14.1 Hiah-ê lóng 是 司法謀殺

Chiuⁿ 14.

14.1 Hiah-ê lóng sī su-hoat bô͘-sat

Tāi-chì sī án-ne: Grant tī Carradine koh lâi ê sî, iáu bē-tàng lo̍h-chhn̂g, m̄-koh i í-keng ē-tàng chē khí-lâi ah.

“Lí tāi-khài siūⁿ bē-kàu,” i tùi Brent kóng, “khòaⁿ hiah kú ê thian-pông, tùi-bīn piah khòaⁿ khí-lâi chiâⁿ bê-lâng. Á kā sè-kài se̍h-chiàⁿ, khòaⁿ khí-lâi koh-khah sī sè koh koài.”

Carradine tùi Grant ê chìn-pō͘ piáu-sī hoaⁿ-hí, Grant tōax kám-tōng. Siang-lâng lí-lâi góa-khì káng chi̍t-khùn chiah chìn-ji̍p chiàⁿ-tê. Grant seng khui-chhùi kóng: “Eh, York ka-cho̍k hiah-ê kè-sêng-jîn tī Henry VII ē-bīn, kòe-liáu án-chóaⁿ?”

“Oh, sī lah,” siàu-liân-ke kóng, gîm-chhut i hit-tha̍h koàn-sì chah ê pit-kì, kō͘ chiàⁿ-kha kau í-á hoâiⁿ-koaiⁿ, kā í-á thoa óa-lâi. I chē lo̍h-lâi: “góa tio̍h ùi tó-ūi khai-sí ah?”

“Hmh, Elizabeth [Edward IV ê tōa cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ] ê tāi-chì, lán í-keng chai ah. Henry chhōa yi, kàu sí chìn-chêng, yi it-ti̍t sī England Ông-hiō. Jiân-āu Henry koh bat siūⁿ boeh chhōa Spain hit-ê khí-siáu ê Joana.”

“Tio̍h. Yi tī 1486 nî chhun kè hō͘ Henry, chún-khak kóng, sī hit-nî it-goe̍h, its Bosworth chiàn-ia̍h āu 5 kò-goe̍h; yi sí tī 1503 nî chhun-thiⁿ.”

“17 tang. Khó-liân ê Elizabeth. Tòe Henry, he tiāⁿ-tio̍h kám-kak ná sī 70 nî neh. I sī hit-chióng, kóng khah hó-thiaⁿ leh, sī hit-chióng ‘bē thiàⁿ-bó͘’ ê cha-po͘ lâng. Lán kè-sio̍k khòaⁿ he ka-cho̍k miâ-toaⁿ. Góa sī kóng Edward ê gín-á. Hit nn̄g-ê cha-po͘ gín-á ê miā-ūn m̄-chai. Á Cecily [Edward IV ê tē-jī cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ] án-chóaⁿ ah?”

“Yi kè hō͘ Henry ê lāu a-kū Welles Hun-chiok, hông sàng khì seng-oa̍h tī Lincoln Kūn. Anne kap Katherine hit-sî iáu-sī gín-á, tán yin tōa-hàn liáu, kè hō͘ hāu-tiong Lancaster Phài ê kùi-cho̍k. Siōng sè-hàn ê Bridget, tī Dartford chò siu-lú.”

“Kàu chia it-chhè chèng-siông. Koh-lâi kóng siáng hó? George ê hāu-seⁿ.” 

“Sī. Siàu-liân Warwick. Chiong-sin koaiⁿ tī London Thah, āu-lâi in-ūi pī chí-khòng kè-ōe tô-ga̍k, pī chhú-sí.” 

“Sī án-ne oh. Á George ê cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ? Margaret.” 

“Yi chiâⁿ-chò Salisbury Pek-chiok Hj. Yi āu-lâi pī Henry VIII kō liap-chō ê chōe-miâ chhú-sí, he bêngx tō sī su-hoat bô͘-sat ê keng-tián àn-lē.” 

“Elizabeth [Edward IV ê sió-mōe] ê hāu-seⁿ neh? Hit-ê sūn-ūi hāu-pó͘ ê kè-sêng-jîn?” 

“John de la Pole (Lincoln Pek-chiok). I khì Burgundy tòa tī a-î (Margaret of York) hia, it-ti̍t kàu...” 

“Khì tòa Margaret, its Richard ê a-chí, hia.” 

“Tio̍h. I tī Simnel ê khí-gī chiàn-sí. Tān, i iáu ū chi̍t-ê sió-tī, lí bô kā lia̍t tī miâ-toaⁿ. Hit-lâng āu-lâi khì hō͘ Henry VIII chhú-sí. I goân-pún sī tī tit-tio̍h an-choân pó-chèng, hiòng Henry VII tâu-hâng, só͘-í góa siūⁿ, Henry khó-lêng kám-kak, bô siú pó-chèng ē tòa-lâi pháiⁿ-ūn. Hoâiⁿ-ti̍t, i thâi-lâng ê phòe-gia̍h mā iōng kah chha-put-to ah. Henry VIII tō bô hit-ê kìm-kī. I m̄-nā thâi De la Pole, iáu-ū miâ-toaⁿ bô ê sì-ê lâng: Exeter, Surrey, Buckingham, kap Montague. I chi̍t-khùi lóng kā in kái-koat tiāu.

“Á Richard ê hāu-seⁿ neh? John? Hit-ê thau-seⁿ..ê.” 

“Henry VII poah hō͘ i múi-nî 20 pōng ê nî-kim, tān i sī hit-tīn lâng lāi-té tē-it ê bô-miā ê.” 

“Chōe-miâ sī siáⁿ?”

“Chōe-miâ sī sia̍p-hiâm siu-tio̍h chiân-óng Ireland ê iau-chhiáⁿ.” 

“Lí teh kún-chhiò hioh?”

“Góa bô kún-chhiò. Ireland sī pó-hông phài poān-loān tiong-sim. York ka-cho̍k tī Ireland chin siū hoan-gêng. Chāi Henry khòaⁿ, siu-tio̍h hit-pêng ê iau-chhiáⁿ tō téng-î sī sí-hêng ê soan-phòaⁿ. Góa siūⁿ bē-thong, sī án-chóaⁿ liân Henry to m̄ pàng-kòe hit-ê siàu-liân John. Kin-kì Foedera (Kok-tēng Kong-sū Lo̍k), i sī chi̍t-ê ‘oa̍h-phoat, sèng-chêng hó ê cha-po͘ gín-á’ neh.”

“I ê kè-sêng khoân pí Henry khah chèng-tong,” Grant kóng kah chin hiam. “I sī Kok-ông ûi-it ê su-seng-chú. Á Henry sī Kok-ông siàu-liân hāu-seⁿ su-seng-chú ê kan-á sun neh.”

Hiān-tiûⁿ tiām-chēng chi̍t-khùn.

Jiân-āu, Carradine phah-phòa tiām-chēng, kóng: “Tio̍h.” 

“Tio̍h siáⁿ-hòe?” 

“Tō sī lí sim-lāi teh siūⁿ ê he lah.”

“Khòaⁿ khí-lâi tō sī án-ne, kám m̄-sī? In sī miâ-toaⁿ lāi-bīn ûi-jī sit-chong ê lâng.” Koh sī chi̍t-chūn tiām-chēng.

“Hiah-ê lóng sī su-hoat bô͘-sat lah.” Grant sûi-āu kóng, “Kō͘ hoat-lu̍t hêng-sek só͘ chò ê bô͘-sat. Tān lí bô hoat-tō͘ tùi nn̄g-ê gín-á chí-khòng thâi-thâu chōe.”

“Bô hoat-tō͘,” Carradine piáu-sī tông-ì, koh kè-sio̍k khòaⁿ thang-á gōa ê chhek-chiáu-á. “Bô hoat-tō͘. Tio̍h kō͘ pa̍t-ê hoat-tō͘ lâi chò. Chóng..sī, in chiah sī siōng tiōng-iàu ê.”

“Siōng bé-miā ê.”

--

章 14.

14.1 Hiah-ê lóng 是 司法謀殺

代誌是 án-ne: Grant tī Carradine koh 來 ê 時, 猶袂當 落床, 毋過 伊已經 會當 坐起來 ah.

“你大概 想袂到,” 伊對 Brent 講, “看 hiah 久 ê 天篷, 對面壁 看起來 誠迷人. Á kā 世界 踅正, 看起來 koh-khah 是 細 koh 怪.”

Carradine 對 Grant ê 進步 表示歡喜, Grant tōax 感動. 雙人 你來 我去 káng 一睏 才進入 正題. Grant 先 開喙講: “Eh, York 家族 hiah-ê 繼承人 tī Henry VII 下面, 過了 按怎?”

“Oh, 是 lah,” 少年家講, 扲出伊 hit 疊 慣勢扎 ê 筆記, kō͘ 正跤 勾 椅仔橫杆, kā 椅仔 拖倚來. 伊 坐落來: “我著 ùi 佗位 開始 ah?”

“Hmh, Elizabeth [Edward IV ê 大查某囝] ê代誌, 咱已經知 ah. Henry 娶她, 到死進前, 她一直是 England 王后. 然後 Henry koh bat 想欲 娶 Spain 彼个起痟 ê Joana.”

“著. 她 tī 1486 年 春 嫁 hō͘ Henry, 準確講, 是 彼年一月, its Bosworth 戰役後 5 個月; 她死 tī 1503 年 春天.”

“17 冬. 可憐 ê Elizabeth. 綴 Henry, he 定著 感覺 ná 是 70 年 neh. 伊是彼種, 講較好聽 leh, 是彼種 ‘袂疼某’ ê 查埔人. 咱繼續看 he 家族名單. 我是講 Edward ê 囡仔. Hit 兩个 查埔囡仔 ê 命運 毋知. Á Cecily [Edward IV ê 第二 查某囝] 按怎 ah?”

“她嫁 hō͘ Henry ê 老阿舅 Welles 勳爵, hông 送去 生活 tī Lincoln 郡. Anne kap Katherine 彼時 猶是囡仔, 等姻 大漢了, 嫁 hō͘ 效忠 Lancaster 派 ê 貴族. 上細漢 ê Bridget, tī Dartford 做修女.”

“到 chia 一切正常. 閣來 講 siáng 好? George ê 後生.”

“是. 少年 Warwick. 終身 關 tī London 塔, 後來 因為 被指控 計畫逃獄, 被處死.”

“是 án-ne oh. Á George ê 查某囝? Margaret.”

“她成做 Salisbury 伯爵 Hj. 她 後來 被 Henry VIII kō͘ 捏造 ê 罪名 處死, he bêngx tō 是 司法謀殺 ê 經典案例.”

“Elizabeth [Edward IV ê 小妹] ê 後生 neh? 彼个 順位 候補 ê 繼承人?”

“John de la Pole (Lincoln 伯爵). 伊去 Burgundy 蹛 tī 阿姨 (Margaret of York) hia, 一直到...”

“去蹛 Margaret, its Richard ê 阿姊, hia.”

“著. 伊 tī Simnel ê 起義 戰死. 但, 伊猶有 一个小弟, 你無 kā 列 tī 名單. 彼人 後來 去 hō͘ Henry VIII 處死. 伊原本是 tī 得著 安全保證, 向 Henry VII 投降, 所以我想, Henry 可能感覺, 無守 保證 會帶來 歹運. 橫直, 伊 刣人 ê 配額 mā 用 kah 差不多 ah. Henry VIII tō 無 彼个禁忌. 伊 毋但刣 De la Pole, 猶有 名單 無 ê 四个人: Exeter, Surrey, Buckingham, kap Montague. 伊一氣 lóng kā in 解決掉.

“Á Richard ê 後生 neh? John? 彼个 偷生..ê.”

“Henry VII 撥 hō͘ 伊 每年 20 鎊 ê 年金, 但 伊是 彼陣人 內底 第一个 無命 ê.”

“罪名是啥?”

“罪名是 涉嫌 收著 前往 Ireland ê 邀請.”

“你 teh 滾笑 hioh?”

“我無滾笑. Ireland 是 保皇派 叛亂中心. York 家族 tī Ireland 真受歡迎. 在 Henry 看, 收著彼爿 ê 邀請 tō 等於是 死刑 ê 宣判. 我想袂通, 是按怎 連 Henry to 毋放過 彼个 少年 John. 根據 Foedera (國定公事錄), 伊是 一个 ‘活潑, 性情好 ê 查埔囡仔’ neh.”

“伊 ê 繼承權 比 Henry 較正當,” Grant 講 kah 真薟. “伊是 國王 唯一 ê 私生子. Á Henry 是 國王 少年後生 私生子 ê 乾仔孫 neh.”

現場 恬靜一睏.

然後, Carradine 拍破恬靜, 講: “著.”

“著啥貨?”

“Tō 是 你心內 teh 想 ê he lah.”

“看起來 tō 是 án-ne, 敢毋是? In 是 名單內面 唯二失蹤 ê 人.”

Koh 是 一陣恬靜.

“Hiah-ê lóng 是 司法謀殺 lah.” Grant 隨後講, “Kō͘ 法律形式 所做 ê 謀殺. 但 你無法度 對 兩个囡仔 指控 刣頭罪.”

“無法度,” Carradine 表示同意, koh 繼續看 窗仔外 ê 粟鳥仔. “無法度. 著 kō͘ 別个法度 來做. 總..是, in 才是 上重要 ê.”

“上買命 ê.”

--

14.

14.1

Grant was not, as it happened, out of bed when Carradine came again, but he was sitting up.

‘You can’t imagine,’ he said to Brent, ‘how fascinating the opposite wall looks, after the ceiling. And how small and queer the world looks right way up.’

He was touched by Carradine’s obvious pleasure in this progress and it was some time before they got down to business. It was Grant who had to say: ‘Well, how did the York heirs make out under Henry VII?’

‘Oh, yes,’ said the boy, pulling out his usual wad of notes and drawing up a chair by hooking his right toe in the crossbar. He sat down on the chair. ‘Where shall I begin?’

‘Well, about Elizabeth we know. He married her, and she was Queen of England until she died and he made a bid for the mad Juana of Spain.’

‘Yes. She was married to Henry in the spring of 1486—in January, rather; five months after Bosworth—and she died in the spring of 1503.’

‘Seventeen years. Poor Elizabeth. With Henry it must have seemed like seventy. He was what is euphemistically referred to as “unuxorious”. Let us go on down the family. Edward’s children, I mean. Fate of the two boys unknown. What happened to Cecily?’

‘She was married to his old uncle Lord Welles, and[Pg 178] sent away to live in Lincolnshire. Anne and Katherine, who were children, were married when they were old enough to good Lancastrians. Bridget, the youngest, became a nun at Dartford.’

‘Orthodox enough, so far. Who comes next? George’s boy.’

‘Yes. Young Warwick. Shut up for life in the Tower, and executed for allegedly planning to escape.’

‘So. And George’s daughter? Margaret.’

‘She became the Countess of Salisbury. Her execution by Henry VIII on a trumped-up charge is apparently the classic sample of judicial murder.’

‘Elizabeth’s son? The alternative heir?’

‘John de la Pole. He went to live with his aunt in Burgundy until——’

‘To live with Margaret, Richard’s sister.’

‘Yes. He died in the Simnel rising. But he had a younger brother that you didn’t put in that list. He was executed by Henry VIII. He had surrendered to Henry VII under a safe-conduct, so Henry, I suppose, thought that it might break his luck to ignore that. In any case he had about used up his quota. Henry VIII took no chances. He didn’t stop at De la Pole. There were four more that you missed out of that list. Exeter, Surrey, Buckingham, and Montague. He got rid of the lot.’

‘And Richard’s son? John? The bastard one.’

‘Henry VII granted him a pension of £20 a year, but he was the first of the lot to go.’

‘On what charge?’

‘On having been suspected of receiving an invitation to go to Ireland.’

‘You’re joking.’

[Pg 179]‘I’m not. Ireland was the focus of loyalist rebellion. The York family were very popular in Ireland, and to get an invitation from that direction was as good as a death warrant in Henry’s eyes. Though I can’t think why even Henry would have bothered about young John. “An active, well-disposed boy“, he was, by the way, according to the “Foedera”.’

‘His claim was better than Henry’s,’ Grant said, very tart. ‘He was the illegitimate only son of a King. Henry was the great-grandson of an illegitimate son of a younger son of a King.’

There was silence for some time.

Then Carradine, out of the silence, said: ‘Yes.’

‘Yes to what?’

‘To what you are thinking.’

‘It does look like it, doesn’t it. They’re the only two who are missing from the list.’

There was another silence.

‘They were all judicial murders,’ Grant said presently. ‘Murders under the form of law. But you can’t bring a capital charge against a pair of children.’

‘No,’ agreed Carradine, and went on watching the sparrows. ‘No, it would have to be done some other way. After all, they were the important ones.’

‘The vital ones.’

--