Ritmennt - 01.01.1997, Blaðsíða 115

RITMENNT
WILLIAM MORRIS OG KELMSCOTT

Thiswas tlic
fcudal tcrm for
the ncxt rcla*
tionof adcccas'
cd vassal, upon
whom itdevol'
vcd to do hom-
agcforthclands
to thc fcudal
lord.
CHAPTERIII. HOW OTTOVON BORKRECEIVED
THE HOMAGE OF HIS SON.IN.LAW, VIDANTE
VON MESERITZ.& HOWTHE BRIDE & BRIDE'
GROOM PROCEEDED AFTERWARDS TO THE
CHAPEL. ITEM; WHAT STRANGE THINGS HAP.
PENED AT THE WEDDING.FE AST.
HEXT moming thc stir began in thc castlc
bcfore brcak ol day, and by tcn o'clock all
thc noblcs, with thcir wives and daughtcrs,
had asscmblcd in thc grcat hall. Thcn thc
bridc cntcrcd, wcaring hcr myrtlc wreath,
and Sidonia followcd, glincring with dia-
monds and othcr costly jcwcls. She worc a
’ robe of crimson silk witn a capc of erminc,
falling from hcr shouldcrs, and lookcd so
_________ bcautiful that I could havc dicd for love, as
shc passed & grcctcd inc with hcr graccful laugh J0 But Otto Bork,
thclord of tlic castlc, was sorc dispÍcascd bccausc his Sercnc Higlv
ncss thc Princcwas latccoming.and the companyhad bccnwaiting
an hour for his presence. A platform had been ercctcd at thc upper
cnd of thc hall covercd with bcarskin; on this was placcd a thronc,
bcneath acanopyofyellow vclvet,and hcrcOttowasscatcd drcsscd
in a crimson doublet, & wcaring a hat half rcd and half black, from
which dcpcndcd plumcs of rcd and black feathcrs that hung down
ncarly to nis bcard.which was asvcncrablcas a Jcw’s. Every instant
Íicdcspatchcd mcssengcrs to thc towcr to scc if the princcwerc at
hand, and as thetimc hungheavy, hc bcgan todiscourse his gucsts:
"Seehowthisturncr's apprcnticc must havc stoppcd on thc road
to carvc a puppct. God kccp us from such dukcs!’ For thc princc
passcd allhis lcisurc hours m turning & carving, particularly whilc
travclling, and whcn thc carriagc camc to bad ground, whcrc the
horses had to move slowly, he was dclightcd, and went on mcrrily
with his work, but wlicn the horses gallopcd, hc grew iILtcmpcrcd
and thrcw down his tools.
3T length thc wardcr announccd from thc towcr tliat
y thc dukc’s six carriagcswcrc in sight.and thc knight
spokc fromhís throne: "I shall rcmainhcrc.asbcflts
mc, but Clara and Sidonia, go yc forth and rcccivc
his highncss; &whcn hc has cntcrcd.thckinsman.
________fl in full amiour shall ridc into thc hall upon his war/
horsc, bcaring thc banncr of his housc in his hand, and all my rc-

taincrs shall follow on horses, each bearing hisbanncr also, & shall
range thcmselvcs by thc grcat window of thc hall; and Ict the wim
dows bc opcn, that the wind mayplaythrough the banncrs & makc
tnc spcctacle yct grandcr.”
B*^*' N all rushed out to mect thc Dukc,& I toowent,
‘ru'y thc court-yard prcsented a gorgeous sight,
S^jjl^SjalI dccoratcd as it was, & thc pridc and magniflcencc
M °f Eord Otto wcre hcrc fully displaycd; for from thc
^/frauppcr story of thc castlc fíoatcd thc banner of the
—Empcror, and just bcncath it thatof Lord Ottoítwo
crowncd wolves with golden collars on a field or for the shicld) and
thc crest a crowncd rcd-dccr springing. Beneath this banncr, but
mtich inferior to it in size and cxccution, w.tvcd that of the Dukcs
of Pomerania; and lowcstofall.hungthcbanncr of Otto’s feudal
vassals, but thcy thcmsclvcs wcrc not visible. Ncither did the kins-
ntan appcar to reccivc and greet his Highncss. Otto knew well, it
secms.that hc could dcfythc Dukc (howcver, I think if my gracious
Lord of Wolgast had bcen therc, hc would not have suUcrcd such
insults, butwould havc taken Otto's banner & flung it in themud)
jO Bc this as it may, Duke Barnim ncver appcarcd to noticc any-
thing cxcept Otto’s two daughters. Hcwas a íittle inan with a Iong
gray bcard, and as hc stcppcd slowly out of the carriage held a littlc
puppct by thc arm, which hc had bccn carving to rcprcsent Adam.
It was intcndcd for a prcscnt to the convent at Kobatz. His supcr-
intcndcnsgcncralis, FabianusTimxusfa digniflcd-lookingpcrson-
agc) accompanicd him in the carriagc, for his Highness was going
on the samc day to attcnd the dict at Trcptow, and only meant to
pay a passing visit hcrc. But Lord Otto concealed this fact, as it
hurt his pride. The othcr carriages containcd thc cquerrics & pages
of his Highness, & thcn followcd the heavywagonswith thccooks,
valcts, & stcwardsj^ Whcn the Prince entcrcd'the statc hall, Lord
Otto rosc from hís thronc, and said: " Your Highncss is wclcomc,
and I trustwill pardon mcfornot havinggone forthwith mygrcct-
ings; but thosc of a couplc of young damscls wcrc probably more
agrccablc than thc complimcnts of an old knight likc myseíf, who,
bcsidcs, as your Gracc perceivcs, is cngaged hcrc in thc cxcrcisc of
his duty. And now, I pray your Highness, to takc this seat at iny
right hand." Whcreupon he pointcd toaplainchair, not inthe Ieast
raiscd from the ground, and altogcthcr as common a seat as thcrc
was to bc found in thc hall; but his Highncss sat down quictly (at
whích every onc wondercd in silencc) and took thc littlc puppct in
•3
BogislafT: “And
so would I."
Opna úr Sidonia the Sorceress, bls. 12-13. Rauður farfi á kaflafyrirsögn og skýringum á spássíu.
Morris var mikill þyrnir í augum. Að hans dómi átti letur-
flöturinn að vera samfelldur dökkur vefur. Þeim Emery Walker
sem var aðalráðgjafi hans við undirbúninginn kom saman um að
leita í smiðju Jensons hins franska sem hóf að prenta með frá-
bæru fornalctri (antíkvu) í Feneyjum 1470.
Með því var stigið merkilegt skref. Ákveðið var að endurgera
gamalt letur sem löngu var hætt að nota, en þetta hefur síðan
orðið ein helsta uppspretta leturgerðar á 20. öld. í öðru lagi
markaði aðferðin sem viðhöfð var við leturgerðina tímamót og
athyglisvert er að hún er að verulegu leyti sú sama og Robert
Slimbach notaði við letrið Adobe Jenson, nýjustu Jenson-endur-
smíðina sem kom út í byrjun árs 1996, rúmum 100 árum síðar:
Telcnar voru ljósmyndir af bókarsíðum með letri Jensons og
stækkaðar milcið, síðan teiknaðir tilraunastafir, þeir ljósmynd-
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