"I have not an honester man in my
camp; and he speaks for my information, not for yours."
"Then for yours will I speak, Sir King. These men treated me knightly, and
sent me away without ransom."
"They had an eye to their own profit, it seems," grumbled the Earl.
"But force me they did to swear on the holy Gospels that I should tell
your Majesty the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And I
keep my oath," quoth Dade.
"Go on, then, without fear or favor. Are there any other men of note in
the island!"
"No."
"Are they in want of provisions?"
"Look how they have fattened me."
"What do they complain of?"
"I will tell you, Sir King. The monks, like many more, took fright at the
coming over of our French men of God to set right all their filthy,
barbarous ways; and that is why they threw Ely open to the rebels."
"I will be even with the sots," quoth William.
"However, they think that danger blown over just now; for they have a
story among them, which, as my Lord the King never heard before, he may as
well hear now."
"Eh?"
"How your Majesty should have sent across the sea a whole shipload of
French monks."
"That have I, and will more, till I reduce these swine into something like
obedience to his Holiness of Rome."
"Ah, but your Majesty has not heard how one Bruman, a valiant English
knight, was sailing on the sea and caught those monks.
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