Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty Seven

O unfortunate dreamer!What else do you want to say? Your life is nothing but sorrow, shame and guilt! They all testify that this is your destiny; If you must speak, do so quickly. But I have another misfortune, That's worse worry and melancholy; Let me spit out the bitter water in my heart, You have to listen to me patiently; Even if I can't find a sympathetic friend, At least one person can hear it all. Crabbe: "The Court of Justice" [Note: George.Crabb, British verse story writer. 】 With shouts and threats, Efrid drove Rebecca back to the room she had just left, and then led the compelled Cedric into a small room, and carefully bolted the door.Then she took a jug of wine and two glasses from the larder, put them on the table, and began to speak in a tone that seemed to be stating the truth rather than asking a question: You are a Saxon, Father.Don't deny it, she added, seeing that Cedric did not want to answer at once, my native language is dear to me, though it is not heard much these days, and is only spoken by wretched and lowly slaves, Under the auspices of the Mann people, he was responsible for the heaviest labor in this house.You are a Saxon, Father, a Saxon, and except that you are a servant of God, you are a free man.Your accent is kind to my ears.

So no Saxon priests visit this castle?Cedric asked. I think it is their duty to comfort the oppressed and homeless people in this area. They did not come, or, if they did, they preferred to drink and merry at the conqueror's table rather than to listen to the groans of their fellow-citizens, at least they said so, I don't know much, replied Everid.For ten years, the gate of the castle has not been opened for priests, only a morally corrupt Norman priest here to share the life of the bull-faced general, but he has already returned to his hometown and turned to the devil.But you are a Saxon, a Saxon priest, so I have a question for you.

I am a Saxon, replied Cedric, but certainly not worthy to be called a true priest.You still let me go.I swear I'll come back again, or send a more qualified priest to hear your confession. Stay a little longer, said Everid, for this throat you hear now, will soon be choked with cold earth; I've lived like a beast all my life, and I don't want to go to hell like a beast again.But I had to drink a little to have the courage to tell my horrific stories.She poured out a glass of wine and drank it down eagerly, as if she didn't want to leave a drop. Wine can intoxicate people, and when she finished drinking, she raised her head and said, but it can't bring people joy.Father, if you will listen to me, have a drink too, before my story makes you collapse on the floor.Cedric did not want to toast her at this ominous feast, but she gave him an expression of impatience and dissatisfaction, and he complied with her request, answering her proposal with a large glass of wine.Seemingly relieved by his obedience, she went on with her story.

I wasn't born the wretch you see, Father, she said, I was free and happy and respected and loved and loved.Then I became a slave, a poor and mean slave, a plaything for the lusts of my masters when I was young and beautiful, and after that time an object of contempt, ridicule, and loathing.Is it any wonder, Father, that I hate mankind, especially the race that has spoiled me in this way?This wrinkled old woman standing in front of you, this old woman who can only vent her anger with impotent curses, how can she forget that she was originally the daughter of the noble lord of Torquelstone, and a frown can What about the one who makes thousands of servants tremble?

You are Torquell.Wolfgang's daughter?said Cedric, drawing back a step in horror, you noble Saxon, daughter of my father's comrade and companion! Your father's comrade in arms!exclaimed Everid, so standing in front of me is Cedric, nicknamed the Saxon?For the noble Hereward of Rotherwood had but one son, and his name was well known among the countrymen of the country.But if you were Cedric of Rotherwood, why would you wear priestly clothes?Are you desperate to save your country, and have taken refuge in a monastery to escape oppression? It doesn't matter who I am, said Cedric, go on with your horrible tale of crime, unfortunate woman!Evil, that is certain; you are now alive to say all this, and that in itself is evil.

Yes, yes, answered the unfortunate woman, that is a deep, unforgivable sin that weighs on my heart like a stone, a sin that not even the fires of atonement in hell can wash away.Yes, in these halls, stained red with the noble and pure blood of my father and brethren, I was the mistress of their murderer, both his slave and his life of pleasure Participant, this filled every breath of air I inhaled with guilt and damnation. Depraved woman!Cedric cried, while the friends of your father, while every good Saxon conscience, whispered a requiem for his soul, while the friends of his brave sons did not forget to pray in their prayers In the middle, when praying for the rest of Ulriga who was killed, when all the people are mourning and praising the dead, you live in peace and live a life that we hate and curse. The villainous mob, who not only took the noble Torquell.All the men in Wolfganger's family killed and tried to exterminate them, and the evil thugs who didn't spare even children mixed up with him, fell in love with him, and lived together illegally!

Yes, it is a life of insolence and illicitness, but it is not love!The old woman replied that love may come in eternal hell, but it will never be born in this sinful castle.Yes, on this point at least I am not to blame, and hatred for the father of General Buffalo and his people took hold of me, even when he courted me. You hate him, and yet you live, replied Cedric, shameless woman!Don't you have no dagger, no knife, no awl with which to kill him!But a Norman castle is like a tomb, and its secrets are kept secret, which is fortunate for you, for you love life and fear death, and are happy to live like this.If I had known that Torquell's daughter was married to her father's murderer, a righteous Saxon's sword would have found you and slain you in your lover's arms!

Do you really have the determination to avenge the Torquell family?Ulriga says we can drop her pseudonym Efrid now, and you are indeed a true Saxon, as they say!And though within these accursed walls sin, as you say, is hidden as in a tomb, yet even here Cedric's name is heard; The unfortunate nation is blessed to have one who can avenge it.I've had acts of vengeance myself.I have created strife among my enemies, and turned a carousing feast into a battlefield for killing each other.I have seen their blood, heard their moans of death!Look at me, Cedric, isn't there a trace of the Torquell family on this dirty face?

Don't ask me that, Ulriga, replied Cedric, in a pathetic tone mingled with disgust, a feature that is no more than a trace left on the face of a zombie brought back to life from the grave by the devil's spell. So be it, Ulriga replied, but when this ugly face is still wearing a bright and delicate mask, it can sow the seeds of discord between the father and son of General Cowface!Its consequences would have been shrouded in the darkness of hell, but for vengeance the veil had to be raised, and something had to be revealed that would make the dead cry out from their coffins.Long had the flame of discord dormant between brutal father and brutal son, and long had I cultivated this unethical hatred in secret; Killed at his own banquet by the hand of his own son; such is the secret hidden under these vaults.Come down, you damned vaults, she said, looking up at the roof, and bury everyone who knows this hideous secret!

You wicked and unfortunate woman, said Cedric, what became of you after the death of the thug who ravaged you? Guess for yourself, no need to ask.Here I live, old at last, untimely, my countenance stamped with the dreadful stamp of time Where I should have paid a hundred promises, I have been insulted and ridiculed, and my vengeance would have had wide-ranging activities Now it is limited to the little tricks played by a disaffected servant, or a few useless curses that are ignored by a helpless old woman.Shut up in my solitary tower, I can no longer take part in the boisterous feast, but hear only its clamor, or the cries and groans of new and battered victims.

Ulriga, said Cedric, I see you still regretting the fruits of your sin that you have lost, and nostalgia for what you did to get that favor, so how dare you come to a man in a priest's robe Woolen cloth?Come to think of it, poor woman, even Saint Edward himself. 】Come here, what can he do for you?God gave the penitent king the power to cleanse the sores of the flesh, but only God himself can heal the corruption of the soul. Yet do not forsake me, stern prophet of God's wrath, she cried, and tell me, if possible, how those new and dreadful emotions which I have burst into solitude will at last end.Why should something done so long ago become so terrible, appearing to me with irresistible new power?This person who was destined by God to bear such an unspeakable evil fate in the world, what is waiting for her after she enters the grave?I would rather rely on Odin.Hersa and Zeinbok, to Mista and Skogra, to the gods our forefathers were baptized before, and would not endure the dreadful things that have haunted me lately, sleeping and waking. premonition! I am not a priest, said Cedric, disgusted to hear her paint this appalling picture of sin, depravity, and despair, and in spite of my priestly garb I am not a priest. Whether you are a priest or a layman, Ulriga said, you are the first God-fearing person I have seen in twenty years.People who care about human beings, do you think that I am hopeless? I think you should repent, said Cedric, and seek atonement in prayer and penance, and you may be saved!But I can't and I don't want to be with you anymore. Wait a little longer!Do not leave me at once, said Ulriga, son of my father's friend, or the devil who has ruled my life will tempt me to take revenge on your ruthless contempt.Have you ever thought that if General Bullface finds out that Cedric the Saxon came to his castle in disguise, will your life be saved?His eyes are on you like a hawk on a chick. Let it go, said Cedric, and let him tear me to pieces with his beak and claws, and I will never speak a word against my will.I will die like a Saxon, loyal and honest.Now please go away!Don't touch me, don't stop me!To me, the image of the bull-faced general himself is not as ugly as yours, and your degeneration is beyond my tolerance. Well then, replied Ulriga, don't hinder him anymore, go your way, you are so pompous and domineering, you have forgotten that this haggard man standing before you is the daughter of your father's friend.Go your way; and if my bitter experience has separated me from people whom I have reason to expect to be helped, I do not want their pardon by my vengeance!Nobody helped me, but I was about to do something that would shock everyone who heard it!goodbye!I thought my grief would be met with the sympathy of my people, but your contempt has severed the last tie that bound me to my people. Ulriga, Cedric said, my heart softened after hearing these words, you have experienced so many crimes, so many disasters, you can still bear it, persist until today, don’t you open your eyes and face you Do you bow to despair when you should be confessing your sins? Cedric, Ulriga replied, you don't understand human psychology.To do what I used to do, to think like I used to think, would have to be a crazy love of pleasure, but it's combined with a burning desire for vengeance, and a proud sense of power, which is a cup I don't want A wine that intoxicates the soul to drink, but has to drink.Now its power is long gone.There is no pleasure in old age, no charm in wrinkles, and the will to revenge is exhausted, leaving only impotent curses.And then comes remorse, with all its venom, the helpless regret of the past, the hopeless confusion of the future.Thus, when all other strong impulses have subsided, we are like devils in hell, regretting but never repenting.But your words awakened a new soul in me.You are right, people who are not afraid of death can do anything!You have pointed me to the path of vengeance, and you can trust me to do so.It was mingled with other passions, hostile to it, in this withered heart; henceforth it will possess me entirely, and one day you will say that whatever Ulriga's life may have been, her death Fully worthy of the title of noble Torquel's daughter.Now that this villainous castle is surrounded by powers from without, lead that party to attack; and when you see a red flag hoisted from the tower on the east corner of the castle, you can attack the Normans hard, when their interior is full. There are many difficulties, don't be afraid of their bows and stones, you will break through the walls.Go, go, please; do as you do, and let me do mine. Cedric was about to ask her about the meaning of those cryptic words, but then came the stern voice of General Buffalo, asking: Where is that foolish priest?I swear by Compostello's cockle shell [Note], if he wanders about and stirs up fire among my minions, I'll send him to heaven! [Note] Compostelo is a coastal city in Spain.It is said that after Jesus’ disciple, the apostle James, was executed by King Herod while preaching in Palestine, God sent his body back to Spain on a stone boat (because he had been preaching in Spain) and placed it by the sea of ​​Compostelo. On the sea fan shells everywhere, since then the sea fan shells have been regarded as a symbol of Jacob, and pilgrims often decorate the sea fan shells on the brim of their hats.Compostello's cockle shells are therefore a Christian relic, not unlike the remains of saints. He guessed right, Ulriga said, what a guilty conscience!But you ignore him, go back to your people and call on the Saxons to attack.If they would sing Rollo's battle hymn [Note: Rollo was a famous pirate in ancient Scandinavia. 】, Let them sing well, revenge is not afraid of their bluff. Having said this, she slipped away through a secret door, and General Reginald of the Bullface entered the room.Cedric had no choice but to salute the arrogant baron, and the baron nodded slightly in return. Father, those fellows' confessions have been delayed too long, but that's good, this is their last confession.Are they ready to die? That's right, Cedric replied, trying his best at French, since they knew whose hands it was falling into, they had prepared for the worst. Mr. Friar, General Bullface said, I think you seem to be speaking with a Saxon accent, what's the matter? I was brought up at St. Wysselt Abbey in Burton.Cedric replied. Yeah?The baron said, it's a pity that you are not a Norman, otherwise you would be more suitable to serve me, but now you have no choice but to let you act as a messenger.St. Vysolt's Abbey in Burton is an owl's nest and should be eradicated.The day will not be long, when the priest's robe will protect the Saxon no more than a warrior's armor. God's will is irresistible.Cedric said, his voice trembling with anger, but General Bullface thought it was a sign of his fear. I see, he said, that you are already imagining how our soldiers will enter your mess hall, your wine cellar.But as long as you act for me according to your priesthood, I will not treat you badly. No matter what happens to others, you can be as stable as a rock in your monastery, just like a snail in its shell. Please give your order.said Cedric, holding back his anger. You follow me through this aisle, and I will let you out through the side door later. General Niu Mian took a big stride, leading the pretended monk straight forward, while explaining what he wanted him to do. You see, Monsieur Friar, how dare those Saxon pigs surround Torquaystone Castle.Tell them what you will, say the little castle is vulnerable, or whatever, if you can keep them out of the way for twenty-four hours.Meanwhile you take this letter with you.But don't say a word, Mr. Priest, can you read? I don't know a single word except the prayer-book, replied Cedric, but I know the alphabet, and I can recite the prayers, thanks to Our Lady and Saint Vysolthe, and I do my priesthood by recitation. In this way you are more suitable to be my messenger.You send this letter to Philip.Malvorsin's castle, say I sent you to it, it's the Templar Brienne.Bois-guibert, beg them to send it to York at once, the sooner the better; ride with haste.At the same time tell their masters, don't listen to rumors, we are safe and sound in the castle, nothing happened.The disgrace was that we were surrounded by a gang of thugs, and we were forced to hide in the castle.But it is conceivable that these bastards will run for their lives as soon as they see our flag and hear our hooves!I tell you, Father, you must use your rhetoric to persuade those thugs to stay where they are, and deal with them as soon as our friends arrive.My vengeance keeps watch over them, for it is an eagle that cannot sleep until its belly is full. By my patron saint, said Cedric, suddenly brisk and unbecoming of his rank, by every saint who lived and died in England, your orders will be obeyed!I'll do everything I can to keep those Saxons in front of the castle, and let no one go. ha!General Buffalo said, your tone has changed a bit, and you speak so simply and decisively, as if you are eager to destroy those Saxon beasts, but don't you belong to the same nation as them? Cedric was not good at deceit and making up lies. At this moment, he really wished that Wang Ba's flexible mind could help him and come up with an idea.But the old saying is good: haste makes wisdom; and he murmured something in his hood that the people he was speaking of were excommunicated outlaws, long out of the protection of Church and State. I swear in the name of God, General Niu Nian replied, what you said is absolutely true; I forgot one thing: a group of gangsters actually stripped a fat elder naked, just like the people who grew up in the south of the Salt Sea : Refers to the Palestinians, the Salt Sea is now the Dead Sea. 】what is the difference.isn't it?The elder of St. Ives Abbey was once tied to a hazel tree and forced to sing hymns while they plundered his bag and purse.Ah, I misremember, my lady, it was a joke of one of our own mercenaries, Gautier of Middleton.But weren't they the Saxons who robbed the chalices, candlesticks, and chalices in St. Pease? They are godless people.Cedric replied. Yes, you gave them all your stores of wine and ale, which you were supposed to drink secretly when you pretended to watch vigils and say your morning prayers, didn't you?Father, you must avenge this sacrilege. Really, there must be revenge, there is no doubt about it, muttered Cedric, Saint Vysolt understands my feelings. At this time, General Niu Mian led him to a small gate. There was a wooden plank in the ditch leading to a small watchtower. go now.If you have carried out my mission, when we are done, you will come back here and see that Saxon meat is worth less than Sheffield slaughterhouse pork.And, listen, you look like a merry confessor, so come back when we've killed the Saxons, and I'll treat you with the best wine, and let you drink to your heart's content. Of course, I will definitely come.Cedric replied. Here's your reward for now,' continued the Norman, slipping a gold coin into Cedric's unwilling hand as we parted near the wicket, but remember, if you deceive me, you can't make me I will not only take off your clothes, but also your skin. If I can't manage my business the next time we meet, then I deserve it and deserve to be skinned, replied Cedric, leaving the little gate with great joyous strides into the field. .Then he turned, and turned towards the castle, and threw the gold coin in his hand at the benefactor, and cried out at the same time: You Norman liar, let your money perish with you! The bull-faced general couldn't hear his words clearly, but his actions made him suspicious, so he shouted to the guards on the outer city wall: Archers, hurry up and shoot at that monk!But wait a moment, said he, just as his soldiers drew up their bows, it is too late; we must leave it to fate, there is no better way.I don't think he dares to betray me; fortunately those Saxon dogs are still in my prison, so I have to make a deal with them.Hello!Warden Giles, let them bring Cedric of Rotherwood to me, and his friend, that other country bumpkin, what's his name?Yes, Athelstans of Coningsberg, these Saxons, whose names are so difficult to pronounce, that a Norman knight would find them as unpleasant as bacon.Give me a jug of wine, and I'll have a drink, as Prince John says, to take away the stink of the bacon; put the wine in the armory, and I'll go there and question the prisoner. His order was obeyed.Entering the Gothic house hung with his own and his father's trophies, he saw a bottle of wine laid on a heavy hazel table, and two Saxon captives taken by four of his men. Get there.General Buffalo took a sip of wine, and then began to interrogate the prisoner; because Wang Ba pulled his hat over his face, changed his clothes, and the room was dimly lit, with many shadows, and Cedric usually didn't get along with the Norman neighbors easily. He came and went, and rarely left his territory, so the baron was not very familiar with his appearance, and he didn't realize that his most important prisoner had already escaped for a while. British warriors, General Bullface said, did Torquay Stone treat you well?You were so arrogant and supercilious at the banquet of the Prince of Anjou, do you understand now that you deserve what you deserve?You have not forgotten how you returned Prince John's hospitality with your insolence?By God and St. Denis, if you don't pay double the ransom, I'll hang you upside down on these window bars, and let eagles and crows peck you into two skeletons!Say, you Saxon dogs, how much are you willing to pay for your worthless lives?What did you say, that man at Rotherwood? I haven't got a dime, replied poor Wuffy, and it would be nice to hang me upside down and head down, because it is said that since I put on the collar my head has been turned upside down, Such a hanging, maybe it can be restored to its original state. O my Saint Genevieve!General Niu Nian shouted, who is this man we are interrogating? He knocked Cedric's hat off the clown's head with the back of his hand, pulled his collar, and found the silver collar around his neck that was the mark of a slave. Giles.Clements, you dogs, you minions!cried the furious Norman, Who have you brought me? I think I can tell you, said De Blasey, who just entered the room, that this is Cedric's buffoon, who fought a valiant fight with Isaac of York for the seat. I'll settle their quarrel, replied the General Buffalo, and hang them both on a gallows, unless his master and the boar of Fort Coning will pay dearly for their lives.The surrender of their possessions is the minimum, but it is not enough, they must also take away the mob that besieged the castle, and promise to give up their self-appointed immunity, and come to us as slaves and vassals; in the new world that is about to begin Here, they were lucky enough to survive and linger on.Then he said to his two servants: Go, bring the real Cedric; this time I spare you, it is not a big mistake, you just took a fool for a Saxon manor. Yes, but, said Wang Ba, sir, you will find that there are not many landlords among us, but there are many fools. What does the bastard mean?General Niu Nian looked at his subordinates and said.But those people wanted to say it but dared not, and finally they stammered and replied that if the person in front of them was not Cedric, then they really didn't know where to find him. My goodness!cried De Blasey, he must have escaped in monk's clothes! O devil of hell!General Buffalo then shouted, then what I send away through the back door is the wild boar from Rotherwood, damn it, I let him go myself!As for you, he said to Wang Ba, you think you are smart enough to fool us fools, then well, I will fulfill you, let you ascend to heaven, and I will shave you!Come, let them shave his scalp and throw him down from the tower.Your job is to joke around, let's see if you can still joke now? You have treated me better than you say, noble knight, said poor Wang Ba with a sad face, his humorous temper, even at the end of his death, did not change, if it is as you say.You put a red hat on me, and I, an ordinary monk, will be elevated to a cardinal at once. This poor guy is determined not to change his career until he dies, De Blasey said, General Bullface, you don't have to kill him, give him to me, and let my brothers in the free team entertain him.Fool, what do you think?Do you know how to be grateful and willing to go to war with me? But it's only with my master's consent, replied Wang Ba, because you see, I can't get through the collar without his consent.He touched the thing on his neck. Be assured, a Saxon's collar is snapped by a Norman's saw.De Blasey said. Yes, sir, Wang Ba said, no wonder there is a song that says: The Norman saw set the English oak, Norman yoke on the neck of the Englishman, The Norman's spoon reaches into the Englishman's plate, The land of the English became the world of the Normans; Unless these four plagues are cleared from England, The British never thought about living in Daping. De Blasey, that's what you do, said General Buffalo, and you're here listening to a fool talking nonsense when disaster strikes!Did you see that?We were fooled, the way we came up with to communicate with our friends outside was completely messed up by this bastard in colorful clothes, but you still protect him!Now what can we hope for but an immediate attack? Then go up to the watchtower, said De Blasey, and I've never heard the war so seriously, have I?Let the Templar guard the tower over there, he fought valiantly for his order, now he only needs to be half as brave.You big fat man also has to go to the tower to fight.I'll do my way, and do what I can, and tell you that those Saxon thugs will have a hard time breaking Torquaystone Castle.But since you're going to negotiate with the robbers, why not use this respected landowner as an intermediary, who keeps his eyes on your bottle!Come, Saxon, he continued to Athelstan, handing him the glass, moisten your throat with this precious wine, cheer up, and talk about what you will do for your liberty. I will do what a brave man should do, Athelstan replied, and I will pay a thousand marks for the release of me and my friends. Also, can you guarantee the retreat of those outlaws who have gathered around the castle against the peaceful will of God and the King?General Bull Noodle said. I will do my best to make them retreat, replied Athelstad, and I am sure Uncle Cedric will do his best to help me. Then we have a deal, said General Bull Noodles, you pay a thousand marks, you and your people will be free, and the two sides will live in harmony.This ransom is too cheap, Saxon, and you should thank us for our magnanimity to set you free if you pay this little.Note, however, that the ransom does not include the Jew Isaac. Nor does it include the daughter of the Jewish Isaac.The Templar said he just walked into the house. None of them belonged to the range of the Saxons.General Bull Noodle said. Of course not, if I included them, I would not be worthy of being called a Christian, replied Athelstan, and these unbelieving things can be done as you like. Miss Rowena must not be included in the ransom, said De Blasey. I can't let people say that I am a coward who let go of a beauty who is about to get away in order not to fight. Our deal doesn't include the damn buffoon either, said General Bullface, and I've got to keep him and we'll see what happens to a man who jokes about serious business. Miss Rowena is my fiancée, replied Athelstan, with a determined face, and I would not promise to give her up, even if I had to be torn to pieces by wild horses.Slave Wangba just saved my uncle Cedric's life today, and I'd rather lose my head than have a hair on his head. your fiancée!Miss Rowena is the fiancée of a minion like you!De Blasey said, Saxon, you are dreaming that your time of the Seven Kingdoms is back.Let me tell you, the princes of the royal family of Anjou will not hand over their guardians to descendants of your blood. Haughty Norman, replied Athelstan, my blood has a long and clean history, and is better than a pauper Frenchman. The Duchy of Normandy is established. ] Much better, the Frenchman who just gathered a rabble under his banner and made a fortune selling their blood.My ancestors were kings, they fought bravely, governed the country wisely, they entertained far more guests in the palace every day than your guards, their names were sung by troubadours, and their laws were recorded in the council of sages [Note: During the Anglo-Saxon dynasty in the United Kingdom, the king's advisory body consisted of about a hundred nobles and bishops, which was equivalent to the parliament of later generations. ]; their bodies were interred with the prayers of the saints, and towering churches were erected over their cemeteries. You have met your match, De Blasey, said the General Bullface, seeming glad his friend was counterattacked, and the Saxon has hit you hard. Even if he hits, he's still a captive, de Blasey said, apparently indifferent, because of bound hands and feet, only the tongue is free.But, my friend, be as eloquent as you like, he went on to Athelstan, you cannot win Miss Rowena's freedom. To these remarks Athelstein did not answer, for he had already spoken at a length far beyond his habit, and he had never spoken so much before on any subject, not even the one that most interested him.The conversation was interrupted by the entry of a servant who reported that a monk had come outside the back door and demanded an audience. These damned beggars, I swear by the name of their protector, Holy Bennett, said the General Buffalo, I don't know if it's the real monk this time, or just another liar?Boys, search him, if you fall for this imposter again, I'll goug out your eyes and put red-hot charcoal in your eye sockets. 要是這次來的不是真的神父，老爺，請您只管發怒，懲罰我好了，賈爾斯說，您的扈從喬斯林跟他很熟，他可以擔保，這是安布羅斯教士，跟隨茹爾沃修道院長的一名修士。 讓他進來，牛面將軍說，很可能他那位尋歡作樂的主人，要他給我們送什麼消息來了。一定是魔鬼放了假，神父們才擅離職守，在全國各地到處閒逛。帶走這些囚犯；撒克遜人，好好考慮對你講過的話。 我要求我的監禁得到體面的待遇，阿特爾斯坦說，我的飲食和我的臥床也應該與我的身分相稱，與一個正在磋商贖金的人相稱。還有，你們侵犯了我的自由，我要你們中間自認為本領最大的人出來與我比武，一決雌雄。我早已通過你的管家向你提出挑戰，你不敢應戰，但是你必須答應我。這裡是我的手套【註：在中世紀騎士中，擲下手套是向對方發出挑戰的表示。 】. 我不能與我的俘虜決鬥，牛面將軍說，莫里斯．德布拉西，你也不能。賈爾斯，他繼續道，把他的手套掛在那邊的鹿角架上，等他成了自由人以後再說。如果到那時他仍要求決鬥，或者認為我拘禁他是非法的，我憑聖克里斯托福的腰帶起誓，他會發現，他的對手是從來不會拒絕與敵人決鬥的，不論那是步戰還是馬戰，也不論那是單獨進行，還是在奴僕們的助威下廝打！ 就這樣，撒克遜俘虜給帶走了；正在這時，安布羅斯修士給領進了屋子，他顯得十分惶恐。 這位神父才貨真價實，汪八走過教士身邊時打渾道，其餘兩個都是冒牌貨。 聖母保佑！修士向在場的騎士們說道，我總算脫離危險，來到基督徒中間了！ 你已經安全了，德布拉西答道，我們都是基督徒，這位是威武的男爵牛面將軍雷金納德，他最厭惡的便是猶太人；這位是英勇的聖殿騎士布里恩．布瓦吉貝爾，他的拿手好戲便是屠殺薩拉森人。如果這些人還算不得真正的基督徒，我就不知道還有什麼人配得上這稱號了 你們是尊敬的茹爾沃修道院長艾默長老生死與共的朋友，修士說，沒有注意德布拉西回答的口氣，不論根據騎士的信念，還是教會的慈悲精神，你們都有責任幫助他，因為偉大的聖奧古斯丁【註：古代基督教的著名思想家。】在他的著作《上帝的城》中說 你胡扯什麼！牛面將軍打斷了他的話，乾脆一點，神父先生，你要講什麼？我們沒有時間聽你說教。 Virgin Mary!安布羅斯神父嘆息道，這些罪孽深重的俗人多麼急躁喲！那麼告訴你們吧，勇敢的騎士們，一些凶惡的暴徒，把畏懼上帝和尊敬教會都丟到了腦後，不顧教皇的聖諭說，如果任何人在魔鬼的慫恿下 教士兄弟，聖殿騎士插口道，這一切我們都知道，也猜得到；你就簡單說吧，是不是長老給人抓走了，或者給誰抓走了？ 不錯，安布羅斯說道，他落到了一群彼列的門徒【註：撒旦的別名。 】，盤踞在這一帶森林中的強人手中，他們違背了上帝的教訓：不可難為我受膏的人，也不可虐待我的先知們。 【註：見《舊約．歷代志上》。 】 這是我們動用武力的又一理由，各位先生，牛面將軍轉身對他的夥伴們說，既然這樣，茹爾沃的長老非但不能幫助我們，還要求我們幫助他啦？一個人正急需支援的時候，教會的這些懶蟲還來湊熱鬧！但是神父，乾脆說吧，你的主人要我們怎麼幫助他？ 那麼請聽著，安布羅斯答道，我尊貴的院長遭到了粗暴的虐待，這是違背我剛才引述過的聖訓的，那些彼列的門徒們還搜查了他的行囊和錢包，搶走了兩百馬克純金的金幣，而且還要向他勒索一大筆款子，然後才同意放他，讓他離開他們的罪惡魔掌。因此上帝的虔誠信徒，尊敬的長者要求你們作為他的親密朋友搭救他，至於是為他支付他們要的贖金，還是用武力討伐他們，這可以由各位決定。 這個長老一定碰到鬼了！牛面將軍說，他早上喝的酒大概還沒有醒。你的主人什麼時候聽說過，一個諾曼貴族會解開他的錢包去搭救一個教士？要知道，他的錢比我們的多十倍。再說，我們又怎麼用武力搭救他？比我們多十倍的人包圍了我們，他們隨時可能發動進攻呢。 那正是我要告訴你們的，修士說，只要你們少安毋躁，聽我說下去。唉，上帝保佑我，我老了，這些惡人的攻擊把一個老人的頭腦搞糊塗了。不過有一點是確鑿無疑的：他們調集了不少人馬，建立了營地，還面對城堡築起了一道防線。 上城樓去！德布拉西喊道，我們得看看，這些混蛋在城外都幹了些什麼。這麼說著，他打開了一扇格子窗，那外面是一個小塔樓或者伸出的陽臺，他隨即站在那裡，向屋內的人喊道：聖但尼斯啊，這個老修士帶來的消息千真萬確！他們正在活動頂棚【註：一種可移動的臨時防護工具，由木板構成。】和全身盾牌掩護下向前移動呢，他們的弓箭手像暴風雨前的烏雲一般，密密匝匝地匯集在樹林的邊緣。 牛面將軍雷金納德也向田野眺望了一會，立即抓起號角，使勁吹了一陣，然後命令部下在城牆上佈置好崗哨。 德布拉西，注意東邊，那裡的城牆最低。尊貴的布瓦吉貝爾，你久經沙場，知道怎麼進攻和防守，你駐在西邊。我親自守衛碉樓。還有，尊貴的朋友們，不要把兵力固定在任何一個地點！今天我們必須在每個地方出現，這樣才顯得人多勢眾；在戰鬥最激烈的地方，我們必須盡可能在場，以便鼓舞士氣，提高信心。我們的人數不多，但只要我們機動靈活，作戰英勇，便能彌補這個缺陷，因為我們要對付的只是一群無知的毛賊。 在準備防禦的一片忙碌和混亂中，安布羅斯神父還在大喊：但是，高貴的騎士們，難道你們沒有一個人願意聽一聽茹爾沃修道院長，尊敬的艾默長者派我帶來的口信嗎？高貴的雷金納德爵士，我請求你聽我講！ 你去向老天爺提出你的請求吧，凶惡的諾曼人說，因為我們地上的人沒有工夫聽你絮叨。Hello!上那兒，安塞姆！把瀝青和生油煮沸，準備澆在那些放肆的叛賊頭上。注意，給弓弩手準備好弓箭，別讓短缺。把我的牛頭軍旗掛出去，讓那些混蛋知道，他們今天是在跟誰打仗！ 但是，高貴的先生，修士繼續道，他還是堅持要大家聽他講話，請你替我想想吧，我起過誓一定完成任務，讓我把院長交代的話講完吧。 把這個嘮嘮叨叨的老糊塗帶走，牛面將軍說，讓他關在祈禱室裡唸經。托奎爾斯通的聖徒們聽到萬福馬利亞和主禱文，一定會覺得很新鮮，我想，他們從石塊中雕成以來，還沒聽到過唸經聲呢。 不要褻瀆聖徒們，雷金納德老兄，德布拉西說，今天在那夥亡命之徒的騷亂中，我們還得祈求聖徒的保佑呢。 我不想指望他們的幫助，牛面將軍說，他們的唯一用處便是充當礌石，讓我們從城牆上扔下去，砸碎那些暴徒的腦袋。那兒有一段大木頭，是聖克里斯托福的雕像，它可以砸死一大群人呢。 這時聖殿騎士正密切注視著圍城者的活動，他比粗野的牛面將軍和那位輕率的朋友顯得更有心計。 憑我的作戰經驗看，他說，我相信這些人受過訓練，他們的行動有條不紊，比我想像的好得多，不知這是怎麼回事。你們瞧見沒有？他們很有經驗，知道利用每一棵樹，每一叢灌木林作掩護，避免讓自己暴露在我們的弓箭面前。在他們中間我沒有發現任何旗子，然而我可以用我的金項鏈打賭，一定有一個富有作戰經驗的高貴騎士或紳士在指揮他們。 我發現這個人了，德布拉西說，我看到了一個騎士的盔飾在晃動，還發現了他的盔甲的閃光。瞧那邊那個高個子，穿著黑盔甲，正忙於指揮這些作亂的鄉巴佬向前推進。憑聖但尼斯起誓，我相信這就是我們稱作黑甲懶漢的那個人，牛面將軍，在比武場上他曾把你打下馬背呢。 那就更好了，牛面將軍說，他自己送上門來，給了我報仇的機會。這傢伙一定隱瞞了身分，因此不敢出頭露面，憑他僥倖取得的勝利，在比武會上領獎。這種人在騎士和貴族通常尋找他們的仇敵的地方，是找不到的；想不到他混在叛亂的莊稼漢中，在這裡出現，這真是太好了。 敵人即將到來的種種跡象，打斷了大家的進一步議論。每個騎士回到了自己的崗位上，他們所能召集的部下沒有幾個，靠這點力量是無法防守漫長的城牆的，但他們堅定沉著，等待著這場生死存亡的搏鬥。