CHAPTER III.

Princess Danuta, Macko and Zbyszko had been in Tyniec before; but in the

train of attendants there were some courtiers who now saw it for the

first time; these greatly admired the magnificent abbey which was

surrounded by high walls built over the rocks and precipices, and stood

on a lofty mountain now shining in the golden rays of the rising sun. The

stately walls and the buildings devoted to various purposes, the gardens

situated at the foot of the mountain and the carefully cultivated fields,

showed immediately the great wealth of the abbey. The people from poor

Mazowsze were amazed. It is true there were other mighty Benedictine

abbeys in other parts of the country; as for instance in Lubusz on Odra,

in Plock, in Wielkopolska, in Mogila and in several other places: but

none of them could compare with the abbey in Tyniec, which was richer

than many principalities, and had an income greater than even the kings

of those times possessed.

Therefore the astonishment increased among the courtiers and some of them

could scarcely believe their own eyes. In the meanwhile, the princess

wishing to make the journey pleasant, and to interest the young ladies,

begged one of the monks to relate the awful story about Walgierz Wdaly

which had been told to her in Krakow, although not very correctly.

Hearing this, the ladies surrounded the princess and walked slowly,

looking in the rays of the sun like moving flowers.

"Let Brother Hidulf tell about Walgierz, who appeared to him on a certain

night," said one of the monks, looking at one of the other monks who was

an old man.

"Pious father, have you seen him with your own eyes?" asked the princess.

"I have seen him," answered the monk gloomily; "there are certain moments

during which, by God's will, he is permitted to leave the underground

regions of hell and show himself to the world."

"When does it happen?"

The old monk looked at the other monks and became silent. There was a

tradition that the ghost of Walgierz appeared when the morals of the

monastic lives became corrupted, and when the monks thought more about

worldly riches and pleasures than was right.

None of them, however, wished to tell this; but it was also said that the

ghost's appearance portended war or some other calamity. Brother Hidulf,

after a short silence, said:

"His appearance does not foretell any good fortune."

"I would not care to see him," said the princess, making the sign of the

cross; "but why is he in hell, if it is true as I heard, that he only

avenged a wrong?"

"Had he been virtuous during his whole life," said the monk sternly, "he

would be damned just the same because he was a heathen, and original sin

was not washed out by baptism."

After those words the princess' brows contracted painfully because she

recollected that her father whom she loved dearly, had died in the

heathen's errors also.

"We are listening," said she, after a short silence.

Brother Hidulf began thus:

During the time of heathenism, there was a mighty _grabia_[24] whose name

was Walgierz, whom on account of his great beauty, they called Wdaly.[25]

This whole country, as far as one can see, belonged to him, and he lead

all the expeditions, the people on foot and a hundred spearmen who were

all _wlodykas_; the men to the east as far as Opole, and to the west as

far as Sandomierz, were his vassals. Nobody was able to count his herds,

and in Tyniec he had a towerful of money the same as the Knights of the

Cross have now in Marienburg."

"Yes, they have, I know it!" interrupted the princess.

"He was a giant," continued the monk. "He was so strong he could dig up

an oak tree by the roots, and nobody in the whole world could compare

with him for beauty, playing on the lute or singing. One time when he was

at the court of a French king, the king's daughter, Helgunda, fell in

love with him, and ran away with him to Tyniec, where they lived together

in sin. No priest would marry them with Christian rites, because

Helgunda's father had promised her to the cloister for the glory of God.

At the same time, there lived in Wislica, Wislaw Piekny,[26] who belonged

to King Popiel's family. He, while Walgierz Wdaly was absent, devastated

the county around Tyniec. Walgierz when he returned overpowered Wislaw

and imprisoned him in Tyniec. He did not take into consideration this

fact: that every woman as soon as she saw Wislaw, was ready immediately

to leave father, mother and even husband, if she could only satisfy her

passion. This happened to Helgunda. She immediately devised such fetters

for Walgierz, that that giant, although he could pluck an oak up by its

roots, was unable to break them. She gave him to Wislaw, who took and

imprisoned him in Wislica. There Rynga, Wislaw's sister, having heard

Walgierz singing in his underground cell, soon fell in love with him and

set him at liberty. He then killed Wislaw and Helgunda with the sword,

left their bodies for the crows, and returned to Tyniec with Rynga."

"Was it not right, what he did?" asked the princess.

Brother Hidulf answered:

"Had he received baptism and given Tyniec to the Benedictines, perhaps

God would have forgiven his sins; but he did not do this, therefore the

earth has devoured him."

"Were the Benedictines in this kingdom at that time?"

"No, the Benedictines were not here; only the heathen lived here then."

"How then could he receive baptism, or give up Tyniec?"

"He could not; and that is exactly why he was sent to hell to endure

eternal torture," answered the monk with authority.

"Sure! He speaks rightly!" several voices were heard to say.

In the meanwhile they approached the principal gate of the monastery,

where the abbot with numerous monks and noblemen, was awaiting the

princess. There were always many lay people in the cloister: land

stewards, barristers and procurators. Many noblemen, even powerful

_wlodykas_, held in fief from the monastery numerous estates; and these,

as "vassals," were glad to pass their time at the court of their

"suzerain," where near the main altar it was easy to obtain some gift and

many benefits. Therefore the "_abbas centum villarum_"[27] could greet

the princess with a numerous retinue.

He was a man of great stature, with a thin, intelligent face; his head

was shaved on the top with a fringe of grey hair beneath. He had a deep

scar on his forehead, which he had evidently received during his youth

when he performed knightly deeds. His eyes looked penetratingly from

beneath dark eyebrows. He wore a monk's dress similar to that worn by the

other monks, but over it he wore a black mantle, lined with purple;

around his neck was a gold chain from which was hanging a gold cross set

with precious stones. His whole figure betrayed a proud man, accustomed

to command and one who had confidence in himself.

But he greeted the princess affably and even humbly, because he

remembered that her husband belonged to the family of the princes of

Mazowsze, from which came the kings, Wladyslaw and Kazimierz; and that

her mother was the reigning queen of one of the most powerful kingdoms in

the world. Therefore he passed the threshold of the gate, bowed low, and

then having made the sign of the cross over Anna Danuta and over her

court, he said;

"Welcome, gracious lady, to the threshold of this poor monastery. May

Saint Benedictus of Nursja, Saint Maurus, Saint Bonifacius, Saint

Benedictus of Aniane and also Jean of Tolomeia--our patrons living in

eternal glory,--give you health and happiness, and bless you seven times

a day during the remainder of your life."

"They would be deaf, if they did not hear the words of such a great

abbot," said the princess affably; "we came here to hear mass, during

which we will place ourselves under their protection."

Having said this she stretched her hand toward him, which he falling upon

one knee, kissed in knightly manner. Then they passed through the gate.

The monks were waiting to celebrate mass, because immediately the bells

were rung; the trumpeters blew near the church door in honor of the

princess. Every church used to make a great impression on the princess

who had not been born in a Christian country. The church in Tyniec

impressed her greatly, because there were very few churches that could

rival it in magnificence. Darkness filled the church except at the main

altar where many lights were shining, brightening the carvings and

gildings. A monk, dressed in a chasuble, came from the vestry, bowed to

the princess and commenced mass. Then the smoke from the fragrant incense

arose, veiled the priest and the altar, and mounted in quiet clouds to

the vaulted ceiling, increasing the solemn beauty of the church. Anna

Danuta bent her head and prayed fervently. But when an organ, rare in

those times, began to shake the nave with majestic thunderings, filling

it with angelic voices, then the princess raised her eyes, and her face

expressed, beside devotion and fear, a boundless delight; and one looking

at her would take her for some saint, who sees in a marvelous vision, the

open heaven.

Thus prayed Kiejstut's daughter, who born in heathenism, in everyday life

mentioned God's name just as everybody else did in those times,

familiarly; but in the Lord's house she used to raise her eyes with fear

and humility, toward his secret and unmeasurable power.

The whole court, although with less humility, prayed devoutly. Zbyszko

knelt among the Mazurs, and committed himself to God's protection. From

time to time he glanced at Danusia who was sitting beside the princess;

he considered it an honor to be the knight of such a girl, and that his

vow was not a trifle. He had already girded his sides with a hempen rope,

but this was only half of his vow; now it was necessary to fulfill the

other half which was more difficult. Consequently now, when he was more

serious than when in the inn drinking beer, he was anxious to discover

how he could fulfill it. There was no war. But amidst the disturbances on

the frontier, it was possible to meet some Germans, and either kill them

or lay down his own life.

He had told this to Macko. But he thought: "Not every German wears

peacock or ostrich feathers on his helmet. Only a few among the guests of

the Knights of the Cross are counts, and the Knights of the Cross

themselves are only _comthurs_; and not every one of them is a _comthur_

either. If there be no war, then years may pass before I shall get those

three crests; I have not been knighted yet and can challenge only those

who are not knights like myself. It is true I expect to receive the

girdle of a knight from the king's hands during the tournaments, which

have been announced to take place during the christening, but what will

happen then? I will go to Jurand of Spychow; he will help me kill as many

_knechts_[28] as possible; but that will benefit me little. The _knechts_

are not knights, with peacock feathers on their heads."

Therefore in his uncertainty, seeing that without God's special favor, he

could do nothing, he began to pray:

"Jesus, grant a war between the Knights of the Cross and the Germans who

are the foes of this kingdom and of all other nations confessing Your

Holy Name. Bless us; but crush them who would rather serve the

_starosta_[29] of hell, than serve you; they have hatred in their hearts

against us, being angry because our king and queen, having baptized the

Lithuanians, forbade them cut your Christian servants with the sword. For

which anger punish them!"

"And I, Zbyszko a sinner, repent before you and from your five wounds

beseech for help, that in your mercy you permit me to kill as soon as

possible three Germans having peacock feathers on their morions. These

crests I promised upon my knightly honor to Panna Anna Danuta, Jurand's

daughter, and your servant."

"If I shall find any booty on those defeated Germans, I shall faithfully

pay to holy church the tithe, in order that you also, sweet Jesus, may

have some benefit and glory through me; and also that you may know, that

I promise to you with a sincere heart. As this is true, so help me,

amen!"

But as he prayed, his heart softened under the influence of his devotions

and he made another promise, which was that after having redeemed

Bogdaniec from its pledge, he would give to the church all the wax which

the bees could make during the whole year. He hoped that his Uncle Macko

would not make any opposition to this, and that the Lord Jesus would be

especially pleased with the wax for the candles, and wishing to get it,

would help him sooner. This thought seemed to him so right, that joy

filled his soul; and he was almost sure that his prayer would be heard

and that the war would soon come, so that he could accomplish his vow. He

felt such might in his legs and in his arms, that at that moment he would

have attacked a whole army. He even thought that having increased his

promises to God, he would also add for Danusia, a couple of Germans! His

youthful anger urged him to do it, but this time prudence prevailed, as

he was afraid to exhaust God's patience by asking too much.

His confidence increased, however, when after mass and a long rest, he

heard the conversation between the abbot and Anna Danuta.

The wives of the reigning kings and princes, both on account of devotion

as well as on account of the magnificent presents, sent them by the

Master of the Order, were very kindly disposed toward the Knights of the

Cross. Even the pious Jadwiga, as long as she lived, restrained her

husband's anger against them. Anna Danuta alone, having experienced

dreadful wrongs from the knights hated them with her whole soul.

Therefore when the abbot asked her about Mazowsze and its affairs, she

began to complain bitterly against the Order:

"Our affairs are in a bad condition and it cannot be otherwise with such

neighbors! Apparently it is the time of peace; they exchange ambassadors

and letters, but notwithstanding all that nobody can be sure of anything.

The one who lives on the borders of the kingdom, never knows when he goes

to bed in the evening, whether he will awaken in fetters, or with the

blade of a sword in his throat, or with a burning ceiling over his head.

Neither oaths, nor seals, nor parchment will protect from treachery. Thus

it happened at Zlotorja where during the time of peace, they seized the

prince and imprisoned him. The Knights of the Cross said that our castle

was a menace to them; but the castles are repaired for defence not for an

onset; and what prince has not the right to build and repair in his own

land? Neither the weak nor the powerful can agree with the Order, because

the knights despise the weak and try to ruin the mighty. Good deeds they

repay with evil ones. Is there anywhere in the world another order which

has received as many benefits from other kingdoms as the knights have

received from Polish princes? And how have they repaid? With threats,

with devastation of our lands, with war and with treachery. And it is

useless to complain, even to our apostolic capital, because they do not

listen to the Roman pope himself. Apparently they have sent an embassy

now for the queen's confinement and the expected christening, but only

because they wish to appease the anger of this mighty king for the evil

deeds they performed in Litwa. But in their hearts they are always

plotting means to annihilate this kingdom and the whole Polish nation."

The abbot listened attentively with approval and then said:

"I know that Comthur Lichtenstein came to Krakow at the head of the

embassy; he is very much respected in the Order for his bravery and

intelligence. Perhaps you will see him here soon, gracious lady, because

he sent me a message yesterday, saying that as he wished to pray to our

holy relics, he would pay a visit to Tyniec."

Having heard this, the princess began to complain again:

"The people say--and I am sure rightly--that there will soon be a great

war, in which on one side will be the kingdom of Poland and all the

nations speaking a language similar to the Polish tongue, and on the

other side will be all the Germans and the Order. There is a prophecy

about this war by some saint."

"Bridget," interrupted the scholarly abbot; "eight years ago she was

canonized. The pious Peter from Alvastra and Matthew from Linköping have

written her revelations, in which a great war has been predicted."

Zbyszko shuddered at these words, and not being able to restrain himself,

asked:

"How soon will it be?"

But the abbot being occupied with the princess, did not hear, or probably

did not wish to hear, the question.

The princess spoke further:

"Our young knights are glad that this war is coming, but the older and

prudent ones speak thus: 'We are not afraid of the Germans, although

their pride and power are great, but we are afraid of their relics,

because against those all human might is powerless.'"

Here Anna Danuta looked at the abbot with fear and added in a softer

voice:

"They say they have a true piece of the holy cross; how then can one

fight against them?"

"The French king sent it to them," answered the abbot.

There was a moment of silence, then Mikolaj of Dlugolas, called Obuch, a

man of great experience, said:

"I was in captivity among the Knights of the Cross; I saw a procession in

which they carried this great relic. But beside this, there are many

other relics in the monastery in Oliva without which the order would not

have acquired such power."

The Benedictines stretched their necks toward the speaker, and began to

ask with great curiosity:

"Tell us, what are they?"

"There is a piece of the dress of the Most Holy Virgin," answered the

_wlodyka_ of Dlugolas; "there is a molar tooth of Marya from Magdala and

branches from the bush in which God the Father revealed himself to Moses;

there is a hand of Saint Liberjus, and as for the bones of other saints,

I cannot count them on the fingers of both hands and the toes of both

feet."

"How can one fight them?" repeated the princess, sighing.

The abbot frowned, and having thought for awhile, said:

"It is difficult to fight them, for this reason; they are monks and they

wear the cross on their mantles; but if they have exceeded the measure of

their sins, then even those relics will refuse to remain with them; in

that case they will not strengthen the knights, but will take their

strength away, so that the relics can pass into more pious hands. May God

spare Christian blood; but, if a great war should come, there are some

relics in our kingdom also which will succor us."

"May God help us!" exclaimed Zbyszko.

The abbot turned toward the princess and said:

"Therefore have confidence in God, gracious lady, because their days are

numbered rather than yours. In the meanwhile, accept with grateful heart

this box, in which there is a finger of Saint Ptolomeus, one of our

patrons."

The princess extended her hand and kneeling, accepted the box, which she

immediately pressed to her lips. The courtiers shared the joy of the

lady. Zbyszko was happy because it seemed to him that war would come

immediately after the Krakowian festivals.