(2) Sir H. Nicholas, AGINCOURT.
His captivity was not without alleviations. He was allowed
to go hawking, and he found England an admirable country for
the sport; he was a favourite with English ladies, and
admired their beauty; and he did not lack for money, wine, or
books; he was honourably imprisoned in the strongholds of
great nobles, in Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. But
when all is said, he was a prisoner for five-and-twenty
years. For five-and-twenty years he could not go where he
would, or do what he liked, or speak with any but his
gaolers. We may talk very wisely of alleviations; there is
only one alleviation for which the man would thank you: he
would thank you to open the door. With what regret Scottish
James I. bethought him (in the next room perhaps to Charles)
of the time when he rose "as early as the day." What would
he not have given to wet his boots once more with morning
dew, and follow his vagrant fancy among the meadows? The
only alleviation to the misery of constraint lies in the
disposition of the prisoner. To each one this place of
discipline brings his own lesson. It stirs Latude or Baron
Trenck into heroic action; it is a hermitage for pious and
conformable spirits. Beranger tells us he found prison life,
with its regular hours and long evenings, both pleasant and
profitable.
Pages:
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266