The Iron Trevet; or, Jocelyn the Champion: A Tale of the JacquerieSue, Eugène
General
The Iron Trevet; or, Jocelyn the Champion: A Tale of the Jacquerie
Sue, Eugène
French fiction -- Translations into English; Jacquerie, 1358 -- Fiction
The English captain uttered these cries at the sight of Alison, who now
appeared at the entrance of the cavern, pale, with disheveled hair, her
clothes half burnt, breathing fast and so feeble that she was unable to
walk except supporting herself by the rocks that lay near by. Captain
Griffith, without being moved at the lamentable aspect of the woman, and
listening only to his own amorous suggestions, made one bound at his
prey, took her in his arms and cried: "This time I hold you! Now you are
mine!"
"Mercy!" cried Alison, struggling to free herself. "I shall give you all
the money I have.... Mercy!"
"Love first, money afterwards!" was the answer of Norfolk's bastard
carrying Alison off.
"Help, Mazurec! Help!" cried the tavern-keeper as loudly as her weak
voice allowed her. But Mazurec, exasperated with suffering and now drunk
with bloodshed and the transports of revenge, continued to hack with his
pitch-fork the corpse of the bailiff, and heard not the appeal of
Alison.
Suddenly, stepping out of a thick bush and appearing on the top of a
rocky eminence, Jocelyn the Champion precipitated himself upon the
ravisher, followed by Adam the Devil, William Caillet, Rufin the
Tankard-smasher and several serfs armed with axes, forks and scythes.
This small troop, attracted by the cries of Alison, had rushed forward
ahead of a large number of revolted peasants, who, crossing a denser
part of the forest, marched slowlier.
"Here I am, my charming hostess!" cried Jocelyn, leaping from rock to
rock, sword in hand; "here I am ... ready to defend you!"
"My Hercules of the castle of Beaumont!" exclaimed Captain Griffith,
drawing his sword at the sight of Jocelyn whom he immediately
recognized; and relinquishing Alison he rushed, sword in hand, at
Jocelyn, saying: "Only to-day I requested but two things from Satan: to
embrace that belle and to find you again a little fattened, my sturdy
boy! Let's commence with you; the belle shall have her turn!"
"I have not yet gathered much meat on my bones," responded the champion,
intrepidly attacking the bastard of Norfolk, "but you shall not be long
in admitting that my wrist has not yet lost any of its strength."
A mad combat was immediately engaged in between the champion and the
Captain, while Caillet, Adam the Devil, Rufin and several of the serfs
who accompanied them, threw themselves furiously upon Captain Griffith's
Chaplain and the archers who had come with him when he left the gross of
his troop near the skirt of the forest, as the bailiff had advised.
"Kill, kill the English!... Death to the English!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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