Great Britain -- History -- Henry III, 1216-1272 -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Outlaws -- Fiction
As he passed in through the great gate, the men-at-arms threw him
laughing, though respectful, welcomes and within the great court,
beautified with smooth lawn, beds of gorgeous plants, fountains,
statues and small shrubs and bushes, he came upon the giant, Red
Shandy, now the principal lieutenant of Norman of Torn.
“Good morrow, Saint Claude!” cried the burly ruffian. “Hast come to
save our souls, or damn us? What manner of sacrilege have we committed
now, or have we merited the blessings of Holy Church? Dost come to
scold, or praise?”
“Neither, thou unregenerate villain,” cried the priest, laughing.
“Though methinks ye merit chiding for the grievous poor courtesy with
which thou didst treat the great Bishop of Norwich the past week.”
“Tut, tut, Father,” replied Red Shandy. “We did but aid him to adhere
more closely to the injunctions and precepts of Him whose servant and
disciple he claims to be. Were it not better for an Archbishop of His
Church to walk in humility and poverty among His people, than to be
ever surrounded with the temptations of fine clothing, jewels and much
gold, to say nothing of two sumpter beasts heavy laden with runlets of
wine?”
“I warrant his temptations were less by at least as many runlets of
wine as may be borne by two sumpter beasts when thou, red robber, had
finished with him,” exclaimed Father Claude.
“Yes, Father,” laughed the great fellow, “for the sake of Holy Church,
I did indeed confiscate that temptation completely, and if you must
needs have proof in order to absolve me from my sins, come with me now
and you shall sample the excellent discrimination which the Bishop of
Norwich displays in the selection of his temptations.”
“They tell me you left the great man quite destitute of finery, Red
Shandy,” continued Father Claude, as he locked his arm in that of the
outlaw and proceeded toward the castle.
“One garment was all that Norman of Torn would permit him, and as the
sun was hot overhead, he selected for the Bishop a bassinet for that
single article of apparel, to protect his tonsured pate from the rays
of old sol. Then, fearing that it might be stolen from him by some
vandals of the road, he had One Eye Kanty rivet it at each side of the
gorget so that it could not be removed by other than a smithy, and
thus, strapped face to tail upon a donkey, he sent the great Bishop of
Norwich rattling down the dusty road with his head, at least, protected
from the idle gaze of whomsoever he might chance to meet. Forty stripes
he gave to each of the Bishop’s retinue for being abroad in bad
company; but come, here we are where you shall have the wine as proof
of my tale.”
As the two sat sipping the Bishop’s good Canary, the little old man of
Torn entered. He spoke to Father Claude in a surly tone, asking him if
he knew aught of the whereabouts of Norman of Torn.
“We have seen nothing of him since, some three days gone, he rode out
in the direction of your cottage,” he concluded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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