It must be remembered, in partial exculpation of the
fault of Athelstane and Rowena, (a fault for which they were bitterly
punished, as you shall presently hear,) that the monarch exasperated
his subjects in a variety of ways,--that before he murdered his royal
nephew, Prince Arthur, there was a great question whether he was the
rightful king of England at all,--that his behavior as an uncle, and
a family man, was likely to wound the feelings of any lady and
mother,--finally, that there were palliations for the conduct of Rowena
and Ivanhoe, which it now becomes our duty to relate.
When his Majesty destroyed Prince Arthur, the Lady Rowena, who was one
of the ladies of honor to the Queen, gave up her place at court at once,
and retired to her castle of Rotherwood. Expressions made use of by her,
and derogatory to the character of the sovereign, were carried to the
monarch's ears, by some of those parasites, doubtless, by whom it is
the curse of kings to be attended; and John swore, by St. Peter's teeth,
that he would be revenged upon the haughty Saxon lady,--a kind of oath
which, though he did not trouble himself about all other oaths, he was
never known to break. It was not for some years after he had registered
this vow, that he was enabled to keep it.
Had Ivanhoe been present at Ronen, when the King meditated his horrid
designs against his nephew, there is little doubt that Sir Wilfrid would
have prevented them, and rescued the boy: for Ivanhoe was, as we need
scarcely say, a hero of romance; and it is the custom and duty of all
gentlemen of that profession to be present on all occasions of historic
interest, to be engaged in all conspiracies, royal interviews, and
remarkable occurrences: and hence Sir Wilfrid would certainly have
rescued the young Prince, had he been anywhere in the neighborhood of
Rouen, where the foul tragedy occurred.
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