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BY JOHN A.I BACKHOUSE, i
LIBERT Y..THEl ,CQNSTITjbTlDNV.tJNl6Nl!;-
1TAT IT "V V V 4-k ' " -'' , . ' ; - - ' -.
l.UJJ. aai. vr.'.i s. ,...,t-, r , wr . , r . K L, Y- V, ' - .
, J At $ 3 Per Annum in-advance8.
. WEDNESDAY, APRIIj 5 1837
iyl0i terms, rf
-The Sentmel 'ii'1 published weekly Ri $3 perannam,
,ayaMe in
advance.
Berenger !id Hou'nntfl - the: next' dav, Veach
NeuvillCj castle, the warlike appearance of
which soon fixed his attention.1 The'" battle
mented walls; the loop-holed towers," the spa
cio'us fosses, ahe double draw-biidges, the
high donjon, lhe chapeTle11 which, a't the:rnb-
ment of his arrival, was tolhnsr for Tespers.aud
continuau. j-, . . . f . . Six m0nihs. andi indeed every obiect so different from the peace
Vn cnuscriimu . - - . . , i . . . i . .
.. . i .c.l nil orrnrncp nrfi nam. ex
niinpr disconiuiucu H"i" .- Y-v-o--, i-; j ,
Uements. by ihe'vear. $15. 00 for two sqaares
u X- and fie dollars (or each additional square. By
"(e n'lmb Jr, 75 cla.' for the first insertion, 37 for each
n0 ' J. .i,- ;arrAtirtn of the Editor.
C ET 0 a11 ,etlers aJdressedto ,he EditorTthe postage
must oe paw.
lPOfflffl.IB'SF':
' THE FIRST MILD DAY OF , MARCH.
It is the first nihil day of March ;h -J :: r-k i
iEaclv minute;$weeter pian belbrd,. ,V!
1 The red-breast! sit) ts from the tall larch v , ; f ...
' That stands beside our tloQ!" ' :
"There is a'bl'sini inthc.air-::;; rr'
Which eeems asense6rjoy to yield - . . r
To Ui(? hare tiief,n4'!3unt;iaB
Aly'sister ! (tilj.awish ormineF;d:;;
Kow that our pioriiin? meal is done, "
Make haste yojur Aborning task-resign,.;-.;
Come forth and A cl the sun. " v
K.Itvnrd will c0mc with you and pray
Put on with sjfeed younvoodland cjresp; ; i
And hring n6aok : for this one day '
, We'll tfive 10 iJInf,:s3 " .. :: ' .
- ' jl ';. -V v -
pvo joyless forms shall regulate V ; 3 ;
OnrJiviiiirealHKhir: ; - - f ;-v;-S.v-l
Wcifan; to-diy, my friend, will xtote ;-,,ry
Xho! opening fl' the year; : f -
".:. .- ;. J "- V?' V'
Love, now anjiurifvcrsal Iirtb, - . :
From heart to heart w stealing, v ," 1
i from earth lojmnn', from man toearlh,-;. ,
It is the hour f feeling. -
One moment now may ipve us more '
Than fifty yejirs of reason ; " ; -Our
minds shall drink nt every pore
Tnes!)iritol"tiiie season . , ..
3oms silent law.our hearts will make,
Whirh'ihey h:i!l long obey:
We for Ijie year to ro ne, may take .'
I Our temper Iroin to-day.
I;-;..-- : ! i -., -1 .-
-And from thelblessed power that: rolU
About, below j above,- i -. . , ;
We'll. JVaiiie the masure of our souls:
They shall he tuned to love. , , .
Their romp, my-, weter ! come,. I pray ,i. :
AY iih speed put on your woodland driess; "
An.lnriuij nolliook: for this one day :
..vve ii give tq uneucss. ;
WOKDSWOBTH. :
Alice and Bercnger. f , ;
Transited for the New'bern Sen'.inel,fi;omthe French of
in tle rrariailve' of myStoyage to Fontoise,
have spoisen of j a certairt 'FountainV of
Iiove." which for a lonir time, was called , the
' "Fountain of Ash-trees ;' 1 sa.id that fXhe lin
fortcnaje fate of two lovers had occasioned. the
'." change of na-rne, and I feel myself in a manner
".'hound to 6fiare with -my readers, the -pleasure
"which Fjenjoed in the discovery of the manu
script from which the following story is ex
tracted. "If were treating 'with a publisher
for the sale of this old romaunU and found it
absolutely necessary , to, make a yolu'mei'.l
would not fan onder pretence ofj proving ils-
authenticity, but in fact to multiply ;its pages,
' to enter into! the most minute details of the
circumstances which rendered ne the possessor
of the manuscript.and would conclude according
to the usage,' with a proposition to ' derv- it
with a notary : but since it is, well knot ,hat
such essays prove nothing; convince nffDodv,
and are usually quite tiresome,. I am not at all
sorry ior me oougaiion unuer wnicn i nna roy-r
self,' to suppress every sort of preface, and " to
say in a few words, that among a quahtityT df
loose manuscripts . which ,were committed - to
. tny care," I found some leaves ?f parchnjen Ven
: closed in a tin case that' by; the first glance
at its contents, I perceived :that they "cpntairied
the history -of a recluse' of tbe abbey, of) Man
" buisson, written til such old French, that l suc
ceeded' with the greatest dirHculty in decypher
Jng the manuscript, ;o
. ; afaitliful copyj"v'v7:
, ''In 1374; under the reie n of Charles the fifth;
sp i justly .surnamed -wft'ioej i-atTtne; period
when letters and cluvalry flourished together, '
Bcrcnger de ' P.rcslcs son of a brave gentleman
attached to, the court of; the -King, was born
;1n a castle on : the banks bfthe;; Seine a .short
distance" ffom'SU:; Germain.-" It was in the
rriidst of public rejoicings- for the late jpeace,
1 th a t the c re m o ny o f baptism was performed
for the infaul, to whoran4ie King; in ' remexn
brahce '.oflthe services "ofTus father assigned
s as god-father, John, Lord of Neu ville, one bf
the most renowned captains and "chevaliers of
V this brilliant epoch. ' Berenger was yet in the
: cradle when, his falher. ied r .When he' had.
- attained 'hia twelfthryea his mother,
-.after, having. instructedhim under. her, own
eyes in the first principles of a military..educa-
. lion, sent him to his illustrious god-faiher,there
to commence his career iii the quality of vqur-:
suiyant, a species of apprenticeship,, during
which the youth tarried a lance; and Jielmet,
- learned to manage the Korseand was instructed
m the three passage? of arm.s ;On the mdrri-'
ing of his departure, the youth entered the'
h amber of his mother to, receive her benedick
. " tion, where she caused to be read for him the
; poem of ffiigk dc Taharte upon the order of
"chivalry ,r passed rbnnd his neckT a little chain,"
, ,iq wnicn was appended a flint stone which one
bfhianc0siprkhad'brouht'fr6m: the banks of
' the Jordan and on which were engraved "the
. words;' "God; Fr'ahceand Honour."' The
lady after'imbracing her son - and Jbathinglhitn
J with her tears, confided him : to' the care of an
old servant, tarid ascended to the tower of : the"
castle to follow, hlm with ' her; eyes as fafas
ful appearance of Presles inspired , him ' with
astonisnmeni,mingiea ,witn tear irom wnicn ne
had riot r entirely recovered " when 11635
ushered into -Jthe presence' of '-the lord of
Neuville:, . The' nobleman " embraced him,
promised to be his father and " conducted him
to ihe Countess, who received him in the most
affectionate manner. " The ' little Alice, his
daughter, a year younger than Berenger whose
grace and. beauty outstripped " her a ge, "''was
s e a fe d u pori'tbe same sofa' by the side : of her
mother who! was teaching her to . work, tapes-
1$ The next day, the pupU.pClhft'Pcatiiras'
iiisiaueu j ii ms.uew luucuuus, auu '.suuiiiuicu
to the discipliue.of the military Jife to, which
he was destined.- ,The smallest mistakes were.
pum slye-d with a severity which frequently cau-:
sed the good little Alice to -shed -tears ; but Be
renger consoled; himself -.with the reflection
it, was that by such means that the lord of
Neuville had acquired. the great renown which
he enjoyed. As military exercises did not oc
cupy, all the time of Berenger, he consecrated
some iiours of every day to the study of poesy,'
vhich.bt passionately loved, and in which : the
JPri .o r . p jTRie u fjgr ea t-un cl e of the counlessv
gave him lessons.-. ;This, prior had two incura
ble maladies : the gout,.and a passion for wri
ting satires against the most; prominent per
sonages of the court..- Like all the libellers of
the a ge, whose secret ought to have been bu
ried with ilTe m, th e mal ignant abbe too k great
care in shooting his shafts, to protect-himself,
umie r an atrcnym o use ove rt.V. Out of abundant
caution, lie contrived to have his. verses copied
by his young pupij, who intended ;no harmi
and who felt happy-in learningT atahe price of
a c 6 m pi i a n c e o f wrhi c h Ji e : did.no t sus p e c t th e
d a n ge r , ,th e r ul es o f the r o u nd'e lay, the ; ma d r i
gal and the ;ballad. ;:BererigerClpved none but
Uiis kind of poetry, and soon began, to write it
with ease and grace,vvithoul.pcjceiving that the
name of Alice toui44erisibl v glide into his
veres to complete the measure, and sometimes
cven-at the expense of their rhythm., , y.
The castle of Neuville was builf'upon, a de
clivity a n d c m m a ti d e d t h e r i V e' r O is e.' ; A t th e
j extremity of the park, on the top Of a little em-
iriencc.'the crest of which was crowned by
some recks,' a fountain of limpid Water: esca
ped in a' cascade and wandered through a
thicket of ash-trees. 1 At this spot ; where the
eye) ranged over an extensive 'plain, the Count
usual! v started upon the chase, and there too
ih;finei'Y'ea thervlhe' Countess and her daughter
itrtSyrftWoitlhtS'
ways l he fi rst'Who m Alice, perceived, and be
fore "the lord Neuville Could perceive the don
jon of his castle, Berenger ''"could inform him
that Alice was at tile rendezvous.' 1 he habit
of seeking and expecting each other at the
sam f1. pi a c err h ad inspired each of the m w i th c a
very vivid attachment for the t ountain" ot the
asli-trces,before thdy suspected that which they
entertained fof.each other. 'The ;youlh' had
befen kbout twb years in the castle, where each.
one seemed Id strive to.love 'Jiim most, wn en
the. Count determined to' make him an Esquire.
Berenger was" only fifteen, years ' aW j 'ye t : no
on e m ana ge d ' the VWa r-horse ; w ith ; m o re.; ad
dress, ca f rie d,' th e : helmet ; with better gra c e
upon Ihe pdmmel'of the saddle, or tmderstopd
better h!o w top u't o a armoury to lace a cuirass
for rivet a bipastfe In many perilous en-A
counters w ii i civvau iei in cuiujiauy viiii ms
noble master,he" had displayed intelligence and
valor far above h i s years. ; Th e chiefjtopicat
the i Court of CharleSi ;y'as jhr gentle esquire of
the'lbrd of Netivirre.Esteer
triotos protectdrcheriRhed
se'rettv adored bv ihe eharmirtg ;AHce, theofj-
Fountain otthe Ash-trees, illuminaledibyUthe
last beams. of '-'the'- sun j he rrecdsrnizes tho
chapel by the brilliant reflection of its painted
windows, v ' Rising in his-, stirrups; , with' eves
uireciea towaras tne iountain,i he thinks he
sees,"Jie does see the young Alice ; she waves
her handkerchief in the air the horse, of Berenger-
no longer ; runs, he. leaps along and
bounding over .hedges, and, ditches iriU at mo
ment he carries the impatient youths to 'ithe
foot of the hill.. Alice, followed by the eldest
of her waitingrwomen flies toward "him; and
with a voice choked vith. sobs,' exclaims MFIv.
fly' Berenger ; you have every; thing to fear if
ypu appear at.tne castle. !'.'; It is not possible
tb describe the terrible .'disorder! which these
wlords and the teairs of Aiice:inflictedi on the
urjfortuntate young rnan. ;He; scarcely -had
striength tp askthef causebfithe t lamentable
misfortune which had befallen him ; Alice is
ignorant of it ; but she has witnessed the an
gey of her father, andapprefiends -.from it. the
most dreadful effects. Berenger recovers his
spirits ; his conscisnce reproaches him1 for no
thiug,' and honor imposes on him the dutv of
justifying liimself in the estimation of his ben
efactor. :k Alice urges him in vain v to absent
. . . .. . r. ... . ... . . : rr , . . t .
second "time his parental" roof. -rThe morning ! brated poets, of the time f the golden amaranth t
1-
himself, at" least for i some : davs he resists.
During this painful debate, the day was nearly
closing, the cry r of the. .night-bird began to
mingle with the distant, sound of the laborer.
Daime Bertha: who had accompanied Alice, re
marked to heri that the horn hadv resounded
three times and that the gales of the casile were
about being- closed Alieeieturned bv the
way of theParkt of whicbihe had the key, and
Berenger remounting his j horse, crossed the
drawbridge, at the moment it began to tremble.
No 'variet appeared before the steps to take his
horse, which he left loose in the courji he ad
vanced without any person's announcing him
to the hall of arm s, where he fo u n d the Co unt,
who vas conversing with the Prior of .Kieux,
and whor received him with a terrible look.
Without permitting him. to speak a word, he
shewed him the satire written with, his t own
hand,and which had fallen by accident from the
pocket.of his doublet, in the chamberwhich he
had occupied at the hotel St. Pol.- The Duke
de Berri had Jiimselfsfent i it loathe; lord if
Neuville, '.leaving jt to his discretion to punish
the "guilty- On, beholding this , writingf the
guilt a nd i m porta nee o f whic re veal ed them-;
selves to him in a moment, the. unfortunate
young man turned pale and blushed, ahd4urn-
ning las eyes lilled with tears toward the Prior
who tried to shun his .'glance; he 7id nothing;
but protest his innocence. . .What could a sim
ple denial avaiif against the written proofs ?
TJie Count after addressing to him the most
bitter reproofs, ordered him to quit the castle
immediately and, never- to reappear there.
Prostrated byv this last blow, vBerehger fell
down at the i'ectof tbe Abbi de Itieux.and only
said." Oh dear Prior !' The. latter ; had trie
meaiiimss lb keep the silence which his .victim
had the noblecouraee not to break. It was in
vain that the Countess, frightened by; (the grief
of his departure, fie shut himself up in the ora
tory, where he wrote a letter to Alice, which
he commanded Raymond. to carry to hen- in
structing him tb repair fo Nueville, to wait an
occasion for delivering it in the thicket of Ash
trees, and to carry him the answer to Dijon,
where he intended to pass some time at the
court of Burgundy. . "
. During the visit which the Duke of Burgun
dy had paid to the lord of Neuville, the young
Berenger had fixed his attention and merited
his good wishes. -The ideas of-grandeur and
arfibitiqn were very far fiom his mind ; but he
saw in lory thconly. means of approaching
Alice, and. he hoped to find at the Court of
Philip an occasion for distinguishing himself
and o btaining the rank of chevalier. It was
irected his steps : io-
it was the eighth since
of her. daughter, iuterce
young esquire. . l ne iouni .was mexorame
and the gates ol Ahe castle were opened at mia-
nigniior.ine ex.ue ox inis amiaoie aim liiuo
cent creature" , V i 'V.l"-.';?
The clock., of thercastle struckf twel vie, arid
the moon "in'all her splejidor spread ber sweet
' . i J rt"'l l- : !; ii.-- J J "
ngin oEr. iue.coumry-.- uerengerwiui ues
pair and death in. bis soulj slopped a few paces
from the'foss, and leaning again5t: his horse.
gazed -upon the .walls from which he was . ban
ished, whilst burning tears poured i from liis
eves.'j . He heid iht-m fixed , on the Window: of
thd chamber where i the rtender"Alice was pass-
I ing the night in grief.. The sentinel, who was
r - , " ' -. i - - - . . i t. -
WbiKing on me rnner.parapei, perceiveu -,-nim
fed
road toward the castle of Presles,
might find "byv. tb'esideV.brjhlR those
consolations whiclr his"Martr sorifxiucH' heeded,
ject- of. Kef timid vows; he seemed to enter life ' twMh? -bope of ich his . prsemiments re-
with this hope that he i
wards Dijon.i One dayJ
his departure from the chateau of Presles, he
crossed a forest some leagues from Auxei re ;
the heat was. excessive, he and his horse had
need of sbme : moments of re pos i he aiighted
and, with the bridle of his war horse passed
under his arm, he sat at the foot of a tree, and
abandoning himself to reflections in which the
memory of Alice ..mingled with pleasant hopes,
his byes gradually klosed, and -without chang
ing their object, his thoughts became dreams i
he slept profoundly, when the ; noise of: arms
an" clashing of swords. roused him : suddenly.
The first movement of the young esquire war?
to leap upon his horse, and hasten toward the
place from which proceeded the noise of arms
which had interrupted his sleep. Three men
Vere attacking a fourth, whb had nearly" fallen
beneath j their blows. Berenger 'flew o his
succor ;. his sudden appearance, the vigor of
his attack, spread terror among the assailants,
who dispersed and finally Sought refuge in the
ilepths'of the fbrest; The chevalier to whom
the youth had rendered this service, was the
marecbal de Loigny, surprised in the-nvirons
of his.5 castle ; by some of those brigands ! by
which France was then covered. Berenger
had determined to conceal his name, but the
marecbal compelled him to tay with, him a
few days. This noble warrior, wh had retired
from court since the death of Charles the fifth,
enjoyed in his glorious retreat the happiness
of private life, to which his love of letters added
a new charm.; vHis chateau was a sort ot ren
dezvous for tf oubabors, who every day exibited
there a new "eie. . These pleasures, to which
Berenger' would, at any o.ther lime, have aban-
ed himself with the?utmost ardor; could not
now withdraw his thoughts from the recollec
tion of his o wn disgrace, the'Ioss of his 'mother,
and the adored image of Alice." Such profound
melancholy at; so tender an age, caused the
marechal to desire to ascertain the cause ; his
entreaties lb tbe"; young stranger became so
pressing-and atTectionatb that he; was obliged
to yield. :AVhatever may; MV'e Ijeen the arti'
fice he employed i.i his narrative, for the pur
pose of not compromising the Prior of Rieux,
the marechal ' nevertheless nvas convinced of
his innocence, and offered to conduct hin) to
ihb court himself, tb justify him in the regard,
of the Prince. Bereuger refused, declaring to
his illustrious benefactor that honor imposed
silepce on him and the morning of the fourth
dajf after his" arrival at Loigny, full of impa
tjence to meet his faithful servant at Dijon, he
took leave of ,the marechal, ; who, on bidding
him farewell, gave evidence of the most lively
. al'tachmenU',v:-;;3::v;..fe.f:X; r-
jlle arrives at Dijon. .Raymond . had been
waiting there two; days ; he presented' him a
leaf from the tablets of Alice, on which the
amiable child had written some words in haste.
The anger uf my father is still violent against
you,' sne said, out ne will not tan lo iorego
to gam.
sWfiat
ystenes does the heart of a lover: contain I
where lie These tivo lines, which changed in no respect
' - : i : 1 . 'L 1 - i
in favor", of the
and forced him lo, depart. Uncertain ot what (it, after the glory which you are about
roadVbe .should "takef eferiger w shall;; love you till death.'
random lor some itime, and .nnauvJtooK the tn
under thb liappiest aTjspicsljUtr ti morning
so OeaulU"!, annoHlVcedonly a?dayfdf stofm.
Fori abng timev "satirea Tbf tKe mbsi "odious
kind had' been iriund
and their author in "Ae r'
lyxiri w,hicr he" coriceaTed.H
resentment "of those whom" lib 2 outf aged .with
sb!mchvirjulence:;an
ybungBerengefasyeVa
Avith lts'passiohs andltsin'triguesVwasail :
Uuie.: me unconscious inairuuicufc ui.mc .cugo
a'nce.of the Prior. : . . . . ,
?: Abdut tHisime luliistof ickl eveiif tpf CgreM
imporianceiurnjsiieu me jjuuc i uicua j"5" 1
occasion .for'exeircisrng'his "s'atiricaljpenhel
did not permit itio escapef ;;3rheDuKe de;Ber
rir riajjpeKed bV; a
inilitarv ex'pedition' whicTi had been ablyplan-
ned. . The bercbraposeia -pi lhis subjecHa i
number pfverses,m which the. delay which the!
puke. had calis'ed in executing ,(hC prders of
me rvtngjwas ireaieu.in siyc uiyo,ijv
to the, bonprTbf the, Prince 5; " y'7CX
UBebHget.haa.Vfi'msbed:cd
nnVt ciJIi hVa ihom Vn Kirri; tibfln thb' Count illness of two days,: with" which she had been
"embKve'fl 'hiinTn'a. mlssibhahe obiect tif which tafflicied rf?otn.herv.youth ?Hu. txtrcme.; grief
was:to deli'ver"c
in "pVrson." ."Helm'mediat
;His"majesi"y.
turn thb same evening-, 'to . theC hotel ' P6
"wbich he." then inhabited' Befengeirl waited
iherVTfor. bim, tKe'b
'missibn jecmed orders :yb preserit'hirnself"at
; v-YuVti izl&j -j . . v i-'iT.vu.;iAliU-.-n'a
rnuiaiucuicau wnere me uueen iuch was.
I remained there four days and dd npt f elurnto
i NeuvilleJ until after a ' tv -Ic" 1abserice;:Be-
re ii si ct um Mccu.ncu receiveu
! turnetl a sTatisTactoTy response"
es. wim. wnicn ue oaa Deen enirusie
the destiny of Berenger, gave him inexpressi
ble jovj and all at once restored Kim to courage
and hope. He suspended-by the chain which
his mother had given him and which he car
ried round his - neck, 4 a love talisman upon
whieh he wrote these lines, - v
;Sweet friend of fair and lovely form,
Pearl Of the wdrldmy only charm; ?
'-''Nor rose of May, nor lily fair, ' ;
; :Wilh ray loved 'Alice can compare.'
He loaded Raymond with presents and sent
him back to the castle of Presles, commanding
him" to find ah'bccasion to deliver to Alice a
billet on which he' was content to write, "No
more shall you see," no more shall you heardf
rne: until 1 become worthy ot you." l ne
next day lie presented himself ai the castle of
uurgunoy j enirancef was loruiuueu w iujic
esquires ; it" was impossible to approach the
Pri n ce. A t the end of ei ght d ay s, mor e n u
miliated than fatigued by the efforts which; he
made without success, as he was preparing to
leave" Dijon, hb learned that they were levying
trddps lomarch, against tne uute oi nueiures,
and he immediately enlisted as a simple
teei irllhe army' which the. King commanded
in person: Thiswar Was '"lift I long but bloody ;
Berenffer' covered " himseii- with - glory,
man v brilliant exploits f uld have proenred
bbeS:nbt affliCfil breaksbis he
had not.oblised him toconceal his name.
, . Thb Duke of Gueldres 1 Concluded the war
by dbihg homage tb the" King of; Frncef and
Beren ffer. whom the - desire' of speedy renown
tormented; resolved to make'his appearance at
the floral games w hich were ' about to take
Place before ;an . immense .crowd with gret
P? ! ed. -, . a. - ;.;; :r .-.j-, ; yy ;
with so much regret, did riot arrive at the rria
norof Presles until sunset !the next day.. The
eniotibu which he'felt on ' revisiting Ibe places
wh'ere the happy : yearCbf his infancy had pass
edin. thinking that he Was about. tb embrace
his rrio ther after a separa lib n o f fo u r yea rs, i n
sensibiy'Jover soul. In ap
proaching the castle, lie followed a path' which
he reccflected td havV travelled the; first time
hembun'ted a horse iih!s, path conducted Mm
ta . the ' first cburti where fhe? saw collected a
large riu m ber 6 f peasan ts rltbeir rhbur riful a nd
"siTent" counteriances couldt ,bu eiciteVhis sur
prise ; but he felt distressed when he: saw the
old -Ray mond ;4n tears distributing alms to a
crowd of the ppbr by whorn he waslsurfounded.
Berengerieaped from his Aorae and called him.
Raymond recognized lis ypnnJnasleri'..uiibred
a fihrijicrxbndran t
Snud'Jering, he -raised himj enquiring of him
O "mournful news ' the unfortunate "no
was awarded to him with general consent. -It
was at the castle of Loigny thathe was informed? .
of i his . success, to which the good ; marechal t '
wished to add a consummation, by arming hirav
as a chevalier. Alice and. this dignity ! ; Ber-
enger sought no other happiness on- earth.
The chapel of the castle, was prepared for the
august ceremony; many of the marechal's com-v
panions in arms were invited and came,' armed j
at all points.- After divine worship, the chap-1
lain having blessed the arms of the neophyte, ,
the marechal gave him successively the spurs,;; j
the halbertj the cuirass, and the gauntlet; berng . ;
thus dubbed, he girded. a sword round him,, ,
saying, Berenger, I. present you with this'
sword, ,and place it.in your hands, and pray, '
the Lord that he may give you such a hearth,
and make ypu as good a chevalier as ever'ivas ,
your father of valorous memory." Then giv.
ing him the accolade and striking him three,,
times upon the neck with his sword, he added, ..
"In the name of God, St. Michae land St-.
George I make theea chevalier be true, bold
and loyal." The rest of the day was a long
festival. . j " ". ' " "
-The new chevalier was too proud ot his new"
dignity, not to seek an opportunity to do honor
to his illustrious god-father. The celebrations
which were preparing at St. Denisjnhonorl
of Louis the second, king of Sicily and brother
of king Charles, offered him . a brilliant oppor
tunity ; the' tournaments were' announced, the.
flower o!f the French and foreign nobility was'"
admitted. Berenger repaired thither, and was
rendered no less remarkable by his youth' and:
grace,, than by the extreme simplicity of . his.
armor. His shield, without ornament, carried
only the simple device composed of the letters
A. and B. and surrounded by a branch .'of the...-ash-tree,
a; The tournament, was appointed to
open after the service which the King caused
to be performed in honor of the grand consta
ble, v? Berenger look a seat in the church from
which he might distinctly hear the funeral ora
tion pronounced by the - Bishop of Auxerce
over Bertrand de Guesclin an honor which,
had never before been conferred inTrance."
We may judge of his surprise and his happi-;
ness when he perceived Alice, the charming'
Alice, at the foot of the Queen's throne with,
her eyes fixed upon his shield. As he sat v
fronting her, he raised his visor and'held it
half elevated Alice recognized him all the
tender emotions of which the human heart is -
susceptible vvere exhibited at once on her an -y
gelic form. . . ' . .
The next day, Berenger who had inscribed
t .
his name among the numoer ot comoaianis,
presented himself at the barrier ofa tourney--.
ment the most brilliant ot the age : All "tha
court! was' present, and by a chance, which a
lover onlv can appreciate, "Alice was chosen
by the Queen to crown the victor. ) Who but-
Berenger could obtain that prize Four times
he entered the lists four limes he Tefnained
master of them, four times his' triumph was
proclaimed. Ji The King desired to know the
young knight and was no less; pleased than
surprised when he ascertained that he was the
same irouoaapur wno nan composeo xne rpyai
song. Berenger approached tb receive the
destined scarf from the hands of the trembling.
Alice ; while passing it round his neck, she
whispered in a low - voice, ' In three davs, at
ei-rht o'clock in the evenincr, at the fountain of
the. ash-trees.' - - - - ,v .
The Duke; . de Berri, the witness . of . the
triumph of Berenger, could not, without ha-v
trod, hear proclaimed-a, name which was asso-
ciated in his mind with insult. His position
near the King, whose dislike he had incurred,
arid the little favor which he enjoyed in the
public opinion, did not permit shim .'to; pursue i
vengeance openly, but he did nokconceal his,
plans in the presence of Amaury,lord of Beaume, "
one of the most powerful nobles of the Court,
to whom the King had-partially promised the
hand of Alice. ' " " ' ' ' '
How long did thesethree days of expectatiorr
appear lo Beremger 1 At last the third day is
nearly closed; it is seven -o'clock, the day has
almost.variished ; Alices lover advances, trem- '
bling.with love, fear and hope, towards the
banks of-ihe-Oise, where every step awakes
some recollection in his soul. : He stops a mo '
ment beneath the walls of the Abbey of Mau
buisson at some, distance from the castle of
Neuville, to a wait the precise "moment of ap
pointment; eight o'clock strikes from the hor- ;
ologe of th6 Abbey he runs,: he flies through
the ihicketwhich covers the'foot of the-hill; 1
he arrives at the fountain, quenches his thirst
in its waters.-kiss'es every tree, where he finds -
sorrowful news. Berencer lost the use of his
senses, .and during aT lethargy bf fight , days,
.fromwhich'he.was'
ysms)J"d'elmamVHeTna his
motherwere the only wpras ne pronounceu.
The .carb bes' tb webV ori fiini 'asnoivwithopt
su cc es s : ? his 1 iileV a 1 1
1 Darlincwas reammateu. Atier ne uau- recur
These games, lately instituted upon
a
ra
5
tic; he discerns.the tops of the houghs atHhe
3 mill Mtw m iiciu Mircit Cllliusitu' t -1 v-.J"" -i-' - - . . , ci
hpbripVemroAliceftero
atipH:: 'Mimmmmf chap ain C Vie mi?r& mwm v
ms:hrl3v8sfiUbdwith:whaf0rd(tfhi W-TT
:redhis;rapidT ebbrrVAlrekdrM
6htVe banks of the Oise; Iheto-weTsbf the cas vbosefirst hiMrer,. should take: the xamea.pf
i . . ... - . .. v - 1 1., ..i T!n.AnA ' ! na ten . tor. lAav ft a those Ol vasiei anu Xj
his initial ehgraved by 'a dear hand -he trem-'
bles, looks, palpitates at the" least rustling of
the "frees some one approaches tis she
Ffarice. - me renirer exce 1 led r in, a species
noe rit eni titled theT royal song ; he 'celebrated
property, chaged-hinv to-Vado w ib his namp, iri that Tei shappproce
wias judged superior to
arid Bercneh' and prerared ; w eve ,a l"sc 01 vsm ami w vuiim?, M)o.v rr
pproach
Berenger is at the feet of Alice;. Hercmotion
exhausts s her strength she totters he sus- ,
tains her--he ' presses her within mi arms, v
What a moment in life Kr rather what a life
m sucn a momeni l , Alter some' moments ox
silence, whose "charm no.' words can express,
Alice. in a few-words relates to lover ihe mis
fortune which had threatened them for a year
My father," he said, from whom the King
himself demanded it, has promised my hand to .
the lord of Beaume ; but he is yet ignorant of
the secret which honors you which will re
store you alt his esteem, all hisTaffection: a 6c
cr0t,in "a word which -the dying.Prior has just
revealeti lo'j.my . mother, v Your?., valor, t;your
merit, have made IhefKing acquainted J with
yoq ;.l will confess , before lum if- necessary,
the love which --.I entertain forvybu and he'
will not. condemn me to the rriisery .of ..disap
pointment; ior I bete make the vow; Berenger,
that J will live for you or: for God." r.;Such
promise, ii .the face of. heaven in- a ? place ;
which had been thc rnysterious.. witness of' so..1,
many sighs and tears; between two young lovfc .
ersi united fjrominfancy, was doubtless already
"half fulfilled. : I hasten to the conclusion of
my story.,,; ";. : - : ,
t: Some days after, the interview in the groves
Berenger a't the reqest pf Alice and wilrj vth.p
ri t
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