Lempriere

“ Lemprière had already drawn his sword, and the look of his eyes was as that of a mad bull in a ring. "You won't fight with me—you don't think the Seigneur of Rozel your equal?" Lemprière's voice was high.
Essex's face had a hard, cruel look. "We cannot fight in the presence of ladies." ”

“ David the ancient put a stone in a sling and Goliath laid him down like an egg in a nest—therefore, Nuncio, get thee to the quarry. Obligato, which is to say Leicester yonder, hath no tail—the devil cut it off and wears it himself. So let salt be damned, and go sling thy stone!”
Lempriere was good-humoured again. He fumbled in his purse and brought forth a gold-piece. “Fool, thou hast spoken like a man born sensible and infinite. I understand thee like a book. Thou hast not folly and thou shalt not be answered as if thou wast a fool. ”

“ Lemprière seized a flagon, drew it forth, looked closely at it, then burst into laughter, and spluttered, "St. Ouen's Muscadella, or I'm no butler to the Queen!"
Seizing Buonespoir by the shoulders, he forced him down upon a bench at the table, and pushed the trencher of spiced meat against his chest. "Eat, my noble lord of the sea and Master of the Cellar!" he gurgled out, and tipping the flagon of Muscadella, took a long draught. "God a mercy—but it has saved my life," he gasped in satisfaction as he lay back in his great chair, and put his feet on the bench whereon Buonespoir sat. ”

“ Know you where he is in durance?”
“As I know marrow in a bone I know where he hides, Nuncio, so come with me,” answered the fool.
“If De Carteret had but thy sense, we could live at peace in Jersey,” rejoined Lempriere, and strode ponderously after the light-footed fool who capered forth singing:
“Come hither, O come hither, There’s a bride upon her bed; They have strewn her o’er with roses, There are roses ‘neath her head: Life is love and tears and laughter, But the laughter it is dead Sing the way to the Valley, to the Valley! Hey, but the roses they are red!” ”

“ In his excitement Lempriere had forgotten to quote Latin; he began to pace the floor of the room. Prynne also rose and leaned by the window, looking out at the shrubs standing dark and blotted against the evening light that lay on the smooth water.
"Take not your example," he said; "from those whose deeds you abhor, neither make your enemies your pattern. ”

“ You do your office gallantly."
As the Seigneur left the Queen's apartments he met the Earl of Essex hurrying thither, preceded by the Queen's messenger. The Earl stopped and said, with a slow malicious smile, "Farming is good, then—you have fine crops this year on your holding?"
Lemprière did not see the point at once, for the favorite's look was all innocence, and he replied: "You are mistook, my Lord Essex. You will remember I was in the presence-chamber an hour ago, my Lord. I am Lemprière, Seigneur of Rozel, butler to her Majesty." ”

“ At the back were the kitchen and offices, looking out upon a paved court-yard containing a well, and backed by farm buildings.
Madame Lempriere (or "de Maufant") and her sister sate by the fire knitting in the autumn twilight. Both were lovely; beautiful women in the typical style of island beauty, which not even the primness of their somewhat old-fashioned costume could wholly disguise. ”

“ De la Forêt's face grew pale with excitement. He knew now for the first time that Angèle and her father had been brought hither also, and he looked Lempriere suspiciously in the eyes; but the swaggering Seigneur met his look frankly, and bowed with ponderous gravity. ”

“ The duel he fought with Lempriere on May Day came to her ears through the Duke’s Daughter, and she seized upon it with sharp petulance. First she ostentatiously gave housing and care to Lempriere, and went to visit him; then, having refused Leicester audience, wrote to him.
“What is this I hear,” she scrawled upon the paper, “that you have forced a quarrel with the Lord of Rozel, and have well-ny ta’en his life! Is swording then your dearest vice that you must urge it on a harmless gentle man, and my visitor? Do you think you hold a charter of freedom for your self-will? ”

“ There is that to do in Jersey which it imports the rulers of this land to know."
"That may well be," observed Lempriere, who shared his countryman's idea of the importance of their little island. "But how fares my Rose? A wanderer may love his Ithaca, but he loves his wife most. Have I your leave, Mr. Prynne, to examine this missive?"
Prynne bowed, and Lempriere cut open his letter.
"Penelope maketh such cheer as she may," he added, after glancing at the contents: "but I see nothing of your mighty news, Alain." ”

“ There is the case, is't not?"
"I swore to be her friend," answered Lempriere stubbornly, "and I have done according to my word."
"There's not another nobleman in my kingdom who would not have thought twice about the matter, with the lady aboard his ship on the high seas- 'tis a miraculous chivalry, cousin," she added to the Duke's Daughter, who bowed, settled herself again on her velvet cushion, and looked out of the corner of her eyes at Lempriere.
"You opposed Sir Hugh Pawlett's officers who went to arrest this De la Foret," continued Elizabeth. "Call you that serving your Queen? ”

“ I know not what the end of this will be, whether our loyal Lemprière will become a pirate or Buonespoir a butler to my court; but it is too pretty a hazard to forego in a world of chance. By the rood, but I have never, since I sat on my father’s throne, seen black so white as I have done this past three months. You shall have your Buonespoir, good Rozel ”

“ You must have ’fending.”
“There is no one,” she answered, sadly, “no one save—”
“Save the Seigneur of Rozel!” Buonespoir finished the sentence. “Good. You to your father and I to the seigneur. If you can fetch your father by your pot-of-honey tongue, I’ll fetch the great Lemprière with muscadella. Is’t a bargain?” ”

“ From 1860 onwards he was a trusted agent of the conservative party, and engaged actively in political work. When it was resolved in 1859 to oppose Gladstone's election for Oxford University, Lempriere was deputed to approach the marquis of Chandos, afterwards duke of Buckingham, to induoe him to stand. Premature revelation of the position of things by the conservative leaders at Oxford brought grave discredit upon Lempriere, who was really not in fault. ”

“ The other perquages had been taken away, but this one of Rozel remained, a concession made by Henry VIII. to the father of this Raoul Lemprière. The privilege had been used but once in the present seigneur’s day, because the criminal must be put upon the road from the chapel by the seigneur himself, and he had used his privilege modestly.
No man in Jersey but knew the sacredness of this perquage, though it was ten years since it had been used; and no man, not even the governor himself, dare lift his hand to one upon that road. ”

“ Buonespoir watched a lark soaring, as though its flight might lead him through the [Pg 259] fool’s argument clearly. Lemprière closed his eye and struggled with it, his lips out-pursed, his head sunk on his breast. Suddenly his eyes opened; he brought the bottle of canary down with a thud on the turf. “‘Fore Michael and all angels, I have it, fool; I travel, I conceive. De Carteret of St. Ouen’s must have gone to the block ere conceiving so. I must conceive thus of the argument. He who compasseth the Queen existeth not, for, compassing, he dieth.” ”

“ He put the gold-piece in the fool’s hand and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Why now, Nuncio,” answered the other, “it is clear that there is a fool at Court, for is it not written that a fool and his money are soon parted? And this gold-piece is still hot with running ‘tween thee and me.”
Lempriere roared. “Why, then, for thy hit thou shalt have another gold-piece, gossip. But see”—his voice lowered—“know you where is my friend, Buonespoir, the pirate? ”

“ Anthon has done more for our classical literature than any man in the country will hardly be denied. His Lempriere, to speak of nothing else, is a monument of talent, erudition, indefatigable research, and well organized method, of which we have the greatest reason to be proud, but which is perhaps more fully and more properly appreciated in any other climate than our own. ”

“ SPAR. So she is, upon my life. Really, that seems very fair. NICE. You're my husband and no other. SPAR. That is true enough, I swear. DAPH. I'm his wife, and you're his brother. SPAR. If we go by Lemprière. NICE. It will surely be unfair To decide by Lemprière. (crying) DAPH. It will surely be quite fair To decide by Lemprière. SPAR. & THES. How you settle it I don't care, Leave it all to Lemprière. THES. (Spoken) The verdict!
THES. As Sparkeion is Apollo, Up in this Olympian clime, Why, Nicemis, it will follow, He's her husband, for the time. ”

“ When God sends a fifth wind, then conspirators shall wear crowns. Till then Delicio shall sow and I shall reap, as is Heaven’s will.”
Lemprière lay back and roared with laughter. “Before Belial, there never was such another as thou, fool. Conspirators shall die and not prevail, for a man may not marry his sister, and the north wind shall have no progeny. So there shall be no fifth wind.”
“Proved, proved!” cried the fool. “The north wind shall go whistle for a mate—there shall be no fifth wind. So Delicio shall still sail by the compass, and shall still compass all, and yet be compassed by none ”

“ In due time the island people forgot them both, but the Seigneur of Rozel caused a stone to be set up on the highest point of land that faces France, and on the stone were carved the names of Michel and Angele. Having done much hard service for his country and for England's Queen, Lempriere at length hung up his sword and gave his years to peace. From the Manor of Rozel he was wont to repair constantly to the little white house, which remained as the two had left it,—his own by order of the Queen,—and there, as time went on, he spent most of his days. ”

“ The perquage, which my fathers patent approved, has served us well, I doubt not, and is a comfort to our realm, and a dignity befitting the wearer of that frieze jerkin. Speak to their better understanding. Monsieur of Rozel."
Lemprière had recovered his heart, and now was set full sail in the course he had charted for himself in Jersey, and in large words and larger manner explained in the most friendly way the sacred privilege of perquage.
"And how often have you used it, Monsieur of Rozel?" asked Elizabeth. ”

“ It is a question for you also, you perceive."
"Proximus Ucalegon," said Lempriere, whom nothing could long restrain from airing his classical knowledge. "But leave me to speak to Mr. Prynne in terms that will not offend, and that he cannot fail to understand. Harkye, Mr. Prynne," he said, turning to his host and resuming use of the English language in lieu of the patois in which he had addressed his countryman. "You love the Commonwealth, I know; your many sufferings in that behalf show you a true friend to the cause of English liberty. ”

“ Prynne; aye! thanks to his schooling and a readiness to perform what he has made me promise, should Carteret ever stand at my disposal. The time may be near or it may be far; but I feel that it must come."
"And then," asked Alain shyly, "shall not I too have something to expect from thee: when thou art Bailiff again, and a man high in power, will thou still be willing to give me thy sister-in-law?"
"Parbleu!" cried Lempriere, "if maids could be given like passports. But Marguerite will have her way; it is for thee, coquin, to make her way thine." ”

“ Brigandage was rampant, and disorder universal. The book was attacked for inaccuracy in statistics and faultiness of style. Yet it is probably the best extant account of Mexican affairs in those days of turmoil.
In 1865 Lempriere was back in England and taking an active part in elections. When in June 1866 John Bonham Carter. liberal member for Winchester, accepted the office of junior lord of the treasury in Lord John Russell's administration, and offered himself for re-election, Lempriere contested the seat to prevent an unopposed return. He only polled 46 votes. ”

“ By his wife Martha, daughter and coheiress of Nicholas Lempriere and widow of Elias Dumaresq, he had a son Philip (d. 1676) , who was imprisoned by Colonel Robert Gibbons, the Cromwellian governor, for strenuous resistance to his exactions, in 1656. ”

“ The ancients supposed that the souls after death wandered all over the world, and disturbed the peace of its inhabitants. The good spirits were called Lares familiares, and the evil ones were known by the name of Larvæ, or Lemures. They terrified the good, and continually haunted the wicked and impious; and the Romans had the superstition to celebrate festivals in their honour, called Lemuria, or ♦Lemuralia, in the month of May. They were first instituted by Romulus to appease the manes of his brother Remus, from whom they were called Remuria, and, by corruption, Lemuria. ”

“ Sometimes the spirit of inspiration was more gentle, and not always violent; yet Plutarch mentions one of the priestesses who was thrown into such an excessive fury, that not only those that consulted the oracle, but also the priest that conducted her to the sacred tripod, and attended her during the inspiration, were terrified and forsook the temple ”

“ All the goddesses claimed it as their own: the contention at first became general, but at last only three, Juno, Venus, and Minerva, wished to dispute their respective right to beauty. The gods, unwilling to become arbiters in an affair of so tender and so delicate a nature, appointed Paris to adjudge the prize of beauty to the fairest of the goddesses, and indeed the shepherd seemed properly qualified to decide so great a contest, as his wisdom was so well established, and his prudence and sagacity so well known. ”