Ivanhoe (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (82 page)
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Authors: Walter Scott
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3
(p. 287)
“Something resembling a bar of iron, and a padlock painted blue on the black shield”:
[Author’s note] Heraldry. The Author has been here upbraided with false heraldry, as having charged metal upon metal. It should be remembered, however, that heraldry had only its first rude origin during the crusades, and that all the minutiae of its fantastic science were the work of time, and introduced at a much later period. Those who think otherwise must suppose that the Goddess of
Armoirers,
like the Goddess of Arms, sprung into the world completely equipped in all the gaudy trappings of the department she presides over. In corroboration of what is above stated, it may be observed, that the arms which were assumed by Godfrey of Boulogne himself, after the conquest of Jerusalem, was a cross counter potent cantoned with four little crosses or upon a field azure, displaying thus metal upon metal. The heralds have tried to explain this undeniable fact in different modes; but Ferne gallantly contends that a prince of Godfrey’s qualities should not be bound by the ordinary rules. The Scottish Nisbet and the same Feme insist that the chiefs of the crusade must have assigned to Godfrey this extraordinary and unwonted coat-of-arms in order to induce those who should behold them to make inquiries; and hence give them the name of
arma inquirenda.
But with reverence to these grave authorities, it seems unlikely that the assembled princes of Europe should have adjudged to Godfrey a coat armorial so much contrary to the general rule, if such rule had then existed; at any rate, it proves that metal upon metal, now accounted a solecism in heraldry, was admitted in other cases similar to that in the text. See Ferne’s
Blazon of Gentrie,
p. 238; edition 1586. Nisbet’s
Heraldry,
vol. i. p. 113; second edition.
(p. 287)
“Something resembling a bar of iron, and a padlock painted blue on the black shield”:
[Author’s note] Heraldry. The Author has been here upbraided with false heraldry, as having charged metal upon metal. It should be remembered, however, that heraldry had only its first rude origin during the crusades, and that all the minutiae of its fantastic science were the work of time, and introduced at a much later period. Those who think otherwise must suppose that the Goddess of
Armoirers,
like the Goddess of Arms, sprung into the world completely equipped in all the gaudy trappings of the department she presides over. In corroboration of what is above stated, it may be observed, that the arms which were assumed by Godfrey of Boulogne himself, after the conquest of Jerusalem, was a cross counter potent cantoned with four little crosses or upon a field azure, displaying thus metal upon metal. The heralds have tried to explain this undeniable fact in different modes; but Ferne gallantly contends that a prince of Godfrey’s qualities should not be bound by the ordinary rules. The Scottish Nisbet and the same Feme insist that the chiefs of the crusade must have assigned to Godfrey this extraordinary and unwonted coat-of-arms in order to induce those who should behold them to make inquiries; and hence give them the name of
arma inquirenda.
But with reverence to these grave authorities, it seems unlikely that the assembled princes of Europe should have adjudged to Godfrey a coat armorial so much contrary to the general rule, if such rule had then existed; at any rate, it proves that metal upon metal, now accounted a solecism in heraldry, was admitted in other cases similar to that in the text. See Ferne’s
Blazon of Gentrie,
p. 238; edition 1586. Nisbet’s
Heraldry,
vol. i. p. 113; second edition.
4
(p. 289)
“close under the outer barrier of the barbican”:
[Author’s note] Barriers. Every Gothic castle and city had, beyond the outer walls, a fortification composed of palisades, called the barriers, which were often the scene of severe skirmishes, as these must necessarily be carried before the walls themselves could be approached. Many of those valiant feats of arms which adorn the chivalrous pages of Froissart took place at the barriers of besieged places.
CHAPTER XXX(p. 289)
“close under the outer barrier of the barbican”:
[Author’s note] Barriers. Every Gothic castle and city had, beyond the outer walls, a fortification composed of palisades, called the barriers, which were often the scene of severe skirmishes, as these must necessarily be carried before the walls themselves could be approached. Many of those valiant feats of arms which adorn the chivalrous pages of Froissart took place at the barriers of besieged places.
CHAPTER XXXI
2
(p. 310) “...
and instantly follow me”:
[Author’s note] Incident from
Grand Cyrus.
The Author has some idea that this passage is imitated from the appearance of Philidaspes, before the divine Mandane, when the city of Babylon is on fire, and he proposes to carry her from the flames. But the theft, if there be one, would be rather too severely punished by the penance of searching for the original passage through the interminable volumes of the
Grand Cyrus.
(p. 310) “...
and instantly follow me”:
[Author’s note] Incident from
Grand Cyrus.
The Author has some idea that this passage is imitated from the appearance of Philidaspes, before the divine Mandane, when the city of Babylon is on fire, and he proposes to carry her from the flames. But the theft, if there be one, would be rather too severely punished by the penance of searching for the original passage through the interminable volumes of the
Grand Cyrus.
3
(pp. 314-315)
Whet the bright steel ... I also must perish:
[Author’s note] Ulrica’s Death-Song. It will readily occur to the antiquary that these verses are intended to imitate the antique poetry of the Scalds—the minstrels of the old Scandinavians—the race, as the Laureate so happily terms them, “Stern to inflict, and stubborn to endure, / Who smiled in death.” The poetry of the Anglo-Saxons, after their civilisation and conversion, was of a different and softer character; but in the circumstances of Ulrica she may not be unnaturally supposed to return to the wild strains which animated her forefathers during the time of Paganism and untamed ferocity.
CHAPTER XXXII(pp. 314-315)
Whet the bright steel ... I also must perish:
[Author’s note] Ulrica’s Death-Song. It will readily occur to the antiquary that these verses are intended to imitate the antique poetry of the Scalds—the minstrels of the old Scandinavians—the race, as the Laureate so happily terms them, “Stern to inflict, and stubborn to endure, / Who smiled in death.” The poetry of the Anglo-Saxons, after their civilisation and conversion, was of a different and softer character; but in the circumstances of Ulrica she may not be unnaturally supposed to return to the wild strains which animated her forefathers during the time of Paganism and untamed ferocity.
2
(p. 320)
THEOW and ESNE
. . .
FOLKFREE and SACLESS:
“Theow” and “Esne” refer to Gurth’s status as a serf, and “folkfree” and “sacless” to the freedom from serfdom now bestowed upon him by his master, Cedric. Scott borrowed the terms from a seventeenth-century text, Sir Henry Spelman’s
Feuds and Tenures by Knightly Service
(1641).
(p. 320)
THEOW and ESNE
. . .
FOLKFREE and SACLESS:
“Theow” and “Esne” refer to Gurth’s status as a serf, and “folkfree” and “sacless” to the freedom from serfdom now bestowed upon him by his master, Cedric. Scott borrowed the terms from a seventeenth-century text, Sir Henry Spelman’s
Feuds and Tenures by Knightly Service
(1641).
3
(p. 327)
“I accept of no such presents, ” said the Knight:
[Author’s note] Richard Cœur-de-Lion. The interchange of a cuff with the jolly priest is not entirely out of character with Richard I., if romances read him aright. In the very curious romance on the subject of his adventures in the Holy Land, and his return from thence, it is recorded how he exchanged a pugilistic favour of this nature while a prisoner in Germany. His opponent was the son of his principal warder, and was so imprudent as to give the challenge to this barter of buffets. The King stood forth like a true man, and received a blow which staggered him. In requital, having previously waxed his hand, a practice unknown, I believe, to the gentlemen of the modern fancy, he returned this box on the ear with such interest as to kill his antagonist on the spot. See in Ellis’s
Specimens
of English Romance, that of
Cœur-de-Lion.
CHAPTER XXXIII(p. 327)
“I accept of no such presents, ” said the Knight:
[Author’s note] Richard Cœur-de-Lion. The interchange of a cuff with the jolly priest is not entirely out of character with Richard I., if romances read him aright. In the very curious romance on the subject of his adventures in the Holy Land, and his return from thence, it is recorded how he exchanged a pugilistic favour of this nature while a prisoner in Germany. His opponent was the son of his principal warder, and was so imprudent as to give the challenge to this barter of buffets. The King stood forth like a true man, and received a blow which staggered him. In requital, having previously waxed his hand, a practice unknown, I believe, to the gentlemen of the modern fancy, he returned this box on the ear with such interest as to kill his antagonist on the spot. See in Ellis’s
Specimens
of English Romance, that of
Cœur-de-Lion.
2
(p. 331)
morris-dancer:
Here is another example of the historical freedoms Scott allowed himself in
Ivanhoe.
Like jousting tournaments, morris-dancing is anachronistic to the twelfth century; no records of it appear before the fifteenth century. That said, it is highly apropos to Scott’s themes, as traditional morris-dancing features the characters of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and Friar Tuck.
(p. 331)
morris-dancer:
Here is another example of the historical freedoms Scott allowed himself in
Ivanhoe.
Like jousting tournaments, morris-dancing is anachronistic to the twelfth century; no records of it appear before the fifteenth century. That said, it is highly apropos to Scott’s themes, as traditional morris-dancing features the characters of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and Friar Tuck.
3
(p. 332)
“Father Aymer, Prior of the rich Abbey of Jorvaulx”:
[Author’s note] Jorvaulx Abbey. This Cistercian abbey was situate in the pleasant valley of the river Jore, or Ure, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It was erected in the year 1156, and was destroyed in 1537. For nearly three centuries, the ruins were left in a state nearly approaching to utter demolition; but at length they were traced out and cleared at the expense of Thomas Earl of Aylesbury, in the year 1807. The name of the abbey occurs in a variety of forms, such as Jorvaulx, Jervaux, Gerveux, Gervaulx, Jorvall, Jorevaux, etc. In Whitaker’s
History of Richmondshire,
vol. i., a ground-plan of the building is given, along with notices of the monuments of the old abbots and other dignitaries which are still preserved
(Laing).
(p. 332)
“Father Aymer, Prior of the rich Abbey of Jorvaulx”:
[Author’s note] Jorvaulx Abbey. This Cistercian abbey was situate in the pleasant valley of the river Jore, or Ure, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It was erected in the year 1156, and was destroyed in 1537. For nearly three centuries, the ruins were left in a state nearly approaching to utter demolition; but at length they were traced out and cleared at the expense of Thomas Earl of Aylesbury, in the year 1807. The name of the abbey occurs in a variety of forms, such as Jorvaulx, Jervaux, Gerveux, Gervaulx, Jorvall, Jorevaux, etc. In Whitaker’s
History of Richmondshire,
vol. i., a ground-plan of the building is given, along with notices of the monuments of the old abbots and other dignitaries which are still preserved
(Laing).
5
(p. 340)
“Thou be’st a hedge-priest”:
[Author’s note] Hedge-Priests. It is curious to observe, that in every state of society some sort of ghostly consolation is provided for the members of the community, though assembled for purposes diametrically opposite to religion. A gang of beggars have their patrico, and the banditti of the Apennines have among them persons acting as monks and priests, by whom they are confessed, and who perform mass before them. Unquestionably, such reverend persons, in such a society, must accommodate their manners and their morals to the community in which they live; and if they can occasionally obtain a degree of reverence for their supposed spiritual gifts, are, on most occasions, loaded with unmerciful ridicule, as possessing a character inconsistent with all around them.
(p. 340)
“Thou be’st a hedge-priest”:
[Author’s note] Hedge-Priests. It is curious to observe, that in every state of society some sort of ghostly consolation is provided for the members of the community, though assembled for purposes diametrically opposite to religion. A gang of beggars have their patrico, and the banditti of the Apennines have among them persons acting as monks and priests, by whom they are confessed, and who perform mass before them. Unquestionably, such reverend persons, in such a society, must accommodate their manners and their morals to the community in which they live; and if they can occasionally obtain a degree of reverence for their supposed spiritual gifts, are, on most occasions, loaded with unmerciful ridicule, as possessing a character inconsistent with all around them.
Hence the fighting parson in the old play of
Sir John Oldcastle,
and the famous friar of Robin Hood’s band. Nor were such characters ideal. There exists a monition of the Bishop of Durham against irregular churchmen of this class, who associated themselves with Border robbers, and desecrated the holiest offices of the priestly function, by celebrating them for the benefit of thieves, robbers, and murderers, amongst ruins and in caverns of the earth, without regard to canonical form, and with torn and dirty attire, and maimed rites, altogether improper for the occasion.
CHAPTER XXXIVSir John Oldcastle,
and the famous friar of Robin Hood’s band. Nor were such characters ideal. There exists a monition of the Bishop of Durham against irregular churchmen of this class, who associated themselves with Border robbers, and desecrated the holiest offices of the priestly function, by celebrating them for the benefit of thieves, robbers, and murderers, amongst ruins and in caverns of the earth, without regard to canonical form, and with torn and dirty attire, and maimed rites, altogether improper for the occasion.
2
(p. 343)
Ahithophel:
Ahithophel was a co-conspirator with Absalom against his father, King David, in the Bible, 2 Samuel 15-17.
(p. 343)
Ahithophel:
Ahithophel was a co-conspirator with Absalom against his father, King David, in the Bible, 2 Samuel 15-17.
3
(p. 344)
bloody ... with speed:
The quotation, slightly altered, is from Shakespeare’s
Richard II
(act 2, scene 3) .
(p. 344)
bloody ... with speed:
The quotation, slightly altered, is from Shakespeare’s
Richard II
(act 2, scene 3) .
4
(p. 348)
Thomas-a-Becket ... stained the steps of his own altar:
The most notorious event of Henry II’s largely beneficent reign was the murder, at his suggestion, of his erstwhile friend Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. After Thomas’s elevation to sainthood three years later, Canterbury Cathedral, site of the killing, became a destination for pilgrims and is perhaps the most famous of England’s holy places. Waldemar Fitzurse, Prince John’s counselor in
Ivanhoe,
is a fictional son of one of Thomas’s murderers, Reginald Fitzurse.
(p. 348)
Thomas-a-Becket ... stained the steps of his own altar:
The most notorious event of Henry II’s largely beneficent reign was the murder, at his suggestion, of his erstwhile friend Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. After Thomas’s elevation to sainthood three years later, Canterbury Cathedral, site of the killing, became a destination for pilgrims and is perhaps the most famous of England’s holy places. Waldemar Fitzurse, Prince John’s counselor in
Ivanhoe,
is a fictional son of one of Thomas’s murderers, Reginald Fitzurse.
5
(p. 348)
Tracy, Morville, Brito:
[Author’s note] Slayers of Becket. Reginald Fitzurse, William de Tracy, Hugh de Morville, and Richard Brito were the gentlemen of Henry the Second’s household who, instigated by some passionate expressions of their sovereign, slew the celebrated Thomas-a-Becket.
CHAPTER XXXV(p. 348)
Tracy, Morville, Brito:
[Author’s note] Slayers of Becket. Reginald Fitzurse, William de Tracy, Hugh de Morville, and Richard Brito were the gentlemen of Henry the Second’s household who, instigated by some passionate expressions of their sovereign, slew the celebrated Thomas-a-Becket.
2
(p. 351)
“we visit the preceptories”:
[Author’s note] Preceptories. The establishments of the Knights Templars were called preceptories, and the title of those who presided in the order was preceptor ; as the principal Knights of St. John were termed commanders, and their houses commanderies. But these terms were sometimes, it would seem, used indiscriminately.—Such an establishment formerly existed at Temple Newsam, in the West Riding, near Leeds
(Laing) .
(p. 351)
“we visit the preceptories”:
[Author’s note] Preceptories. The establishments of the Knights Templars were called preceptories, and the title of those who presided in the order was preceptor ; as the principal Knights of St. John were termed commanders, and their houses commanderies. But these terms were sometimes, it would seem, used indiscriminately.—Such an establishment formerly existed at Temple Newsam, in the West Riding, near Leeds
(Laing) .
4
(p. 355) Ut leo semper feriatur: The Latin translates as “The lion must always be struck down.” [Author’s note follows] Ut Leo Semper Feriatur. In the ordinances of the Knights of the Temple, this phrase is repeated in a variety of forms, and occurs in almost every chapter, as if it were the signal-word of the order; which may account for its being so frequently put in the Grand Master’s mouth.
(p. 355) Ut leo semper feriatur: The Latin translates as “The lion must always be struck down.” [Author’s note follows] Ut Leo Semper Feriatur. In the ordinances of the Knights of the Temple, this phrase is repeated in a variety of forms, and occurs in almost every chapter, as if it were the signal-word of the order; which may account for its being so frequently put in the Grand Master’s mouth.
5
(p. 357)
“Take to thee the brand of Phineas”:
The Grand Master refers to a grisly incident in the Bible (Numbers 25:7-8) and a symbolic biblical indictment of interracial sex that is pertinent to the case of Rebecca and Bois-Guilbert. Phineas, on finding an Israelite soldier sleeping with a Midianite woman, slays them both with a single thrust of his spear.
(p. 357)
“Take to thee the brand of Phineas”:
The Grand Master refers to a grisly incident in the Bible (Numbers 25:7-8) and a symbolic biblical indictment of interracial sex that is pertinent to the case of Rebecca and Bois-Guilbert. Phineas, on finding an Israelite soldier sleeping with a Midianite woman, slays them both with a single thrust of his spear.
7
(p. 360)
Vinum ... pulchritudine tua:
The first phrase quotes the Bible, Psalm 104:15: “Wine that maketh glad the heart of man.” The second derives from Psalm 45:11, “So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty” (KJV).
CHAPTER XXXVI(p. 360)
Vinum ... pulchritudine tua:
The first phrase quotes the Bible, Psalm 104:15: “Wine that maketh glad the heart of man.” The second derives from Psalm 45:11, “So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty” (KJV).
CHAPTER XXXVII
2
(p. 383)
trial by combat:
In a recent article, Gary Dyer has uncovered a contemporary context for Scott’s evocation of this Norman law, which allows the accused to defend themselves, if proxy by necessary, in single combat; the belief was that God would justly decide the outcome of the contest, revealing the truth of the case in a manner beyond human divination. In 1817 Britons were amazed to learn that the law of combat was still on the books when Abraham Thornton, accused of the murder of Mary Ashford, invoked his defendant’s chivalric right. The case against Thornton broke down in confusion, and the trial was widely reported. See Gary R. Dyer,
“Ivanhoe,
Chivalry, and the Murder of Mary Ashford,”
Criticism
39 ( 1997) , pp. 383-408.
CHAPTER XXXVIII(p. 383)
trial by combat:
In a recent article, Gary Dyer has uncovered a contemporary context for Scott’s evocation of this Norman law, which allows the accused to defend themselves, if proxy by necessary, in single combat; the belief was that God would justly decide the outcome of the contest, revealing the truth of the case in a manner beyond human divination. In 1817 Britons were amazed to learn that the law of combat was still on the books when Abraham Thornton, accused of the murder of Mary Ashford, invoked his defendant’s chivalric right. The case against Thornton broke down in confusion, and the trial was widely reported. See Gary R. Dyer,
“Ivanhoe,
Chivalry, and the Murder of Mary Ashford,”
Criticism
39 ( 1997) , pp. 383-408.
2
(p. 388)
“even as the signet of the mighty Solomon was said to command the evil genii:
The Koran records that God gave Solomon power over the genii. It is only tradition, however, possibly derived from its mention in
The Arabian Nights,
which locates the power in his signet ring.
(p. 388)
“even as the signet of the mighty Solomon was said to command the evil genii:
The Koran records that God gave Solomon power over the genii. It is only tradition, however, possibly derived from its mention in
The Arabian Nights,
which locates the power in his signet ring.
3
(p. 389)
Benoni:
The name, which means ”son of my sorrow” in Hebrew, was given by the dying Rachel to her son in the Bible, Genesis 35:18. Jacob would rename him Benjamin, and the boy became his ill-fated favorite.
(p. 389)
Benoni:
The name, which means ”son of my sorrow” in Hebrew, was given by the dying Rachel to her son in the Bible, Genesis 35:18. Jacob would rename him Benjamin, and the boy became his ill-fated favorite.
4
(p. 389)
gourd of Jonah:
Isaac is referring not to a cup, but rather to the fruit tree God provided for Jonah, which became infested with worms overnight and died. See the Bible, Jonah 4:7.
(p. 389)
gourd of Jonah:
Isaac is referring not to a cup, but rather to the fruit tree God provided for Jonah, which became infested with worms overnight and died. See the Bible, Jonah 4:7.
5
(p. 390)
Boabdil the Saracen:
This is a glaring anachronism. Boabdil was the last Moorish king of Grenada (1482-1492), under whose reign Jews enjoyed equal rights and freedoms with other citizens. When a Christian army reconquered Spain in 1492, the Jews were expelled and sought sanctuary in the Islamic east and the Ottoman Empire.
CHAPTER XXXIX(p. 390)
Boabdil the Saracen:
This is a glaring anachronism. Boabdil was the last Moorish king of Grenada (1482-1492), under whose reign Jews enjoyed equal rights and freedoms with other citizens. When a Christian army reconquered Spain in 1492, the Jews were expelled and sought sanctuary in the Islamic east and the Ottoman Empire.
1
(p. 392)
epigraph:
The lines, slightly altered, are from Anna Seward’s ”From Thy Waves, Stormy Lannow, I Fly” (1799; lines 6-7) . Scott edited a three-volume edition of Seward’s poetry, published in 1810.
(p. 392)
epigraph:
The lines, slightly altered, are from Anna Seward’s ”From Thy Waves, Stormy Lannow, I Fly” (1799; lines 6-7) . Scott edited a three-volume edition of Seward’s poetry, published in 1810.
2
(p. 397)
heaven ... nearly scaled:
In the first book of Ovid’s
Metamorphoses,
the Titans pile up rocks toward the heavens in an effort to overthrow the Olympian gods. Poet John Keats inverted the myth by having the Olympian gods overthrow the Titans in his Miltonic epic fragment ”Hyperion,” written in the same year as
Ivanhoe.
(p. 397)
heaven ... nearly scaled:
In the first book of Ovid’s
Metamorphoses,
the Titans pile up rocks toward the heavens in an effort to overthrow the Olympian gods. Poet John Keats inverted the myth by having the Olympian gods overthrow the Titans in his Miltonic epic fragment ”Hyperion,” written in the same year as
Ivanhoe.
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