Part 15 (2/2)
”Old Master of the Hounds,” Ronan observed sadly, ”this is the seventh day since Loysik left; he is not yet back; I can not overcome my uneasiness.”
”Why, there he is!” cried Odille in great glee. ”Do you not see his white mule? He is riding down the slope of the hill in great hurry; he is coming down to the river bank; send the punt across for him.”
Ronan, the Master of the Hounds, Odille, the Bishopess, all their children, together with several monks and colonists threw themselves into the punt. The river was quickly crossed, the landing made, and all ran to meet the monk. Old Odille and the venerable Bishopess found again on that day their young limbs of girlhood. Loysik was given hardly time to alight from his mule. It was a pell-mell of arms, hands, heads around the respected old man. Whom was he to embrace first? He knew not whose caresses to respond to. After a while the tempest of tenderness subsided. Calm was restored. Joy no longer choked their throats.
Conversation started on the way to the monastery, and Loysik narrated to his friends what he learned concerning the tortures of Queen Brunhild.
He informed them of the confirmation of the charter of Clotaire I by Clotaire II.
”And lastly,” Loysik proceeded to say, ”upon my return from Ryonne, I called upon the Bishop of Chalon. The confirmation of the charter by Clotaire II was a good deal, but that was not all that was needed. There were still some formalities to fulfill.”
”Brother Loysik,” put in Ronan, ”we heard from the Bishop of Chalon. It came about this way: After the departure of Brunhild's men-at-arms, whom we released upon receipt of the orders you sent us when you escaped death at the monster's hands, what should the archdeacon do but have the audacity to return at the head of about fifty of his tonsured fraternity, together with as many poor slaves of the bishopric. The slaves and the tonsured friars were armed at haphazard, and bore before their clerical troop a cross in lieu of a banner; they approached bravely to declare war to us, if we refused to obey the orders of the bishop, and to allow him to place our goods into his episcopal pockets.”
”Ah! What a fine day we had of it!” said the Master of the Hounds. ”The clerical troop brought along a boat upon their wagons in order to cross the river. That day I was on guard with about thirty of our men. We saw the boat launched, and the archdeacon step in with two clerks for oarsmen. Three men gave us little concern. We allowed them to land. The archdeacon stepped ash.o.r.e with casque and cuira.s.s over his priestly robes, a long sword in his hand.
”'If you will not submit to the orders of the Bishop of Chalon,' the basilica captain cried out to us in a triumphant voice, 'my troop will enter the Valley and reduce it to obedience by force of arms. I grant you a quarter of an hour to surrender yourselves.'
”It does not take me quite so long to make up my mind what to do. So I answered him back on the spot: 'We have already once set you free with your skin whole, notwithstanding your insolent language; this time, however, you will receive a rougher lesson, my basilica captain!'”
”Oh, old Vagre, old Vagre!” said Loysik shaking his head. ”I disapprove of such violent language. Had I been here, you would not have spoiled your cause in that manner.”
”Good father,” answered the Master of the Hounds, smiling, as well as Ronan, ”the only thing spoiled was the archdeacon's hide. As soon said as done. Our good man was seized, his clerical robe raised, and the straps of our belts administered a thorough discipline to the basilica captain, all casqued and cuira.s.sed as he was. After that he was deposited into our punt; my men and I stepped in, crossed the river and met the clerical army drawn up in line of battle on the opposite bank.
Five or six of the tonsured gentry had armed themselves with bows and arrows. They shot a volley at us; the aim was taken badly enough; but accident willed it that they killed one of our men and wounded two. We were thirty at the most, but entered upon close quarters with the five score churchmen and poor slaves that they dragged after them. They tried to withstand us, but we invoked our own special trinity--lance, sword and axe. It was not long before the redoubtable warriors of the Bishop of Chalon displayed to us the seams of the backs of their breeches in full view. The glorious episcopal captain leaped upon his mule and gave the signal to retreat by himself fleeing at full tilt; his tonsured brethren followed his example--we buried about a dozen dead, and picked up a few wounded ones, who were taken care of at the monastery and afterwards set at large. We have not since heard again from the brave episcopal army.”
”I knew all that, my friends, and I approve your action, except the discipline that you administered to the archdeacon, that I strongly condemn,” said Loysik; ”I had much trouble in calming the anger of the Bishop of Chalon upon that particular head. For the rest, you deported yourselves as the occasion demanded. Aye, to defend one's rights and repel force with force is but just; moreover, a resistance carried to the point of heroism is often politic. Brunhild recoiled before the idea of driving you to desperate means. Well, as I was saying to you, I called upon the bishop on my return from Clotaire's camp. I found him furious by reason of your resistance, and the insult to the archdeacon.
I told him that I condemned the insult, but that I approved the legitimate resistance of my brothers of the Valley. 'What is the good of your resorting to violent means?' I said to him. 'You, a churchman, sent armed men against monks and colonists, who only ask to be allowed to live in quiet and by the sweat of their brow, as is their right. Your men were beaten back, and will be beaten back again if they return to the charge. I pray you to renounce all claims against the Valley; we, on our part, will recognize your right to spiritual jurisdiction, but nothing more.' The bishop answered me furiously: 'I shall then take away from you the priests that I send you to say ma.s.s at the monastery! I shall excommunicate the Valley!' 'If that be your pleasure, bishop, why, then we shall be excommunicated; for all that you will see the gra.s.s on our meadows continue to grow green, our woods to set forth fresh branches, our fields to produce wheat, our vines to yield their juice as plentifully as ever, our cattle their milk, our bees their honey; children will continue to be born robust and ruddy as. .h.i.therto; your excommunication can in no manner change things. The only thing that could happen is that our neighbors will say: ”Oh, behold an excommunicated Valley continuing to be fertile; excommunicated people remaining in a happy frame of mind and thriving; why, excommunication must be a farce!” So, then, bishop, the ultimate result would be that a punishment, that so many poor people imagine to be frightful, will be thought little or nothing of. Take my advice; give up all thought of violence and of coercion; respect our goods, our rights, our freedom, and we, in turn, will respect your spiritual jurisdiction--if not, not; the misfortunes that your iniquity may lead to will then fall upon your own head!' To make a long story short, my friends, after protracted debates, I obtained a new charter from the bishop. I shall read it to you. Listen carefully. It bears, perhaps, the germ of the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of Gaul.”
And Loysik read as follows:
”To the holy and venerable brother in Christ--Loysik, superior of the monastery of Charolles, built in the valley of that name, conceded to the said brother Loysik in perpetual donation, by virtue of a charter granted by the glorious King Clotaire I in the year 558, and confirmed by the ill.u.s.trious Clotaire II this year of 613, I, Salvien, Bishop of Chalon. We believe it our duty to insert on this leaf what we and our successors must do with the aid of our Lord G.o.d:
”1st. The Bishop of Chalon, out of respect for the place, and without receiving therefor any price whatever, shall bless the altar of the monastery of Charolles, and, if requested shall grant the holy chrism every year.
”2nd. Whenever by the will of G.o.d a superior may have pa.s.sed from the monastery to the bosom of G.o.d, the bishop shall, without receiving any recompense therefor, raise to the rank of superior the monk who, by virtue of the worthiness of his life, may have been chosen by the community.
”3rd. Our successors, both bishops and archdeacons, or any other administrators, or any other dignitaries whatever of the city of Chalon, shall arrogate no other power over the monastery of Charolles, either in the ordination of persons, or the goods, or the farms of the Valley already given by the glorious King Clotaire I and confirmed by the ill.u.s.trious King Clotaire II.
”4th. Our successors are forbidden to demand, or extort, under the t.i.tle of presents, anything whatever from the monastery or from the paris.h.i.+oners of the Valley.
”5th. Our successors, unless they shall be requested by the superior of the community to come and pray at the monastery, shall never enter the said monastery, nor cross its outer precincts; and after the celebration of the holy mysteries, and after receiving short and simple thanks, the bishop shall forthwith return to his own residence without having to be requested to do so by anyone.
”6th. If any of our successors (which may G.o.d forfend) filled with perfidy, and driven by cupidity, should, in a temerarious spirit, attempt to violate the matters hereinabove set forth, then, smitten by divine vengeance, he shall be submitted to anathema.
”And in order that this const.i.tution may ever remain in full force and vigor, we have willed that it be corroborated by our own signature.--SALVIEN.
”Done at Chalon, on the 8th day of the calends of November, of the year of the incarnation, 613.”
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