by imperious religious prejudices, and that, according to her character, she was entitled to higher status.

With this mental preparation for adversity, she acquires the necessary mental strength to deal with it.The current situation requires her to deal with everything calmly, and she tries to do so as much as possible. The first thing she thought of was to observe the room, but it seemed hopeless to escape from it, or to rely on it for protection.It had neither secret passages nor hidden doors, and was almost entirely surrounded by the outer walls of the tower, except for the one she entered that connected to the main building.There was no latch or latch in that door.There was only one window in the whole house, and the terrace outside the window was on the top of the tower, surrounded by a crenelated wall, which at first gave Rebecca hope of escape; but she soon found that it could not lead to any other crenelated wall, It was only a small isolated floor or balcony, surrounded by a parapet as usual, with embrasures for embrasures, so that some archers could guard the tower here, or defend this side of the castle from the flank with shots.

The only hope, therefore, is to endure everything with a strong will, like those great men who take death as home, and trust in the providence of Heaven.Although Rebecca accepted the wrong interpretation of God's promises to the chosen people in the Bible, [Note: The Old Testament called the Israelites God's chosen people, but later Judaism and Christianity often referred to the place God promised Interpreted as paradise or heaven and so on. 】But she thinks that the Israelites are currently going through a period of suffering, but she is not wrong; ]’s descendants will one day be called to God with all Gentiles.At the same time, everything around her told her that they were now being punished and tested, and that their special task was to suffer and avoid crime.Thus Rebecca had long regarded herself as an unfortunate victim, and in this respect she was mentally prepared for the dangers she might encounter.

However, when footsteps were heard on the stairs, the prisoner still trembled and his face changed.Then the door of the small room was slowly pushed open, and a tall man walked in slowly, closing the door behind him.The man was dressed in the clothes of the robbers who had brought her this calamity, with a hat drawn over the brows and concealing the upper half of his face, and his cloak was tightly wrapped and pulled up a little. , covering the rest of the face.It seemed that under such a disguise, he was going to do something that he felt ashamed even thinking about it.Yet although he was dressed like a masked robber, he stood awkwardly in front of the restless prisoners, not knowing how to express his purpose, and this gave Rebecca time to collect herself and speculate on his something to say.It was only natural that she had unfastened two costly bracelets and a necklace, and hastened to present them to the imaginary thug, whom she thought would be gratifying his greed. Take it, friend, she said, and for God's sake spare me and my old father!These jewels are valuable, but as long as we are free and leave this castle safe and sound, they are nothing. O beautiful flower of Palestine, answered the robber, these jewels are shining, but not as white as your teeth; these diamonds are shining, but not as white as your eyes.Ever since I started this rough trade, I have sworn I would prefer beauty to riches. You mustn't do such a foolish thing, said Rebecca, take the ransom and be kind!Gold can buy you happiness, trampling on us can only make you regret for life.My father will do anything to meet your greatest demands; if you act wisely, the money we give you will be enough to restore you to your place in civilized society both for forgiveness of past mistakes and for the future not to repeat them conditions are created. You are wishful thinking, the robber replied in French, because Rebecca had just begun the conversation with him in Saxon, but he may feel that he is not good at using this language, Baka Valley [Note: It means the Valley of Tears, in " Used in the Bible to refer to the earthly world. 】The pure lily!You know, your father has fallen into the hands of an alchemist so powerful that he can even forge gold and silver from the rusted iron bars of the dungeon furnace.The venerable Isaac is being distilled in the alembic that will evaporate all the treasures he possesses, and neither my intercession nor your entreaties will work.Your ransom must be paid in love and beauty, I accept no other currency. Then you are not a robber, Rebecca answered him also in his language, and no robber would refuse my terms.Nor is there a bandit in this land who speaks the language you speak.You are not a robber, you are a Norman, a Norman, perhaps of noble birth.Then your actions should also be like this, throw away the terrible mask, and stop being domineering and harming others! You guessed it right, Brian.Said Boisguibert, dropping the cloak from your face, you are not really a daughter of Israel, you would be the witch of Endor if you were not young and beautiful. 】.Yes, I am not a robber, O fair rose of Sharon!I don't mean to take your jewels, I want to adorn your neck and arms with jewels and diamonds, as they should be. You don't want my jewels, so what do you want me to give you?Rebecca said we have nothing in common, you are Christian and I am Jewish.Our union is against both the laws of the Christian church and the laws of the synagogue. Indeed, laughed the Templar, marry a Jewish girl!I swear by God!Even if she is the Queen of Sheba [Note: A queen mentioned in the Bible, she went to meet King Solomon of Israel to test his wisdom. 】No!Besides, you know, the beautiful daughter of Zion, even the most pious Christian king [Note: refers to the king of France. ] Promise me the most pious Christian daughter, use Languedoc [Note: A rich province in the south of ancient France. ] as a dowry, I can't marry her either.To love any woman is to violate my oath, I cannot have a wife, only a mistress, and this is my relationship with you.I am a Templar.Look at the holy cross on me. On such an occasion before you, do you still dare to carry it out to prove your identity?Rebecca said. Even if I do, why do you make a fuss, said the Templar, you don't believe in our holy sign of salvation. My faith comes from what my ancestors taught, said Rebecca, and may God forgive me if it's wrong!But you, Mr. Knight, what is your belief?You do not hesitate to bear the most sacred thing in your testimony, but at the same time you are ready to break the most solemn oath you, a knight and a believer, have taken! What a eloquent missionary, he can be called Sira [Note: A wise man in Christian legend. ] Daughter!But, gentle lady preacher, your narrow Jewish prejudices blind you to our noble privileges, replied the Templar.To the Templars, marriage is an unforgivable sin; but a little love affair is of no consequence, and I will be pardoned at the next Templar Council.You have to admit that the wisest king [Note: Refers to Solomon, the great king of Israel, who is known for his cleverness, his father is King David, and they all have wives and concubines. ], and his father, are convincing examples, but we poor knights, who have defended the Temple of Jerusalem with their blood, have greater privileges than them.Defenders of Solomon's temple had a right to love after Solomon's example. If you read the Bible and the biographies of the saints just to justify your licentiousness and licentiousness, said the Jewish girl, then you are a sinner, and you want to extract from healing and beneficial herbs poison. Anger flashed in the eyes of the Templar at the accusation, and listen, Rebecca, he said, I have been convincing you, but now I must speak to you in the language of the conquerors.You are a prisoner of my bow and spear, and the laws of all countries stipulate that you must obey my will.I will not back down one step from my rights. If you refuse my advice and demands, I will have to use violence to seize them. Don't come, said Rebecca, don't come, and listen to me before you commit this unforgivable crime!My strength is indeed not as strong as yours, because women created by God are weak and need to be protected morally by men.But I will announce your shameless behavior to the whole of Europe, so that everyone can know.I can't get sympathy from your fellow believers, but I can get help from their religion.Every order and every synagogue of your order will hear of it, and know that you, like a heretic, have sinned against a Jewish girl.Your friends will not tremble at your sin, but they will curse you because you defiled the cross you wear by chasing after a Jewish daughter. You are a shrewd and clever woman, replied the Templar, fully aware that what she said was right, and his knight order expressly forbids the kind of private work he is doing at present, otherwise he will be severely punished. In some cases, you may even be relegated for it. You are very powerful, he said, but if you want to appeal, you must first run out of this castle. Within its iron walls, your voice cannot be heard outside.Here, whether you complain, cry, protest, or ask for help, you can only disappear within these walls.There is only one way to save you, Rebecca, and that is to resign yourself to your destiny and accept our religion, and then you will be rich and rich, mistress to the most distinguished knight of They all sighed and envied themselves. Follow my fate!Holy God, said Rebecca, what fate was that?Accept your religion!What is the religion that can shelter such a rascal?You are the most outstanding knight of the Knights Templar!A fearful knight!A knight who swears falsely!I spurn you and despise you.What the God of Abraham promised to his children [note: referring to heaven. ], no one can take it away, at least it can make her escape from this abyss of shame! As she spoke, she pushed open the latticed window leading to the tower's platform, and in an instant she was on the parapet, and now there was nothing between her and the unfathomable ground beneath her feet.Bois-guibert did not expect that she would fight him to the death, and she had stood so still that he had neither time nor power to stop her.He was about to step forward when she called again: "Stay where you are, proud Templar, don't come forward!"One more step from thee, and I will jump from this high wall; my body will be smashed on the flagstones of the yard, but it will not be subject to your savage insult! As she spoke these words, she clasped her hands and held them out to the sky, as if to pray to heaven to bless her soul before she threw herself.The Templar hesitated, shaken in his resolve that never flinched from pity or misfortune, replaced by admiration for her stern character, come down, he said, you quick-tempered chick!I swear by the world, I will not bully you. I don't believe you, Templar, said Rebecca, you have taught me what to think of your knightly qualities.The next synod will absolve you of your guilt, and it doesn't really matter, it's just a poor Jewish woman's honor and disgrace. You have wronged me, the Templar hurriedly argued, I can swear by my name, the cross on my chest, the sword in my waist, and the coat of arms of my ancestors, I will never do anything to hurt you thing!Don't be fooled, if not for yourself, think about your father!I can be his friend, he needs a strong man to help him in this castle. Don't lie to me, said Rebecca, I know you too well.can i trust you If I do something sorry for you, let my gun reverse and stab me to death, and let my name be reviled by thousands of people!Brian.Bois-guibert said, I have broken many laws and broken many commandments, but I have never broken my promise. Well I'll trust you for once, said Rebecca, jumping off the parapet but still right next to a firing hole called a downcasting, and I'm standing right here, she said, and you're still there , as long as you try to shorten the distance between us, you will see that I, a Jewish woman, would rather entrust my soul to God than to give her honor to the Templars! These words of Rebecca expressed her immovable resolution, which, combined with the expressive beauty of her face, gave her countenance, manner, and manner a majesty almost beyond the realm of mortals.Her eyes were not frightened, nor were her cheeks pale with the dreadful fate that might at any moment befall her; on the contrary, she was aware that she had her own fate in her hands, and that she could die from disgrace at her own will, It made her face look more radiant and made her eyes extra bright.Bois-Guilbert, in spite of his natural arrogance and self-importance, had to admit that he had never seen such a lively and majestic beauty. Let's make peace, Rebecca.He said. Make peace, we can make peace if you like, replied Rebecca, but at this distance. You don't need to be afraid of me now.Bois Guibert said. I am not afraid of you, she replied, and I am grateful to those who built this dizzying tower, so high that no one jumped from it and survived.I thank him and I thank the God of Israel!I'm not afraid of you. You have not been just to me, said the Templar, on heaven and earth, you have not been just to me!I was not born to be so cold, selfish, and vicious as you see me.Women have made me cruel, so I will be cruel to women; but not to women like you.Listen to me, Rebecca.There never was a knight with a lance more than Brienne.Bois-guibert is more loyal to the woman he loves.The woman was the daughter of a petty nobleman, whose domains he boasted were but a ruined château, a barren vineyard, and a barren wasteland in Bordeaux; name, her fame spread farther than many women who had a country dowry.Yes, he went on, pacing up and down the little terrace in such agitation that he seemed to have forgotten Rebecca's existence, yes, it was my exploits, my dangers, my sweat, that made Monte The name of Adelaide of Meyer spread throughout Castile. ] to the court of Byzantium.But what was my reward?When I came back with the honor of my toil and blood, I found her married to a small Gasconian landowner whose name was no one outside his meager estate. heard it!I really love her.So my revenge for her change of heart is also severe!But my revenge also changed me.From that day on, I cut off all ties with life.My whole life must be passed without a family life, without the comfort of a dear wife.Even when you are old, you can't enjoy family happiness.My tomb has no relatives to pay homage to, and no children will be left behind me, so that the ancient name of Bois-guibert will be passed on.I surrendered to my superiors the right to freedom of movement and independence.Except for their own names, the Templars belong to others. They can neither have territories nor property. They can only live, act and breathe according to the will and wishes of others. Ouch!Rebecca said, what would be gained by sacrificing everything like this? In exchange for the power to avenge, Rebecca, replied the Templar, and a bright future. This is not worth the gain, Rebecca said, and it is not worth sacrificing the most precious freedom in life for this. Don't say that, madam, replied the Templar, vengeance is the feast of the gods!They reserved it, as the priest tells us, because they considered it a fine enjoyment, not to be reserved for mortals.As for the glorious future!It is a temptation that may even interfere with heavenly happiness.He paused a moment, then said, Rebecca!A woman who would rather die than endure insult must have a proud and powerful heart.You must be mine!No, don't be afraid, he said again, you must agree to it yourself, and act on your terms.You must promise me to share with me my future, which is greater than the king sees from his throne.Listen to me before you answer, think carefully before refusing.As you said, the Templar lost his social rights, his right to self-choice, but he became a member and a cell of a powerful organization before which even a king would have to tremble, so he is like a drop of rain Into the sea, part of an irresistible sea that eats away at rocks and engulfs fleets.It constitutes a surging, invincible tide.What's more, in this powerful group, I am not an ordinary member. I am already one of its main commanders, and I will soon be able to ascend the throne of Grand Master.Poor fighters of the Knights Templar don't just kick their feet in the king's neck, that's what monks in hemp shoes do.Our feet in iron boots shall set foot on their thrones, and our gauntleted hands shall take their scepters.Your illusory Messiah [Note: After the Jews perished, they believed that God would send a Messiah to save them, so the Messiah became the savior. ]’s rule cannot bring power to your people living in various places, but it can be obtained by my ambition.I just hope to have a similar heart to share my future, I found that you are such a person. Is this addressed to a man of my race?Rebecca replied, you have to think Don't answer me that way, replied the Templar, and don't emphasize our differences of faith; in our conclave we laugh at such nursery tales, too.Do not think that we shall always be deluded into believing the delusions of our founders, who renounced all the pleasures of life, to be martyred saints, to defend a barren desert, worthless except from a superstitious point of view. Fighting in vain, dying of hunger and thirst, of plague, of barbarian swords.But our group soon took a bolder, broader view and found better compensation for our sacrifice.Our vast holdings in every kingdom of Europe, our acquisition of a strong military reputation, and the absorption into our organization of the knightly elite of every Christian nation The dreams of the former are divergent; and the half-hearted who join our community on ancient principles are equally ignorant, and their superstition makes them our passive instruments.But I don't want to continue to reveal our inside story.Listen, the horn is sounding, something must have happened, and I may need to be there.Please consider what I said.goodbye!I don't want to ask your pardon for threatening you with violence, because without it you wouldn't have let me see your character.You must rely on the touchstone to identify real gold.I'll be back shortly and continue to discuss everything with you. He retreated into the cubicle and descended the stairs; and Rebecca, watching his back, shuddered at the thought of falling into the hands of this lawless mob, whose monstrous ambition seemed to her to be far superior to hers. The prospect of death faced just now when cornered was even more dire.When she returned to her cell in the tower, the first thing she did was to thank the God of Jacob for the protection she had given her, and to ask him to continue to bless her and her father.Then another name slipped into her supplication, that of the wounded Christian; fate had caught him in the net of his sworn enemies, some ruthless thugs.Her heart really hesitated for a moment, as if she felt that in the conversation with God, she would think of a person who had nothing to do with her, a Nazarene, a person who was hostile to her faith. Pure performance.But the name was on the lips, and doctrinal narrowness did not bring Rebecca back.