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"I wish I knew," said Wamba, when his comrade's back was turned, "what
you Palmers learn in the Holy Land."

"To say our orisons, fool," answered the Pilgrim, "to repent our sins,
and to mortify ourselves with fastings, vigils, and long prayers."

"Something more potent than that," answered the Jester; "for when would
repentance or prayer make Gurth do a courtesy, or fasting or vigil
persuade him to lend you a mule?--I trow you might as well have told his
favourite black boar of thy vigils and penance, and wouldst have gotten
as civil an answer."

"Go to," said the Pilgrim, "thou art but a Saxon fool."

"Thou sayst well," said the Jester; "had I been born a Norman, as I
think thou art, I would have had luck on my side, and been next door to
a wise man."

At this moment Gurth appeared on the opposite side of the moat with the
mules. The travellers crossed the ditch upon a drawbridge of only two
planks breadth, the narrowness of which was matched with the straitness
of the postern, and with a little wicket in the exterior palisade, which
gave access to the forest. No sooner had they reached the mules, than
the Jew, with hasty and trembling hands, secured behind the saddle
a small bag of blue buckram, which he took from under his cloak,
containing, as he muttered, "a change of raiment--only a change of
raiment." Then getting upon the animal with more alacrity and haste
than could have been anticipated from his years, he lost no time in so
disposing of the skirts of his gabardine as to conceal completely from
observation the burden which he had thus deposited "en croupe".

The Pilgrim mounted with more deliberation, reaching, as he departed,
his hand to Gurth, who kissed it with the utmost possible veneration.
The swineherd stood gazing after the travellers until they were lost
under the boughs of the forest path, when he was disturbed from his
reverie by the voice of Wamba.

"Knowest thou," said the Jester, "my good friend Gurth, that thou art
strangely courteous and most unwontedly pious on this summer morning? I
would I were a black Prior or a barefoot Palmer, to avail myself of thy
unwonted zeal and courtesy--certes, I would make more out of it than a
kiss of the hand."

"Thou art no fool thus far, Wamba," answered Gurth, "though thou arguest
from appearances, and the wisest of us can do no more--But it is time to
look after my charge."

So saying, he turned back to the mansion, attended by the Jester.

Meanwhile the travellers continued to press on their journey with a
dispatch which argued the extremity of the Jew's fears, since persons at
his age are seldom fond of rapid motion. The Palmer, to whom every path
and outlet in the wood appeared to be familiar, led the way through the
most devious paths, and more than once excited anew the suspicion of
the Israelite, that he intended to betray him into some ambuscade of his
enemies.

His doubts might have been indeed pardoned; for, except perhaps the
flying fish, there was no race existing on the earth, in the air, or
the waters, who were the object of such an unintermitting, general, and
relentless persecution as the Jews of this period. Upon the slightest
and most unreasonable pretences, as well as upon accusations the most
absurd and groundless, their persons and property were exposed to every
turn of popular fury; for Norman, Saxon, Dane, and Briton, however
adverse these races were to each other, contended which should look with
greatest detestation upon a people, whom it was accounted a point of
religion to hate, to revile, to despise, to plunder, and to persecute.
The kings of the Norman race, and the independent nobles, who followed
their example in all acts of tyranny, maintained against this devoted
people a persecution of a more regular, calculated, and self-interested
kind. It is a well-known story of King John, that he confined a wealthy
Jew in one of the royal castles, and daily caused one of his teeth to
be torn out, until, when the jaw of the unhappy Israelite was half
disfurnished, he consented to pay a large sum, which it was the tyrant's
object to extort from him. The little ready money which was in the
country was chiefly in possession of this persecuted people, and the
nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign, in
wringing it from them by every species of oppression, and even personal
torture. Yet the passive courage inspired by the love of gain, induced
the Jews to dare the various evils to which they were subjected, in
consideration of the immense profits which they were enabled to realize
in a country naturally so wealthy as England. In spite of every kind
of discouragement, and even of the special court of taxations already
mentioned, called the Jews' Exchequer, erected for the very purpose of
despoiling and distressing them, the Jews increased, multiplied, and
accumulated huge sums, which they transferred from one hand to another
by means of bills of exchange--an invention for which commerce is said
to be indebted to them, and which enabled them to transfer their wealth
from land to land, that when threatened with oppression in one country,
their treasure might be secured in another.

The obstinacy and avarice of the Jews being thus in a measure placed
in opposition to the fanaticism that tyranny of those under whom they
lived, seemed to increase in proportion to the persecution with which
they were visited; and the immense wealth they usually acquired in
commerce, while it frequently placed them in danger, was at other times
used to extend their influence, and to secure to them a certain
degree of protection. On these terms they lived; and their character,
influenced accordingly, was watchful, suspicious, and timid--yet
obstinate, uncomplying, and skilful in evading the dangers to which they

"I wish I knew," said Wamba, when his comrade's back was turned, "what

you Palmers learn in the Holy Land."

"To say our orisons, fool," answered the Pilgrim, "to repent our sins,

and to mortify ourselves with fastings, vigils, and long prayers."

"Something more potent than that," answered the Jester; "for when would

repentance or prayer make Gurth do a courtesy, or fasting or vigil

persuade him to lend you a mule?--I trow you might as well have told his

favourite black boar of thy vigils and penance, and wouldst have gotten

as civil an answer."

"Go to," said the Pilgrim, "thou art but a Saxon fool."

"Thou sayst well," said the Jester; "had I been born a Norman, as I

think thou art, I would have had luck on my side, and been next door to

a wise man."

At this moment Gurth appeared on the opposite side of the moat with the

mules. The travellers crossed the ditch upon a drawbridge of only two

planks breadth, the narrowness of which was matched with the straitness

of the postern, and with a little wicket in the exterior palisade, which

gave access to the forest. No sooner had they reached the mules, than

the Jew, with hasty and trembling hands, secured behind the saddle

a small bag of blue buckram, which he took from under his cloak,

containing, as he muttered, "a change of raiment--only a change of

raiment." Then getting upon the animal with more alacrity and haste

than could have been anticipated from his years, he lost no time in so

disposing of the skirts of his gabardine as to conceal completely from

observation the burden which he had thus deposited "en croupe".

The Pilgrim mounted with more deliberation, reaching, as he departed,

his hand to Gurth, who kissed it with the utmost possible veneration.

The swineherd stood gazing after the travellers until they were lost

under the boughs of the forest path, when he was disturbed from his

reverie by the voice of Wamba.

"Knowest thou," said the Jester, "my good friend Gurth, that thou art

strangely courteous and most unwontedly pious on this summer morning? I

would I were a black Prior or a barefoot Palmer, to avail myself of thy

unwonted zeal and courtesy--certes, I would make more out of it than a

kiss of the hand."

"Thou art no fool thus far, Wamba," answered Gurth, "though thou arguest

from appearances, and the wisest of us can do no more--But it is time to

look after my charge."

So saying, he turned back to the mansion, attended by the Jester.

Meanwhile the travellers continued to press on their journey with a

dispatch which argued the extremity of the Jew's fears, since persons at

his age are seldom fond of rapid motion. The Palmer, to whom every path

and outlet in the wood appeared to be familiar, led the way through the

most devious paths, and more than once excited anew the suspicion of

the Israelite, that he intended to betray him into some ambuscade of his

enemies.

His doubts might have been indeed pardoned; for, except perhaps the

flying fish, there was no race existing on the earth, in the air, or

the waters, who were the object of such an unintermitting, general, and

relentless persecution as the Jews of this period. Upon the slightest

and most unreasonable pretences, as well as upon accusations the most

absurd and groundless, their persons and property were exposed to every

turn of popular fury; for Norman, Saxon, Dane, and Briton, however

adverse these races were to each other, contended which should look with

greatest detestation upon a people, whom it was accounted a point of

religion to hate, to revile, to despise, to plunder, and to persecute.

The kings of the Norman race, and the independent nobles, who followed

their example in all acts of tyranny, maintained against this devoted

people a persecution of a more regular, calculated, and self-interested

kind. It is a well-known story of King John, that he confined a wealthy

Jew in one of the royal castles, and daily caused one of his teeth to

be torn out, until, when the jaw of the unhappy Israelite was half

disfurnished, he consented to pay a large sum, which it was the tyrant's

object to extort from him. The little ready money which was in the

country was chiefly in possession of this persecuted people, and the

nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign, in

wringing it from them by every species of oppression, and even personal

torture. Yet the passive courage inspired by the love of gain, induced

the Jews to dare the various evils to which they were subjected, in

consideration of the immense profits which they were enabled to realize

in a country naturally so wealthy as England. In spite of every kind

of discouragement, and even of the special court of taxations already

mentioned, called the Jews' Exchequer, erected for the very purpose of

despoiling and distressing them, the Jews increased, multiplied, and

accumulated huge sums, which they transferred from one hand to another

by means of bills of exchange--an invention for which commerce is said

to be indebted to them, and which enabled them to transfer their wealth

from land to land, that when threatened with oppression in one country,

their treasure might be secured in another.

The obstinacy and avarice of the Jews being thus in a measure placed

in opposition to the fanaticism that tyranny of those under whom they

lived, seemed to increase in proportion to the persecution with which

they were visited; and the immense wealth they usually acquired in

commerce, while it frequently placed them in danger, was at other times

used to extend their influence, and to secure to them a certain

degree of protection. On these terms they lived; and their character,

influenced accordingly, was watchful, suspicious, and timid--yet

obstinate, uncomplying, and skilful in evading the dangers to which they