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contemned the few Saxon families of consequence which subsisted in
England, and omitted no opportunity of mortifying and affronting them;
being conscious that his person and pretensions were disliked by them,
as well as by the greater part of the English commons, who feared
farther innovation upon their rights and liberties, from a sovereign of
John's licentious and tyrannical disposition.

Attended by this gallant equipage, himself well mounted, and splendidly
dressed in crimson and in gold, bearing upon his hand a falcon, and
having his head covered by a rich fur bonnet, adorned with a circle of
precious stones, from which his long curled hair escaped and overspread
his shoulders, Prince John, upon a grey and high-mettled palfrey,
caracoled within the lists at the head of his jovial party, laughing
loud with his train, and eyeing with all the boldness of royal criticism
the beauties who adorned the lofty galleries.

Those who remarked in the physiognomy of the Prince a dissolute
audacity, mingled with extreme haughtiness and indifference to the
feelings of others could not yet deny to his countenance that sort of
comeliness which belongs to an open set of features, well formed by
nature, modelled by art to the usual rules of courtesy, yet so far
frank and honest, that they seemed as if they disclaimed to conceal the
natural workings of the soul. Such an expression is often mistaken for
manly frankness, when in truth it arises from the reckless indifference
of a libertine disposition, conscious of superiority of birth, of
wealth, or of some other adventitious advantage, totally unconnected
with personal merit. To those who did not think so deeply, and they were
the greater number by a hundred to one, the splendour of Prince John's
"rheno", (i.e. fur tippet,) the richness of his cloak, lined with the
most costly sables, his maroquin boots and golden spurs, together with
the grace with which he managed his palfrey, were sufficient to merit
clamorous applause.

In his joyous caracole round the lists, the attention of the Prince
was called by the commotion, not yet subsided, which had attended the
ambitious movement of Isaac towards the higher places of the assembly.
The quick eye of Prince John instantly recognised the Jew, but was
much more agreeably attracted by the beautiful daughter of Zion, who,
terrified by the tumult, clung close to the arm of her aged father.

The figure of Rebecca might indeed have compared with the proudest
beauties of England, even though it had been judged by as shrewd a
connoisseur as Prince John. Her form was exquisitely symmetrical,
and was shown to advantage by a sort of Eastern dress, which she wore
according to the fashion of the females of her nation. Her turban
of yellow silk suited well with the darkness of her complexion. The
brilliancy of her eyes, the superb arch of her eyebrows, her well-formed
aquiline nose, her teeth as white as pearl, and the profusion of her
sable tresses, which, each arranged in its own little spiral of twisted
curls, fell down upon as much of a lovely neck and bosom as a simarre
of the richest Persian silk, exhibiting flowers in their natural colours
embossed upon a purple ground, permitted to be visible--all these
constituted a combination of loveliness, which yielded not to the most
beautiful of the maidens who surrounded her. It is true, that of the
golden and pearl-studded clasps, which closed her vest from the throat
to the waist, the three uppermost were left unfastened on account of
the heat, which somewhat enlarged the prospect to which we allude. A
diamond necklace, with pendants of inestimable value, were by this means
also made more conspicuous. The feather of an ostrich, fastened in her
turban by an agraffe set with brilliants, was another distinction of
the beautiful Jewess, scoffed and sneered at by the proud dames who sat
above her, but secretly envied by those who affected to deride them.

"By the bald scalp of Abraham," said Prince John, "yonder Jewess must be
the very model of that perfection, whose charms drove frantic the wisest
king that ever lived! What sayest thou, Prior Aymer?--By the Temple
of that wise king, which our wiser brother Richard proved unable to
recover, she is the very Bride of the Canticles!"

"The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley,"--answered the Prior, in
a sort of snuffling tone; "but your Grace must remember she is still but
a Jewess."

"Ay!" added Prince John, without heeding him, "and there is my Mammon
of unrighteousness too--the Marquis of Marks, the Baron of Byzants,
contesting for place with penniless dogs, whose threadbare cloaks have
not a single cross in their pouches to keep the devil from dancing
there. By the body of St Mark, my prince of supplies, with his lovely
Jewess, shall have a place in the gallery!--What is she, Isaac? Thy wife
or thy daughter, that Eastern houri that thou lockest under thy arm as
thou wouldst thy treasure-casket?"

"My daughter Rebecca, so please your Grace," answered Isaac, with a
low congee, nothing embarrassed by the Prince's salutation, in which,
however, there was at least as much mockery as courtesy.

"The wiser man thou," said John, with a peal of laughter, in which his
gay followers obsequiously joined. "But, daughter or wife, she should
be preferred according to her beauty and thy merits.--Who sits above
there?" he continued, bending his eye on the gallery. "Saxon churls,
lolling at their lazy length!--out upon them!--let them sit close, and
make room for my prince of usurers and his lovely daughter. I'll make
the hinds know they must share the high places of the synagogue with
those whom the synagogue properly belongs to."

Those who occupied the gallery to whom this injurious and unpolite
speech was addressed, were the family of Cedric the Saxon, with that of
his ally and kinsman, Athelstane of Coningsburgh, a personage, who, on
account of his descent from the last Saxon monarchs of England, was held
in the highest respect by all the Saxon natives of the north of England.

contemned the few Saxon families of consequence which subsisted in

England, and omitted no opportunity of mortifying and affronting them;

being conscious that his person and pretensions were disliked by them,

as well as by the greater part of the English commons, who feared

farther innovation upon their rights and liberties, from a sovereign of

John's licentious and tyrannical disposition.

Attended by this gallant equipage, himself well mounted, and splendidly

dressed in crimson and in gold, bearing upon his hand a falcon, and

having his head covered by a rich fur bonnet, adorned with a circle of

precious stones, from which his long curled hair escaped and overspread

his shoulders, Prince John, upon a grey and high-mettled palfrey,

caracoled within the lists at the head of his jovial party, laughing

loud with his train, and eyeing with all the boldness of royal criticism

the beauties who adorned the lofty galleries.

Those who remarked in the physiognomy of the Prince a dissolute

audacity, mingled with extreme haughtiness and indifference to the

feelings of others could not yet deny to his countenance that sort of

comeliness which belongs to an open set of features, well formed by

nature, modelled by art to the usual rules of courtesy, yet so far

frank and honest, that they seemed as if they disclaimed to conceal the

natural workings of the soul. Such an expression is often mistaken for

manly frankness, when in truth it arises from the reckless indifference

of a libertine disposition, conscious of superiority of birth, of

wealth, or of some other adventitious advantage, totally unconnected

with personal merit. To those who did not think so deeply, and they were

the greater number by a hundred to one, the splendour of Prince John's

"rheno", (i.e. fur tippet,) the richness of his cloak, lined with the

most costly sables, his maroquin boots and golden spurs, together with

the grace with which he managed his palfrey, were sufficient to merit

clamorous applause.

In his joyous caracole round the lists, the attention of the Prince

was called by the commotion, not yet subsided, which had attended the

ambitious movement of Isaac towards the higher places of the assembly.

The quick eye of Prince John instantly recognised the Jew, but was

much more agreeably attracted by the beautiful daughter of Zion, who,

terrified by the tumult, clung close to the arm of her aged father.

The figure of Rebecca might indeed have compared with the proudest

beauties of England, even though it had been judged by as shrewd a

connoisseur as Prince John. Her form was exquisitely symmetrical,

and was shown to advantage by a sort of Eastern dress, which she wore

according to the fashion of the females of her nation. Her turban

of yellow silk suited well with the darkness of her complexion. The

brilliancy of her eyes, the superb arch of her eyebrows, her well-formed

aquiline nose, her teeth as white as pearl, and the profusion of her

sable tresses, which, each arranged in its own little spiral of twisted

curls, fell down upon as much of a lovely neck and bosom as a simarre

of the richest Persian silk, exhibiting flowers in their natural colours

embossed upon a purple ground, permitted to be visible--all these

constituted a combination of loveliness, which yielded not to the most

beautiful of the maidens who surrounded her. It is true, that of the

golden and pearl-studded clasps, which closed her vest from the throat

to the waist, the three uppermost were left unfastened on account of

the heat, which somewhat enlarged the prospect to which we allude. A

diamond necklace, with pendants of inestimable value, were by this means

also made more conspicuous. The feather of an ostrich, fastened in her

turban by an agraffe set with brilliants, was another distinction of

the beautiful Jewess, scoffed and sneered at by the proud dames who sat

above her, but secretly envied by those who affected to deride them.

"By the bald scalp of Abraham," said Prince John, "yonder Jewess must be

the very model of that perfection, whose charms drove frantic the wisest

king that ever lived! What sayest thou, Prior Aymer?--By the Temple

of that wise king, which our wiser brother Richard proved unable to

recover, she is the very Bride of the Canticles!"

"The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley,"--answered the Prior, in

a sort of snuffling tone; "but your Grace must remember she is still but

a Jewess."

"Ay!" added Prince John, without heeding him, "and there is my Mammon

of unrighteousness too--the Marquis of Marks, the Baron of Byzants,

contesting for place with penniless dogs, whose threadbare cloaks have

not a single cross in their pouches to keep the devil from dancing

there. By the body of St Mark, my prince of supplies, with his lovely

Jewess, shall have a place in the gallery!--What is she, Isaac? Thy wife

or thy daughter, that Eastern houri that thou lockest under thy arm as

thou wouldst thy treasure-casket?"

"My daughter Rebecca, so please your Grace," answered Isaac, with a

low congee, nothing embarrassed by the Prince's salutation, in which,

however, there was at least as much mockery as courtesy.

"The wiser man thou," said John, with a peal of laughter, in which his

gay followers obsequiously joined. "But, daughter or wife, she should

be preferred according to her beauty and thy merits.--Who sits above

there?" he continued, bending his eye on the gallery. "Saxon churls,

lolling at their lazy length!--out upon them!--let them sit close, and

make room for my prince of usurers and his lovely daughter. I'll make

the hinds know they must share the high places of the synagogue with

those whom the synagogue properly belongs to."

Those who occupied the gallery to whom this injurious and unpolite

speech was addressed, were the family of Cedric the Saxon, with that of

his ally and kinsman, Athelstane of Coningsburgh, a personage, who, on

account of his descent from the last Saxon monarchs of England, was held

in the highest respect by all the Saxon natives of the north of England.