SCENE III.
Changes to the Gate of the Castle.
Enter King Edel and Lords as returned from Hawking.
Curan, Falconer, and Ralph attending.
EDEL.
Beshrew me, Lords, but this same Danish boy
Did give us sweet addition to our sport.
I know not whether most to praise the fleet
Activity, by which, our game in view,
He cours'd the field, and left our fleetest steeds
Lagging behind; or whether, at default,
Perch'd on some land-mark stone, he struck his harp
And caroll'd his soft ditty. By St. Hilda
He is a peerless boy.
Ld.
True, my dread Liege:
And then his dauntless spirit, mixt so meekly
With boyish shamefac'dness! for when your Highness
Did praise his skill, it brought a crimson blush
Fresh to his cheek, that seem'd to call in question
Whether such praise were just, proving by the doubt
His rightful claim to it.
Ed.
True, we noted it;
A merit seldom mark'd in such as ply
The minstrel craft. Come forward, pretty youth,
Take thou these angels. Thou hast pleas'd us well.
My Lord our Chamberlain, have it in charge
This boy be well appointed, in such sort
As fits our cup-bearer. Thus we advance him
Ev'n at the first, and his shall be the blame
If he not gains swift marks of future favour.
Cur.
Low at your feet I fall, my gracious Sov'reign,
And promise true allegiance.
Ed.
Rise, and thank us
By thy fair service. We do hold to-morrow
A high carousal. See that thou attend us
In thy fit weeds, when in our hall we dine,
We and our peers.
[Exeunt Edel and Lords.
Manent CURAN, FALCONER, and RALPH.
Cur.
Why, this is as it should be—
Our good star smiles on us beyond our hopes.
How now, good Master Falconer, why this distance?
What! cap in hand too; prithee, friend, be cover'd.
Fal.
I know better, good Master Cup-bearer, I know
better. When, indeed, the every day sun in yonder sky
shines upon me, I veil myself without ceremony, expecting
no more from him than a scorch'd forehead; but,
when the sun of court favour shines upon me, though as
now, only as it were by reflexion, I doff my cap most
reverently, as thereby hoping for somewhat that may
warm my old heart. As for you, my young Sir, who are
become to-day the minion of dame Fortune, I know not
how thou wilt demean thyself to-morrow; therefore
before to-morrow comes, I will venture to call myself thy
old friend; inasmuch I was thy friend before the King
was, and am withal three years older than his Majesty.
Cur.
I own thee for my friend, and hold thy kindness
In fair memorial.
Fal.
I thank thee. Yet as the good luck, which has
of late befallen thee, may in time help to weaken thy
memory, suffer me to put thee now in mind that, in the
morning when thou camest hither out of breath, desirous
of sitting on yonder bench to rest thee awhile, I call'd
thee pretty youth, and bade thee sit down boldly; thereby,
as I may say, installing thee for a courtier.
Cur.
Thou didst, and for that courteous installation
This angel be thy fee.
[Gives him the money.
Fal.
Blessings on thy young heart! had I thought
thou would'st have paid me thus generously, I would
have pull'd off my doublet and made thee a cushion of
it; thou should'st never have been installed on the hard
stone. But I would wish thee also to recollect, that the
very moment thou mad'st offer to give me a touch of thy
minstrelsy, I took thee at thy word. Whereby—
Ral.
Nay, in troth, Master, that thou didst not, but
was minded to interrupt the lad's ditty (I crave your
honour's pardon, for you was but a lad then), yet your
honour well knows he would have told you a long preamble
about the ten virtues in strong ale, which I, who
have heard the old homily a hundred times, and know it
to be as long as one of Father Anselm's, and withal as
unedifying, save when one has the brown pitcher before
one, persuaded him to cease the delivery of. This had I
not done in the very nick of time—
Cur.
Thou didst; and for that friendly office, see,
How this twin angel greets thee.
[Gives Ralph an angel.
Ral.
Aye, that indeed does it, and most angelically
poor Ralph is your liege vassal for ever.
Fal.
Though the knave has, as I may say, robb'd me
of my second merit, neither he nor any man in Dëira
shall of my third; which resteth in this, that I prais'd
thy minstrelsy to the King: and what, though he flouted
me for it? I have known him many a time and oft do so
in the field, and yet nevertheless abide by my council:
Therefore assure thyself, that what I said concerning the
lark's roosting in thy throat did thee no thriftless piece
of service.
Cur.
Whether it did or not, 'twas said in kindness,
And is as such rewarded.
[Gives him another angel.
Fal.
St. Hilda bless thee! There remaineth now
but a fourth merit to remind thee of, which, to say truth,
respecteth myself singly. It is this; that I, being, as thou
seest, an old and true-bred courtier, am wholly void of
one vice, which hath been imputed to our sect for time
immemorial.
Cur.
I pray thee name it.
Fal.
That can I, Master, and with a safe conscience.
—The vice is envy, which, thou knowest, is one of the
seven deadly sins. Now whereas thou art suddenly made
King's cup-bearer, and thereby put over the head of
myself and many a better man, yet do I not envy thee
thine honour; but think verily thou wilt acquit thyself
in that high office better, than ev'n I should myself at
these years.
Cur.
Indeed, and may I credit thee!
Ral.
Nay, Master, here put I in for a share in the
merit. I am younger, and, I trust, more handy than the
Falconer himself, and yet, where the matter of cup-bearing
is concerned, I knock under to your honour's
courtly bearing and gentility. I do in faith.
Cur.
Enough; then share this last bright coin between ye,
And see you drink to my prosperity.
Good friends, farewell.
[Exit Curan.
Ral.
Aye, my Master, that will we do: we'll see the
cann to the bottom, were it as big as Ulphus's horn.
Fal.
Ralph, mark me well, Ralph, this young spendthrift
will be wiser in time. But till that time comes, it
behoves us to drink to the long continuance of so generous
a folly.
[Exeunt Ralph and Falconer.
