how the conspirators went in at traitors’ gate
but came not out again.
night, anxiously expected both by plotters and counter-plotters, arrived at last. within the lower chamber of saint thomas’s tower were magog and xit, but the two other gigantic warders, with rodomont bittern and his comrades, kept out of sight, lest lovel’s suspicions should be awakened.
croyland, the keeper of the tower, had been made a party to the plan, and consented to act as xit directed. the night was dark, and the mist hanging over the river, and almost shrouding saint thomas’s tower from view, was favourable to the project of the conspirators.
some quarter of an hour before the time fixed for the arrival of the barge, lovel, accompanied by osbert, who was well armed, and wrapped in his cloak, quitted the jewel house, and proceeded to saint thomas’s tower. the door was opened by croyland, who had a lamp in his hand, which he raised for a moment to survey osbert, and then, apparently satisfied with his scrutiny, ushered them into the guard-chamber, which done, he returned to fasten the door.
within the guard-chamber were xit and magog. the giant appeared to be fast asleep, with his huge head resting on a table, and did not move on their entrance; but xit immediately arose, and alter a word with lovel, was informed by the latter that the gentleman with him was an 390officer sent by his majesty to take charge of the treasure. with this information the dwarf seemed perfectly content, and bowed ceremoniously to osbert, who slightly returned the salutation. in another moment croyland returned with a lamp, and taking it from him, lovel beckoned to osbert to follow him, and led the way to the platform on which the chests were laid.
no sooner were they gone than magog raised his head, and said in a whisper to xit, “is it osbert clinton?”
the dwarf replied in the affirmative, but added, “don’t ask any more questions, or you will be overheard. here they are coming back. down with your head!”
on this, magog resumed his previous posture. next moment lovel reappeared with the lamp, but osbert remained in the passage, so as not to expose himself to observation.
“the coffers are all right, i perceive,” remarked lovel, as he set down the lamp upon the table. “i sha’n’t be sorry when they are gone,” he added, with a laugh. “they have been a great source of anxiety to me.”
“i daresay they have,” replied xit. “your office wouldn’t suit me at all, master lovel.”
“wherefore not?” demanded the other.
“because my honesty would never be proof against the temptation i should be exposed to. the sight of so much treasure would exercise a baneful influence over me, and i should long to appropriate it to my own use. whereas, you, worthy lovel, are of an incorruptible nature, and can see gold without coveting it. you would never dream of making free with the contents of those coffers.”
“certainly not,” replied lovel.
“therein we differ,” pursued xit. “had those coffers been confided to me, i should have fallen. the arch enemy could not find a more certain means of destroying me than they would afford him. knowing my own frailty, i respect your honesty the more, worthy lovel. you can touch gold without being defiled by it. unluckily, such is not my case.”
ere lovel could reply, osbert called out from the passage:—
“the barge is at hand. i hear a noise outside in the river.”
391and, as he spoke, the bell hanging above the outer arch of traitors’ gate was rung.
“here they are!” cried xit, shaking magog. “rouse thyself, thou great sluggard.”
“who are here?” cried the giant, pretending to waken from a sound sleep.
“why, the officers sent by the king to take away the treasure,” rejoined xit.
“oh, indeed!” ejaculated magog, with a prodigious yawn.
meanwhile, lovel, followed by croyland, had mounted a spiral stone staircase, which quickly brought them to the summit of the round projecting tower at the western angle of the fortification. on reaching the battlements, they could discern through the gloom a large barque lying in the river immediately beneath them. the barge was rowed by four stalwart oarsmen, and its head was brought close up to traitors’ gate.
at the prow stood a tall man, apparently in command of the party, and who was no other than sir henry dudley. the barge had already been challenged by the sentinel, and a short parley had taken place, but when lovel and croyland appeared, dudley called out in a loud, authoritative voice:—
“open the gate quickly. we are officers sent by the king to bring away the treasure.”
“have you a warrant for its removal?” inquired lovel.
“ay,” returned dudley, “a warrant you will not care to dispute.”
“enough,” answered lovel. “the gate shall be opened immediately.”
with this he disappeared from the battlements, while dudley, turning to his companion in the barge, said in a low, exulting tone, “the prize will soon be ours. we shall get in without difficulty.”
“heaven grant we may get out as easily!” rejoined sir anthony kingston, who was standing near him. “more people go in at traitors’ gate than come out from it.”
as he spoke, the ponderous wooden valves, worked by some machinery in the upper part of the tower, began slowly to revolve upon their hinges, disclosing the interior 392of the passage, which was now illumined by torches held by magog and croyland, who, with lovel and xit, were stationed near the head of the steps. in the background, partly concealed by the coffers, stood osbert clinton.
as soon as the valves had opened wide enough to admit the barge, dudley, who was all impatience to secure the prize, called to the oarsmen to push in, and the order being promptly obeyed, the barge entered the channel, and was propelled to the foot of the steps. sir henry dudley then leaped ashore, and was followed by sir anthony kingston and some four or five others.
“here is the order for the delivery of the treasure, sir,” said dudley, presenting a paper to lovel, who advanced to meet him.
lovel glanced at it for a moment, and then, apparently satisfied by the inspection, observed,—
“we have been expecting you, sir. the chests are all ready, as you see.”
“that is well,” said dudley, scarcely able to conceal his satisfaction. “let them be embarked at once.”
while this brief dialogue occurred, traitor’s gate was noiselessly returning to its place, and in another minute was closed. the conspirators, however, were too much occupied with what they had in hand to notice this suspicious circumstance. the oarsmen now got out of the barge, and were preparing to place the uppermost chest on board, when osbert clinton suddenly stepped forward, and said, in a low voice, to sir henry dudley,—
“we are betrayed. see you not that the gate is shut?”
“ha! so it is!” cried dudley. “why is this, sir?” he added, fiercely, to lovel. “how comes it that yon gate is closed?”
“i did not know it was so,” replied the other. “there must be some mistake. but i will cause it to be reopened instantly.”
“there is no mistake,” cried xit, in his loudest and most important voice; “it is by my orders that traitors’ gate has been shut, and it will not be opened again. traitors, ye are caught in a trap. ye have come here, with wicked and felonious intent, to carry off the king’s treasure, but instead 393of departing with your plunder to stir up rebellion, you will be lodged in the dungeons of the tower, and ere long expiate your manifold and dire offences on the scaffold.”
at this address the conspirators stared aghast, and laid their hands upon their swords.
osbert clinton, however, signed to them to keep quiet, and said to lovel, “what means this, sir? is it some ill-timed jest?”
“i will tell you what it means, master osbert clinton,” interposed xit. “it means, that you, and all those with you, are my prisoners. i arrest you all for high treason. you yourself, master osbert clinton—you sir henry dudley—you, sir anthony kingston—you, master udal, and all the rest of you. deliver up your swords.”
“this is droll,” cried osbert clinton, forcing a laugh; “but the jest may prove no laughing matter for thee. get the gate opened,” he added to lovel. “we will have the treasure in spite of them.”
“traitors’ gate shall not be opened,” screamed xit. “i forbid it, and ye shall find whether or not i shall be obeyed. stir a single foot, thou traitor lovel, and thou art a dead man.” and drawing his sword, he presented it at the breast of the keeper of the treasure, exclaiming, “i arrest thee, also, on a charge of conspiracy and treason.”
“an end must be put to this folly,” cried osbert, fiercely. “by the time you have got the treasure on board i will have the gate opened,” he added to dudley. then drawing his sword, he commanded xit to stand out of the way.
“help me, my faithful giants!” cried xit, retreating. “help me!”
and at the words, og and gog issued from the passage where they had remained concealed, and with their halberds opposed osbert’s advance.
“back!” roared magog, in a voice of thunder, “or you rush upon your death.”
“you had better yield,” cried xit. “you cannot escape. you will more easily cut your way through the solid beams of traitors’ gate than you will hew a passage through these living walls.”
“i will cut a way through both sooner than surrender,” rejoined osbert. “follow me, friends.”
394and he was about to fling himself upon the giants, who awaited his attack unmoved, when his desperate purpose was averted by the sudden ringing of the alarm-bell. this sound, which proclaimed that the fortress was alarmed, paralysed his energies, and caused him to drop the point of his sword, while the rest of the conspirators looked equally disheartened. other sounds, calculated to increase their apprehensions, were now heard, and the trampling of feet, accompanied by the clatter of arms, showed that a number of men were collecting in the outer ward. it was plain that the conspirators were betrayed, and the glances they exchanged betokened that they felt so.
“you had better yield with a good grace,” cried xit, “and not compel us to take your swords from you by force.”
“i will die rather than yield,” cried osbert clinton.
“so will we all,” responded the others.
“resistance is in vain,” cried lovel, suddenly changing his manner. “it is time to throw off the mask. you are prisoners to the king.”
“ha! it is thou who hast brought us into this snare,” cried dudley. “take the reward of thy treachery,” he added, passing his rapier through his body.
“ha! i am slain!” exclaimed lovel, as he fell backwards into the water.
at this moment the massive portal communicating with the outer ward was opened, and an astounding spectacle revealed.
beneath the gloomy archway of the bloody tower stood the king, the torchlight flashing upon his stately figure, and communicating to his countenance a stern and sinister expression.
with him was sir henry bedingfeld. at the back of the archway rose a grove of pikes, while on the right and left was ranged a strong guard of halberdiers, several of whom held torches, which gleamed upon the steel caps, corslets, and partisans of their comrades.
at this unlooked-for spectacle the conspirators recoiled in confusion and dismay. flight was impossible, and as bedingfeld advanced towards them with an officer, and demanded their swords, telling them they were his prisoners, they had no alternative but submission.
395by the king’s commands, the conspirators were then brought before him, and he surveyed them for some moments with a smile of gratified vengeance.
“soh, traitors!” he exclaimed, at length, “you thought you had devised a cunning scheme to carry off my treasure. but you have been outwitted. your plans have been revealed to me, and i have allowed you to proceed thus far in order to ensnare you all. you have fallen like wolves into the trap set for you.”
“the wretch who betrayed us has met his reward,” cried sir henry dudley. “he has perished by my sword.”
“is lovel slain?” exclaimed philip. “i am sorry for it.”
“he richly deserved his fate,” cried osbert. “i see now how we have been duped.”
at this moment xit made his way towards the king, and said, “an please your majesty, these rebels and traitors were captured by me. i claim the reward.”
“retire, thou presumptuous and intrusive varlet,” cried bedingfeld. “this matter is too serious for thy interference.”
“but for my interference, sir henry,” rejoined xit, proudly and indignantly, “the plot would not have been discovered.”
“there thou art wrong,” rejoined bedingfeld; “the plot has been all along known to his majesty. it was revealed to him by lovel, who, it seems, has gone to his account.”
“lovel is killed, sure enough,” said xit. “but i trust my services will not go unrewarded.”
“thy claims shall be considered hereafter,” said philip. and as xit, satisfied with this assurance, bowed and retired, he addressed the conspirators: “for the heinous crimes and offences you have committed, you cannot doubt what your sentence will be.”
“we are all prepared for our fate,” said dudley, resolutely. “in engaging in this enterprise we well knew the risk we incurred. having failed, we are ready to pay the penalty.”
“do you deem your base attempt consistent with the principles you profess?” demanded philip, contemptuously.
“ay,” rejoined dudley. “your gold has been one of the 396chief weapons used against this unhappy land, and it was the part of true englishmen—as we are—to deprive you of it.”
“ye are robbers and felons, and shall die the death of such vile miscreants,” said philip, coldly. “by this foul act you have forfeited your privileges as gentlemen.”
“what!” exclaimed osbert clinton. “are we to die like common felons?”
“such will be your doom,” rejoined philip, sternly.
“your majesty is too magnanimous to stoop to such an unworthy revenge,” said osbert clinton. “let us die upon the scaffold. ’tis the sole grace we ask of you.”
“ay, spare them this ignominious ending, i beseech you, sire,” said mauger, advancing from the guard, among whom he was standing, “and let them fall by my hand.”
“i owe thee a guerdon,” rejoined philip, “and will give thee their heads. as to you, osbert clinton,” he added, “i could devise no worse torture for you than your own bitter reflections will furnish. had you not engaged in this last design, you might have been pardoned your former offences, have been restored to my favour, and have wedded constance tyrrell. reflect upon this when you are alone in your dungeon.”
“this is only said to torture me!” cried osbert.
“it is said that you may be aware of the happiness you have so recklessly thrown away,” rejoined the king. “at the intercession of cardinal pole, i had consented to pardon you, and, moreover, had promised his eminence not to oppose your marriage with constance. but there will be no pardon for you now—no constance.”
osbert made no reply, but covered his face with his hand.
after a brief pause, the king turned to sir henry bedingfeld, and ordered him to remove the prisoners to their dungeons. “to-morrow they will be privately interrogated,” he said, “after which their arraignment, condemnation, and execution will speedily follow. you will not have to wait long for your fees,” he added to mauger.
“i humbly thank your majesty,” replied the headsman.
on this, the conspirators were led off by the guard, and placed in different state prisons in the inner ward, a cell in 397the flint tower being assigned to osbert clinton. shortly afterwards, the king rode back to whitehall, attended by a mounted escort.
as soon as tranquility was restored, og returned to his bride, whom he had left in the care of dame trusbut, at the stone kitchen. a very substantial supper was in readiness for him, and to this he sat down with his brothers, xit, rodomont bittern, simnel, and holiday, and, despite the previous occurrences, they made a right merry night of it.
next day, the treasure-chests, which had been left on the platform in traitors’ gate, were removed from the tower, and safely deposited in the exchequer.
end of the seventh book.
