The Abbot's Gibbet

1

The sun was almost unbearably hot, the journey distinctly uncomfortable. Arthur Pole wiped his face with the hem of his cloak to clear the fine dust that rose from the road in thin clouds as hooves and cartwheels stirred it.

“Is it far now, Arthur?”

Marion, his wife, was a few yards behind him on her new mare. An amblere, it was trained to give a lady a smooth ride, swinging first the legs of one side of its body, then the other, always moving left together, then right. It had been ruinously expensive, for training a horse in such a gait was difficult, but the gift was necessary to compensate her for having to make this journey at the height of the humid summer heat.

“Not far, dear,” he said. “Would you like to halt and refresh yourself? We have wine, if…”

“Father, if you give her any more of your wine, Mother won’t be able to stay on her horse,” his daughter called cheerfully.

Arthur stifled a smile as his wife snapped back waspishly. After two days travelling from Exeter, where he had been engaged on business, his backside ached, but his excitement made him want to get on. It was two months since he and his family had left their home on the coast and made the journey to Exeter to meet a steward of the King, and in his purse he had a written authority to buy wine on behalf of the royal household for when King Edward II visited later in the year. Now he was on the way to Tavistock Fair to acquire the best available, and his profit should be enough to stock another ship with fleece to be sold in Flanders. With any luck he wouldn’t have to visit any more fairs for two or three years, but could rest at his home living on the proceeds.

His daughter interrupted his musings as she came alongside him with her maid, and he could see her gaze fixed firmly ahead. “Looking forward to it, my dear?”

“Of course I am. It’s the first fair I’ve been to for five years, Father.”

“I only hope it justifies your enthusiasm.”

“Oh, it will! You’ve always told me that Tavistock has the best fair in the land.”

“Your mother will insist that I buy you the best, too.”

“Don’t sound so sour!” she laughed. “You wouldn’t want me to dress like a beggar, would you?”

“Certainly not, especially for your wedding.”

His feelings for his daughter ran very deep. Partly it led from comparison with his wife. Where Marion could snap, Avice was gentle; where his wife was careful with money, Avice was generous; where his wife sought his errors and corrected them, Avice always congratulated him on his successes. In short, for Arthur Pole, the most important woman in his life was his daughter, and he would move heaven and earth to please her, no matter what the cost – and yet he wanted to make sure that his wife was not discountenanced. If she was upset, he would be the first to hear, every time, and he had no wish to see her with her nose out of joint over the matter of his daughter’s marriage. She had set her heart on having her daughter, her only daughter, marry a squire, and join herself to a decent, noble family. It was her only desire, and he did love his wife and respect her wishes.

His words made Avice quiet a moment. She had always been a dutiful daughter, but the thought of marrying John of Hatherleigh was not thrilling. John was the son of a knight, but the purpose of the match was advancement, not love: John was related to the de Courtenays.

The family was the most powerful in Devon, and any attachment to them could only reflect well on Arthur, and as Marion had pointed out, with the dowry Arthur would grant, Avice need not worry about John’s income. Yet she did worry, increasingly, as she thought of his thick lips and heavy brows, powerful shoulders and strutting arrogance. John looked the kind of man who might take pleasure in beating his wife.

Avice thrust the idea from her. The sun was shining, she was on her way to a fair, and the wedding was some way in the future. It was not worth worrying about. As Marion had said, he would probably listen to her, just as Arthur took advice from her mother. It was the way of marriage, in which the wife ordered all things in the household while the man saw to his duties outside. In any case, as she knew, it was the part of a daughter to accept the groom selected for her.

“Father, this house where we are to stay, is it close to the fair itself?”

“Yes, it’s in the town, but it’s only a short walk to the ground. I have stayed there before, in previous years, and there is plenty of space.”

“It was lucky you could find a place,” she said. Avice knew how quickly properties would be rented. One of the best opportunities the townspeople had for making money came from selling sleeping space to visitors for the duration of the fair.

“There was no luck. The owner was pleased enough to agree,” Arthur said. The amount he had offered had guaranteed it, but he didn’t grudge the expense. His margin would more than justify the costs. “Anyway, I didn’t want to arrive with you and your mother and then have to hunt high and low for a miserable hovel.”

“Mother wouldn’t like it!”

“Um, no.”

Avice glanced over her shoulder. Her mother was riding along comfortably enough with her maid beside her. Behind was Henry, her father’s groom, while Arthur’s steward rode in the wagon at the rear. It was the first time Avice had gone away with her parents on such an extended journey, and she was surprised at the military efficiency of the operation. The wagon held Arthur’s strongbox, filled with money and important documents. In case of emergencies, Arthur had brought several pewter plates as well, which could be used either for entertaining or pawned for cash. The entourage, with the three of them, two maids, the steward and a groom, was the largest Avice had been a part of, and she was filled with pride that her father could make such a brave show.

She caught a glimpse of dust far beyond the wagon. “Father, it looks as if someone else is making for the fair.”

“Eh?” Arthur turned and peered back. His first thought was that they were about to be waylaid, but his suspicion was groundless. There were only three riders galloping up behind them.

Outlaws were still all too common, especially on busy roads like this from Exeter. The famines of 1315 and 1316, still referred to with awed horror, had forced many to leave their land when the rain destroyed crops and left whole communities starving, and wandering bands of homeless and hopeless men robbed at will on all the main roads in the kingdom, but few of them could afford horses. The men approaching must be merchants.

“Good day, sirs,” he called as they came closer.

The first was a solid man in his late forties, paunchy, and with a florid face. His eyes were light gray, and creased with pleasure as he returned the merchant’s greeting courteously enough. Arthur thought he must come from one of the cities in the Papal States, or perhaps Florence or Venice; his accent was strange as he returned the greeting, “Good day. Are you travelling to the fair as well?”

“Yes. I have to buy wine. And you?”

“My son Pietro and I are to visit the Abbot of Tavistock.”

It was said with a calm hauteur, and Arthur accepted his subservient position. If the Italian could call on an Abbot, a man who ranked with a lord, he must be important. Once Avice was married to John, a little of that great family’s importance would reflect on him, but until then Arthur knew he was only a merchant, someone who might be rich, but who was insignificant compared with a man of God or even the poorest member of the nobility. Caste was important, and Arthur knew his place in society. He might well be one of the most affluent men in southern Devon, yet to a knight or baron he was simply a commoner, and as such unimportant.

Arthur passed a measuring eye over the man. There was no doubt in his mind that the stranger was very prosperous. His tunic was expensive, of softly woven wool, and his shoes were of supple red leather. At his belt was a sword, and Arthur wondered a moment whether he might be a knight, but although he carried the trappings, something struck a wrong note. Neither he nor his son displayed a shield; neither had heraldic arms woven into their clothing. Their servant, who led two packhorses laden with goods and a large box, was dressed only poorly in a coarse tunic with a linen shirt beneath and ordinary hose whereas a knight’s man-at-arms would have demonstrated how well-heeled his master was by wearing a costly uniform to display his rank and position. This servant was no better clad than Arthur’s groom.

The quality of their horseflesh jarred too. Though the animals were caparisoned in the latest style, with bells hanging from the harnesses and expensive tooling on the saddles and bridles, the beasts themselves were of low standard, not good palfreys but broken-looking ponies. It made Arthur blink in surprise as he glanced from one to another.

The son, Pietro, was well-formed-tall, with raven-black hair and the flashing dark eyes of the Mediterranean. He was dressed extravagantly: his hose were tight-fitting, and he wore a parti-colored tunic of red and green velvet. Arthur shot his daughter a glance. To his pleasure, he saw that Avice was maintaining a dignified lack of interest, staring ahead in her eagerness to catch sight of the town.

Arthur engaged the older man in desultory conversation as they rode, and found that his name was Antonio da Cammino; he was a merchant from Venice. From his speech, Cammino was wealthier than Arthur would have guessed. He spoke of a fleet of galleys trading between the cities of Italy, going as far as Palestine and Byzantium.

“You speak English very well,” Arthur complimented him respectfully.

“I have been dealing here for many years – I have an interest in some banking ventures. And now I am here to talk to the Abbot.”

“For business?”

The Venetian nodded. “While there is enmity between your King and the King of France, there are opportunities to make money.”

Arthur nodded. King Edward II was involved in a lengthy dispute with the French once more. The French King insisted on his right to hear appeals from the English King’s vassals in Gascony, but for the English to accept this, they must accept that the French crown was suzerain, and that was impossible while the Gascon territories yielded greater revenue than England. Edward II could not afford to see his lands diminished, they were crucial to him; he wanted to establish that he held Gascony as an alod, in full sovereignty, but the French wanted him to submit to the treaty of 1259 that conferred upon the French Crown rights of vassalage over the English King.

If the King was strong, there might be a way of negotiating a respectable settlement, but Arthur knew as well as any that Edward II was weak. He had no interest in politics. It was rumored that he was more interested in certain male court favorites than in matters of state, and his reputation as a warlord had been crushed with his soldiers at the disaster of Bannockburn. It was hardly likely that he would consider war against France. How could tiny England ever hope to win a war against so massive and powerful an enemy?

But Cammino was right: there was always a way to make money, even in a war. A merchant like him, with his own fleet, could import wines from Gascony, or help provision an army, or simply lend cash to a baron or king in need. And while hostilities remained verbal, a skillful man could build up his stores against the time when they would be needed, and earn a good profit.

Cammino’s son Pietro listened idly to the two men talking about their business, but he found his attention wandering to Arthur’s daughter.

Avice Pole was elegant for her fifteen years. Her skin was pale, her features finely molded, with soft doe-eyes and a slightly tip-tilted nose. Her brow was high, giving her a mature and intelligent look, and her hair, from what he could see under her fashionable little wimple, was chestnut. She looked serene and confident in her green tunic with the embroidery at hem and throat.

He was desperate to engage her in conversation, but Pietro had little experience of talking to women. His life had been one of constant travel, with few opportunities for dalliance, and he had no idea what topic would attract her. It was essential that he should see her again, intolerable that once they arrived in Tavistock he might not – ever. As their little company began to descend a hill he racked his brains to devise a scheme to meet her, but the solution was offered by Arthur himself.

“It has been pleasant to pass the journey in your company, sir. Would you be kind enough to accept a pot of wine with me? It will take time for my cart to be unloaded tonight, but there is a tavern at Tavistock. Perhaps I could entertain you there at compline?”

“I would be glad to, and you must bring your delightful wife and daughter,” he said, bowing graciously, and Pietro relaxed, shooting a quick glance at Avice. To his surprise, she was giving him a covert look from the corner of her wimple, and when he grinned, he was sure she returned it.

It was at the edge of a wood bordering the town’s plain that they first heard the friar.

“Do you know what you’re doing, eh? Do you realize your mortal danger? Everything you do is against Christ’s teachings!”

To Luke, Cammino’s servant, he looked like any wandering mendicant: thin, bowed as if from a great burden, with glittering, almost fanatical blue eyes. His hair, what was left below his tonsure, was gray with age, and his skin as brown as a peasant’s, as if he lived all his life in the open air. He wasn’t shouting or haranguing, but speaking sadly, as though convinced his message was essential if only people would listen.

At his side was a small gathering, most making merry at the cleric’s expense, and children played behind. One man appeared to be listening with interest, however – a rough-looking, barrel-chested, middle-aged man with grizzled hair and the heavy build of a farmer.

“My friends, haven’t you heard the words of St. Augustine? He told us business itself is evil. Money is evil: it taints your immortal soul. Do not go to the fair to make profit; profit is evil! Do you go to buy new cloths and fabrics? They are the traps of the devil, leading to the sin of pride. Why do you want to flaunt expensive clothing and dress your women in gold and jewels? If you buy up things you don’t need, you are guilty of the sin of avarice. The land is plentiful, there is food enough for all…”

Friars often selected individuals to harangue in order to emphasize their points, and with relief Luke saw the man’s eyes fall on Antonio and not him. “Master, are you here to sell goods?”

Antonio glanced down at the friar with distaste. “No, I am here to see the good Abbot.”

“You are a merchant, though. Friend, give up your life of evil! St. Jerome told us a merchant can seldom ever please God. It’s wrong to make money when you do nothing for it.”

“I work hard enough for my money,” said Antonio, flushing at the insult to his dignity.

“Buying goods wholesale and selling them for a higher price without doing anything to improve them is immoral, my son. It is condemned by canon law. My son, stop living your life of sin!” He had grabbed Antonio’s bridle, and stood beseechingly, his eyes holding the Venetian’s.

Antonio tugged his horse’s head free and swore under his breath. “My life is not sinful. I earn my money, and it’s people like me who give alms to you and your brothers so that you can preach at us. Here…” he pulled a few coins from his purse and threw them down “… take the money, if you don’t think it will taint your flesh! Now, leave me in peace!”

Spurring his horse, he rode on, and the others followed. Luke heard Arthur say consolingly, “These friars are a nuisance, but don’t let him upset you. He can’t understand business.”

“I’m just glad he didn’t know I issue loans as well,” Antonio chuckled. “Can you imagine what he would have said if he had heard I was a… a damned usurer!”

Friar Hugo stared after the little group riding down the slope. There were times when he felt that the struggle to save souls was too much for him. People were uninterested in the life to come; they were too tightly bound to their narrow, secular lives and couldn’t, or wouldn’t, raise their eyes to heaven.

Much of it, he knew, was the fault of corrupt churchmen. Since the Pope had moved to Avignon his sole interest was finance. Appointments were sold, no matter where in the church. Simony was rife, with bishops paying a year’s income for their benefices and then passing the cost down through the hierarchy, affecting – or infecting – all, from abbots to priests and friars.

And that was not the worst of it. Friars themselves were not living as St. Francis wanted. He, Hugo knew, had forseen the problems; when a novice had asked him for a psalter, St. Francis had refused him, saying that first he would want a psalter, and then he would want a breviary, and then he would sit in a chair like a great prelate and ask another brother to fetch it for him. To St. Francis, the possession of a single item could lead to avarice and the desire for authority over others.

Now friars were living in halls, their food and shelter guaranteed. They had immense buildings, and some didn’t even wear their habits but dressed as burgesses, ignoring the tonsure, letting their hair grow long and sporting beards. Many were known to father children. They would take small dogs with them when they went abroad, in order to tempt women into conversation, and then ravish them.

But Hugo took his vocation seriously. He rejected the world of money, of influence, of worldly goods. It was his duty – a solemn, holy duty – to save the souls of the sinners he saw each day.

“Brother?”

Hugo turned. It was the man who had stood by him as he preached. The friar gave a faint smile. If only one was prepared to listen, that was at least something. “Yes?”

“Is it right that a man should take money from another when he doesn’t need it?”

“Christ taught us that money is evil. It’s right that a man who creates a barrel should be rewarded for his labor, the same as a man who makes a tapestry, or a millwheel, but making money from money is a sin. If a man takes money he has not himself earned from his own labor, he is guilty of avarice, and that is a sin.”

Some of the crowd had returned, hoping that the friar was to be the target of ridicule. A little boy with a stick poked Hugo’s side, and he gently ruffled the lad’s head. “There’s too much hankering after riches in this world. Look at this boy – he doesn’t care for money. He doesn’t need bells of jewels or gold. He is content. If there was no greed for money, the world would be freed of much of its discord.”

At the sound of steps he faced the road through the woods again. “My friends, repent of your sins. Do you realize your peril? St. Jerome said…”

“Shut up, priest. We don’t need your sort to preach at us.” The speaker was a tall, swarthy character, with skin burned from wind and sun. He traipsed along at the head of a group of four, all dressed in cheap tunics and hose, and all armed with clubs and swords like men-at-arms. “We know how religious you and your brethren are, eating meat every day and taking whichever woman takes your fancy.”

“My son, I eat little meat, only some fish. Does my belly look as if I live on meat and wine? But your soul, if you come to the fair to fill your pockets, will be eating the devil’s food. If you come to make profits from other men’s labor, I will…”

“Shut up, old fool.” The man shoved Hugo out of the way. “We haven’t time to listen to your prating.”

“Come on, leave him alone, he’s doing no harm.” Hugo was gripped by the elbows and lifted from the roadway. The man who had questioned him now stood between him and the four. “He’s only trying to help people.”

“We don’t need his kind of help,” said the spokesman. “We’re watchmen – from Denbury – here to keep the peace, and if you get in our way you’ll not see the fair except through the clink’s bars.”

“Well, in case you don’t find me, my name is Roger Torre. I’d be happy for you to try to take me to the jail now, but…” he jerked a thumb toward the town “… you might find it hard to carry me so far. I’m heavy.”

Hugo could hear the light tone of Torre’s voice, but his stance betrayed his readiness. The watchman curled his lip, but was in no mood for a fight after walking over ten miles already that day. He shouldered his club. “I’m Long Jack. If you cross me, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“I doubt it,” Torre said cheerily, and stood back to let them pass.

On they trudged, and Hugo watched them disappear down the slope. “Thank you, my friend, for speaking for me, but don’t put yourself in danger to protect me.”

“I reckon you need someone to look after you, brother. But enough! Come with me, and I’ll buy you some beer. I want to talk to you about money.”