Part 23 (1/2)
”Prevent hireatest possible assistance He and your brother-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, united should face the boar; and then, when victory doth rest upon their arht; I'll act upon it straight away Ah! Sir Frederick, what should I do without thine ever sage advice? Pray God the time will soon come when I can reward my friends, with more than thanks
When my son cometh to his own thou, Sir Frederick, shalt be his Counsellor”
This promise was dooe of scripture was evidently not great KM
CHAPTER XX
BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT
Angry were the people with Richard for his savageDiscontent and a proper desire to punish the criminal for his act were discernible in the sullen manner in which the Usurper was received where'er he went areeted hih the streets of London, as was his almost daily habit
Richard was not slow to comprehend the cause, and see what should be the outcome, of this unpopularity, were it permitted to take a firmer root in the minds of the people
So discontent and opposition is to notice thenificance, and die by cold neglect Toone of that which doth tor of a weed, in the hope that it will come to be disheartened by reason of its lack of opposition and wither up and die To'tis better, far, to remove the weed, with all its roots intact
Richard was evidently of the sa; for he at once proceeded to reroith all expediency
Subsequent events shall shohether or no the roots came with the stalk and leaves To accomplish his purpose it was necessary for hiain their affection The most easy and direct way to do this was to, in some manner, contribute to their happiness In ay could this be so well accoland, by holding a grand tournament Ever hath it been the custos whenever the good will of all classes is desired Richard was not slow to follow the exaiven out that our generous-hearted Sovereign, to in some small way show his appreciation of the honour done hiland's croith hirandest exhibition of all for eyes upon
Catesby, who had been absent from court ever since the Usurper's coronation, on some business of Richard's (for now he seeh to all others a scoundrel) about this time returned For this, my dears, I was truly pleasured; for dearly did I then desire an opportunity to be revenged on hi should now prevent our ly enter for the contests I would openly challenge hiht, the which to refuse, as ye all do knoould stahout all Christendom This I kneell he would not bear; for Catesby, no s were, was no physical coward
Long seemed the ti for the tourna so the court of Richard, so soon as the jousts should be ended Settle doould and live in peace and quiet within our happy houe of the court 'Tis true I did not promise to lay aside the sword and shi+eld forever On the contrary, faithfully did I promise the ex-Queen to aid her party when the proper time arrived And, besides, I had an oath to be fulfilled
No longer could I bear to serve the murderous tyrant, even for reat civility and some consideration
Yet ever would there rise before my memory's eye the traitorous scene at Stony Stratford 'Then Richard smiled I feared him most
Beware, my children, of a man who smileth on ye all too frequently
Such men are seldom to be trusted Never did I fall asleep without the fear ahaunting ain; but that the three whichwould rid our present ruler of one which visited Elizabeth; for no hope of uine as to cause me to believe that I had thus far escaped Richard's ever-watchful eye
At length the day before the cohts and squires all were busy with the work of preparation
The place chosen by the King for the holding of the joust was just beyond the city's gates, between London and West sun, that cast its fiery rays along the bosoht point out to each separate cha of his tent Where'er the ground had received a wound, and the scar re of Day, as he settled down to rest, did paint the surrounding turf and leave a darker spot upon the earth, to guide the warrior's servants fro up his canvas house
My friend and I both occupied the one tent, which was both high and broad
My faithful Michael, and our other servants, bustled about in preparation for the land's noblest sons now floated on the evening flower-scented breeze, which bore in its fairy arms the sounds of the ar on so touches Some of these pleasant and familiar sounds orn to such a thinness as to scarcely have existence, they having travelled froht, visited the ears of hts and squires who, fond of this sweet martialin bodily strength until they reached a rich, full ring, proceeding from before our own tent door, where our ar Edward, and which had never since been tested with the lance
The sun at length sank beneath the floor of earth, and the s of Heaven began to throw forth their each particular ray of light As we sat there, watching those far away, twinkling points, I could not refrain froels there all seeht ti of the s, in never ceasing nuht on earth kept fading, h the kindly folk up there would lend to us more cheer
Then the pale and trouble-featured moon raised up her hairless head above the earth's surface, and slowly climbed she up the Heaven's arch
As the sounds of the arale did make his voice more plainly heard, as he hurled down, from his perch beside the field, upon our ears, his darts of Heaven's own joy