The Shame of Motley

ng afraid was greater than his actual fear of our assailants, he cast aside like a mantle once he was within the wa

y of mine to see the sequel to his stout words that had led me to follow him, and what I saw was, after all, no more than I might have looked for-the proof

his heart in an icy grip and was squeezing it empty. In his irresolution he turned about, and his gloomy eye

he muttered, "and so it is fitting that folly should put on my armour for it. Come with me, you," he bade me, and I, obediently, gladly,

ut to overcome him-nay, which had overcome him already. Was I not the one man in Pesaro who already knew his true nature, as revealed by that matter of the verses which I had written, and of which he had assumed the authorship? He had no shame before me, for I alrea

ome way out of this?" Under his beard I saw t

hoed, scarce unders

those wits of yours. Is there no way in which it mig

yes the contempt that was in my heart. Dear God! Had revenge been all

is voice and rendering shrill its pitch. "Find me a way. Come, knave, find me a way, or I'll have yo

possessed him like a devil. I looked at him now without dissembling my scor

was hot and quavering. "Were you a bird I might suggest flight across the sea to you. But y

a dull roar it was as that of a stormy sea in winter time. Maddened by hi

his fingers on his dagger, "and I'll mak

was one that levelled ranks. Had he made the least attempt to carry out his threat, had he but drawn an inch o

I answered him. "I am but the Fool of Pes

death," he

d, and your knights are joining them. They wait for the fulfilment of your promis

s an empty scab

t is death," he a

d over the agonies of some poor victim on the rack. "In bearing yourself gallantly there lies a slender chan

s peevish, craven answer. "What s

oward as this, such a weak-s

n I sounded a fresh note. "Bethink you of Madonn

d him at last, yet its grip was not enough to make a man of him. A moment he

nger in the end, and his sh

hands clutching at the arms of his chair. "He

e a sword and lay about you. The most ignorant scullion in

ke's. Suddenly he rose and took a step towards the armour that was piled

dy. Yet scarcely had I reached the pile and taken up the breast-plate, w

"Jesus! not I. I will find a way out of this. I wil

ing for you; Madonna Paola di Santafior is waiting for

arled. "Who cares for them

y as that of a coward who would not lift his sword to strike one blow for ho

im. His vanity

to his breast. Yet in the instant that I turned me to pick up the back-piece, a crash resounded through the chamber. He had h

the courtyard. "You are very ready with your counsels. Let me behold y

did, and yet the words he uttered sank deep into my

o compelling that it sobered him, "if I

a moment. Then he laughed i

his damp brow, and threw back the hair that cumber

that all shall think it is the Lord Giovanni, Tyrant of Pesaro, who rides. If I do this thing, an

he recalled how I had borne myself against long odds on that adventure with Madonna Paola, years ago. Just such a vanity as had spurred him to have me write him verses that he might pretend were of his own making, moved him now to grasp at my proposal. They would all think that Giovanni's armour contained Giovanni himself. None would ever su

during the seconds that we stood, face to face and eye to eye, in that room, the cr

drawing me to the light he scanned my face, He

again, if it remains in my power to bestow it upon yo

wered, and so palsied was he and so fallen in spirit that he showed no resentment at the

"help me to put on t

of his corselet. I, the Fool, stood there as arrogant as any knight, whilst with his noble hands the Lord of Pesaro, kneeling, made secure the greaves upon my legs, the sollerets with golden spurs, the cuissarts and the genouilleres. Then he rose up, and with

ace of Boccadoro, I bade him, unless he would render futile all this masquerade, to lock the d

th he, "if you

ions, nor should it now. I laughed, and from the hollow of my helmet not a doubt but the

it will but remain for yo

d; "beast, do

to point out t

selected a heavy mace for only weapon, and swinging it to my shoulder I stepped to the door. On the threshol

said I. "See that none penetrates

after me. "Do yo

this folly," I called back to him. "

been about his arming. As they brought forward my charger, I sought with my eyes Madonna Paola. I beheld her by her brother-who, it seemed, was not going

f that company, I lowered my mace and bowed. She detained me a m

hope of prevailing, yet your honour will be safe-guarded by this act, and men will remember you with respect should it come to pass that a

ray me; and musing on the matter of the strange roads th

nce then he had made good use of a poor jester's mental gifts to incline her by the fervour of some verses to a kindlier frame of mind, and now, making good use of that same jest

without there came such a din as seemed to argue that all hell was at the Castle gates. There were shou

command, and four men detached themselves and let down the bridge. It fell with a crash, and ere those without had well grasped the situation we had hurled ourselves across and into them with the force of a wedge, fling

citizens to realise that war was not their trade, and that they had better leave the fighting to Cesare Borgia's men; and so they fell away and left us a

whose head was armed by no more than a pot of burnished steel, from which escaped the long red ringlets of his hair, was that same Ramiro del' Orca who had commanded the party pursuing Madon

f his soldiers, and his voice-a voice that Stentor

to Giovanni Sforza. Has he, perchance, become a man since Madonna Lucrezia divorced

for the courage of those that followed me. Another moment and we had swept into

my mace upon his morion. It was a most finely-tempered piece of steel, for my stroke made no

vanni. To me, then, my lusty Mars! We'll make a fight of it t

Fool. I smote him back, a mighty blow upon his epauliere that shore the steel plate from his shoulder, and left him a vulnerable spot. At that he swore ferociously, and his bloodshot eyes grew wicked as th

for the countenance he beheld was not the countenance he had looked to see. Instead of the fair skin, the handsome feature

he Host! your valour seemed too fierc

im back with a force that almost drove him from the saddle, and rising in

y, "your knowledge shal

s gone and his face grown pale, for such blows as mine could not have been without effect. Not a doubt of it but he was taken with amazement

he could recover I aimed a blow straight at his face. He lowered his head, like a bull on the point of chargin

ry must be ultimately with their invincible captain. They drove me back foot by foot, fighting lustily, and performing-it was said afterwards by the anxious o

e disabling of their captain, so soon as they had gathered him up our opponents thought of nothing but retreat; and retreat they did, hotly pursued by us, and never