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Läsebok. N:o 62—63.
51
62. The Siege of Calais.
(Scene: The camp of Edward the Third, at the siege of
Calais.)
King Eduard, the Black Prince his Son, and Sir
Walter Manny. St. Pierre, and the other citizens of Calais with
ropes about their necks.
King Edward. Manny, are these the principal
inhabitants of Calais?
Manny. They are, my liege, if virtue can give dignity,
or render men noble.
King Edward. Was there no commotion ? did they yield
themselves peaceably?
Manny. They made no resistance, my liege, but came,
self-devoted, to save their country. Could you have beheld
the affecting scene that I have witnessed, it would have moved
your noble heart to compassion. Your message was
delivered in the public square, amidst the citizens assembled,
their hearts throbbing with dreadful expectation. When your
determination was made known, amazement and despair filled
every countenance, and solemn silence was for some time
uninterrupted bv anything but sighs and groans. At length,
the noble St. Pierre, ascending a little eminence, thus
addressed the assembly: »Friends and fellow-citizens! behold
the situation to which we are reduced. We must either
yield up our tender infants to be destroyed, our wives and
children to the bloody and brutal insults of the soldiery, or
we must comply with the conditions of our cruel conqueror;
doubly cruel, because he lays a deep snare for our virtue — he
wishes to render us criminal and contemptible. He will grant
us life upon no other condition but that of our being
unworthy of it. Look around you, my friends, and fix your
eyes on the persons whom you wish to deliver up as the
victims of your own safety. Which of these would you
appoint to the rack, the axe, or the halter ? Is there any here
that has not watched for you, fought for you, and bled for
you;? Would you devote your defenders to destruction? —
those who have freely exposed their lives for the
preservation of you and yours. You will not, cannot do it. Justice,
honour, humanity, make such a treason impossible. What
expedient have we left to avoid guilt and shame, or the
horrors of a city given up to the sack of an enemy ? There
is still one path open to honour and virtue. Which of you
is willing to give a noble example of sacrificing his life to
save his country?»
Prince Edivard. Was there any one among them
possessed of such a heroic spirit, as voluntarily to make that
offer ?
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