But the fiery
Rhenish wine instead of cooling only heated him yet more; it drove,
like a tempest, the fire kindled in his jealous heart in bright
flames to his head, and made his brain glow like his heart.
"Who else accompanied her beside these?" asked Earl Douglas
carelessly. "Well, I think, the lord chamberlain, Earl of Surrey."
A dark scown gathered on the king's brow. The lion had scented his
prey.
"The lord chamberlain is not in the queen's train!" said John
Heywood earnestly.
"No," exclaimed Earl Douglas. "The poor earl. That will make him
very sad."
"And why think you that will make him sad?" asked the king in a
voice very like the roll of distant thunder.
"Because the Earl of Surrey is accustomed to live in the sunshine of
royal favor, sire; because he resembles that flower which always
turns its head to the sun, and receives from it vigor, color, and
brilliancy."
"Let him take care that the sun does not scorch him," muttered the
king.
"Earl," said John Heywood, "you must put on your spectacles so that
you can see better. This time you have confounded the sun with one
of its satellites. Earl Surrey is far too prudent a man to be so
foolish as to gaze at the sun, and thereby blind his eyes and parch
his brain. And so he is satisfied to worship one of the planets that
circle round the sun."
"What does the fool intend to say by that?" asked the earl
contemptuously.
"The wise will thereby give you to understand that you have this
time mistaken your daughter for the queen," said John Heywood,
emphasizing sharply every word, "and that it has happened to you, as
to many a great astrologer, you have taken a planet for a sun.
Pages:
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175