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第9节

the black tulip-第9节

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sounded it with a shrill and prolonged call; on which an 

equerry on horseback speedily made his appearance; leading 

another horse by the bridle。 



William; without touching the stirrup; vaulted into the 

saddle of the led horse; and; setting his spurs into its 

flanks; started off for the Leyden road。 Having reached it; 

he turned round and beckoned to the Captain who was far 

behind; to ride by his side。 



〃Do you know;〃 he then said; without stopping; 〃that those 

rascals have killed John de Witt as well as his brother?〃 



〃Alas! Monseigneur;〃 the Captain answered sadly; 〃I should 

like it much better if these two difficulties were still in 

your Highness's way of becoming de facto Stadtholder of 

Holland。〃 



〃Certainly; it would have been better;〃 said William; 〃if 

what did happen had not happened。 But it cannot be helped 

now; and we have had nothing to do with it。 Let us push on; 

Captain; that we may arrive at Alphen before the message 

which the States…General are sure to send to me to the 

camp。〃 



The Captain bowed; allowed the Prince to ride ahead and; for 

the remainder of the journey; kept at the same respectful 

distance as he had done before his Highness called him to 

his side。 



〃How I should wish;〃 William of Orange malignantly muttered 

to himself; with a dark frown and setting the spurs to his 

horse; 〃to see the figure which Louis will cut when he is 

apprised of the manner in which his dear friends De Witt 

have been served! Oh thou Sun! thou Sun! as truly as I am 

called William the Silent; thou Sun; thou hadst best look to 

thy rays!〃 



And the young Prince; the relentless rival of the Great 

King; sped away upon his fiery steed;  this future 

Stadtholder who had been but the day before very uncertainly 

established in his new power; but for whom the burghers of 

the Hague had built a staircase with the bodies of John and 

Cornelius; two princes as noble as he in the eyes of God and man。 









Chapter 5



The Tulip…fancier and his Neighbour





Whilst the burghers of the Hague were tearing in pieces the 

bodies of John and Cornelius de Witt; and whilst William of 

Orange; after having made sure that his two antagonists were 

really dead; was galloping over the Leyden road; followed by 

Captain van Deken; whom he found a little too compassionate 

to honour him any longer with his confidence; Craeke; the 

faithful servant; mounted on a good horse; and little 

suspecting what terrible events had taken place since his 

departure; proceeded along the high road lined with trees; 

until he was clear of the town and the neighbouring 

villages。 



Being once safe; he left his horse at a livery stable in 

order not to arouse suspicion; and tranquilly continued his 

journey on the canal…boats; which conveyed him by easy 

stages to Dort; pursuing their way under skilful guidance by 

the shortest possible routes through the windings of the 

river; which held in its watery embrace so many enchanting 

little islands; edged with willows and rushes; and abounding 

in luxurious vegetation; whereon flocks of fat sheep browsed 

in peaceful sleepiness。 Craeke from afar off recognised 

Dort; the smiling city; at the foot of a hill dotted with 

windmills。 He saw the fine red brick houses; mortared in 

white lines; standing on the edge of the water; and their 

balconies; open towards the river; decked out with silk 

tapestry embroidered with gold flowers; the wonderful 

manufacture of India and China; and near these brilliant 

stuffs; large lines set to catch the voracious eels; which 

are attracted towards the houses by the garbage thrown every 

day from the kitchens into the river。 



Craeke; standing on the deck of the boat; saw; across the 

moving sails of the windmills; on the slope of the hill; the 

red and pink house which was the goal of his errand。 The 

outlines of its roof were merging in the yellow foliage of a 

curtain of poplar trees; the whole habitation having for 

background a dark grove of gigantic elms。 The mansion was 

situated in such a way that the sun; falling on it as into a 

funnel; dried up; warmed; and fertilised the mist which the 

verdant screen could not prevent the river wind from 

carrying there every morning and evening。 



Having disembarked unobserved amid the usual bustle of the 

city; Craeke at once directed his steps towards the house 

which we have just described; and which  white; trim; and 

tidy; even more cleanly scoured and more carefully waxed in 

the hidden corners than in the places which were exposed to 

view  enclosed a truly happy mortal。 



This happy mortal; rara avis; was Dr。 van Baerle; the godson 

of Cornelius de Witt。 He had inhabited the same house ever 

since his childhood; for it was the house in which his 

father and grandfather; old established princely merchants 

of the princely city of Dort; were born。 



Mynheer van Baerle the father had amassed in the Indian 

trade three or four hundred thousand guilders; which Mynheer 

van Baerle the son; at the death of his dear and worthy 

parents; found still quite new; although one set of them 

bore the date of coinage of 1640; and the other that of 

1610; a fact which proved that they were guilders of Van 

Baerle the father and of Van Baerle the grandfather; but we 

will inform the reader at once that these three or four 

hundred thousand guilders were only the pocket money; or 

sort of purse; for Cornelius van Baerle; the hero of this 

story; as his landed property in the province yielded him an 

income of about ten thousand guilders a year。 



When the worthy citizen; the father of Cornelius; passed 

from time into eternity; three months after having buried 

his wife; who seemed to have departed first to smooth for 

him the path of death as she had smoothed for him the path 

of life; he said to his son; as he embraced him for the last 

time;  



〃Eat; drink; and spend your money; if you wish to know what 

life really is; for as to toiling from morn to evening on a 

wooden stool; or a leathern chair; in a counting…house or a 

laboratory; that certainly is not living。 Your time to die 

will also come; and if you are not then so fortunate as to 

have a son; you will let my name grow extinct; and my 

guilders; which no one has ever fingered but my father; 

myself; and the coiner; will have the surprise of passing to 

an unknown master。 And least of all; imitate the example of 

your godfather; Cornelius de Witt; who has plunged into 

politics; the most ungrateful of all careers; and who will 

certainly come to an untimely end。〃 



Having given utterance to this paternal advice; the worthy 

Mynheer van Baerle died; to the intense grief of his son 

Cornelius; who cared very little for the guilders; and very 

much for his father。 



Cornelius then remained alone in his large house。 In vain 

his godfather offered to him a place in the public service; 

 in vain did he try to give him a taste for glory;  

although Cornelius; to gratify his godfather; did embark 

with De Ruyter upon 〃The Seven Provinces;〃 the flagship of a 

fleet of one hundred and thirty…nine sail; with which the 

famous admiral set out to contend singlehanded against the 

combined forces of France and England。 When; guided by the 

pilot Leger; he had come within musket…shot of the 〃Prince;〃 

with the Duke of York (the English king's brother) aboard; 

upon which De Ruyter; his mentor; made so sharp and well 

directed an attack that the Duke; perceiving that his vessel 

would soon have to strike; made the best of his way aboard 

the 〃Saint Michael〃; when he had seen the 〃Saint Michael;〃 

riddled and shattered by the Dutch broadside; drift out of 

the line; when he had witnessed the sinking of the 〃Earl of 

Sandwich;〃 and the death by fire or drowning of four hundred 

sailors; when he realized that the result of all this 

destruction  after twenty ships had been blown to pieces; 

three thousand men killed and five thousand injured  was 

that nothing was decided; that both sides claimed the 

victory; that the fighting would soon begin again; and that 

just one more name; that of Southwold Bay; had been added to 

the list of battles; when he had estimated how much time is 

lost simply in shutting his eyes and ears by a man who likes 

to use his reflective powers even while his fellow creatures 

are cannonading one another;  Cornelius bade farewell to 

De Ruyter; to the Ruart de Pulten; and to glory; kissed the 

knees of the Grand Pensionary; for whom he entertained the 

deepest veneration; and retired to his house at Dort; rich 

in his well…earned repose; his twenty…eight years; an iron 

constitution and keen perceptions; and his capital of more 

than four hundred thousands of florins and income of ten 

thousand; convinced that a man is always endowed by Heaven 


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