Part 25 (2/2)
”And no more, sir?”
”Far more; but this discussion is unprofitable What I e has left us a national idea which is dangerous--the idea that woman should, froentlemen who hold by the traditions of the past--who reject Sir Galahad, and cling to Orlando and A the feet of woman--happy even to be spurned by her”
”Really, sir!--but your conversation is very instructive Who, pray, was Sir Galahad?--for I have read Ariosto, and know about Orlando”
”Sir Galahad is thatfor the holy Graal--the cup which our Saviour drank from in his last supper; which Joseph of Arimathea collected his precious blood in You will understand that I merely repeat the ht was this Sir Galahad; and why do you hold him up as superior to Orlando and Amadis?”
”Because he saw the true course, and loved woman as an earthly consoler, did not adore her as a God Read how he fought and suffered s for women; see how profoundly he loved them, and sth and every thing oainst her? His chivalric arm was thrown around her Was she threatened with sha? His heart, his sword, all were hers, and he would as willingly pour out his blood for her as wander on a sunnyover flowery fields”
”Well,” said Hoffland, ”he was a true knight Have you not finished?”
”By no means With love for and readiness to protect the weak and oppressed wo in the thanks she gave hiive her his heart and adore her--he knelt only to his God He refused to place his ars, and so become the tool of her caprice; he would not sell himself for a caress, and hold his hands out to be fettered, when she smiled and offered hirand thought, he would not become a child before woht of God,' not of worasped the prize”
Hoffland listened to these earnest words htfully
”Well,” he said, ”so Sir Galahad is your model--not the mad worshi+pper of woman, Orlando!”
”A thousand times”
”Ah! we have neither now”
”We have no Galahads, for woer even than in the old days She would not tolerate a lover who espoused her cause fro worshi+p”
”No! no!--only love!” said Hoffland
”A htly respect and love--that of the real knight; she derow mad for her--to be crazed by her beauty, and kneel down and sell himself for a kiss She wishes power, and scouts the e She claims and exacts the fullest obedience, and her clai to e commenced with--she says, 'Go and murder that man: he has uttered a jest;' or, 'On penalty of my pity and contempt, make yourself the slave ofthat I ael' The unhappy part of all this is,” said Mowbray, ”that theedy consu rass where it lies like a wounded bird, its heart-blood welling out--when it is hohter wail and otten up this little drama for her amusement, finds her false philosophy broken in her breast, her deity overthrown, her supreme resolution crushed in presence of this terrible spectacle; and she wrings her hands, and sobs and cries out at the evil she has done; but cries much louder, that the hearts of men are horrible and bloody; that their instincts are barbarous and terrible; that she alone is tender and soft-hearted and forgiving; that she would never have plunged the sword into the bosoh the heart; that man alone is horrible and cruel and depraved; that she is noble and pure-hearted, true and innocent; that woreat like Diana of the Ephesians, pure and strong and immaculate--without reproach! That is a tolerably accurate history of most duels,” added Mowbray coldly; ”you will not deny it”
Hoffland made no reply
”You will not deny it because it is true,” said Mowbray; ”it is what every e, then, that they act as they do, in this perfect subservience to woe than any other ludicrous inconsequence which uilty of Look at me! I know that what I have said is as true as the existence of this earth; and noould I do? I will tell you Were I in love with a woman, I would make myself a child, and adore her, and sell my soul for her caresses; andto her false, fatal sophistry, because that sophistry would be uttered by red lips, and would becoht of her seductive smiles Do you expect hs and ain their ends? If you wish ivestrea machine, all brain; but take care how you leave one particle of the e tells o astray? I am not aworld has nourished me, because I breathe it now; and if the woman I loved madly wished a little murder enacted for the benefit of her eneo andbut the cause of purity and justice”
Hoffland listened to these coldly uttered words with soitation, but made no reply They walked on for some moments in silence, and Mowbray then said:
”The discussion is getting too grave, Charles; and I am afraid I have spoken very harshly of women--led away in the discussion of this subject But remember that most of these unhappy affairs indirectly arise from this fatal philosophy; and I have reason to suppose that the present one, which has so nearly taken froinated indirectly in such a source Do not understandthe fine old chivalrous devotion to women: the hard task is for ood and pure woerated They are above us, Charles, in all the finer and nobler traits, and we are responsible for this weakness in them What wonder if they believed us e told theelic? Their duty was to listen to us, and act by our judges that our place is at their feet, the hehter than the sunshi+ne of heaven, should we feel surprise at their acquiescing in our _dicta_, and assu them upon our knees to take? For my part, I rejoice that man has not a power as unli, I aht oftener; and if this tyranny must really exist, I know not that Providence has not reat philosophy ends--I can't help loving while I speak against thenation to good-hu, they rule us; and if we must have sexual tyranny, it is best in the hands of mothers But rather let us have no tyranny at all: let the nty over the inner world Let her grace perfect his strength; her bosom hold his rude head and dusty brow; let her heart crown his intellect--each fill the void in each Vain thought, I a Let us leave the subject”
And Mowbray sighed; nodding, as he passed on, to a young gentleman on horseback This was Jacques
CHAPTER XVI
ADVANCE OF THE ENEMY UPON SIR ASINUS