Various - "The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 5, No. 28, February, 1860"

William Lyon Phelps - "Robert Browning: How To Know Him"

Mme de Renneville - "Conversations d'une petite fille avec sa poupee"

William Hayley - "Ballads"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

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"Well, we will take that way, then," Jacques said. "It is better to
lose an hour, than to have trouble here."

An hour later, the party arrived at the ford and crossed it without
difficulty, the water being little above their waists. Some miles
farther, they saw ahead of them the towers of Bazas; and struck off
from the road they were traversing, to pass to the east of it. They
presently came upon a wide road.

"This must be the road to Nerac," Philip said. "There are neither
rivers nor places of any size to be passed, now. The only danger is
from bodies of horse watching the road."

"And if I mistake not, sir, there is one of them approaching now,"
Pierre said, pointing ahead.

As he spoke, the heads and shoulders of a body of horsemen were
seen, as they rode up from a dip the road made into a hollow, half
a mile away.

Philip glanced round. The country was flat, and it was too late to
think of concealment.

"We will go quietly on," he said. "We must hope they will not
interfere with us."

The troop consisted of some twenty men, two gentlemen riding at
their head; and as they came up, they checked their horses.

"Whither come you, and where are you bound, my men?"

"We come from Bordeaux, sir, and we are bound for Agen," Jacques
replied. "My comrade and I served under De Brissac, when we were
mere lads, and we have a fancy to try the old trade again; and our
young cousins also want to try their metal."

"You are a Gascon, by your tongue?"

"That is so," Jacques said; "and it is for that reason we are going
south. We would rather fight in a company of our own people than
with strangers."

"Whom have you been serving at Bordeaux? I am from the city, and
know most of those in and round it."

"We have not been working there, sir. We come from near Blaye, and
made the journey thence to Bordeaux by a boat with our master,
Jacques Blazin, who was bringing to Bordeaux a cargo of his wines."

"Why waste time, Raoul?" the other gentleman said, impatiently.
"What matter if they came from Bordeaux or Blaye, these are not of
those whom we are here to arrest. Anyhow they are not Huguenot
lords, but look what they say they are; but whether men-at-arms, or
peasants, they concern us not. Maybe, while we are questioning
them, a party of those we are in search of may be traversing some
other road. Let us be riding forward."

He roughly pricked his horse with his spur, and the troop rode on.

"I think you are wrong to be so impatient, Louis," the one who had
acted as interrogator said. "Anyone could see, with half an eye,
that those two fellows were, as they said, old men-at-arms. There
is a straightness and a stiffness about men who have been under the
hands of the drill sergeant there is no mistaking; and I could
swear that fellow is a Gascon, as he said.

"But I am not so sure as to one of the young fellows with them. I
was about to question him, when you broke in. He did not look to me
like a young peasant, and I should not be at all surprised if he is
some Huguenot gentleman, making his way to Nerac with three of his
followers."

"Well, if it was so, Raoul, he will not swell the queen's army to
any dangerous extent. I am glad that you didn't ask him any
questions; for if he declared himself a Huguenot--and to do them
justice, the Huguenots will never deny their faith--I suppose it
would have been our duty to have fallen upon them and slaughtered
them; and though I am willing enough to draw, when numbers are
nearly equal and it is a fair fight, I will take no part in the
slaughter of men when we are twenty to one against them. Three or
four men, more or less, at Nerac will make no difference. The Queen
of Navarre has but some fifty men in all and, whenever the orders
come to seize her and her son, it may be done easily enough,
whether she has fifty or a hundred with her.

"War is all well enough, Raoul, but the slaughtering of solitary
men is not an occupation that suits me. I am a good Catholic, I
hope, but I abhor these massacres of defenceless people, only
because they want to worship in their own way. I look to the pope
as the head of my religion on earth, but why should I treat as a
mortal enemy a man who does not recognize the pope's authority?"

"That is dangerous doctrine, Louis."

"Yes, but why should it be? You and I were both at the colloquy at
Poissy, and we saw that the Cardinal of Lorraine, and all the
bishops, failed totally to answer the arguments of the Huguenot
minister Beza. The matter was utterly beyond me and, had Beza
argued ten times as strongly as he did, it would in no way have
shaken my faith; but I contend that if Lorraine himself and the
bishops could not show this man to be wrong, there can be nothing
in these people's interpretation of Scripture that can be so
terrible as to deserve death. If they become dangerous to the
state, I am ready to fight against them, as against any other
enemies of France; but I can see nothing that can excuse the
persecutions and massacres. And if these men be enemies of France,
of which as yet no proof has been shown, it is because they have
been driven to it, by persecution."

"Louis, my cousin," the other said, "it is dangerous, indeed, in
these days to form an opinion. You must remember our greatest
statesman, L'Hopital, has fallen into some disgrace, and has been
deprived of rank and dignity, because he has been an advocate of
toleration."

"I know that, Raoul; but I also know there are numbers of our
nobles and gentlemen who, although staunch Catholics, are sickened
at seeing the king acting as the tool of Philip of Spain and the
pope; and who shudder, as I do, at beholding France stained with
blood from end to end, simply because people choose to worship God
in their own way. You must remember that these people are not the
ignorant scum of our towns, but that among them are a large number
of our best and wisest heads. I shall fight no less staunchly, when
fighting has to be done, because I am convinced that it is all
wrong. If they are in arms against the king, I must be in arms for
him; but I hope none the less that, when arms are laid down, there
will be a cessation of persecution--at any rate, a cessation of
massacre. It is bringing disgrace on us in the eyes of all Europe,
and I trust that there may be a league made among us to withstand
the Guises; and to insist that there shall be, in France, no
repetition of the atrocities by which Philip of Spain, and the Duke
of Alva, are trying to stamp out the reformed religion in the
Netherlands."

"Well, I hope at any rate, Louis," his cousin said impatiently,
"that you will keep these opinions to yourself; for assuredly they
will bring you into disgrace, and may even cost you your
possessions and your head, if they are uttered in the presence of
any friend of the Guises."



Chapter 11: Jeanne Of Navarre.


"It is lucky," Philip said to Jacques, as they proceeded on their
way after the troop had ridden on, "that he did not think of asking
us if we were Huguenots."

"I was expecting it myself, sir," Jacques said; "and I was just
turning it over in my conscience, how I could answer."

"There could be but one answer, Jacques; though no doubt it would
have cost us our lives."

"I should not deny my faith, even to save my life, sir, if the
question were put to me: 'Are you a Huguenot?' But I think that
when four lives are at stake, it is lawful to take any opening
there may be to get out of it."

"But how would there have been an opening, Jacques?"

"Well, sir, you see, if he had asked, 'Are you Huguenots?' I think
I could have said 'No,' with a clear conscience, seeing that you
are an Englishman. Your religion may be like ours, but you are not
a Huguenot; and although Pierre does not seem to me to have quite
made up his mind as to what he is, assuredly I should not call him
a Huguenot. So you see, sir, that as only two out of the four are
Huguenots, there would have been no lie to my saying 'no' to that
question. But if he had said 'Are you Catholics?' I must have
answered 'No,' seeing that none of us go to mass."

"It is a nice question," Philip said; "but seeing that the
Catholics never keep their oaths and their promises to what they
call heretics, I think that one would be justified, not in telling
a lie, for nothing can justify that, but in availing one's self of
a loophole such as one would scorn to use, to others. I should be
sorry to have the question asked me, though seeing I am not myself
a Huguenot, although I am fighting with them, I think that I could
reply 'no;' especially as it is not a question of my own life only,
but one involving the whole cause of the Huguenots.

"If I were in your place, I don't know that I should do so; but as
you say that you could do it, without your conscience pricking you,
I certainly should not put pressure upon you to say 'yes.' However,
I hope you may never be asked the question, and that we shall meet
with no more interruptions until we get to Nerac There can be
little doubt that, at present, the Catholics have received no
orders to seize the queen and her son at Nerac; although they have
orders to prevent her, at all costs, from going forward to Paris
except under escort; and are keeping a sharp lookout, to prevent
her from being joined by parties of Huguenots who would render her
force formidable.

"I should hope that, by this time, we are past the last of their
bands. Those we met just now doubtless belonged to the force
gathered in Bazas; and it is in the direction of the north, rather
than the west, that the Catholics are most vigilant. If she
succeeds in making her way through them, it will be well nigh a
miracle.

"Now that we are well past Bazas, we will leave the road and make
our way across the fields; for it is upon the roads that any watch
there may be will be set."

It was a long day's journey, and at eight o'clock in the evening
they lay down in a wood, ten miles from Nerac; having walked fully
fifty miles since crossing the river Ciron.

"I am very glad, Monsieur Philip, that we were not here four hours
earlier."

"Why, Pierre?"

"Because, sir, in that case you would have insisted on pushing on
to Nerac, so as to enter it before the gate is closed; and in that
case I doubt whether, with the best will, I could have got that
far, and I am sure that Jacques and Roger could not have done so."

"No, indeed," Jacques said, "I have done my last inch. For the last
four hours I felt as if walking upon hot irons, so sore are my
feet; and indeed, I could not have travelled at all, if I had not
taken your advice and gone barefoot."

They had bought some wine and bread in a little village through
which they had passed and, as soon as they had finished their
supper, they lay down to sleep. They were up next morning long
before daybreak, and were at the gates of Nerac before they opened.
A group of countrymen were gathered there and, as soon as the
drawbridge was lowered, they entered the town with them. They
observed that there were sentries all round the walls, and that a
keen watch was kept. As Philip was aware, the majority of the
inhabitants there were Huguenots, and the governor was a nobleman
of Bearn; and it was doubtless for this reason that the Queen of
Navarre had halted there, as Nerac was a strong town, and not to be
taken without a regular siege.

They had no difficulty in ascertaining where the queen was lodged.
Early as it was, several Huguenot gentlemen, armed to the teeth,
were gathered round the door. Philip, leaving his companions behind
him, went up to the group and, addressing one of them, said:

"I am the bearer of a message for the queen. It is important. May I
pray you, sir, to cause this ring to be conveyed to her. It is a
token that she will recognize."

The gentleman glanced at the ring.

"She may well do that," he said, "seeing that it bears her own
cognizance. The queen is already up, and I will cause it to be sent
in to her, at once."

Two minutes later another gentleman came out.

"Her majesty will at once see the messenger who has brought the
ring," he said, and Philip at once followed him into the house.

He was conducted to a room where a lady was sitting whom he
recognized, by the descriptions he had read of her, as the Queen of
Navarre. Beside her stood a lad of fifteen.

"You come from the Admiral!" she said. "Have you despatches for
me?"

"I have a paper sewn up in my boot, your majesty; but it was read
over to me several times, in case either water or wear should
render it illegible."

"He has reached La Rochelle safely, as I heard three days since,"
the queen said, "with but a small following?"

"He and the prince had over five hundred with them, when they rode
in, your majesty; and parties were arriving, hourly, to swell his
force. On the day I left he was going out to attack Niort and, that
captured, he was going to move south. That was the message I was
charged to deliver. You will find him either in Cognac, or in front
of that town."

"That is good news, indeed," the queen said, "for I should have had
to make a wide detour to pass round the Charente, all the towns and
bridges being held by our enemies. It will be difficult enough to
cross the intervening rivers. Indeed, as the news that I had
started hence would arrive, long before I did myself, it would be
hopeless to elude their vigilance; and I should have had to make a
long bend to the east, and might well have been cut off before I
could reach him.

"And who are you, sir, that the Admiral should think fit to intrust
so important a message to you?"

"I am English born, madam, and my name is Philip Fletcher. My
mother was French, being the daughter of the Count de Moulins; and
she sent me over to reside with her sister, the Countess of
Laville, in order that I might fight for the cause of the religion,
by the side of my cousin Francois. I rode with him through the last
campaign, in the train of Francois de la Noue and, having had the
good fortune to attract the notice of the Prince of Conde and the
Admiral, they selected me to bear this message to you; thinking
that, being but a lad, I should better escape suspicion and
question than a French gentleman would do; especially as he would
risk being recognized, while my face would be altogether unknown.

"Now, if your majesty will permit me, I will open the lining of my
shoe. You will find, however, that the despatch contains but a few
words. At first the Admiral thought only to give me a message; but
he afterwards wrote what he had said, in order that, should any
evil befall me by the way, one of the three men who accompanied me
should take my shoe and bring it to your majesty."

By this time he had slit open the lining of his shoe with his
knife, and handed the little piece of paper to the queen. It
contained only the words:

"All goes well. Am hoping to see you. You will find me in or near
Cognac."

There was no signature.

"You have done good service to the cause, Monsieur Fletcher," the
queen said. "How did you manage to pass south, for I hear that
every bridge and ford is guarded by the Catholics?"

Philip gave a brief account of his journey.

"You have acted prudently and well, young sir; and fully justified
the Admiral's confidence in your prudence. What are your orders
now?"

"They are simply to accompany your majesty on your way north, if it
be your pleasure to permit me to ride in your train."

"I shall do that right willingly, sir; and it will be a pleasure
for my son to hear, from your lips, a full account of your journey
hither, and something of your native land, in which it may be that
he will be, some day, compelled to take refuge."

"You shall ride by my side, Monsieur Philip," the young prince
said. "You look as if you could laugh and joke. These Huguenot
lords are brave and faithful, but they have ever serious faces."

"Hush, Henri! It is not fitting to speak so. They are brave and
good men."

"They may be that, mother, but they weary me dreadfully; and I am
sure it would be much more cheerful having this English gentleman
as my companion."

The young prince was tall for his age, active and sinewy. His
mother had brought him up as if he had been a peasant boy. As a
child he had run about barefoot and, as he grew, had spent much of
his time among the mountains, sometimes with shepherds, sometimes
engaged in the chase. Jeanne herself had a horror of the corruption
of the French court, and strove to make her son hardy and robust,
with simple tastes and appetites; and preferring exercise, hard
work, and hunter's food to the life of the town. He had practised
constantly in arms, and his mother regretted nothing so much as the
fact that, next to the king and his brothers, he stood in
succession to the French throne; and would have been far happier
that he should rule, some day, over the simple and hardy people of
Navarre.

"The first thing to do, Monsieur Fletcher," the queen said, "is to
obtain more suitable garments for yourself and your followers. This
my chamberlain shall see about, without delay. I will then present
you to the gentlemen who accompany me. They are but a small party,
but we have received promises from many others, who will join us on
our way.

"I may tell you it is already arranged that I shall set forward
this evening. Monsieur D'Escars has, I hear, some four thousand
gentlemen under arms; but these are widely scattered, and I hope to
have a sufficient force to overcome them at any point we may make
for. Some friends have secretly collected two or three boats near
Tonneins, where there is but a small part of the Catholics
assembled. Once past the Garonne, we shall feel safe for a time."

"Would it please you that I should ride on first to Tonneins, your
majesty, and ascertain if the garrison there are not alert, and
have no suspicion that you are about to cross so close to them?
Being a stranger here I could pass unsuspected; while were any of
the gentlemen with you seen near Tonneins, it would create
suspicion that you, yourself, were about to cross in the
neighbourhood."

"I thank you for that offer," the queen said, "and will speak to
you about it, later on."

As Philip had been furnished with money, he did not trouble the
queen's chamberlain, but at once purchased clothes for himself and
his three followers, together with breast and back piece for
Jacques and Roger. On his return to the queen, after an hour's
absence, he was informed that Prince Henri had made inquiries for
him, and was shown into a room where the young prince was sitting
down to his breakfast, the queen being engaged in business with
some of her councillors.

"That is right, Monsieur Fletcher. I have been waiting breakfast
for you, for half an hour. Come, sit you down with me. I warrant
you have been too busy, since you arrived at Nerac, to think of a
meal."

"I don't think, Prince," Philip began, "that it would be seemly
that I--"

"Nonsense," the prince interrupted, "we are not at the court of
France, thank goodness, and we have no ceremony at Bearn. Besides,
a simple gentleman may dine with the king, any day. So sit down
without any more delay, and let me hear all your adventures."

Philip still hesitated, and the prince said:

"I told my mother that I was going to have you to breakfast with
me; and I believe she was well satisfied that I should, for a time,
be out of her way."

This removed any doubt from Philip's mind, and he at once sat down
with the prince and ate a hearty meal; after which he chatted with
him for an hour, telling him about the journey from La Rochelle,
the rescue of the Huguenots near Niort, and some of the adventures
in the last war.

"And you were with my cousin Conde, and the Admiral, in the battle
of Saint Denis. What luck you have had, Monsieur Fletcher. I hope
the day will come when I, too, shall take a part in war, and be a
great leader like the Admiral; but I would rather that it was
against Spaniards, or others, than against Frenchmen."

The door opened, and the queen entered. Philip rose hastily, but
she motioned him to be seated.

"No ceremony, I beg of you, Master Philip. I am glad to find you
here, with my son. I have spoken to some of my friends of your
offer to go to Tonneins, but they think not well of it. It is a
small place, and a stranger would be sure to be questioned; but it
was agreed that, if you would ride through Agen, you might do us
great service. Five leagues from Tonneins Fontarailles, the
seneschal of Armagnac, will be waiting for me, in the morning, with
a troop of horse and a regiment of infantry. If the governor of
Agen has news of his coming, he may send out a force to attack him
or, should he not feel strong enough for that, he may at least
think that I am intending to join the seneschal; and in that case
he may send out troops, to bar the roads leading thither from the
river. As many will be passing through Agen, on their way to join
D'Escars, the passage of a gentleman and two men-at-arms will
excite no attention; and if you put up for a short time at an inn,
you may be able to gather whether there has been any movement of
the troops, or whether there is any talk of the departure of any,
this evening.

"Should all be quiet, you can join me on the road; or ride direct
to the village of Villeneuve d'Agenois, where the seneschal will
arrive, some time tonight. If you should hear of any movements of
troops, ride down on the other side of the river till within two
miles of Tonneins; then, if you place your men at intervals of
three or four hundred yards apart, you will be sure to see us
cross, and can give us warning of danger, and such indications as
you may gather as to the points where the troops are likely to be
posted. We shall cross about midnight."

"I will gladly undertake the mission," Philip said. "I will go out
and procure some horses, at once."

"That is unnecessary," the queen said. "We have brought several
spare horses with us, and I have already ordered four to be saddled
for you. You have no armour, I see."

"I would rather ride without it, your majesty, especially on such a
mission as the present. Besides, if in full armour I might well be
accosted, and asked to whose party I belong; while riding in as I
am, unarmed, save for my sword, I should have the air of a
gentleman of the neighbourhood, who had merely ridden in on
business, or to learn the latest news."

The queen smiled approvingly.

"You see, Henri, this gentleman, although about to undertake a
dangerous business, does not proceed rashly or hastily, but thinks
coolly as to the most prudent course to pursue.

"You will understand, Monsieur Fletcher, that several of the
gentlemen with me have volunteered for this duty, and that we have
accepted your offer solely because they could scarcely enter Agen
without meeting some who know them; while you, being a stranger, do
not run this risk."

"Moreover, madam, I have another advantage. Were any of them
questioned, and asked directly, 'Are you a Huguenot?' they could
not but answer yes; whereas, were that question put to me I could
reply 'no,' seeing that I am an English Protestant, and in no way,
save in my sympathies, a Huguenot."

"That is an advantage, certainly; but it may be the question will
be put, 'Are you a Catholic?'"

"In that case, your majesty, I could only reply 'no;' but methinks
the other question is the most likely one."

"I wish I were going to ride with Monsieur Fletcher, mother."

"That is impossible, Henri; for scarce a Gascon gentleman but has
been down, at one time or other, to Bearn. Do not be anxious for
adventures. They will come in time, my son, and plenty of them.
Would that you could pass your life without one; but in these
troubled times, and with France divided against itself, that is too
much to hope.

"Should you by any chance, Monsieur Fletcher, fail to rejoin us at
Villeneuve d'Agenois, you may overtake us farther on. But run no
risk to do so. You know whither we are bound, and I trust that,
when we arrive there, we may find you before us. I myself will
retain the ring that you brought me, and will return it to the
Admiral; but wear this, in remembrance of one in whose service you
risked your life," and she handed him a diamond ring, which he knew
enough of gems to be aware was of considerable value.

"And take this dagger," the prince said, taking a small and
beautifully tempered weapon from his belt. "It is but a bodkin, but
it is of famous steel. It was sent me by Philip of Spain, at a time
when he was trying to cajole my mother, and is of the best
workmanship of Toledo."

Philip expressed his thanks for the gifts in suitable words; and
then, taking leave of the queen and prince, went down to the
courtyard. Here he found Pierre and the two men-at-arms, standing
at the head of three powerful horses; while one of the queen's
retainers held a very handsome animal in readiness for himself.

"Her majesty begs you to accept these horses, sir, as a slight
token of her goodwill."

In five minutes, the party had issued from Nerac; Pierre, as usual,
keeping close behind Philip, and the two men-at-arms riding a few
lengths behind.

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