登陆注册
15301700000008

第8章 CHAPTER III(2)

This man, who was a native of South Wales, flourished during the wars of the Roses. Besides being a poetical he was something of a military genius, and had a command of foot in the army of the Lancastrian Jasper Earl of Pembroke, the son of Owen Tudor, and half-brother of Henry the Sixth. After the battle of Mortimer's Cross, in which the Earl's forces were defeated, the warrior bard found his way to Chester, where he married the widow of a citizen and opened a shop, without asking the permission of the mayor, who with the officers of justice came and seized all his goods, which, according to his own account, filled nine sacks, and then drove him out of the town. The bard in a great fury indited an awdl, in which he invites Reinallt ap Grufydd ap Bleddyn, a kind of predatory chieftain, who resided a little way off in Flintshire, to come and set the town on fire, and slaughter the inhabitants, in revenge for the wrongs he had suffered, and then proceeds to vent all kinds of imprecations against the mayor and people of Chester, wishing, amongst other things, that they might soon hear that the Dee had become too shallow to bear their ships - that a certain cutaneous disorder might attack the wrists of great and small, old and young, laity and clergy - that grass might grow in their streets - that Ilar and Cyveilach, Welsh saints, might slay them -that dogs might snarl at them - and that the king of heaven, with the saints Brynach and Non, might afflict them with blindness -which piece, however ineffectual in inducing God and the saints to visit the Chester people with the curses with which the furious bard wished them to be afflicted, seems to have produced somewhat of its intended effect on the chieftain, who shortly afterwards, on learning that the mayor and many of the Chester people were present at the fair of Mold, near which place he resided, set upon them at the head of his forces, and after a desperate combat, in which many lives were lost, took the mayor prisoner, and drove those of his people who survived into a tower, which he set on fire and burnt, with all the unhappy wretches which it contained, completing the horrors of the day by hanging the unfortunate mayor.

Conversant as I was with all this strange history, is it wonderful that I looked with great interest from the wall of Chester in the direction of Mold?

Once did I make the compass of the city upon the walls, and was beginning to do the same a second time, when I stumbled against a black, who, with his arms leaning upon the wall, was spitting over it, in the direction of the river. I apologised, and contrived to enter into conversation with him. He was tolerably well dressed, had a hairy cap on his head, was about forty years of age, and brutishly ugly, his features scarcely resembling those of a human being. He told me he was a native of Antigua, a blacksmith by trade, and had been a slave. I asked him if he could speak any language besides English, and received for answer that besides English, he could speak Spanish and French. Forthwith I spoke to him in Spanish, but he did not understand me. I then asked him to speak to me in Spanish, but he could not. "Surely you can tell me the word for water in Spanish," said I; he, however, was not able.

"How is it," said I, "that, pretending to be acquainted with Spanish, you do not even know the word for water?" He said he could not tell, but supposed that he had forgotten the Spanish language, adding however, that he could speak French perfectly. Ispoke to him in French - he did not understand me: I told him to speak to me in French, but he did not. I then asked him the word for bread in French, but he could not tell me. I made no observations on his ignorance, but inquired how he liked being a slave? He said not at all; that it was very bad to be a slave, as a slave was forced to work. I asked him if he did not work now that he was free? He said very seldom; that he did not like work, and that it did not agree with him. I asked how he came into England, and he said that wishing to see England, he had come over with a gentleman as his servant, but that as soon as he got there, he had left his master, as he did not like work. I asked him how he contrived to live in England without working? He said that any black might live in England without working; that all he had to do was to attend religious meetings, and speak against slavery and the Americans. I asked him if he had done so. He said he had, and that the religious people were very kind to him, and gave him money, and that a religious lady was going to marry him. I asked him if he knew anything about the Americans? He said he did, and that they were very bad people, who kept slaves and flogged them.

"And quite right too," said I, "if they are lazy rascals like yourself, who want to eat without working. What a pretty set of knaves or fools must they be, who encourage a fellow like you to speak against negro slavery, of the necessity for which you yourself are a living instance, and against a people of whom you know as much as of French or Spanish." Then leaving the black, who made no other answer to what I said, than by spitting with considerable force in the direction of the river, I continued making my second compass of the city upon the wall.

Having walked round the city for the second time, I returned to the inn. In the evening I went out again, passed over the bridge, and then turned to the right in the direction of the hills. Near the river, on my right, on a kind of green, I observed two or three tents resembling those of gypsies. Some ragged children were playing near them, who, however, had nothing of the appearance of the children of the Egyptian race, their locks being not dark, but either of a flaxen or red hue, and their features not delicate and regular, but coarse and uncouth, and their complexions not olive, but rather inclining to be fair. I did not go up to them, but continued my course till I arrived near a large factory. I then turned and retraced my steps into the town. It was Saturday night, and the streets were crowded with people, many of whom must have been Welsh, as I heard the Cambrian language spoken on every side.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 废材四公主

    废材四公主

    沐缘天纵奇才十六岁便成为了历史文化科研教授,十九岁那年在研究国家文物局送来的古玉时研究所突然发现爆炸,沐缘以及在场两名研究生被宣布死亡……她从黑暗中醒来,眼帘里有一个绝美的女子眼神中充满了喜悦望怀中的孩子“叫她宣好吗?”男子没有回答只是淡看了她怀中女孩一眼……她是他们的信仰,她却为了他一手毁灭了所有……【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 浮萍飘絮记

    浮萍飘絮记

    仙侠奇幻意识流,绝古灭今世难求。一入幻境身皆忘,不醉红尘不肯休。
  • 封天魂灵

    封天魂灵

    与世无争的性子却躲不掉本身的使命,父亲的离去与母亲的冷淡造就了他一副淡漠的性格异界大陆,万千魂者,皆臣服白色小狼,异世魂主银色身影,大陆漂浮
  • 二零一三年一月四号

    二零一三年一月四号

    韩小凤在网络上认识了网名叫小六的女生,并相约在咖啡厅见面,见面后的韩小凤哪知女生竟小自己九岁,感觉总有些代沟。女生的名字叫罗梦,她反而喜欢韩小凤这种成熟稳重的男人。对韩小凤一见倾心,正直韩小凤的事业走在低谷,罗梦想尽各种办法帮忙,韩小凤也渐渐与罗梦擦出了些感情。于是韩小凤决定和罗梦相处,可相处之后罗梦父母用一张婚前协议将他们打倒了。离开罗梦的韩小凤在一年里认识了形形色色女人,究竟他还能够赶在2013.1.4结婚吗?哥们一起走吧
  • 佛说七女经

    佛说七女经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 全系人鱼召唤师

    全系人鱼召唤师

    二十一世纪特工杀手,玲珑。异世废材草包小姐,林珑。由于一次意外。玲珑失去了所有重要的人,魂穿异世。当那双湖绿色的双眸再次睁开“林”珑不会再是任人欺凌的林珑为了寻找她的朋友玲珑再一次拿起了沾满着鲜血的刀这,也就注定了她不平凡的一生
  • 大地神途

    大地神途

    ——开篇世界背景:我命由我不由天,顺天是命神,逆天是地魔!正道公国常人,入常命途开疆拓土雄霸一方,主角开始:刚开始就遇到统一天下之王土重任,而主角却在“一水青山知意图中”慢慢的席卷着整个大陆,这是与众不同!
  • 鹿晗之鹿总的小妖精

    鹿晗之鹿总的小妖精

    看着网上的留言那张婚纱照里另一个女人和他甜蜜相拥,那张照片里两个人的微笑深深的刺痛她的心,“鹿晗为什么你要娶她!我对你不好吗?我的心你不知道吗?”崔纤悦苦苦哀求,他还是那个无情的他,她下定决心离去,但是临走之前还偷了他的种!再次相见她为了女儿和他下了契约,“做我的女人!我就给你血”,她愣一下“你的尊严和原则呢?”,但是却不知自己引狼入室,于是鹿晗开始宠妻模式“小妖精吃你就够了”。“你忘记他曾经是怎么抛弃你的吗?你这么多年来是这么走过来的难道你都忘记了吗?”他蓝御心有不甘,为什么他付出这么多却得不到她的心,鹿晗一站在她的面前一个月不到就连魂都勾走了!【本小说与现实不符!不要拿两者对比!】
  • 白色眷恋

    白色眷恋

    因为不满皇马6比2的比分,中国青年律师沈星怒砸啤酒瓶,结果电光火石间,他穿越成了佛罗伦蒂诺的儿子,且看来自09年的小伙子如何玩转03年的欧洲足坛
  • 主宰我的内心世界

    主宰我的内心世界

    程启分手后,滑倒脑袋撞到了石头,脑子多了一块地方,意识想进去,就可以进去一个奇妙世界,里面有许多奇珍异宝,使程启踏上了修炼之路。意见或交流群:345714283