Chiuⁿ 7.
7.1 Thomas More tùi Richard III siáⁿ to m̄-chai
Hit-mê, Grant to í-keng koaiⁿ chhn̂g-thâu teng, pòaⁿ khùn pòaⁿ chhéⁿ, i ê sim-thâu chi̍t-ê siaⁿ án-ne kóng: “M̄-koh Thomas More sī Henry VIII sî-tāi ê lâng.”
Chit-kù ōe hō͘ i kui-ê chheng-chhéⁿ khí-lâi. I koh kā teng chhiat to̍h.
Tong-jiân, che siaⁿ ê ì-sù m̄-sī kóng, Thomas More kap Henry VIII sī kāng lâng, sī kóng, nā chiàu tiâu-tāi lâi hun jîn-bu̍t, Thomas More sī sio̍k-tī Henry VIII tiâu-tāi ê lâng.
Grant tó leh, ná khòaⁿ he teng chiò tī thian-pông ê kng-jiah, ná àm-tiong teh sǹg. Thomas More sī Henry VIII ê Tōa Hoat-koaⁿ, nā án-ne i it-tēng mā seng-oa̍h kòe tn̂gx ê Henry VII sî-tāi kap Richard III sî-tāi. Chia pit-tēng ū siáⁿ têng-tâⁿ..khì.
I chhun-chhiú khì the̍h More ê “Richard III ê Le̍k-sú.” Chheh thâu-chêng ū chi̍t-phiⁿ ōe-thâu kán-kài More ê it-seng, he i goân-pún bô siūⁿ boeh kā tha̍k. Taⁿ i hian he lâi tha̍k, boeh chai-iáⁿ More án-chóaⁿ ū khó-lêng sī Richard III ê le̍k-sú ha̍k-ka, koh sī Henry VIII ê Tōa Hoat-koaⁿ? Richard teng-ki ê sî, More kúi hòe ah?
I hit-sî 5 hòe.
Tng London Thah hoat-seng hit-bō͘ ná hì-kio̍k ê gī-chèng-hōe tiûⁿ-bīn ê sî, More chiah 5 hòe. Richard chiàn-sí tī Bosworth ê sî, i chiah kan-ta 8 hòe.
He le̍k-sú lāi-bīn ê chióngx lóng sī thiaⁿ-kóng ê.
Kéng-chhat siōng chheh “thiaⁿ-kóng” chit-ê sû. Te̍k-pia̍t sī kā he the̍h-lâi chò chèng-kì.
I thó-ià kah kā hit-pún pó-kùi ê chheh phiaⁿ-lo̍h thô͘-kha, jiân-āu chiah siūⁿ-tio̍h, he sī Kong-kiōng Tô͘-su Koán ê châi-sán, jî-chhiáⁿ i kan-ta ē-tit chioh 14 kang.
More kin-pún to m̄-bat Richard III. Khak-si̍t, i tōa-hàn tī Tudor ông-tiâu. Hit-pún chheh sī kui-ê le̍k-sú kài iú-koan Richard III chit-ê chú-tê ê Sèng-keng – in-ūi án-ne, Holinshed ùi hia the̍h châi-liāu, á Shakespeare mā kin-kì he chhòng-chok – tî-liáu More siong-sìn i só͘-siá ê sī chin ê, he kè-ta̍t pēng bô pí sū-peng só͘-kóng ê khah koân.
Che bē-su in piáu-chí Laura só͘-kóng ê “ê-kóng téng ê she.” M̄-sī kóng ê lâng chhin-ba̍k khòaⁿ-tio̍h ê “hok-im sū-si̍t.” More ū giâm-keh ê sim-su, jîn-keh chiàⁿ-phài, tān mā bē hō͘ chit-ê kò͘-sū piàn-chò ē-tit chiap-siū ê chèng-kì. Chēx kî-thaⁿ thâu-khak chheng-chhó ê lâng lóng chiap-siū Russia pō͘-tūi keng-kòe Britain ê kò͘-sū. Grant chhú-lí jîn-lūi chêng-pò ê tāi-chì ū-kàu kú ah, bô hoat-tō͘ chiap-siū bó͘-lâng tùi bó͘-lâng ē-kì-tit bat khòaⁿ-tio̍h a̍h thiaⁿ-kóng ê tāi-chì, kā he tòng-chò sī chin ê.
I kám-kak thó-ià.
I tio̍h chīn chá tit-tio̍h Richard té-miā ông-tiâu chin-chiàⁿ ê tē-it chhiú chu-liāu. Kong-kiōng Tô͘-su Koán bîn-á-chài tō ē-sái kā Thomas More Sià ê chheh the̍h tńg-khì, siáng hi-hán he 14 kang ah. Thomas Sià sī sûn-tō-chiá kap úi-tāi ê lâng, che lóng kap i, Alan Grant, bô tī-tāi. i, Alan Grant, bat kòe chēx úi-jîn, in bô phe-phòaⁿ-sèng, liân pián-á kiàn-siàu kah bīn-âng ê tāi-chì to siong-sìn.
I bat chi̍t-ê úi-tāi kho-ha̍k-ka, i siong-sìn chi̍t-tè butter mî-pò͘ sī i ê ko͘-pô Sophia, in-ūi chi̍t-ê ùi Plymouth āu-ke lâi ê, m̄-bat jī ê ang-î án-ne kā i kóng. I bat chi̍t-ê gián-kiù jîn-lūi sim-lêng kap he ê ián-hòa ê tōa khoân-ui, i in-ūi “khò ka-tī phòaⁿ-toàn, bô khò kéng-chhat ê kò͘-sū,” khì hō͘ chi̍t-ê bô-io̍h-kiù ê ok-kùn phiàn kah kng liùx. Á nā kóng kàu i, Alan Grant, bô siáⁿ pí lí he úi-tāi sim-lêng koh-khah khiàm phe-phòaⁿ-sèng, koh-khah gōng-tai ah lah. Nā kóng kàu i, Alan Grant, Thomas More í-keng tô-thài ah, chhú-siau ah, chhut-kio̍k ah; á i, Alan Grant, ùi bîn-á chá-khí khai-sí, boeh têng-sin ùi thâu koh khai-sí ah.
Khùn khì ê sî, i iáu-koh bo̍k-bêng ê kui-sim hóe-tōa, chhéⁿ lâi ê sî, i mā teh hóe-tōa.
“Lí kám chai, lín hit-ê Thomas More Sià tùi Richard III siáⁿ to m̄-chai?” Amazon ê tōa sin-khu chi̍t-ē chhut-hiān tī mn̂g-kháu, i tō án-ne kā yi tâu.
Yi kiaⁿ chi̍t-tiô, m̄-sī in-ūi i ê ōe, sī in-ūi i he siaⁿ-sàu. Nā koh kā kóng chi̍t-kù tōa-siaⁿ ōe, yi ê ba̍k-chiu bē-su tō boeh tih ba̍k-sái ah.
“M̄-koh, i tek-khak chai-iáⁿ neh!” yi khòng-gī kóng. “I oa̍h tī hit-ê sî-chūn.”
“Richard sí ê sî, i chiah 8 hòe,” Grant chhânx án-ne kóng. I só͘ chai ê, lóng sī thiaⁿ lâi ê. Kap góa kāng-khoán. Kap lí kāng-khoán. Kap hit-ê ta̍t-tit hoâi-liām ê Will Rogers kāng-khoán. Thomas More Sià iú-koan Richard III ê le̍k-sú, kin-pún bô siáⁿ-mih sîn-sèng. He put-kò sī thiaⁿ lâi ê, sī phiàn-kio̍k.”
“Lí kin-á chá-khí bô sóng-khoài hioh?” yi kip-chhiat kā mn̄g. “Lí kám-kak teh hoat-sio hioh?”
“Góa m̄-chai kám ū hoat-sio, m̄-koh góa ê hoeh-ap teh giâ.”
“Oh, thiⁿ ah, thiⁿ ah,” yi kóng, kā he tòng-chò chin ê. “Lí chi̍t-lō͘ lóng chin sūn-lī. Taⁿ Ingham Hō͘-sū ē chin kan-khó͘ neh. Yi it-ti̍t pûn kóng, lí hôe-ho̍k kah chin hó-sè.” Sè-lia̍p Chí kèng-jiân kā i tòng-chò chhàu-tōaⁿ ê chú-tê, che sī Grant thâu-pái thiaⁿ-tio̍h, m̄-koh che bô hō͘ i kám-kak tek-ì. Nā ē-tàng, i boeh hóx hoat-sio chi̍t-ē, bo̍k-tek sī boeh kā Sè-lia̍p Chì làu-khùi.
M̄-koh, chá-khí Marta lâi, hāi i hun-sim, bē-tit oân-sêng i he sim-lí chiàn-iâⁿ bu̍t-lí ê si̍t-giām.
Marta khòaⁿ sī tùi i ê sim-lí kiān-khong kài tek-ì, bē khah-su Sè-lia̍p Chí tùi i ê sin-thé chìn-pō͘ ê tek-ì. Yi chin hoaⁿ-hí yi kap James tī ìn-soat tiàm ê chhiau-chhōe tit-tio̍h chiah-hó ê hāu-kó.
“Koh-lâi, lí koat-tēng boeh pìⁿ Perkin Warbeck ah hioh?” yi mn̄g.
“Bô. Bô boeh pìⁿ Warbeck. Lí kā góa kóng, tong-chho͘ lí sī án-chóaⁿ chah hō͘ góa Richard III ê siàu-siōng? Richard bô siáⁿ sîn-pì, kám ū?”
“Bô. Góa siūⁿ, tong-chho͘ goán kā he tòng-chò sī Warbeck kò͘-sū ê chhah-tô͘. M̄-tio̍h. Tán chi̍t-ē. Góa kì khí-lâi ah. James hian-khí chit-tiuⁿ tô͘, jiân-āu kóng: ‘I nā tùi lâng-bīn tio̍h-bê, chia ū chi̍t-tiuⁿ hō͘ i khòaⁿ!’ i kóng: ‘Che sī le̍k-sú-siōngchòe ok-miâ ê bô͘-sat-chiá, tān chit-ê bīn chāi góa khòaⁿ, bē-su sī sèng-jîn neh.’”
“Sèng-jîn!” Grant kóng; jiân-āu siūⁿ khí siáⁿ-hòe. “‘Kòe-tō͘ jīn-chin hū-chek,’” i kóng.
“Siáⁿ-hòe?”
“Bô siáⁿ. Góa chí-sī siūⁿ-khí góa tùi chit-ê bīn ê tē-it ìn-siōng. He, chāi lí khòaⁿ, kám sī sèng-jîn ê bīn?”
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章 7.
7.1 Thomas More 對 Richard III 啥 to 毋知
彼暝, Grant to 已經關 床頭燈, 半睏半醒, 伊 ê 心頭 一个聲 án-ne 講: “毋過 Thomas More 是 Henry VIII 時代 ê 人.”
這句話 hō͘ 伊 規个 清醒起來. I koh kā 燈 切 to̍h.
當然, che 聲 ê 意思 毋是講, Thomas More kap Henry VIII 是 仝人, 是講, 若 照朝代 來 分人物, Thomas More 是 屬 tī Henry VIII 朝代 ê 人.
Grant 倒 leh, ná 看 he 燈 照 tī 天篷 ê 光跡, ná 暗中 teh 算. Thomas More 是 Henry VIII ê 大法官, 若 án-ne 伊一定 mā 生活過 tn̂gx ê Henry VII 時代 kap Richard III 時代. Chia 必定 有啥 重耽..去.
伊伸手 去提 More ê “Richard III ê 歷史.” 冊頭前 有一篇 話頭 簡介 More ê 一生, he 伊原本 無想欲 kā 讀. 今 伊掀 he 來讀, 欲知影 More 按怎 有可能是 Richard III ê 歷史學家, koh 是 Henry VIII ê 大法官? Richard 登基 ê 時, More 幾歲 ah?
伊彼時 5 歲.
當 London 塔 發生 hit 幕 ná 戲劇 ê 議政會場面 ê 時, More 才 5 歲. Richard 戰死 tī Bosworth ê 時, 伊才 干焦 8 歲.
He 歷史內面 ê chióngx lóng 是聽講 ê.
警察 siōng 慼 “聽講” 這个詞. 特別是 kā he 提來 做證據.
伊討厭 kah kā hit 本寶貴 ê 冊 抨落塗跤, 然後 才想著, 彼是 公共圖書館 ê 財產, 而且 伊 kan-ta 會得借 14 工.
More 根本 to m̄-bat Richard III. 確實, 伊大漢 tī Tudor 王朝. 彼本冊 是規个 歷史界 有關 Richard III 這个主題 ê 聖經 - 因為 án-ne, Holinshed ùi hia 提材料, á Shakespeare mā 根據 he 創作 - 除了 More 相信 伊所寫 ê 是真 ê, he 價值 並無比 士兵 所講 ê 較懸.
這袂輸 in 表姊 Laura 所講 ê “鞋管頂 ê 雪.” 毋是講 ê 人 親目看著 ê “福音事實.” More 有嚴格 ê 心思, 人格正派, 但 mā 袂 hō͘ 這个故事 變做 會得接受 ê 證據. Chēx 其他 頭殼清楚 ê 人 lóng 接受 Russia 部隊 經過 Britain ê 故事. Grant 處理 人類情報 ê 代誌 有夠久 ah, 無法度 接受某人 對某人 會記得 bat 看著 a̍h 聽講 ê 代誌, kā he 當做 是真 ê.
伊感覺 討厭.
伊著盡早 得著 Richard 短命王朝 真正 ê 第一手 資料. 公共 圖書館 明仔載 tō 會使 kā Thomas More Sià ê 冊 提轉去, siáng 稀罕 he 14 工 ah. Thomas Sià 是 殉道者 kap 偉大 ê 人, che lóng kap 伊, Alan Grant, 無 tī-tāi. 伊, Alan Grant, bat 過 chēx 偉人, in 無批判性, 連諞仔 見笑 kah 面紅 ê 代誌 to 相信.
伊 bat 一个偉大 科學家, 伊相信 一塊 butter 棉布 是伊 ê 姑婆 Sophia, 因為一个 ùi Plymouth 後街來 ê, m̄-bat 字 ê 尪姨 án-ne kā 伊講. 伊 bat 一个 研究 人類心靈 kap he ê 演化 ê 大權威, 伊因為 “靠 ka-tī 判斷, 無靠 警察 ê 故事,” 去 hō͘ 一个 無藥救 ê 惡棍 騙 kah 光 liùx. Á 若講到伊, Alan Grant, 無啥 比你 he 偉大心靈 閣較欠 批判性, 閣較戇呆 ah lah. 若講到伊, Alan Grant, Thomas More 已經淘汰 ah, 取消 ah, 出局 ah; á 伊, Alan Grant, ùi 明仔早起 開始, 欲重新 ùi 頭 koh 開始 ah.
睏去 ê 時, 伊 猶閣莫名 ê 規心火大, 醒來 ê 時, 伊 mā teh 火大.
“你敢知, 恁彼个 Thomas More Sià 對 Richard III 啥 to 毋知?” Amazon ê 大身軀 一下 出現 tī 門口, 伊 tō án-ne kā 她投.
她驚一趒, 毋是 因為伊 ê 話, 是因為伊 he 聲嗽. 若 koh kā 講一句 大聲話, 她 ê 目睭袂輸 tō 欲滴目屎 ah.
“毋過, 伊的確知影 neh!” 她抗議講. “伊活 tī 彼个時陣.”
“Richard 死 ê 時, 伊才 8 歲,” Grant chhânx án-ne 講. 伊所知 ê, lóng 是聽來 ê. Kap 我仝款. Kap 你仝款. Kap 彼个 值得懷念 ê Will Rogers 仝款. Thomas More Sià 有關 Richard III ê 歷史, 根本 無啥物 神聖. He 不過 是聽來 ê, 是騙局.”
“你 今仔早起 無爽快 hioh?” 她急切 kā 問. “你感覺 teh 發燒 hioh?”
“我毋知 敢有發燒, 毋過我 ê 血壓 teh 夯.”
“Oh, 天 ah, 天 ah,” 她講, kā he 當做真 ê. “你一路 lóng 真順利. 今 Ingham 護士 會真艱苦 neh. 她一直 歕講, 你回復 kah 真好勢.”
Sè-lia̍p Chí 竟然 kā 伊當做 臭彈 ê 主題, 這是 Grant 頭擺聽著, 毋過 che 無 hō͘ 伊感覺得意. 若會當, 伊欲 hóx 發燒一下, 目的是欲 kā Sè-lia̍p Chì 落氣.
毋過, 早起 Marta 來, hāi 伊分心, 袂得完成伊 he 心理 戰贏 物理 ê 實驗.
Marta 看是 對伊 ê 心理健康 kài 得意, 袂較輸 Sè-lia̍p Chí 對伊 ê 身體進步 ê 得意. 她真歡喜 她 kap James tī 印刷店 ê 搜揣得著 chiah 好 ê 效果.
“閣來, 你決定 欲 pìⁿ Perkin Warbeck ah hioh?” 她問.
“無. 無欲 pìⁿ Warbeck. 你 kā 我講, 當初 你 是按怎 扎 hō͘ 我 Richard III ê 肖像? Richard 無啥神祕, 敢有?”
“無. 我想, 當初阮 kā he 當做是 Warbeck 故事 ê 插圖. 毋著. 等一下. 我記起來 ah. James 掀起 這張圖, 然後講: ‘伊若 對人面 著迷, chia 有一張 hō͘ 伊看!’ 伊講: ‘這是 歷史上 最惡名 ê 謀殺者, 但 這个面 在我看, 袂輸 是聖人 neh.’”
“聖人!” Grant 講; 然後 想起啥貨. “‘過度 認真負責,’” 伊講.
“啥貨?”
“無啥. 我只是 想起 我對 這个面 ê 第一印象. He, 在你看, 敢是聖人 ê 面?”
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7.
7.1
Grant had switched off his bedside light that night, and was half asleep, when a voice in his mind said; ‘But Thomas More was Henry the Eighth.’
This brought him wide awake. He flicked the light on again.
What the voice had meant, of course, was not that Thomas More and Henry the Eighth were one and the same person, but that, in that business of putting personalities into pigeon-holes according to reigns, Thomas More belonged to the reign of Henry the Eighth.
Grant lay looking at the pool of light that his lamp threw on the ceiling, and reckoned. If Thomas More was Henry VIII’s Chancellor, then he must have lived through the whole of Henry VII’s long reign as well as Richard III’s. There was something wrong somewhere.
He reached for More’s History of Richard III. It had as preface a short life of More which he had not bothered to read. Now he turned to it to find out how More could have been both Richard III’s historian and Henry VIII’s Chancellor. How old was More when Richard succeeded?
He was five.
When that dramatic council scene had taken place at the Tower, Thomas More had been five years old. He had been only eight when Richard died at Bosworth.
Everything in that history had been hearsay.
[Pg 84]And if there was one word that a policeman loathed more than another it was hearsay. Especially when applied to evidence.
He was so disgusted that he flung the precious book on to the floor before he remembered that it was the property of a Public Library and his only by grace and for fourteen days.
More had never known Richard III at all. He had indeed grown up under a Tudor administration. That book was the Bible of the whole historical world on the subject of Richard III—it was from that account that Holinshed had taken his material, and from that that Shakespeare had written his—and except that More believed what he wrote to be true it was of no more value than what the soldier said. /
It was what his cousin Laura called ’snow on their boots’. A ‘gospel-true’ event seen by someone other than the teller. That More had a critical mind and an admirable integrity did not make the story acceptable evidence. A great many otherwise admirable minds had accepted that story of the Russian troops passing through Britain. Grant had dealt too long with the human intelligence to accept as truth someone’s report of someone’s report of what that someone remembered to have seen or been told.
He was disgusted.
At the first opportunity he must get an actual contemporary account of the events of Richard’s short reign. The Public Library could have Sir Thomas More back tomorrow and be damned to their fourteen days. The fact that Sir Thomas was a martyr and a Great Mind did not cut any ice at all with him, Alan Grant. He, Alan Grant, had known Great Minds so uncritical that[Pg 85] they would believe a story that would make a con. man blush for shame. /
He had known a great scientist who was convinced that a piece of butter muslin was his great-aunt Sophia because an illiterate medium from the back streets of Plymouth told him so. He had known a great authority on the Human Mind and Its Evolution who had been taken for all he had by an incurable knave because he ‘judged for himself and not on police stories’. As far as he, Alan Grant, was concerned there was nothing so uncritical or so dam-silly as your Great Mind. As far as he, Alan Grant, was concerned Thomas More was washed out, cancelled, deleted; and he, Alan Grant, was beginning from scratch again tomorrow morning.
He was still illogically fuming when he fell asleep, and he woke fuming.
‘Do you know that your Sir Thomas More knew nothing about Richard III at all?’ he said, accusing, to The Amazon the moment her large person appeared in the doorway.
She looked startled, not at his news but at his ferocity. Her eyes looked as if they might brim with tears at another rough word.
‘But of course he knew!’ she protested. ‘He lived then.’
‘He was eight when Richard died,’ Grant said, relentless. ‘And all he knew was what he had been told. Like me. Like you. Like Will Rogers of blessed memory. There is nothing hallowed at all about Sir Thomas More’s history of Richard III. It’s a damned piece of hearsay and a swindle.’
‘Aren’t you feeling so well this morning?’ she asked anxiously. ‘Do you think you’ve got a temperature?’
[Pg 86]‘I don’t know about a temperature, but my blood pressure’s away up.’
‘Oh dear, dear,’ she said, taking this literally. ‘And you were doing so very well. Nurse Ingham will be so distressed. She has been boasting about your good recovery.’
That The Midget should have found him a subject for boasting was a new idea to Grant, but it was not one that gave him any gratification. He resolved to have a temperature in earnest if he could manage it, just to score off The Midget.
But the morning visit of Marta distracted him from this experiment in the power of mind over matter.
Marta, it seemed, was pluming herself on his mental health very much as The Midget was pluming herself on his physical improvement. She was delighted that her pokings-about with James in the print shop had been so effective.
‘Have you decided on Perkin Warbeck, then?’ she asked.
‘No. Not Warbeck. Tell me: what made you bring me a portrait of Richard III? There’s no mystery about Richard, is there?’
‘No. I suppose we took it as illustration to the Warbeck story. No, wait a moment. I remember. James turned it up and said: “If he's mad about faces, there's one for him!” He said: “That’s the most notorious murderer in history, and yet his face is in my estimation the face of a saint”.’
‘A saint!’ Grant said; and then remembered something. ‘“Over-conscientious”,’ he said.
‘What?’
[Pg 87]‘Nothing. I was just remembering my first impressions of it. Is that how it seemed to you: the face of a saint?’
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