Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-Nine

O girl, in spite of your obstinacy and cruelty, My heart is as proud as yours. Seward [Note: Anna.Seward, English poetess. 】 On the evening of the day of Rebecca's interrogation, if that could be called an interrogation, there was a soft knock on the door of the cell where she was imprisoned.It was ignored by those in the room, for she was absorbed in her vespers, as required by her religion, which ended with a hymn which, translated into English, would go something like this: When the Israelites whom the Lord loves, When they came out of the land that enslaved them, God led the way before them,

Be their awe-inspiring guide in smoke and fire. By day in the perilous land, Guarded by pillars of cloud they moved slowly forward, The red sandy soil of the Arabian Peninsula at night And shone with a bright pillar of fire on their way. A song of praise rose from among them, Trumpets and tambourines followed the song, The daughters of Zion are singing in unison, The voices of priests and warriors echoed each other. Now there is no ominous omen to terrify the enemy, The Israelites were like orphans in the wilderness, Our ancestors did not understand your intentions, Make the mistake of thinking you've left them alone.

Actually we can't see you, you are still with us In bright days of prosperity, You are still a cloud in our hearts, Can block the light of false fraud. When the phantom night falls, You too always come upon the Jewish journey, You tolerated everything and were never easily angered, You are a radiant lamp that burns endlessly! Our harps are left on the banks of Babel, It was ridiculed by tyrants and insulted by Gentiles; No more cigarettes on our altars, Our tambourines, trumpets and horns have also fallen silent. But you said: the blood of the goat, The meat of rams is not what I need;

A repentant heart and humble thoughts, That's the sacrifice I'm asking for. 【Note】 【Note】The first stanza of this poem describes the situation of the Israelites fleeing from Egypt. According to the "Old Testament.Exodus".The second and third verses describe their joy after being free and the ensuing confusion, but God is still by their side and protecting them.Babel in the fourth verse comes from "Old Testament.In Genesis, it is the city established by the descendants of Noah, but in Hebrew, Babel is Babylon, so here is the mood of the Israelites in exile after being released from Babylonian captivity.

When at last Rebecca's devout singing fell silent, there was a soft knock at the door.She replied: If you are a friend, come in; if you are an enemy, then I cannot refuse you to come in. Am I friend or foe, Rebecca, Brian.Bois-guibert said as he entered the room, it depends on the result of this meeting. Rebecca thought the source of her troubles to be the man's unbridled passions, and, seeing the panic in his heart, she drew back, but it was a precaution, not a fear, of terror; The farthest corner of the room seemed to be determined to be as far away from him as possible, but it stopped when it reached the point where it was impossible to retreat.Her attitude is not contempt, but determination, which means that she does not want to provoke, but if she is attacked, she will fight with all her strength to the end.

You have no reason to be afraid of me, Rebecca, said the Templar, or to be more precise, at least for the present you have no reason to be afraid of me. I am not afraid of you, Sir Cavalier, replied Rebecca, though her rapid breathing did not match her heroic tone, I am confident that I am not afraid of you. You don't have to be afraid of me either, Bois-Ghibert said seriously, you don't have to worry about my crazy intentions before.There are guards outside the gate here, and they can't even control me.They may take you to the execution ground, Rebecca, but they will not allow anyone to insult you, including me, if my madness, which is indeed a madness, compelled me to do so.

That's thank goodness!Said the Jewish girl, In this den of sin, it is not death that worries me at all. Yes, replied the Templar, the idea of ​​death is acceptable to a brave heart if the way to it is suddenly opened.A stabbing or a stabbing to death is nothing to me; to you, leaping from a high wall or being stabbed in the heart by a sharp dagger is not terrible. You, like me, see shame. more serious.But listen to me, perhaps my sense of honor, like yours, is an illusion, Rebecca, and yet we know how to die generously for it. Poor man, said the Jewish girl, have you ever risked your life for principles that even your sane reason does not believe to be true?This is no doubt about throwing away your most precious things for the sake of non-living food.But I'm not like that, don't take me that way.Your determination will waver with people's conflicting and ever-changing opinions, but my will is built on the eternal rock [Note: From the "Bible.Isaiah: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD is an everlasting Rock. 】Up.

Stop it, girl, the Templar replied, such an argument doesn't make much sense now.You have been condemned to death, but this death is not a moment of agony, the kind chosen by defilement and welcomed by despair, it is a slow and miserable death, a long process of agony only for those who Stubborn demons of the kind you accuse. If this is my fate, then who caused it?Of course, said Rebecca, it was the man who hijacked me here from selfish and brutal motives, and who, for ulterior motives, still exaggerates to this day the misery he has brought upon me. Don't think so, said the Templar, this is not the fate I want you to accept.I am willing to defend you with my breast, as I have used it to cover you from the many arrows that are shot at you.

If you protect an innocent man for the sake of justice, said Rebecca, then I thank you for your concern.But now that you have shown me your merits again and again, I have to tell you that if you have to pay the price you want me to pay to live, then such a life is worthless to me. Your reprimands are over, Rebecca, said the Templar, I have suffered enough, and cannot bear the pain your reproaches add to me. So what is your purpose here, Mr. Knight?Said the Jewish girl, put it bluntly.If you have any other reason than to come and see the pain you have caused me, please tell me.Then leave immediately and don't pester me anymore.There is but one short but terrible step between my life and eternity, and I have little time to prepare for it.

Rebecca, said Bois-Guilbert, I see that you are still blaming me for your misery, which I have done everything possible to prevent. , Sir Cavalier, said Rebecca, I may stop blaming you, but is it not a certain fact that my death was the result of your indulgent passions? You are wrong, you are wrong, said the Templar hastily, you are taking for my intention or design something that I neither foresee nor prevent.How could I expect that old stubbornness to come suddenly?The guy only climbed to where he is now after a few acts of insane courage and some fools extolling him for his ignorant, self-torturing ascetic life, beyond his own talents and beyond common sense , placing him above me and many others in the order; we disagreed with his idle, absurd prejudices, which were, however, the basis of his views and actions.

And yet you became my judge, said Rebecca, knowing that I was innocent and not at all wrong, yet you consented to my sentence.If I heard correctly, now it is up to you to participate in the duel, confirm my crime, and execute my punishment. Be patient, girl, replied the Templar. No nation knows how to endure for a while and bide your time so that you can sail safely against a headwind like you Jews. The Israelites understand this truth in the sad moment of life and death!Rebecca said that it is disaster that makes people swallow their breath, just like fire bends hard steel; those people who can no longer control their own destiny, those citizens of countries that have lost their freedom and independence, can only bow their heads before foreigners .This is our misfortune, sir, caused by our own sins and the sins of our ancestors.But you who profess liberty as your natural right, is it not a much greater shame that you submit, contrary to your convictions, to the prejudices of others? You speak too sharply, Rebecca, said Bois-Guilbert, pacing up and down the room impatiently, but I have not come here to accuse you.You know, Bois-Guilbert never yielded to anyone, though circumstances sometimes made him change his plans.His will is like a stream in a mountain. Sometimes a stone may change its course, but it will eventually go to the sea.Who do you think could have written that note reminding you to ask for a duel but Bois-Guilbert?Besides him, who else cares about you so much? It doesn't make much sense to me to change an immediate execution to a stay of execution, said Rebecca. You've driven me into the abyss of misery, even to the brink of my grave. Don't you think that's the end of your life? Responsibility? No, girl, said Boisguibert, that was not all I intended.It's a pity that this matter was disturbed by that crazy old stubborn and that fool of Gudallik. As a Templar, Gudallik thought he was sensible and was acting according to the general rules; otherwise, on behalf of the knights The duty of the regiment to conduct duels does not fall to a bishop, but to any knight in the regiment.This is my purpose, so that when the trumpet sounds, I can disguise myself as a passing knight, and for a sacrifice, I volunteer to enter the arena as your champion; then, with Bomano in our How to choose among my brothers, even if I choose two or three fighters to compete with me, I am sure to knock them all off their horses with a single gun.So, Rebecca, your innocence is proved, and I have your thanks, which you will of course repay. Sir Cavalier, said Rebecca, it's just a story you've made up, and the rhetoric you use to flaunt yourself when there's no proper way to achieve it.You accept my glove, and you must fight in the field with my champion, if I, a helpless man, can find one; yet you still pretend to be my friend and protector. people! Yes, said the Templar solemnly, I will still be your friend and protector; only you know what a risk it would be, and it would almost certainly discredit me.So please don't reproach me, I must get your word before I throw away everything I once held dear to save a Jewish girl's life. Go on, said Rebecca, I don't understand you. Well, then, said Bois-Guirebert, I am like a penitent who has entered the confessional and has nothing to say to the priest.Rebecca, if I don't go to that jousting ring, I'll lose my name and my position, lose the air I breathe through my nostrils, that is, lose the respect of my brethren, lose my success, and inherit old stubborn Lucas.The chances of where Bomano is now, of course, once I climb into his position, I will do it completely differently from him.Such is my lot, unless I take part in a joust against you.Hateful that guy from Gudallik, got me down a dead end!What's more hateful is that Albert.Malvorsin stopped me from throwing the glove back in the face of that old fool, who is superstitious and stubborn, to preside over such an absurd interrogation, to make you so bright and bright The woman was executed on the spot! But what's the use of your boasting or flattery to me now?Rebecca replied, You have made a choice between framing an innocent woman and losing your riches and splendor.What's the point of talking about their gains and losses now?You have decided. No, Rebecca, said the knight, softening his voice, and approaching her a few steps, I have not made a choice; I do not, mind you, it is you who have to make a choice.If I go to the tournament, I must maintain my reputation in martial arts; then, whether you find a fighter or not, you must die in the fire, because there is no knight in the world. Or more than me, except Richard the Lionheart and his favourite, Ivanhoe, but Ivanhoe, you know very well, cannot wear armor yet, and Richard is still in a prison abroad.In short, if I play, you will die, even if your beauty impresses an ignorant young man, it is useless to be willing to fight for you. What's the point of you saying that over and over again?Rebecca said. Significant, replied the Templar, because you must know how to consider your destiny in all its aspects. Well, then please turn to the wrong side of the tapestry and let me see what's going on.said the Jewish girl. If I walked into that unfortunate arena, you would get a slow, miserable death, the kind of pain that is said to be inescapable even in the underworld.But if I don't play, I'll be ruined and accused of witchcraft and cultists; and my great reputation will intensify these rumors and become a kind of curse and slander.I have lost reputation, I have lost honor, I have lost a future so great that even kings can't compare; I have to sacrifice my lofty ambitions, and the plans I have painstakingly contrived. It is said that the heathen tried to build a ladder to heaven It was my ladder, and now it's all in vain.And yet, Rebecca, he added, kneeling at her feet, I would sacrifice all this, my fame, and the power I have half acquired, if only you would say: Bois-Guibert, I accept you. be my valentine. Don't be delusional, Mr. Knight, replied Rebecca, and you'd better go to the Regent, to the Queen Mother, to Prince John; for the honor of the English Crown, they won't allow your Grand Master such nonsense.Then you can protect me without sacrificing yourself or demanding anything in return from me. I don't deal with those people,' he went on, grabbing her by the skirt, 'I just beg you alone; what's worth your choice?You think about it, even if I am a devil, but death is more terrible; you can only choose between death and me. I don't want to compare these misfortunes, said Rebecca, not daring to offend the fanatical knight, but determined not to put up with his nonsense, not to make fun of him, but to be a man of integrity, like a True Christians!If your faith does retain a little kindness in you, not only in words, but in deeds, to save me from a terrible death, ask nothing in return, and make your magnanimity base trade. No girl!Said the proud knight, jump up, you can't fool me with these arguments; if I abandon my present fame and future ambition, then it is for you, and then we must go together.Listen, Rebecca, he went on, softer again, England and Europe are not the whole world.We have many places to go, it is a wide world, even my ambition can be satisfied.We can go to Palestine, where my friend Conrad, Marquis of Montserrat, is as free as I am, and ignores the muddled notions that fetter our natural free thoughts; Cooperation is better than the anger of those die-hards whom we despise.I will open new paths for great futures, he continued, striding up the house again, and Europe will hear the resounding footsteps of a son driven from its home!The crusaders it sent massacred millions of people, but they could not keep Palestine; the thousands of Saracens' sabers could not establish their own territory on the land contested by other countries; , my brethren who follow me through life and death, by our strength and cunning, a kingdom can be established there.Then, Rebecca, you will be queen; with my valor, I will build you a palace on Mount Carmelite, and I will exchange my long-awaited scepter for the power of a king! It's a dream, said Rebecca, the result of nightly fantasies, and I wouldn't be tempted if it were real.That's enough, I don't want to share any power you may acquire; besides, country or religion is not optional to me, and no one who would trade these things will have my respect; for a A woman of a foreign race, who does not hesitate to act recklessly, indulges in lust, and ignores the knight order he swore to join, will not gain my trust.Mr. Knight, don't ask for a price for saving me, don't sell an act of generosity as a commodity, and helping the weak should be done out of kindness and love, not out of selfish motives.Go to the king of England; Richard will hear my plea to those cruel people. No way, Rebecca!The Templar gritted his teeth and said, If I abandon my order, it is for you; since you reject my love, then I still retain my ambition; I will not let anyone fool me.Want me to bow down to Richard?Begging for grace from this haughty heart?Rebecca, I will never let the Knights Templar fall at his feet for my sake.I can abandon the Knights, but I will never belittle it, betray it. Then I can only pray to God, said Rebecca, for human deliverance is almost hopeless! Indeed, said the Templar, for as proud as you are, you will find me as proud as you.If I go into the arena with my spear in hand, I will fight with all my might, no matter what.Think of your fate at that time You will die like a criminal in a terrible fire You will be swallowed up by the blazing flames You will be reduced to a heap of ashes, the elements that make up our amazing life Your beautiful face He has since disappeared without a trace, and no one will believe that this is a person who has lived and acted!Rebecca, this is not a prospect a woman can bear, and you had better accept my request. Bois-Guibert, answered the Jew, you don't know women's hearts, or you have only met women who have lost the noblest feelings.I tell you, proud Templar, the courage you boast of in the fiercest battles is not to be compared with that of a woman who suffers voluntarily for love or duty.I am a woman myself, and I grew up in tenderness and love. I am naturally afraid of danger and cannot bear pain; but when we walked into the arena where life and death are determined, you are going to fight, but I am going to suffer. I feel that I am full of self-confidence, and I believe that my courage will greatly exceed yours.Goodbye, I don't want to waste any more words on your behalf; Jacob's daughter needs to spend her time on earth elsewhere, she must find a comforter. ], he may not let his people see his face, but those who sincerely look for him and appeal to him, his ears will definitely hear. So shall we break up like this?The Templar paused and said, God should never let us meet at all, or let you be born into a noble Christian family!No, my goodness!When I look at you, when I think of when and where we shall meet next, I even wish I was a member of your humiliated race, and my hands deal with money accounts, no Dealing with spears and shields.My head must be bowed before every little nobleman, and my gaze can only make bankrupt debtors tremble and fear Yes, I would rather, Rebecca, so that I could be close to you in life and avoid my death to you The terrible responsibility that must be borne. This condition of the Jews, which you speak of, is the result of the persecution of men of your kind, said Rebecca, who in the wrath of God drove them out of their country, but industry opened a way for them to gain power and influence. The road, the only one left to them by oppression.Please read the ancient history of the chosen people of God, and tell me, were those whom the Lord used to perform miracles in the nations, were they misers and usurers then!You know, proud knights, we could name quite a few, and compared with them, your vaunted nobles of the north are nothing more than castors to pines. Their names go back to that distant ancient time, when the holy Yahweh reigns on the mercy seat between two cherub statues [Note: Refers to the throne of God. ] above; their splendor came not from human princes, but from the majestic voice of the LORD, which commanded their fathers to stand near him.This is the ancestor of the Jews. Rebecca flushed with excitement as she boasted of the ancient glory of the Jewish people, but then the flush subsided, and she sighed: Now it's all over, no more!The Jews have been ravaged, and become ravaged grass, mingled with the dirt of the road.However, there were still some among them who were unwilling to disgrace their ancestors, and the daughter of Isaac, the son of Adonikon, was one of them!goodbye!I do not envy your blood-stained honor, nor your barbarous northern pagan origin; Not shown in your actions. My God, I am so enchanted by magic!Bois-Guilbert said, I'm going to believe that old fool's words. I'm so attached to you that I'm deluded, it's not natural.He moved closer to her, but he was very respectful, and said again: Such a beautiful person!So young, so beautiful, so not afraid of death!But doomed to die, to die in disgrace and pain.Who can not weep for you?Tears have been away from these eyelids for twenty years, but when I look at you, they come back.Yet death is inevitable and nothing can save your life.You and I are just blind instruments in the hands of an irresistible fate, which drives us like two beautiful ships beaten by a storm, to crash into each other, and finally die together.So forgive me, and at least let's break up as friends.I'd like to change your decision, but I can't, and neither can my iron orders. That's how people blame fate for the consequences of their dissolute passions, said Rebecca, but I forgive you, Bois-Guilbert, even though you were responsible for my untimely death.Your stony heart, though noble thoughts sometimes flash, is an idler's garden, where the weeds strangle the good and the healthy. Yes, replied the Templar, Rebecca, as you say, I am an uneducated and rebellious person; what I am proud of is only the iron will Between the fools and the cunning bigots there is a distinction.From my youth I was a child of war, with high ambitions and an unwavering determination to achieve my goals.Now I can only be proud of such a person, unchangeable, unyielding, this is what the world can prove.But, Rebecca, will you forgive me? Yes, forgive you as the victim forgives the executioner. Goodbye then.said the Templar, and walked out of the house. Bishop Albert had grown impatient with the wait. He was waiting in the next room for Bois-guibert's return. You dragged on for too long, which made me a little restless. He said, what should I do if the Grand Master or his agent Conrad comes?I have suffered enough to accommodate you.But, brother, where are you uncomfortable?You walk unsteadily, with a sad face.Bois-guibert, what is the matter with you? Alas, replied the Templar, I feel like a prisoner to be executed in an hour.But, really, it's not as good as a prisoner, because I've found that some people in that state die like a garment.For heaven's sake, Malvorcin, that little girl almost made me unmanly.I really want to go to the grand master, declare to him face to face to withdraw from the knight order, and reject the cruel mission he forced me to accept. You're crazy, Malvosin said, really, and you might have ruined yourself for it, but it wouldn't have saved the Jew girl's life in the slightest, though you valued her life so dearly.Bomano will send another man to carry out his sentence, and the prisoner will also be executed, just as you have carried out this mission. This is hypocrisy, I will fight for her personally, the Templar replied arrogantly, if so, Malvosin, you can believe that no one in this knight order is my opponent, they all have to be at the point of my spear Roll off the horse in front. Yes, but you forget, replied the cunning staff officer, that you have neither the time nor the opportunity to carry out this mad plan.You go to Lugas.Try Bomano, and you tell him you're throwing away your vows, and you see how long that domineering old man will let you be free.As soon as your words are out of your mouth, you will be thrown into a dungeon a hundred feet below the synagogue to be judged as a traitorous knight; or, if he still thinks you have been enchanted, you will be sent to a Locked in a small dark room, slept on a haystack, chanted scriptures to exorcise ghosts, and poured holy water on you until the demons that control you leave you.You must fight, Brienne, or you'll be ruined and never seen again. I will run away, said Bois-Guirebert, to a faraway place, a place not yet poisoned by madness and ignorance of religious ideas.I will never allow this pure and beautiful girl to shed a drop of blood for my sake. You cannot escape, said the Bishop, your nonsense has aroused suspicion and you will not be allowed to leave the synagogue.You might as well try, go to the gate, order the drawbridge to be lowered, and see what answer you get.My words startled you, you were offended, but wouldn't it be better for you?Even if you escape, you will be escorted back to the castle with your hands behind your back, in vain bringing shame to your ancestors and causing your status to plummet.Just think about it.If Brian, the best knight in the Knights Templar,When Bois-Guilbert was declared a traitor, where did your old friends put their faces?What a shock this would cause at the French court!When the disdainful Richard heard that the knight against him in Palestine, who had nearly eclipsed his reputation, had discredited a Jewish girl and had failed to save her life after a great sacrifice, he How happy it would be! Malvorsin, said the knight, I thank you, you have touched a chord in my heart that excites me the most!Whatever happened, Bois-guibert would never be accused of being a traitor.Whether Richard, or any of his pompous minions, dares to enter this arena is exactly what I wish for!But they dared not come, no one would risk his life to fight me for a spurned Jewish woman. If that is the case, it is better for you, said the Bishop, because without a single fighter on the field, you are not responsible for the death of this unfortunate woman. But in his view, this kind of accusation is just a compliment and praise to him. Indeed, said Bois-Guilbert, if there were no fighters on the field, I would be only a decoration for the magnificent scene, and although I was on horseback in the tournament field, I was not responsible for everything that followed. Not the slightest bit of responsibility, Malvosin said, like a portrait of St. George in full armor in a procession. Yes, I must restore my resolve, replied the haughty knight, she despises me, rejects me, insults me, why should I sacrifice for her the prestige I have in the eyes of others?Malvorsin, I've decided to take part in the duel. Having said these words, he hastened out of the house, with the bishop following him, continuing to watch and encourage his decision; for even disregarding the chance of promotion which Montefiche had promised to grant him after the execution of the unfortunate Rebecca, Bois-Guilbert's reputation was also of great importance to him, and he could count on many advantages when he became the leader of the Knights one day.However, despite his cunning, indifferent, and selfish character in suppressing his friend's better feelings, he has all the advantages for a person who is in a fierce ideological struggle. It was a decision he had to convince him to take, and Malworthy would still need to use all his skills.He must keep a close eye on him to prevent any resurgence of his attempts to escape, must cut off his contact with the Grand Master lest he take the step of an open break with his superiors, and must reiterate reasons to him, trying to make him understand that he This presence in the tournament field was neither to hasten nor to facilitate Rebecca's tragic fate, but simply because it was the only way to save himself from debasement and humiliation.