CHAPTER V.

THE CASTLE AND COMPANY.

To describe a baron's hall, as in the fifteenth century, with all its cumbrous materials inside and out, would be, no doubt, very engaging to the antiquarian reader; and Freston Castle, Freston Hall, or De Freston's Mansion, as it was at various periods designated, if minutely described, would fill many a page which the general reader would be glad to be excused.

Not that it would be otherwise than entertaining, for the Lords of Freston had each added something to the style of his predecessor, and there was as great a variety of the Gothic from the year 1111 down to 1485, as could be found in any house in the eastern counties of the kingdom. It vied with the ancient castle of Caister in its castellated front and lofty turrets, its old Norman windows, loop-holes, and bastions, and, standing as it did upon one of the most picturesque spots throughout East Anglia, it commanded, in that day, general admiration.

It was one of those castles which were exempt from the fines to Peter's Priory, on account of the Lord De Freston having granted a hide of land on the opposite shore to the then learned priors of Alneshborne; and hence it was considered extra parochial, and the church and chapel of De Freston as belonging to the immediate jurisdiction of John De Freston, who appointed his own ecclesiastic from among the preachers or prebends of Wykes Ufford, and, after that, from Gypesswich (Ipswich).

It is 'but justice to the memory of the De Frestons to say they were good Catholics, not good for their gifts of foolish and vain things, but for their benevolent offerings for the poor. Their splendid old hall, gracing the banks of the Orwell, for several centuries was remarkable for the liberality displayed within it, not only to the inhabitants of Freston, Arwarton, Holbrook, Wolverstone, Chelmondiston, Harkstead, Tattingstone, and Bentley, on the western side of the river, in which parishes the Lords of De Freston held estates, but in all parts of Suffolk, Norfolk, and Gloucestershire, where their property was situated, they had their benevolent houses, in which the dole of charity was meted out to the surrounding poor.

Their great residences were at Freston and Malvern; for, connected with the Latimers, they held much sway on the borders of the Malvern Hills. Their head-quarters were at Freston Hall, a fortified mansion, exhibiting traces of decay in some parts of the then elaborate workmanship of the fourteenth century. A most noble park lay around the castle, extending along the beautiful banks of the river, including many a grand chasse, where deer and game of all descriptions might be found.

Part of the great tenure by which this property was held free from the interference of the religious houses in Ipswich, as well as temporal authorities of the borough, whose power then extended to the waste marshes upon the borders of the park, was the furnishing of three fat bucks for the 8th of September, to the borough, on the day of the election of bailiffs; and, on St. Peter's day, two bucks to the Abbots of Bury, two to the Prior of St. Peter's, and one to the Black Canons of Dodness; from all other charges whatsoever the Barony of De Freston was exempt.

But our party, joyful in the society of each other, bent their way from the lawn which surrounded the Tower to the broad and open space before the castle. So level did the grass at a little distance appear with the foundation walls of the building, that were it not for the distinct evidence of the huge drawbridge and portcullis, no one would imagine that a moat ninety-eight feet wide extended round the walls. The building was a square with four towers, the south-eastern front of which, facing the Orwell, was then in its most perfect state. It was only at certain periods, when the distant dependencies of the barony came to pay suit and service to the Lords of De Freston, that the other wings of the mansion were inhabited. They were not suffered to decay; but, as they were not constantly used, they were only visited occasionally by the lord, who left it to his household steward to see that all things were kept in order.

'It is a beautiful spot,' said Latimer to Ellen, as they approached the spacious front of the building, 'and I hope it may never again see the troubles with which it was visited when the Earl of Leicester and his Flemings came from Walton Castle, and were opposed by John De Freston and his troops. This looks not like a place of slaughter, Ellen; yet many a brave youth did your ancestors' bowmen send to the bottom of the waves, before the enemy could effect a landing, or reach this spacious green sward. How thankful should we feel that we can walk in peace free from such terrors; but other parts of the kingdom are, at this moment, in arms, and the Baron De Freston will, I fear, have to send his quota of men to the wars of the Roses!'

'Let him keep neutral if he can, say I. He is out of the reach of the severity of the contest, unless Richmond should choose Suffolk for his field of action. I trust my father's hall will be at peace as long as his honored head shall be erect!'

'Amen!' added Wolsey. 'This place is too peaceful, too blessed in its inhabitants, to be disturbed by faction. It has a charm in my eye which, I trust, no bloodshed will ever destroy!'

'You are a partial friend, Thomas; but I wish all men felt towards it and its inhabitants as you do.'

'That do not I,' thought Wolsey, 'unless, indeed, I were the foremost and most favored of all;' but he only replied, 'I have reason to be partial, Ellen.'

'Perchance, Thomas, the issue of our interest this day may make you more partial than ever towards my father and myself, though your gain must be our loss.'

'Wolsey, will not that be some consolation to you, when in Oxford, to know my fair cousin here will be daily a loser by your absence?'

The youth blushed, feeling conscious that both his hopes and his fears might be excited during his residence at the University; but the color soon disappeared, and he joined in the conversation without any appearance of embarrassment.

'If Ellen can promise herself the same pleasure in my progress, neither she nor I can be a loser by my residence at the University, however prolonged it may be.'

'I assure you, Thomas, I shall take a most lively interest in your success.'

'He will not fail, Ellen, to be well repaid for his labors, should he win your approbation.'

'Let him go on as he has begun, and his success will be considered to form part of the honors attached to the house of De Freston.'

Now, though Ellen, in this speech, meant no more than to convey an idea of a certain degree of patronage which the House of De Freston had already exercised in the behalf of the young aspirant for future fame, yet, upon such a temperament as Wolsey's it produced an impression not easily to be effaced. The blood circulated warmly through his frame as he thought of the possibility of his being able to bring honor to the house of De Freston, and to be deemed worthy of the hand (for his ambition had conceived the possibility of such an accomplishment) of the beautiful and enlightened heiress of De Freston, the chief happiness of his life. Wolsey could only bow and promise to do his best, and repeated that it was one of the greatest pleasures of his existence to have met with a person who had led him to the foot of the hill on which the temple of Fame was built, and was ready to welcome him upon his arrival at the summit.

The party arrived at the drawbridge, where the old warder, with his battle-axe in hand, as if he were then watching for his safety, or expecting the arrival of a foe, saluted his master. He was in his niche in the side of the right-hand turret of the drawbridge, and presented his lord with a packet of letters, which had arrived since he went to the Tower. These were placed in the pouch or pocket of De Freston, then worn externally, beneath the belt which bound the leathern jerkin of the noble, and was wrought with ornamental gold embroidery, and studded with the head of the bear. This crest of that ancient family was adopted in consequence of the reputation of his ancestor, who arrived with William the Conqueror, for great personal strength, in expressed in the following motto:

'Who meets De Freston must beware The arms and courage of the bear.'

On the summit of the two towers, at either entrance of the arch forming the outer and inner gateway of the drawbridge, were the well-carved colossal figures of a rampant bear, facing each other, forming a barbarous, but, at that time, very common capital to the huge square pillars of the gateway; and, in the arms over the old porch, the bear hugging a foe was said to represent the manner in which the founder of the family, after having broken his sword, rushed in upon his enemy, and, seizing him, crushed him in his arms.

At that time, when the barons of England were expected to decide which rose they would wear, it was almost a disgrace not to have their castles ornamented in every part with the especial rose--red or white--which they espoused. It is singular that a flower should be the symbol of contention throughout the whole kingdom. The Lord De Freston lost nothing of his reputation by commanding his adherents to espouse neither side.

They reached the Baron's entrance-hall, where Ellen's maid stood in readiness to receive the mantle and hood of her mistress, and to await her retirement to her room. The retainers, in their military habiliments still, as in war-like days, assembled in rank and file in the ancestral hall: and every day with their burnished arms, their broad breast-plates, and high peaked helmets, made their appearance at the mid-day meal, before the baron or his mareschal.

The utmost regularity prevailed in that mansion, and the absence of any member of the establishment was observable immediately. All raised their right hands to their helmets as De Freston and his daughter entered. His archers rested on their bows, his spearmen on their spears, whilst his boatmen, with the Flemish pea-green jackets and woollen hose, looked, in their sea-faring dresses, the most independent among his retainers. Fifty spearmen, as many archers, twelve boatmen, grooms of the chambers, and grooms of the stable, together with domestics, in-door and out, were all assembled in that spacious, lofty hall; and before they filed off into the great dining-room, or, as it was then called, the steward's refectory, they had to make this daily assembling a conspicuous part of their duty. Every man's name was chalked upon the boards of the house the day of his coming into his lord's service, and his place and position. It was part of the steward's office to call over their names, and signify the cause of absence to De Freston. In this manner, before partaking of their master's meat, every man was inspected, and it added no little to the pride of the lord, as of pleasure to his vassal, to be recognised daily for punctuality and cleanliness.

'A man is mighty,' thought Wolsey, as he surveyed the band of warriors and retinue of servants, 'a man is mighty who can depend upon himself without these adjuncts! Yet he who is popular with his own people, who serve him heart and hand, and without many protestations but with faithful deeds, must feel strengthened in his castle. Should I ever be a lord, I will take pleasure in seeing my retainers marshalled in this way. It must add to mutual regard, and make a man appear to himself of some consequence.'

After a word or two with the officer, De Freston dismissed his servants, who retired to the great feast daily prepared for them, and which, with forest rangers, watchers, warders, soldiers, and serving-men, was always a joyful meeting. It was then that they were permitted to arrange themselves around the great log fire, and speak of the adventures by flood and field any of them had heard, or manifest their regard for their master's honor; and many a boy imbibed that feudal loyalty which induced him to devote his life to his superior. The iron helmet rang upon the broad stone pavement of the room, as each soldier threw it off, and exposed to view a manly countenance, then covered with profuse locks and thick beard, and took his seat among some of the less encumbered domestics. Wit, fun, and frolic, had then their hour, and tales of the stables, of the river, of the park, the town, the village, the country, and often tales of love circulated rapidly.

Some would talk of the great doings of the former Barons of De Freston, the feats of his followers, and the perils they had escaped. Then was discussed, too, that all-important question with all the retainers, the settlement of their beloved mistress.

'I have no faith in these learned gentry,' exclaimed a sturdy fellow of the name of Bigmore, whose fathers had served the Lords De Freston for many generations. 'I have no faith in these learned gentry for the lord of my young mistress, though, bless her heart, she is worthy of the most learned man in the land; though old Joe Jordan, with his usual long face, declares that there will never be another warrior in the house of De Freston.'

'So say I now, Hugh--so say I now; and if I do say it, may be, I may not regret the day I see it, should I see your troop disbanded and peace and liberty reigning without the help of the sword. You laugh at me as a mechanic, as my lord's carpenter; now, to my mind, building peaceful habitations is far pleasanter than building castles, towers, or fortifications. I say now, that the tower of peace which we have just finished on the banks of the Orwell, unsuited as it is for attack and defence, will stand longer than many a baron's castle, and, may be, outlast even the habitation of its builder.'

'Why true, Master Jordan, it is but a slight concern, and might be easily battered to pieces.'

'And for that very reason men will not think it worth their while to attack it. It is built for my lady's tower. It is merely for her pleasure, that she may not be weary in het pursuits of science, and that no one may interfere therewith. Warriors as you are, you would none of you fight against a woman, and therefore will this lady's tower be respected, aye, should all the warriors be set in battle array against each other, and the bloody rose meet the pale one in De Freston's park.'

'Ah, well! methinks, Jordan, thou wouldst have thy mistress marry a priest.'

'And pray why is not a priest as good a man as a lord?'

'Why? Because he may not marry!'

This created a laugh among some who were always glad to hear old Joe Jordan's remarks, though they might not be exactly in accordance with their own.

'That is their misfortune, not their fault. I would not be a priest, to take such a vow.'

'I'll tell thy wife of thee, Master Jordan,' exclaimed Abdil Foley, one of the journeymen, who happened to be then employed in fitting up some frames belonging to the tapestry-room in De Freston's Tower.

'And she would thank thee for thy pains, and say, Bachelor Foley, do thou marry, or else turn thou priest and get thee into the cloister.'

'Abdil, thou hast got an able answer. Go to and get married.'

'I will when it suits my purpose!'

'Well, friends, here's a health to our young mistress; and may she marry a nobler lord than her father, if he can be found in the land. What do you say to that, old Joe?

'I say, as an independent man would say, it may be improved upon.'

'How so?'

'Will you all drink it if I give it you improved?'

All vociferated 'Yes.'

'Well, then, I say, Here's a health to our young mistress and may she marry the man of her mind.'

'Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!'

'But may that man be a lord!'

'May that be as it may be. Our lord's a deserving lord. A good master, kind friend, upright, learned, wise, independent, generous, and great; and if all the barons of England were like him, their nobility would be an ornament to them, and they would be ornaments to the people; but I say it with no disrespect to our master, God bless him! there are many lords who visit him not half so good looking, nor half so knightly, nor half so learned, nor half so well behaved, as either Masters Latimer or Wolsey, now the guests at his table.'

'Well, which would you have for a master?'

'That is not for me to choose--I could serve either; for they have both held much converse with me while the tower was building, and I can perceive both are learned, both are gentlemen.'

'I think she likes young Wolsey,' said one, 'but surely she will never marry a merchant's son, and the owner of the butcher's shambles at Ipswich. My uncle there, John Carrington, is one of his tenants, and told me that old Wolsey is as strict a master as if he had nothing else to live upon than the rents of the butcher's shambles.'

'Our lord,' said another, 'did not scruple to marry a merchant's daughter, though he was a rich one, it is true! Why, then, should not his daughter smile upon a merchant's son; and that son such a one as he is? Hey, Master Bigmore! this is true logic.'

'I don't understand your logic. I am for supporting the house of my master, and not letting it fall.'

It was in such manner that the men of De Freston frequently occupied that hour of their meals; and let education do what it will, it will no more prevent the current of observation and reflection in the kitchen than it will prevent many of those who call themselves most enlightened religious professors talking about their neighbors, and interfering much more in their families than any servants do in their master's affairs. It is as impossible to stop men from thinking about national subjects as to control the conversations of their domestics when they see things passing before their eyes, either in the parlor, or the chapel, or the hall. Good masters will not always make good men, nor good domestics cease to serve bad masters; but evil masters seldom fail of conveying evil consequences to their dependents.

In those days of feudal grandeur it was of as much or of more consequence than it is in these enlightened times that a lord should stand well with his vassals. Though his power was great over their lives, yet his own life and state much depended upon their support. Happily, no such tyranny now exists, unless it may be said to have sprung up in the nineteenth century, in the horrible tyranny of that law which now enslaves the poor. The future consequences to this country, under this new system, remains to be seen; at present, great is the misery experienced; and it will be so whilst the liberty of the subject is so shamefully infringed upon as to make poverty an excuse for imprisonment, where crime only should be punished.

We may approach the days of high pressure upon liberty, and whilst we are speculating upon the rapidity of motion, we may be only forging chains for our confinement. 'We shall see!' is the expression of many a man who sees more than he chooses to discuss; but may we live to see more peace and prosperity, industry, simplicity, and contentment, than we do any of us see or know at the present time.

Dinner was in the banqueting hall, and De Freston, his daughter, and friends, sat as they did of old, at one long table, all on one side, while the serving men stood opposite. The banners of De Freston waved over the head of the gallery leading to the upper rooms, while the old carved chimney-piece, representing the battle of the giants, one party ascending on the right hand column of the fire-place to the grand contest, whilst the left hand represented them hurled down with rocks from Jupiter Tonans, who, in the very centre of the cross beam, was with his fiery eagles sending forth his thunderbolts.

Bowls of polished wood contained the simple meal of the day, and though silver and gold cups stood upon the table, no forks, but fingers only, tore asunder the limbs of fowls, the slices of venison, or whatever else was served up before the Lord De Freston. It is true that a huge sword-like scimitar or knife was used by the steward of the table to sever for my lord the portions from the baron of beef; but ere the morsels could be reduced to the size fit for the mouth, they must be torn asunder by the delicate fingers which conveyed them to the teeth.

But men were not less cleanly or happy in their feasts than they are now. The water was poured upon the hands, the napkin more frequently applied, and conversation was far less formal, and much more general than at present. The lord and his daughter performed the duties of hospitality, conversed with their guests upon the great discoveries then making in the world; and the wonders of navigation were thought as much of in those days as the wonders of steam are in these. The powers of the compass were then first discussed; and Captain Diaz, the celebrated Portuguese navigator, had sailed round Cape Stormy, now called, or soon after then called, the Cape of Good Hope.

Nothing more gratified our party than to speak of the wonders of the press. Wolsey declared that the monks should all turn printers, and that every monastery ought to have a press.

Had such been the case, it is much to be feared that truth would not have triumphed as she did.

The meal was soon over, and the party prepared to take their departure, according to previous arrangement, for the Port of Ipswich.