And thus, Lady Abbess, it came to pa.s.s That my father vow"d his vow; Must his daughter espouse the Church? Alas!
Is she better or wiser now?
For some are feeble and others strong, And feeble am I and frail.
Mother! "tis not that I love the wrong, "Tis not that I loathe the veil, But with heart still ready to go astray, If a.s.sail"d by a fresh temptation, I could sin again as I sinned that day, For a girl"s infatuation.
See! Harold, the Dane, thou say"st is dead, Yet I weep NOT BITTERLY; As I fled with the Dane, so I might have fled With Hugo of Normandy.
Ursula: My child, I advise no hasty vows, Yet I pray that in life"s brief span Thou may"st learn that our Church is a fairer spouse Than fickle and erring man; Though fenced for a time by the Church"s pale, When that time expires thou"rt free; And we cannot force thee to take the veil, Nay, we scarce can counsel thee.
Enter the ABBOT hastily.
Basil (the Abbot): I am sorely stricken with shame and grief, It has come by the self-same sign, A summons brief from the outlaw"d chief, Count Rudolph of Rothenstein.
Lady Abbess, ere worse things come to pa.s.s, I would speak with thee alone; Alack and alas! for by the rood and ma.s.s I fear we are all undone.
SCENE--A Farm-house Near the Convent.
A Chamber furnished with writing materials. HUGO, ERIC, and THURSTON on one side; on the other OSRIC, RUDOLPH, and DAGOBERT.
Osric: We have granted too much, ye ask for more; I am not skill"d in your clerkly lore, I scorn your logic; I had rather die Than live like Hugo of Normandy: I am a Norseman, frank and plain; Ye must read the parchment over again.
Eric: Jarl Osric, twice we have read this scroll.
Osric: Thou hast read a part.
Eric: I have read the whole.
Osric: Aye, since I attached my signature!
Eric: Before and since!
Rudolph: Nay, of this be sure, Thou hast signed; in fairness now let it rest.
Osric: I had rather have sign"d upon Hugo"s crest; He has argued the question mouth to mouth With the wordy lore of the subtle south; Let him or any one of his band Come and argue the question hand to hand.
With the aid of my battle-axe I will show That a score of words are not worth one blow.
Thurston: To the devil with thee and thy battle-axe; I would send the pair of ye back in your tracks, With an answer that even to thy boorish brain Would scarce need repet.i.tion again.
Osric: Thou Saxon slave to a milksop knight, I will give thy body to raven and kite.
Thurston: Thou liest; I am a freeborn man, And thy huge carcase--in cubit and span Like the giant"s of Gath--"neath Saxon steel, Shall furnish the kites with a fatter meal.
Osric: Now, by Odin!
Rudolph: Jarl Osric, curb thy wrath; Our names are sign"d, our words have gone forth.
Hugo: I blame thee, Thurston.
Thurston: And I, too, blame Myself, since I follow a knight so tame!
[Thurston goes out.]
Osric: The Saxon hound, he said I lied!
Rudolph: I pray thee, good Viking, be pacified.
Osric: Why do we grant the terms they ask?
To crush them all were an easy task.
Dagobert: That know"st thou not; if it come to war, They are stronger, perhaps, than we bargain for.
Eric: Jarl Osric, thou may"st recall thy words-- Should we meet again.
Osric: Should we meet with swords, Thou, too, may"st recall them to thy sorrow.
Hugo: Eric! we dally. Sir Count, good-morrow.
SCENE--The Guest Chamber of the Convent.
HUGO, ERIC, and ORION.
Eric: Hugo, their siege we might have tried; This place would be easier fortified Than I thought at first; it is now too late, They have cut off our access to the gate.
Hugo: I have weigh"d the chances and counted the cost, And I know by the stars that all is lost If we take up this quarrel.
Eric: So let it be!
I yield to one who is wiser than me. (Aside.) Nevertheless, I have seen the day When the stars would scarcely have bade us stay.
Enter the ABBOT, CYRIL, and other Monks.
Hugo: Lord Abbot, we greet thee. Good fathers all, We bring you greeting.
Orion (aside): And comfort small.
Abbot: G.o.d"s benediction on you, my sons.
Hugo: May He save you, too, from Nors.e.m.e.n and Huns!
Since the gates are beleaguer"d and walls begirt By the forces of Osric and Dagobert; "Tis a heavy price that the knaves demand.
Abbot: Were we to mortgage the Church"s land We never could raise what they would extort.
Orion (aside): The price is too long and the notice too short.
Eric: And you know the stern alternative.
Abbot: If we die we die, if we live we live; G.o.d"s will be done; and our trust is sure In Him, though His chast"nings we endure.
Two messengers rode from here last night, To Otto they carry news of our plight; On my swiftest horses I saw them go.
Orion (aside): Then his swiftest horses are wondrous slow.