The King's Cavalier by Samuel Shellabarger

Author:Samuel Shellabarger [Shellabarger, Samuel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: swashbuckling, England, 16th century, army, noble man, France, romance, sword fight, Bourbon conspiracy, prison, Francis I
ISBN: 9781618868138
Publisher: eNet Press Inc.
Published: 2013-05-28T16:00:00+00:00

The Marquis bowed. “No one in our time can speak with more authority about freedom than you, Erasmus. You have thought your own thoughts, gone your own way. But tell me this. Will not the universal state you dream of, and a universal faith, deny to man an individual freedom?”

“No, mi domine, not as I conceive them. For I dream also of universal law, under which war will be curbed or made impossible. And war is the chief enemy of freedom. It is during war that vulgar opinion, which is controlled by instinct, passion, and custom, dominates; and that freedom, such as we are discussing, vanishes. You will find, I think, that those who speak of wars for freedom use the word in a different, or sometimes a hypocritical, sense. But, in any case, war requires conformity; is indifferent to truth; thrives on tyranny, hatred and despair. And consider that wars are growing in extent — these huge armies of several hundred thousand men, these new weapons. You smile at the dream of a universal state. I hope that the nightmare of universal war is incredible. But if it should come to that, do not look for freedom. It is in a world at peace that variety will be most possible. I mean the variety of all the fruits and flowers of the spirit, which include freedom.”

Erasmus broke off at the sound of hurried footsteps on the path outside. A dusty, rank-smelling man, evidently a courier, appeared at the entrance of the arbor.

“Monseigneur de Vaulx?”

“Yes,” said the Marquis.

The man entered, dropped to one knee, kissed the letter he was holding and handed it to de Surcy.

“From His Majesty in Lyons. My orders were haste and more haste.”

“And so,” smiled Erasmus, “we descend from the heaven of thought to the dust of action, from the future to the present.” He got up, followed by Cartellier. “But for solace to mind and body, we have you to thank, my lord.”

“By far the greater debt is mine, mei domini.”

There were further compliments. The party re-entered the inn. Then, after final good nights, the Marquis bade Blaise and the courier attend him upstairs to his room.

Under a lighted candelabra, de Surcy spread out the King’s letter. And, as he read, the lines of his face deepened.

Looking up, at last, he beckoned the courier, thanked him for his pains, and gave him a coin.

“You will set out for Lyons in the morning,” he directed, “and take my answer to the King. Hold yourself ready without fail.”

When the man had bowed himself out, the Marquis added to Blaise: “Well, mon fils, the Constable has shown his hand; the hunt is on. Now, if your brother and Sir John Russell do not fail us, and if all goes well, you may be the man whom the King will delight to honor. Here, read his letter yourself. We must shape our plans to it.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.