Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty Six

The fiercest horse sometimes grows cool, Even the most gloomy man sometimes loses his temper; Friars often act like fools, A fool often acts like a monk too. old ballad Wearing a hermit's robe, a hood, and a knotted rope around his waist, the clown stood in front of the gate of General Bullface's castle, and the guards guarding the gate asked him to announce his name and explain his purpose. Pax vobiscum, answered the clown, and here are poor Franciscan monks, who have come to say penance for some unfortunate prisoners locked up in the castle. How brave you are to come here, said the guard, except for our drunken priest, no gray rooster like you has crowed here in twenty years.

Tell your lord my errand, replied the False Friar, and he will welcome the news, I assure you; the rooster is about to crow, and the whole castle will hear it. My God, said the guard, but if I get scolded for leaving my post in order to report your mission, you have to be careful, and see if this gray robe of yours can stop my gray goose feather arrow. Leaving this threat behind, he left the tower, and went to the hall to report the extraordinary news; a holy monk, he said, had come outside the city gates, and demanded an immediate audience.To his astonishment, his master ordered the friar to be admitted at once; whereupon he placed guards at the gate in case of surprise attack, and followed without hesitation the order he had received.Wang Ba only volunteered to take on this dangerous errand on a whim. Now that he found out that General Reginald of the Bull Face was such a vicious person, he couldn't help but feel a little scared.As usual, he said Pax vobiscum first, mainly because he believed that it was enough to explain his identity, but his tone was not as relaxed as before, and he stammered.However, General Niu Mian has always seen that all kinds of people, regardless of their status, will tremble in front of him, so he doesn't care about the timidity of this so-called priest. Who are you and where are you from, priest?he asks.

Pax vobiscum, repeats the clown, here is a poor Franciscan friar who fell into the hands of robbers while passing through this wilderness, as the Bible says: quidamviator incided it in latrones Note: Priests at that time were generally expected to know Latin. In order to pretend to be a priest, Wang Ba randomly inserted some Latin into his words. ]; and they sent me into the castle, because they heard that your lord was justly executing two criminals, and the robbers wanted me to perform their religious duties in their place. Well, you are right, replied the General Buffalo, and can you tell me how many strong men there are in the forest?

My lord, answered the jester, nomen illis legio they call a legion. Tell me how much, Father, or your robe and girdle will not protect you. Ouch!Cor meum eructavit, said the fake monk, that is to say, my mind was bewildered at the time.However, I estimate that the total number of those farmers, including ordinary people, may not be less than five hundred. What!The Templar said he had just entered the hall at this moment, how many people had these hornets gathered?This hornet's nest is a confidant's trouble, and it must be pulled out immediately.Then he called General Niu Nian aside, and said again: Do you know this priest?

He's from a monastery out of town, said General Buffalo, and I don't know him. Don't tell him your intentions, then, the Templar replied, but just send a note to De Blasey's Freedom Team ordering them to come hastily to their master's aid.At the same time, in order to avoid the suspicion of this bald man, you can let him move freely and prepare those Saxon pigs for the slaughterhouse. This is what I will do, said the General Bullface, and appointed a servant to take Wang Ba to the room where Cedric and Athelstan were imprisoned. After Cedric was imprisoned, his short-tempered temper only increased.He paced from one end of the hall to the other, with the air of making an attack on the enemy, or opening a breach in a besieged place, shouting now to himself and now to Athelstan; But Stan endured everything calmly, waiting for the end of the incident, and at the same time calmly digested the large amount of food he ate at noon; bless.

Pax vobiscum, said the Clown, as he entered the house, may St. Dunstan, St. Denis, St. Dassock, and all the other saints bless and be with you always. You're welcome, please come in, Cedric said to the pretended monk, what's the use of not being satisfied? I am specially here to serve the two ascended to heaven.replied the clown. Impossible, replied Cedric, startled, that for all their ruthlessness and audacity, they dared not do so openly and in spite of the laws of nature and humanity. Ouch!The clown said that using humane concepts to restrain their behavior is equivalent to using silk thread as a rein to control a running wild horse.Now, noble Cedric, please consider, brave Athelstan, also please consider the sins you have committed on earth, because today you are judged in the court of heaven.

Athelstan, do you hear that?We must muster courage, said Cedric, to meet this last act; knowing that it is better to die a free man than to live a slave. I have prepared for the worst of their violence, replied Athelstan, and I will die as peacefully as a meal. So let us welcome this holy moment, Father.Cedric said. Wait a minute, old man, said the Clown, returning to his usual tone, and you'd better take a good look before you plunge into the dark abyss. I promise, this voice is very familiar!Cedric said. That's the voice of your faithful slave and buffoon, said Wang Ba, lifting the hood, "If you had listened to fools before, you wouldn't be here today."Now you'll do what a fool says and get out of here quickly.

What do you mean, boy?asked the Saxon. You heard clearly, Wang Ba replied, put on this robe and tie this rope, they are all the symbols of all my monks, and then you will walk out of the castle calmly, let me put on your coat and tie it Thy girdle, ascended to heaven in your place. Let you replace me!said Cedric, startled at the suggestion, well, they'll hang you, my poor little fool. Let them do whatever they like, Wang Ba said, I don't want to belittle your status in the slightest, I believe that the son of a fool hanging on the noose will not be lighter than his official ancestors hanging on the noose .

Well, bastard, replied Cedric, I agree to your request, but on one condition, that is, I want you to exchange clothes with Master Athelstan, not with me. Not on the testimony of St. Dunstan, Wang Ba replied, there is no reason for that.It was a legitimate thing for the Son of a Fool to save Hereward's descendants; but it would be unreasonable for him to die for another man whose ancestry had nothing to do with him. Bastard, said Cedric, the ancestors of Athelstan were the kings of England! Whoever they are, I don't care, Wang Ba replied, but my neck is born on my shoulders, and I can't wring it off for anybody.Therefore, my good master, take my offer for yourselves, and let me leave this cell as free as I came.

Let my old tree die, continued Cedric, as long as there is hope of prosperity in the woods.My faithful Wang Ba, save noble Althelstan!Anyone who has Saxon blood in his veins has this responsibility.Together you and I may endure the greatest atrocities of our cruel oppressor, but let him be free and safe, and he will arouse the spirit of the nation to avenge us. "Never do that, Uncle Cedric," said Athelstan, shaking his hand, for when he was in high spirits, thinking or acting seriously, his manners and feelings were not incompatible with his noble birth. "No need to do that," he continued, "I'd rather stay in this hall for another week with nothing to eat but a morsel of bread, or nothing to drink but a little water for the prisoner, than send this slave Sincerely dedicated to his master's chance of escape, taking it for himself.

Gentlemen, you are wise men, said the clown, and I am but a madman and a fool, but now, Sir Cedric and friend Athelstan, let the fools settle the dispute for you, lest you bother to give way to each other .I'm like John.Duck's mare, except for John.Duck, no one is allowed to ride.I'm here to save my master, if he doesn't want me to save him, he'll have to pull him down!I had to go back anyway.Kindness is not a shuttlecock or a cricket that can be thrown from one person to another.I can't hang myself for anyone but my born master! Go then, noble Cedric, said Athelstan, and don't miss this opportunity.When you go outside, you can mobilize your relatives and friends to rescue us; if you stay here, we can only die together. So do we have any hope of rescue out there?Cedric looked at the clown and said. There is hope!Wang Ba replied immediately, I can tell you that when you put on my robe, you are wearing the general's battle robe.Five hundred people have gathered outside, and I was one of their main leaders this morning.my jester's hat is my helmet, and my jester's stick is my scepter.Well, we'll see what good it gets by exchanging a fool for a smart one.Indeed, in this way, they may have more than caution and not enough bravery.Well, good-bye, sir, and take good care of poor Gerd and his dog Fance; and hang my jester's hat in the hall at Rotherwood, as a memorial of my laying down my life for my master, and let it be known what I mean to him Loyal, though I am a fool.This last sentence has a double meaning, it seems to be both joking and serious. Cedric's eyes filled with tears, and as long as loyalty and friendship are honored in the world, this keepsake will be there forever!He said, I believe I can find a way to save Rowena and you, Athelstan, and you, my poor bastard, and I won't leave you alone in the matter. Now that the clothes were changed, Cedric suddenly remembered a question. I don't speak any language but my own, and a few nonsense Norman words, he said, how can I be like a priest? The trick is only two words: Pax vobiscum, Wang Ba replied, it can answer all inquiries.No matter you come or go, eat or drink, praise or disapprove, Pax vobiscum can be beneficial everywhere.It is as useful to a monk as a broom is to a witch, or a stick to a magician.You have to pronounce it like this, in a low and dignified voice: Pax vobiscum, it will carry you through without hindrance.Gatekeepers and guards, knights and squires, infantry and cavalry, it worked like a charm on them all.Tomorrow, I think, they will probably hang me, and then I shall have to test its power against my executioner. If that is the case, said his master, then my ecclesiastical investiture is too simple Pax vobiscum.I believe that I can remember this password.Farewell, noble Athelstan; farewell, my poor child, your heart cancels out the defects of your mind; I will rescue you from danger, or return to die with you too.As long as my veins are still bleeding, I will not let the blood of the Saxon royal family be interrupted; as long as I can save the servant who died for his master, Cedric will never let anyone hurt him even if he has to risk his life. a hair.goodbye. Good-bye, my lord Cedric, said Athelstan, and remember, if you are offered food, you must accept it, like a wandering friar. Goodbye, old man, Wang Ba said again, remember Pax vobiscum. After these exhortations, Cedric set off; and it was not long before he had an opportunity of applying the spell which the jester had introduced to him as a panacea, and was able to try its effect.He was groping his way through a dark passage with low vaults to the great hall of the castle, when the figure of a woman suddenly barred his way. Pax vobiscum!said the false monk, trying to get through quickly.But the woman said in a gentle voice: Et vobls; quaeso, domlne reverendisslme, pro miserl cordia yestra. [Note: Latin: I wish you peace too; dear priest, please do me a favor. 】 My ears are not very good, replied Cedric in pure Saxon, muttering to himself: Damn the fool and his Pax vobiscum!My pike missed the first time. Yet it was not uncommon for priests in those days to be deaf from Latin, and the woman Cedric was talking to understood it perfectly. I beg your mercy, venerable priest, she replied in his own language, go and see a wounded man imprisoned in the castle, and comfort his soul; follow the teachings of your sacred ministry, Have mercy on him and us.This is a matter of great merit to you. My child, replied Cedric, in great distress, that my time in this castle is limited, and I am not permitted to exercise these duties.I must leave immediately, there is a matter of life and death waiting for me. But, priest, let me beg you with the oath you swore, and the pleader said, don't abandon a person who is in danger and trouble, think of a way for him, save him. Let the devil carry me away and send me to hell, with Odin and Thor middle. ] soul together!said Cedric, with great anxiety; if he were to go on in this way, perhaps he would have to betray his religious position, and show his feet, fortunately their conversation was interrupted by the hoarse voice of the old woman Everid in the tower. up. Hey, little girl, she said to the woman, I kindly asked you to leave the cell over there and go outside for a walk, but you repay me like this?Is it right that you forced the priest to use curse words to get rid of a Jewish woman? A Jewish woman!said Cedric, trying to take advantage of the news to get away, and let me pass, little girl!Don't block me lest I be rude to you.I have just received the sacraments and cannot have contact with heathens. Come here, father, said the old woman, you are a stranger in the castle, and you cannot get out without a guide.Come here, I have something to tell you.Also, you little girl of an ominous nation, go back to the sick man's room to take care of him, and wait for me to come back; if you don't get my permission to go out of the room again, be careful that I will settle accounts with you! Rebecca withdrew.It was only because of her entreaties that Everid allowed her to leave the tower, and go to her voluntary task of tending the wounded Ivanhoe at his bedside.Aware of their perilous situation, she resolved to take advantage of every chance of life she could get her, so that, when Everid told her that a priest had entered the godless castle, she waited in the aisles with hope. The pretended priest returned with the intention of urging him to care about the fate of his prisoners; but the reader has seen that her wishes were not quite fulfilled.