The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance
wine with you, then give me two or three swallows of it, and I will
pardon you a month of purgatory."
"You have not been ordained; I heard you say you had not. How then can
you grant me pardon for a month of purgatory?"
"I have not received ordination, but I have my head shaved, because I
received permission for that; beside, I am carrying indulgences and
relics."
"In the chests?" asked the Czech.
"Yes, in the chests. If you saw all I have there, you would fall on your
face, not only you, but all the pines in the forest and all the wild
beasts."
But the Czech, being an intelligent and experienced attendant, looked
suspiciously at this peddler of indulgences, and said:
"The wolves devoured your horse?"
"Yes, they devoured him, because they are the devil's relatives. If you
have any wine, give me some; although the wind has ceased, yet I am
frozen, having sat by the road so long."
The Czech would not give him any wine; and they rode along silently,
until the stranger began to ask:
"Where are you going?"
"Far. At first to Sieradz. Are you going with us?"
"I must. I will sleep in the stable, and perhaps to-morrow this pious
knight will give me a present of a horse; then I will go further."
"Where are you from?"
"From under Prussian lords, not far from Marienburg."
Having heard this, Zbyszko turned and motioned to the stranger to come
nearer to him.
"Did you come from Marienburg?" said he
"Yes, sir."
"But are you a German? You speak our language very well. What is your
name?"
"I am a German, and they call me Sanderus; I speak your language well,
because I was born in Torun, where everybody speaks that language; then I
lived in Marienburg, and there it is the same. Bah! even the brothers of
the Order understand your language."
"How long since you left Marienburg?"
"I was in the Holy Land, then in Constantinople, and in Rome; thence
through France I came to Marienburg and from there I was going to
Mazowsze, carrying the holy relics which pious Christians buy willingly,
for the salvation of their souls."
"Have you been in Plock or in Warszawa?"
"I was in both cities. May God give good health to both of the
princesses! Princess Alexandra is greatly esteemed even by the Prussian
lords, because she is a pious lady; the princess Anna Januszowna is also
pious."
"Did you see the court in Warszawa?"
"I did not see it in Warszawa but in Ciechanow, where both the princesses
received me hospitably, and gave me munificent presents, as God's servant
deserves to receive. I left them relics, which will bring them God's
blessing."
Zbyszko wanted to ask about Danusia; but he understood that it would be
unwise to make a confidant of this stranger, a man of low origin.
Therefore, after a short silence, he asked:
"What kind of relics are you carrying?"
"I carry indulgences and relics; the indulgences are different kinds;
there are total indulgences, some for five hundred years, some for three
hundred, some for two hundred and some for less time, which are cheaper,
so that even poor people can buy them and shorten the torments of
purgatory. I have indulgences for future and for past sins; but don't
think, sir, that I keep the money I receive for them. I am satisfied with
a piece of black bread and a glass of water--that is all for me; the rest
I carry to Rome, to accumulate enough for a new crusade. It is true,
there are many swindlers who carry false indulgences, false relics, false
seals and false testimonials; and they are righteously pursued by the
holy father's letters; but I was wronged by the prior of Sieradz, because
my seals are authentic. Look, sir, at the wax and tell me what you think
of them."
"What about the prior of Sieradz?"
"Ah, sir! I fear that he is infected with Wiklef's heresy. If, as your
shield-bearer told me, you are going to Sieradz, it will be better for me
not to show myself to him, because I do not want to lead him into the sin
of blasphemy against holy things."
"This means, speaking frankly, that he thinks that you are a swindler."
"If the question were about myself, I would pardon him for the sake of
brotherly love; but he has blasphemed against my holy wares, for which, I
am very much afraid, he will be eternally damned."
"What kind of holy wares have you?"
"It is not right to talk about them with covered head; but this time,
having many indulgences ready, I give you, sir, permission to keep your
cowl on, because the wind is blowing again. For that you will buy an
indulgence and the sin will not be counted against you. What have I not?
I have a hoof of the ass on which the Holy Family rode during the flight
into Egypt; it was found near the pyramids. The king of Aragon offered me
fifty ducats for it. I have a feather from the wings of the archangel
Gabriel, which he dropped during the annunciation; I have the heads of
two quails, sent to the Israelites in the desert; I have the oil in which
the heathen wanted to fry St. John; a step of the ladder about which
Jacob dreamed; the tears of St. Mary of Egypt and some rust of St.
Peter's keys. But I cannot mention any more. I am very cold and your
shield-bearer would not give me any wine."
"Those are great relics, if they are authentic!" said Zbyszko.
"If they are authentic? Take the spear from your attendant and aim it,
because the devil is near and brings such thoughts to you. Hold him, sir,
at the length of the spear. If you do not wish to bring some misfortune
on yourself, then buy an indulgence from me; otherwise within three weeks
somebody whom you love, will die."
Zbyszko was frightened at this threat, because he thought about Danusia,
and said:
"It is not I, but the prior of the Dominicans in Sieradz who does not
believe."
"Look, sir, for yourself, at the wax on the seals; as for the prior, I do
not know whether he is still living, because God's justice is quick."
But when they came to Sieradz they found the prior alive. Zbyszko went to
see him, and purchased two masses; one of which was to be read to insure
success for Macko's vow, and the other to insure success for his vow to
obtain three peacocks' crests. The prior was a foreigner, having been
born in Cylia; but during his forty years' residence in Sieradz, he had
learned the Polish language very well, and was a great enemy of the
Knights of the Cross. Therefore, having learned about Zbyszko's
enterprise, he said:
"A still greater punishment will fall upon them; but I shall not dissuade
you, because you promised it upon your knightly honor; neither can there
be punishment enough administered by Polish hands for the wrongs they
hare perpetrated in this land."
"What have they done?" asked Zbyszko, who was anxious to hear about the
iniquities of the Knights of the Cross.
CHAPTER III.
The old prior crossed his hands and began to recite aloud "The eternal
rest;"[89] then he sat down on a bench and kept his eyes closed for a
while as if to collect his thoughts; finally he began to talk:
"Wincenty of Szamotul brought them here. I was twenty years old then, and
I had just come from Cylia with my uncle Petzoldt. The Krzyzaks attacked
the town and set it on fire. We could see from the walls, how in the
market square they cut men and women's heads off, and how they threw
little children into the fire. They even killed the priests, because in
their fury they spared nobody. The prior Mikolaj, having been born in
Elblong, was acquainted with _Comthur_ Herman, the chief of their army.
Therefore he went accompanied by the senior brothers, to that dreadful
knight, and having kneeled before him, entreated him in German, to have
pity on Christian blood. _Comthur_ Herman replied: "I do not understand,"
and ordered his soldiers to continue killing the people. They slaughtered
the monks also, among them my uncle Petzoldt; the prior Mikolaj was tied
to a horse's tail. The next morning there was no man alive in this town
except the Krzyzaks and myself. I hid on a beam in the belfry. God
punished them at Plowce;[90] but they still want to destroy this
Christian kingdom, and nothing will deter them unless God's arm crush
them."
"At Plowce," said Zbyszko, "almost all the men of my family perished; but
I do not regret it, for God granted a great victory to the king
Lokietek,[91] and twenty thousand Germans were destroyed.
"You will see a still greater war and a greater victory," said the prior.
"Amen!" answered Zbyszko.
Then they began to talk about other matters. The young knight asked about
the peddler of relics whom he met on the road. He learned that many
similar swindlers were wandering on the roads, cheating credulous people.
The prior also told him that there were papal bulls ordering the bishops
to examine such peddlers and immediately punish those who did not have
authentic letters and seals. The testimonials of the stranger seemed
spurious to the prior; therefore he wanted to deliver him to the bishop's
jurisdiction. If he proved that he was sent by the pope, then no harm
would be done him. He escaped, however. Perhaps he was afraid of the
delay in his journey; but on account of this flight, he had drawn on
himself still greater suspicion.
The prior invited Zbyszko to remain and pass the night in the monastery;
but he would not, because he wanted to hang in front of the inn an
inscription challenging all knights who denied that _Panna_ Danuta
Jurandowna was the most beautiful and the most virtuous girl in the
kingdom, to a combat on horseback or on foot. It was not proper to hang
such a challenge over the gate of the monastery. When he arrived at the
inn, he asked for Sanderus.
"The prior thinks you are a scoundrel," said Zbyszko, "because he said:
'Why should he be afraid of the bishop's judgment, if he had good
testimonials?'"
"I am not afraid of the bishop," answered Sanderus; "I am afraid of the
monks, who do not know anything about seals. I wanted to go to Krakow,
but I have no horse; therefore I must wait until somebody makes me a
present of one. Meanwhile, I will send a letter, and I will put my own
seal on it."
"If you show that you know how to write, that will prove that you are not
a churl; but how will you send the letter?"
"By some pilgrim, or wandering monk. There are many people going on a
pilgrimage to the queen's tomb."
"Can you write a card for me?"
"I will write, sir, even on a board, anything you wish."
"I think it will be better on a board," said Zbyszko, "because it will
not tear and I can use it again later on."
In fact, after awhile the attendants brought a new board and Sanderus
wrote on it. Zbyszko could not read what was written on the board; but he
ordered it fastened with nails on the door of the inn, under it to be
hung a shield, which was watched by the Turks alternately. Whoever struck
the shield would declare that he wished to fight. But neither that day
nor the following day, did the shield resound from a blow; and in the
afternoon the sorrowful knight was ready to pursue his journey.
Before that, however, Sanderus came to Zbyszko and said to him:
"Sir, if you hang your shield in the land of the Prussian lords, I am
sure your shield-bearer will buckle your armor."
"What do you mean! Don't you know that a Krzyzak, being a monk, cannot
have a lady nor be in love with one, because it is forbidden him."
"I do not know whether it is forbidden them or not; but I know that they
have them. It is true that a Krzyzak cannot fight a duel without bringing
reproach on himself, because he swore that he would fight only for the
faith; but besides the monks, there are many secular knights from distant
countries, who came to help the Prussian lords. They are looking for some
one to fight with, and especially the French knights."