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Updated: June 19, 2025
After sending down the five archers, Sir Eustace returned to his post over the main gate, "Get cressets and torches in readiness to light if they attack the postern," Sir Eustace said; "we must have light to see how things go, so that we may hoist the drawbridge as soon as our men are upon it, should the enemy get the better of them.
'At my nativity The front of heaven was full of fiery shapes Of burning cressets . . . . . . I can call spirits from the vasty deep. And few among the lower orders in the principality would think of asking Hotspur's irreverent question in reply. Among other traditions preserved relative to this part of the Welsh hero's character, is the old family prophecy which gives title to this tale.
The summoner cleared his throat pompously, and turning his parchment to the light of the cressets he read out a long document in Norman-French, couched in such a style and such a language that the most involved and foolish of our forms were simplicity itself compared to those by which the men of the long gown made a mystery of that which of all things on earth should be the plainest and the most simple.
Out of it broke a wild Scots yell, and in the light of the courtyard cressets a wave of men surged up in the breach. Brian's linstock fell on a falcon, and the little gun barked a hail of bullets across the Scots; Turlough's gun followed suit, and the first lines of men went down in a struggling mass. The Dark Master was not to be beaten this time, however.
"I will go on ahead," said the architect, "but first will you have the goodness to give all that you have in the way of cressets, lights and lamps to the slaves, who, in a few minutes, shall await your orders at your door." When Pontius had departed, Selene exclaimed with a deep sigh "Oh! what a fright I have had! I will go now and find the lamps. How terribly it might have ended."
A dim and subtly perfumed corridor opened out before them, its walls hung with tapestries, between which, by the light of sandal-oil mash'als, or cressets, the glimmer of the dull-gold walls could be distinguished. Pillars rose to the roof, and these were all inlaid with mother-of-pearl, with fine copper and silver arabesques of amazing complexity.
For over all there came a sense of fear, A sense of mystery the spirit daunted, And said as plain as whisper in the ear "This place is haunted." "Bring wood. Kindle a fire on the hearth here. Set torches in those cressets. Bring out the remains of our dinner. There is yet plenty of the vin de pays; let us eat drink, and be merry."
He thanked them from the bottom of his heart and they were invited to the official wedding, which would take place sometime tomorrow, most likely. Before the speech was quite finished, however, Hoddan and his weary following rode up into the patch of light cast by the cressets outside the walls. Thal bellowed to the battlements. "Prisoners!" he roared, according to instructions from Hoddan.
But we must return to our crusader and his fortunes. The hall of Walderne Castle was brilliantly illuminated by torches stuck in iron cressets all round, and eke by waxen tapers in sconces on the tables. All the retainers of the house were present, whether inmates of the castle or tenants of the soil. The Holy Land! That grave of warriors! How far away it seemed in those days of slow locomotion.
Doubtless it was her duty to keep her brother from marriage with a girl who, so long as her feet were moving in time to the violins and clarionets, did not even bestow a single side glance upon her estimable lover. So her displeasure had caused the early departure. Torch-bearers rode at the head of the tolerably long train of the residents of Ratisbon, and some of the guests carried cressets.
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