Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
took him to a private room and set food before him; eagerly he ate and
drank till his hunger was satisfied and he began to think of revenge.
"What is your advice, Adam? Shall I go to my brother and strike off
his head? He well merits it."
A Plan of Escape
"No," answered Adam, "I know a better plan than that. Sir John is to
give a great feast on Sunday to many Churchmen and prelates; there
will be present a great number of abbots and priors and other holy
men. Do you stand as if bound by your post in the hall, and beseech
them to release you. If they will be surety for you, your liberty will
be gained with no blame to me; if they all refuse, you shall cast
aside the unlocked chains, and you and I, with two good staves, can
soon win your freedom. Christ's curse on him who fails his comrade!"
"Yes," quoth Gamelyn, "evil may I thrive if I fail in my part of the
bargain! But if we must needs help them to do penance for their sins,
you must warn me, brother Adam, when to begin."
"By St. Charity, master, I will give you good warning. When I wink at
you be ready to cast away your fetters at once and come to me."
"This is good advice of yours, Adam, and blessings on your head. If
these haughty Churchmen refuse to be surety for me I will give them
good strokes in payment."
A Great Feast
Sunday came, and after mass many guests thronged to the feast in the
great hall; they all stared curiously at Gamelyn as he stood with his
hands behind him, apparently chained to his post, and Sir John
explained sadly that he, after slaying the porter and wasting the
household stores, had gone mad, and was obliged to be chained, for his
fury was dangerous. The servants carried dainty dishes round the
table, and beakers of rich wines, but though Gamelyn cried aloud that
he was fasting no food was brought to him. Then he spoke pitifully and
humbly to the noble guests: "Lords, for Christ's sake help a poor
captive out of prison." But the guests were hard-hearted, and answered
cruelly, especially the abbots and priors, who had been deceived by
Sir John's false tales. So harshly did they reply to the youth's
humble petition that he grew angry. "Oh," said he, "that is all the
answer I am to have to my prayer! Now I see that I have no friends.
Cursed be he that ever does good to abbot or prior!"
The Banquet Disturbed
Adam Spencer, busied about the removal of the cloth, looked anxiously
at Gamelyn, and saw how angry he grew. He thought little more of his
service, but, making a pretext to go to the pantry, brought two good
oak staves, and stood them beside the hall door. Then he winked
meaningly at Gamelyn, who with a sudden shout flung off his chains,
rushed to the hall door, seized a staff, and began to lay about him
lustily, whirling his weapon as lightly as if it had been a holy
water sprinkler. There was a dreadful commotion in the hall, for the
portly Churchmen tried to escape, but the mere laymen loved Gamelyn,
and drew aside to give him free play, so that he was able to scatter
the prelates. Now he had no pity on these cruel Churchmen, as they had
been without pity for him; he knocked them over, battered them, broke
their arms and legs, and wrought terrible havoc among them; and during
this time Adam Spencer kept the door so that none might escape. He
called aloud to Gamelyn to respect the sanctity of men of Holy Church
and shed no blood, but if he should by chance break arms and legs
there would be no sacrilege, because no blood need be shed.
Sir John in Chains
Thus Gamelyn worked his will, laying hands on monks and friars, and
sent them home wounded in carts and waggons, while some of them
muttered: "We were better at home, with mere bread and water, than
here where we have had such a sorry feast!" Then Gamelyn turned his
attention to his false brother, who had been unable to escape, seized
him by the neck, broke his backbone with one blow from his staff, and
thrust him, sitting, into the fetters that yet hung from the post
where Gamelyn had stood. "Sit there, brother, and cool thy blood,"
said Gamelyn, as he and Adam sat down to a feast, at which the
servants waited on them eagerly, partly from love and partly from
fear.
The Sheriff's Men Appear
Now the sheriff happened to be only five miles away, and soon heard
the news of this disturbance, and how Gamelyn and Adam had broken the
king's peace; and, as his duty was, he determined to arrest the
law-breakers. Twenty-four of his best men were sent to the castle to
gain admittance and arrest Gamelyn and his steward; but the new
porter, a devoted adherent of Gamelyn, denied them entrance till he
knew their errand; when they refused to tell it, he sent a servant to
rouse Gamelyn and warn him that the sheriff's men stood before the
gate.
"Then answered Gamelyn: 'Good porter, go;
Delay my foes with fair speech at the gate
Till I relieve thee with some cunning wile.
If I o'erlive this strait, I will requite
Thy truth and loyalty. Adam,' quoth he,
'Our foes are on us, and we have no friend--
The sheriff's men surround us, and have sworn
A mighty oath to take us: we must go
Whither our safety calls us.' He replied:
'Go where thou wilt, I follow to the last
Or die forlorn: but this proud sheriffs troop
Will flee before our onset, to the fens.'"
The Sheriff Arrives
As Gamelyn and Adam looked round for weapons the former saw a
cart-staff, a stout post used for propping up the shafts; this he
seized, and ran out at the little postern gate, followed by Adam with
another staff. They caught the sheriff's twenty-four bold men in the
rear, and when Gamelyn had felled three, and Adam two, the rest took
to their heels. "What!" said Adam as they fled. "Drink a draught of my
good wine! I am steward here." "Nay," they shouted back; "such wine as
yours scatters a man's brains far too thoroughly." Now this little
fray was hardly ended before the sheriff came in person with a great
troop. Gamelyn knew not what to do, but Adam again had a plan ready.
"Let us stay no longer, but go to the greenwood: there we shall at
least be at liberty." The advice suited Gamelyn, and each drank a
draught of wine, mounted his steed, and lightly rode away, leaving
the empty nest for the sheriff, with no eggs therein. However, that
officer dismounted, entered the hall, and found Sir John fettered and
nearly dying. He released him, and summoned a leech, who healed his
grievous wound, and enabled him to do more mischief.
Gamelyn Goes to the Greenwood
Meanwhile Adam wandered with Gamelyn in the greenwood, and found it
very hard work, with little food. He complained aloud to his young
lord:
"'Would I were back in mine old stewardship--
Full blithe were I, the keys to bear and keep!
I like not this wild wood, with wounding thorns,
And nought of food or drink, or restful ease.'
'Ah! Adam,' answered Gamelyn, 'in sooth
Full many a good man's son feels bitter woe!
Then cheer thee, Adam.'"
As they spoke sadly together Gamelyn heard men's voices near by, and,
looking through the bushes, saw seven score young men, sitting round a
plentiful feast, spread on the green grass. He rejoiced greatly,
bidding Adam remember that "Boot cometh after bale," and pointing out
to him the abundance of provisions near at hand. Adam longed for a
good meal, for they had found little to eat since they came to the
greenwood. At that moment the master-outlaw saw them in the underwood,
and bade his young men bring to him these new guests whom God had
sent: perchance, he said, there were others besides these two. The
seven bold youths who started up to do his will cried to the two
new-comers: "Yield and hand us your bows and arrows!" "Much sorrow may
he have who yields to you," cried Gamelyn. "Why, with five more ye
would be only twelve, and I could fight you all." When the outlaws
saw how boldly he bore himself they changed their tone, and said
mildly: "Come to our master, and tell him thy desire." "Who is your
master?" quoth Gamelyn. "He is the crowned king of the outlaws," quoth
they; and the two strangers were led away to the chief.
The master-outlaw, sitting on a rustic throne, with a crown of
oak-leaves on his head, asked them their business, and Gamelyn
replied: "He must needs walk in the wood who may not walk in the town.
We are hungry and faint, and will only shoot the deer for food, for we
are hard bestead and in great danger."
Gamelyn Joins the Outlaws
The outlaw leader had pity on their distress, and gave them food; and
as they ate ravenously the outlaws whispered one to another: "This is
Gamelyn!" "This is Gamelyn!" Understanding all the evils that had
befallen him, their leader soon made Gamelyn his second in command;
and when after three weeks the outlaw king was pardoned and allowed to
return home, Gamelyn was chosen to succeed him and was crowned king of
the outlaws. So he dwelt merrily in the forest, and troubled not
himself about the world outside.
The Law at Work
Meanwhile the treacherous Sir John had recovered, and in due course
had become sheriff, and indicted his brother for felony. As Gamelyn
did not appear to answer the indictment he was proclaimed an outlaw
and wolf's-head, and a price was set upon his life. Now his bondmen
and vassals were grieved at this, for they feared the cruelty of the
wicked sheriff; they therefore sent messengers to Gamelyn to tell him
the ill news, and deprecate his wrath. The youth's anger rose at the
tidings, and he promised to come and beard Sir John in his hall and
protect his own tenants.
Gamelyn Arrested
It was certainly a stroke of rash daring thus to venture into the
county where his brother was sheriff, but he strode boldly into the
moot-hall, with his hood thrown back, so that all might recognise him,
and cried aloud: "God save all you lordings here present! But, thou
broken-backed sheriff, evil mayst thou thrive! Why hast thou done me
such wrong and disgrace as to have me indicted and proclaimed an
outlaw?" Sir John did not hesitate to use his legal powers, but,
seeing his brother was quite alone, had him arrested and cast into
prison, whence it was his intention that only death should release
him.
Otho as Surety
All these years the second brother, Otho, had lived quietly on his own
lands and taken no heed of the quarrels of the two others; but now,
when news came to him of Sir John's deadly hatred to their youngest
brother, and Gamelyn's desperate plight, he was deeply grieved, roused
himself from his peaceful life, and rode to see if he could help his
brother. First he besought Sir John's mercy for the prisoner, for the
sake of brotherhood and family love; but he only replied that Gamelyn
must stay imprisoned till the justice should hold the next assize.
Then Otho offered to be bail, if only his young brother might be
released from his bonds and brought from the dismal dungeon where he
lay. To this Sir John finally consented, warning Otho that if the
accused failed to appear before the justice he himself must suffer the
penalty for the breach of bail. "I agree," said Otho. "Have him
released at once, and deliver him to me." Then Gamelyn was set free
on his brother's surety, and the two rode home to Otho's house,
talking sadly of all that had befallen, and how Gamelyn had become
king of the outlaws. The next morning Gamelyn asked Otho's permission
to go to the greenwood and see how his young men fared but Otho
pointed out so clearly how dreadful would be the consequences to him
if he did not return that the young man vowed:
"'I swear by James, the mighty saint of Spain,