ariondas/full_text_dataset · Datasets at Hugging Face

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person. His countenance bore as little the marks of self-denial, as his
habit indicated contempt of worldly splendour. His features might have
been called good, had there not lurked under the pent-house of his eye,
that sly epicurean twinkle which indicates the cautious voluptuary.
In other respects, his profession and situation had taught him a ready
command over his countenance, which he could contract at pleasure into
solemnity, although its natural expression was that of good-humoured
social indulgence. In defiance of conventual rules, and the edicts of
popes and councils, the sleeves of this dignitary were lined and turned
up with rich furs, his mantle secured at the throat with a golden
clasp, and the whole dress proper to his order as much refined upon and
ornamented, as that of a quaker beauty of the present day, who, while
she retains the garb and costume of her sect continues to give to its
simplicity, by the choice of materials and the mode of disposing them,
a certain air of coquettish attraction, savouring but too much of the
vanities of the world.

This worthy churchman rode upon a well-fed ambling mule, whose furniture
was highly decorated, and whose bridle, according to the fashion of the
day, was ornamented with silver bells. In his seat he had nothing of the
awkwardness of the convent, but displayed the easy and habitual grace of
a well-trained horseman. Indeed, it seemed that so humble a conveyance
as a mule, in however good case, and however well broken to a pleasant
and accommodating amble, was only used by the gallant monk for
travelling on the road. A lay brother, one of those who followed in the
train, had, for his use on other occasions, one of the most handsome
Spanish jennets ever bred at Andalusia, which merchants used at that
time to import, with great trouble and risk, for the use of persons of
wealth and distinction. The saddle and housings of this superb palfrey
were covered by a long foot-cloth, which reached nearly to the ground,
and on which were richly embroidered, mitres, crosses, and other
ecclesiastical emblems. Another lay brother led a sumpter mule, loaded
probably with his superior's baggage; and two monks of his own order,
of inferior station, rode together in the rear, laughing and conversing
with each other, without taking much notice of the other members of the
cavalcade.

The companion of the church dignitary was a man past forty, thin,
strong, tall, and muscular; an athletic figure, which long fatigue and
constant exercise seemed to have left none of the softer part of the
human form, having reduced the whole to brawn, bones, and sinews, which
had sustained a thousand toils, and were ready to dare a thousand more.
His head was covered with a scarlet cap, faced with fur--of that kind
which the French call "mortier", from its resemblance to the shape of an
inverted mortar. His countenance was therefore fully displayed, and its
expression was calculated to impress a degree of awe, if not of
fear, upon strangers. High features, naturally strong and powerfully
expressive, had been burnt almost into Negro blackness by constant
exposure to the tropical sun, and might, in their ordinary state, be
said to slumber after the storm of passion had passed away; but the
projection of the veins of the forehead, the readiness with which the
upper lip and its thick black moustaches quivered upon the slightest
emotion, plainly intimated that the tempest might be again and easily
awakened. His keen, piercing, dark eyes, told in every glance a history
of difficulties subdued, and dangers dared, and seemed to challenge
opposition to his wishes, for the pleasure of sweeping it from his road
by a determined exertion of courage and of will; a deep scar on his brow
gave additional sternness to his countenance, and a sinister expression
to one of his eyes, which had been slightly injured on the same
occasion, and of which the vision, though perfect, was in a slight and
partial degree distorted.

The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in
shape, being a long monastic mantle; but the colour, being scarlet,
showed that he did not belong to any of the four regular orders of
monks. On the right shoulder of the mantle there was cut, in white
cloth, a cross of a peculiar form. This upper robe concealed what at
first view seemed rather inconsistent with its form, a shirt, namely, of
linked mail, with sleeves and gloves of the same, curiously plaited and
interwoven, as flexible to the body as those which are now wrought in
the stocking-loom, out of less obdurate materials. The fore-part of his
thighs, where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen, were
also covered with linked mail; the knees and feet were defended by
splints, or thin plates of steel, ingeniously jointed upon each
other; and mail hose, reaching from the ankle to the knee, effectually
protected the legs, and completed the rider's defensive armour. In
his girdle he wore a long and double-edged dagger, which was the only
offensive weapon about his person.

He rode, not a mule, like his companion, but a strong hackney for the
road, to save his gallant war-horse, which a squire led behind, fully
accoutred for battle, with a chamfron or plaited head-piece upon his
head, having a short spike projecting from the front. On one side of the
saddle hung a short battle-axe, richly inlaid with Damascene carving;
on the other the rider's plumed head-piece and hood of mail, with a long
two-handed sword, used by the chivalry of the period. A second squire
held aloft his master's lance, from the extremity of which fluttered a
small banderole, or streamer, bearing a cross of the same form with that
embroidered upon his cloak. He also carried his small triangular
shield, broad enough at the top to protect the breast, and from thence
diminishing to a point. It was covered with a scarlet cloth, which
prevented the device from being seen.

These two squires were followed by two attendants, whose dark visages,
white turbans, and the Oriental form of their garments, showed them to
be natives of some distant Eastern country. [9]

The whole appearance of this warrior and his retinue was wild and
outlandish; the dress of his squires was gorgeous, and his Eastern
attendants wore silver collars round their throats, and bracelets of the

person. His countenance bore as little the marks of self-denial, as his

habit indicated contempt of worldly splendour. His features might have

been called good, had there not lurked under the pent-house of his eye,

that sly epicurean twinkle which indicates the cautious voluptuary.

In other respects, his profession and situation had taught him a ready

command over his countenance, which he could contract at pleasure into

solemnity, although its natural expression was that of good-humoured

social indulgence. In defiance of conventual rules, and the edicts of

popes and councils, the sleeves of this dignitary were lined and turned

up with rich furs, his mantle secured at the throat with a golden

clasp, and the whole dress proper to his order as much refined upon and

ornamented, as that of a quaker beauty of the present day, who, while

she retains the garb and costume of her sect continues to give to its

simplicity, by the choice of materials and the mode of disposing them,

a certain air of coquettish attraction, savouring but too much of the

vanities of the world.

This worthy churchman rode upon a well-fed ambling mule, whose furniture

was highly decorated, and whose bridle, according to the fashion of the

day, was ornamented with silver bells. In his seat he had nothing of the

awkwardness of the convent, but displayed the easy and habitual grace of

a well-trained horseman. Indeed, it seemed that so humble a conveyance

as a mule, in however good case, and however well broken to a pleasant

and accommodating amble, was only used by the gallant monk for

travelling on the road. A lay brother, one of those who followed in the

train, had, for his use on other occasions, one of the most handsome

Spanish jennets ever bred at Andalusia, which merchants used at that

time to import, with great trouble and risk, for the use of persons of

wealth and distinction. The saddle and housings of this superb palfrey

were covered by a long foot-cloth, which reached nearly to the ground,

and on which were richly embroidered, mitres, crosses, and other

ecclesiastical emblems. Another lay brother led a sumpter mule, loaded

probably with his superior's baggage; and two monks of his own order,

of inferior station, rode together in the rear, laughing and conversing

with each other, without taking much notice of the other members of the

cavalcade.

The companion of the church dignitary was a man past forty, thin,

strong, tall, and muscular; an athletic figure, which long fatigue and

constant exercise seemed to have left none of the softer part of the

human form, having reduced the whole to brawn, bones, and sinews, which

had sustained a thousand toils, and were ready to dare a thousand more.

His head was covered with a scarlet cap, faced with fur--of that kind

which the French call "mortier", from its resemblance to the shape of an

inverted mortar. His countenance was therefore fully displayed, and its

expression was calculated to impress a degree of awe, if not of

fear, upon strangers. High features, naturally strong and powerfully

expressive, had been burnt almost into Negro blackness by constant

exposure to the tropical sun, and might, in their ordinary state, be

said to slumber after the storm of passion had passed away; but the

projection of the veins of the forehead, the readiness with which the

upper lip and its thick black moustaches quivered upon the slightest

emotion, plainly intimated that the tempest might be again and easily

awakened. His keen, piercing, dark eyes, told in every glance a history

of difficulties subdued, and dangers dared, and seemed to challenge

opposition to his wishes, for the pleasure of sweeping it from his road

by a determined exertion of courage and of will; a deep scar on his brow

gave additional sternness to his countenance, and a sinister expression

to one of his eyes, which had been slightly injured on the same

occasion, and of which the vision, though perfect, was in a slight and

partial degree distorted.

The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in

shape, being a long monastic mantle; but the colour, being scarlet,

showed that he did not belong to any of the four regular orders of

monks. On the right shoulder of the mantle there was cut, in white

cloth, a cross of a peculiar form. This upper robe concealed what at

first view seemed rather inconsistent with its form, a shirt, namely, of

linked mail, with sleeves and gloves of the same, curiously plaited and

interwoven, as flexible to the body as those which are now wrought in

the stocking-loom, out of less obdurate materials. The fore-part of his

thighs, where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen, were

also covered with linked mail; the knees and feet were defended by

splints, or thin plates of steel, ingeniously jointed upon each

other; and mail hose, reaching from the ankle to the knee, effectually

protected the legs, and completed the rider's defensive armour. In

his girdle he wore a long and double-edged dagger, which was the only

offensive weapon about his person.

He rode, not a mule, like his companion, but a strong hackney for the

road, to save his gallant war-horse, which a squire led behind, fully

accoutred for battle, with a chamfron or plaited head-piece upon his

head, having a short spike projecting from the front. On one side of the

saddle hung a short battle-axe, richly inlaid with Damascene carving;

on the other the rider's plumed head-piece and hood of mail, with a long

two-handed sword, used by the chivalry of the period. A second squire

held aloft his master's lance, from the extremity of which fluttered a

small banderole, or streamer, bearing a cross of the same form with that

embroidered upon his cloak. He also carried his small triangular

shield, broad enough at the top to protect the breast, and from thence

diminishing to a point. It was covered with a scarlet cloth, which

prevented the device from being seen.

These two squires were followed by two attendants, whose dark visages,

white turbans, and the Oriental form of their garments, showed them to

be natives of some distant Eastern country. [9]

The whole appearance of this warrior and his retinue was wild and

outlandish; the dress of his squires was gorgeous, and his Eastern

attendants wore silver collars round their throats, and bracelets of the