De Vavasour : a tale of the fourteenth century

Front matter

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DE VAVASOUR.

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Preface

Ir is usual, on a first appearance, to say something, either by way of coaxing the public to read, or softening the asperities of the critic. Well then, to our say.

The author has often visited the ruined and romantically-situated castles of Montleans and Roussillon ; but he can assure the reader, that he did not find this history in either of those interesting buildings ; nor did he find any thing else, except, one day, a solitary hare in the former castle : on the contrary, he often lost his way; and on one never-to-be-forgotten day, he lost also the anticipated pleasure of a déjetiner a la fourchette, ordered in the chateau, but consumed by two French servants, who took the trouble, not only to carry, but to devour the same.

al PREFACE.

To digest his anger instead of his breakfast, the disappointed and hungry expectant strolled around, viewed the ivy-coloured battlements, and pictured in his own mind what were the characters of its former inhabitants.

A history of Vienne suggested many ideas; and gradually the following (interesting, as we hope,) production was finished. It was originally written in four volumes, but judiciously cut down into three; and in this shape the public will decide whether it was fortunate that the author was disappointed of his luncheon, or whether it would have been better that his stomach had been filled, and, as a great poet used to say, by that means his head made heavy.

The author has endeavoured to adhere strictly to chronology, and to characterize, as faithfully as his abilities would permit, the persons who, during the period described, trod the fields of war, or dallied in the bowers of love. The critics will say that there is a superfluity of eating and drinking, and fighting—but what were the occupations of chevaliers?—feasting and fighting. What filled

PREFACE. vil up the duties of their lives? — devotion to the fair sex!

If, therefore, these be the alpha and omega of the fourteenth century, the critic must be pleased to let feasting and fighting flourish.

The characters may be considered as too prominent: let those who think so recollect that the work has been reduced, and the historical descriptions, as well as Latin quotations, cut out; for which the reader ought, as in duty bound, to be grateful, and submit to a superiority of action oyer repose. Some may think Robert d’Artois forced into interest at too late a period: the fortunes of that prince had not only a great effect upon the hero of this tale, but also on the rival kingdoms; and his appearing in the Jast volume in a more prominent light, is, because the fourth, as before said, has been voted supernumerary. Others may think De Vavasour not sufficiently prominent: the fact is, that the author feels bhimself incapable of writing up to his beau-idéal of a hero.

vill PREFACE.

If the public, generally, approves of the present work, the author may be tempted to proceed in the course of time; but if De Vavasour be coldly received, he will be saved from waste of eye-sight, and destruction of pens and paper.

DE VAVASOUR.

CHAP i: THE TRAVELLERS

Tue last rays of a brilliant autunmal sun were illuminating the horizon, and casting into masses of shade the towers and outworks of Vienne, when the attention of a piquet of cavalry was directed to four strangers, who had alighted from their horses, and were watching with anxiety the fading luminary.

Vienne, one of the most ancient cities of France, had been originally built by the Allobroges. It was subsequently colonized by the Romans, who expended large sums in ornamenting the city, and

ViOl.en. A in establishing it as a proud specimen of Italian grandeur.

After the destruction of the Roman empire, Vienne had been ravaged by the Moors of Spain,

oan that quarter of the city had been burned which lay on the opposite bank of the Rhone, and which is now called St. Columbe.

The Burgundians in later days became possessed of this territory, and constituted Vienne the capital of their second kingdom. This city was one of the first which adopted the principles of the Christian faith: the cathedral of St. Maurice was constructed from the remains of ancient magnificence, and with its pagan ornaments presented a striking contrast of bacchanal beauties placed side by side with hosts of chubby and smiling cherubs.

During the time of Constantine, Vienne was held to be the only suitable mart where a soldier could purchase his sword, and for a long period “your Vienne was your only wear.” It is not necessary to detain the reader with any more lengthened description; suffice it for the pre-

THE TRAVELLERS. 3 sent to observe, that Frederick, Emperor of Germany, had in the twelfth century confided the city and its territories to the care of the archbishop, with rights of sovereignty, and that the seigneurs of the neighbouring country were, as his vassals, obliged in time of war or danger to furnish troops, provisions, and money, to the princely prelate.

The kings of France, the dukes of Burgundy, and counts of Dauphiné, were anxious to obtain possession of this important territory; hitherto, however, the archbishop had been able to maintain his rights: but it required constant vigilance, and a large armed force, for the support of which it was necessary to lay heavy burdens on the people, which checked their trade, and rendered the Viennese dissatisfied with their governor.

In 1312, the famous council was held at the Chateau du Pont, which decided on the abolition of the knights templars. Philippe, with his whole court, and Clement V. were present. Five years before this period, the pope had acceded to the wishes of the king, and the destruction of the order had been determined on. Two centuries had elapsed since the foundation of this order, which was patronized by Philippe of crusading memory.

The templars soon became loaded with honors and wealth: valour is esteemed by all; chastity by some; and poor pilgrims require protection: but unfortunately bravery and protection of pilgrims were the only virtues that existed among these greedy and ambitious warriors.

Their wealth increased in proportion to the decrease of their virtue; and at last, what with wealth and vice, they became odious even to popes, and envied even by kings. ‘‘ Give a dog a bad name, &c.” is an old and true proverb; and historians say that the charges brought against. the templars were past belief. In order to show the moderation of the accusers, it may be mentioned that Jaques de Molay, the commander of the order, as he could neither read nor write, demanded the aid of counsel, for which he said he had not a

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THE TRAVELLERS, 0.

sous to pay: this was refused, under the pretext, that in matters of heresy, there should be neither counsel nor lawyer allowed.

The property of the knights templars was assigned to the hospitaliers de Saint Jean de Jerusalem (knights of Malta); and thus ended a trial the most iniquitous in its conduct, (though perhaps just in its end,) that ever disgraced a court of justice.

At this period Vienne contained thirty thousand inhabitants. The abbeys were regally endowed, the palace superb, and the archbishop was_honored with the title of primate of all the primacies of Gaul.

The view of this ancient city was sufficiently grand to arrest the attention of the traveller. There were few situations which presented such an appearance of strength and grandeur. Descending from a steep hill, the square towers of Fort Pipet, the remnants of Pompey’s Citadel, the spires of the.gothic cathedral, the lines of cireumvallation, and the majestic Rhone, traversed by a

Roman bridge, guarded on each side by castles and towers, were sufficient to strike the traveller with a sensation scarcely describable. But neither the sensations of awe, nor delight, were felt by the contemplating strangers. They watched the setting sun, and not the glowing bed to which he seemed to retire: they saw indeed the Rhone rapidly rolling to its home the sea, tinged with the numerous colors which bright reflections give; but still their thoughts recurred to the lateness of the hour at which they had arrived, after a fatiguing ride, from Lyons, (for in those days the roads were what we should deem impassable,) and an anxious wish arose to discover a path which would conduct them to their destination, without necessitating them to enter the fortified city.

The leaders ef the party knew as little of Vienne, or of those to whom it belonged, as they did _of each other; but they ought to have known, that in troubled times like theirs, (for the events we are about to relate occurred in the early part of the fourteenth century,) strangers were strictly examined before they were permitted to see the interior of a walled city after sun-set.

THE TRAVELLERS. vp

If the thermes of the Czsars, the palaces of the emperors and pretors, the temples of Jupiter, Mars, and Janus, the theatre, amphitheatre, and naumachium, pantheon, gymnasium, and Campus Martius, had existed in all their pristine grandeur— the travellers would at that moment have preferred a view of their journey’s end, and a hearty meal, to all the sublimity of Roman magnificence.

But the die was cast, the cavalry advanced, and the partie quarrée were conveyed to the gate adjoining the ruins of the tower named that of Pontius Pilate; which tradition stated to have once been the prison of that Roman prefect.

At the outpost the usual ceremonies were gone through, and remarks made, but no inclination to hasten their departure seemed apparent; on the contrary, the guard patrolled and stared.—The officer in command was not to be found, and the subalterns durst not (as they alleged) assume any power.

We know not what were the fashionable words used in those days for the purposes of imprecation; but whatever they were, we have no doubt that the leader did not fail to make use of them.

The party had left Lyons at break of day, but unfortunately lost their way; and after much hard riding, found themselves on the road to Grenoble, and at St. Laurent, instead of St. Symphorien. This mistake caused their arrival after sun-set, and consequent detention. The young gallant was of too haughty a character to vent his complaints aloud; but in his own thoughts he certainly coupled the guards with Lucifer’s legions, and wished Vienne formed a part of his Satanic majesty’s dominions.

THE GUARD-HOUSE. 9

OBAP. 1: THE GUARD-HOUSE.

In the days of Elizabeth, William Shakspeare, of poetic memory, spoke of ‘‘ Patience on a monument smiling at grief:” and in modern days some quaint writer has mentioned Patience in a punt grinning at gudgeons; but in those days of which we treat, young gentlemen in a new suit of mail did not trouble themselves about monuments, knew nothing of gudgeon-fishing, and never heard or read any treatise on Patience.

No passenger could possibly say, looking at the gallant youth, ‘‘ Stat patientia vultu;” on the contrary, he kicked his heels against the pavement, struck his spear against the iron bolts of the gate, and began now to curse very audibly both in English and French; but his guards seemed perfectly careless whether he was pleased or displeased at his detention, and continued to loll on their posts, and joke with the girls returning from their marketing to their homes.

Fortunately for the travellers, a young officer, who commanded the relief, was struck with the appearance of the youth who was evidently the chief person of the party, and addressed him with frankness and courtesy. A brief answer explained the circumstances in which they were placed; and without loss of time, the officer conducted them to the main guard, which was maintained in the Chateau du Pont.

A cheerful fire blazed upon the hearth, and the newly mounted guard were speedily occupied in arranging their arms and accoutrements, preparing for their supper and dominos, and endeavouring to make themselves as comfortable as duty and flies would. permit. Not that the latter-mentioned gentry annoyed them personally; for though travellers feel the inconvenience of a fly’s preparation to die, namely, stinging man and beast, yet these natives had not flesh fit for their delicate feeding :

but the busy insects established themselves in their

THE GUARD-HOUSE. it wine, on their fruit or their bread, so as to make these all appear so many black masses.

The unexpected arrival of the captain with his three détenus made what is called a sensation. Old Dorothée had not seen such a sight for many a weary day; she muttered and stumbled, and tottered and grumbled, without producing any advancement in their cause or her own. The fourth traveller being a conductor of baggage, or what we call a groom, had been sent to the hostelry to take care of the horses, and by the kindness of the sub-oflicer, was accompanied by two armed personages, merely to look after him and his goods. The deténus were accommodated with seats, and the soldiers consulted together as to the best mode of entertaining the new comers.

“Tam afraid, Henriquez, they will not like this sour wine: ask the captain for a piece of money, and we will send over to Dame Leonore; she has some of the right stuff.” The captain, having dispatched a messenger to the governor, drew the young leader aside, and whispered in his ear that there was another apartment prepared by Dorothée.

Having complied with the soldiers’ request as to the treat money, the captain led the way, and they found a small but comfortable room, which the brilliant blaze of the vine-stalks illuminated so as to produce the effect of polished mirrors, by its reflection on the breast-plates, cuisses, and helmets that encumbered the walls. |

Having closed the door, Dorothée opened with a spring a small iron-bound enclosure, and brought forth an excellent bottle of vin de Cote-rétie, for which the neighbourhood of Vienne has long been famous. The goblets were of silver, and looked like the plunder of some princely table; but it is not the business of travellers to inquire how soldiers or their followers acquire their property: the youth was besides anxious to do honor to his new acquaintance, and consequently had no time for impertinent questions. The bottle received that ample justice which its virtue merited, and the enlivening juice set the tongue of the entertainer augalop. ‘‘Sacre!” cries the young officer, ‘‘ how the governor will curse me for interrupting him at the hour of sun-set! the precise moment of setting

THE GUARD-HOUSRE. 13 the guard is the precursor of one of his three felicities. Déjediner, diner, souper, are the three Graces to him; or as he calls them, ‘ Prandium primum, secundum, tertium,’ one, two, three and away—on or off, as we soldiers say of a young recruit mounted for the first effort. The black canon counts the hours, and when he leaves primum, he thinks of secundum, and winds up with tertium. But even in his meals, the general prevails over the canon, and he is summoned by a trumpet instead of a bell toa repast, which, as he says, Lucullus might envy ; and we all know the Roman’s observation to his cook :—‘ Lucullus sups with Lucullus.’ Ha, ha, ha, how the stingy scoundrel will stamp when he receives my report! How he will waver between leaving his supper to come here, and ordering you to be brought before him! If he comes here, his supper will grow cold, and be spoiled ; if he sends for us, and you prove to be a person of that rank and quality which your appearance denotes, he will feel compelled to invite you to partake of his hospitality, and increase the consumption of his wine, which, entre nous, is of la premiére qualité. Le gueux dares not keep a traveller one moment after he 1s appealed to; willing or not, he must attend or receive his congé; mais, entre nous, your humble servant is perhaps the only man in the garrison, who after sun-set would have ventured to—”

The harangue and the bottle were interrupted by the pass-word ‘‘ Saracena,” and speedily the captain was in the Salle de Garde, where the soldiers had been entertaining their guests with flybitten fruit and some vin ordinaire.

The novelty of the present event, which was no less than the arrival of his dignified excellence the governor, had thrown the inhabitants of the town, as well as the inmates of the tower, into confusion.

The train which accompanied his excellency from Fort Pipet alarmed the population, and all was inquiry.—No one could give an answer, but every one could talk, and the lungs of the Viennese are certainly of sound composition, and upon the slightest occasion strongly appealed to. While the soldiers were running about here and there,

THE GUARD-HOUSRE. 115)

the companion of the young stranger was quietly but rapidly employed in “ draining down” large draughts, not of Rhenish, but of Cote.

The fresh wine had been brought in during the bustle, and the travellers seized it. ‘‘ Well done, Dame Leonore ! (said one,) this may qualify that accursed vinegar, which these good people falsely term wine,” To do this traveller justice, he was a person not easily put out of his way, and, meaning no harm, he expected none. He was ready at acall with a lie to serve, or a bravado to save, his friend: but with all his affection for lying, and all his hatred to fighting, he was a jovial, kind-hearted, pleasant fellow, who knew more of the merits of eau-devie than logic or Latinity, and thought a bottle of good. Burgundy worth all the arguments which the college of Sorbonne ever produced. A summons, by three strokes of a halberd against a shield, announced that the governor.was ready, and into his presence the travellers were brought. But stay! A governor is a personage of too great consequence abroad not to have a chapter to himself.

The governor of a fort, in modern times, is generally a person of military rank who resides elsewhere ; but a governor of Vienne, which towards France “ displayed its walled powers,” was a tried confidential officer of high military knowledge ; and therefore, to do justice to him, as well as towards our readers, ‘‘ we will stay and pause awhile.”