Chapter CII

IN compliance with a custom I despise, but have not the spirit to resist, I linger on the stage to pick up the smaller fragments of humanity I have scattered about: _i. e._ some of them, for the wayside characters have no claim on me; they have served their turn if they have persuaded the reader that Gerard travelled from Holland to Rome through human beings, and not through a population of dolls.

Eli and Catherine lived to a great age: lived so long that both Gerard and Margaret grew to be dim memories. Giles also was longævous; he went to the court of Bavaria, and was alive there at ninety, but had somehow turned into bones and leather, trumpet toned.

Cornelis, free from all rivals, and forgiven long ago by his mother, who clung to him more and more now all her brood was scattered, waited, and waited, and waited, for his parents' decease. But Catherine's shrewd word came true: ere she and her mate wore out, this worthy rusted away. At sixty-five he lay dying of old age in his mother's arms, a hale woman of eighty-six. He had lain unconscious a while; but came to himself _in articulo mortis_, and seeing her near him, told her how he would transform the shop and premises as soon as they should be his. "Yes, my darling," said the poor old woman, soothingly; and in another minute he was clay: and that clay was followed to the grave by all the feet whose shoes he had waited for.

Denys, broken-hearted at his comrade's death, was glad to return to Burgundy, and there a small pension the court allowed him kept him until unexpectedly he inherited a considerable sum from a relation. He was known in his native place for many years as a crusty old soldier, who could tell good stories of war, when he chose; and a bitter railer against women.

Jerome, disgusted with northern laxity, retired to Italy, and, having high connections, became at seventy a mitred abbot. He put on the screw of discipline: his monks revered and hated him. He ruled with iron rod ten years. And one night he died, alone; for he had not found the way to a single heart. The Vulgate was on his pillow, and the crucifix in his hand, and on his lips something more like a smile, than was ever seen there while he lived; so that, methinks, at that awful hour he was not quite alone. Requiescat in pace. The Master he served has many servants, and they have many minds, and now and then a faithful one will be a surly one, as it is in these our mortal mansions.

The yellow-haired laddie, Gerard Gerardson, belongs not to Fiction but to History. She has recorded his birth in other terms than mine. Over the tailor's house in the Brede Kirk Straet she has inscribed:--

"Hæc est parva domus natus quâ magnus Erasmus";

and she has written half a dozen lives of him. But there is something left for her yet to do. She has no more comprehended magnum Erasmum, than any other pigmy comprehends a giant, or partisan a judge.

First scholar and divine of his epoch, he was also the heaven-born dramatist of his century. Some of the best scenes in this new book are from his mediæval pen, and illumine the pages where they come; for the words of a genius, so high as his are not born to die: their immediate work upon mankind fulfilled, they may seem to lie torpid; but, at each fresh shower of intelligence Time pours upon their students, they prove their immortal race: they revive, they spring from the dust of great libraries; they bud, they flower, they fruit, they seed, from generation to generation, and from age to age.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Archaic spelling, where recognized, such as "Ilias" for "Iliad" was retained. Corrections for others listed below. Varied hyphenation was retained. Text uses both Bergundy and Burgundy.

Page 18, "fiends" changed to "friends" (the friends go with him)

Page 72, "fortell" changed to "foretell" (who may foretell)

Page 77, "gladened" changed to "gladdened" (the urchin was gladdened)

Page 80, "he" changed to "be" (be in Tergou)

Page 84, "contemptuuously" changed to "contemptuously" (said Martin contemptuuusly)

Page 86, "befel" changed to "befell" (if evil befell him)

Page 123, "exit" changed to "exited" (and exited with an injured)

Page 135 and 173, "Gerald" changed to "Gerard" (Gerard more than thunder) (waked by Gerard moving)

Page 147, "gruffy" changed to "gruffly" (said gruffly, "Good morrow.")

Page 147, word "to" inserted into text. Orginal read (Denys whispered Gerard)

Page 153, "brethern" changed to "brethren" (my learned brethren)

Page 164, "assulting" changed to "assaulting" (assaulting a Dusseldorf)

Page 165, "pow" changed to "paw" (Samson's hairy paw)

Page 188, "Deny's" changed to "Denys's" (Denys's infinite amusement)

Page 210, "sorowfully" changed to "sorrowfully" (said Denys, sorrowfully)

Page 231, "worldy" changed to "worldly" (piety and worldly prudence)

Page 271, "I'l" changed to "I'll" (I'll tell her tho)

Page 275, repeated line of text deleted. Original read:

being sincere. Dierich Brower, who was discovered at "The Three
Kings," making a chatterbox drunk in order to worm out of him the
whereabouts of Martin Wittenhaagen, was actually taken and flung
into a horse-pond, and threatened with worse usage, should he ever
show his face in the burgh again; and finally, municipal jealousy
being roused, the burgomaster of Sevenbergen sent a formal missive
being sincere. Dierich Brower, who was discovered at "The Three
to the burgomaster of Tergou, reminding him he had overstepped

Page 287, "Itay" changed to "Italy" (will never leave Italy)

Page 287, "occured" changed to "occurred" (unlooked-for interruption occurred)

Page 298, "occurence" changed to "occurrence" (occurrence as a miracle)

Page 300, "condensd" changed to "condensed" (Covered by their condensed)

Page 301, "beseigers" changed to "besiegers" (besiegers got spiteful)

Page 311, "Maragaret" changed to "Margaret" (soon at Margaret Van Eyck's house)

Page 315, "wondred" changed to "wondered" (your ways, and wondered)

Page 364, "mesage" changed to "message" (message to Tergou)

Page 380, "be" changed to "he" (he bade me untruss)

Page 409, word "had" added to text (Ere I had gone)

Page 414, "beseiged" changed to "besieged" (where they besieged)

Page 414, "beseigers" changed to "besiegers" (their besiegers, and hashed)

Page 418, "patriach" changed to "patriarch" (one the patriarch)

Page 421, the word "thof" appears. The transcriber could find no meaning for this word nor any word or words that would be appropriate, although it might be a dialectic combination of "though if". It was left as printed. (Writing, thof it had no sale)

Page 428, "runing" changed to "running" (only kept running)

Page 430, "hypek thauatoio" changed to "hyp' ek thanatoio"

Page 436, word "the" added to text (out of the window)

Page 464, "blazé" changed to "blasé" (blasé. A high bred)

Page 491, "carressed" changed to "caressed" (young tones, caressed)

Page 536, "Wo" changed to "We" (We love our own)

Page 537, "forseen" changed to "foreseen" (Heaven hath foreseen)

Page 540, "aim" changed to "am" (vile I am)

Page 561, "bethrothal" changed to "betrothal" (recognizing her betrothal)

Page 570, "Maragret" changed to "Margaret" (Margaret said she thought)

Page 577, "liker" changed to "like" (like iron cobwebs)

Page 594, the footnote at the bottom of this page had no anchor in the text. The transcriber placed the anchor on the last paragraph from the previous page as the text seemed to fit better.

Page 605, "pilows" changed to "pillows" (pillows, lay his deadly)

Page 608, "reconcilation" changed to "reconciliation" (least of a reconciliation)

Page 650, "cubboard" changed to "cupboard" (in the little cupboard)

Page 622, "marrige" changed to "marriage" (me my marriage lines)

Page 639, first footnote missing anchor in text. Anchor placed after Greek quotation. Also footnote switched from letters to numbers here.

Page 642, "creasli" changed to "creasti" (Quae tu creasti)

Page 645, "litle" changed to "little" (little water every day)

Page 653, "ectasy" changed to "ecstasy" (gazed with ecstasy)

Page 653, "wonderfuly" changed to "wonderfully" (wonderfully intelligent for)

Page 659, "croning" changed to "crooning" (he stopped crooning)

Page 703, footnote, "'Thy di heantôn" changed to "'Ou di' heautôn"

End of Project Gutenberg's The Cloister and the Hearth, by Charles Reade