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Cornell University Library 
 PT 2389.S4 1877 
 
 Minstrel love, 
 
 3 1924 026 193 924 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
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 the Cornell University Library. 
 
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Arnald presenting the star-jewel to Alearda. — p. 209. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE 
 
 ^ llomatta 
 
 RUc\.T\d\^ DE LA MOTTE FOUQUE 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 S0ttii0n anil £it!cD "^oxk: 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS 
 
 1877 
 
CHARLES DICKENff AND feVANS, 
 CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS. 
 
 P.S- 
 
IN tlie pleasant land of Provence, on tlie shore, 
 at the summit of a soft grassy hill, thei-e stood, 
 many centuries ago, a heap of ruins, proclaim- 
 ing far over the wide sea, to the eyes of all 
 ' who passed, the departed glories of the fallen 
 castle of Maraviglia. It is possible that some 
 traces thereof may remain even to the present 
 day. But at the time ©f which we speak. 
 
2 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 those ruins wore but a half- forsaken aspect. On the 
 hearth lay the expiring ashes of brands wherewith the 
 last meal of cheerful hospitality had been prepared; and 
 had not the clouds which swept so far and so high aloft 
 gazed in through the shattered roof, one might have found 
 it in one's heart to ask, where tarried seneschal and cel- 
 larer, ay, and the lord of the castle himself. 
 
 One beautiful spring evening, there stood upon the 
 open threshold three persons of very different aspect — a 
 grey-haired and considerate warrior in his ancient ar- 
 mour ; a youth bright and beautiful as the morning, with 
 sword on thigh and lute in arm ; and lastly a priest of tall 
 and powerful form, in the best years of manly strength, 
 vrith the wrath of a prophet on his stern brows, and the 
 smile of a St. John upon his lips. 
 
 Silently, and for a long time, the three gazed upon 
 the ruins. But at last the grey-headed warrior lifted up 
 his voice with a touching smile, and said to the youth : 
 
 "Is it then so, and must it be so, O thou my best- 
 beloved foster-son — goest thou forth into the world as a 
 minstrel and a lute-player ? — so be it ! The finger of God 
 points out to those whom we hold dearest on earth, often, 
 very often, paths widely different to those which our own 
 hearts had dreamed offer them. Yet I desired only this, 
 that thou shouldst look once more with thine own eyes 
 upon the ancestral castle of thy great forefathers, some- 
 what hoping that, before a spectacle so illustrious, God 
 might turn thy heart. But it seems to me now that He 
 hath not so turned it." 
 
 " Truly, He hath not, dear foster-father Walter," re- 
 plied the young Arnald. He touched most sweetly the 
 strings of his lute, and sang the following song : — 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 3 
 
 " From the moss-grown tower, 
 With its dusky cells, 
 A voice of power 
 ; Now sinks, now swells, 
 
 Stirring my spirit like whispered spells : 
 Swaying on swan-like wing, 
 
 The deep sound greets me thus :— 
 ' Go forth into the world so wide and sing. 
 Young, joyous, minstrel-hero, sing of us l 
 Why rises in thy heart 
 The strain impulsive swelling. 
 Forth to a cold false world thy steps impelling ? 
 'Tis that thou may'st impart 
 ' The fate, the woe, the fame. 
 
 That shroud thy mighty name 
 To many a free and loving heart, 
 To many a glistening eye all soft with tears. 
 Up, gird thyself, the wide world hears ! 
 Burst is the chain that bound thee ; 
 In thy hand 
 Take, minstrel-hero, take the lyre and brand : 
 The spirits of thy fathers are ai'ound thee.' " 
 
 " Nevertheless, it is pleasant to listen to Mm," said 
 the old Sir Walter, seating himself on a projection of 
 the ruined wall. 
 
 The priest gazed into the setting sun with eyes' strong 
 and stedfast as those of an eagle. 
 
 "Never yet have ye consented to tell me, ye noble 
 ■and kindly friends," said Arnald after a short silence, "the 
 nature of that terrible evil which brake forth like a tem- 
 •peat upon my forefathers, before the blast of which their 
 csMl^ and their whole earthly happiness were shivered 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 into atoms. Tell me thereof even now, I pray you, if 
 duty and honour forbid it not. Lo, ye have yourselves pro- 
 nounced me to be of age, inasmuch as ye have suffered me 
 to choose my future path in life ; and methinks ye would 
 proceed rightly, and therefore wisely, were ye to open 
 your lips and make unreserved answer to my question. 
 Moreover, ye know me, that I am not stubborn; per- 
 chance the self-same feeling which now urges me forth 
 from you, would, if better and more distinctly known, 
 retain me at your side during half ray life." 
 
 Sir Walter gazed into the eyes of the priest with an 
 expression of doubtful hope, almost of entreaty ; therewith 
 he sighed right movingly, and said, " What thinkest tliou 
 now, Altarbol ; is the right hour come, and dare we hope 
 that henceforth the wishes of all three shall be one and the 
 same ?" 
 
 " Neither now nor ever may we hope for that," replied 
 Altarbol with sorrowful solemnity. "Here below, dear 
 Messire Walter, here below, our human hopes, ever striv- 
 ing after the blessed joys and full perfection of paradise, 
 end in nothing. But this noble esquire hath very ear- 
 nestly demanded to know the story of his race ; and I 
 hold it fitting that we should deliver over to him this por- 
 tion of his inheritance also. Listen then to me, Amald, 
 my young minstrel. We have here to do with a great and 
 solemn history." 
 
 Amald cast himself do^vn on the threshold of the ruined 
 castle of his ancestors ; and the mighty Prior Altarbol, still 
 gazing fixedly into the evening sun, and leaning against 
 a stately olive-tree, spoke in the following manner: 
 
 "The Church is a loving mother ; and, even by reason 
 of her love, severe. Gladly, but observantly, and, so to 
 
MINSTREI, LOVE. 5 
 
 speak, by connivance, she suffers her children to disport 
 themselves at liberty, so long as such sport consists with 
 their higher good ; but when the unripe and feeble ones 
 snatch up bare weapons, and begin to cleave each other 
 through head and heart, under the delusion that thits they 
 shall arrive at truth, freedom, and certainty, then she 
 draws back the curtain of love wherewith at first she had 
 shrouded the folly of their ventures. As a solemn judge, 
 she sends forth eye and voice through the bewildered 
 crowds ; and if that avails not, alas ! my son, then with 
 bleeding heart she grasps the bloody sword.'' 
 
 " What 1 wears a mother such a weapon for her child- 
 ren?" asked Amald, his cheeks burning with restrained 
 displeasure. 
 
 "O bold and upward-striving spirit of Maraviglia," 
 said Altarbol, smiling yet sighing; "how art thou true to 
 thyself, even in this gentle youth ! Consider, my son, that 
 the Church is no temporal but an eternal mother; and 
 that it is better to lose body than soul." 
 
 " Most true, " replied Amald, humbly inclining his 
 head ; "and yet it seems to me as though this sword of the 
 Church must have often fallen on her dearest and noblest 
 children. For he who seeks truth honestly, though he seek 
 it by a path too daring, seeks, and at last must surely find, 
 a merciful God !" 
 
 "Amen," said the Prior very earnestly, folded his 
 hands, and remained long silent. The light of the sinking 
 sun shone around him like a glory. 
 
 " My young Maraviglia," he continued after a space, 
 "all the words which thou hast spoken are true ; and once, 
 when the sword of the Church fell upon one of the noblest 
 and dearest of her sons — his name was Arnold of Brescia." 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 
 
 " Arnold of Brescia ! Arnald of Maraviglia !" inter- 
 rupted the wondering youth, — "Arnold! Arnald! the 
 words are strangely similar. What think you, honoured 
 sir, may there not be some secret bond of union between 
 myself and him ? Por even the mere name has stirred my 
 whole heart." 
 
 Hereat, the prophet-like wrath which sat on the brows 
 of Altarbol unfolded itself, as if threatening a tempest, and 
 brake forth in flaming lightnings from his eyes, so that the 
 young minstrel drew back in terror, and hung his head. 
 
 " Let no man," said the priest slowly, but with severe 
 earnestness, as a judge is wont to speak, — " Let no man 
 outstep his own limits ! Remain as thou art, Arnald, and 
 trouble not thyself concerning the deep-minded doctrines 
 of the illustrious Arnold. Thou shalt, by thy songs — sucli 
 is my hope — delight both God and man; but in those 
 abysses of fearful seeking and questioning, the light and 
 spring of thy spirit would be at once quenched, and thou 
 wouldst reel dizzily, and fall never to rise again. Then 
 would thy only worth be as that of a terrible example, 
 warning all who may resemble thee." 
 
 Arnald sate still, hiding his face, and almost trembling ; 
 Altarbol, observing this, continued with a smile, and a voice 
 of indescribable sweetness, " Thou art indeed fit to labour 
 'n the beautiful gardens of earth, my son ; seek not to dive 
 into the mines which are below its flowery surface." 
 
 Arnald looked up again reassured, and the Prior, seating 
 himself at the foot of the olive-tree, close beside the youth, 
 said : " Thine ancestor, my noble Maraviglia, sought also 
 thus to dive into things hidden. He joined himself to the 
 teachers of the new, audacious, long-endured doctrine. 
 Likewise for a long time did Arnold of Brescia live in the 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 7 
 
 shadow and protection of this castle, now in ruins. But at 
 length, once more, it went so far, that the children of the 
 Church snatched up their naked weapons, and soon, with 
 their questionings and their sophisms, would they have 
 stunned both head and heart, for time and for eternity. 
 Alas, youth, the Church, constrained, put off her veil of 
 love, and after many warnings, but all in vain, the sword 
 of her judgments fell like lightning and thunderbolt upon 
 the castle of thy fathers." 
 
 There was silence for a time ; at length Arnald asked, 
 " What became of Arnold of Brescia ?" 
 
 Walter cast upon him a sidelong and somewhat dis- 
 pleased glance, saying, " Thou askest not what became of 
 thy great grandfather !'' 
 
 " My ancestor," replied Arnald with a somewhat mas- 
 terful air, that was wont sometimes to come upon the 
 youth, ordinarily so gentle, — " My ancestor would doubt- 
 less have inquired concerning Arnold before himself, and I 
 will herein imitate him. What was the fate of Arnold of 
 Brescia?" 
 
 " It is now exactly fifty years," replied Altarbol 
 solemnly, " since that mighty and highly gifted spirit 
 shook off from itself the flames and terrors of an earthly 
 funeral pile, and, as we hope, ascended to the skies purilied, 
 and safe from the eternal fires." 
 
 Arnald sunk on his knees and prayed fervently ; beside 
 him prayed Altarbol. When they again arose, the Prior 
 said, " I hope that our prayer may have wafted peace to 
 his soul." 
 
 " To his soul, and to the souls of others also," added 
 the youth, " for I prayed likewise for the souls of those 
 who caused him to be burned. Altarbol, my honoured 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 master, truly that must ever be a rash and desperate deed. 
 It is only He who dwells above who can look into the 
 heart, and pronounce concerning its purification by fire, 
 either here or hereafter." 
 
 This time the prophet-like wrath on the brow of Altar- 
 bol lay calm beneath the ashes of its former fire, and he 
 embraced the youth, saying : " Thou hast done well so to 
 pray. My tale is now at an end ; what further befell 
 thine ancestors thou shalt hear from Sir Walter." 
 
 Then the old Sir Walter de Vergi lifted himself up tall 
 and stately, suddenly grasped his sword, and cried, striking 
 upon the foundation-stone of the door, " Arise out of your 
 graves, ye ancient heroes of Maraviglia, and breathe the 
 glow of your spirit into the heart of your descendant, that 
 so he may receive with dignity and honour the story of his 
 
 race! 
 
 I" 
 
 " I am ready therefor," said Amald, and he stood 
 upright, filled with brave knightliness of spirit, while the 
 starry heavens, in the rich abundance of their pomp, looked 
 down upon him. 
 
 " Countless as those golden lamps above us," thus 
 began the aged knight, " are, O my noble youth, the heroes 
 of thy race. Its earliest origin is derived only from dark 
 legends; but thus much we know — thou art descended 
 from such as sate upon the kingly throne, or wore the ducal 
 coronet. Till this day it has been enough for thee to learn 
 that thou art of noble blood, and born to the privilege of 
 arms ; now, however, that the destiny of thy whole life is 
 in question, every veil shall be withdrawn for thee. That 
 wondrous minstrel-king, of whose life, so troublous, yet so 
 perpetually bright, thou hast ever loved to hear the story, 
 was thine ancestor." 
 
MINSTKEL LOVB. 3 
 
 " My foster-Jatlier," said Arnald, smiling in calm en- 
 thusiasm, "now do I know right clearly, wherefore thr 
 lyre hath so grown into my heart." 
 
 Walter looked upon the eartlh, saddened, and almost 
 abashed. Altarbol said very softly — "Thus is it ever 
 with the words of man. How oft, when they are intended 
 to check and to guide, they do but spur onwards ! O 
 thou eternal Glory, which hast made us all, conscious or 
 unconscious, thy ministers and servants '." 
 
 After a short silence, Walter spake again in the follow- 
 ing manner : " Thy grandfather had less communion of 
 spirit with the minstrel-king than with those others among 
 thine ancestors who fought and died on the bloody field. 
 In those days of storm and trouble, often was he offered par- 
 don, oblivion of the past, and I know not what fair and gentle 
 gifts beside, if he would consent to do this or that, inconsis- 
 tent with his principles, to reconcile to himself the State and 
 the .Church. Then was he ever wont to lean quietly upon his 
 great sword, and to answer, ' It is for my fellow-men to 
 decide how they will deal with me ; it is for God to deter- 
 mine what shall be the end ; but it is for myself to decide 
 whether I shall be a hero or a dastard.' At last no one 
 any longer presumed to come before him ■(vith proposals 
 of reconciliation. He, however, prepared himself in his 
 fortress, calm, cheerful, and pious, ready, if it must needs 
 be so, to repel force by force. It was so ; and, victorious 
 in many combats, he drove his pursuers out of Hs own 
 domains, far beyond the frontier. But at length the full 
 array of superior force marched against him, to strilce a 
 decisive blowj Then he dismissed nearly all his warriors, 
 only suffering those few to remain whom he knew to be 
 not much unlike himself. In a terrible onslaught he 
 
JO MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 clave asunder almost the whole of that mighty host of 
 foes, and was at length rather trodden than stricken 
 Jo'vvn. There he lay beneath his dead horse ; the general 
 of the enemy summoned him yet once more to assent to 
 the mild conditions formerly proposed. ' Nay, God for- 
 bid,' cried thy grandfather, ' that one hair from the head 
 of a Maraviglia should be given in conciliation, when the 
 question is of honourable resistance to unjust force!' And 
 they showered their bolts upon him, and he died. Around 
 him lay his little band of heroes, dying a death as noble 
 and glorious as his own." 
 
 " They all departed to God," said Araald ; " may our 
 dear Saviour grant me as fair an end as theirs !" 
 
 " Ah, thou gallant son of my heart !" exclaimed the 
 old Sir Walter, embracing the youth ; " now wilt thou 
 certainly follow the heroic path of thine ancestors — but 
 as a 'true son of the Church — and glory in arms shall be 
 thy loftiest aim !" 
 
 "The golden lyre is my loftiest aim on earth,'' re- 
 plied Arnald with a gentle firmness ; " I am and will 
 remain the not unworthy descendant of the great minstrel- 
 king. Be not thou therefore angry with me, dear foster- 
 father." 
 
 " Angry !" returned Walter ; " no, it is not so ; so can 
 it never be between thee and me." 
 
 But his gentle and kindly eyes gazed almost mourn- 
 fully upon the earth, and slowly and noiselessly he 
 sheathed the sword which he had just dra^vn in the 
 warmth of his heart. 
 
 " Patience ! Messire Walter," said Altarbol ; "hast 
 thou not been patient in many a hot day of battle, when 
 the enemy wavered to and fro, without ever assuming the 
 
MIKSTREI, LOVE. 11 
 
 precise position wliioh would have promised thee certain 
 victory ? But thou didst wait, and at length it came even 
 as thou wouldst, and thy hrows were girt with the wreath 
 of glory." 
 
 "Oh, that thou shouldst remind me of it now!" said 
 Walter, sighing. "Victory, battle, and crown! Remem- 
 ber you when you read with the boy the lays of your 
 famous Roman poet Horatius, and the child was at first 
 ({uite in love with the rhyme and the language ?" 
 
 "■ With the metre," said Altarbol, correcting him ; 
 "there is no rhyme in those ancient languages." 
 
 "Be that as it may," interrupted Walter angrily; 
 "but the child forswore all his pleasure in the study when 
 he found in one of the songs of Horatius a confession that 
 the much-admired poet had once cast away his shield in 
 battle. ' Oh, great God,' cried my gallant pupil, ' how 
 could I then so long keep company with a coward — I, an 
 honourable knight's son !' And we could never bring him 
 to Horatius again. But now, Altarbol, my grey hairs 
 stand up on my head as if before a spectre — now mine 
 own beloved fostor-son has forgotten it all, and will him- 
 self become such as Horatius !" 
 
 "Who told thee that?" cried Arnald, springing up in 
 wrath from the threshold of the edifice, over which he 
 had stooped during their discourse. " Sir knight, who told 
 thee that? and who has empowered thee to repeat such 
 honour-wounding words?" Suddenly, as if awakening 
 from u, fearful dream, the youth recollected himself and 
 said, " Your pardon ! I forgot that I was speaking to my 
 foster-father." 
 
 " Thou hast outgrown me strangely in these few 
 hours," replied Walter, muttering to himself. He was 
 
12 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 silent awhile, but he soon arose in his wonted and familiar 
 aspect, and asked, "Young esquire, if that thou be'st 
 as high and strong of heart as were thy fathers, what hast 
 thou to do upon their humble threshold? What soughtest 
 thou in the dust yonder ?" 
 
 " Only the holy dust, where sounded the tread of the 
 minstrel Maraviglia," said Amald. " I have sharpened 
 my sword on the threshold of my fathers." 
 
 " The sword which, in the self-same moment, thou hast 
 renounced," cried Walter, half angry, half pleased. 
 
 " Shame on the minstrel who renounces the sword !" 
 exclaimed the inspired youth ; " the Roman Horatius may 
 have lost his shield, but I will bear mine aloft in honour 
 through many u. bloody battle, and friends shall gather 
 around the weapon of Maraviglia, while foes shall flee 
 from it in terror. Oh, that I were not an orphan ! Oh, 
 that my dear parents could live with me through whatever 
 of beautiful or of noble is before me !" 
 
 " God bless thee, my young friend !" said Altarbol, 
 "and preserve thee in humility during thy whole life ; for 
 many a great moment is before thee !" 
 
 " So think not I, dear father," answered Arnald. 
 
 " And thou art, perchance, the last of thy race," said 
 Walter ; " and often did thy father and grandfather pass 
 by this spot, consoling themselves for their calm and dark 
 course of life by the thought that one day there should 
 arise a Maraviglia by whose hand the castle should be 
 restored to a splendour far outshining its former glories. 
 Yes, my Amald, when thy dying father gave thee to my 
 care, prophetic words flowed from his lips; and, as he 
 dropped into his last slumber, there arose before his spirit 
 the vision of a glittering palace, built by thee, which 
 
MINSTREL lOVE. 13 
 
 should ennoble and render glorious the name of Mara- 
 viglia for all ages." 
 
 "Yet may the meaning of those words have been far 
 different," said Arnald. " Believe me, sir, it is not with a 
 prophecy as it is vnth those words which man speaks, in 
 the fulness of his own strength, concerning his ways and 
 doings. Yet even these are often unconsciously a pro- 
 phecy — a mirror in which futurity visibly pictures itself; 
 often misinterpreted, but at length confirming and ex- 
 plaining the wondrous riddle, sometimes in terror, some- 
 times in beauty ; so that all men cry out in astonishment, 
 when the word is spoken, ' Ah ! was it that V The 
 glittering palace, which should make my name illustrious, 
 which I was to build — but the foreboding is enough. I 
 will not become an interpreter of dreams." 
 
 Long and silently he gazed up into the skies of night; 
 and when Altarbol asked him on what he was looking so 
 fixedly, he pointed to a beautiful constellation, and said, 
 " Chiefly upon this. It stood ever above my head when 
 I was wont to gaze forth, on autumn evenings, into the 
 dark world, so full of forebodings ; and it seemed to me 
 like a power friendly and ready to aid." 
 
 " That constellation is called the "Wain," said Al- 
 tarbol. 
 
 " The Wain — the chariot of heaven," repeated Arnald 
 thoughtfully. " O ye golden wheels, the clear music of 
 whose sound reaches not to us below, roll ever on above 
 me, and exhort me to bright and holy deeds ! Your eter- 
 nal Guide is also mine ! And now see, honoured sir, the 
 other constellation yonder" — he described it minutely — 
 "the sight of that hath ever filled me with a thrill of 
 melancholy, as though it would cost me many tears, but 
 
14 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 was yet Co be my purest and most blessed happiness on 
 earth.'' 
 
 Altarbol was about to pronounce the name of the figure 
 thus designated, but Arnald checked him imploringly: 
 " Oh, mine honoured master, say it not ! Meseems the 
 whole world is listening with me, ready to misinterpret 
 me hereafter when"! discover the import of my constella- 
 tion, and celebrate it in song. The name which it shall 
 bear in mine own heart will be revealed to me in due 
 time." 
 
 Altarbol was silent ; and Arnald clasped both his arms 
 around his foster-father, saying, " I dreamed not that part- 
 ing from you would lie on my heart with a weight so 
 heavy as I feel it to be now that the hour has come. My 
 very heart is dying within me. But even because it is so, 
 let us part this very instant. God bless you, and reward 
 you for the great, great love which you have borne me. 
 Ah ! dear father and lord"' — 
 
 " But thou must not weep, young knight !" said "Wal- 
 ter ; while at the same moment two bright drops glistened 
 in the starlight as they rolled over his own cheeks. Altar- 
 bol laid his hand on Arnald's head and blessed him, and 
 the three parted in silence. Soon had the youth vanished 
 in the neighbouring wood ; and the two men, turning 
 several times to look after his retreating figure, plunged 
 into the shadows of the opposite valley. Lonely and silent 
 stood the ruins of the Castle Maraviglia, clad in the 
 brightness of the rising moonbeams. 
 
HE noble esquire, whom we left at the 
 close of the Introduction a youth in the 
 early opening bloom of life, standing 
 on the threshold of a world new and 
 almost entirely unknown to him, meets 
 us at the commencement of this his- 
 tory a man proved by manifold trials, 
 and a minstrel of far-spreading fame. 
 
 The legend by which our footsteps 
 are guided gives but an obscure and 
 imperfect account of that which befel him in the inters'al. 
 Thus much, however, may we gather from the whole, — 
 that the youth of Arnald of Maraviglia was not poor in 
 events of many and various aspects ; that he bore with ho- 
 nour his noble sword in the battles of his early days ; and 
 that the storm of impassioned love, and the tender service 
 of reverential devotion, swept across his spirit, sometimes 
 in tones of thunder, thrilling fearfully; sometimes full of 
 soft but dim forebodings. Nevertheless, it seemed to him 
 as though he had always served idols instead of gods ; and 
 a dark veil of melancholy lay upon his wounded heart. 
 
16 MINSTXIBL LOVE. 
 
 Fain would he have buried himself in some peaceful 
 and poetic solitude, thence, and thence only, expecting the 
 healing of hia bruised spirit ; and in this hope he traversed 
 many valleys of France, then so beautiful, and at last 
 imagined that he had found the retreat for which he 
 sought : but then suddenly came tidings to his ears which 
 caused him to cast from his loyal heart all longings for 
 retirement as unknightly dreams and contemptible dal- 
 liance with duty. His fatherland, his fair Provence, was 
 in danger. 
 
 In the Arabian states,^ on the southern coasts of Spain 
 — then called Moorish, to designate their condition as 
 heathen, though, in truth, fair and tender was the beauty 
 of their maidens, war-like and sun-embrowned the aspect 
 of their heroes — in these states a youthful prince had 
 undertaken, for the honour of his ladye, to conquer Pro- 
 vence, and convert it to the faith of Mahomet. The land 
 of the Franks was torn by various conflicts, and menaced 
 by war; thence could no succour be expected. It seemed, 
 indeed, as though the adventurous Moorish prince must 
 succeed in this enterprise, for which it was well known 
 that he was preparing himself, with many swelling sails, 
 and many young but well-experienced warriors. 
 
 Mounted on a steed of a golden roan colour, which he 
 had carefully selected for the present expedition, Arnald 
 rode, in the odorous spring-time, towards the hour of sun- 
 set, over the rich and flowery frontier-hUls which guarded 
 his beautiful fatherland. 
 
 He wore upon his breast a hauberk, skilfully woven 
 in links of gold, so that between the meshes, the silk of 
 his green under-vest was visible, embossed with golden 
 embroidery, and falling in graceful folds below the hips, 
 nearly as far as the knee. A light silver morion, decorated 
 with beautiful devices in gold, and shadowed by redund- 
 ant and many-coloured plumes, adorned and defended the 
 head of the minstrel; on his left arm sparkled a small 
 golden shield, around the centre of which a garland of 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 17 
 
 dark-green leaves was entwined, while his long and glit- 
 tering sword, fastened by a scarf embroidered in gold, 
 clashed in its iron sheath, as though crying aloud for the 
 battle. 
 
 Arnald beckoned to the attendant who rode behind him,, 
 gave him the golden shield, and received from him a lute 
 of graceful and shapely form. As he rode onward, he 
 played thereon a lively measure, and sang the following, 
 song : — 
 
 With thy shining seas, and shadowy trees, 
 With thy sparkling rills, and soft green hills. 
 And fields all gay with flowers, 
 Oh ! how familiar to mine' eyes. 
 How dear thou art unto me, 
 Mine own, my fatherland ! 
 Oft to thy praise I framed my lays, 
 When borne along by wings of song, 
 In blythe and sportive hours ! 
 
 But now, what altered scenes arise ! 
 We must be faithful to thee. 
 Heady, with sword in hand ! 
 
 Sound louder yet, and louder. 
 Lift up thy voice, my lyre. 
 
 Give forth thy thrilUng chords. 
 Bid notes of sorrow cease, 
 Not now we separate. 
 Come to the battle, to the clash of swords ! 
 JSlake thou the proud steed prouder, 
 Kindle the warrior's fire, 
 
 And scare the Paynim hordes ! 
 But, ah ! the joys of peace 
 Thou yet shalt celebrate, 
 And victory's light ; the battle is the Lord's ! 
 
 As the song ceased, the horsemen found themselves in a 
 shady vale, at the extremity of which they beheld a small 
 castle, of very ancient architecture : then Arnald gave the 
 lute to his attendant, and hung the golden shield again 
 upon his arm, whispering softly to himself : 
 
18 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 " The old hero Walter de Vergi would have but half 
 a joy in beholding me, came I not before him in the com- 
 plete panoply of a warrior. Now, perchance, through the 
 trouble of these days, and the audacity of the heathen, it 
 may be vouchsafed to him to witness my entrance on the 
 path which he has so long desired for me ; moreover, not 
 -nerely as an honourable soldier, but also perchance as one 
 >-('hom his fellow-soldiers, and even his leaders, may name 
 and honour above others : God jjrosper the work !" 
 
 Meanwhile he rode onward, in a kind of impatient me- 
 lancholy, near and nearer to the fortalice wherein so noble 
 a branch of the noble stock of Vergi had protected him 
 during many years, and suffered him to grow up beneath 
 the shadow of its knightly dignity. In the coolness of the 
 evening-hour, tree, fountain, and cloud breathed upon his 
 spirit, filling it with pleasant and blessed memories; he 
 felt more vividly than ever how close, how needful, is the 
 bond linking the fame of an honourable warrior to that of 
 a true minstrel ; and he rejoiced greatly that in this mood 
 he shoidd be able to understand the aged Sir Walter far 
 better than he was wont to do, and in like manner also 
 should be understood by him. 
 
 But oftentimes in life, at the very moment when we 
 imagine that we can open our hearts fully and unreservedly 
 to some beloved kindred heart, we are withheld in a most 
 sad and solemn manner; perchance in order to make us 
 deeply feel, that true and everlasting Union of spirits will 
 never be found, till it arises like a victorious sun upon the 
 other world ; shaking from it the storms and the whirl- 
 winds of that which here below we are wont exclusively to 
 name — life. 
 
 The doors of the little castle of Sir Walter of Vergi stood 
 open ; the windows partly so. Sounding and sighing, the 
 evening wind wandered through the chambers ; here and 
 there in the castle-court grass began to shew itself between 
 the clefts of the pavement. 
 
 Full of sorrowful forebodings, Amald gave the rein .if 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 19 
 
 his steed to his attendant, and hastened to enter the castle. 
 But all things therein wore an aspect so solemn, nay, it 
 might almost be said, so holj', that he soon began to tread 
 softly and slowly, as though he feared to break the rest oi 
 some honoured sleeper. 
 
 He reached, without meeting a single human being, 
 the small high and airy turret-chamber where Walter 
 loved to sit at the open casement, on sunny days, reading 
 ancient heroic legends. He found all here as it used to 
 be ; the window open, parchment volumes, elaborately il- 
 luminated and fastened with golden clasps, spread forth 
 upon the oaken table before the great arm-chair, as though 
 the aged and kindly knight had but now gone forth from 
 his apartment ; all was sparkling in the familiar light of 
 the playing sunbeams. 
 
 Arnald now knew at once what had happened. Si- 
 lently and patiently he wept to himself, and desired only 
 to find the sepulchre : he soon discovered it. As he 
 stepped forth through the gate of the garden he beheld 
 a tall stone cross, upon a gentle turfy eminence, beneath 
 the shadow of two gigantic fir-trees : thereon lay a tablet 
 of black marble, inscribed with the following words, in 
 letters of gold : — 
 
 The body of Sir Walter, 
 The gallant Knight 
 
 of Vergi, 
 
 Is here entombed ; 
 
 According to his honoured will. 
 
 We, the peasants of the surrounding country, 
 
 Have raised this memorial to him, 
 
 Whom we surname " The Good." 
 
 The day and hour of his birth and of his death were 
 recorded below, and his noble escutcheon was accurately 
 and gracefully depicted. 
 
 Arnald seated himself beside the grave, and softly sang 
 the following words, accompanying them by the strokes of 
 his drawn sword against his golden shield : 
 c 
 
20 MIHrSTRBL LOVE. 
 
 Sleep soft beneath the fir-tree's shadowy waviag, 
 I hurry forth, the foe in battle braving ; 
 
 Dream of my deeds, in sweet repose, dream on ! 
 Oh, if those deeds that visioned promise keep. 
 Say to me, when the world awakes from sleep, 
 
 " Come to my heart, thou hast done well, my son !" 
 
 Wondrously strengthened in spirit, Amald remounted 
 his steed, and descended to the huts of the nearest inhabit- 
 ants of the valley. There he learned, that it had been Sir 
 Walter's last will that his little castle should be left thus 
 open and desolate, and exactly in the condition in which 
 he had quitted it, as a mausoleum for the weary body 
 which had passed so honourably through life. 
 
 Arnald how directed his steps towards the castle of the 
 Vicomte Bisiers; for that renowned warrior had planted 
 his banner for the protection of his beleaguered father- 
 land ; and all who felt within themselves strength and 
 courage for the right, hastened to join the troops which 
 were rallying around the noble cavalier. Amald knew 
 him only by the voice of fame, which had celebrated the 
 names of the vicomte and of his fair and noble ladye 
 throughout the whole world, as so pure and so illustri- 
 ous, that the heart of the minstrel glowed with twofold 
 battle-fire at the thought of fighting beneath such a 
 chieftain. 
 
 Day and night had Amald hurried forwards, eager to 
 reach the rendezvous for which his spirit panted ; and 
 now as, in the early radiance of morning, he rode forth 
 from the sliadows of a flowery wood, he beheld Castle 
 Bisiers — vast, and tall, and lordly — rising qut of the 
 rich and leafy pMn. He spurred his noble steed to a 
 swifter gallop; and joyfally did the gallant beast strain 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 21 
 
 its exhausted strength, filling the morning air with its 
 exulting neigh, as though foreboding a happy end to the 
 journey. Higher and higher throbbed the prophetic 
 heart of Amald as he beheld many glittering squadrons, 
 both horse and foot, wending their way, in full array, to- 
 wards the coast. He fancied that he could hear the joyous 
 sound of their songs ; and it struck almost painfully upon 
 his heart that he did not as yet ride amongst them. Faster 
 and faster he hurried on towards the hero's eastle, so that 
 his attendant was left following far behind ; and at last he 
 checked his steaming and almost breathless steed before a 
 farm-yard, where shields hanging from the hedges, lances 
 planted in the earth, and helmets glittering upon the 
 posts, announced the presence of a squadron. Several 
 horsemen' came forth from the gate, and gave him 
 friendly greeting. 
 
 " Welcome, noble sir," said the eldest of the party. 
 " Your aspect tells us at once whither you are going. 
 Scarce half an hour ago, the Vicomte Bisiers marched 
 with the first division of the vanguard. Please you to 
 remain with us awhile ; to-morrow we follow him, and 
 shall doubtless arrive in right time for the battle : your 
 gallant war-horse needs repose." 
 
 And as Amald looked somewhat doubtfully around 
 him, the soldier continued: "Or would you rather ride 
 the beautiful animal to death, than arrive a day later? 
 Nay, spare him for the first charge against the Saracens : 
 nothing is too good to be freely expended then; but now 
 it were indeed a pity to sacrifice him." 
 
 Arnald stretched out his hand in friendly acquiescence, 
 and leaped from the saddle. Meantime his attendant had 
 also ridden up ; and the party mingled together like true 
 brethren in arms. 
 
 During the morning meal, Amald sang many stirring 
 war-songs to his comrades, which caused them to glow 
 
 » ReiHgen, an old -word signifying horsemen, or mcmlaers of a troop 
 <»f hoTse. 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 
 
 with joyful ardour : at length they craved the name of 
 their new and noble companion ; and great was the re- 
 joicing amid all the squadrons of the second division when 
 they learned that Amald of Maraviglia, the valiant and 
 far-famed troubadour, would fight in their ranks. 
 
 Towards evening, the knightly minstrel ascended a 
 neighbouring hill, whence he gazed down, solitary and 
 thoughtful, upon Castle Bisiers. Beneath him lay a 
 smiling flower-garden, all gleaming with bright canals 
 and silvery pools. The mighty trees kept watch around, 
 like solemn and heroic warders of olden days. 
 
 Then there came forth along the avenue a tall and 
 slender female form, clad in snow-white garments, which 
 solemnly floated around her ; she was followed by several 
 maidens, and by an attendant who carried tenderly in her 
 arms a young child, adorned with kerchiefs and ribbons 
 of various hues. Although the lady walked in calm and 
 graceful dignity, with scarcely any movement of head or 
 hand, Amald seemed to know that she was speaking deep 
 and powerful words to her companions — words such as 
 stirred and kindled every right feeling within them. At 
 length she took the infant from the arms of its nurse, and 
 bent down to kiss it, so that her veil dropped forwards 
 over her head ; and the whole group passed on into a 
 thick and leafy shrubbery. 
 
 " Oh, who could be deemed worthy to gaze upon the 
 features of her face!" sighed Amald, half-audibly ; but he 
 checked himself immediately, on becoming aware of the 
 footsteps and breathing oj a man close beside him. 
 
 As he turned, a good-humoured peasant accosted him, 
 saying, " Ah, fair stranger and warrior, was it not welJ 
 at your heart when you beheld yonder lofty Appearance 
 in tlie garden ? Yes, yes ; but, could you see her closely, 
 and see also the lovely babe which she bare two years ago 
 to our prince — the little countess Berta ! So fair a grace 
 is often vouchsafed to us at our harvest-festivals and other 
 innocent holydays ; for we are the vassals of this far-famed 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 23 
 
 and angelic lady, the beautiful Countess Alearda, the spouse 
 of Vicomte Bisiers ; and she fosters us, and cherishes us, 
 and makes our life a very heaven on earth, as though 
 she were a messenger from paradise, sent by our gracious 
 God." 
 
 The peasant had in this told no new nor strange tidings 
 to the minstrel ; yet did those simple words unspeakably 
 touch his heart. He pressed a few gold coins into the 
 hand of the narrator, who thanked him warmly, and mur- 
 mured as he went away, " Lo ! another blessing from the 
 jiresence of the fair countess ! Scarce any good befalls 
 the whole land that comes not from her !" 
 
 Arnald returned to the bivouac of his comrades in 
 deep thought. He found that he had been long expected, 
 and, indeed, they had sent forth. in various directions to 
 seek him; for the Countess Alearda had sent her page 
 to request his presence at Castle Bisiers, being moved 
 thereto by her love and reverence for the fame and the 
 lays of the noble troubadour. 
 
 Rejoicing at such an invitation, Arnald set forth in- 
 stantly with his young conductor. 
 
 High and pure, the stars gazed down from the blue 
 skies of the spring night. A solemn feeling thrilled 
 through the breast of Maraviglia. He deemed that it 
 might be the approaching crisis of his country's fate 
 which thus stirred and roused his spirit; yet could he 
 not conceal from himself that there was somewhat more 
 than this, and different from this: and as he lifted up 
 his eyes, and beheld the constellation unnamed by Al- 
 tarbol shining directly above his head in fulness of glory, 
 the thought arose within him, " Perchance the name shall 
 be 'Alearda' for thee !" 
 
 Castle Bisiers was an ancient edifice, lofty and very ex- 
 tensive, strangely intersected by numerous winding stairs 
 and vaulted passages. Long ere this had Arnald heard 
 the legend of the castle -spirit that was wont to 'jaunt 
 the place— an ancestor of the family, brightly armed and 
 
24 MINSTHEL LOVE. 
 
 gleaming with light when his presence announced life and 
 joy ; but dark, gloomy, and veiled by thn heavy cowl of a 
 monk when he came as the harbinger of trouble or death. 
 And now as the page opened and closed the doors, and he 
 gazed along the dim staircases, it came into the heart of 
 the minstrel that he should meet this prophetic apparition, 
 and learn from its lips the fate of his beloved and suffering 
 country. All things around him assumed a mystical and 
 supernatural aspect. At last they reached the chambers 
 of the countess. The page entered first, to announce his 
 companion; and then beckoning the troubadour to ad- 
 vance, left the apartment. Arnald gazed upon tlie walls, 
 wide and bright, adorned with flowers, and glittering with 
 many beautiful pictures of saints ; and at the same instant 
 beheld the tall and glorious form of the lady as she entered 
 or rather floated into the room through an opposite door, 
 which communicated with a darker chamber. Fairer than 
 her snow-white drapery was the light of her angelic coun- 
 tenance beneath its simple coronal of sable tresses ; her 
 smile was full of lofty sweetness ; her courteous salutation 
 was dignified and serious. Arnald bent his head more 
 lowly than he had ever before bent it in his life: with 
 effort he spoke a few words of reverential greeting ; it 
 seemed to him that he stood before one who was at once 
 an enchantress and a saint. 
 
 The great castle-clock solemnly tolled forth the hour ; 
 and an unknown voice whispered in the heart of Arnald^ 
 " Lo ! the decisive hour of thy whole life is striking !" 
 
 The countess motioned him to a seat opposite herself, and 
 there soon arose between them a conversation of deep and 
 serious import ; beginning, indeed, with the Gai Science, 
 but soon passing onward to the grave earnest of life, for in 
 all true and pure hearts Art and Life are ever inseparably 
 one and the same. 
 
 " We have of late been flattered by the hope," said 
 Alearda, " that this projected invasion of the heathen will 
 not take place. The terrible Moorish prince Tarfe — that 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 25 
 
 tyrannical and ambitious youth, has, say they, heard so 
 great things of the preparations of the vicomte, that he 
 suffers his enterprise to sleep for the present. What think 
 you of this, noble master ?" 
 
 " Lady,'' replied Arnald, '■' what should the delay of 
 the menacing tempest avail these shores? God turn from 
 us such a fate ! Let us conquer honourably, if so we may; 
 if so we must, let us die honourably with our swords in 
 our hands ; only one or the other speedily '." 
 
 " Humanly speaking, you are right," said Alearda ; 
 " yet are your lays too pious to suffer me to believe that 
 you deal thus proudly with your God. It may be His will 
 even that we should endure, and wait." 
 
 At tliis moment the martial music of advancing squad- 
 rons, as they defiled past the castle, struck joyfully on the 
 ears of the speakers ; Arnald's cheek glowed, and his eye 
 sparkled. " Heavily, very heavily," sighed he, " would 
 such a dispensation of God weigh upon many valiant 
 hearts ; yet would it not be the first time that a father hath, 
 out of love, withheld from his children the gift which they 
 too vehemently desired. The Lord's will be done !" 
 
 "And, Master Arnald of Maraviglia," added the countess 
 very gravely, and even solemnly, "then will it become 
 you to remain in your fatherland, during the pause of the 
 whirlwind. Pleasant and cheerful is the wandering life 
 of the minstrel, as he carelessly passes from one land to 
 another — but only so, when the golden light of peace lies 
 upon his own. In darker days the minstrel finds other 
 and graver work to do. Truly it is the glory of chivalry to 
 draw the sword for hearth and home ; yet is there a calmer, 
 less honoured, tenfold more arduous, and therefore infi- 
 nitely and inexpressibly more noble glory for chivalry. It 
 is this — to endure with one's fellow-countrymen, and aid 
 them to watch and feed the eternal fire within their breasts, 
 till the day when it shall be needed." 
 
 " I stir not from Provence," returned Arnald with 
 energetic humility, "as long as the Moor and his squadrons, 
 
26 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 be they near or be they far, menace the holy faith and 
 freedom of my brethren." 
 
 " Thanks be to God, I was not mistaken in you !" said 
 Alearda as she left him, with an approving smile. 
 
 When Arnald was again in the free air, he sang, with 
 strong and joyous heart, the following strain amid the 
 silent valleys : — 
 
 Welcome, peace and innocence ! 
 
 Welcome, war, where heroes meet 
 Even the anguish of suspense 
 
 I with words of welcome greet ; 
 God, whate'er Thou wilt, dispense ! 
 
 Whatsoe'er Thou wilt, is meet. 
 Welcome are all, in Thy good name ! 
 And yet, if burns my bosom's flame 
 With eager and impatient glow — 
 A gentle spell to quench the fire I know ! 
 
 He looked up to the star which he loved so well, and 
 saluted it by the name of " Alearda ;'' at the same time 
 striking a full chord upon his lyre, the exulting sounds of 
 which soared upwards to the golden lamps of heaven. 
 
 Surrounded by sparkling lakes, in a blooming valley 
 not far from Castle Bisiers, there stood a huge minster, 
 which was held in higher reverence than any other temple 
 in the country. Here were the Provenjals wont to bury 
 the noblest and wisest of their princes, and a magnificent 
 vault near the high altar was devoted to this purpose. 
 
 On the evening of Arnald's return from Castle Bisiers 
 he received the command of a squadron of light horse ; and 
 on the following day, at the fresh hour of morning, he 
 passed through the con secrated valley. As they approached 
 the house of God, the leader of the second division halted, 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 27 
 
 sind summoned the assembled troops to pray beside the 
 graves of the illustrious dead; the abbot of the cloister of 
 St. Anne was present, in compliance with the entreaty of 
 the vicomte, and ready to bestow on the soldiers his blessing, 
 for victory or for death. They leaped hurriedly from their 
 war-horses, fastened them in couples, and gave them to the 
 care of some peasants. Then the whole warrior-train 
 moved on silently, but with great clashing of armour, 
 through the lofty and resounding aisles. 
 
 The vault which contained the bodies of the brave and 
 wise was open ; gleaming through the darkness, the escut- 
 cheons and golden inscriptions on their cofBns were visible ; 
 the squadrons ranged themselves around the spot in a semi- 
 circle. The abbot of St. Anne's now stepped solemnly 
 forward, his eyes full of enthusiasm, and glistening with 
 tears ; with a thrill of delight Arnald recognised his 
 Altarbol. The stately priest stood still in the midst of the 
 warriors, and thus addressed them : — 
 
 " God's blessing be on ye ! God the Father, God the 
 Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen ! Ye, the flower of 
 this land, as in the joyousness of life ye stand beside this 
 land's noblest graves, I bid ye God speed upon the solemn 
 path that leads to fame, and also to graves; but to graves 
 not less honourable than those which now admonish you of 
 the great deeds of your forefathers. 
 
 " There is but one life ; life in God, who manifests 
 Himself to us in truth. Aught else is but delusion and error. 
 There is no truth without freedom ; ye are the defenders of 
 our freedom. Men and youths, I was summoned hither to 
 give you my blessing for victory or for death ; but I bless 
 you for victory and for life. For the feeling glows within 
 the inmost and holiest depths of my being, like a festal 
 fire: not one of your band shall turn aside from the foe, in 
 coward care for his own safety. Therefore is life yours, 
 irrevocably yours; whether the flowers of the coming 
 spring shall bud forth from your graves on the battle-field, 
 or be wreathed in garlands for your victorious brows at 
 
28 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 the dance and the festival ; or perchance there may even be 
 one in your ranks so highly honoured that he shall receive 
 a place among' the valiant and the wise who sleep here at 
 our feet, and then, when May appears, we will bring our 
 votive wreaths to his dark and solemn abode. 
 
 " Thus, then, flower and pride of Provence, rise up in 
 God's name ; shine in the eyes of the heathens, and shatter 
 their ranks, driving them down to the very dust! The 
 promise of God is yours, given you by the lips of His con- 
 secrated priest ; and in the midst of the strife of this world 
 the peace of God shall be yours also. Amen." 
 
 Moved with holy emotion, Altarbol had scarcely been 
 able to speak ; but his words came from the heart, and 
 went to the heart. Solemnly, with burning tears in their 
 eyes, the warriors went forth, and mounted their steeds. 
 As Arnald swung himself into his saddle, he felt a strong 
 grasp upon his hand : it was Altarbol. 
 
 " I knew well that thou woulilst not here be wanting," 
 said he. "Yesterday I sought thee anxiously in the first 
 division. But the Spirit tells me that thou wilt join the 
 battle in good time. Stand thou stedfast and joyful, my 
 son ; great trials are before us, and much need will there 
 be of the deeds and exhortations of the minstrel !" 
 
 Herewith he gave him his blessing, and returned to the 
 minster. Silent but joyful, the troops marched onwards 
 amid the bloom and fragrance of spring. 
 
 Scarcely had the first column of the Provencal army^ en- 
 camped on the sea-shore, opposite to the Isles of Hyeres, 
 setting its line of watches along the whole extent of coast, 
 when, one by one, in rapid succession, the sails of the 
 Moorish fleet were seen to rise out of the sea, by the light 
 of the ascending moon. Women and children fled, weep- 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 29^ 
 
 ing aloud; warriors exulted at the coming day of battle. 
 Couriers were despatched to hasten the march of the se- 
 cond column, which was almost exclusively composed of 
 cavalry : after riding at a quick ami joyful pace from the 
 hour of morning twilight, as noonday approached, the sea, 
 the adverse fleet, and the allied camp, became at once 
 visible to the eyes of all. 
 
 Tarfe, the gallant Moorish prince, had, with the quick 
 eye of an experienced general, selected a promontory, 
 which stretched far out into the sea, for his point of disem- 
 barkation. On either side, close to the place of landing, he 
 caused a great number of barks, manned with his best 
 archers, and laden with a terrible cargo of Greek fire, to 
 cast anchor; thus the crossing range of their shot would 
 cover his troops till they should have won firm footing, and 
 were ready for a decisive charge upon the foe. 
 
 But he encountered in the Vicomte Bisiers a general 
 not less skilful than himself. Well aware that the enemy 
 would endeavour to seize on so favourable a position, he- 
 had taken up his head-quarters at this very point, hoping 
 to break suddenly through the range of their cross-bows 
 with a charge of his assembled cavalry, and so to drive 
 back the enemy with slaughter to their ships. When the 
 summoned squadrons trotted up to the spot, a large por- 
 tion of the Moorish force had already landed on the pro- 
 montory. It was evident that they intended there to- 
 entrench themselves. Before the ranks the young and 
 regal Tarfe galloped to and fro in all the splendour of his 
 gleaming armour. 
 
 Suddenly and swiftly the Provengal horse of the second 
 division came forth, like a flight of birds, from the sha- 
 dows of a neighbouring village embosomed in fruit-trees; 
 Arnald eagerly directing the movement, and recalling with 
 joy the warlike exercises of his boyhood. Glittering in 
 steel, the whole body spread itself out over the wide plain ; 
 there was visible disorder in the ranks of the infantry on 
 the promontory ; hastily gathering themselves together. 
 
30 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 and placing Tarie, who looked proudly down from his 
 steed on the rising battle, in their midst, they presented a 
 '/ront stiff and serried with lances, like the bristles of a por- 
 cupine, towards every side on which an attack seeme-J to 
 be practicable. On board the ships, the archers and those 
 who were skilled in the hurling of Greek fire made ready 
 their murderous weapons. 
 
 "God save Provence! Now, my brave riders, for 
 honour and death!" 
 
 Thus shouted, from the right wing, the mighty voice of 
 the Vicomte Bisiers, and at the same moment the almost 
 gigantic form of the hero, on his tall war-horse, was seen 
 to dart along the ranks, clashing and rattling in his heavy 
 armour. Arnald could not see the countenance of his 
 leader through the closed visor, but it seemed to him as 
 though his eyes flashed lightnings between the steel plates. 
 
 The general now halted once more before the centre, 
 swung his gleaming sword through the air, high above his 
 helmet-plume, and cried — 
 
 " In the name of Christ and all His saints, charge !" 
 
 All the trumpets sounded at once, and the squadrons 
 thundered forwards against the expectant enemy, like 
 riders contending in a race. 
 
 Right and left, fire, darts, and arrows were rained from 
 the ships upon the flanks of the advancing army ; but 
 those wlio were stricken by the Greek fire sank down at 
 once to earth, and were consumed in silence, while if a cry 
 of pain was wrung from others by the bolt or the shaft, it was 
 almost inaudible in the hurrj' and tempest of that charge. 
 
 "Forwards! Forwards! Hew down the heathen!" 
 cried Arnald, exultingly, as he urged his troops far in 
 advance of the main body. 
 
 Suddenly, through smoke and dust, he discerned that 
 he was in the midst of the enemy's ranks. He had ridden 
 down one spearman without being aware of it ; his trusty 
 sword disposed of another, while behind and around him 
 nis comrades were fighting gallantly. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 31 
 
 He was about to attack a troop which had hitherto re- 
 mained unmolested, when, as he closed upon its ranks, his 
 good roan steed, pierced by an arrow from the ships, fell 
 dead upon him. His followers, not seeing his danger, 
 continued to rush fonvards. Quick as lightning the thought 
 shot through his mind, " Lo, here I lie, like mine ancestor 
 whose tale Walter related to me ; but if he would not sur- 
 render to Christians, how much less must I yield to a 
 heathen." He saw 't troop with bloody lances coming 
 down upon him, and he looked firmly and patiently into 
 the eyes of death ; for beneath the burden of his dead horse 
 lie was scarce able to move his good sword. But at that 
 moment a second charge of the Provenjal horse broke the 
 array of the Moors. All those in the enemy's army who 
 had power to fly, fled. The Christian forces pursued them 
 to the coast in all the exultation of victory ; and as Arnald 
 endeavoured to extricate himself from the body of his 
 charger, he saw the sails of the haughty Tarfe swelling and 
 spreading far over the sea, while the returning Proven9als- 
 led with them a rich train of captive heathen. 
 
 AuNALD was yet standing by the body of his horse, in 
 a mood at once glad and thoughtful, when the Vicomte 
 Bisiers, having been informed of the presence of the trou- 
 badour, approached him at the head of a glittering troop 
 of cavaliers, and, stooping from his tall war-steed, stretched 
 out his victorious hand in friendly greeting. Beneath his 
 vizor, now unclosed, was seen the countenance as of an 
 inspired hero. With joyful reverence Maraviglia received 
 the ofiered hand of his commander. 
 
 Many strong battalions were now despatched in all 
 directions, with careful instructions from the vicomte to 
 spread along the coast and scale the neighbouring heights. 
 
32 MINSTREL LOVIl. 
 
 in order to watch the motions of the Saracen fleet. Then 
 the general caused a beautiful Arab steed, armed and capa- 
 risoned in all the pomp of Moorish array, to be led for- 
 ward and presented to Amald as a substitute for his slain 
 horse. Amald received the knightly gift with gratitude, 
 leaped lightly into the broad shovel-shaped gulden stirrups, 
 grasped the silver-embossed reins, and, after having seated 
 himself securely in the somewhat peculiar saddle, he gal- 
 loped the noble animal up and down with daring and skUl, 
 and finally delivered it to his attendant. 
 
 " Thou hast ridden it fairly, Amald," said the vicomte. 
 " But he also, whom it bore in the battle, rode it fairly. 
 He was a young, tall, and slender Moorish knight, clad 
 in black vestments, with many white and shining devices 
 upon his breast. At first I mistook him for Tarfe ; but on 
 a nearer approach I perceived that this gallant youth was 
 another, and was covering the retreat of the prince. I was 
 on the point of attacking him, and he, eager as myself for 
 the combat, had just swung exultingly his bright scimitar 
 above his head, when we were separated by a crowd of the 
 flying Moorish infantry. I could not penetrate them, and 
 I saw that my gallant adversary would not ride down his 
 fellow-countrymen. At this moment one of them, wounded 
 by a random aiTow from his own ships, fell on the earth, 
 cr3ring out lamentably that it was cruel to leave him to the 
 mercy of his enemies. Light as a breath my black horse- 
 man sprang out of his saddle, lifted up the bleeding soldier, 
 and half carrying half leading him, withdrew to the ships. 
 Had it been Tarfe himself I could not have found it in my 
 heart to pursue him. But his gallant white horse, being 
 left masterless, ran towards my own charger, and him I 
 captured as a memorial of the scene. Be thou also mind- 
 ftil of the noble Moorish warrior when Aou mountest him, 
 dear Amald." 
 
 The warriors reclined upon the fresh green grass for 
 the feast of victory. According to the custom of those 
 bard-loving days, Amald was assigned a place beside the 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 33 
 
 general. Goblets circled around ; and those brave and con- 
 fiding hearts opened themselves to each other in gay and 
 various communings. 
 
 There was one young knight — his name was Guy of 
 Hauteroche — who appeared to take peculiar delight in gaz- 
 ing on Arnald. His words were generally addressed to the 
 troubadour ; and if the latter spoke, he listened to him so 
 heedfully, and found so many difterent ways of making 
 himself acceptable to him, that Arnald was at first almost 
 disposed to imagine him a youthful neophyte of the Gai 
 Science, who was perchance desirous of committing himself 
 to the guidance of the practised minstrel. But this idea 
 vanished at once when it came into the head of the friendly 
 Guy to volunteer a song. For it was not enough that his 
 voice, naturally not unpleasing, stumbled from one dis- 
 cord to another without the singer's suspecting fo. a 
 moment that any thing was amiss, but he likewise so 
 maltreated the measure, rhyme, and sense of the words, 
 with equal indifference and recklessness, that the vieomte, 
 bursting into heartj^ laughter, was at length constrained to 
 entreat him to cease, which entreaty Guy granted with a 
 laugh as hearty as his own. For in the whole deportment 
 and expression of the youth there was a warmth and a 
 graceftilness which caused men utterly dissimilar both to 
 him and to each other to become in a moment his friends, 
 provided only they were good at heart like himself. 
 
 There was now much speech concerning the wrath and 
 shame of the Moorish prince, and many a gay sarcasm 
 was passed upon the vanquished ; during all of which the 
 Vieomte Bisiers remained unchangeably silent. 
 
 At last he whispered to the troubadour : " Maraviglia, 
 these youths fancy themselves already high up above all 
 the hills in the world ; nevertheless, we have still many 
 a hard journey to make, more particularly if I rightly in- 
 terpret the smoke-clouds which I see rising yonder above 
 thie cliffs. Sing to them some solemn and warning strain, 
 I pray you." 
 
34 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Arnald took his lyre, and ail around became observant 
 and mute at the sound of the grave music which he drew 
 from its strings. He then sang the following verses : — 
 
 The Lord of Hosts hath won the strife, 
 
 We owe it to His hands ; 
 Patience, and humbleness of life, 
 
 He now from us demands. 
 Peace, peace, ye scoffers, one and all — 
 
 "What, know ye not His might .' 
 Watch truly, lest your footsteps fall, 
 
 Watch truly through the night. 
 
 * Oh, brightly shines the summer morn — 
 
 So soft, so pure, so warm ; 
 Yet whispers in the forest warn 
 
 Of the coming of the storm. 
 Oh, bhthe the bridal cup we fill. 
 
 And the festive lamps burn clear ; 
 But dark forebodings murmur still 
 
 Of grave, and shroud, and bier. 
 
 Therefore be glad in pleasure's hour. 
 
 But firm with lance in rest ; 
 So shall not sorrow overpower 
 
 When she assails thy breast. 
 Stand fast, ye true confessors, then, 
 
 Watchful, but not in fear ; 
 So shall ye play your parts Uke men. 
 
 And all at last be clear. 
 
 When the lay was ended, the captains looked down 
 seriously and silently ; unwonted and foreboding thoughts 
 arose within their oosoms. And this was well ; for at the 
 same moment a troop of couriers came riding up from the 
 coasts and from the cliffs, all pale, and in great disorder. 
 The vicomte spoke with them apart ; the warriors began 
 to look from their goblets to their swords. 
 
 '' Soldiers," said, the vicomte, stepping into the midst 
 of tie captains with calm gravity, " while we wore en- 
 
MUSrSTBOJL LOVE. 35 
 
 gaged in repulsing the forces of the Moorish prince on this 
 quarter, another of his squadrons was employed in effect- 
 ing a landing on another part of the coast ; and their at- 
 tempt was successful. With that body he has now united 
 the troops conquered by us, and the whole force has 
 marched, with its overpowering numbers, upon Castle 
 Bisiers, which is less distant from them than from us. In 
 God's name, then, let them burn Castle Bisiers to the 
 earth ; be it oui's to pursue the foe, and, by cutting off 
 tlieir communication with the sea-shore, annihilate with 
 a single stroke the whole brood of serpents. Gentlemen 
 and knights, I request you to betake yourselves to your 
 respective troops. I will cause the signal for mounting to 
 be given immediately." 
 
 Impressed by the stedfast composure of the general, 
 the minds of all assumed a similar calmness, so that the 
 arrangements for departure proceeded regularly and se- 
 curely. One only amid all the leaders wore the paleness 
 of death upon his face, and that one was Arnald of Mara- 
 viglia: yet he marshalled his squadron with his wonted 
 care and order. 
 
 The Yicomte Bisiers beckoned him apart, saying, 
 " Tell me, my noble troubadour, what is it that has so 
 powerfully affected you? It must needs be something that 
 concerns our whole enterprise ; for, concerning yourself, 
 your fame is well known; and to-day have you honourably 
 attested it — concerning yourself, never would your cheek 
 so lose its colour." 
 
 "God forbid!" replied Arnald, as a somewhat in- 
 dignant glo'W chased the paleness from his countenan(tc. 
 " Nevertheless, sir, my anxiety is not on account of our 
 whole enterprise. But the enemy has marched upon 
 Castle Bisiers ; and there dwells the lady Alearda.'' 
 
 " Now truly have I thoroughly understood you,'' cried 
 the vicomte warmly ; " a noble troubadour is the fittest 
 guardian of noble ladies. Away, then, and lead your troop 
 o'f light horsemen by the nearesi roads to Castle Bisiers. 
 
 D 
 
36 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Your gallant troop is well able, singly, to outstrip the foe , 
 and if you there find the countess, I commit her to your 
 protection." 
 
 Oh, how gratefully did Arnald bend to his general ! 
 oh, how joyfully he galloped with his troop along the path 
 that led to Castle Bisiers ! 
 
 Arnald reached the castle on a calm night, a little time 
 befoi'e the hour of moonrise. Having carefully disposed 
 his troops on the quarter from which the approach of 
 the enemy was to be expected, and scrupulously guarded 
 all the passes, he left his horse with the squadron, and set 
 forth alone to the castle, in order to arouse the countess, 
 and prepare her for departure as gently as possible. 
 
 The mighty edifice arose dark and gigantic beneath the 
 skies of night, which were yet almost as dark as its own 
 shadowy form. Arnald looked in vain for a warder upon 
 the battlements, or a lamp gleaming from some casement 
 or loophole : the stillness of death was every where. He 
 was afraid to sound the great bell which hung beside the 
 drawbridge, or to wind his horn, lest he should startle the 
 lady out of her peaceful and holy dreams, and awaken her 
 in terror. 
 
 But what was nis astonishment when he found the 
 drawbridge let down — what his dismay when he beheld 
 both the wings of the great vaulted doorway standing wide 
 open, so as to admit a free view of the castle-court, silent 
 as death, and dark as the grave ! Was it possible that 
 the heathens had been here before him 1 Yet, as far as he 
 could ascertain through the darkness, there were here no 
 traces of violence — ^all things wore an aspect of peace and 
 order. He ascended a staircase which he had before ob- 
 served, and which conducted to the guard-room, formerly 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. S3 
 
 peopled by a throng of fully-armed soldiers. The doo 
 sprang open at his first touch ; but the chamber was blacif 
 and silent as the doors and courts which he had left 
 As he advanced, his foot struck against some armoui 
 which fell together clanging and rattling, and almos) 
 shook him from his footing. "Are ye asleep, warders?" 
 cried Arnald, thrilling with a kind of inexplicable awe. 
 
 A hollow echo rang along the walls ; but there was no 
 other answer. He stooped over the armour : it was empty, 
 and appeared to consist only of old rusty iron, with strips 
 of torn leather and clasps, crumbling with age. A thick 
 vapour of dust arose in his face as he bent over the 
 fragments. 
 
 While he yet stood in doubt, he saw, or fancied that 
 he saw, light proceeding from a small ante-chamber, like 
 the gleaming of mail, or the glimmering of a dim lamp. 
 Thither he accordingly hastened ; but he found no one, and 
 all was darkness. The breath of the night- wind swept in 
 low whispers through the open casements. 
 
 In this scene of strange, unwonted, and incomprehen- 
 sible mystery, chilly forebodings crept upon the heart of 
 the minstrel : earnestly craving after the living shapes of 
 heaven and earth — after the wood, the stream, and the star- 
 light, — he leaned far out of the unclosed window. At that 
 moment the moon began to rise above a neighbouring 
 grove of plane-trees. Strength and calmness returned to 
 the heart of the lonely one. 
 
 But there stood without, beside the castle-moat, a group 
 of dark forms, whispering softly together, all of whom 
 appeared gazing up at him, and even pointing towards him. 
 He had no fear of the Saracens ; the wise disposition of his 
 troops gave him ample security on that head. But that 
 very security seemed to impart an unintelligible, nay, 
 almost a spectral, mystery to the dusky group : he would 
 have given much for the assurance that a visible and sub- 
 stantial human form stood in the soundless vacancy behind 
 him. 
 
38 MINSTEEI. LOVE. 
 
 It seemed as though this Ms desire were about to be 
 fulfilled on the instant ; for a ray of light suddenly gleamed 
 thTough the small dim chamber. As Arnald looked around, 
 there stood close behind him a tall knight in complete 
 armour, who was gazing through the same window upon 
 the landscape beneath, and nodding his head as if well 
 pleased with what he saw. 
 
 The dark forms beside the caslle-moat seemed to mur- 
 mur low and undistinguishable prayers, and lifted their 
 hands in thankfulness toward the window. 
 
 Arnald was about to address his companion, and to 
 offer him the place next the casement, when with sudden 
 horror he became aware that the colossal height of the 
 stranger arose to the central point of the vaulted roof, and 
 that his countenance, though it wore a friendly and con- 
 descending smile, was of the whiteness of snow, dazzlingly 
 radiant, and with features of grave and ancient aspect. At 
 the same moment the apparition motioned verj' solemnly 
 towards the door and steps, and there arose a sound along 
 the walls, like the ringing of a lyre, articulately whispering 
 these words : — 
 
 " Hence to fresh deeds of fame and power ; 
 Pass'd is the storm, and saved the flower ! 
 Away, away ! 'Tis now mine hour !" 
 
 Arnald dared not disobey the mysterious command. He 
 hastened to join the crowd before the castle-gates, and he 
 found them in all the agitation of joy. They were the 
 vassals of the surrounding country ; shepherds, husband- 
 men, and burghers, assembled in great need and hope of 
 succour : and well might they rejoice, for the castle-spectre 
 had just appeared to them at the window, clad in glittering 
 steel, and presaging happiness. It was thus manifest that 
 the mighty spirit had been he who gazed over Amald's 
 shoulder into the valley ; and the minstrel felt an icy thrill 
 run along his veins at the thought. 
 
 Neverlhelefs the spirit had announced weal and victory 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 39 
 
 by his bright appearance, and Alearda was rescued ; for 
 having been warned by her faithful peasantry, she had set 
 forward on the preceding day with all her train, by a secure 
 road, to a neighbouring and strongly defended state. 
 
 Ai-nald could therefore do nothing for his lady, and 
 truly that was grievous to his heart, which had so lately 
 bounded with joy and eagerness. 
 
 Men who love God, and labour for the right, never suf- 
 fer the weight of that feeble and selfish regret — " Lo, ano- 
 ther has done it, and not I !" to remain long upon their 
 hearts : they ask " not who, but how?"^ and their spirits 
 are refreshed and glad. So was it with our Amald, and he 
 rode forth very cheerfully with the dawn of morning, in 
 the direction by which Tarfe was expected to arrive. That 
 the Saracens must still be far distant, he had gathered from 
 the information of the peasantry, and he purposed lying in 
 ambush for them in a very woody and entangled part of 
 the country, through which their road must inevitably 
 jjass, with the hope of dispersing the enemy by the first 
 shock, or, at any rate, of detaining them with considerable 
 loss till the vicomte should come up with the rest of the 
 army. He accordingly despatched a body of scouts and 
 pioneers to reconnoitre the chosen spot, while he himself 
 tarried behind the hill, only posting a few solitary horse- 
 men as sentinels along the neighbouring heights. 
 
 All the joys and sorrows of his life seemed now to pass 
 in procession before his spirit ; and when from time to time 
 the overpowering shadow of some deep grief fell upon him, 
 he looked down at the gleaming sword upon his thigh, and 
 
 1 This ancient English motto seems to be the best equivalent for the 
 proverbial form of the original phrase. 
 
40 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 felt liow glorious, and how fair a thing it was, thus to stand 
 under arms for the defence and comfort of his beleaguered 
 countrymen. 
 
 The sound of a solemn chant arose from the woods 
 below. It was the illustrious abbot Altarbol, at the head 
 of the monks of St. Anne's, bearing rich viands and re- 
 freshments of all kinds, as offerings to the Provencal army, 
 of whose presence in their neighbourhood they had been 
 informed. In this present position, Arnald migbt safely 
 allow his horsemen to enjoy at their ease the proffered 
 hospitality; and the whole troop, frank, friendly, and joy- 
 ous, cast themselves down upon the dewy spring grass, 
 amid a goodly array of flasks, wine-cups, and salvers. 
 
 Altarbol rejoiced greatly at finding his heroic pupU, 
 the fame of whose deeds at the contest on the shore had 
 already reached him, in command of the squadron ; and for 
 once he disdained not to pledge Arnald in a cup of noble 
 Xeres wine, drunk to future victories in the cause of God 
 and fatherland. The first subject of discourse between them 
 was, the memory of the noble Walter Altarbol related, with 
 affectionate particularity, how rapidly, and yet how softly, 
 had that god-fearing hero fallen asleep. " Concerning 
 thee, my beloved minstrel-hero," thus he closed his narra- 
 tion, — " concerning thee could he give me no charge, for 
 the power of speech had forsaken him. But, I read it dis- 
 tinctly in his holy countenance, he prayed for thee in his 
 last moments, and his blessing shall remain with thee, 
 through time and through eternity." 
 
 A few tears dropped from Arnald's eyes upon the soft 
 grass of the meadow, fresh in all the hopeful hues of May, 
 There was silence between the friends for a time. Then 
 they discoursed again of the danger and deliverance of their 
 dear country ; and at length Arnald said — 
 
 " My dear and honoured master, do thou solve for me, 
 one, only one solitary doubt, and there is no man upon 
 earth who shall ride more joyously against the enemy than 
 myself." 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 41 
 
 " Speak, my son !" returned Altarbol ; but he looked 
 upon him wonderingly, and half shook his head. 
 
 " What," said Amald, in a suppressed voice, " what 
 can have moved the Countess Alearda, of fame so pure and 
 noble, to leave in her flight a castle not merely ungar- 
 risoned, but with gates and doors opened ? Mark me, now, 
 father ; I live but in the image of my ladye ; she is mine 
 angel, pointing out to me all rightful paths on earth. ; she, 
 mine angel also, exhorting, purifying, elevating me to 
 God, I must needs comprehend all things in her actions, 
 and perceive them to be pure and illustrious, as I lately 
 perceived herself to be ; for if there comes upon her the 
 faintest shadow of darkness, my whole soul is at once 
 darkened." 
 
 The wrathful inspiration sleeping beneath the solemn 
 brows of Altarbol once more awoke. 
 
 " I suspected," said he, after a brief silence, "that thy 
 question was as the question of a fool. For what profiteth 
 it to doubt and to question, when days such as the present 
 are dawning upon us? In such times a right-hearted 
 man finds rightful comfort in his own valiant breast, or 
 finds it nowhere. But that thou shouldst inquire of me 
 concerning what the lofty lady Alearda has been pleased 
 to do, and what to leave undone, that is an extent of folly 
 greater than I could ever have dreamed ; and I should call 
 thee boy, hadst thou not so lately and so well approved thy- 
 self a man. Learn, then, that it becomes us all to receive 
 instruction from that lofty lady : thee, me, the blessed 
 Walter ; ay, every human being. Her will and her deeds 
 are simply light and truth ; when she says, ' Do this — and 
 forbear that !' it belongs not to any noble heart to ponder 
 or hesitate, but to do and to forbear immediately, accord- 
 ing to the will of that blessed angel-messenger, whom we 
 know to be sent and inspired by God ; little though her 
 own humility would believe or acknowledge such a mis- 
 sion. But, with regard to her present conduct, the mean- 
 ing of it is intelligible to mine own weak reason ; therefore 
 
42 MXNSTRBL LOVE. 
 
 will I open thy feeble eyes. It was impossible that the 
 few soldiers who sufficed for the suite of the lady should 
 hold out Castle Bisiers against the enemy ; wherefore, 
 then, defend, wherefore close that which cannot be effec- 
 tually defended or closed against any foe ? Away ■with all- 
 half-measures ! Sooner let the plundering fury of the 
 heathen lay waste the castle without hinderance ! As 
 Castle Bisiers hath stood more glorious than all other 
 dwellings in the land, it is meet that it should draw first 
 upon itself the thunderbolt ; or, on the other hand, if God 
 protect the lordly fortress, the most fenceless hut in the' 
 land shall partake its safety !" 
 
 " Oh, our lofty Jady !" cried Arnald ; " and our great 
 commander likewise said, ' Let Castle Bisiers burn to the- 
 ground !' That was said according to the spirit of Alearda.'' 
 
 " Thou understandest her rightly now," said AltarboL 
 " Only trust ! All things whatsoever, that we can do or 
 think worthily, only come to good effect, according to the 
 will of God, by the glory and blessing of her perfection." 
 
 Meanwhile Arnald's messengers had returned : the 
 enemy had not yet come in sight of the woods. Inspired 
 with lofty enthusiasm, accompanied by the blessing of hi& 
 illustrious friend, the knightly minstrel rode at the head 
 of his gallant troop into the shadow of the trees. 
 
 Arnald waited for the enemy during several days, be- 
 neath the pleasant darkness of olive-trees and of many 
 odorous shrubs; his reconnoitering parties spread far and 
 wide through the country around, but nowhere could they 
 discover any sign of the approach of the Moors. It be- 
 came evident that Tarfe had entirely abandoned his expe- 
 dition against Castle Bisiers ; and the only object now to be 
 effected was, a speedy junction with the vicomte's army. 
 
MINSTKEL LOVB. 43 
 
 Musing over this second instance of disappointed hope, 
 A maid rode forth with his squadron from the shades 
 ■which so lately had seemed ready to drop certain and 
 richly-blooming wreaths upon his brow. He directed his 
 course once more towards the sea-coast, where, in fact 
 the Moorish prince, not daring to leave the main body of 
 the Provenjal array in his rear, had taken up a strong 
 position, which was on this very day assailed by the 
 vicomte, with all the forces that he could muster. 
 
 Maraviglia had not proceeded far before the distant 
 tumult of battle sounded upon his ears. His servant 
 sprang from the saddle, put his ear to the ground, and 
 then exclaimed : — 
 
 " In truth, noble sir, they have met ! That confused 
 sound rising from the earth is the tramp of charging horse- 
 men, and yonder strange and subdued roar must surely be 
 the hissing of the Greek fireballs, as the enemy hurls 
 them through the air in thousands." 
 
 Rapid as flight was the gallop of Arnald's troop to- 
 wards the field of battle. 
 
 As Maraviglia ascended a gently sloping eminence, 
 the scene of combat became visible to his eyes. The Pro- 
 vencal squadrons were charging from all sides up a 
 strongly guarded height, from the summit of which the 
 Moors were hurling their darts and their javelins, and 
 whence — for rightly had the travellers foreboded the 
 meaning of the mysterious sound which they heard but 
 now — the Greek fire was rushing down in raging and 
 terrific streams. 
 
 " Forward, dear and joyous brethren in arms ! For- 
 ward — upon taem, and through them !" 
 
 Thus shouted Arnald ; and the gallant band urged 
 their weary chargers to the attack, sometimes spurring 
 hastily, sometimes coaxing them by words of encourage- 
 ment. 
 
 But the Arab steed of Arnald was neither faint nor 
 weary ; he gaily caracoled beneath his rider lo the spot 
 
44 
 
 MINSTREL lOVE. 
 
 wher« the heroic vicomte had halted for a moment, at the 
 head of his troops. 
 
 "She is saved; for thou lookest upon me cheerily!" 
 cried the general, meeting the eyes of Amald with a joyful 
 and confiding gaze. Quickly, but intelligibly, in the hurry 
 of the moment, Amald related his brief history ; then the 
 vicomte said : — 
 
 "Thanks, thou noble lord of Maraviglia: and no-w 
 marshal your squadron, and hasten therewith to the left 
 wing of yonder cavalry : we will try a fresh assault !" 
 
 Amald took the post assigned to him with joyful ala- 
 crity. Closely ranked, and offering a stem and resolute 
 front, the assembled horsemen at a quick trot ascended the 
 hill, which seemed all on flames with Greek fire. Bight 
 and left fell the terrible showers as Amald rode onwards ; 
 but the will of God conducted him in safety through the 
 midst of those hissing, roaring, and rustling flames. He 
 fancied that the crisis of victory was again at hand, and of 
 a victory yet more decisive than the last. But it was not 
 so. The vicomte had only hazarded this onset in order to 
 draw the enemy from their almost impregnable position, 
 either by the formidable array of glittering and clashing 
 cavalry, or by the eagerness of brave men to measure them- 
 selves, hand to hand, against their adversaries. But the 
 eagle-glance of Tarfe had not slept. The bold Moorish 
 prince restrained himself, and remained firm in his posi- 
 tion, well knowing that no cavalry could storm those inac- 
 cessible heights, and that both his flanks were sufiiciently 
 protected by water and felled trees. The vicomte's infantry 
 was already so much exhausted by its heroic efforts, that 
 there could now be no question save of the means of pro- 
 curing for it a secure and honourable retreat. 
 
 The "Vicomte Bisters halted, therefore, at the foot of the 
 steepest ascent, ordered his infantry to withdraw by the 
 neighbouring valleys and hamlets, and meanwhile made 
 a gallant stand with his brave horsemen upon the plain, 
 against the shafts and fire of the enemy. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 45 
 
 At a signal from his commander, Amald sprang for- 
 ,vards. 
 
 " At this moment your own troops need you less than 
 I do, valiant troubadour," said the general. " Stand by 
 my side ; and if any thing occurs to you concerning the 
 position of the squadrons, give me your opimon freely." 
 
 Amald felt deeply the honour thus conferred upon him ; 
 nevertheless a voice said within his heart, in stern and 
 wrathful accents, " A lost battle ! A battle utterly lost !" 
 Thus the two warriors stood silent and side by side for a 
 time, in the midst of that fiery rain, but neither of them 
 received any hurt. 
 
 At last a captain of the column of foot came up on a 
 mule, swift as the wind, and announced that the troops had 
 veached their destined position by passes and ravines, only 
 that the Captain Lanzarossa had been unable to restrain his 
 bold spirit, and was now leading the left wing to a fresh 
 attack upon the hill. 
 
 At the same moment the loud " Vive Provence !" of the 
 advancing troop cleft the air, and they were seen to storm 
 the nearest height bj^ a desperate and successful charge, the 
 valiant Lanzarossa leading them on with lowered partisan. 
 A hot tear forced itself into the eye of Amald, as he beheld 
 with mournful exultation the heroism of his countrymen, 
 which, alas ! could not 5.vail to turn the gloomy destiny of 
 the day. Even the general's eagle-eye was not dry. 
 
 Before long a terrible stream of fire swept the gallant 
 Lanzarossa away. " Fare thee well, brave heart !" said 
 the vicomte. 
 
 The small troop which had been commanded by the 
 noble dead, now almost consumed, and, as it were, melted 
 together, began to retreat with calm and melancholy com- 
 posure. The Moors were heard to shout in exultation from 
 their heights. Oh, how did the heart of Amald bleed, and 
 how far fairer and easier would it have been to him to bleed 
 from open wounds upon afield of victory ! But he called 
 to mind the words of Alearda, when she spake of that 
 
46 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 hardest and heaviest task of chivalry, which hears with it 
 neither glory nor outward joy ; and he turned again to 
 gaze stedfastly and cheerfully upon the showers of flame. 
 
 " Lord of Maraviglia," said the vioomte very gravely, 
 "how think you? Can I answer it to God, to keep my 
 horsemen any longer in this position ?" 
 
 Arnald mused for a moment, and then said, " No, noble 
 sir, I believe not. In case the Moorish prince should charge 
 this handful of infantry, we must be ready to repulse him 
 from the borders of yonder village ; so shall many a brave 
 rider and many a good horse be spared." 
 
 " I can see that you find it no easy task to counsel re ■ 
 treat," returned the vioomte ; " nevertheless you are in the 
 right, and I thank you." 
 
 Then he caused the standard of his cavalry to be wheeled 
 around, and took up the position thus determined upon. 
 Soon afterwards the remnant of Lanzarossa's troop passed 
 through the village. The horsemen followed, and were 
 speedily beyond reach either of the weapons or the shouts 
 of the enemy. Silently and gloomily they encamped on 
 the opposite heights. 
 
 The watchfires burned brightly, and the stars of heaven 
 shone down upon them ; Arnald looked upward to that be- 
 loved constellation which he was wont to name " Alearda." 
 Then Guy of Hauteroche, who had lain down beside him 
 in all courtesy and friendship, thus addressed him : — • 
 
 "The countess would greatly marvel, methinks, if she 
 know what things have befallen us this day. Her beautiful 
 head was ever full of victories and all sorts of glory. And 
 how is it with us now ? Truly, a goodly gift of fortune !" 
 
 "The countess would not marvel hereat at all!" said 
 Arnald, lifting himself up in sudden displeasure. "The 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 47 
 
 countess declared to you the Will of God, which Will ye 
 have hitherto fulfilled, and therein consisted your duty 
 But the issue of all things is in the hands of God ; and this 
 is no new or strange intelligence to her, though it may well 
 seem so to you, and such as are like you. Only be thank- 
 ful that a light of so heavenly a radiance shines above your 
 head, and do joyfully whatsoever pertains to your oiBce 
 beneath the glory of its beams ; but dream not that the 
 petty and sordid doubts which sometimes penetrate your 
 souls can sully it." 
 
 " I had not thought," said Guy, "that you could be so 
 vehement, lord of Maraviglia." 
 
 " Thou hast named me by my name," returned Arnald, 
 " and by this is my bearing explained ; for all mine an- 
 cestors have borne themselves in like manner when there 
 was great and noble cause." Herewith he wrapped him. 
 self angrily in his mantle ; and turning away from the 
 young Hauteroche, lay down on the turf beside the watch- 
 fire. 
 
 After a while Guy said gravely and gently, " I sought 
 not to ofltend thee, lord of Maraviglia ; let me hope that 
 thou also wert not desirous of offending me." 
 
 " That am I not, gallant comrade," replied Amald, 
 turning towards him and grasping his hand. " It was 
 rather the spirit of my race than of myself which did so 
 break forth." 
 
 " Hem," answered Guy, " methinks that spirit seems 
 sufficiently thine own. But let it rest, noble troubadour. 
 My heart has warmed greatly towards you ; and I know 
 not what there is that I would not do rather than displease 
 you." 
 
 " Heaven forbid that I should entertain displeasure 
 against you !" cried Amald. " Let us become brothers 
 in arms and friends." 
 
 At these words Hauteroche fell joyfully upon his neck, 
 and then hastily summoned an attendant whom he caused 
 to bring a flask of the noblest wine. From this they filled 
 
48 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 Amald's silver helmet, and drank repeatedly to their new 
 brotherhood, accompanying the draughts by discourse of 
 various kinds. 
 
 "Sing me somewhat at this fair midnight-bivouac, 
 my Arnald," said Guy ; and the troubadour took his lute, 
 touched the strings, and sang the following verses : — 
 
 The stedfast stars arc filling 
 
 The calm and lofty sky, 
 And human hearts are thrilling 
 With heavenly melody. 
 
 Along the dark heaven burning, 
 
 They love our armour's light ; >' 
 
 Their sparkling rays returning 
 
 So boldly and so bright. ,, 
 
 O silent camp ! O murmur 
 
 Soft breathing through the leaves ! 
 Lo, freer, bolder, firmer 
 
 My warrior-bosom heaves. 
 
 A wondrous sport, unthinking, 
 
 We play with life and fate I 
 Now rising and now sinking. 
 
 But never satiate. 
 
 Hear'st thou no whisper'd warning, 
 
 O comrade, from afar ? 
 What deeds shall grace the morning — 
 
 What fate shall close the war ? 
 
 A golden Wain is wheeling 
 
 On high through heaven's blue halls ; 
 
 It bears our fate — revealing 
 Who conquers and who falls ! 
 
 And other lamps are shining 
 
 In the vault of heaven clear. 
 The warrior-bard divining 
 
 Their import deep and dear. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 49 
 
 He sings, in strains of beauty, 
 
 That power, that sacred charm, 
 Which nerved for war's dread duty 
 
 His soul, his sword, his arm. 
 
 He sings, he fights unshrinking, 
 
 Till blood and life depart ; 
 Then may his limbs be sinking, 
 
 But not even then his heart. 
 
 His stars keep watch above him ; 
 
 In earth's green lap he lies : 
 Nay, weep not, hearts that love him ! 
 
 War is let loose ^arise ! 
 
 Deeply touched, Guy wrung the hand of the minstrel, 
 and then gazed long upon the flames of the watchfire, around 
 ■which swarms of flies were fluttering in the mild summer 
 night, many of which, from time to time, fell, dazzled and 
 giddy, into the devouring glow. 
 
 " How they reel ! how they fall '." cried he at last, 
 with unwonted energy of manner. " Hearken to me, dear 
 Arnald, I would fain tell thee somewhat, which lies deep 
 and painful within my soul, and thou must listen to me 
 right heedfuUy." 
 
 Arnald readUy assented, when Guy thus spoke : 
 
 " About two years ago, the Marohese Rinaldo of Taglia- 
 dura, a young Neapolitan, came into our land ; he was then 
 a blithe and gallant youth, and we were right dear to each 
 other, and many a mirthful adventure have we had together. 
 But, God knows, his mirthful days were soon over ! He 
 became more and more silent day by day, and I soon per- 
 ceived that he was possessed by an unhappy passion for the 
 Countess Alearda. At first, truly, this developed itself after 
 no sad or gloomy fashion. He approved himself the noblest 
 and most graceful of dancers, runners at the ring, and 
 hunters ; while he was, at the same time, very magnificent 
 in fetes, water-parties, angling-expeditions, and all things 
 
50 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 whatsoever that he could imagine, pertaining to pomp and 
 to fair pleasures. To win the love of that oxaltod lady — 
 oh no ! so mad and vain a fantasy can never have been suf- 
 fered for a moment to overcome the wisdom of his spirit. 
 He was but as one of yonder poor insects." 
 
 And once more Hauteroche looked thoughtfully upon 
 the flames, as they sported around their winged victims. 
 At last he proceeded : — 
 
 " Rinaldo and I were bedfellows. Oftenlimes was I 
 wakened by his burning sobs ; and when I cried out to 
 him, and demanded wherefore he so bewailed himself, he 
 was ever wont to answer that it was but a troublous dream. 
 Truly, the feverish heart of the unhappy knight lay ever in 
 a troublous dream ; and at last ho poured forth all his sor- 
 rows into my faithful bosom. Great heavens ! what was 
 there then that he did not attempt in order to render some 
 high and knightly service to the beauteous lady? But, 
 God knoweth the reason thereof, no opportunity was at 
 that time afforded. Then at length he departed, and no 
 man knows whither he went ; but were it not too wild and 
 nhildish a fancy, I could almost believe that he had melted 
 away in sighs like the nymph of heathen fable, and that 
 now from yonder woods and valleys he retui'ns a mournful 
 echo to the songs of despairing love." 
 
 Arnald was touched to the heart ; his tears flowed freely. 
 
 Then Guy said, very softly, " Ah, Maraviglia — but be 
 not thou wroth with me again — ah, Maraviglia, were I 
 I'ver to behold thee weep as wept the unhappy Rinaldo, 
 methinks my heart would burst asunder." 
 
 Much moved, the troubadour clasped the faithful youth 
 in his arms, and said — " No, thou loving spirit, have no 
 such fear for me ! Greatly as the fate of thy poor Kinaldo 
 has affected me, there is not one drop of his blood in my 
 veins; and, in mine own proper being and nature, I under- 
 stand not his grief. For what cause is there for weeping 
 and complaining, as long as one is reckoned worthy to 
 serve a noble mistress ? As well might I consume myself 
 
MIXSTREL LOVE. 51 
 
 in sorrow becaiLse I cannot grasp yonder glorious star. 
 Behold, it shines upon me — is not that enoagh ?" 
 
 Calm and satisfied, the friendly-hearted Guy lay down 
 to sleep ; but Maravlglia gazed long in cheerful wakeful- 
 ness upon that sparkling constellation which bore in hi-, 
 pure heart the name of Al';arda. 
 
 (2^aptcr Scnt^. 
 
 O iN the following morning the troubadour wa-S wakened by 
 the friendly voice of his commander. 
 
 " Lord of Maraviglia," said the vicomte, who was already 
 on his horse, and glittering in bright array, "I pray you 
 to ride forth with me awhile. There are many matters 
 whereof we may commune by the way." 
 
 Quickly and joyfully Amald made ready at his word, 
 and they rode onward in the fragrance of early dawn. 
 Their course tended directly towards the enemy's quarter ; 
 the general was desirous of insijecting it more closely, 
 and he justly believed that the composed and rapid glanc<; 
 of the minstrel would be very serviceable to him in this 
 labour. During the whole forenoon they continiif;d riding 
 from eminence to eminence, careless of the b ilts and fire- 
 balls which were occasionally hurled against them from 
 the Saracen camp, where a close watch had been kept on 
 their proceedings from the first. AVhen the sun stood 
 nearly in mid-heaven, a JNIoorish horseman, clad entirely 
 in black, came at a bounding pace over the green plain, 
 not far from the two Provencals. 
 
 " Methinks yonder warrior is he whose white Arab thou 
 art now riding," said the vicomte ; and Arnald advanced 
 towards the stranger at a light trot, expecting to receive 
 a challenge. The Moor did indeed pause for a moment, 
 looking earnestly upon the forms of his two antagonists; 
 but then, as tliough his mind were occupied by far weightier 
 
 E 
 
52 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 matters, he spurred past them with the speed of a whirl- 
 wind. 
 
 " His face was as that of a young hero," said Arnald, 
 as he returned to his leader's side. " His eyes gleamed 
 like two dark but beautiful fires, and he sate his noble 
 charger right bravely and knightly ! And nevertheless 
 he hath made no effort to win back his steed of me. I 
 comprehend him not." 
 
 " It can scarcely have been the same," replied the 
 general, after a moment's thought. " Ay, and now that 
 I call it to mind, he bore not those bright devices on his 
 breast whereby the rider of the white Arab was distin- 
 guished. So much the worse is it for us that Tarfe 
 should possess two such sable horsemen : for he also 
 whom we have just seen — true was your word, my 
 minstrel friend — wore indisputably the aspect of a hero, 
 tall, youthful, and valiant." 
 
 Meanwhile Arnald's attention was attracted by a hill 
 which commanded an excellent view of the very heart of 
 the enemy's position ; and the two friends galloped eagerly 
 to its summit. The view of the Moorish camp was here 
 both extensive and distinct ; even the minutest particulars 
 were discoverable by the keen glance of their practised 
 eyes. The Saracens had been diligent in the work of 
 fortification, which was peculiarly strengthened around 
 the spot now under consideration ; further in the back- 
 groimd, they were erecting strong and ornate barracks 
 for their captains, while the edifice prepared for Tarfe 
 resembled a massive castle : on its loftiest battlement 
 was paraded a gigantic crescent, shaped of virgin gold. 
 The vicomte and Arnald looked very gravely upon each 
 other. 
 
 " It is all as I feared," said the general iit last : " they 
 are not easily to be unseated. Firm and strong as yon- 
 der forts and dwellings will Tarfe plant the foundations 
 of a heathen empire on our coasts. O Maraviglia, on 
 the coasts of our glorious, flowery, minstrel-land of Pro- 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 53 
 
 vence! Yet a few days, and yonder Moorish encamp- 
 ment becomes a citadel : safe beneath its protection, fresh 
 troops of Saracens shall effect a landing, and then the foe 
 may fearlessly venture to press onwards. If he be re- 
 pulsed, he has a safe retreat at hand ; if he conquer, he 
 erects a second fortress some leagues in advance, and so 
 goes on, deeper and deeper, into the very heart of the 
 country." 
 
 " My heart bleeds that I cannot answer no," replied 
 Arnald. 
 
 " And can it, must it, shall it be that a new Moorish 
 empire shall thus arise?" cried the general, lifting up his 
 hands to heaven • — ■ " a new serpent lying in wait upon the 
 shores of Christendom ! Arnald, methinks neither thou nor 
 I shall survive it ; and that thought is a comfort, though a 
 poor one. If a mosque arise on the soil which covers our 
 graves — if upon its walls our honourable weapons — " 
 
 His words broke oiF in a stifled and gloomy murmur, 
 like distant thunder. He drooped his head and was silent. 
 
 " Come what vnll," said Arnald, " there must be many 
 battles ere such a day." 
 
 "Yes — thanks be to God! — my gallant troubadour," 
 replied the vicomte, more cheerfully. " Let us consider 
 how we may best begin them." 
 
 They rode back to the Christian camp, revolving many 
 weighty schemes not as yet developed in words. 
 
 They were met by two young Provengal peasants from 
 the villages which were hemmed-in by the rear of Tarfe's 
 camp. These brave and wary youths had effected their 
 escape in order to fight beneath the banner of their fellow- 
 V!hristians. 
 
 In answer to the vicomte's inquiries, they related that 
 the enemy maintained most strict and orderly discipline, 
 and even permitted them to celebrate the worship of God 
 in the true Christian manner. Scarcely even were provi- 
 sions demanded of them, for the Moorish vessels abounded 
 with stores of all kinds ; and if occasionally some trifles 
 
R4 
 
 MINSTBEL LOVE. 
 
 wore requisite, they were purchased eitlier by bright gold 
 Vloces, or obtained in barter, with reckless profusion, by 
 wares far more noble and costly than themselves. " In 
 short, my honoured lord" — in these words one of the pea- 
 sants concluded his narrative — "thus far might we be well 
 content to seek no change. Nevertheless, foreign masters 
 must ever be foreign masters ; even their gentleness is 
 but as condescension and pity. But when once they begin 
 railing, chattering, and grumbling together in their hea- 
 then language, the last little spark of enduracce is at once 
 extinguished, and men have nought left but to do as we 
 have done, and hasten to join the brave Provengals who 
 fight for Christ and fatherland." 
 
 " Yours is the right faith," replied the gallant Bisiers, 
 pressing warmly the speaker's hand. He then commanded 
 that they should be furnished with arms and horses, and 
 hospitably entertained. Grasping Maraviglia by the arm, 
 he led him aside into a thicket of plane-treeS. 
 
 "Mark you now," said he, "how sagacious is this 
 Tarfe, and how deliberately he sets about his scheme of 
 conquest! God, who sees my heart, knows well that it 
 is pierced and wounded by every pain that afflicts my 
 countrymen. But, in honest truth, Amald, one of my 
 hopes was, that the foe would so waste and desolate our 
 land as to rouse at length the spirits of Provengals and 
 stir up the whole people to war. The enemy is, how- 
 ever, more wary ; and all hearts are not so strong as 
 those of the courageous youths with whom we spake but 
 now. What then, Arnald?" 
 
 " Battle ! storm !" replied the minstrel, with glowing 
 cheeks. " Be the cost what it may, choice is no longer 
 left to us." 
 
 " But our infantry is weary even to death ; shattered 
 too in its best strength by Lanzarossa's rash heroism." 
 
 " A charge, then, with the horse, on the enemy's camp 
 in the depth and darkness of night !" 
 
 " Over bastions and trenches ?" 
 
MIIfSTREL LOVE. 53 
 
 " Over mountains and torrents, if it needs must be so, 
 when honour is in question ! JIany tvUI fall, but many 
 also will prevail ; this attack may perchance he baffled, 
 but others shall succeed. The balance of gain and loss is 
 here quite unequal ; the gain is a decisive victory — the 
 loss a misfortune which faith and courage may hereafter 
 repair." 
 
 "Spoken as if from mine own heart!" cried the vi- 
 comte. " How does such an echo give life and gladness 
 to resolution !" 
 
 They issued forth upon the plain once more, and Guy 
 of Hauteroche, not observing his general's presence, sprang 
 eagerly forward to meet Mara\-iglia, and exclaimed, " Ah, 
 my dear Amald, where hast thou been tarrying so long? 
 Trust me, my heart has been right heavy on thine ac- 
 count." He suddenly perceived the vicomte, and ^rith 
 a. courteous apology for having disturbed an interview of 
 such importance, immediately withdrew. 
 
 "How comes he to call thee so familiarly by thy 
 name?" asked the vicomte, smiling. "He is, and ever 
 must be, the giddiest scapegrace in the whole army." 
 
 "So think not I," returned Maraviglia, gravely. "In 
 hmi there dwells a fountain of warmth, faith, and sym- 
 pathy, such as can rarely be found, in equal measure, even 
 among those who stand highest in the opinions of their 
 fellow-men. Had he addressed me thus familiarly only in 
 the outpourings of his own glad and frank nature, where 
 would have been the evil? Moments of deep emotion 
 have drawn the like words even from my general. But 
 last night I myself offered brotherhood of arms to the 
 kindly-hearted Guy of Hauteroche. 
 
 The vicomte looked down, and was somewhat embar- 
 rassed. "Truly," said he, "minstrels must be, even as 
 they are reported to be, more free and open of heart than 
 -other men ; I have never clearly comprehended these bro- 
 therhoods ; and very few of them have 1 hitherto adopted 
 in my life." 
 
56 MINSTBBL LOVE, 
 
 " I very many, thanks be to God!" replied Arnald; 
 " if after-life did not always correspond with that moment 
 of enthusiasm, still could it never rob me of the moment 
 itself. The bud continued to swell within me, and else- 
 where and after another fashion expanded into the fruit, 
 which had at first been checked and blighted." 
 
 " If such be your temper, you must needs have made 
 many friends, and of widely differing characters," said the 
 vicomte, with a smile. 
 
 " It is true," replied Arnald ; " but thanks be to God, 
 I am conscious that I have never estranged from myself a 
 single heart, by weakness, vacillation, or arrogance. Many 
 are the faults which lie heavy upon my life ; but of such a 
 fault, not even the far shadow." 
 
 " I feel that you are both good and brave," replied the 
 vicomte, "though often much unlike myself. Give me, 
 then, your true right hand, and aid me to dispose all things 
 for our night-attack quietly and vigorously." 
 
 (S^aftiv ®kf)tnt^. 
 
 Slowly and noiselessly the troops of the cavalry-banner 
 traversed the plain, beneath the rising darkness of night; 
 they made for the watcbfires of the enemy ; but the cap- 
 tains alone wore acquainted with the object of the sally. 
 The great difficulty was, that in order to attain that point 
 where the defence offered by the unfinished fortifications 
 was weakest, they were compelled to defile beneath the 
 foot of the mountain, along a valley so narrow, that the 
 squadrons were constrained to break their ranks. Arnald 
 received the especial and weighty charge of commanding 
 the rear; for the vicomte believed him to be capable of 
 marshalling the troops in array more swiftly and securely 
 than any other. 
 
 Now, beneath the black skies of midnight, he followed 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 57 
 
 the tramp of the foremost column, so dazzled by the rays 
 of the heathen watchflres, near which they passed, that he 
 could scarce tell whether he was riding along the height 
 which bordered the ravine, or through the vale below. 
 Frequently the former appeared to him to be actually the 
 case ; but, convinced that the vicom te could never select 
 this line of advance, which terminated in a steep preci- 
 pice just at the very point where they should reach the 
 place of attack, he concluded that his senses had de- 
 ceived him, and rode forwards with hopeful and bound- 
 ing heart to the bright but perilous hour of crisis. 
 
 The Saracen warders gave challenge ; silently the troops 
 marched on ; the challenge was repeated, and immediately 
 afterwards Arnald heard the plunge of the foremost squa- 
 drons, and their exulting cry, "Vive Provence!" rang 
 through the night-air. But, directly in front of Arnald, 
 all was still. Fireballs and darts hissed thick as hail 
 among his ranks ; and from time to time arose the plain- 
 tive cry of the wounded. " Be still ! Be still '." cried 
 Arnald, to the impatient troops behind him. " Soon will 
 the word be given, and then shall we fall upon the Moors, 
 and crush them yet more eifectually than we did of late 
 by the sea-coast." 
 
 But the closely-ranked division before him still stood 
 immovable ; while the havoc of the enemy's firo among 
 his troops became every moment more terrible. An angry 
 laugh broke from his Ups, and he strained his utmost 
 power to discover some way by which he might reach the 
 foe. Close beside him he perceived what seemed to be a 
 deep abyss. " By my faith, we are on the ridge," he mur- 
 mured to himself, in a suppressed voice ; while at the same 
 moment, from the opposite side, he beheld the gleaming of 
 a thousand Provenjal helmets in the light of the Moorish 
 watchflres, as their wearers fled in frantic speed; before 
 and around him all wavered and staggered, and at last fled 
 at full gallop, bearing him onward against his wiU. 
 
 " Stand, Provenjals, stand !" cried he, almost in the 
 
58 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 fury of despair; but right and left tliey rode against his 
 Arab steed ; and, in order to escape being overthrown and 
 crushed, he was compelled to follow the stream of that 
 irrecoverable flight, — or rather, he had neither will nor 
 choice. The wild tumult, and his terrified steed, swept 
 liim onwards ; and his voice, once so powerful in the joyous 
 shout of onset, was drowned by the clamour of midnight 
 defeat. The shrieks of the wounded, some lying helplessly 
 on the earth, some dragged along clinging to stirrups, 
 mane, or bridle, mingled fearfully in the general outcry. 
 
 At length the bewildered rout reached an open place ; 
 on all sides the captains might be heard shouting, " Halt !" 
 By degrees the ranks began to resume their order ; now 
 one, now another, and at last all simultaneously, till, in a 
 little while, the squadrons once more presented themselves 
 in battle-array, and most of the wounded, being placed on 
 litters, hastily constructed of crossed lances, were con- 
 ducted to a place of safety in the rear. 
 
 Guy of Hauteroche was despatched in advance, at the 
 head of a few Hght horsemen, having it in charge to ascer- 
 tain, as well as he could through the darkness, whether 
 the enemy would risk a sortie in pursuit ; and also, if pos- 
 sible, to rescue the wounded who were left on the ground 
 from which they had just been driven. 
 
 Arnald scarcely yet knew what had happened. He 
 stood still at the head of his re-marshalled squadron, as if 
 oppressed by some ghastly dream, but still clinging to the 
 hope that the enemy would sally forth upon this open 
 plain, and so give the brave Provencals an opportunity of 
 atoning for their confused midnight flight by a chivalrous 
 onslaught ; but all remained quiet ; the vicomte was no- 
 where to be seen, and fears for his safety weighed heavily 
 on the breast of Maraviglia. 
 
 Arnald was now accosted by a veteran captain, who 
 wore a mighty beard upon his lips and chin, and was 
 named Messire Misura ; he loved the minstrel right well 
 in consequence of some incidents which had befallen in the 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 59 
 
 late battle, and he now said, warmty gi"asping hi? hand, 
 " ^Vell was it that the vicomte withdrew you for once from 
 your wonted post in front, amid the bands who led the 
 assault ! How might it have been with you now ? — Either 
 you would have shattered limb and nerve in that fearful 
 plunge over the precipice, or the foe would easily have 
 despatched you by the clattering hail of their javelins. No, 
 verily thou seemest to me too noble for such a fate." 
 
 '• Tell me, in God's name, brave ^lisura," interrupted 
 Arnald, " what meant that mad flight, like the chase of 
 the \\ i!d huntsman ? Did we indeed ride along tLe steep 
 clift', instead of going through the ravine ?" 
 
 •■ So was it in truth,"' replied Misura ; •• and when we 
 charged at the cry, ' Vive Provence I" we plunged one over 
 another dovm the hollow way. and lay there in the light of 
 the watchlires, easy and helpless marks for the weapons of 
 the heathen. I was one of those whose good steeds rather 
 sUpi>ecl than fell down the precipice, and so we gathei'ed 
 ourselves up together, and hewed vigoi-ously right and led. 
 us you did of late on the sea-coast. But what availed such 
 a handful of men in the midst of the whole wakened camj) 
 of the Saracens ? ^^'e could only congratulate ourselves 
 on being able once more to clamber up the heights ; but 
 there stood all our people as if planted in the earth ; Be- 
 hind, you lu-ged them impatiently omvards, and the fore- 
 most i-anks could now cleai-ly distinguish the nature of the 
 precipice before them, having witnessed our ftdl. Then 
 tlie foe showered his bolts upon us right lustily ; and truly 
 those captains who caused their troops to gallop back to tlie 
 oi>en ground, did what was wisest. At first, indeed, I mis- 
 liked the movement ; but I became reasonable alter a while, 
 and did for my ovra part what was not to be avoided," 
 
 " Then our troops were not put to flight by the shots 
 and javelins of the heathen !"' cried Arnald, '■ Now, praise 
 and thanks be to God ! But where is the vicomte ?'" 
 
 "Dear friend."' ans\\ered Misura, '"it is very likely 
 that he has died the death of a hero. He was in the front 
 
CO 
 
 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 rank; and when I set upon the enemy, I could see him, by 
 the light of the rushing balls of Greek fire, lying beneath 
 his fallen horse. Since then I have nowhere been able to 
 discover him." 
 
 " Follow me, comrade; we will seek him," said Ar- 
 nald, and placing his helmet firmly on his brows, he laid 
 strong grasp upon his sword. 
 
 " Of what avail should that be ?" replied Misura. 
 " The gallant Hauteroche has been already despatched in 
 that direction, and certainly he will do all that is possible. 
 Moreover, ought you and I to forget that we are captains 
 of squadrons, for whom we must answer to the whole land 
 of Provence, much more than for the life and death of a 
 single hero 1" 
 
 "You are right, Messire Misura," replied Amald, 
 somewhat abashed ; and he remained standing calmly and 
 composedly, though given up to very sorrowful thoughts. 
 
 "Noble sir," said Misura, after a brief pause, "this 
 accursed and inactive tarriance is not more pleasing to 
 me than to you ; but there is no help for it. Pledge me, 
 therefore, I pray you, in this flask — it is filled with the 
 best wine of our dear fatherland." 
 
 Amald declined his courtesy for the present ; the life 
 of his spirit was troubled by many painful thoughts. But 
 Misura muttered to himself somewhat displeasedly, " What 
 the fiend, when an honourable comrade oiFers you a draught 
 of wine, do you doubt and hesitate? Wherefore have 
 we, then, ridden side by side when there was warm work 
 around us, if we are not likewise to drink together 1" 
 
 "It is true, I confess it, Misura," replied Arnald, and 
 pledged him with a smile. 
 
 It seemed as though that health, drunk in truth and 
 simpleness of heart, had appeased the demons of the wild 
 midnight ; for at that very moment the vicomte's voice 
 was heard answering the challenge of the outposts. He 
 soon appeared, still somewhat exhausted by his terrible 
 fall from the precipice. Guy of Hauteroche had rescued 
 
MINSTREL LOVK. 61 
 
 rim, and now supported him on his horse, holding him 
 ^rmly by the arm. As, however, they approached the 
 troops, the vicomte desired him to withdraw his grasp, 
 placed himself by a great eiFort firmly and uprightly in 
 the saddle, and rode up and down the ranks, conversing 
 familiarly both with soldiers and captains ; reminding all 
 that their coward foe had not once dared to pursue them, 
 and that had they been able to come hand to hand, as they 
 did formerly on the sea-shore, most certainly the victory 
 would have been theirs. 
 
 He then caused the cavalry to re-enter the encamp- 
 ments. This movement took place amid mirthful songs 
 and full chorus of trumpets. Arnald was filled with joy- 
 ful astonishment in perceiving how much of the true and 
 victorious ardour of a whole army lies in the strength and 
 self-possession of a great general. 
 
 The martial foresight and ready address of the vicomte 
 caused that the captains of infantry should be speedily and 
 minutely informed of the occurrences of this night ; so 
 that no panic might paralyse their ranks at so unhappy 
 a misadventure, still less should they indulge in murmurs 
 against the valiant horsemen. 
 
 " If any man have erred," said the true-hearted Bisiers- 
 to all with whom he discoursed, "it is I; for I mistook 
 the entrance to the valley, and so rushed down from the 
 mountain-ridge with those brave men who led the attack. 
 But, methinks, in the depth and darkness of this night, 
 with no guidance save that of the enemy's dazzling and 
 bewildering watchfires, another might easily have fallen 
 into the like error." 
 
 This cheerful and loyal spirit soon spread throughout 
 the whole army. On the morrow the troops looked not 
 
C2 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 like men who had just sustained a disaster; unclouded 
 gladness, and bold victorious defiance shone upon every 
 brow : and Arnald took great pleasure in contemplating 
 the brotherly affection wherewith horse and foot soldiers 
 walked to and fro, arm linked within arm — the one not 
 boasting of his past perils, the other taking no pride in 
 being exempt from share in his failure. Careful, almost 
 reverential attendance on the wounded, and heartfelt vows 
 of vengeance against the Saracens, employed and united 
 the whole camp. 
 
 Nevertheless, from this time forward the war assumed 
 another and a gloomier aspect. Before it was possible to 
 meditate a second attack on the position of Tarfe, his en- 
 campment had, as the vicomte prophesied, become a cita- 
 del. No course was left but to set vigilant watches upcm 
 all the passes communicating with the plain, and to make 
 all ready for meeting the first sally of tlie Saracens, sviford 
 in hand, with joyful alacrity. 
 
 But even the bravest warriors, when unable to dis- 
 cover any outlet for their valour, incline at length to de- 
 spondency and impotent murmurs. Arnald himself felt 
 tliat the burden of this wearisome indolence was heavy. 
 Though his heart was filled with brotherly affection for 
 his comrades, even this could not quiet his longings after 
 sights and sounds more in accordance with the joyous 
 spirit of his art. It is true that from time to time he sang 
 stirring war-songs to his companions ; but the greater and 
 fairer imaginings of his spirit- — many old and wondrous 
 legends which he had purposed embodying in verse, and 
 various other bright visions — all these things could find 
 no place here ; and never did a genuine feeling of pleasure 
 visit his heart, save when the scattered sorties of daring 
 Moorish cavaliers summoned the squadrons to arms. Ne- 
 vertheless, even in seasons of the most cheerless inaction, 
 he was wont to speak fiery and rousing words to the 
 knights and squires — words such as banished doubt, and 
 gave \i ings to hope, even though they might seem strange 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 63 
 
 and unintelligible to some of those who heard them. Thua 
 did he aid in chasing back the overhanging mists ; and 
 he was especially successful in animating the horsemen of 
 his own squadron, who were wont to gather around him 
 in a close circle whenever important news, or reports that 
 seemed important, reached the camp. 
 
 After the same manner did the vicomte labour in his 
 far loftier and more comprehensive sphere. Wherever his 
 hero-countenance was seen, joy, confidence, and patience 
 spread around ; and often he purposely encouraged petty 
 skirmishes in order to reanimate the ardour for battle and 
 victory, and to break the shadows of that deedless tarri- 
 ance. These jousts often became serious contests, from 
 the bitter feeling on both sides ; and, indeed, in days of 
 less blood and terror, they might have been denominated 
 battles. We will not follow our friend through every ad- 
 venture of the kind ; only thus much let us note, that the 
 love and esteem in which his general held him rose every 
 day to a higher degreo, and that his comrades and sub- 
 alterns — aanong whom Guy of Hauteroche and Mcssire 
 Misura remained especially close to his heart — attached 
 themselves to him with glad and increasing confidence. 
 On one occasion Misura said to him, "This war must some 
 day have an end, my brave troubadour, and then will you 
 depart from our ranks : but neither now nor ever will I 
 consent to be irrevocably separated from you. Should we 
 both survive, I must visit you hereafter, and behold the 
 life which you lead among your books and parchments, 
 and lyres of various kinds." 
 
 Such demonstrations always brought a rich gift of re- 
 freshment into the breast of Maraviglia ; yet was his spirit 
 ever brightest within him when he sank down on his grassy 
 couch, cushioned with leaves and moss, and when, heralded 
 by the evening benediction of clarions and trumpets, the 
 fair star Alearda came forth from the shadows of the clouds. 
 "God be praised," was he then wont to say in prayer, 
 " that it is allotted to me to practise that hardest kind of 
 
■64 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 chivalry which is without glory and outward pleasure, when 
 I speak strength and confidence to the hearts of my soldiers ; 
 and thou, Father in heaven, give me henceforth grace and 
 strength for the work. Sometimes, also, thou bestowest 
 on me right gloriously the happier chivalry, and givest 
 the bright sword into my hand. Praise be to thee for all 
 things, thou gracious Father in heaven !" 
 
 Then seemed it to him as though a white and shining 
 angel closed his weary eyes, and whispered in flute-like 
 tones a blessing on his head. 
 
 It was not till the summer approached its close that the 
 Saracens were seen to come forth from their fortifications 
 in any considerable number. Their infantry formed in 
 compact masses, under cover of which convoys laden with 
 Greek fire proceeded to the summits of the most com- 
 manding heights. Their cavalry, having driven in the 
 Proven5al outposts, stood now in long and glittering ranks 
 upon the plain. Tlie vicomte almost indulged a hope that 
 a decisive battle was about to take place. The archers of 
 both armies began to exchange their airy missiles. 
 
 The figure of the proud and princely Tarfe was easily 
 to be distinguished on the heights. Richly adorned, his 
 turban flashing with gems, and surmounted by a soaring 
 plume of heron's feathers, he spurred his noble chestnut 
 horse, so that it bounded lightly and gracefully from troop 
 to troop, closely attended by the two young heathen war- 
 riors whose black vestments and knightly bearing have 
 before been noticed. Arnald's keen eye soon recognised 
 the numerous shining devices embossed on the breastplate 
 of the one, and he doubted not that to-day the mastery 
 of his fair white Arab would be seriously disputed. And 
 even so would it surely have been ; for the young Moorish 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 65 
 
 horseman seemed to recognise his good horse at a distance, 
 and shook his curved scimitar menacingly in the air, while 
 Amald returned the defiance by waving his bright and 
 beautiful sword, straight as a sunbeam. 
 
 But at that moment the impatience of a Moorish oiRcer 
 changed the face of the day. Observing that Tarfe had 
 withdrawn towards the rear, . in order to make a more 
 advantageous arrangement of the Greek fire-bearers, this 
 m.an conceived the idea of winning for himself the whole 
 glory of conquest by a sudden charge of cavalry. He 
 hurried to the banner of horse, and gave the signal for 
 attack. The horns sounded, and forward rushed the Moor- 
 ish squadrons in their gleaming array. 
 
 The troops of Provengal horse were still marshalled, 
 rank behind rank, ready to form themselves in whichever 
 direction they might be attacked by the foe ; and possibly 
 it was this disposition which excited the Saracen leader to 
 so rash a movement, and so vain a hope of victory. But 
 the vicomte, well knowing the ability of his captains and 
 their followers, resolved that the troops should deploy in 
 line as they charged, so as not to tarnish the honour of Pro- 
 vence, even by the semblance of a moment's delay. His 
 war-cry sounded, and the whole body thundered, rapidly 
 but in order, against the enemy. Maraviglia grasped his 
 sword in both hands for very joy, and lifted it towards 
 heaven in a brief but enthusiastic prayer of consecration. 
 Then he resumed the ordinary posture of a horseman, his 
 heart swelling with proud hope ; beneath him his slender 
 Arab steed neighed exultingly, playing lightly with the 
 rein, and scarce seeming to touch the ground. 
 
 The unexpected alacrity, the exulting speed of this 
 charge, appeared to have disconcerted the Moors. Some 
 of the squadrons, moreover, were discouraged by painful 
 doubts when they missed their prince and his two knightly 
 companions at their head ; they began to pause, to waver, 
 and the result was such as may be easily foretold by any 
 one familiar with the nature of a cavalrv-eharge. The 
 
66 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Moorish lines turned, and galloped in frantic flight towards 
 tlie narrow mountain-passes ; while the Provengal cavalry- 
 sprang after them in swift pursuit, shouting aloud for joy. 
 
 Nevertheless, it was soon needful to check that eager 
 and victorious charge. Right and left, crossing showers 
 of darts from the sheltered infantry rained upon the Chris- 
 tian squadrons, while the deadly hissing of Greek fire blazed 
 through the air. The ground, too, beneath one division of 
 the Proven9al troops was so moist and insecure, that their 
 horses could obtain no footing. Arnald, while pressing 
 onward to observe more closely the shameful flight of the 
 enemy, was brought to a sudden halt, the forefeet of his 
 noble Arab being absolutely embedded in the bog, so that 
 it was with difficulty that his master e.xtricated him, and 
 guided him to a safer place. Some words of murmuring 
 escaped his lips almost unconsciously ; but at that moment 
 a fireball came whizzing downwai-ds upon the very spot 
 where he had just stood, and was extinguished in the wet 
 meadow-grass. 
 
 " Messire of Maraviglia, that was aimed at you ! " cried 
 several of his startled horsemen ; and Arnald besought God, 
 in silence, to pardon his senseless murmurs. 
 
 The vicomte still hoped that the foe might once again 
 venture forth from his fastnesses ; but there was a motive 
 yet stronger which induced him to halt in his present po- 
 sition. He was desirous of making it clearly manifest to 
 both armies that the Provencals had won the fidld from 
 the Moors, and knew also how to maintain it. 
 
 But tlie JMoors came not again. After so complete a 
 discomfiture, Tarfe held it best to defer the projected battle 
 to a more favourable day. Yet there went around a fear- 
 ful report that, in the first outburst of his fury, he had, 
 with his own hand, cloven asunder the skull of his rash 
 subaltern. 
 
 While the Christians yet awaited the event, the vicomte, 
 as he rode to and fro along the ranks, came up with the 
 squadron of the troubadour just as the latter, in order to 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 67 
 
 keep alive the spirit and ardour of his soldiers, sang, with 
 clear and powerful voice, the following words : — 
 
 Now welcome, Sir Arrow, that fliest so brave, 
 
 Cleaving the air as a bark cleaves the wave ; 
 
 Proudly and swiftly thon soarest indeed ; 
 
 There is fear in thy sound, there is death in thy speed : 
 
 Yet pause in thy headlong career of blood ! 
 
 Thou art but a thing of iron and wood ; 
 
 Lowly thou liest on earth at last, 
 
 The strength of thy terrible flight is past; 
 
 Peace to thy slumber, so powerless and deep ! 
 
 We can lift thee up in that senseless sleep. 
 
 And hurl thee back in the fece of the Moor, 
 
 Slaying the lord thou didst serv* before ! 
 
 Oft hast thou sped on the hurrying wind, 
 
 Mad in thy haste, in thy fury blind ; 
 
 Instead of the breast thou wert sent to wound. 
 
 Showering the innocent earth around ; 
 
 Boastest thou now of thy deathful fame ? 
 
 Aha, go hide thee in helpless shame ! 
 
 Thou hast shed no blood, thou hast pierced no breast ; 
 
 P«ace to thy deep and powerless rest ! 
 
 Or if a brave heart bleed and die. 
 
 Thou strikest thy victim unconsciously — 
 
 No prompting mind and no judging glance ; 
 
 As a blind man gathers a gem by chance !^ 
 
 The horsemen laughed ; and one even, whose arm was 
 at that moment stricken by a holt, said merrily, " See 
 there — I have had a hlow from the accursed blind one!" 
 
 The vicomte gazed well pleased upon the minstrel and 
 his youthful troop. 
 
 A fireball came hurtling and blazing through the air, 
 
 1 This singular little poem appeared to me to be completely untrans- 
 lateable. In the Imitation which I have hero substituted, I have attempted 
 to preserve something of the quaint and grotesque humour of the original, 
 «-ithout degenerating into the purely ludicrous ; hut I am very douhtfo. 
 w'hether I have in any degree succeeded, 
 r 
 
68 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 and struck the earth at no great distance. While it was- 
 in the very act of bursting, sputtering and streaming with 
 flame, a small bird fluttered upwards close beside it, sing- 
 ing, as he soared, a careless and gladsome song, as though 
 the whole matter were nothing to him ; he flew on, mer- 
 rily flapping his wings, and warbling in ceaseless glee, till 
 he disappeared in the blue depths of heaven. 
 
 " There goes an emblem of thyself, valiant trouba- 
 dour," said the general : " when the thunder roars and 
 the lightning hisses around thee, thou abidest cheerful and 
 fresh in song, and seemest, by thine untroubled gladness, 
 to be the child of some fairer home than ours." 
 
 Arnald could have desired to feel that these words 
 were indeed and literally true ; for they were contradicted 
 by many a dark hour of his past life. Nevertheless, this 
 he felt, that they were applicable to the present moment, 
 and therefore deemed he that there was somewhat of 
 truth in them on the whole. 
 
 Meantime the Moors, instead of making a second sally, 
 had gradually withdrawn to their entrenchments ; and the 
 vicomte therefore wheeled round both horse and foot, and 
 led them back to the camp himself, riding slowly apart, 
 and gazing in deep thought from his own ranks to the 
 position of the enemy. 
 
 A LITTLE while afterwards, the commander-in-chief sum- 
 moned all his captains to his tent ; and Arnald of Mara- 
 viglia received an especial intimation that his presence was 
 desired. When he entered, he found the vicomte standings 
 completely armed in mail overlaid with rich golden plates, 
 a morion lying beside him, from which the high-soaring 
 plumes towered almost to the full height of their lofty 
 owner. He leaned, with a kindly smile on Iiis lips, 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 69 
 
 against a very ancient sword, whieli he held peculiarly 
 dear and precious, as an inheritance from his earliest 
 ancestors. Arnald felt as though he were gazing upon 
 some enchanted warrior fi-om the days of Charles Martel, 
 the great conqueror of the Moors. 
 
 "Knights and captains," — ^thus spake the vicomte when 
 all were assembled, — " I have a great and weighty boon 
 to ask of you. Ye must not, however, resolve concerning 
 it out of your kind love towards myself j but whatsoever 
 shall happen must be the work of clear and deliberate 
 conviction, willingly and cheerfully delivering into my 
 hands the weal and freedom of our fatherland." 
 
 They gazed upon him somewhat amazedly ; and, after 
 a short pause, he thus proceeded : 
 
 " How long shall the golden crescent of the infidel 
 sparkle upon our noble and far-famed coasts? I know 
 we are all agreed that it is unavailing to attack his po- 
 sition : therefore must some other means be devised ; and 
 such, I think, I have found. If ye will trust me right 
 deeply, valiant brothers in arms, I will challenge the 
 Moorish prince Tarfe to single combat, each to be armed 
 according to the fashion of his own country ; and then 
 shall the question be decided whether the host of Tarfe 
 shall take ship and abandon for ever all attempts upon 
 our coast — " 
 
 He stopped suddenly, and looked thoughtfully on the 
 earth ; then Arnald, thrilling with secret horror, de- 
 manded, "Or else — ^my general- — or else? I pray you 
 name to me the alternative !" 
 
 " Maraviglia," replied the vicomte, " no great deed 
 was ever yet effected, in the opposite scale whereto there 
 was not a fearful or else." 
 
 "Such deeds, however," said Amald, " have ever been 
 victoriously achieved by the general power, or have buried 
 beneath their ruins the general life of a whole nation." 
 
 "Not always," answered the vicomte. "Remember 
 nonie and Alba, the Horatii and Curiatii!" 
 
70 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 The troubadour was silent, and fell into deep thought. 
 
 " My comrades and fellow-countrymen," resumed the 
 vicomte, "it is no vain ambition, no rash and self-suffi- 
 cient audacity, which prompts me to crave this boon at 
 your hands. But ye are yourselves witness how the foe 
 has built his eyrie among us ; how ship after ship, from the 
 Moorish shores, comes to swell his legions troop by troop ; 
 how he pauses and pauses, that at length he may burst 
 forth upon us in overwhelming force ; and how our hopes 
 of succour are far, uncertain, and shadowy. Believe not, 
 valiant troubadour, that I would stake all upon a single 
 cast ! Could I do so, even if I dared ? Many warlike and 
 pious men of Provence are there who belong not to this 
 army, and who can be bound neither by thy will, nor by 
 mine. Moreover, our pledge to Tarfe shall only be, that 
 if God withholds the victory from my sword, we will de- 
 part for this season from Provence, reserving to ourselves 
 a right of returning and doing battle for our mother earth, 
 to the death." 
 
 " If he should consent — " said Arnald, musingly, and 
 checked himself. 
 
 "Agreed, then, gallant Maraviglia!" cried the vicomte : 
 " wilt thou do mine errand to Tarfe on these conditions?" 
 
 Arnald bent his head in silent assent. Immediately 
 all the knights and captains declared tlieir acquiescence in 
 the proposal of their general; and the following morning 
 was fixed for delivering the challenge. 
 
 When Arnald departed to his tent, in order to make 
 ready his arms and adornments, the gallant Misura fol- 
 lowed him, and asked, " May I be permitted to accom- 
 pany thee as herald ? I understand right well the blowing 
 of a trumpet, and might also serve thee in other ways." 
 Arnald wrung the powerful hand of the experienced war- 
 rior, in token of joyful consent. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 77 
 
 Brightly arrayed, as on that mom when he spurred his 
 good roan steed over the frontier of his fatherland, Arnald 
 presented himself before the vieomte at the hour of early- 
 dawn, accompanied by Misura, who craved, and readily 
 obtained permission, to join the projected embassy. " Dull 
 that I was," muttered Guy of Hauteroche to himself; " why 
 did it not also occur to me V 
 
 The vieomte meanwhile contemplated his graceful mes- 
 senger with visible satisfaction ; at length, however, he 
 said, " Thou wearest but spurs of steel, Messire Maraviglia 
 — hast thou by evil chance broken or lost thy golden spurs 
 in charging against the Moorish infantry 1" 
 
 " No man hath as yet held me worthy to receive the 
 knightly accolade," replied Arnald ; " how, then, should 
 I wear the knightly spurs V 
 
 " In God's name, then," cried the vieomte, " I wiU not 
 abide an instant longer in the number of those forgetful 
 men who have so long withheld from thee such a jewel. 
 Kneel down, Messire Arnald of Maraviglia !" 
 
 There ran a suppressed whisper of approbation along 
 the lines of surrounding knights. Full of deep and joy- 
 ful emotion, the troubadour did his leader's bidding; at 
 the same moment, well versed in the rules of knighthood, 
 he ungirded his sword, and laid it beside him on the 
 grass. 
 
 And the blade of the hero touched his shoulder, and the 
 solemn words sounded upon his ear : " For the honour of 
 God, and the fame of noble ladies, draw thou henceforward 
 thy knightly sword !" 
 
 As the new-made knight arose, Guy of Hauteroche, 
 having hastily unloosed his own golden spurs, bent joy- 
 fully before him, and said, "Let others forestall me in 
 other things ; this honour shall no man take from me, that 
 
72 
 
 MINSTKHL lOVE. 
 
 I am the first to clasp the golden spurs upon thy heel, my 
 hero and minstrel; wear them, I pray thee, during thy 
 lifetime in memory of me!" As he fulfilled his noble 
 office, Misura once more girded Arnald with his good 
 sword. " Glad were I to ofiiar thee mine own weapon," 
 cried he ; " but thine hath ever borne itself too nobly to 
 be lightly exchanged for another." 
 
 While Arnald yet stood in silent and thoughtful joy, 
 in the midst of congratulations and good wishes from the 
 knights and warriors around, the exulting neigh of his 
 white Arab arose on the air, and the noble animal bounded 
 so high aloft, that it was scarce to be restrained by the 
 squire's hand. " See, this is my first essay of knight- 
 hood!" cried Arnald with enthusiasm. " Thanks, noble 
 general and commander ; thanks, my beloved Guy ; tlianks 
 to ye all, my dear friends and comrades ; to thee, brave 
 Misura, I need say no more — even in the first moment 
 we are companions." 
 
 Misura nodded affectionately; q,nd the friends swung 
 themselves into their saddles, and flew, swift as the wind, 
 across the meadow, followed by the esquire of Arnald. 
 
 When they were riding side by side somewhat more 
 leisurely, as they entered the windings of a cool and shady 
 woodland, Arnald said : " I am neither a child nor a 
 woman ; and I know right well that I have in no wise 
 been made better by the accolade and the golden spurs 
 than I was two hours since ; nevertheless, Misura, my 
 heart bounds far more highly and niore proudly ; ay, and 
 I will confess to thee, that when just now I questioned 
 mine esquire concerning some trifle, and he replied, ' Yes, 
 sir knight !' a thrill of true pleasure shot through my soul. 
 It may be somewhat childish, but so it is." 
 , "And so it must be, sir knight of Maraviglia," replied 
 Misura earnestly. " What ! shall Ihe servants of God, 
 amid the heavenly host, be distinguished from each other, 
 as archangels, thrones, dominion?: and shall not we rp- 
 joice in the glory of our earthl]' distinctions? He in 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 73 
 
 whose eyes the knightly morion is but as a fool's battble, 
 carries the fool within him ; I mean, that he is himself a 
 fool : and for him a beggar's bonnet would also inevitably 
 become a fool's bauble. Wherefore, also, should our great 
 forefathers, wherefore should our glorious princes, have 
 shed forth blood and life to plant the order of knighthood, 
 and many another fair institution of honour, if he who 
 achieves them finds not his inmo.st heart truly exalted 
 thereby? — ay, and if he feels not that the beams of a 
 bright and purifying light have penetrated both soul and 
 ' body ? Let those scowl and look askance hereat, who feel 
 no strength within themselves for the attainment of high 
 and holy things. Great honours come from God, and 
 descend deeply into the spirits of all true-hearted men, 
 filling them with humility and joyfulness." 
 
 " O my God," cried Arnald, breathing up a joyful 
 sigh towards heaven; "could but the glorified knight, 
 Walter de Vergi, my noble instructor and friend, behold 
 this moment ! In him truly have I lost a rich and fathom- 
 less fountain of pure delight. Yet do I believe that he 
 knows of this hour." 
 
 " Assuredly he does," answered Misura. " Think you 
 that our good God would withhold so choice a morsel of 
 happiness from one of his elect ?" 
 
 Arnald could not restrain a smile at the singularity of 
 the expression ; but, nevertheless, he felt with profound 
 emotion that it was the vehicle of a deep and prophetic 
 truth. 
 
 They now issued forth from the woods upon a small 
 plain at the foot of the mountains, and beheld the (»ut-posts 
 of the Moorish camp at no great distance in advance of 
 them. The sentinels exchanged signals, and darted from 
 every side with arrowy speed towards the new-comers, 
 poising their javelins for the cast. But Arnald waveij 
 above his head a slender olive-branch which he had 
 plucked upon his sylvan journey ; and Misura, taking from 
 his shoulder the silver trumpet, wound a long and sus- 
 
74 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 tained blast, which naused the field to re-echo with the 
 power of its melody. Then the Saracens halted and held 
 counsel together. Slowly and with reversed javelin — the 
 many-coloured plumes that were wont to wing its flight 
 now floating harmlessly towards the foe — a single Moor 
 rode forwards and held parley with Amald, who was well 
 versed in the Arabic tongue, concerning his embassy. Then 
 he despatched a soldier to Tarfe, and entreated the three 
 Provengals to avert their eyes from the disposition of the 
 Saracens, lest they should make any observation which 
 they might afterwards employ to the disadvantage of the 
 Moorish army. 
 
 Familiar with so fair and wise an ordinance of war, 
 they readily complied with the request ; and the adverse 
 horseman now conversed with Arnald in a very friendly 
 manner, praised his accoutrements, and finally remarked, 
 " Your horse I know right well. It escaped from the noble 
 cavalier Gryba when our infantry was so mishandled on 
 the promontory near the isles of Hieres, and he was car- 
 rying a wounded man out of the tumult." 
 
 "It is true," replied Arnald ; "and shall I meet the 
 noble cavalier Gryba — is not this his name ?" 
 
 The Moor nodded an affirmative. 
 
 " Shall I meet him in the tent of Prince Tarfe ? If so, 
 two errands can be done by a single journey." 
 
 "You will not now meet with him," said the Moor. 
 " Several days ago was he despatched ; but we know not 
 whither nor to what end." 
 
 "Doubtless," returned Arnald, "he is sent to bring 
 fresh succours from Andalusia or Granada." 
 
 "Sir," replied the Moor, "if I knew it to be so, it 
 would ill become me to acquaint you with the matter." 
 
 Arnald praised the cautious warrior, and now dis- 
 coursed with him of Arabic lays and fables, and other plea- 
 sant things. In the years of early youth he had greatly 
 delighted in the conversation of foreign ambassadors or 
 prisoners of war. Such peaceful communings in the midst 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 73 
 
 of liattles were especially pleasing to him, giving to war 
 the aspect rather of a joyous contention wherein the cham- 
 pions were not at enmity with each other ; and though the 
 root of this strife against the heathens lay far deeper than 
 that of any ordinary war, yet even these were also men, 
 and of this, at all seasons, he was glad to be reminded. 
 Moreover, at such interviews, deep and significant were 
 the visions that arose before his spirit. "If on the mor- 
 row" — thus was he wont to reflect — " we meet as foes, and 
 one of us should, after a valiant encounter, slay the other, 
 and should then recognise in him the man with whom 
 but yesterday he held such friendly intercourse, then the 
 clear loving light of heaven will shine irresistibly through 
 earthly storm-clouds upon his moved and mourning heart. 
 War and peace, wrath and love, the pride of conquest 
 and the pain of death, enter into u strange but perfect 
 union ; and the memory of that moment remains a solemn 
 and a blessed thought through the who]e after-life." 
 
 The Moorish messenger now returned with Tarfe's orders 
 that the ambassadors should be conducted to his presence. 
 Then the horseman of the watch, in pursuance of the rule 
 of war before noticed, bound thick veils around the heads 
 of the Provenjals, and led them thus blindfolded up to the 
 elevated camp-castle of their prince. 
 
 During their darkened ride, Arnald and Misura could 
 hear shouts of merriment, accompanied by the clash of 
 meeting wine-cups, now to the right and now to the left. 
 It seemed as though the whole army lived but to sing and 
 to revel. Yet did the thought occur to those experienced 
 knights that all this noise and tumult was but temporary, 
 and was caused by a desire to impress them with great 
 thoughts of the mirthful life and exulting spirit of the 
 
76 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 Saracens ; and they gave no heed therefore to the sounds 
 of festivity. 
 
 Their horses were stopped, their veils loosened, and they 
 found themselves before the abode of Tarfe. Around them 
 strong embankments of earth, and barriers of felled trees, 
 were constructed ; while immediately before them arose a 
 light and lofty edifice of wood painted in various colours, 
 the walls decorated with many strange and tortuous shapes 
 composed partly of flowers and partly of the heads of ani- 
 mals : the huge golden crescent upon the roof glittered in 
 the eyes of Arnald, producing an almost painful sensation. 
 Misura gazed with burning cheeks and flashing eyes on the 
 heathen symbol of Mahometanism, and muttered to him- 
 self, " Came I not hither as a herald, yonder thing should 
 have shone its last, though the deed cost me my neck.'' 
 
 In the mean time the doors of the lower hall were flung 
 open, and they beheld Prince Tarfe lying in an attitude of 
 careless repose, on a pile of cushions covered with carpets 
 of purple flowered with gold; he was clad in garments of 
 ■snow-white muslin, a turban of the same material was 
 wound around his brow ; behind, and on either side of his 
 couch, stood a group of knights in armour, covered with 
 various adornments. Above his head was suspended a broad 
 scimitar, gleaming with precious stones, and a light circu- 
 lar shield, painted in green and gold. He held in his left 
 hand a golden lyre of singular form, on which he struck 
 some scattered chords ; when, however, Arnald and Misnra 
 dismounted from their horses and advanced towards him. 
 he gave the instrument to an attendant, and, courteously 
 saluting them, raised himself to a sitting posture, at the 
 same time requesting the two ambassadors, in tolerably 
 good Provencal, to take possession of two seats which were 
 prepared for them in the European manner. 
 
 " A good messenger," said Arnald, bowing his thanks, 
 " thinks not of repose till he has fulfilled his errand. And 
 well know I, noble and knightly prince, that I bear you a 
 message which you have long desired to receive. Our great 
 
MINSTBEL lOVE. 77 
 
 commander, the Vicomte Bisiers, invites you to decide the 
 fate of the enterprise which you have undertaken against 
 this fair land by single combat with him, in the presence 
 of both armies, each champion to be armed according to 
 the custom of bis country." 
 
 "Praise be to Mahomet!" cried the knightly Tarfe, 
 leaping up from his couch with a joyful countenance. But 
 soon he cast himself again upon the cushions, and said 
 calmly: "But give me to know, most noble Christian, 
 does the vicomte bind himself, if conquered, to deliver up 
 to me this land with all its people, to have and to hold for 
 «ver?" 
 
 " The Provengals are slaves to no man, and the vicomte 
 could not so promise, if he would !" cried Amald, his eyes 
 gleaming with anger. The strong right hand of Misura 
 closed almost convulsively upon the bare battle-axe which 
 hung at his side. 
 
 "Ay, then," continued Tarfe, with a haughty smile, 
 " what shall I gain by my victory ? Or did you perchance 
 mean a contest of life against life, and fame against fame? 
 For that also I am ready. But if it be so, sir knight, 
 methinks you have delivered your message somewhat in- 
 distinctly." 
 
 " By no means," returned Amald, with difficulty re- 
 straining his fiery indignation. He then related all tliat 
 had passed in the Christian camp on the previous evening, 
 and concluded thus : " If you esteem it of doubtful wisdom 
 thus to risk the greater against the less advantage, consi- 
 der. Prince Tarfe, that he who desires to conquer a country 
 fights only for his own fancy; while he who defends it 
 draws his sword for all that is dear and holy to him upon 
 earth. A warrior so consecrated dares not be magnanimous 
 in his conditions. In your game, it is a matter of indifier- 
 ence how much you are pleased to stake — or, rather, the 
 more the better ; so shall the tale sound more fairly in the 
 ears of the ladies of Seville and Cordova." 
 
 The eyes of Tarfe flashed like wildfire, but he controlled 
 
78 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 himself and replied : " You are right, in a certain measure. 
 But say to the Vicomte Bisiers that I hope here, in Pro- 
 vence, to relate many things to the ladies from Seville and 
 Cordova. We will hold here a festal banquet after the fall 
 of your leader ; and all the young and fair of Andalusia 
 and Granada shall be bidden as guests." 
 
 "That is in the hands of God," said Arnald. "Will 
 you now inform me when and where you propose meeting 
 the vicomte ?" 
 
 Tarfe was on the point of answering, when a young 
 knight in black garments stepped forward, whom Arnald 
 immediately recognised as the same whom, on a former 
 occasion, he had mistaken for Gryba. Though the beard 
 was yet budding upon his lips and chin, stiil the grave 
 benignity of his somewhat sunburned countenance, the 
 calm fire of his dark eyes, and above all, the stately deci- 
 sion of his whole bearing, spoke of the spirit of a grown 
 man in the form of a mere youth. With few words, and 
 a respectful but not servile inclination, the knight craved 
 permission of his prince to recall something to his mind 
 in private. 
 
 " Speak openly here, Balta : the stranger may and shall 
 be a witness," said Tarfe, with an air of some dissatisfac- 
 tion. 
 
 "So be it," replied the youth with calm earnestness. 
 " Then must I remind j'ou that there are but few among us 
 whom you call servants. Many, like myself, have followed 
 you of free will, in the pursuit of fame and honour, but cer- 
 tainly not in order to stand by as witnesses while you con- 
 quer or lose the land of Provence in single combat. On 
 the whole, yonder noble messenger has spoken truth ; the 
 conqueror stands not on the same footing with the defender 
 of the soil, and may therefore readily risk much against 
 little. But you are not the only man here who desires to 
 conquer, and therefore it behoves you to take council with 
 others ere you decide." 
 
 The face of Tarfe glowed fearfully beneath the white 
 
MINSTKEL LOVi!. 79 
 
 folds of his turban. Balta met his eye with a steady and 
 gentle gaze, and leaned in quiet expectation upon his sword, 
 which, to the surprise of Arnald, was not crooked, accord- 
 ing to the Saracen fashion, but straight like the weapon of 
 a Christian knight, and furnished with a hilt suitable to its 
 form. 
 
 The prince and the Moorish warrior remained silent 
 during several minutes. At last — and it might easily be 
 seen how hard a struggle it had cost the prince's haughty 
 heart — al last Tarfe smiled again, and said: 
 
 "Truly Gryba could have left no fitter deputy than 
 yourself^ you bear yourself as though you were his twin 
 brother — hungry as a wolf when honour is in question." 
 
 " I have nothing in common with a wolf," returned the 
 youth, composedly, " neither do I hunger after the pos- 
 sessions of others. But the property of honour belongs, I 
 trust, to me as well as to my companions." 
 
 "Oh, you are yet worse than Gryba!" cried Tarfe. 
 "Well do I know it. He would at least have become 
 impatient with me ; he would have spoken quick and ve- 
 hement words, and the flush of anger would have passed 
 across his open countenance. But you stand there tran- 
 quil and composed, like one who must needs be in the 
 right from beginning to end ; so be it. Gather the voices, 
 then, and bring me the result !" 
 
 Therewith he led the two ambassadors forth by the 
 other side of the building, to a carpet of green turf, which 
 was roofed over in a most graceful manner by branches of 
 the olive, the tamarind, and other fair trees abundant in 
 those parts, forming a high and leafy dome, like the vault 
 of a castle-hall. 
 
 "Thus would they gladly bend and bind us Provencals 
 in their service !" whispered Misura to Arnald ; while Tarfe, 
 either not hearing or not choosing to hear the words, invited 
 the two to place themselves upon one of the fair turf-seats 
 which stood around, while he himself sat down between 
 them. He called for refreshments, and appeared unusually 
 
80 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 friendly and well satisfied,, suppressing with remarkable 
 power every trace of his late and scarce-extinguished wrath. 
 But Misura, for that very reason, regarded him with a side- 
 long glance, at once vigilant and distrustful ; much as one 
 might watch a tiger who rubs his gay-spotted skin gently 
 and good-humouredly against the bars of his cage, and 
 stretches out his sharp claws if the keeper withdraws but 
 for a moment. 
 
 Boys, richly attired, now oifered them sherbet and 
 choice fruits ; when, however, they approached Misura, he 
 said, somewhat displeasedly : 
 
 " Prince Tarfe, these viands like me not: but I would 
 gladly drink a cup of right fiery wine." 
 
 Tarfe smiled ; at a signal from him the youthful attend- 
 ants brought the noble wine of Xeres, sparkling in its 
 crystal flasks, and foaming in the tall, elaborately carved 
 glass goblets. The prince himself testified that he kept 
 not too strictly the rules of Mahomet, for he drank to the 
 envoys right courteously, and Misura felt pleased and satis- 
 fied at heart. 
 
 " When we have prevailed on a guest to partake of our 
 food and our wine," said Tarfe, with graceful courtesy, "it 
 is permitted to inquire his name and rank. Tell me, then, 
 ye noble messengers, what names bear ye among your 
 countrymen ?" 
 
 Scarcely had he heard the name "Arnald of Mara- 
 viglia," when he plucked hastily a bough of laurel from 
 the stem nearest at hand, twined it rapidly into a sort of 
 wreath, and placed it upon the minstrel's brows. 
 
 " Oh, see," said he, smiling, " how rightly did you say 
 but now that I should have many tales for the ladies of 
 Cordova and Seville. For how will they rejoice, and how 
 will they gaze upon me, when they learn that Messire Ar- 
 nald of Maraviglia hath eaten and drunk at my side ! I 
 know that the dames of many Christian lands gladly listen 
 to your strains, and honour you with the name of their 
 minstrel an;l servant; but we also are not wholly unfamiliar 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 81 
 
 with the lays of Provence, and fame must doubtless have 
 acquainted you with the grace and accomplishments of our 
 ladies." 
 
 " Methinks I ought to answer you in song," said Amald,, 
 all glowing with pleasure ; " but the moment is well-nigh- 
 too solemn." 
 
 Tarfe once more contemplated him from head to foot 
 with an admiring smile, and then turned to Misura, who 
 gave his name dryly and abruptly, nay, almost sullenly. 
 
 " Oh, your name is also well known to us," cried Tarfe, 
 his eyes flashing with a sterner light. " Our ladies also will 
 learn it, when Gryba bears them word how many of their 
 most favoured lovers lie slain by your heavy battle-axe! 
 Well indeed — that we know — well hath Sir Arnald's sword 
 done its work ; but thou, Misura, with thy sharp axe, 
 seemest like the accredited herald of Death himself!" 
 
 "Nay, sir," muttered Misura, " I strike quickly and 
 fairly ; nevertheless, I am no deathsman with his murderous 
 axe." 
 
 " I desired not to offend you,'' said Tarfe, somewhat 
 abashed. 
 
 " I believe it truly," returned Miswa ; " but it has often 
 disturbed me that, because I am somewhat larger of stature 
 and stronger of limb than other men, and because fighting 
 comes naturally to me, therefore am I regarded as a kind 
 of bloodthirsty ogre, and they would fain scare children 
 with my name. But children are too wise for them ; they 
 look clearly and fearlessly into one's eyes, and many a time 
 hath a dear little cherub sat laughing in mine arms, and 
 playing with my beard." 
 
 As he said these words there came so true and kindly 
 an expression into his honest countenance, that Tarfe in- 
 voluntarily pressed his hand in some emotion. But craft 
 and vigilance speedily resumed their ascendancy over the 
 prince. He observed with satisfaction that Misura emptied, 
 the goblet before him at a single draught, and soon after, 
 in absence of mind, swallowed also the contents of that 
 
82 MINSTREJ, LOVE. 
 
 which stood by the prince ; and the pages now received 
 a sign to provide the gigantic soldier with incessant sup- 
 plies of wine. It was possible that in the confusion of the 
 moment some important intelligence might be obtained 
 from him. Arnald, perceiving the danger, endeavoured 
 to warn his comrade ; but in vain : cup after cup of the 
 fiery wine did Misura drain in mighty draughts. But 
 however abundantly the glowing stream entered his lips, 
 there issued from them no hasty or inconsiderate word : 
 calm and clear as before was the light of his large blue 
 eye, neither was there any flush perceptible upon his 
 cheeks. 
 
 At length Balta appeared, bowed to the prince, and 
 said with his wonted calmness and cheerfulness of de- 
 meanour, " I congratulate you, noble prince ; I am out- 
 voted, and you have won the day. It now only remains 
 for you to determine when and where you will appoint a 
 meeting with the Vicomte Bisiers, in order to contend with 
 him to the death for the mastery of this beautiful land." 
 
 " Does this disturb you 1" inquired Tarfe. 
 
 "Allah forbid!" replied Balta; "I am only desirous 
 that all should be disposed in becoming order." 
 
 " Well, then, noble Arnald of Maraviglia," cried Tarfe, 
 "greet your gallant commander from me, and say to him 
 that to-morrow morning early, between the hours of eight 
 and nine, I will await him in the field whicli is called, in 
 the language of the country, ' The golden meadow.' " 
 
 Arnald bowed, and returned through the open halls of 
 the camp-fortress to the place where his horse was tied. 
 Tarfe then desired his Moors not again to bind the eyes of 
 tlie envoys, for that the question was now no longer con- 
 cerning skill as generals, but concerning honourable valour 
 us knights, hand to hand. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 83 
 
 The sun of the appointed morning slione briglitly from 
 the blue heavens upon the flowery 'golden meadow;' 
 Arnald and Guy of Hauteroche on the Provenjal side, 
 Balta and another Moorish warrior on the part of Tarfe, 
 measured the area for combat, and so arranged it that the 
 disadvantages of sun and wind should be equally divided, 
 as is the manner of honourable warfare. Meantime from 
 afar the two noble champions were seen to approach, each 
 attended by a splendid retinue. On the heights the Sa- 
 racen army, on the wide plain the Christian forces, stood 
 with glittering arms and expectant faces, as solemn spec- 
 tators of the contest. As Arnald and Balta paced side by 
 side during the execution of their office, the eyes of the 
 troubadour fell again upon his companion's sword, shaped 
 after the fashion of a European knight ; and Balta, who 
 had observed his wondering gaze, inquired what occa- 
 sioned it. 
 
 "That you wear not a Saracen sabre," replied Ar- 
 nald. " Is yonder weapon, perchance, a trophy won in 
 battle?" 
 
 " No," returned Balta, smiling ; " it resembles not in 
 this the noble white Arab which your esquire holds yon- 
 der by the glittering rein, and concerning which you will 
 have to answer to my friend Gryba at the sword's point. 
 My falchion was shaped in Seville ; the steel thereof was 
 tempered in Damascus ; but I chose this form out of the 
 pleasure which I took therein : methought that the crooked 
 blade was akin to a serpent, but the straight sword to a 
 sunbeam." 
 
 " I read an augury of good therein, young and cour- 
 *ous knight," said Arnald. 
 
 " How so ?" 
 
 " Nay, when it is fulfilled, I will remind you thereof; 
 
 G 
 
84 MINSTREL LOVE, 
 
 but if my foreboding and hope have deceived me, we should 
 try in vain to understand each other." 
 
 Balta seemed about to make some reply, but the illus- 
 trious combatants now came near on either side. The four 
 umpires of the strife sprang to their horses and hastened 
 to assume their posts, each being stationed at an angle of 
 the square which had been meted out for battle. Such 
 were the boundaries that marked the space ; no other lists 
 had been provided. The suites of the two generals re- 
 mained at such a distance that their respective armies could 
 behold the combat freely on all sides. Courteously salut- 
 ing each other, the two heroes rode upon the field. Not- 
 withstanding a certain degree of resemblance in loftiness of 
 stature and nobility of bearing, it was impossible to behold 
 a greater contrast than that which they presented in arms 
 and accoutrements. The vicomte and his panting steed 
 were almost entirely covered by plates and scales of gold ; 
 the visor — of somewhat unusual form — concealed the fea- 
 tures of his heroic countenance ; on his arm he displayed 
 an ample shield, shaped like a heart, emblazoned vidth the 
 bearings of the house of Bisiers ; while the redundant and 
 waving plumes which crested his helmet, towered aloft so 
 as almost to double the height of the wearer. He bore no 
 lance ; for he well knew that the Moors used not that 
 weapon as did the Europeans for tilt and tourney ; but his 
 drawn sword was ready in his gauntleted hand — long, broad, 
 stainless, and glittering. Opposite to him, clad in a light 
 but closely -fitting cuirass, composed of silver scales, the 
 Prince I'arfe reined his slender courser ; whose bright Isa- 
 bel-colour, undisguised by any heavier caparison than a bri- 
 dle so slight and a saddle so small as to be almost invisible, 
 seemed absolutely to shine across the field. It might almost 
 have been supposed that the gallant animal had no guide 
 save the wUl of his rider. In his right hand the prince car- 
 ried two javelins, ebony-shafted, and pointed with double- 
 edged steel; on his thigh glittered a magnificent sabre, and 
 he seemed to wear his small and variegated shield, which 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 85 
 
 ■was painted with many strange devices, rather as an orna- 
 ment than as a defence. 
 
 As if inquiring whether the moment of onset had ar- 
 rived, Tarfe waved and poised in the air one of his javelins, 
 the vicomte signed in the affirmative, and the light weapon 
 took flight. It rehounded, indeed, from the forehead of 
 the mailed war-horse, yet the animal started aside from 
 the stroke, and reared high in the air. It seemed that 
 the prince had attained his object. With the rapidity of 
 thought he circled around his adversary, and, from the left 
 side, struck with his swiftly-drawn sabre so terrific a blow 
 upon the closed helmet that a portion of the visor was 
 shattered, and the face of the vicomte became visible, his 
 ■eyes sparkling with anger. Ere he could again subdue his 
 lofty charger, by voice and spur, Tarfe had reached, with 
 a light springing gallop, the further extremity of the area, 
 saying at the same time, with a laugh : 
 
 "I was desirous to begin by looking you in the face, 
 fair sir !" 
 
 " Pride goeth before a fall !" cried the ■vicomte, thun- 
 dering upon the prince with a charge so rapid and resist- 
 less that there was not a moment left to escape from its 
 fury ; but Tarfe bent in his pliable armour, till his head 
 nearly touched the ground, without, however, leaving the 
 saddle, and the terrible stroke of the vicomte's sword 
 hissed harmlessly through the air. Meanwhile the agile 
 Saracen was again erect in his seat, and suffering his sabre 
 to hang from his hand by the scarf which suspended it, he 
 poised his second javelin, as if preparing to hurl it against 
 his foe. When, however, the vicomte approached him 
 •closely, he wheeled suddenly around, and performed a 
 thousand voltes and caracoles, his antagonist vainly en- 
 deavouring to come hand to hand with him, till both rider 
 and horse glowed beneath their weighty armour. Arnald 
 began to dread that this exhausting trial of skill might 
 at last snatch the victory out of the hero-grasp of the 
 Christian knight. " Oh, how hard !" sighed he to himseUj 
 
86 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 " how very hard it is to stand by idly gazing on a contest 
 wherein heart and life itself are engaged ; and how can I 
 ever come into my lady's presence, with the miserable in- 
 telligence — ' Your mighty lord was slain by the Saracen — 
 and I stood calmly by !'" 
 
 Meanwhile Tarfe hurled his javelin ; it was well aimed, 
 for it whizzed forwards in a straight line towards the spot 
 where the cleft vizor had left bare the hero's eagle-glance ; 
 but the good and knightly sword cleft it as it flew, so that 
 the severed halves of the weapon were whirled in opposite 
 directions across the battle-field. It might be seen, by 
 the resistless fury wherewith Tarfe now sprang upon his 
 adversary, that he had greatly trusted to this cast. Each, 
 at the same moment, without attempting to cover himself, 
 aimed a mighty stroke against his antagonist. Arnald 
 thought that Tarfe's scaly cuirass must surely be crashed, 
 and his breast cloven asunder ; but the fine links of elastic 
 steel had not been penetrated by the blade ; while, on the 
 other hand, the sabre of Tarfe had severed the joints, be- 
 tween harness and gorget, and blood began to trickle forth 
 from the opening, down the vicomte's right shoulder. 
 
 The prince seemed desirous of resuming his former 
 game, but he began visibly to waver in his seat ; his fiery 
 horse no longer obeyed the rein; his face became paler and 
 paler every moment. The vicomte advanced towards him 
 with lifted sword ; then Tarfe dropped the point of his 
 sabre, and said, with a painful smile, "Hold, my brave 
 foe ; it is enough already ;" and at the same moment the 
 young and graceful hero sank gently from his horse, 
 amid the flowers and grass of the meadow. Inexpressibly 
 noble and beautiful was he to look upon, in the closely 
 clinging scales of his armour, which displayed every 
 motion of his shapely form. A few drops of blood welled 
 forth from his pallid lips. The gallant Bisiers checked his 
 foaming steed, and cried out to the four umpires of the 
 combat, " Hither, gentlemen ; aid, if it may be, to rescue 
 and heal this hero-prince !" 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 87 
 
 All sprang lightly from saddle and stirrup, and en- 
 deavoured to raise the fallen knight with gentleness ; but 
 Tarfe motioned them to desist, whispering, in a scarcely 
 audible voice, "Forbear! forbear! ye do but give me un- 
 necessary pain !" 
 
 " Where lies your wound ?" inquired Balta, with un- 
 shaken calmness, seeking to undo the links of the hau- 
 berk. 
 
 " I have no wound," replied the prince ; " my good 
 armour hath turned aside the edge of the falchion ; but 
 my breast is crushed, even to death, by the weight of 
 that terrible blow. Be still ; only be still — have patience 
 but for a moment : it will soon be over. And thou, 
 Balta, take heed that my word of honour is not brokenl 
 I mean, in the matter of retreat and departure ; thou 
 knowest I pledged my honour for ye all. Great prophet 1 
 let no man dare to say, that honour keeps not watch 
 beside my grave." He looked up in Balta's face, with 
 an anxious and supplicating expression ; and the young 
 Moor replied, his eyes overflowing with burning drops, 
 " Trust to me, and sleep in peace !" 
 
 Then Tarfe smiled right cheerfully, and whispering, 
 almost playfully, " Gryba, truly, will somewhat chide ; 
 but say to him, that I bore me honourably !" — he closed 
 his majestic eyes, and breathed forth, from a mortal body, 
 the sublime spirit of a hero. 
 
 Balta sank beside him on the earth, and wept in 
 silence. When Arnald turned to seek his general, he be- 
 held the vicomte close behind him, sitting on his lofty 
 horse, and gazing forth from his cloven visor with a 
 countenance so earnest and solemn, that the remembrance 
 of the ancestral spirit at Castle Bisiers shot through the 
 mind of Amald with wondrous vividness; and he be- 
 thought him, with a thrill of reverence, how that mid- 
 night apparition had foreboded victory. 
 
88 MINSTKKL LOVB. 
 
 <3()ttp(cv eifl!)fcciu(). 
 
 Silently and mournl'iiUy had tlm Moors oiubdrkiul, 
 under tlio oonduot ofBaldi; lluir suila wore no longer 
 visible on tlio horizon. Thi> Provi'niial army <lutorniiniHl, 
 liot'oro it should disperse and rotire, eiuOi nu\u to his 
 dclivorod homo, to otl'iT u)) a general thnnksgivinj;-, in tho 
 vi'uoniblo miuslor beside tlio blue lakes, and al'torwards to 
 hold a toast ofviotory on tlie plain before Castlo Bisiors. 
 
 To tho sound of clarion luid trumpet, with mirthful 
 songs, and bnnnei's flying- aloi't. the exulting bund marehed 
 on through villnges and cities, and beneath tho battle- 
 ments of stately castloa ; wherever they passed, ehuplets of 
 flo\\ers and erowns of laurel were showered upon tlieir 
 heiuls, and maidens in tho bloom of youth gieuted thani 
 with song; mothers lituul up their iufiuils to gaze on tlia 
 intrepid warriors ; eager children gambollod around their 
 path, nuniicking- in sport the bi'iiring of soldiers; aged 
 iuen and honourable matrons slrelchad forth thuir hands 
 to hoiivQii, in praiso to tho (lod of nrniies ; and most jnslly 
 did every bright coronal of honour shine in tenfold glory 
 around tho brow of the gallant and victorious vieonite. 
 
 Afl tliey drew nearer to tho mhister, thojubileo of their 
 merry war-songs melted gradually into a choral strain, 
 polenui and holy ; and even tho mirth of the places 
 through which they passed began to usanmo a dill'erent 
 aspi'ct. Thoy wcro no longer entertained with reckless 
 hospitality, and revelry bordering on excess, but with 
 tranquil, serious, and thankful rejiasls, such as might iitly 
 rennnd them of that high and holy feast which is the 
 especial privilege of Christians ; and they wen^ followed in 
 their progress by u multitude ofeitizens, chid iii festive 
 garments, crowned with wroatlis of olive, and nndcing the 
 nir resound with tlieir psalms of praise. 
 
 Tho following strain aroso in tho heart of Arnold ; and. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 89 
 
 when he sang it to a well-known measure, it speedily- 
 spread along the whole procession : — 
 
 Holy is our God ! 
 Holy is our God ! 
 The Lord, the Lord Sabaoth ! 
 
 Deeds great as those which Egypt saw 
 His mighty hand can work at will ; 
 
 And tiE the last great day of awe 
 
 That hand shall work such wonders still I 
 
 Beneath the Red Sea*s wave of yore 
 His death full many a tyrant found ; 
 
 And still, in seas of ruddy gore. 
 
 Earth's godless tyrants oft are drown' d. 
 
 The cloudy pillar erst arose 
 
 For many a hunted wanderer's eyes ; 
 
 And still, in pain, or want, or woes. 
 Its wondrous shape shall oft arise. 
 
 Age after age, revolving thus, 
 
 The marvels of our God return ; 
 Still Heaven more brightly shines on us, 
 
 As nearer draws the last dread bourne. 
 
 Look up ! look up ! To faithful eyes 
 
 God's starry characters appear ; 
 Look up ! Eternal suns arise. 
 
 Piercing the night ; soft, strong, and clear ! 
 
 Manifest mystery ! blessed ray ! 
 
 Our guide to shining seats above, 
 Where, death's brief darkness past away. 
 
 We view Thy wonders and Thy love. 
 
 Holy is our God ! 
 Holy is our God ! 
 The Lord, the Lord Sabaoth ! 
 
 They stood in front of the lofty minster. Again, as 
 
90 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 before on the eve of departure for battle, the warriors 
 dismounted from their horses. By this time the infan- 
 try had come up ; and the assembled band of conquerors 
 now paced side by side along those magnificent aisles 
 which were already thrilling from end to end with the 
 organ's solemn tones. Before them were borne the cof- 
 fins of two young knights who had fallen, with great 
 honour, in the first battle on the sea- coast. Their en- - 
 tombment had been deferred in hope of so fair a day as 
 the present ; and now, before the faces of their brave com- 
 rades, those two young and honoured corpses were lowered 
 into the famous vault sanctified by the presence of so many 
 sleeping heroes and sages; their descent being timed to 
 the melody of a soft requiem sung by the voices of young 
 maidens. 
 
 That mute craving for the tomb which is sometimes 
 wont to overshadow the hearts of pious minstrels, breathed 
 upon the spirit of Arnald from the soft and solemn notes of 
 the requiem. Nevertheless, he lifted up his heart joyfully 
 in life and strength when he saw his Altarbol advance, 
 with eyes full of heavenly inspiration, to celebrate the 
 mass. And in a high gallery exactly opposite to the 
 troubadour, surrounded by richly attired maidens, ap- 
 peared the lofty ladye Alearda, simple in her magnM- 
 cence; her eyes and hands lifted up in thankfulness to 
 Heaven, bearing with them towards the better home the 
 thoughts of every pure-hearted beholder. 
 
 " O favouring God," sighed Arnald, with enthusiasm, 
 "hast Thou, in the abundance of Thy mercy, suffered me 
 to behold the solemnisation of this victory, and to behold 
 it thus!" 
 
 He was lost in the feeling of his own unworthiness, and 
 of the Divine mercy. He could do nothing but strive to 
 rouse and cherish again and again the sacrificial fire upon 
 the altar of his heart; and when he could not kindle thereon 
 a flame sufiiciently bright and transparent, he did but look 
 upward to the face of that prayerful ladye, and immedi- 
 

 ' Tarfe waved and poised in the air one of his javelins. " 
 
 p. 85. 
 
MINSTKEL LOVB. 91 
 
 ately his whole spirit was thrilling with the strength, tne 
 purity, and the joy of paradise. 
 
 The service of God was at an end ; the troops reas- 
 sumed their order, both horse and foot; Alearda had 
 already gone forth on her way to Castle Bisiers. 
 
 In the midst of the plain appointed for the feast of victory 
 rose a gentle eminence overshadowed by a few tall bay- 
 trees. Here had the choicest decorations been lavished ; 
 and here were placed seats of turf, whence the Vicomte 
 and Alearda could overlook the gay, countless, and va- 
 rious throng beneath them. 
 
 The whole plain was already echoing with the sound 
 of songs and of harp-strings. Here was to be seen a group 
 of dancers within a circle bounded by slender trees over- 
 hung with wreaths of green leaves ; there, warriors and 
 peasants were gathering around the richly laden board, 
 and many a blushing village-maiden was drawn with 
 courteous violence to her seat; aged men, with bright 
 and cheerful countenances, sought for themselves a re- 
 tired and convenient resting-place beneath the cool shade 
 of the foliage, whither they might be observed carrying 
 flasks of sparkling wine ; noble knights and ladies, in fes- 
 tive attire, walked to and fro amid the merry multitude, 
 dispensing their friendly greetings on every side. 
 
 And now the noblest pair of that festival appeared on 
 the hiU. They were hailed by a chorus from all the trum- 
 pets ; the dancers paused ; and those who sate at the board 
 or beside the wine -cup arose simultaneously: there was 
 not a single eye which gazed not upwards to the mount 
 sparkling with gratitude and joy. Caps, hats, and wreaths 
 were tossed in the air on every side ; and the joyous shout 
 of "God save the victorious Vicomte! God save Alearda 
 
92 JIINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 the fair !" rose from the flowery plain, till it rang through? 
 the blue and sunny welkin. 
 
 Close beneath the hill stood Arnald, irradiated by the 
 glory and grace of Alearda as she bowed her head to the 
 multitude with lofty kindliness, and her beautiful fac& 
 beamed with reverential joy at the victory. Amid her 
 dark tresses glittered a circlet of gems and dewy roses, 
 which seemed to have been cherishing their bloom tiU 
 that day, that so they might fitly grace her majestic- 
 loveliness. 
 
 " Is it not even as I told thee some months ago ?" said' 
 a voice close beside him. "At this moment, indeed, we 
 behold, visibly embodied before us, the source from which^ 
 under God, issues all that is lofty and pure, bathing these 
 happy shores in song, and in the glory of great deeds !" 
 
 Turning round, the troubadour recognised his Altarbol. 
 
 " Yes," cried he, grasping the powerfiil hand of the 
 monk, — " yes, my illustrious friend, it is the god-like 
 privilege of a pure-hearted woman, by her holy beauty, 
 to admonish man of eternity, and, in her daily existence, 
 to be a living messenger of God. Whenever she stoops 
 from this her sphere to achieve some separate and signal 
 work, — such as would be the very head and front of a 
 man's influence upon the world, and without which hi& 
 labour were vain, — it seems in her but a voluntary gift, 
 and grace above measure." 
 
 " It is the truth, my valiant Arnold," replied the 
 abbot ; and leaning upon his friend's arm, he drew him 
 to one of the numerous couches which were erected upon. 
 the festive plain. There they continued their discourse in 
 celebration of the glory of true-hearted women ; and per- 
 chance they might have proceeded yet farther, when Al- 
 tarbol, suddenly recollecting himself, said, " I am detain- 
 ing you from yonder eminence, where are assembled the 
 noblest personages of the festival." 
 
 " I have not been bidden," replied Arnald, somewhat 
 briefly. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 93 
 
 " But your place is there, naturally and of necessity, "^ 
 returned Altarbol. 
 
 " Perchance it may be so— perchance not," said the 
 troubadour. " But, at all events, it is better that men 
 should ask, 'Wherefore is he absent?' than that they 
 should demand, 'What does he here?' Christian humi- 
 lity would prompt us to withdrawal in such cases; but 
 with myself — 1 confess it to you frankly — ^ pride, rather 
 than humility, renders easy such a demeanour. If any 
 man have forgotten to summon the descendant of the great 
 hero of our race, ay, and the representative of the noblfr 
 minstrel-king, he must have heard so little of the house 
 of Maraviglia that it were vain indeed to debate the point 
 with him. I do not speak of the vicomte, who has hitherto- 
 ever honoured me far above my deserts, and who has this 
 day many other and better themes to employ his thoughts. 
 I mean only, that he who bears our honourable shield and 
 arms must not even know how to assume the air of an. 
 intruder." 
 
 " Ay, ay," answered Altarbol, smiling, and slightly 
 shaking his head, " I perceive it well — a Maraviglia is 
 still a Maraviglia. Methinks, then, thou wilt not asso- 
 ciate thyself to that band of troubadours who dwell in 
 Castle Bisiers, and are, as it were, in the vicomte's ser- 
 vice 1" 
 
 " Ere I do thus, the vicomte must have great need of 
 me," replied Amald. " For the present, I have bethought 
 me of a small farm hard by the walls of mine ancestral 
 castle ; and there, if it may be, I will take up my abode. 
 Castle Bisiers will not be so distant but that, from time 
 to time, I may pay my devoirs to my great commander 
 and my noble lady ; while, on the other hand, I can alsa 
 visit Walter's little fortress, and kneel upon his honoured 
 grave." 
 
 " Thou dost well, my son," said the monk. 
 
 In the mean time a page approached, and invited the- 
 knight of Maraviglia, in the vicomte's name, to celebrate 
 
94 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 the evening of that festive day at Castle Bisiers, whither 
 the whole assembly were about to betake themselves in the 
 shadows of twilight. 
 
 "I rejoice greatly in this evening," cried Arnald to 
 Altarbol, with a certain youthful vivacity which had not 
 yet entirely forsaken him ; and Altarbol replied, " Therein 
 also dost thou right well, my dear son." 
 
 Herewith they parted in great affection, and Arnald 
 hastily followed the page. 
 
 The illuminated castle shone with great magnificence 
 through the darkening twilight and the mists which arose 
 from the meadow. The sound of a joyous march, and the 
 light of torches carried by numerous pages, sufficiently 
 designated the course of the procession, and Arnald was 
 soon in its ranks. 
 
 In this manner they entered the avenues of the garden 
 in which Arnald had obtained his first (fistant view of the 
 Lady Alearda. From the boughs of the trees were sus- 
 pended innumerable lamps, glittering like golden fruits, 
 the clear light of which, pleasantly intercepted by foliage, 
 played over the adornments and gay attire of the advancing 
 band. Arnald heard the vicomte's voice inquiring for 
 him, and hastened forwards. His general warmly grasped 
 his hand, and, pausing for a moment, presented him to the 
 ladye who leaned on his arm. 
 
 " We are already acquainted," answered Alearda, with 
 her wonted gracious dignity, slightly inclining her beauti- 
 ful head. " But, since our conversation on that solemn 
 evening, your name has often been recalled to me by the 
 vicomte. Much did he write of your heroism and your 
 noble ardour in battle ; and I take pleasure in saluting you 
 by a name which you have long deserved, sir knight of 
 Maraviglia." 
 
 " I feel that I now first receive the fuU glory of knight- 
 hood," said Arnald, his voice trembling with joy and 
 reverence. 
 
 The vicomte signed to him to remain beside Alearda, 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 95- 
 
 and they proceeded slowly through the illuminated ave- 
 nues. 
 
 " You would perchance wish, noble minstrel," said 
 Alearda smiling, " to adjure the year, by strains of poesy, 
 to scatter May-flowers and May- verdure on this our fair day 
 of festival. But alas, we can no longer withhold Autumn 
 from checkering with gold the summer foliage ; and see 
 how his watery mists are rising to drive us back from the 
 festal meadows to our castle-halls.'' 
 
 " I believe truly, noble lady," replied Amald, " that 
 such would be the feeling of many an aged minstrel. But 
 with me it is otherwise. To me Autumn has ever been 
 dear above all other seasons. His gentle farewells, his mild 
 forewarnings of winter's peaceful sleep, his robes magnifi- 
 cent in their hues, like the vesture of a consecrated sacri- 
 fice, — all these fill me with a melancholy, deep but un- 
 speakably sweet. And especially for a festival of peace, I 
 know no fitter and no fairer herald than he, the earnest and 
 solemn harbinger of sleep, in his garments of wondrous 
 splendour." 
 
 " Say it to me in graceful verse, according to the gift 
 that is in you," replied Alearda ; and Amald, full of so- 
 lemn inspiration, began to speak the following wor(2s, with 
 a low but deeply-thrilling voice : — 
 
 When war's exaltisg storm is waking, 
 
 'Tis like the reign of liberal May, 
 With songs of nightingales outbreaking,^ 
 
 And free wind breathing fresh and gay. 
 
 But when calm peace at length is ruling. 
 
 It seems like Autumn's golden bloom, 
 A thousand tongues our spirits schooling 
 
 To deeper stillness — in the tomb. 
 
 The birds have fled o'er field and river ; 
 But winds that sweep the silent ground, 
 
 1 I am not reponsible for this extraordinary simile. — Tr. 
 
56 MINSTREL LOVE, 
 
 And rustling corn, and leaves that quiver, 
 Have meaning in each murmur'd sound. 
 
 And solemn tales, and legends olden, 
 Are whisper'd gravely round the hearth, 
 
 Like Autumn's woods so rich and golden. 
 Various and full, in grief or mirth. 
 
 List to each whisper's low revealing, 
 
 Like leaves that stir in Autumn's breath ; 
 
 Mark their dim shades, through twilight stealing, 
 Like mists that wander o'er the heath. 
 
 O golden Autumn, gently sweeping 
 
 The golden lyre with wondrous hand. 
 Wakening vague hopes and causeless weeping, 
 
 And loosing many a gloomy band. 
 
 Like thine the minstrel's life is wending. 
 In dreams and dim forebodings, past — 
 
 Oh ! may our spirits, softly blending. 
 Together sink to sleep at last ! 
 
 Knights and ladies had gathered eagerly around at 
 ■the first intelligence that the troubadour was improvising 
 verses : a murmur of approbation arose as he concluded, 
 though but few of the circle could really have heard the 
 low-breathed words of Arnald. But he was now a re- 
 nowned minstrel ; and Guy of Hauteroche, desiring in the 
 warmth and friendliness of his heart to bespeak the favour 
 of all for his friend, whispered, "Mark now how well he 
 has acquitted himself! 1 heard what the countess imposed 
 upon him — an ode to Autumn in verse ! But a true genius 
 knows how to adorn and embellish even the most ungrate- 
 ful topics.'' 
 
 Alearda was in the mean time silent, and very thought- 
 ful. At length she said, with deep earnestness of manner, 
 " You have given voice to many a dim feeling which dwelt 
 dreamlike and mute in the depths of my heart, and I thank 
 you for it. Methinks I now understand better the reason 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 97 
 
 of those forebodings which have ever thronged ujjon my 
 heart in the breath of autumn ; and henceforth that season 
 will be far dearer to me." 
 
 At this moment the guests entered the bright gateway 
 of the castle. Clarion-notes from the balconies mingled 
 with the gay melody of march and dance, which had ac- 
 companied the procession, and drowned the tones of every 
 voice. Above, in the magnificent saloon, the vicomte and 
 his lofty ladye led the dance ; and the festivities of the 
 evening now began their course, with all imaginable pomp, 
 and after the noblest manner. 
 
 The happiness of Arnald was complete ; for scarcely for 
 a moment did he lose sight of his ladye : and sometimes 
 as she passed near him, she honoured him with a kindly 
 greeting. About midnight she withdrew from the hall, 
 leaning on the arm of her lord ; and the troubadour then 
 hurried joyfully away, to the place where his squadrons 
 had bivouacked beneath the shelter of the foliage. On 
 the morrow they intended to take a solemn farewell of 
 their victorious commander and his wondrously beautiful 
 lady, defiling before them in stately march and full battle- 
 array. 
 
 Scarce had the first light of dawn glimmered through 
 the sky, when Arnald was on his horse, inspecting, mar- 
 shalling, and adorning the ranks of his cavalry. The 
 signal-trumpet sounded at length for the march. All 
 blithely assumed their several positions ; and the whole 
 body, wheeling around,, marched amid joyous war-strains 
 beneath the lofty battlements of Castle Bisiers, whence the 
 vicomte and Alearda looked down and courteously saluted 
 them. Arnald's troop of light horse sang meanwhile the 
 following song, learned from the lips of their leader. 
 
 For the fame of noble ladies, 
 The faith of our Mother-Church to guard, 
 
 And to free our land from a foreigner's hand, 
 We have striven long, we have battled hard. 
 
98 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 The Lord gave hours of darkness, 
 FuU many a hot wound bleeding fast, 
 
 And death He gave to many brave ; 
 But He gave us the dawning of hope at last. 
 
 For a hero -chief he gave us. 
 
 Who brought the work to its glorious close 
 His sons shall hear of the days of fear, 
 
 When their valiant sire disdain'd his foes. 
 
 His fame to song is wedded ; 
 
 So if the dark cloud gather again, 
 The heart of each knight shall kindle in light, 
 
 As he thinks of the hero and murmurs the strain 1 
 
 Now, crown him, noble ladies ! 
 
 There's many a wreath in your garden-bowers. 
 Oh, happy are we, if your courtesy 
 
 Lets but a single leaf be ours ! 
 
 Among the garlands showered upon the soldiers as they 
 passed, by the hands of Alearda and her maidens, there 
 was one, woven of laurel-leaves and autumnal flowers, 
 which dropped exactly over the sword of Amald, and 
 remained resting upon his hand j a joyous presentiment 
 whispered in his ear that it came from the ladye herself. 
 He carefully hung it on his shoulder, and then rode on- 
 wards in silent rejoicing ; while a vision of his future life 
 arose before his spirit, populous with bright and holy 
 .shapes. Many a fair and heroic legend, many a motley 
 fable, which he meditated recording and enveloping in the 
 self-created flowers of fancy, appeared to him, beckoning 
 him onward, from the glowing skies of morning; amid 
 these bright dreams of the future, arose from time to time 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 99 
 
 the dark and dewy clouds of memory, while the vicinity 
 of his illustrious ladye seemed to steep the present hour ir 
 light, beauty, and enchantment. 
 
 The troops halted — all rapidly dispersed, having ex- 
 changed farewells as brethren — to seek their dear familiar 
 homes. 
 
 Many a token of warmth and affection did Arnald i-e- 
 ceive, not only from his own troop, but also from the other 
 squadrons. The stout-hearted Misura inquired minutely 
 where he was to he found, and Arnald rejoiced greatly in 
 his promise of seeking him. 
 
 When, however, he found himself alone with his esquire 
 before the ruins of Castle Maraviglia, his heart became de- 
 solate and sorrowful, and his ej'es filled with silent tears. 
 " When my companions go to their homes," thought he, 
 "how will they be greeted by the eager acclaim of a 
 thousand dear and unforgotten voices! In every hut, 
 which hath sent forth a single soldier to this hallowed 
 war, there will now be a festival, which will be ever re- 
 newed on the anniversary of this day, and of every other 
 day wherein the beloved wanderer has encountered hon- 
 ourable danger. But, what do I find? Sorrowful re- 
 membrances upon the threshold of the fallen and vacant 
 castle of my fathers, — deathlike solitude wi^thiu its dusky 
 halls,- — or, at the best, strangers, who are indifferent to me,, 
 who disturb not the friendless calm of my existence — these 
 are all ! Oh, that there were but one gentle child to 
 smile when it saw me ; one sweet flower, plucked amid 
 the wanderings of a lifetime ! How gladly would I then 
 forget that there was no one beside to welcome me ! Its 
 smile should be a compensation for the festival which ce- 
 lebrates the return of other and happier warriors ; and if, 
 each year, as the hour of our battle on the sea-shore came 
 round again, I could say to it, " thus fought we, and at 
 this day," should I not be proud and satisfied, thongh not 
 another human being on earth kept the anniversary in 
 mine honour? Yet, take comfort, Arnald ! That goodly 
 
 H 
 
100 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 gift which God has vouchsafed to thee, so far beyond thy 
 deserts, will never forsake thee : and if thy ladye takes 
 pleasure in thy strain, and if sometimes thou art perchance . 
 so favoured as to accomplish for her some knightly service, 
 what matters it that a few sighs should be wrung from thy 
 heart, or a few tears from thine eye ? O troubadour, blest 
 beyond measure, seek not for themes of regret in thy glo- 
 rious destiny !" 
 
 The colossal towers of Castle Maraviglia, their solemn 
 ruins clothed in the mystical garments of ivy, and crowned 
 with waving and whispering lichens, arose before Arnald's 
 eyes ; the half-sunken doors were visible through the tall 
 grass ; he could gaze through them into the castle-court, 
 which was overshadowed by two mighty oaks, their leaves 
 rustling in the wind. 
 
 Two young boys, about six or seven years old, came 
 forth at ttiis moment from the neighbouring wood of lin- 
 dens ; they held each other by the hand, and sang together 
 the following words, as they carelessly strolled along the 
 meadow : 
 
 Sleep, sleep in death ! 
 
 God watch each silent tomb ! 
 Our hands shall twine ye many a wreath, 
 
 And strew your coffins with their fragrant bloom, 
 Ye valiant lords of Maraviglia ! 
 
 Well may ye sleep, 
 
 For ye have watch'd right well, 
 As faithful shepherds watch their sheep. 
 
 Ere yet the glory of your castle fell, 
 
 Ye valiant lords of MarRTJglia ! 
 
 Towers stoop and fall 
 
 In dust upon the ground ! 
 Still from the loyal breasts of all 
 
 The fame of your high deeds in song shall sound, 
 Ye valiant lords of Maraviglia ! 
 
 But here the children, suddenly perceiving the strangei 
 
irlSilKEL LOVE. 101 
 
 lought and his esquire, jjansed and stood still, with a half- 
 fearful, half-cnrion5 expression; whereat an unspeakarjlv 
 sweet and homelike &e3mg thrilled through the heart of 
 MaraTiglia, like the breath of spring. 
 
 On inqoirj-, he learned that these were the sons of the 
 peasant with whom he intended to take tip his abode : and 
 he now joyfully followed them, as two angels of hope and 
 promise. • Conversing merrily, they soon reached the rustic 
 dwelling, w^hich stood beneath the shadow of some magnifi- 
 cent cork-trees, on the slope of a gentle bill, overlooked 
 by the stately ruins of Castle Maraviglia. 
 
 Amald's keen eye soon detected a building of more 
 recent construction than the rest ; and the boys told him 
 exultingly that it had been bnflt for the reception of firiends, 
 and that their father had brought down the stones of the old 
 castle for its erection. 
 
 For a moment the thonght of this dismemberment of his 
 ancestral ball^ pierced through the heart of the knight with 
 a cold painful feeling ; yet it afterwards seemed to him as 
 though tbia little dwelling were built exprffisly for himself, 
 the last, and in all outward things the poorest scion of that 
 dying stem. 
 
 Scarcely had the true-hearted farmer pronounced his 
 hospitable greeting, and learned the name of Amald, when, 
 with visible emotion, he placed all that he had at the ser- 
 vice of the knightly minstrel, and at fii^ insisted upon his 
 remaining beneath his roof for as many Tears as should 
 seem good to bim, on no other conditions than his own 
 pleasure and convenience. But vrhen Arnalrl answered 
 somewhat proiuily, that by such terms he should be driven 
 from the ruins of his ancestral castle, the peasant submis- 
 sively assented ; a distinct compact was concluded between 
 them; Amald paid for some years in advance, in order 
 to disembarrass himself of all petty, narrowing cares and 
 anxieties, and after partaking a cheerful repast in eos- 
 pany with his friendly host, he departed to the small man- 
 sion built out ofthe stones of Castle Maraviglia. 
 
102 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Aknald's arrangements were speedily completed. His 
 wreatli was suspended before his couch, so that its green 
 leaves were the first sight that saluted his eyes on waking ; 
 above it hung his well-tried sword, his golden shield, his 
 gleaming helmet, and his knightly spurs ; but the lyre was 
 placed in the centre of the wreath. On account of the 
 autumnal season, a large table was placed beside the hearth, 
 and soon was it covered with many old and goodly volumes, 
 some of a devotional character, some inscribed with ancient 
 and stately legends. Many of these were sent or brought 
 to him by Altarbol, from the cloister. Others he had him- 
 self formerly possessed, and laid up in various places of 
 safety at the first outbreak of war ; these he now caused to 
 be once more collected by the faithful esquire, who would 
 not consent to be separated from his master. Many sheets, 
 also, of snow-white parchment were there, whereon he re- 
 corded, in graceful characters, such things as were revealed 
 to him by his inspiration ; for the poets of those days pos- 
 sessed the art, I might well call it the happiness, of painting 
 rather than writing the creations of their genius, fairly and 
 delicately, upon parchment. Especially were they wont to 
 illuminate the initial letters of their periods with gold and 
 bright colours ; and they exulted greatly in considering the 
 admiration wherewith such embellishments would be con- 
 templated throughout all future times. 
 
 They are for the most part vanished, and many of them 
 have mouldered away, those precious and fairly-adorned 
 volumes ; nevertheless, the writer of this history can no 
 otherwise than gaze with melancholy dissatisfaction upon 
 the hasty and fugitive characters which arise beneath his 
 own pen, and which are destined only for a wortUess means 
 of communication with the printing-press. Let the reader 
 pardon him this strange and involuntary exclamation, and 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 103 
 
 turn with unimpaired interest to Arnald and the clays of 
 Provenjal song. 
 
 The troubadour occasionally visited Castle Bisiers, and 
 read to his ladye sometimes the lays of past ages, sometimes 
 his own compositions ; and not only did Alearda take delight 
 in the deep and significant beauty of his tales and songs, bu* 
 also the fair and angelic little maiden Berta loved to look 
 upon the bright letters, and upon the many-coloured designs 
 wherewith the text was interspersed. From every such 
 visit Arnald returned to his calm solitude, carrying with 
 him a rich store of the purest and happiest inspiration. 
 
 One day he found the vicomte in parley with a merchant 
 who was laden with many goodly arms. The ladies stood 
 also in the group of knights, contemplating wares so un- 
 familiar to them with a shudder, yet greatly admiring the 
 brightness of their splendour. Especially noticeable was a 
 long dagger with sheath and hilt of gold, attached to a girdle 
 composed of delicate links of silver, which attracted the 
 adm.iration of many a gentle eye. Alearda herself looked 
 with visible pleasure on the gleaming weapon, though she 
 was, after her wonted manner, silent and thoughtful withal ; 
 while her ladies were never weary of extolling the carved 
 foliage of the hilt, whence a leopard's head peeped fortli, 
 the elaborate designs upon the sheath, and the mirror-like 
 brightness of the polished blade. 
 
 G' y of Hauteroche, overlooking with his usual giddiness 
 the admiration which Alearda had testified for the poniard, 
 now began to ridicule the ladies for their enthusiasm, assur- 
 ing them that it was but a woman's weapon after all, or at 
 best was fit onl)' for crafty heathens and Moors. 
 
 Alearda turned away, somewhat disturbed, and almost 
 ashamed ; but Arnald, thoroughly roused by this, and also 
 admiring from his heart the goodly dagger, said with great 
 vivacity — 
 
 "Valiant Guy, it is to me incomprehensible that thou 
 shouldst contemn and depreciate a weapon, the use of which 
 Qemands the closest encounter with the foe. Were I to hide 
 
104 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 my sword beneath my mantle, and present myself as if 
 unarmed, well might ye accuse me of a foul and unknightly 
 deed ; but when I carry openly this fair dagger, clasped 
 by its shining silver chain about my waist, wLo dares lay 
 any evil to my charge that I draw it in honourable strife? 
 Nay, rather, I know nothing nobler than to press onward 
 through the strokes and thrusts of foes, covered j)erchance 
 with mortal wounds, yet never ceasing to drive this glit- 
 tering point into the doomed heart, as God and honour 
 dictate. Ay, and even if I wore it hidden, and were at 
 the same time also outwardly armed, the blame would 
 rest upon my antagonist if he ventured to approach me 
 too closely, and received an unforeseen death-stroke. It 
 is ill to handle an armed man in the battle as though he 
 were a runaway hound whom you snatch up to restore to 
 his master. And fair were those single combats with the 
 dagger held by the heroes of ancient legend ; now wrestling 
 with each other, in their hands the small bright messen- 
 gers of death, now hurling them from afar against breast 
 or brow, with unerring eye and death-dealing arm ! Then 
 did the hasty stoop, or the lightning-swift guard of shield 
 or maptle avail the warrior ; but all was fair and open as 
 the day. Believe me, dear brother-in-arms, every weapon 
 is, in its proper splendour, as a fearful gift from God, 
 the thunderbolt of the Lord in a weak human grasp ; and 
 yet all alike may we, if v/e so please, profane to vile uses 
 and to the service of the evil spirit. But therefore should 
 knights watch earnestly for the signs imparted to them 
 by virtuous ladies, who are as the visible angels of heaven ! 
 and by them, sword and dagger, and spear and dart, and 
 battle-axe, are all hallowed alike and aright, especially in 
 the grasp of the favoured warrior who has received his first 
 weapons from a fair hand." 
 
 Tlie friendly Guy had listened well pleased during this 
 oration ; and he now began, after his usual manner, to extol 
 the troubadour, who knew ever how to introduce gallant 
 speeches, and courteous compliments to the ladies; andi 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. lOo 
 
 who never lacked the right Tvord at the right moment, 
 Arnald, losing his patience, when he found himself so in- 
 cessantly misunderstood, felt the fiery spirit of his race 
 rising up within him, and turned angrily away from the 
 well-intentioned youth. 
 
 But he met the eye of Alearda, and all was forgotten at 
 the sight of her serious gaze, and of that which she now 
 did. She seemed, as was indeed often the case with her, 
 not to have noticed the words of Guy of Hauteroohe ; and 
 she gazed for an instant on the dagger, in deep meditation. 
 Then she unloosed from her girdle a silken net, heavy 
 with gold pieces, laid it, together with the rich clasps 
 which fastened it, in the hand of the merchant, who bowed 
 deeply ; and, taking up the beautiful weapon, she dropped 
 the glittering steel into its golden sheath, and advanced to 
 the troubadour. A thrill of rapture and of hopes, self- re- 
 proved as they arose, for over-boldness, penetrated his soul. 
 
 The ladye, however, bent towards him graciously, and 
 said : " It seems that thou didst not receive thy first arms 
 from female hands, however earnestly thy noble heart may 
 have desired so to receive them ; therefore, I pray thee, at 
 least to accept the dagger, which thou hast known how to 
 defend so worthily, from the pure hand of a woman." 
 
 And she girded him with the glittering weapon. 
 
 (Stopfer Zmntv^iKOnh. 
 
 Let no one inquire how it was with the spirit of the 
 troubadour after this high and holy inauguration. He to 
 whom it might be imparted feels already the inspiring 
 flame, kindling spontaneously in his own knightly bosom. 
 Amald had kneeled in thankfulness before the ladye ; 
 and without greatly noticing what afterwards befel in that 
 gay and glittering circle, he went forth alone from Castle 
 
106 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Bisiers, as the shadows of dusky evening began to close, 
 and betook himself towards his quiet abode. His beautiful 
 dagger clashed against its delicate chain of silver, awaken- 
 ing memories high, ineffable, and inspiring. 
 
 The country lay around him beneath the golden and 
 tremulous mists of evening ; and as Arnald wandered 
 along the boundaries of the castle-garden, — a place to him 
 so significant and so suggestive, — he mused within himself 
 what name this day of great happiness might bear in the 
 calendar. Then he suddenly remembered, that from this 
 very day was the beginning of autumn reckoned : and now 
 he thought that he perceived how his darling season had 
 thankfully guerdoned him for the loving words wherewith 
 he had lately commended it to Alearda. Rejoicing that he 
 bore his lute with him, he tuned its strings, in the purest 
 and clearest harmony ; and then, leaning himself against 
 the polished supports of the garden-fence, sang the fol- 
 lowing song : — 
 
 " Autumn, clad in various hues, 
 Come with all thy cMUing dews ; 
 
 Come with aU thy shadowy gloom ! 
 Though thou whisper, ' Man must die,' 
 Germs of resurrection he 
 
 Underneath thy golden bloom. 
 
 All I have or hope below, 
 To thy mystic leaves I owe ; 
 
 Murmuring wonders as they fall : 
 All my stores of tale and song. 
 They, and I, to thee belong ; 
 
 At thy feet I cast them all !" 
 
 By the monarch's garden-side. 
 Thus a youthful minstrel cried. 
 
 Deep in gentle musings blest ; 
 Like a dream, or like a spell, 
 From the fairest tree there fell 
 
 Golden fruit upon his breast 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 107 
 
 He yet suffered the soft and lingering echo of the lute- 
 strings to vibrate to and fro, when a familiar voice ex- 
 claimed near him : " Good luck to you, with your new 
 gift!" 
 
 Looking around, he beheld Guy of Hauteroche, Viho 
 had just issued from a side-door in the garden, apparently 
 in search of his horse, which neighed to greet him, as the 
 advancing squire led him out of the valley. 
 
 The troubadour was somewhat disturbed by this en- 
 counter ; and because he knew not how to disembarrass 
 himself of his singular friend, he arose in some confusion, 
 and was beginning to speak of indifferent things, quite in 
 an ordinary manner, when Guy very unconcernedly asked, 
 
 " Well ; where is this golden fruit?" 
 
 Arnald looked on him amazedly. 
 
 "The golden fruit of which you were singing," con- 
 tinued Guy : " methought that in very deed and truth 
 such a gift had dropped on your bosom from one of the 
 fruit-trees yonder." 
 
 " Thou hast not fully understood me," returned Ar- 
 nald, smiling. 
 
 "Yes, truly have I," answered Guy; and by way of 
 proof he repeated the last words of the lay : 
 
 " Like a dream, or like a spell, 
 From the fau-est tree there fell 
 Golden fruit upon his breast." 
 
 " Or, perhaps, after all, your golden fruit was oiJy a 
 poetic fantasy 1" 
 
 " Even so ; according to your estimate," replied Ar- 
 nald ; " yes, my dear Guy, there is nothing more in the 
 matter than what you are pleased to denominate— a poetic 
 
 Hereat the friendly Guy laughed; swung himself upon 
 his horse, which had come up in the mean time, and said : 
 " Ye may be a happy race, ye minstrels ; only ye are 
 somewhat too much given to set your hearts upon aii- 
 
108 M1NSIE.EL LOVE. 
 
 and clouds ; therefore take it not ill, if I laugh at you a 
 Uttle." 
 
 But Arnald answered him in the same spirit of true- 
 hearted good-humour : " Ye may he a happy race, ye no- 
 minstrels; only ye are somewhat too much given to set 
 your hearts upon the meat that perisheth ; tlierefore take 
 it not ill, if I laugh at you a little." 
 
 And herewith they parted, heartily laughing, and in 
 perfect peace and good-will. 
 
 Hbncei'ob.wabb the dagger was hung across the lyre, 
 and in the centre of the wreath, from which, from time to 
 time, a few faded autumnal blossoms severed and dropped, 
 but the bright green of the laurel-leaves remained ever 
 fresh and unchanging. 
 
 Fresh and green as those leaves was the whole tenour 
 of our friend's life through this autumn ; and the season 
 appeared to cherish and revive her favourite with her 
 wonted graciousness. Over wood, and field, and sea lay 
 vast encampments of clouds, buUt up in manifold and 
 mighty forms, and sometimes the sun would pierce through 
 them in all the abundance of its warmth and glory ; ir- 
 resistibly calling to the beholder's mind those manifesta- 
 tions of heaven and things divine which may be seen in 
 the pictures of inspired painters of old. Meanwhile, the 
 soft mists curled quietly upwards from the grass, veiling 
 heaven and earth together, as if in mournful affection; 
 and the giant trees of the forest, with their lofty crests, 
 loomed mysteriously through the vapour. 
 
 These were days and nights rich in poetic creation and 
 in deep heartfelt joy for Amald. Formerly, perchance, 
 in months had he not achieved so much greatness and 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 109' 
 
 beauty of his art as now in a few weeks : and the happy 
 one was not only permitted to impart to his illustrious 
 ladye his works when complete, he might also speak 
 freely to her of his schemes, and place the future under 
 the guidance of her clear and holy eye. Yet not often did 
 he enter Castle Bisiers ; and not seldom did he question 
 himself, when the hour of his visit arrived, whether he 
 were worthy or unworthy of such an expedition. 
 
 When he was at home, his favourite place of resort 
 was a gentle eminence girdled by fair linden-trees. Thence 
 he gazed down, through a solemn vista of lindens, upon a 
 woody vale — green, peaceful, and silent as the slumberous 
 grave. To the spectator from below, the bright summit 
 of the bill seemed to beckon upwards, as if summoning 
 him to an illuminated hall. Here Amald was often re- 
 minded of the deeply significant relation between the tomb 
 and heaven — between death and eternal glory; and his 
 Altarbol had already promised to take heed that he should 
 be buried here, and that the place should be consecrated 
 according to the rites of the Church : for, despite the wide 
 difference of their years, it was ever in the hearts of both 
 that Altarbol would certainly outlive Araald, and all their 
 measures were taken with that view. And, after all, it is 
 no marvel that the peacefiil heart of a pious priest, stirred 
 only by the soft and holy breath of the Spirit, should con- 
 tinue to beat much longer than the burning and bounding 
 pulses of a minstrel-breast — pure, and for the most part 
 gentle though they be. 
 
 Frequently also did Amald sit in Walter's fallen castle, 
 beside the beloved grave of his friend. Then arose before 
 him the aspirations of his peaceful childhood; ay, and 
 sometimes it seemed to him as though, in the whispers of 
 the tall grass which now covered the hallowed spot, he 
 heard the low voice of the mild old man speaking to him 
 in friendly salutation ; and then would Arnald's eyes gush 
 out with gentle tears. But never were they drops of bit- 
 terness ; they were full of the sweetest and most blessed 
 
110 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 melancholy ; for in the glory of that pure minstrel-lova 
 wherewith the suhlime loveliness of Alearda had penetrated 
 him, life present and life to come were silently but cer- 
 tainly blended into one and the same vision of brightness. 
 
 At eventide, when stars came forth in the vapoury 
 skies, or the moon, bright and golden, gleamed through 
 •the foliage, or even when sable clouds chased each other 
 across her wan crescent, Amald knew no dearer spot than 
 the ruins of Castle Maraviglia. There would he roam at 
 will through halls and chambers, now open on every hand, 
 or seat himself in the recessed and vacant windows, and 
 bethink himself how often on that very spot had a chief of 
 the Maraviglia race reclined, with his beloved and loving 
 wife opposite to him ; or he would ascend the towers and 
 traverse the galleries, wherever the decaying wooden steps 
 or the crushed and ruinous winding stair permitted him to 
 do so. He soon felt himself here at home, as if in a familiar 
 abode ; and to this feeling he was perhaps more readily 
 inclined by one of those secret and mysterious thrills of 
 foreboding which sometimes seems to link men in bonds 
 of strange union with places whereto they belong rather 
 through their forefathers than through themselves. Here, 
 also, he encountered an adventure which had well nigh 
 changed the whole aspect and purpose of his being. 
 
 Late one evening, beneath the dim and uncertain 
 moonlight, he was approaching one of those well-known 
 window-recesses, when he was somewhat startled by ob- 
 serving that his place was already occupied by a crouch- 
 ing shape, enveloped in the deepest shadow, whereof a 
 long white beard was the only part distinctly visible. 
 Doubting whether this might not be some deceptive illu- 
 sion of the shadows of night, or whether, indeed, it were 
 not some strange wild animal, which, having escaped 
 from its place of confinement, sought itself a den amid 
 these ruins, Arnald advanced silently, unsheathing his 
 beautiful dagger, without which he now never left his 
 dwelling. The strange appearance bowed itself slowly, 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 11 J 
 
 very slowly towards the earth, so that its head almost 
 touched the stones and grass ; it then began a low mur- 
 muring sound, but seemed to listen ever more and more 
 heedfully ; finally, it lifted up its head with these words 
 — " I must go elsewhere ; here I see nothing and hear 
 nothing." 
 
 "Art thou here to disturb the repose of the heroes of 
 Maraviglia?" cried Arnald, suddenly coming close to the 
 stranger; and an echo sounded softly through the desolate 
 hall, " Maraviglia !" 
 
 Arnald drew back, shuddering with a kind of half-fear- 
 ful melancholy. The stranger, however, replied with much 
 calmness, " No ; I am here to disturb no one ; therefore 
 it is not meet that you should disturb me." 
 
 Herewith he arose from his seat in the wall, and would 
 have departed ; but Arnald crossed his path, saying, " Not 
 so ; I have a right to question here. Thou seest before 
 thee the last Maraviglia of his race." 
 
 " That I know." 
 
 " "Well, then, I would fain know what thou hast to do 
 in these ruins, where dwelt my forefathers, and where 
 many of them lie buried." 
 
 " Follow me, and thou shalt learn.'' 
 
 Therewith he drew forth a small lantern from the sha- 
 dowing folds of his wide garments ; and as he caused it 
 to burn more clearly, the light shone exactly upon his 
 face, and displayed to the wondering Arnald the features 
 of a reverend old man, hold and sharp in all their outlines, 
 but not destitute of beauty. Over his large and somewhat 
 dark eyes there lay a kind of dewy mist, through which 
 the solemn orbs shone forth like stars. Silently and with- 
 out hesitation Arnald followed him. They proceeded to 
 the furthest extent of the halls, and at length descended 
 a small staircase, which Arnald, despite his minute ac- 
 quaintance with the ruins, had never before observed, and 
 which conducted to subterranean chambers, adorned with, 
 strange paintings. 
 
112 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 From these low walls the pictured forms of knights and 
 ladies looked down upon them, interspersed with singular 
 liieroglyj)hics. Pointing to the latter, the stranger re- 
 marked, " The Arahs paint such things as these, and some 
 such were here with Arnold of Brescia in days of old : 
 those who go our way have need to observe very atten- 
 tively these twisting branches and grotesque shapes." 
 
 "Our way!" cried Arnald, angrily; and it seemed as 
 though every thing within that narrow vault shuddered at 
 the sound. " Our way! Who told thee, thou mysterious 
 midnight wanderer, that thy way was mine 1" 
 
 " Hush ! be still !" muttered the stranger ; and without 
 concerning himself about Arnald's words, he extended a 
 small wand of black and polished wood, first towards the 
 walls, and then towards the ground. At the last movement 
 there was a rolling and rustling sound heard beneath the 
 pavement; and the old man listened to it vrith a well- 
 pleased smile. 
 
 " Man \" cried Arnald, grasping him by the arm, "for- 
 get not what I said to thee but now. Hast thou taken it 
 upon thee to disturb the ashes of my fathers 1" 
 
 " Once more. No," answered the old man, coolly. " This 
 is but the mountain-stream, which, descending from the 
 southern woods, rushes to its level far beneath our feet, and 
 the sound of which becomes audible to us when I lift my 
 wand. But it is to me a harbinger of good, and much that 
 is beautiful must be at hand. Hush only — I pray thee, 
 hush !" 
 
 And once more listening, and lightly but carefully 
 holding his wondrous wand in both hands, the mysterious 
 old man stepped forwards. But, on a sudden, the magic 
 rod sprang from his fingers with such vehemence that he 
 reeled backwards in the terror and feebleness of age : it 
 rebounded from a part of the wall on which a crowned 
 and bearded shape was delineated in bright colours. The 
 picture seemed to start and shudder ; and within, behind 
 the ancient stones, was heard a sound, half like the tone 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 113 
 
 of mighty harp-strings, half like the roaring of thunder, 
 hissing and murmuring along into far, far, unfathomable 
 depths. 
 
 " 1 haye found far more than I sought," groaned the 
 old man. Pale and ever paler grew his face ; and at length 
 he sank slowly upon the earth, as if stricken with death. 
 
 Fortunately his lantern was not extinguished. Arnald 
 extricated it from the convulsive clutch of his right hand, 
 and with difficulty raised him upon his shoulders, that he 
 might carry him forth into the fresh air, marvelling as he 
 did so at the extraordinary weight of that meagre form. 
 He could not refrain from shuddering as the head of tlie old 
 man nodded and nodded upon his shoulder, and the long 
 white beard flowed down upon his breast. " If he should 
 begin to move," thought Arnald, " and to mutter fearfiil 
 spells in mine ear, and to write softly and noiselessly his 
 accursed characters of gramarye upon my neck" — ^but the 
 old man remained stiff and silent as a corpse. 
 
 Nothing doubting that he should speedily remount the 
 little staircase, Arnald had endeavoured to retrace his 
 steps ; but he found that he must have mistaken the way. 
 He passed through a series of involved and narrowing 
 vaults, which more than once led him back to the spot ou 
 which the old man had swooned, but only to bewilder him 
 in mazes yet more intricate and labyrinthine. As often as 
 he passed the picture on the wall, the crowned shape ap- 
 peared, in the varying light of the lantern, to move half 
 in menace and half in warning, till Arnald scarcely dared 
 glance towards it. Yet was it on this very spot that at 
 last, completely breathless and exhausted, he suffered his 
 strange burden to glide from his shoulders. He cast him- 
 self on the ground beside it, grasped the lantern firmly in 
 his hand, and overpowered with unutterable horror, wrap- 
 ped his head and eyes closely in his mantle. In childhood 
 he had sometimes experienced similar sensations during a 
 horrible dream. Far above him, in extreme distance, he 
 heard a sound like that which was wont to summon the 
 
11-i MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 monks of St. Anne's cloister to their midnight prayers. His 
 complete and perhaps hopeless isolation from all things 
 living pressed upon his heart with melancholy heaviness. 
 
 He heard a low sad moaning, which he imagined to 
 proceed from the crowned shape against the wall. At once 
 he cast the cloak from his head, resolving to meet holdly 
 and honourably, face to face, whatsoever he was now to 
 encounter. 
 
 But the plaintive sound came not from that strange, 
 kingly foi-m ; on the contrary, it proceeded from the pro- 
 strate old man, who now once more began to move, and 
 urged the knight, by many hurried gestures, to lead him 
 forth from that dark midnight vault. Amald, carefully 
 supporting the stranger on his arm, readily began his pil- 
 grimage ; and contrary to his expectation, he found at once 
 that moss-grown stair, and, after a few steps, stood with 
 his companion in the cold free night-air, high above the 
 ruins. 
 
 The old man glanced timidly around him, and at last 
 said softly, " Thou mayest thank God that I died not in the 
 vault. Without me thou couldst never have discovered the 
 issue, and thou wouldest have perished miserably amidst 
 those hollow winding ways. But prithee, let us quickly 
 depart from the ruins. I still need thine arm. I dwell yon- 
 der to the west, in the fisher's hut by the mountain-lake." 
 
 Secretly shuddering, but with benevolent care, Amald 
 accompanied the mysterious old man to the place which 
 he had designated. As they passed through the woods, all 
 sparkling in the fiiendly radiance of the rising moon, the 
 stranger opened his lips and said : " Hearken to me. Sir 
 Arnald, and pay good heed to my word. Thy forefathers 
 knew not how to strike the lute as fairly as thou dost, nei- 
 ther could they frame such graceful rhymes" — 
 
 "Thou must needs know but little of my forefathers," 
 interrupted Arnald. " The great minstrel-king was a 
 troubadour whose like it would be hard to find either 
 before or afterwards." 
 
MINSTREL lOVE. 115 
 
 " Ay, lie iiicleed," whispered the old man, visibly trem- 
 bling. Ho was silent for a while, and then spoke again in 
 a suppressed voice : "But he understood the value of seers 
 and sages far better than thou dost. It was his likeness 
 which we found in the vault below.'' 
 
 "And, after all, thou didst disturb his repose!" ex- 
 claimed Arnald, in wrath. ■" His repose ! the dearest of 
 mine ancestors ! Take heed to thyself!" 
 
 " No, I tell thee, no !" replied the old man, iu a low and 
 hurried whisper. "But speak not of it to me; and especially 
 Ije silent for this night, sir cavalier and troubadour. This 
 night am I weary even to death ; and yonder by the shore 
 I see already the roof of my hospitable hut. Ah, thou canst 
 not imagine how sore is my need of rest ! If thou desirest, 
 however, to know further, come hither to-morrow at the 
 hour of noon, and inquire for the Master Ultramonte. I 
 tell thee thou wilt do well if thou comest. It will be for 
 the advantage of both of us." Therewith he signed his 
 companion to retu-e, and hurried into the hut, his limbs 
 quivering as though with icy cold. Arnald went home, 
 lost in deep and doubtful thought. 
 
 XoT long, however, did he remain undetermined. The 
 minstrel-king, Arnold of Brescia, and many another cher- 
 ished thought, foreboded but not clearly understood, passed 
 like sparks of showering fire through the bi-east of the 
 troubadour; while his early longing after the secrets of the 
 spirit-world fanned tlie wakening flame as if with invisible 
 wings. At noonday he stood before the appointed place. 
 
 The master Ultramonte came forth to meet him. The 
 
 horror of the past night had vanished from his aspect ; and 
 
 Arnald could scarcely conceive that a countenance so full 
 
 of meditation, and of calm, kindly dignity, should ever 
 
 I 
 
116 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 have appeared repulsive to him. Neither did the old" 
 man's tone and manner retain any trace of their former 
 suppressed and anxious haste. With gentle but pleasant 
 words he invited the cavalier to accompany him on a walk 
 through the mountain-woods, and leaned at the same time- 
 familiarly upon his arm. 
 i As they advanced into the depths of the forest, the 
 sweet and coniiding intercourse in which the Master 
 Ultramonte lived with nature became more and more 
 manifest. He commimed with the flowers, the springs,, 
 the rocks — not after any mystical or bewildering manner, 
 but so that the presence and the very breath of the spirit 
 of freedom, truth, and life, became clearly perceptible. 
 
 Arnald had intended to question him closely concerning 
 many things, but he was ashamed and reluctant to cast a 
 single disturbing stone into the current of that clear and 
 crystal stream of thought and feeling; so he remained 
 silent. 
 
 "That which is to come wiU come," thought he; and 
 it came. 
 
 A reference to the secret import of numbers might be 
 discerned in many a serious and significant expression, even 
 in the midst of Ultramonte's most graceful discourse. He 
 unveiled mysterious thoughts which, apparently hostUe and 
 often contested, live and move in the depths of the human 
 heart. He climbed, as though by the steps of a golden, 
 ladder, to the heights of that power over nature which is 
 the inborn and inalienable inheritance of man. 
 
 " Thine ancestor," cried he at last, in words of burning 
 mspiration — " thine ancestor the minstrel-king knew all 
 this ; and the self-same power dwells in thee. Whether 
 thou wilt veil and stifle it as he did, or whether thou wilt 
 go forth vrith it to rule, enlighten, and bless thy wandering 
 fellow -mortals — the choice is before thee. But thou canst 
 and thou shalt learn that thy hand, and thine only, is able 
 to loose the spell which binds those glorious mj'steries. 
 Yesterday it struck the wand from my grasp, and over- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 117 
 
 •whelmed my spirit almost to distraction. Thus it was : — 
 I was simjjly seeking after one of the wondrous points of 
 junction between the wood-streams and the veins of the 
 mountain ; and I wished also to listen to those strains 
 which often arise unbidden in the tombs of ancient heroes 
 during the freedom and silence of the funereal midnight, 
 telling of the great deeds of the past. But there came a 
 change ; my wand flew against the spot where Crescenzio, 
 the friend of Arnold of Brescia, aided by a Moorish sage, 
 has walled up a volume wherein are written the deepest 
 mysteries of the visible and invisible world. The hero- 
 shape of the minstrel-king was delineated on the wall, as 
 a guardian, by the accomplished hand of Creseenzio : his 
 assistant only inscribed beneath it those strange characters, 
 composed of curling branches and the heads of animals ; 
 for, like all other Saracens, he was forbidden, by an ordi- 
 nance of Mahomet, to paint the form of man or the com- 
 plete image of a beast. Thou seest I know all the parti- 
 culars. But the treasure of that hidden wisdom it is not 
 mine to lift : that belongs only to a Maraviglia, and thou 
 art the last of the race. Bethink thee: shall the book of 
 Creseenzio moulder into dust ?" 
 
 " I think not," said Arnald, after a little reflection. 
 " Shall we go thither to-night ?" 
 
 " To-night 1" repeated Ultramonte, smiling. " Know- 
 est thou, then, already the rushing of the hidden springs ? 
 Canst thou say to the lightnings, ' Here strike, and here 
 pass by?' Do the secret graves of trees and flowers stir 
 thy mighty heart with a kindred pulse, imparting to thee, 
 as though in friendly words, a message and a healing?" 
 
 Arnald looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 "Thou hast yet much to learn," continued Ultramonte. 
 " But come again : with such a pupil my progress will be 
 swift and strong. Wilt thou come^ thou last Maraviglia, 
 thou gifted son of nature ?" 
 
 Arnald consented, and the strange alliance was con- 
 cluded. 
 
118 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Feom this time forth the troubadour visited frequently the 
 hut by the lake, and became every day more serious and 
 more reserved. Seldom did he ascend his beloved hill of 
 lindens; seldom sate he by the dear grave in Walter's 
 castle; yes, even the number of his visits to Castle Bisiers 
 diminished week by week — not, indeed, out of a feeling 
 of unworthiness'^ — not because he was conscious of begin- 
 ning an unholy course, — ^but because he was desirous of 
 attaining the highest goal before he brought his elForts 
 beneath the eye of his ladye. Sometimes also he was 
 withheld by a strange and peculiar reverence for the 
 power of numbers, which was every day more signifi- 
 cantly displayed to him in his studies. On many days 
 of the month he knew that adverse powers prevailed, and 
 so was it also with many hours of the day. But he knew 
 how to give a, reason for all these marvels, very decidedly 
 — one might almost say, very clearly. Meantime Ultra- 
 monte was well contented with his pupil ; and door after 
 door in the secret treasure-chambers of nature opened at 
 the touch of the energetic inquirer. 
 
 About this time it happened that Altarbol unexpect- 
 edly once entered the apartment of Arnald ; and the latter 
 somewhat hastily concealed a number of strange triangles 
 and sections of circles, together with some pai-chments in- 
 scribed with unknown characters. 
 
 Altarbol sate down in silence, and looked long upon 
 his youthful friend with a searching gaze, that seemed as 
 though it would penetrate heart and soul. 
 
 " Arnald," said he, at last, " have I ever seemed to 
 thee to-day other than that I was yesterday ? or canst thou 
 remember me years ago other than that I am to-day ? And 
 thinkest thou that many, many days hence, — should God 
 vouchsafe to both of us so long a course — I shall appear 
 to thee other than I am at this moment ?" 
 
MINSTKEI, LOVE. 119 
 
 " No, truly not," replied Arnald, his eyes filling with 
 unbidden tears, which arose he knew not why. 
 
 "Well, then," proceeded Altarbol, "remain thou in 
 that safe and holy path wherein we know each other so 
 well ; and continue to be that for which God created thee, 
 a gladsome, open-hearted, richly-gifted minstrel, and an 
 honourable knight. Beware, ah beware, my noble friend, 
 of those who are at one moment friendly, at another ter- 
 rible, and the next day full of seductive charms." 
 
 " What change knowest thou in me?" inquired Arnald, 
 after some silence. 
 
 " None," answered Altarbol, "if thou speakest only of 
 knowledge by outward signs ; much, perhaps all, if we 
 look within where the loving heart forebodes, even before 
 it feels a change. Alas, Arnald ! Seldom art thou found 
 beside the grave of Walter ; seldom dost thou go to Castle 
 Bisiers ; and this is because there is the grasp of another 
 power upon thy heart, striving to develop therein wings 
 which shall bear thee forth, far away from thy pleasant 
 gardens, far from the wistful eyes of friends, over land and 
 over sea, to regions unknown and unhallowed. Thou fore- 
 bodest such an end thyself, and tears are in thine eyes at 
 the thought ; but thou sufierest not the silent feeling to 
 speak ; thou art pressing on, further and further still, with 
 anxious and fearful speed, on paths thou knowest not." 
 
 "Altarbol, if God has given wings to my soul, I must 
 needs use them — ^but never, oh never, to soar away from 
 the embrace of my friends ! Deemest thou that I could 
 ever forget thee — that I could ever forget Alearda?" 
 
 " Not so, dear. Arnald. But thou mightest mistake us 
 for others ; or others for us." 
 
 " I understand thee not." 
 
 " That is no good sign." 
 
 " Nay, dear Altarbol — soon, perhaps very soon, shall 
 I understand more than I do now — and then thou wilt be 
 no longer a mystery to me." 
 
 " Thou didst understand me right well, when thou 
 
120 MINSTREL lOVE. 
 
 wert a loying cHld ; and well also didst thou understand 
 the good Sir Walter. Ah how true, how transparent, how 
 gentle was thy heart !" 
 
 " Altarbol, if there be any torturing grasp upon that 
 heart, it is thine. Tears burst from mine eyes ; yet must 
 I on even to the end !" 
 
 " I should be loath to menace thee with that power 
 wherewith the church has endowed me. But what if I 
 were to refuse thee absolution for thy sins, till thou shalt 
 confess to me all that is in thy mind ?" 
 
 " I have no answer for an If." 
 
 " The If is a warning. Soon no other course win be 
 left me." 
 
 The voice of Altarbol, that mighty and heroic voice, 
 trembled as he spake these words. Arnald could no 
 longer restrain his burning tears ; but he remained silent, 
 and turning his gaze within, surveyed sternly and keenly 
 his dark and troubled breast. 
 
 " Now may God send an angel to turn thy heart !" 
 sighed Altarbol ; " and may He forbid the risen and wan- 
 dering spirit of Arnold of Brescia to destroy another, a far 
 nobler Maraviglia, than he whose fallen towers look on us 
 warningly from the crest of yonder hill. Alas, a Mara- 
 viglia whose loss were irrevocable and irreparable !" 
 
 Covering his face, he strode from the chamber; but 
 Arnald forcibly repressed his deep agitation, and, resolved 
 to follow his path till he found light, and to regard this op- 
 position only as a trial of his fortitude, went with a heavy 
 but unwavering heart to the hut beside the mountain-lake. 
 
 As Arnald approached, he beheld a group of the inhabit- 
 ants of the neighbouring fishing-huts standing in grate- 
 ful astonishment around Ultramonte. From the clefts of 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 121 
 
 ■some shattered rocks a spring, hitherto unknown, was 
 'bubbling forth in clear and silver streams ; and men and 
 women were discussing around it the best means of con- 
 veying its refreshing and long-needed treasures to their 
 houses and courts, so as to put an end, at once and for 
 ever, to the laborious practice of fetching water from the 
 sea. Children were sporting around this novel bath, and 
 itossing the foam-flakes in each other's faces. 
 
 Ultramonte had traced the passage of the unseen 
 waters, and instructed the villagers how to liberate them 
 from the rocks by which they were imprisoned. All gazed 
 upon him as though he were a messenger from heaven ; 
 and Arnald felt that every vestige of mistrust in his bosom 
 was at once eflfaced. With joyful heart he congratulated 
 himself on not having been induced to abandon his present 
 efforts and labours by the warning voice of Altarbol. 
 
 When the tumult had subsided, Ultramonte beckoned 
 -our friend into an orchard behind the house, and the 
 lesson began. It seemed as though it would be the last; 
 for with marvellous rapidity did mystery after mystery 
 unfold itself ; though the breast of Arnald was oppressed 
 by silent misgivings, because that, according to the system 
 •which he had learned, he perceived that the day and the 
 hour were alike unpropitious. Ultramonte, on the other 
 hand, seemed to have forgotten the power of numbers, and 
 hurried onwards, with audacious eagerness, to the goal of 
 his enterprise. At the very moment when, by manifold 
 gestures and incantations, he had consecrated a tree, and 
 was about to deliver one of its branches, with great so- 
 iemiiity, into the hands of Arnald, their earnest occupation 
 was interrupted by loud shouts at the garden-gate, and 
 a voice was heard inquiring whether Sir Arnald of Mara- 
 viglia was here to be found. 
 
 " Hold thy peace, and suffer the fools to depart," 
 whispered Ultramonte, impatiently. 
 
 But Arnald had recognised the voice of Alearda's page, 
 .and he immediately concluded that his ladye had sent to 
 
122 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 seek him. Then it seemed as though the star of his pure 
 love shone forth at once through all the dark and heavy 
 clouds of magic which overshadowed his breast ; he threw 
 open the door, swung himself upon his white Arab, which 
 the page had brought from its stall for greater haste, and 
 galloped away, the messenger following upon his swift- 
 footed mule, while Ultramonte gloomily withdrew into a 
 thick and leafy garden-walk. 
 
 On the way, however, the gladsomeness of the tiou- 
 badour suffered some diminution ; for he learned from 
 his companion that divers unknown ladies had, arrived at 
 Castle Bisiers who were desirous of beholding the far- 
 famed minstrel, and that for this purpose the countess had 
 summoned him. Arnald was not insensible to fame, least 
 of all did he despise its wreaths when bestowed by the 
 hands of gentle ladies; nevertheless such deliberate and 
 preconcerted encounters as the present did always greatly 
 oppress and embarrass him. Moreover, all unwonted 
 adjuncts to the presence of Alearda troubled him, as a 
 gaudy frame interferes with one's enjoyment of a fine 
 picture. Neither could he forget that the number both of 
 the daj' and of the hour was unfavourable. Nevertheless 
 his mistress had summoned him — and summoned him for 
 the service of noble ladies ; so, swift as the wind, he spurred 
 his Arab steed through meadows and woods till he reached 
 Castle Bisiers. 
 
 Here he was agreeably surprised. The stranger ladies 
 thought not only on his fame : they chiefly regarded, with 
 gentle and pious reverence, the divine gift which had been 
 imparted to him ; and all disturbing influences having been 
 sedulously removed by Alearda, Arnald read gladly and 
 with enthusiasm such lays and legends as they were desi- 
 rous of hearing. He lacked only the presence of his noble 
 commander, who had ridden forth on a hunting expedi- 
 tion ; but sorely as Arnald missed him, when he recalled 
 the idea of sundry members of his suite, he could , not feel 
 altogether dissatisfied with the stag-hunt. Ah, how, often 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 123 
 
 had many a lofty moment of his life been ti-oubled by the 
 presence even of the friendly Guy of Hauteroche ; and he 
 was but as a dove, or sometimes perchance a peacock, to 
 that interminable throng of hungry vultures! "Truly," 
 thought Arnald to himself, " ye do better to hunt the hart 
 than to hunt me." 
 
 So closed the evening, beneath the renewed brightness 
 of poetic thoughts: and they went forth into the high ar- 
 cades and shady avenues of the castle-garden full of gentle 
 seriousness and grave familiarity. The heart of Amald 
 rose high and pure within him : he longed to reveal to his 
 ladye the subject of his present hopes and efforts ; and al- 
 ready he had begun to feel that the presence of strangers 
 was burdensome, when it seemed as though, for this once, 
 Guy of Hauteroche and his companions were destined to 
 do the troubadour good service. At this very moment they 
 returned, announcing the near approach of the vicomte ; 
 and they then considered it incumbent upon them to en- 
 tertain the fair visitors after their ordinary fashion, so that 
 it was impossible for the latter to attend any longer to the 
 minstrel, even had they desired so to do. Beneath the 
 tall trees of that pleasant garden, several'steps in advance 
 of the gay throng, Arnald wandered on unmolested by the 
 side of Alearda, drinking the breath and basking in the 
 smiles of his beloved Autumn. 
 
 How did his heart, his true and tender heart, arise 
 within him ! Arnald now held solemn discourse of the 
 mysterious treasures of wisdom in the ruins of Castle 
 Maraviglia, of his own vocation to discover and remove 
 them, of many wondrous bonds of affinities in the life of 
 tree and stream, in the veins of rocks or of human beings, 
 in metals and in animals ; and of the power over all these 
 things which the gifted are permitted to attain. At first 
 he spake but by dim allusions, but eventually he brought 
 the certainty of the whole clearly and distinctly to light, 
 as well as his own vicinity to the goal of all his hopes. He 
 spoke also of the mystical involutions of numbers, and their 
 
124 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 prophetic significance ; now as warning, now as encou- 
 ragement. Silently and seriously, almost timidly — if one 
 might have applied such an expression to the illustrious 
 ladye — Alearda gazed upon the ground. 
 
 " I have perhaps done wrong," said Arnald, observing 
 her demeanour, " to speak of these things to you before 
 I have actually attained the fulness of power over them ; 
 and, truly, it was not my intention to have done so. But 
 how was it possible for me, noble mistress, to hide from 
 you so long the highest aspirations of my existence ? Me- 
 thinks I owe you the best of all that I feel and do, as 
 a votive tribute ; and I cannot always stop to inquire 
 whether I am presenting my ofiering precisely at the 
 right moment." 
 
 Alearda remained sUent yet a little while longer ; then 
 she said gently — • 
 
 " Thou knowest, sir knight, how the unearthly visions 
 of thy minstrelsy, the forebodings of an unknown spirit- 
 world, ever around us, and yet immeasurably removed 
 from us, have thrilled and charmed me, as by a strange 
 and magical power of attraction ; nevertheless, I neither 
 can nor will conceal it from thee, now that all these mys- 
 teries are about to become manifest, and tangible in thy 
 life, I shrink back in terror, and could almost exclaim, 
 Maraviglia, pause and turn !" 
 
 " Say but the word, lady, and it is done," replied 
 Arnald, somewhat startled, and, it may be, somewhat 
 heavy at heart, but immediately resuming his wonted 
 spirit of joyful and devoted submission to that exalted 
 being. 
 
 " Nay," returned Alearda, "it is not for me to bridle 
 your daring steps. Whatsoever you do in God's name 
 you do well.'' 
 
 "Moreover," said Arnald, "is not my minstrelsy my 
 life, and my life also my minstrelsy ; just as the whole 
 existence of a man is made up of day and night — of 
 dreams and wakings? And shall that which on the one 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 125 
 
 side has well pleased you, disturb or even terrify you on 
 the other?" 
 
 " That accords not exactly with my thoughts," an- 
 swered Alearda. " It is true that a few chosen spirits 
 may be able to walk well, uprightly, and safely, along the 
 paths which you are now treading; yes, I would listen 
 joyfully to the same words from other lips ; from the lips 
 of one good, true, and energetic as thyself, but not steeped 
 in the glow of poesy, as thou art. Amald, it seems to 
 me as though all the higher and finer intuitions of thy 
 nature must grow pale in the light of this terrible certainty 
 of manifestation. If every day, and every hour, shall 
 speak to you with audible and prophetic tongue ; if tlie 
 spirits of the trees and rocks shall come forth before 
 your eyes, and knock at your heart, with loud and intelli- 
 gible sounds ; if even the numbers of your verses shall 
 begin to develope wondrous secrets — how should the 
 burning and swelling heart of a poet endure all this? I 
 may be too careful in this matter, therefore let me not 
 prevail against you : only thus much do I certainly know, 
 that if the danger of your country, or your own honour, 
 should once more summon you to the field, I could ex- 
 claim in joy, ' God be with you, valiant troubadour and 
 knight; forward against the foe! Maintain your min- 
 strelsy with your life, for both are one !' Here, however, 
 I cannot so speak." 
 
 She was silent, and the light of a new morning arose 
 upon the heart of Amald. It seemed as though a grey 
 and heavy mantle of enchantments fell from him, and he 
 could behold Altarbol and Walter joyously beckoning to 
 him, in the clouds of evening ; he said, cheerfully and re- 
 solutely, " To-morrow I wiU seek, for the last time, the 
 mountain-lake, and renounce the instructions of that man 
 of wonders." 
 
 Alearda smiled upon him very graciously, and said, 
 ' God be praised ; for I feel that this is right '." 
 
126 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 The vicomte returned home; a splendid repast closed the 
 festivities of the day; and Arnald felt his spirit more and 
 more raised and animated, and strengthened for all good, 
 by the honouring confidence of his former commander. 
 
 They stood now upon a lofty balcony, and gazed up into 
 the clear and star-lit skies of the autumnal night. Alearda 
 became very silent, and her eye, itself a star, returned the 
 pure radiance of the heavenly lamps, till it seemed that 
 she had lost the power of averting her gaze from them. 
 
 " Wherefore do those fair eyes so hang upon the firma- 
 ment 2" inquired the vicomte. Thereat she pointed out 
 to him a constellation; and Arnald, standing closely behind 
 her, perceived, with deep emotion, that it was the same 
 which, since the evening when he first beheld her, he had 
 named Alearda. 
 
 " Thou canst doubtless call to mind," said the ladye to 
 her lord, " a certain jewel, which I inherited from mine 
 ancestors. The stars which compose yonder constellation 
 were figured, in glittering gems, upon a golden waist- 
 clasp, and I prized it above all my other ornaments. I 
 lost it in a very singular manner. In those gloomy days 
 when, doubtful of the issue, thou didst contend against the 
 Saracens, I desired to send a messenger to thee, my lord 
 and liusband ; and because thou didst not know the per- 
 son of the esquire to \\hom I was compelled to entrust the 
 charge — he had but recently entered my service— I gave 
 him that beloved jewel, as a credential. 
 
 "But how did he return to me? Pale, bleeding, 
 .^'rushed — yet had he not reached you ! Weary to death, 
 and lamed for life, his poor horse crept behind him : he 
 had lost my token ; and with his dying lips he narrated 
 the following wondrous story : — 
 
 "Two Moorish cavaliers, named Balta and Gryba, 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 127 
 
 with a few followers, harassed the rear of the Provencal 
 army. As my messenger was asoending a narrow moun- 
 tain pass — close on his left the inaccessible rock, beneath 
 him, on the right, the sheer precipice — he perceived one 
 of these Moorish horsemen on the heights, while the other 
 rode along the valley ; both were apparelled in black 
 armour, and he on the cliff bore many shining devices 
 upon his bosom. They called to him to halt, and deliver 
 up to them the costly jewel he had upon his person. He 
 had boasted thereof in a neighbouring hostelry, and thus 
 must its existence have been betrayed to them. Without 
 giving them any answer, he turned and fled ; the Moor 
 on the heights hurled his javelin against him, but the mis- 
 sile harmed him not. Both warriors then spurred their 
 nimble steeds to cross his path, as he issued from the 
 pass. Then terror completely overcame him ; and being 
 for the moment concealed by bushes from his pursuers, he 
 resolved to attempt descending into the valley, in the hope 
 that, while he was thus occupied, they would pass without 
 perceiving him. But his horse stumbled and slipped, and 
 he fell with terrific violence into the abyss. In a moment 
 the horseman of the valley was at his side, supporting him, 
 and binding up his hurts, but at the same time gravely 
 and earnestly demanding the jewel. Stunned and terri- 
 fied, he yielded it up ; and at the same moment the other 
 cavalier, eager for the prize, plunged with rash precipit- 
 ancy down the mountain, and fell, almost fainting, upon 
 the earth beside the messenger ; but soon, half raising 
 himself from his recumbent posture, and looking upon 
 the jewel in his comrade's hand, he said, smiling painfully, 
 ' Good luck attend thee, Balta ! I have the peril, and 
 thou the prize; and the grace of Queen Soleyma belongs 
 also to thee.' ' Nay, Gryba,' returned the other, ' our 
 mistress herself only can decide this question. Mine was 
 the gain, but thine was the hazardous deed. Art thou 
 sorely hurt V ' Nay, not mortally,' cried Gryba, smiling 
 and springing up ; ' thou knowest it is not such an easy 
 
128 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 matter to kill me.'' Herewith, they departed, conversing 
 and singing merrily along the valley : and it is not only 
 the loss of the jewel which pains me, but it is the thought 
 that a heathen queen should wear the time-honoured 
 relic of my race, in prideful ostentation, at her unholy 
 revels." 
 
 "An expedition to Granada," muttered the vicomte, 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 "In God's name," interrupted Alearda, very earn- 
 estly, and almost with severity : "in God's name, did, 
 then, my blessed mother give me that fair jewel with her 
 death-stiffening hands, in order that Christian warriors 
 should sprinkle it with their precious blood? Lay not, 
 my lord, so heavy a burden either on thy conscience or 
 on mine I Moreover, has not the Prankish monarch ap- 
 pointed to thee here matters of far higher import 1" 
 
 The vicomte bowed submissively : but the whole heart 
 of Arnald was filled with joy; and wien, shortly after- 
 wards, he took leave of Alearda, he said : " My honoured 
 mistress sees me with the jewelled star, or sees me not 
 again !" She seemed but imperfectly to comprehend him ; 
 nevertheless she smiled graciously, and Arnald received 
 that smile as an omen propitious to his enterprise. 
 
 As Arnald proceeded homewards, beneath the tranquil 
 night, through fair valleys, and over fruitful plains, the 
 constellation of the Wain stood glittering above his head, 
 not far from that which he had named Alearda ; and again 
 did he receive true, calm, and holy joy from their aspect, 
 as though from the visible presence of God. 
 
 Unwonted thoughts did, indeed, pass across his mind, 
 as he remembered the unfavourable combination of num- 
 bers on the past day ; he said, however, to himself, " This- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 129 
 
 is right ; so it is, and so it should be. Tliis day accorded 
 not with my unhallowed striving and seeking after secrets 
 which it was not given to me to attain ; but it is exactly the 
 right day for the starting-point of my higher and holier 
 life ; and therefore, seductive subtleties of numbers, and 
 whatsoever else belongs to this realm of mystery and 
 magic, depart from me, henceforth and for ever ! I re- 
 nounce you all ; and with you I renounce the lessons of 
 my dark teacher, as certainly as she, for whose love I do 
 this, is the one only mistress of my heart." 
 
 Somewhat similar to this was the manner in which,. 
 on the following morning, he addressed Ultramonte, only 
 that he abstained from naming Alearda. 
 
 " I am less surprised than angered," replied the master, 
 "for yester morn when thou didst ride away from me with 
 so much levity, I might have known what, sooner or later, 
 must happen. So be it. He who is so greatly favoured as 
 to have a magic staff committed to his grasp, and who then 
 blindly casts it from him, for him, certainly, the mystery- 
 revealing wand was not framed. Good luck attend you on 
 your own way : I wiU to the Marchese Rinaldo of Tag- 
 liaduro." And before Arnald could collect his thoughts 
 concerning a name which sounded famiUarly to his ears, 
 Ultramonte had entered the fishing-hut, and fastened the 
 bolt oh the inside. 
 
 The troubadour now remembered the narrative of Guy 
 of Hauteroche concerning that Neapolitan knight ; but 
 other and weightier themes chased it from his thoughts. 
 He hastened home, arranged all matters for his depar- 
 ture, and then mounting his white Arab, and attended by 
 his esquire, sought the cloisters of St. Anne's Abbey. 
 
 The porter, when he inquired for the abbot, pointed to 
 the church, for it was now the hour of confession. Ar- 
 nald comprehended this signal of divine favour, and has- 
 tened to obey it. When Altarbol beheld him kneeling at 
 the confessional, he shook his venerable head, and said : 
 " Oh, my son, my dearest and best-beloved son, thou 
 
130 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 knowest the condition on which alone I can impart to thee 
 ibsoiution ! Art thou ready to confess every thing 1" 
 
 "Every thing !" replied the knight, joyfully ; and the 
 history of his wondrous pupilhood, and of the reason and 
 the manner of his renouncing it, flowed like a pure strean 
 from his lips. Bright tears of thankfulness stood in the 
 eyes of Altarbol as he said, " Thou bountiful God ! Thou 
 hast yet again delivered a right precious soul !" Then he 
 gladly absolved the minstrel- warrior. 
 
 Afterwards the two friends Vi^alked forth beneath the 
 evergreen shade of the tall fir-trees in the cloister-gardens, 
 and Altarbol said, after a long and thoughtful silence : 
 
 "Thou goest forth, my beloved son, into the land of 
 heathenesse, where perchance yet lives a descendant of 
 the Moorish necromancer, of whom Ultramonte told thee, 
 who buried the wondrous volume of Arnold, and aided 
 Crescenzio to paint the walls. Tell me, now, hast thou 
 good hope that thou ^vilt have strength to resist the re- 
 newed temptations which may perhaps assail thee to be- 
 come, from a gladsome and true-hearted minstrel, a mys- 
 tical miner into the depths of necromantic wisdom ?" 
 
 "With God's help, dear father and friend, such is 
 my certain hope," replied Arnald ; " thou knowest how 
 glorious is the light by which I am encircled and de- 
 fended." 
 
 Altarbol thoughtfully replied in the affirmative. After 
 a space, however, he thus continued : " Arnald, there 
 dwelt once at the court of the vioomte an Italian knight, 
 by name the Marchese Rinaldo of Tagliaduro." 
 
 But the priest stopped in astonishment at the angry 
 flush which arose in the cheeks of Arnald ; and the latter 
 broke forth with the following impetuous words : 
 
 " AVhat right hast thou, sir abbot, to name my name in 
 company with that of the misguided Neapolitan? When 
 the same thing was done by the good-hearted Guy of 
 Hauteroche, I let it pass, reflecting that it was impossible 
 for him, in his light and irregular mode of life, to receive 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 131 
 
 clearly the rays of my stainless love, and I instructed him 
 calmly, and with all gentleness. But thou, Altarbol, thou 
 — to whom, scarce half an hour since, my soul stood open 
 in the sacred light of confession ; thou, who hast known 
 me, my thoughts, and my actions, from earliest childhood ; 
 thou, who understanding the service acceptable to saint.s, 
 must needs likewise understand the service acceptable to 
 a pure-hearted woman, — thou comest to me with admo- 
 nitions concerning the dark and unhallowed passion of the 
 Marchese Rinaldo of Tagliaduro ! O Altarbol!" 
 
 The old man looked upon him with piercing eyes, and 
 at length replied : " It is to be hoped that the fountain 
 from whence this wrathful stream of fire arose, is altogether 
 pure and holy ; and if so, I bid it welcome with my whole 
 heart. But, Arnald, many a noble spirit which never de- 
 ceived another has unconsciously deceived itself: Arnald, 
 didst thou never feel a wish in thy heart which thou couldst 
 not reveal to Alearda?" 
 
 The troubadour was silent a while, questioning himself 
 earnestly and honourably. At last he said : " No, my 
 father ; concerning Alearda herself have I never entertained 
 the shadow of a wish which I should blush to confess to 
 her." 
 
 "Thou art no longer a mere youth," continued Altar- 
 bol, "prone to lose thyself in unsubstantial dreams of hope: 
 life lies clear and open before the gaze of thy manhood. 
 What demandest thou of life ?" 
 
 " I desire, by God's help, to remain a minstrel, good 
 and true, and an honourable knight," replied Arnald ; " I 
 will strive for the right in arms, and for the prize in song ; 
 and every wreath that I win shall be consecrated to my 
 lofty ladye. If ever the highest of all possible blessings 
 might be vouclisafed to me, then, oh, then I would pray 
 that with her lips of wondrous sweetness she might pro- 
 nounce these words : ' I acknowledge thee for my knight, 
 Sir Arnald of Maraviglia.' But although this may never 
 happen, yet she takes pleasure in my lays, and from time 
 
132 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 to time a way is opened to me wherein to serve her ; 
 therefore am I a happy and highly-favoured mam.'' 
 
 "Go forth in God's name, my friend, and abide in 
 truth and gladness of heart in that noble service which 
 thou hast chosen for thyself!" said Altarbol, very cheer- 
 fully. He laid his hand in blessing on the knight's head. 
 
 Arnold bent in heartfelt reverence, and then said gently, 
 " Nevertheless, dear father, I was far too warm with thee 
 just now." 
 
 " I knew that I had to do with a MaravigUa," replied 
 the old man, smiling ; and the friends then bade each other 
 farewell, full of affection and hope. 
 
 Por the last time, at least for a space, the white Arai 
 carried his present master as far as the sea-shore, and then 
 returned home in the charge of his faithful squire. The 
 following morning beheld the white and swelling sails of 
 the bark which contained Sir Arnald of Maraviglia already 
 gleaming in the far horizon. 
 
 UNI) on THE FIRST BOOK. 
 
Wmtm !Lotie» 
 
 BOOK THE SECOND. 
 
,NE of those pleasant siowers wherewitli 
 Winter is wont to announce his coming 
 in southern lands, and which are his fre- 
 quent attendants during the few w^eeks of his 
 sojourn, was scattering its soft and silver-splash- 
 ing drops over the coasts of Granada, when 
 Arnald's hark, which had been detained on its ' 
 voyage by various accidents, cast anchor on the 
 gently-sloping shore. 
 
 Amald, seated on the poop, expressed his 
 feelings in the following song : — 
 
 rrom yon pure skies aloft, 
 Ah, flow thou rain-stream soft, 
 
 Freshening my weary soul, 
 My drooping limbs reviving ; 
 
 For as thy murmuring waters roll, 
 For each of my bright lays 
 One of their bright pearls giving, 
 Calm grows my lieart, as once in childhood's days. 
 
136 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 The Hoods of sin are dry, 
 Man's ancient fear gone by ! 
 Yet still, in nameless dread, 
 
 Our footsteps wander darkling. 
 Lo ! erery cloud of doubt hath fled. 
 When hopeful, clear, and bright. 
 
 Amid the blue sky sparkling, 
 The glorious rainbow lifts her arch of light 
 
 Oh, at your silvery sound. 
 Mild tears, that drop around. 
 My heart grows light again — 
 
 Ye soften, ye subdue it ; 
 And so, when sorrow's bitter rain 
 That trembling heart shall shroud. 
 
 Let Hope's bright form shine through it. 
 Like thee, thou Benediction in the cloud ! 
 
 At this very moment a rainbow arose over the plains 
 of Granada in all its brightness and variety of hues, and 
 Arnald hailed the sign of promise in a gladsome and 
 thankful spirit. 
 
 During the landing, he perceived a Moorish cavalier 
 riding slowly up and down in the rain on a beautiful mule, 
 and, like himself, appearing to rejoice in the grateful cool- 
 ness, and the sunlight sporting among the falling pearls. 
 
 As the stranger approached the coast, Arnald recog- 
 nised the bright and many-coloured devices embossed on 
 his black armour, and could no longer doubt his identity. 
 It was Gryba, the Moorish warrior, whom he was now 
 about to encounter on the borders of the sea. Pleasant, 
 calm, and friendly was the aspect of the youthfiil hero, as 
 he rode forwards, encircled, as it were, by the rainbow; 
 his smile was unspeakably gentle; his countenance was 
 fuU of a careless light-heartedness, which might have been 
 deemed childlike, had it not been contradicted by a slight 
 shade of melanchply upon the brows ; while his dark eyes 
 flashed so gloriously, that the thought shot at once into the 
 Beholder's mind, " How terrible must be their fire ! how 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 137 
 
 fierce must be the ardour of the young knight in battle 
 or in single combat! Nevertheless, he must certainly be 
 at all times beautiful, and open, and noble !" 
 
 Amald contemplated him with inward satisfaction ; his 
 whole spirit grew bright within him, and he said in his 
 heart, "Behold a youth to whom the best and highest 
 inspirations of a minstrel might be revealed in fulness of 
 joy and confidence. He may, indeed, understand no lan- 
 guage save Arabic, and of me he may know nothing. 
 What matters it ? I know much of him ; and I see that 
 he stands within the gates of the rainbow as in a home — 
 a kindly and free-hearted child of heaven ! It is a goodly 
 gift of God, that the most unfamiliar faces, if they be only 
 true and noble, are even as friends to the eyes of the min- 
 strel ; and that sooner or later they are mirrored back in 
 his lays, sometimes consciously, sometimes imconsciously, 
 but always to the rejoicing of many a kindred spirit in this 
 wide and blooming world." 
 
 Gryba was now close before him, asking with his 
 wonted grace and warmth of heart whether he could in 
 any manner serve or aid the stranger. 
 
 " Thou art hospitable as are thy kinsmen the dwel- 
 lers beneath the palm-trees of Araby," said Amald, with 
 a smile ; " and thou questionest me not of name and father- 
 land tiU after thou hast shewn me some courtesy. But, 
 nevertheless, I must here give answer of my name and my 
 fatherland. How is it, fair sir; shall there be war or 
 peace for me on these coasts ? I am the Christian knight, 
 Amald of Maraviglia, a Provengal troubadour." 
 
 At these words the generous Gryba leaped out of his 
 saddle, embraced his new guest with heartfelt eagerness, 
 and cried, speaking in pure and beautiful Proven5al — 
 
 " O thou dear minstrel, singer, and tale-teller, welcome, 
 many thousand times welcome to us all! Knowest thou 
 not that the ladies of our land read and sing, or cause to 
 be read and sung, every where and at all times, thy lays, 
 thy fabliaux, and thy chansons ? And that vie knights are 
 
15 
 
 MINSTREL LOVB. 
 
 also wont to kindle our valour thereat, as well as at the 
 honourable deeds which are recorded of thee in battle? 
 How would it be possible for us to receive thee on these 
 coasts as an enemy? But that thou mayest more fuUy 
 understand us, come with me to yonder slender turret 
 upon the turfy hill." 
 
 He did not rest till he had persuaded Arnald to mount 
 his mule ; and he himself walking by the side of the ani- 
 mal, guided its steps by means of the silver-embroidered 
 reins of green twisted silk, while he committed the care 
 of the troubadour's baggage to some slaves who came up 
 at the moment, and who received many injunctions not to 
 neglect their charge. 
 
 ei^aptcr ©econb. 
 
 The turret to which Arnald and Gryba now betook them- 
 selves seemed to rise aloft with added grace and bright- 
 ness at every step which they made towards it, while its 
 polished surface distinctly reflected the light of each indi- 
 vidual sunbeam that shone upon it. At the very moment 
 in which they attained the ridge of the hill, the rain-clouds 
 began to break ana sever, and soon tney sailed swiftly 
 asunder, some hurrying across the sea, some clustering 
 around the far mountains ; so that the magnificent plain 
 became at once visible, stretching forth in spacious and 
 enchanting beauty, adorned with a rich profusion of edifices, 
 all glittering with innumerable chateaux, and towers, and 
 villages, and mosques. The breast of Arnald heaved with 
 sweet astonishment, — his eager and sparkling glance was 
 scarcely yet capable of embracing all that splendour of life 
 and loveliness. 
 
 "Up in the tower yonder the prospect is far fairer; 
 only come thither, dear minstrel," cried the smiling Gryba, 
 caressingly grasping liis arm. Arnald followed him the 
 
MINSTREL LOVE, 139 
 
 more readily because the gendy-winding steps whicli they 
 now ascended circled around the exterior of the building, 
 only here and there concealing the paradise below as if in 
 sport, and for the express purpose of again exhibiting it in 
 newness of beauty from a point of greater elevation. 
 
 "Ah," cried Amald, "this should bo the abode of some 
 mighty master of painting !" 
 
 "Such an one does indeed dwell here," replied Gryba, 
 opening a small door richly decorated with lattice-work, 
 and with numerous graceiiil figures carved in shining 
 bronze, which stood close to the highest summit of the 
 edifice. 
 
 They entered a pleasant chamber, lighted on aU sides 
 by wide and lofty windows, some of which were, however, 
 carefully curtained by rich hangings of arras. Around 
 them stood the instruments and apparatus of a painter ; 
 several brightly - tinted pictures were displayed upon the 
 pUlars of the room. With his back towards them, in an 
 easy and tranquil attitude, sat the artist, busily engaged in 
 designing embellishments on the delicately-inscribed pages 
 of a large parchment volume — from time to time dipping 
 Ms brush into sundry receptacles of bright colours which 
 were placed at his right and at his left. Gryba signed to 
 his companion to be silent, and led him softly up to the 
 easel. The artist had not perceived the entrance of his 
 two visitors, and continued to bend over his labour with 
 unabated industry. Gryba pointed to the volume, and Ar- 
 nald read the following words, inscribed on the centre of 
 the page in beautifuUy-formed letters, painted with lapis- 
 -azuli and gold : — 
 
 " O lady," said the taught, 
 
 '* Love hath its home ia holy paradise, 
 
 Guarded by many a golden barrier bright, 
 And watched by faithful eyes 
 
 And armSd hands. Him only they admit 
 To that fair garden of the upper skies 
 
 Who calmly waits, and nobly toils for it." 
 
140 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Amald immediately recognised one of the finest of Ms 
 own heroic legends which was written in this book ; and 
 great was his pleasure in contemplating the skill where- 
 with the artist adorned the wide margin with branches 
 and cloud-like forms, in tints of the freshest green, the most 
 intense rose-colour, and the purest and most celestial blue, 
 so that he had never seen shapes fairer or more blooming 
 even in his dreams ; and how aU these wondrous designs 
 had reference to the verses upon the centre of the page. 
 The lights, which were almost exclusively laid on in pure 
 gold, gleamed mysteriously through the midst of the mazy 
 shadows. The next page, which lay open, was decorated 
 in a like beautiful and significant manner. One thing, 
 however, struck the troubadour as strange, namely, that 
 all the shapes, whether of human beings or of animals, 
 seemed to grow out of the cups of flowers, or to melt into 
 the play of clouds, so that they rather resembled strange 
 plants or air-born images than real and living creatures. 
 
 As Arnald stooped over the work in great delight, the 
 lyre which hung from his shoulder struck against the hilt 
 of Gryba's sword, and a sound arose in the chamber as of 
 a chord struck by a skilful harmonist. The artist looked 
 up in amazement. It was Balta. How could Amald mis- 
 take, even for a moment, that composed gentleness, that 
 serious smile, above all, that holy fire of the hero and the 
 artist which shone in his dark and glowing eyes ? 
 
 The two youths rejoiced exceedingly in the presence of 
 a master so beloved; and from the lips of Balta, ordinarily 
 so silent, flowed a stream of ready wit and childlike spor- 
 tiveness, such as Amald could never have expected from 
 that grave spirit. When, however, the troubadour turned 
 once more eagerly towards the paintings, Balta ceased to 
 speak, and with busy delight displayed leaf after leaf of 
 the manuscript, which was now almost finished, looking 
 from each into the eyes of his guest with a friendly and 
 half-inquiring smQe. Almost dazzled by the richness of 
 colour and variety of invention here manifested. Amald 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 141 
 
 marvelled yet more at the deep and fuH appreciation of his 
 poem which was visible in all. The words, the melody, 
 the shadowy import of his minstrelsy, seemed to have 
 suddenly assumed a visible presence and a tangible form, 
 as if at the touch of an enchanter. With a sudden cry of 
 joy the minstrel clasped the painter in his arms. 
 
 " Oh, this is beyond measure delightful I" exclaimed 
 the warm-hearted Gryba, clapping his hands ; "yet I knew 
 well that it could not be otherwise." 
 
 When they had completed their inspection of the manu- 
 script, the conversation resumed its various and roving 
 course. Balta withdrew the curtains from the windows, 
 so that the scenes of the fairest land upon earth became 
 visible, as in a magic-lantern, on every side. Afterwards 
 he summoned his slaves, bearing costly refreshments ; and 
 the two young Moorish heroes did as Prince Tarfe had 
 formerly done — they merrily pledged their noble guest in 
 wine as noble, foaming in its gracefully-carved goblets of 
 crystal. 
 
 " Do not for this hold us to be unworthy Mussulmen," 
 said Balta, earnestly ; " it is true that many may, from 
 levity, break this law of their Prophet ; but were we in 
 our own eastern laud, we would observe it with unvarying 
 strictness : here, howevei-, in these foreign climates, even 
 our priesthood demands it not of us." 
 
 Arnald inclined his head out of reverence for the duti- 
 ful spirit manifested in the words of Balta ; but Gryba 
 merrily interrupted him: "Foreign climates! Nay, by 
 such words thou givest ground to the Christians, who ever 
 maintain that we are not at home in this country. In a 
 certain sense they are right, in a certain sense wrong ; but 
 it boots not questioning the matter ; for even if they be 
 right, it gives us only so much the more reason for battle. 
 However fair may be the beauty of ladies, however glorious 
 the smiles of spring or the songs of minstrels, in spite of all 
 these I must always esteem a battle the fairest and most 
 glorious thing upon earth." 
 
142 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 "Again thou speakest," replied Balta, with undimi- 
 nished gravity, "after thy wonted indiscreet fashion; so 
 that they who know thee not well must hold thee for some 
 wild adventurer, who fancies himself called to ravage the 
 earth in grim glee, and to fight only for the sake of fight- 
 ing. Ah, Gryba ! and thou art in very truth so kind and 
 gentle of nature [" 
 
 " Thou knowest me," cried the good-humoured youth, 
 with a smile ; " and I am certain that the noble master 
 yonder thinks no p-vil of me : am I not right, fair sir?" 
 
 Full of the warmest affection, Arnald pressed his hand ; 
 and again did their discourse scatter its joyous words right 
 and left, without any definite aim, but full of mirth and 
 free-heartedness. 
 
 Among other subjects, they touched once more upon 
 the illuminated manuscript ; and Balta said, " Ah, my 
 dear master! If thou couldst but know her for whom I 
 am painting these graceful letters, and these mazy figures ! 
 They are for the Queen Soleyma, of wondrous beauty. 
 Right deeply loves she thy tales and rhymes ; and I hold 
 myself greatly honoured in that she has given the commis- 
 sion of adorning with care and choice this her favourite 
 work to no other than myself." 
 
 Arnald looked down thoughtfully, and said, after a 
 while, " Methinks it is now time that ve. my youthful 
 friends, shoula learn tue reason oi luy cuming into this 
 land. The clasp with the jewelled constellation, which 
 ye won from a messenger of Provence, is it yet in your 
 hands, or have ye already given it to the keeping of Queen 
 Soleyma 1" 
 
 Gryba and Balta looked wonderingly on each other; 
 but at last both cried with one voice, " How say you, are 
 we to do battle for this jewel? How say you, noble 
 knight?" 
 
 " Such will indeed be the end," returned Arnald ; 
 "for I demand that jewel in the name of the lofty Lady 
 Alearda; and I have vowed to myself either to bear it 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 143 
 
 home with me to Castle Bisiers, or to remain deaci on 
 these shores." 
 
 "Is your purpose indeed so serious?" sighed Balta; 
 and his eyes became dim with a cloud of tearful sorrow. 
 Gryba, on the other hand, having overlooked the words 
 of deadly meaning in Arnald's speech, joyously exclaimed, 
 " Hurrah ! To one of us at least shall be accorded the 
 honour of a combat with yoa, most noble knight and 
 master ! As to the jewel, the case is this. When we took 
 ship with Tarfe for the expedition against Provence, the 
 fair Queen Soleyma promised her favour and a salute to 
 that knight who should bring home with him any jewel 
 concerning which he could declare, upon his word of 
 honour, that the far-famed Countess Alearda had herself 
 worn it, and that she held it dear. Ah, my dear knight, 
 thou wilt soon behold the glorious Soleyma with thine own 
 eyes ; and then thou "nalt not marvel that Balta and I ven- 
 tured our lives to win this prize of heavenly sweetness 
 from all the other knights. You seem to be acquainted 
 with the particulars of our adventure with the envoy ?" 
 
 Arnald signed in the affirmative, and Gryba proceeded. 
 " Well, then, you have only now to learn that the question 
 still remains undecided. The lovely Soleyma foresaw that 
 a knight should come to demand the jewel, in the service 
 of the lofty Lady Alearda ; and because the glory of having 
 achieved it was equally divided between us, she has deter- 
 mined to receive it from the hands of him alone who shall 
 have compelled the Provencal warrior to abandon his 
 claims. For the present it remains in my keeping ; we 
 cast lots for this office, and chance has awarded it to me. 
 But it is our lady's pleasure that a second casting of lots 
 shall decide which of us is first to have the honour of en- 
 countering you in combat for this cause." 
 
 "The aspect of the matter is right serious," answered 
 Arnald, " but also right noble and knightly. When may 
 I present myself to Queen Soleyma?" 
 
 They agreed to conduct their honoured guest to court 
 
144 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 on the evening of that very day. Balta prepared himself 
 for a visit to the queen's chateau of pleasaunce ; while 
 Gryha led the troubadour to a fair chamber, which he had 
 caused to be constracted, lightly but strongly, and with 
 all appurtenances of elegance and convenience, among the 
 branches of a gigantic chestnut-tree, which gfew in the 
 neighbourhood. In this singular abode, Amald arrayed 
 himself richly and carefuU}', that he might appear as a 
 worthy herald before the Moorish queen. 
 
 Two wide and gracefully-winding staircases, the sides of 
 which were adorned with vases of bronze containing pome- 
 granate-trees, which preserved their bloom at all seasons 
 of the year, met together at the summit of an eminence, 
 before the entrance to Soleyma's chateau of pleasaunce. 
 Here the slender gilded piUars of the edifice stretched 
 forth their delicately arching arms to form a haU, or rather 
 a royal canopy, all undulating with gaily-coloured tapes- 
 tries, and surrounded, after the Eastern fashion, with 
 couches covered with costly stuffs. The walls between the 
 pillars were composed almost entirely of windows, clear as 
 a lady's mirror, through which the magnificence of the 
 chambers within, glimmered forth, like the mysterious 
 splendour of some fairy region. When Amald, accom- 
 panied by the two young Moorish heroes, entered by a 
 door of gilded lattice-work the wide green platform at 
 the foot of the glowing and illuminated eminence, he beheld 
 above him the Queen Soleyma, beneath the vaulted roof 
 of the glittering saloon, reclining with proud and careless 
 grace upon cushions embroidered with gold, attended by 
 a splendid and respectful retinue, magnificently attired, 
 and sparkling with gems, but yet more radiant with the 
 pomp and majesty of her own exceeding beauty. 
 
MINSTREL lOVE. 145 
 
 Amald cast down his dazzled eyes, as though they liad 
 felt the beams of a noonday sun, suddenly piercing the 
 douds ; and it was a relief to him that, during his ascent, 
 the branches of the blossoming pomegranates concealed 
 from liim that overpowering loveliness. 
 
 Now, having quitted the highest step, he issued forth 
 from those odorous shades, and stood before the saloon, in 
 <;lose vicinity to the radiant charms of the fascinating and 
 yet somewhat haughty beauty. A diadem of gems was in- 
 terwoven with her softly-flowing chestnut locks ; proud and 
 lovely was the brightness of her large eyes, and graciously 
 did they regard the minstrel, while her lips, blooming as 
 the rosebuds of spring, murmured a few words of greeting 
 in the purest Proven5al ; and she signed him to approach 
 with her snowy hand, revealing, by the movement, as the 
 folds of her wide Arabian garments fell back, an arm so 
 faultless, that the pencil of Balta himself could not have 
 surpassed it. Amald involuntarily thought on the fair 
 heathen goddess Juno, of whom he had read many things 
 in ancient legends ; and almost believed that he beheld her 
 bodily presence before him. 
 
 But he felt not now as he had felt when he beheld 
 Alearda for the first time. Then language and thought 
 were stopped, conscious of their insufficiency for his feel- 
 ings ; while now, on the contrary, after the first moment 
 of dazzled surprise, his spirit became joyous and confident, 
 his words arose in fair and expressive order, and he ex- 
 plained his errand, clearly and gracefully, in a few sen- 
 tences. 
 
 Soleyma looked on him well pleased, and said : " The 
 Countess Alearda has chosen for her knight a minstrel as 
 accomplished as he is far-famed." 
 
 " You honour me with a title far above my deserts," 
 replied Amald, " when you call me the knight of the 
 Countess Alearda. I have never presumed to solicit so 
 high a dignity, neither have my poor services availed to 
 induce her to bestow it upon me unasked. Rather might 
 
146 MT>fSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 I venture to call myself lier minstrel. Yet even of that 
 distinction am I not worthy, serving her rather as the night- 
 ingales serve the spring ; they are neither commanded nor 
 forbidden, but they sing only in that season of light and 
 fragrance, and save for their songs thou vi'ouldst not know 
 their existence.'' 
 
 "Thou art of passing modest temperament," said So- 
 leyma, with a somewhat scornful smile; "and in good 
 truth Alearda may, without the slightest hesitation, grace 
 a service so innocent as long as thou livest to pay it." 
 
 " Such is my hope, in God's name !" replied Amald 
 very gravely ; and at those simple words Soleyma involun- 
 tarily cast down her haughty eyes. 
 
 In a moment, however, she looked up again, and con- 
 tinued with the same slightly ironical smile : 
 
 " For such a May-nightingale, thou hast a strange af- 
 fection for battles." 
 
 " Though in the mysterious and doubtful animal sphere," 
 said Arnald, " there is a wide difference between the night- 
 ingale and the lion, yet, thanks be to God, in the bright 
 and abundantly-gifted sphere of man the case is far other 
 and far better ; and greatly should I compassionate your 
 land if it possessed no minstrels who could unite the spirit 
 of the lion to the voice of the nightingale. But I know 
 well that you have many such ; only you are pleased to 
 play with the simpleness of a stranger. For the present, 
 lady, I bend, as in duty bound, before your fair presence ; 
 and crave as a boon your permission that I may do battle, 
 for life and death, with these two noble knights, for the 
 sake of the star-jewel which is desired by the Countess 
 Alearda." 
 
 The face of Soleyma assumed a grave but beautiful 
 expression, as she watched a rapid and somewhat angry 
 blush pass over the generally pale cheeks of the trouba- 
 dour ; and she replii'd, after a little reflection : 
 
 " I permit the combat. But, noble knight of Mara- 
 viglia, 
 
MINSTREL T.OVE, 147 
 
 When the joyous storm of war is waking, 
 
 'Tis like the reign of liberal May, 
 With songs of nightingales outbreaking, 
 And free winds roving, fresh and gay. 
 Thou seest that the lovely lay wherewith thou didst cele- 
 brate the praises of autumn to Alearda, is not unknown 
 to us ; and now shall the right which your own words 
 have pronounced due to May, not be withholden from it. 
 When the nightingales sing, then, thou war-desiring min- 
 strel, thou mayest hold thy combat. Till then, thou shalt 
 tarry with us, and for once suffer the ladies of Granada to 
 enjoy the honour and delight of hearing thy songs and thy 
 tales from thine own lips. Thou art too gallant to refuse 
 my invitation; moreover, I bethink me that thou didst thy- 
 self choose me as judge of the combat." 
 
 Aruald could only bow in acquiescence, though the 
 delay was as a weight upon his heart. 
 
 " I would entreat you," pursued Soleyma, " to pass 
 the winter in my castle, only I know well I should thereby 
 offend Sir Gryba, who has already allured you into his 
 strange and sparkling leafy chamber. Perchance, how- 
 ever, the winter ivill consult my pleasure, and come upon 
 us somewhat more harshly and coldly than is his wont in 
 these climates. In that case, I hope you will not take flight 
 to the moss-grown ancestral castle of the cavalier Gryba, 
 but will rather betake yourself to this joyous abode." 
 
 Without waiting for an answer, she arose from her 
 cushions, and leaning upon her visitor's arm, conducted 
 him through her gay saloons, which were already all 
 gleaming with golden lamps ; many richly-attired pages, 
 and maidens wearing garlands, preceded them, carrying 
 waxen torches, and they were followed by the whole court. 
 
 A graceful and magnificent entertainment now took 
 place in those lustrous halls. Dance and game alternated 
 in the liveliest and most unconstrained manner ; the noblest 
 fruits and the rarest wines, not alone the productions of 
 that favoured climate, but apparently culled from every 
 
 L 
 
148 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 luxuriant region under the sun, wooed the appetite of the- 
 guests, in baskets of silver and cups of gold ; vchile the 
 vaulted ceiling of the chamber re-echoed with the sound 
 of choice musical instruments, now lingering in harmo- 
 nious chords, now breaking forth into the merry dance, 
 and anon stirring the spirit by the tones of the warKke 
 march. Amald could not deny that he had never yet 
 been the tenant of a realm of such radiant enchantments ; 
 nevertheless, — a single thought upon that holy chamber, 
 adorned with the tranquil beauty of ilowers and paintings, 
 wherein he had first spoken with Alearda, or upon the 
 high and leaiy walk in Alearda's garden, — and he felt like 
 the maiden concerning whom it is related in a legend that 
 she had passed her childhood amid the joys and blessed- 
 ness of paradise, and, in punishment for some committed 
 sin, was banished thence to the tumult and confiision of 
 earth. With a serious and yearning heart he withdrew 
 at length, when the festivities began to break up, and 
 accompanied by Gryba, sought the strange dwelling in 
 the tree, amid the shadows of a calm moonlight night 
 freshened by whispering showers. 
 
 <Si>afUv %iimt^. 
 
 Gryba had enjoyed the dancing and festivities witn ms 
 whole heart ; he talked at random, jested, and sang with 
 the maidens in all the buoyant gaiety of youth ; and after 
 the guests had taken their leave, his spirits appeared to 
 rise higher and higher. On his way home he pressed a 
 pomegranate-flower to his lips so frequently and with so 
 much fervour, that there was little doubt or difficulty in 
 guessing it to be a pledge and promise of love. 
 On a sudden, however, he asked the troubadour, 
 " Which is the fairer, my noble guest— the Countess 
 Alearda or the Queen Soleyma ?" 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 149 
 
 "Demand of me, rather," returned Amald, "whicli is 
 the fairer, the cloudless sky or the summer earth ! There 
 can be neither comparison nor rivalry between them. As 
 for me, however, mine eyes have so grown to the coun- 
 tenance of the transparent skies, that earth with all her 
 treasuries of enchantment suffices not to them." 
 
 Meanwhile they had arrived at the chestnut-tree, and 
 mounting its easy and commodious staircase, they began 
 to disrobe themselves in the chamber above. 
 
 Arnald was attended by a good-humoured Provengal 
 peasant whom he had brought with him in the capacity 
 of servant, and who now, supposing thatGryba was igno- 
 rant of every language but Arabic, addressed his master 
 without restraint in the following words : — 
 
 " Is it your will to dwell here aloft always in the nest 
 of this tricksy heathen bird? Methinks the creature has, 
 after all, somewhat the aspect of a knight ! Ay, ay ; in 
 good sooth, great and marvellous are the productions of 
 these outlandish regions." 
 
 Gryba turned to the wall, apparently for the pur- 
 pose of hanging up his scimitar, but in reality to con- 
 ceal his laughter; and Amald, willing to encourage the 
 jest, answered his servant very composedly, that it cer- 
 tainly was his intention to remain in this abode for the 
 present. 
 
 " Well, well," said the Provenjal ; " the proverb is 
 true — change of people, change of customs. One must 
 know how to deport oneself under all changes, if one 
 wishes to be a rational being. Will they believe me at 
 home when I teE them of this bird? Exactly like a 
 knight, on my life — exactly like a knight ; not a feather 
 to be seen upon him ! Were it not for his nest up here, 
 never should I have discovered, all the days of my life, that 
 he was really a bird. And he talks his gibberish like the 
 best parrot of them aU ; and the folks of the country here 
 understand Mm readily, and pay him as much respect as 
 though he were a lord! Ay, ay, he is a rare creature! 
 
150 MINSIREL LOVE. 
 
 But tell me, my noble master, of what aspect is the 
 queen ?" 
 
 '■ Beauti&l as an angel," replied Aniald. 
 
 " Marvellous, quite marvellous," cried the youth. " I 
 had pictured her to myself as a kind of mermaid ; one of 
 that sort, you understand, who live upon shore, and don't 
 spend their time in swimming to and fro .'jke a set of irra- 
 tional fishes. But you may turn and twist it as you will ; 
 she cannot be a real downright queen, after all. A Moor- 
 ish queen ! Nay, that is not half so great a thing as one 
 of our countesses !" 
 
 " Herein, at least, tliou art in a manner right, my 
 good fellow," said Gryba in Provengal, giving him, at the 
 same time, a friendly tap on the shoulder. 
 
 The poor peasant was quite struck dumb with confu- 
 sion and amazement, and at last began to excuse himself 
 with many deep reverences, assuring the gentleman that 
 it was with no ill intentions that he had mistaken him for 
 a bird ; that he should incessantly regret his not really 
 being a bird ; and moreover, that he could not now rightly 
 tell by what name to call him. 
 
 " Call me henceforth what thou hast hitherto called 
 me, the tricksy heathen bird," cried Gryba, smiling; 
 " that name pleases me well. But truly, concerning Queen 
 Soleyma, thou hast the right of it. This title belongs to 
 her rather on account of her all-conquering beauty and her 
 illustrious ancestors, than because she possesses any royal 
 authority in our land. And yet," added he, turning to 
 Arnald and speaking more seriously, " and yet, my noble 
 master, if ever you should have to defend your fair Pro- 
 vence, ay, and all the flowery land of France, against the 
 torrent of a Moorish host ^^•ithout number and ■without 
 end, think then upon the Queen Soleyma ! You know how 
 often the beauty of such a mistress, even without the ordi- 
 nary claims of empire over lands and lordships, has become 
 terrible to a whole jieoiile, nay, even to a whole quai'ter of 
 the dobe !" 
 
MINSTREL lOVE. 151 
 
 " Thou layest open before mine eyes a solemn future," 
 returned Ai-nald ; " nevertheless, with God's help and in 
 the service of Alearda, I hope to endure it honourably and 
 right joyfully." 
 
 " Good night, most noble Sir Heathen Bird !" said the 
 servant, as, bowing very respectfully to Gryba, he quitted 
 the chamber. 
 
 Arnald cast himself down, in deep reflection, upon the 
 cushion of his couch ; and Gryba, laughing, seated himself 
 in the window, took his lute upon his arm, and accompa- 
 nying himself with much grace, if not very scientifically, 
 sang the following words : — ■ 
 
 Good night, good night ! 
 
 When all are asleep, 
 In the moon's pure light, 
 So soft and so deep, — 
 How sweet and how clear, in that hour of shade, 
 Ariseth the tone of the low serenade ! 
 
 In the night, In the night, 
 
 They are slumbering all, — ■ 
 By the stars' clear light, 
 Oh, soft be the fall, 
 Oh, gentle the sound of thy step through the shade. 
 Thou lover that seekest thine own true maid ! 
 
 Arnald could see distinctly through the open window 
 that a white form, leaning from the battlements of a 
 neighbouring castle, stretched forth her hand, holding a 
 tall white lily, far into the darkness. Gryba looked round 
 to him with a smile, laid his finger on his lips, snatched 
 his scimitar from the wall, and taking it under his arm, 
 stole through the window with the light and noiseless tread 
 of a sylph. 
 
152 MINSTREL LOVE, 
 
 &.1 noon, on the following day, Amald and Gryba were 
 seated upon the roots of their tree, cushioned with the 
 softest moss aiid canopied by the ample shade of the 
 brEinches over-head. They partook of a merry repast, and 
 awaited at every moment the arrival of their Mend Balta, 
 who had promised to come, but had not yet made his ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 It so happened that a beautiful peasant girl passed 
 them as they sate, bearing upon her graceful head, with its 
 profuse tresses, a basket full of ripe pomegranates. Gryba 
 sang these words as she approached : — 
 
 O wanderer with the sunny fruit, 
 
 More lovely than the fruit thon holdest ; 
 Art thou a maiden, chaste and mute, 
 
 Whose modest eye might awe the boldest ? 
 For one kind look from those bright eyes 
 
 AB vainly are our prayers ascending ; 
 And must our hopes all vainly rise, 
 
 Life's very breath on thee expending ? 
 Nay, cast thy sunny burden down, 
 
 O lovelier than the fruit thou bearest ; 
 Or for a smile exchange that frown. 
 
 And bless me with thy favour, fairest ! 
 
 The maiden turned her head to look upon the knight 
 with a pleased and downcast blush ; the basket tottered, 
 and some of the pomegranates falling from it, destroyed 
 the equilibrium, so that the whole fabric followed, in utter 
 ruin, the golden fmit rolling in all directions about the 
 field. The girl clasped her little hands in terror, and her 
 eyes, before so transparent, were dimmed by tears of 
 distress. 
 
 But Gryba, with his wonted alacrity, hastened after the 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 153 
 
 fugitive pomegranates, and having gathered them together, 
 and re-arranged them in the basket with chestnut-leaves 
 gracefully disposed among the fruit, he placed them once 
 more upon the maiden's head, and took that opportunity 
 of dropping a rich golden chain over her deUcate shoul- 
 ders. She saluted him gratefully, and sang, £is she de- 
 parted in the direction of a neighbouring valley, — 
 
 Under the leafy chestnut 
 
 Dwelleth Sir Gryba the fair : 
 Maids, in the ardour of summer, 
 
 Beware of those pleasant shades ! 
 
 But there in the icy winter 
 
 The ardour of summer glows — 
 
 Under the leafy chestnut, 
 Sir Gryba the gay gallant ! 
 
 " Sing they often such warniag strains concerning 
 you V asked Arnald, •with a smile. 
 
 " Allah knows," replied Gryba, frankly, " that were 
 there not such a superabundance of lovely maidens in this 
 our land, I should not be of so amorous a temperament." 
 
 " The jest of the matter is, that he is after a fashion 
 Tight," interposed Balta, who, during this little adventure, 
 had come up unperceived. " He is not so much given to 
 falling in love as one might imagine, only he cannot see a 
 fair or graceful maiden without instantly desiring to en- 
 grave his image on her memory. When he has once 
 attained this end he is satisfied, and flies onward to the 
 next beauty, without troubling himself TNdth any further ef- 
 forts to gain the one from whom he has just parted. Yes, 
 forsooth, as far as he is concerned, they might all of them 
 possess the most adored lovers, or the most imperious hus- 
 bands, in the world. Only let them give one sigh, once a 
 year, to the thought of the noble and gallant Sir Gryba, 
 and he is content. And it must be admitted that he has 
 nearly brought it to this intheldngdoms of Granada, Mur- 
 
154 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 cia, and Andalusia, ay, and even a little way into Provence 
 and the Christian kingdoms of our peninsula." 
 
 " Sometimes, however, he is not quite so moderate in 
 his expectations," said Arnald, thinking on the preceding 
 night. 
 
 " In simple truth," replied Balta, " it is generally only 
 as I have said ; and I have known him perform the most 
 neck-breaking exploits merely in order to place a flower 
 on the table of his fair one during her absence ; knowing, 
 perhaps, all the while, that he shall never again during his 
 life behold the object of his worship." 
 
 Gryba sate by, laughing heartily ; greatly amused at 
 the manner in which his friends were passing sentence upon 
 his character. 
 
 While they sate thus merrily drinking and discoursing 
 together, a great number of exceedingly beautiful horses, 
 the property of the rich Gryba, were driven by them, re- 
 turning from the water, and caracolling along with light 
 steps and graceful bounds. The keen artistic spirit of 
 Balta kindled in his eyes, as he contemplated their vigorous 
 and shapely forms ; and in the contemplation made them 
 his own. But Gryba became serious, and, for him, almost 
 sorrowful ; a cloud of trouble spreading over his open brow, 
 as he exclaimed, with a sigh, " Oh, my beautiful Pontifer ! 
 My noble milk-white steed ! When shall I see thee once 
 more among my herds ? When wait thou bear me again 
 into the fire and dust of the battle, as if on wings?" 
 
 Looking suddenly upon Arnald, the expression of gra- 
 vity on his face greatly deepened, as he added, " I had for- 
 gotten it, in the great joy of your presence, but now it 
 comes once more in fear and sadness upon my spirit ; it is 
 with thee, ay, even with thyself, my beloved and honoured 
 Arnald of Maraviglia, that I must do battle in such terrible 
 earnest. Not only for the star-jewel ; thou art master of 
 my good war-horse, Pontifer ; and I know thee too well not 
 to be certain that thou wUt not abandon the gallant steed 
 without blood. Alas, and I cannot, I must not leave him 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 153 
 
 in your hands ! He is descended from the favourite tiorse 
 of Mahomet ; and only Mussulmen know how to deal witii 
 him. Truly and rightly may he be proud to carry tliee ; 
 but the people yonder who know him not, who love him 
 not, who honour him not, as it has been his wont, and as 
 it becomes him to be known, loved, and honoured, who 
 understand not how to address him in Arabic, who see 
 nothing in him but a beast of service — ^Arnald, my heart 
 will burst in sunder !" 
 
 He turned away with tearful eyes, and Amald's eyes 
 were not dry ; for no one could understand better than he 
 the touching attachment which subsists between a noble 
 horse and its master. How gladly would lie have had the 
 faithful Pontifer at hand, that he might at once restore 
 him to the captivating Gryba ! But honour commanded 
 him to maintain with his life and his blood that illustrious 
 token of victory, which had been bestowed on him by the 
 knightly hand of the vicomte ; so he restrained his softer 
 feelings, and remained silent. 
 
 At length Gryba exclaimed, " Since, then, under all 
 circumstances, there must needs be battle betwixt tliee and 
 me, let us at least unite the two combats in one, dear 
 master and knight. Let us decide at once, and by the 
 same issue, to wliom the star-jewel, and to whom the 
 noble white Arab Pontifer, shall belong." 
 
 But an angry glow arose upon the cheeks of Arnald, 
 and a rebuking fire kindled in his eyes. "When I con- 
 tend for the merest trinket that pertains to my illustrious 
 ladye," cried he, " no other good upon earth may be held 
 worthy to lie with it in the balance ; no, not even an 
 empire ! For the rest, if it be your pleasure, Sir Gryba, 
 to do battle for your gallant horse, I am at jour command 
 at all seasons ; only, first of all, I must have re-conquered 
 the star-jewel, and laid it at the feet of the Countess 
 Alearda; therefore it seems to me best, that you should 
 sail in my company to Provence. If I die in the combat, 
 you, the victor, can carry your Pontifer home again ; or if 
 
156 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 you fall, believe me no goodlier sepulchre could be found 
 for the mightiest heroes of the greatest days, than the turf 
 which has been pressed by the foot of Alearda '." 
 
 " Thou knowest, indeed, how to honour ladies with a 
 service worthy of them," said Gryba softly ; " and oh, 
 what an illustrious lady must she be who is capable of ani- 
 mating such a service ! But have I angered thee by my 
 hasty words ?" 
 
 " God forbid !" replied Amald ; and striking his lute, 
 he sang the following rhymes. 
 
 O Pontifer, thou haughty steed — 
 Thou steed of wary eye ! 
 "Why gaze so wildly to and fro, 
 As if uncertain where to go ? 
 Two noble warriors wait for thee ; 
 Decide which shall thy chosen be ! 
 O Pontifer, thou haughty steed — 
 Thou steed of wary eye ! 
 
 O Pontifer, thou fiery steed — 
 Thou steed of rapid feet ! 
 What mean these eager bounds of thine ? 
 Speak, wilt thou Gryba's be, or mine ? 
 Whom wilt thou carry to the fight ? 
 Whom to the tourney blithe and bright ? 
 O Pontifer, thou fiery steed — 
 Thou steed of rapid feet ! 
 
 O Pontifer, thou noble steed — 
 Thou steed of faithful heart ! 
 The prize, if I or Gryba gain, 
 Changeless our love shall yet remain ! 
 Grieve not, — the strife we hold for Qieer 
 Though resolute, is brotherly. 
 O Pontifer, thou noble steed — 
 Thou steed of faithful heart ! 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 157 
 
 Some time afterwards, when Gryba had again departed 
 on one of his adventurous love-expeditions, he left Balta 
 behind him to do the offices of a host to Arnald; and 
 charged him, moreover, to exhibit to the noble master, 
 at fitting opportunity, the marvels of the ancient castle 
 which had been in the possession of Gryba's ancestors 
 many centuries ago. 
 
 Balta bethought him of this commission once when, in 
 the shadowy night-season, he came forth with Arnald from 
 the gardens of the chateau of pleasaunce, after one of the 
 numerous splendid revels which Soleyma was then wont 
 to hold. In a moment the troubadour was ready for the 
 adventure ; and mounting two noble mules, the friends, 
 «,ttended only by a single esquire, went forth through the 
 dewy and silent darkness, turning from the cheerful plains 
 and directing their course towards a hilly woodland, which 
 formed the northern boundary of that bright landscape ; 
 and which, in Arnald's eyes, had ever worn a strange and 
 mysterious aspect. 
 
 Before long, they had plunged into the depths of a 
 solitary vaUey, tenanted only by a few far-scattered huts, 
 with dim and dusky lamps glimmering through their case- 
 ments, or dying firebrands sending forth a flickering light 
 from the hearth through the half-open door, as if the ar- 
 rival of the master, probably absent on some hunting- 
 excursion among the distant hills, were momentarily ex- 
 pected. 
 
 Arnald sang these words softly to himself: — 
 
 TMs world it is so dark — so dark ! 
 Strange is the rustling of its woods, 
 Deep the low voice of murmuring floods, 
 Black the stern silence of each glen, 
 
158 , MINSTEF.L LOVE. 
 
 Hollow the night-wind's swelling song : 
 No voice is like a human tongue, 
 And yet, and yet, O sons of men. 
 How do ye love the world I 
 
 They rode on for a littlo while in silence side by side, 
 and then Balta began to sing : 
 
 Strangely, strongly onward drawn, 
 
 By raystenous impulses. 
 Gaze we on the pomp of dawn, 
 
 Gaze we on the midnight seas. 
 
 Somewhere must your answer dwell, 
 
 Nameless hopes, that never die ; 
 Somewhere must be found the spell 
 
 Loving hearts to satisfy. 
 
 Silently our tears must stream ; 
 
 Sweet, though ceaseless, is our woe : 
 What we seek and what we dream, 
 
 Alas, we do not even know ! 
 
 " Nay," exclaimed Arnald, in whose breast the simple 
 song awoke higher aspirations and holier desires ; " nay, 
 dear youth, we do know it, when once we know that truth 
 which is the salvation of the world, and which thou too 
 shalt one day recognise with unspeakable joy and cer- 
 tainty." 
 
 It seemed as if another and mightier than himself had 
 spoken — so unconsciously did the deeply significant words 
 issue from his lips, and so incapable was he at that moment 
 of drawing back the curtains of the spirit, when Balta, 
 standing still, regarded him with inquiring eyes, thrilling 
 with a strange forefeeling of the highest truth. Both felt 
 that the right hour was not yet come, and they rode on 
 their way in silence. 
 
 At the summit of a pine-clad hill, rising out of the 
 depths of the dark forest, the sombre walls of the old castle 
 now became visible thi-ough midnight clouds: it looked 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 159 
 
 like the abode of all solitude and gloomy remembi-ances. 
 '' My God !" said Amald, " and this place belorgs to the 
 frank-hearted Gryba ; and, moreover, it is his ancestral 
 castle — nay, most probably his birthplace! Xever — even 
 when contemplating the hut of a hermit — have I felt the 
 distance of all worldly joys, the nothingness of all human 
 happiness, so thrill and penetrate my veiy heart, bones, 
 and marrow, as at the sight of this wondrous knightly 
 castle." 
 
 They rode rapidly beneath the bi'anches of tie pine- 
 trees, all rustling in the blasts of night ; solitary stars 
 oast across the rarely-trodden path a faint and scanty light, 
 which received a greenish hue from the foliage through 
 which it passed. Balta wound a blast on bis hunting-horn 
 which he had taken fi-om the hand of the squire, aimoun- 
 cing to the castle-warder, by its long and undulating tones, 
 the arrival of visitors. ^Multitudes of dark birds, startled 
 out of their sleep by the imwonted sound, rose up ^ntb 
 rustling ^^^ngs from the branches, and fluttered around 
 them on every hand mth wild and melancholy cries. They 
 now stood beside the fosse ; and as they swung themselves 
 from the saddle and committed their beasts to the squire, a 
 light became visible, wandering among the numerous nar- 
 row casements of the castle, now low, now high, rapidly 
 vanishing, and as rapidly re-appearing in another place. 
 On a sudden they beheld it behind the battlements of the 
 highest tower — a red and glowing torch, scattering sparks 
 through the darkness. He who held it, and whose figure 
 was enveloped in its wavering lustre, was a warrior, in 
 Moorish costume, very dark of countenance, and ^ith a 
 long grey beard. Thus he sang to the midnight : — 
 
 Ha ! who stands by the dusky fosse ? 
 
 Ha ! with what pxupose cometh he ? 
 A foe we can hail with the clash of mail. 
 
 But a friend with the hand of courtesy. 
 
 " Crescenzio '." cried Balta ; and the dark man bowed 
 
160 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 reverently, and they could see him hurrying down the 
 staircase to receive his guests. 
 
 " Crescenzio !" repeated ArnaJd, in a low voice ; and 
 the memory of the ruins of Castle Maraviglia and the mys- 
 terious Ultramonte arose within him. Balta, immediately 
 observing that the name moved his companion, said, "Such 
 was the appellation of a Roman hero, concerning whom 
 you shall hear more when we are within the gates ; his 
 name passes as a signal that the seneschal is to admit him 
 who utters it, to witness the secrets of the castle. He now- 
 knows how to receive us." 
 
 The heavy doors rattled on their hinges, the drawbridge 
 dropped into its place with a prolonged and clashing sound; 
 Amald and Balta entered the castle, accompanied only by 
 its sable warder, who now held in his hand a small lamp, 
 shaped lilie a basilisk, from the mouth of which issued a 
 pale and tiny flame, which yet spread its light extensively 
 around. Silently and respectfully he conducted the two 
 knights into a small vaulted chamber at one side of the 
 entrance, brought forth costly wines and other choice re- 
 freshments from closets in the wall, and, without speaking 
 a word, waited on their pleasure. No esquire, no page, 
 not even a serving-man was to be seen. 
 
 After a while the warder stepped to the window, looked 
 up into the clouds, and said, " Midnight is now past : it is 
 full time — full time, nay, more than fuU time, for him who 
 seeks to contemplate the mysteries of the castle, to bestir 
 himself. The face of twdlight in yonder lonely halls is far 
 too wondrous to be looked upon." His voice sounded in- 
 describably hollow and strange: it seemed as though it 
 were the voice of one departed. 
 
 " I know my way," said Balta, taking the lamp from 
 the table, and making a sign to the singular castellain, 
 who immediately withdrew with a respectflil inclination. 
 
 As Arnald and Balta ascended a stone winding-stair, 
 the latter remarked, " We may possibly encounter on our 
 way sundi-y figures with strange and very pallid faces: they 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 161 
 
 are beings of the kind whom one must not address ; and I 
 pray you for the love of God, noble master, speak not a 
 word to any of them." 
 
 As he spoke he opened a huge oaken door, and they 
 entered a very spacious hall, against the walls and vaults 
 of which the light of the lamp struck doubtfully, timidly, 
 and questioningly. Amald, stepping forward, perceived 
 by the moonlight, which at that moment broke through the 
 clouds and shone in at the casements, that an open door in 
 the wall opposite to him communicated with a long, long 
 range of chambers, aU Kkewise open. He shuddered in a 
 manner inexplicable to himself at the course which was 
 before him, but rapidly suppressed his emotion. Balta 
 approached the walls in various parts so as to illuminate 
 them by his lamp ; and hereat many and various were the 
 pictured shapes which became visible — wondrous in their 
 beauty, but fearful and hazardous in their combinations. 
 That which seemed the form of a reverend old man, sud- 
 denly terminated in a wild confusion of tendrils and creep- 
 ers ; the graoefiil brow of a maiden was engirt and over- 
 shadowed by a huge pair of variegated wings, springing 
 from the body of a moth which was affixed to that seraph- 
 like head ; tall ti'ees rested upon the steel-booted feet of 
 warriors, as though they were about to stride from the 
 walls into the chamber, horribly menacing the spectator 
 Vidth outstretched and gauntletted hands, while under the 
 loftiest coronal of their foliage the features of an angry 
 countenance seemed doubtftdly shapen. Darting lines of 
 a golden colour were interspersed among the pictures, 
 looking like letters and syllables of fearful import ; rivu- 
 lets and waterfalls were depicted in some places, in the 
 midst of which the beholder fancied that he could distin- 
 guish the eyes of children and the beards of prophets : on 
 a closer inspection, however, these proved to be nothing but 
 the foam of the waters. And all these things were united 
 as if in one huge and interminable interlacement, wherein 
 no part could have existed without all the others, nor could 
 
162 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 the whole have spared even the smallest of its component 
 parts. 
 
 Some of the faces appeared very familiar to the trou- 
 badour ; and those were repeated over and over again in 
 combinations ever new, and each more fearful than the 
 last, whereby the countenance which was at first that of 
 venerable old age assumed an aspect constantly younger as 
 the beholder advanced further into the dim and far-stretch- 
 ing chambers. But whenever he would have considered 
 these objects more minutely — as soon as their meaning 
 began to dawn more clearly on his apprehension — his 
 thoughts were irresistibly drawn away from them by the 
 extraordinary implements and pieces of furniture where- 
 with the chambers abounded, some of which were ranged 
 against the walls, and some stationed in the centre of the 
 apartments. Many of these were composed of arms, com- 
 bined in a manner so singular that the idea was involun- 
 tarily suggested that they, as well as the unnatural forms 
 upon the walls, had a meaning and an end, and that there 
 might exist some all-powerful word, which, perchance 
 unthinkingly uttered, might endue all these at once with 
 strange and spectral life. As often as Amald would have 
 questioned Balta, the latter placed his finger on his lips 
 with anxious rapidity ; whUe the expression of horror in his 
 countenance, usually so calm and so cloudless, awakened 
 dim and uneasy forebodings. Occasionally too, they passed 
 large tables, carefully covered with black drapery reaching 
 to the ground, whereon lay magical instruments, the aspect 
 of which recalled only too vividly to Arnald's mind the 
 instructions of Messire Ultramonte. 
 
 At length thejr reached a chamber, apparently in the 
 exterior wall of the building, the entrance to which was 
 concealed by a heavy curtain of a dark-red colour, deeply 
 embroidered with numerous gold-coloured devices. Amald 
 hesitated a moment, imagining that there was some fearful 
 sight behind it ; but Balta hurried forwards with manifest 
 pleasure, grasped the string of the curtain, and, as he drew 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 163 
 
 i' aside, beckoned his companion to follow him. When 
 both stood %vithin, and the drapery had resumed its place, 
 ne drew a deep and relieved breath, like one who has at- 
 tained a safe place of refuge. 
 
 "Here," said he, "we may speak openly and fearlessly 
 as of old, and I may reveal to you all that I know concern- 
 ing this strange edifice, though in truth that knowledge is 
 but scanty. Here they cannot enter even if they would : 
 nevertheless, we must take heed to depart before the morn- 
 ing tvvilight." 
 
 Arnald looked on him inquiringly, and as he did so, a 
 slight shudder, like the farewell of departing fears, passed 
 over the frame of Balta. With an evident effort to sup- 
 press even this, he took the arm of Arnald, and led him 
 along the walls, pointing out to him their strangely inter- 
 woven designs, which, as if to render this chamber the very 
 climax and acme of all wonder, surpassed in boldness of 
 conception and artistic execution all the marvels of the for- 
 mer halls and apartments. 
 
 As Arnald walked around with his friend, he suddenly 
 started back ; for it seemed to him that he beheld himself 
 and Balta in a mirror, but accompanied by a third counte- 
 nance of fearful paleness and keen and terrible features. 
 He looked in dismay over his shoulder, expecting to see 
 this wan stranger behind him ; but there was no one. 
 That which he had imagined to be a mirror was, in fact, a 
 painting. 
 
 Balta, entirely occupied with considering these three 
 painted forms, and not perceiving the amazement of the 
 troubadour, now remarked: " He in the middle is the great 
 minstrel-king, concerning whom legends have recorded so 
 many things ; the right-hand figure is my ancestor, the 
 deep-minded philosopher Abdul Hamet; and on the left 
 you behold the Roman knight and necromancer Crescen- 
 tius, whose name was the watchword which opened to us 
 the gates of this castle." 
 
 "And the three heads," said Arnald, with an involun- 
 
 H 
 
164 MINSTKBL LOVE. 
 
 tary sigh, " spring from one gigantic and gaily-coloured 
 stem, as if of a nettle !" 
 
 " Probably a fitting emblem of their thorny lives," re- 
 l^lied Balta, thoughtfully. "Of the earthly wanderings of 
 the minstrel-king, so troublous and so full of disappoint- 
 ment, thou probably knowest enough already — " 
 
 "Only thus much do I know," interrupted Amald, with 
 some vehemence, " that among the nettles there sprang up 
 roses, mighty in power and abundant in beauty, clothing 
 and concealing the stem of old and evil fate — I mean, the 
 sweet strains of the pursued hero, and also the grace of his 
 knightly deeds ; and I hope, young friend, thou wilt not 
 herein contradict my words." 
 
 " God forbid," replied Balta. " He was chosen by the 
 two noble heads which thou here beholdest, long after his 
 death, as their noblest model ; neither did they esteem 
 themselves worthy to be delineated in the same picture 
 ■svith him any where save here, where they believed that 
 they had attained the mastery which they sought. In the 
 other chambers thou hast seen his face many times de- 
 picted amid the winding foliage and flowers ; but then ever 
 old and satiate with length of days. Here have they repre- 
 sented him in the freshness and power of manhood, sym- 
 bolising thereby their hope, that the art which he carried 
 with him to the grave, hidden in mute forefeelings and 
 unrevealed intuitions, has been re-animated in the true 
 fulness of youth by their labours." 
 
 " Balta," demanded Arnald, shuddering, "can this ter- 
 rible art bestow eternal youth on earth? And art thou, 
 then, the omnipotent sage, Abdul Hamet himself? For 
 look— oh, look, for God's sake — the portrait is in every 
 Une and feature thyself !" 
 
 Balta shrank back trembling, covered his face with 
 both his hands, and said in a whisper, " Thou mockest me! 
 Rather it is thyself who art certainly that old minstrel- 
 king reviving from his ashes in a second youth ! It flashes 
 upon me as if by a lightning-stroke — in every gestuTe, in 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 165 
 
 every lineament, thou art he !" Both stood for a long time 
 horror-struck and silent; but manning themselves, they 
 approached each other, grasped hand in hand, and gazed 
 fixedly into each other's eyes. 
 
 At last Balta said, " 'Tis true that we greatly resemble 
 these our ancestors. Yet are we not they — "'e are their 
 newly-arisen progeny. Shall we not, then, lay claim to 
 our inheritance? Thou knowest the name of Arnold of 
 Brescia?" 
 
 Arnald bowed a silent aifirmative. 
 
 "His master- work," continued Balta, "lies hidden be- 
 hind yonder painting. I think that in this matter we shall 
 be entirely agreed. Gryba's ancestor gave a refuge to the 
 brave and most learned Crescentius of Rome in this castle, 
 when your Christendom had spurned and disowned him. 
 Here he buried that wonderful book, a copy of which is, 
 as I suppose, concealed amid the ruins of your ancestral 
 castle. Only a Maraviglia is permitted to liberate the 
 pages of this mystery from their abode of darkness — nei- 
 ther is he ill-companioned for the work if a descendant of 
 Abdul Hamet stands at his side. The deed will greatly 
 delight Gryba ; and lo, here are hammer, hatchet, and 
 chisel to break the stone, long since set apart and conje- 
 crated for the work.'' 
 
 Herewith he took the implements which he had named, 
 and which were framed of gold and silver, from a bracket 
 whereon they lay, and ofiered them to the troubadour. 
 
 " Let me only reflect a moment," cried the latter. 
 " But doubt nqthing. Every pulse in my body throbs 
 high with eagerness. I believe that I shall do according 
 to vour and Gryba's will." 
 
166 MINSTEBI. LOVE. 
 
 (3|[)opur ©ceentl^. 
 
 Arnald strode vehemently to and fro ; but it was nol. 
 long before his spirit, already troubled by the terrors of 
 the castle, abandoned itself entirely to his early treasured 
 love and longing after the incomprehensible, and to that 
 thirst for the knowledge of Arnold of Brescia which had 
 already cost his race so dear. 
 
 "I will!" said he, and grasped the wonder-working 
 instrument. But in so doing he struck his hand against a 
 costly casket, upon whose surface of blue lapis lazuli wa.s 
 embossed in gold the form of that constellation which he 
 had named in his heart 'Alearda.' Startled and smit with 
 shame he stood still, pressing his hand against his fore- 
 head; and at length he asked, "In God's name, Balta, 
 how came the figure of yonder constellation liereV 
 
 " It distinguishes the casket," was the ansvi'Cr, " where- 
 .il Gryba keeps the jewel concerning which we must do 
 battle." 
 
 " O warning angel!" sighed Arnald, and bent his head 
 lowly before the beloved sign. He stood long, lost in se- 
 rious and repentant thought. After a while he said, " Re- 
 store the implements to their place, dear Balta. Alearda 
 desires not this of me ; and ah, she is now as ever so right, 
 so pure, so heavenly-minded, in her decision ; and yet I 
 was fearfully on the brink of forgetting it, now in this 
 moment of crisis." 
 
 The regretful decision in Arnald's tone and gesture re- 
 pressed every argument that Balta might, perhaps, have 
 urged against him. Sighing, but with affectionate submis- 
 sion, he laid the tools in their place again. 
 
 But suddenly his eye glanced towards the window, and 
 he started forward in terror, exclaiming, " Great heavens ! 
 I verily believe that I can see the first dim gleaming of 
 
MIKSTEEL LOVE. 167 
 
 flawn over yonder hills. Oh, let hasten to leave these 
 gloomy halls '." 
 
 These words, instead of alarming the troubadour, seemed 
 to speak mysterious peace to his soul ; yet he made haste 
 to comply with the entreating gestures of Balta, only pay- 
 ing a farewell reverence to the casket, and saying as he 
 <lid ,«o, 
 
 " M'e shall meet again soon, joyful, and at liberty, 
 thou hidden light!" 
 
 Meanwhile Balta had drawn aside the curtain, but he 
 stood still in the doorway, "ivith widely opened eyes of fear 
 and wonder. He pointed forwards, and -whispered, 
 
 " They are all here at once — they are in their seats, the 
 banquet has commenced." 
 
 Stopping forward, Arnald gazed into the hall, beyond 
 the curtain. Its walls sent forth a cold and blueish light, 
 and around a long table sate numerous forms, both male 
 and female, dressed in antique costume, and solemnly 
 pledging each other in goblets of wine. Instead of pages, 
 a multitude of airy dwarfs tripped hither and thither 
 around the board, emitting a green light, like that of glow- 
 worms. 
 
 "These knights and dames," said Balta, in a sup- 
 pressed voice, "were, almost aU of them, living in the 
 days of the Goths, long before the Arabs invaded the land. 
 In general, that king Eodrigo, by whose wild passions the 
 empire fell, is wont to take the highest place at the table. 
 But heroes and ladies of later times are in his company. 
 Among others, there is even a whisper of Creseentius him- 
 self." 
 
 "If he should now invite us to sit by his side at the 
 table '.'" said Arnald, half unconsciously, and as if in a dream, 
 Ijut struck with horror at his own words, and the more so, 
 because immediately two tall men, with ashy-grey faces, 
 tmd bearing lofty torches in their hands, came striding 
 across the chamber, with solemn and stately steps, as if 
 commissioned to fulfil that hideous errand ; but Balta in- 
 
168 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 stantly drew the curtain across the doorway, and all re- 
 mained quiet. 
 
 " How could you so rashly forget yourself?" demanded 
 he, after a short pause. 
 
 "Is it, then, a matter of wonder," returned Amald, 
 " that, amid the horrors of this wild night, and this myste- 
 rious castle, it is impossible for all things to keep exactly 
 the paths assigned to them ? But I know an antidote for 
 this." He took his lute from his shoulder, and began to 
 tune it. 
 
 "What, would you make music?" cried Balta; "and 
 while the children of the tomb are feasting in yonder hall '." 
 
 " Thou knowest not of whom I would sing, young^ 
 friend !" said Arnald, with a smile. " But only hare pa- 
 tience ! Soon shalt thou feel the sweetness and blessedness 
 of peace sinking down upon thy bosom ; not, indeed, the- 
 work of my song, but of her to whom the song belongs!" 
 
 He touched the strings, and sang as follows : — 
 
 Image of beauty, pure and soft, 
 "Which hath its home in heaven aloft ; 
 Light of this sombre world, and theme 
 Of golden lyre and minstrel's dream ; 
 Clear fount of noblest chivalry, 
 Star, shining as a guide, serene and high ! 
 
 Oh, may I praise thee in my song 
 As I have wished to praise thee long ? 
 Ay, rise ray strains, so sweet, so deep ! 
 The weary world is all asleep. 
 No faithless ear receives thy sound, 
 And spectres keep their ghastly watch around. 
 
 Full many a heart might tremble here — 
 Sweetest and best, I know not fear '. 
 My life of life thy glory is. 
 Thy fame my fairest light of bliss, 
 To sing thy praise, to sing of thee — 
 This is the crown of fullest joy for me ! 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 169 
 
 Wag ever woman's sweetness yet 
 With woman's loftiest honour met ? 
 Did ever tenderest bloom appear 
 Blent with calm dignity severe ? 
 Yes ! I have seen where all abide ! 
 So is my lyre repaid, my sword is sanctified ! 
 
 Now shines the sun the casement through. 
 Now sparMes fresh the morning dew ; 
 Hence, spectres, to your tombs below, 
 But take my thanks before ye go ! 
 Thus strangely watched by you, my heart 
 Its dear, long-cherished dreams has dared impart ! 
 
 Balta listened to him with a joyous smile, and said, 
 " Come forth with me to the bright sea-shore again ! 
 Verily, your spirit is too clear for this gloomy night of 
 magic '." 
 
 Therewith they went forth through the chambers. It 
 is true that as they entered the outer hall Balta shrank 
 and shuddered, whispering, '' Methinks I stiU see the pale 
 Crescentius, cowering and crouching in yonder corner 1" 
 But Arnald said, " Turn away thine eyes : these are foes 
 from whom one may with honour turn away one's eyes.'' 
 
 And thus he drew Balta onward ; and before long the 
 friends reached the outside of the castle, and rode away 
 together in the coolness of morning. 
 
 Gradtj ALLT Spring had begun to open her rapturous eyes 
 upon that land of celestial beauty, and Arnald, rejoiciog as 
 the decisive hour approached, exercised himself daily in 
 the Moorish custom of hurling the javelin, mounted upon a 
 slightly-buUt roan-coloured Arab horse, which Gryba had 
 bestowed upon him for the combat. Soleyma had decided 
 
170 
 
 MINSTKBL LOVE, 
 
 that the first encounter of the champions should be with 
 this weapon. 
 
 Gryha had returned from his expedition, and he shewed 
 himself greatly pleased when he heard how the troubadour 
 had refused to open that wall of mysteries. " In the first 
 place,'' said he, " 'twere shame and pity to mar the beau- 
 tiful picture : who can say, whether the old mouldering 
 volume is half so worthy of admiration as the screen which 
 hides it? Moreover, I am altogether delighted to find 
 that our dear master of Maraviglia desires as little as I do 
 to hold intercourse with these dark secrets. Ah, God! 
 this dear, blooming, changefiil life is in itself so inex- 
 pressibly beautiful, that I always dread lest, in grasping 
 it too strongly by the dark roots, we should cause the 
 fairest blossoms on its tender and fragrant branches to 
 droop and die." 
 
 Although Arnald certainly diifered somewhat widely 
 from this view, he could not but love with his whole heart 
 the transparent and childlike gladsomeness of spirit where- 
 with it was expressed ; but the more Gryba's true-hearted 
 gaiety, and Balta's meditative yet cheerful gravity, spoke 
 pleasantly to his heart in the affection which both testified 
 towards him, the more did the doubtful issue of their ap- 
 proaching combat for life and death weigh heavily upon 
 him. Yes, it often happened, that when he was exer- 
 cising his roan steed, and flinging the light darts, while the 
 two friends watched his skill with wonder and admiration, 
 he would suddenly leap from the saddle, his eyes filling 
 ■with irrepressible tears, and then they would aU three em- 
 brace with deep melancholy, and separate in silence, and 
 with drooping heads. Arnald's consolation was this, that 
 whatsoever was undertaken for the honour of a virtuous 
 lady, and above all for Alearda, must needs lead to a joy- 
 ful end, however darkly and menacingly the clouds of this 
 world might gather around. 
 
 Often, too, the splendid entertainments given by Queen 
 Soleyma threw such brilliant light over the space of 
 
' stepping onvai-a, Ainald gazed into the hall, beyond the curtain. "-p. 167. 
 
MTNSTBEL LOVE. 171 
 
 whole days, that there was scarce any room left for these 
 more gloomy thoughts. With the most refined delicacy, 
 the most graceful tact, and the most reckless expenditure, 
 she would so order and conduct her revels, that her cha- 
 teau of pleasaunce assumed the aspect of some fairy temple, 
 overflowing with all the brightest gifts of earth. 
 
 During one of these festivals — as they sat beneath the 
 golden and leaf-embowered trellis of the palace, while 
 the warm breeze of spring, daily increasing in strength, 
 breathed over sea and shore in the bright noon-day, 
 Soleyma commanded the troubadour to take his lute, and, 
 as he had often done before, to accompany by occasional 
 chords a story from her lips. Most sweetly did lay or 
 legend sound from those lips of wondrous beauty. For 
 though, amid all her other gifts, that choicest gift of song 
 had not in its full abundance been vouchsafed to her, 
 nevertheless she so far possessed it that she "s^'as able 
 sometimes to invent little tales with much grace of fancy ; 
 sometimes to embellish fables or legends of older days ; 
 and herein words were ever ready at her command, like 
 winged troops of glad and obedient spirits. On such an 
 occasion it had once happened that Amald involuntarily 
 struck his lyre, and afterwards Soleyma greatly deUghted 
 in this accompaniment, as did all the hearers thereof, and 
 especially Balta ; now, for the first time, lyre and voice 
 were blended into one harmonious whole, full of loveliness 
 and grandeur. 
 
 Soleyma began to relate the ancient legend of the en- 
 chanter Virgilius ; how magical towers had been erected 
 by him, wherein stood pillars of prophecy, and how he had 
 laughed to scorn his adversaries and avenged himself of 
 them, having mastery over the seas, and guiding the storms 
 in their course. There was a wild kind of horror in the 
 chords with which Arnald accompanied this narration ; for 
 the mysterious wonders of Castle MaravigUa and of Gryba's 
 fortress, as well as the lessons of the dark TJltramonte, 
 thrilled shiveringly through his whole soul, and it re- 
 
172 
 
 MlKsrRBl. L,OVE. 
 
 quired a strong effort to enable Mm to pass to sweet and 
 love-breathing harmonies, when Soleyma went on to speak 
 of the love-adventures of Virgilius with fail- women. But 
 perhaps this very effort only rendered him the more suc- 
 cessful ; for Soleyma contemplated him with glowing and 
 glistening eyes, and finally closed her narration in these 
 words : — 
 
 But liow Virgilius died 
 
 Amid the joys of earth, 
 Oh, bid me not record ! 
 Deep is the grief that sinks upon my heart ! 
 
 O Virgilius ! O Virgilius ! 
 
 Can we not one retain — 
 
 Not one, not one, of all 
 The fair and joyous lights of this poor life ? 
 
 But I know the source of thy spells — 
 
 The source of all spells I know : 
 
 The magic dwells in song ; 
 The omnipotence of love abides in song : 
 
 Sweet are the spells of minstrelsy ; 
 All other magic powers are stem and harsh. 
 
 Thou too wert gifted thus — 
 Thou too wert master of this sweeter magic. 
 
 O Virgilius ! O Virgilius ! 
 
 Hast thou not left behind 
 
 A better legacy 
 Than the vain impotence of weak regret ? 
 
 The lyre of Maraviglia sent forth its sweetest and most 
 nndulating melodies ; he was rewarded by an inexpressibly 
 sweet, nay, almost a promising, look from Soleyma. Ar- 
 nald well remembered to have read similar meanings in 
 her eyes before; his fingers began to wander over the 
 strings in dream-like melody; but at this moment the 
 beautiful Moorish queen arose with visible effort, and said, 
 laughing, " How one can lose oneself in such stories \" 
 
 Arnald closed his performance with a few hasty and 
 disturbed chords, which, however, Soleyma did not seem 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 173 
 
 to remark. She turned haughtHy from him ; and when 
 the trumpet summoned to the banquet, she this time se- 
 lected Balta as her companion. 
 
 e^toptcr !Rintl&. 
 
 Amid the wide and mazy walks of that undulating garden, 
 which were overshadowed by young foliage like veUs of 
 green vapour, the company went forth after the banquet, 
 separating into scattered groups or soKtary pairs when love 
 invited knights and ladies to sweet and unbroken converse, 
 while many a pining heart which had not yet ventured to 
 confess its passion stole away, and indiilged its hopes and 
 fears alone. Arnald was of the last-mentioned number, 
 although animated by no such feelings as those to which 
 we have referred. The exulting hope that he should con- 
 quer for Alearda, and soon re-enter her heavenly presence 
 bearing the prize, struggled in his spirit with a feeling of 
 grief concerning his dear and noble antagonists. In gentle 
 melancholy he walked along an avenue of dark pines and 
 larches which had but just begun to feel the breath of spring, 
 and he had a vague strange presentiment, as though he ex- 
 pected to see his lofty lady beneath their shade. Before 
 long he perceived the glimmer of white and waving gar- 
 ments such as Alearda was wont to wear, far off, sometimes 
 appearing through the boughs of trees and bushes, some- 
 times lost amid the windings of the walk, or hidden by its 
 grassy inequalities, but ever approaching nearer and nearer, 
 tUl at last Amald distinctly recognised the modest attire 
 of a Proven9al matron, overshadowed by the deep hat, in 
 form like a pilgrim's hat, such as he had often beheld on 
 the brow of Alearda. Beneath it sable locks flo\^'ing in 
 rich ringlets now became apparent, beautifully contrasted 
 with the snowy vesture, and the dazzling whiteness of the 
 alabaster forehead. Amald scarcely knew whether he was 
 
174 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 waking or dreaming ; there was a sound in his heart like 
 an interminable succession of strange and solemn music ; 
 he remembered the wondrous history of the necromancer 
 Virgilius, in conjunction with all the enchantments con- 
 cerning which he had heard during his life; it seemed 
 to him that an unconscious power had gone forth from the 
 intense longing of his heart; and with a thrill of hope he 
 hastened forward to meet the appearance. At this mo- 
 ment, however, the form vanished in a thicket of cedars ; 
 nevertheless, the path which she had chosen must of neces- 
 sity lead her to Arnald, if she were aught but a delusive and 
 air-born vision. And it did lead her to him. As the knight 
 turned from the clustering cedars, and entered an avenue 
 of tall pomegranate-trees, she stood close before liira, al- 
 most as much startled as himself — but it ■\\'a3 not Alearda. 
 It was Soleyma. 
 
 She soon recovered her composure, and said — " By this 
 surprise you have only escaped another surprise, dear Ar- 
 nald. I intended to have presented myself before you in 
 ihe dance this evening as a Provengal lady, attended by 
 a numerous suite of maidens in similar costume ; and 
 now " 
 
 She stopped short, looking do%vn in graceful embarrass- 
 ment ; but after a moment she once more raised her eyes, 
 and said with a merry laugh, " Yes ; and now, as to the 
 chief point of the matter, it has fallen out exactly as I 
 intended, and I am bewildered and astonished at it, like a 
 simpleton ! Ah, how silly and senseless we mortals almost 
 always are, after all our far-seeing and carefully-arranged 
 preparations!" 
 
 As she spoke theSe words she took the troubadour's 
 arm, and allowed him to lead her backwards and forwards 
 in the spacious avenue. Her unexpected graciousness, after 
 the repulse of the morning, fell on Arnald's soul like a sun- 
 beam on a grey and misty day. 
 
 She now began an interesting discourse concerning the 
 unity of human life amid all its apparent diversities, and how 
 
MINSTREL LOVB. 175- 
 
 every land is to the poet as his own, as the one appointed 
 to him by God, if he only greets it with an open spirit 
 and a noble and self-approved heart ; ay, with such mar- 
 vellous richness did she weave before his eyes the web of 
 what a minstrel's life might be, that it seemed to outdo all 
 his dreams, and his eager heart received manj- a glowing 
 spark, and many a voice arose within him, saying with 
 seductive force, " Here, here is the true and joyful goal 
 of thine earthly wanderings ! Thy labours and longings 
 hitherto have been but imreal deceptions and joyless delu- 
 sions." 
 
 Many an answer nmst he have made in this spirit, for 
 the graciousness of Soleyma's deportment manifestly in- 
 creased, and ever more sweetly did the words of enchant- 
 ment flow from her ruby lips ; but just then a dove flew 
 past them, and dropped an olive-leaf from its beak amid 
 the locks of Amald. 
 
 " Oh, Noah's dove !" cried he, involuntarily. " Oh, 
 holy Christendom, and thou, my Proven9al fatherland, 
 with thy rich and abundant olive-woods !" 
 
 Gladly also would he have uttered another and a dearer 
 name, yet he retained it in the silence of his loving heart. 
 
 Then Soleyma looked upon him with all that haughty 
 displeasure which her beautiful eyes could so well express. 
 It was as though all the thoughts which passed thi-ougli 
 Arnald's faithful breast were at once made visible to her. 
 
 "With all his necromantic wisdom, the great master 
 Virgilius was powerless as a fool," cried she, with a dis- 
 dainful smile ; and quitting her hold on his arm, she has- 
 tened to join her maidens, who might be seen awaiting her 
 at the end of the avenue. 
 
 Meanwhile the utter misery to M-hich he should have 
 abandoned himself, by following the promptings of that 
 sweet seducing voice, rose with fearful vividness before the 
 spirit of Amald. He bethought him how soon Soleyma 
 would have grown weary of her favourite ; he remem- 
 bered his own disturb:d, diccrJant feelings and troubled. 
 
176 
 
 MlIfSTKEL lOVB 
 
 conscience : he pictured to himself all the pangs of un- 
 satisfied longing which would have overcome him, when, 
 sooner or later, he should have been expelled from that 
 realm of enchantments ; and when he now beheld himself 
 saved from such an abyss, he felt deeply that it was not 
 entirely the work of the dove with her olive-leaf, but that 
 he must have fallen without hope of rescue, had not God 
 long before vouchsafed to suffer him to behold a fair mes- 
 senger from heaven to earth. He withdrew into a lonely 
 grove and kneeled down to offer up his thanksgivings, 
 and to pray that it might be permitted to him, now and 
 ever, to serve the angel Alearda in true devotion, virtue, 
 and purity. 
 
 He stepped out of the shadows of the grove into the light 
 of the purest sunset ; and as he did so he encountered the 
 thoughtful Balta, who, grasping his hand with the most 
 graceful and affectionate warmth, said, "My heart ever 
 grows unspeakably glad within me when I behold you in 
 all the untroubled cheerfulness for which you have been 
 specially created. I can endure the clouds of earth better 
 in any case than when they take upon themselves to darken 
 a poet's life ; and — deem me not officious, I beseech you — 
 I confess frankly to you that the golden nets which have 
 been here woven for you with so much dexterity and cir- 
 cumspection, have made me anxious lest you should find 
 yourself engaged in a combat far more to be dreaded than 
 that which awaits us in the lists. But now you come out 
 of yon leafy dai'kness with an aspect so radiant and so 
 clear, that the evening beams which shine around you are 
 but as a reflection of the far more lustrous brightness of 
 your sunny spirit. God prosper you with victory, most 
 noble master !" 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 177 
 
 "My early loved Balta," replied Amald, "it is no 
 marvel that I am able to sail past the syren-strains. Thou 
 linowest what a pure and celestial star shines ever above 
 my head as a protector and a guide. Truly, I have long 
 navigated the sea of this world, and have seen with deep 
 regret how many a noble spirit, vainly struggling for aid 
 in such a whirlpool as this, has been drawn down into its 
 depths, shuddering with agony ; and I feel gratefully that 
 I am rescued from the rock and the abyss only by the mild 
 radiance of my constellation. But, Balta, what is it that 
 saves you — the youthful artist, the glowing spirit, all pene- 
 trated by the electric force of beauty ? Ay, what is the 
 I)Ower which hath so marvellously protected you, that amid 
 all your courteous gallantries, amid all these richly-bloom- 
 ing parterres of the fairest and sweetest womanly loveli- 
 ness, I have never yet seen your eyes iiash with the fire of 
 love ?" 
 
 Balta hung down his head, and was silent for a while ; 
 at last he lifted up his face — all bright and beaming — 
 to heaven and said, " Why should I conceal that which is 
 dearest and most beautiful in my soul, from him whom that 
 soul so entirely loves ? Know then, Amald, my noble mas- 
 ter, that there dwells within me a vision of perfect and 
 peerless beauty, to which nothing that lives upon earth 
 can approach in dignity, and grace, and loveliness, whereby 
 I feel myself bound to love and honour all ladies right truly, 
 and yet never to link my affections, nor dedicate my ex- 
 clusive service, to any one who lives, and moves, and has 
 her being upon this imperfect earth." 
 
 " And where, then, is the picture of her ?" inquired 
 Arnald, "wherein your skilful pencil has made permanent 
 those lineaments of lofty beauty, and animated them with 
 radiant colours?" 
 
 " The picture !" cried Balta, visibly shuddering ; " her 
 picture? I pray you in 'God's name speak not thus : though 
 I have sometimes amused myself by painting the fair faces 
 of earthly beauties, peeping forth from clustere 1 leavea 
 
178 
 
 MINSTHEL LOVE. 
 
 and twining plants like blossoms of wondrous grace, I 
 should never dream of presuming to imprison my peerless- 
 vision within the paltry circle of mine earthly art. She — 
 my divine mistress — to be brought to light as the crown 
 and chief of a sportive world of flowers !" 
 
 "But why thus?" replied ArnaM; "represent her 
 rather in her entire form of heavenly beauty, shadowed 
 by radiant garments, wearing on her brow a glory of stars, 
 
 canopied by clouds " 
 
 " Yes, thus doth she appear to me," anxiously inter- 
 rupted Balta ; "yes, thus doth she appear to me; and 
 whence did you learn it? and though you bave learned 
 it, in the name of God and the Prophet, who inspired you 
 with the fearfully audacious thought that a man might 
 dare to paint her thus ? I see, then, it is no fable that 
 your artists of Christendom presume to delineate entire 
 human forms ; thus seeking to copy the Creator, and not 
 troubling themselves as to the soul which should animate 
 those their outward shapes. Terrible will it be for such 
 audacious triflers with things forbidden, if at the last day 
 of resurrection and judgment all these their pictures shall 
 gather around them in a strange and mournful crowd, 
 with lifelike but lifeless gestures, inquiring anxiously, and 
 ever more anxiously, after the souls which should be theirs! 
 And if I should thus be questioned by my picture — by 
 mine own peculiar blessed vision — oh, how much more 
 fearful were my portion than that of all your rash artists 
 taken together !" 
 
 "Nevertheless, thou shalt one day paint her," said 
 Arnald, slowly and softly ; " and thou shalt be very happy, 
 or rather highly blessed." 
 
 These words escaped him in a like manner to those 
 which he had uttered on the night when Balta accom- 
 panied him to the mysterious castle. He bad spoken more 
 and higher things than he was himself conscious of, at the 
 moment of speaking them, and now meditated with effort 
 upon the peculiar and deep meaning of his words. Balta 
 
HINSTEEL tOVE. 179 
 
 tippeared to be similarly occupied ; and tlius they ap- 
 proached, without being aware of it, the chateau of'plea- 
 saunce, which was already brightly illuminated. 
 
 As the two friends issued from a flowery thicket, the 
 intense beams of light from the castle-casements struck 
 upon their eyes with a suddenness that well nigh dazzled 
 them. "It is now high time,'' said Amald, "that we 
 should expedite the hour of our encounter. This middle 
 and douTjtful state, dear Balta, cannot longer be endured ; 
 and spring is already amongst us." 
 
 " It is most true," answered Balta, suppressing his 
 emotion ; and that very evening he, Arnald, and Gryba, 
 solemnly presented themselves before Soleyma, entreating 
 ■with grave courtesy, that she would fix the day of the 
 combat. 
 
 " Let it be the day after to-morrow, if you will," said 
 the Moorish queen, turning from them with a haughty 
 'inclination : for that evening the festivities were over. 
 
 Sl|)aptcr Slcecntlf). 
 
 New from the heaven's roseate towers 
 The sun looks forth on sparkling dews, 
 
 And makes the earth a world of flowers, 
 The sea a garden of bright hues. 
 
 Full oft in hoary times of old, 
 
 At this bright hour of opening day, 
 
 A MaravigUa, blithe and bold. 
 
 Hath donned his arms and sought the fray. 
 
 Now, with a minstrel's joyous strain, 
 Now, in his armour's dazzling light, 
 
 A Maraviglia seeks again 
 
 The field where honour rules the fight. 
 
 N 
 
J80 
 
 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 Souls of my sires ! and cHefest thou, 
 
 The minstrel-king of olden day, 
 Bless ye my knightly path below, 
 
 And guide me on your vahant way I 
 So at my lady's feet at last. 
 
 With reverent joy and chastened glee. 
 The burning hour of battle past, 
 
 I may as victor bow the knee. 
 
 On the morning of the decisive combat Arnald stood 
 within the chestnut-tree chamber, which was now all en- 
 folded in wondrous wealth of blossoms, and sang the words 
 written above with loud and joyous tones ; Gryba ac- 
 companied his voice by clashing his sword and shield mer- 
 rily together ; and in this manner both shook aside, or 
 endeavoured to shake aside, the melancholy feeling which 
 overshadowed them, as often as each thought on the other 
 as his adversary ; and, kindled by these outward words 
 and gestures, the fire of battle did indeed arise and gather 
 strength in their hearts. 
 
 Gryba was now completely armed. Attired in a rich 
 suit of gilded plate-armour — for, on this day, he had 
 abandoned his black surcoat — he stood, splendid as a 
 king, tall, graceful, and slender. Arnald having hastily 
 but carefully fastened his precious dagger to the silver 
 chain which hung over the golden links of his hauberk, 
 grasped two javelins of the finest ebony, whose sharp and 
 exquisitely-polished barbs of steel gleanled with inlaid 
 gold ; and thus the two champions hurried to the spot 
 where their steeds awaited them ^rith neighs of impatience. 
 
 The honest Provencal squire wept bitterly as he led 
 forward his master's richly-caparisoned Arab horse. 
 
 " Thou art a good youth," said the kind-hearted Gryba^ 
 casting into his hat a purse filled with gold pieces ; " I 
 know well that my gift cannot comfort thee; neverthe- 
 less, there is always a pleasure in it." 
 
 " God repay you," said the lad, through his tears, " as 
 richly as it is possible for Him to repay a heathen bird ; 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 181 
 
 — and you, my noble Sir Amald, if you must needs catch 
 him, only be quick about it, and don't let him chafe and 
 flutter longer than you can help." 
 
 Gryba sprang into his saddle with a hearty laugh ; and 
 his light dun-coloured charger leaped and plunged furi- 
 ously beneath him ; its mane and tail of silver whiteness 
 streaming wildly on the air. But Gryba stirred not so 
 much as a hair's-breadth upon the purple saddle-cloth ; 
 and said, stroking the animal's slender neck, " Oho, my 
 palfrey, my pretty palfrey, wouldst thou act Pontifer ?" 
 
 Swiftly and lightly, so that the hoofs of the far-spring- 
 ing steeds scarcely swept the grass, Arnald and Gryba 
 galloped to the field. 
 
 There, from the fair turfy eminence whereon his turret 
 stood, came Balta to meet them ; earnest and solemn of 
 aspect, but clad in richly-embroidered garments of divers 
 colours, the wide skirts of which, according to the Moor- 
 ish custom, floated around him in peaceful and festal 
 fashion ; strangely did this garb contrast -with the straight 
 sword, like that of a Christian knight, which glittered at 
 his waist ; while the two sparkling javelins, entirely of 
 silver, which he bore in his right hand, called up the idea 
 of Saracen warfare. As soon as he beheld liis friends, he 
 spurred his coal-black horse into the swiftest gallop, and 
 did not check it till he stood close beside them, greeting 
 them with grave and graceful affection. The three gallant 
 combatants shook each other warmly by the hand, and 
 gazed thoughtfully in each other's faces. 
 
 Then Arnald said, " Let the issue be what it will, we 
 can at least enjoy, by anticipation, the delight of having 
 called each other brother ! Is it not so, my beloved com- 
 rades in battle — ^we are brothers ?" 
 
 The youths embraced him with heartfelt emotion ; re-' 
 peating softly, " We are brothers !" — while the three noble 
 Arab horses, as if sympathising with the aifection of their 
 masters, rubbed their graceful necks caressingly against 
 each other. 
 
182 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 " Up, young heroes, to the battle !" shouted Amald, 
 with that resounding voice which was so peculiar to him- 
 self in times of honourable danger ; and the three friends 
 loosened their embracing arms, and the noble war-steeds 
 reared high, neighing for joy, and sprang apart with lofty 
 curvets, measured by the rider's will. They were about 
 to give them tiie rein, and seek the further extremities of 
 the field, when Gryba said : 
 
 " Patience, yet a moment ! Mine esquire yonder 
 carries a flaslc of the choicest wine of Xeres ; I originally 
 intended it for the refreshment of the wounded ; but the 
 ladies will take care of them, and methinks 'twill be 
 fairer and fitter to empty it now, in fulness of joy, to the 
 honour of our new brotherhood. Let each drink to that 
 which he holds dearest on earth !" 
 
 At a sign from the young wai-rior, his squire produced 
 the costly flask, and Arnald was requested to drink first. 
 He took three draughts, and pronounced a separate pledge 
 for each, as follows : 
 
 " Alearda !" " Provence !" " Fair fame after death !" 
 
 Balta's turn came next. He spake thus : 
 
 " The vision seen by no eye save mine own !" '■' JMine 
 own dear art of painting !" " Our friendship !" 
 
 And Gryba concluded in this manner : 
 
 " All beautiful women !" " Life in their memory !" " If 
 it may be so, many more joyous combats on this earth !" 
 
 Herewith they entered the area marked out for battle, 
 where they were solemnly received with the echoing sound 
 of clarions, cymbals, and trumpets. 
 
 ei^aptcr Zmlftl). 
 
 The enclosure wherein the three knights now stood was 
 very large, and perfectly circular ; around its limits were 
 ranged a gay and many-coloured throng of spectators, 
 
MINSTREL iOVE. 183 
 
 who, according to the light and almost reckless custom of 
 their nation, had assembled, eager to behold the approach- 
 ing combat for life and death, as though it were some gay 
 spectacle at the theatre. On lofty scaffoldings, covered 
 with rich cai-pets and cushions, sate a multitude of beau- 
 tiful ladies. Queen Soleyma, the most beautiful of all, 
 sate upon the richest cushions, beneath a canopy blue as 
 the heavens. She was inexpressibly fascinating and mag- 
 nificent to look upon, in her glittering adornments of 
 jewellery, her brows girt with a sparkling turban, which 
 did not, however, wholly conceal the dark abundance of her 
 tresses, but rather displayed their wavy rings more grace- 
 fully and to greater advantage. Gryba's gaze of fire was 
 ever directed towards her, and she appeared to observe it 
 with a well-i)leased smile. Arnald, when the three cham- 
 pions passed before her to pay tlieir reverence, drooped his 
 head as if dazzled, as he had done when he first beheld her. 
 But he speedily recalled the idea of Alearda, as she had 
 appeared to him in her heavenly purity, on that festive eve 
 on the plain before Castle Bisiers, when she came forth 
 upon the hill in her calm and benignant beauty ; and from 
 that moment he was able to gaze firmlj', and with unqui- 
 vering eyelids, upon the sun of mere earthly loveliness 
 which now illumined the battle-field. When he had taken 
 up his position, having been conducted to it by two Moor- 
 ish warriors, he contemplated the figure of Balta, who 
 stood opposite to him. The youthful artist suffered the 
 calm light of his eyes to rest for a moment upon Soleyma ; 
 but then he lifted them up, at once brighter and more calm, 
 to the free and cloudless skies ; and Arnald understood in a 
 moment what that gesture signified, and what vision mani- 
 fested itself to him in the heavens. 
 
 It was not yet decided who should he the first to do 
 battle with the troubadour. Four pages carrying a great 
 silver vase now approached Gryba and Balta ; they were 
 followed by four others bearing a lofty pedestal covered 
 with purple hangings, whereon the vase was carefully 
 
184 MINSTKBL LOVE, 
 
 deposited. The two competitors now received a pair of 
 costly dice, shaped of the purest gold, and having the 
 ciphers inlaid with precious stones. Gryba threw first ; 
 he gazed discontentedly into the vase. When Balta's die 
 had fallen, three aged Moorish princes, who had stationed 
 themselves by the vase as witnesses, declared that the 
 right of the first engagement belonged to the cavalier 
 Balta. All except the two combatants quitted the area 
 of battle, and Gryba also rode slowly out of the lists. A 
 loud clarion-peal now resounded above the plain, making 
 the very air tremble. Instantly Arnald and Balta put 
 their horses to a full gallop, entered the circle with the 
 speed of lightning, and rode rapidly around its outer 
 limits, occasionally menacing each other with their jave- 
 lins. From time to time the warriors stood upright in 
 their wide and closely-buckled stirrups, advancing the 
 left shoulder, and covering head or breast with the shield, 
 as the direction which the missile was apparently about 
 to take, warned them. The well-trained horses dashed 
 unweariedly around their appointed way, never varying 
 the pace of their gallop, and never requiring either spur 
 or rein. 
 
 Suddenly Balta's lance whirred through the air, and, 
 true to its aim, rebounded from the shield which Arnald 
 rapidly interposed, making the air quiver with its clash, 
 and falling to earth in the midst of the spectators, who at 
 first started back with cries of terror, but afterwards con- 
 tended together for the glittering weapon with shouts and 
 laughter. 
 
 Immediately afterwards Balta hurled his second spear. 
 Slightly grazing the neck of Arnald's steed, it glanced 
 harmlessly aside, and buried itself eU-deep in the turfy 
 ground. Arnald flung his own weapon almost at the same 
 moment; but Balta, impatient of his failure with the 
 javelin, had wheeled his horse hastily around, in order to 
 charge his antagonist with drawn sword ; so that the ani- 
 mal, in the very act of turning, received in his forehead 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 185 
 
 the missile which had been intended for his master, and 
 rearing wildly, fell over, carrying his rider with him. 
 Frantic with agony, the steed struggled to its feet in a 
 moment, and galloped furiously around the lists with the 
 javelin in its forehead, dragging the dismounted knight — 
 whose left spur had become inextricably entangled in the 
 rich housings — hither and thither apparently without pos- 
 sibility of rescue. A loud cry of horror resounded alone 
 the ranks of the spectators, maddening still further the 
 terrified and suffering horse. 
 
 But Amald was out of the saddle in a moment. 
 
 " Holy Virgin ! Balta !" he cried in dismay ; and daunt- 
 lessly springing across the path of the raging animal, he 
 seized the reins, and compelled it to stand still by a grasp 
 to which wrath and anxiety lent the strength of a lion. 
 The frantic steed attempted to strike Amald both with 
 hoofs and teeth, but the latter neither shrank nor swerved 
 aside, and at length gave the animal an angry stroke on 
 the bit, so that it fell a second time, but fortunately not 
 against Balta. And now a crowd of grooms and pages 
 ran to their assistance ; Balta was easily extricated from 
 the housings, and the foaming beast led out of the lists. 
 
 Somewhat pale from his fall and his peril of death, but 
 friendly and composed as ever, Balta advanced to Arnald, 
 stretching out his hand and saying, " Thou hast merited 
 thy victory by right brotherly conduct, thou noble hero. 
 My claim on the star-jewel is yielded to thine." 
 
 He had exerted himself to speak as loudly as possible; 
 and now the victory of Arnald was announced by the 
 joyous strains of lute and clarion, while many a wreath 
 woven of the earliest spring-flowers v/as thrown by fair 
 hands to the valiant minstrel-warrior. 
 
 "God speed you on your last encounter!" said Balta, 
 smiling, as he went, somewhat exhausted, out of the lists. 
 
 Fresh and joyous, Gryba sprang within the barriers, 
 gallantly saluting the Queen Soleyma, and greeting his 
 antagonist with friendly warmth ; and the circling course. 
 
186 
 
 MINSTERL LOVE. 
 
 swift as the windj began again. But this time, the irre- 
 pressible ardour of the Moorish knight, the hopeful im- 
 patience for victory of the Provencal vrarrior, allowed no 
 deliberation. With lightning-speed, yet with fearful cer- 
 tainty of aim, each hurled in rapid succession his two 
 javelins. Blood streamed from Gryba's head and side, 
 and from Arnald's right shoulder. The latter unsheathed 
 his good sword, but felt his arm grow heavy and feeble 
 from the streaming wound. " :Methinks I must needs 
 die," said he within himself; "for without the star-jewel 
 I ivill never return;" 
 
 Then Gi-yba avrang himself out of the saddle, and cried, 
 " Forward to the fight, brave Maraviglia ! Sword to so-ord 
 and arm to arm, and leave we our horses loose !" 
 
 With effort, but with knightly grace, Arnald dismount- 
 ed, cast his shield upon his shoulder,, and grasping his 
 sword with both hands, that he might swing it aloft with 
 the more terrible efi'ect, charged furiously against Grj'ba. 
 
 Sleanwhile the ^Moorish warrior had also sufiered his 
 light shield to glide back along its purple string, but with. 
 a widely different object. For, with his left arm he par- 
 ried Arnald's shattering sword-stroke, whereat, indeed, 
 the scales of his golden panoply sprang asunder, but 
 neither sleeve nor skin was pierced, and then in a mo- 
 ment he had rushed within the guard of his adversary, 
 grasped him around the waist with both arms — letting 
 his sword hang by its strap from his wrist — and with 
 great strength and skill hurled him to the ground. Kneel- 
 ing upon his breast, he cried, " Brave Maraviglia, the 
 star-jewel is mine !" 
 
 " My life, perhaps," cried Arnald, in answer, " but the 
 star-jewel neither now or ever, while breath is left mc I" 
 
 Gryba strove to wring the sword-hilt out of his grasp. 
 Arnald loosed the hold of his left hand thereon, despe- 
 rately struggling to clench it with the fingers of the 
 wounded right; then drawing forth with his free hand 
 the dagger of Alearda, in a moment the small and glit- 
 
MINSTREL tOVE. 187 
 
 tering weapon was plunged into Gryba's arm, just where 
 the golden plates had previously been hewn asunder, and 
 the stroke was followed by a gurgling torrent of blood. 
 
 Startled by the sudden pain, the Moorish warrior re- 
 laxed his hold, and with the last eft'ort of expiring strength 
 the troubadour extricated himself; and now the two heroes 
 stood for a moment opposite to each other, leaning on 
 their swords, pale, bleeding, and breathless. A wonder- 
 ing and sorrowful silence filled the whole assembly. 
 
 Amald was the first who attempted to recover himself 
 for a new attack. He did indeed succeed in lifting his 
 sword with both hands, though by a great and visible 
 effort ; and with noble demeanour he advanced ready for 
 battle. But after he had made a few steps forward he 
 was constrained to halt, and once more to plant his sword 
 in the earth, supporting himself with difficulty by resting 
 his clasped hands on the hilt. Gryba, on the other hand, 
 could nut, with all his efforts, succeed in standing without 
 his sustaining weapon. He became paler and paler every 
 moment, as the blood flowed more and more rapidly from 
 his wounds. 
 
 Then the three aged Jloorish princes advanced into 
 the lists, and commanded, by virtue of their knightly 
 ofiice as judges of the field, that the combat should cease 
 for the present, and should not be renewed till both the 
 noble warriors should be entirely healed of their wounds. 
 The esquires now approached to lead the two bleeding 
 knights out of the area ; but Arnald, with authoritative 
 earnestness, signed to those on his side to stand back ; 
 and as soon as Gryba observed the gesture, he exerted 
 the little remnant of his strength, and followed the exam- 
 ple of his friend. 
 
 " that the battle is ended for to-day," said Amald, 
 speaking as loudly and distinctly as he possibly could, 
 " good ! I must needs be content to submit. But that 
 after our complete recovery, we should renew and finish 
 the combat which we have here begun— nay, dear Gryba, 
 
188 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 -tliou must thyself be conscious tliat must not be. I have 
 ivaited long enough for this encounter ; I neither can nor 
 ■\vill depart hence leaving the issue uncertain. See, Gryba ; 
 from this moment I bid, thee deiiance concerning the star- 
 jewel. Wherever it may be, day or iiight, secretly or 
 openly, I will take it away from thee ; and thou knowest 
 I am acquainted with the place of its concealment. Hide 
 it, then — I counsel thee in all friendship — hide it else- 
 where ; yet wheresoever thou mayest place it, I wiU seek 
 it out and make myself master of it, or else lie dead upon 
 "the spot." 
 
 " God forbid the last !" said Gryba affectionately, as 
 ne gradually sank, in graceful exhaustion, upon the battle- 
 field. But a moment afterwards he upraised himself glad- 
 someljr and proudly, adding, " But I am still as far from 
 having received my death-wound, as thou art from having 
 won the star-jewel. From its present abode it shall not 
 stir, for terrible are the sentinels — thou hast seen them 
 thyself, Maraviglia — who keep watch beside the chamber. 
 Moreover, I will dwell for the future in the lower apart- 
 ments of the castle ; and herewith, dear brother, I cheer- 
 fully accept thy defiance." 
 
 The troubadour turned towards him with effort, and 
 their hands met in the clasp of friendship. Then they 
 signed to their esquires, who approached with litters, and 
 carried the two combatants out of the lists. The ladies, 
 full of wonder, departed from their seats ; the crowd dis- 
 persed, whispering and astonished ; and Soleyma, very 
 pale and -n'ith tears in her eyes, withdrew to her enchanted 
 chateau of pleasaunce. 
 
 In Balta's turret Arnald took up his abode for the present; 
 and here he was attacked by a fever of terrific violence 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 189 
 
 the result of his wounds. Sometimes he imagined that he 
 was fighting for the star-jewel ; sometimes he supposed 
 himself to be that ancestor of Iiis line who lay beneath his 
 bleeding horse in the midst of the foe ; and often did he 
 rend asunder his bandages by the vehemence of his move- 
 ments. Then would the burning blood burst forth in tor- 
 rents, purpling the white coverings of the couch, till the 
 sufferer sank back in the languor of total exhaustion; and 
 not till then did his wonted smile of benignity visit his 
 pale lips. 
 
 "Two more such paroxysms," said the physician at 
 last, " and we must bury the noble troubadour beneath the 
 spring-flowers of our country." 
 
 Balta, who sat day and night, like a guardian angel, 
 beside his couch, but who had never yet succeeded in 
 checking those deadly outbursts of fever and frenzy, now 
 mused with tearful eyes, but with his wonted calm col- 
 lectedness of spirit, on some means of deliverance for his 
 friend. It seemed as though he had discovered what he 
 sought ; for he took Arnald's lute from the wall with a, 
 cheerful smUe, and then resumed his seat by the sick man, 
 over whom the impatience of fever had once more begun to 
 obtain the mastery. Balta now played the melody of that 
 song to autumn which Maraviglia had composed, in the 
 castle-garden, on the memorable day on which he received 
 the dagger from Alearda. The troubadour listened : the 
 wild glow of his eyes seemed to abate and soften. Then 
 Balta sang with harmonious voice the words of the melody, 
 and Amald sank back upon his pillows with a smile, and 
 slept peacefully. As night approached, however, he sprang 
 up again, and once more did the black wings of wild fan- 
 tasies hover above iiim ; but scarcely had Balta touched 
 the strings, when he became calm and docile. Yes ; gazing 
 forth through the open window upon the skies of the clear 
 night, the sufferer recognised at once the constellation of 
 Alearda, looked upwards with a sweet and satisfied smile, 
 and once more enjoyed a soft and healing slumber. 
 
190 MINSTBEL LOVE. 
 
 Afterwards, as often as he became excited, it was only 
 necessary for Balta to whisper the name, " Alearda !" and 
 all was calmness and peace. 
 
 Thus he recovered day by day. It is true that his right 
 arm still continued somewhat feeble and heavy ; but the 
 clear and kindly radiance of his spirit, and the warm but 
 gentle flow of his feelings, completely resumed their for- 
 mer cheerful consciousness. 
 
 The most favourable accounts were received of Gryba's 
 progress. He was already so far recovered that lie was 
 able to ride forth among the woods on his war-horse of 
 sunny hue. Yet he only allowed himself this enjoyment 
 during the hours of morning twilight, because it was only 
 at that season that he believed the star-jewel to be secure 
 from Arnald, by reason of the spectral warders who then 
 guarded the entrance of the chamber. Moreover, day and 
 night the castle was closed and guarded with the most 
 heedful care ; so that, to all appearance, the highest com- 
 bination of skill and daring would not avail to attain the 
 object of the troubadour's wishes. 
 
 One day a shepherd delivered to the knight Balta a 
 tablet inscribed with the following rhymes addressed by 
 Gryba to Maraviglia : — 
 
 In closer siege than erst Marseilles, 
 Girt by King Charles's forces, lay — 
 
 My pleasures die, my spirit fails, 
 And in my towers I waste away. 
 
 Her child benignant Nature calls ; 
 
 I pine for fount, and field, and dell ; 
 Yet, lo ! in these accursed walls 
 
 I stay, a lonely sentinel. 
 
 AVhile lovely maids, in graceful glee. 
 Lead the gay dance along the plain, 
 
 I wait, my valiant foe, for thee ; 
 But pleasure waits for me in vain. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 191 
 
 And must I thus, in youth's bright days, 
 Fly from bliss, and love, and hope, — 
 
 Quit the fields of fame and praise, 
 Like some white-haired misanthrope ? 
 
 Free beneath the free blue sky. 
 
 Let me, let me stand once more \ 
 Let me conquer, bleed, or die ; 
 
 But quickly, gentle troubadour. 
 
 "Thou shalt have thy will, my dearest friend:" said 
 Arnald, as he rose with a smile from his couch; and girdiog 
 himself with Alearda's dagger, — for his wounded arm was 
 not yet capable of wielding the sword, — called to his at- 
 tendant to saddle two mules, one for himself and one for 
 his master. ^Meantime lie gazed forth upon the mild trans- 
 parency of the evening skies with unwonted cheerfulness. 
 
 "Arnald, Araald!" cried the astonished Balta, "in 
 God's name, what meanest thou?" 
 
 "I mean to deliver my friend and myself at once," 
 answered ilaraviglia. " I hope to reach his castle by the 
 hour of morning twilight ; and I pray thee to have ready 
 for me, by noonday to-morrow, a right strengthening re- 
 past, graced with thy choicest wine ; for by that hour I shall 
 certainly have returned to thee with the star-jewel." 
 
 " Thou wilt !" began Balta ; but the words froze in 
 horror on his lips. Nevertheless he added, " But at least 
 suffer me to bear thee company." 
 
 "Wherefore should I do so, beloved youth? I must 
 certainly enter the castle alone; for how could I presume 
 to present myself before my lady, with the jewel as a tro- 
 phy, if any other living man had aided me to achieve it?" 
 
 "And Crescentius? And the bloody Goth-king, Rod- 
 rigo? And all those fearful companies of the long-time 
 dead — heroes, knights, and ladies ? Arnald, thou art not 
 yet wholly recovered. What if the frenzy of fever should 
 overpower thee anew?" 
 
 " Dear Balta, I carry with me that angel-name bj' 
 
192 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 whose sweet sound thou wert wont so tenderly to sooth& 
 and to heal me. And, Balta, there lives in my heart 
 another and a higher name — " 
 
 " A higher name than Alearda?" 
 
 "A name before which both Alearda and I ever do 
 reverence in our spirits, and which unites for eternity both 
 us and all who seek and strive for the right." 
 
 " Arnald, God and his proijhet are my witnesses that 
 I too seek and strive for the right. "Wherefore, then, do 
 I not carry this name in my heart 1" 
 
 "Thou dost in truth bear it in thy heart, my friend; 
 and thou shalt one day learn to utter it !" 
 
 Balta bowed his head in deep reverence which he him- 
 self scarcely comprehended. Meantime the esquire had 
 led forth the mules. Arnald kissed the brow of Balta, 
 and set forth upon his singular journey, somewhat graver 
 than he had been, but not ou that account the less glad of 
 heart. 
 
 The bright "Wain and the constellation of Alearda were 
 already dipping behind the mountains ; the morning mists 
 were curling upward from the valleys ; there was silence 
 in the woods, for the choral band of birds had not as yet 
 awakened, and hawk and vulture, wearied with their noc- 
 turnal wanderings after their prey, had dropped into their 
 morning slumbers ; the stag and the roe, too, had not be- 
 gun the joyous sports of the day. Then Arnald bade his 
 esquire remain quiet with the mules amid the thickets, and 
 ascended slowly to Gryba's mysterious castle, concealing 
 himself behind the trunks of the thickly-growing pine- 
 trees. He had not proceeded far when he heard the gates 
 of the castle opened, and the sound of the drawbridge, 
 clashing as it turned upon its hinges, speedily followed^ 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 193 
 
 Then was heard the voice of Gryba's hunting-hom, joy- 
 ously calling to the forest-echoes : the wild deer sprang 
 startled from their couches, and at no great distance from 
 Ai-nald the young Moorish hero, fearless of any peril to his 
 castle, and looking neither to right nor left, vaulted gaily 
 down the grassy declivity. Amald cautiously approached 
 the building. Within was heard a wondrous sound of ju- 
 bilee and tumult, so that at first the troubadour supposed 
 that the spectral hosts of the castle were holding special 
 holyday. But he soon perceived that the noise proceeded 
 from Gryba's merry squires and servants, who were readily 
 permitted by their light-hearted lord to enjoy, like himself, 
 the freshness of life for this one hour, trusting entirely to 
 the horrors of the spirit-world for the defence of the for- 
 tress. Gaudily attired, and discoursing with each other 
 in gladsome songs, like so many larks, the gay multitude 
 of horsemen and pedestrians rushed confusedly down the 
 mountain-side, filling the air with dust, and dispersing in 
 various directions amid the shadows of the pine-trees. 
 Thoughtful and weary, the sable seneschal gazed a while 
 after the young and merry troop, and then withdrew to 
 his couch, leaving the gates open and the drawbridge down 
 to awEut their return. 
 
 But as silence sank dovra upon the lower parts of the 
 castle, which were the ordinary abode of the household, 
 above in the uninhabited chambers every thing seemed to 
 become alive. Lights glanced to and fro along the case- 
 ments, and there began the sound of strange unearthly 
 melodies ; ay, from time to time bearded countenances, of 
 wondrously gloomy aspect, looked forth through the win- 
 dows, sometimes as if in invitation, sometimes sternly and 
 menacingly. Amald felt indeed that here was no place 
 for a gladsome-hearted and poetic child of man ; but quite 
 as strongly did he feel that his vocation in the service of 
 the lofty ladye Alearda would enable him to look the 
 whole world of spirits unconcernedly in the face. And so 
 he strode across the drawbridge, and passed beneath the 
 
194 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 raulted doorway, and before long the knightly spur of 
 gold that adorned his heel clashed against the steps which 
 ascended to the mysterious hall of spirits. Tlie doors 
 sprang open at the first light touch of the solitary wan- 
 derer. Long, dim, and fuU of twilight, the chambers 
 stretched out before him ; throughout the whole space 
 there seemed a dusky light, and a somewhat like a mist- 
 cloud of the morning ; but when Arnald looked more closely 
 he perceived that the place was thronged with shapes, and 
 truly shapes of such a sort that he could not turn bis eyes 
 away from them ; for, in spite of their spectral nature, their 
 aspect was dignified and full of authority, or graceful and 
 touching in a strange and inexplicable manner. 
 
 At the head of the board sat King Rodrigo — wild and 
 full of trouble, like the olden times wherein he lived, but 
 wearing a terrible youthfulness upon his long-dead fea- 
 tures, ■which were full of melancholy enthusiasm. Beside 
 him, veiy pale and very beautiful, like the autumnal moon 
 at midnight, his spouse and queen Egilona, whose truth 
 nnd love he betrayed, looked forth from her long and wav- 
 ing mourning garments ; every time that she sighed, there 
 bloomed a white lily on her bosom, and she dropped a tear 
 thereon, and the lily became a faint and softly-glimmering 
 light, which passed across the faco of King Rodrigo with 
 a lustre so soothing that it almost seemed as though he 
 began to smile. But then a woman with glowing counte- 
 nance, and wide and wildly-streaming tresses, looked over 
 the shoulder of the slain hero — it was the wicked Cava, 
 for whom he had conceived a frantic passion, and whose 
 vengeance caused his own destruction and the overthrow 
 of his Gothic kingdom ; and then the wine in his goblet 
 was turned into blood, and, bubbling upwards, it stained 
 his brow with a. red and glowing spot, just in the place 
 where he had been stricken by the death-wound ; and then 
 his lips were contorted with a grim and ghastly laugh. 
 Arnald, with reeling and well-nigh frenzied brain, turned 
 away his face and trembled. But his eye fell upon Alear- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 195 
 
 da's dagger, which glittered at his waist, and thereat 
 courage and cloudless confidence returned to his heart. 
 " I am here in the name of Alearda, iny lofty ladye," 
 cried he aloud ; and the spectral company started and 
 huddled themselves together, while a low and angry 
 mutter ran along their ranks. But he, no longer fear- 
 ing any thing, strode with resounding tread past that 
 terrible banquet-table, through the long lines of dusky 
 chambers, even to the entrance of the last momentous 
 apartment. It was not till he had advanced some way 
 that he perceived a form preceding him, and occasion- 
 ally looking hack as if to observe his progress. He 
 could not, however, recognise the face : it was not Gry- 
 ba — could it be the black seneschal? Arnald grasped 
 his dagger-hilt with all the strength that was left in his 
 wounded arm, and prepared himself for a desperate en- 
 counter. But as he approached the curtain he became 
 aware that no earthly weapons were needed here. The 
 Unknown stood still before the entrance, and, turning 
 towards Arnald, lifted up its long, wan, corpse-like fin- 
 ger as if in menace, and sternly shook its pale head : — it 
 was the dead Crescentius ! With unshaken spirit Arnald 
 elevated the dagger of Alearda, so that the cross-shaped 
 weapon gleamed in the eyes of the ghost, and said slowly 
 and solemnly, " By this holy sign I adjure thee that thou 
 depart from hence and give me passage !" With a low 
 wailing cry the shadowy figure melted into air. 
 
 The minstrel entered the chamber. One slight stroke 
 of the dagger's sharp and well-hardened edge severed the 
 fastenings of tlie casket, and the sparkling gems of the 
 constellation Alearda greeted the eyes of the happy ad- 
 venturer. Reverently he took it in his hands. He would 
 gladly have pressed it to his lips ; but he presumed not to 
 do so, for he held that, which had been touched by the hand 
 of Alearda, far too high and holy for such a profanation. 
 As he returned through the halls with his trophy, be per- 
 ceived that a few of the spectral figures in the banquet- 
 o 
 
196 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 chamber were still in motion ; but even these also began 
 — like lights which had burned themselves out — to disap- 
 pear in the approaching morning. Unopposed he passed 
 through the castle-doorway, and went forth into the fresh 
 and pleasant fragrance of early dawn. 
 
 Once more did Gryba's sonorous hunting-horn resound 
 through the forest, and in a moment afterwards the young 
 Moor himself came flying down the valley on his fleet 
 horse in the midst of his glittering retinue. Not one of 
 the party perceived the troubadour, who, resolved to fight 
 to the last gasp, had stationed himself behind a cluster of 
 pines, having the jewel hidden in his bosom, and his drawn 
 dagger in his hand. 
 
 The whole train now gathered around the knight, who, 
 halting in front of the castle, wound a few low and sus- 
 tained notes upon his horn, which sounded like the open- 
 ing of some strain of reluctant farewell, and afterwards 
 sang the following words : — 
 
 Farewell to mirth and sport ! 
 
 Oh, merry chase, farewell .' 
 Back to his gloomy fort 
 
 Returns the sentinel ; 
 And there by night and day 
 He sighs his heart away. 
 A sound of soft lament 
 Floats round each battlement; 
 For fame the captive sighs — 
 For the love of ladies' eyes — 
 For the dance's mazy glee — 
 For the lost festivity. 
 
 When morning o'er the land 
 In shadowy twihght davnis, 
 
MINSTEEL lOVE. 
 
 Forth sweeps the joyous band 
 
 O'er fields, and woods, and lawn ; 
 Then on the shield so round 
 The clashing sword may sound ; 
 Then tinkling casements rise, 
 And forth peep lovely eyes ; 
 While for our castle- guard 
 A spectral host keeps ward. 
 
 Again he sounded a few suppressed notes, and at this 
 signal his troop slowly defiled past him through the door- 
 way ; Gryba himself lingered behind them for a moment, 
 waved his hand towards the valleys, as a parting saluta- 
 tion, with a melancholy smile, and then turned his horse's 
 head. 
 
 But it seemed to Sir Axnald of Maraviglia as though 
 it were an unknightly action thus to lurk behind the trees, 
 and steal away unobserved with his victorious trophy, 
 almost like a fugitive or a midnight robber. He rapidly 
 forced a passage through the branches, holding the glitter- 
 ing jewel in one hand and the gleaming dagger in the 
 other, and sang these words : — 
 
 Up, up, my Gryba, to the fight ! 
 
 For thee there waits a noble knight ; 
 He hath passed the halls of the wild pale dead , 
 Saved from frenzy and from dread 
 
 By the sun which is his light. 
 
 Up, Gryba, up ! As then she shone, 
 
 Lo, still she shines my heart upon ! 
 If dead beneath thy sword I lie. 
 Her willing sacrifice I die — 
 
 The turf mine altar-stone ! 
 
 in a moment Gryba was out of the saddle, and swinging 
 his sabre over his head, he advanced solemnly towards the 
 challenger. The latter having once more thrust the jewel 
 into his bosom, wrapped his mantle defensively around 
 
198 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 his left arm, in expectation of Gryba's sabre-stroke, and 
 awaited the favourable moment, when, keeping his dagger 
 in readiness to plunge into his antagonist's side, he might 
 venture on the attack. 
 
 But as Gryba came nearer, he dropped the point of 
 his crescent-shaped falchion, and gazed into Arnald's eyes 
 with all the brightness of his open and kindly smUe. At 
 length he said, " No, thou knightly minstrel, the jewel is 
 thine, by all rights both human and divine. I confess my- 
 self conquered!" 
 
 Oh, that I might invite you to that gay and gladsome 
 feast which the three friends now held together in Balta's 
 turret, rejoicing that the tempest was past ! It is true that 
 the loving Three could scarcely indulge in the same inter- 
 course of joyous confidence, should a stranger join himself 
 to their company ; nevertheless, dear reader, thou mayest 
 tsfie to thyself the wings of the spirit, and look down unseen 
 through gilded covers, salvers, and goblets ; and I assure 
 thee that in taking wings thyself, thou givest them also to 
 thy chronicler. 
 
 During the gay and varied discourse, Balta lifted the 
 lute from its place, and as he now began gently dallying 
 vidth its strings, both his friends became silent, and listened 
 to him attentively, while he half sang, half spoke the fol- 
 lowing words : 
 
 A kiss from the lips of Soleyma, 
 
 A promised kiss, 
 
 Yet scarce expected ; 
 
 For this, O Gryba, O my brother Gryba, 
 
 "We sought the bloody field ! 
 
 And who shall dare to marvel 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 199 
 
 That for a meed of such enchanting sweetness 
 
 We have contended long. 
 
 In high and knightly deeds ? 
 
 A fugitive and lightly-passing kiss 
 
 Still is a recompense, and still is bliss I 
 
 He suddenly changed the measure of his song, and sang 
 in the following manner, accompanying himself by slow 
 and solemn chords : 
 
 Higher does the knight aspire 
 
 "Who hut seeks his lady's praise ; 
 
 Dream, and hope, and vain desire. 
 Are as nothing in his gaze. 
 
 But to see her face he seeks ; 
 
 If he seek that boon in vain, 
 Still the tears that dew Ms cheeks 
 
 Shall her holy light retain. 
 
 l^ot like drops of grief or sin, 
 
 But the rainbow's sport they are ; 
 
 And the patient knight shall win 
 Crowns of fame, in song and war. 
 
 Noble knight, and minstrel vowed 
 
 To a ladye pure and high, 
 Do the darkness and the cloud 
 
 Ever sweep across thy sky ? 
 
 Though the depth of many a woe 
 Hides within thy shadowed eyes, 
 
 Yet those bitter griefs, I know. 
 Part thee not from holy joys. 
 
 Suffer us to see her face, 
 
 Lady of such stainless name ; 
 She who grants her minstrel grace 
 
 Dearer even than knightly fame ! 
 
 '^ A\ if I could ever hope for permission to oehold 
 
200 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 that face !" cried Gryba, with a half-inelaneholy smile. 
 " Bat I know well," he added, " the Christian dames are 
 haughty, and deign not to look upon a poor Moorish ca- 
 valier." 
 
 " Have I so ill described Alearda, that j'ou can name her 
 and haughtiness in the same breath?" answered Arnald. 
 "Verily, indeed, the inborn high-heartedness of pure wo- 
 manhood dwells in her lofty spirit, after a loftier and more 
 subduing fashion than I have ever beheld in another, and 
 she is moreover joyous in the consciousness of her noble 
 race, and rejoices yet more in that higher nobility which 
 belongs to all the true confessors of Christ's doctrine. But 
 who can say that she has ever turned away from the 
 meanest of her vassals who sought aid from her, trusting 
 to her benign authority, or who implored the comfort and 
 benediction of her gentle words? Whether decorum and 
 the rule of the Church will permit a Moorish knight to 
 shew himself at the court of my ladye, I know not. She 
 herself, and my instructor, the pious Altarbol, must decide 
 that question. But take confidence, dear friends, and bear 
 me company : besides, Gryba, thou must needs come to 
 fetch thy noble horse Pontifer, in case thou winnest him of 
 me in combat." 
 
 "Ay, too true; yet another combat against thee!" 
 replied Gryba, looking on the ground with unwonted se- 
 riousness. 
 
 "Trouble not yourselves on that account, noble war- 
 riors," cried the smiling Balta ; " God has once already 
 vouchsafed us His good help, and there will be no combat 
 a Voutrance concerning Pontifer." 
 
 " Methinks Balta can be extremely volatile on occa- 
 sion," exclaimed Gryba, in astonishment. 
 
 " And methinks Gryba can be marvellously serious on 
 occasion," replied Balta ; " almost like other reasonable 
 beings." 
 
 Hereat they all began to laugh heartily, and it was- 
 very cheerfully decided that they should undertake to- 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 201 
 
 gether the expedition to Provence, and take leave of 
 Queen Solejona on that very day. As soon as the repast 
 was finished, the three knights moanted three beautiful 
 and fleet mules, and rode with all speed to the castle of 
 the wondrous heathen princess. 
 
 Serious and severe, yet vidth a strange smile playing 
 upon her lips, Soleyma listened to the petition of the 
 friends. 
 
 " Let every one seek his own place," said she, after a 
 while ; "let every one obey his own heart. I have before 
 expressed my opinion to you on such matters ; and if, in 
 truth, this fair cold Christian lady so magnetically attracts 
 you — away, sir knights, to the sea, and fill your sails with 
 the first morning breeze." 
 
 " Such is exactly our intention, lady," replied Amald, 
 with grave courtesy. 
 
 "It is like you," replied she, smiling; "and it suits 
 well with thee, artist Balta. But as for thee, gay and 
 light-hearted Gryha, what thy feelings will be among all 
 those wise and pious persons, Allah and his prophet alone 
 can tell." 
 
 " For yourself, lady," answered Amald, " I maintain 
 truly such reverence as belongs of right to your sex, your 
 noble race, and your marvellous beauty. But for your 
 false gods I have no feeling that approaches to reverence. 
 Allah and Mahomet, and by whatever other name ye caU 
 your divinities, can, in truth, foretell nothing concerning 
 the bright and happy days which await my dear Gryba in 
 Provence." 
 
 " Audacious Christian !" 
 
 " Not audacious, but free ; as becomes one who was 
 
202 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 born noble, and wlio has been since set free for eternity by 
 his gracious Saviour." 
 
 At these -words Queen Soleyma turned angrily towards 
 her retinue, among whom there stood by chance a mighty 
 heathen priest, who cried aloud that Mahomet had been 
 blasphemed beneath her roof, and that the rash criminal 
 was worthy of death. Arnald stood in the midst, firm and 
 courageous, with his unsheathed dagger in his hand. "To 
 die for Alearda I have ever deemed an honour beyond my 
 hopes," said he within himself; " shall I now be so far 
 exalted as to be deemed worthy to shed my blood for Him 
 whose blood was shed for Alearda, for me, for the whole 
 world ? I am ready. Lord." 
 
 Yet this illustrious doom was not reserved for him ; for 
 Gryba and Balta placed themselves before their friend, 
 and vowed death and destruction to every man who should 
 presume to advance but a single step. Soleyma also re- 
 buked the heathen priest, and drove from her presence, 
 with threats and frowns, all those who had upheld him ; 
 then she turned towards the three knights, with composed 
 and smiling dignity, and thus addressed them : 
 
 "Reserve your heroism, your holy self-renunciation, 
 and whatever other praiseworthy virtues your bootless 
 zeal was desirous of displaying, for some more pressing 
 need than the present ; you see that you are menaced by 
 no danger here; Heaven prosper your journey ! For Balta 
 — with his wondrous designs of tiower and foliage, and 
 shapes of men and animals — he will probably take root in 
 Christian soil ; for Gryba, I expect soon to see him re- 
 turn ; and, as for thee, Arnald, thou art a noble knight, a 
 captivating minstrel, an honourable man; but thou might- 
 est be somewhat more discreet than thou art. And so, a 
 fair good night to all!" 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. '203 
 
 gfiflptcir ©tg^jtcent!). 
 
 Blessed art Thou 
 Eternally, 
 Lord of the angel-hosts and upper sky i 
 Wliose radiant brow 
 Laid glory by, 
 For us vile men to suffer, bleed, and die ! 
 
 Blessed art thou, 
 O stainless maid, 
 Who didst bring forth on earth the Babe divine 
 Who reignestnow, 
 Redeemed, repaid. 
 At God's right hand, the Son's own glory thine ! 
 
 Blessed are ye 
 Eternally, 
 By princedoms, dominations, powers, and thrones ; 
 Oh, let us too, 
 In service due. 
 Swell the loud chorus with our feeble tones ! 
 
 Tliis hymn was sung, in pursuance of an ancient cus- 
 tom, by tte pious Altarbol and his monks, before a marble 
 statue of the Holy Virgin, which stood upon the sea-coast. 
 The peasantry having gathered together from all sides, had 
 garlanded that revered image with the fairest blossoms of 
 flowery Provence, and now, clad in their Sunday attire, 
 they stood around, to pay their homage to it, with un- 
 covered heads and folded hands. The holy sounds were 
 wafted tranquilly across the sunny and sparkling waters, 
 anc the fulness of their melody, and even some half-dis- 
 tinguished words of the psalm, reached to the bark wherein 
 our three friends were sailing towards the shore. 
 
 " Oh, what a wonderful and mysterious strain !" said 
 Balta. " Little can I distinguish, still less can I under- 
 
204 MINSmiSL LOVE. 
 
 stand ; yet there is a voice in my heart telling me that it 
 contains the secret balm of comfort for my whole life. 
 Maraviglia, my dear master, I thank thee for bringing me 
 to these shores." 
 
 Weeping for joy, he fell upon the neck of Arnald, who 
 answered him with a benignant smile. " Every virtuous 
 heathen has listened to the unintelligible accents of that 
 inward voice ; and thou, above all, my dear and true- 
 hearted Balta !" 
 
 Meanwhile tljc bark glided softly upon the shores of 
 that bay, all bright with the verdure of early spring. The 
 three friends sprang to land, and advanced, arm in arm, 
 discoursing together of pleasant matters, to join the fes- 
 tival ; which, after the solemnisation of divine service, was 
 concluded by a merry dance among the peasantry. 
 
 The Moorish costume of the two strangers at first 
 somewhat startled the crowd ; but in a moment they re- 
 cognised the troubadour, Arnald of Maraviglia, and has- 
 tened to welcome the Three, as though all were dear and 
 long-expected guests. Wine, flowers, and fruits were 
 offered in abundance on every side ; and the facility 
 wherewith Balta and Gryba spake the Provencal tongue 
 greatly increased the joy and satisfaction occasioned by 
 their arrival. 
 
 But Altarbol stood serious and thoughtful at the head 
 of his monks, and for a long while contemplated in silence 
 the joyous throng, from which Arnald found it impossible 
 to extricate himself, in order to salute, as he desired, his 
 friend and instructor. He was at last summoned from 
 the crowd by a grave sign from Altarbol. Arnald stood 
 before his friend, his cheeks glistening with joyful tears ; 
 out the abbot laid his finger on his lips to impose silence, 
 and led the minstrel-warrior apart from the shouting mul- 
 titude. Then began the following dialogue. 
 
 " Arnald of Maraviglia, thou hast returned home ; but 
 how hast thou returned '!" 
 
 " As I went forth, venerable father. I return a faithful 
 
MINSTREL lOVE. 205 
 
 and believing Christian ; but I have passed through mani- 
 fold trials, and I am come back to you, if I may so hope, 
 a better, or at least, a less feeble man." 
 
 " Recount to me thy trials, my beloved son !" 
 
 And Amald did according to the desire of his venerable 
 friend ; neither concealing the smallest particular, nor in 
 any manner embellishing it, as he was sometimes wont to 
 do when discoursing with ordinary men, inconsiderately 
 enough, but without any intention of deceiving. Altarbol 
 testified much contentment at the history. " Yea, verily," 
 said he, " thou hast returned as thou wentest forth, only 
 better. For after these, thy spiritual combats, methinks 
 the august errors of Arnold of Brescia can have no further 
 power on thy soul ; still less the necromancy of Crescen- 
 tius. But answer me yet further, whence and who are 
 these two Moorish cavaliers?" 
 
 On this subject aLso, Amald gave him full information, 
 and concluded by demanding whether he might venture to 
 present his friends to Alearda. 
 
 " My son," replied Altarbol, " I know not what the 
 customs of a court may enjoin, nor what they may pro- 
 hibit. Concerning this thou must inquire of the ladye 
 herself. But I know that our God suffers His beautiful 
 Bun to shine even upon thorns and thistles ; and yonder 
 Moorish warriors, methinks, deserve no such name; but 
 may rather be compared to fair and goodly fruit-trees, 
 which yet lack grafting and cultivation. Therefore, if the 
 countess both can and will permit it, thou mayest fear- 
 lessly conduct thy friends into her heavenly presence." 
 
 At this moment a loud and angry shout from the neigh- 
 bouring woods, attracted all eyes to the quarter whence it 
 proceeded. With arrowy swiftness, a white horse darted 
 
206 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 ■out of the shades, bearing a tall rider of almost gigantic 
 proportions, who was vainly endeavouring to master it 
 by the utmost exertion of his strength and skill, chiding 
 it meanwhile with loud and vehement words. But the 
 steed carried him backwards and forwards in a wild irre- 
 gular gallop ; and finding that it could not obtain its free 
 will and do exactly as it listed, it began to vault and bound 
 aloft with such wondrous power and rapidity, that it was 
 almost like a wheeling and whirling flash of light to look 
 upon ; and finally it tossed the rider from the saddle to a 
 great distance upon the green turf. 
 
 " Thunder and lightning ! Such a mishap has not be- 
 fallen me since the days of my boyhood !" cried the fallen 
 man, sitting upright on the ground, and looking around 
 him in great astonishment. Arnald recognised the voice 
 and countenance of the valiant Misura ; and ran hastily to 
 him, fearing that he might have sustained some injury. But 
 he was on his feet in a moment ; and straining the trouba- 
 dour's hand in his powerful grasp, according to his custom, 
 he cried, " Welcome home, my friend ! But tell me now, 
 is your white Arab gone clean mad ? Some while agone I 
 went to visit you, and finding that you had departed, I 
 bethought me that one brave knight could render no better 
 nor more brotherly service to another, than the nurture 
 and care of his horse during his absence. Who knew 
 whether your esquire would rightly comprehend the ma- 
 nagement of the goodly beast, and- whether he might not 
 at last give it a sjDrained shoulder ? So I caused the barb 
 to be saddled for myself, and I exercised it daily. Verily 
 it was already somewhat marred by ill riding ; it pressed 
 against the thigh, and champed the bit ; for your esquire 
 lias a hard hand. But this was speedily cured, and I took 
 great delight in the animal. Now methought I would ride 
 him a little way up on the beach ; 'twould be a pleasant 
 excursion, and I could cause him to bathe in the sea-water. 
 So far so good, — but as soon as he came in sight of the 
 meadow here, clean mad, I tell you — clean mad — and at 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 207 
 
 last he has unseated me. Neither you nor I would have 
 believed it, if we had heard it ; but lo ! we have seen it 
 with our own eyes." 
 
 While the smiling Arnald listened to his doughty com- 
 rade, the white Arab, neighing for joy, had galloped up to 
 Gryba, and now caressed him in the most touching man- 
 ner, resting its slender neck upon the shoulder of the 
 knight, who, stroking its mane, murmured from time to 
 time, in pleased emotion, " Ah, Pontifer ! Ah, mine own 
 dear Pontifer !" 
 
 But Arnald stepped forward with u, grave and some- 
 what severe countenance, saying, " Your pardon, my dear 
 Gryba ; we have agreed to regard this matter as an aflfair 
 of honour ; and, for the present, Pontifer is mine." Gryba 
 bent his head in sorrowful acquiescence, and Arnald led 
 the horse away from him. He had prepared himself to 
 encounter opposition from the loyal animal ; but it re- 
 cognised its second master, and patiently suffered him to 
 mount on its back, onljr casting one regretful glance on 
 Gryba. 
 
 Scarcely, however, had Amald spurred the horse once 
 or twice around the meadow, proving thereby his knightly 
 authority over it, when he sprang from the saddle. Tears 
 were glistening in his eyes as he patted the steed's graceful 
 head, and said, " No, loyal Pontifer, thou art Gryba's 
 again. I bestow thee on him. It were truly sin to part 
 thee from him." And Pontifer was no sooner free than he 
 bounded joyfully to Gryba, and again laid his head on his 
 master's breast. 
 
 Amald then explained to the brave Messire Misura 
 how it stood between Gryba and himself, asking in conclu- 
 sion : " I demand of thee, dear comrade, as an honourable 
 umpire, is this matter rightly ended ; or is there need thai 
 Gryba and I should yet again do battle concerning it ?" 
 
 " 'Twould be the act of a madman,'' cried Misura, im • 
 patiently ; " and I will in no wise justify it, — on the trutl 
 of this judgment thou mayest stake body and soul." 
 
208 
 
 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 "Well, -well," said Arnald, "be not wroth. In matters 
 of honour one would rather do a great deal too much than 
 the least jot too little." 
 
 "You are right enough there," replied Misura ; " and 
 I count myself honoured that you have chosen me as um- 
 pire. But confide in me. The affair is honourably ended ; 
 and if any man be of a contrary opinion, I will whisper 
 somewhat in his ear in confidence." 
 
 " Methinks 'twould be rather a shout than a whisper," 
 rejoined Arnald, laughing. " But now, Misura, help me 
 to two good horses. I must, with all speed, to Castle 
 Bisiers ; and you will surely bear me company." 
 
 "Good," said Misura; "my servant waits yonder in 
 the wood with two right noble chargers." 
 
 He went to summon them. Gryba, mounted on his 
 Pontifer, caused him to execute many lofty curvettes and 
 graceful evolutions on the turf, to the delight of all be- 
 holders. The slender and spirited horse seemed created 
 for the slender and spirited rider ; and each understood 
 the other at a word or a glance. 
 
 Suddenly Gryba threw himself from the saddle, clasped 
 his arms about the neck of Maraviglia, and said, almost 
 with tears, "Ah, my Arnald; thou art so kind, thou art 
 so unspeakably kind !" And Pontifer, on the other side 
 of the troubadour, seemed to seek to express the' same 
 sentiment by his mute caresses. 
 
 When Arnald and Misura came in sight of Castle Bisiers, 
 the latter observed, " Truly, it will be a pleasure to me 
 once more to act as your faithful herald. You will suffer 
 me to ride on in advance, and announce your approach ?" 
 "With pleasure, brave companion in arms. Only blow 
 /lot too mighty a blast on your hunting-horn, as you are 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 209 
 
 wont commonly to do, lest tlhe people within should fancy 
 that wars and tumults have broken loose from all the ends 
 of the earth." 
 
 " Humph," returned Misura ; " 'tis only the weak- 
 minded who are so ready to fancy such things. There is no 
 need to be so cautious with the gallant vicomte and the 
 lofty ladye Alearda. Yet set your heart at ease. I know 
 how to wake pleasant and gentle strains as well as ano- 
 ther." And in truth, as he ascended the easy slope, he 
 drew from his hunting-horn the most joyous and captivat- 
 ing sounds. 
 
 As Arnald rode after him alone, and beheld the flowery 
 valleys of his liberated fatherland all sparkling in the clear 
 radiance of spring, the shepherds playing on their pipes in 
 cheerful security, the peaceful multitude of fleecy herds 
 wandering around, the peasants ploughing and sowing the 
 fields to the music of their own merry songs — ah, and as 
 he felt within his bosom the restored and conquered jewel 
 — ^his soul arose in deep though silent thankfulness to Him 
 who had rained upon his earthly life such rich and abun» 
 dant blessings. 
 
 Some time had passed unconsciously in such thoughts 
 as these, and he was already close to Castle Bisiers, when 
 he heard once more the sound of Misura's joyous horn ; 
 and the faithful herald, springing forth to meet him from 
 a thicket of olives, announced that Alearda and the vicomte 
 were ready to give him glad reception and to hear his in- 
 telligence. The two comrades now rode merrily through 
 the castle-gateway. 
 
 Surrounded by their train, all radiant with noble pomp 
 and tranquil dignity, Alearda and the vicomte awaited the 
 knightly troubadour in the great hall of the castle. The 
 folding-doors Were opened, and Amald of Marayiglia en- 
 tered. 
 
 He dropped on one knee before his ladye, and said, as 
 he presented to her the star-jewel, reposing upon a cushion 
 of purple silk, — " Ladye,, deign to receive graciously the 
 
210 
 
 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 ornament which was snatched from you by heathen force 
 and borne to distant lands, from the hand ol a minstrel 
 who desires, in humble reverence, to dedicate to you not 
 merely the flower of his songs but the whole of his life." 
 
 She took the jewel with a gracious inclination of the 
 head, fastened it to her girdle, and answered, " You have 
 acquitted yourself nobly, sir knight ; but not more so than 
 I have ever been justified in expecting from you." 
 
 "And blessings on the bright hour when I was per- 
 mitted to invest you with the order of knighthood !" added 
 the vicomte, stretching out his hand to the minstrel. 
 
 Then Arnald arose, and inquired whether liis ladye 
 would permit him to present to her the two noble Moorish 
 warriors from whom he had obtained the star-jewel. 
 
 Slightly bending her beautiful head, Alearda turned to 
 the vicomte. "It belongs to my honoured lord and hus- 
 band to decide such a question," said she. 
 
 "Ladye," said the vicomte, "it is no new or strange 
 thing in our Christian realms that we should suffer heathen 
 cavaliers, of noble race and qualities, to take part in our 
 festivals and in our warlike exercises. Hospitality is a vir- 
 tue most pleasing in the eyes of our God, and one which 
 has belonged to all heroes of right noble race, even from 
 the days of their infancy. Moreover, here is a means 
 whereby many a generous spirit may be won to the only 
 true doctrine. Therefore, if you appeal to me, I joyfully 
 accede to the proposal of our valiant friend — provided 
 always, that you shrink not from entertaining in Castle 
 Bisiers guests of so new and strange a kind." 
 
 " It can never be needful to shrink from those who are 
 brought to us by a true-hearted minstrel and warrior," 
 replied Alearda ; and herewith she charged Aj-nald to cause 
 Gryba and Balta to be invited to her presence. Misura 
 undertook the embassy ; and Arnald was entreated to pass 
 thf '■Rmainder of that day at Castle Bisiers. 
 
 AVhen evening approached, and the festive pleasures- 
 died away after ail kinds of melody, and song, and diver- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 21 1 
 
 ^ion, he returned silently and unobserved to the rains of 
 Castle Maraviglia. He felt his whole heart unusually 
 joyful and pure TOthin him ; and he swept the strings of 
 liis lute, and sang the following words : — 
 
 Oh, service pure, unchidden ! 
 If thou be not forbidden, 
 If thou by angel-beauty 
 Be graced and thanked as duty, 
 In the glad minstrel's bosom 
 A paradise shall blossom ; 
 And to his heart is given 
 A bright foretaste of heaven ! 
 
 Yet the fallen dwelling of his fathers arose before him 
 m the starlight, solemn and lonely. His own small and 
 I'ustic abode seemed dai-k and narrow, as it received him 
 within its precincts ; nor could the hearty welcome of the 
 esquire, and the joyous greetings of the children and their 
 parents, avail to make him forget that he was not, in the 
 full sense of the words, at home, either here or any where 
 else on the face of the wide world. "Homeless!" whis- 
 pered he to himself, as he hung up his lyre and his wea- 
 pons in their accustomed place. Nevertheless, as he fell 
 asleep, he said in his heart the following words right 
 cheerfully : — ■ 
 
 Nay, how should causeless plaints avail? 
 To thee remains thy noble name, 
 And the service of a noble dame ; 
 Thy soul is fresh for combats, bright with songs — 
 To the wild lark, I ween, no home belongs. 
 
 No sheltering roof-tree to the nightingale. 
 
212 MINSTEEL LOVB. 
 
 (S^fUv Sft)ent9-jir«. 
 
 A FEW days afterwards, Gryba and Balta stood in the 
 presence of Alearda. How were those two noble coun- 
 tenances irradiated by the lustre of so benignant a sun ! 
 Arnald felt his spirit refreshed and elevated by the sight. 
 
 Before long the graceful eloquence of Gryba was de- 
 veloped in a multitude of expressive phrases and pleasant 
 histories. He seemed some wondrous child of the East, 
 wafted into these more tranquil regions to tell of the 
 tall flowers, the gorgeous birds, and the abundant forests 
 of his own far land, with its aromatic breezes, and the 
 strange but beautiful phenomena of its seas and its moun- 
 tains. It was not that he spake much of the oriental 
 countries, which, indeed, he had only passingly seen 
 during one of the expeditions of his youth, but it was 
 that every shape bodied forth by his burning words,, 
 though its local habitation were in the cloudy West or 
 the cold regions of the icy North, seemed, nevertheless, 
 to be invested with eastern splendour, and to breathe an 
 eastern fragrance. And the whole was, moreover, sha- 
 dowed by a veil of soft regret and tender melancholy, 
 so that no ray dazzled, no figure became terrific, in its 
 splendour. 
 
 One of the numerous band of troubadours whom the^ 
 hospitality of the vicomte, together with his love of the 
 gai science, had collected at Castle Bisiers, broke forth 
 at last with the involuntary exclamation, "Oh, what a 
 gifted minstrel must thou be, sir knight! Oh, that thou 
 wouldst impart to us some of thy poems '." 
 
 " Gentle friend," returned Gryba, smiling, " that would 
 be but a sorry jest both for thee and for the whole com- 
 pany. Believe me, the few rhymes which I have occa- 
 sionally attempted to string together have always lacked 
 the necessary merits; nay, to speak bluntly, have been 
 
MltrSTBEI LOVE. 213 
 
 altogether worthies, being wont to transgress and defy 
 
 an mies, yea, even the mildest, after a most blind and 
 
 frantic manner." 
 
 And he began to pour forth anew his rich store of fable 
 
 and metaphor, without, however, checking or disturbing 
 
 the varying course of the conversation. 
 
 Balta, on the contrary, was even more silent than was 
 his wont when introduced into an assemblage of strangers. 
 His eyes alone, in their deep and eloquent light, expressed 
 the holy gladness wherewith he was penetrated by the 
 contemplation of Alearda. Yet did his gaze often stray 
 from her face to that of a blessed and beautiful Madonna, 
 wherewith the art of a distinguished painter had adorned 
 the wall of the chamber. 
 
 Late in the evening, canopied by the full magnificence 
 of the starry heavens, our three friends stood once more 
 outside the castle: for Gryba and Balta had specially 
 desired to share the rustic tenement of Arnald amid the 
 ruins of Castle Maraviglia, during their sojourn in these 
 parts. 
 
 The}' walked a while in sUence side by side; till at 
 length Grj'ba brake out, as it were, into a rapturous 
 hymn concerning the glory which it had that day been 
 given him to behold, and continued sometimes singing, 
 sometimes speaking, without heeding the silence of his 
 companions. As to Amald, his spirit became hereat un- 
 speakably joyful, like one who loves the spring with his 
 whole heart, and who with the deepest delight beholds 
 the buds, flowers, and leaves breaking forth in far-spread 
 beauty over fields and valleys to celebrate the approach 
 of his darling season. For even in the quiet spirit of Balta 
 the troubadour could well detect the germs of bright and 
 blessed thoughts, which arose and unfolded ever more and 
 more as he contemplated the ladye. 
 
 When they had arrived at the farm, and Gryba had 
 fallen asleep in the midst of his pleasant songs, tales, and 
 jests, Balta arose from his couch, wrapped his mantle 
 
214 MINSTREL LOVE, 
 
 around him, and said to Arnald, " Do as I do, dear mas- 
 ter, and follow me to the ruins of Castle Maraviglia. I 
 have many things to ask thee, which cannot be spoken of, 
 save in solitude." 
 
 Arnald instantly complied with the entreaty of his 
 youthful friend, and in a few moments they stood toge- 
 ther alone amid the mossy piles of ruin, looking down 
 upon the slumbering land. 
 
 " Hearken to me, my friend and master," began Balta ; 
 " it is not only that the sight of the noble countess has, 
 as it were, kindled in my heart a light and source of 
 exhaustless inspiration ; it is, moreover, that I cannot but 
 ask myself, 'Wherefore should I not paint that which I 
 have seen?' Or, again, if the prohibition of the Prophet 
 be indeed right, of what worth is the whole art of paint- 
 ing? Is it not, thus considered, only one vast and fear- 
 ful sin, as indeed the whole of life itself would be, without 
 the expectation of heaven, and the joyful reflection of its 
 glories?" 
 
 "Thou art altogether right," answered Arnald. " An 
 art to which the attempt to delineate such glorious purity 
 were forbidden, would indeed be but a dark and damnable 
 matter, presided over by the apostate powers." 
 
 " But the art of painting deserves not such a name !" 
 " God forbid, dear youth. But your Prophet may be 
 detected in deep and fearful errors." 
 
 "Arnald, tliou knowest him not. But assuredly a 
 foreboding horror must fall even upon thee, when thou 
 imaginest to thyself how, on the day of the resurrec- 
 tion of all things, the shapes which have been created 
 by the rash painter's hand shall also arise and gather 
 around their master, dumb, and stiff, and speechless, 
 seeking for the souls which should inhabit their counter- 
 feited bodies ; while the hapless juggler, unable to satisfy 
 them, is compelled to gaze for ever and for ever upon their 
 pale and vacant faces." 
 
 He stopped, trembling, iHid Arnald also shuddered. 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 215 
 
 But, quickly composing himself, he replied : " Balta, my 
 beloved youth, thou knowest well that it is not given to 
 me to utter the clear words of wisdom. But it is mani- 
 fested to my spirit, with brightness and vividness as of 
 the sun, that this and all the errors of your Prophet spring 
 from his unbelief in the possibility of divine love becoming 
 human." 
 
 " "What connexion has this with painting, dear master ?" 
 
 " It has connexion with the whole realm of art ; ay, 
 it is its inmost and only true foundation, its life, its joy, 
 its heart. And it speaks with special and unmistakeable 
 distinctness in that wondrous branch of art which we de- 
 nominate painting. Tell me, dear friend, what but this 
 is the high, the unspeakable aim of all Christian artists, 
 never attained, indeed, but unceasingly sought with mani- 
 fold and holy efforts, serious even when they seem but 
 sportive ?" 
 
 "I can feel some such dim consciousness within me," 
 cried Balta, his eyes sparkling with an expression of rap- 
 ture. 
 
 " They seek," continued the minstrel — " they seek to 
 represent by earthhr means the Eternal, which, out of 
 infinite goodness and compassion, was clothed with our 
 mortality; this they seek to represent, or at the very 
 least, by their faithful suggestions, to awaken in our 
 hearts that divine love which has for us put on hu- 
 manity." 
 
 " Divine love which has for us put on humanity !" 
 echoed Balta. " Before now, some such words as these 
 have passed through my spirit like the solemn sound of 
 a harp. How went that beautiful hymn which Altarbol 
 sang on the sea-shore ? 
 
 ' Blessed are ye 
 Eternally — 
 For us vile men to suffer, bleed, and die. 
 Blessed art thou, 
 O stainless maid!' 
 
216 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Oh, the mighty mystery trembles on my weak and stam- 
 mering lips, yet seems there a twilight in my heart, like 
 the first faint yet blessed promise of morning !" 
 
 Amald embraced him, fall of pious and joyful hopej 
 and the moonlight, breaking forth from the clouds, was 
 reflected as in a solemn mirror from the upturned eyes of 
 the two friends. 
 
 Abnald found his Altarbol, whom he sought on the mor- 
 row on behalf of Balta, in the cloister-gardens. Carrying 
 ■a vessel of water in his hands, the venerable old man 
 walked to and fro amid the beds of roses, pinks, and IQies, 
 to aid by gentle sprinklings the kindly work begun by the 
 dews of night. 
 
 Without interrupting his pleasant labours, he listened 
 with a smile of approbation to the communication of 
 Amald, and said in answer, " Here is yet again an 
 instance of God's gracious and unwearying providence, 
 thus easily and pleasantly leading the young heathen 
 warrior into the right path. Yea, truly, this youth, with 
 the mild fire in his dark speaking eyes, seemed to me 
 from the very first like one destined to conceive and to 
 confess the highest truths. Perchance he may one day 
 become one of the most favoured lights of our Church. 
 And rememberest thou what I once said to thee concern- 
 ing Alearda ? Behold her now yet again in her character 
 of a bright and blessed angel, entrusted with a divine mis- 
 sion, yet in her calm and holy humility unconscious of 
 her exalted office. Such is the true calling of virtuous 
 women. They do many things whereof the beauty and 
 goodness are clearly manifest ; nevertheless, there is always 
 present an unseen and heavenly power, causing the fairest 
 flowers to spring up around their fiset inexplicably, yet. 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 217 
 
 as it were, necessarily and naturally — almost like the soft 
 and viewless influence of May." 
 
 Arnald pressed his hand warmly. 
 
 " May my dear Balta come to you 1" inquired he. 
 
 " It is better, at first, that I should visit him," answered 
 Altarbol. " It becomes the true shepherd to go in search 
 of his wandering lambs ; besides, how should the young 
 man be able thus early to comprehend the cheerful qvde- 
 tude of our cloistral life?" 
 
 "The gladsome innocence of his temperament seems 
 to me peculiarly in sympathy with such a life," said Ar- 
 nald. 
 
 " For that very reason would I abstain," said Altarbol. 
 ''Spirits so highly gifted and so naturally prepared, do yet 
 need a higher kind of preparation ; and we must take heed 
 lest, by withdrawing the veil too suddenly, we rob them of 
 the first contemplation of truth in its purity and perfection. 
 I have no fear for the gentle youth — he has no hard strug- 
 gle before him ; but, Arnald, Arnald, a far more fear- 
 ful spiritual combat awaits, perchance, a man to me far 
 •dearer ; and, noble minstrel, thou art thyself the man ! " 
 
 "What mean you, Altarbol? would you again mistake 
 me for such a man as the infatuated Einaldo of Taglia- 
 duro?" 
 
 " No, my dear Arnald, I have no such idea ; I know 
 well the purity and reverence of thy love for the ladye ; but 
 I know, moreover, that the purest afiection for one of God's 
 creatures may derogate from the everlasting love for God 
 himself. What evil was there in the rapture wherewith 
 the Persians gazed on the beautiful sun, and the eloquence 
 wherewith they celebrated his splendour above all other 
 created things in their enthusiastic strains? But they 
 became sun-worshippers : — immediately the glory of the 
 Eternal Light was extinguished in the glory of the earthly. 
 Take heed to thyself, Arnald, lest a like thing befall 
 thee!" 
 
 " Altarbol, my father, this solemn and weU-nigh terri- 
 
218 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 ble warning leaves my bosom free and joyous. The spirit 
 of prayer is alive within my heart — its words are fresh and 
 abundant upon my lips, and chiefly are they so on the 
 days wherein I see, or hope to see, Alearda." 
 
 "Yet hast thou well considered, dear son, that most 
 .solemn saying of our Lord, ' He who loveth me not above 
 all things is not worthy of me?' Thou shouldst be capa- 
 ble of leaving every thing for His sake ; but how were it 
 with thy heart if thou wert commanded to abandon, for His 
 sake, that calm and holy minstrel-service which thou de- 
 votest to Alearda?" 
 
 Arnald shrank back and gazed on the earth, becoming 
 deathly pale. After a pause he said, "Oh, my father, 
 what a word hast thou spoken ! Yet if it must be, so be 
 it. Did not He leave all things for my sake? Speak but 
 freely to me — does He require this of me?" 
 
 " I know not that, my son ; thou must ask the question 
 of thine own heart, in all sincerity and earnestness. The 
 All-present hath His temple even there also. If thou art 
 constrained to confess to thyself, that the earthly gloi-y has 
 begun to darken the heavenly, at once, then, pluck all 
 that is worldly out of thy heart, and get thee from this 
 land, or at least from Castle Bisiers, and put to silence 
 for ever thy lays in honour of the grace and the virtue of 
 Alearda." 
 
 "And my goodly legends, for her sake only inscribed 
 on parchment, that she might drop one favouring smile 
 upon their characters — must I cast them to the flames? 
 and the strings of my lute, must I loose them for ever ? 
 and the dagger which she gave me, must I bury it in the 
 ruins of Castle Maraviglia? Oh yes, oh yes, it is in no 
 wise impossible that all these things should befall me ! I 
 feel it by the anxious shudder which thrills through my 
 whole being at the mere thought.'' 
 
 "Take courage, beloved son; was not Abraham com- 
 manded to offer up that which was dearest to him ? and 
 nevertheless the Lord in His mercy restored it to him, se- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 219 
 
 cured and sanctified. Perchance it shall be so with thee. 
 But it may be otherwise ; therefore present thy sacrifice 
 with all thy strength and all thy submissiveness, without 
 reserve and without condition. Will my dear son do this?" 
 
 " I will." 
 
 In the deepest anguish the troubadour departed and 
 sought the grave of Walter. There in the lonely fortress, 
 which was now almost entirely in ruins, he began his in- 
 ward contest, full of agonising, nay, almost annihilating, 
 self-renunciation. 
 
 We will not accompany our hapless friend into the mys- 
 teries of the sorest and most terrible strife which he had 
 ever encountered in his life ; for he stood in array against 
 his own heart — having on one side the warnings of eternity, 
 on the other all that was pure, elevating, and exhilarating 
 in the joys of time. And herewith came the fearful question, 
 Art thou really, entirely, and from thy heart, ready to re- 
 nounce this thine earthly happiness? and is the consolation 
 which from time to time breathes healing upon thy heart a 
 vain and self-loving illusion, or is it indeed the benignant 
 voice of God ? — Such hours as these cau endure no witness, 
 aiid as little can they be adequately portrayed in words. 
 But thus much I may say, — and I say it with great joy, — 
 in the first light of the opening dawn Arnald came forth 
 refreshed and certain from the towers of Walter, with 
 youthful brightness upon his cheeks, and the light of happy 
 confidence in his eyes. Every one that gazed upon him 
 could not but feel fresh life in his heart. The valleys sent 
 up a steam of fragrance to greet him ; in the heavens the 
 solemn clouds shaped themselves into a purple dome, mak- 
 ing way for the youthful sun; the nightingales filled every 
 thicket with melody ; the streams danced merrily down 
 
220 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 from the hills, and sported with the many-coloured stones 
 "which had barred their course as if in mockery. Amald 
 
 Whate'er we give to Thee, O Lord, 
 Is by Thy bounteous hand restored ; 
 Whether 'tis life itself we give, 
 Or aE for which we love to live. 
 Before, I paid her service due. 
 Yet little of myself I knew ; 
 Now, bliss and confidence arise 
 In cloudless light before mine eyes. 
 Out of a deep and deadly strife 
 Came forth my star of faith and life ; 
 Now chains are rent and clouds are past, 
 Calm is the storm and mute the blast ; 
 The minstrel goes upon his road 
 Rejoicing in the fear of God, 
 And every where before his eyes 
 A thousand guiding lights arise. 
 
 " Amen !" said a pious solitary, who had come forth 
 Into the flowery woods to say his matin prayer ; "one can 
 see in thy face, gentle minstrel, that thou hast obtained 
 blessing and consolation from the Lord : only receive the 
 divine gift into a good heart, and hold fast thy life in truth 
 and purity." 
 
 "Amen!" returned Amald on his part. He inclined 
 his head, touched and impressed by the friendly admoni- 
 tion, and set forth on his homeward way composed and full 
 of joy- 
 
 At the peaceful hour of evening, the mossy watch-towers 
 and walls of Castle Maraviglia gleamed before him in the 
 sunset, and he addressed them with this lay : — 
 
 It is not mine, ah, ruin hoar, 
 
 Your fallen towers to raise, 
 And crown them with the pomp once more 
 
 They owned in olden days '. 
 
MINSTaEL LOVE. 221 
 
 But, like the quivering beams that now 
 Wreathe their bright halo round your brow, 
 A deathless crown ye shall retain 
 In the last Maraviglia's strain ! 
 
 This was the dream that ministered 
 
 Joy to my sire's last sleep ; 
 This was the thought my heart that stirred. 
 
 So burning and so deep. 
 Though changeful time may fleet and pass, 
 Like mists that melt along the grass, 
 Yet never quite shall die away 
 The latest Maraviglia's lay. 
 
 At this moment he encountered Altarhol, who was 
 just returning to the cloister after his visit to Balta. The 
 saintly abbot gave his blessing to the minstrel, and added, 
 in an under-tone, " God be praised ; I can see in thy face 
 that it hath been vouchsafed to thee to serve her, and to 
 sing of her !" Amald passed him in silence, full of quiet 
 rapture. Then Balta came forth from a thicket of olive- 
 trees, and advanced thoughtfully towards Arnald. " I 
 will commune with myself to-night, under the free hea- 
 vens : wait not for me," said he, clasping the hand of his 
 friend with a close but gentle pressure ; and in a moment 
 he had vanished amid the shadows of the trees, which 
 deepened as evening rose around them. But one happy 
 glance of his eyes, all gleaming through bright tears, told 
 more plainly than a thousand words, of the light and glory 
 that was dawning upon his heart. 
 
 The bright casements of the little farm-house shone 
 peacefully through the foliage, and Amald felt a sensation 
 of inward satisfaction as he followed the course of the nar- 
 row and mazy path, which wound onwards through the 
 rustling grass, weighed down by evening dews. As he 
 entered his chamber, the warm-hearted Gryba started up 
 iJ-om the perusal of a huge volume over which he had 
 been intently stooping, and came joyously Jjrward to greet 
 
222 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 his returning friend, with as much eagerness and emotion 
 as though they had been parted for many years. He dis- 
 burdened the minstrel of dagger, sword, and lute, and 
 with attentive care hung each up in its customary place ; 
 he then produced the best viands which the cottage af- 
 forded, without suffering the attendants to interfere in 
 the performance of this office ; and thus, after a few 
 minutes, the two friends sat undisturbed and alone oppo- 
 site to each other, enjoying their cheerful meal in pleasant 
 confidence. 
 
 " Tliou hast missed a visit," said Gryba, among other 
 things, " a strange and merry visit, which I myself can- 
 not as yet rightly comprehend. There came hither a 
 jovial cavalier, richly attired, and mounted on a steed 
 beautiful as a vision ; and when he heard that you were 
 not at home, he declared that he must wait for your ar- 
 rival. I tliought at first that some affair of honour was in 
 question; but when I expressed this idea he denied it. On 
 the contrary, lie spoke all manner of good of you, though 
 in most extravagant and piebald phrase — as thus : ' Thou 
 wert a brave, true-hearted comrade, a droll fellow ; thou 
 couldst sing right merrj- songs at a carousal ;' yes, at last 
 he exalted thy praise above all measure, maintaining ' that 
 thou v/ert thyself capable of writing very pretty verses, of 
 a kind exactly calculated to succeed in society.' Thus did 
 he prate and chatter for a longtime, till my brain was quit& 
 bewildered with his absurd but well-meant and seriously- 
 intended prattle. But at last he said he could wait no 
 longer — perhaps it was that he did not find me a very 
 congenial companion. He was on the eve of an expedi- 
 tion to Paris, and his name " 
 
 " Oh, you need not tell me his name," interrupted 
 Arnald, smiling; "I recognised him at your first word ;■ 
 and I know well that his name is Guy of Hauteroche." 
 
 "Even so," answered Gryba. "But tell me now, I 
 pray you, how came he to be your brother in arms? for 
 such he maintained himself to be, and he looks to me far 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 223 
 
 too frank and stia'ghtforward for falsehood, or uven ex- 
 aggeration." 
 
 " His frankness and straightforwardness are the key 
 to the mystery, dear Gryba. Does not one's heart open 
 readily to such qualities? And is it not, in truth, a high 
 tribute to every true minstrel, that such knightly natures 
 as these, without any particular love of art, do neverthe- 
 less recognise and love in us, with true and kindred hearts, 
 that deep and inmost spirit, in the strength of which, cast- 
 ing aside all other gifts, we hope one day to stand before 
 the Almighty ? O Heaven ! I know not whether that 
 holy gift of God which we name poesy is capable of de- 
 scending in fulness of life upon the head of any man to 
 whom this warmth and kindliness of nature belongs not !' 
 
 " Ah, how completely art thou right, Arnald ! And I, 
 too, am no artist. Thou art about to speak words full of 
 kindness to me ; I can see it, but it needs not. My lov- 
 ing spirit has already plucked the unspoken words from 
 thy lips. And now listen to me, for I have a tale to tell, 
 the theme of which is far higher and far lovelier than all 
 this. 
 
 " Once during thine absence I visited Castle Bisiers, 
 my beloved master. AVhen I entered, the lofty ladye was 
 in the act of exhibiting to her maidens, and to a group of 
 troubadours, a manuscript which thou hadst copied and 
 illuminated for her, after the pattern of an antique volume. 
 I stood at first unperceived among the gazers, and gazed 
 with them. The lines were interspersed with many goodly 
 paintings ; but I was chiefly struck by one wherein a 
 knight, tall, slender, and magnificent, armed cap-a-pie in 
 gold, was crushing a dragon by the aid of his noble white 
 horse. I could not but think on my dear Pontifer, and I 
 exclaimed aloud, in pleasure and admiration. The ladye 
 looked round upon me smiling ; but when she perceived 
 that it was I who had spoken, Maraviglia, how severe 
 was the gravity which overspread her delicate features 1 
 She instantly closed the volume, fastening it carefully with 
 
224 MINSTKIEIi LOVB. 
 
 its golden clasps; while I was scarce able to lift mine 
 eyes from the ground, overpowered by burning shame, 
 whereof I myself knew not the reason. Then did a re- 
 assuring smile dawn upon her angel-countenance, so that 
 I resumed my wonted courage and dared to address her. 
 ' Ladye, pardon my unasked intrusion ; but methought I 
 also might be permitted to look upon the fair pictures and 
 enjoy their beauty.' ' Thou seemest to me as a good and 
 gentle-hearted child,' replied she, 'and in good sooth I 
 meant not to give thee pain. But this is the history of 
 St. George, and may only be opened for such as are of 
 one faith with myself.' ' St. George !' replied I ; ' is that 
 the slender warrior, with the snow-white horse, painted on 
 a background of azure-blue?' 'Yes, truly,' returned the 
 ladye ; ' and that ground of pure blue betokens the heaven- 
 like purity wherewith St. George began and closed all his- 
 knightly deeds in the fear of God. Oh, that it were ap- 
 pointed to thee one day to take him for thy patron saint L 
 But patience, sir knight, and I will fetch other fair pic- 
 tures and manuscripts, which I may be permitted to shew 
 thee.' And with inexpressible gentleness she did as she 
 had said ; and many of the noblest characters and legends 
 of the iar Northland passed before mine eyes ; but it 
 seemed as though St. George had made himself the door- 
 keeper of my heart, and would only suffer to enter therein 
 that which had some reference to himself — such as, for 
 example, the tale of Sigurd and the dragon. Alearda 
 appeared to observe this with pleasure. 
 
 "Then, dear Arnald — I could no otherwise' — I was 
 scarcely here, before I sought for the history of St. George, 
 and I have found it ; and if I have sinned in that, being a 
 Saracen knight, I have presumed to read therein, I pray 
 you, in all gentleness and friendship, pardon me the ftiult,. 
 for I have well nigh finished the volume. But I must 
 needs have St. George for my patron, and to this end do 
 thou aid me — thou, and thy holy Altarbol." 
 
 "O virtuous women, ye ambassadors of God!" whis- 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 225- 
 
 pered Aniald, as he kneeled down to offer up silent but 
 rapturous thanksgivings. 
 
 From this day forward, most grave but most joyful was 
 the course of life near Castle Bisiers. With the first early 
 dawn of each morning, Altarbol was at the cottage, there 
 to join the three knightly friends in solemn prayers for 
 enlightenment and power ; after which he conducted Gry- 
 ba and Balta through the ruins of Castle Maraviglia, to 
 walk with him in lonely and luxuriant valleys, where 
 they examined together the mightiest questions which 
 concern time and eternity. During these hours Amald 
 remained alone at home, and his spirit shed forth many 
 fair lays and legends upon the stainless parchment. Late 
 in the afternoon, would Altarbol and his two disciples re- 
 turn, generally having their eyes filled with tears, and 
 their demeanour grave and meditative ; frequently would 
 Gryba and Balta then withdraw, to pray separately, amid 
 the ruins. When, after such retirement, they returned, 
 Altarbol was wont to demand of the troubadour a joyous 
 lay, with accompaniment on the lute ; and thus, pleasantly 
 reconciled to the things of time and mortality, they sate 
 down to their cheerful repast. Towards evening the three 
 knights generally visited Castle Bisiers ; for the vicomte 
 took especial pleasure in the light javelin-combats of the 
 Moorish warriors; while Gryba and Balta, on the other 
 hand, rivalled each other in their eagerness to become 
 masters of the graver system of German jousting, man 
 to man, and lance to cuirass. Arnald often took part in 
 these active exercises, and ever greatly distinguished him- 
 self; but it moi-e commonly happened that he desired to- 
 sjieak ■(vith the lofty ladys Alearda concerning the numerous 
 
226 
 
 MINSTREL LOVJE. 
 
 poetic visions which he nursed within his heart, and also 
 to read aloud to her. Sometimes Balta was j)resent on 
 such occasions, when, now completely freed from the dark 
 and fearful delusion of Mahomet's teaching, he would 
 seek to fix the full expression of the ladye's fair and hea- 
 venly face in his designs on costly and polished wood, 
 or on the finest linen. But besides this, in his hours of 
 silence and solitude, he laboured to delineate a far dif- 
 ferent female form, with an Infant in her arms ; a form 
 which undeniably possessed some faint shadow of the 
 glory of the Mother of God. Often did he say to Arnald, 
 ''This is the -vision which hath ever floated before mine 
 eyes ; after what manner I shall wholly dedicate mj'self to 
 her service, I rather forbode than know, but I hope ere 
 long to know it completely ; and then first shall I feel the 
 fulness of gratitude which I owe to Alearda, who, in her 
 cloudless beauty, has been my conductress to this eternal 
 mistress, and to the benig-n and blessed radiance which 
 circles the throne of Madonna !" 
 
 One day, when the friends were discussing the ap- 
 proaching festival of baptism, Gryba inquired whether it 
 would be inconsistent with his profession as a Christian 
 knight to retain his black Moorish garments, and his 
 long-trusted and well-used scimitar. 
 
 "I should prefer to see you in other vestments," re- 
 turned Altarbol ; " methinks a robe of heaven-blue colour 
 would best become you, for your whole nature seems to 
 me bright and transparent as the cloudless firmament." 
 
 The warm-hearted Gryba bent his head gratefully over 
 Jiis teacher's hand, as he replied, " Ah, now I seem to 
 understand wherefore the azure ground of that picture 
 seemed to greet me with smiles of promise and encour- 
 agement. It shall be even as you -will, dear lord and 
 father." 
 
 " But thou mayest for ever retain thy good sabre," 
 said Altarbol, "and hallow it by many a good and great 
 deed of heroism; although, in sooth, it has always ap- 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 227 
 
 pcared to me as an omen of peculiarly fair import, that 
 Balta should be girt with the straight sword of a Christian 
 knight, even while he was yet amid the Moors." 
 
 " Oh, yes," cried Gryba with eager frankness, "Balta 
 has ever stood far ahove me in real worth ; and ye will 
 see that he will now far outstrip me in all piety and 
 virtue ; nevertheless, I hope not to be altogether left be- 
 hind in the race." 
 
 " God preserve thee in thine angel-like humility !" 
 said Altarbol, murmuring the words to himself, scarce 
 audibly, as he laid his hand in benediction on the head of 
 the youth. 
 
 After a while Balta observed, with his ordinary thought- 
 ful smile: "There is yet another thing which lies upon 
 our Gryba's heart ; but I see that he will not venture to 
 speak of it, therefore I must become his interpreter. You 
 Bee those beautiful polished characters upon his breast — 
 must he cast them aside with his Saracenic garments?" 
 
 " Nay, Balta," cried Gryba, hastily, " I am perfectly 
 willing to do so. Speak not of it." 
 
 "What is the import of these characters, my dear 
 son ?" inquired Altarbol. 
 
 "Ah, my beloved father," replied Gryba, "they are 
 Arabian hieroglyphics, which I have been at various times 
 commanded to bear on my bosom, sometimes by a prince, 
 sometimes by a renowned hero, sometimes by a popular 
 assembly in our land, as memorials of honourable battles 
 wherein I was not altogether fameless. Look here! this 
 one refers to our battle of disembarkation under Tarfe, 
 wherein our valiant Amald was well-nigh slain." 
 
 "And is the name of Mahomet, or of any other false 
 god, contained in these inscriptions?" 
 
 "No, dear father; they are simplj' the names of the 
 mountains or tracts of country by which we fought." 
 
 " Then continue to wear thy bright characters, with 
 God's blessing, my son !" 
 
 " Ah !" exclaimed Gryba, " it was right kindly and 
 Q 
 
228 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 pleasant in thee, dear Balta, to think and speak of this 
 matter." And he embraced his comrade with the glee of 
 a child. 
 
 The solemn day whereon the two young Saracen heroes 
 were to receive the bath of holy baptism had arrived. 
 Multitudes of gaily-attired peasants had gathered around 
 the farmhouse, in order to accompany the new converts 
 in procession; moreover, the blithe crowd had adorned the 
 ruins of Castle Maraviglia with wreaths and ribbons, so 
 that those aged and long-forsaken walls seemed to glow with 
 the semblance of a second spring-time of happy youth. 
 
 Amid the music of holy psalms they went their way to 
 Castle Bisiers. Their eyes were greeted by many banners 
 and garlands of flowers, waving from its tall battlements 
 far over the summer-brightened plains, and the chorus of 
 flutes, horns, trumpets, and clarions mingled strangely 
 with the solemn and spiritual harmonies of the procession. 
 
 In this manner they proceeded to the high- vaulted and 
 richly-decorated chapel of the castle, where Alearda stood 
 beside the font in her snowy garments, like an angel of 
 light, awaiting her god-sons ; for, at the request of both 
 youths, she and Amald had assumed the office of sponsors. 
 Balta and Gryba had each thought to request a like favour 
 of the vicomte; but the strict regulations of the church in 
 those days suffered not wife and husband to enter together 
 into such a spiritual bond of union, which was rather es- 
 teemed as an insurmountable barrier to temporal alliance, 
 such as subsists between a brother and a sister. 
 
 But, like a priest of earthly glory, the vicomte stood 
 near at hand, all gleaming in the pomp of princely armour, 
 ready, as soon as the novices should have received their 
 spiritual consecration, to confer upon them the highest of 
 temporal gifts — ^the consecratioD of Christian knighthood. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 229 
 
 Gryba was arrayed according to the request of Altar- 
 Tjol; and he shone like a summer's morning in his garb of 
 sky-blue silk, with the inscriptions of victory embossed in 
 golden embroidery upon his gallant breast. The tranquil 
 Balta was clothed in dark green and silver, like the tints of 
 a forest in the moonlight. Dark curls of abundant hair 
 waved gracefully around the brow of either youth, now 
 freed for the first time from the restraint of the turban. 
 
 Altarbol appeared. In compliance with the wish of 
 the two brothers-in-arms, he gave them the holy bath 
 simultaneously, as is customary at the baptism of twin- 
 brothers ; and Gryba was named, after his chosen knightly 
 saint, George ; while Balta received the name of Sebastian, 
 in honour of that hero of the faith, whose life and deeds 
 had won his especial love and reverence. 
 
 George and Sebastian now advanced to their stately 
 and warlike prince, who solemnly bestowed on them the 
 accolade as Christian heroes. Arnald then girded on their 
 swords ; and Messire Misura clasped the golden spurs. 
 
 Then followed a quiet and somewhat serious repast, 
 over which the spotless Alearda presided ; and whereat the 
 guests conversed rather with thoughts than in words ; and 
 nevertheless made themselves intelligible to each other in 
 a strange and inexplicable manner, like that which one 
 may conceive to characterise the intercourse of angels. 
 Alearda herself scarcely spoke ; but the benediction of her 
 smile was felt by every heart, which responded to it by 
 silent and thankful hymns of praise. 
 
 When the meal was ended, George and Sebastian did 
 reverence to the ladye and the prince, praying their leave 
 to depart forth into the world, in order to undertake some 
 enterprise of fame and difRculty in behalf of the Christian 
 faith. 
 
 Alearda bent her beautiful head in gentle aiErmative ; 
 and the vicomte said : " God knows how gladly I would 
 retain you in my company, ye noble and blithe-hearted 
 warriors, ye new-won jewels in the coronet of our chi- 
 
230 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 valrjr. But, in good sooth, this life is no excursion of 
 pleasure ; but rather half a pilgrimage and hailf a battle. 
 Only I would fain know, unless it interfere with your 
 intentions, what is the object which each one of you has 
 set before his heart, so that I may at least bear you feitb- 
 fiil company in my thoughts." 
 
 " For myself," returned Sebastian, " I desire to seek 
 the Holy Sepulchre. There I expect that the nature of 
 the service which I have vowed to the Mother of God 
 will be fully revealed to me ; and during my season of 
 probation, I hope to achieve many an honourable deed in 
 defence of oppressed women and unarmed pilgrims." 
 
 "I, on the other hand," said George, " desire to take 
 ship for Africa. I scarcely comprehend the impulse which 
 so wondrously attracts me to those hot and sunny coasts ; 
 but this I feel, that it must needs be somewhat tending to 
 the glory of my Saviour, and the advantage of my dear 
 brothers in the faith." 
 
 " God speed you !" said Alearda, as she signed a cross 
 above the heads of the adventurers. 
 
 " God speed you !" repeated the vicomte, clasping each 
 youth to his gallant heart, in an embrace full of earnest 
 affection. They departed gravely, accompanied by Arnald 
 . and Altarbol. 
 
 On the sea-shore, before the marble statue of the holy 
 Virgin, where Arnald had formerly landed with his Saracen 
 friends, he had now taken his leave of the same friends, 
 and Altarbol had laid his hand in benediction on theii 
 heads. 
 
 Many a bitter pang thrilled through the hearts of all, 
 while their eyes filled with bright and burning tears. 
 
 George and Sebastian begged eagerly that Arnald 
 
UnNSTREI. LOVE. 231 
 
 would accompany them with song, when their barks, 
 which lay close on the shore, should separate and begin 
 their course — the one to the south, the other to the east. 
 " That is to say," added George, " if thy warm and true 
 heart be not too heavy for music ; for I can feel in myself 
 how hard it is to thee to part from us, thou valiant knight 
 and honoured master." 
 
 Arnald could not restrain his tears, and wept freely. 
 "Ah," sighed he, "who would not weep to part from 
 thee, and from Sebastian ? And why, why, in these last 
 moments, do ye make yourselves so above measure dear, 
 •true, and noble — the one with the blossoming language of 
 liis heart — the other with his mute but eloquent eyes? 
 Shall we ever again behold each other with bodily eyes 
 'On this side the grave?" 
 
 "It is a weighty question — nay, it is almost impro- 
 ibable," said Sebastian. 
 
 " Nevertheless, I believe that you will do so," said 
 Altarbol, with great assurance. " Whether the interval 
 "be long or short, I know not ; the spirit of prophecy within 
 me has nought to do with times and seasons. But that 
 we three shall one day again stand around Arnald, even 
 as we stand now, when he has cast himself upon the turf 
 in the midst of us ; thus much, dear knights and friends, I 
 feel to be certainly and irrevocably decreed." 
 
 " Au revoir, then !" cried George and Sebastian, bend- 
 ing with eager embrace over the troubadour, and striving 
 to smile ; but hot tears forced a passage from their eyes, 
 and mingled upon the cheeks of Arnald. 
 
 At that moment the signal for departure sounded from 
 both galleys, and the young knights hastened to embark. 
 Instantly afterwards the sails rose, swelling and rustling 
 in the wind ; and George and Sebastian were visible, each 
 standing at the prow of his vessel, and affectionately 
 waving farewell, sometimes to each other, sometimes to 
 itheir friends on the shore. Then Arnald bethought him- 
 self of their request ; and controlling his emotion, he struck 
 
232 MINSTUEL LOVE. 
 
 his lute ■with powerful hand, and breathed forth after hia 
 friends across the blue waters the following strain : 
 
 For the love of God, to the Saviour's grave, 
 
 Go forth, Sebastian, go ! 
 Break thou the bonds of many a slave ; 
 Of vprongs the bold redresser, 
 Scourge thou the strong oppressor, 
 And aid the weak and low ; 
 Then, crowned with clear and changeless light. 
 And clad in hues for ever bright. 
 As knight, as painter, thou shalt see 
 The Holy Virgin shelter thee ! 
 
 For the love of God, to Afric's land, 
 
 George, cross the ocean-foam ! 
 By thee shall joyous angels stand. 
 
 Through poisonous deserts leading thee, 
 Through gloom and danger speeding thee, 
 To many a kindly home : 
 Thy child-like smUe the storm shall soothe, 
 And make the angriest billows smooth ; 
 And much that smile shall aid thy sword 
 In winning souls to serve the Lord. 
 
 For the love of God, in mine own deai- land, 
 
 I, cheered at heart, remain ; 
 My task to tend, with watchful hand, 
 (A poet's happiest duty,) 
 Flowers, dreams, and thoughts of beauty — 
 My ladye's grace to gain ; 
 The music of my lyre shall wake 
 To noble themes for her sweet sake ; 
 And by high deeds my heart may prove 
 The spirit of its stainless love. 
 
 END or THE SECOND BOOK. 
 
^imttzl JLoue. 
 
 BOOK THE THIRD. 
 
■J)?m^ttcl SoDe> 
 
 "T was now winter. The solemn sea- 
 son rested upon the land of Provence 
 with deeper gloom than was its wont 
 in a climate so beautiful, filling the 
 valleys with grey fog, and not unfre- 
 quently shattering the woods and gardens with storms 
 of rain. 
 
 Arnald had laboured much and right pleasantly 
 at his poetic art, in his little chamber, beside the 
 warm and glimmering hearth. Nevertheless, neither 
 cold nor gloom had prevented his frequent visits to 
 Castle Bisiers, where he was now often needed, not 
 only to read aloud to Alearda, but also to attend the 
 vicomte in his chamber, where, being prevented from 
 hunting by the wild and desolate season, he took 
 delight in discussing with Arnald the heroic deeds 
 [of olden days, and especially how far the art of 
 . war, as practised among the Greeks and Romans, 
 might be applied to the contests of their own modern 
 chivalry. Arnald had acquired much knowledge on these 
 subjects, during the days of his boyhood and earlj' youth. 
 
236 MINSTEEL lOVB. 
 
 from the noble Sir Walter of Vergi, whose warlike learn- 
 ing equalled his experience in arms, and who laboured 
 with affectionate anxiety to form his iiery-hearted foster- 
 son upon his own model ; an endeavour in which he had 
 only partially succeeded, but which neyertheless mani- 
 fested its happy effects throughout the whole course of 
 Arnald's life and pursuits, both as minstrel and as knight. 
 
 One afternoon the general and the troubadour had 
 been arguing upon the possibility of marshalling infantry 
 in close phalanx, as had been the custom with the Greeks 
 and Romans, and producing by this manoeuvre a like 
 deadly effect. So earnest grew the discussion, that when 
 supper was ended, the vicomte entreated his friend to 
 return with him to his chamber, in order to attain if 
 possible to a satisfactory decision of this point. 
 
 Many an ancient manuscript was unfolded by the 
 knightly inquirers, many a battle of olden times between 
 Romans and Gauls was fought over again in imagination 
 by their eager spirits ; but greatly though the vicomte 
 inclined to the revival of that famous and departed art 
 of warfare, Amald ever missed in such encounters the 
 genuine action of cavalry, such as was familiar to the 
 noble customs of their younger chivalry. 
 
 " One such charge," he maintained, " would have 
 scattered the best infantry of the ancients, or at least 
 have robbed them of those triumphant laurels wherewith 
 their brows are now crowned for all time. What avail- 
 ed," cried he, " the glittering Persians with their shouts 
 of onslaught, their wild leapings and vaultings, their idle 
 arrow-shooting, against a firm array of closely-ranked 
 men, well covered with their shields ? But charge them 
 with a resolute body of horse, lances levelled, speed like 
 lightning — and lo! the fortune of the game changes 
 sides." 
 
 " But the Romans had cavalry at Pharsalus," said the 
 vicomte, doubtfully. 
 
 "As though it were not recorded," exclaimed Amald,. 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 237 
 
 " that they were effeminate cowards, anxious only to spare 
 their own smooth faces, and shuddering at the stern and 
 bearded countenances of the German foot by whom they 
 were opposed !" 
 
 "Well, then," said the vicomte, with pleased anima- 
 tion, "we horsemen may still esteem ourselves certain 
 masters of the field?" 
 
 " Undoubtedly," replied Arnald ; " unless, indeed, the 
 field should bristle with hedges and palisades like a bat- 
 tery, or unless our leader should not understand how to 
 make use of us — a mishap which we need never fear as 
 long as we have the honour to fight under your orders I" 
 
 "God grant," cried the vicomte, "that I may often 
 demonstrate the truth of that assertion in your company, 
 my brave troubado'iT '." 
 
 He grasped Arnald's hand, and the two warriors gazed 
 in each other's faces with eyes glowing with the anticipa- 
 tion of glorious deeds, which passed in bright procession 
 before their impatient spirits. 
 
 At that moment a night-owl, driven 'viJdly through 
 the air by the tempest, fluttered against tne neighbour- 
 ing casement with such a sudden impulse that one of the 
 lattice-leaves flew open with a clashing sound, and for 
 an instant the gleaming eyes of the startled bird stared 
 into the chamber. It then turned round and fled with a 
 wailing cry, its wings whirring in the wind. 
 
 "That portends war!" cried the vicomte, with a joy- 
 ful glance at his sword. 
 
 But Arnald sighed deeply and answered, " For thee, 
 perchance, but not so for me! Bather did it seem to 
 me as though all my hopes of victory fell, clashing, into 
 a heap of ruins, over which u wailing death-song mourn- 
 fully floated! Be sure that an early death awaits me, 
 a death by sickness; and never again shall I march to 
 battle under your victorious banner." 
 
 " Arnald, my blithe and brave-spirited Arnald, where- 
 fore do words so gloomy flow, on a sudden, from thy lips ?" 
 
238 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 " I know not, my noble general ; but tbej' are spoken, 
 and doubtless they mean much. Let it come, then, if it 
 must come ! I am in the hands of a gracious God ! For 
 the present, my dear lord, good night. I must hasten 
 to reach my dwelling, if I would get to rest before the 
 twilight of dawn." 
 
 " You must abide this night in my castle, dear Ar- 
 nald," said the vicomte. " I will not suffer you to go 
 forth in this furious tempest." 
 
 Herewith he summoned a page, and bade him light 
 the troubadour to a guest-chamber. 
 
 Along vaulted galleries, and up wide and winding 
 stairs, the boy, carrying a waxen torch in his hand, 
 preceded the troubadour, who vividly remembered the 
 evening, whereon he had been for the first time sum- 
 moned to the presence of Alearda, when all things within 
 Castle Bisiers had appeared to him so full of wonder and 
 mystery. The boy seemed likewise to think on the sun- 
 dry strange tales which were recounted concerning that 
 ancient building. He advanced timidly, holding the torch 
 far before him at every angle of the stairs or passages, 
 and yet hurriedly and cautiously withdrawing it from 
 dark comers and recesses in the walls, as though he feared 
 1:0 arouse the horrors that might be lurking therein. 
 
 In this manner they reached a spacious saloon, sur- 
 rounded by many doors communicating with neighbour- 
 ing chambers. Scarcely, however, had the boy entered it 
 when, with u. loud cry of terror, he let the torch fall so 
 that it was extinguished on the pavement, and fled. 
 
 Arnald has since confessed to his friends tliat his first 
 impulse was to follow the fugitive child. What, indeed, 
 can be more terrific than the sound of a scream of fear, 
 aroused by some horrible but unseen object, the nature 
 of which we do not know! And then there was the 
 storm raging and rattling against the casements, and the 
 wan flickering twilight of a few solitary stars, sometimes 
 appearing, sometimes altogether darkened by the rapid 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 239 
 
 wheeling of the arrowy clouds. But, uttering first the 
 name of his ladye, and afterwards that of his own noble 
 race, Arnald advanced unconcernedly, save for the mo- 
 mentary blush which overspread his face, as he thought 
 that Walter of Vergi might possibly know that his pupil 
 had meditated flight, though but for a moment. 
 
 A gleam of light glimmered through the fastenings of 
 a neighbouring door. As Arnald approached it cautiously, 
 he perceived that something was moving to and fro before 
 it, rustling and peeping around the bolts. From within 
 was heard the voice of a weeping child, and the low 
 anxious whispers of women. He then remembered that 
 this' was the chamber of the little Countess Berta ; and 
 fearing lest alarm or peril might threaten that tendei 
 flower, he stepped softly but quickly up to the Appear- 
 ance, and demanded, "Who has any business here?" 
 
 "I!" was the answer, in a voice like the roar of a 
 thunderclap, and the howls of the storm were fearfully 
 T€doubled ; while suddenly, from a cleft in the tossed and 
 rent clouds, the moon shone through the casement, round, 
 and bloody-red. 
 
 Oh, on what did it shine ! 
 
 Wrapped in the dark and heavy garments of a monk, 
 with a fearful and menacing expression upon its death-pale 
 features, the gigantic castle-spectre swept pa&t Arnald, 
 and muttered as it sank through the floor in the centre 
 of the hall, " Man ! Ask me not a second time who I am. 
 It were thy death \" 
 
 The spectre had vanished, and the night grew calmer; 
 but still the wailings of the child, blent with the louder 
 tones of weeping women, sounded from that chamber. 
 Cold with fear, and oppressed by liorrible forebodings, 
 Arnald entered the nearest guest-chamber; and the re- 
 freshing unconsciousness which fell upon him as he sank 
 on a couch, without divesting himself of his garments, 
 was rather stupor than sleep. 
 
"240 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 (S^a\ittt ©«on6. 
 
 The morrow dawned gloomily — dark and grey with mist. 
 Very gloomy also was it to the dwellers in Castle Bisiers ; 
 for m the night the little Coiintess Berta had been sud- 
 denly attacked by a violent fever, which increased every 
 hour. Altarbol, who was a right skilflil leach, had al- 
 ready been summoned ; but his efforts to abate the disorder 
 seemed unavailing. With a painful smile on her lips, and 
 her hands folded in pious submission on her bosom, Alear- 
 da sat by the little bed. Amald could have died with grief 
 to look upon her, especially once, when a gleam of hope 
 passed across her face ; for, alas, he had seen the death- 
 portending castle-spirit before the door of the young child's 
 chamber, wearing its most ominous and menacing aspect. 
 The ladies appeared not to be ignorant of the cause of the 
 fearful disturbance in the saloon ; Alearda even felt a faint 
 presage of its import within her bosom ; but she shrank 
 from inquiring, while her attendants also shrank from ex- 
 plaining it unasked. The day passed in earnest prayer 
 and tender watchfulness over the child. Evening had once 
 more arrived ; Berta lay in a hot and feverish sleep ; all 
 were sitting or standing around her in silence,- — Alearda 
 and her ladies with eyes wearied with tears ; the men 
 deeply sorrowful, and without hope. Then began the gou- 
 vernante of the castle — a venerable widow, who was al- 
 ways attired in garments of the deepest mourning — to 
 speak fn a low and cautious whisper, thus saying : 
 
 "At the furthest extremity of Bretagne stands a rock 
 in the midst of the sea ; when the ebb-tide is at the low- 
 est it may hardly be attained with much difficulty and 
 peril — many a pilgrim has perished in the attempt. Upon 
 this rock stands the image of a saint. I know not to which 
 ■of the inhabitants of heaven it is dedicated; but this I 
 Tcnow, that if a man vows a pilgrimage thereto, the power 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 241 
 
 of all evil omens and threatening spirits is held in abey- 
 ance ; and if he fulfil his pilgrimage and offer up his 
 prayers upon the summit, the dark prophecy is annulled, 
 and becomes a blessing and a presage of happiness. These 
 things did my blessed husband impart to me on his death- 
 bed, and I have this day for the first time disclosed them. 
 He who hath ears to hear, let him hear. When need is 
 greatest, aid is often nearest," 
 
 Confidingly, as though lifted up out of the depths of 
 grief upon the wings of some rescuing spirit, Alearda 
 smiled upon the minstrel, who, all glowing with the joy- 
 ful consciousness of power, arose, stretched forth his right 
 hand in solemn asseveration to heaven, and said in low 
 but earnest tones, " Hereby do I vow a pilgrimage to the 
 rock on the coast of Bretagne, and hope, by the favour of 
 God, to set forth by the hour of dawn to-morrow ; — and," 
 added he, kneeling down upon the ground, " give me thy 
 blessing for this enterprise, dear Altarbol." 
 
 With overflowing eyes the abbot complied with the en- 
 treaty of his friend and pupil. The heroic vicomte clasped 
 the troubadour joyfully to his breast; and Alearda bowed 
 her head before him in thankfulness, but as though she 
 felt that thus it must needs be; and when Amald perceived 
 her undoubting confidence, his heart swelled high within 
 him, disdaining all toil or peril with a fulness of joy which 
 he had never before experienced. The gouvernante, how- 
 ever, earnestly pointed to the child. From the moment 
 in which Arnald pronounced his vow, the flush of fever 
 had begun to fade from its cheeks, so that it now lay, 
 breathing softly and deeply, in a sweet and refreshing 
 sleep. All kneeled around the bed in silent prayer. 
 
242 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 The morning had arisen. Amald Lad bidden a low 
 farewe-ll to the ladye and the warrior-chief beside the 
 couch of the little one, who still remained in a slumber 
 so tranquil and refreshing that even Alearda— having re- 
 ceived Altarbol's assurance that there was nothing more 
 to fear, and trusting implicitly to the faith and resolu- 
 tion of the minstrel in his solemn enterprise — withdrew 
 cheerfully to seek repose. And now, beneath the early- 
 light of a red and wintry sun, struggling through sombre 
 clouds, Amald stood before the door of Castle Bisiers, 
 completely attired as a pilgrim, and ready to set forth. 
 But there issued from the castle another form in pilgrim 
 array— tall, strong, and stately— who eagerly signed to 
 him to stand still and await his approach. The thought 
 of the castle-spectre thrilled through Arnold's heart, 
 causing an involuntary shudder; but as the unknown 
 advanced, it became manifest that he was not only well 
 known, but well loved ; for he was no other than Mes- 
 sire Misura, who had heard of Arnald's vow, and was 
 inexorably determined to accompany him upon his dan- 
 gerous and toilsome pilgrimage. 
 
 " Thou dear and faithful comrade," cried Amald ! 
 deeply moved ; " but if it should interfere with the terms 
 of my vow ?" 
 
 " Ask him concerning that," replied Misura, pointing 
 to Altarbol, who at that moment issued from the vaulted 
 doorway to give his parting blessing to his beloved Mara- 
 viglia and commend him to the care of God. In fact, 
 Jll'sura had already spoken of his project with the abbot, 
 and the latter now solemnly authorised Arnald to accept 
 the companionship of liis gallant fiiend. 
 
 "But, my dear spiritual father," began Misura, "there 
 is still a question at my heart. Is it certainly God's will 
 that we should go forth in the desolate winter, and per- 
 
MINSTKEI, LOVE, 243 
 
 ■ohance break our necks over the cliffs of Bretagne ? We 
 might surely offer up our prayers as well here as there, for 
 the Lord is present every where." 
 
 " If thou doubtest, go not, my dear son,'' said Altar- 
 fool ; " an uncertain deed bath ever the nature of sin." 
 
 "Well, -well," grumbled Misura, "must not one ask a 
 T-imple question ? You are so mighty quick witli your yes 
 or no." 
 
 "Yes or no!" replied Altarbol ; "those little woi'ds 
 comprise our destiny for time and for eternity. Right or 
 left ! We stand daily on the spot where two roads part, 
 and the space between is the abyss itself!" 
 
 " But I will not descend into it I" cried Misura, indig- 
 nantly; "I will to the right — do you hear me? — to the 
 right with my brave Arnald ; but there is no reason why 
 you should not make it a little intelligible to one before- 
 hand, why men should go on pilgrimages." 
 
 "My son," said Altarbol, "faith truly can remove 
 mountains ; nevertheless, the outward and tangible gifts 
 which it receives must ever have a local habitation and a 
 name. How these things are, and how they might be — 
 over these questions there lies a veil, which is perpetually 
 assuming another and a more wondrous form, as the posi- 
 tion of earthly affairs shifts and changes. It may be that 
 Arnald's prayers for the healing of tlie child might have 
 received a blessing, here in Castle Bisiers, by the strength 
 of his true will. But the terms of his vow have now de- 
 creed it otherwise: Arnald believes in it; Alearda and the 
 vicomte believe in it ; perhaps even the child, in its half- 
 oonscious dreams, has faith in it ; — in a word, my friend, 
 the trial is evidently there, and no where else. Who in 
 such a case would occupy himself with refinements, and 
 subtleties, and doubts 1" 
 
 Misura bowed his head in silence, and hastily followed 
 the troubadour, who had already departed on his solemn 
 journey. 
 
244 
 
 MINSTIIEI. LOVE. 
 
 It seemed as though the northern blast was determined 
 to render the progress of the two pilgrims impracticable 
 for many days ; for it roared and blew furiously against 
 them, driving the rain, and hail, and even — as their way 
 led them farther and farther from their temperate Provence 
 — the snow, into their faces ; so that frequently Amald, 
 and sometimes even the powerful Misura, sank exhausted 
 upon the earth. But on such occasions the troubadour 
 was wont to say with a smile, " Up, and away ! What 
 were the merit of a pilgrimage, if it were but as an evening 
 walk of pleasure ?" 
 
 "We need not trouble ourselves on that head," replied 
 Misura one day; "matters must be greatly changed in- 
 deed before they wear any pleasurable aspect ; and as far 
 as I can see, they have no disposition to change at all. 
 But Amald, my dear and valiant Arnald, methinks thou 
 mightest at least allow thyself four-and-twenty hours re- 
 pose. Why didst thou hurry forth so eagerly from the 
 cloister yesterday, where we were so warmly and so hos- 
 pitably entertained? Yonder pious monks must needs 
 understand such things ; and they were of opinion that a 
 brief sojourn amongst them, during this season of fearful 
 tempest, and on account of your great exhaustion, would 
 in no wise impede the holy work which we have in hand." 
 
 " Misura," replied the weary Amald, standing still 
 and leaning upon his pilgrim's staff — " Misura, I frankly 
 confess to thee, that yester evening as I fell asleep I 
 entertained thoughts like to yours and to those of the 
 good brethren ; but then I beheld in a dream how the 
 little Berta again fell sick, and Alearda was awakened, 
 and how the aged gouvemante said consolingly, ' Our 
 pilgrim has but paused a little while upon his toilsome 
 way, for very weariness. Have patience, dear lady; so 
 
MINSTBEL LOVE. 245 
 
 soon as he shall once more advance, the fever will lose its 
 power over the child.' And Alearda answered with her 
 heavenly gentleness, ' Yes, truly, I will have patience ; 
 in good sooth our poor and loyal knight must well-nigh 
 perish amid these storms. But, alas, my dear child !' 
 And when I saw the soft falling of her tears, dream, slum- 
 ber, and fatigue departed from me at once. Forward, my 
 beloved Misura, forward !" 
 
 He uttered these words in the well-remembered tones 
 of Ms joyous battle-cry, and, leaning upon Misura's strong 
 and sustaining arm, strode rapidly forwards amid the 
 closing shades of evening, though the forest, laden with 
 snows and weU-nigh pathless, stretched around him in a 
 thousand uncertain shapes of tree and mountain. 
 
 And now it was the depth of midnight. A distant 
 gleaming athwart the frozen boughs had moi-e than once 
 lured the wanderers to the edge of a slippery ravine : they 
 determined, therefore, no longer to follow its guidance, 
 and cast themselves wearily down, on the trunk of a fallen 
 tree. While Misura was endeavouring to excite a spark, 
 by rubbing the dry boughs together, Amald sang the fol- 
 lowing words softly to himself: — 
 
 How dark, how cold the night of earth ! 
 
 How bright, how clear heaven's morning is ! 
 Hence, gloomy cares and shadowy mysteries ! 
 The watchman is waking, 
 Hopes are outbreaking. 
 And soon we all shall hail the glorious birth 
 Of fadeless splendour and abundant bliss ! 
 
 " Ye may wait long for that," howled a wild voice amid 
 the underwood ; and suddenly a tall swarthy man stood 
 before Amald, swinging his hunting-spear high above his 
 head, and exclaiming, "What do ye here in my woods, 
 fellows? and who bade you scare my game with your 
 whining and wailing 1" 
 
 "Stand off from me a little space," said Amald ; "in 
 
246 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 the work wMch I now have on hand I were loath to hurt 
 any human being." Herewith he sprang to his feet with 
 knightly alacrity, and opposed the intruder with his pil- 
 grim's staff, half defensively, half menacingly. 
 
 " Ho, ho !" laughed the wild stranger ; " wo can easily 
 dispense with such doings:" and he blew his horn ; whereat 
 six or seven huntsmen sprang from the bushes in various 
 directions, with bare weapons and tightened cross-bows. 
 
 'i'hen did all the wrath of the ancient Maraviglias 
 awake in Amald's gallant heart. " Down with your 
 shameless odds !" cried he, striking the stranger's hunting- 
 spear with his staff, so that the light weapon was shivered 
 into a thousand splinters. With oaths and curses the 
 huntsmen rushed upon him. But then Messire Misura 
 strode forwards, wielding a flaming firebrand in each 
 hand : he smote the heads of the foe with these sputter- 
 ing torches till they fell to earth ; and when two of the 
 prostrate huntsmen endeavoured to regain their feet, he 
 thrust their foreheads together with such violence that they 
 sank backwards, howling, and completely stunned. On 
 the breast of a third, who was beginning with many oaths 
 to move, he planted his foot, and said, " Knave, lie still ; 
 else will I stamp upon thee till every joint in thy body 
 shall split asunder." 
 
 The conquered wretch groaned and was still. But the 
 man who seemed the leader of the party had, bj- an adroit 
 leap, extricated himself from the tumult, and he yet stood 
 erect, although disarmed by Arnald's wrathful blow. To 
 Mm Misura addressed himself in the following manner : — 
 
 " That you are possibly a knight, and perhaps even 
 one of old and illustrious race, is truly grievous to think 
 upon. You seek a quarrel, and when the dance begins, 
 you put ten paces between yourself and the actors." 
 
 " I am disarmed," said the stranger, in a tone of half- 
 ashamed defiance. 
 
 " Nay ; in the true ardour of battle," returned Misura, 
 ''a true-hearted soldier can make a weapon of any thing; 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 247 
 
 methinks that I and my brave friend here have given you 
 proof to that effect." 
 
 " Nevertheless, it becomes not me," said the stranger, 
 " to bandy blows with every nameless churl I meet." 
 
 "Nameless churls!" shouted Misura in a rage; "do 
 you know us, then, already, most sublime and illustrious 
 sir ? I would have you to know " 
 
 " That thou must on no account acquaint him with 
 our names," interrupted Arnald ; " our pious work has 
 nought to do witli such worldly matters." 
 
 And Misura instantly checked his words. But he 
 breathed and blew vehemently upon one of his firebrands, 
 till it flamed up into a bright torch ; and then, holding the 
 light close before Arnald, he said, " Look here, thou un- 
 known Bramarbas ; shews this man like a nameless churl ? 
 Yonder lute which peeps from his pilgrim mantle may 
 avail to bring you into great trouble : how would it sound, 
 think you, to hear songs made upon your midnight lurk- 
 ings and bush-trampings, — songs which in a little while 
 should fill all France, Germany, and Spain, ay, and even 
 the Moorish lands ?" 
 
 " Fear not," said Arnald to his adversary ; "the solemn 
 path whereon I now walk woiild admit of no such songs 
 as might treat of your deeds." 
 
 The stranger, however, seemed somewhat disconcerted ; 
 for in those song-loving days, it was ill having a minstrel 
 for your foe. Princes, knights, and people — above all, 
 noble ladies — were eager to take part with such an one, if 
 outraged ; and the universal love of poetry gave wings to 
 every goodly lay, carrying it up and down from one end 
 of the land to the other. 
 
 " Forget mine overhasty deed," said the stranger, after 
 a little hesitation ; " and let us be good friends. I am the 
 Marquess Raymond, lord of yonder castle, which thou 
 mayest see with its lights twinkling through the boughs ; 
 and I invite you thither to partake cordially of my hospi- 
 talitv." 
 
248 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 " We will not set foot within your castle," answered 
 Misura, shaking his head ; " but if you will accompany us 
 to its vicinity, and there refresh us with wine and food — 
 but, mark you, let the wine be right good — ^there shall be 
 complete peace betwijrt us." 
 
 This singular proposal was agreed to; and although 
 Arnald at first testified a little dissatisfection, he yielded 
 with a good grace when he perceived the shame and 
 penitence of the marquess. Meanwhile the huntsmen had 
 recovered themselves ; and the two friends now followed 
 the whole party towards the castle. 
 
 OvEK slippery paths, which connected, as if by a slender 
 thread, the edges of wide and yawning chasms, between 
 narrow and wUdly-tossed rocky passes, and up the sides of 
 steep and jagged crags, the way led at last to the abode of 
 the marquess. As they proceeded, Misura had taken all 
 possible precautions to prevent any surprise, on the part of 
 the treacherous huntsmen itnd their yet more treacherous 
 lord. At every turning of the road, he caused them all 
 to go in advance; and wherever there appeared to be a 
 shadow of danger, he drew a small but keen Proven9al 
 sword, which he carried under his mantle, and suffered it 
 to gleam through the darkness in the eyes of his mistrusted 
 guides. The latter, however, had learned to reverence him 
 greatly ; and were obedient to every sign and gesture. 
 
 When they had arrived in front of the castle, the mar- 
 quess once more urgently solicited them to enter; but 
 Misura answered, " I am not so much at my ease amid 
 walls and bolts ; but I can deal with men. We will 
 abide without." 
 
 Stamping and muttering the Marquess Baymond strode 
 into his castle, and flung the doors violently together be- 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 249 
 
 tindMmself and his huntsmen. The huge and brightly- 
 illuminated windows of a spacious hall shed their light 
 beyond the walls, as far as the place where Arnald and 
 Misura had remained, and shewed a small chapel which 
 stood near, within whose sheltering walls the friends now 
 sought refuge from the unabated tempest. 
 
 Attendants carrying wine and food speedily issued from 
 a postern door of the castle, and proffered refreshment to 
 the wanderers, with scornful smiles. 
 
 But — "Taste!" cried Misura; and when they sought 
 with some embarrassment to evade the demand, he seized 
 one of the party by the throat, and compelled him to swal- 
 low a considerable quantity of wine. 
 
 " Now sit down here beside us, my man,'' said he ; 
 "we will see first how it agrees with thee." 
 
 No one dared to make any opposition ; the others re- 
 tired in silence ; and he who had dmnk soon sank upon 
 the earth, overpowered by a deep slumber. 
 
 " A right serviceable sleeping-potion," said Misura, 
 with a grim smile ; "who can say how they would have 
 dealt with us ?" 
 
 But Arnald tuned his lute, struck thereon a few stern 
 and wrathful chords, and, gazing upward to the castle- 
 windows, sang the following lay : 
 
 Sleep, powerless sleep, 
 Death- like and deep. 
 
 This didst thou mean for us ! 
 Waking, bright waking, 
 From chains eternal breaking, 
 
 We give thee answer thus ! 
 
 Narrow and vile 
 This earthly isle, 
 
 Circled by death's dark sea ; 
 Look upward where. 
 Willing to spare. 
 
 The Lord looks down on thee 1 
 
250 JTINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 As warning cries 
 Our words arise, 
 
 Up, gird thyself, away I 
 Tlie gates are barred. 
 The battle hard, 
 
 Weary and long the way. 
 
 But to sink low, 
 Mid wails of woe, 
 
 Down to eternal night ; 
 Where fires of death, 
 By demon breath, 
 
 Are kindled ever bright— 
 
 Is this, we ask, 
 A fairer task ? 
 
 Sinner, not so, not so ! 
 Thy God yet stands. 
 With outstretched hands, 
 
 To aid thee from below. 
 
 Thy fiend-like deed 
 To hell must lead — 
 
 Hell opens wide her gate ; 
 There yet is time — 
 From death, from crime. 
 
 Flee, ere it be too late 1 
 
 The bold Misura visibly shuddered at these words oif 
 solemn and fearful exhortation ; but very diiferent was the- 
 effect which they seemed to produce upon the inhabit- 
 ants of the castle. A woman, very beautiful, but with 
 strongly-marked features and flushed cheeks, looked 
 through the panes of a casement, then suddenly flinging 
 it open and stooping far over the edge, so that her raven 
 tresses floated wildly on the winds of the midnight storm,, 
 she exclaimed : 
 
 " Gramercy for thy miserere ! I will answer thee- 
 with a goodlier strain." 
 
 Herewith she sate down and began to play upon a fair 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 231 
 
 lute with wondrous grace and power, and to sing a love- 
 strain full of ardour and passion, which Arnald had com- 
 posed in the years of his youth. Leaning upon the back 
 of the lady's seat they beheld the Marquess Raymond, 
 splendidly attired, wearing three chains of solid gold, to 
 each of which was attached a large medal In his hand he 
 held a gleaming silver goblet filled with wine ; and at every 
 pause in the music he pledged the beautiful singer, who 
 also sipped the juice of the grape with apparent pleasure ; 
 and then continued her performance with the most fasci- 
 nating movements of her fair arms and hands. The flames 
 of a hearth in the background overspread both figures 
 with a strange and lurid glow ; so that, circled by the 
 frame of the tall, arched, gothic window, they looked like 
 some mysterious painting, expressing at once the full se- 
 ductiveness of worldly pleasures, with a terrible suggestion 
 of future retribution. 
 
 Arnald clasped both his hands before his face, and 
 whispered to Misura, " Can I, even in my days of wildest 
 error, have imagined a strain which is a fit accompaniment 
 to this jubilee of hell ? My hours of song and poetry were 
 surely never so utterly impure and wild '." 
 
 "Be satisfied," returned Misura. "The gifts of God 
 are oftentimes abused in this world. Witches and wizards 
 are able to extract poison from the most innocent flowers." 
 
 The repulsive beauty had now completed her song, and 
 she cried from the casement, " See now, thou miserable 
 songster, with thy feeble and ghostly chirpings, how little 
 thou knowest of thine own art, and how despicable thou 
 apjjearest beside the glorious Master Arnald of Maraviglia ; 
 for by him was my lay composed." 
 
 Arnald turned from her, and kneeled in sUent prayer 
 before the crucifix in the chapel. But Misura could no 
 longer restrain his anger : and he addressed the scornful 
 lady, wno had risen from ner seat and thrown her arm 
 caressingly around the neck of the marquess, in a mighty 
 voice : 
 
^52 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 •' He who here appeals to his Saviour in the chapel is 
 himself the far-femed Master Arnald of Maraviglia; and 
 he is come to give you the choice between salvation and 
 destruction. Choose, therefore, quickly ; for the time of 
 repentance is short, and your sins are many I" 
 
 Pale as death the lady sank into Rajonond's arms ; 
 pale as death he tottered with her from the casement. 
 
 Arnald and Misura walked forth in silence through the 
 midnight forest. 
 
 (S'^aijittt ©iytl^. 
 
 When morning began to shine down between the trunks 
 of the trees, Misura said, "Art thou displeased with me, 
 dear troubadour, for having transgressed thy command, 
 by naming thee to yonder children of e vU ?" 
 
 "At first 1 was startled, and well-nigh angered," re- 
 turned Arnald, " that thou shouldst break out so incon- 
 siderately with the history of my minstrel fame, which 
 truly belongs not to our present path. But the manner in 
 which thou didst conclude thy speech instructed me better. 
 I saw clearly that thy tongue had been loosed by the 
 avenging and redeeming wiU of God; so, be it as it may, 
 it must needs be well." 
 
 Then Misura answered, "Thou seest to the very bot- 
 tom of my heart ; just such a feeling as thou hast described 
 in those few words was within me : the syllables escaped 
 unbidden from my lips, nevertheless I was conscious that 
 it was the work of God." 
 
 During this discourse they had issued forth from the 
 woods ; a wide landscape, all glittering with frost, was 
 outspread before them in the light cf morning. Wearied 
 with the difficulties of the night, they gazed around upon 
 the castles and hamlets of the plain, inquiring with their 
 
MINSTBBL LOVE. 253 
 
 ■eyes whether they were likely to meet any where with a 
 friendly and courteous reception. 
 
 Then a young man in a simple hunting-dress rode 
 towards them, and said, courteously saluting them : 
 
 " Fair pilgrims, ye seem right weary ; if it like you to 
 take up your quarters in a small and somewhat ruinous 
 fort, with poor fare but good-will, I will gladly conduct 
 you to the abode wherein I have dwelt, with my two 
 sisters, since the death of our parents. My name is God- 
 frey, and I am of the not-unknown race of Montalban ; 
 but fortune has robbed the branch to which I belong of 
 much of its old and wonted splendour." 
 
 Amald was inexpressibly touched by these simple 
 words. Here too was an impoverished, but not therefore 
 a less noble, branch of an ancient stock of heroes. He 
 gave his hand in warm and grateful acquiescence; and 
 Godfrey rested not till he had induced him to mount the 
 jDalfrey and ride on slowly, while the friendly youth him- 
 self hurried forwards to prepare his sisters for the recep- 
 tion of welcome guests. 
 
 While they were yet afar they could perceive a cheer- 
 ftil bustle in the little tower; and as they approached 
 nearer, it was pleasant to see how the crackling faggots 
 upon the hearth sparkled through the transparent panes, 
 filling the little hall with light and with gratefiil warmth. 
 In the doorway they were received by Godfrey, who led 
 them respeet&lly within, consigning the palfrey to a very 
 aged attendant, and saying, good-humouredly, " Thou 
 must care for the horse to-day, good Robert ; thou seest 
 I have fairer business on hand." The old man nodded 
 bis head, well-pleased ; it was evident that he rejoiced in 
 being invited for once to undertake a labour for his young 
 lord. 
 
 In the hall, one of the sisters stood beside the hearth, 
 watching the preparations for a meal, while the other was 
 carefully busied in the arrangement of pillows, on two 
 ■couches which had been placed beside the glowing fire. 
 
254 MINSTREL LOVB. 
 
 Both maidens were of that delicate and somewhat too 
 slender shape which is characteristic of the females of an- 
 cient and noble race, among the Pranks. Their poverty 
 had in no wise impaired the soft and serious dignity of 
 their whole deportment, nor diminished the precision and 
 grace of their attire. The glow of the blazing hearth 
 played cheerfully upon their morning garments of spot- 
 less white, and irradiated the finely-chiselled features of 
 their somewhat pallid faces. 
 
 The hospitable family compelled the pilgrims to recline- 
 upon the cushioned couches, after which the sisters prof- 
 fered to each a cup of mulled wine, and then entreated 
 them to abandon themselves to a refreshing morning slum- 
 ber after the fatiguing journey of the night ; for which 
 end, Godfrey and the two maidens withdrew to the fur- 
 ther side of the hall. 
 
 As Arnald fell asleep, he could hear them softly whis- 
 pering together. 
 
 " My brother Godfrey," said one of the damsels, " hast 
 thou perchance had the courtesy to bring with thee some 
 game, wherewith we may entertain these strangers ?" 
 
 " Nay, sweet sister Honorine," was the answer ; " I 
 had scarce set forth when I encountered these gentle 
 guests. But I am too well acquainted with thy skill in 
 all household arrangements, and thine also, my dear Cle- 
 mentine, to disturb myself concerning the reception of the 
 pilgrims ; if, however, ye deem it not discourteous that I 
 leave you alone ■with the strangers, I would fain once 
 more try my fortune as a huntsman." 
 
 " Only take heed that thou weary not thyself over- 
 much, brother Godfrey," said Clementine ; and with a 
 graceful inclination, to which the damsels responded with 
 equal grace, the youth quitted the chamber. Smiling^ 
 but for pleasure and not in mockery, the exhausted Ar- 
 nald fell asleep. 
 
 Wooed by strains of lovely and faniDiar melody he 
 awoke, after some hours had passed. Honorine and Cle- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 235 
 
 men tine were singing and playing that lay to Autumn 
 which he had composed, beside the garden-walls of Castle 
 Bisiers, after Alearda had bestowed on him the goodly 
 dagger. A nameless longing after the presence of his 
 distant ladye thrilled through his whole heart, and while 
 his graceful hostesses were relating to him, with much 
 particularity, when and how the renowned Arnald of 
 Maraviglia had composed that song, the soul of Arnald 
 burned with impatience to prosecute his journey, half in 
 order that he might the sooner return to Castle Bisiers, 
 half because every unnecessary delay seemed to him as 
 treason to Alearda, and peril to the little Berta ; yet still 
 the leaden weight of weariness was on his limbs, and he 
 could not choose but lie down once again upon the couch. 
 Meanwhile Godfrey had returned with game ; and the 
 sisters were now busily engaged in preparing it, maintain- 
 ing, even during that menial employment, the easy dig- 
 nity of highly-born and highly-nurtured ladies. Godfrey 
 waited on them in the most attentive manner, supplying 
 the hearth with wood and coals, and never omitting an op- 
 portunity of addressing them in lively and gallant phrase. 
 The principal theme of their conversation was the 
 Master Arnald of Maraviglia ; and they forgot not to ex- 
 plain to the two pilgrims who this celebrated man was, 
 and of what nature were the place and tenour of his life. 
 Misura did not now feel tempted to acquaint his enter- 
 tainers with the true character of their guest ; on the con- 
 trarj', the whole scene afforded him so much enjoyment 
 and diversion, that any change whatsoever would have 
 appeared a disturbance. 
 
 The board was now spread ; the game was served in a 
 great number of small and delicate dishes, and the aged 
 Robert brought forth several flasks of good home-made 
 wine, from which Godfrey, with much satisfaction, suj)- 
 plied Ms sisters, his guests, and himself. From the man- 
 ner in which Clementine presented a beaker to the aged 
 Robert, Arnald guessed that in the order of their daily life 
 
266 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 he also was wont to sit at table with his superiors. He 
 therefore rested not till he had induced the venerable do- 
 mestic to assume his place at the board, whereat all testi- 
 fied great contentment, and seemed now, for the first time, 
 to lay aside all formality, and indulge the frankness of 
 familiar intercourse. 
 
 The conversation soon returned to Master Arnald of 
 Maraviglia, whose presence seemed to abide within the 
 house like that of some friendly though invisible spirit. 
 Even the aged Robert had learned some of his war-songs, 
 which he now sang, full of glowing enthusiasm, with reve- 
 rend and somewhat tremulous voice. The eyes and cheeks 
 of Godfrey glowed as he proceeded, the sisters looked 
 down in some embarrassment, and then turned their wist- 
 ful eyes upon Robert, as if beseeching him not to continue. 
 Arnald did not observe this gesture, and said to Godfrey : 
 
 " I know a lay which the troubadour Maraviglia com- 
 posed on an ancient legend of your race, most noble Baron 
 of Montalban. It is not probable that you are acquainted 
 with it, therefore I will recite it for your pleasure and that 
 of the ladies." Then with deep, solemn, and significant 
 tones, he uttered the words of the following romaunt : 
 
 Chased from the towers of Montalban, 
 Chased by the treason of Ganelon, 
 Mournful before his castle 
 
 The valiant Sir Reinald stood. 
 Wistful he gazed on the portals, 
 
 But, ah, they unclosed not for him ! 
 Wistful he gazed on the battlements — 
 
 The banners of foes were there ! 
 
 He winded his wrathful clarion ; 
 It cried to the voiceless breezes ; 
 But lo, in the clouds of evening 
 
 There gathers a shade and a storm : 
 Faces look down upon him. 
 
 Bloody, and corpse-like, and pale. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. ^J,ji 
 
 These are his hero-fathers — 
 
 Alas, he knoweth them well 1 
 He hears through the roar of the tempest 
 
 The voice of their angry grief. 
 
 ' Who mourns by the castle-portaU ? 
 
 Wherefore unclose not the gates ? 
 What floats from the airy turrets — 
 
 Is it the flag of the foe ? 
 Heard ye the lord of the castle .' 
 
 Heard ye, and answer ye not ?' 
 O'er the pale cheeks of the warrior 
 
 Glisten the tears of his' blood ; 
 But soon he refreshed his spirit. 
 
 Resuming the strength of his heart ; 
 He lifted his brow, all fearless, 
 
 And spake to the ghosts of his sires. 
 
 ' I am chasecl from the halls of my fatherfc — 
 
 I wander an exile alone ; 
 But the soul of the old Montalbans, 
 
 Spirits, it still is mine own ! 
 Bold in my wrath will I wander 
 
 Far over earth and sea ; 
 Souls of the great departed, 
 
 Scorn not, and weep not for me ! 
 'Mid the strokes of resounding falchions, 
 
 'Mid trumpets, and wounds, and war, 
 The tree shall once more be planted, 
 
 Casting its shadow far !' 
 Proudly those gathered heroes 
 
 Listed the words of might, 
 And they smoothed their threatening foreheads. 
 
 And they smiled in bold delight. 
 Rejoice, O ye fallen Montalbans — 
 
 Rejoice in your ancient name ; 
 For the deeds of the hero Reinald 
 
 Bloom with a fadeless fame ! 
 
 " Ohj I can no longer endure it !" cried Godfrey, as. 
 
258 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 forgetful of all decDrum, he sprang from his seat, clasped the 
 hoary Robert in his arms, with a stormy impetuosity which 
 seemed reflected in the joyous glow that overspread the 
 old man's pale features ; and then seizing an ancient sword 
 which stood in a dark corner, and pressing it to his heart, 
 he exclaimed, "Oh, my father's sword! Oh, my valiant 
 father's sword !" 
 
 Robert doffed his cap, leaving his bald head uncovered, 
 folded his hands, and said, lifting his eyes to heaven, " God 
 bless the brave knight Arnald of Maraviglia ! He has com- 
 posed a lay of honour, which, if my hopes deceive nie not, 
 shall greatly avail to the welfare of this house." 
 
 Shaking their heads in sorrowful wonder, Honorine 
 and Clementine beheld the whole proceeding. 
 
 " But, my brother Godfrej'," said Honorine at last, 
 " hast thou forgotten, how in thy gentleness thou didst 
 promise long since, that thou wouldst never leave us un- 
 protected, and wouldst renounce all visions of going forth 
 to the world and to wars 1" 
 
 " Thou didst then call us tender flowers," added Cle- 
 mentine ; " thou didst promise to be to us a watchfui 
 gardener ; — but now, meseems all such thoughts are 
 changed. Certainly, my brother Godfrey, it is for thee to 
 act according to thine own pleasure, and we truly will 
 address the Lord with fervent prayers for thy welfare ; 
 but " 
 
 She melted into gentle tears. Then Godfrey replaced 
 the sword in its former position, resumed, with great and 
 manifest effort, his former courtesy of deportment, and 
 assured them that he would not only be faithful to his 
 promise, but that he should also find the greatest plea- 
 sure in keeping it, as there could be found no fairer 
 occupation in the world than the care and company of 
 two such noble and graceful ladies. " Even the poverty 
 in which we live," said he in conclusion, "adds its own 
 charms to the pleasantness of this our rustic household." 
 Robert looked silently and sorrowfully on the ground ; 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 25D 
 
 the sisters spake many loving and thankful words to their 
 brother ; and at last Honorine said : 
 
 " Believe me, my brother, couldst thou appeal to tho 
 Master of Maraviglia himself, his courtesy and nobleness 
 would give thee no other counsel, than that which thou hast 
 received from thine own loving and chivalrous spirit!" 
 
 "Lady," replied Arnald, "I would not recommend 
 you to entrust the decision of this matter to the knight 
 of Maraviglia ; for though he has ever sought to serve 
 all noble ladies in purity and humility, he well knows that 
 they can seldom be served so meetly and so well, as by 
 him who is covered with helmet and shield, and carries 
 his trusty sword in his right hand." 
 
 The maidens gazed wonderingly upon him ; and the 
 «ged Robert exclaimed, " By Heaven, at every word of 
 this pilgrim I feel more apd more as though Messire Ar- 
 nald of Maraviglia himself were speaking !" 
 
 " Bo not think upon him," continued Arnald, evading 
 the subject; "but think upon j'our own name, beautiful 
 Honorine. Honorine of Montalban! Is there a nobler 
 title in the wide world ? And would you tremble when hon- 
 our calls your valiant brother ? When the Baron Godfrey 
 restored his father's sword to sloth and darkness, it 
 sounded to me as though that noble weapon of heroes 
 sighed as it clashed within its iron scabbard ! And you, 
 lady Clementine of Montalban, can it content your high- 
 souled gentleness that this noble scion of knighthood should 
 fade away in mournful longing after deeds worthy of him- 
 self and of you, only now and then kindled to brighter 
 thoughts by the voice of the hunting-horn in the forest? 
 Oh, he who is born to arms and must never wield them — 
 think you, think you that he can ever know one fresh and 
 joyous hour in his life?" 
 
 He had arisen from his seat; and he stood now in 
 deep and melancholy reflections, his sparkling eyes fixed 
 on Godfrey, and full of noble pity. The latter covered 
 his burning face witli his hands. 
 
260 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Slowly but resolutely Honorine approached tte sword^ 
 bowed her head lowly before it, and then, grasping it in 
 her delicate hands, placed it with a sudden movement 
 upon the arm of her brother. Meanwhile, Clementine 
 had taken from the wall a beautifully painted shield,, 
 bearing the device of the Montalbans, somewhat disco- 
 loured by age ; she let it fall with a clashing sound upon 
 the table before the youth, and said, "God speed thee, 
 brave Montalban, my brother; ride forth to fame and 
 victory !" 
 
 Godfrey arose like one inspired, waving the weapons 
 high above his head. In that moment, he seemed to have 
 grown taller, goodlier, and more manly. As the breath 
 of spring, ascending from a half-closed blossom, presages 
 the noblest fruit, so did the conception of future deeds 
 of heroism float, almost visibly, upon his free and princely 
 forehead, half shadowed by its waving curls. 
 
 Robert cast himself at the feet of the sisters with tears 
 of joy, and assured them that during their brother's absence 
 he would be to them a true seneschal and warder ; and 
 he knew well that God would richly endow his age with 
 thought and vigour for such a purpose. 
 
 Then Arnald and Misura laid hold upon their pilgrim- 
 staves, and made ready to depart. 
 
 " I think I know whom we have entertained," whis- 
 pered Honorine. 
 
 "That which I have spoken, I have spoken in the 
 name of the Lord," returned Arnald. " The name of the 
 messenger matters nothing. God's blessing be on you !" 
 
 And the wanderers went forth into a land all sparHing 
 in the wintry sun. 
 
MINSTKBL LOVE. 251 
 
 The toilsome journey approached its termination. Al- 
 ready from the hills of Bretagne they had beheld the 
 Aquitanian sea; and now, when after a night of labour 
 and difficulty the pilgrims issued from wood and thicket, 
 and gazed upon the light, of day, they saw the green 
 waters of the mighty ocean washing the base of the steep 
 cliff whereon they stood. Grey rain-clouds were wheel- 
 ing in wild rapidity across the firmament, and the heads 
 of the waves arose high and proud, with diadems of white 
 foam. The weary ArnaH leaned against the balustrade 
 which was erected on the brow of the cliff as a protection 
 for unwary wanderers, and gazed upon the limitless and 
 solemn extent of gloomy sky and agitated sea ; it seemed 
 to him as though his earthly being were struggling in 
 those dark waters, and he felt in his heart that the islands 
 beyond, were sunny, blessed, and abundant in flowers. 
 Misura too stood in. silent thought, occasionally drawing a 
 deep breath, which seemed almost like a sigh — unwonted 
 sound from that heroic breast. 
 
 "God be gracious to him who would seek the shrine 
 upon the rock to-day !" said a voice close beside them. 
 It was an aged shepherd, with simple and reverend coun- 
 tenance, and long grey hair and beard. He saluted the 
 strangers with warmth. 
 
 " Thanks for thy good wish," said Arnald. " It is 
 uttered in my behalf; for if only the rock be near enough, 
 I hope to ascend it to-day ; or, if such be the will of 
 God's unsearchable providence, I am ready to die in the 
 attempt." 
 
 " The last is the more likely of the twain," answered 
 the old man. " See you not yonder giddy whirl of wind, 
 and cloud, and. flood? The birds of the air can scarce 
 keep themselves steady, and reel in wild and' involuntary 
 
262 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 flights ! How, then, can a human being hope to climb 
 the precipitous crag? Defer your enterprise till the mor- 
 row, or till the next day ; for this stormy whirlwind will 
 continue, and truly it seems to me scarcely the work of 
 nature." 
 
 "And thou art so sorely enfeebled by the journey, 
 dear Arnald," said Misura, tenderly. 
 
 " But sounds not the breath of the blast like an un- 
 easy sigh?" cried Arnald. " Drop not these solitary rain- 
 plashes like tears from an anxious heart? Oh, perchance 
 even now, at the mere possibility of my hesitation, the 
 sick infant moans, the gentle ladye weeps ! And shall 
 this last till to-morrow, or perchance even till the next 
 day? Thou hast heard that the tempest threatens to 
 continue thus long." 
 
 " It may last the whole week," added the shepherd. 
 " Sigh not, Berta — weep not, my lofty ladye !" said 
 Arnald to himself, in low out determined tones ; " even 
 this very day will I close my pilgrimage." 
 
 And turning to the old man, he requested him to con- 
 duct liim to his dwelling, if perchance it were not far off, 
 that he might there be instructed in the nature and diffi- 
 culties of the pilgrimage ; being irrevocably determined 
 to look his last upon the sun this day, or to behold it 
 in thankfulness from the summit of the rock. 
 
 " Irrevocably determined !" Thus sighed Misura, like 
 a mournful echo; but he knew well that after such an 
 expression it was useless to plead with a Maraviglia, and 
 he followed his friend in silence. The shepherd led them 
 along various winding paths which descended to the shore, 
 whereon stood his moss-built hut, in the centre of a small 
 meadow, hedged in and fenced from the waves by sur- 
 rounding crags and cliffs, a picture of quietness and 
 solitude. 
 
 They sate down upon rush mats in the interior of the 
 lowly abode; and Arnald, enjoying the pleasantness of 
 this brief interval of repose, emptied at long draughts a 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 2C3 
 
 goDlet of excellent cider which their tost had produced 
 for the refreshment of his weary guests. 
 
 " Seest thou, Arnald," said Misura, " how much good 
 repose does thee?" 
 
 " Nay, if it do me good," returned the troubadour, 
 smiling, " it strengthens me at the same time ; and there- 
 fore let us not waste a moment. Tell me, my good and 
 trusty shepherd, what saint is it who has his shrine upon 
 the rock, and in what manner must a pilgrim proceed 
 who seeks to achieve the adventure, in the same spirit 
 in which it was originally undertaken, for the glory of 
 God and the good of His creatures.'' 
 
 The old man looked a while thoughtfully on the 
 ground ; at last he said, " If you are resolved to know 
 the whole, fair sir, I must needs give you fitting answer. 
 Thus it is, then. When the ebb-tide commences, you 
 must take pious thoughts into your soul, and holy words 
 upon your lips, and follow the retreating water, step by 
 step, from the shore, till you have advanced far into the 
 realm of the sea; and so you will attain the rock, which 
 you will behold lying at a great distance from the land, 
 tall, steep, and sombre, like a tower abandoned by men 
 and tenanted by spirits. But good spirits only dwell 
 thereon ; for the summit is hallowed by the statue of St. 
 Sebastian." 
 
 " Sebastian !" exclaimed Arnald, exultingly. " Oh, the 
 fair, the auspicious sign !" 
 
 " Nay, but the saint is something strange to look 
 upon, in his antique image," interposed the shepherd, 
 warniugly. " His weather-worn features, all rusted, 
 discoloured, and faded with the violence of winds and 
 waves, look down upon one in dark solemnity ; while 
 brazen spears and darts protrude right terribly, from the 
 stone figure, in memory of that death which the blessed 
 knignt endured, at the hands of heathens. The pilgrims 
 — mat is to say, those who have returned successful — 
 •yit with each other in striving to portray the sensation 
 
264 MINSTiREl lOVE. 
 
 of awe wMch overpowered them when ttiey beheld the 
 miifnty appearance." 
 
 " But do thou only remember, Amald," said Misura, 
 •'that thy beloved Balta chose Sebastian for his patron- 
 saint ; and that be himself now bears the name of Se- 
 bastian." 
 
 Amald nodded his head with a warm expression of 
 agreement, and entreated the old man to continue his di- 
 rections, professing that at every word, he felt more and 
 more strongly impelled towards the enterprise. 
 
 " Even at ebb-tide you cannot pass thither with dry 
 feet," said the shepherd. "You must wade through waves 
 waist-high at the very least; waves which gargle and 
 splash, and toss around you with such wondrous rapidity, 
 that in good sooth you must have a steady brain to keep 
 exactly the right road to the rock, ajid not at last to feel 
 doubtful whether you are advancing or retreating — whe- 
 ther you are still standing erect, or already bending over 
 the mirror of the waters with waving, reeling, and oblique 
 movement." 
 
 Arnald pressed his hand against his weary brow, l&e 
 one dizzy. 
 
 " What boots it," cried Misura, somewhat angrily, 
 " that you should disturb and overpower my friend before- 
 hand with your marvellous descriptions ? If, indeed, there 
 were any hope of deterring him from the adventure to- 
 day, I would gladly do that myself; but I certify you the 
 attempt is useless. Therefore leave him quietly in pos- 
 session of such strength as fatigue has spared to him, and 
 proceed quickly with your tale ; only omit not the mention 
 of all possible precautions." 
 
 " There are none," sighed the old man, " save that 
 when he reaches the rock he must climb it at once, and 
 without deliberation, wherever it is practicable ; for there 
 is neither path nor stair. Take heed also that thou look 
 not back upon the sea, and keep fhy faith in God sted- 
 fest within thy heart, and His holy name upon thy lips. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 265 
 
 But methinks, gentle pilgrim, thou needest not this last 
 suggestion ; for thine own heart would have recommended 
 to thee such an observance." 
 
 Herewith he grasped Arnald's hand with warmth ; and 
 gazed, fixedly and with emotion, into his eyes. 
 
 " God will help I" added he. "Thou wilt hardly re- 
 turn from the rock before morning dawn ; for t'ne flood- 
 tide will commence ere thou hast completed thine orisons 
 — nay, most probably, before thou hast reached the sum- 
 mit. Prepare thy spirit, therefore, for a dark, stormy, 
 and solitary night." 
 
 " Fear me not," replied Amald. " There lives within 
 me no such memory as can ever rob me altogether of joy 
 and comfort. And over all, and within us aU, abides the 
 light of God's omnipresent love ; and my weary limbs will 
 rest upon the resting-place of the holy Sebastian." 
 
 "Yet one thing more," said the shepherd. "There 
 dwell near the shore, amid the ruins of a Roman temple, 
 two strange and mysterious persons. These are wont to 
 cast all kinds of obstacles and mockeries in the way of 
 pilgrims. Hold no communion with them." 
 
 With these words he left the chamber, in order to 
 provide for his little flock for the rest of the day ; for he 
 purposed serving the pilgrims as a guide, as far as the 
 heathen temple whereof he had spoken. 
 
 When the two friends were alone, Arnald said, with con- 
 siderable solemnity, " It was right noble in thee, Misura 
 that thou didst not for a moment doubt that I would ful- 
 fil that which I had once spoken, if only soul and body 
 parted not in the attempt. And therefore, thou strong 
 and faithful heart, I will confide to thee yet one thino' 
 
266 minsthel love. 
 
 more, -which, on the eve of this enterprise, I would confide 
 to no other mortal — scarcely even to Alearda. 
 
 " Thou must have marked but now, how strangely the 
 shepherd's description of the dizzying floods affected me : 
 dear friend, among all those men who are capable of look- 
 ing calmly into the eyes of death, there is probably not 
 one so subject to dizziness of brain as myself. It may 
 perhaps be a result of that divine gift, which baa been so 
 abundantly vouchsafed to me, and which we are wont 
 to call fancy. Even now, methinks I see myself plung- 
 ing downwards, with frantic impulse, to the irrecoverable 
 depths ; ay, there are fearful voices within me, ci-ying, 
 ' Down ! Down with thee for ever! Thy struggle profits 
 thee nothing ; and one plunge will set thee free from thy 
 torments.' " 
 
 He stopped, shuddering. A few heavy tears dropped 
 from the full eyes of Misura. 
 
 "Wherefore should it move thee so deeply?" resumed' 
 Arnald, with his wonted kindly smile ; " I am not yet 
 lost. Only, in case such should be my fate, oh, my faith- 
 ful Misura, the dark prophecy of the castle-spectre must 
 still be conquered, and Berta must be rescued, and the 
 tears of Alearda must be dried ! Say I not rightly, good 
 comrade : thou wilt gird thyself to the task, and accom- 
 plish that enterprise, the fall achievement of whicli was- 
 denied to thine Arnald's earnest will 1" 
 
 " I will instantly prepare myself for the attempt,'' 
 returned Misura. " To-morrow, at early dawn, I will set 
 forth." 
 
 "Nay," cried Arnald, smiling, "thou art over-hasty 
 with thy comfort." 
 
 " Thou livest yet, my gentlest friend," answered Mi- 
 sura ; " ay, truly, thou livest yet. But, see I not how 
 that placid smile plays upon thy wan cheeks, only like the 
 parting gleam of life ? Fare thoe well ! Fare thee well ! 
 Thou fiilfillest thy vow, thou diest in a holy work ; but 
 we must needs part." 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 237 
 
 Amald remained long without speaking. " Thou may- 
 est be right," said he at last ; " and [ am ready for thu 
 end — nay, it sometimes seems to me as though the deep, 
 dark wings of death overshadowed me, very distinctly, 
 very near, very sure of their prey. But God can avert 
 or soften even this. And hast thou less confidence in me 
 than our good host ? He truly thought he could see in 
 my face that I should pray, vrith gladness and with power ; 
 and therein he hoped much." 
 
 " I know that Heaven is ever the highest good," said 
 Misura ; " nevertheless, humanly speaking, my heart is 
 very heavy for thee." 
 
 The door was slowly opened, and the shepherd entered 
 with a grave aspect, saying, "The commencement of the 
 ebb-tide is at hand." Arnald took his hat and staff. 
 
 " May I not go with thee as far as the shore V asked 
 Misura. 
 
 " Heaven will perchance direct thee thither to-mor- 
 row," replied Amald, in a low voice. "For to-day I 
 must needs be quite alone." 
 
 Silently but strongly the two friends pressed each 
 other's hands, and parted. 
 
 (Si>afUt !Rtn<|^. 
 
 In the midst of a dark thicket of pines, many tall columns 
 became visible, interspersed with shattered walls. Beyond 
 them, the sea might be seen ; and the space between was 
 a waste of low and level sandhills. 
 
 "There dwell the hateful strangers,'' said the shep- 
 herd, pointing to the ruins ; " and yonder is the way to 
 the rock of thy vow. God and St. Sebastian protect thee, 
 my beloved pilgrim !" 
 
 With these words he warmly saluted the troubadour, 
 and returned on his way, slowly, and in manifest dejection. 
 
268 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 When Arnald had advanced a few paces he beheld the 
 rock. Tall, and marvellous to look upon, the solitary 
 figure of the saint gazed from the naked cliff into the damp 
 air, which grew darker and darker every moment with 
 gathering storm-clouds. The immeasurable sea washed 
 around tbe desolate crag, with plaining and melancholy 
 sounds ; it seemed one vast and ever-yawning grave, over- 
 hung with undulating veils of mourning. 
 
 "Lord, Thy will be done," said Arnald, kneeling in 
 silent prayer. He then arose rejoicing, and went forward 
 in a spirit of eomplete resignation, with lightened con- 
 science, and with fresh vigour both in heart and limbs. 
 When he was close upon the edge of the water he heard 
 the voice of singing behind him, loud and wild. Ill pleased 
 with the disturbance, he turned to ascertain whence it 
 arose. Then there came from the depths of the pine-grove, 
 a shape in wide and waving garments, which beckoned to 
 him with its hand, singing at the same time the following 
 words in the Provenjal tongue : — 
 
 Where lies, where lies the stone of the wise ? 
 Not in the depths of the sea it lies. 
 Why shouldst thou rove o'er the spreading tides ? 
 On thine own threshold the spell abides : 
 Thy home contains that secret light, 
 Nameless, and glorious, and full of might. 
 Crescentius speaks, Crescentius ! 
 
 Answer me, what is human life ? 
 Seeking and losing, hope and strife. 
 Leave thou its troubles, and scorn its bliss, 
 A noble task thy calling is : 
 It is thine in the stillness of night to look 
 On secrets and spells in the buried book. 
 Arnold of Brescia speaketh ! 
 
 Seek not thy gift in the breeze of spring ; 
 Seek it not from a Kving thing : 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 269 
 
 Afar, in the cleft of a gloomy cave, 
 A Moorish hero lies in his grave. 
 He found it: — ere the spell he spoke 
 His heart, too daring, heaved and hroke. 
 'Tis Abdnl speaks ! 'Tis Hamet ! 
 
 Sack, then, back from the fruitless shore ; 
 Enter, oh, enter our temple-door ! 
 Learning and strength will we there impart; 
 Comfort, and guidance, and cheer of heart ; 
 The gnomes shall make to thy charmed sight 
 The earth all green, and the skies all bright. 
 Now guess who speaks ! Now guess who speaks ! 
 
 " I beKeve that I have heard thy voice before ; but I 
 have now nobler thoughts in my heart than consist with 
 inquiry into such a matter." Thus saying, Arnald strode 
 onwards without looking behind him, and continued to 
 advance farther and farther into the depths, as the ebb- 
 ing sea retreated, leaving a wider and a wider space of 
 ground, hitherto untrodden. The troubling song arose 
 anew, but was interrupted by a distant and very plaintive 
 cry: 
 
 " Ultramonte !" said a voice from the walls of the tem- 
 ple — " Ultramonte, come, shew me fresh images, or I shall 
 become distracted !" And, with a muttered expression of 
 annoyance, the pursuer paused, and then hastened back 
 to his fearful abode. 
 
 Arnald now knew well what foe had been upon his 
 traces ; but he averted his thoughts from the subject, and 
 fixed them exclusively upon God, and afterwards upon the 
 ladye, and the holy enterprise towards the completion of 
 which he was now taking the first steps, all glorified by 
 the light of God. It seemed truly as though the tumult of 
 the waters had become obedient to him; for as he advanced, 
 they continued to retreat further and farther, with a low 
 sullen, yet timid murmur. But the things which were left 
 upon the earth, now divested of its watery veil — impotent 
 
270 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 sea-beasts of hideous form, and odious fishes, and the poly- 
 pus-like excrescences which grew thereon, stretching forth 
 their long and spiteful arms to grasp each other — at the 
 sight of all these the breast of Arnald was penetrated by 
 wild, spectral, and ever-deepening forebodings of death. 
 Verily there is not in the world one true poet, whose voca- 
 tion is to his art, who feels not a cold and chilly shuddering 
 when he beholds such creatures : only be it understood 
 that he must face them fearlessly if duty and goodwill re- 
 quire it ; and thus was it with our Arnald. Already the 
 first ripples of the now stationary billows had wetted his 
 feet ; already had he stepped into the green and gleaming 
 depths, and higher and higher did the irregular and undu- 
 lating torrents foam upwards around the wanderer. The 
 rock before him seemed to partake of the motion of the 
 waves ; and it seemed to him as though he himself were 
 driven powerlessly to and fro — now sideways, now back- 
 wards, and anon almost past the goal which he was striv- 
 ing to reach. The marvellous descriptions of the shepherd 
 returned upon his memory ; he well-nigh lost his foot- 
 ing upon the slippery, uneven, and invisible ground ; the 
 waves had well-nigh lifted him from the earth, and 
 dashed him forth into the boundless depths ; but he cried 
 earnestly to God and His saints, and then was he able 
 to utter in his heart the name of Alearda. Immediately 
 ho found himself beneath the rock, and, grasping firmly 
 one of its craggy projections, he swung himself out of 
 the tumultuous sea, and, breathing deeply, rested his 
 weary limbs. 
 
 Bare, steep, and wild, the cliff arose above him ; the 
 figure of St. Sebastian was hidden from his eyes by the 
 overhanging rock. In fearful solitude the pilgrim stood 
 between sea and land : he felt that it was no moment for 
 hesitation, and, exerting his utmost strength, he began his 
 pathless ascent. Often he felt as though his scarcely- 
 planted foot would glide from its resting-place — as though 
 his iveary hand must needs loosen its grasp. The loud 
 
MINSTKEL lOVE. 271 
 
 ■billows rushed and roared beneath him; the wind whistled 
 through the interstices of the clifF with a hollow and howl- 
 ing sound ; his pilgrim's hat fell from his brow — the storm 
 whirled it around two or three times in rapid circles, and 
 then carried it down into the abyss ; before long the staff 
 rolled downwards also — Amald could hear it striking 
 against the rocks as it fell. He would now have given 
 himself up for lost but that his prayers endued him with 
 fresh vigour, and at every free moment the form of Aleaida 
 ■was present to his spirit. Thus, as an impetuous and en- 
 thusiastic warrior scales the wall of a castle, Amald, his 
 heart glowing with inspiration, struggled upwards to the 
 summit of the rock. God had been with him. The pil- 
 grim stood upon the height before the statue of St. Sebas- 
 tian. Half actuated by devotion, half overcome by fatigue, 
 he fell silently on his knees. Long did he remain in this 
 posture ; his brain full of strange and thick-coming fanta- 
 sies, and overshadowed by that unconscious dreaminess 
 which springs from the exhaustion of the body. But he 
 felt unspeakably happy : Berta was delivered ; Alearda 
 wept no more. 
 
 At length the tumult of the sea, ever increasing in 
 wildness, awakened him to a full perception of external 
 -things. The flood rushed boiling onwards, impelled by 
 the roaring blast, and rode victoriously over the distant 
 sands, while the colossal waves lifted their tall white heads 
 and foamed against the cliff on every side. The darkness 
 of evening dropped heavily upon the horizon ; before long 
 the shores of Bretagne were no more discernible. Strange 
 to look upon was the rock-hewn shape of St. Sebastian, 
 all bristling with darts, and canopied by the opaque rain- 
 clouds. 
 
 But Amald was sensible of none of that horror which 
 was wont to trouble other pilgrims, at the aspect of the 
 saint : on the contrary, the words of the song to which he 
 BOW gave vent were poured forth by a strong and joyful 
 spirit. 
 
272 MINSTREL lOVE. 
 
 Mid sombre shades of evening dim, 
 
 Upon the rock, so lone, so drear. 
 Scorning weak frame and sinking limb. 
 
 My heart grows bright and bold of cheer ; 
 Out of the depths of stormy night 
 
 My hope, looks up with cloudlesa eyes, 
 And to the one true deathless Light 
 
 Its. joyful pinions swiftly rise. 
 Thanks to the seraph-shape that beamed 
 
 Benign upon my darkened breast — 
 Lo ! for her service worthy deemed, 
 
 My grateful heart abides in rest ! 
 
 Have we not read of heavenly love ? 
 
 Have we not read of angel-forms , 
 Who beckoned to the bliss above, 
 
 And shed their light through earthly storms ? 
 Still does our God vouchsafe to share 
 
 His glory with His creatures here ; 
 Still do His heralds, pure and fair. 
 
 Shed blessings on our earthly sphere ! 
 And such a grace to me was given, 
 
 And such a bliss with me remains — 
 Rage, floods, and pour thy torrents, heaven ; 
 
 Ye can but swell my thankful strains. 
 
 For holy eyes, like stars of eve, 
 
 Their poet's blameless love did light ; 
 And thus my wreath of song I weave. 
 
 Joyous, amid the gloom of night. 
 Therein calm strength and beauty soft 
 
 By my deep spirit blended are. 
 Till it may dare to rise aloft, 
 
 And join the stars, itself a star. 
 Then, dropping from the heavens above. 
 
 As sunny founts may drop and roll. 
 The gradual stream of sinless love 
 
 Shall fill lie happy minstrel's soul.' 
 
 1 The, confusion of metaphor iu the original stanza is. ^uite inextricahle. 
 This is, indeed, Fouqufi's great and frequent fault, and it is very embarrass- 
 ing to a translator. 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 273 
 
 Then do not chide my sparkling songs, 
 
 Nor deem too bold their daring aim ; 
 Not unto me my work belongs — 
 
 Thine, Lord, the deed, and Thine the feme ! 
 Oh, suffer me to sing Thy praise. 
 
 And hers. Thy herald half divine : 
 Mighty and wondrous are Thy ways, 
 
 And earth and heaven alike are Thine. 
 Lo ! upon me, weU-pleased the while, 
 
 By darkening storms assailed in vain, 
 The marble saint with favouring snule 
 
 Looks down, and listens to my strain. 
 
 Hark, how the thundering waves are flowing ! 
 
 See, how the darkness spreads her wings ! 
 JSee how, in fury ever growing, 
 
 His giant limbs the Ocean swings. 
 Spectres are sweeping through the air ! 
 
 But at my ladye's casement now 
 Sweet peace keeps watch, and weaveth there 
 
 A fadeless chaplet for her brow. 
 Then let the gathering tempest burst. 
 
 And let the scourged bUlows chafe ; 
 "Winds, waves, and lightnings, do your worst— 
 
 I scorn ye all, for she is safe ! 
 
 Yet even this rock, so lone, so dreary, 
 
 Do seraphs' shadowy wings invest ; 
 And even for me — the weak, the weary^ 
 
 They shed soft drops of balmy rest ; 
 With storms above and depths below, 
 
 I court calm slumber fearlessly ; 
 Ay, even with Joy, for weE I know 
 
 What radiant dreams shall visit me : 
 Their floating forms I now behold — 
 
 Even now on their soft wings I rise, 
 O'ershadowed by their nets of gold, 
 
 TJp to the wide and crystal skies I 
 
■27* MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 The hope which Arnald thus expressed was speedily ful- 
 filled. Scarcely was he cradled in the arms of a gentle 
 slumber, when the world of dreams opened to him, in its 
 most radiant splendour. 
 
 He seemed to stand upon one of the towers of Castle 
 Maraviglia; but the whole edifice was sparkling and beam- 
 ing with unspeakable magnificence, like a fairy palace. 
 Moreover, the walls were transi^arent, and every cham- 
 ber within was tenanted by fair and stately dames, and 
 knights of gallant and princely presence. Arnald knew 
 that these were his ancestors. In the gardens, those of his 
 race who had died during childhood were disporting them- 
 selves ; they wore the shapes of cherubs, and were play- 
 fully pelting each other with blossoms, which, as they 
 passed through the air, were transformed into beautiful 
 butterflies, which entwined themselves in fluttering wreatlis 
 above the heads of the little ones. Heroes who had been 
 slain in youth were pacing through the halls, all glitter- 
 ing in golden armour, and inlaying upon lutes of gold, or 
 wandering through the shady avenues, with maidens of 
 wondrous beauty, who had early fallen into their graves, 
 or dancing with them upon carpets of blossoming grass. 
 In the riding-court, Arnald's great grandsire was exer- 
 cising the noble steed which had borne him in his last 
 battle : around him were numerous youthful knights, his 
 pupils, exulting in him, and taking pleasure in each other's 
 skill. But in the balcony of the castle, adorned with a 
 radiant crown, and wearing above his gleaming knightly 
 mail a troubadour's mantle embroidered in silver, sat 
 the great minstrel -king, playing upon his harp. The 
 tones issued forth like rays, passing through gardens, 
 courts, and chambers ; and the ladies wove them into their 
 elaborate tapestries, or spun them upon their distaffs, as 
 delicate threads of gold; the knights polished their swords 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 275 
 
 against them with a harmonious sound ; the youths and 
 damsels linked them into slender nets, and caught each 
 other therewith, in merry sport ; the boys rode thereon, 
 as if upon bright mimic horses ; the little maidens planted 
 them in the earth, as the stems of golden, flowers. 
 
 " Surely this must be the region of heaven," thought 
 Arnald ; " nevertheless, in good sooth, it is also Castle 
 Maraviglia." 
 
 Meantime, the turret whereon he stood began to arise 
 into the air ; it seemed as though it rested upon bright 
 and melodious arches, which were ever widening and 
 deepening their curve, with sweet, strange, and wistful 
 harmonies. "These also are the tones of the minstrel- 
 king," thought Arnald, as he felt himself approaching the 
 starry heavens ; for he now first perceived that it was 
 night, and that the radiance which he beheld emanated 
 from Castle Maraviglia. 
 
 Suddenly, the constellation Alearda sparkled upon him, 
 startling him by its nearness and its brilliance. Reve- 
 rently he cast his dazzled eyes upon the earth, and beheld 
 the interior of Castle Bisiers. 
 
 There sat Alearda in her bright and flowery chamber, 
 reading one of those books which Arnald had composed 
 and written for her. The little Berta was playing beside 
 her mother, merrily, yet after the manner of a discreet 
 and well-trained maiden ; and Arnald greatly desired to 
 bestow on her some of those bright playthings, wherewith 
 the children of Castle Maraviglia diverted themselves. 
 Then the child arose, caressingly approached her mother, 
 and said : " Ah, let me see pictures ! No toy is so beau- 
 tiful as a picture ! And read me somewhat out of the 
 heroic legends of the good Arnald '." 
 
 And with thoughtful seriousness Alearda complied with 
 the child's entreaty; and while she was reading, the vi- 
 comte entered, and inquired the meaning of the cloud of 
 melancholy which lay as a veil upon the gentle counte- 
 nance of the ladye. 
 
 T 
 
276 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Then ehe answered, "I was reading the poems of the 
 blessed Arnald of Maraviglia, and musing upon all his 
 faith and piety." 
 
 " He was a true and gallant knight," said the vicomte. 
 " Sorely miss I such a companion in the path of honour." 
 
 " God be praised that it is so," said a mild and familiar 
 voice close beside Arnald ; " I am content with the course 
 of thy life!" 
 
 It was the beloved Walter who spoke ; and the dream 
 died away from the excess of its heavenly bliss. 
 
 Morning was clear and bright upon the waters ; the 
 stony face of St. Sebastian seemed to smile in the reflec- 
 tion of the young sun ; the ebb-tide was advancing fast to- 
 wards its victory, and leaving a passage to the shore more 
 and more free at every moment ; while the song of the 
 land-birds was audible, as they rose in joyous circles to- 
 wards the blue skies, and the shepherds drew mirthful 
 music from their pipes, as they drove forth their ilocks 
 over the budding grass. Never had Arnald awakened to 
 a scene more beautiful and more blissful. He kneeled 
 once more upon the summit of the rock, to thank the Lord 
 of Hosts, and to praise the good knightf Sebastian for his 
 conquest of the preceding day — for his enchanting dreams 
 of the past night. Then, full of a gaiety pure as that of 
 angels, he set forth upon his homeward way. 
 
 At first the depths caused him to feel somewhat dizzy, 
 as he looked down upon them from the precipitous cliff. 
 But to a man who has been so greatly guerdoned with suc- 
 cess as our friend, it may well seem that success is his 
 irrevocable portion during his whole life ; and thus Arnald 
 
 ^ Sic in orig. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 277 
 
 •climbed downwards amid the projections of the rook, now 
 rough, now slippery, swift and sure of foot as a chamois. 
 The blithe breezes of morning played freshly upon his 
 brow; the beams of the young and radiant sun shone 
 around him like a glory. It almost seemed as though that 
 rock were one of the golden towers of Castle Maraviglia, 
 illumined by the celestial radiance which had imparted 
 such.splendour to his dreams. 
 
 But when the pilgrim sprang from the lowest ledge 
 of rock, and alighted upon the ground of the sea, thinly 
 covered by gentle ripples, a sudden shooting pang passed 
 through all his limbs, and a band of iron seemed bound 
 about his breast, while within was burning pain like that 
 of a wound. Never had he so felt before. The frost of 
 fever, creeping to his heart, seemed to say, "This is 
 Death, or at least his near and certain harbinger." But 
 how should such things trouble Arnald? The tears of 
 Alearda were dried, the tender rosebud Berta was bloom- 
 ing once more, the vicomte would never forget his honour- 
 able comrade in arms — ^with fresh and cheerful spiiit the 
 minstrel completed his way to the shore. There lay his 
 pilgrim's staff, which had been thrown on shore by the 
 floods of yesterday, and left there by the morning's ebb. 
 Arnald eagerly grasped it, esteeming this pre-eminent 
 among many omens of good. 
 
 He had already entered the path to the hut of the 
 kindly shepherd, vividly picturing to himself the joy of 
 Misura, at meeting the friend whom he supposed to be 
 lost, but who returned victorious, when suddenly a figure 
 darted out of the thicket of pines which enveloped the 
 Roman temple, shouting wildly — nay, well-nigh roaring — 
 and waving in its right hand a broad and naked scimitar. 
 Arnald stood still, as was his wont when menaced by 
 danger. 
 
 " Tagliaduro ! Tagliaduro !" shouted the maniac, with 
 furious countenance and thundering voice, directing a fierce 
 stroke at Arnald. The latter, willing to spare, warded 
 
278 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 off the blows with his pilgrim's staff; but after a while^ 
 when the impetuosity of the stranger caused the peril to 
 increase, the inherited wrath of a Maraviglia awoke in the 
 troubadour, and by a single mighty stroke on the breast 
 he felled his assailant to the earth. 
 
 Beside the fallen man there now kneeled an aged 
 personage in long garments, carefully chafing his temples 
 ■with costly and odorous salves. 
 
 " Did yonder madman hold me for a Marchese of 
 Tagliaduro?" demanded Arnald. " He shouted forth that 
 name as he attacked me." 
 
 "This," replied the other, still busily engaged with 
 his patient — "this is himself the unhappy Kinaldo of 
 Tagliaduro ; and after the manner of knights, he shouted 
 the name of his race as he charged his opponent." 
 
 "What! is it he, the poor misguided one?" said Ar- 
 nald, stooping thoughtfully over him. But suddenly look- 
 ing into the face of the assistant, he exclaimed, "And 
 you are the wonder-working master, Ultramonte 1" 
 
 "Thou mightest have learned as much yesterday," 
 answered the person addressed, " only that, like an irra- 
 tional creature, thou didst rush into the sea, where, with 
 thy wrestling, and climbing, and praying, thou hast per- 
 chance won thy death, unless, indeed, I save thee by 
 mine art." 
 
 " I hope not to need it," said Arnald. " But, even in 
 the last extremity, I would reject such dark, unholy aid." 
 
 Ultramonte shook his head with a bitter smile, and 
 continued in silence his attendance upon Kinaldo, who 
 at length unclosed his eyes, arose slowly from the earth, 
 and stood before Arnald, pale and thoughtful. His face, 
 like some shattered ruin, retained the most affecting ves- 
 tiges of its former nobleness. After a while he spoke, 
 gracefully inclining his head. 
 
 " Pardon my wild assault, gentle pilgrim. The fault 
 lies wholly with my wise friend here. Understand me : 
 an angel-shape has descended from heaven, and, alas I 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 279 
 
 it has alighted within my soul. I know not what it 
 should seek there, for truly the house is far too dark and 
 narrow for a guest so glorious. But it dwells there still, 
 thou mayest believe me. Look, it abides here," and he 
 touched his forehead between the eyes — "just here, in the 
 seat of the power of vision. And there I am ever con- 
 strained to contemplate it, till the gloomy closet, which 
 they call my soul, begins in that dazzling light to whirl 
 and wheel giddily around. Ultramonte says it is like 
 the course of the moon ; but my soul is no cloudless and 
 peaceful moon. Rather does it resemble a fiery comet — " 
 
 The burning glow of passion once more kindled upon 
 his cheeks. But controlling himself in a moment, he 
 added, with a melancholy smile, " Thus was it with me 
 when I attacked you. Had but Ultramonte been at hand 
 with his pictures! For it is his office to shew me pic- 
 tures, unknown, wondrous, and glimmering forms, which 
 dance to and fro along the walls of our temple-dwelling, 
 and sing, as they move, beauteous strains in the ancient 
 and long-past language of the Greeks. They possess, more- 
 over, names of goodly sound. One is called Pallas Athene, 
 and she chiefly resembles the angel-form in my soul. But 
 she attains not to its glory — ah no, not by a far distance ! 
 But we speak not of this. And when I gaze on these 
 pictures, fair sir, the figure which I bear within me seems 
 to melt and pass away ; and then, for the moment, I seem 
 to myself proud, and powerful, and joyous — " 
 
 " Devilish illusions !" cried Amald, angrily turning to 
 Ultramonte. " Thus wilt thou never heal him ; thus wilt 
 thou destroy him now and for ever !" 
 
 " If thou couldst but see our pictures, our goodly pic- 
 tures," murmured Tagliaduro, " thou wouldst then think 
 difierently." 
 
 " Well spoken, my poor son !" added Ultramonte. 
 " And he shall see them, the audacious stranger, the 
 itruant disciple — he shall see them \" 
 
 "Shall?" repeated Amald, proudly erecting his 
 
280 
 
 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 figure. " A Maraviglia endures such a word only from 
 uis God, his ladye, or his liege lord '." 
 
 " Combat to the death with us both at once, thou 
 exhausted fool !" cried Ultramonte, white with rage, " or 
 receive our hospitable entertainment yonder in the tem- 
 ple ! Choose !" 
 
 " I will fight you both at once to the death," replied 
 Amald, cooUy. " The choice is not diflScult.'' 
 
 And herewith he elevated his staff as a club, and stood 
 still, in a ready and warlike attitude. The dagger of 
 Alearda stiU gleamed beneath his mantle, reserved for 
 the last extremity. Einaldo once more lifted his flashing 
 scimitar. Ultramonte drew forth from his long garments 
 a formidable scythe, which looked like the instrument 
 of sure and speedy death. The combat began. It would 
 have required all the force of an untired and vigorous arm 
 to withstand victoriously these two opponents. Amald, 
 utterly worn out and enfeebled, was indeed able to ward 
 off several terrible wounds ; nevertheless, the hour of Ms 
 fall and of his death drew near, very near. 
 
 Suddenly the combatants were interrupted by a loud 
 and indignant shout, like a thunderclap. It was followed 
 by simdry blows which fell crashing on the heads of 
 Ultramonte and Tagliaduro, till both began to totter, and 
 in a moment Misura — for he was the terrible umpire of 
 the fray — had stretched Rinaldo upon the earth. He 
 then lifted the helplessly-struggling Ultramonte on his 
 shoulders, and ran with him towards the sea-shore, cry- 
 ing, " I will drown the reptile ! I wiU drown the reptile !" 
 He half sang, half spoke the words, in marvellous fury. 
 
 Then said the troubadour with much earnestness, 
 "Halt!" and Misura paused and looked on him, shaking 
 his head. 
 
 " I know thou wilt not suffer me to do strict justice," 
 said he. " But are not, then, the lives of these assassins and 
 wizards forfeit to us? and shall we not confer a blessing 
 to. the neighbourhood, by drovming the vermin where the 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 281 
 
 sea is deepest ? Wait only till I have carried this one to 
 the shore ; he is still restive. Then will I return, and make 
 an end of the other."" 
 
 "Tome it will be a service! a true service of love!" 
 thus murmured the fallen Rinaldo. 
 
 But for the second time the minstrel cried "Halt!" 
 And words of Christian love and faith, even towards our 
 enemies, dropped like honey-dew from his lips. " Has not 
 God," he concluded — "has not God, then, been over- 
 gracious to me, His poor sinful creature? And to thee 
 also Misura ? for well do I know how dearly thou lovest 
 me. And is it for us to judge and to condemn in an hour 
 like this V 
 
 Then Misura suffered the dark-browed Ultramonte to 
 slide from his shoulders, and running to Arnald, laid his 
 head upon his breast, and wept softly and noiselessly, 
 like a repentant child. After a while, lifting up his face, 
 he said : " Let them live, then, for I also am a poor sinful 
 worm before God ! Well was it, however, that I had just 
 determined to complete the pilgrimage for thee ; our old 
 shepherd and I held thee for dead ; and in this one night 
 I have wept far more than in all the rest of my life, not 
 excluding my years of childhood ; and had I not arrived 
 in time, I should have found cause to double my tears, 
 or rather to change them into bloody vengeance, my 
 Arnald, O my dearest and most beloved Arnald '." 
 
 Meanwhile the two enemies had arisen, pale and 
 streaming with blood. 
 
 " Ye would have constrained me but now to visit your 
 heathen temple," said Arnald, addressing them. "A 
 Maraviglia never suffers constraint ; but, likewise, he 
 never knows fear — under God's good guidance. After 
 to-morrow, when I have somewhat reposed myself, thou 
 mayest seek me, Rinaldo, yonder in the little shepherd- 
 hut upon the meadow. Whether it will ever be for you 
 to visit me in any place, Ultramonte, your own dealings 
 must decide." 
 
282 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 At these words Misura shook his head with a doubtfu. 
 and meditative air. At last he said, " That which a Ma- 
 ravigha hath spoken, he will surely do. But that which 
 Messire Misura speaks, he also will do. And-hereby I 
 swear, thit I will not depart a hand's breadth from Ar- 
 nald's side, as long as he abides within the precincts of 
 your grove of darkness and witchery." 
 
 Silently, but with gestures of submission, the two mis- 
 guided men turned away. Arnald, very pale, but with a 
 tranquil smile upon his lips, re-entered the hospitable hut, 
 leaning on the arm of his faithful Misura. 
 
 Two days afterwards Arnald sate upon the shore, not far 
 from the hut. It was the refreshing hour of dawn ; a soft 
 breeze played around him, like a prophecy of spring ; be 
 fore him lay the sea, all glittering beneath the rising sun 
 beams. He touched his lute and sang ; 
 
 Cradle thee, my spirit ! 
 
 O my gladsome spirit, cradle thee ! 
 
 On the billows dancing, 
 
 On the sunbeams glancing, 
 Pour forth psalms of joyous minstrelsy ! 
 
 From the Lord, my spirit, 
 
 O my joyous spiiit, from the Lord, 
 
 Glory, as of heaven, 
 
 To thy life was given ; 
 Victory with lyre, and staif, and sword ! 
 
 By the Lord, my spirit, 
 
 O my cloudless spirit, by thy God, 
 Out of realms elysian 
 Came an angel-vision, 
 Lighting gently on earth's barren sod 
 
MINSTEEL LOVE. 283 
 
 Now for her, my spirit, 
 ; O my tranquil spirit, many a wreatli 
 
 TIiou mayest weave, entwining 
 Lyre and falchion shining, 
 Soon — 
 
 A sudden shooting pang convulsed his feeble breast. 
 He was obliged to desist from singing ; and, with a smile 
 •bf strange cheerfulness upon his lips, he looked upon the 
 earth before him, faintly shadowed with the first green- 
 ness of spring, and drew breath, deeply, and with difficulty. 
 
 Then Rinaldo came forth from behind a projection of 
 the rock, pale and weeping, and said: "If thou canst, I 
 pray thee, for God's sake, sing on to the end that strain 
 of consolation and healing. My bewildered soul thirsts 
 after it." 
 
 And Arnald, his strength being renewed, bent his head 
 with an expression of kindness, and sang on — thus closing 
 the interrupted stanza : 
 
 Soon for her thou mayst lie down in death. 
 
 Then, oh then, my spirit, 
 
 O my blessed spirit, watenest thou, 
 
 Clothed in angel whiteness. 
 
 Watching in thy brightness 
 
 This her angel-walk on earth below ! 
 
 " I might have been as happy as thou art !" sighed 
 Rinaldo, as, covering his face, he sank on the earth at 
 Amald's feet. " But the anguish raged within me so 
 wildly, and I found myself by this wild sea, and in Ultra- 
 monte's picture-realm." 
 
 " Ultramonte's picture-realm !" interrupted Arnald. 
 " That truly may be very wild ; but this sea is so but 
 ■seldom. Seest thou not how the kindly sun mirrors him- 
 self therein, and the spring breathes so deliciously over its 
 ■waters ?" 
 
 "For thee — for thee, thou pure heart!" said Rinaldo. 
 
284 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 " For me sucli things are past. And if I might give thee 
 friendly counsel, I would say, gaze not at all on the dark 
 marvels of our heathen temple : there is danger in them." 
 
 " I am impelled by no idle curiosity," replied Arnald. 
 " I seek to rescue thee ; and, if it may be, TJltramonte also. 
 Let us go." 
 
 Therewith he arose and began his way; at the same 
 moment the faithful Misura issued from the hut, and 
 walked thoughtfully beside his friend. Kinaldo preceded 
 them by a considerable distance — a gloomy and ominous 
 guide. 
 
 The wild and confused entanglement of the pine-branches 
 spread, even under the brightest noon-day sun, a sombre 
 twilight around that heathen temple, sheltering also, with 
 their dark canopy, many breaches in the ruinous roof. As 
 the strangers entered, there arose among the boughs a 
 rustling sound, loud, but indistinct, discordant, and repul- 
 sive ; which seemed half like scorn, and half like warning. 
 Crouching in a dusky heap, TJltramonte sate in a corner 
 of the vestibule. 
 
 "When he beheld Arnald, he arose, eyed him in de- 
 fiance, and exclaimed, " Here comes the drivelling fool, 
 who gave up his power over all nature for the smile of a 
 woman ; the fool who, in self-sought and pitiful servility, 
 gave himself to the service of a mistress, satisfied if she 
 would perhaps vouchsafe to permit him to die for her !" 
 
 His insolent and disdainful laugh was answered by a 
 ghastly echo from every chamber of the building. 
 
 "It seems thou hast invisible company here," said 
 Arnald ; " but methinks it must consist of miserable slaves, 
 whose chorus attends the laugh of their tyrant, whenever 
 he so pleases. Bid them begone." 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 285 
 
 " That will I not. No houseliolder without his house- 
 hold." 
 
 "Thou wilt not, dark master? Nay, then, thou con- 
 strainest and empowerest me to do my part." 
 
 And he held up Alearda's dagger in his right hand, 
 advancing the hilt, and spoke with a slow and solemn 
 voice : 
 
 " By the figure of this Cross, I adjure thee, thou un- 
 hallowed race that dwellest in these walls, make thyself 
 manifest." 
 
 A strange light shot along the walls, and speedily 
 began to shape itself into the forms of heroes and lovely 
 ladies. Kinaldo stretched out his arms towards them, 
 yearningly; Ultramonte smiled with satisfaction, and 
 whispered, " Continue thus ! Continue ever !" 
 
 Then Arnald, straining to its utmost his exhausted 
 breast, thundered forth in tones which for the moment 
 had resumed their ancient power : 
 
 " Did I so summon ye ? Is this your veritable shape? 
 Ye shall manifest yourselves as ye are. I demand truth ; 
 by this sign, Truth I" 
 
 And, as we sometimes see the clouds of the firmament, 
 which lie peacefully shaping forth to the eye tranquil seas, 
 and gentle slopes of wood, and forms of winged cherubs, 
 suddenly arouse themselves beneath the lash of the whirl- 
 wind, and present the giant shapes of phantom-fiends, 
 and gryphons with hideously-spread wings, even so did it 
 now befall, even such was the change which followed the 
 decree of Arnald. Oh, what horrors became suddenly ap- 
 parent on the walls ; ay, even in the midst of the chambers, 
 dusky and distorted figures wrestling in frantic strife ! 
 
 " I have heard much of your harmony," said Arnald. 
 " I command ye to sing now. But, Truth ! By this sign. 
 Truth!" 
 
 Then there arose within the edifice such ghastly sounds, 
 such yelling, howling, shrieking, and roaring, that Ein- 
 aldo sank in horror upon the earth. Misura retained his 
 
■286 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 wonted composure only by the exertion of all his powers. 
 Ultramonte Tvhined for mercy. 
 
 Arnald standing fast, in the unshaken authority of his 
 faith, now motioned the raging fiends to depart. They 
 vanished; and he, raising the unhappy Tagliaduro from 
 the ground, said, "Now, truly, thou knowest thy beau- 
 teous pictures ! Beware of them in future I" 
 
 There was unbroken silence for a while. But at length 
 Ultramonte arose out of his degradation, and resuming his 
 haughty demeanour, he came close to Rinaldo, and cried 
 ■with a scornful smile, "Dost thou indeed put faith in 
 yonder mountebank, with his brain-bewildering jargon ? 
 At first I own he staggered even me ; but one recovers 
 •speedily from such delusions. Now the whole matter 
 appears to me simply absurd. Those the divinities of 
 Hellas! TAai their temple hymn ! Now, in good sooth, the 
 most fanatical monk on the earth never gave vent to a 
 more extravagant fantasy !" 
 
 " Miserable scoifer !" replied Arnald, calmly ; " such 
 and so narrow is thy comprehension ! The beautiful images 
 whereby, even amid the wildest wanderings of fallen man, 
 deep-thinking sages and rich-hearted poets were able to 
 form dim conceptions of God and nature, and to which 
 they raised immortal strains of praise and hymns of sweet- 
 ness, flowing from consecrated lips, and all shadowing 
 forth the one universal truth — dreamest thou, that over 
 those forms of sunlight and purity thy dark magic has any 
 power? Oh, contemplate them aright; contemplate them 
 in the light of Christianity, and thou must needs pros- 
 trate thyself before God, in heightened reverence and love, 
 recognising even here His marvellous glory, and purity, 
 end mercy. Blessed were the hours wherein my Altarbol 
 was wont to lead me, as it were, into these chambers of 
 the ■wide and universal manifestation of eternal goodness ! 
 But your knowledge is only the refuse and corruption of 
 all this : coarse sensuality in bright and festive garments ; 
 daring blasphemy girt with a sunlike glory; obstinate 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 287 
 
 blindness to death and resurrection, beneatt the light of 
 God ; profane rending in sunder of all the veils which shield 
 the mysteries of nature ; in short, you possess that which 
 the vulgar possessed of these glorious things, and to you 
 they are goblins whom you worship as false gods— they 
 are the demons within your own bosom, and as such they 
 pay you outward homage. Alas, Ultramonte ! thou that 
 wert once a child upon the breast of nature — for well 
 could I see that spirit in thee, when I walked with thee 
 formerly amid the woods, and all things around us were 
 to thee so dear, so familiar, so intelligible, caressing thee, 
 and opening to thee their mysteries with a thousand in- 
 visible tongues ^ whither hast thou been misled? Alas, 
 Ultramonte ! " 
 
 The troubadour paused sorrowfully, and looked with 
 tearful eyes upon the ground. 
 
 Over hill, over vale, 
 
 In joy or in wail, 
 It hath led me apart — it leads me apart; 
 
 It is life, it is heaven. 
 
 By the ancient gods given. 
 To the conquering, ruling, exulting, and glorying heart ! 
 
 Into this wild strain Ultramonte suddenly broke out. He 
 began to dance, with frantic gestures, around the hall ; 
 with high and almost incredible bounds, he rent away the 
 branches of the pine-trees, and with marvellous rapidity 
 wove them into a crovm amid his upward-streaming grey 
 locks. From time to time, it seemed as though he were 
 about to summon his spectres, but he desisted when Ar- 
 nald looked upon him warningly, or lifted up the cross- 
 shaped dagger ; and after a while, he disappeared among 
 the interior chambers of the building, with a sound of 
 angry murmurs. 
 
 Sinking wearily upon Maraviglia's breast, Hinaldo 
 asked — " May I go with thee to the hut upon the shore? 
 Were I to be left here, now that I know the reality of 
 
288 MINSTREL LOVK. 
 
 these liorrors, mine old frenzy would surely come upon 
 me, and utterly overpower me." 
 
 Amald supported Mm, speaking to Mm pleasant and 
 comfortable words, full of gentleness and truth ; and thus 
 the three issued forth into the clear sunlight, and ap- 
 proached the shepherd's hut, while the air above their 
 heads resounded with the song of the lark. 
 
 As the bloom of spring burst forth, the early blossoms of 
 Tidiness, submission, and sinless love began also to awake 
 in the heart of Rinaldo, called into life by the words and 
 lays of Amald. Seldom, however, was the troubadour able 
 to sing; for a deadly pang, which increased day by day, 
 was wont to contract his breast, once so ample and so 
 vigorous. If Ultramonte had lied in many things, in this 
 at least he had spoken truly — the health of Amald was 
 irrecoverably shattered by the toils of his pilgrimage. But 
 the true minstrel-knight — ^miudful of the saying, that "we 
 must work while it is day, for the night cometh when 
 no man can work" — laboured, for this reason, all the 
 more earnestly in the composition of fair lays and goodly 
 legends, but chiefly of consolatory instructions for Bin- 
 aldo, who was scarcely ever absent from his side. His 
 yearning desire to return to Castle Bisiers was checked 
 partly by the feebleness of his health, but more by the 
 obligation under which he believed himself to lie, of not 
 abandoning the unfortunate Tagliaduro, till he had seen 
 him safely established in the path of salvation. 
 
 But one morning there came to the side of Amald's 
 couch a being with joyful and sparkling coimtenance, 
 with bright and transparent eyes, with lips wearing a smile 
 of unspeakable sweetness — it was Binaldo. Thus, as it 
 were transfigured, he stood beside the minstrel, and spoke : 
 
MINSTKBL LOVE. 289 
 
 ^'Methinks it has been made manifest to me what shall 
 hereafter be my vocation in this goodly world. I dare 
 not presume again to enter the presence of Alearda. I 
 will worship its reflection in the brightness of your songs, 
 with quiet and holy reverence. And all the misdeeds of 
 which I have been guilty upon this shore ; the scoffs and 
 opposition wherewith I have encountered the pilgrims; 
 the aid which I have frequently given to Ultramonte, 
 when he conjured up storms to overpower, and, haply, 
 even to slay them (alas, Amald ! even the recent tumult 
 amid the clouds and waves, which placed such terrible 
 impediments in your way, was not the work of nature!) 
 — hearken to me, dear Arnald — for all these sins I hope 
 to make atonement and reparation, in that for the rest of 
 my life I will abide upon the shore as a true and fearless 
 sentinel, expediting the progress of pilgrims to the shrine 
 of St. Sebastian, as far as the extremest exertion of my 
 powers can achieve. Ah, Arnald! — and if then I should 
 gently entreat the pilgrims, when they shall ascend the 
 rock, to remember in their prayers the name of our ladye 
 Alearda — tell me, shall I not by so doing, also do the will 
 of our gracious God 1" 
 
 "Therein wilt thou do the will of our gracious God!" 
 repeated Arnald, warmly embracing him. " Oh, thou 
 valiant and true-hearted Rinaldo ! No friend in the world 
 has so fully and entirely understood me as thyself; and 
 meseems that I leave my otlier and better self, as my 
 victorious substitute on these coasts." 
 
 At this moment, Misura entered the chamber with a 
 very serious countenance : " Gentlemen and dear friends," 
 said he, " arm yourselves with weapons bodily and spi- 
 ritual. The fishermen and peasants are assembling in 
 haste and fear upon the shore ; they dread a new and 
 destructive outbreak of Ultramonte's malignant artifice ; 
 for above his dark abode there hangs the appearance of 
 a heavy, heavy cloud, wherein lurid tongues of flame are 
 shooting and twining like serpents." 
 
290 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Arnald was dressed in a moment ; and with as much 
 speed as the pain of his breast would permit, he hastened 
 with his friends in the direction designated by Misura. 
 
 "God's blessing attend you, valiant pilgrims!" cried 
 the terrified women and children, as they advanced. "God 
 bless you, and aid us in this strait by your courage and 
 piety !" A considerable number of men were standing in 
 various but closely-thronged groups; they did reverence 
 to the friends as they hurried forwards ; but only a few 
 stragglers ventured to follow, and those at a great distance. 
 
 They were now in sight of the temple, the appearance 
 of which corresponded with Misura's description. Deep 
 silence reigned within the walls and throughout the en- 
 tire grove ; the shooting flames darted incessantly up and 
 down, amid the dark and weighty masses of cloud. The 
 three friends stood still. 
 
 "Rinaldo!" said the troubadour, after awhile, "thou 
 knowest these unhallowed marvels by former experience. 
 Is this only a snare to seduce us to our destruction ? or 
 can we, by advancing, do aught for the deUverance of 
 the land, and for our own renown?" 
 
 "Let me first consider," replied Rinaldo ; and he fixed 
 a steady gaze upon the ominous appearances. 
 
 Suddenly, from the midst of the clouds, there arose a 
 tall and upright flame, which ascended towards the skies ; 
 the other flames seemed to gather and form themselves 
 into an inscription of fearful imj)ort, as they circled around 
 it; while that central column of fire appeared gradually 
 shaping itself into the figure of a man, but of an aspect 
 so terrible and so overwhelming, that the three friends 
 covered their faces with their hands, and buried them in 
 their mantles. 
 
 "When they looked up agnin, m. refreshing breeze from 
 the rock of St. Sebastian had dispersed the clouds. Brightly 
 and peacefully the morning sun shone upon the ruined 
 abode of Ultramonte, tinging with fair and golden hues 
 the edges of the dark-green pines and larches. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 291 
 
 " He is dead, and has appeared to me ! " said Kinaldo. 
 " In one of the darkest hours of the past he bound him- 
 self thereto, by an oath of awftd import ! " 
 
 A feeling of deep compassion entered the breasts of all, 
 dispersing the last remnants of wrath and fear. Mourn- 
 fully, but with their spirits free and strong within them, 
 the three friends crossed the iiowery meadow, and entered 
 the precincts of the shunned and terrible iir-grove. 
 
 In the bacicground of the temple-vestibule, upon a pile 
 of dry wood festooned and garlanded with wreaths ol 
 flowers and foliage, lay the soulless body of Ultramonte, 
 surrounded by many strange instruments of magic. It ap- 
 peared that in the hour of death he had sought to con- 
 sume himself to ashes ; for a half-extinguished torch had 
 dropped from his hand upon the paved floor, and a few 
 scattered and powerless flames and sparks were still crack- 
 ling among the branches of the pile, dying out one after 
 another without producing any effect. " The unhappy 
 wanderer had ever a great affection for this heathen mode 
 of sepulture," said Rinaldo. " Sometimes even was he 
 wont to give utterance to the idea, that it might perhaps 
 be with him as with that wondrous bird the phoenix, which 
 soars up to the sky, in second youth and vigour, out of its 
 funereal flames." 
 
 " Oh, marvellous compound of falsehood and truth !" 
 sighed Arnald. "Ah, had he but gazed upon the counte- 
 nance of those Hellenic legends with an honest and vir- 
 tuous heart, doubtless they would have guided him upon 
 the traces of the Saviour, and he might now indeed be as 
 a phoenix, arising to heaven in renewed youth !" 
 
 " And may he not, even now, attain to this asked V 
 Rinaldo, softly ; "if not immediately, yet one day at last, 
 u 
 
292 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 in the eternal light of that never-ceasing mercy which 
 streams upon the souls of men ? Ah, he shewed often 
 bright sparks of goodness ; and I know not how I should 
 endure the thought — ^Ultramonte is condemned I" 
 
 " Therefore, upon earth, God permits thee not this 
 knowledge," said Misura, sternly. " Leave to the Lord 
 the unquestioned exercise of His oiiice as Judge ; and 
 strive only to cling fast by the right, lest thou thyself 
 shouldst fall into that destruction which has, very possibly, 
 overtaken the dark Ultramonte." 
 
 The fear of eternity thrilled through the hearts of all. 
 Silently they sank on their knees besi.de that strange couch 
 of death. 
 
 " Be of better cheer, dear friend," said Araald at last 
 to Rinaldo, who was weeping bitterly. " Look, look yon- 
 der! There is the sign of the cross upon the wall! It 
 must have been hewn in the stone by Ultramonte, even in 
 the agonies of death. See you not how the fingers of his 
 right hand still clutch his terrible sickle ?" 
 
 "The form of the cross was not there before," exclaimed 
 Einaldo ; and smiling in the faint light of awakening hope, 
 he lifted the locks which overhung his tearful eyes. 
 
 " Oh, what a blessed omen !" continued Amald ; "and 
 his face is whoUy turned towards it, and by that movement 
 he suffered the hideous torch to fall, and the wild flames 
 ■were gradually quenched around his dying bed." 
 
 "Worked he not enchantments amid the clouds im- 
 mediately before his death 1" cried Misura, in doubt and 
 wonder ; " and did not his spirit arise out of the ruins 
 before our eyes in a fiery and fiend-like shape?" 
 
 " Judge not, and thou shalt not be judged," said 
 Amald, with benign severity. Then Misura was silent, 
 Einaldo looked upwards with a smile of kindling hope, 
 and all three prayed fervently and trustfully for the repose 
 of that great but erring spirit, and laid the weary body in 
 its quiet grassy grave, amid pious hymns. 
 
 When the friends issued forth, they were greeted with 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 293 
 
 shouts of exultation. The inhabitants of the coast had ga- 
 thered around the fir-grove as soon as the menacing cloud 
 was dispersed ; and they now gave honour and renown to 
 the pilgrim-strangers, to vphose prayers of wondrous power 
 they ascribed their deliverance. 
 
 Arnald explained to them their mistake, and related 
 the whole matter as it had really occurred. " But he who 
 shall in future protect holy pilgrims," said he in conclu- 
 sion, " and convert these once-dreadeci halls into a place of 
 refuge for all the oppressed, is this noble hero, once the 
 Marquess Rinaldo of Tagliaduro — now and henceforth the 
 beneficent hermit Emendatus !" 
 
 He did not himself know by what impulse this name 
 had arisen to his lips ; but he recognised the inspiration, 
 and so also did Rinaldo and all the peojde. The hearts of 
 all poured themselves forth to heaven in a loud and solemn 
 Te Deum ; while the sunlight traced upon the transparent 
 waters a golden path to the rock of St. Sebastian, and the 
 figure of the saint sparkled in the clear radiance, as if 
 glorified. 
 
 Emendatus had taken leave of Arnald and Misura wifli 
 sweet and grateful tears, and departed to his former abode 
 — a place now ennobled and hallowed by the blessing of a 
 pious priest, and by the holy vocation of its hermit occu- 
 pant. The two friends, having richly guerdoned the trusty 
 shepherd for his hospitable entertainment and ready aid, 
 set forth upon their homeward course amid the benedic- 
 tions and good wishes of all the dwellers on the coast. 
 
 Arnald went on his way with a right gladsome spirit, 
 but with a body so enfeebled that he could only travel 
 during a few hours of each day, and, nevertheless, was in 
 a state of utter exhaustion when he paused to repose him- 
 self at convent or hostelry. The faithful Misura beheld him 
 
294 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 with deep and painfully-repressed emotion, whicli ArnaM 
 observing, endeavoured to chase away, by saying with a 
 gay smile, " Let me only reach my home amid the ruins of 
 Maraviglia, and find myself once more near Castle Bisiers, 
 and thou shalt see how all my troubles on earth will de- 
 part unbidden." 
 
 "Ay, there indeed," returned Misura, pressing his 
 hand upon his eyes ; " there, indeed, mayest thou at 
 least find solace and refreshment. But how are we to 
 arrive there?" 
 
 " Somewhat slowly, as it seems," said Arnald, striving 
 to jest in his wonted manner ; nevertheless his brow had 
 lost its openness, and was shadowed by a cloud : his heart 
 was filled with fervent longings, only too conscious of their 
 own fruitlessness. 
 
 While they conversed thus, they were reclining by the 
 edge of a rivulet, which wound its clear and serpentine 
 course through a hilly meadow-land, and amid whose tran- 
 quil waters Misura was engaged in cooling the wickerwork 
 flask which contained costly wine, intended for the nourish- 
 ment of his friend. To both the wanderers the scene ap- 
 peared to be familiar ; but lost in other and deeper musings, 
 they had not deemed it worth while to express this idea. 
 
 There came along the nearest glade a second pair of 
 pilgrims, wrapped in dark vestments, who, having saluted 
 the first-comers with a mixture of timidity and respect, 
 seated themselves also upon the turf, but much lower down 
 beside the course of the rivulet, and began to quench their 
 thirst by drinking the water out of the palms of their 
 bands. 
 
 "Why so distant, fair companions?" inquired the kindly- 
 spirited Arnald. " Like gladly associates with like. And 
 so low down too, beside the stream ; 'tis as though ye might 
 not taste of the pure waters till they have paid us service 
 due !" 
 
 The strangers bowed their heads with a grave gesture 
 of acquiescence, as if thus it must be. 
 
MINBTREL LOVE. 295 
 
 ■" Nay, nay," continued Amald ; " moreover, we have 
 goodly wine here. Come and partake our refreshment." 
 
 The strangers eagerly signed in the negative, and stirred 
 not from their place. 
 
 "Marvellous!" said Amald to Misura ; "some rigid 
 vow must bind them. Yet go to them, dear friend ; speak- 
 ing from such a distance is too great an exertion for me, 
 and thou mightest perchance aifright them with thy deep 
 voice. Go to them, and pray them right sweetly and cour- 
 teously, that they will at least make use of our vessels to 
 draw water." 
 
 Misura complied with his friend's request. But, as 
 soon as he approached the pilgrims, one of them exclaimed, 
 in a voice of terror, "Jesu! the fierce, gigantic man!" 
 and hastily wrapped himself more closely in his dusky 
 garments. 
 
 " Be not a child !" cried Misura, impatiently. " There 
 are many taller men in the world than I, but not one who 
 is better disposed to aid those who are in need — I except 
 not even my companion yonder, for he cannot mean better 
 than myself. Therefore conduct yourselves reasonably, 
 and come to us. Or if your vow suffers it not, and you 
 must not accept our aid, not even our cups for drawing 
 water, and if you are also forbidden to speak, — well, then, 
 explain yourselves by signs ; only be speedy, for I would 
 fain revive the exhausted strength of my friend with yon- 
 der wine. To speak the truth, I shall be all the better 
 pleased if you drink no wine, for it is a most necessary 
 support for my Arnald : and we have just now a peculiarly 
 choice kind, which I do not well know where to procure 
 when we have finished our present stock : only say nothing 
 of all this to Iiim. And now, will ye come or not? and 
 will ye drink or not ?" 
 
 " Let my lord deal with us according to his pleasure !" 
 replied the pilgrim whose outcry had awakened Misura's 
 wrath ; " we are bound by no vow." 
 
 And herewith he took his companion's hand, who arose 
 
296 MINSTEEL LOVE. 
 
 with a heavy sigh, and they both followed Misura with 
 drooping heads. 
 
 " Here they are I" said the latter to Arnald ; " they 
 maj- speak, but they drink not wine. Thou mayest be 
 certain of that beforehand." 
 
 " Why so, if thou hast not asked the question of them?" 
 answered Amald, with some appearance of dissatisfaction.. 
 Turning to him who seemed to be the younger of the two 
 pilgrims, he added, " How is it? Have ye then forsworn 
 wine upon your pilgrimage ? Bethink you that the slight- 
 est shadow of an untruth renders man displeasing in the 
 eyes of God ; but not so a thankful enjoyment of food and 
 drink. Ye are more feeble than I — far more feeble. Have 
 ye forsworn wine ?" 
 
 "We drink no wine !" replied the elder, in a suppressed 
 voice, drawing his deep hat over his brows. 
 
 " At least your companion greatly needs it," persisted 
 Arnald ; and he ceased not till by dint of gentle entreaties 
 and urgent arguments he had induced the younger pilgrim 
 to swallow a goblet of the generous wine, almost by com- 
 pulsion. The latter raised himself up, like a parched blos- 
 som refreshed by dew, lifting towards heaven his wan face 
 and large black eyes, with an unspeakably touching ex- 
 pression. He stammered forth a few agitated words of 
 gratitude, and sank upon the grass, to seek the pleasant 
 repose he so much needed ; his companion kneeled down, 
 by his side, and they entered into low and earnest con- 
 versation. 
 
 Meanwhile Misura stood apart, muttering discontent- 
 edly to himself, " He'U go on preaching till he has preached 
 all his wine down their throats, and left himself none where- 
 with to moisten his parched and weary tongue." 
 
 " No, Misura," cried the smiling Arnald ; "it shall not 
 go quite so far. Thou knowest I myself love the good gifts 
 of God right dearly. For the proof — look here !" He 
 filled a goblet brimful, and merrily drained it at a single- 
 draught. When, however, he perceived that Misura main- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 297 
 
 lained a dissatisfied silence, he added, "Seest thou not that 
 the younger of those two strangers is a, lady, doubtless all 
 unused to weariness and want ?" 
 
 " Fool that I was not to discover it !" exclaimed Misura, 
 so loudly that the female pilgrim stai-ted at the sound, with- 
 out, however, comprehending the meaning of his words ; 
 and from this moment he was ready, with knightly alacrity, 
 to attend upon her slightest want. All the more sternly, 
 however, did he regard her companion, who, indeed, had 
 not suifered Amald to persuade him to taste the wine, but 
 who stood there dark and gloomy, with eyes fixed on the 
 ground, as though the whole world disturbed him not. 
 
 "Though thou lovest not to speak," said Misura at 
 length, "thou wilt surely vouchsafe to direct us how we 
 may attain the nearest and most hospitable castle. We are 
 out of the highway, the darkness of evening is gathering 
 around us, and I would fain find a fitting shelter for my 
 friend during the night." 
 
 " The goodliest castle in the whole country stands but a 
 few thousand steps from this spot," returned the stranger ; 
 " and in requital of your courtesy and hospitality, we will 
 gladly be your guides thither. But you must not marvel 
 that we lead you suddenly into a more desolate region ; for 
 the singular taste of the ancient lords of the castle has 
 caused them to place it in the very heart of the woods and 
 mountains. Seest thou yonder beech-covered crags ? This 
 rivulet has its source among them, and thither must we 
 ascend." 
 
 ''Well, well, make not so many words about it," cried 
 Mism-a ; " we have looked upon sterner sights than your 
 castle of the crags, and are right willing to attend you 
 thither, if only the path be not too rugged for your com- 
 panion." 
 
 But the pilgrim whom they supposed to be a lady had 
 already sprung lightly to her feet, and hurried on in ad- 
 vance, with visible delight, so rapidly that Misura more 
 than once prayed her to slacken her pace, because Arnald's 
 
298 MINSTREL liOVE. 
 
 feeble breast strained and panted with the effort of mount- 
 ing the craggy path. 
 
 As had been foretold, the forest and the battlements of 
 rock now looked sternly and strangely upon the wanderers, 
 as though imparting fearful tales of the olden world ; soli- 
 tary crosses gleaming upon the heights, or planted close 
 beside the narrow footpath, seemed to be memorials of 
 travellers who had perished by misfortune, or perhaps even 
 by murder ; the whole scene wore a repulsive and melan- 
 choly aspect, yet one strangely familiar — although neither 
 Arnald nor Misura could recollect when or how they 
 had traversed these woods during their pilgrimage. This 
 was, however, the less unaccountable, as the forest had now 
 cast aside its stiff garments of ice and snow, and clothed 
 itself in the full array of emerald foliage. 
 
 And now a lofty castle became visible, steeped in the 
 last glorious rays of the setting sun. It stood on the fur- 
 ther side of a yawning precipice, which was rendered 
 passable by two uprooted trunks of trees, extending from 
 edge to edge. 
 
 " Man ! " cried Misura, grasping the elder pilgrim by 
 the shoulder — "Man! is not this the castle of Marquess 
 Raymond?" 
 
 The stranger signed an affirmative. 
 
 "And thou — art not thou an old acquaintance?" 
 
 Again the pilgrim bowed his head. 
 
 " Thou speechless traitor, thou hast nevertheless be- 
 trayed thyself!" shouted Misura, thrusting his guide to 
 the earth upon a little elevation of stones which impeded 
 their pathway, and was surmounted by a cross. " Speak ! 
 The Marquess Raymond would have had us sleep, as 
 sleeps the murdered victim beneath us ! Is it not so ? 
 Speak!" 
 
 The pilgrim groaned and was silent; but the female 
 cast herself on her knees at the feet of Misura, and lifted 
 up her hands pleadingly, while her shadowing hat dropped 
 backwards, and suffered a profusion of waving black tresses 
 
MINSTKKL lOVE. 29S 
 
 to become visible, thus confirming Arnald's previous con- 
 jecture. " Spare him !" said she half weeping, but in tones 
 ■of flute-like melody — " spare him ! I pledge my life, that 
 he meant no evil towards you." 
 
 Loosening his grasp, Misura answered: "Nay, if you 
 tlesire it, lady, I needs must comply." 
 
 "I am an unhappy fugitive!" sighed the stranger. 
 " If you would take my life — it is undoubtedly forfeit to 
 you, if not for the deeds of this day ; and truly, by taking 
 it you would do me good service. It was a childish and 
 irrational fear of your judicial vengeance which fell upon 
 "me by the stream yonder. Only grant your protection to 
 this lady." 
 
 " Look we then like men who would slay the weapon- 
 less ?" cried Arnald, indignantly. " Your words are to me 
 strange, dark, and unintelligible." 
 
 " Know ye not who I am ?" 
 
 " No ; neither know we the lady." 
 
 " Ah, truly, Arnald, thy heart cannot conceive norror 
 such as that which overmasters mine, when I contemplate 
 thee and thy mighty and warlike friend." 
 
 " Let that pass for the present," interrupted the fe- 
 male, "and have pity upon our wretchedness. We trusted 
 that ye would have spoken to the lord of the castle in 
 our behalf, and won us grace in his eyes. We are driven 
 forth thence into the wide wild world, and we know no 
 r)lace of refuge." 
 
 " Ye have chosen a goodly pair of advocates truly," 
 laughed Misura. "Those whom we present are likely to 
 find a fair reception in yonder walls." 
 
 "Oh nay — oh nay !" answered the female ; "ye know 
 ■not." She stopped, looked on the ground, and wept. 
 
 " Be the end what it will," cried Arnald, " we see the 
 tears of a tender and helpless woman, and there is no room 
 for hesitation. FoUow me, then, at once ! " 
 
 And gallantly struggling with the dizziness which as- 
 sailed him at the sight of the sheer precipice, he strode 
 
300 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 quickly and firmly along the prostrate trees whicn com- 
 municated with the opposite edge, and reached the other 
 side in safety. Misura, still somewhat mistrustful, kept 
 close behind him, ready to repel any treacherous attack. 
 The two pilgrims followed with slow and mournful steps. 
 
 When the little party was re-assembled, Arnald re- 
 quested the strangers to acquaint him with the cause of 
 their expulsion from the castle, and with the object of 
 their present desire. The female, instead of replying, cast 
 an imploring glance upon his lute ; and when with courte- 
 ous alacrity he placed it in her hand, she seated herself 
 on a projection of the rock, swept her fingers across the 
 strings, and sang the following words in a Toice of great 
 sweetness : — 
 
 Our couch hath been of silken sheen, 
 The costliest wine our hoard hath graced : 
 But, exiled and forsaken now, 
 We drink but of the streamlet's flow, 
 And sleep upon the dreary waste. 
 
 Such hardy plight beseems a knight 
 
 In warrior's garb or pilgrim weed : 
 But when a woman's trembling form 
 Shrinks from the blast and flies the storm, 
 
 Oh, speak ! can this be fitting meed ? 
 
 But, well-a-day ! we went astray — 
 We sinned ; yet who from sin is pure ? 
 
 Ah, look on us with pitying eyes ! 
 
 Ah, end our heavy miseries ! 
 If but by judgment stem and sure ! 
 
 " And if these words touch you not," said she in con- 
 clusion, as she restored the lute to its owner, " I have 
 nought more to say ; for in sooth, by strict rule of justice, 
 we deserve no pitv." 
 
 " I promise you both help and pity," replied Arnald. 
 '■'"Sniy let me know what I am to demand of the castle- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE, 301 
 
 lord on your behalf, always supposing that he grants me 
 an audience." 
 
 " I will tell it you in an enigma," replied the female, 
 and was silent, as if in reflection. But suddenly she 
 started, looked around, then stooping forward and listen- 
 ing, as if to catch some sound athwart the rapidly darken- 
 ing foliage, she exclaimed, " Heaven help us ! He comes 
 himself! The lord of the castle comes!" And like hunted 
 deer, she and her companion plunged into the thickest part 
 of the wood." 
 
 " We are not going to run away too ?" asked Misura, 
 laughing. 
 
 "Nay, God forbid!" replied Amald; " though I can- 
 not say that I expect a joyful meeting." 
 
 And thus they remained standing still, calmly leaning^ 
 on their pilgrim-staves. 
 
 A JOYOUS chorus of horns resounded through the valley ; 
 a procession approached, gleaming and glittering like 
 flames through the darkness in their steel array. As 
 they advanced towards our friends, a large number of 
 prisoners became visible, led in bonds after the baron 
 as he returned home. 
 
 " He seems little changed," whispered Misura, sternly, 
 in the ear of Amald. 
 
 " Let us await the end," replied the latter, calmly. " If 
 fair speech avail not, we may perchance prevail with other 
 means ; for a returning pilgrim is far more a member of 
 the ranks of knighthood than one who is departing." 
 
 Misura nodded his approbation of this sentiment. 
 
 "Ye have received your charge," said the baron to 
 his soldiers ; and gracing them with a friendly salutation, 
 he passed through the gateway, attended by a few squires. 
 
302 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Those who remained behind formed themselves into a circle 
 around the prisoners. 
 
 "Do ye confess," inquired a captain, "that ye are 
 men who have vowed allegiance to my lord in all true 
 and honourable service ?" 
 
 A tremulous "Yes" of conscious guilt was the answer. 
 
 "Can ye deny that ye were found in evil ways, pro- 
 moting and encouraging anew the ancient trade of robbery 
 and treachery? Can ye deny it? Or has any one aught 
 to say in his own defence ?" 
 
 A gloomy but universal " No !" was now heard. Many 
 of the prisoners kneeled down, and besought a merciful 
 death, in manifest terror. 
 
 Then said the captain : " Thanks be to God, my liege 
 lord has no cause to fear you, and may therefore safely 
 and gladly accord you grace. For this time ye have only 
 experienced his power; but at the next offence ye will 
 encounter his inexorable justice. Return home, and live 
 as becomes good vassals, who not only fear and honour 
 their liege lord, but also regard him and their fellow- 
 vassals with affection." 
 
 And at a sign from the speaker the bonds of the pri- 
 soners were stricken off; and as they "oassed before him 
 in grateful procession, he bestowed on each of the band, 
 in the name of his master, a few gold pieces, as a com- 
 pensation for the terror which the offender and his family 
 had undergone. Full of thanks, the pardoned culprits de- 
 scended the valley; while the soldiers, singing merrily, 
 rode through the castle-gates. 
 
 " The marquess must be greatly changed," said Ar- 
 nald. " Truly our solemn admonitions must have sunk 
 into his heart. Seemed he not to thee more graceful, 
 I might almost say more youthful, than when we beheld 
 him before ?" 
 
 " I scarcely know how to answer," said Misura. "At 
 one moment I am ready to say Yes, at another, No ; almost 
 like yonder captives, only, God be thanked, not after so 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. ?0? 
 
 lamentable a fashion. But prudence never injured any 
 man ; and it is now my turn to say, ' Let us await the 
 end !' " 
 
 The two friends entered the little chapel in which they 
 had formerly found refuge ; and sitting down beneath its 
 hallowed shelter, they gazed forth upon the casements of 
 the castle-hall all glittering in torchlight. 
 
 " They hold high festivities again, methinks," said 
 Misura, -with severity. 
 
 "Well, vrell," returned Arnald, excusingly, "what fault 
 is there in that ? A noble cavalier may well hold a feast 
 after such deeds of victory and mercy." 
 
 " Ay, if he have not so heavy an account to make- 
 up as this Marquess Raymond," cried Misura. " For him 
 it would be well to continue thoughtful for a. little -while, 
 and not to begin a great jubUee because he has once been 
 capable of an honourable action." 
 
 Meanwhile a richly-attired knight became visible within 
 the hall ; he was advancing towards the window, attended 
 by several esquires, who appeared to -wait his orders. 
 Doubtless this was the lord of the castle. He had scarcely 
 dismissed his attendants, -when two youthful damsels ap- 
 proached him ; one presented him with a goblet of wine, 
 ■while the other leaned -with graceful familiarity on his 
 arm, apparently wearied with the dance. 
 
 " There ! Two instead of one !" muttered Misura. " A 
 goodly reformation, truly !" 
 
 " She with the raven tresses," said Arnald, " who before 
 stood at his side by the window, is not present." 
 
 " He is weary of her, and has driven her away," re- 
 plied Misura. "And verily, Arnald, verily the truth 
 flashes upon me like a torch at midnight — our lady- 
 pilgrim yonder is no other than that maid of the raven 
 locks." 
 
 Arnald thoughtfully assented; and Misura continued, 
 with an angry laugh, "We have an honourable commis- 
 sion truly, to reconcile the truant mistress to the worthless 
 
304 MINSTREL 1.0 VE. 
 
 profligate, and probablj' also to procure a good reception 
 for her paramour, for doubtless sucb was the character 
 of her companion ; and I warrant you she has given the 
 baron good cause for her dismissal." 
 
 " Peace, Misura, peace ! A far different — a far nobler 
 idea arises in me." 
 
 " O yes, I can readUj' believe it ; 'tis the way with 
 poets ! Alwa5''s in the clouds, always surrounded by stain- 
 less virtue. It is enough to drive one distracted that you 
 can never open your eyes at the right moment ; and after- 
 wards, when the unpleasant reality strikes upon your heart 
 with heavy and unmistakeable force, you lift up your 
 lamentations, and declare that the world has treacherously 
 deceived you." 
 
 " It is enough, Misura. At this moment thou art 
 doubtless very sage in thine own eyes ; and if all these 
 words were spoken by a man of the ordinary stamp, 
 I should trouble myself no further thaji to bid him hold 
 his peace, and gladly make good my words with my 
 sword. But thou, Misura— thou ! No, no, thou true and 
 kindly spirit; speak not thou after the fashion wherein 
 the worldly-wise are ever striving to overcloud the pure 
 light which God hath bestowed on the poet, and make 
 lim atone for his elevation, by expelling him from the 
 world of reality — like a juggler or mountebank forbidden 
 to enter into an honourable community. Think on mine 
 ancestor, the minstrel-king ! He knew how to strike the 
 lute, and also how to strike with the sword right gallantly ; 
 and thou knowest that such a man does not ordinarily 
 walk the earth with his eyes shut." 
 
 Misura pressed his friend's hand, and replied, with 
 shame, " I will not so offend again." 
 
 "Ah, I also was far too warm with you," said Amald, 
 with a sigh ; and the two friends embraced with the affec- 
 tion of brothers. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 305 
 
 ei^apter @tgl^tecnf|&. 
 
 The baron had withdrawn from the window, but the 
 aspect of the castle continued bright and joyous, and the 
 chambers resounded with sweet and mirthful music. Sud- 
 denly a postern-door moved softly upon its hinges, and 
 thence there issued a female form in long and modest 
 garments, bearing a small lamp in her hand. She bowed 
 courteously to the strangers, and said, " The lord of the 
 castle invites you within his doors. He has observed you 
 through his casement, shelterless in this desolate night; 
 and it is not his wont to feast merrily, while poor pUgrims 
 lie without his walls under the roof of the bleak sky." 
 
 Arnald and Misura bowed doubtftilly to the graceful 
 speaker. 
 
 " Once before we were invited into this castle, lady," 
 said the troubadour after a while, " and then we did weU 
 to decline the invitation ; I scarcely know whether we 
 should now do well to accept it." 
 
 The lady answered gently, " Since my brother God- 
 frey, who, with his wonted goodness, has permitted me to 
 come forth and accost you myself, ye holy men — since 
 my brother Godfrey has dwelt here, no man has repented 
 visiting these halls. Of the scenes which they have wit- 
 nessed heretofore, it becomes me not to speak, scarcely 
 even to think." 
 
 " Godfrey of Montalban \" cried Misura, in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 "The same," replied the maiden; "and I have the 
 honour to be his sister, and am called Clementine de 
 Montalban." 
 
 " O my poet, how clear and keen were thine eyes, and 
 how blind were mine !" exclaimed Misura ; and at the same 
 moment the light of the lamp fell on Arnald's face. 
 
 Then Clementine forgot all her rules of decorum, and 
 
306 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 broke forth into an outcry of joy : " Messire Maraviglia ! 
 Messire Maraviglia !" 
 
 Godfrey, having mistaken the words, and supposing 
 that she called for assistance, came swift as an arrow out 
 of the castle, carrying a torch in his left hand, and a flash- 
 ing sword in his right. But immediately comprehending 
 the scene, he inclined his head in joyful emotion and said, 
 "Oh, now thou needest no longer conceal thy name, my 
 knightly pilgrim ! And if I have found favour in thine 
 eyes, I beseech thee suffer me not to rise till I have re- 
 ceived the stroke of knighthood from thine honourable 
 hand! I have declined accepting it at any other hand, 
 in the hope that thou wouldst one day grace me with the 
 honour." 
 
 As he spoke he sank upon his knees, and gave the hilt 
 of his unsheathed sword to the troubadour, who, greatly 
 moved, imparted to the young Montalban the same noble 
 gift which he had himself received from the vicomte on 
 the shores of Provence. " May the ancestors of thy great 
 race be with thee," added he, embracing the new-made 
 knight, " and likewise the ancestors of the race of Mara- 
 viglia, which is now well-nigh extinguislied !" 
 
 Fall of chastened exultation the whole party entered 
 the castle. 
 
 Honorine, in the midst of a rich circle of honourable 
 knights and virtuous ladies, gave the new-comers a most 
 respectful and truly joyous welcome ; and the intelligence 
 of Godfrey's knighthood added a fresh charm to the glad- 
 ness and animation of the assembly. Though the demean- 
 our of all was courteous, polished, and almost restrained, 
 nevertheless the true-hearted gaiety, which was then cha- 
 racteristic of all races of the Franks, displayed itself in a 
 most enchanting manner. There was much sporting, and 
 talking, and laughing : each listened to the others with the 
 same readiness as to himself. No one endeavoured to 
 obtrude himself beyond the others ; but all rejoiced aUke in 
 the honour and delight of belonging to so fair a company. 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 307 
 
 In a more serious moment Godfrey related the manner 
 in which he had been aroused from his visionary life in the 
 little tower, by the romaunt sung by Arnald ; and the 
 troubadour then inquired how it had been with him since 
 that day, and by what means he had attained to such for- 
 tune and renown. 
 
 Godfrey cast down his eyes with a maidenly blush, and 
 said, " 1 know not how I may speak aright of the happy 
 issue, wherewith a gracious God hath crowned my poor 
 effoi-ts, far above their deserving." 
 
 " Then let me speak !" said an aged and honourable 
 kjiight who had previously been presented to the trouba- 
 dour as a near relative of the race of Vergi, and who now 
 proceeded very cheerfully to relate the following nar- 
 rative : — 
 
 " This young hei-o-soion of the stock of Montalban had 
 projected a far journey into foreign lands, in order to 
 achieve such renown among other names, as should justify 
 him in claiming before the world the name of his great fore- 
 fathers. A fairer lot was, however, reserved for him. For 
 lo ! here in his dear country, the wild Marquess Raymond, 
 once the possessor of this castle and the terror of the whole 
 neighbourhood, encountered him with insolent mockery, 
 deeming that it would be an 6asy matter to overcome the 
 young unpractised warrior. Ah, he little knew how the 
 blood of the heroes of old bubbled and boiled in those 
 youthful veins ! Godfrey hurled him from the saddle : he 
 lay half senseless on the earth. But then the unknightly 
 squires of the base knight fell upon the young victor ; and 
 though he slew two of their number, they overpowered 
 him at length, and dragged him into this castle. The mar- 
 quess would have stricken off his head ; but there was a 
 lady of noble birth, whom therefore I will only call by her 
 Christian name, Odalinda, who had lived for several years 
 in bonds of unseemly union with the marquess, and whose 
 heart was won by his youthful and heroic prisoner. Ray- 
 mond, weary of her, offered her in marriage to the noble 
 
 X 
 
308 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Montalban, and, with her, freedom and the lordship of 
 two castles, on condition that one of the beautiful demoi- 
 selles of r^Iontalban should consent to restore the marquess 
 to nobility, by the gift of her fair hand. I need scarcely tell 
 you what was the answer of our Godfrey ; and, on the fol- 
 lowing day, he was led to the scaffold. But he then began 
 to spnak such words of power to the baron and his vassals, 
 and to contemplate them so fiercely with those flashing 
 eyes, the light of which was his inheritance from the hero 
 Eeinald, that all stood around him as if speU-struck. Oda- 
 linda fainted ; the marquess hurried to her assistance ; and 
 Godfrey then boldly commanded one of the esquires to 
 undo his bonds. The man complied ; and Godfrey, taking 
 the sword from his side, strode composedly forth from the 
 castle, the troops making room for him as he passed. 
 And now Raymond discovered his loss, and would have 
 retaken his captive ; but it was too late. Our young Mont- 
 alban went with the speed and fire of lightning through 
 the valley, and summoned us all, to rise for honour and 
 vengeance ; and the sparks within our bosoms were kin- 
 dled into flames Ijy his breath. And now he stood at the 
 head of our united forces, and fought like his great ances- 
 tor Reinald, and conquered in three bloody battles ; and 
 Raymond and Odalinda have fled from our vengeance forth 
 into the wild world — no one knows whither. But Godfrey 
 has become the rightful lord of all the lands and. castles of 
 the exiled tyrant ; and what use he makes of his authority 
 your own eyes have seen." 
 
 " O my glorious Montalban !" cried Arnald. " And 
 where is the loyal Robert? And what says he to his famed 
 and honoured master V 
 
 " When the knights accompanied me home Tvith shouts 
 and, songs of victory," answered Godfrey, in a low voice, 
 '• the good old man died of joy." 
 
MINSTEEl LOVE. 309 
 
 The drops which stood in the eyes' of Godfrey as he spoke 
 these words were answered by sympathising tears from all 
 present. The company were silent for some time, in deep 
 and heartfelt emotion. 
 
 At length the grey-haired knight before mentioned 
 spake these words : " In the name of the good old Robert, 
 I declare to you that you will pay the meetest homage to 
 his memory, by maintaining the innocent and seemly joy- 
 ousness which has hitherto reigned amongst you. In all 
 probability I shall be the first of the company to rejoin that 
 true and gladsome spirit; and, believe me, I wiU then an- 
 swer to him for that which I now take upon myself. And 
 now, Messire Amald of Maraviglia, I pray you to entertain 
 us with your minstrelsy ; for I can devise no better way of 
 passing the time. " 
 
 "You must then be content with a right solemn strain," 
 replied Arnald ; " for such is the temper of my spirit now. 
 But perchance the return to our former cheerfulness may 
 thus be rendered easier." Herewith he struck full and 
 strange harmonies upon his lyre, and recited the following 
 romaunt : — 
 
 Dread are the judgments of our God, 
 
 When soul and quivering body part ; 
 Dread is the foretaste of His wrath 
 
 Even now unto the guilty heart ! 
 Two such sad and chastened spirits 
 
 Even now are wandering near — 
 Do ye miss the haughty Raymond ? 
 
 Seek him in the woods so drear ! 
 There he wanders, pale and hopeless 
 
 As a tenant of the tomb — 
 Would ye seek for Odalinda, 
 
 Her so proud in beauty's bloom ? 
 
310 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Shelterless, and wan, and weary, 
 
 Hear her piteous voice complain ! 
 God awaken thoughts of mercy, 
 
 God be gentle to the twain ; 
 Or the hapless ones must perish. 
 
 Craving help and hope in vain ! 
 
 He paused, and all gazed upon him -with doubtful and 
 inquiring eyes. Then he drew from his lute tones of 
 unspeakable sweetness, and proceeded in the following 
 manner : — 
 
 Raymond, Raymond, darisome warrior, 
 Wherefore wander through the midnight ? 
 Odalinda, timid maiden. 
 Wherefore roam o'er pathless mountains ? 
 Lo, your conqueror loveth mercy. 
 Come ye to his towers, and fear not ; 
 Seek his face with mild entreaty. 
 And his heart shall surely open ! 
 Listen, listen, midnight wanderers. 
 These my strains announce your pardon : 
 Come, submit thee, darksome warrior ; 
 Come, and fear not, Odalinda. 
 
 "Thou hast expressed the very thought of my heart, 
 noble Maraviglia," cried Godfrey ; " and if I knew where 
 to find the unhappy penitents — " He stopped, for the 
 low sound of a guitar was heard from the chapel without, 
 and two imploring voices sang the following words :— 
 
 We mourn by the lonely shrine ; 
 
 No comfort, no hope are ours ; 
 Though once we did blithely twine 
 
 Our tresses with festal flowers. 
 
 God hath chastised our crime — 
 
 We weep for the sins of the past 
 But all shall end in time. 
 
 And death is sure at last. 
 
MINSTHEL LOVE. 311 
 
 But strains of pardon flow 
 
 Down from yon dreaded tower : 
 Oh, if ye pity our woe, 
 
 Soft be your parting hour ! 
 
 The three gentle-hearted Montalbans had already has- 
 tened forth to meet the penitents. Misura, bearing a 
 large torch, accompanied them. In his present state of 
 exhaustion it was impossible for Arnald to follow ; so he 
 seated himself by the window, took his lyre upon his arm, 
 and filled the midnight air with the music of a lofty and 
 consoling psalm. Raymond and Odalinda, utterly crushed 
 in spirit, kneeled down before their pitying conquerors, 
 and submitted themselves wholly to their will, be it stem 
 or be it merciful. Then Godfrey cried, " Ah, when a sin- 
 ner so submits himself to our heavenly Father, pardon is 
 ready at once : how, then, should a fellow-sinner refuse 
 forgiveness to such touching humility?" And from this 
 moment the only question was, how Raymond and Oda- 
 linda might receive the fairest welcome, consistently with 
 due honour to God and to the laws of morality. For the 
 present they besought permission to withdraw themselves 
 from society and open shame, and take refuge in a small, 
 solitary farmhouse belonging to the castle : in the course 
 of a few days they hoped to be united in wedlock, and 
 afterwards to lead a tranquil and secluded life under the 
 eye of Godfrey. 
 
 " Dear friends," said the young and kindly hero, " as 
 far as I comprehend the matter, it would seem to me bet- 
 ter that Raymond should retire into a monastery, and 
 Odalinda into a nunnery. But perhaps ye are not suffi- 
 ciently ripe in penitence and sanctification for such a re- 
 tirement ; therefore be it according to your will." 
 
 When the baron returned with his sisters into the castle- 
 hall, and acquainted the company with all that had passed, 
 there were not wanting some who accused him of incau- 
 tion, in suffering the dangerous Raymond to remain at 
 
312 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 liberty and in the neighbourhood of the castle. But with 
 the true and heroic highheartedness of a Montalban, God- 
 frey looked around him and smiled as he answered: "I 
 think that I have done the will of God ; and if so, the 
 Lord will be my defence against all evil, and, under Him, 
 my good right hand and my good sword." 
 
 Moreover, Honorine and Clementine stood in cloudless 
 and holy confidence beside their gallant brother, like tall 
 and slender lilies beside the statue of a warrior, testifying 
 by their tranquil and fearless smUes, how truly they also 
 belonged to the illustrious race of Montalban. 
 
 On the following morning, when Arnald was about to pro- 
 ceed on his journey, he found a milk-white mule, of won- 
 derful beauty, awaiting him in the castle-court, caparisoned 
 with aU needful array for the road. Godfrey and his sis- 
 ters besought him to accept it from them as a parting gift. 
 "I implore thee, dear friend, reject it not," said Misura; 
 "wouldst thou wound this young descendant of heroes and 
 these noble ladies by a disdain&l resistance to their en- 
 treaty ? Moreover, thy vow is now fulfilled ; thou art on 
 thy way home ; and thou art in danger of perishing from 
 exhaustion before beholding the towers of Castle Bisiers 
 and the venerable ruins of Maraviglia." 
 
 Araald bent his head in friendly and grateful acquies- 
 cence, and received the silver-embroidered reins from the 
 hands of Clementine, and Honorine. The noble animal 
 seemed familiar to him, and after a little reflection he 
 remembered that it had often been ridden by the bold 
 captain Lanzarossa, who was swept away by a torrent of 
 Greek fire at the storming of the Moorish encampment in 
 Provence. Godfrey stated that he had purchased it from 
 an old soldier who had fought under the Vicomte Bisiers 
 
MINSTHEL LOVE. 313 
 
 against Tarfe two years before, and who Had parted with 
 the beautiful animal because it was a legacy from his cap- 
 tain, and he desired to procure for it better nurture and 
 care than he could himself supply. 
 
 " Such shall he not lack while in my keeping, if it 
 be God's will," said Arnald; and deeply touched by the 
 recollection of his brave comrade, he leaned his forehead 
 against the neck of the gentle beast. Then he swung himr- 
 self into the saddle, — alas, not with his wonted lightness 
 and vigour, for his feeble breast underwent a painful and 
 breathless convulsion, — saluted the noble Montalbans, and 
 rode slowly away. Misura strode joyously by his side. 
 
 Their journey was prosperous and speedy. On a beau- 
 tiful spring evening thej' beheld the metal-roofed towers 
 of Castle Bisiers gleaming in the distance ; but Arnald re- 
 strained his longing after the presence of his ladye, and, 
 turning aside, directed his steps towards the cloister of 
 St. Anne, in order that he might first be fully absolved 
 from his vow by his beloved Altarbol. They passed the 
 night in a secluded hamlet, and by noon on the following 
 day they arrived at the minster. Weeping for joj', Altar- 
 bol came forth to meet the troubadour, and announced to 
 him, that bloom, and freshness, and beauty had completely 
 returned to the sweet child of Alearda : but when the ab- 
 bot perceived how the glow of health which once animated 
 the cheeks of his beloved son was exchanged for the fitful 
 flush of fever, a few burning tears of grief dropped from 
 his venerable eyes. He speedily repressed his emotion, 
 and gave thanks to God that his Arnald was restored to 
 him, at least for the present ; he then led the way to the 
 church, and solemnly divested the troubadour of his pil- 
 grim attire, placing on his head a cap of honour, sur- 
 mounted by rich and nodding plumes, and girding him 
 ■with that good sword, so well proved on the shores of Pro- 
 vence, which had been committed to his charge till the 
 vow^ was achieved. 
 
 "Thou hast borne thee honourably as a pilgrim, Ar- 
 
314 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 nald," said Misura, " and valiantly also ; nevertheless, I 
 cannot conceal from tliee that thou art, at the very least, 
 ten times goodlier in thy knightly costume. And now, 
 venerable sir, be pleased to relieve me also of this some- 
 v^hat voluminous and inconvenient garb." 
 
 His request was granted ; and Altarbol now invited tlie 
 two friends to partake of food and vpine in his cell. " For 
 thee, my dear Arnald," added he^ " I have been able to 
 provide a peculiar and heart-strengthening cordial.'' 
 
 On entering the chamber they beheld, hanging upon 
 the opposite wall, the picture of a Madonna, large as life, 
 painted on a background of sparkling gold, so matchless 
 and inconceivable in its beauty, that it seemed as though 
 the invisible had miraculously taken to itself a body ; and 
 Arnald and Misura, dazzled and overpowered, yet pene- 
 trated by a feeling of delicious confidence, sank on their 
 knees, as if before an actual apparition of the Queen of 
 Heaven. She resembled no earthly beauty in the world — 
 Dot even the purest — she was the very being chosen and 
 glorified by the Almighty, above all the daughters of Eve, 
 for her holiness and humility. 
 
 Rising as he completed his prayer, Arnald said, " O 
 too-blessed painter, whose pure spirit could conceive such 
 a vision !" 
 
 " God has perfected much in my weakness !" said a 
 voice full of familiar sweetness ; and behind Arnald there 
 stood a Knight Templar, in the white mantle of the order, 
 with a large blood-red cross upon his breast. It was Se- 
 bastian. 
 
 The first rapture of re-union was mild and silent in 
 those noble spirits ; tempered also by the presence of the 
 sacred picture, and by the alternations of death-like pale- 
 ness and fevered flushes in the face of Maraviglia, which 
 warned his friends of the hour of final separation, visibly 
 and rapidly approaching ; the short but painful spasms in 
 his breast awakened a like solemn anticipation in himself. 
 
 " But tell me, dear Sebastian," said Arnald, at last — 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 315 
 
 "tell me in what manner the manifestation of this blessed 
 vision was vouchsafed to thee." 
 
 Altarbol placed bread and wine on the table, the 
 friends sate down, and Sebastian commenced his narration 
 in the following words : 
 
 " I might, perhaps, be able to represent to thee, dear 
 master and friend, all details and particulars of the event ; 
 but I hope that we shall be long together ; and then the 
 whole will explain itself to thee in many a word, and song, 
 and sign. For the present take all that I can give, amid 
 the bewildering joy and sorrow of this meeting. It is at 
 least something. 
 
 " Many, very many beautiful pictures of the Virgin 
 have I beheld during my manifold pilgrimages to cloister, 
 church, and shrine. Each one seemed to possess a single 
 lineament of the eternal Queen ; but not one was as the 
 picture in my heart. Oh, I would far rather have deli- 
 neated the features of the lofty ladye Alearda, as a tribute 
 to the holy Madonna, than any one of those faces which 
 professed to represent the glorified Queen of Heaven ! And 
 yet I felt that it was not Alearda. Alearda was as an angel- 
 messenger ; but she before whom all the hosts of heaven 
 do homage must be other than Alearda. 
 
 " Then I had a dream. I was already in the service of 
 the order as a loyal warrior ; but I had not as yet assumed 
 the cross. I dreamed that as I lay beside the camp-fire, I 
 was approached by a tall veiled figure, and a voice of flute- 
 like sweetness murmured in my ear, ' It is herself!' I 
 stretched forth my hands to her beseechingly, and could 
 only find utterance to repeat the same words, ' O beau- 
 teous Sun ! O dear Sun ! O golden Sun ! Oh, that thou 
 wouldst disperse the clouds !' Then the figure stooped 
 down over me ; and when she perceived that my left 
 breast was without the sign of the order, she gently shook 
 her head. I wept like a child. ' How, then, can I be 
 found worthy to become a Knight Templar,' sighed I, 
 'when I have so few opportunities of distinction?' Then 
 
316 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 the vision pointed to a line of mountains wliich lay to the 
 north, and I started from my slumber. An irresistible 
 impulse drove me in the appointed direction. Silently I 
 saddled my good horse and rode thitherwards. 
 
 " When I came near to the mountains, I beheld the 
 gleaming of arms in the moonlight, between the stems of 
 cedar and palm-trees. The Saracen army was approach- 
 ing. Their reconnoitring parties soon discovered me 
 beneath that cloudless night, and I sustained a hard en- 
 counter. By God's help I made my way through them, 
 and returned, all bleeding, to rouse the camp with clarion 
 and war-cry. I, being the least surprised of the party, 
 was first able to muster troops, and lead them to a rapid 
 charge against the foe. We obtained a complete victory ; 
 the cross of the order was offered to me ; and, in deep 
 thankfulness to God and the blessed Virgin, I became a 
 member of the illustrious brotherhood. 
 
 " In the night when I kept my vigil of arms, — Amald, 
 here language fails me — I know not whether it were a 
 trance or a realitj"-, — but since that hour I have worn tne 
 picture of the Queen of Heaven within my heart, in such 
 bright and vivid reality, that it has often seemed to me 
 that I beheld her with my bodily eyes ; and in this place, 
 where I have been for some time detained by the business 
 of my order, it befell, by the superabundant grace of God, 
 that lines and tints presented themselves ; and lo ! there is 
 the picture !" 
 
 "Thou knowest, Amald," said Altarbol, after a short 
 silence, "how long ago I prophesied that this youth should 
 one day become a great light in our church. Gloriously is 
 that prophecy fulfilled ; though in far other sense than it 
 was conceived by my feeble mind !" 
 
 " And," added Arnald, " once, when I stood with Se- 
 bastian in George's dark ancestral castle, and he exclaimed 
 in sudden terror, ' Sir, sir, methinks I behold the morning 
 twilight faintly glimmering upon the hills ; oh, let us hasten 
 to leave these gloomy halls !' — the strange words thrilled 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 317 
 
 and impressed me in an inexplicable manner, and have 
 remained imprinted on my memory. Now is the meaning 
 clear to me ; now have those faint glim merings deepened 
 into sunlight ; now has he left those gloomy halls far be- 
 hind him, and many shall bear him company upon his glo- 
 rious path, and gaze with him upon the sun, even when he 
 and we also shall have paid the debt of mortality, and shall 
 perish in the dust, leaving perchance not even a name 
 behind!" 
 
 The soft light of evening was playing upon the gilded 
 trellis of the gardens of Castle Bisiers, and flickering 
 amid the shadows of trees, grass, and flowers within. 
 Odours, songs, and buds of May arose on every side to- 
 wards heaven. Maraviglia entered those beloved precincts 
 with his Altarbol and his Sebastian. Misura had severed 
 himself from their company, and departed on another ex- 
 pedition ; " for," he said, " in the midst of aU this joy, I 
 find myself somewhat tearfully disposed ; and that becomes 
 me very iU, and will appear scarcely intelligible to others, 
 especially to women." 
 
 Along the broad walk, overshadowed by venerable 
 trees, a group of figures might be seen approaching from 
 the castle. Well did Arnald know who led the train. He 
 could scarcely breathe — his knees trembled — his compa- 
 nions supported him. " Trouble not yourselves," said he ; 
 " the joy which can so wondrously overpower can like- 
 wise yet more wondrously strengthen." And now he ad- 
 vanced joyiully, as though he were upheld by invisible 
 wings, and inspired by exultant strains of victory, heard 
 only by himself. 
 
 Alearda stood before him, surrounded by a reverential 
 band of maidens, holding by the hand her bloomiag chUd. 
 
318 MINSTKEL LOVE. 
 
 " See, Berta," said she, " yonder is tlie good knight, 
 Arnald of Maraviglia, who has composed so many fair 
 songs and histories, and has done for thee so much — ah, 
 more, far more than thou canst understand! — but thou 
 shalt understand it one day, if God shall bless thee with 
 I ipeness of thought and reason." 
 
 The child kissed her tiny hands to the troubadour, and 
 showered blossoms upon him, saying, " Thanks for thy 
 beautiful songs ! Thanks for thy beautiful tales !" But 
 suddenly she turned to her mother, and added, " But I 
 fancied that the dear Arnald of Maraviglia would always 
 be blooming like my roses in May ; and now, behold, he 
 is so very pale !" 
 
 Pearly tears glistened in the eyes of Alearda, and at 
 the same moment the vicomte approached from a shady 
 walk, kissed the brow of the troubadour, and said, " It 
 may perchance cost thee thy life ; nevertheless, thou hast 
 obtained the victory : and amid all my conquests, I cannot 
 boast of one more glorious." 
 
 The enraptured Arnald gazed around him, doubtful 
 whether he were waking or dreaming ; and the gleaming 
 trellis of the garden, and the deep red of the evening sky, 
 did, as it were, encircle that moment of his life with a 
 frame of costly gold. 
 
 Ah, that it were vouchsafed to the writer of this history 
 also to encircle this picture with a frame of virgin gold, as 
 was the practice of the poets of bygone days when they 
 wished to distinguish the most precious and significant 
 parts of their manuscripts ! 
 
 It has often been said that a slowly-consuming disease of 
 the body must needs weigh heavily upon the soul, which is 
 thus constrained to behold its final severance from this fa- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 319 
 
 miliar earth approaching step by step, and at the same 
 time to count the petals of the fading flower, as, one by 
 one, they drop off. But when the gradual decay is accom- 
 panied by no acute pains, and when the departing spirit 
 neither loves too greatly that which we choose to call life, 
 nor loathes too unreasonably that which we are pleased to 
 stigmatise as death, it is scarcely so hard a matter. Do 
 we not drain the last cup from a flask of noble wine with 
 a feeling of enjoyment unknown to us before ? And why 
 should it not be so with the last drops of this earthly life ? 
 As we glide thus calmly down the stream, we encounter 
 but few obstacles and cares ; we have scarce any thing 
 to do but pluck the flowers which grow upon the banks ; 
 a foretaste of the blessedness of the disembodied state is 
 vouchsafed to us ; those who love us attend us with a 
 deepening and solicitous affection, — those who love us not 
 we can gently and easily pardon, in obedience to the com- 
 mand, "Forgive, and thou shalt be forgiven!" Though 
 truly not unmindful of the shortness of the time during 
 which v/e may yet continue side by side ; though a tear 
 may sometimes escape from our eyes, it drops almost visi- 
 bly as the seed of a pearl into the life of paradise. He who 
 has witnessed so sweet a sadness as this, will not refuse us 
 his testimony. At least it was entirely tlius witli Arnald. 
 
 Very slow was his passage to the grave, and more than 
 once did he behold the seasons change. During these 
 days there arose out of his heart many songs and tales of 
 beauty, perhaps even more joyous and vivid in their co- 
 louring than any which he bad produced during the time 
 of his unimpaired bodily vigour. Frequently did Lanza- 
 rossa's snow-white mule carry him with easy and cautious 
 pace to Castle Bisiers ; and when the feebleness of his 
 breast forbade him to read aloud, Alearda herself would 
 take his poems into her delicate hands, and give soul to 
 the words, by the sweet and solemn melody of her voice. 
 Sebastian, who departed but seldom, and was ever recalled 
 to this neighbourhood by the business of his order, greatly 
 
320 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 refreshed the heart of his friend by the mild brightness 
 of his own spirit ; and among other pictures which he exe- 
 cuted for him, was one, which represented a crucifix upon 
 a rock, surrounded by winged angels who reverently re- 
 ceived in vessels the blood which dropped from the holy 
 wounds ; beneath the rock was the figure of a hermit en- 
 gaged in study, and on either side stood a knight bearing 
 a lofty banner ; the one stem, sombre, and menacing of 
 aspect, the other young, of angelic beauty, and all glittering 
 in golden armour. If sometimes the fiery spirit which 
 Arnald inherited from his ancestors was about to blaze 
 forth, he had but to look on this solemn and mystical pic- 
 ture ; and, wholly unable as he was to express its meaning 
 in words, it was nevertheless all the more deeply graven 
 upon his glowing and penetrated heart ; and even in his 
 darkest hours the land beyond the grave was visible to 
 him by the light of those radiant shapes. 
 
 One morning — that autumnal season so deeply loved, 
 and so often celebrated by Arnald, was once more ap- 
 proaching — Sebastian entered the little farmhouse in 
 much haste, and went directly to the chamber of Arnald. 
 Under the mantle of his order he was attired in complete 
 and clashing armour ; he carried his lofty helm of knight- 
 hood in his hand ; and his benign features were radiant 
 with the holy fire of battle. 
 
 "War, dear friend and master !" cried he, with a joy- 
 ous smile. " A Moorish fleet is visible from our coasts. 
 The vicomte is about to sally forth, and he prays that you 
 will meanwhile abide in Castle Bisiers for the comfort and 
 protection of the ladye." 
 
 A dark glow passed over the face of Arnald. " Is 
 there, then, no sword left for me?" cried he; and in a 
 moment he girded himself with his faithful weapon. " It 
 Is a goodly thing," he continued, "to console fair and 
 noble ladies ; but it is goodlier yet to die for their deliver- 
 ance in a victorious battle." 
 
 " Arnald, thine exhausted breast — " 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 321 
 
 " It is SO short a way to the sea-shore, dear Sebastian j 
 and what fairer could befall this breast than to shed forth 
 its last strength for Alearda ? Moreover, my beautiftd and 
 radiant autumn is reigning now, and methinks it shall 
 bring me an end beautiful and radiant as itself." 
 
 " But in truth thou canst no longer rein and guide a 
 horse, my brave Arnald ; no, not for a single hour." 
 
 " That we shall presently see." 
 
 In a moment he had crossed the threshold, and beck- 
 oned the peasant, who was leading Sebastian's horse to 
 and fro, to approach with the fiery animal. " He is so 
 impatient of control, dear Arnald," interposed Sebastian, 
 warningly; but Maraviglia, thirsting for battle, heeded 
 him not. He rapidly placed the gilded reins on the 
 horse's neck, and set his foot in the stirrup. The wild 
 steed foamed, and stamped wrathfiilly on the ground; 
 the watchful Sebastian carefully soothed and subdued 
 him ; and Arnald mounted the saddle, slowly indeed, and 
 feebly, but with right noble bearing. When he was in 
 his seat, he smiled and seemed about to speak, but his 
 breast heaved violently up and down, and withheld all 
 power of speech from the exhausted warrior. Meantime 
 the impatient horse broke from Sebastian and the pea- 
 sant, and rushed forth with wild bounds into the court- 
 yard. Both looked after the troubadour, anxiously, and 
 with clasped hands ; but he had now recovered from the 
 exertion of mounting, and exercised the knightly art oi 
 manige with skill and self-possession. The good horse, 
 too, speedily became aware that he was guided by the 
 hand of a true knight, and cheerfully submitted to his 
 will; and Arnald returned across the court in triumph, 
 drawing his sword, and galloping hither and thither, as 
 he essayed the various exercises of war. Then he rode 
 away again, and having taken space for a rapid charge, 
 he shouted aloud sportively, with the fuU vigour of his 
 old battle-cry, " Now for it ! Upon them !" and spurred 
 forward, brandishing his weapon aloft. He checked his 
 
322 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 steed, by tte power of hand and thigh, close in front of 
 Sebastian, with an eifort so sudden and vehement that 
 it stood as if rooted to the ground ; but in the same mo- 
 ment the rider became deathly pale and wavered in the 
 saddle, the sword dropped from his weary hand, and as 
 the impetuous animal began once more to become unman- 
 ageable, he whispered, in scarcely audible tones, " Now 
 hold him, Sebastian ! " His friend complied with the 
 entreaty, and, assisted by the trusty yeoman, received in 
 his arms the fainting form of Arnald. 
 
 When he came to himself he wept bitterly. " It will 
 not be!" he said, sighing, and hid his face on the breast 
 of Sebastian. The latter consoled him after his wonted 
 calm and cheering manner, and bade him bethink him- 
 self how great and warlike was the office of command in 
 Castle Bisiers, as protector of the revered ladye Alearda, 
 and how completely Arnald was qualified for these duties 
 by his keen glance and indomitable courage, without 
 being in any manner impeded by his loss of power as a 
 soldier. Arnald submitted with resignation, and rode 
 slowly up to Castle Bisiers on his docile mule ; but when 
 from time to time the spirited steed of Sebastian leaped 
 beneath its powerful rider, so that the armour of the man 
 and the caparisons of the horse clashed together with a 
 clear and ringing sound, a tear would force its way into 
 the eye of the feeble Maraviglia, and Sebastian himself 
 would find some pretext for turning aside to conceal that 
 his eyes were also wet. 
 
 In the great hall of Castle Bisiers, on the following day, 
 the vicomte, with his assembled chivalry, awaited the 
 arrival of an embassy which had been announced on 
 the part of the Moors, having it in charge to declare the 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 323 
 
 object of their fleet in approaching the coasts of Provence. 
 Aloft, in a glittering gallery which wound around the sa- 
 loon, stood the Countess Alearda, arraj'ed in the utmost 
 magnificence, attended by her maidens, and accompanied 
 bj Arnald of Maraviglia, in the capacity and dignity of 
 seneschal. 
 
 The folding-doors were opeued. Amid the deafening 
 clangour of Saracen trumpets, cymbals, and tambourines, 
 a rich train of gaily adorned Moorish warriors entered. 
 With reverential salutations they advanced across the hall, 
 and ranged themselves in a glittering phalanx before the 
 vicomte ; but who shall describe the amazement of all, 
 when the ambassador himself appeared, in garments pro- 
 fusely embroidered with gold and silver, all gleaming with 
 the lustre of strange and brilliant armour — for it was no 
 other than Gryba, who in this very castle had received, 
 by holy baptism, the name of George ! 
 
 At a signal from him, the festive music of the Moors 
 ceased. Crossing his arms upon his breast, he bowed be- 
 fore the vicomte, and was about to speak ; but the latter 
 checked him by saying — "Ere we proceed further, fair 
 sir, let me demand whether it is your pleasure to be ad- 
 dressed as Gryba or as George? for if you solicit thi; 
 name of Gryba, I, on my part, must solicit another am- 
 bassador from your general." 
 
 "My general," said the Moorish warrior, smiling, as 
 he leaned on his sabre — " my general can in truth send 
 you no better ambassador than myself; for I am myself 
 the leader of the whole squadron which has now anchored 
 upon your coast. But, dear my prince and master in 
 arms, how came you to imagine that I could seek another 
 name than that of George, or come on other errand than 
 that of love, gratitude, and friendship ? " 
 
 Herewith he greeted Alearda with a respectful rever- 
 ence, and Arnald with a brotherly salutation, and began, 
 still smiling, to recite the following romance: — 
 
324 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 O'er Afric's far and desert coast — 
 
 Unhallowed home of poisonous snakes — 
 
 I on my weary steed went forth, 
 
 What time the darkening hand of eve 
 
 Had curtained earth with solitude : 
 
 A cry of terror met mine ear, 
 
 And from an emerald isle of turf. 
 
 Which bloomed amid that sea of sands, 
 
 Clustering with odorous thickets, fled a woman ; 
 
 Behind her, tall, and fierce, and terrible, 
 
 A giant snake uncoiled his monstrous form ! 
 
 I waked my dull, unthinking steed 
 
 With the keen spur, and raised 
 
 My trusty spear for battle ; 
 
 I saved the shrinking fugitive, 
 
 And underneath my charger's feet 
 
 Trampled the hideous serpent's prostrate corse. 
 
 Weary and pale "with fear the lady stood — 
 
 I proffered food and vrine ; but could it be, 
 
 Or did mine eyes deceive me ? 'Twas Soleyma ! 
 
 In mere audacity of mirthfalness. 
 
 Trusting the care of her forgetful train. 
 
 She venturously had sought these savage scenes ; 
 
 But no brave Weigand dwelt within their bound 
 
 To keep at bay that monster in his wrath, 
 
 When, ravenous as Freihart, he disdained 
 
 The meaner things who turned and fled before him, 
 
 Seeking the fairest booty for himself ! 
 
 I thought upon St. George ! 
 
 And having freed her from the dragon's grasp, 
 
 I sought to save her from that feller dragon 
 
 Which preys upon the heart ! 
 
 I preached salvation to her — the good seed 
 
 Dropped on a generous soil ; and now, my friends, 
 
 Queen Soleyma believes and loves ! 
 
 At the commencement of this narration, the whole 
 company had answered with their smiles the smile of the 
 graceful speaker; and now, with him, they raised their 
 
MINSTREI, LOVE. 
 
 325 
 
 tearful eyes to heaven in rapturous thanksgiving. A 
 solemn silence pervaded the assembly ; Alearda looked 
 like a seraph in the act of devotion. 
 
 At last, Greorge spoke again, m a subdued voice : 
 " Yes ; now Queen Soleyraa believes and loves, and she 
 has landed on this shore with many noble dames and 
 knights of our nation, in order to seek the seal of holy 
 baptism from the hand of the saintly Altarbol. When 
 that great and chief ceremony is concluded, I doubt not 
 that the illustrious priest will so far grace and honour 
 me, as to bless the union of Soleyma and myself; for we 
 are betrothed." 
 
 ei^apter StDcntp:four(l[). 
 
 O beauteous plain on the Provengal sea-coast, hallowed, 
 protected, and glorified by the statue of the Mother of 
 God, how radiant wert thou, sportively emulating the 
 sun-bright floods, on that clear autumnal morning which 
 witnessed the assembly of so many illustrious Moorish 
 ladies and heroes for the baptismal feast ! 
 
 Full of zeal and of gentleness, a meet successor of the 
 apostles, Altarbol passed from rank to rank of those fer- 
 vent worshippers, bearing the waters of baptism ; and as 
 form after form, all glittering with splendour and beauty, 
 bent before the venerable old man in his simple priestly 
 garments, and thronged around him in supplication, the 
 holy, and, alas! oft -forgotten power of the eternal over 
 the temporal became sensibly manifest even to the weak- 
 est faith. 
 
 Soleyma was baptised by the name of Carola, accord- 
 ing to the desire of Alearda, who declared that it well be- 
 came that imperial beauty to be named after the mightj'- 
 Charlemagne, 1 the wondrous hero of the past; and imme- 
 
 iln German, the name of Charlemagne is Karoi. 
 
326 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 diately it appeared to every one that the lovely lady musS 
 needs bear that name and no other. 
 
 Altarbol blessed the blooming bride as he consigned 
 her to the embrace of her heroic bridegroom ; and a fes- 
 tive repast vifas then prepared on the meadow, pleasantly 
 overshadowed by many scattered chestnut and olive-trees. 
 
 Amid the joyous discourse of that noble circle, which 
 became every moment more open and unrestrained, it 
 was at last mentioned, that the greater number of these 
 Moorish knights had heretofore projected an invasion ot 
 Provence, in honour of her who was once Soleyma, and 
 that the progress of the tempest had only been checked 
 by the fair queen's conversion. Arnald bethought him 
 of the warning spoken by George in the days when he 
 yet bore the name of Gryba ; meantime, Altarbol beck 
 oned him aside, and they paced to and fro together, be 
 neath the shade of the nearest trees. 
 
 "Arnald!" said the venerable priest, deeply moved j 
 •' my dear Arnald, how does this bear testimony to the 
 unconscious glory of a virtuous woman ! The countess 
 was robbed of her star -jewel, and she maintained her 
 wonted gentleness and tranquillity ; but the one low mur- 
 mur, which at last escaped her pious lips, fell upon th(! 
 ear of a minstrel, and he went forth into the lands of hea- 
 thenesse, and redeemed the lost treasure. But at the same 
 time he achieved a far greater conquest — the two noblest 
 knights whom Christianity ever won to herself from the 
 errors of Mahomet. What deeds hath Sebastian done 
 since then with sword and pencil ! And how hath George 
 approved himself the worthy imitator of his patron saint! 
 Provence is rescued, the whole land of the Franks is 
 saved, and, in the converted Carola, there arises for us a 
 new star, whereat heroism, and art, and many a happy 
 spirit, shall be kindled ! I know not, my son, whether 
 thou rightly comprehendest the manner in which paint- 
 ers of true and divine vocation are wont to portray their 
 angels. These benign shapes fulfil in sweet and humble 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 327 
 
 joy tlie cominands of God^ — ^childlike in their sportiveness, 
 which is nevertheless full of deep and serious earnest. 
 Sometimes have I seen thoughtful children thus play, 
 without noise, without laughter, yet with a smile whereby 
 the whole young spirit is visibly irradiated ; lost in their 
 mimic games, wherein the boys are knigbts or monks, 
 and the girls nuns or empresses. Seldom do boys retain 
 this purity amid the tumults of the world — it is impos- 
 sible that they should retain it in this our fallen position ; 
 but women — yes, to them it is possible, -and they may 
 remain messengers of God, even as the angels are. Look 
 upon Alearda ! She knows not what she has done, she 
 knows not what is yet reserved for her to do ; never- 
 theless, her whole life is as the fulfilment of a heavenly 
 mission to wake and cherish the flowers of paradise on 
 earth." 
 
 At that very moment she gazed upon the two friends 
 with her serious smile, and a thrill passed through the 
 bosom of Arnald, like the salutation of a near and blessed 
 ■eternity. 
 
 Rightly had Arnald understood the import of that sudden 
 feeling. More and more did the vigour of life depart from 
 his spirit and his body; and sometimes it seemed as though 
 the joy of life also were stealing softly away from him. At 
 this season he was often wont to visit that linden-shaded 
 nill which he had already chosen as the place of his burial; 
 and on this spot, late in the twilight of evening, he once 
 composed the foUowmg lay : — 
 
 The sun's departing glow 
 Plays softly on thy brow. 
 And solemnly the lindens o'er thee wave, 
 My future gravel 
 
328 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 Soon on thy silent crest 
 
 Shall rise the low grass-hill, 
 And soon, beneath, this beating heart shall rest. 
 
 Pure, calm, and still. 
 
 Oh, shall my spirit's song 
 
 These linden-halls among 
 Wander and waver in the midnight lone 
 
 When I am gone ? 
 The win of God be done 1 
 
 But this full weU I know, 
 Sweet voices oft shall sound above the stone. 
 
 Soothing the heart below. 
 
 Sing ye mine own poor lays, 
 
 Fair dames ? or do ye raise 
 New strains, yet bom of that old melody ? 
 
 Oh, blessedness for me ! 
 Lighted by your fair eyes, 
 
 My bark hath dared the deep ; 
 And now, when in the haven safe it lies. 
 
 Your voices soothe my sleep. 
 
 He had recited these words in an audible though very- 
 feeble voice, and it so happened that Sebastian, who had 
 ascended the hill unpereeived, heard the whole. Approach- 
 ing Arnald with a cheerful smile, he said, "Ay, truly, if so 
 it please God, thou shalt not lack thy lullaby from the lips 
 of noble ladies. Seest thou how tall and vigorous the grass 
 of this place has grown ? The spot has pleasure in you, 
 and therein it does rightly. Only the end is not so near 
 as thou seemest to think. Let us still gaze cheerfully upon 
 the cheerfulness of life. If thou mislike it not, George 
 and I will enjoy a festive noon-day repast with thee to- 
 morrow." 
 
 Arnald nodded in friendly acquiescence, and returned 
 aome right glad at heart. That night he dreamed much of 
 aid Sir Walter ; and when the friends met at noon he could 
 not leave speaking of that departed hero — of his piovis be- 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 329 
 
 nevolence, and of the iron strength of his nature, hidden, 
 as It were, amid pleasant flowers, till the clash of duty or 
 of honour struck sparks from out of its noble depths. 
 
 "Methinks," said he in conclusion, "he would have 
 better loved to see me rise to heaven from the midst of a 
 knightly combat, full of fame and brightness. Yet he, too, 
 died a tranquU death : slowly and gently was his light 
 extinguished ; and perchance, as the end draws near, many 
 such wishes as those, seem but childishness and vanity in 
 the eyes of the blessed spirits who behold the face of God. 
 The messenger whom the Lord sends to His faithful, to 
 summon them home, is ever an angel, whether his apparel 
 be the glitter of harness and the flash of battle, or he be 
 garmented in the cool breath of evening and the fragrance 
 of the fields of home." 
 
 Meanwhile Altarbol had joined the party, and the dis- 
 course now turned almost exclusively upon the point at 
 which man bids farewell to the life of earth. 
 
 "Methinks," said George, "no man falls asleep so 
 softly and so sweetly as a poet." 
 
 " Amen," whispered Amald, folding his hands, as his 
 friend, without heeding his gesture, continued with much 
 animation : 
 
 " For to the poet — in so far as I can conceive his na- 
 ture, being none myself — to the poet, life has long freed 
 itself from the chain and coil of the body, has taken ta 
 itself the wings of inborn impulse, and, in its loftiest mo- 
 ments, has attained the unearthly and impalpable beauty 
 of the sunlight and the rainbow ; so that now, without 
 effort, he can leave the lifeless chrysalis behind him, and 
 soar upwards to the region which is his own by divine right 
 of inheritance." 
 
 Amald shook his head with a smile expressive of dis- 
 agreement, and said, " If those wise men who call the poet 
 an inventor of pleasant fables, wherewith reality has nought 
 to do, are in the right, thou hast thyself been a poet for the 
 moment, dear George. But, alas, 'tis not so sweet and 
 
330 MINSTBEL LOVE. 
 
 SO easy as thou imaginest. The ancient mother, whom we 
 commonly call Nature, grasps after the poet with a thou- 
 sand arms ; and because she holds him very dear, he also 
 greatly loves her, and when he thinks right seriously of 
 severance from her, his heart grows weak and sorrowful, 
 and hers also. Though she blooms beyond the grave more 
 lovely, and yet always the same, nevertheless it is in this 
 very earth, and no other, that he has taken root, like all 
 other flowers. Often, mdeed, he behaves as a wayward 
 child, whose mother hath withheld from it some plaything, 
 -and says defyingly, with tears in his eyes, ' Then I will go 
 iaway from home at once and for ever.' I know many lays 
 of this spirit, and, in truth, I have myself composed many 
 such. But let the mother only turn from him gravely, and 
 say, ' Go ; I will have thee no more ;' then the audacious 
 heart is melted, and resolutely as we may labour to restrain 
 it, it is only needful for her to take us once more in her 
 arms, and weeping we hide our faces upon the doubly- 
 loved bosom, and that reconciliation draws the bonds of 
 both into a closer and more impregnable union. But the 
 voice of God ^ — praise be to Him therefor throughout all 
 eternity — the voice of God awakes within us, and we go 
 forth singing, into many a field of fame, and we die singing 
 in the fulness of joy; or we feel ourselves at home, our 
 daily work being done, and smiling we lay ourselves down 
 to sleep ; and then also may it be said of us, that we die 
 singing in the fulness of joy. The swan may have strug- 
 gled with many a burning pang before he lifts up his death- 
 song ; but with the first note of that hymn, every pang 
 ceases ; and when one has reached so far, it becomes as you 
 have said, and the passage is swift, and sweet, and easy." 
 
 They looked upon him in much emotion ; but he sud- 
 denly changed to a tone of sportive lightness, confessing 
 that he had done after the manner of many skilful orators, 
 and unconsciously suffered the end of his speech to contra- 
 dict the beginning. George, with reviving cheerfulness, 
 produced a flask of noble Xeres wine; and while he poured 
 
MINSTKEL LOVE. 331 
 
 out for his friends, he noticed for the first time that during- 
 the meal Arnald had not drunk a single drop of wine. 
 
 "No, truly, I have not," replied Arnald; "neverthe- 
 less ye know how much I generally prize that goodly gift 
 of God. But do not for this reason think that I am ill : on 
 the contrary, it is rather that I feel so well that I need no 
 cordial, and had quite forgotten that there was such a thing 
 as the juice of the grape in the world. But now that thou 
 recaUest it to me in so friendly a fashion, George, thou shalt 
 bestow thy i'air wine of Xeres on me also." 
 
 He scarcely touched the foaming goblet with his lips, 
 however. Then he sprang joyously from his seat, took his 
 lyre on his arm, and invited his friends to accompany him 
 to Castle Maraviglia. Sebastian would have supported 
 him ; but he waved him aside, and bounded like a deer 
 towards the ruins, saying that they should be right joyful 
 on the morrow at Castle Bisiers. 
 
 " Control yourselves," said Altarbol to George and 
 Sebastian ; " our friend shall in truth be right joyful to- 
 morrow — but not at Castle Bisiers." 
 
 Arnald had caught some of the words of Altarbol, with- 
 out understanding the depth of their import. It was only 
 when, having ascended to the highest point of the ruins,, 
 he sank down upon the mossy stones under the shadow 
 of the keep, and felt a painful sense of exhaustion, hitherto 
 forgotten, unstringing his limbs, while his breast quivered 
 with shooting pangs such as he had never before expe- 
 rienced, and his three friends stood weeping around him 
 — it was only then that he became clearly aware of the 
 deep and awful meaning of that hour. Silently he lifted 
 his head towards heaven; then drooping it, he gazed 
 upon the beautiful landscape, while the autumnal mists 
 
332 MINSTREL LOVE. 
 
 of evening rose from all sides towards the heights like 
 solemn funereal veils. " Beautiful, beautiful earth !" 
 sighed he, scarce audibly, while his eyes grew dim with 
 tears. He remained a long time silent. A magnificent 
 oak-tree showered upon him a perfect torrent of red and 
 yellow leaves, so that he was, as it were, enveloped 
 in mourning but golden garments. His smile became 
 more and more tranquil and kindly; at length, with a 
 last effort he lifted himself up, touched his lute, and sans; 
 the following words — the death-song of the swan : 
 
 As the stream pauses ere it plunge helow, 
 
 So on the last dread verge my spirit stands — 
 Thou who hast guided me through earthly lands, 
 
 Eternal Love, lift me to heaven now ! 
 
 Great were thy gifts — the bard's transparent soul, 
 Pouring for knights and ladies many a song, 
 And the swift charge athwart the scattered throng, 
 
 Bearing to fame, where battle's thunders roll. 
 
 Thou gavest bitter grief and deep delight, 
 The fiery trial and the resplendent wreath. 
 And now — a grave beside a rescued hearth. 
 The lamps of Eden gleam through death's dark night — 
 Lord, I will praise Thee with my latest breath ! 
 Lie gently on my brow, O native earth ! 
 
 As the last chords of the lute died away, a wailing 
 echo passed through the ruined halls of the ciWtie; and 
 Sebastian afterwards said, that he had seen a shaoe like 
 that of the minstrel-king arise from the misty meadows, 
 wrapped ip mourning garments, and disappear amid the 
 gold-besprinkled clouds of evening. Deep in the noble 
 hearts of those three friends lay the solemn thought — 
 
 Now DIBS THE XOBLE RACE OP MaRAVIGLIA ! 
 
 Finally — the sun had already sunk — Aruald once more 
 lifted himself up and said, with a sigh, "' Beautiful would 
 
MINSTREL LOVE. 333 
 
 It have been, if once only before this my blessed end she 
 had expressly named me her minstrel and her knight." 
 
 "Such were the names which she gave thee yester- 
 even," said Altarbol, " before the vicomte and myself." 
 
 Then Arnald rapturously stretched forth his arms to 
 heaven, and said, " Now — oh, now truly ! I shall never 
 more behold Alearda with these mortal eyes; yet has 
 my whole life been abundantly, nay over-bounteously, 
 crowned !" 
 
 And the mists unveiled the firmament, and the constel- 
 lation Alearda shone down upon the dying minstrel. He 
 greeted it vrith a smile of perfect consciousness, and fell 
 asleep beneath the prayers of Altarbol. 
 
 Most of the minstrel's rhymes, 
 
 Nay, truly all. 
 Are lost amid the tumult of the times, 
 Nor shall the music of their rise and fall 
 Woo the consenting ear again 
 From common life's discordant strain; 
 But the pure knightly service which he gave 
 
 Unto that purest queen of womanhood 
 Lives in the legend, calm, and sweet, and grave, 
 
 Peopling with thoughts his tomb's mute solitude, 
 Ye who yet struggle with the storms of life, 
 Look on this picture of the minstrel's strif?, 
 Behold it with calm love and reverent bliss ; 
 And utter then, with hearts as pure as his, 
 " .Sleep, minstrel, sleep beside thy rescued hearth. 
 And gently lie on thee thy native earth !" 
 
 THE BND. 
 
CHARLES niCKENS AND EVANS, 
 CRYSTAL PALACE PEESS.