The History of Richard Raynal, Solitary by Robert Hugh Benson
Of Master Richard's speaking with the King's Grace: and how he wastaken for it
_Et nunc reges intelligite: erudimini qui judicatis terram._
And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, ye that judge theearth.--_Ps. ii. 10._
VI
They searched Master Richard for weapons, in spite of what he had said,when they had him alone in a little chamber off the King's closet, butnot unkindly, after what had been ordered, but they found nothingbeneath the white kirtle save the white skin, and nothing in the bursebut the book of hours and a little pen-knife, and the bottle of QuinteEssence. One of them held that up, and demanded what it was.
"That is the cordial called Quinte Essence," said Master Richard,smiling.
They thought it to be a poison, so he was forced to explain that it wasnot.
"It is made from man's blood," he said, "which is the most perfect partof our being, and does miracles if it is used aright."
They would know more than that, so he told them how it was made, withsalt, and set in the body of a horse, and afterwards distilled, and hetold them what marvels it wrought by God's grace; how it would draw outthe virtues and properties of things, and could be mixed with medicines,and the rest, as I have told to you before. That is the bottle you haveseen at the parsonage.
But they would not give it back to him at that time, and said that heshould have it when the King had done talking with him. Then they wentout and left him alone, but one stood at the door to keep him untildinner was over.
It was a little room, Master Richard said, and looked on to the river.It was hung with green saye, and was laid with rushes. There was a roundtable in the midst of the floor, and a chair on this side and that; andthere was an image of Christ upon the rood that stood upon the table.There was another door than that through which he had been brought fromthe hall.
Master Richard, when he was left alone, tried to compose himself todevotion, but he was too much distracted by all that he had seen, untilhe had said _ad sextam_, and then he was quieter, and sat down beforethe table, looking upon the rood, and he did not know how long hadpassed before the King came in.
* * * * *
My children, I like to think of Master Richard then; it was his lastpeaceful hour that he spent until near the end when I came to him. Butthe peace of his heart did not leave him (except at one time), in spiteof all that happened to him, for he told me so himself. Yet, save forthe little wound upon his head, he was clean of all injury at thistime, and I like to think of him in his strength and loveliness as hewas then, content to give his tidings from our Lord to the King, and toabide what was to follow.
As the clock beat eleven, the King came suddenly through from hisparlour, but he was not alone: my lord cardinal was with him.
As Master Richard knelt down on the floor to do them homage, he observedthe King's dress: it was not as that of the other great men, for theKing loved plain dress, and folks said that the clothing he would haveliked best to wear was a monk's cowl or a friar's frock (and I doubt notthat there be many a monk and friar, and clerk too, who would have beenglad to change with him, for not every Religious man has a Religiousheart!).... [There follows a little sermon on Vocation.]
The King's dress was a plain doublet with a collar of ermine, and overit a cloak of royal purple lined and trimmed with fur, but cut veryplainly with a round cape such as priests wear. He had the collar of_Sanctus Spiritus_ over his shoulders, his cap on his head, with a peakto it, and little plain round shoes (not like those pointed follies thatsome wear, and that make a man's foot twice as long as God made it byHis wisdom). My lord cardinal was in his proper dress, and bore himselfvery stately.
The King bade Master Richard stand up, and himself and my lord sat downin the two chairs beside one another, so that half their faces were inshadow and half in light. Master Richard saw again that the King lookedsomewhat sick, and very melancholy.
Then the King addressed himself to Master Richard, speaking softly, butwith an appearance of observing him very closely. My lord, too, watchedhim, folding his hands in his lap.
"Now tell me, sir," said the King, "what is this tidings that you bear?"
Master Richard was a little dismayed at my lord's coming: he hadthought it was to be in private.
"It was to your ear alone, your grace, that I was bidden to deliver themessage," he said.
"My lord here is ears and eyes to me," said the King, a little stiffly,and my lord smiled to hear him, and laid his hand on the King's knee.
That was answer enough for the holy youth, who was attendant only forGod's will; so he began straightway, and told the King of hiscontemplation of eight days before, and of the dryness that fell on himwhen he strove to put away his thoughts, and of his words with me whowas his priest, and his coming to London and an the rest. Then he toldhim of how he heard mass at saint Edward's altar, and how at theelevation of the sacring our Lord had told him what tidings he was totake.
The King observed him very closely, leaning his head on his hand and hiselbow on the table, and my lord, who had begun by playing with hischain, ceased, and watched him too.
Master Richard told me that there was a great silence everywhere when hehad come to the matter of saint Edward's altar; it was such an exteriorsilence as is the interior silence that came to him in contemplation.There appeared no movement anywhere, neither in the room, nor thepalace, nor the world, nor in the three hearts that were beating there.There was only the great presence of God's Majesty enfolding all.
When he ceased speaking, the King stared on him for a full minutewithout any words, then he took his arm off the table and clasped hishands.
"And what was it that our Lord said to you, sir?" he asked softly, andleaned forward to listen.
Master Richard looked on the sick eyes, and then at the ruddy prelate'sface that seemed very stern beside it. But he dared not be silent now.
"It is this, your grace, that our Lord shewed to me," he began slowly,"that your grace is not as other men are, neither in soul nor in life.You walk apart from all, even as our Saviour Christ did, when He wasupon earth. When you speak, men do not understand you; they take itamiss. They would have you make your kingdom to be of this world, andGod will not have it so. _Regnum Dei intra te est._ ['The kingdom of Godis within thee' (from Luke xvii. 21.)] It is that kingdom which shall beyours. But to gain that kingdom you must suffer a passion, such as thatwhich Jesu suffered, and this is the tidings that He sends to you. Hebids you make ready for it. It shall be a longer passion than His, but Iknow not how long. Yet you must not go apart, as you desire. You must gothis way and that at all men's will, ever within your _portans stigmataDomini Jesu_. ['Bearing the marks of the Lord Jesu' (from Gal. vi. 17.)]And the end of it shall be even as His, and as His apostles' was who nowrules Christendom. _Cum senueris, extendes manus tuas, et alius te cinget,et ducet quo tu non vis._ ['When thou shalt be old thou shalt stretchforth thy hands; and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thouwouldst not' (John xxi. 18.)] And when you come before the heavenlyglory, and the blessed saints shall ask you of your wounds, you shallanswer them as our Lord answered, '_His plagatus sum in domo eorum quidiligebant me._'" ["With these I was wounded in the house of them thatloved me" (Zach. xiii. 6.)]
* * * * *
When Master Richard had finished speaking, his head and body shook somuch that he could scarce stand, or see the King plainly, and by this heperceived for a certainty that God was speaking by him. But he was awarethat my lord cardinal was standing up with his hand outstretched and anappearance of great anger on his face. For indeed those were terriblethings that Master Richard had said--that he should foretell the King'sdeath in this manner, and all the sorrows that he should go through,for, as you know, all these words came about.
Yet it seemed that something restrained my lord from speaking till theother was done; but when Master Richard went back a step, shaking underthe spirit of God, my lord bur
Master Richard could not understand him; there was drumming in his ears,and the sweat poured from him, but when sight came back he observed mylord's face, red with passion, turning now to him, now to the King, whosat still in his place; his white eyebrows went up and down, and hisscarlet cape and his rochet flapped this way and that as he shook hisarms and cried out.
When he had done there was silence again for a full minute. MasterRichard could hear the breathing of one in the gallery without.
Then the King rose up without speaking, but looking intently upon theyoung man, and still without speaking, went out from the room, and mylord went after him.
When Master Richard had stood a little while waiting, and there was nosound (for the door into the King's parlour was now shut again), heturned to the other door to go out; for he had delivered his message,and there was no more to be said.
The man that kept the door, and whose breathing Master Richard had heardjust now, barred the way, and asked him his business.
"My business is done," said Master Richard, "I must go home again."
"And the King?" asked the fellow.
"The King and my lord are gone back into the parlour."
There was no cause to keep Master Richard any longer, so the fellow lethim past, and he went down the gallery and the stairs towards the courtthat opened upon the hall.
But before he reached the door, there was a great tumult overhead, and anoise of men moving and crying, and Master Richard stayed to listen. (Ihad almost said that it had been better if he had not stayed, but madehis way out quickly and escaped perhaps; but it is not so, as I nowbelieve, for our Lord had determined what should be the end.)
Two fellows came running presently down the stairs up which MasterRichard was looking. One of them was a page of my lord's, a lad dressedall in purple with the pointed shoes of which I have written before, andthe other the man-at-arms that had kept the door. The lad cried outshrilly when he saw him standing there, and came down the steps four ata leap, with his hands outstretched to either wall. Master Richardthought that he would fall, and stepped forward to catch him, but thelad recovered himself on the rushes, and then, screaming with anger,sprang at the young man's throat, seizing it with one hand, and strikinghim in the face again and again with the other.
For an instant Master Richard stood amazed, then he caught the lad'shands without a word and held them so, looking at the man-at-arms whowas now half-way down the stairs in his plate and mail, and at otherswho were following as swiftly as they could. In the court outside, too,there were footsteps and the sound of talking, and presently the doorwas darkened by half a dozen others, who ran up at the tumult, and allin a moment Master Richard found himself caught from behind and hishands pulled away, so that the lad was able to strike him again, whichhe did, three or four times.
So he was taken by the men and held.
Master Richard could not understand what the matter was, as he looked atthe press that gathered every moment on the stairs and in the court. Sohe asked one that held him, and the page screamed out his answer abovethe tumult of voices and weapons.
So Master Richard understood, and went upstairs under guard, with theblood staining his brown and white dress, and his face bruised andtorn, to await when the King should come out of the fit into which hehad fallen, and judge him for the message which he had brought.