Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-12-20
relieve himself from the rest of the service fell a.

seat of the scornful, owing as he thought, to the
sound of the organ, but in reality to great dron
ing fly in his ear, woke up in more than his usual
state of Impotence; and he was preparing TO vent
it, when to his astonishment he perceived the
church empty. Every soul was gone, excepting a
deaf old woman, who was turning up the cushions.
He addressed her TO no purpose: he spoke louder
and louder, and was proceeding as well as rage and
amaze would let him, to try if he could walk out
of the church without dozen lords before him.
when suddenly catching sight of his face, the old
woman uttered a cry of Thievesp and shuflled a.
way first closing the door behind.
King Robert looked at the door in silence, then
round about him at the empty church, then at him
SELF His cloak of ermine was gone The coro-
net taken from his cap The very jewels from
his fingers. Thieves, verilyp thought the king, |
turning white, for shame and rage. Here is con-
spracy- rebellion This is that sanctifed traitor,
the Duke. Horses shall tear them all to pieces =
What 10, there! Open the door for the king?
For the constable, you mean said voice thro'
the keyholc. You're pretty fellowP
The king said nothing.
thinking to escape, in the kings name,' said
the voice, after hiding to plumber IN his closet
We've got YOU
Still the king said nothing.
The sexton could not refrain from another jibe
at his prisoner;
4 see you there said he by the big lamp, grin
ming like a rat in a trap How do you like your
baconY
Now, whether King Robert was of the blood of
that Norman chief who felled his enemys horse
with q blow of his fist we know not but certain
it is, that the only answer he made the sexton was
by dashing his enormous foot agains the door, and
bursting it open IN his teeth. The SEXTON who felt
as if a horse had given him blow in the face,
tainted away, and the king, as far as sense of
dignity allowed him, hurried to his palace, which
was close by.
WELL said the porter, 'what do you WANT?
Stand aside, fellow = roared the king pushing
back the door, with the same gigantic foot
60 to the devil = said the porter, who was a
stout fellow too, and pushed the king back before
he expected resistance. The king however, was
too much for him. lie feed him to the ground ::
and half strode half rushed into the palace follow
ed by the exasperated janitor.
Seize him. cried the porter.
'On your lives cried the king. Look at me, fell
low:-who ami "
"a mad beast and fool; that's what you are,' cr-
ed the porter; 'and you're dead man, for coming
drunk into the palace, and hitting the kings SER
wants. Hold him fast
In came the guards, with an officer at their head,
who going to visit his mistress, and had been
dressing his curs at a looking glass. He had the
looking glass in his hand.
Captain F1ncavilla, said the king, lis the world
run mad or what is it ? do your rebels pretend
not to know me. Go before me, sir, to my rooms
And as he spoke the king shook off his assailants,
as lion does ours, and moved EDWARDS.
Captain Francava put his finger gently before
the king TO stop him and then looking with sort
Of staring Indifference in his face said in very
mild tone, some madman.'
King Robert tore the looking glass from the cap
tain's hand and looked himself in the face. 1t was
not his own face. 1t was another mans face, very
hot and vulgar; and had something in it at once
melanchoy and ridiculous
BY the living Godn exclaimed Robert, here il
witchcraft am changed And for the first tim'
in his life, a sensation of fear came upon him, Blu
B5thing great rs the rsge and fury that remain
ed. All the world believed in witchcraft, as wei
as King Robert; but they had still more certa
proofs of the existence of drunkenness and mad
ness; and the kings household had seen the kim
come from church usual, and were ready to spill
their sides for laughter at the Pigment of this ravn!
imposter pretending TO be King Robert changed !!
Bring him in bring him i'm now exclaime
other voices, the news having got to the royal a
partment; the king wants TO see him.
King Robert was brought in, and there, amlds
roars of laughter, for courts were not quite sue
well-brcd places then as they are now he foun
himself face to face with another King Rober
seated on his throne, and like his former self a
he himself was unlike, but with more dignity.
'Hdeous impostorn exclaimed Robert, rushin
forward to tear him down.
The court, at the word 'hideous' roared wit
greater laughter than before for the king, in spit
of his pride, was at all times a handsome man !; an
there was strong feeling at present that he ha
never in his life looked so well.
Robert, when half way to the throne, felt as if
palsy had struck him. He stopped and essayed
vent his rage, but could not speak.
The figure on the throne looked him steadily
the face. Robert thought it was a wizard, but hi
ted far more than he feared him, for he was of gre
courage.
1t was an angel.
But the angel wa. not going to disclose hmse
lvot Cor 10, No., IL h. loIo
on the OCCASION very much like man; we mea
like man Of ordinary feelings and resentment
though still mixed with dignity beyond what hi
been before observed in the Sicilian monarch
Some of the courtiers attributed it to a sort of ro
al instinct of contrast, excited by the claims of Il
mpostor; but others 10y the angels contrivanc
had seen him, as he came out of the church, hi
suddenly with an abashed and altered visage,
fore the shrine of St. Thomas, as if supernatural
struck with some visitation from Heaven for
pride and unbeef. The rumor flew about on t
instant, and was confirmed, by an order given fro
the throne, the moment the angel seated himself u
on it, for GIFT Of hitherto unheard of amount
the shrine itself.
Since thou art royalnad, said the new sovt
eign, and in truth very king of idiots, thou sh
be crowned and scepred with cap and beub
and be my fool
Robert was still tongue-tied. He tried in VT
to speak-to roar out his disgust and defiance a
halt mad, indeed, with the inability, pointed W
his quivering finger to the inside OF his mouth,
if in apology to the beholders for not doing it
Fresh shouts Of laughter made his brain seem
- reel within him.
Fetch the cap and bauble,' said the sovere
81 and let the king of fools have his coronation.
>" Robert felt that he must submit to what
thought the power of the devil and began to he
glimpseS of real though hesitating sense of
lily, advantage Of securing friendship on the side
ale Heaven. But rage and Indignation were upp
but most; and while the attendants were shaving
not head, fixing the cap and ieeringly dgnyng
ould with the bauble-scepte, he r0cking his bra
hing for schemes of vengeance. What eXasperaed |
the most Of all, next TO the shaving, was to obser
that those who had fatered him most when XII
the the oudest in their contempt now that he
ONE the court zany.
sud- One pompous lord in particular with high
ords ridiculous voice which continued to laugh when