The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer

after enrolled with the Franc-Taupins, a sort of irregular militia, whose duty it was to dig the trenches intended to cover the approaches of the assailants at the siege of a city. These mercenar

Bridget's brother. This personage, however, was anything but a poltroon. Just the reverse. After he had twice or three times turned up the earth at as many sieges, he disdained to belong to a corps of such coward

ches their disorderly habits. They wear shirts with long sleeves, open in front and exposing their hirsute chests; their streaked hose do not cover their flesh; their calves are left bare and they carry their socks in their belts for fear of wearing th

of the tavern or of even worse places would be in the presence of Bridget's children, of whom he was as fond as of her herself, he always controlled himself and never uttered in their presence any but decorous language. For Christian he had as much love as respect. As the saying goes, he would have gone through fire for the family. The Franc-Taupin was at this time about thirty years of age; he was lean, bony and about six feet high. Scarred wi

rd in a corner, embraced his sister and her two children, shook hands cordially with Christian

f his brother-in-law's embarra

know that you are of those who, with their swords at their side, def

gly of salt, I am dying with thirst-allow me to empty a cup." After his cup was emptied the Franc-Taupin proceeded with a scared look: "By the bowels of St. Quenet, what did

you see,

in Don Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish nobleman-a devil of a fighte

the guest at Christian's table shuddered, wh

tain the sight of whom in Pa

nsieur John in an accent of deep interest.

nk I did! I w

erested in what the Franc-Taupin said. "You must, then, have some information o

with him for three whole months! By all the dev

ere his

ke to answer that question in my sist

ity concerning the Spanish captain. You will some day understand that the information

upper is nearly ended, my children;

ork at it with Hena; I shall come down later and put away the dishes. You can call

ew to his bedroom; Bridget and her daughter went upstairs. The unknown man and Ch

eir tender growls; one day a monk's frock was thrown upon him, and he immediately became as amorous as one possessed. Well, Captain Loyola was as possessed for love adventures as the greyhound in the story, witho

speechless with astonishment; and

efore, is an austere man, wholly absorbed in scientific pursuits and in study. What c

nd lace, looks to-day as tattered as any tramp or starving beggar. The transformation is so radical, that I never would have thought of looking for my frisky Spanish captain under the black smock-frock of a halepopin, had

much, Josephin, that I am no less im

ded us. Their captain, with the visor of his casque raised and mounted upon a Moorish horse as black as ebony, the housings of which were of red velvet embroidered with silver, was wiping his long, blood-stained sword upon the animal's mane. The captain was Don Ignatius Loyola. Moustache turned up in Castilian style, goatee, an olive complexion, intrepid mien, haughty and martial bearing-such was his portrait. He had noticed me pounding his soldiers with my pick, and took a fancy both to my pick and my youth. When he saw that I had regained consciousness, he started to laugh and addressed me in French: 'Will you be my page? Your wideawake face denotes an intelligent scapegrace; I shall furnish you a silver-embroidered red livery and a ducat a month, and you can ea

ristian; "what service could a page, ignorant of

red velvet, white satin jacket, short cloak with silver trimmings, ruffs and bonnet after the Spanish style. Thus behold me, brother, attired as a genuine court page. In those days I had both my eyes-two luminaries of deviltry, besides the cunning nose of a fox cub. Thus dressed

Christian; "Don Ignatius had, I supp

rl, the most beautiful daughter of Bohemia that ever trilled a tambourine. But Captain Loyola, a veritable Franc-Taupin in matters of love, courted behind concealed

ur John pensively. "Yes, judging by the motto, the ma

d of balsam! A veritable muskrat! He hands for me to carry a silken ladder and a guitar; takes his dagger and sword; and wraps himself up to the eyes in a taffeta mantle of light yellow. The old majordomo opens a secret door to us; we issue out of the house; after crossing a few narrow streets, we arrive at a deserted little square. My master glides under a balcony that is shut with lattices, takes the guitar from my hands, and there you have him warbling his roundelay. In response to the carol of the moustachioed nightingale, one of the shutters of the balcony opens slightly, and a bouquet of pomegranate blossoms drops at our feet. Don Ignatius picks it up, extracts from amidst the flowers a little note concealed among them, and gives me the guitar together with the bouqu

he midst of the latter's flow of bacchic invocations, "I know you to be an expert in the m

o cure any woman of sterility, I shall not allow the end of the adventure o

back of his hand over his moustache, mois

p; the upper end of the ladder is fastened to the balcony; I steady it by holding the lower rung in my hands; and there you have Captain Loyola clambering up nimbly and light of heel, like a tom-cat running over a roof-pipe. As to myself, no less distressed than the dog of the cook who is turning the roast on the spit over a fire, and looks at the savory meat out of the corner of his eyes without partaking of it, I run and place myself in ambush near the door. The devil! A few minutes later, what is that I see? Several seigneurs, lighted by lackeys with torches in their hands turn into the street. One of them walks straight to the door near which I stand on the watch, and enters the house where my master is regaling himself. Obedient to the watchword, but forgetting that the flames of the torches are lighting me, I run to the balcony and clap my hands twice. By the bowels of St. Quenet, I am perceived! Two lackeys seize me at the moment when, notified by my signal

e death that he was the cause of

ade in order to satisfy himself on its temper. That shows how frightened he was at the death of his lady-love. The husband, Don Hercules, comes out of the house, steps up to my master and says to him: 'Don Ignatius of Loyola, I received you as a friend at my hearth; you have led my wife

hin; proceed wi

oman[10] that I led astray, but a woman, as any other! You insult me by accusing me of a felo

hypocritical distinction! The libertine seduced the unfortunate woman, but not his friend's wife-only th

bed to me," repeated the guest, with a pensive

y Don Ignatius, who, raising his sword, says: 'Your life belongs to me; you have insulted me by sharing the unworthy suspicions of Don Hercules, who accused me of having betrayed his friendship. But go in peace, young man, repent your evil thoughts-I pardon you!' After which Captain Loyola repaired to the gypsy girl and spent with her

nly deepens the blackness of his de

sieur John remained in a brown study.

e captain's regiment well disciplin

or petrified, as he chose. Broken in and harnessed to his command like so many machines, he said: 'Go!'-and they went, not only into battle but whither

let us hear t

red the wild beast to be taken to a small enclosed yard, and remained there alone with him. I was outside, behind the gate. First I heard the stallion neigh with fury, then with pain, an

. "Was the man possessed of a magic

est show of resistance, Captain Loyola set in motion a certain steel saw contrivance supplied with sharp points and fastened in the bit. Immediately the animal would neigh with pain, remain motionless and sink down upon h

him, despite his inflexible

will?-Never! To ask why this and why that? Never! 'Kill,' the captain would say, and the response was: 'Listen, he says kill-we kill!' But it is your friend, your brother, your father, your sister, your mother that he orders you to kill. 'Makes no difference, he said kill-we kill, and we kill;' and then come the cream cakes and more cream cakes, otherwise the reins begin to play, and they play so severely-clubbings, strappings, croppings of ears, hanging by the limbs and other devices of the devil. 'Our dear ma

o the monstrous description. Monsieur John looked less surprised, but more alarmed. He said to

s and such as, I do believe, he was, metamorphose himself to the extent of coming here, to Pari

upefied. "Is Ignatius Loyol

to be publicly whipped in punishment for a slip of memory. There is someth

swordsman! The haughty nobleman, did he do

egs empty after vintage! Even such a thing would sound less enormous than that Captain Loyola slipped down his hose to receive a flo

telligence with Monsieur John. "The pot is empty. As soon as your story is ended, and in order to feast our guest, I sha

all-now I leave nothing. Did you say a pot of wine? Amen!" said the Franc-Taupin rising from his seat. "We shall furnish our guest w

an imagine," said Monsieur John with great earnestness. "I must again ask yo

to give it a squint, in contemplating Don Ignatius. Seeing him so threadbare, so wan, so seedy and leaning upon his staff, I had not th

en such a fine-looking cavalier and such a s

ose daughters, sisters and wives the captain Loyolized, would have felt themselves thoroughly revenged if, like myself, they had seen him writhe

repid a man display s

result of his wounds he voluntarily endured positive tort

t to such tortures? C

d. Do you know what were the first words that Don Ignatius uttered? They were these: 'Death and passion, I may remain deformed all my life!' And would you believe it? Captain Loyola wept like a woman! Aye, he wept, not with pain, no, by the bowels of St. Quenet, but with rage! You may imagine how crossed the handsome and roistering cavalier felt at the prospect. Imagine a limping cripple strolling under balconies and warbling

of his temper could be so enamoured of his

ul! I now think I understand-" but suddenly breaking off he asked the Franc-Taupin:

ned him about; they examined and re-examined his leg; after all of which, the slashers of Christian flesh and sawers of Christian bones declared that they could render Captain Loyola as nimble of foot as ever he was. 'A hundred ducats to each of you if you keep your promise!' he cried, already seeing himself prancing on horseback, prinking in his finery, strutting about, warbling love songs under balconies, parading, and above all Loyolizing. 'Yes, se?or; the lameness will disappear,' answered the bone

erations must have cau

ing of Captain Loyola's teeth drowned the sound of the saw's teeth. The contortions t

id he

at it sustained. At the end of six weeks Captain Loyola rose and tried to walk. He did walk. Glory to the bone-setters! He no longer limped of the right leg; but, the devil!

s fury must ha

ng of my left thigh. Can you do it?' said Don Ignatius to the bones-setters. Whereupon they fell to feeling, pressing, kneading and manipulating the twisted thigh of the patient; without desisting from their work at the member after a while they raised their heads and mumbled between their teeth: 'Se?or, yes, we can free you from this limp-but, firstly, we shall have to strap you down upon your back, where you will have to lie, motionless, for two months; secondly, a strap will have to be passed under your arms and fastened firmly to the head of your couch; thirdly, a weight of fifty pounds will have to be adjuste

t is the 'wooden horse' torture, prolong

hope of final cure, Captain Loyola's surgeons held a consultation, and allowed him to leave his bed of torture. He rose, walked-but, the devil! not only was his left thigh not sufficiently lengthened, but his right knee, that had been previously operated upon, had become ossified from lying motionless for so long a time! Captain Loyola said not a word; he became livid as a corpse and dropped unconscious to the floor. We all thought he was dead. The next day the majordomo notified me that our master did no longer need a page. My wages were paid me; I left Spain and returned to France with other prisoners who had been set free. After all that, and after the lapse of fou

ut, singing in a sonorous

pin had an a

worms, and all

made out of pa

the end with a

nette on vigno