CHAPTER XVII.

ST. IVAN'S WARNING.

Silence prevailed amongst the guests as the venerable prelate rose to reply. Looks, yes, fiery looks, shot to the head of that board against the learned Latimer; and even Lord De Freston, with all his well-known bounty, liberality, orthodoxy, and piety, did not escape the furious glances of St. Peter's priests; nor of the violent advocates for the Pope's supremacy. They gnashed upon him with their teeth; and could have wept for very vexation. So serious did the matter seem, that there were many peaceful townsmen who wished most heartily that they were at home with their wives and children, instead of being witnesses of this unbecoming hospitality.

The Bishop, with great knowledge of the world--a truly liberal heart, yet not without deep prejudices, which in that day were not so easily subdued as in this, replied:

'I have ever considered it one of the best privileges of my palace of Wykes, that here the stranger may speak unmolested, that we may all reap the benefit of each other's experience in learning, science, travel, or the wonders of nature, art, or industry. On this account has the hospitality of this roof been devoted to the purposes of an open free court; wherein as long as men behave themselves with courtesy, so long shall they and their communications be respected.

'It has been my lot, frequently, to hear interesting discussions upon science, upon the ancient interpretation of words. Frequently, both naval and military works have been propounded, the uses of the rudder, and very lately, that new and wonderful invention, the compass. The discoveries of distant shores have been spoken of; the manners, arts, customs, and peculiarities of people scarcely heard of before are made familiar to us; and we have all participated in the interesting information.

'The very openness of my table has afforded the power to suppress mere hearsay reports of things, and to bring forward those that are trustworthy. But nothing has so much puzzled the brains of many leading liberal men, as the now rising discussions upon the subject of religion.

'Each speaker claims for himself sincerity, and we are bound to respect what he says as coming from a heart devoted to a holy cause. Yet how opposite do I find the tendencies of both. On one side it is maintained that the Scriptures should be freely given to the people, and be expanded as the waters of the broad sea over the earth. Another maintains that it is unprofitable so to do; that the Scriptures should be confined to the contemplation of the learned; so that the priesthood alone should be the readers, preachers, and expounders thereof, and that the people should he hearers and doers.

'Now there is much truth in both these positions. We well know that if one nation goes to war with another, that which has the best disciplined army will generally prevail. If soldiers were to fight just as they pleased, and be under no orders from their superior officers, they would soon be but a rabble route, and be easily defeated by steady and well-conducted troops. If battles are to be fought, it is evident there must be command and a commander; obedience and men to observe it. Mutual confidence is necessary to ultimate success. Even officers have to obey their superiors, and though each must rely on the aid of Heaven for success, yet each must obey some superior on earth.

'So do I maintain that obedience is necessary in every department of the church, and that if the spread of the Scriptures among the people shall tend to disaffection instead of obedience, we do wisely to keep the records of religion confined to the knowledge of the priesthood.

'My opinion, therefore, is given freely upon this subject. It is our duty to obey the Pope as our chief commanding officer, who holds his head-quarters at Rome. Your officers receive their commissions from him, and are responsible for their obedience to him. And, as one of his marshals, I command you to keep holy your sacred vow of obedience, and to fight the fight of faith under his banners.

'I do not see that Wolsey should have any weight whatever in the councils of the church. He is, no doubt, a good and clever young man; and is held in very proper estimation among his friends in this, his native place; but others in the church are as good and wise as he, and their judgment is not to be despised. Older heads opine that it is not at all necessary to salvation that a man should read the Scriptures; and I, for one, think if the people are thereby to be stirred up to rebellion, they had better never read them at all.

'We do not intend to cite you, Bale and Bilney, to our court, at Norwich, to answer for the dissemination of doctrines which we deem calculated to stir up strife and contention in the church. Nor thee, Latimer, for thy harsh declarations against the Prior and monks of St. Edmund's Bury, albeit we do seriously admonish thee not to let words of indiscretion escape thy lips. To all we freely extend the customary privileges of the Palace of Wykes, and declare that you are irresponsible for your expressions here this day, but I warn you to beware how you take advantage of this custom only to lie here observed, and venture to express these vague opinions in the world.

'We command you, by virtue of our ecclesiastical authority, to spread no more those doctrines which we do consider tending to mutiny in our camp, and exhort you as good soldiers to keep your ranks free from disaffection.

'Though we freely pardon the errors of all this day, and shall dismiss you in peace to your respective homes; yet we are assured, that if these contentions should continue beyond these walls, some delegate from Rome will receive ample powers to punish all refractory children who may provoke the displeasure of the Holy See. We spare you now, and bid you all obey, and all farewell.'

At the very instant in which the Bishop rose to depart, a voice from without exclaimed--'Make way for the Hermit St. Ivan!' and, with breathless agitation, the venerable old man strode up to that part of the hall directly opposite the Bishop. It was evident to every one that he was fatigued with over exertion. He leaned against a pillar, as if to recover himself--refused to be seated, though he kept every one standing around him. He twice essayed to speak--lifted his arms to heaven, and demanded, by his actions, that they would pause a moment to hear him.

The sight of the man was enough to interest any one. His head uncovered, his staff in his hand, his eye beaming with philanthropy, though evidently excited by his intended communication. He had, indeed, hurried into the hall, he had seen the vibrations of the waters, and knew that the walls of Wykes' Bishop's Palace could not stand long. He knew, likewise, that unless he could deliver himself in an authoritative and alarming manner, that many souls must perish. He had no desire they should, and therefore he assumed a sort of prophetical manner of address which the imminence of the danger alone warranted.

His warning is given in such quaint, old poetry, and is yet so forcible, that to narrate it in a set speech would destroy its effect; and to give it in its old style would be tedious to the reader. He must pardon, therefore, its transposition into language more in accordance with modern phraseology, though, perhaps, not so genuinely characteristic of the hermit.

St. Ivan's Warning.

'The time is come, proud Goldwell, hear? I speak to thee no more with fear! Though round thee shining lords attend And priests with burgesses may blend; And haughty in thy palace fair, Alice De Clinton has her share, And mocks to scorn whoe'er she will, And bids the hermit's voice be still. I bid her listen to my lay, I call her from this scene away; And tell both thee and her and all, They must obey the hermit's call.

'The time is come! the warning lake Already doth the palace shake. There stands by thee the haughty maid Whose pride and cruelty are said To govern thee and urge thee on To deeds no bishop yet hath done. The poor despise her though they bow In fear of frowns from such a brow. I, too, have felt within my cell Her hate can burn as demon's spell; For none who humbly live to love, To her can acceptable prove; And were not here a better found, These walls would tremble to the ground. But her I warn to haste away, Nor longer in this palace stay, Lest she and thee, and hers and thine, Be buried by St. Agnes' shrine.

'The time is come--the doom is spoken, Spells of life and charms are broken; And thou mayst live as yet thy day, But here thy bones thou shalt not lay! No more on thee, Wykes' Bishop's Hill, With verdure green find pleasant rill, Shall smile upon thy turrets' dome, Nor more to thee thy people come To meet thee in this place of peace; Its pleasant days must quickly cease; And men from yonder hill shall say, "How soon does grandeur pass away! There stood in state Wykes' Bishop's Hall, How sudden was its rise and fall."

'The time is come; I look around On those who now within are found; De Freston, hasten thou away, Nor let thy maiden longer stay. Lest thou shouldst rue the hapless hour Thou didst forsake thy lofty tower, And seek to minister thine aid Of friendship to a haughty maid. Go! haste away. Oh, couldst thou tell How deeply in my lowly cell I oft have prayed for thee and thine, Thou wouldst respect the hermit's shrine.

The time is come! fair maid of peace, Ellen De Freston, thy release From danger here will only prove A greater danger in thy love. But haste away! thou dost not know The anger of thy deadly foe.

The time is come! Good townsmen flee. These walls are tottering, and must be Known as a place of midnight feast, Where owls and bats by day will rest. But never more will matin bell, Or vespers' sound, be heard to tell Wykes' Bishop's priests the anthem raise, A duty to the saints they praise; But bell and belfry both shall fall Before another matin's call.

'The time is come, thou haughty maid, Whose eye now shining on the dead, With stain of pride and cruel scorn, Falls not on one who feels forlorn. Thou'lt feel the loftiness of pride When raised, unknown, unseen, denied. Thou think'st thyself to be a queen, And com'st to nothing in thy spleen! He comes to raise, and take thee home: Proud maid he comes--the time--'

The old man's voice here totally failed him. A pallid hue was seen to spread itself over his countenance, which underwent a complete change. His head fell gently back against the stone pillar, and the hermit St. Ivan stood a corpse in the hall of Wykes' Bishop's Palace. At the same moment, the glass of those beautiful windows cracked from the very top of the arch to the bottom, and fell inwards--a tumbling; noise was heard--the outer walls fell down; and bishop, lord, lady, priest, burgess, townsman, visitor, monk, traveller, friar, and mendicant, together with porter, warder, serving-men, and slaves, all fled in terror over the drawbridge, leaving St. Ivan standing against the pillar, the only one who was unconscious of fear, inasmuch as he was dead.