Mates

By: Will B
(© 2008 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Giles Jenkins arrives at the Manor to teach Ed and Henry, and the others, swordplay and use of the quarterstaff. He is staying in Alf the Cowman’s shed, and they seem to be developing a close relationship.

Chapter 3
The morning of 26 May 1644.

Edward Robinson awoke on a bright sunny morning. As he stretched awake, he realized that he had to take a pee. He used the chamber pot and went back to bed. He casually began to rub his lower abdomen. As he did so, his ‘third leg’ began to stretch itself awake and soon Ed was rubbing it, slowly at first, and then faster and faster, until . . . .

‘Hmmm,’ he thought to himself, ‘that was a good one, but I’ve got all this man seed all over my body. I think I’ll slip up to the pond and take an early morning dip and clean myself off.’

Ed got out of bed and put on his shirt and braies and opened the door. He was surprised to see….. his Father, who looked at him with a funny look on his face. “|Where you going, son?” Tom Robinson asked.

“Oh…., I just thought I would go up to the pond and a quick dip, and maybe practice that dog-paddling Master Giles was showing us.”

“Good idea, Ed. Would you like me to go with you?”

“Oh, ….er….no, Father, that’s all right. I’m not going to stay very long.”

“Well, I have absolutely no idea why you’re going up there at this time of day, no idea at all! Well, run along and don’t be late for breakfast.” Tom Robinson broke into laughter as he thought to himself, ‘Actually, my handsome, growing boy, there’s many a morning I would take an early dip, just like you, and for the same reason. Funny thing. John Thompson used to join me.

As he left the house, Ed wondered, “He couldn’t possibly suspect, could he?” Twelve years olds don’t always credit their parents with much common sense, do they?

Ed saw his friend Henry coming up the hill, so he stopped and waited for Henry to catch up to him. “Hmmmm…, you too?” Ed asked his friend.

“Yep, four good shots, and one even hit the wall over my head!”

The two boys got to the pond, stripped off their clothing and moved into the water, which was cold enough to cause considerable shrinkage on some parts of their bodies. They did their best to clean their bodies, and then they sat in the sun to dry off.

As they were getting dressed, they happened to look down the slope towards Alf’s shed. They saw Giles Jenkins come to the window wearing … absolutely nothing. As they stared, they saw Alf come up behind Giles. Alf was naked also. They saw Alf put his arms around Giles, and then they saw … Giles turn around, and embrace Alf, and kiss him….right on the mouth!

“Egads! Henry, waddaya think they’re doin’?” Ed asked.

“I don’t know, Ed, but I think it’s not something we should let on we’ve seen. I know I’ve seen my Mother and Father hug and kiss like that, and I know they love each other very much.”

“Yes, Henry, and I’ve seen my parents do the same thing. Do you suppose that that means that Alf and Giles love….each…other?”

The summer of 1644 merged into the autumn of the year, which blew into a cold winter. The New Year arrived on March 25 and as 1645 progressed the armistice between the royalist forces and the parliamentary army ended. Oliver Cromwell became the Lieutenant General of the New Model Army.

Ed and Henry were 13, and their bodies were growing. When the weather permitted, they would go up to the hillside to the pond, ‘to practice the dog-paddle’ as they said, but in reality, they were exercising other parts of their bodies—and getting pretty good at it.

Later that day, an invitation came from Sir Henry Rawlings of Rawlings Manor. The Robinsons and the Thompsons were invited to spend three days in early June at Sir Henry’s home. There was to be a great banquet, and a group of traveling players were to perform two plays, John Ford’s “The Ladies Trial,” and William Cartwright’s “The Royal Slave.” Although these plays were several years old, very few people in the neighborhood of Longleaf Manor or Rawlings Manor had seen these plays when they had first opened in London.

Very few plays were performed in London those days, because the Puritans had succeeded in closing the theatres. There were a few bands of traveling players who tramped the countryside, putting on plays in villages, staying for a day or two, and then moving on. Sir Henry had heard of this troop of players and engaged their services for Rawlings Manor.

On June 10^th the party from Longleaf Manor set out for their visit. Since Rawlings Manor was only about an hour’s ride away, Tom Robinson rode his horse with Mary riding astride behind him. John Thompson also rode his horse with his wife Elizabeth riding behind him, also astride. Ed and Henry each had their own ponies. Ned Smith and Alice Taylor, servants at the Manor, were also going. They were riding in a cart, piled with the baggage the families would need for their visit.

“Hold on tight, m’dear. I don’t want you falling off the back,” Tom said to his wife. “No fear, dear heart, I’m holding on to you as tightly as I can,” Mary replied.

Ed and Henry were riding side by side, and Henry said quietly to his friend, “This riding is making my manhood stiff—and my arse sore!”

“Hmmpf!” said Ed. “Seems to me that you’re always stiff these days! But I should talk! So am I! I wonder if Sir Henry has a pond like we do so we can practice our swimming—and other things. Heh heh.”

Ned and Alice were chatting also. “Can I come to your room tonight, Alice, my little turtle-dove?” Ned asked.

“Now stop that, Ned Smith,” Alice answered, and playfully smacked his hand away. “Don’t know where we servants will be staying, do we? I might have to share a room with three or four other women!”

“Ahh, my darlin’. We’ll find a way. Just you wait and see!” Ned said, and he put his hand on her knee, and then tried to move it farther up her leg.

Soon the party from Longleaf reached Rawlings Manor. Sir Henry came out to greet them, and after Tom and John had helped their wives dismount, he called for hostlers to see to his guests’ horses.

“Welcome to Rawlings Manor, Tom and Mary, and John and Elizabeth,” Sir Henry said. At age 55 he was still a fine figure of a man. His wife, Dame Jane at 53, had a ‘matronly’ figure, but a kind face that lit up in smiles as she welcomed the guests to her home. “Come, ladies, I’ll show you to your rooms. I’m sure the men will want to have a glass of ale and chat. Uhhh…. Ed and Henry, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve put the two of you in the same room.”

“Oh, no, Ma’am, we don’t mind at all. Do we, Henry?”

“No, not at all. Kind of you to invite us,” said Henry. Both boys thought they would have a good time sharing the same room.

Ned and Alice carried the luggage into the house and distributed the various pieces of baggage to the appropriate rooms. Then they were shown to their quarters. Alice had a small room all to herself, and just around the corner was another room, not too large, which had been assigned to Ned. “Very nice, I’m sure. Thank you, ma’am,” Alice said to Dame Jane. When he saw his room, Ned said out loud, “This is very nice and quiet. Thank you, ma’am,” but inwardly he was thinking ‘Blimey, I wonder how many nights I’ll be sleeping around the corner?’

While Ed and Henry were unpacking their few bits and pieces, Sir Henry was talking to his guests. “Those two boys of yours are growing up to be quite handsome young men. Tom, I think you should begin thinking about a possible wife for Ed. Now Squire Wyatt over Allingham way has a twelve-year-old daughter, Theresa. By all accounts she is a merry little thing and bright as a button, and she’s an only child, so eventually she will inherit Squire Wyatt’s property. You couldn’t do better….”

“Oh,” Mary Robinson interrupted, “But Ed is only 13. I’m sure he’s not thinking about marriage yet!”

“Now, Mary,” said Tom, “Of course he’s young, but Sir Henry is right. It wouldn’t do any harm to start thinking about it. But, I’ll say one thing to you all. I don’t hold with pushing young people into ‘arranged marriages,’ no matter how much property is involved!”

John Thompson spoke up, “I agree. ‘Arranged marriages’ are no good. Why look at the misery, I’ve suffered with … <His wife Elizabeth looked as if she was ready to hit him> …with the most beautiful, loving, caring, tender, wife in the world.” He looked at his wife and smiled tenderly.

“And her sister is not too bad, either,” Tom Robinson added, and he smiled and looked tenderly at his wife.

While the talk of marriage had been going on, Ed and Henry had been about to join the adults in the Hall, but they had hung back, listening.

“I don’t want to marry anybody, Henry.”

“Shh!” Henry said. “Listen. Your Mother just said you were a little young. Let’s go on in and act as if we hadn’t heard a word.”

Both boys went into the Hall, and behaved as properly as well-brought up English youths had been taught, but they were troubled in their hearts.

At dinner that night, Tom said to his host, “Tell us about these playwrights, whose works we’re going to see tomorrow. I’ve heard of Shakespeare and Spenser of course, but living down here at Longleaf Manor, I don’t get to hear the news from London very much.”.

“Well,” Sir Henry began, “I understand that John Ford was born about 1586 and died four or five years ago. He wrote a lot of prose and poetry, including a long religious poem, ‘Christ’s Bloody Sweat,’ but he also wrote some other works that were not so spiritual.”

“Oh, my,” said Mary. “He sounds as if he was quite an interesting person.”

“Yes, he was. He was recognized as an important playwright in his lifetime. A lot of plays deal with the struggles between individual actions and beliefs and conscience and the laws and morals of society in general,” Sir Henry said. “The Ladies Trial was written about 1638, and may be the last play he wrote.”

“What about this William Cartwright?” John Thompson asked.

“William Cartwright was born in 1611 and died just a couple of years ago,” Sir Henry went on. He was a clergyman and a playwright. He was so well liked that it is said that Hs Majesty the King wore mourning the day of Cartwright’s funeral. The play we’re going to see, ‘The Royal Slave’ was produced by the students of Christ Church before the King and Queen. Some say his plots are a bit stilted and artificial, but I hope you’ll enjoy it—enjoy both of them,” Sir Henry concluded.

“Oh, I’m sure we will, Sir Henry,” Mary Robinson said. “It was so kind of you to invite us, I know we’ll enjoy every minute of the plays.”

“Yes, I’m sure we will,” and “Certainly,” the others agreed

After a delicious dinner of capons roasted and stuffed in the ‘new French style’ with baked potatoes, a salad and apple tarts, Dame Jane and Mary and Elizabeth sat and did some needlework and talked about children, servants, cooking and politics. The men sat and talked about hunting, farming, running manors and politics. Everyone was concerned about a battle that was to be fought near a village called Naseby in a day or two.

When Ed and Henry went up to their room, they found a fire burning in the fireplace. On a table stood a pitcher of ale and two mugs. There was also a plate covered with a napkin underneath which reposed some pieces of marzipan. Dame Jane knew that growing boys had good appetites. In a small cupboard sat a clean chamber pot.

There was only one bed, but it was a good sized one. Fresh linen sheets had been placed on it with a light quilt, in case the night grew a little cool.

The window was open and a full moon gave some light the room.

“Look at this bed, Henry. I swear four people could be comfortable in it,” said Ed.

“I know, Ed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a comfortable bed. I’m about ready to get into it.” With that Henry took off his shirt, his leggings, and his shoes and stepped out of his braies.

Ed looked at him, and then did the same. Naked, but completely at ease, both boys got under the sheet.

After a few minutes of silence, Ed said, “You know, Henry, I’ve never thought much about the future. I just sort of thought that eventually you would be the Steward of the Manor, and we would be together, friends, just like we are now. I don’t want anything to change!”

“I know, Ed. I’ve hoped we would always be friends—and never be parted. You mean so much …. I care about….,” said Henry.

“Henry. Are you sniffling?” Ed asked.

“Oh, of course not! Men don’t …,” but Henry was sobbing quietly.

“Listen, Henry, even if marry, which I hope I don’t, we will still be friends. And…. I have an idea! There is something we can do to seal our friendship, something that nobody can ever take away from us … if you would want to.”

“What’s that, Ed?”

“Well, you know how we’re often together when we practice our dog paddles and that other exercise…”

“Yes, I specially like that other exercise. You know that!” said Henry.

How about I exercise with your pizzle, and you exercise with mine?”

“You mean, you pull my…, and I pull your…?”

“Exactly!” said Ed.

The two boys turned towards each other and shared a wonderful exercise of each other’s manly organs. Great gobbets of creamy man-seed erupted onto their hands, their chests, and their faces.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms, knowing that their friendship had been sealed in a very special way.

To be continued...

Encourager’s Comments: Quite an interesting chapter with a history lesson about English drama and playwrights. We also learned are Ed and Henry chips off the block when it comes to practicing manly arts at the pool. I have to say this but the ending of this chapter reminded me of the song ‘June Is Busting Out All Over’ except that we need change the title to ’The Boys are Bursting Out All Over in June.’ E

Posted: 01/30/09