| Chapter
XIII
Once the word gets out that the Disinherited Knight is Wilfred
of Ivanhoe, there is concern in Prince John’s camp. They
know that Ivanhoe will claim the castle and manor bestowed on
him by King Richard, which Prince John has given to Front-de-Boeuf.
News reaches them that the wounded Ivanhoe is now being cared
for by his friends. Meanwhile, Prince John tells the Norman
De Bracy that he will secure the Saxon Rowena as his, De Bracy’s,
bride. John then receives a letter informing him that King Richard
has obtained his freedom. John knows that this means trouble
for him, so he cancels the following day’s festivities.
He announces that the archery contest that was to have been
held then will take place immediately. A yeoman named Locksley,
to whom the prince has already taken a dislike, enters the contest,
agreeing to shoot only when all the other archers have done
so. The best shot is from Hubert, a forester in the service
of Malvoisin, but when Hubert takes on Locksley he loses. Prince
John is so impressed, he invites Locksley into his service as
a yeoman of his body guard, but Locksley declines. Locksley
then slips away and is lost in the crowd. Prince John sends
his chamberlain to ride to Ashby and demand two thousand crowns
from Isaac.
Chapter XIV
That evening there is a luxurious banquet at the Castle of Ashby.
Prince John greets Cedric and Athelstane with great courtesy;
they say Rowena is indisposed and cannot attend. The Normans
make sarcastic comments about the Saxons’ manners, and
the Saxons are ignorant of Norman etiquette. Prince John proposes
a toast to Ivanhoe, but Cedric refuses to join in, saying that
Wilfred left his home to join the court of Richard I against
his father’s wishes. Prince John says that since Cedric
has disinherited his son, he will not object to John’s
conferring on Front-de-Boeuf the castle that Richard I had intended
for Ivanhoe. The Saxons and Normans bait each other, but Prince
John pretends that from his side it is all in jest. Prince John
calls upon Cedric to make a toast to a Norman whom he deems
worthy, and Cedric responds with a toast to Richard the Lion-hearted.
Prince John had been expecting to hear his own name. Cedric
enjoys his advantage, and then he and Athelstane leave the banquet.
Prince John is discomfited because he fears his men are about
to desert him in favor of King Richard.
Chapter XV
Waldemar Fitzurse uses all his political skill to rally the
supporters of Prince John. They plan to make him king. Fitzurse
then encounters De Bracy, dressed in green like a yeoman and
carrying a longbow. De Bracy says he plans to attack Cedric’s
entourage and carry off Rowena as his bride. Because of his
disguise, the kidnapping will be blamed on the outlaws of the
forest. Then he plans to reappear in his usual clothes and rescue
Rowena. He intends to escort her to Front-de-Boeuf’s castle,
or to Normandy, and marry her. De Bois-Guilbert is to assist
in this scheme; he and his men will also be disguised as outlaws.
Chapter XVI
After the tournament, the Black Knight leaves Ashby and rides
north. As evening falls he seeks shelter in a dilapidated, out-of-the-way
small chapel. At first the monk inside refuses to admit him.
But the Knight threatens to break down the door, and the monk
reluctantly invites him in. He offers the knight the most rudimentary
accommodation and a dish of dried pease and water. The knight
wonders aloud how the hermit, who identifies himself as the
Clerk of Copmanhurst (Friar Tuck), manages to stay so fit and
strong on such a diet. The hermit replies that his food is blessed
by the saints. Seeing the dissatisfaction of the Knight with
such humble fare, the hermit says that the keeper of the forest
left him some food which is not suitable for him to eat. He
brings back a large pasty on a large dish. The Knight persuades
the hermit to partake of this better food with him, so they
begin their feast, which is then enriched by wine, also left
by the keeper. The Knight guesses that the hermit regularly
eats in this way, the product of illegal deer hunting, and the
hermit knows that he knows. But the hermit deflects the Knight’s
further inquiries about the matter, at the same time proposing
a chivalrous contest of arms between them. The Knight declines.
Chapter XVII
The Knight sings a ballad, accompanying himself on the harp.
The hermit responds by singing “The Barefooted Friar,”
a ballad about a happy friar who roams wherever he likes and
enjoys ample food, drink and hospitality. It is clear that the
friar in the song resembles the hermit who sings it, although
of course he denies it to the Knight, who enjoys the joke. Their
revelry continues until there is a loud knock on the door.
Analysis
Chapter
XIV continues the hostility between Saxons and Normans, and
shows how fragile is Prince John’s hold on his followers.
It is only due to the cunning machinations of Fitzurse, at the
beginning of Chapter XV, that his plot to seize the throne does
not collapse. This is in marked contrast to King Richard. Prince
John gains followers only by bribing and cajoling them, appealing
to their greed and ambition. King Richard, on the other hand,
attracts followers through his moral qualities and powers of
leadership.
The characterization
of Cedric is consistent throughout the novel, and Chapter XIV
shows him in a typical fashion. He is rough-and- ready but also
honest and good-hearted, a plain man who speaks his mind, in
contrast to the more refined but treacherous Normans. The one
blemish on Cedric is his cold-heartedness to his son. Scott
keeps the estranged father-son plot going, stoking it from time
to time, until it is time to resolve it.
There is
rich humor in Chapters XVI and XVII. These chapters also serve
to characterize King Richard as a tolerant man who accepts the
foibles of human nature. Friar Tuck is of course a travesty
of a monk, and perhaps Scott is here making another dig at the
medieval church—there is not a single cleric in the novel
who is worthy of respect. Friar Tuck is presented in a tolerant
way, however, because he at least is on the side of the honest
outlaws in the forest, and therefore a true Englishman.
The
lightheartedness and humor of these two chapters make an effective
contrast to the villainy of the previous two, in which Prince
John plots for the throne and the Norman nobles plan an outrageous
kidnapping.
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