Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Seven

The law is strict, it forbids you to cry, Although your grief and indignation at the sufferings of the world are piercing your heart; The law is harsh, it forbids you to laugh, Although you can't help laughing at deceitful nonsense; But the iron hand of the tyrant is more severe, Because it claims to be doing God's will. "middle Ages" The interrogation table for the trial of the innocent and unfortunate Rebecca was situated on the upper and higher platform of the hall, which we have already described, was the seat of honor reserved for the most honored hosts and guests of the ancient house.

In the middle of the platform was a high seat, facing the accused, where now sat the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, dressed in a full suit of white robes and holding in his hand a mystical scepter bearing the emblem of the Order.There was a table at his feet, and two priests sat behind it. Their task was to record the interrogation process of the day.The black clothes, bare heads and reserved expressions of the priests formed a stark contrast with the military attire of the knights. Some of these knights were permanently stationed in the synagogue, and some came here with the grand master.The bishop was attended by four persons, and their seats were a little lower and further back than that of the grand master; distance.Behind them, but still on the platform of the hall, stood the guards of the Knights, who wore the white coats of the lower ranks.

The entire meeting hall showed a solemn atmosphere; in addition to the fierce military spirit, there was also a pious expression almost equal to that of priests on the faces of the knights, which is what they must maintain in front of the grand master. attitude. The rest of the hall, that is, the part beyond the platform, was filled with guards with halberds, and other attendants who had come out of curiosity to see the Grand Master and the Jew.Most of these inferior characters held certain positions in the knight order, so they all wore black uniforms.But peasants from nearby villages were also allowed in, because the Grand Master was proud of the trials he presided over, and wanted as many people as possible to see the spectacle and be educated.As he looked around the room, his large blue eyes seemed to grow wider and his face smug with the righteous, sacrosanct nature of the role he was about to play.At the beginning of the interrogation, he sang hymns with everyone. Although he was old, his voice was still very mellow, and it was as good as it used to be.They sang Come, let us sing to the Lord [Note: "Old Testament.The first line of the ninety-fifth psalm. ], the solemn psalm that the Templars used to sing before their battles with their earthly enemies; Lugas thought it appropriate for the occasion, as a prelude to the victory over the forces of darkness.This deep and slow note, through the joint efforts of a hundred men accustomed to choral hymns, rose to the vaulted roof of the hall, and echoed from beam to column like the melodious and majestic sound of a surging sea. .

After the singing fell silent, the grand master raised his eyes and looked around calmly; he saw an empty seat, which should have been Brienne.Bois-Guilbert sat, but now he was standing in a corner, near the end of a bench where ordinary knights sat, and with one hand raised his robe a little so that it partly covered his face; Holding the crossed sword hilt, slowly draw lines on the oak floor with the point of the sheath. unfortunate people!The Grand Master, after looking at him sympathetically for a moment, said, Conrad, you see how our sacred work has grieved him.How a frivolous woman, aided by earthly demons, could bring a brave and noble knight to this point!You see he doesn't dare look at us, or at her; who knows what he's doing with those mysterious lines on the ground, maybe the devil made him do it?The devil wants to use talismans to endanger our lives and safety, but we are not afraid of the devil at all.The lion must be exterminated!

This is for his confidant Conrad.Montefiore alone.Then the grand master raised his voice and said to the audience: Respected and gallant knights, bishops and friends of the order, my brethren and my children!And you, high-born and pious squires, who wish to wear this holy cross!And you, Christian brethren of all ranks!You should see that we have called this public trial because we have enough power to eradicate all evils; interrogation and processing.St. Bernard stipulated our obligations in the knightly organization and religion. He said in the fifty-ninth article of the constitution that the brethren of the regiment do not have to meet often, but only when the Grand Master needs it; This is the authorization given to me, like the authorization given to my previous great masters, to decide when and where to call a meeting of a synagogue or all the synagogues according to the specific situation.This also means that in all our synagogues it is my duty to listen to the brethren and to make decisions based on my own judgment.So when a wolf rushes into our flock and takes away a member of our flock, it is the duty of the good shepherd to gather all the congregation to take bows and slings and hunt down the intruder, because according to the well-known According to our constitution, lions should always be suppressed.So I now bring to court a Jewess woman named Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of York, a woman notorious for witchcraft and witchcraft; Confused, and the victim is not a commoner, but a knight; not a secular knight, but a knight dedicated to the cause of the temple; Bishop.Our brother Brian.Bois-Guilbert is familiar to us, and to all ranks who are now listening to me, as a loyal and ardent soldier of the Crusaders, who by his martial arts performed many distinguished feats in the Holy Land, and used The blood of the cultists who desecrated the holy places cleansed the holy places one by one.The brother's wisdom and prudence, as well as his valor and education, are notorious; so that all knights, both in the East and in the West, admit that when God allows me to lay down the heavy burden of the Grand Master and return to him When I go to my side, Bois-Ghibert is qualified to succeed me and continue to hold this scepter.If we hear that such a man, such a man of honor and integrity, suddenly abandons his character, his vows, his brother and his future, to be entangled with a Jewish woman, and in the company of this lewd woman , wandering in some remote and desolate places, protecting her with a shield instead of protecting herself, and finally even recklessly and carelessly led her into one of our synagogues, then we can only feel that this noble knight has been murdered by evil What else can I say except that I am controlled by the evil spirits in my life, or bewitched by some kind of sorcery?If we think otherwise, neither rank nor valor nor high reputation nor any worldly consideration can prevent us from punishing him and removing the weeds from our midst as the scriptures require.For the breaches of our constitution in this sad case were many and serious.First of all, he is free to act according to his own wishes, which violates Article 33 of the Charter: Do not act on your own or act arbitrarily.Secondly, he had private associations with those who were excommunicated, which violated Article 57: You must not associate with people who are excluded from the sect.Therefore, he also committed the crime of excommunication.Third, he made friends with pagan women, which violated the regulations that he should not associate with pagan women.Fourth, he didn't evade, no, maybe he even wanted to kiss women, thus violating the last article of the charter: no kissing women.Because that would lead the crusaders into a trap.As a result of these serious and multifaceted crimes, BrianBois-Guilbert should be cut off, expelled from our order, even though he is our right hand and right eye.

He stopped.There was a murmur of chirping in the hall.Some of the younger part, who even couldn't help laughing when they heard that kissing was not allowed, became serious now, waiting to hear what the Grand Master had to say next. Indeed, he continued, a Templar who had consciously violated the Order's rules on such an important point deserved a heavy punishment.However, maybe the knight just glanced at the beauty of a woman by chance, and the devil took the opportunity to use witchcraft and magic to dominate the knight's heart, then we can only feel sad, not to punish him for his depravity; we have to do to him But it is limited to prompting him to reform and penance, and the main thrust of our anger should be directed at the instrument of evil which almost led him to the path of destruction, so now it is up to those who have witnessed these unfortunate events Testify that we may, on the basis of their statements, act accordingly, and pass judgment; determine whether we may confine ourselves to punishing this wicked woman, or must go a step further, and with a sorrowful heart, punish our brother also .

Several witnesses were called; they mainly testified how Bois-Guilbert risked his life to rescue Rebecca from the fire of the castle, and how all his attention was devoted to protecting her life, regardless of his own safety.The details given by these men were exaggerated to the greatest extent possible, for vulgar minds have a natural interest in any eccentricity, and it was a great encouragement to find that the great persons who asked them to give their testimony were very satisfied with their reports. Their innate curiosity-seeking psychology.In this way, the dangers Bois-Guilbert experienced, which were already extraordinary, became all the more terrible now.Under their exaggeration, the knight's protection of Rebecca was not only unreasonable, but also unbelievable and absurd; , such a description applied to this arrogant person is simply unbelievable.

Then the bishop of the Temple synagogue was ordered to appear, and he had to describe the arrival of Bois-guibert and the Jewish woman in the synagogue.Malvorcin's testimony was thoughtful and impeccable.Just so as not to hurt Bois-Guilbert's feelings, he had to insert some ambiguous words, suggesting that he was a little deranged at the time, and was fascinated by the woman he brought.The Bishop sighed and expressed remorse, declaring that he regretted that he had admitted Rebecca and her lover into the synagogue, but I had explained my thoughts to our most revered Grand Master, and he concluded, He knows that I have no bad motives, even though my actions may be wrong.I am willing to accept any punishment he gives me, and I have no complaints.

You speak very well, Brother Albert, said Bomano, and your motives are good, because you think it will keep a brother who has made mistakes from repeating the same mistakes and slipping into the abyss.But your actions are wrong, just like a person who wants to hold a runaway horse, instead of tightening the rein, kicks the saddle stirrup. Not only will he fail to achieve his goal, but he will also hurt himself.Our devout founders prescribed that the Lord's Prayer be said thirteen times in the morning prayers, and nine times in the evening prayers, and that your homework should be doubled.The Templars could eat meat three times a week, but you had to fast seven days.Do this for the next six weeks and your atonement will be complete.

The bishop pretended to be sincere and obedient, bowed deeply to the grand master, and then returned to his seat. Brothers, the Great Master said again, the facts we have just heard compel us to assume that in this unfortunate incident, our brother committed the crime under the temptation and temptation of the devil, so should we examine it, This woman's former life and speech, especially, must be ascertained, whether she could use magic and sorcery, are you right? Hermann of Goudallik was the fourth Bishop present. The other three were Conrad, Malvasin and Boisguibert, a battle-hardened veteran with the scars on his face from Muslim sabers. , he has a high status in the knight order, but also won the hearts of the people.He stood up and bowed to the Grand Master; to his voluntary request to speak, the latter immediately agreed.Then he said: Most revered Grand Master, I demand to know that our brave brother BrianBois-Guibert, what has he to say about these appalling accusations, and what does he himself think of his unfortunate association with this Jewish woman?

Brian.Boisguibert, said the Grand Master, you have heard the question posed to you by our brother Gudallik.I command you to answer him. Bois-guibert heard the words of the Grand Master and turned his face to him, but remained silent. The devil deprived him of his ability to speak, and the Grand Master said, Devil, leave him!Brian.Speak, Boisguibert, I have cast out the devil from you with our holy scepter. Bois-guibert tried to restrain the contempt and anger that was rising in his heart, knowing full well that this expression of emotion would not do him any good.He replied: Most respected Grand Master, Brian.Bois-Zambert did not want to answer these absurd accusations, and if his honor should be slandered, he would defend himself with his flesh and blood, with the sword with which Christendom fought both. We forgive you, Brother Brienne, said the Grand Master, that although you boast of your war exploits before me, which is boasting of your own merits, it also comes from the devil, who tempts us to worship ourselves.But we forgive you, because you did not speak these words yourself, but chiefly at the behest of the devil; and if God wills, we will subdue him and drive him out of our meeting.Bois-guibert's dark, savage eyes flashed a look of contempt, but he made no answer.Brothers, continued the Grand Master, since the questions posed by our Brother Gudallik have been partially answered, we now proceed to the trial; and I hope, with the help of our patron saint, that this wicked case will The truth came to light.Anyone who can bear any testimony of the life and speech of this Jewish woman may come forward and speak to us. There was a commotion at the bottom of the hall. When the Grand Master asked the reason, someone replied that there was an old man here who was bedridden, but thanks to the female prisoner who treated him with a miraculous ointment, he regained the ability to walk. The poor peasant, a Saxon, was led before the judgment seat; trembling with terror, he did not know what punishment he would receive, for having committed a crime which had been healed of his paralysis by a Jewish woman.He is no doubt not fully healed and still had to walk with a cane while testifying.His testimony was entirely forced, and he shed a lot of tears; but he admitted that two years ago he had worked for Isaac, the rich Jewish man, because he was a carpenter, and one day he suddenly couldn't get out of bed, but after Rebecca After treatment, especially with a scented, warming ointment, he gradually recovered and was able to use his legs more or less.Afterwards, he said, she gave him also a little box of that precious ointment, and a gold coin, to go back to his old home, which is near the temple synagogue, but please, my lord Mindful, he said, I don't think it's possible that the girl meant to hurt me, though she's ill-fated and a Jew.I always have to say the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed when I take her medicine, but it doesn't diminish its effect in the slightest. Shut up, slave, the great master shouted, get out, you are a beast, you dare to ask the devil to heal your illness, take the devil's money, and go to work in the house of a cultist.Tell you that the devil may make you sick on purpose, and then heal you, so that he can prove that he has the ability to heal.Have you brought the ointment you mentioned? The countryman put his trembling hand into his chest, groped for a moment, and brought out a small box with a few Hebrew letters on the lid, which was enough proof to most of the audience that the medicine came from the devil. .Bomano crossed himself, and took the box in his hand; he knew several Eastern languages, and knew perfectly well the words stamped on it: The lion of the tribe of Judah is invincible. 【Note】So he said: Satan is so powerful that he actually used the words of the Bible to blaspheme God and mix poison into our necessary food!Is there any doctor here who can tell us the ingredients of this mysterious ointment? [Note] For this sentence, see "Old Testament.In the forty-ninth chapter of Genesis, before Jacob died, he wished that the descendants of Judah would grow up like lions (Judah is one of the twelve patriarchs of the Jews). The lions that the Knights spoke of were different. Two men who claimed to be doctors came out, one a monk and the other a barber, and they claimed they knew nothing about the stuff, except that it smelled of myrrh and camphor, which is a plant from the East extracted from.But out of envy of their successful colleagues, they said that since they did not know about this drug, it must be a crooked and illegal product; for although they did not know magic, they could cure all diseases, if only according to their sincere Christian beliefs It is curable.After the medical appraisal was over, the Saxon farmer humbly demanded to return the ointment he thought was effective, but the Grand Master frowned and said to the lame man: Country guy, what's your name? Seager.Snell.the farmer answered. Well, Higgs.Snell, said the Great Master, I tell you, it is better to lie in bed than to receive the devil's medicine to get you up and walk; It's good for them to get their wages in their hands.You go, remember to do as I say. Oh my God!But, great master, said the farmer, the lesson has come to me too late, for I am already crippled; but I will pass on your old words to my two brothers, who are still doing it for the rich Jewish Rabbi Nathan.Book.Israel works, I want to tell them, the adults say, it is better to rob him of his money than to work for him honestly. Get this talkative bastard out of here!exclaimed Bomano; caught off guard, he did not know how to refute this practical application of his general maxim. Seager.Snell returned to the crowd, but still concerned about his benefactor's fate, and stood there unwilling to leave, preferring to risk yet another severe judge's reprimand, though it frightened him to death and made him shudder. At this stage in the interrogation, the Grand Master ordered Rebecca to lift the veil.Now, speaking for the first time, she declared patiently, but solemnly, that it was not customary for a daughter of the Jewish nation not to lift her veil when she was alone among strangers.The melodiousness of her voice, the tenderness of her answers, aroused in the crowd a response of pity and sympathy.But from Bomano's point of view it was his duty to stifle all human emotions so that they would not interfere with the exercise of his duties, and he repeated his command to unmask his victim.Those guards were even ready to move and wanted to enforce it, so she straightened up in front of the grand master and said: No, please think about your daughter, she remembered, and said again, you don't have a daughter!Then think of your mother, your sisters, think of the manners towards women, don't let these people do this to me in your presence, don't let a maiden's veil be forcibly stripped by a vulgar servant.I can obey you, she added, with a tone of grievance that softened even Bomano's hard heart. You are an elder among your people, and I can obey your orders. , allowing you to see the face of an unhappy maiden. She lifted her veil and looked at the people with a mixture of shyness and solemnity on her face.Her unearthly beauty provoked a murmur of astonishment, and the younger knights looked at each other as if to say in silent tongues that perhaps Brienne's most plausible defense was her real charm, not Her fictional witchcraft.But Higgs.Snell had the deepest feeling for the appearance of this benefactor, and he said to the guards standing at the door of the hall: Let me go to the front, let me go to the front!I'm going to look at her one more time, and even if it makes me die of grief, I deserve it, because I was part of her murder. Be still, poor creature, said Rebecca, hearing his cry, you have done me no harm, you speak the truth; neither your talk nor your sorrow can help me.Be quiet, I beg you, go home and take care of yourself. The guards, out of sympathy, wanted to push Higg out of the door, fearing that his cries would bring them a reprimand and punish him himself.But he promised not to speak again, so he stayed.At this time two soldiers stood up, they passed by Albert.Malvorsin read through, understanding the importance of their testimony.But, in spite of their hard-heartedness and cruelty, the pitiful appearance of the prisoner, and her beauty, seemed at first to make them hesitate, and it was only the meaningful glance of the Bishop of the Temple that restored them to their indifference. nature.Some of the facts they gave were entirely fictitious, and some of them were insignificant, but they spoke so well that a fairer judge would have aroused suspicion; the facts themselves were true, but through their exaggerated expressions, And the malicious comments attached to the facts, it seems unbelievable.According to today's view, their testimony can be roughly divided into two categories, one is purely speculative and far-fetched, and the other, although convincing, is actually impossible.But in that era of ignorance and superstition, they were often taken as evidence of crime and believed to be true.The first type of testimony states that Rebecca often mutters to herself in an incomprehensible language; she hums some songs from time to time, and her voice is strange and sweet, which often makes one's mind wander; She bowed her head, as if waiting for an answer; and she was wearing a strange dress, which was different from ordinary decent women. Her ring was engraved with Jewish mysterious patterns, and her veil was embroidered with strange symbols.All this was so commonplace, so small, and yet was listened to with all seriousness, as if it were incriminating evidence, or at least raised some serious suspicion that Rebecca had been improperly connected with some mysterious power. There are others, however, which are not so ambiguous that all or a large part of the population takes them for granted and listens to them with interest, however unreasonable they may be.A soldier said he had seen her heal a wounded man he had brought into Torquaystone Castle, and she had worked on the wound for a while, saying thank God I couldn't understand the words, so a bag The iron arrow jumped out of the wound, the blood stopped immediately, the wound closed, and within a quarter of an hour, the dying man stood up, walked to the tower, and helped me use the stone shooting machine to throw stones up.The basis of this myth may be the fact that Rebecca treated the wounded Ivanhoe in the castle.However, the accuracy of the story became more difficult to refute due to the appearance of a piece of physical evidence. It turned out that in order to prove his dictation with facts, the witness took out an arrow from his pocket, which miraculously jumped out of the wound. The arrowhead, which weighed a full ounce, amply confirmed his testimony, however bizarre it seemed. His companion testified that he had witnessed the quarrel between Rebecca and Bois-Guilbert on the nearby ramparts, as she stood on the top of the tower and was about to throw herself down.This fellow was no worse than his friend, and he said he saw Rebecca standing on the parapet of the tower, suddenly transformed into a white swan, and flew three times round Torquaystone Castle, and then landed again. Go to the tower and regain the shape of a woman. Half of this strong proof is enough to condemn any poor, ugly old woman to death, even if she is not Jewish.Even though Rebecca was born beautiful, young and beautiful, she had the fatal weakness of being a Jew, and this large amount of testimony was naturally enough to put her to death. The Grand Master, having collected opinions from all quarters, now asked Rebecca, in a solemn tone, if she had anything more to say about the sentence he was about to pronounce. And the lovely Jewish girl, trembling with emotion, said: I know it's no use, nor is it worth it, to ask your pity.It is vain to claim that saving lives for people of other religions is not contrary to the will of the Creator recognized by our two religions; and it does not mean much to me to say that it is impossible for these people to ask God to forgive them for many of the things they accuse me of. , because you believe they are possible; and as for my dress, speech, and behavior, there is no need to explain them, which are known to be different from yours only because they belong to my nation I would say my country , but alas, we have no motherland!I don't even want to defend myself by accusing my oppressor who is standing there listening to all this nonsense, figment of the wall just to turn a thug into a victim.Let God judge between him and me!But I would rather die ten times under your verdict than to accept his demands, the disciple of the devil who is trying to subdue me, because I have no friends, no protection, and his captive.Yet he believed in your religion, and a mere word from him could overturn the hoarse protests of a persecuted Jewish woman.So I don't want to contest the accusations I've received; but to him yes, Brian.Bois-guibert, I ask you, are these accusations true?Aren't they absurd slanders, though they will kill me? She stopped, all eyes turned to Brienne.Bois Guibert.He remained silent. Speak, she said, if you are a man, if you are a Christian, speak!I beg you to speak, for this dress you wear, for this name you have inherited, for your own boasted knighthood, for your mother's honor, for your father's grave and remains, tell me truthfully, these things are not real? Answer her, brother, said the Grand Master, if the devil with whom you wrestled tells you to speak. In fact, all kinds of contradictory emotions were wrestling in Bois-Guilbert's heart, causing his facial muscles to convulse. After several struggles, he finally managed to utter a voice to Rebecca: a note!note! Yes, says Bomano, that is indeed evidence!The victim of her sorcery could only produce this fact, and no doubt the incantation on the note was the cause of his silence. But Rebeca had another explanation for the words that Bois-Guilbert forced out; she suddenly remembered the parchment, and she glanced at the Arabic words on it: Ask a warrior to replace you duel!Bois-Ghibert's strange answer caused a murmur in the meeting room, which just gave her the opportunity to read the note, which she then secretly tore up.After the whispers subsided, the Grand Master said: We see, Rebecca, that the devil still has a measure of control over the unfortunate knight, but it is clear that you cannot get favorable testimony from him.Do you have anything else to say? Even with your cruel laws, I still have a chance of life, said Rebecca. Life is miserable, at least these days I have been, but I don't want to throw away the life God has given me, as long as I haven't Forfeit the means He gave me to defend it.I claim the right to decide right and wrong by duel [Note], I will entrust a warrior to fight on my behalf. 【Note】In Europe in the Middle Ages, duels were often used to solve difficult cases. The outcome of the duel was considered to be the judgment of God.At this time, if the parties concerned are priests or women, they can entrust warriors to fight on their behalf. Rebecca, replied the Grand Master, who would fight a tourney for a witch?Who would be a Jewish woman's fighter? God will give me a warrior,' said Rebecca, 'Merry England is hospitable and generous and free, where many will risk their lives for honor, and there will not be a single man who will fight for what is right .But it is enough for me to ask for a decision by duel; this is my pledge. She took off an embroidered glove from her hand, and threw it at the Grand Master's feet, with such a simple and solemn look that aroused everyone's surprise and admiration.