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university of 
 
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OLD ENGLISH FAIRY TALES 
 
OLD 
 ENGLISH FAIRY TALES 
 
 COLLECTED BY 
 
 S. BARING GOULD, M.A. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "mEHALAH" " THE TRAGEDY OF THE CAESARS ' 
 "old COUNTRY life" ETC. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY F. D. BEDFORD 
 
 METHUEN & CO. 
 
 36 ESSEX STREET, W. C. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 1895 
 
7- 
 
PREFACE 
 
 It has been to me a matter of surprise that no 
 collection has been made and adapted to the reading 
 of children of the old delightful English folk tales 
 and traditionary stories that exist, scattered up and 
 down in all manner of places. 
 
 We have had for their delectation numerous 
 editions of the French tales of Perault and the 
 Countess D'Aulnoy, and the German stories ot 
 Grimm, but our own native springs have been 
 neglected. There is a singular perversity in the 
 English character — that it will seek abroad, and 
 and value what is foreign, and neglect and disparage 
 what is native. This, which has blighted our drama, 
 our music, our architecture, affects even our nursery 
 literature. Recently, indeed, Mr. Jacobs has issued 
 his English Fairy Tales in two volumes, — a first and 
 second series, — but he has taken mostly modern 
 folk tales, and he has not gone to the ancient sources, 
 whence may be drawn some of the best old English 
 fairy tales. I now give English children an instal- 
 
 5 
 
Preface 
 
 ment of seventeen, and two that are Welsh, told in 
 my own way, and in most cases expanded, as 
 I have seen fit. The bare bones that I have 
 attempted to reclothe with flesh are accessible 
 to antiquaries and bibliographers. I give them 
 references where to find these. But this book is 
 not written for them, but for children, be it well 
 understood ; and it is written by one who as a 
 a child was greedy after fairy tales, and is not 
 ashamed to add, loves them dearly still. If I have 
 woven two and even more tales into one, or in- 
 troduced episodes from others, then I have used that 
 licence which belongs to every old woman who tells 
 stories to children. The incidents in fairy tales are 
 like kaleidoscopic particles, ever entering into new 
 combinations. If English children like native-grown 
 tales, then let me assure them the spring is not 
 exhausted ; I have more wherewith to supply them. 
 
 S. BARING GOULD. 
 
 Lew Trenchard, N. Devon. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I. CATSKIN . 
 II. THE GARDENER PRINCE . 
 III. THE GOLDEN BULL 
 IV. SOUTHERNWOOD . 
 V. THE shepherd's DAUGHTER 
 VI. THE TURKEY FACTOR 
 VII. THE UNDUTIFUL DAUGHTER 
 VIII. THE SHEPHERDS OF SALISBURY PLAIN 
 IX. KING HORN 
 
 X. HAVELOCK AND ARGENTILE 
 XI. THE MAN WITH THE BELL 
 XII. CADWALLON 
 XIII. THE STORY OF KING EDMUND 
 XIV. DESIDERATUS 
 XV. SIR GREY, SIR GRAHAM, AND SIR GREYSKIN 
 XVI. ROBERT THE EVIL 
 XVII. THE CROWN OF WHITE ROSES , 
 XVIII. THE BADGER IN THE BAG 
 XIX. THE FOUR FRIENDS 
 
 39 
 
 61 
 
 Si 
 
 103 
 
 123 
 
 141 
 
 159 
 177 
 195 
 217 
 
 235 
 253 
 ^11 
 293 
 313 
 351 
 
 387 
 
SUBJECTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 I. Catskin — 
 
 Catskin dressing in the barn for the ball . .12 
 
 II. The Gardener Prince — 
 
 Oriol dissuading Marcella from plucking the rose . 43 
 
 III. The Golden Bull — 
 
 The Princess steps out of the Golden Bull and con- 
 fronts the three ladies of the court . . .60 
 
 IV. Southernwood— 
 
 Southernwood discovers the true Reeve of Lynn, when 
 
 in search of the golden ball . . . .80 
 
 V. The Shepherd's Daughter— 
 
 Sweetpea follows William to London for justice for 
 
 the loss of her sheep, which his dog has slain . 102 
 
 VI. The Turkey Factor— 
 
 The Old Grey Man of the Sea . . . .131 
 
 VII. The Undutiful Daughter— 
 
 The undutiful daughter has her fortune told by the 
 
 witch of Norwood ..... 140 
 
 VIII. The Shepherds of Salisbury Plain— 
 
 Raymond as a shepherd and Imogen as a shep- 
 herdess . . . . . .15^ 
 
 9 
 
Subjects of Illustrations 
 
 IX. King Horn— 
 
 Horn, disguised as a palmer, takes his place among the 
 
 beggars at the gate . . . . " . 187 
 
 X. Havelock and Argentile — 
 
 Argentile wakes to see flames issuing from Havelock's 
 
 mouth ...... 203 
 
 XI. The Man with the Bell — 
 
 The old man with the bell . . . .219 
 
 XII. Cadwallon — 
 
 Brian hides the brazen horse with boughs, and sets out 
 
 for York as a beggar .... 246 
 
 XIII. The Story of King Edmund — 
 
 Thora feeds the little snake with milk . . . 255 
 
 XIV. Desideratus— 
 
 Desideratus discovers the fair maid filling the golden 
 
 bowls ...... 272 
 
 XV. Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin — 
 
 Sir Greyskin conquers Sir Graham . . . 292 
 
 XVI. Robert the Evil — 
 
 Robert, in the garden, hears a voice from heaven, and 
 
 Starts at the appearance of the horse and armour . 312 
 
 XVII. The Crown of White Roses — 
 
 The mason's wife leads the nobleman to the trap door, 
 
 through which he disappears . . . 357 
 
 xviii. The Badger in the Bag 
 
 Powel leaves his knights in the orchard, and, clad as a 
 
 beggar, sets out for the palace . . . 366 
 
 xix. The four Friends — 
 
 Wall, son of Clud, studying the Black Art . . 386 
 
 10 
 
I 
 
 CATSKIN 
 
 A WEALTHY nobleman had a wife whom he loved 
 well. He was most ambitious to have a son to 
 whom he could leave his name and his titles. But 
 the first child given him was a daughter. 
 
 He bore his disappointment as best he might. 
 " Let us hope," said he, " that the next will be a 
 boy." 
 
 After about a twelvemonth he had another child, 
 and again it was a girl. He was now very irritated, 
 and his wife could not get him out of his sorr}' 
 temper. He used bad words. " If," said he, " the 
 next that comes be a girl, I will turn her out of the 
 house." 
 
 A year passed, and then the nobleman's wife had 
 another baby, and again it was a girl. 
 
 He was so angry that he would not look at it, 
 and his wife had the greatest difficulty in persuading 
 him to keep the child at home. He only consented 
 to do so in the hope that his next child might be a 
 
The Old English Fairv Tales 
 
 boy. He used worse words than before. But one 
 year passed, and then another, and then a third, and 
 no other children arrived. So the nobleman became 
 more morose, and showed great dislike to his 
 youngest child, because she was a girl and not a 
 boy. So from bad words he went to bad acts. He 
 did not even kiss her, or speak to her kindly. 
 Nevertheless, he provided that she should be well 
 instructed, and he gave her dresses suitable to her 
 rank. 
 
 At a very early age he fulfilled his resolution to 
 have her sent away. She was confided to one who 
 had ever been a good friend to her mother in the 
 country far away from home, and her father never 
 went to see her, never seemed to care when was her 
 birthday ; he regarded her as an encumbrance, for 
 whom he was obliged to pay money to have her 
 properly dressed and fed and educated. 
 
 Now when to full stature 
 
 This maiden was grown, 
 And found from her father 
 
 No love to her shown, 
 She cried, " I no longer 
 
 Will lie 'neath his frown : 
 I'm resolved to travel 
 
 The land up and down." 
 
 Now hearken, good people, 
 The cream of the jest. 
 
 In what sort of manner 
 This damsel was dressed. 
 
 Of catskins she made her 
 A garment all hair, 
 
 The which for a covering- 
 She daily did wear. 
 
 14 
 
Catskin 
 
 Her own rich attire, 
 
 Her jewels beside, 
 All up in a bundle 
 
 Securely were tied. 
 And seeking- her fortune 
 
 Away did she fare, 
 With cap all of catskins 
 
 About her brown hair. 
 
 Now she came, in this singular garment made all 
 of catskins, after a long walk, to a castle gate near a 
 town, and, being very weary, she seated herself on 
 the steps of the castle gate. The time was winter, 
 and the snow lay on the ground, and but for her 
 warm dress of catskins she would have perished. 
 
 The dogs barked furiously, and jumped snarling 
 and snapping about her ; they thought she was some 
 strange beast. 
 
 Then the lady of the castle, hearing the noise, 
 came to the door, and she ordered the dogs to be 
 quiet. She wondered at seeing one dressed all in 
 fur seated on the steps. The lady asked what 
 manner of person or animal that was. Then the 
 girl stood up and took off her cap, and her beautiful 
 brown hair fell down over her shoulders, and the 
 lady saw that this was no beast, but a girl. 
 
 She said — 
 
 "Whence comest thou, maiden, 
 
 And what wouldst thou have?" 
 She said, "A night's lodging- 
 
 In your stable I crave." 
 The lady said to her, 
 
 "I grant your desire. 
 Come into the kitchen, 
 
 And stand by the fire." 
 15 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then she thanked the lady, 
 
 She went with great haste, 
 And there she was gazed on 
 
 From highest to least. 
 And being well warmed, 
 
 Her hunger was great, 
 They gave her a plate 
 
 Of good porridge to eat. 
 
 And then to an outhouse 
 
 The damsel was led. 
 Where soon in the fresh straw 
 
 She made her a bed. 
 And when in the morning 
 
 The daylight she saw, 
 Her gowns and her jewels 
 
 She hid in the straw. 
 
 Then the girl came into the kitchen, and asked if 
 she might do some service there. 
 
 The cook replied, that he would take her as a 
 scullion, to wash up the dishes, and turn the spit, 
 and brush out the ashes in the oven. 
 
 "What sayest thou, maiden, 
 
 Dost thou will to abide?" 
 "With all my heart truly," 
 
 To him she replied. 
 
 The damsel wore only her habit made of catskins, 
 and she spoke little or none, and would say nothing 
 as to whence she came, nor what was her name. 
 So the cook and the servants, and also the lord 
 and his lady, called her by no other name than 
 Catskin. 
 
 Time passed, and Catskin worked hard in the 
 kitchen, and was gentle and obedient and obliging. 
 
 l6 
 
Catskin 
 
 Now the lord of the castle had an only son, a 
 tall and handsome young man, aged twenty, and he 
 was wont to go a-hunting and to play bowls ; and 
 Catskin often saw him, though he never noticed 
 her. 
 
 It fell out that the king came to the town, and 
 there was accordingly much entertainment given to 
 him, and the mayor and corporation announced 
 that they would have three splendid balls in the 
 Guild Hall on three consecutive nights for the 
 entertainment of the king. The nobleman's son 
 was invited, and prepared to go. 
 
 Then Catskin plucked up courage, and said to 
 the lady, " I pray you, madam, suffer me to go 
 to the ball to-night ; I have worked hard for a 
 twelvemonth and a day, and have had no holiday 
 pleasure." 
 
 When the lady heard this, she was very angry, 
 and she had a ladle in her hand, and with it she 
 struck the girl on the back with such force that 
 she broke the ladle in two. Thereupon, crying, 
 Catskin ran out of the kitchen, and hid herself in 
 the barn. 
 
 Presently she heard a sound outside, and, jumping 
 forth, saw the young nobleman mount his horse to 
 go away to the ball. 
 
 Now one of the serving-men saw Catskin's face 
 peeping out, so he ran and laid hold of her, drew 
 her forth into the courtyard, and said to his master 
 " See, sir ! here is the scullion girl — she has been 
 crying that she would go to the ball." 
 2 17 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then the young man laughed, and said, "Catskin, 
 will you dance with me ? " 
 
 She answered, " Ah, sir, if it were to chance 
 that I could get to the ball, indeed I would." 
 
 " Be it so, Catskin ; I shall expect you.". 
 
 Then, laughing heartily, he rode away. 
 
 No sooner was he gone than Catskin put off her 
 fur dress, washed herself, combed out her beautiful 
 brown hair, that she wore under a cap from which 
 hung seven cats' tails, and clothed herself in fine 
 linen and lace, and a beautiful silken dress, the 
 colour of the blue sky in spring, and she decorated 
 her hair with daisies. And when thus dressed, she 
 tripped away to the town, and was admitted into 
 the great hall, and danced that evening with the 
 young nobleman. 
 
 He did not know who she was, but he thought 
 that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever 
 seen. 
 
 "The dance being done, 
 
 The young squire did say, 
 * Fair lady, where live you ? 
 
 Now tell me, I pray.' 
 The answer she made him 
 
 Was—" Sir, I will tell : 
 At the sign of the Ladle 
 
 That is broken, I dwell.'" 
 
 Now, during the dance, very nimbly, Catskin 
 slipped away, and hastened over the fields back to 
 the castle, went into the barn, and threw off and 
 concealed her silken dress. She covered herself 
 again with catskins, and put over her hair the 
 fur cap with the seven pussy-cat tails ; and was 
 
 i8 
 
Catskin 
 
 as comical an object as ever. Very soon also her 
 face and hands were grimy, for the cook was going 
 to bake, and he made her go into the oven, and 
 brush out all the ashes that were there. You may 
 believe me, there was great talk among the servants 
 about the beautiful lady in the sky-blue silk who 
 had danced at the ball. For there had been the 
 serving-men of the young nobleman there, who had 
 attended on the guests, and they told how their 
 master had danced with this beautiful and unknown 
 lady. 
 
 Some laughed at Catskin and said to her, " Hey, 
 Catskin ! how would you have liked to be there ? 
 That would have been rare sport to see you with 
 your cat tails flying about. I warrant the king 
 would have led you out to dance the hay." ^ 
 
 " Very like he would," answered Catskin. Whereat 
 all fell a-laughing more loudly than ever. 
 
 Then the noble mistress of the house came into 
 the kitchen, and the girl went before her, and said, 
 " Dear lady, may I attend the ball this night ? The 
 servants say that the king will dance the hay with 
 me if I go." Thereat the lady was so wroth and 
 shamed at the foolishness of the scullion girl, that 
 she caught up a skimmer and struck her on the 
 back with it, and broke it in two. 
 
 Catskin ran off crying, and hid in the straw, till 
 she heard a stirring in the court, and she looked 
 forth at the door, and saw that the young lord was 
 mounting to ride to the ball. 
 
 She was again noticed, and once more the serv'ing- 
 
 ^ An old English countrj' dance. 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 men drew her forth, crying and abashed, before their 
 master; and they said to him, " See ! here is Catskin, 
 who desires to dance with the king." 
 
 " I will lay my life, Catskin," said the young man, 
 " if you appear at the ball, the king will reckon it 
 rare sport to dance a hay with you." 
 
 Then he rode away, and laughed so long and so 
 loud, that she could hear him laughing after he was 
 out of her sight. 
 
 So soon as she could hear no more of his 
 laughter, then Catskin went back into the barn, she 
 washed herself, combed out her beautiful hair, and 
 she wove a wreath of lilies of the valley and put it 
 on her head, and she dressed herself in finest linen 
 and lace, and put over her a gown of green silk like 
 the lawns in early May. 
 
 And as she came forth from the barn, she heard 
 all the bells of all the churches ringing, for that the 
 king was passing through the streets going to the 
 ball. So she hasted and reached the town, and fell 
 in with the train of the king's court and entered the 
 Guild Hall with his nobles and ladies, and when she 
 came in, her beauty outshone that of all the ladies, 
 and her dress was more lovely than that of any 
 noble or his dame who was present. 
 
 Now it happened that the king turned and saw 
 this fair maid in grass - green gown with lilies of 
 the valley on her head, and he at once came up to 
 her and asked if he might open the ball with her, 
 and dance a hay. Catskin was looked upon with 
 envy and surprise by all the ladies, and they said to 
 each other, " Who can this be ? " 
 
 20 
 
Catskin 
 
 Now the young nobleman was all impatience for 
 the dance of the hay to be ended, that he might ask 
 the unknown lady for her hand. 
 
 As soon as he could, he went to her, and asked 
 her to tread with him a galliard. And as they 
 were dancing, he said, " Surely, fair damsel, you 
 deceived me yesterday. I have been all over the 
 town inquiring for the sign of the Broken Ladle, 
 and have been assured there is none such. Tell 
 me now, I pray thee, where thou dwellest." 
 
 Then she answered, " I think, fair sir, you did not 
 look near enough to home. If you desire to know 
 my lodging, it is at the sign of the Broken Skimmer." 
 Presently she slipped away, hurried home, hid in the 
 barn, and took off her beautiful green gown. 
 
 Next morning she appeared in her catskin dress 
 as usual, with the cats' tails hanging about her ears, 
 and, I warrant you, was soon dirty enough, for the 
 cook gave her a muck-fork and bade her go and 
 clean out the pigstyes. 
 
 I warrant you, also, there was great talk among 
 the servants that day about the strange lady with 
 whom the king had opened the ball. 
 
 And the cook laughed and said, " Heigh, Catskin ! 
 I thought he was to have danced the hay with 
 you." 
 
 And all the servants laughed heartily at the idea, 
 and those who were holding dishes let them fall and 
 broke them, and one who was mixing a custard 
 upset the whole over the floor and wasted it — all 
 because of the laughter at the thought of the king 
 dancing with Catskin. 
 
 21 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 As for the young master, he returned thoughtful. 
 He was asked by his mother with whom he had 
 danced, and he said : — 
 
 " For two nig-hts at the ball 
 
 There was seen a ladye, 
 The sweetest of beauties 
 
 Eyes ever did see. 
 She was the best dancer 
 
 In all the whole place, 
 And she strangely resembled 
 
 Our Catskin in face. 
 
 Had she not been dressed 
 
 In costly degree, 
 I'd have sworn that it was 
 
 Our own Catskin's bodye." 
 
 When the lady came down into the kitchen, then 
 once more Catskin stood forth, and asked her if she 
 might this time be allowed to go to the ball, to see 
 the king, and the princes, and the nobles, and all 
 the ladies in their rainbow dresses. The lady was 
 so angry at her being thus persistent, that, having a 
 basin of water in her hand, she threw it over Catskin, 
 and bade her begone for a fool. 
 
 Then shaking her wet ears 
 
 Out o' doors she did run, 
 And dressed herself 
 
 All in gold like the sun. 
 
 She washed herself and combed out her beautiful 
 hair, and she had plaited a wreath of marigolds, and 
 these she set on her head. But she clothed her fair 
 body in finest linen and lace, and over all put a 
 golden silk dress like wheat when full)- ripe. 
 
Catskin 
 
 This time she did not look forth when the 
 nobleman's son was mounting his horse to ride to 
 the ball. She heard him call, " Catskin ! Catskin ! 
 where art thou ? " But she would not let herself be 
 seen, so he rode away in ill humour at not having 
 spoken with her. He was sore perplexed in mind 
 because the lady with whom he had twice danced 
 wondrously resembled the scullion girl in his 
 mother's kitchen. 
 
 As he rode, all the bells in all the church towers 
 were ringing, and, as they rang, they seemed to say — 
 
 ''Catskin, Catskin, made to win, 
 Cat without and queen within." 
 
 Soon after he had left, Catskin started from the 
 barn, and arrived just in the right time, and entered 
 the Guild Hall in the retinue of the queen, whose 
 procession followed that of the king. 
 
 Now the young nobleman was on the watch, and 
 directly he saw her, he went to her, and asked if she 
 would dance with him all that evening ; he would not 
 surrender her hand, no, not even to the king if he 
 desired it. 
 
 She consented. Now he looked harder at her than 
 ever before. 
 
 Then the dance being ended, 
 
 The young- squire, said he, 
 *' From whence may you come, 
 
 Fairest lady, tell me?" 
 Her answer was — '* Sir, 
 
 You shall soon know the same, 
 From the sign of the Basin 
 
 Of spilt water I came." 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 This time the young man was resolved not to let 
 her go without following her, and he watched her 
 every movement, and when she slipped away, he 
 hasted after her. And as she ran, the marigolds in 
 her crown fell one by one, and all along the way 
 there were strewn marigolds. The night was dark, 
 but the marigolds shone like stars, and the young 
 man followed her track by the fallen flowers. And 
 they led him to his father's barn, and at the door lay 
 her crown. Every one of the marigolds had fallen 
 out of it. 
 
 The young man stooped, picked up the crown, 
 and went into the barn. Then — 
 
 He said, " O brave Catskin, 
 
 I find it is thee, 
 Who on these three nights 
 
 Has so charmed me. 
 Thou sweetest of maidens 
 
 Eyes ever beheld, 
 With joy and contentment 
 
 My heart now is filled. 
 
 Thou art our cook's scullion, 
 
 But, as I have life. 
 Grant me thy heart's love, 
 
 I will make thee my wife. 
 And thou shalt have maidens 
 
 To answer thy call." 
 "Oh, that cannot be, sir! 
 
 I've no portion at all." 
 
 "Thy beauty's thy portion, 
 
 My joy and my dear, 
 I prize it more precious 
 
 Than thousands a year. 
 24 
 
Catskin 
 
 For my parents consent 
 
 I have schemed a trick : 
 I will g-o to my bed, 
 
 I will feign myself sick. 
 
 Then no one shall tend me 
 
 But thou, I profess. 
 So, one day and two days, 
 
 In thy richest dress 
 Thou shalt be a-clad, love ; 
 
 And when there draw nigh, 
 My parents to see me, 
 
 Whilst sick I do lie, 
 I'll tell them I love thee. 
 
 To save my sweet life, 
 I'll say the sole medicine 
 
 Is Catskin for wife." 
 
 Catskin consented to this arrangement, and forth- 
 with the young man took to his bed and professed 
 himself to be very sick. 
 
 The father and mother, who loved him dearly, 
 sent for a doctor, and he looked at his tongue, and 
 said it was coated, then felt his pulse, and found it 
 irregular, and took his temperature, which he 
 pronounced abnormal. 
 
 The parents were dreadfully alarmed, and asked 
 where the seat of the complaint was. The doctor 
 said it was in the pericardium. This made the 
 mother swoon in her husband's arms. 
 
 The sick man now begged that he might be 
 nursed by Catskin, and, as the doctor said that he must 
 not be contradicted in anything, his father and 
 mother consented, but thought the request a very 
 strange one. 
 
 25 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 It may well be believed, that so soon as Catskin 
 and the young man were alone, they laughed and 
 made merry, and he bade her quickly go and put 
 on one of her grand dresses. 
 
 Now his lady mother had gone down into the 
 kitchen to prepare her son a cordial elixir, according 
 to the recipe given by the doctor; and this was i 
 the recipe : — 
 
 2 oz. oil of squills 
 2 ,, earthworms 
 2 ,, vervain 
 2 ,, Spanish flies 
 2 ,, neats' feet 
 Assafoetida and cayenne pepper to taste. 
 
 When she came up with this delectable cordial in 
 her hand and entered the room, to her amazement 
 there she saw a beautiful damsel dressed in silk of 
 heaven's hue, with a crown of daisies like stars on 
 her flowing brown hair. 
 
 She was so taken aback, so frightened, that she 
 dropped the cordial, and the vessel was broken, and 
 the elixir spilled. She was speechless with amaze- 
 ment, and thought that a fairy had appeared. But, 
 anxious above all things for her son's health, she 
 hastened down into the kitchen again, to prepare a 
 cordial elixir according to the same recipe. 
 
 When she had done this, she ascended with it 
 again to the sick-room ; and as she drew near, she 
 heard a voice singing to the lute. 
 
 She remained listening, and this is what she 
 heard the voice sing — 
 
 26 
 
Catskln 
 
 ''Through the cool shady woods 
 
 As I was rang-ing-, 
 I heard the pretty birds 
 
 Notes sweetly changing-. 
 Down by a meadow-side 
 
 Where runs a river, 
 A little boy I espied 
 
 With bow and quiver. 
 
 * Little boy, tell me, say, 
 
 Why thou art hiding. 
 
 Art thou some runaway, 
 
 And hast no biding?' 
 
 * I am no runaway. 
 
 Venus my mother, 
 She gave me leave to play 
 When I came hither.' 
 
 * Little boy, with thy bow 
 
 Why dost thou threaten ? 
 It is not long ago 
 
 Since thou wast beaten. 
 Thy wanton mother fair, 
 
 Venus, will chide thee ; 
 Of arrows be more spare. 
 
 Or thou must hide thee.' 
 
 Then little Cupid laughed, 
 
 Caught his bow nimble. 
 Shot forth a fatal shaft 
 
 Which made me tremble. 
 * Go tell my gallant fair 
 
 Thou canst discover 
 What all the passions are 
 
 Of a fond lover.' " 
 
 Then the lady thrust open the door, and saw, 
 seated by his window, a beautiful girl clothed in 
 grass-green silk, with a lace collar over her shoulders 
 and a wreath of lilies of the valley on her brown 
 
 2; 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 hair. The window was open, and the air blew in 
 and fluttered her hair about, and made all the white 
 bells of the lilies dance, and it seemed as though 
 her hair and the pure flowers were all dancing on 
 her head to the sound of her lute, and the song she 
 sang — 
 
 "Go tell my g-allant fair 
 Thou canst discover 
 What all the passions are 
 Of a fond lover." 
 
 As she sang this, the beautiful girl turned her 
 face from the window and looked at the young man 
 lying sick on the bed, and the lady of the house, 
 his mother, recognised the face of Catskin. 
 
 She was so astonished that she let fall the cordial, 
 and it was spilt over the floor, so that there was not 
 one drop left for her son to imbibe. 
 
 Her senses were in such a whirl that she could 
 not speak, she could not advance, she could not 
 think. So she shut the door, and ran speechless 
 down into the kitchen, to prepare the cordial a 
 third time. 
 
 But alas and alack a day ! servants are careless. 
 The cook, not having Catskin to assist, had bidden 
 a stable-boy come in and be scullion for the nonce ; 
 and this urchin, having seen the recipe written by 
 the doctor, which the lady had left on the kitchen 
 table, had taken it to light a fire with. The lady 
 was in dismay when she found that this precious 
 recipe was lost. She therefore turned to a book 
 written by her great-great-grandmother, a notable 
 lady for making confects and strong waters, and 
 
 28 
 
Catskin 
 
 took at random out of it another recipe. This 
 was it — 
 
 Of oil of cloves 
 
 I drop 
 
 Of honeycomb 
 
 every particle 
 
 I lemon 
 
 well squeezed 
 
 Of butter 
 
 I lb. 
 
 A few peeled almonds cut in slices. 
 Dissolve over a clear fire and mix well. 
 
 The lady at once proceeded to make this decoc- 
 tion. When it was done, she poured it out, and 
 lo ! it was — Butter Scotch. 
 
 She stood in great doubt what to do, when at 
 that moment trumpets sounded, and the servants, 
 all rushing to the w^indows, away from their work, — 
 as the manner of servants is, — saw the king, who 
 had arrived with his court, and the queen on one 
 side and the archbishop on the other. 
 
 It had been noised abroad that the nobleman's 
 son was ill, and the king, who was very amiable, 
 had resolved on coming himself to inquire after him, 
 and, if he were permitted, to see him. He had also 
 brought with him his own physician, to look at the 
 patient's tongue, feel his pulse, and take his tempera- 
 ture. The lady, holding a plate of the most 
 beautiful Oriental china in her hand, on which was a 
 great slab of butter scotch, with almonds in it, at 
 once hasted to meet the king and answer his kind 
 inquiries. 
 
 The king said that he would greatly like to see 
 the sick youth, and appoint his own doctor to examine 
 and prescribe for him. 
 
 Accordingly the lady conducted him and the 
 29 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 queen, and the archbishop, and the physician ; and 
 all the court ladies and gentlemen in waiting, the 
 master of the horse, the chamberlain, the high 
 sheriff of the county, preceded by his javelin 
 men, marched up the stairs to the door of the sick- 
 room. 
 
 When the door was opened — what did they all 
 see? This is what they saw. 
 
 In the midst of the room, on the highly polished 
 floor, was a beautiful damsel, dressed in silk the 
 colour of golden wheat, with marigolds in her hair, 
 dancing a corranto ; and the sick man was raised 
 on his elbow, and was watching her graceful move- 
 ments with great delight. 
 
 As she danced, the marigolds fell from her hair, 
 and she danced round and in and out among the 
 fallen yellow flowers, singing as she danced, and was 
 so intent not to tread on a blossom, or disturb it 
 with her silken skirts, that she did not see those 
 who had come to the door. 
 
 The king, the queen, the archbishop, the physician, 
 the chamberlain, the lords and ladies, the grand 
 sheriff, and the great javelins stood silent, in admira- 
 tion, as did also the lady of the house, with the plate 
 of butter-scotch in her hand. 
 
 All at once the king exclaimed, " Why, surely 
 this is the very lady with whom I danced the 
 hay." 
 
 At his words Catskin started, became crimson, 
 and ceased dancing ; she retreated to the window, 
 and the patient pulled the bedclothes over his 
 head. 
 
 30 
 
Catskin 
 
 The king and all his court now entered, and went 
 to the side of the bed, where the king issued his 
 royal mandate that the sick man should show his 
 head above the bed-clothes. This the patient dared 
 not disobey. So he let himself be seen, and the 
 physician was required to proceed with the diagnosis 
 of the case. He, however, respectfully requested 
 that the family doctor might be invited to be 
 present, as it was against the etiquette of the faculty 
 to interfere with each other's practice. 
 
 The village and family doctor happened at this 
 moment to arrive, and he was called up into the 
 room. 
 
 The court physician proceeded to look at the sick 
 man's tongue, and said he considered it coated. 
 
 " So I said," observed the family doctor. 
 
 " And his pulse is irregular." 
 
 " So I said," observed the family doctor. 
 
 " And his temperature is abnormal." 
 
 " My very words," said the family doctor. 
 
 A consultation was now proposed, and the two 
 practitioners adjourned to an adjoining cabinet, 
 whilst the king, and the archbishop, and all the 
 court, the nobleman and his lady, the parents of the 
 youth, remained in breathless expectation. After 
 half an hour the two doctors issued from the 
 adjoining cabinet, and the court physician said, with 
 immense solemnity, " There is nothing in the case 
 to cause immediate alarm. My brother practitioner 
 and I have well weighed the case, and have drawn 
 out a prescription which, if strictly followed, will, we 
 believe, produce the happiest results." 
 
 31 
 
The Old English. Fairy Tales 
 
 Then he unfolded a scroll, and handed it to the 
 archbishop. It contained but these words — 
 
 Matrimony 
 
 cum Butter scotch, quant, stiff. 
 
 The very hearing of the recipe sufficed to make 
 the sick man jump out of bed. 
 
 Next day, with great triumph, 
 
 And joy, and good cheer, 
 There arrived many coaches 
 
 From far and from near ; 
 When, much like a goddess 
 
 In festal array, 
 Fair Catskin was married 
 
 To the squire that day. 
 
 The days they were many 
 
 The wedding did last. 
 With many a topping 
 
 And gallant repast. 
 Oh hark the bells ringing 
 
 All over the town ; 
 See flasks of canary 
 
 Flow merrily round. 
 
 So Catskin was married to the young gentleman, 
 the son of the noble in whose house she had served 
 as scullion. 
 
 We might end the story of Catskin here, and 
 yet, were we to do so, we should omit an incident 
 which marks how good she was, and deserving of 
 the happy fortune that fell to her. 
 
 It had fallen out in this wise with her father. Her 
 mother was dead. A fever had come on in the house, 
 and had swept away both her mother and sisters ; so 
 
 32 
 
Catskin 
 
 that the old man was left alone, and in his age 
 he was sorrowful and desolate. Now he began to 
 think of his daughter whom he had discarded. He 
 resolved to pay her a visit, for he had heard of her 
 marriage. 
 
 He dressed like a beggar 
 
 And went to the gate, 
 Where stood his sweet daughter, 
 
 Now noble and great. 
 He cried, "Gentle lady, 
 
 A poor man I be, 
 And forced by necessity 
 
 To ask charity." 
 
 With a blush she demanded 
 
 The place whence he came. 
 Then, with that he told her, 
 
 As likewise his name. 
 She cried, " I'm your daughter 
 
 W^ho slighted was so, 
 Yet, nevertheless, sir. 
 
 Thee kindness I'll show. 
 
 Through mercy, the Lord 
 
 Has provided for me. 
 Pray, father, come in, sir. 
 
 Be seated," said she. 
 The best of provision 
 
 The house could afford. 
 For making him welcome. 
 
 Was placed on the board. 
 
 She said, "You are welcome 
 Feed hearty, I pray. 
 
 And, if you are willing, 
 With me you shall stay 
 
 33 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 So long- as you live, sir." 
 
 He then made repl)-, 
 ''I only have come here, 
 
 Your love I would tr}-. 
 
 Through mercy, my daug^hter, 
 
 I'm rich, and not poor, 
 I've red g'old and silver 
 
 Heaped up in my store. 
 And for the kind favour 
 
 At your hands I've found, 
 For portion I'll give you 
 
 Full ten thousand pound." 
 
 A few days after he sold all his land, and came 
 to his daughter, gave her what he had promised, and 
 lived in love with her, well attended to, the rest of 
 his days. 
 
 Note. — The old English story of " Catskin," which exists 
 in ballad form, has been driven out by the French tale of 
 "Cinderella." The latter*is a very g-ood story, and it was ver}' 
 well told by Perault. In some points the English tale is preferable. 
 The English story has relation also to Perault's " Peau d'Ane.' 
 In German the series are those of " Aschenplittel " and '* Allerlei- 
 rauch." The catskin in the English story is an ass's hide in 
 Perault's, and a coat of coarse hair in the German. The story is 
 known throughout Europe. In the Eng-lish tale there is no g-lass 
 slipper dropped. In connection with this element, I may refer to 
 Rhodope, who became Queen of Egypt by dropping' her slipper 
 (Strabo, xxii. 808 ; ^lian, Hist. var. xiii. 33). The English 
 ballad, which is without poetic merit, has been several times 
 reprinted. It was printed in Aldermary Churchyard about 1720. 
 For a full account of the story and its ramifications and variants, 
 see J. S. Moore, The Pictorial Book of Ballads, 1849, vol. ii. p. 145 ; 
 and still fuller in A. Lang's Cinderella, 345 Variants, printed for 
 the Folk-Lore Society, 1893. 
 
 Of the ballad there are distinct exemplars, one printed at Pitt's 
 Wholesale Toy and Marble Warehouse, 69A S. Andrew St., Seven 
 Dials; theother, "Printcdandsold, wholesaleandretail,byJ. Evans, 
 
 34 
 
 1 
 
Catskin 
 
 Xo. 41 Long Lane, Smithfield. " It is in the Roxburg-he Collection, 
 vol. iii. p. 770 ; Douce Coll. iv. 105. Another copy in the British 
 Museum (press mark, 11621, 6. 3, art. 8), to the tune of "The 
 Wandering- Jew," printed for T. Norris. It occurs also in a 
 Garland entitled The Wandering Yotmg Getitlewomans Garlatid ; 
 and this begins — 
 
 Ye fathers and mothers, and children also, 
 
 Come draw near unto me, and soon ye shall know, etc. 
 
 whereas the other form of the ballad begins — 
 
 There once was a gentleman grand. 
 
 Who lived in his country seat; 
 He wanted an heir to his land, 
 
 For he'd nothing but daughters yet. 
 
 35 
 
II 
 
 THE GARDENER PRINCE 
 
 37 
 
II 
 THE GARDENER PRINCE 
 
 Far, far away in the blue distance of time, took place 
 a great invasion of Bohemia. The savage Huns 
 came pouring over Europe from the steppes of 
 Northern Asia, carrying havoc and death wherever 
 they went. They w^ere little dark men with black, 
 beady eyes, and they sat their horses as if of one flesh 
 with them. 
 
 In the great destruction that overtook Prague, the 
 capital of Bohemia, the town was fired, and the Huns, 
 breaking into the royal palace, carried off the nurse 
 with the young prince, and swept away far west, 
 burning and destroying everywhere till they reached 
 France, and there they were encountered on the plains 
 of Chalons by the Franks and Visigoths under ^tius, 
 and were totally routed. Attila, king of the Huns, 
 after this battle, gathered the remnants of his force 
 in the camp, surrounded himself with a ring of 
 waggons, piled up the saddles of his horses, and 
 stood on the top of this immense mass, torch in hand, 
 
 39 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 ready to set fire to all, and perish, he and his men, 
 in the pyre, should the Franks be able to burst 
 through the enclosure. The conquerors did not 
 deem it wise to drive him to desperation, and suffered 
 him and the remnants of his savage army to retreat 
 into Germany. This was in the year 451. 
 
 The nurse of the Prince of Bohemia had perished 
 on the way, and the little child had been taken 
 charge of by a Hun woman. In the flight she threw 
 away the child, and it was found and taken charge 
 of by a poor man, whose wife, having no children of 
 her own, was glad to adopt it. 
 
 The child, who was called Oriol, grew up in the 
 cottage of these good people, and believed them to 
 be his parents. The reason why he was named 
 Oriol was this. When the man found him, he was 
 lying in a field of buttercups, and he had amused 
 himself with pulling off the heads of the flowers, and 
 had made himself a bed of the shining blossoms, and 
 a pillow as well. The sun vv-as shining brightly, and 
 when the man saw the babe lying amidst buttercup 
 flowers, the reflection made him think the child was 
 all golden, and he exclaimed, " Why, this is a golden 
 babe ! " As or is gold in the French tongue, he 
 called him thenceforth Oriol. 
 
 When the boy was grown to man's estate, he was 
 sent to be a gardener in the king's palace ; and the 
 flowers he cultivated seemed to know that someone 
 was set over them who loved them, for they flourished 
 in a marvellous manner. Flowers like to be made 
 much of, to be talked to, and encouraged to grow, 
 and Oriol always had a good word to say to his 
 
 40 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 plants. He became warmly attached to them, and 
 they to him. 
 
 Now the king had got a daughter called Marcella, 
 and she was wont to look through her window at the 
 garden, and she saw the young gardener, and thought 
 how clever he was with his flowers. She was never 
 allowed to go abroad without her governess, but one 
 day an irresistible longing came over her to go into 
 the garden and see the flowers. 
 
 Now there was in this garden a rose, and this rose 
 had the property that whoever picked it would be 
 pricked thereby to the heart, and could never be 
 cured save by the gardener who had cultivated the 
 rose. 
 
 Of this the Princess Marcella knew nothing. She 
 did not ask leave of anyone, but stole downstairs and 
 went to the garden. 
 
 There stood the gardener at the gate, 
 
 And in each hand a flower ; 
 " O pretty maid, come in," he said, 
 
 ''And view my beauteous bower. 
 
 The lily it shall be thy smock. 
 
 The jonquil shoe thy feet ; 
 Thy gown shall be the ten- week stock, 
 
 To make thee fair and sweet. 
 
 The gilly-flower shall deck thy head, 
 
 Thy way with herbs I'll strew ; 
 Thy stockings shall be marigold, 
 
 Thy gloves the violet blue." 
 
 But the fair princess had seen a lovely rose the 
 flowers of which were crimson as blood, and so thick 
 
 41 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 that they hid the leaves and the thorns. She said to 
 the gardener — 
 
 ' ' I will not have the gilly-flower, 
 Nor herbs my path to strew, 
 Xor stocking-s of the marigold, 
 Nor gloves of violet blue. 
 
 I will not have the ten-week stock, 
 
 Nor jonquils to my shoon ; 
 But I will have the red, red rose 
 
 That flowereth in June." 
 
 The gardener, who knew how sharp and dangerous 
 were the thorns of this rose, endeavoured to dissuade 
 her. He said — 
 
 " The red, red rose it liath a thorn 
 That pierceth to the bone." 
 
 But she answered — 
 
 *' I little heed thy idle rede. 
 I will have that or none." 
 
 Again he endeavoured to dissuade her — 
 
 '* The red, red rose it hath a thorn 
 That pierceth to the heart." 
 
 But she answered — 
 
 " The red, red rose, oh, I will hav'e. 
 I little heed the smart." 
 
 She stooped down unto the ground 
 To pluck the rose so red ; 
 
 The thorn it pierced her to the heart, 
 And this fair maid was dead. 
 42 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 Now, when the gardener saw this, he was alarmed, 
 and he took her in his arms, carried her upstairs, and 
 i laid her on her bed. 
 
 There she was found by the governess, lying as 
 
 one asleep. But all the efforts to wake her were in 
 vain. At last she became so frightened that she ran 
 for the king and queen, and they came. They 
 shook the princess, but could not wake her. They 
 called her by every term of endearment, but she 
 
 43 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 answered not. Then they sent for the Court 
 physician, and he came, and tried every sort of 
 remedy, but all were in vain. The maid remained 
 fast asleep as one dead ; there was no rousing her. 
 She neither breathed nor moved, nor did her heart 
 beat, yet her cheeks were fresh as roses, and so she 
 remained day by day unchanging. The parents 
 were in sore distress, and they would not allow 
 her to be buried, because they really did not know 
 whether she were asleep or dead. 
 
 Then they consulted the Court astrologer, and he 
 looked at the stars, and read therein that none might 
 restore the Princess save the gardener, and that he 
 would marry her. 
 
 When the king heard this, he was much perplexed 
 what to do. He did not desire that his daughter 
 should lie in this trance, without ever awaking; and. 
 on the other hand, he did not relish the notion of 
 having his gardener become his son-in-law. But he 
 considered, and resolved to make Oriol restore this 
 princess to life, and after that he would put the 
 young man to death, and so frustrate the pro- 
 phecy. 
 
 Accordingly, he sent a waiting-maid of the princess 
 to the garden. 
 
 There stood the g-ardener at the gate, 
 
 With cypress in his hand, 
 And he did say, " Let no fair may 
 
 Come into Dead Maid's Land." 
 
 So the waiting-girl stood outside, and told the 
 gardener what was wanted of him, to come and 
 recover the princess of her trance-like sleep. 
 
 44 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 He accordingly obeyed, and was brought upstairs 
 and shown where she lay. Then he stooped, and he 
 found the thorn that was run into her heart, and he 
 drew it forth, and the moment he had done this, she 
 opened her eyes, gave a long sigh, looked at him, and 
 began to speak. 
 
 Immediately the king gave orders that he should 
 be taken and cast to wild beasts. The king had lions 
 in cages, and he was wont to feed them with male- 
 factors who were sentenced to death. For at that 
 time butcher's meat was very expensive, as a murrain 
 had been introduced into the land by the Huns, and 
 it had swept off most of the cattle ; and it never 
 wholly disappeared. But if butcher's meat was dear 
 and scarce, malefactors were cheap and abundant. 
 
 According to command, Oriol was cast to the lions. 
 But Marcella had a twin brother called Marcellus, 
 and he was greatly shocked and grieved when he 
 heard his father's order ; he entreated the king to 
 spare the gardener, and, when he could not move 
 him, he ran to the prison to beseech the gaoler to 
 throw in his private tutor instead of the gardener. 
 The noble-minded prince thought by this means his 
 father's injustice might be prevented, and himself 
 delivered for a time from his daily lessons. The 
 gaoler, however, told him that his intervention came 
 too late, for that Oriol was already cast to the wild 
 beasts. 
 
 But what was the surprise of the prince and of the 
 gaoler when they found that the lions refused to 
 touch the gardener, and crouched round him in 
 respectful attitudes. 
 
 45 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Now it is known to all the world that the lion will 
 not touch royal blood. So the prince exclaimed 
 that he was sure Oriol came of kingly stock, and he 
 ran and told his father, who gave orders for the 
 gardener to be removed from the lions' den, and 
 retained in prison till he issued further instructions. 
 
 When the princess awoke from her sleep, she could 
 think only of the gardener. It was the nature of 
 the rose that when the thorn was withdrawn, she 
 who had been wounded would fall in love with the 
 first person her opening eyes rested on ; and as it 
 chanced, when Marcella raised her lids, she saw 
 Oriol. So, though the sleep-giving quality of the 
 thorn was overcome when the thorn was extracted, 
 yet the subtle poison of love remained in her 
 veins. 
 
 She had none but her brother to whom she could 
 tell her feelings. She was very unhappy, because she 
 knew that the king, her father, reserved her deliverer 
 for a cruel death ; and the Prince Marcellus particu- 
 larly resented that his royal parent had objected to 
 having the private tutor thrown to the lions, in 
 default of criminals. 
 
 The brother and sister consulted together, and 
 resolved to effect the escape of the gardener, and to 
 fly with him to England, where she could marry 
 Oriol, and where, as Marcellus believed, he, himself, 
 would not be held to his lessons. 
 
 Accordingly, the prince went to the harbour and 
 contrived to hire a ship in which they might sail to 
 England. Then he went to the prison and per- 
 suaded the gaoler to allow him to see the gardener. 
 
 46 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 To Oriol he communicated the plan for his escape 
 and their flight. Then Oriol replied — 
 
 *' I'll g-o to my lady at break of day, 
 I'll carry my lady far away. 
 But how shall I manage to snap my chain ? 
 And how can I my liberty gain?" 
 
 Then the prince gave him a tiny steel file, which 
 he had hidden in his sleeve, and with this he was to 
 work through the iron bars of his window, and so 
 escape. He, Marcellus, would bring a ladder and 
 put it outside the prison, so that when the bars were 
 filed through, Oriol might escape with the ladder, and 
 by means of the ladder release Marcella from the 
 tower of the palace in which she was locked up. 
 Accordingly, the young prince went to the harbour and 
 gave orders that everything should be ready for sail- 
 ing as soon as he arrived with his companions ; then 
 he went back, and found his tutor in a great way 
 because he was late for his Latin lesson, and was 
 growling and threatening to report him to his father. 
 
 Oriol worked with the steel file during the night, 
 and succeeded in cutting through the bars. Then 
 he thrust himself out of the window, and found 
 Marcellus below with the ladder. He quickly 
 descended. Then the prince bade him take the 
 ladder and go to the palace and release his sister, 
 whilst he went to the ship, to have all ready to start 
 the instant they arrived. 
 
 Now when Oriol came below the window of the 
 princess, he found to his consternation that the ladder 
 was far too short. She was above, looking out, 
 ready to fly, but could not be reached. 
 
 47 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 What was to be done? All the palace doors 
 were locked and barred, and there were guards set to 
 keep them. 
 
 The princess was equal to the occasion. She 
 had the most lovely golden hair in the world, and 
 now 
 
 The lady undid her g-olden hair, 
 
 She cut it off with a golden sheer ; 
 
 The lady took out her silver pin, 
 
 Her hair it was neither short nor thin ; 
 
 She twisted it in, and she twisted it out. 
 
 And she made a ladder both strong- and stout, 
 
 She wove it up and she wove it down, 
 
 And she made a ladder to reach the ground. 
 
 Now, when she had thus plaited and twisted her 
 hair, and had formed of it a golden ladder, she 
 fastened it to her window and looked forth. But 
 when she saw what a distance she had to descend, 
 her heart began to fail 
 
 "Alack!" she said, "but I do not dare 
 To plant my feet on this ladder of hair. 
 Alack!" she said, "but were I to fall, 
 I should dash my blood on the castle wall." 
 
 Then Oriol saw that the night was spent, and the 
 day at hand, and he was afraid lest he should be 
 taken, and the plan come to naught. So he put 
 his hand to the ladder. 
 
 Oh, and he did climb by the golden thread 
 That was wove of the hair of his lady's head. 
 Oh, and he did mount by the golden stair 
 That was fashioned all out of his lady's hair. 
 The hair it was neither short nor thin, 
 And was fastened above with a silver pin. 
 
 48 
 
 I 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 When Oriol came to the window, then he took the 
 princess in his arms and descended with her. 
 
 Adown the ladder of gold they came 
 As over the hills the sun did flame. 
 
 So they escaped together to the harbour, where the 
 prince was awaiting them, and as soon as they were 
 on board, the anchor was hove, the sail spread, and 
 they stood out to sea. 
 
 '^Now for love and freedom," said Oriol. 
 
 " And no more Latin lessons," said the prince. 
 
 No sooner was the flight of the gardener with 
 the children of the king and queen discovered, than 
 the' utmost commotion ensued in the palace and 
 town. The king at once consulted his astrologer, 
 and the astrologer called in the assistance of a witch, 
 and they together brewed a storm that broke with 
 fury on the sea; the waves ran mountains high, 
 and poured into the ship, that speedily became a 
 wreck. It was driven back upon the French coast 
 and dashed to pieces. Prince Marcellus escaped on 
 one plank, the Princess Marcella on another, and 
 Oriol, who clung to the mast, was carried far, far 
 away, and was finally picked up by a ship and 
 conveyed to a distant land. He believed that the 
 dear princess and the generous young prince had 
 been swallowed up by the hungry sea. 
 
 The king and queen were rejoiced to recover their 
 children. The king was extremely incensed at the 
 neglect of the gaoler, at having allowed the window 
 bars to be filed through unobserved, and he con- 
 demned him to death. When the gaoler had been 
 4 49 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 put to death, he told the Princess Marcella, his 
 daughter, that the gardener had been caught and 
 executed, and that he was then being carried to burial. 
 
 When she and her brother heard this, they were 
 in the deepest distress, and they ran to where the 
 funeral was passing, and followed the dead in g*'eat 
 grief But before the corpse was consigned to the 
 earth, the princess plucked off the pall that was 
 thrown over it, and to her great joy discovered that 
 the dead man was the gaoler and not her beloved 
 gardener. She now found it unendurable to remain 
 without knowledge of Oriol. She often walked in 
 the garden, and whenever she passed the crimson 
 rose, the scent of it caused her love to wax stronger. 
 So one night she took an old suit of her brother's 
 clothes, dressed herself in it, and ran away. She 
 embarked on board a ship destined for foreign parts, 
 and sailed away in the disguise of a boy. 
 
 We must now see what had become of Oriol. 
 
 After many adventures, he arrived at the Court 
 of Bohemia, where his father, now an old man, was 
 king. 
 
 When the Huns had been routed at Chalons, the 
 realms they had overrun recovered, the princes they 
 had defeated plucked up courage and emerged from 
 their places of refuge. The Bohemians had rebuilt 
 Prague, and made it more beautiful than before, and 
 they had stuck up the heads of Huns who had been 
 killed all along the walls, as a series of knobs, which 
 was very picturesque, and also terrifying to aggressors. 
 
 The king was grieved at the loss of his son. He 
 made inquiries, but could obtain no news of him, and 
 
 50 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 he was sore afraid lest, after his death without heirs 
 of his own body, there might ensue civil war among 
 rival claimants, which would be productive of great 
 misery. 
 
 It fell out that Oriol arrived in Bohemia ; he had 
 gone through various adventures that need not be 
 detailed, and at length, weary, footsore, and covered 
 with dust, he was approaching the gates of Prague, 
 and he saw before him the walls, with little round 
 white balls set along the top of the battlements, and 
 he could not understand what they were. Now it 
 happened that at this very moment the king and 
 queen and the princes were feasting and making 
 merry. Then, suddenly, in the hall appeared a 
 black cloud, and the cloud opened, and in the midst 
 of it was seen the ghost of the old nurse, who had 
 long been dead. She cried out, " O king ! the 
 dear prince of whom I was given charge is now 
 approaching the gates of Prague, wayworn and 
 dust-soiled. Go forth to meet and welcome him. 
 You will know him by his pedigree, which I tattooed 
 on his back with a needle and a little lampblack. 
 After my death he was for a little while in the care 
 of a Hun woman, but she threw him away, and he 
 was picked up on a bed of buttercups by a poor 
 peasant. As this peasant and his wife could not 
 read, they never deciphered what was written on 
 his back, and of course the prince himself was 
 physically incapable of studying his pedigree in the 
 place where I tattoed it." 
 
 Having uttered these words, the ghost vanished. 
 
 The king, overjoyed, leaped from table, and all 
 51 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 his nobles rose. The whole of the court hasted from 
 the palace, and the news spread like wildfire through 
 the town. Every bell in every church was pealed, 
 the people shouted and danced, and the children 
 ran on the walls, and were so excited that they 
 began to play ball with the Huns' heads, that were 
 now bleached quite white, and were like lawn tennis 
 balls, as white, as round, and as empty. 
 
 The gates were thrown open, and forth came the 
 king and queen and all the court. 
 
 And when they saw the waywor^., dusty traveller 
 coming along, they precipitated themselves upon 
 him, threw him down, and tore the clothes off his 
 back, and there, sure enough, from the nape of his neck, 
 and over his shoulder-blades, and' down his vertebral 
 column was his entire pedigree from Adam, and his 
 real name, which was Wenceslas, and not Oriol at all. 
 
 Then they pulled the prince up on his feet, and 
 as he was much shaken and surprised by the treat- 
 ment he had received, they set him on a horse and 
 led him through Prague, with his back exposed, that 
 all the people who could read might study his 
 pedigree, and convince themselves that this was their 
 very and true prince. Those people who could not 
 read tore their hair with rage and compunction, and 
 as much hair was pulled out on that day as sufficed 
 to stuff cushions for many years after, and mix with 
 the plaster wherewith houses were plastered for a 
 like period. 
 
 Now Oriol's troubles were at an end. Yet was 
 he not perfectly happy, because he thought of 
 Princess Marcella, and he secretly pined for her. 
 
 52 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 It has already been told how she ran away in 
 boy's clothes. It fell out, most happily, that she 
 rambled into Bohemia, and when she arrived at 
 Prague, she offered herself as page at the palace, 
 and was taken. What was her astonishment to 
 recognise in the young Prince Wenceslas the man 
 who had been the gardener Oriol. 
 
 She was abashed, and did not quite know what 
 to do. But she was happy to be at his side, to run 
 by his horse when he went hunting, and to wait 
 behind him at table when he dined. 
 
 One day the prince went out fishing, and he 
 made his little foot-page carry his wallet, in which 
 were the fish he caught. 
 
 The day was very hot, and the glare on the 
 water wearied his eyes, and made him sleepy, so he 
 lay down with his head on his page's lap and fell 
 asleep. 
 
 Whilst he was asleep, Marcella plucked all the 
 buttercups within reach and strewed them about 
 him, till he was completely surrounded with them, 
 much as when found by the French peasant. 
 
 Presently he woke, and, looking about, was greatly 
 surprised. He said, " How came all these golden 
 flowers about me ? " 
 
 Then the page answered, " Master, I picked 
 them." 
 
 " But," said the prince, " why did you do it ? " 
 
 " Master," answered the page, " I was formerly in 
 service to a princess, and she told me a story of 
 how a little babe was once found by a peasant 
 among buttercups, and the sun shone on them, and 
 
 53 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 the reflection over the child was such, that the 
 peasant cried out, ' It is a golden babe ! ' and he 
 called it Oriol." 
 
 " I never told that tale but to one — and that was 
 the Princess Marcella," exclaimed Wenceslas. 
 
 Then the little foot-page said, " It was even from 
 her I heard it." 
 
 When the prince learned this, he was greatly 
 agitated ; he sighed, and the tears came into his 
 eyes, and he said, " I shall never, never be happy 
 till I see my dear Marcella again." 
 
 " Ah, master," exclaimed the page, " I have her 
 portrait ; but do you know that she was wrecked 
 and drowned in a terrible storm," 
 
 When the prince heard that, his tears began to 
 flow freely. He spoke no more, than to say he 
 had no pleasure any more in fishing, and that the 
 sole thing that could gratify him was to see the 
 portrait of the princess. He bade the page produce 
 it immediately. 
 
 " Master," said the page, " the portrait is life- 
 size. You must have patience till you return to 
 Prague." 
 
 " And you must absolutely surrender that picture 
 to me," said the prince. " I can no longer live 
 without it — that is to say, if it be a good likeness." 
 
 " Sir," said the page, " on my word of honour it 
 is a speaking likeness." 
 
 "If you will give it me, you shall have what you 
 desire." 
 
 " I ask for one thing only," said the page, — '* your 
 hand." 
 
 54 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 " Even that," said Wenceslas ; " I will cut it off 
 and give it you freely, if I may have the portrait." 
 
 Now, when they were returned to the city, 
 Wencelas ran to his father and mother, and said to 
 them, " Oh, my dear parents, I have not told you 
 till now why I have resisted all your urgency to see 
 me married. I loved and I was beloved ; and the 
 princess I loved was Marcella of France. She was 
 more lovely than the day. Her hair was longer 
 than that of any woman in the world, but she cut 
 it off for the love of me. It was like to the finest 
 gold. But, alas ! she is dead. The cruel sea 
 swallowed her up. Come and follow me, and I will 
 show you her picture. But, first throw over your 
 robes veils of mourning and black mantles. Let a 
 solemn funeral march be played, and do you, father 
 and mother, and all the court, walk in slow and sad 
 procession, to the tolling of bells and the strains of 
 the Dead March, and with handkerchiefs to your 
 eyes, and lemons in your hands, into the apartment 
 where is the picture of my beloved princess, now, 
 alas ! no more. Let us do this in respect to her 
 memory." 
 
 Accordingly the king and queen and all the court 
 put black mantles over their sumptuous robes, and 
 the marshal walked first with his silver mace. '' One, 
 two. One, two. Slow march!" ordered the marshal, 
 and he rapped with his silver mace upon the floor, 
 as a signal to proceed. And all, two and two, 
 came on, to the tolling of bells, and the solemn, 
 awe-inspiring strains of the band. The scene was 
 so moving that all wept. Then they came into the 
 
 55 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 chamber appointed by his little foot - page, at the 
 extremity of which was a large gold frame with 
 a curtain thrown over it. The prince, filled 
 with impatience, rushed to the curtain and pulled it 
 down. 
 
 There, within the frame, stood — not a canvas 
 covered with paint, but the smiling, speaking image 
 itself — the beautiful Marcella, in the flesh, dressed 
 in the robes of a princess, with her golden hair 
 flowing below her shoulders — so much had her 
 hair grown since it was cut off to make a ladder by 
 which to escape. 
 
 She stepped through the frame, and said, " Prince 
 Wenceslas, the picture is yours. Your hand ! " 
 
 Then the black mantles and veils fell off from 
 the king and queen and court, and they flung aside 
 their pocket handkerchiefs and the lemons, and the 
 band struck up a merry dance tune, and the bells 
 began to peal cheerily, and the king took the queen 
 by the hand and began to caper, and the court 
 followed suit, and danced and kicked out their feet, 
 and crowed and laughed with pleasure. The people 
 in the street shouted and turned heads over heels 
 for delight, and the children began to pelt each 
 other with the skulls of the Huns. 
 
 Never had been seen greater mirth in the city of 
 Prague. A despatch was at once sent to Paris to 
 summon the Prince Marcellus for the wedding. 
 Then the king said, " I believe somewhere up in 
 the nursery is a little daughter of mine, I made 
 no account of, born to me in my old age. I will 
 certainly marry her to Prince Marcellus, and so cement 
 
 56 
 
The Gardener Prince 
 
 the Hnks of union between my nation and that of 
 the Franks." And so was it done. 
 
 Note. — This story is based on the old English ballad entitled 
 "The Garland of Princely Lovers," printed at the end of the 
 seventeenth or beginning of the eighteenth century. It is certainly 
 a pretty tale. To some extent "A Winter's Tale" agrees with 
 it. The veiled statue in one is the covered picture in the other. 
 Bohemia Is the scene of both. I have worked into the story 
 the fragmentary ballad of the Gardener, which seems to fit it 
 well, and the incident of the lady making a ladder with her hair, 
 which is a reminiscence of a nursery ballad I remember indis- 
 tinctly from early days. 
 
 The ballad of the Gardener is to be found in Child's English and 
 Scottish Popular Ballads, Xo. 219, from Kinloch and Buchan. 
 A west of England version is in my Songs of the West. It is 
 most probably a mere fragment of a long story, the point of 
 which is now lost, but I strongly suspect that the fragment that 
 remains belonged originally to an English version of the myth 
 of Thorn-rose. 
 
 57 
 
Ill 
 THE GOLDEN BULL 
 
 A CERTAIN king was a very stubborn man. 
 When he took a thing into his head, he resolved to 
 carry it through at any cost. Now, there was an 
 island in the seas that washed his shores, ruled over 
 by a very old king, who took so much snuff that he 
 dirtied not only his face, but his hands and all his 
 royal garments. Unless he were new dressed every 
 day, he made such a disgusting mess of himself that 
 he was not fit to be seen. Accordingly, as it would 
 cripple the finances, were he to be given robes in 
 keeping with his dignity fresh every day, he was 
 usually put in a cupboard, and only brought out on 
 great occasions. Now the stubborn king of whom I 
 first spoke had resolved to marry his daughter to 
 the snuffy old king. He was an extremely ambitious 
 man, and he thought that as the snuffy king spent 
 nearly all his time in a cupboard, if this snuffy king 
 were married to his daughter, he would be able to 
 rule the kingdom of the snuffy king through his 
 daughter, as well as his own. 
 
 6i 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 When the princess heard what was designed, she 
 was greatly distressed, and implored her father to 
 desist from his purpose. But he could not be turned 
 from it. 
 
 Now she was the more disposed to resist his will, 
 because a handsome young prince from a distant 
 realm had come to her father's court and asked for 
 her hand. She had seen him, and she liked him 
 very well, and when she learned that he never took 
 snuff, her liking became ardent love. 
 
 Her father turned a deaf ear to her entreaties, 
 and to the solicitations of the young prince, who was 
 very sad, and would have departed to his own 
 country, but that the king urged him to remain over 
 the wedding festivities. 
 
 As the princess was unable to dissuade her father 
 from the proposed union with the snuffy old king, 
 she entreated that at least she might be given three 
 suitable dresses in which to be married, in which 
 to travel, and in which to appear at the court of her 
 intended husband. 
 
 One of these dresses was to be like the sky, 
 besprent with stars, the second was to be like the 
 sky with clouds flying in it, and the third was to be 
 embroidered all over with birds. One thing further 
 she desired, and that was to be given a golden bull. 
 The king her father agreed to this. 
 
 Accordingly, she went to the goldsmith who was 
 to make the Golden Bull, and she told him to make 
 it hollow, and to contrive a door in the side that 
 could only be opened by herself by means of a small 
 key ; and that was to be so neatly managed that no 
 
 62 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 one could see the door or the keyhole when the bull 
 was closed. 
 
 All was done exactly as she had desired, and the 
 Golden Bull was brought into her room before the 
 wedding, and very beautifully wrought it was. It 
 was of the size of a real bull, and was all of 
 pure gold, only it had rubies for eyes and silver 
 horns. 
 
 Now when it was time for her to be dressed 
 for the wedding, and the snuffy old king was 
 arrived, the princess put on her the blue robe 
 sprinkled with stars, and, taking with her the two 
 other dresses, she stepped into tne bull, closed 
 the door behind her, and snap — she was fast 
 inside. 
 
 People wondered and waited, but she did not 
 appear. The king, her father, sent to her room for 
 her, and learned with great rage that she had dis- 
 appeared — run away, it was believed, and taken her 
 beautiful dresses with her. The old king, the 
 bridegroom, began to cry, for he had been kept 
 from snuff for twenty-four hours, to make him look 
 clean and respectable, and he had gone through this 
 terrible privation all for nothing. 
 
 Messengers were sent in all directions, but no 
 signs of the lost princess were found. No one 
 could imagine what had become of her. So the 
 snuffy king took to snuff again, and went back to 
 his island. The sailors put him in a cask in the 
 bilge-water, to be out of the way on the voyage, 
 and he floated about there snuffing to his heart's 
 content. 
 
 63 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 The king, the father of the princess, gave the 
 Golden Bull as a present to the prince who had 
 asked for the princess's hand, as some amends for 
 the refusal of the lady, his daughter. 
 
 The prince had the golden bull conveyed on 
 board ship, and sailed away for his own land. 
 
 The prince was afraid lest the sailors should 
 scratch their names on the Golden Bull, or scrape off 
 dust from it, accordingly he had it set in his own 
 cabin. 
 
 One night, whilst he was asleep, and the sea was 
 calm, the princess opened the door in the bull's side, 
 came out, went on deck, and looked at the still sea 
 that glittered in the moonlight. She was in her 
 blue dress all strewn with stars, and as she moved 
 she sparkled. The steersman saw her, and was 
 dreadfully alarmed. She said nothing to him, and 
 after a while she went below, but before stepping 
 into the bull again, she went to the side of the 
 sleeping prince, bent over him, and kissed his 
 lips. 
 
 He woke with a start, and thought he saw a 
 wonderful vision of a sparkling woman glide away 
 and vanish. In fact, when he woke, the princess 
 had fled, gone inside the bull, and shut the door 
 once more. 
 
 During the day he heard the sailors talk of the 
 appearance of a beautiful spirit in the ship, and he 
 thought this must have something to do with what 
 he had himself seen. 
 
 The prince was sorely puzzled what to make of 
 that which he had seen. He had caught sight of 
 
 64 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 the figure for a moment only, and that as he woke 
 from sleep. If it had not been that the steersman 
 declared he had beheld an exactly similar figure on 
 the deck in the moonlight, he would have supposed 
 himself a prey to night fancies. 
 
 As he was thinking this matter over in his 
 cabin, he noticed a blue ribbon lying on the floor 
 near the Golden Bull. It was embroidered with 
 stars of pure silver, with a diamond in the midst of 
 each. 
 
 The prince considered this for some time. He 
 was perfectly certain that he had had nothing of the 
 kind in his cabin before. It matched precisely with 
 the. dress of the mysterious figure of which he had 
 seen a glimpse during the night. 
 
 He folded it up and put it near his heart, and fell 
 into great wonder as to how this would end. 
 
 Now the prince found himself thinking a great 
 deal about the princess who was to have been 
 married to the snuffy old king, and he mar\'elled 
 how she could have disappeared without leaving a 
 trace behind. 
 
 There was one thing that the prince considered it 
 was his duty to do, and that was to have the vessel 
 searched from deck to hold, to make quite certain 
 that no one was concealed in it, that no one was on 
 board except himself and the crew. 
 
 A search was accordingly made, but it led to no 
 result whatever, for they did not think of examining 
 the inside of the Golden Bull, not knowing from the 
 weight that it was hollow, nor being able to see that 
 there was a door in the side, so cunningly contrived 
 5 65 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 had that been by the goldsmith to whom the princess 
 had entrusted the work. 
 
 There are ever bad men in the world, and among 
 the bad men at that time was the captain of the 
 ship in which was the prince. He had cast his 
 covetous eyes on the Golden Bull, and he thought 
 that if he could get rid of the prince, he might be 
 able to secure this valuable object for himself, so 
 one day, after he had told his intention to some of 
 the sailors who were likewise of covetous minds, he 
 threw the prince into the sea. 
 
 However, there are good men as well as bad in 
 the world, and there were of both on the vessel. 
 The mate, when he saw what was done, hastily 
 threw a hencoop overboard, and the prince caught at 
 the coop, which floated, and he was saved from 
 drowning. The waves and the wind washed him 
 ashore on a little island. 
 
 The captain now made great revelry. He had 
 put poison into the drink of all those sailors who 
 had not joined him, and there was great drinking in 
 the cabin which had been the prince's. But just as 
 the mate was putting his cup to his lips, all at once 
 a lady's arm was passed over his shoulder, and a 
 delicate hand snatched the vessel from his lips, 
 turned it over, and spilled the contents on the floor. 
 He started and looked round, but saw nothing save 
 the Golden Bull. He was sitting with his back to this 
 when the thing happened. All the other men, after 
 drinking, fell down on the floor, with the exception 
 of the captain. Those who had been true to the 
 prince never rose again, for they had been poisoned, 
 
 66 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 but the rest were drunken and drowsy, and they 
 slept. 
 
 The captain threw himself on the prince's bed, 
 and very soon he also slept. The mate pretended 
 to be like the rest, but he soon saw what turn 
 matters had taken, and presently he rose, stepped on 
 deck, and, taking the steering into his hands, turned 
 the ship round, and sailed back as quickly as the 
 wind would carry her, and before morning was 
 at the shore upon which the prince had been 
 cast up. 
 
 He saw the prince on the beach, and signed to 
 him to come on board. The prince did this, and he 
 and the mate consulted what should be done. They 
 went down together into the cabin and bound the 
 captain. Then they roused the drunken sailors ; 
 and found that those on whom they thought they 
 could rely were all dead. 
 
 Now the prince was in a very difficult pass. He 
 needed the assistance of the sailors to manage the 
 vessel. So he spoke to them, and declared that 
 their treachery was counteracted, that he knew they 
 had been persuaded to do wrong by the captain, 
 whom he had bound with ropes, and would hang 
 when he came to land, and that he would forgive 
 them if they proved faithful for the rest of the 
 voyage. 
 
 They all promised to make amends for the past ; 
 and the prince, who was of a generous nature, did 
 not mistrust them. The mate was obliged at times 
 to take his rest, and then the crew were able, 
 unobserved and unheard, to contrive a fresh 
 
 67 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 treachery, which was to release the captain from his 
 bonds. 
 
 One night, when the sea was calm, and the prince 
 was asleep on his bed, the captain, discharged from 
 his bonds by his confederates, entered the cabin with 
 a dagger in his hand, and stole in stocking-soles 
 towards the bed where the prince lay. 
 
 He raised his right hand to strike to the prince's 
 heart, and to make sure that he smote him a death- 
 wound at once, he drew down the coverlet so as to 
 expose his breast to the blade. 
 
 But at that moment he was caught from behind, 
 the dagger struck out of his hand, and he was 
 thrown on the floor. He uttered a loud cry, and 
 the prince, starting from sleep, saw a mysterious 
 figure like a lady in a dress dappled and grey, 
 who was withdrawing, and who suddenly disap- 
 peared. 
 
 His attention was mainly directed to the captain, 
 and he sprang on him and drove the dagger into his 
 heart. 
 
 Thus was he happily delivered from this great 
 danger ; and when the false-hearted sailors saw that 
 all their machinations fell through, and that their 
 captain was dead, their courage failed, and they asked 
 forgiveness again, which the prince accorded them. 
 
 He now appointed the mate to be captain of the 
 ship. 
 
 He was much perplexed to understand how and 
 by whom he had been aided. Some one had most 
 assuredly cast the treacherous captain down. 
 
 Of this the prince was made more confident when 
 6S 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 he found on his pillow a veil of the finest lawn, light 
 as a cloud. This must have been dropped by the 
 person or spirit which had come to his assistance. 
 He ordered the ship to be again searched from stern 
 to stern, but no one was found save those who were 
 well known to be in the vessel. 
 
 Nothing further is related of the voyage till the 
 prince reached his native land. 
 
 Then, with great care, the Golden Bull was trans- 
 ported from the ship to his own apartment in the 
 palace. 
 
 The king his father was grieved to find that his 
 son returned sad at heart. In fact, his mind ran on 
 the beautiful princess, who was to have been married 
 to the snuffy old king, but who had disappeared. 
 He found that he could not get her out of his 
 thoughts, and often in his dreams at night he 
 fancied he saw her gliding through his room, and 
 that she sometimes came to his side, stooped 
 and kissed him. Then, if he woke, he saw a 
 shadowy figure step back into the darkness and 
 vanish. 
 
 Now, one night, a very marvellous thing happened. 
 It was the eve of May Day, and all the young men 
 had gone to the woods singing, to bring the may 
 bushes home to plant them at the doors of their 
 true loves. 
 
 The prince could not sleep. He was thinking 
 that these youths all had their true loves, and he 
 was without one. The only princess for whom 
 he ever could care was lost, and whither gone none 
 knew. 
 
 69 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales J 
 
 He heard the singers go by under his window, 
 and this was their song — 
 
 Awake, ye pretty maids, awake 
 
 Refreshed from dewy dream. 
 And haste to dairy-house and take 
 
 For us a dish of cream. 
 
 If not a dish of yellow cream, 
 
 Then give us kisses three. 
 The woodland bower is white with flower. 
 
 And green is every tree. 
 
 A branch of may we bear about, 
 
 Before the door it stands, 
 There's not a sprout unbudded out, 
 
 The work of God's own hands. 
 
 Awake, awake, ye pretty maids. 
 
 And take the maybush in. 
 Or 'twill be g-one ere to-morrow morn, 
 
 And you'll have none within. 
 
 At that time of the year there was plenty of 
 light in the sky, and though the prince kept his eyes 
 closed, he could see everything in his room. 
 
 All at once, as the sound of the song died away, 
 he beheld the side of the Golden Bull open and a 
 beautiful lady issue from it. She came towards him. 
 He saw that she was dressed in a gown that was 
 covered with all the birds of the air. There was 
 not light enough for him to distinguish her features, 
 but he was almost sure this was the lost princess. 
 She came straight towards him, stooped, and kissed 
 his lips. 
 
 70 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 In a moment he had his arms round her, and held 
 her, and asked her who she was. 
 
 Then she was obliged to tell him the truth, and she 
 explained to him how she had remained hidden in 
 the Golden Bull, and that she alone had the key 
 whereby the side could be opened. 
 
 The prince then bade her go back inside, and 
 remain there till he had returned from a progress he 
 had to make through the kingdom, to receive the 
 homage of all the people, as his father, who was 
 very old, was about to abdicate. Before she retired, he 
 gave her a costly ring from his finger, and he told 
 her not to open her door till he returned and knocked 
 three times at the side of the bull. 
 
 Then she retreated, and he started on his journey. 
 But before he started, his mother had told him that 
 his father and she had arranged to have him married 
 to the daughter of the king of an adjoining country. 
 This made the prince very agitated, and he assured 
 his mother it would not be possible for him to do so, 
 as his heart was otherwise engaged. He locked the 
 door of his chamber, gave the key to his mother, and 
 bade her on no account allow anyone to enter the 
 room during his absence. 
 
 After the prince had been gone a few days, three 
 ladies of the court, who were great favourites of 
 the queen, asked to be allowed to look at the prince's 
 private apartments during his absence. They had 
 heard that he had there a most marvellous work of 
 art, a bull formed of pure gold, with silver horns and 
 ruby eyes. 
 
 The queen thought there could be no great harm 
 71 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 in letting them in, so she gave them the key, and 
 they entered the prince's chamber and examined 
 everything there with the utmost inquisitiveness. 
 
 But what most interested them was the Golden 
 Bull. They looked at it from every side; and 
 presently one of the ladies said, " I feel as if I could 
 not leave the place till I had kicked it." 
 
 " Nor I," said the second. 
 
 " Nor I," said the third. 
 
 Then each of the ladies kicked the Golden Bull, 
 whereupon, to their vast astonishment, the door in 
 the side of the bull opened, and the beautiful princess 
 stepped out. Alas ! she had mistaken their kicks 
 for the strokes that the prince had assured her would 
 be the signal of his return. 
 
 Now when the three ladies saw her, they cried 
 out, " This is the witch who has won the heart of the 
 prince, so that he cannot marry the Princess Borrio- 
 boola, whom his mother, our most gracious queen, and 
 his royal father have designed for him. Let us 
 make away with her, and then he will do his duty." 
 
 So these three cruel women laid their hands on 
 the unfortunate princess, drew her on to a balcony, 
 and threw her into the river beneath. 
 
 Happily, as she fell, her garments spread on the 
 waves, and they were of such a texture that they did 
 not draw her under. On the contrary, all the 
 embroidered birds thereon at once began to flutter 
 their wings and chirp, and stay her up, so that they 
 bore her along on the surface down the stream, till 
 she reached a point where she could step ashore with 
 convenience. 
 
 72 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 Then all the birds that were embroidered on her 
 gown became mute and motionless, and were em- 
 broidery only. 
 
 The princess sat sad under a tree. Then she 
 divested herself of the dress of embroidered birds, 
 and under it was the suit of the clouds. She folded up 
 the bird suit and hid it in the branches of the tree. 
 
 Presently a serving-maid came to the river to fetch 
 water, and she saw the beautiful lady sitting under 
 the tree weeping, in her gown of clouds. The maid 
 was so astonished, that she ran back to the house 
 where she served and told her master. Now the 
 master happened to be the faithful mate, whom the 
 prince had advanced to be captain. 
 
 Hearing the strange tale of the serving-girl, he 
 ran down to the water's edge, and saw the beautiful 
 lady in a suit of clouds, sitting weeping under a tree. 
 He approached her with great respect, and she told 
 him all her story. 
 
 Then he mused a while, and presently said, " I 
 advise you to come to my house, where you shall be 
 well treated, and we must wait till the return of the 
 prince, and see what he says and advises." 
 
 This seemed excellent judgment, and the princess 
 gladly agreed to it. 
 
 We must now return to the palace, and see what 
 was taking place there. The ladies told the queen 
 what they had done, and she approved of their con- 
 duct. Then they advised that the Golden Bull should 
 be removed to a place where the prince might not 
 see it, and that they should brew for him the Water 
 of Oblivion. To this his mother gladly consented. 
 
 73 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 The Golden Bull was conveyed to the royal mint to 
 be melted up. The three ladies, who knew some- 
 thing of witchcraft, set to work, and concocted a 
 draught which would take away from anyone who 
 drank of it, the memory of the past. 
 
 Now when they had brewed this, they brought it 
 to the queen, and she undertook to give it to her son 
 on his return. 
 
 A few days later, the prince came home, full of 
 impatience to see his dear princess, who lived in the 
 Golden Bull. 
 
 No sooner had he arrived at the palace, than his 
 mother met him at the entrance with a cup in her 
 hand, and said to him, " My dear son, you shall not 
 cross the threshold till you have drunk to the health 
 of your father and me." 
 
 " My dearest mother," he replied, " there is nothing 
 you bid me — except to marry the Princess Borrioboola, 
 — that I will not do ; " and he drank off the contents 
 of the goblet. 
 
 Immediately all recollection of his voyage, of 
 the princess, of the Golden Bull, passed from his 
 mind. He went to his room, and did not notice that 
 the Golden Bull had been removed. When his 
 father informed him that his nuptials with the 
 Princess Borrioboola were to take place in three 
 weeks, he acquiesced as a matter of course. 
 
 Therefore great gladness came over the hearts of 
 the king and queen, and they ordered immediate 
 preparations for the wedding. 
 
 The tidings soon reached the princess, who was 
 staying with the captain, and she wept bitterly at 
 
 74 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 the fickleness of the youth whose life she had saved 
 and who had professed such sincere affection. 
 
 The captain in vain endeavoured to comfort her — 
 she would not be comforted, for her heart was com- 
 pletely won. 
 
 At last she heard that the prince was engaging 
 many servants to attend on him and the princess 
 who was to be his wife. So, without telling even 
 her good friend the captain, she disguised herself as 
 a page, and offered herself to wait upon the prince. 
 She was at once accepted, and ordered to attend at 
 the splendid banquet that was to be given on the 
 evening before the marriage. The poor disguised 
 princess was obliged in seeming unconcern to see him, 
 and to stand by whilst he offered a thousand civilities 
 to the Princess Borrioboola. Her heart was nearly 
 broken. She inquired of his attendants about the 
 Golden Bull, and heard that it had been taken to be 
 melted up to be struck in medals to commemorate 
 the event of the prince's marriage. She further 
 learned that the prince had not noticed the removal 
 of the bull, nor had made any inquiries about it. 
 
 At the banquet she stood behind his chair, and 
 brought to him the wine in his goblet. Then she 
 slipped the ring from her finger and dropped it in. 
 The prince emptied his goblet, and, finding something 
 at the bottom, looked closely, and found a ring. He 
 took it out, considered it attentively, and uttered a 
 loud cry. With the recovery of his ring, his memory 
 had returned, for the virtue of the stone in the ring 
 was such that it expelled all poison and destroyed 
 all witchcraft. 
 
 75 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 He sprang from table, and asked after the Golden 
 Bull. When he heard that it was to be melted up, 
 he was very wroth, and insisted on being conveyed 
 immediately to the mint. Regardless of everything 
 save the Golden Bull and his sweet princess, he 
 hastened from the palace, and arrived at the mint 
 just as the bull was about to be destroyed. He saw 
 that the door in the side was open and that it was 
 empty. Then he uttered loud cries, demanding the 
 princess who had lived in the bull. 
 
 He ran back to the palace, brandishing his sword, 
 and he declared that he would be the death of any 
 man who could not tell him what had become of the 
 princess who lived inside the bull. 
 
 When the Princess Borrioboola heard this, she 
 thought he must be demented, and she hastily ordered 
 her equipage, that she might depart. She had no 
 desire to be the wife of a maniac. 
 
 Presently the whole palace was in an uproar. 
 The Princess Borrioboola departed. The prince 
 rushed from one room to another, with his sword 
 drawn, crying out that he must find his idolised 
 princess. 
 
 Then, he considered that she had worn the ring, 
 and he began to call out for the page who had given 
 him his cup. 
 
 But the page could nowhere be found. But instead 
 of the page, there entered his own beautiful princess, 
 in her garment of embroidered birds, and all 
 the birds were fluttering their wings and singing. 
 She was a marvellous sight, and it was wonderful to 
 hear the music made by her gown. 
 
 76 
 
The Golden Bull 
 
 When the prince saw her, he was delighted. He 
 shed floods of tears and clasped her to his heart. 
 
 The wedding took place next day, and the Golden 
 Bull was actually melted up to form medals in 
 commemoration of this happy marriage. The prince 
 urgently entreated the princess to tell him who were 
 the three ladies who had thrown her into the river, 
 and he would have them burned alive; but so good 
 of heart was she, that she refused to tell him, and 
 they escaped without being punished, which was 
 more than they deserved. 
 
 I have read in ancient history that the Princess 
 Borrioboola was married to the snuffy old king, and 
 that they lived happily together, and that she got to 
 like tobacco, and took to chewing a quid. But you 
 cannot trust all history. 
 
 Note. — The story of the Golden Bull is based on an old English 
 ballad of the same title, which is merely a folk-tale thrown into 
 wretched jingling- rhyme. The full title is "The Golden Bull, or 
 the Garland of Love's Craftiness." The date of the ballad is the 
 middle or end of last century. It was printed in Boro' Churchyard. 
 In several points it resembles Catskin. Not only in both are there 
 the three suits of garments, but in the Golden Bull the prince falls 
 sick. In Catskin sickness is feigned. I have altered the conclu- 
 sion in order to avoid the too close similarity, and have also a 
 little amplified the middle of the tale with the appearances of the 
 lady emerging from the bull. One characteristic feature belonging 
 to the opening of the story, which classifies it with a whole series 
 of folk-tales, for very good reasons I have had to modify. 
 
 There is no copy of this ballad in the Roxburghe Collection, nor 
 in the Douce, but I believe there is one in the Madder Collection, 
 in Cambridge House Library. It was printed and sold by J. 
 Evans, 41 Long Lane. 
 
 Tom Dibdin one day bought the little chap-book tale, and was 
 so struck with it that he composed out of it the popular musical 
 sketch or operetta of " The Casket," 1803. 
 
 77 
 
IV 
 
 SOUTHERNWOOD 
 
 There was once a girl. She lived by the sea. 
 Every day she went down on the sea wall, and sat 
 there on the chalkstones of which the wall was 
 built, and stuck sprigs of southernwood in her hair, 
 and rubbed the leaves in her hands. And because 
 she always smelt of southernwood, both because of 
 the sprigs in her hair, and because she rubbed the 
 leaves in her hands, and because she sat among the 
 bushes and on the young shoots, for this reason folk 
 called her Southernwood. Whether she had any 
 other name, and if so, what it was, I do not know. 
 
 One day, as she sat on the sea wall looking out 
 to sea, she saw the sharp fin of a shark coming along, 
 and a fish which the shark was pursuing leaped out 
 of the water and fell into her lap, and lay there gasp- 
 ing and turning all colours, green, and yellow, and 
 blue, and pink. 
 
 Then Southernwood picked flints and chalkstones 
 out of the wall, and threw them at the shark, and 
 6 8i 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 drove it away, back into the deep sea. And when 
 she saw it was gone, she put back the little rainbow 
 fish into the water, and it swam away quite joyous. 
 
 Next day, when Southernwood came down to the 
 beach and sat on the sea wall, she saw the rainbow 
 fish come swimming to her, and it had a gold 
 ball in its mouth, and it rolled the golden ball to 
 her feet, and then swam away. 
 
 Southernwood picked up the ball and played with 
 it. She threw it up and caught it again ; she rolled 
 it before her, and ran after it. 
 
 As she was going home, she passed along the 
 paling of the park of the Reeve of Lynn. She 
 stood at the gate, which was ajar, and looked in to 
 see the beautiful trees, and flowers, and peacocks. 
 And as she stood looking, the ball rolled out of her 
 hand and ran in at the gate. Then she was 
 frightened, for she could not get the ball again 
 without going after it. To go after it within the 
 park of the Reeve of Lynn she thought would be a 
 great liberty. 
 
 However, she saw no one about, and she could 
 not bear to lose her golden ball, so she slipped in 
 at the gate, and as she stooped to pick up the ball, 
 she touched the gate with her heel, and it swang 
 together, and shut with a snap. Then she was fast 
 as a bird in a snare, or a rat in a trap. 
 
 She was dreadfully unhappy, and tried in vain to 
 open the gate. She wept, and she pulled at the 
 handle till the blood ran out under her nails ; but 
 she could not open it. 
 
 Then she saw coming towards her an old lady 
 82 
 
Southernwood 
 
 with snow-white hair, very stately, and very richly 
 dressed, and she knew it was the Reeve's mother. 
 
 The lady said to her, " Now you are in my park, 
 you must come and be my servant. You will have 
 to clean the boots, and make the beds, and do the 
 cooking-, and mind the cellar, and wait at table. 
 And for all that you shall have the great and 
 unparalleled honour of being entitled the maid-of-all- 
 work to His Excellence the Reeve of Lynn." 
 
 Southernwood could not help herself She was 
 fast in the grounds of the Reeve, and could not 
 get out. 
 
 Then the lady began to instruct her as to the 
 condition of affairs in the Reeverie, as the house was 
 called. 
 
 " You must know and understand," said the lady, 
 " that my son is a very worthy and affectionate 
 character, when his heart is in the right place. But 
 there,' continued she " is the rub. His heart 
 straggles about. Sometimes he leaves it on the 
 table, or in his portmanteau and it is lost. You 
 have no idea what cruel things he will do when 
 he is heartless. He will stick pins into cockchafers 
 and spin them. He once tied the cat and dog 
 together by their tails. He once took my pet bull- 
 finch — but I will spare you the harrowing details. I 
 had to turn everything up and down till I found 
 and restored his heart to its right place, and then he 
 was quite overcome with regret for the batbarities 
 he had committed." 
 
 " That is very shocking," said Southernwood. 
 
 " You are right," said the lady. " You see my 
 83 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 hair is turned silver. One lock turned white through 
 his cruelties." She continued : " Sometimes his 
 heart is in his stomach, and then he is excessively- 
 greedy. He is then not only greedy, but offen- 
 sively dainty. He grumbles about his food, picks it, 
 leaves half on his plate, and turns up his nose at 
 all wines except the crustiest port and the driest 
 Sillery." 
 
 " That is very disgusting," said Southernwood. " I 
 have been taught to be content, and thankful for 
 plain food." 
 
 " Quite right too," answered the lady. " It is 
 disgusting, and his greediness and daintiness turned 
 the second lock of my hair silver." She continued : 
 " Sometimes his heart is in his pocket, and then he 
 becomes outrageously avaricious. You must know 
 that the duties of Reeve require him to impose and 
 gather in the local taxes and rates of the town of 
 Lynn. Now, when his heart is in his pocket, 
 then he oppresses and tyrannises over the citizens 
 of Lynn to such an extent, that, unless I picked his 
 pocket, and restored his heart to the right place, a 
 rebellion would break out, and he would have his 
 reeveship taken from him." 
 
 " That is very painful," said Southernwood. 
 
 " It is extremely painful and distressing," answered 
 the lady. " And his conduct in this matter has so 
 troubled me that it has turned the third lock of my 
 head white as snow. But I will proceed." Then 
 she went on to say : " Sometimes he gets his heart 
 down into his boots. You must know that one of 
 the offices and duties and responsibilities of a Reeve 
 
 84 
 
Southernwood 
 
 is to call out and conduct the militia in times of 
 peril. We are on the sea, and exposed to foreign 
 invasion. The Danes make descents on us and 
 ravage the country. On such occasions the Reeve is 
 expected to marshal the forces of Lynn and fall on 
 the enemy. But when my son has his heart in his 
 boots, he runs away and hides in a mulberry bush, 
 and leaves the militia to make head against the 
 enemy undirected." 
 
 " That is simply scandalous," said Southernwood. 
 
 " It is as you say, scandalous," acquiesced the lady. 
 " And his conduct in times of great national peril 
 from invaders has turned the fourth lock of my hair 
 to silver." Then the lady proceeded : " Sometimes 
 my son gets his heart into his mouth, and then 
 there is, I can assure you, nothing he will not 
 blab. He reveals not only all family affairs, but 
 also all the concerns of the town charities, which are 
 managed by the Reeve and aldermen, and will not 
 bear looking into. He has caused great confusion 
 and irritation by his talkativeness on such occasions." 
 
 " That is most injudicious," said Southernwood. 
 
 " It is eminently injudicious," answered the lady ; 
 " and I have long feared that all participation in the 
 direction and distribution of the charities will be 
 taken from him — and then, where should we be ? 
 Solicitude on this account has turned to white the 
 fifth lock of my hair. I will now tell you something 
 more." 
 
 " I pray you proceed," said Southernwood ; " what 
 you relate is most interesting." 
 
 " Then," said the lady, " you must know that 
 
 85 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 one of the offices of the Reeve is to be justice of 
 the peace, or, as it is more elegantly put, of the 
 quorum, which is an expression which nobody 
 understands, and which therefore is regarded as 
 poetical, and generally preferred. As justice of the 
 quorum, all kinds of evil-doers, and those suspected 
 as evil-doers, are brought before him on the bench. 
 Now, not infrequently, so careless is my son that he 
 leaves his heart on the window sill, and it gets cold. 
 When he is cold-hearted, he judges with extreme 
 hastiness, and is incapable of admitting any extenua- 
 tion in the case of misdemeanours." 
 
 " That is very sad," said Southernwood. 
 
 " It is more than sad, it is inhuman," answered the 
 Reeve's mother ; " and his inhumanity on the Bench 
 has turned my sixth lock snow-white. I will now 
 proceed to explain what has blanched my last lock 
 of hair. This is occasioned by his putting his heart 
 on the hob, or too near the fire, or warming it in 
 sack posset. Then he is unpleasantly warm-hearted. 
 You may find on such occasions that he will chuck 
 you under the chin, and try to kiss you, and even 
 urge you to name the day — which," pursued the 
 lady, " is clean ridiculous, as he is Reeve, and you 
 in a menial position." 
 
 " This is positively terrifying," said Southernw^ood. 
 " I do not feel inclined to accept your situation, 
 madam." 
 
 " You cannot escape from it," answered the lady 
 promptly. " Here you are, and here you remain, 
 anyhow for one month." 
 
 " I shall be in mortal terror of the Reeve," said 
 S6 
 
Southernwood 
 
 Southernwood, " Is there no means, madam, 
 whereby the heart of your son can be fixed in the 
 right place. It seems to me, speaking with all due 
 deference, that it is always wandering and losing 
 itself, and getting where it should not be." 
 
 " I have considered that," said the lady ; " and 
 now you put it to me, I have a scheme which I 
 anticipate will have the desired effect. I think, if 
 you will assist me in melting some strong fish-glue 
 that we may be able to put glue on his heart, and 
 so fasten it solidly in the right place. It will then 
 only be in very damp weather — damp, and warm, 
 and relaxing — that we need entertain any solicitude 
 about his heart becoming detached." 
 
 " I will assist you with great pleasure," said 
 Southernwood. 
 
 Accordingly the lady and Southernwood filled 
 the outer receptacle of the glue-pot with hot water, 
 and put two spoonfuls of water with the glue. 
 
 " It must not be too weak," said the lady. 
 
 " Nor too stiff," said the maiden. 
 
 Then the Reeve of Lynn was fetched, and placed 
 reclining on a sofa, and Southernwood gave him her 
 golden ball to play with, whilst they melted the glue, 
 and got his heart smeared with it. The mother had 
 found him dozing, in a soporific condition, as she 
 expressed it, because he had put his heart under 
 the pillow on going to bed, and had forgotten it 
 there. It had been found when the bed was made in 
 the morning, and a good deal of feather-down adhered 
 to it, because there was a hole in the pillow that had 
 been neglected by the last maid, who was careless 
 
 87 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and a bad needlewoman, having been brought up 
 with a sewing-machine from earliest infancy. 
 
 The Reeve remained quite pleased, playing with 
 the golden ball, whilst his mother endeavoured to 
 brush away the down from his heart. 
 
 Meanwhile the water in the pot boiled, and 
 bubbled over. " The glue is melted and steaming," 
 said Southernwood. Then the lady came to the 
 glue-pot with the heart in her hand, but the steam 
 came over her fingers and scalded them, and with 
 an exclamation of pain, and not considering what 
 she did, she dropped her son's heart, and it fell into 
 the glue-pot and was completely immersed in the 
 fluid fish-glue. 
 
 The Reeve uttered a shriek of agony — threw 
 away the golden ball and writhed in extremity of M 
 torture on the floor. The lady in her terror and ■ 
 distress put her fingers into the pot to remove 
 the heart, but burnt them so that she could do 
 nothing. 
 
 " Quick ! the sugar-tongs ! " she shouted. 
 
 " Where are they, madam ? " asked Southernwood. 
 But before she received an answer the door was 
 burst open, and in came the Queen of the Elves, in 
 flaming rage, with lightning flashing from her eyes. 
 She rushed to the fire and snatched up the glue-pot, 
 then to the Reeve and caught him in her arms, and 
 as she retired through the door she cried, " And 
 is this the treatment my elf son receives among 
 mortals ! " 
 
 Then she disappeared, carrying with her the 
 Reeve and his heart in the glue-pot. 
 
 88 
 
Southernwood 
 
 Now after this the lady recovered her composure. 
 She wept a great deal, and, sitting on the sofa, 
 beckoned Southernwood to her. Southernwood 
 prepared to seat herself, but the lady said, with 
 dignity, through her tears, " Nay, not so. You 
 occupy a menial position, so stand and listen to me." 
 Then the lady said, " Now I am certain of what I 
 long guessed, or, to put it more elegantly, entertained 
 suspicions. The Reeve zuas a changeling. When he 
 was a babe, or rather, when my babe was born, 
 before he was christened, on one occasion, the nurse 
 brought in some guava jelly into my room, and for 
 a moment I turned my attention from my cherished 
 infant and only child to the consumption of guava 
 jelly. In that moment, it is my belief, the Queen of 
 the Fairies effected a change. She carried off my 
 son, who was the beautifullest, most virtuous and 
 intelligent baby ever was seen at the age of eighteen 
 hours, and she put her own brat in his place. This 
 has been the occasion of all my sorrow and all my 
 difficulty with the Reeve. You must know that the 
 Reeveship of Lynn is hereditary in our family. His 
 father died at the birth of the blessed babe ; accord- 
 ingly, from the cradle my infant was Reeve of Lynn ; 
 but his function and office and authority have all 
 these many years been usurped by an elfin changeling, 
 whose heart was rarely, if ever, in the right place." 
 
 " But," said Southernwood, " why should the 
 Queen of the Elves have changed babes with you ? " 
 
 " The reason, I have no doubt, is this. Every 
 twenty years a full-grown elf has to be given up to the 
 great whale. Leviathan, who lies in the Wash, which 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 is that tract of sea into which discharge the Glen, 
 the Nene, the Ouse, and the Nar, and on which we 
 are situated here at Lynn. I strongly suspect that, 
 in order to save some elfin youth from being 
 sacrificed to the great Leviathan, this change has 
 been effected, and my poor son is to be delivered over 
 to the voracity of the monster ; indeed, there is no 
 saying but that he may already have fallen a victim." 
 
 Southernwood tried ineffectually to console her 
 mistress. But, finding her efforts in vain, she 
 picked up her golden ball and left the room. She 
 went down into the park, and considered what had 
 happened. 
 
 Now youthful hearts are buoyant, and she soon 
 took pleasure in the beauties of the garden, and was 
 especially attracted by some water lilies, silver and 
 gold, that floated on a little pond in the park. She 
 desired greatly to pluck one of these beautiful 
 flowers, but in straining to get one, she let fall the 
 golden ball, and it rolled into the water. 
 
 She could not think of not making every effort to 
 recover the gift of the rainbow fish. So she took 
 off her shoes and stockings and went into the pond. 
 Then she stooped, but at once the ball rolled in 
 deeper. So she waded to her knee. She could still 
 see the ball shining through the water, so she 
 stooped to take it. Again the ball rolled away, as 
 her fingers touched it, and she was constrained to 
 wade up to her waist. As the ball was still discern- 
 ible, she put down her arm through the water, but 
 in her effort to secure it touched it with her foot, 
 and it rolled on, still farther to the middle of the 
 
 90 
 
Southernwood 
 
 pond. Then Southernwood waded on till the water 
 reached her armpits. 
 
 As she saw the ball glimmering out of the depth, 
 she made a dive, got her head under water, and 
 grasped the ball. 
 
 But now, imagine what happened ! 
 
 To her great surprise she found herself in a new 
 world. She was walking on sparkling sands in 
 which were beautiful shells, and trees of coral and 
 waterweed grew before her, and the loveliest fish 
 swam about and lodged in the branches of coral and 
 weed. 
 
 As she looked about in the greatest admiration, 
 she heard a sad voice lamenting, and she held her 
 breath and listened. The voice was that of a young 
 man, and he sang — 
 
 "Alack and a day that I must die 
 
 (The prickles are sharp, but the leaves are green), 
 And never again see the Norfolk sky 
 (And the sweet birds sing in the treen). 
 
 Alack and a day that the loathly whale 
 
 (The prickles are sharp, but the leaves are green). 
 
 Will swallow me up withouten fail 
 
 (And the sweet birds sing in the treen). 
 
 Alack and a day, I would see the sun 
 (The prickles are sharp, but the leaves are green), 
 
 Before my bonnie sweet life is done 
 (And the sweet birds sing in the treen)." 
 
 When Southernwood heard this, then, she was full 
 of wonder and sorrow, for she remembered what the 
 
 91 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 lady had said to her, and she stole along on tiptoe, 
 to observe the singer unseen. She saw a beautiful 
 young man sitting under a bush of coral. He was 
 very pale and sad. He heard the rustle of her 
 movements as she stirred the bushes and broke off 
 the twigs, and he started to his feet and looked at 
 her with amazement. 
 
 He asked who she was, and she told him all. Then 
 she asked him why he wept and sang so doleful a 
 ditty. And he said to her that he was in Elfinland, 
 and it was the custom in Elfinland every twenty 
 years to deliver up a full-grown elf to the great 
 Leviathan who lived in Lynn Deeps in the Wash. 
 At one time they used to give a child every ten 
 years to the monster; but they considered that this 
 was such a sacrifice, that it would be preferable to 
 feed the loathly whale once in twenty year*: with a 
 full-grown elf; and, he added, the elves did all in 
 their power to secure human children in exchange 
 for their own, that they might rear them up for the 
 food of the monster. This is what had occurred to 
 him. He had been carried away when in his cradle, 
 because his mother had not watched him every 
 moment night and day till he was christened. And 
 now he was twenty, and the Elfin Queen was going 
 to convey him to the Wash and cast him to the 
 Leviathan. He said, moreover, that every time the 
 lot was cast who was to provide the victim on the 
 next occasion. On the last the lot had fallen to the 
 Elfin Queen, and she must either sacrifice her own 
 child or that of human parents. Accordingly, she 
 had made an exchange, and had left her child with 
 
 92 
 
Southernwood 
 
 his mother, and had taken him away from his 
 mother, and had nourished him up till now, and that 
 night he was to be taken to be cast into the maw of 
 the loathly whale. 
 
 When Southernwood heard this, she was much 
 amazed, and she further asked the youth whether 
 there was no hope of saving him. 
 
 He answered that there was. As it happened, 
 that very day the Elf Queen had brought back her 
 own son into Elfland, he was very ill because his 
 heart had fallen into a glue-pot. Now, if only he, 
 the human youth, could be rescued, then the Elf 
 Queen would have to deliver up her recovered son ; 
 and as there was no probability of his heart ever 
 being cleansed again from the adhesive and disgust- 
 ing material in which it was enveloped, it would be 
 no grea.t matter if he were eaten. 
 
 Southernwood asked how the youth might be 
 saved. 
 
 Then he answered and said, " This night, when 
 the moon rises, a great train of elves will issue from 
 the pond, which is the great entrance to Fairyland. 
 Before them will travel the will o' the wisp, and 
 you will hear fairy music. Then will come the 
 elf-folk in three companies, on their tiny horses." 
 
 "How shall I know ^you,", asked Southernwood, 
 " when so many pass by ? " 
 
 Then he replied — 
 
 "The very first band that passes by, 
 Say nothing to that show. 
 The very next band that passes by, 
 Say nothing and let it go." 
 
 93 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 " But when the third company passes, how 
 shall I know you in that ? " asked the maiden. 
 
 **0 first let pass the black, black steed. 
 And then let pass the brown ; 
 But when you see a milkwhite steed, 
 Then cast the rider down. 
 
 My rig-ht hand it shall wear a glove, 
 
 My left hand shall be bare ; 
 And these the tokens I give you, love, 
 
 By which you'll know me there." 
 
 " But how," asked the maiden, " shall I be able to 
 cast you off your milkwhite steed ? " 
 
 "O you must take your golden ball, 
 And cast it unto me. 
 And if you'd make the white horse fall. 
 Then strike him above the knee." 
 
 " And when the horse Is struck, what shall I do 
 then ? " asked Southernwood. 
 
 ** O take me in your arms, fair maid. 
 And hold me to your heart. 
 Whate'er you see, be not afraid. 
 And never from me let part. 
 
 They'll turn me in your arms, fair lass, 
 
 To an adder and a worm ; 
 But hold me fast, nor let me pass. 
 
 And none shall do you harm. 
 
 They'll turn me in your arms, fair lass. 
 
 To an adder and a snake ; 
 But hold me fast, nor let me pass. 
 
 And all for my mother's sake. 
 
 They'll turn me in your arms, fair maid, 
 
 To a goose, and then a swan. 
 Then wrap your mantle, nor be afraid. 
 
 And again I'm a Christian man." 
 
 94 
 
Southernwood 
 
 Now when the young man had said this, he bade 
 Southernwood make haste to depart, before the 
 elves should see her. If they were to find her in 
 their realm, they might detain her there, and not 
 suffer her to depart. Perhaps they might even 
 retain her for the next occasion when the Leviathan 
 had to be fed. 
 
 He bade her roll the golden ball before her, and 
 follow where it led. She did so, and the ball rolled 
 away, and she ran after it. Then she rose out of 
 the water, first her head, then her shoulders, then 
 her body to the waist. Lastly she rose to her knees, 
 and she forthwith stepped on land. 
 
 Never one word did she speak of what she had 
 seen and heard, but that night, just before the moon 
 rose, she went into the garden and waited near the 
 gate, for she knew that the elfin train would pass 
 that way. Then presently she saw the horn of the 
 moon glitter over the wall, and immediately a little 
 will o' the wisp danced down the drive. And when 
 it came to the gates, they opened of themselves, 
 quite wide, and the flame passed through. 
 
 Next she heard the sweetest and softest music, 
 so soft and sweet that she nearly closed her eyes 
 and slept for pleasure. But there was spear-grass 
 growing near, and she took the spear - grass and 
 twisted it in her hair and pulled, and it drew her 
 hair together with much pain, and that kept her 
 awake. 
 
 The first band that passed consisted of fairy pages 
 on tiny ponies. 
 
 Southernwood had not only been assured that 
 95 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 the true Reeve of Lynn would not be in that 
 company, but also she knew, by the size of those 
 who rode, that among them he could not be. 
 
 The next band that passed consisted of fairy 
 damosels, the maidens in waiting, the ladies of the 
 bedchamber, the ladies of the bathroom, the ladies 
 of the store-cupboard and the ladies of the dairy. 
 
 Southernwood had been told to let the second 
 company pass unnoticed, and she did so, not only 
 because informed that the true Reeve would not be 
 there, but also because he obviously did not belong 
 to a party that was made up of the other sex. 
 
 But when the third band passed, it was otherwise. 
 This comprised all the nobles and knights of Fairy- 
 land, in their richest vestures, all magnificently 
 attired, and riding beautiful horses. 
 
 Among them came the King of the Elves on a 
 black steed, and Southernwood let him pass. 
 
 Next came the Queen of the Elves on a brown 
 jennet, and she allowed her to ride by. 
 
 But when she saw a milkwhite steed, whereon 
 rode a young man with one hand gloved, then she 
 knew that this must be the true Reeve of Lynn, who 
 was being taken to be devoured by the sea-monster 
 in the Wash. 
 
 Then, with all her force, she threw the golden 
 ball, and it struck the white palfrey a little above 
 the knee. The horse stumbled, went down and 
 rolled over, and his rider was flung on the grass. 
 
 Instantly Southernwood sprang to him, caught 
 him in her arms, and folded her mantle about him. 
 
 There was a great cry and commotion among 
 
 96 
 
Southernwood 
 
 the elves, they came round the maid, and the knights 
 levelled their spears and tilted at her, but could not 
 touch her. Then the queen spoke a word of power ; 
 and immediately the beautiful youth in Southern- 
 wood's arms became a writhing, hideous serpent 
 with three heads, that put forth forked tongues and 
 threatened to bite her and spit poison. But she 
 had a brave heart, and she did not let go her hold. 
 
 Then the queen spake a second word of power, 
 and immediately the serpent became a great fire of 
 flames and smoke in Southernwood's arms, rushing 
 up and surrounding her face. But she remained 
 firm, and wrapped her mantle the tighter about the 
 fire, and it waxed faint. 
 
 Then the queen spake a third word of power, and 
 at once the fire was transformed into a white swan. 
 Southernwood held the great swan very fast, although 
 it fluttered and struggled to disengage its wings. 
 
 Thereupon there rose a sighing and a sobbing, 
 and the elves ran and came dragging after them the 
 false Reeve of Lynn, the fairy changeling. The 
 queen wept piteously, but it was of no avail, he 
 must be the victim, as the true Reeve had been 
 snatched from her power. 
 
 But it must be said that the intended victim 
 seemed indifferent to his situation and regardless of 
 his impending fate. This was perhaps due to the 
 enormous amount of fish-glue that encased his heart, 
 and had now hardened. 
 
 The train swept on, drawing the false Reeve with 
 it. Then the gates closed, and no more of the elves 
 was seen or heard. 
 
 7 97 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Immediately the swan resumed the human shape. 
 The true Reeve of Lynn slipped out of the arms of 
 Southernwood, thanked her most gratefully for what 
 she had done, and, taking her by the hand, conducted 
 her to his mother, with the dignity and grace of a 
 prince rather than of a reeve. 
 
 Now when he came to his mother, she was 
 delighted and rejoiced beyond measure. She kissed 
 and embraced him, she wept and laughed for joy. 
 
 The Reeve suffered his mother to give full rein to 
 her feelings for some while, but when she paused 
 for exhaustion, he made to her a profound bow, and, 
 drawing Southernwood forward, said, " Madam, to 
 this sweet and beautiful damsel I owe my escape 
 from a most terrible fate. By her energy, by her 
 courage, by her resolution, she succeeded in deliver- 
 ing me. I have resolved that she shall be my wife." 
 
 His mother seemed a little staggered and offended. 
 Assuming a grave aspect, she said, " My dear son, 
 gratitude is an admirable virtue, and eminently 
 suitable in a Reeve of Lynn. But every virtue may 
 be carried to an excess. You must remember this 
 person, otherwise so admirable, occupies a menial 
 position, and is in indigent circumstances." 
 
 '"Position and circumstances be hanged!' which is 
 an expression used in the first circles of Elfin Land," 
 said the Reeve, with another bow. " My dearest 
 lady mother, much as I respect your judgment, in 
 this matter I shall be ruled by my own feelings. 
 Whatever may have been the position and circum- 
 stances of this lovely maid, of whom I am passionately 
 enamoured, and to whom I am attached by the 
 
Southernwood 
 
 most sacred obligations of gratitude, henceforth her 
 circumstances shall be mine, or mine hers, and her 
 position shall be that of mistress of my house, and 
 reevedom, and person. And, dearest mother, in- 
 asmuch as hitherto you have been sore troubled, 
 even to the silvering of your seven locks, by solicitude 
 for the heart of your supposed son, now, to ensure 
 to you and every one that your true son's heart is 
 in the right place, I commit its custody to my dying 
 day to sweet Southernwood." 
 
 Note. — The story of Southernwood is based, but based only, 
 on the ballad of Tarn Lin. We have this only in Scottish form, 
 but Tommy o' Lynn is well known all over England and the 
 subject of humorous song-s. Moreover, the story of his capture 
 by fairies and his release is common to all peoples. The maid 
 and the gold ball I have worked in from another tale, to which it 
 does not properly belong ; the real story concerns the loss of the 
 golden ball, and the sentence of the maid to execution unless it 
 be produced. I have also worked in the universally known story 
 of the fairy changeling, common in Ireland, in Scotland, in 
 Wales, and in Cornwall. In folk-tales the same elements are 
 worked up again and again, and this is my sole justification for 
 the hotch-potch of a story, Southernwood. For Tam Lin see 
 Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 39. For The 
 Golden Ball, see appendix to Henderson's Folklore of the Xorthern 
 Counties^ ed. 1866, and Jacobs' More English Fairy Tales. I must 
 admit that the bit of ballad, p. 91, is not a genuine old fragment. 
 
 99 
 
V 
 
 THE SHEPHERD'S DAUGHTER 
 
 There was once a king of England, and he was 
 very fond of hunting. He went out hunting in the 
 forest one day, and he had taken with him a roast 
 chicken to eat when hungry. 
 
 He had hunted all the morning without success, 
 and by the middle of the day he was separated from 
 all his attendants, and was hot and hungry and 
 tired. Then he came out on a bit of furzy moor, 
 and there he saw a green mound, and he sat upon it. 
 He opened his wallet, and pulled out the chicken, 
 and ate. 
 
 As he was very hungry, he not only ate the meat, 
 but he picked the bones clean, and then threw the 
 bones away. He threw them down impatiently, 
 because he was very vexed that all his hunting had 
 been in vain. 
 
 All at once a little woman stood before him with 
 a stick in her hand, and she was brandishing this 
 with vehemence, and her other hand was clenched, 
 
 103 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and she spluttered when she spoke, so angry was 
 she. The little woman was no taller than the king's 
 knee. He was much surprised, and asked her what 
 made her angry. 
 
 She answered, screaming shrilly, " You have 
 thrown your chicken bones against my children ! you 
 have lamed one, and broken the head of another, 
 and all are bruised and crying." 
 
 Then the king thought he heard a little shrilling 
 in the grass like crickets — but it was the crying of 
 the old woman's children. 
 
 " This is my house," continued the old woman ; 
 " you are sitting on the roof, and throwing the bones 
 at my children, who were playing in the grass, en- 
 joying the sun out of doors. And now, because 
 you have done this thing, your daughter shall be 
 taken from you, that is just born to you in St. James's 
 Palace, and shall be carried away, and you shall not 
 see her again, till the day she is given in marriage, 
 and she shall be brought up as a poor shepherd's 
 daughter, and shall keep sheep upon the moor." 
 
 Then the little woman disappeared. 
 
 The king mounted on his horse, and sounded his 
 horn, and presently his huntsmen came up. He 
 told them what he had seen and heard, and they 
 looked, and lo ! the mound of green turf had sunk 
 into the ground, and could not be seen at all. So 
 all thought, though too polite to say so, that the 
 king had been dreaming. 
 
 When, however, the king came home from hunt- 
 ing, he found St. James's Palace all in commotion. 
 That very day a little daughter had been born to 
 
 104 
 
 ! 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 him, and no sooner was she born, than she had been 
 spirited away. 
 
 The nurses and the chambermaids and the 
 chamberlains looked everywhere for the babe, — in the 
 cupboards, under the pillows, they turned up the 
 chairs, they ransacked the drawers, they shook at 
 the curtains, they beat the carpets, they turned out 
 the dustbin, but nowhere could the newly - born 
 princess be found ; moreover, the royal squires rode 
 about as fast as they could, round the palace, and 
 through the parks, but they could not see anyone 
 going away with the new-born baby. 
 
 It was very sad. And the saddest thing was 
 that the king and queen knew, from what the little 
 old woman had said, that the princess had been 
 carried away into the country and given to some 
 shepherd, and that she would be brought up as a 
 country girl, and be married, they had no doubt, to 
 some country bumpkin. But that was not all. 
 They had no other child, and whoever married the 
 little princess would become King of England. 
 
 " It would be very painful," said the queen, " if 
 she were to marry a Giles Scroggins." 
 
 " It would be worse if his name were Buggins," 
 said the king. 
 
 " I don't think the people would stand it," said the 
 queen ; " fancy on the coin of the realm Buggiiis, 
 D.G., F.D." 
 
 " There would be a revolution," said the king. 
 
 " Then, again, his manners," said the queen. 
 
 " And his morals," said the king. 
 
 " We really know nothing of the manners and 
 105 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 morals of the common people," observed the 
 queen. 
 
 " That is true," responded the king, and became 
 thoughtful. 
 
 " I have always had a great abhorrence of what is 
 common!' said the queen. 
 
 " Yet you say your devotions out of the Book of 
 Common Prayer," retorted the king. The queen 
 then changed the topic. 
 
 Now it must be told that the little princess was 
 whisked away by the pixy who lived under the 
 mound, and was dropped into the arms of a shep- 
 herd's wife who was shelling peas. This good 
 woman was a little short of sight, and she really 
 thought, as she shelled peas, that the babe had 
 tumbled out of a pod. So she had her christened 
 Sweet Pea, not because the pod out of which she 
 came was other than that of the common pea, or 
 that the peas among which she lay were other than 
 common garden peas, that are boiled with mint ; but 
 because, though ordinary peas are sweet, this darling 
 little baby was a thousand times sweeter. 
 
 The shepherd and his wife were very fond of her, 
 and she grew up in their cottage, believing them to 
 be her father and mother, and she learned to be 
 thrifty and industrious and truthful and honest. 
 
 As they were very poor, she was obliged to work. 
 In time the shepherd became old and feeble, and 
 then Sweet Pea was sent out on the moors with the 
 sheep. 
 
 Now it happened one day that the Duchess of 
 Cornwall had gone with her ladies to a lake there 
 
 1 06 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 is in Cornwall called Dozmaree, and they amused 
 themselves with sailing in a boat on the rippling 
 blue water. The duchess was knitting, and every now 
 and then she put her knitting-pins into the water ; 
 she said she wondered how deep the lake was. 
 
 Then all at once there rose up beside the boat a 
 man who was half a fish. He had long black hair 
 hanging down, like seaweed, and a flat face, very 
 pale, and large fishy eyes, and fins where men grow 
 whiskers. He splashed the water over the duchess 
 and her ladies, and they saw he had webbed hands. 
 He was in a great rage, and could hardly speak. 
 But at last he screamed out — 
 
 " Beneath the waters where you swim, 
 Sits my wife with babies three ; 
 Why should you stick your knitting"-pin, 
 Blind them that they cannot see?" 
 
 And he said, that when the duchess thrust down 
 her knitting-pin into the water, she stuck it into the 
 eyes of his children. She had blinded one in both 
 eyes, and the second had lost the right eye, and the 
 third had lost the left. 
 
 The duchess was so astonished and frightened 
 that she could not speak. 
 
 Then the mere-man said, '' Because you have 
 done this, your son, that is just born, shall go clean 
 contrary to what he wishes and ought to do. I 
 cannot alter his heart, but I can make him go 
 against all he would desire to do with his good 
 heart." 
 
 Then he dropped under the waves, and they saw 
 107 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 him no more, but they heard a sort of plaintive 
 sound, such as is made by mussels and oysters when 
 drawn by the waves over stones — but it was the 
 wailing of the mere-babes because their eyes had 
 been put out by the duchess's knitting-pins. 
 
 The unhappy duchess was too grieved and 
 ashamed to tell her husband what had happened, 
 but she thought much about the ill wish that the 
 mere-man had laid on her beautiful little boy, who 
 was called William, and who, because he was fairer 
 and sweeter in appearance than any other William 
 in Cornwall, was called Sweet William. 
 
 Nevertheless, in spite of his name, he grew up to 
 ■be a sour and bitter William. He was very amiable 
 in heart, but when he desired to kiss his nurse, then, 
 instead, he slapped her ; and when he wished to say 
 " You dear " to anyone who was kind to him, he 
 said instead, " You are a naughty old pig." This 
 was very sad, and the Duke of Cornwall was much 
 troubled. He could not understand it. Of a good 
 tree comes good fruit, and he and the Duchess were 
 so good, that it was a wonder to everyone in Corn- 
 wall that so cantankerous and uncourteous a boy 
 should have been born to them. 
 
 The duchess wept, and became pale and worn. 
 Then, one night she had a dream, and in that dream 
 she saw the Fairy Morgana, who is the greatest of 
 all the fairies in Cornwall, and wishes well to all 
 Cornish people. The fairy said to her, " Fern- 
 seed is good for blind eyes. Go, scatter fern-seed on 
 the waters of Dozmaree, and see what comes of it." 
 
 Next day the duchess awoke, and remembered 
 1 08 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 well what she had dreamed. So she went with her 
 ladies over the moors and hills to the lake, and as 
 she went, she plucked fern leaves and rubbed the 
 seed into her hands, and filled a large reticule with it. 
 When she came to Dozmaree, she mounted the 
 boat and rowed over the lake, and all the way with 
 both hands she strewed fern-seed, and as she strewed 
 she sang — 
 
 " The fern-seed rlg-ht and left I strew, 
 Mere-man, for your babies three ; 
 I g-rleve that I did wrong- to you. 
 Fern-seed maketh eyes to see." 
 
 Then out of the water rose the mere-man, and he 
 said, " Because you have done this thing, and 
 restored sight to my babes' eyes, I take off my ill 
 wish as much as I can. Your son shall be changed 
 to be in manner what he is in heart, as soon as he is 
 married. Marriage is sovereign to surly manners." 
 
 Then he went down under the water again, and 
 they saw him no more. 
 
 Now the Duchess told her husband what she had 
 done, told him the whole story ; and they considered 
 that William should be sent to the court at St. 
 James's, to be there brought up where are the best 
 of manners and morals. Moreover, there he would 
 be sure to find some beautiful, amiable, accomplished 
 and noble maiden, suitable to become his wife and 
 future Duchess of Cornwall. 
 
 So William went to the court of the King of 
 England. Now, before he came, the queen sighed, 
 and she said to the king, " Oh, if only our dear 
 
 109 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 daughter had not been whisked away from us — she 
 would now be old enough to be married, and it 
 would have been so nice to have married her to the 
 heir of the Duchy of Cornwall — so much better than 
 going hunting after foreigners. But it is all your 
 doing." 
 
 " What is my doing ? " 
 
 " Why, it is through your want of consideration 
 in throwing chicken bones at the poor little pixies." 
 
 " I never saw them," said the king. 
 
 " Because you never look about you ; you are so 
 inconsiderate. It was all your doing." 
 
 " Well, I never ! " said the king. 
 
 " It is of no use your saying ' W^ell, I never ! ' If 
 you had looked before you threw chicken bones, as 
 every wise and sensible and moral man ought to do, 
 this would never have happened. As I said before, 
 it is all your doing." 
 
 " I think you might have minded the cradle a 
 little better," observed the king. 
 
 " How could I ? " asked the queen indignantly. 
 " And to think of your throwing chicken bones about 
 when your blessed babe was born ! " 
 
 Now when William, son of the Duke of Cornwall, 
 arrived at the court, then everyone was struck with 
 his beauty and gracefulness. And everyone ex- 
 claimed, " Surely this is Sweet William ! " 
 
 But he had not been there many days before they 
 found that in all he did he was ungracious and even 
 unkind. 
 
 William was troubled at this ; he knew that he 
 wished well, and desired to do courteous things, but 
 
 no 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 somehow he ahvays said and did just the wrong 
 thing, and made enemies where he ought to have 
 made friends. Immediately after he had done a 
 rude thing or said an unkind word, he was sensible 
 of it, and laboured to undo what he had done amiss, 
 and always made matters worse by the attempt. 
 
 Consequently, he had no friends, and he did not 
 play games with the rest, nor walk nor ride with the 
 rest ; and it was very little likely that he would win 
 the heart of any fair lady. 
 
 After he had been some time at the king's court, 
 he returned home to see his father, who was dying, 
 and he remained at home till the duke was dead. 
 Then he determined to go back to the court and 
 pay his respects, as Duke of Cornwall, to the king 
 and queen. After that he would return to his 
 duchy and attend to it ; but he greatly feared that, 
 however much he might wish to be a generous and 
 good duke, he would only irritate and annoy the 
 Cornish people. 
 
 He was riding alone, on his way back to London, 
 when he passed over the moor on which Sweet Pea 
 was tending her sheep. 
 
 Now I must tell you that this same day Sweet 
 Pea was sitting on a green mound that rose out of 
 the heather. She had taken with her for her food a 
 hard-boiled egg. As she was hungry at noon, she 
 pulled the egg out of her pocket and began to peel 
 it. The shell she broke carefully, and put all the 
 little pieces on a stone, one on top of another, and 
 she had broken them so neatly that they were all 
 round and of one shape. Then she took the fine 
 
 III 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 skin that is inside the shell, and she stripped it 
 carefully, and with a pair of scissors cut the fine skin 
 into strips, and began to sew them together with a 
 needle she had, and which she threaded with a fibre 
 from a spider's cobweb, and she made out of the 
 skin little shirts. 
 
 She heard a cackling laugh, and looked up. There 
 stood before her a funny old woman, who looked 
 smilingly on her, and said, " Little shepherd's 
 daughter, will you give me the eggshell cups you 
 have made ? They will serve as porridge bowls for 
 my children." 
 
 " With all my heart," said Sweet Pea ; " and if you 
 want more, I will bring another egg to-morrow and 
 make more." 
 
 " You are very good," said the little woman ; 
 " and in payment I will bring you your husband 
 this way — and his name is Sweet William." 
 
 Then the little woman looked at what the girl was 
 doing, and said, " May I see what you have made?" 
 
 " By all means," said Sweet Pea, and she put the 
 little doll suits into the old woman's hand. Then 
 the pixy — for a pixy it was — danced and capered 
 and screamed for joy. And when she ceased, she 
 said, " Will you give me these for my little children ? " 
 
 '' Most gladly," answered Sweet Pea ; " and if you 
 want more, I will bring another egg to-morrow and 
 make you as many more shirts and jackets as you like." 
 
 Then the pixy said, " Because you have done this, 
 I will tell you who you really are. You are not a 
 shepherd's daughter. You are the daughter of the 
 King and Queen of England. And now — see — out 
 
 112 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 of the forest comes riding the man who is to be 
 your husband. Follow him, and do not tell him you 
 are a princess." 
 
 Then the little woman disappeared, taking with 
 her the eggshell porridge bowls and egg-skin shirts. 
 Now, as William, Duke of Cornwall, came riding 
 through the heather, his dog that he had ran after 
 Sweet Pea's lambs and sheep and scattered them. 
 Then William called to the dog. He wanted to 
 call him off, but instead of shouting, " Lion — come 
 back ! " he called, " Lion — at them ! " 
 
 So the dog pursued his sport, and he ran down 
 one sheep, and then another, and killed all the flock 
 of Sweet Pea. She wept and entreated, but it was 
 all in vain — every one of her sheep and lambs was 
 torn and dead. Then she went weepingly to the 
 beautiful, princely-looking young man riding on his 
 horse and told him that these sheep were all that 
 her father and mother possessed, and that unless they 
 were paid for the old people would perish from want. 
 
 He looked at her, and thought how lovely she 
 was, and he wished to pay her for what damage his 
 dog had done, but when he pulled out his purse, in- 
 stead of giving it her, he struck her in the face with it. 
 
 Then she asked what was his name. She must 
 have justice done. And so distressed and angry was 
 she, that she forgot all that the pixy had said to her. 
 
 He answered — 
 
 "O some clo call me Jack," he said, 
 
 "And some do call me Jame, 
 But when I'm in the king's high court, 
 
 Sweet William is my name." 
 
 8 113 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then he struck spurs into his horse and rode away, 
 and the dog followed him. He was unhappy and 
 wroth with what had happened, but it was like his 
 ill luck : when he wished to do right, then he did 
 wrong, and when he wished to say a civil word, then 
 he said a rude one. 
 
 He took his horse all by the head, 
 
 And swift away did ride ; 
 She gathered up her skirts and ran 
 
 Hard by his stirrup side. 
 And when she to a river came, 
 
 She bared her breast and swam ; 
 And when she was on the green grass, 
 
 Then swift a-foot she ran. 
 He never was a courteous knight 
 
 To bid her mount and ride. 
 And she was such a simple maid, 
 
 She did by him abide. 
 
 Thus she ran on, and as she ran, her feet were 
 wounded, and the blood flowed from them. But she 
 heeded it not. She was resolved to have justice 
 done for the sheep the dog had slain, for the sake of 
 the poor old couple whose they were, and because 
 they had been entrusted to her. 
 
 Now the darkness began to come on, and it would 
 soon be night. Nevertheless she ran on, as says 
 the ballad — 
 
 "Now stay, the night is falling fast, 
 
 Full weary thou must be." 
 " I will not stay, by night or day, 
 
 But run 'longside of thee." 
 
 As soon as ever they came to London gates, then 
 the youth galloped hard away over the pavement, 
 
 114 
 
 ] 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 but she was so weary and so lame that she could 
 only limp along. But she asked her way to the 
 king's palace, and when she reached it, then she 
 stood at the door and knocked and rang. 
 
 There was no servant in the hall 
 
 Nor noble heard the din ; 
 So down there came the king himself, 
 
 And let the fair maid in. 
 
 Now the king was very much astonished when he 
 saw a poor shepherd girl at the palace door, breath- 
 less with running, soiled with dust, and with blood 
 flowing from her feet. 
 
 He was a courteous king, so he led her into the 
 hall, and made her sit down, and then he asked her — 
 
 "What wouldst thou have of me?" he said; 
 
 '* O, what dost seek?" said he. 
 "Thou hast a man in thy fair court 
 
 That hath a-robbed me." 
 "What hath he robbed thee of, fair maid? 
 
 Of purple or of pall? 
 Or hath he ta'en the red gold ring 
 
 From off thy finger small?" 
 
 Then the shepherd's daughter answered and said : 
 " He has not taken from me purple or pall, for I 
 have none of these things, but only brown linsey- 
 woolsey gowns. And as for a gold ring, I never 
 saw gold in my life, and very seldom any silver." 
 Thereupon she told the king how the young knight 
 had come riding up with his dog, and how the dog 
 had worried her sheep, and the knight, instead of 
 calling off the dog, had urged it on, and then how, 
 
 1^5 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 when she had asked him to pay for all the sheep 
 that had been killed, he had struck her across the 
 face. 
 
 Now, vvhen the king heard this story, you may be 
 sure he was very angry, for not only was he a 
 courteous king, but also he was just. But he had 
 many knights and noble youths in his court, and he 
 did not know which of all these was the guilty one. 
 So he said — 
 
 "How dost thou know this noble knight? 
 
 What dost thou know him by?" 
 '* By his locks that are as yellow wheat, 
 
 And by his bright blue eye.'" 
 
 The king answered in great wrath — 
 
 "Oh, if he be a married man, 
 
 I'll hang him on a tree ; 
 But if he be a bachelor, 
 
 His body I'll give to thee." 
 The king he called up his men 
 
 By one, by two, by three ; 
 Sir William once was first of all. 
 
 But now the last came he. 
 Then out he held full fifty pounds, 
 
 All wrapped in a glove. 
 " Fair maid, I'll give the same to thee. 
 
 Go, seek another love." 
 "Oh, I want nothing of thy gold, 
 
 Nor nothing of thy fee. 
 But I will have thy body whole 
 
 Which the king hath granted me." 
 
 There was no help for it. The king had promised, 
 and William was obliged to submit. He was very 
 wroth, because he was Duke of Cornwall, and this 
 
 ii6 
 
 I 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 was but a poor shepherd's daughter. A marriage 
 was to be made, but not in London. The king 
 said it should be in Cornwall, where all might see 
 their new duchess wed. Then said the duke — 
 
 "Would I had drunk the water clear 
 
 When I did drink the wine, 
 Rather than any shepherd's brat 
 
 Should be a lady of mine ! 
 Would I had drunk the puddle foul 
 
 When I did drink g-ood ale, 
 Rather than here that shepherd maid 
 
 Should shame me with her tale ! " 
 
 Then she answered him — 
 
 "A shepherd maiden though I was, 
 
 You might have let me be ; 
 I never had come to London town 
 
 To ask for aught from thee. 
 A shepherd brat what if I was ? 
 
 You might have ridden by, 
 And never a word to you, fair knig-ht. 
 
 Had ever spoken I." 
 He set her on a milkwhite steed. 
 
 Himself upon a g"rey, 
 And forth he rode with the shepherd maid 
 
 From London town away. 
 The very first town they came unto, 
 
 He bought her a golden ring, 
 The very next town they came unto, 
 
 He made her a gay wedding-. 
 
 Then up and spoke the shepherd maid : " Foras- 
 much as now I am your wife, and Duchess of Corn- 
 wall, I will tell you who I be. Think not that I am 
 a poor shepherd's brat. I am better born than you. 
 For you are a duke's son, and I am the daughter of 
 
 117 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 the king and queen. Think not that I am poor as 
 the shepherd with only his flock of sheep ; I am the 
 heiress of the crown of England. You have in this 
 Cornish land great mines of tin, but I have all the 
 golden treasure of great England. 
 
 If you make me lady of one g-ood town, 
 I make you lord of three." 
 
 Then there was great rejoicings throughout the land 
 when the tidings were known, that the only daughter 
 of the king and queen was found, and was married 
 to William, Duke of Cornwall. And now also was 
 the Duchess of Cornwall glad, for her son's good 
 heart shone forth in all he said and did. For, indeed, 
 marriage is the sovereign cure for churlishness. And 
 the king and queen of England laughed and cried 
 for gladness, and made the fountains in London spout 
 wine, and they threw buns, with many currants in 
 them, out of their state carriage windows as they 
 drove through the streets. Indeed, there was great 
 rejoicing, such as cannot be described. 
 
 You must know that ever after, the eldest son of 
 the King and Queen of England is entitled, not only 
 Prince of Wales, but also Duke of Cornwall, for in 
 the marriage of Sweet William and Sweet Pea, the 
 realm of England was united to the ancient duchy 
 of Cornwall, thenceforth to be " One and All." -^ 
 
 Note. — The story of the Shepherd's Daughter is based on a folk- 
 tale combined with a folk-ballad. The ballad is very well known. 
 It first appeared in print as " The Beautiful Shepherdesse of 
 Arcadia," and was reprinted in the Roxhurghe Ballads, Hi. i6o ; it 
 
 1 " One and All " is the motto of the duchy of Cornwall. 
 
The Shepherd's Daughter 
 
 is very well known still among- the peasantry of England, and is 
 sung- to a fine ancient melody. It is known well also in Scotland. 
 A snatch of the ballad occurs in Beaumont and Fletcher's play, 
 ''The Knight of the Burning Pestle," that was printed in 1613. 
 The story is perhaps derived from the older " Ballad of Sir Gawain's 
 Marriage." See concerning it Professor Child's English and 
 Scottish Ballads, the new edition, No. no. The folk-tale I have 
 combined with it is one I remember being told as a child. 
 
 In Roger of Wendover's Floivers of History, written in 1235, is 
 the story of King Edward, son of Alfred the Great, and the 
 Shepherd's Daughter. Their son was the famous King Athelstan, 
 who succeeded Edward in 924. It is possible that the ballad may 
 have been based on this story. 
 
 In the "Marriage of Sir Gawain," in Percy's Reliqties, the 
 damsel is bewitched and made hideous. In the folk-tale she is 
 also subject to enchantment. In the ballad, as we have it, all the 
 earlier part of the story, telling how it was that she, a queen's 
 daughter, came to be living as a shepherdess, is lost. We have, 
 in fact, only the second half of the ballad preserved to us. 
 
 For particular reasons I have been obliged to alter the first 
 incident in the ballad. 
 
 119 
 
VI 
 
 THE TURKEY FACTOR 
 
 121 
 
VI 
 
 THE TURKEY FACTOR 
 
 There was a certain factor who went into the East 
 and did business for merchants in London. Although 
 a young man, he was so honest and intelHgent, that 
 the merchants felt confident in placing their affairs 
 in his hands. 
 
 By his honesty and steadiness he had amassed a 
 little fortune of five hundred and fifty pounds, and 
 he thought that when he had six hundred, he would 
 set up business for himself, become himself a merchant, 
 and he was confident that in a few years he would 
 grow to be very rich. He came to Turkey on his 
 business. 
 
 Now one day he saw a man carried to burial, and 
 there came some Turks and arrested the body, for 
 they said that the man had died in debt fifty pounds, 
 and unless the money were paid, his carcase would 
 be cast to the dogs to devour. The widow and 
 orphans of the deceased wept and entreated, but the 
 Turks insisted that it should be so. 
 
 123 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then the factor was moved with pity, and he paid 
 the man's debt of fifty pounds out of his own pocket, 
 and gave orders that the funeral should be proceeded 
 with. The widow and children wept tears of joy 
 now, and called down blessings on his head. 
 
 Another day, as the factor was walking near the 
 sea, he heard a voice crynng, and when he hastened 
 to the spot, saw a beautiful girl, and the Turkish 
 soldiers were going to strangle her and throw her 
 into the sea. 
 
 The factor asked what she had done. 
 
 Then he learned that she had been a slave in the 
 sultan's seraglio, and had waited on the sultana ; 
 and that one day she had let fall and broken a 
 precious crystal phial filled with otto of roses, and 
 that as this was greatly esteemed by the sultana, she 
 was very angry, and had ordered the slave girl to 
 be strangled and thrown into the Bosphorus. 
 
 The factor asked what was the value of the crystal 
 phial with the precious scent, and was told that it 
 was worth five hundred pounds. They further told 
 him that if the sum were forthcoming, the sultana 
 would be content to let the girl live. 
 
 Five hundred pounds was a large sum. Indeed 
 it was all that remained of the factor's savings. He 
 debated in his mind a moment. Then the girl 
 threw herself on her knees before him, and, wring- 
 ing her hands and weeping, implored him to save 
 her. 
 
 So the factor, who was a tender-hearted man, paid 
 the five hundred pounds, and took the girl to his 
 ship, and said that he would convey her to England, 
 
 124 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 where there would be no such chance befall her 
 again. 
 
 After he had finished his business in Constanti- 
 nople, and had sold well the wares he had been 
 commissioned to sell by the merchants in London, 
 and had laden the vessel with such wares as were 
 to be had in the East, silks and gold brocades, and 
 Damascus swords, and spices and sugar - cane, he 
 sailed back to England, and in the ship with him 
 was the maiden whom he had rescued from death. 
 
 His masters were very much pleased with what 
 he had done. He had disposed of their goods to 
 immense advantage, and he had brought back pre- 
 cisely those articles which were then in great request, 
 for the King of England was going to marry his son 
 to a princess, and there were to be immense rejoicings 
 and banquetings in London. Thus all the silks and 
 brocades were bought up at a great price, and all 
 the spices and sweet stuffs sold at once. 
 
 The merchants made their factor a very handsome 
 present for his services. 
 
 Now it must be told that when he arrived in 
 England, he gave the maiden to his sister, who kept 
 house for him, and she became the servant 'to his 
 sister and to him. She was very gentle and amiable, 
 and very grateful to the factor for having saved her 
 from a terrible death. 
 
 Very soon the merchants commissioned the factor 
 to go again to the East. This time he was not to 
 go to Constantinople, but to China. 
 
 Accordingly, he made ready to depart. 
 
 Now, before he started, the captive maiden came 
 125 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 to him and brought him a beautiful silk waistcoat, 
 embroidered with flowers of various colours and a 
 gold dragon swallowing a silver moon. 
 
 She said to him, " My dear master, I shall never 
 forget what I owe to you. Now, I desire that you 
 would accept from me this waistcoat that I have 
 worked for you, and promise* me that when you 
 appear before the Emperor of China, you will put 
 on this garment." 
 
 He thanked her for her attention in working this 
 waistcoat for him ; he admired greatly her taste, and 
 he assured her he would not fail to do that which 
 she desired. 
 
 Then he started on his voyage, which was a very 
 long one, and lasted many months. 
 
 At last he reached China, and when the emperor 
 heard that an English merchant-ship had arrived, 
 he gave orders that the factor should come to the 
 palace at Pekin and produce the best of his goods, 
 that he might see them, and buy those which pleased 
 him. 
 
 The factor remembered his promise, and he drew 
 on the richly-embroidered waistcoat, and went to the 
 palace, his servants carrying bales of English goods 
 after him. He saluted the emperor with great 
 respect, and proceeded to show him the produce of 
 English looms. But presently he saw that the 
 Chinese sovereign was not looking at them, but had 
 his eyes intently fixed upon his waistcoat. 
 
 Then the emperor said, " Sir, you will do me a 
 favour if you will tell me where you got that garment. 
 I assure you that it greatly surprises me to see you 
 
 126 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 in it, with such remarkable flowers embroidered on 
 it in such a singular manner, and with the device of 
 a gold dragon swallowing a silver moon." 
 
 The factor replied that the waistcoat had been 
 embroidered for him by the hands of a servant girl 
 in England. 
 
 Then he proceeded* to narrate to the emperor the 
 story of this girl : how she had been a slave in the 
 palace of the sultana, how she had broken a crystal 
 phial of otto of roses, how she had been condemned 
 to death, and how he had rescued her by paying 
 five hundred pounds. 
 
 The emperor was greatly moved. He said, " Know, 
 Englishman, that this captive girl is my daughter. 
 She, and she only, knows all the various stitches that 
 go to make embroidery of flowers such as are on 
 your waistcoat ; and no one in all China is suffered 
 to fashion a gold dragon swallowing a silver moon 
 unless he or she be of the blood-royal. One day, 
 when my daughter was cruising about on the Yellow 
 Sea with her maidens for pleasure, as the weather 
 was extremely hot, and she had been unwell, and 
 her mother and I thought sea air would do her 
 good, it so happened that Malay pirates took 
 the vessel, carried off all on board, and the empress 
 and I never heard what became of our daughter. 
 In the palace yard is a well, and it is nearly full of 
 the tears we have shed for her loss. A great sage 
 who read the stars assured us we should hear of her 
 by the time the well was full. Yesterday her 
 Imperial Highness came to me and said that another 
 night of weeping would make the well overflow. 
 
 127 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Now," continued the emperor, " I shall richly reward 
 you in the present, but I desire you to return and 
 bring me my daughter, when I will give her to you, 
 or any man who returns her to me, together with 
 five hundred thousand pounds, and make of him, if 
 he desire it, a mandarin of five tails." 
 
 The factor was both surprised and glad, and he 
 promised the emperor that he would hasten back to 
 London, and would speedily return and bring the 
 princess with him. 
 
 The emperor, without more ado, bought the entire 
 contents of the merchant ship, and paid double for 
 everything. He, moreover, gave a rich reward to 
 the factor. He also sent a mandarin to the top of 
 a tower, and he was to count the hours till he saw 
 the sail of the returning vessel, and every hour he 
 was to pull away a tile from the roof and throw it 
 down. When no tile fell, then the emperor would 
 know that the ship containing his beloved daughter 
 was in sight. 
 
 Not to make a long story, it must be told that 
 no adventure befell the factor as he returned. The 
 captain of the ship had heard all that had been said, 
 and the promises that had been made. 
 
 When the factor arrived in England he at once 
 hasted home to his sister's house, and rejoiced the 
 heart of the poor damsel with the news that he had 
 seen her father and mother, and that they were 
 impatient to receive her in their arms. 
 
 Then he went to the merchants and paid them 
 the double sum for all their goods which he had 
 received of the emperor, and they were only too 
 
 128 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 pleased when he said that it was his desire to return 
 at once to China, where he hoped to be as successful 
 with their merchandise the second time as the first. 
 
 Now costly robes were purchased for the princess, 
 and she was no longer treated as a servant. She 
 was by no means elevated by pride, but was sweet 
 and gentle and modest as before. 
 
 After a delay only sufficient to allow of the 
 unlading of the vessel and its relading, the factor 
 made ready for sea again, and the same captain 
 commanded in the ship as before. 
 
 The princess was taken on board and was treated 
 with the utmost respect. She had embroidered with 
 her own hands a golden dragon swallowing a silver 
 moon on a broad strip of dark blue silk, and this 
 was to serve as pennon at the masthead. 
 
 Now the captain of the vessel was an ambitious 
 and an avaricious man. He recalled what were 
 the terms of the promise made by the Emperor of 
 China, that he would give his daughter in marriage, 
 together with five hundred thousand pounds, to the 
 factor, or to any other who should restore his 
 daughter to him. He resolved to make away with 
 the factor on the voyage, so as to obtain the reward 
 for himself. 
 
 Accordingly, one night, when the factor was asleep 
 on deck, the captain threw him overboard, and sailed 
 on without him, and reached China in safety. 
 
 The poor princess was full of tears and sadness 
 of heart at the disappearance of the good factor 
 The captain said that he believed he had fallen over- 
 board accidentally. 
 
 9 129 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Now, when the ship arrived at Pekin, and the 
 mandarin on the tower top ceased to throw down 
 tiles, the emperor ran with all his court down to the 
 beach to receive his daughter. 
 
 He was rejoiced to see and kiss her ; and was 
 sorry to hear of the loss of the factor, but gave less 
 heed to this in the exuberance of his joy at the 
 discovery of his beloved child. 
 
 As he had undertaken to marry her to the man 
 who brought her to China, he bade his daughter 
 prepare to become the wife of the captain. 
 
 She was much shocked, and weepingly entreated 
 her father not to enforce this, but he said that he 
 had made the promise and must observe it. 
 
 Then she entreated that she might be allowed 
 three weeks in which to mourn for her lost friend 
 and benefactor, and to this he consented. 
 
 The story turns back to the factor, who had been 
 thrown into the sea. Fortunately, he was a skilful 
 swimmer, and there was an island at no great dis- 
 tance. By great exertion he managed to reach it ; he 
 crept up the beach, cast himself under a palm tree, and 
 was so exhausted that for some time he could not move. 
 
 When day dawned, he rose from where he was 
 lying, and proceeded to examine the island. There 
 were many fruit trees on it, and there were many 
 shell-fish to be had on the rocks, so that he was in 
 no fear of starvation ; but his mind was in sore 
 trouble because of the princess, who he knew would 
 fall a prey to a wicked schemer. 
 
 But he knew neither how to assist her, nor how to 
 liberate himself from the island. 
 
 13c 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 One day he saw a curious old grey man crawHng 
 about on the shore. He had very long thin legs 
 and arms and a fat grey body, and he usually walked 
 
 on the tips of his toes and the ends of his fingers, 
 and his beard swept the ground. He walked like 
 this on all fours because he was in search of delicate 
 
 131 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 sand-worms and skipping sand-fleas, which were 
 great dainties to him. He was, in fact, the Old Man 
 of the Sea. 
 
 When he came up to the factor, he stood upright, 
 and then the factor saw that he had got fish-scales 
 down the side of his nose. 
 
 He had great saucer eyes, without any colour, or 
 light, or expression in them. 
 
 He asked the factor who he was, and how he 
 came there. 
 
 The factor at once informed him, and asked the 
 Old Man of the Sea whether there were any means 
 of leaving the island, whether he had a canoe, or 
 whether any vessels touched there. 
 
 The old man answered that he needed no canoe 
 himself, he was as well, if not better, under water than 
 on land. And as for foreign vessels coming to that 
 coast, he was glad to say none did, or they would 
 spoil his hunting ground. 
 
 He seemed much annoyed at any human being 
 taking up his abode on the island, and he said so. 
 The factor replied that none could desire to be away 
 from it more than himself, and that if the Old Man 
 of the Sea could show him how to leave, he would at 
 once depart. 
 
 The old man considered a moment, and then said, 
 " There is but one means of your leaving here. You 
 must get on my shoulders and let me swim with you." 
 
 " I will do that," answered the factor, " if you will 
 convey me to some point whence I can make my 
 way to the court of the Empress of China." 
 
 The Old Man of the Sea began to rub the scales 
 132 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 on his nose, and after a Httle consideration, he said, 
 " I will do that, but only if you will promise me 
 your first son after you are married to the princess 
 of China." 
 
 The factor thought within himself. Now that she is 
 a princess, I am quite sure she will not willingly 
 consent to marry me, and I will release her from 
 doing so, if I get to Pekin. So he said aloud, " Very 
 well, old man, I agree to your terms." 
 
 " Then," said the Old Man of the Sea, " get on my 
 back." 
 
 At once he went down on all fours, and the factor 
 jumped and was on his back in a minute. The old 
 man ran like a crab sideways to the water's edge 
 and went in, and then began to swim, working his 
 legs and arms like a crab. 
 
 The distance to the mainland was not so great as 
 might have been supposed, or else the old man swam 
 very fast. 
 
 The factor was brought ashore, and to his surprise 
 found himself landed in China. 
 
 As the old man shook him off his back, he lifted 
 himself up, and, rubbing the scales on his nose, said, 
 " Do not forget your promise. When you have your 
 first-born son, I will come and demand him." 
 
 The factor went on through the land, and it was 
 speedily noised abroad that he had escaped from 
 drowning, and was coming to claim the princess and 
 the reward promised with her. 
 
 When the captain heard this, he was filled with 
 fear ; he thought that his treachery would be revealed, 
 and the emperor would put him to a cruel death. 
 
 133 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 So he hasted down to the ship. There was a plank 
 between the quay and the deck, and he went hastily 
 on to this plank. But he was in such agitation that 
 his feet slipped and he fell over into the sea. 
 
 He might, no doubt, have been saved, had it not 
 been that the Old Man of the Sea, after having 
 deposited the factor on the shore, was swimming 
 about under water to see whether there was any 
 refuse cast out from the ships which he might eat 
 himself, or take home to his little ones. And just 
 when the captain fell from the plank, then the Old 
 Man of the Sea came up out of deep water to the 
 surface, and threw his long legs and arms round 
 him and carried him down into the depths. 
 
 The sailors and those on shore thought that the 
 captain had been seized by a monstrous water-spider 
 or grey crab. He was never seen again, nor is it 
 known what the Old Man of the Sea did with him, 
 though it is held that he and his little ones ate and 
 enjoyed him. There is positively no accounting for 
 tastes. 
 
 When the factor came to the palace, the princess 
 wept for joy. He told her that he would not hold 
 her bound by her father's promise. He was but a 
 poor man, and she an illustrious princess. She 
 answered him : — 
 
 "Sir, were you a beggar, I'd still be your wife, 
 Because when just dying you saved my life." 
 
 So the marriage was prepared with great splendour 
 and with great joy. 
 
 A twelvemonth passed in great happiness, and the 
 134 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 factor loved his wife very dearly, and the emperor 
 and empress were very fond of him. 
 
 At last, one day, the princess presented him with 
 a little son. 
 
 The factor was overwhelmed with alarm and 
 concern. He remembered the promise he had made, 
 and he gave orders to the guards to watch every 
 road, and on no account to allow any one to 
 approach the palace without his consent. 
 
 That night he heard a scratching sound against 
 the wall, and, looking at the window, saw the Old 
 Man of the Sea entering. He had crawled up like 
 a spider. 
 
 The old man stood up on his legs for a moment 
 when he entered the room, and said, " I have come 
 for your son, according to agreement." 
 
 The factor was for some moments too concerned 
 to speak. At last he mustered up courage to say, 
 " Give me till to-morrow, that I may break the 
 news to my wife. I have not yet told her about 
 the promise." 
 
 The old man rubbed the scales on his nose, and 
 considered, then said, " Very well, till this time to- 
 morrow. I have eaten rather freely to-day, and am 
 not indisposed to postpone the consumption of the 
 babe till I have digested my present dinner." 
 
 Then he rubbed his nose again, and went out of 
 the window on all fours, and down the wall again. 
 
 How he came from the sea, how he had passed 
 the guards unobserved, the factor never learned. 
 
 The father was in inexpressible distress. He was 
 afraid to tell his dear wife that she must part with 
 
 135 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 the babe, that was already the light of her eyes and 
 the treasure of her heart. 
 
 He sat up late in great distress of mind. Then, 
 all at once, he felt a chill come over him, and he 
 shivered. Looking up, he saw a shadowy form. 
 This figure addressed him, and said, " I am the 
 ghost of the man to whom you gave a tomb. You 
 spent fifty pounds to obtain for me decent burial. I 
 have not forgotten the obligation. Now I will show 
 you how to obtain delivery from the Old Man of the 
 Sea. You observe how, whilst speaking, he rubs his 
 nose. That is because of the scales on it. If those 
 scales were off, he could not breathe on dry land. 
 When he appears again, then rub up his nose the 
 wrong way, and all the scales will be rubbed off. 
 He will lose his power, and gasp like a fish out of 
 water. Catch him by the scruff of his neck and 
 throw him into the Well of Imperial Tears. There 
 he will swim and dive till the end of time, or till the 
 tears dry up, and never be able again to regain the 
 sea. Henceforth, when you look on your little son, 
 remember that the dead as well as the living can be 
 grateful." 
 
 Thereupon the ghost vanished. 
 
 Next evening, when the Old Man of the Sea came 
 scrambling into the room through the window, the 
 factor at once sprang at him and rubbed his nose 
 upwards ; whereupon a number of silvery scales 
 flew off and fell on the floor. The old man staggered 
 back, and gasped, and could not speak. His power 
 was gone from him. The factor seized him by the 
 scruff of his neck and carried him, kicking and 
 
 136 
 
The Turkey Factor 
 
 writhing, to the courtyard, and threw him into the 
 well that had been filled with the tears of the 
 emperor and the empress, when they wept for their 
 lost daughter. 
 
 Whether he be still there, whether the well be 
 dried up — these are matters I cannot say, as I 
 have never been at Pekin. Ask those who have. 
 
 Note. — This is the story on which the old Eng-Hsh ballad of 
 " The Turkey Factor " runs. I have somewhat altered the conclu- 
 sion, as the final portion of the ballad is rather inexplicable. 
 The Tale of the Thankful Dead is very widely spread. A very 
 similar story is found in Wolf's Detitsche Hausmdrchen. 1851, p. 
 243. A variant in the Zeitschrift filr deutsche 3Iythologie, 1855, 
 from the Odenwald (ii. 374), where the merchant is English. 
 Another in Meier's Deutsche Volksmdrchen mis Schivahen, 1852 
 (No. 42), where also the merchant is Eng-lish. A version in 
 Strapparola's NottipiacevoU, Venice, 1573. It is singular that in 
 the German versions, as in the English, the end should be 
 similar. It is properly this : — 
 
 The merchant or factor, when cast on the desert island, is 
 assisted by a mysterious grey man (in one form a black man), who 
 brings him to the mainland on condition that he is given the 
 firstborn. At the covenanted time he comes for the babe, and the 
 factor yields it up, to receive it back again, and then the black or 
 grey man reveals the fact that he is the ghost of the dead. K. 
 Simrock, Der giite Gerhardf, conjectures that this is a corrupt form 
 of an old pagan mjth, that Odin or Wuotan is the grey man, who 
 rewards the merchant for having been merciful to the dead, and 
 that the offering of the child is a relic of human sacrifice. This is 
 extremely probable, the original significance having been lost, 
 and by this means the later part of the story got into confusion. 
 
 The English ballad which I have used is not older than the 
 middle of last century ; it is in "white letter," and is very rudely 
 versified, without a particle of poetic value. It was printed in 
 Bow Churchyard, and begins — 
 
 Behold, here's a ditty, 'tis true and no jest, 
 Concerning a young gentleman in the East. 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 It was also printed by J. Evans, 41 Long- Lane. It is found in 
 the Roxburghe Coll. iii. 869 ; in the Douce Coll., iv. 28, is one of J. 
 Potts's, probably a little later. ** The Turkey Factor's Garland," 
 Liverpool, 1794, is a reprint. The earliest dated copy is "The 
 Factor's Garland," to the tune of "The Wandering- Lady," in J. 
 Roberts' Collection of Old Ballads ^ vol. iii. p. 221 ; this is 1725, and 
 as this was an old ballad then, it probably dates from the reign of 
 James I. 
 
 There are several editions of the ballad in broadside and 
 g-arland. 
 
 38 
 
VII 
 
 THE UNDUTIFUL DAUGHTER 
 
 There was a beautiful damsel who lived with her 
 father and mother in a seaside place. They had a 
 fine house and garden, and many servants. 
 
 This damsel was so vain that she cared for 
 nothing but to look at her face in a glass. 
 
 Now, before her birthday, her father said to her, 
 " Tell me what you most desire in all the world, 
 and if possible, it shall be yours." 
 
 So she said, " Give me a room, all the walls of 
 which are lined with mirrors, so that in it, wherever 
 I look, I shall see myself." 
 
 He was sorrowful when he heard this, and he said 
 to her, " My dear child, unless you think and care 
 for something else except your own self, and your 
 own beauty, I do not think that much good will 
 attend you." 
 
 But she was headstrong and vain, and nothing 
 would satisfy her but to have her looking-glass 
 chamber. She answered her father and said, 
 
 141 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 What is there more beautiful to be seen than my 
 face ? " 
 
 He rejoined, " Surely there are sweet flowers, the 
 rose and the lily, and the daffadowndilly." 
 
 " The rose," said she, " has thorns, the lily has no 
 colour, and the daffadowndilly has no scent. I am 
 more beautiful than all these flowers — I have no 
 teasing thorns, I have blooming pink cheeks, and 
 my breath is sweeter than the new-mown hay." 
 
 " Then," rejoined her father, " there are beauteous 
 birds, the peacock and the nightingale." 
 
 " The peacock," she said, " has a hideous voice, 
 and the nightingale has voice and no comeliness. 
 Therefore I am better than they. I dress more 
 gorgeously than the peacock, and I have the voice 
 of a nightingale." 
 
 " Then," rejoined he, " consider the butterfly and 
 the bee." 
 
 " The butterfly," she said, " has no honey, and the 
 bee has a sting. I am better than they. I am 
 joyous and bright as the butterfly, and I have store 
 of gold and jewels and riches, treasure richer than 
 the honey in the hive of the bee." 
 
 When her father heard her thus speak, he saw 
 that her mind was fully eaten up with vanity. But 
 as he had promised to give her what she desired, he 
 was obliged to let her have the room lined with 
 mirrors. 
 
 Therein the beautiful damsel was happy. She 
 twirled and skipped, and looked at herself from 
 every side, and in every posture, and was quite 
 satisfied that never had there been anyone more 
 
 142 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 beautiful than she, and that there was nothing else 
 worth seeing except herself. 
 
 So time passed, and a new birthday drew near. 
 Then her father said to her, " Tell me what you 
 wish, and I will give it you." 
 
 She answered, " I wish to consult the Old Woman 
 of Norwood as to whom I shall marry." 
 
 Her father rejoined, " That is not a wise thing to 
 desire. When it pleases Heaven, the right man will 
 come, one whom I and your mother will approve of, 
 and you will love ; and if he is a man of honour, and 
 character, and family, then the marriage shall take 
 place. You are our only child and our heir, and we 
 do not intend you to be thrown away on anyone." 
 
 " Thrown away on anyone ! " exclaimed the 
 maiden. " I am not one who will allow of that. I 
 am quite sure I will not marry anyone under a king." 
 
 " A king ! " exclaimed her father. " You aim 
 very high. I do not know where you will find one. 
 Our king in England has a good queen — God grant 
 him and her a long life ! " 
 
 " I did not say that I would marry an English 
 king. There are other kings, and one may come to 
 me from over the sea. I will hear what the Old 
 Woman of Norwood says to me." 
 
 " The Norwood gipsy may put strange fancies 
 into your head. She can do you no good," said her 
 father. 
 
 Nevertheless, as he had made the promise to let 
 her have on her birthday what she asked, he was 
 obliged to consent. 
 
 So she mounted her milkwhite horse, and she 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 had bells of silver hung to the bridle, that they 
 might tinkle, and cause people along the way to 
 run out of their houses and look at her, the most 
 beautiful damsel in all England. 
 
 When she reached Norwood, she found an old 
 woman who lived in a hollow oak tree. A dog lay 
 at her feet, a black cat sat on a branch above her 
 head, and at the top of the tree was perched a raven, 
 and above the tree-top hummed a gnat. Then she 
 put a purse of gold into the old woman's hand, and 
 said to her, " Tell me whom I shall marry, and what 
 shall become of me." 
 
 Then the old woman said, " Little dog, little dog ! 
 what do you say ? " 
 
 The dog stood up and barked, " Wow-wow-wow." 
 
 " Did you hear what my dog said ? " asked the 
 Old Woman of Norwood. 
 
 " I heard him say ' Wow-wow,' nothing more." 
 
 " He said in Dog-Latin, that you would marry a 
 king." 
 
 " I knew it would be so," retorted the girl. " Tell 
 me something more ? " 
 
 " Little cat, little cat ! what do you say ? " called 
 the gipsy woman. 
 
 Then the black pussy stood up on the branch, 
 stretched itself, and said, " Mi-aw, mi-aw, mi-aw." 
 
 " Did you hear what the cat said ? " asked the witch. 
 
 " I heard him say ' Mi-aw,' nothing more." 
 
 " He said in Cat-Greek, that you would sleep in a 
 golden bed." 
 
 " Of course I shall, if I marry a king. Tell me 
 something more." 
 
 144 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 D 
 
 " Little crow, little crow ! what do you say ? " 
 screamed the old hag. 
 
 Then the raven flapped his wings, and answered, 
 " Caw-caw-caw." 
 
 " Did you hear what the raven said ? " asked the 
 gipsy. 
 
 " I heard him say ' Caw,' nothing more." 
 
 " He said in Crow-Indian, that you would be 
 attended by servants dressed in blue, who would 
 rock you in your golden bed." 
 
 " That is nothing wonderful," said the maiden. 
 " Tell me something further." 
 
 " Little gnat, little gnat ! what do you say ? " 
 screamed the old woman. 
 
 Then the mosquito that was humming and flutter- 
 ing above the tree-top, dropped within hearing of the 
 girl's ear, and with a shrill pipe cried, " Pe-heep." 
 
 " Did you hear what the gnat said ? " asked the 
 witch. 
 
 " 1 heard him give a shrill little cry, like ' Pe-heep ! ' " 
 
 " That was Midge-Chinese. He said you would 
 sleep under curtains of living green." 
 
 Well ! the damsel was well pleased with what she 
 had heard, but she wanted to know more. 
 
 The witch said, " I have no more creatures whom 
 I can ask, except only a worm that burrows in the 
 ground, and he cannot speak." 
 
 " Then what good is he ? " 
 
 " He can crawl on a slate and write a message," 
 answered the witch. 
 
 " Then summon the worm," ordered the girl. 
 
 The old hag took a piece of crooked iron, and 
 lO 145 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 scratched on the soil, and presently drew out a long 
 red worm. This she placed on a bit of slate, and it 
 began to crawl. 
 
 When it had crawled over the surface, the witch 
 said — 
 
 " Do you see what he has written ? " 
 
 " I see only some slimy wet marks." 
 
 " That is his writing, and he writes to say, that 
 you will be carried away from home in a coach 
 drawn by a thousand white horses, shaking their 
 white manes." 
 
 " That will be a grand wedding," said the girl. 
 
 Then she returned home. And if she was a 
 proud woman when she went forth to consult the 
 Old Woman of Norwood, she was a prouder woman 
 when she came home. 
 
 She went into her room lined with looking-glasses, 
 and said, " I shall marry a king." 
 
 " Who told you that ? " asked her mother. 
 
 "It was said by the dog when he uttered ' Wow- 
 wow.' " 
 
 " I would not believe the bark of a dog," said her 
 mother. 
 
 " And I shall sleep in a golden bed," continued 
 the girl. 
 
 " Who said that ? " asked her mother. 
 
 " That was said by the cat when he said ' Mi-aw.' " 
 
 " I would not put faith in the mi-aw of a cat," 
 said her mother. 
 
 " And I shall be rocked to sleep by attendants 
 dressed in gowns of blue," said the girl. 
 
 " Who said that ? " asked her mother. 
 146 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 " That was told by the raven when he said ' Caw.' " 
 
 " If I were you, I would laugh at the caw of a 
 crow," said her mother. 
 
 " And I shall have waving curtains of living green 
 above me," continued the vain girl. 
 
 " Who told you that ? " asked her mother. 
 
 "That was what the midge said that fluttered in 
 the air." 
 
 " And what does a midge know about the future ? " 
 asked her mother. 
 
 " And I am to ride in a coach drawn by a thousand 
 milkwhite horses," said the girl. 
 
 " Who put that nonsense into your head ? " asked 
 her mother. 
 
 " That was written by an earthworm on a bit of 
 slate." 
 
 " And pray, who taught the worm to write ? " 
 asked her mother. " I can see farther off than can 
 those stupid creatures, and I see that your vanity 
 and folly will bring you to a bad end." 
 
 But the girl would give no heed to what her 
 mother said. She believed the earthworm, but not 
 her own mother. 
 
 Now drew near this damsel's birthday, when she 
 would be eighteen. And one night she had a dream, 
 and in that dream she saw the Old Woman of Nor- 
 wood, who said to her, " I have appeared to tell 
 you something. There is a feather on the tail of 
 the gnat that flies above my oak tree, and the 
 feather told the gnat, and the gnat told the raven, 
 and the raven told the cat, and the cat told the dog, 
 and the dog told the earthworm, and the earthworm 
 
 147 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 scribbled the message on a bit of an old crock, that 
 you were to marry on your eighteenth birthday the 
 promised king. You must say nothing to your 
 father or mother. He is now in the harbour with 
 his ship, and the sign of the ship is The Golden 
 Apple. Ask your father to let you go down to see 
 over the barque. The Golden Apple, and the captain 
 is he who will be your husband. I have sent a hedge- 
 priest to the town, and he will marry you on board 
 ship. But mind this — if you say a word to your 
 father or mother about this, all will fall through that 
 has been promised you. I have appeared in dream 
 to the sea-captain, and he will expect you. The 
 priest you will see standing by the capstan. He 
 has been unfrocked by the bishop, but what of that ? 
 A priest is always a priest." 
 
 The girl's father came to her and said, " To- 
 morrow is your birthday : ask what you wish, and I 
 will do it for you." 
 
 Then she said, " There is a ship come lately into 
 harbour, called The Golden Apple. I greatly desire 
 to go over her." 
 
 Her father shook his head, and said, " This is a 
 very unwise request. I hear no good account ol 
 this vessel. Some say it is that of a notorious 
 pirate ; but, indeed, no one really knows any certainty 
 about her, nor who her captain is ; but some assert 
 that the crew is made up of runagates, and has on 
 board a hedge-priest lately unfrocked by his bishop 
 for grave misconduct." 
 
 However, as he had promised to let her have her 
 way, he was obliged to grant her request. 
 
 148 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 Accordingly, on the morrow morning, she and 
 her father and mother went to the ship, and the 
 captain received them very graciously, and invited 
 them to go all over the vessel. 
 
 By the capstan was a man, all shaven and shorn, 
 but with a hang-dog look, and the fair maid was 
 sure this was the priest of whom the Old Woman of 
 Norwood had spoken. 
 
 The captain invited them down into his cabin, 
 and then all at once he whistled, and his sailors 
 sprang on the father and mother, and bound their 
 hands, and put something over their mouths that 
 they could not cry out, and forthwith the sea-cap- 
 tain gave his hand to the damsel, and led her up 
 the companion ladder on deck, and the hedge-priest 
 hastily married them over the capstan. 
 
 After that, the sea-captain said, " Make haste, 
 go home and bring all the gold and silver and jewels 
 in the house. I will not let your parents go till that 
 is done. 
 
 Oh, take of your father his gold and his treasure, 
 Oh, take of your mother her fee without measure." 
 
 " But," said she, " is it true that you are a 
 king?" 
 
 " Yes," he answered ; " call any of my men and 
 ask them." 
 
 Then she summoned a little cabin-boy, and 
 said, " Answer me truly — who is your master ? " 
 
 He said at once, " He is a king." 
 
 Then she was satisfied that she had the right 
 husband. 
 
 149 
 
The Old English Fairy iales 
 
 But she asked further, " Shall I be driven 
 away in a carriage drawn by a thousand white 
 horses ? " 
 
 He answered, " Yes ; call up any of my men, and" 
 ask them." 
 
 So she summoned the mate, and said, " Is it so, 
 that if I go with your master, I shall be carried 
 away in a coach drawn by a thousand white 
 horses ? " 
 
 He answered, " Nay, you say too few. There 
 will be ten thousand white horses shaking their 
 milkwhite manes." 
 
 Then she was content. 
 
 She hasted on shore, and she filled baskets with 
 all the jewels and gold she could find, the silver 
 plate, the necklaces and chains of her mother, rings 
 and goblets, and everything of value she could lay 
 her hands on, and she made all her servants carry 
 them down to the harbour, and they were taken on 
 board by the sea-captain and his men. 
 
 Then he said, " Is all here ? " 
 
 She said, " All but one gold bodkin with which 
 my mother does her netting, and one silver spoon 
 with which my father eats an egg." 
 
 He said, " Go and fetch them." 
 
 So she went back and brought the gold bodkin 
 and the silver spoon, and then nothing was left in 
 the house but pewter dishes and maplewood 
 bowls, and a wooden spoon. 
 
 Now, when she had thus cleared her home, then 
 the captain released her father and mother, and at 
 once spread sail, and as there was a fine wind off 
 
 150 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 shore, the sail filled, and the ship flew away to sea 
 like a gull. 
 
 Then said the damsel, " But where is the coach ? " 
 and where are the white horses ? " 
 
 The captain laughed and answered, "This ship is 
 the coach, and the waves shaking their white manes 
 are the horses." 
 
 " But," said she, " you are a king. Where is your 
 kingdom ? " 
 
 " My kingdom is this ship," he answered, " and 
 my name is Andrew King. Therefore it is true 
 that you have wed A. King." 
 
 Then she saw that she had been deceived, and 
 she cried out — 
 
 **0 captain! O captain! here's fifty gfold crowns. 
 I pray thee, I pray thee to turn the ship round. 
 O captain ! O captain, here's fifty gold pounds, 
 If thou wilt but set me again on the ground." 
 
 But he would not hear of it. 
 
 Now before very long she found that her husband, 
 the sea-captain, was indeed a great pirate, and robbed 
 ships on the sea. 
 
 And when she had sailed to-day and to-morrow. 
 She was wringing her hands, and bewailing in sorrow. 
 And when she had sailed not many a mile, 
 She knew she had been an undutiful child. 
 
 Now after a while a strange thing happened. 
 
 Although the sails were full spread, and the wind 
 blew free, yet the vessel made no way in the sea. 
 And this was the reason, I suppose. The father and 
 
 151 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 the mother of the damsel had been so filled with 
 grief that they had been plundered and deserted by 
 their own daughter, whom they had loved so dearly, 
 and had treated with such indulgence, that both 
 died of a broken heart, and neither blessed the 
 daughter before death closed their eyes and paralysed 
 their tongues. And it is said that no ship will sail 
 with one on board who has been the death of father 
 and mother, and unforgiven by them. 
 
 And when she had sailed to-day and to-morrow, 
 She was wring-'mg her hands, and bewailing- in sorrow. 
 And when she had sailed, the days were not many, 
 The sails were outspread, but of miles made not any. 
 
 Then the sailors saw they were in evil plight, and 
 that there was something which prevented their 
 getting forward with the ship. It is told that there 
 is a little shell-fish, like a limpet, called the remora, 
 and that when it attaches itself to the keel, it arrests 
 a vessel in full sail. 
 
 The sailors dived and examined the ship's keel, 
 and no remora was there. So they knew that the 
 fault must be on board, and they resolved to draw 
 lots, and discover who it was who held the ship fast 
 in mid-seas. 
 
 They cast the black bullets as they sailed on the water, 
 The black bullet fell on the undutiful daughter. 
 "Oh, who in the ship must go over the side?" 
 Oh, none save the maiden, the fair captain's bride. 
 
 When the damsel learned that the lot had fallen 
 on her, and she was to be cast overboard, and that 
 
 152 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 unless she were drowned, the ship could not move 
 on her way, then she said, weeping — 
 
 "Oh, get me a boat that is narrow and thin 
 And set me, undutiful daughter, therein." 
 
 But they refused. They wanted the boat for 
 themselves, and could not spare it for her. Then 
 she said — 
 
 "Oh, take a white napkin, about my head bind it. 
 Oh, take a white napkin, about my feet wind it. 
 Alack that I must in the deep salten water, 
 Alack! I must sink, an undutiful daug-hter." 
 
 To this they agreed. They bound a v/hite 
 kerchief about her head, and they wrapped a sheet 
 about her feet. 
 
 They took a white napkin, about her head bound it, 
 They took a white napkin, about her feet wound it, 
 They cast the fair pretty maid over, and she 
 Did sink out of sight in cruel salt sea. 
 
 Then at once the beak of the vessel began to cut 
 the waves, they foamed about her sides, and she 
 sped along her course like a gull. That night there 
 was no cloud in the sky, an east wind was blowing, 
 and the moon was full. Then the man at the wheel 
 saw something in the water : — 
 
 The moon it was shining, the tide it was flowing, 
 Oh, what in the wake of the vessel was swimming? 
 "Oh, see, boys! oh, see! how she floats in the water! 
 Oh, see, boys! oh, see! the undutiful daughter." 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 At the cry of the man at the helm all the crew 
 ran on deck, and with them the captain, and they 
 could see the dead woman following the ship. 
 
 Then the sea-captain spoke, standing in the 
 bows — 
 
 "Why swim in the moonlig-ht, upon the sea swaying-? 
 Oh, what art thou seeking-? for what art thou praying?" 
 "O captain! O captain! I float on the water, 
 For the sea giveth up the undutiful daughter. 
 
 Oh, take of my father the gold and the treasure. 
 Oh, take of my mother a fee without measure. 
 Oh, make me a coffin of deepest gold^ yellow. 
 And bury me under the banks of green willow." 
 
 The demand of the dead lady was not so readily 
 granted. The captain did not like to take all the 
 treasure that the maiden had carried off, and convert 
 it into a coffin. But night and day the drowned 
 woman followed the ship, and cried out for the 
 restoration of all that of which she had despoiled 
 her parents. 
 
 It was clear that she could not sink. The sea 
 rejected her, because of her guilt. 
 
 After three days, the sailors became so alarmed 
 at being thus followed by the dead woman, that 
 they insisted on her demand being complied with. 
 So she was again taken on board. 
 
 Now, all the gold was brought forth and melted 
 up, and made into a golden coffin, and in that golden 
 cofBn her body was laid ; and they put in beside 
 
 ^ In the original '* deepest stole yellow" : what stole means I do 
 not know. 
 
 I 
 
The Undutiful Daughter 
 
 her all the jewels she had taken from her parents. 
 Then they lowered the gold coffin into the sea again, 
 and at once it began to float away, with the sun 
 shining on it, and was lost to sight. 
 
 After three days, they were short of water, and so 
 came ashore to fill their casks. 
 
 The sails they were spread, and the wind it was blowing-, 
 The sea was so salt, and the tide it was flowing-. 
 
 They steered for the land, and they reach(^d the shore. 
 But the lady in her coffin had got there before. 
 
 It was even so. The first thing they saw on 
 coming to land was the gold coffin washed up on 
 the beach. Then they heaved it farther up, to where 
 hung some green willows, and they buried the 
 undutiful daughter under their waving, living green 
 boughs — and so were fulfilled all the words of 
 prophecy told concerning her. She had married a 
 king. She had been driven in a coach by white 
 horses, even by the foaming waves. She had slept 
 in a golden bed, — her coffin, — and been rocked by 
 attendants in blue gowns, even the sea-waves ; and 
 she had now been laid under wavy curtains of living 
 green, the branches of the willow. 
 
 Note.— The old ballad of "The Undutiful Daughter" is one that 
 I have heard from half a dozen ag-ed singers in the west of England. 
 It is always sung to the melody to which "The Frog and the Crow " 
 is set in Mr. W. Crane's The Bahys Opera. A similar ballad is 
 found in Scotland, " Bonnie Annie " ; it is given by Kinloch, but is 
 more imperfect than the English form of the ballad. In the story 
 I have based on it, all the first part is new ; for obvious reasons I 
 haVe been unable to follow the ballad exactly — that is to say, for 
 reasons obvious to all who are acquainted with the ballad. 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 There is an old printed ballad entitled " The Faithless Captain ; 
 or, The Betrayed Virgin," which seems to be a comparatively 
 modern recast of the older story. All the supernatural element has 
 been eliminated from it. Instead of the damsel being- cast over- 
 board because the lot is thrown and falls to her, the ship is 
 nearly wrecked, and she accidentally falls overboard. The body 
 still follows the vessel, and, seeing his bride there in the water, the 
 captain, who, after all, is not faithless, jumps overboard, and is 
 drowned as well. 
 
 156 
 
VIII 
 
 THE SHEPHERDS OF SALISBURY PLAIN 
 
 When was it? — On a Monday morning, at four by 
 the clock, did Duke Gerans die. 
 
 And when Gerans, Duke of Dunan Dufeneth — 
 that is to say, of what is now Devonshire, died, he 
 left his daughter Imogen to the care of Melor, Duke 
 of Cornwall. He had no son, this sole daughter, 
 and she was his heir. 
 
 Now Duke Melor was an ambitious man, and he 
 thought how that he would like to unite the two 
 duchies under his rule. Therefore he kept Imogen 
 in his court, and had her well watched, and he put 
 her to common duties, such as ill befitted her rank. 
 She was set to wash the clothes, and to card and 
 spin, and make up the fires. And all she got for 
 her work was, " Fie, Imogen ! thou art idle ! " 
 
 Now there was a prince in Wales of the name of 
 Raymond. He was hunting one day, and he rode 
 on in the wood till evening fell. Then all at once 
 the oak trees began to dance. They plaited their 
 
 159 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 branches together, and went round and round in a 
 ring, and shook their leaves, and trailed their roots 
 along the ground. Raymond's horse stood still and 
 trembled. 
 
 The owls began to fly about hooting, and the bats 
 to cry and dash to and fro. Then little blue flames 
 appeared on the ground, also in a ring, and danced 
 from left to right, whilst the oaks danced from right 
 to left. 
 
 Raymond looked on in great astonishment, and 
 knew not what all this portended. 
 
 Then he saw that the oaks began to change 
 shape, and gradually they assumed the forms of old 
 women clad in cobwebs, and with mildew on their 
 heads instead of hair. All at once they stood still, 
 and then with a leap the blue flames sprang on to 
 their heads, disappeared, just as if they had sunk 
 through their crowns, and shone out of their eyes 
 like glow-worms. 
 
 The horse on which Raymond rode trembled so 
 greatly as to shake his rider, and he could not count 
 how many old women, and how many pairs of 
 shining eyes, were fixed on him. 
 
 Then the earth opened before Raymond, and out 
 of it issued a puff of very white smoke, like steam 
 with moonlight on it, and this smoke became a 
 cloud, and the cloud dispersed, and in the place 
 where it had been he saw a fairy ; she was old, 
 wore a crown on her head, and had long silver hair, 
 very fine, that hung down to her feet. 
 
 She spoke to Raymond and said, " Prince ! I am 
 Morgana, and am the last of the fairies who have 
 
 1 60 
 
The Shepherds of Salisbury Plain 
 
 power. All these you see about you are those who 
 lived and were mighty in the days of King Arthur. 
 But they are wasted and wprn away. I was the 
 youngest of all, and the time of my reign is coming 
 to an end, and then I shall become even as they. For 
 this cause have I appeared to you. Imogen, the 
 daughter of the Duke of Duffeneth, is my godchild. 
 Her father is dead, and she is his heir. The accursed 
 Saxons, with their Nixes and Kobbolds, are flowing 
 on over the land, and driving all the old fairies and 
 pixies into holes and corners. I love the ancient 
 British race. I do not desire to see the Saxons 
 extend their power farther west. Therefore I would 
 have Imogen to be your wife, for you are brave, and 
 belong to the good old Welsh stock. Also, I love 
 my god-child, and would deliver her from her present 
 condition. She is now with the Duke of Cornwall, 
 who does not treat her well, and as becomes her rank. 
 Look here ! " 
 
 Then the fairy held up a great mirror, and at 
 once it was full of light like a great moon, and in 
 the midst of the blaze stood the figure of a beautiful 
 girl. 
 
 '* This is she," said Morgana. " This is Imogen, 
 who is to be your wife. Go and deliver her." 
 
 Then the glass became clouded and eclipsed. 
 The fairy disappeared, and all the old hags were 
 resolved again into oak trees that were stationary. 
 
 After this adventure. Prince Raymond could think 
 only of the beautiful girl he had seen in the mirror, 
 and he had no rest till he had started in quest 
 of her. 
 
 II i6i 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 At last he reached Cornwall, and he traversed it 
 till he arrived at the palace of the duke. He was 
 received with great honour, and was well entertained. 
 At table he looked round, but nowhere could he see 
 the beautiful damsel of the mirror. There were 
 many fair women present, but none in the least 
 resembled her. He wondered, but said nothing. 
 He remained for several days at the court, but did 
 not see the object of his love ; and he began to 
 suspect that he had been duped by a dream. 
 
 One while he melancholy pines 
 
 Himself with grief away ; 
 Anon he thinks by force of arms, 
 
 To win her if he may. 
 
 One day, sad at heart, he walked by the side of 
 the river Camel, when he saw that a girl was there 
 washing linen in the water. 
 
 He did not concern himself about her, but, as he 
 drew near, he saw her face reflected in the water. 
 There was much light in the sky, and this shone 
 round her face, just as he had seen the beautiful 
 damsel in the fairy Morgana's mirror. He stood 
 still, and looked more attentively, and recognised 
 that this was the very maiden he had had assured to 
 him as his wife. 
 
 He at once addressed her with respect, and asked 
 her name. She replied that she was Imogen, 
 daughter of the Duke of Duffeneth. Then he told 
 who he was, and asked her if she would be his true 
 love and bride. 
 
 She answered that she could do nothing without 
 162 
 
The Shepherds ot Salisbury Plain 
 
 the consent of the Duke Mellor of Cornwall, who 
 was her guardian, and she advised the prince to open 
 his purpose to him. 
 
 Raymond accordingly went to the palace and 
 declared to the duke that he desired the hand of his 
 ward, the Lady Imogen, in marriage. 
 
 The duke was much concerned, but he disguised 
 the embarrassment in which he w^as, and promised to 
 consider the matter well and discuss it with the 
 duchess and with his counsellors, and he promised 
 to give an answer in three weeks. Meanwhile, he 
 desired the prince to return to his own land and 
 make all preparations to receive his bride in the 
 event, which he did not doubt, of the decision arrived 
 at being favourable. 
 
 Prince Raymond at once agreed to this, and, after 
 having in vain solicited an interview with Imogen, 
 to bid her farewell, he departed, more enamoured after 
 having seen her that once by the waterside than he 
 had been when shown her likeness in the magic glass. 
 
 Now Duke Mellor acted in subtlety. He had no 
 desire to have his ward married to a powerful prince 
 who would claim the duchy of Duffeneth, and he 
 hasted during the absence of the prince to arrange 
 the marriage of the beautiful and noble Imogen with 
 a common stable-boy. 
 
 Imogen was filled with grief and shame when she 
 learned the intention of Duke Mellor. She besought 
 her guardian to allow^ her to remain as a drudge, 
 and unrharried. She declared that she had no desire 
 to become a wife, and that she abhorred the choice 
 he had made for her. He was deaf to her entreaties. 
 
 163 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then she resolved to effect her escape. She put 
 on her most sordid garments, stained her face and 
 hands with walnut juice, and made up a little bundle 
 of her effects. 
 
 The lady, shifting out of doors, 
 
 Departed then by stealth. 
 Than thus with baseness to be watched 
 
 Who should have lived in wealth ? 
 
 The story turns now to the noble Raymond, who, 
 on reaching Wales, found that there had been a 
 revolution during his absence, and that a kinsman 
 had usurped the throne and crown, so that he could 
 not enter his realm. He was therefore obliged to 
 turn his course elsewhere, and was ashamed in these 
 circumstances to go back to Cornwall. He could 
 not ask the beautiful Imogen to share his fortunes, 
 when these were so low at ebb. 
 
 His horse took him on through England, till he 
 was obliged to part with him, because he had 
 exhausted all the money he had in his purse. 
 
 When he had sold his horse, he lived for a while 
 on the produce, and when that came to an end, he 
 sold his rich apparel, and lived on what he received 
 for that, wearing only a poor dress. At last he was 
 constrained to sell his sword, and he lived a week on 
 the money he had obtained for his sword. Then he 
 hacked away his spurs, that were of gold, and dis- 
 posed of them to a goldsmith, and was able to 
 maintain himself for one month on what his spurs 
 brought in. 
 
 After that, he had nothing more to sell, and rather 
 164 
 
The Shepherds of Salisbury Plain 
 
 than starve, he hired himself as a shepherd on 
 Salisbury Plain. Now he began to think with sad- 
 ness on the loss of the fair Imogen. He valued his 
 lost principality only as a means of winning her. 
 
 A brace of years upon that plain, 
 
 Near Salisbury that lies, 
 In ill content with feeding flocks, 
 
 A shepherd's life he tries. 
 
 Now, as he roamed over the plain, he often 
 encountered a shepherdess who was young, and who 
 took care of a flock of sheep. She often sat in the 
 shade of one of the great stones that form Stonehenge. 
 She would pluck the harebells in summer, and form 
 a wreath of them for her hair, and would decorate 
 the little lambs in spring with pretty flowers. 
 
 Raymond both observed and spake with her, 
 indeed on that wide and desolate plain there were 
 not many with whom he could converse. He learned 
 that she was the shepherdess to a very old couple 
 who lived at some distance ; but she would not tell 
 him much about herself, for she was very shy and 
 modest. 
 
 In spring Raymond made himself a pipe of willow, 
 and played to her, sitting by her side among the 
 huge masses of Stonehenge. 
 
 Now, not a little to his shame and self-reproach, 
 did he discover that his heart was turning with love 
 to the shepherdess who called herself Maudlin. He 
 wondered that he could forget the beautiful Imogen 
 so soon. Moreover, he thought it great disgrace that 
 he, of royal blood, should love so much a poor 
 
 165 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 peasantess. But he considered further that fate was 
 against him, that he had not the smallest chance of 
 recovering his principality, and that therefore as a 
 shepherd he must live and die. If, then, he was 
 to remain a shepherd, it would be sensible to submit 
 to what could not be helped, and marry a girl of the 
 class to which he had been cast down. 
 
 Now, it will be remembered that the fairy Morgana 
 had appeared to Prince Raymond and had shown 
 him the image of Imogen in a glass, and had urged 
 him on to go into Cornwall and ask for her to be 
 his wife. She had not forgotten Raymond in his 
 trouble and exile, and one day, whilst he was sitting 
 along with Maudlin under one of the great stones 
 of Stonehenge, she suddenly appeared before them, 
 dressed all in green, and with her silvery hair flutter- 
 ing about her head, so that she looked like a living 
 daisy. 
 
 She said to the young people as they started to 
 their feet, " Do not be afraid of me. I will do you 
 no harm. I will take care of your interests ; but to 
 assure my favour, I desire one thing of you. There 
 is a fountain of the purest water that bubbles up at 
 some little distance from this spot. I desire you to 
 go every morning and clear out this spring. A 
 hideous toad jumps into it at night, and unless 
 this toad be taken out before the sun's rays fall on 
 the water, great mischief must ensue. Therefore I 
 ask if you will undertake this for me, to cleanse the 
 fountain, and remove the toad every morning early. 
 I do not force you to do it. I ask you if you will. 
 But, remember, if you freely undertake to do this 
 
 1 66 
 
The Shepherds of SaHsbury Plain 
 
 thing for me, I expect that you will fulfil your 
 undertaking." 
 
 The young people cheerfully promised to do what 
 the fairy had requested, and she pointed out the 
 spring to them, and then vanished. 
 
 And now, every morning, they rose very early, and 
 met at Stonehenge, and went on together to the 
 well, and cleared it out and threw out the hideous 
 toad ; and this they did daily before the sun 
 ascended into the sky. 
 
 This went on for some while. At last came 
 Midsummer Eve, and then there is really no dark- 
 ness at night at all. The two young peasants met 
 very early indeed at the circle of Stonehenge, and, 
 because it was so early, they thought there was 
 plenty of time before them ; and because it was 
 Midsummer morning. Maudlin had collected flowers, 
 and she was weaving a wreath for the head of the 
 young shepherd, her companion ; and he, on his side, 
 had collected a posy and bound it with a green rush, 
 and had brought his pipes, wherewith to play her 
 a tune. But, instead of continuing to play his pipes, 
 he put the instrument down on the grass, and sang 
 to her the following song — 
 
 *' The ploughman's labour hath no end, 
 And he doth churlish prove ; 
 The tradesman hath more work in head 
 Than doth consort with love ; 
 
 The merchant venturing abroad, 
 
 Is ever on the roam ; 
 The sailor tosses on the seas, 
 
 He rarely is at home. 
 167 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then choose a shepherd, bonnie girl, 
 
 Whose hfe is merry still, 
 Who gaily spendeth all his day 
 
 Upon the fair green hill ; 
 
 And when at eve the day is done, 
 
 Returneth home betime. 
 And at the fire turns a crab. 
 
 And sings some merry rhyme. 
 
 Nor lacks he tales, while round about 
 
 The nut-brown bowl doth trot, 
 And sitting sings his cares away, 
 
 Till he to bed be got. 
 
 Then sleeps he soundly all the night. 
 
 Regards not morrow's cares. 
 Nor fears the blasting of his corn. 
 
 Nor the wrecking of his wares. 
 
 Oh, this I know full well, fair lass, 
 
 More quiet nights and days 
 The shepherd sleeps and wakes, than he 
 
 Whose cattle he doth graze. 
 
 A king, in truth, is but a man, 
 
 And that, sweet lass, am I. 
 Content is worth a monarchy. 
 
 But mischiefs shoot full high." 
 
 It was a pretty song. When he had done, he saw 
 that the damsel was in tears. 
 
 Then he said, " This is very truth. Those who 
 sit high, at them doth Mischance aim her bow. It 
 is through the hearts of the greatest on earth that 
 the keenest arrows pierce." 
 
 " That is indeed so," observed the girl. " Those 
 who stand on the ground cannot be cast down, 
 only such as be on high." 
 
 1 68 
 
 i 
 
The Shepherds of Salisbury Plain 
 
 " It is with us," said Raymond, " that we are in a 
 lowly condition, and in our lowliness are not exposed 
 to great tribulation. Now listen : I will tell you a 
 story. 
 
 " There was once upon a time a young prince, and 
 he rode into a distant duchy to seek himself a wife. 
 When he arrived in that duchy " — 
 
 " What duchy was it ? " asked Maudlin. 
 
 " The duchy of Cornwall," answered Raymond. 
 
 Then he continued : " When he was there, he 
 saw the most beautiful damsel imaginable — curiously 
 enough, now that I look on you, you remind me ot 
 her greatly." 
 
 " Where did he see her ? " asked Maudlin. 
 
 " That is singular — he saw her face in the water. 
 She was stooping over the river washing clothes. 
 But ^o proceed. The prince asked her hand of the 
 duke, and he was bidden return to his principality 
 in Wales and make all ready for the wedding. 
 Accordingly he departed, but when he reached his 
 native province, he found that a cousin had usurped 
 his power and dominion ; so that he, from being a 
 great man, had been cast very low. So. in this case 
 
 Mischief shot full high. 
 
 And in such distress was he that he was con- 
 strained to sell his horse, and his garments, and his 
 sword and gold spurs — and at last to become " — 
 
 Then Raymond hastily arrested himself. 
 
 Thereupon Maudlin smiled, and said, " And did 
 the prince forget the beautiful damsel, and fall in 
 love with another ? " 
 
 169 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Raymond coloured crimson — he could not answer 
 her. Then she said — 
 
 ** I grant, fair youth, you loved her well. 
 If that your love were such, 
 Yet think of me, your second love. 
 In love to be as much. 
 
 Your twice-beloved maid is here. 
 
 Submits herself to thee. 
 And what she could not at the first. 
 
 The second time shall be. 
 
 In fortune, not in person changed. 
 
 For I am still the same. 
 In heart and mind as chaste and true 
 
 As first to me you came." 
 
 You cannot imagine the joy and surprise of 
 Raymond when he discovered that the shepherdess 
 of Salisbury Plain was no other than his dear 
 Imogen, and that, thinking himself to be false, he 
 had all the while been true. 
 
 Then she told her story, how she had fled from 
 the court of the Duke of Cornwall, and had taken 
 service with a poor old couple on the edge of 
 Salisbury iPlain. 
 
 Then, all at once, the sun rose and flashed on the 
 two as they sat talking, and Maudlin — or Imogen, as 
 her real name was — cried out that they had forgotten 
 about the fountain. 
 
 At once they hastened to it ; Imogen carrying the 
 wreath she had been wearing, and Raymond with 
 the pipe in his hand. They ran to the hawthorn 
 bush under which bubbled up the spring, and, she 
 
 170 
 
The Shepherds of SaHsbury Plain 
 
 kneeling on one side, and he on the other, they 
 thrust their hands into the water, to draw out the 
 toad and to cleanse the spring. But whilst thus 
 engaged, groping for the foul reptile, the sun, already 
 risen, shone into the water. 
 
 At once the spring became turbid, bubbles rose in 
 it, and then great bursts of water, so that Raymond 
 and Imogen started back in haste, one on each side. 
 
 The water boiled forth with fury, great spouts 
 rose into the air, and the amount was so great that 
 the fountain became a lake, and Imogen and Raymond 
 had even to step farther back from the advancing 
 waters. 
 
 They were so astonished, they hardly thought 
 what to do. Then Imogen cried out that the wreath 
 of flowers she was plaiting was carried away on the 
 water, and Raymond exclaimed that his pipe was 
 dancing on the foaming waves. 
 
 Now the spring broke through all bounds and 
 the volume of water poured forth in a river, and 
 Imogen ran down the stream on one side, pursuing 
 her floating garland, and Raymond on the other 
 side, endeavouring to recover his pipe that was 
 washed away. 
 
 But presently all thought of garland and pipe was 
 gone from them, for they saw themselves divided by 
 a great river as broad as the Thames ; and it rushed 
 along at a great rate. 
 
 Raymond, seeing Imogen crying on the farther 
 bank, plunged in to endeavour to cross and reach 
 her, but the flood swept him off his feet and carried 
 him down. Imogen tore her hair and ran on, in the 
 
 171 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 utmost terror, which was only allayed when she 
 saw her dear friend scramble ashore on the farther 
 bank. 
 
 So they hasted on all through the day. At last 
 Imogen became alarmed as to what might happen to 
 her if night fell, and she saw a tree that was 
 uprooted and was being carried down by the current, 
 and she threw herself among the branches, in the 
 hopes that it would float her across to Raymond. 
 
 Now the drifting tree went into the midst of the 
 rush of water, and was swept along there, without 
 drawing near to either bank. When Raymond saw 
 this, he went into the water again and swam, and 
 did not desist till Imogen held out her hand as 
 he approached the tree, and helped him up into the 
 branches. 
 
 By this time, night had come on. The sun was 
 set, but as it was midsummer, there was much light 
 in the sky ; moreover, the moon was as a crescent of 
 the colour of gold. All through the night they 
 were swept along, till they heard the roar of the sea, 
 and presently, at dawn, beheld the rising sun flash 
 on the foam of the breakers rolling in. 
 
 When they reached the spot where the waves met 
 the river, then they were tossed about, and washed 
 off the tree ; but they would not let go each other's 
 hand, and the blue waves carried them gently and 
 threw them up on the sand. They were so exhausted 
 as to be insensible. 
 
 When they opened their eyes, the fairy Morgana 
 stood before them. She reproached them for their 
 neglect of what they had undertaken. She said to 
 
 172 
 
The Shepherds of Salisbury Plain 
 
 them : " My children, never be so engrossed in your 
 own concerns as to forget the duties you owe to 
 others. That is one lesson I hope you have learned. 
 But there is another I wish you to take to heart. 
 When difficulties occur, do not struggle against 
 them, but try to circumvent them. If you had not 
 been foolish, both of you, and thought of something 
 else except your wreath and pipe, you would have 
 gone round the head of the river, which might have 
 been done with the utmost ease, instead of running 
 down the stream and then endeavouring to stem 
 the current. Most difficulties may be got round at 
 their source, which can never be overpassed if 
 allowed to grow in volume. That is the second 
 lesson. And now, your troubles are near their end. 
 I will call my carriage and restore you to where you 
 were." 
 
 She clapped her hands, and at once a carriage made 
 ot green rushes appeared, drawn by a thousand field- 
 mice. She insisted on Imogen entering, she entered 
 herself, and made Raymond sit on the box beside an 
 old rat who was coachman. 
 
 So they drove through the land till they reached 
 Salisbury Plain, till they arrived at the house of the 
 old couple with whom Imogen had lived, and, when 
 they arrived, they found there a great concourse of 
 people with horses and armour. 
 
 The Duke of Cornwall was dead, and the people 
 of Duffeneth had risen to demand their own duchess, 
 and had sent out messengers who had traced her in 
 her flight to the cottage by Salisbury Plain. She 
 was now clothed in magnificent robes, and was 
 
 173 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 mounted on a dapple grey, but she insisted on 
 Raymond accompanying her. She returned to 
 Exeter, where she was proclaimed duchess, and then 
 she married Raymond. 
 
 Soon after, she lent him troops, and he marched to 
 Wales, and speedily recovered his own principality. 
 
 And so these lovely princes both 
 
 Each other did befriend, 
 Where, after many a hard mishap, 
 
 Their lives had joyful end. 
 
 Note. — This is based on the old English ballad of '* The Strange 
 Lives of two Young- Princes in England," which was printed in 
 A Collection of Old Ballads^ 17251 vol. iii. The earlier part is so 
 distinctly founded on the story of Havelock the Dane and Argentile, 
 that I have somewhat altered it, as this latter story is given in 
 this collection. After the flight of the damsel, then the story no 
 longer bears any resemblance to that of Havelock. The ballad 
 as it comes to us is not in its original shape, but is a rewriting of 
 a much earlier one, in the reign of Elizabeth or James I. The 
 collector of the Old Ballads supposed that this composition was 
 founded on the story of Raymond Fitzgerald, the conqueror of 
 Ireland, who married Basilia, sister of Richard Strongbow, in 
 1 174. But there is nothing save the name to favour this 
 hypothesis. 
 
 All the portion of the fairy of the fountain is imported into it 
 by me from a story in A New Collection f Fairy Tales, none oj 
 ivhich were ever before printed, in two volumes, London, 1750, 
 It is somewhat of a surprise to me that among the many collec- 
 tions of modern days, this curious old book has not been noticed 
 and stories taken from it. 
 
 1/4 
 
IX 
 
 KING HORN 
 
 /5 
 
IX 
 
 KING HORN 
 
 There lived in times long gone by, a king of the 
 name of Murray, and he ruled over the Western 
 Isles, which went by the name of the kingdom of 
 Sodor. He had a good wife and a little son, and 
 the name of this son was Horn. 
 
 Now this was at the time when the Norsemen 
 sailed round the coasts of England and Scotland 
 and Ireland, plundering and burning and slaying. 
 
 One day King Murray rode out, attended by two 
 knights, and, when he came to the beach, he found 
 that a fleet of Vikings had just arrived and disem- 
 barked. Before he could fly, they killed him. Then 
 they went up to his palace, and the queen had but 
 just time to escape in the confusion, and to hide 
 herself in a cave among the rocks. 
 
 As for the little Prince Horn, he was out at the 
 time, playing with two other boys of his own age, 
 whose names were Athulf and Fikenhild. 
 
 At first the Norse pirates thought they would kill 
 Horn, but, instead of doing this, they put him and 
 12 177 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 his two companions in a small boat, and thrust it 
 out to sea. 
 
 Then the sea began to flow, 
 And Horn child to row ; 
 And the sea the boat did sweep, 
 Far, far out, over the deep. 
 
 The three boys were in the boat all night ; they 
 were cold and hungry and frightened. Happily, no 
 storm arose. They knew not where they drifted. 
 At last, day dawned. Athulf and Fikenhild had fallen 
 asleep with crying and with weariness. Now, as 
 the sky began to lighten, Horn touched his com- 
 panions, woke them, and said — 
 
 " Friends young-, Hst to me, 
 I will say a word of glee. 
 I hear the sweet birds sing, 
 I see the green grass spring." 
 
 The two sleepers sat up in a boat, and they saw 
 a coast not far off, and the tide was carrying them 
 up upon the yellow sands. 
 
 They were very glad now, and, with their hands 
 in the water, they rowed, for they had no oars, and 
 at last ran ashore. 
 
 Then they jumped out, and Horn, turning to the 
 little boat, said — 
 
 " Ship, by the sea flood 
 Days have thou good. 
 By the sea brink, 
 In water do not sink. 
 If to Suderey you come, 
 Greet kin at home, 
 Greet the queen my mother, 
 And of friends each other." 
 
 178 
 
King Horn 
 
 Then he thrust the httle boat from land, and saw 
 it swim away on the falHng tide. 
 
 Horn and his companions walked up on the land, 
 and at last met with men who told them they were 
 come into Westerness, which may have been Argyle. 
 There reigned over this little realm a king called 
 Aylmar, and he received the three boys very kindly, 
 and asked whence they had come. 
 
 Horn spoke for them all, and told his story. 
 
 Then Aylmar summoned his steward, who was 
 named Athelbert, and told him to see to Horn and 
 his comrades, and to give them a good education, 
 which consisted in being able to play the harp, 
 carve the meat, and serve the wine. This is what 
 he said — 
 
 "You must teach him to harp, 
 With his nails cut sharp, 
 Before me to carve, 
 And of the cup to serve. " 
 
 So time passed, and Horn and his companions 
 grew up into tall, handsome young men. 
 
 Now the king had got a daughter named Rymen- 
 hild, and she saw Horn, and took a great fancy to 
 him, and one day asked Athelbert to contrive that 
 she should have a talk with him. 
 
 xAthelbert agreed, but he was somewhat discon- 
 certed, because he did not know v/hether the king 
 would approve of it. Horn was indeed a very hand- 
 some and well-educated youth, but his kingdom was 
 spoiled and taken possession of by the Norsemen, 
 who already occupied the Orkney Isles, and had 
 
 1/9 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 tried to get hold of Ireland. However, he did not 
 like to refuse the princess, and so he contrived that 
 they should meet. 
 
 Now King Aylmar had no son, so that Rymen- 
 hild was his heir. She told Horn that she loved 
 him dearly, and that she wished him to plight to 
 her his word that he would marry her and no one 
 else. 
 
 Horn replied that he really was not worthy of 
 such an honour, but that he would consider her pro- 
 posal after he had been dubbed knight. So the 
 princess urged the steward to persuade her father to 
 make Horn a knight. 
 
 Athelbert agreed to this, and he went before the 
 king, and represented to him that Horn was now 
 of age to receive knighthood, that he could do all 
 that was required of a knight with lance and sword, 
 and that his birth was royal, and he was entitled to 
 knighthood. 
 
 Aylmar consented to this : he called for Horn, 
 and thereupon dubbed him knight. 
 
 Now, as soon as Horn had been knighted, he at 
 once proceeded to confer knighthood on his com- 
 rades, Athulf and Fikenhild. 
 
 Then Horn went before the princess, and said 
 that, as he was a knight, he must go forth on his 
 adventures, and show that he was worthy of the 
 honour he had received. He promised that if he 
 came back, he w^ould ask for her hand. 
 
 Then she gave to Horn a gold ring with a stone 
 in it, and on the stone was engraved her own like- 
 ness. And she told him that the property of the 
 
 1 80 
 
King Horn 
 
 ring was to carry him safe and sound through all 
 danger. 
 
 Then Horn went down to the shore. 
 
 He arrived most opportunely, for just then a 
 Norwegian pirate ship had run up to the shore. 
 
 Horn and his companions at once fell on them, 
 took them by surprise, routed them, and he cut off 
 the head of their leader, and came back to the 
 palace, carrying it by the hair, and he placed it on 
 the table before the king. 
 
 Now it must be told that Fikenhild was false at 
 heart, and he had whispered into the king's ear that 
 Horn had conceived a plan of poisoning the cup he 
 offered the king, so as to kill him, then possess 
 himself of Rymenhild, and ascend the throne of 
 Westerness. 
 
 After Horn had put the Viking's head on the 
 table, he went to Rymenhild to tell her what he had 
 done. He found her in tears, and this was what 
 she said : She had dreamt, and thought she had 
 gone out fishing, and had caught a fine and beautiful 
 fish. But the net burst, and the fish fell out. 
 
 Horn comforted her as well as he was able, and 
 pledged himself to be good and true to her. 
 
 Now, Aylmar believed the lying tale told him by 
 Fikenhild, and he drove Horn away from his 
 presence, and bade him leave the realm. 
 
 Before Horn departed, he bade Athulf remain be- 
 hind and watch over Rymenhild, and see that none 
 harmed her, and he promised that in seven years he 
 would return and claim Rymenhild for wife. 
 Then he took ship and departed. 
 i8i 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 The ship sailed west, and he landed in Ireland, 
 where he was well received by the king, whose name 
 was Thorstan, and by the two princes, Harold and 
 Berild. But he did not give his real name, he called 
 himself Cutberd. 
 
 Now it fell out that at Yule, which is Christmas, 
 there came a Berserkr, with a number of Northmen, 
 and he defied the king and his men to fight. 
 
 But Cutberd stood up and offered to take the 
 adventure upon him. 
 
 This the king reluctantly allowed. But, in fact, 
 Horn had recognised in this big Berserkr the com- 
 mander of the expedition that had come on his 
 father's land, and had killed his father. 
 
 You must understand what these Berserkrs were. 
 They were Northern men who worked themselves up 
 into mad fury, when foam dropped from their 
 mouths, they gnawed the tops of their shields, they 
 had in their madness twice the strength of ordinary 
 men, and believed that when the fit was on them, 
 no steel would wound them. It was something like 
 possession by an evil spirit, and we hear a good 
 deal about it in old Norse history. There is no 
 doubt that these Berserkrs were mad at the time. 
 When the fit was off them, they were so exhausted, 
 they could scarce move for hours. 
 
 Now Horn knew the man, and he was resolved 
 to avenge his father. He had on the ring given him 
 by Rymenhild, and his own trusty armour. 
 
 Horn now fought the Berserkr, and after a furious 
 onslaught killed him. Then the Irishmen rushed 
 on the fellows of the Norse chief, and killed them 
 
 182 
 
King Horn 
 
 all ; but it was a hard fight, and the pirates behaved 
 so bravely, and made such a stubborn stand, that 
 the two princes, Harold and Berild, fell in the fray. 
 
 King Thorstan was much grieved at the death of 
 his sons, and he now offered his daughter to Cut- 
 berd to be his wife. But Cutberd said he could not 
 take her, as he had promised to be true to another 
 fair lady ; but he undertook to remain with Thorstan 
 for seven years, to help him against his enemies. 
 
 Now it must be told how that time slipped away, 
 and the seven years were nearly at an end. King 
 Aylmar had resolved to have his daughter married, 
 and had looked out for her King Modi of Rennes, 
 in Brittany, who had come all the long distance to 
 seek him a wife. Rymenhild had refused to hear 
 anything of him, but the seven years were nearly 
 over, and her father was greatly set on the marriage, 
 and she hardly knew what to do. Then the faithful 
 Athulf sent messengers in all directions to seek Horn, 
 and to tell him to come at once, and deliver Rymen- 
 hild from the difficulties in which she was placed. 
 
 One day it fell out that Horn was hunting, when 
 he met a little foot-page in the wood, and he asked 
 him who he was and whence he came. 
 
 The little page said he had been sent from 
 Westerness by Athulf to bid him return at once, as 
 the Princess Rymenhild was about to be married to 
 King Modi. 
 
 Horn at once bade the boy return as swiftly as 
 he could, and say he would arrive next Sunday 
 morning. 
 
 Unhappily, whilst the little foot-page was return- 
 
 183 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 ing by ship, a storm arose and wrecked the vessel, 
 and all therein were drowned. 
 
 Now Rymenhild watched every day, expecting 
 Horn to come, and at last reluctantly she had 
 promised her father that if he did not arrive on the 
 following Sunday, she would do as he desired. 
 
 Then the sand washed up to her feet the body 
 of the little foot- page, and she knew he had been 
 drowned, and she greatly feared either lest he should 
 have perished on his way to Horn, or, worse still, 
 had been wrecked along with Horn on his way back. 
 Then she gave herself quite up to despair. 
 
 Horn, nevertheless, was on his way. When he 
 received the news, he went before King Thorstan, 
 and told him both who he was, and what was his 
 present need. He asked him to let him have some 
 Irish kernes to come with him and fight for him, if 
 there were need to fight. 
 
 King Thorstan readily assented, and speedily Horn 
 had a ship made ready, and entered it with his men, 
 and sailed for Westerness. 
 
 He was much detained by the storm in which 
 had foundered the boat of the foot-page. But at 
 length he arrived on the coast of Westerness, and 
 he and his men went on shore, and he bade them all 
 abide hidden in a wood till he summoned them. 
 
 Then he went forward by himself, and he met a 
 palmer coming along in a grey suit, with his cockle- 
 shell and his long staff. 
 
 Horn stood before the palmer, and stayed him, 
 and asked him what news. 
 
 The palmer said that there was great news, for 
 184 
 
King Horn 
 
 that day the king's daughter, the Princess Rymenhild, 
 had been married to the King of Brittany, and that 
 there was to be a great feast in the palace, but that 
 all told how sad the princess was, and that her eyes 
 were red with tears. 
 
 Then Horn asked the palmer to change dresses 
 with him. He agreed, and Horn went on his way 
 disguised, and he took berries of blaeberry, and 
 stained his face and hands, that none might know 
 him. So he went to the king's gate. 
 
 He came to the gate-ward 
 
 That answered him full hard. 
 
 Horn bade him undo soft, 
 
 Many time and oft ; 
 
 But ne'er could he win 
 
 That the man should let him in. 
 
 Horn began the gate to turn 
 And the latchet unspurn. 
 The porter-boy — he by his rig 
 Horn took and threw over the brig, 
 That his ribs him did break, i 
 And so Horn passed the gate. 
 
 When Horn had got through by this means, he 
 ranged himself among the beggars. He looked out 
 for his faithful x\thulf, but could not see him, because 
 Athulf was on a high tower looking for Horn to arrive 
 with his men ; and though he had seen the palmer 
 arrive, it had not struck him that this could be his 
 dear master. 
 
 Presently the princess came down, and not only 
 were her eyes red with weeping, but the tears were 
 on her cheeks, and the roses had faded out of her face. 
 
 185 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 She saw the beggars, and, full of gentle com- 
 passion, she filled a great silver-mounted horn with 
 wine, and handed it to the beggars. All drank 
 except the palmer, who sat down on the floor, and 
 held out his bowl of rough pottery. The ancient 
 poet says — 
 
 Her horn she laid down 
 
 And filled him from a brown (pitcher) 
 
 His bowl that held a gallon 
 
 For she weened he was a glutton. 
 
 Then he spoke to her, and said, " I am not a 
 beggar. I will not drink wine save out of a white 
 mug. I am a fisherman, and my nets are close by. 
 They have been lying in the sea these seven years, 
 and I am come to see if a fish be in them." 
 
 The princess was much surprised at what he said. 
 She was more surprised when he said, " Come, fair 
 lady, fill up the horn and drink the health of Horn." 
 
 She put the silver-lipped horn to her mouth, but 
 she so trembled that she spilled the wine. Then 
 she stooped, when the wine was spilled, and as she 
 stooped, she said to the palmer, " Why speak you of 
 Horn ? Have you seen him ? " 
 
 Then the palmer dropped the ring in the wine, 
 and she took it up and knew it again, and well-nigh 
 fainted. She hastily retired among her maidens, 
 to her bower, and sent one of them to bring the 
 palmer to her. 
 
 Now Horn came in, and speedily he told her who 
 he was, and how that his men were at hand in a 
 wood, and that he would deliver her from King Modi. 
 
 i86 
 
King Horn 
 
 Thereat Rymenhild was right joyous, and Horn 
 went, and bade her send Athulf to him into the 
 wood. And she did so. 
 
 Then they armed, and marched towards the 
 
 castle of King Aylmar, and blew a trumpet, and 
 Horn proclaimed who he was, and that he had come 
 to demand the princess. 
 
 Then King Modi bade his men arm, and the gates 
 be thrown open, and he rushed forth, with intent to 
 
 187 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 cut to pieces both Horn and his men. But Horn 
 and his Irishmen made a good fight, and the end 
 was that Modi fell, and his men were routed. Horn 
 pushed on into the palace, and appeared before King 
 Aylmar, and told him all the story of his acts, and 
 convinced him that there had been slanderous accusa- 
 tions made against him. 
 
 Then he asked King Aylmar to let him have 
 Rymenhild for wife, but said that he had no purpose 
 to marry her till he had reconquered his own 
 kingdom of Sodor, or the Sudereys. 
 
 The king consented, and though Rymenhild was 
 sorry that he should leave so soon, yet she saw that 
 he was very determined to marry her as a king and 
 not as an outcast. Before he departed, Horn was 
 inclined to severely punish Fikenhild, but his old 
 comrade fell on his knees before him and entreated 
 forgiveness, and swore that he would be true to him 
 evermore. And because Horn remembered how 
 they had been playfellows together, and how 
 together they had fared in the open boat, he was 
 softened, and forgave him. 
 
 Horn departed, and he took with him the Irish 
 kernes lent him by King Thorstan, and he had 
 with him as well his faithful Athulf, and some men 
 from Westerness, who were glad to serve under him. 
 When Horn landed in Sudderey, he found a man 
 bound to a tree, and he asked him who he was. 
 The man replied that he was a knight, and had 
 been a servant of King Murray, but now he was 
 badly treated by the Norsemen, who ruled the 
 isles. Then he said how that the natives were 
 
 i88 
 
 I 
 
King Horn 
 
 weary of the Norsemen, and how they wondered 
 that Horn did not return to claim his own. 
 
 Horn now told him who he was, and wherefore 
 he had come. He released him from his bonds, 
 and bade him go about and tell his people secretly 
 to be ready and rise suddenly on their tyrants, and 
 he would be with them to aid them. 
 
 Now all happened right as Horn devised, and he 
 was able to slay the Northmen, and those he did 
 not slay he drove out of his father's old realm. And 
 now there was great rejoicing in the isles, and Horn 
 was overjoyed to find his mother still alive, in the 
 cave in which she had concealed herself these many 
 years. 
 
 In the meantime, things had not been going well 
 with Rymenhild. It must be told that at the time 
 King Aylmar had grown old and childish, and for 
 seven years Fikenhild had been at his side as 
 counsellor, and had gained such a complete mastery 
 over the old king, that he could make him think 
 and do just what he liked. 
 
 Fikenhild was very ill pleased at the return of 
 Horn, and at his own humiliation, and he was not at 
 all grateful that his life had been spared. 
 
 He began now to scheme how he might take 
 advantage of Horn's absence ; and he talked to the 
 foolish old king, and turned him about just as he 
 wished. Fikenhild persuaded the king that Horn 
 had been killed by the Norsemen in Sudderey, and 
 that the Norse were coming on to attack the kingdom 
 of Westerness. 
 
 When Aylmar heard this, he was in a great fright, 
 189 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and he asked what was to be done. Fikenhild 
 answered that he must give him Rymenhild as wife, 
 and appoint him to succeed him in the kingdom, 
 then the people would rally round him as their 
 future sovereign, and fight bravely, under his leading, 
 against the invaders. 
 
 The king gave his consent ; but Rymenhild would 
 not listen to a word Fikenhild said. She would not 
 believe that Horn was dead. 
 
 So Fikenhild built a strong tower by the sea, which 
 could only be reached at low tide, and he carried off 
 the princess and set her therein, and said that there 
 she should remain till she consented to marry him. 
 
 Now one night Horn had a dream : he thought 
 that Rymenhild was on a rock in the sea, and the 
 tide was rising, and she was in great peril of being 
 drowned, and she stretched forth her arms, and cried 
 to Horn to help her. 
 
 Next morning Horn mounted his ship, and took 
 his companions with him, and sailed for Westerness, 
 and as it chanced, as they neared, they saw a new 
 white tower standing in the sea. Horn greatly 
 wondered, because this tower was not there when he 
 departed, so he ran his ships under the walls, and 
 there saw, sitting on the rocks, a man who was 
 Athulfs cousin. Horn told who he was, and asked 
 about the tower. Then he learned all the treachery 
 of Fikenhild. 
 
 So he and his men hastily disguised themselves 
 as harpers, and put on long cloaks over their armour. 
 They came to the tower door, and said they were a 
 party of minstrels, and asked to be admitted. 
 
 190 
 
King Horn 
 
 Rymenhild bade them be allowed to come in ; 
 and Fikenhild's men made no demur, for — 
 
 Horn said, they were harpers 
 And some were g-'igerers (fiddlers). 
 
 Now, when they came into the hall, Horn took 
 his harp and sang a ballad, and the ballad was the 
 story of Rymenhild and her sorrows, and the burden 
 of every verse was Rymenhild 's wail of- — 
 
 ' ' Well - a wa}- ! Ah, well - away ! ' ' 
 
 This made the princess weep bitterly. 
 
 Then, all at once, Horn drew his fingers across 
 the harp with a mighty clang, threw off his cloak, 
 his fellows did the same, and they drew their swords, 
 and were speedily masters of the castle ; and as it 
 happened that Fikenhild was then in it, they had 
 him also in their power. He was ordered to be 
 tied to the tails of wild horses and torn to pieces. 
 
 And now not much more remains to be told. 
 
 There was a joyous marriage of Horn and 
 Rymenhild, and after that Horn went back to 
 Ireland, and got King Thorstan to give his daughter 
 to the faithful Athulf. Then Horn went back with 
 his wife to Sudderey. 
 
 Note — The old English lay of Horn exists in three MSS., one in 
 the Cambridg-e University Library, one in the Bodleian, and one 
 in the British Museum. It is a very early tale, for it was translated 
 from Eng-lish into French by a Norman poet of the reign of 
 Richard I., and the French lai is still extant. 
 
 There is no historic basis for this story. In the MSS. the 
 kingdom of Murray is Suddene, which I venture to suppose is 
 Suderey or Sodor, — the Hebrides or Western Isles. The incident 
 
 191 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 of Horn sitting among the beggars is like that of Cadwallo, King 
 of the Britons, at the gate of Edwin, King of Northumbria, in 
 Roger of Wendover ; and, in a measure, is Hke that of the return 
 of Ulysses. 
 
 An example or two must be added to show the language of the 
 original. 
 
 He dude horn inn late 
 
 Rigt at halle gate, 
 
 He sette him on the benche 
 
 His harpe for to clenche. 
 
 He makede Rymenhilde lay 
 
 And heo (she) maked Walaway. 
 
 Rymenhild feol yswoge (swooning), 
 
 Ne was there none that louge (kiughed), 
 
 Hit smot to homes herte 
 
 So bitere that hit smerte. 
 
 The lay of Horn has been edited by J. R. Lumby for the Early 
 EnglishText Society," 1866. 
 
 f 
 
 192 
 
X 
 
 HAVELOCK AND ARGENTILE 
 
 13 193 
 
X 
 
 HAVELOCK AND ARGENTILE 
 
 There was once in Denmark a great king named 
 Gunter, and he had a wife and one little son, who 
 was called Havelock. 
 
 Now there rose up war in Denmark, a great 
 rebellion broke out, and the castle of King Gunter 
 was entered and set on fire, and the king was 
 killed. 
 
 The nurse of little Havelock said to the queen, 
 " Follow me. We must fly, or the wicked rebels 
 will kill you and the young prince. My husband is 
 captain of a ship, and he is now in harbour. Let us 
 get on board, and he will spread sail, and carry us 
 away where Prince Havelock can be kept safely till 
 the good times return." 
 
 So the queen consented, and fled with the good 
 woman to the sea, and they went on board. The 
 captain, whose name was Grim, at once hoisted sail, 
 and the ship flew out on the blue sea. 
 
 But they had not been sailing many days before 
 195 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 a pirate vessel hove in sight, and ran alongside of 
 the merchantman. The captain and all his crew 
 fought desperately, and drove away the pirates. 
 The fight had been so furious that all his men were 
 killed or wounded. By the greatest piece of good 
 luck he himself escaped. 
 
 The terror in which the good queen was, whilst 
 the battle had been waged, and the sense of her 
 great loss in the death of her dear husband. King 
 Gunter, and of the kingdom of Denmark, so over- 
 came her, that her spirits sank, and she died at 
 sea. Then there arose a dreadful storm, and to 
 save the vessel the captain was obliged to throw 
 all the lading into the sea. He could hardly 
 manage the ship himself alone — and all the wounded 
 sailors died. At last the gale drove the vessel 
 as a wreck upon the Lincolnshire coast, and it was 
 stranded at the place afterwards called from him, 
 Grimsby. 
 
 Then the captain and his wife came on shore, and, 
 forasmuch as they were without means, they took 
 the wreck, sawed it in half, and turned it into a 
 house by the side of the sea. Happily the little 
 boat belonging to the ship was uninjured, and the 
 captain used this for going out fishing. Luck 
 attended him, and he sold his fish well. What he 
 did not sell, that he and his wife and the little 
 Havelock ate. The fish were turbot, salmon, mullets, 
 porpoises, mackerel in great plenty, and great junks 
 of whale, with the blubber. 
 
 Now the nurse was a skilful cook, and she dressed 
 all the fish that they ate in the finest and most 
 
 196 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 dainty way, and little Havelock watched her, and 
 soon learned to cook quite as well as she. 
 
 As the nurse and her husband did not desire that 
 the child should be known, they did not call him by 
 his true name, but always Cueran ; and he grew up 
 to believe that the fisherman and his wife were his 
 father and mother, and he had no thought but that 
 Cueran ^ was his right name. 
 
 In time the fisherman Grim became much better 
 off, and, instead of going out fishing, he became a 
 salt-merchant. He made pans and put sea-water 
 in them, and his wife lit fires under the pans, and 
 strained the water away. Then there was left in 
 the pans only beautiful white salt. 
 
 The good man and his wife had two sons of their 
 ovrn. They were younger than Cueran, and they loved 
 him and sei'ved him as an elder brother. Cueran's 
 supposed father and mother often said to him, " Let 
 no one ever see you asleep ; for if you are seen 
 asleep, great mischief may come of it." They would 
 not allow him at night to be in the same bedroom 
 with the two boys of their own, for they did not wish 
 these two to see the lad, who, they thought, was their 
 elder brother, when he was asleep. Why that was, 
 that you shall hear presently. 
 
 Now the salt-merchant went about the country 
 selling salt ; but at home, at Grimsby, his wife 
 minded the pans, and the two young boys kept up 
 the fire under them. In order that they might 
 work, they must eat, so Cueran remained in the old 
 wrecked ship turned into a house and cooked the 
 
 ^ Cueran in the old British tongue means a scullion or cook. 
 197 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 dinner, and his nurse used to say that he surpassed 
 her in cooking just as a king surpasses common men 
 and the rose excels the daisy. 
 
 It happened one day that the king of that country 
 came to Grimsby, and this was the reason of his 
 coming. The queen had run short of salt, and 
 there had been no salt in the palace when the dinner 
 was cooked one day. The food was so tasteless that 
 the king could not eat it, and he said, " If you can't 
 put in salt, put in something else." 
 
 Next day the queen put soda with all the meat, 
 into all the puddings and pies ; and the dinner was 
 so nasty that the king pushed his dish away, and 
 said he could not eat it. 
 
 Then the queen said he must go to Grimsby and 
 buy her salt of the merchant there. 
 
 The king said he would do so. He rode and he 
 rode till he came near Grimsby, and as he drew near, 
 he lifted up his nose and said, " Good ! good ! " for 
 he smelt fried herrings. 
 
 He had not gone much farther before he sniffed 
 again and said, " I am sure they are cooking turbot 
 which is eaten with oyster sauce." 
 
 He had not gone farther before his eyes began to 
 twinkle and his mouth to water, and he said, " I 
 would, oh I would that I had some of that whale 
 blubber I smell cooking so daintily ! " 
 
 Then he put spurs into his horse's sides, and 
 galloped till he came to the cottage on the beach 
 made out of the old wreck, and there all the delicate 
 smells of all the different courses that were being 
 cooked for dinner that day were mingled just as in 
 
 198 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 pot-pourri are mingled rose-leaves, thyme, bay salt, 
 orris root, and lavender. 
 
 The king jumped off his horse, went in, and found 
 that Cueran was engaged preparing dinner for his 
 father and mother and brothers. The king was very 
 hungry after three days' fast — for he had not eaten 
 anything that day, nor all the day before when he 
 had refused the soda-seasoned victuals, nor on the 
 day before that, when he had rejected the wholly 
 unseasoned meats. 
 
 The king was so hungry that he could not contain 
 himself, and he insisted on Cueran dishing up. 
 
 And then he sat at the meal, and ate up every one 
 of the seven courses, and even the entremets, which 
 were scallops and winkles and a mayonnaise of 
 lobster. 
 
 Presently the merchant and his wife came in with 
 their sons, and the king said he had come for salt, 
 which the merchant was very ready to sell. Then 
 he said he positively must have the young cook-lad, 
 to make him his own cook in the royal kitchen, for 
 the cook he had had the queen had dismissed for 
 impertinence and wasting the coals. 
 
 The merchant and his wife were very reluctant 
 to lose their dear Cueran, but when they saw that 
 the king had set his mind on it, they were obliged 
 to consent; but they made two conditions, — one was 
 that he should have his young brothers with him to 
 serve as scullions, and the other that he should have 
 a room to himself in which to sleep, and not be put 
 into the common dormitory. 
 
 The king consented, and would have granted 
 199 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 much more, had they asked it, so eager was he to 
 secure this perfection of a cook. 
 
 So Cueran became the head cook in the palace of 
 the King of Norfolk. The name of the king was 
 Edelsi. 
 
 Now it must be told that the brother-in-law of the 
 King of Norfolk was King of Essex, and had his 
 capital at Colchester. His name was Edelbert, and 
 he had married Orwain, the sister of the King of 
 Norfolk, who had his capital at Lindsey. 
 
 The King of Essex died, and he left the charge of 
 his wife and his daughter Argentile, and of his 
 kingdom, to his friend and brother-in-law Edelsi. 
 
 The poor Queen Orwain was broken-hearted at 
 the loss of her husband, and she lived only twenty 
 days after him, and her body was laid beside his at 
 Colchester. 
 
 King Edelsi was greedy after other things beside 
 herrings, turbot, and whale blubber. He desired 
 land as well. When King Edelbert was dead, he 
 thought he would annex the kingdom of Essex to 
 the kingdom of Norfolk and Lincoln, for these two 
 counties were then comprised in one realm. To do 
 this, he must put aside his niece Argentile. He was 
 not so wicked as to think of killing her. He thought 
 it would be quite sufficient if he married her to the 
 cook. After that, no one would think of making a 
 queen of her, so he supposed. 
 
 Argentile arrived at the court at Lindsey, and very 
 little was made of her, and she did not say who she 
 was, nor did the king declare that she was his niece. 
 He told his wife, the queen, that she was a young 
 
 200 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 woman he had hired to help the man cook in his 
 work ; and, to make sure that she kept the place, as 
 kitchen-maids in those days were very flighty, he was 
 resolved to marry her to Cueran. 
 
 Argentile cried much when she heard that her 
 uncle was going thus to degrade her. She entreated 
 him not to persevere in his purpose, but he would 
 not be dissuaded, and the marriage took place. The 
 king took care there should be plenty of witnesses, 
 and the bridegroom made and sugared his own 
 bridecake. All went well for some time. Cueran 
 was very handsome and well made ; he had a beauti- 
 ful face and beautiful hands, indeed so delicate were 
 his fingers that he had but to touch dough with the 
 tips of them, and the most beautiful puff paste was 
 the result. He was also very strong, and if anyone 
 showed himi any impertinence, he wrestled with him 
 and threw him, and would tie his arms and legs with 
 his sash, and not let him go till he had promised 
 amendment. The king and the knights were so fond 
 of him that at his wedding they left him some of the 
 cakes and puddings and tarts, and graciously con- 
 descended not to consume all his wedding cake. 
 They took off all the sugar and the almond-paste, 
 but graciously allowed him and his wife to eat some 
 of the dark currant substance. 
 
 One night Argentile awoke from a dream that had 
 troubled her ; and she touched Cueran so as to wake 
 him, that she might tell him her dream. Then she 
 was greatly frightened and astonished to see a flame 
 issuing from his mouth. Presently the flame danced 
 on to the floor, ran along, passed through the keyhole, 
 
 20I 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and disappeared. Argentile was dreadfully alarmed. 
 She shook her husband, but he was as one senseless, 
 she could not wake him. At last she saw a flame 
 come from the keyhole, run along the floor, and jump 
 into Cueran's mouth again. Then he opened his 
 eyes and asked what she wanted. 
 
 She told him what she had seen — a flame in his 
 mouth that left him, and was away for an hour, and 
 then returned to him, and that all the while the 
 flame was absent he was as one dead. 
 
 " I do not know what this can be," answered the 
 cook. " All I can say is, that in dream I went to 
 Grimsby to see my father and mother. When I got 
 back, I felt you trying to rouse me." 
 
 " That which I desired to tell you," said Argentile, 
 " was a dream I had." 
 
 " Tell it me," said Cueran ; " but I think dreams 
 are often great nonsense." 
 
 " I dreamed," said Argentile, " that there was a 
 great bear, and round the bear were many little 
 foxes. Then there came a huge boar, and it rushed 
 at the bear and gored it till it died, and when it was 
 dead, then all the little foxes came wagging their 
 tails and fawning on the boar. And the boar went 
 rooting about in quest of you, and to escape it you 
 ran up into a tree, and then the sea rose and washed 
 the tree away with you clinging to it, and threw you 
 up on our shores. Then I thought you pushed the 
 tree back into the water and got on it, and swam 
 away, and landed where the boar was, and you 
 fought and killed the boar, and then all the foxes 
 came to lick your hands." 
 
 202 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 " I know what this means," said Cueran. " There 
 has been a great hunt to-day, and a wild boar has 
 been killed and will be cooked to-morrow. I shall 
 cut it up." 
 
 " I do not think this is the interpretation of the 
 dream," said the princess doubtfully. " What does 
 the tree mean ? " 
 
 " It means the logs that will burn to boil the 
 boar." 
 
 203 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 " And the sea that rose ? " asked Argentile. 
 
 " That means the copper boiling in which the 
 junks of boar-flesh will be stewing." 
 
 The princess was not satisfied. 
 
 " I am sure," she said, " you are no ordinary man. 
 Common men do not have flames in their mouths. 
 I wish you would get leave to go and visit your 
 father and mother at Grimsby, and take me and 
 your brothers with you." 
 
 " I was even thinking of that," said Cueran. " It 
 is but right that they should see their daughter-in- 
 law." 
 
 So next day Cueran asked leave of King Edelsi 
 to go to Grimsby and show his bride to the salt- 
 merchant and his wife. 
 
 The king laughed and gave his consent. 
 
 Then Cueran started, and he took with him 
 Argentile and the two scullion boys. 
 
 Now they were very well received by the old 
 people, who were delighted with their new daughter. 
 And when Cueran and his brothers had gone to see 
 the salt-pans, she said to the old man and woman, 
 " I want you to speak to me the truth, and tell me 
 who my husband is. If you will do that, I will tell 
 you who I am. When he is asleep, there is a flame 
 in his mouth, and when he dreams, the flame travels 
 about, and where it goes, his thoughts go also. I 
 am sure he is not what he thinks and says, any more 
 than I am what you suppose and the king gave 
 out." 
 
 Then the old couple looked at each other, and 
 presently the woman said, " The truth must come 
 
 204 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 out. It is true that Cueran is not our son. He is 
 the son of a king in Denmark who is dead, and he 
 has lost his inheritance." 
 
 " And I," said Argentile, " I am the daughter of 
 the King of the East Saxons, and am deprived of my 
 inheritance." 
 
 Now, when the young men came in, Argentile was 
 very desirous that her husband should sail for 
 Denmark and try to recover his kingdom, for now she 
 saw what her dream really meant. The bear was 
 Cueran's father, the foxes were the lords and vassals. 
 The boar was the upstart king who reigned in his 
 room. The tree into which Cueran climbed was 
 the ship, and the sea had really carried him to the 
 Lincolnshire shore. Then, surely, the dream foretold 
 that he would regain what had been lost. 
 
 Now the salt-merchant and his wife went to their 
 chests, and they brought out fine clothes that had 
 been saved from the wreck, and they clothed Cueran 
 and the princess, and they put on their two sons 
 fitting garments. 
 
 They bought a ship, and Cueran sailed away in it 
 with the princess and with the two young men as his 
 attendants. 
 
 They arrived in Denmark, and as the ship was 
 laden with merchandise, they unloaded it, and Cueran 
 and his wife went to the town to lodge. 
 
 Now in that town lived Sigurd, who had been 
 seneschal to King Gunter, and had amassed great 
 riches, but, after the fall of Gunter, he had served the 
 new king, whose name was Odulf. But so also had 
 most of the great men of the land, even as, in 
 
 2oq 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Argentile's dream, the foxes had fawned on the wild 
 boar. 
 
 As it fell out, Sigurd invited Cueran, who was 
 Havelock, to stay at his house. 
 
 Now it was told King Odulf that a merchantman 
 had come to the town with a very beautiful wife, so 
 he gave orders to his men to go and carry off this 
 fair wife. He would see her, and, if she was as fair 
 as was said, keep her for himself, as his own wife was 
 dead, and cut off the head of the merchant. 
 
 Then one evening, when all were at supper in the 
 house of Sigurd, in rushed the servants of King 
 Odulf, and they seized on Argentile, and tried to 
 carry her off. But Havelock snatched down an axe 
 which was hanging against the wall, and fell on those 
 who were bearing away his wife. Yet he was not so 
 speedy but that Sigurd was wounded, and several of 
 his men. He pursued the servants of the kirrg^nto 
 the street. Three men he killed, two he wounded to 
 the death, and he hewed off the hand of the man 
 who had laid hold of Argentile. 
 
 Then he took refuge with his wife and his servants 
 in a church ; and he shut the doors and ascended 
 the tower and rang the bells. 
 
 The King of Denmark urged on his men to besiege 
 the church, to kill Cueran, and to capture Argentile. 
 But Havelock and his foster-brothers and servants 
 threw down stones and tiles, and defended themselves 
 valiantly, and the king called off his men, after he 
 had lost several more. 
 
 Now Sigurd, who, though wounded, had looked on, 
 was much perplexed in mind, for he did not think this 
 
 206 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 young man could be a merchant, as his behaviour 
 was that of a prince ; moreover, he was in face much 
 Hke his old master. King Gunter; so, when the 
 assault had ceased, he made those who had been 
 besieged in the church come to his mansion. 
 
 When they were there, Sigurd inquired of Cueran 
 who he was, what his name might be, and who his 
 companions were. Of the lady he asked whence she 
 came, and who were her parents. 
 
 " Sir," said Cueran, who was also Havelock, " I 
 know not who I am. I know that I was born in 
 this country ; a mariner, whose name was Grim, took 
 me away when an infant. When on the high seas 
 we were attacked by pirates, by whom we were badly 
 treated. Then we were cast by a storm on the 
 coast of Lincoln, at a place called Grimsby. The 
 good man to whom the ship belonged and his wife 
 nou^shed me ; much they regarded and tended me. 
 Then I went and served a king, and I was cook in 
 his kitchen. There I was given this lady to be my 
 wife, and she is his relation. She is very dear to me, 
 and I am very much beloved by her. I came to this 
 country, but I know none of my friends. I knew 
 not with certainty if I had any relatives here. When 
 I was in Denmark, I was called Havelock ; when in 
 England, I am called Cueran. You may call me as 
 pleases you, by one name or the other." 
 
 Sigurd stood and listened. He well remembered 
 the son of Gunter, and he knew that he bore that 
 very name of Havelock. He remembered another 
 circumstance — when he saw him in his cradle as an 
 infant, a flame came out of his mouth. But he said 
 
 207 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 nothing. He promised to set guards round the 
 house, and he spread the report that the merchant 
 and his wife had retired to their ship, and had put 
 out to sea. 
 
 Now, in the night, when Havelock was asleep, 
 Sigurd stole into the bedroom to look, and there 
 was the flame playing about the mouth of the sleep- 
 ing man. Then he made quite sure he was the son 
 of his old master, King Gunter. 
 
 Then he sent for his people, he sent for his knights, 
 for townsmen, and for foot soldiers. Many came 
 from all parts. When he had assembled a large 
 number, he went to speak to Havelock. He caused 
 him to wash and eat. He had him dressed in 
 splendid robes of cloth of silver, and he brought him 
 into the hall. When Havelock entered the hall and 
 saw so many armed men assembled, he thought 
 some treachery was designed, and that they would 
 fall upon him. He made a spring at an axe which 
 a youth was holding. 
 
 Then Sigurd said, '' Do not fear, my friend. I 
 assure you I love you more than I did yesterday 
 when you were sitting at my table." 
 
 Then he brought forth the ivory horn of King 
 Gunter. Under heaven there had never yet been a 
 knight who could sound this horn, and it was said 
 that never would that horn sound again till the true 
 king of Denmark had appeared. The upstart King 
 Odulf had often tried to sound the horn, but had as 
 often failed, and the people of Denmark knew well 
 that therefore he was not their right king. 
 
 Sigurd now took the horn and tried to sound. 
 208 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 He could not do so ; and he handed it to a 
 knight. 
 
 " Whoever shall blow this horn that it sound," 
 said he, " I will give a golden ring that is worth a 
 castle. He who shall wear that ring will never be 
 drowned, even though he should fall into the sea ; 
 nor will he be burned, even though he should fall 
 into the fire. That is what is said of the ring." 
 
 Everyone now pressed forward to try the horn ; 
 but none could sound it, much or little. Then they 
 delivered it to the young man Havelock. When he 
 held it, he looked at it, and said that he had never 
 blown a horn. He said, " I will let it be. As no one 
 else can sound it, and some are great knights and 
 mighty huntsmen, I am not likely to succeed, as I 
 am but a cook." 
 
 ''No," said Sigurd; "you also must put the horn 
 to your mouth." 
 
 " Sir," said Havelock, " to please you I will do it, 
 though I am sure I shall fail." 
 
 Then he took up the horn and placed it against 
 his lips ; and directly the horn touched his lips, it 
 sounded as loud and shrilly and merrily as when his 
 father blew it. And all were greatly astonished. 
 
 Then Sigurd clasped Havelock in his arms. 
 " Now," said he, " I have found my rightful lord ; 
 now I have him whom I have desired, and for whom 
 I will fight. This is the lawful heir, and he who 
 should wear the crown of gold." 
 
 And all in the hall swore their allegiance and did 
 homage. All the barons of the kingdom were sent 
 for, and when they heard his story, and how he 
 14 209 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 sounded the horn, they received him as their lord. 
 When this was done, the people assembled. In four 
 days there were many hundreds. In five days there 
 were thirty thousand. Then they defied King 
 Odulf; and there was a battle fought on a plain. 
 Havelock gained the victory. All men came to him, 
 suing for pardon and swearing fealty. The knights 
 of the kingdom, the chief men and townsmen, made 
 him their lord and king. 
 
 Then he held a great feast and merrymaking. 
 He afterwards summoned all his ships, with all the 
 power of the realm. 
 
 With this great host he passed the sea, and defied 
 King Edelsi. He sent him word that he challenged 
 him if he would not restore the rightful inheritance 
 of his wife. 
 
 King Edelsi sent back answer that he would fight 
 with him ; he sent him all the saucepans, and kettles, 
 and toasting forks, and ladles out of the palace 
 kitchen, and said that these were the weapons suit- 
 able for a cook. 
 
 Then a great battle was fought that lasted till 
 evening ; and many men on both sides were slain. 
 Black night came on, and settled down on the 
 combatants ; and the issue of the battle was deferred 
 till the next day. 
 
 Now, by the counsel of Queen Argentile, a thing 
 was done that proved of great success. Indeed, as 
 men were flocking out to the assistance of King 
 Edelsi, it seemed that on the morrow the Danes 
 would be outnumbered. 
 
 During the night, the Danes, by Argentile's 
 
 2IO 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 advice, cut down trees and made posts, and planted 
 these posts in long rows. Then they took up the 
 bodies of the dead men, the soldiers who had been 
 slain the previous day, and they tied them to the 
 posts ; and they armed them with kitchen-ladles and 
 toasting-forks and cleavers, and some had cauldrons 
 and kettles on their heads, and some the covers of 
 fish-kettles on their arms as shields, and fish-slices 
 as swords ; in a word, the dead men were all erect, 
 and armed with the spoils of the kitchen that King 
 Edelsi had sent in mockery. 
 
 Then, during the night. King Havelock and his 
 men decamped from their former position and made 
 a circuit, and came to the rear of the army of the 
 English men of Norfolk and Lincoln. 
 
 Now, when the sun arose. King Edelsi sent spies 
 to observe the enemy. 
 
 And as these spies drew near, they were filled 
 with terror, for they saw rank on rank of dead men 
 standing up, all armed with kitchen utensils. They 
 were so frightened, that they ran back and said to 
 King Edelsi that all the dead cooks and scullions of 
 every age from the creation of the world had risen 
 from their graves to fight for and maintain the 
 right of the only cook who, in all the course of the 
 world's history, had laid claim to a crown. 
 
 Edelsi was uneasy, but he bade sound the advance, 
 and the army of the English advanced. 
 
 But when they came in sight of the host of dead 
 men prepared to meet them with kitchen utensils as 
 their weapons of warfare, their hair stood on end, 
 and they trembled. At that same moment, Havelock 
 
 211 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and his Danes charged from the rear, and the dis- 
 comfiture was complete. The Norfolk and Lincoln 
 men threw down their arms and sued for peace. 
 
 All the kingdom of the East Saxons was restored 
 to Queen Argentile. 
 
 King Havelock held a great festival at Colchester, 
 and received the homage of his barons. 
 
 King Edelsi only lived five days after this. Me 
 had no heirs. His children were dead. So his 
 nobles willingly agreed that Havelock and his wife 
 should have the land of King Edelsi. So he had it ; 
 and he reigned as king for twenty years ; and 
 nothing more is recorded in English history of the 
 events of the reign of King Havelock, save that he 
 was very particular about his victuals, and liked 
 everything sent up to table to be very well cooked ; 
 for indeed he knew how things should be done, 
 having been a cook himself. And Havelock is 
 believed to have been the first and last king who 
 had been a cook. 
 
 Note. — The story of Havelock is one of the most ancient of our 
 sagas, so ancient that it has passed away out of our nurseries, 
 and has been clean forgotten. It exists, however, in several ver- 
 sions. The old English lay of Havelock is one of the few poems that 
 have happily been recovered, after having long been given up as 
 lost. It was at length discovered by accident in a manuscript be- 
 longing to the Bodleian Library, which had been catalogued as a 
 Collection of Lives of the Saints. It was edited by Sir F. Madden, 
 in 1828, for the Roxburghe Club, and has since been re-edited by the 
 Rev. Walter W. Skeat for the Early English Text Society, 1868. A 
 French " Lai de Aveloc" exists, which was composed within the first 
 half of the twelfth century. The story was abridged by Gaimar in 
 his English Chronicle, and he wrote between 1141 and 1151. 
 There are numerous other references to the tale in other historians, 
 all of which will be found in Mr. Skeat's edition. 
 
 212 
 
Havelock and Argentile 
 
 The story varies very considerably in the several versions, and 
 Hav^elock's wife is variously called Arg-entile or Goldburgh, and 
 the several kings who are named in the tale also differ. 
 
 That Havelock was an historical character is more than 
 probable, and Mr. Skeat fixes his date as somewhere in the 6th 
 century. Mr. Haigh in his Congiiest of Britain by the Saxons, 
 1861, gives these dates : Havelock's father slain, a.d. 4S7 ; his 
 expedition to Denmark, a.d. 507 ; his reign in East Anglia, a.d. 
 511-5.31 or a little later. The story was converted into a ballad by 
 Warner in his Albion's England, published in 1586 ; or what is more 
 probable is that he took a current ballad and rewrote and spoiled 
 it. That was what rhymesters did at that period. The Scots 
 preserved the early ballads intact, our English rhymesters 
 vulgarised them in rewriting them, to suit the false taste of the 
 day, and so the old ballads on which they were based got 
 lost. 
 
 As not only the names but the incidents vary in the several 
 versions of the tale, I have rewritten it ; and hope sincerely I 
 have not done what I am complaining that the ballad-mongers 
 did at the close of the reign of Elizabeth and in that of James I. ; 
 but if so, my version may go into the fire. The old lays have 
 happily been preserved and published. 
 
 Finally, the seal of the town of Grimsby, which dates from the 
 thirteenth century, represents Grim with Havelock on one side of 
 him and Goldburgh (Argentile) on the other. 
 
 No point can be made out of the fact of the hero Sir Henry 
 Havelock having been derived from Lincolnshire, as showing more 
 than that a personal name continued to be used in that part of 
 England and was adopted as a surname, and there is no more 
 likelihood of blood relationship than that all "Williams" in England 
 should be lineal descendants of William the Conqueror, or all Peters 
 and Simons should be the offspring of the chief of the apostles. 
 
 21 
 
XI 
 
 THE MAN WITH THE BELL 
 
 215 
 
XI 
 
 THE MAN WITH THE BELL 
 
 In the vale of the Ouse, long, long ago, lived a great 
 man called Buern Buzecarle. 
 
 One day he was sitting feasting in his hall, when 
 he and those with him heard a little bell ring, and 
 straightway through the door came an old blind 
 man, ringing a small bell he held in his hand. 
 
 Now there was a bench across the hall, and as 
 the old man came in direct, he fell over the bench 
 and sprawled on the floor. 
 
 Thereat Buern Buzecarle and all his men broke 
 out into laughter. 
 
 The blind man picked himself up, and Buern 
 bade his servants give him some meat off the table, 
 and some ale from their drinking horns. 
 
 The blind man said, " Buern Buzecarle, shall I 
 say what I see ? " 
 
 " Then," said Buern, " you will keep silence, for 
 you see nothing." 
 
 " I see," said the blind man, *' that you are going 
 217 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 a far journey, to lose the Pearl of Humber. And 
 then, because you have lost the pearl, you will throw 
 away everything else you have, the box in which 
 was the pearl, and the chamber in which was the 
 box, and the house in which was the chamber, and 
 the land on which was the house, and Northumbria 
 in which is your land." 
 
 " You see this, do you ? " asked Buern, laughing. 
 
 " Yes, I do," answered the blind man. 
 
 "If you could not see the bench that was before 
 your nose, how can you foresee that which may never 
 come to pass." 
 
 " The blind can see what is hid from seeing eyes," 
 answered the man with the bell, " and the seeing 
 eyes discern that to which the dark eyes are blind." 
 
 Now Buern Buzecarle had got a pearl, the finest 
 pearl that ever was seen. It had been got out of 
 the Humber, and it was as large as a hen's egg, and 
 it shone like the moon in the dark. Nothing that 
 Buern had got did he value so highly as the Pearl of 
 Humber ; for other men had houses and lands, and 
 horses and hawks, and servants, but he alone in all 
 England had the pearl. 
 
 That was quite true which the man with the bell 
 had said, even that he was going away. 
 
 He was going to Germany about merchandise. 
 What the blind man had said stuck in his thoughts, 
 and he put away the pearl in a strong iron case, and 
 the case he put in a strong stone chamber at the 
 bottom of the tower, and he gave the three keys to 
 his wife, that she should keep the pearl safe whilst 
 he was away. But he did more. On top of the 
 
 218 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 box he set an iron cock, and if anyone touched the 
 box, the cock would peck out his eyes. And in 
 front of the chamber he set an iron dog with steel 
 teeth, and if anyone came to the door the dog would 
 bite his legs and crush the bones. And in front of 
 
 
 the tower he set an iron man, so that if anyone came 
 to the tower, the iron man would swing about a great 
 mace set with steel knives, and would pound and cut 
 the intruder to pieces. 
 
 Then the wife of Buern Buzecarle said to him, 
 " But how will you be able to get to the pearl when 
 
 219 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 you want it? Will not the iron man beat and cut 
 you ? And if you escape the iron man, will not the 
 dog crunch your leg bones ? And if you escape the 
 iron dog, will not the iron cock peck out your eyes ? " 
 
 Then her husband said, " No, because I know the 
 secret how to make them all still." 
 
 " What is that secret ? " asked his wife. 
 
 " Nay, if I tell you, you will tell others." 
 
 " Indeed I will not. I see you do not love me, 
 that you keep this secret from me." 
 
 So Buern told her. 
 
 Now Buern went on board ship and sailed away 
 from England. 
 
 At this time the King of Northumbria was called 
 Osbrith. Northumbria was at that time a very great 
 kingdom ; it reached from the Humber to the Firth 
 of Forth, and the capital city was York. There 
 King Osbrith held his court. 
 
 Osbrith was a very proud man, and he bade a 
 goldsmith make him a crown, for he desired to be 
 crowned king in York Minster. He gave the gold- 
 smith all kinds of jewels to set in the crown. 
 
 The man said that he wanted one for the top 
 that would be larger than, and would outshine, the 
 rest. But the king had no more. 
 
 Then the goldsmith said, " It is a pity that the 
 king has not Buern's Pearl of the Humber, for that 
 would suit the crown admirably, and be a very crown 
 of beauty to the crown itself." 
 
 When Osbrith heard this, he considered within 
 himself and said that, as the pearl came out of the 
 Humber, it ought to belong to him ; and that it was 
 
 220 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 not right that one of his men should have a finer 
 jewel than himself, their king. 
 
 So he sent to Buern's house to bid him come to 
 him at York. But Buern was away. 
 
 Then the king considered that he must have the 
 pearl shortly, for he was soon to be crowned, and he 
 would be ashamed to have the crown put on his 
 head without a goodly jewel at the top ; and no 
 other jewel would do for him but the pearl that 
 Buern possessed. 
 
 So he sent messages to the wife of Buern 
 Buzecarle to say that he would buy the pearl. 
 
 She sent back word that she could not sell it, as 
 her husband valued it above all he possessed. 
 
 Then the king sent men to take the pearl. But 
 they came back and said it was fast behind three 
 keys, and that the lady kept the keys, and could in 
 no way be persuaded to give them up. 
 
 The king was very angry, and he rode himself 
 into Ousedale to see Buern's lady. 
 
 And when he saw her, he asked for the keys. 
 She refused them to the king. Then he ordered his 
 men to bring in a block and an axe, and he said he 
 would have her head cut off unless she surrendered 
 the keys. 
 
 You may be sure she was in a dreadful fright, 
 and she gave the three keys to the king. 
 
 Now, when Osbrith and his men came to the 
 tower, they saw that they were not advanced greatly, 
 for at the tower gate stood the iron man, and he 
 swung about his mace set with steel knives, and no 
 one could come near to the door. 
 
 221 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Osbrith was very angry, and he returned to the 
 lady, and he said, " Make a great fire in the kitchen, 
 and tie the lady to the spit, and turn her round and 
 round and roast her till she tells me how we may 
 get into the tower, past the iron man." 
 
 So the servants bound the lady, and tied her to 
 the spit, and made the spit turn before a roaring fire. 
 First it singed her silken dress. Then the fire singed 
 her hair, and when it began to burn her flesh, she 
 screamed that she would tell. 
 
 They unbound her, and she said : "If you would 
 pass the iron man, you must roll up to him a barrel 
 of tallow and a ball of tow." 
 
 This, accordingly, the king's men did, and the 
 iron man beat about with his iron mace, and first he 
 struck into the barrel, and all the tallow came out 
 and got about his mace, and then he struck at the 
 ball of tow, and the tow came out and became 
 tangled in the knives and spikes of his mace, and, 
 because of the tallow, stuck to them ; and when he 
 swung his arm, the tow came after the mace, and he 
 banged again at the barrel, and more tallow came, 
 and then next at the ball, and more tow came, and 
 ever the tangle of tallow and tow became thicker 
 about his mace, till at last it made a great ball like a 
 huge silkworm's cocoon, and could do no man any 
 harm whom it touched. 
 
 Now, when the king and his men saw this, they 
 rushed to the door, and thrust over the iron man 
 with his muffled mace, and put the key to the lock 
 and entered. 
 
 Then they reached the chamber door, before which 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 lay the iron dog. It got up and snarled, and showed 
 its steel teeth, so that no man might come near. 
 
 The king went back to the house, and he ordered 
 all the cobwebs in the country round to be collected, 
 and he had the lady wrapped up in them, and he 
 said she should be tickled to death by spiders, 
 unless she told him how he could pass the iron dog. 
 
 She bore the discomfort for a while. First the 
 spiders ran about in her hair. Then they ran over 
 her hands. But when one ran to catch a fly across 
 her lips, she screamed out that she would tell. So 
 the king's servants took off the cobwebs and set her 
 free. 
 
 Then she said, " My sister at Ripon has got a 
 cook who is so clever that whatever she cooks she 
 turns to leather, that no one can eat it. Get this 
 cook to make a beefsteak pudding and throw it to 
 the dog." 
 
 Thereupon Osbrith sent for the accomplished 
 cook who was at Ripon, and who was so clever as to 
 cook food that was good in such a manner that 
 nobody could eat it. 
 
 She arrived with a herald blowing a trumpet 
 before her, and everyone watched whilst she made a 
 beefsteak pudding. 
 
 Now, when the pudding was done, it was carried 
 into the tower and thrown before the iron dog. The 
 dog snapped at it, and his teeth went in through the 
 dough that was heavy as lead, into the meat that 
 was tough as leather, and he could not withdraw 
 them. He tumbled about with his mouth shut on 
 the inedible beefsteak pudding, and was thenceforth 
 
 223 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 harmless. So the king and his men passed the dog 
 and unlocked the chamber door, and they saw within 
 the casket in which was the pearl, and on it stood an 
 iron cock ready to peck out the eyes of anyone who 
 drew near. 
 
 When the king saw this, he went back to the 
 house, and he said, " Throw the lady into the eel- 
 pond, and let her remain there till she tells me how 
 to prevent the cock from pecking." 
 
 Accordingly the lady was cast into the pond, and 
 the eels began to wriggle about her. One crawled 
 up her sleeve. Then one wound round her throat. 
 But when another tried to get in at her ear, so as to 
 crawl through her head and out at the other, she 
 screamed out that she would tell. 
 
 So King Osbrith drew her from the pond ; and 
 she stood shivering and dripping before him, and 
 said, " The cock only pecks because he is not 
 himself henpecked. At Scarborough is a hen with 
 an adamantine beak, that is crooked. Send for that 
 hen, and all your trouble about the cock will be at 
 an end." 
 
 Then King Osbrith sent to Scarborough, and the 
 hen with the crooked adamantine beak was brought. 
 And as soon as she entered the house, the cock 
 began to crow. And when she was brought into 
 the chamber, she flew to the top of the box, and for 
 a while the king was quite disappointed, because the 
 cock began to plume her wings, and she to rub her 
 beak against his, and Osbrith did not think that he 
 would get at the lock. But this fondling continued 
 only for a few minutes, and then sharp came a little 
 
 224 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 peck from the hen. The cock gave a discontented 
 crow, and then the hen pecked again and again. 
 She hopped about the cock, and pecked his neck 
 and his comb and under his wings, wherever she 
 thought her beak could give most pain. She had a 
 wonderful insight as to what were his most sensitive 
 parts. Then the iron cock danced about in torture, 
 and had no thoughts for anything but how he might 
 protect himself from the pecks of the hen. Rust 
 came out all over him — which is the blood of iron — 
 and ran in streams from his heart, where the beak of 
 the hen struck deepest. 
 
 Then the king got to the lock, turned the key, 
 and carried off the pearl, and had it set in his crown, 
 and wore it when crowned in York Minster. 
 
 But the lady mourned much over the loss of the 
 pearl, and she became quite colourless from the grief 
 the loss caused her. 
 
 This was certain to be seen by her husband Buern 
 on his return, who was very noble and gentle. 
 Amidst all the merchants who traversed the sea, the 
 king had not a better vassal ; nor was there in the 
 kingdom in which he was born one better descended. 
 
 When he returned, he wondered much to see his 
 wife pale and feeble and thin, and to find her quite 
 changed from what she was when he left her. He 
 asked what had occurred, what her wan looks meant, 
 and what had happened to her. 
 
 She replied to him, " I will tell you, and will even 
 accuse myself; then administer to me the same justice 
 which would be given to a robber if he were taken." 
 
 He said to her, " What has happened ? " 
 15 225 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 She said, " The other day the king came here, and 
 he demanded the Pearl of Humber, and I told him 
 where it was, and gave him up the keys, and told 
 him how to make harmless the iron man, and the 
 iron dog, and the iron cock." 
 
 Then Buern said, " I know very well that you did 
 none of this willingly." 
 
 Then she told him all — how she had been roasted, 
 and how she had been covered with cobwebs, and 
 how she had been thrown into the eel-pond. And 
 when she had done, she fell at his feet and said, 
 " I am ready to die. I would rather die than live." 
 
 He said, " Rise, my beloved. You shall not be 
 hated for this. Feebleness could do nothing against 
 force. There is a very goodly disposition in you. As 
 you have first revealed this to me, I shall pity you 
 greatly ; but if you had concealed it from me, so 
 that another had discovered it to me, never would 
 my heart have loved you, nor my lips have kissed 
 you. Since, however, the king has behaved as a 
 common felon, he shall suffer as a felon." 
 
 Next morning he rode to York. 
 
 He found the king amongst his people. Buern 
 had many powerful relations there. 
 
 The king saw him and saluted him. But Buern 
 threw his glove in his face and said, " I defy thee, 
 and I restore thee all the land thou didst give to me, 
 and all the honour thou didst confer on me ; and 
 here I return to thee all the homage due for land 
 and honour." 
 
 With this he went to his house, and many noble 
 barons accompanied him. 
 
 226 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 Then he held a council with his kinsfolk and 
 friends, and told them how the king, like a common 
 felon, had broken into his house whilst he was 
 away, and had robbed him of the Pearl of the 
 Humber. 
 
 They advised that he should demand it back 
 again from the king. 
 
 But when Osbrith heard that Buern asked to have 
 the jewel restored, he scoffed, and said, " Shall I 
 despoil my crown of its finest jewel for this merchant 
 fellow ? " 
 
 Then it was that Buern, with wrath in his heart, 
 mounted his ship and sailed to Denmark, and invited 
 the Danes to come and avenge his great wrong. 
 
 Whilst he was away, Osbrith so oppressed the 
 people that many of them left him, and they set 
 up a brave man, Ella, to be their king, and Osbrith 
 was followed by a very few, but he remained in 
 possession of York. 
 
 Now the Danes, when they landed, arrived at 
 Cawood, near York, and other ships ran ashore in 
 Holderness. They swarmed over the country, 
 pillaging and spoiling, and there was a battle fought 
 near York, and the English were defeated, and King 
 Osbrith was slain. 
 
 Then Buern Buzecarl said to the Danes, " You 
 have avenged my wrong ; return to your own homes." 
 
 But they laughed him in the face, and answered, 
 " We hearkened to your call. We are deaf to what 
 you now say. We shall go when we like — and 
 perhaps not go at all." 
 
 Then Buern remembered what the blind man 
 227 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 with the little bell had said, and he was very 
 sorrowful. 
 
 Now it happened one day, about this very time, 
 that King Ella was hunting, and he had been very 
 successful, he had killed four wild white oxen. 
 
 He was seated in his hall at dinner after the 
 chase, when he heard a bell ring, and there came in 
 at the door a blind man, and in his hand was a bell, 
 and this he rang as he walked along. 
 
 The king bade him come forward and have meat 
 from the dishes and ale from the horns. So the 
 blind man began to eat and drink. 
 
 Whilst he was eating and drinking, King Ella said 
 to one of his knights, " We have done well to-day ; 
 we have slain four wild oxen and six deer. Many 
 a time have we had worse sport." 
 
 The blind man, who sat at a distance, heard him ; 
 then he stood up and said, "If you have taken so 
 much in the wood, you have lost more in the land. 
 The Danes have been hunting ; they have taken 
 York, they have killed many barons, and Osbrith is 
 slain." 
 
 Ella said, " How can you know that ? " 
 
 The man with the bell said, " The blind can see in 
 some things farther than the seeing." 
 
 " I will not believe this without some token." 
 
 " This is the token," answered the blind man : 
 " the horn in your hand shall spill all its contents, 
 and the ring on your finger fall into your plate, and 
 the crown on your head lie low on the floor." 
 
 When he had said that, the horn split from end to 
 end, and all the wine in it was poured out, red as 
 
 228 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 blood, on the table. Also the king's gold ring 
 snapped in twain ; and, as he started up, his crown 
 fell off and rolled away on the floor. 
 
 Then said the bHnd man, " I can see what is 
 going on afar, and I can also see what must come to 
 pass. There will be a great battle, which you will 
 lose, and in it will go your crown and your life. 
 Therefore, if you will be advised, go not into it." 
 
 " Give me also a token that this is true," said 
 Ella. 
 
 Then said the blind man, " Orn, the son of my 
 sister, who attends on me, and stands now behind me, 
 will be the first to die in the great battle which will 
 lose you kingdom, crown, and life." 
 
 " I can easily make sure that this does not come 
 to pass," said Ella, and he bade his guards take the 
 young man Orn and shut him up in a high tower, 
 and not allow him to leave it, but to retain him till 
 his return from fighting against the Danes. 
 
 Then he said to the blind man with the bell, "If 
 I come back victorious, then I will have you hung." 
 
 " I am content," said the blind man. " But I see 
 very well that I shall not die on the gallows." 
 
 Now news soon arrived that York had been 
 captured by the Danes, and that King Osbrith was 
 dead as the blind man had said. People came to 
 Ella from every quarter, and he soon had a large 
 army, at the head of which he marched south to 
 meet the Danes. 
 
 I must tell you that the young man Orn was in 
 the tower, and he saw the armed men marching by, 
 and heard the trumpets call, and he was very 
 
 229 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 impatient to be in the battle. He could not endure 
 to be a prisoner in the tower when all the brave 
 men of the country were arming against the invaders. 
 But the guards would not suffer him to leave. So 
 he got two shields, very large and light, and he put 
 his arms through them and jumped off the tower, 
 and, by using the shields as wings, he saved himself, 
 and came to the ground without breaking his neck 
 or legs or arms. 
 
 Then he saw a horse, which he quickly took. A 
 man was holding the horse, and this man had three 
 spears in his hand. Orn snatched two of them from 
 him and rode away in the direction of York. He 
 rode and rode, and did not desist till he reached the 
 king's army, before the troops were mustered. 
 Within himself, like a foolish youth, he determined 
 that he would strike the first blow. 
 
 So he went forward, and, as the Danes advanced, 
 he threw one of his spears, and it entered the mouth 
 of a Danish chief and came out behind his neck, and 
 the body fell lifeless. It could not do otherwise. 
 Orn then threw his second spear, and it entered the 
 breast of another Dane and went through his 
 heart, and the body fell lifeless. It could not do 
 otherwise. 
 
 Orn had now spent his two spears, and he had 
 advanced before the Northumbrian line to throw 
 them. Now he turned to go back. But at that 
 moment a Danish archer let fly an arrow, and it 
 pierced the young man, so that he fell dead, and he 
 was the first who was slain in this battle under 
 the walls of York, as the blind man had said. 
 
 230 
 
The Man with the Bell 
 
 King Ella, when he knew this, felt in his heart a 
 grief which he had never felt before. He cried 
 out with boldness, and pierced through two of 
 the ranks of the enemy; he was as one beside 
 himself. 
 
 The Danes were on all sides. Ella the king was 
 slain, and few of his men escaped. 
 
 The Danes did not rest till they had taken all the 
 land. They took from Buern Buzecarle his house and 
 all that he had, and the whole kingdom of North- 
 umbria. So the words of the blind man with the 
 bell came true. 
 
 Note. — The story of "Buern Buzecarle" is in Gaimar's Chronicle 
 of England, written between 1141 and ii5i,and is clearly taken 
 from a ballad. This lai has been unfortunately lost. One incident 
 in it I have had to modify or alter, for reasons which will be obvious 
 to any one who reads the original. There are two versions of the 
 story of the coming of the Northmen to England : one is given 
 in the story of King Edmund, the other is told here. What is 
 certain is that the Danes began to come in Ethelred's time, when 
 Edmund was king in East Anglia, and Ella was king in North- 
 umberland. The King of Northumberland had been Osbrith, but 
 he had been deposed, and Ella, who was not of royal birth, set up 
 in his place. The Danes arrived in East Anglia in 866, passed 
 the winter there, and next year crossed the Humber into what is 
 now Yorkshire, and was then part of the kingdom of Northumbria. 
 They took York in the same year, 867 ; there actually was then a 
 great battle fought, and King Osbrith the dethroned and Ella 
 the usurper made up their differences and fought the Danes under 
 its walls, were defeated, and both slain. Consequently, we can fix 
 the date of the events in this story with a nicety, and we know 
 that both Ella and Osbrith were real historical characters, and 
 that this story is based on historical traditions. 
 
 231 
 
XII 
 
 THE STORY OF CADWALLON 
 
 233 
 
XII 
 
 THE STORY OF CADWALLON 
 
 Alack and alack-a-day ! The Saxons and the 
 Angles and the Jutes had ravaged poor Britain. 
 They had burned the cities, and destroyed the 
 churches, and those men and women and children 
 whom they had not massacred, they had reduced 
 to be their bondslaves. 
 
 King Vortigern had invited them over to help the 
 Britons against the Picts and Scots, and these Ger- 
 mans had found Britain so fair and fertile, that 
 they had settled in the good land and made it their 
 own. Yet was it not altogether their own. Still 
 the brave Britons maintained a desperate resistance, 
 and contested every inch of land, and still these 
 Germans brought in fresh hordes from the desolate 
 sand and heath-grown flats of Northern Germany 
 and Jutland. The Britons had none to call to 
 their aid, for their kinsmen in Brittany were also in 
 great straits, and hard pressed. 
 
 Now this is the story of the last gallant struggle 
 made by the Britons. 
 
 235 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 North of the Humber ruled a chief of the Angles, 
 named Ethelfrid, who was a heathen, and a ferocious 
 enemy of the British. He had a wife, but he was 
 unkind to her, and at last drove her away, and she 
 went in the heaviness of her heart to Cadwan, King 
 of the Britons, so that probably she was a British 
 lady ; and then, when Ethelfrid had got rid of her, 
 he married a great stout German Frau. 
 
 The wife of Ethelfrid remained at the court of 
 Cadwan, and was much loved by the queen. 
 
 Now it fell out that much about the same time 
 the banished wife of Ethelfrid became the mother 
 of a little son, and so also did the wife of Cadwan. 
 Then the first was called Edwin, and the British 
 prince was named Cadwallon. 
 
 The two boys grew up together,and played together, 
 and were great friends, almost as if they were brothers. 
 
 Now, when both had grown to be fine youths, 
 the King Cadwan sent them both to Brittany, to 
 King Solomon, who reigned there, that they might 
 be instructed in all the knowledge of the time, and 
 be taught to be brave and honourable and true. 
 
 King Solomon received them very kindly, and he 
 did all that was asked of him, and the youths fought 
 by his side, and did valiantly in some of his battles. 
 
 At length, in course of time, good King Cadwan 
 died, and so also did the Angle chief, Ethelfrid ; and 
 each youth started to return to Britain, Cadwallon 
 to be king and Edwin to be chief. 
 
 Now, as they were in the boat, sailing over the 
 blue sea, and the gulls were hovering over their 
 heads, and the sail was full spread, and the waves 
 
 236 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 foamed up before the bows, the two youths stood in 
 the fore part of the ship, and looked towards the 
 land whence they first came, to which they were 
 returning. 
 
 Then said Edwin, " Cousin, you rule over the 
 British, and I rule over the Angles, You wear a 
 crown, why should not I ? " 
 
 Then Cadwallon, without much thought, answered 
 and said, " Ay, cousin, wear a gold crown if so you 
 list." 
 
 Now it fell out that after they had parted, and 
 Cadwallon was going through his kingdom, that his 
 heart grew sad and angry at the sight of the havoc 
 wrought by the Angle and Saxon invaders. He 
 came to Bangor, near Chester, and there saw blackened 
 ruins where had once been a great monastery, w^here 
 the holy men sat in ranges with gold harps, and 
 harped and sang the praises of God all in the British 
 tongue. But Ethelfrid had come there, and a great 
 battle had been fought in the apple orchards there 
 in the year 607, and Ethelfrid had defeated the 
 Britons, and had murdered all the monks in the 
 famous monastery, to the number of twelve hundred. 
 For Ethelfrid had said, " What are these old men in 
 white doing ? they are praying their God to defeat 
 us ? " So they had all been put to the sword. 
 
 Along with Cadwallon went his nephew Brian, 
 and as the day was hot, and the king was weary, 
 Cadwallon sat down beside a river, and laid his head 
 on his nephew's lap and fell asleep. 
 
 Now Brian had not lived out of Britain, as had 
 his uncle, and he thought how that Cadwallon 
 
 237 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 had granted to Edwin the right to wear a crown, 
 and how that Edwin was the son of the cruel 
 ravager, Ethelfrid. And when he thought on all 
 this, he wept, and his tears fell down and dropped 
 on his uncle's face. Cadwallon was disturbed in his 
 sleep by the tears, and half asleep and half awake, 
 he said, " It rains ! how it rains ! " 
 
 Then he opened his eyes and saw that the sky 
 was clear and blue. Then he said, " This is strange. 
 There has been a shower, and the sun is shining. 
 Where is the rainbow ? " 
 
 Then Brian said, " Uncle, you have put it on the 
 head of Edwin." 
 
 Now Cadwallon looked in his nephew's face and 
 saw that his eyelashes were heavy with tears, and 
 he asked him what he meant. 
 
 Thereupon Brian said, " h, uncle and king, 
 hitherto these cruel invaders who have spoiled and 
 taken our land have been but robber chiefs, and 
 captains savage, and rulers over savages. But they 
 have not quite forgotten that they are intruders, and 
 none hitherto have called themselves kings. Now, 
 what have you done but to break the British crown 
 in half, and give half the golden hoop to the son of 
 the man who wasted your land and slew the saints 
 of God." 
 
 When Cadwallon heard what was said, he was 
 sore troubled and ashamed. He set his teeth hard, 
 and before he raised his head from the lap of Brian, 
 he had resolved to make one desperate struggle to 
 free the fair land of Britain from the foreigners 
 who had spread over it. 
 
 233 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 Then he stood up. Now there was growing 
 near a great number of dog-daisies. Cadwallon 
 plucked them, and made of them a wreath, and put 
 it round the head of Brian, and said, " Follow me." 
 So he led him to the ruins of Bangor, and took 
 thence a stake that was burnt at one part, and at 
 the other stained with the blood of the holy martyrs. 
 He bade Brian take this piece of wood and lay it 
 before Edwin, and say to him, " This will I avenge 
 on thee and thy people." But because of the white 
 dog-daisies round his head, a token that he was a 
 messenger, Edwin would not venture to lay hands 
 on him. 
 
 Thereat Brian rejoiced greatly, and he went cheer- 
 fully on his way, nor halted till he came to the city 
 of York. There he entered as the messenger ot 
 King Cadwallon, and went before Edwin. 
 
 Then, lo ! he saw the Angle chief in his high seat, 
 wearing a crown on his head. 
 
 Thereat Brian waxed wroth, and he went up to 
 him, and with the charred stick he took it off his 
 head, put it on his arm, and, throwing the burnt 
 stick at the foot of the astonished prince, cried out, 
 " This will Cadwallon, the great king, the Pendragon, 
 revenge on thee and thine." 
 
 And so he ran forth, carrying the crown, and 
 none stayed him, for all were amazed at what he 
 had done. Moreover, he drew his cloak about him, 
 and concealed the gold crown he bore. 
 
 Then King Cadwallon sent messengers through- 
 out the land to summon the Britons to meet him 
 and prepare for battle. 
 
 239 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Edwin also made ready. But he was a subtle 
 man, and he resolved to obtain help in other ways 
 than by arms. So he sent and fetched to him a 
 Spanish magician, whose name was Pellitus, and 
 asked his assistance. 
 
 Pellitus promised it. He must have the swords 
 and axes wherewith the blessed martyrs at Bangor 
 had been slain, as well as the gold of their harps 
 that had been carried away. This must all be 
 mixed with tears of widows and orphans, and the 
 whole smelted with wood that came from dead men's 
 biers. Then Pellitus promised to make thereof a 
 magic mirror which would show to Edwin all that 
 Cadwallon did. 
 
 It was not hard to obtain the ingredients, as there 
 were many orphans and widows who wept daily 
 their losses in the cruel wars carried on by Ethelfrid, 
 and the swords and axes were in the hands of the 
 mighty men of the court, and the gold harps in the 
 treasury. 
 
 So Pellitus worked, and in time ran out the molten 
 metal, and fashioned therefrom a great mirror. 
 Now, whenever Edwin looked into the mirror, he 
 could see what Cadwallon was doing, how he was 
 arranging his army, and what were the forces under 
 his command. 
 
 But this did not suffice the Angle prince. He 
 sent and brought to him three old witches with 
 beards like men and nails like the claws of birds. 
 And the thing that these old women could do was 
 to bake, boil, and brew storms. One baked thunder- 
 bolts, and one boiled till out of her cauldron rose 
 
 240 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 clouds charged with hail and snow and rain, and 
 the third brewed winds. He set these three women 
 in a tower of his castle at York, and the king looked 
 every day into his magic mirror. 
 
 When he saw that Cadwallon was coming with 
 his army along a difficult way, then he went with 
 his host against him, and caught him stretched in 
 extended line, and cut his army in half. And when 
 he saw that Cadwallon was on the alert, and prepared 
 for battle, then he kept away ; but so soon as his 
 mirror told him that the army of the Britons was 
 resting and relaxing its discipline, then he came down 
 on it from all quarters, and cut it to pieces. 
 
 Moreover, when the forces of the Northumbrians and 
 of the Britons met on a plain, then he set his witches 
 to work, and they made furious storms ; thunderbolts 
 and hail were flung out of the clouds against Cad- 
 wallon, and such a furious gale drove in the faces of 
 the Britons that it beat back their armies, and gave 
 double force to those of the Northumbrian foreigners. 
 
 Thus the Britons were defeated in several battles, 
 and several of their cities were taken. Among these 
 was Worcester, in which was Gwen, the sister of 
 Brian and the niece of Cadwallon. 
 
 Then Edwin sent her to York to be made the 
 handmaid of his queen, and he bade his wife use 
 her roughly, and make her do the most menial 
 work. Gwen was very gentle and meek, and she 
 obeyed what was commanded, but she wept day and 
 night, not only because she was a prisoner, but also 
 because of the sorrows of the Britons, and the defeats 
 of their king, Cadwallon. 
 
 i6 241 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 At last Cadwallon was forced to fly out of Britain, 
 and he took ships for Ireland. There he went about 
 and urged the kings to come to his assistance. He 
 represented to them that these rapacious Angles and 
 Saxons would not rest content with having taken 
 and ravaged Britain, but that they would next turn 
 their attention to Ireland. 
 
 So Cadwallon was able to collect forces. But 
 whenever he put to sea, then Edwin looked into his 
 magic mirror and saw him, and set the three witches 
 to brew and bake and boil, and send such storms 
 that the ships were wrecked or driven back upon the 
 Irish coast. 
 
 At length Cadwallon was almost in despair, and 
 he resolved to cross over into Brittany and consult 
 his good friend. King Solomon. 
 
 Now, just as before, Edwin looked in the glass, and 
 saw Cadwallon starting with the remnant of his men. 
 He ordered the sister witches to work, and they 
 baked and boiled and brewed, and such a frightful 
 tempest, with hail and thunderbolts and raging 
 winds, broke over the deep, that the fleet of King 
 Cadwallon was scattered, and nearly all the ships 
 foundered with those on board. Owing to the fury 
 of the sea, none of those who fell in could escape to 
 land. The ship in which were Cadwallon and his 
 nephew Brian was driven upon the coast of a barren 
 isle, which I think was that of Ushant ; and they 
 had great difficulty in getting ashore, so furious were 
 the breakers. 
 
 Cadwallon was so grieved at the loss of his com- 
 panions and the failure of his hopes, that for three 
 
 242 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 days and nights he lay on the turf and refused to 
 eat. 
 
 The faithful Brian was sore troubled for his uncle, 
 whose heart seemed to be broken. He went about 
 the island seeking for food, but could find nought. 
 The seafowl had all been disturbed by the gale. 
 It was not the season for eggs. There were neither 
 goats nor sheep on the islet. He tried to get sea 
 shells and fish, but the waves still boiled and tumbled 
 on the rocks, and he could find nothing. Nor were 
 there any berries to be found. Nothing grew in the 
 island but short grass. 
 
 Now, what do you suppose that Brian did when 
 he saw how matters were ? 
 
 He took his knife and cut out a slice from his 
 own thigh, and lighted a fire and roasted the flesh 
 thereat, and brought it to the king, and said it was 
 venison. 
 
 Then Cadwallon raised himself and ate, nothing 
 knowing what he ate. But when he had eaten, then 
 the spirit revived within him, and he resolved to 
 make an attempt to reach the mainland. 
 
 The wind had fallen, and he and Brian were able 
 to get the ship afloat, and in it they were wafted 
 over the strait to the coast of Brittany. Then they 
 went before King Solomon, who received them very 
 kindly ; and when he heard of the state of affairs in 
 Britain he promised his assistance. 
 
 So Solomon called together his council, and they 
 consulted for three days. Then the king said to 
 Cadwallon, " This is what we think. So long as 
 Pellitus is by the side of Edwin, nothing can avail. 
 
 243 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Moreover, no success can attend your arms so long 
 as Edwin can look in the mirror and learn all your 
 movements. This is our advice. You hunt, and play 
 bowls, and eat and drink and royster. Then Edwin, 
 looking in his glass, will see you making merry, and 
 he will think that he has nothing more to fear." 
 
 Now the wood of Brocelind contained in it a 
 great oak-tree, and in that oak-tree was the enchanter 
 Merlin, who had so greatly assisted Uthyr Pendragon 
 and King Arthur. He might never leave that tree, 
 but it was said that in times of great distress to 
 Britain, he might there be consulted. 
 
 This, then, was the advice given by the wise men 
 of King Solomon, that Brian should go to the wood 
 and call thrice upon Merlin by the tree, and ask his 
 counsel. This accordingly was done, and Brian 
 received answer that he must himself go and be the 
 slayer of Pellitus, and that nothing would break the 
 mirror of Edwin save a horse of brass made out of 
 the sacring bells of the churches in Brittany. 
 
 When Brian heard this, then he went up and 
 down through the land, and he told of the scfrrows 
 of Britain wherever he went ; and in every church he 
 asked for " the sacring bell," — that is to say, the little 
 hand-bell which is rung at the mass, for without 
 that Britain could not be relieved. There was not 
 a priest nor a congregation in all Brittany that was 
 not willing to surrender its bell. So Brian came 
 back to King Solomon with great store of bells of 
 brass, and even some of silver. 
 
 Now King Solomon sent for a cunning worker in 
 brass, and Brian told him all that in which he had 
 
 244 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 been instructed by Merlin, and he cast a horse of a 
 goodly size of the brass of the sacring bells. No 
 sooner did the brass horse issue from the foundry, 
 than he began to neigh and prance. 
 
 After that Brian made him a staff, and shod the 
 staff with a sharp piece of steel at the end, and with 
 this in his hand, and with the brass horse, he 
 departed in a ship for the coast of Britain. 
 
 He had a good voyage. Edwin made no account 
 of him. His glass told him that Cadwallon w^as 
 that day playing a game of bowls. The glass told 
 him nothing of the movements of Brian. 
 
 When Brian landed at Hamo's Port, which is 
 now called Southampton, he rode the brass horse by 
 night, and by day he covered it with boughs of trees 
 and old clouts, that no man might see it, and none 
 might report concerning it to Edwin, or to his 
 magician Pellitus. 
 
 In this manner Brian rode till he reached a wood 
 near to York, and there he concealed the horse, and 
 covered it with branches of trees ; and, in the habit 
 of a beggar man holding his staff, he went on to 
 York, and came outside the palace and stood among 
 the beggars who waited daily for alms. 
 
 Now, as he thus stood, his sister came forth, 
 having a basin in her hand, which she hasted to fill 
 with fresh water for the queen. Brian went close 
 by her, and whispered. She at once knew him, and 
 could hardly restrain her tears by the fear she was 
 in lest he should be discovered. He bade her try 
 and meet him the next night at an old ruined church 
 outside the walls, and he asked her to point out 
 
 245 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Pellitus to him. This she did. She pointed with 
 her finger to the magician, who had just issued from 
 the door, bearing some alms for the beggars, sent 
 them by Edwin. 
 
 Thereat Brian pressed through the crowd of 
 paupers, and came close up to the magician, and 
 plucked at his garment. Then Pellitus turned, and 
 instantly Brian raised his staff and struck him in the 
 breast with the sharp end, and transfixed him with 
 
 246 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 it to the ground, and stepped back and disappeared 
 among the beggars. 
 
 A great commotion and outcry ensued, and the 
 gates of the city were ordered to be closed. But 
 Brian had fled and hidden himself in the wood by 
 the brazen horse. His sister was unable to come to 
 him, so strict were the orders of Edwin that none 
 should be allowed to pass the gates. 
 
 Brian waited till midnight, and then he went to 
 his brazen horse, and patted him on the neck, and 
 said, " Alas ! good steed, what shall I do ? The 
 gates are fast, and the mirror is sound, and my sister 
 is a prisoner." 
 
 At that moment the moon rose, and the brazen 
 horse began to prance and to neigh. In a moment 
 he started, and was gone. He galloped to the gates 
 of York, and stood up on his hind legs and beat 
 with his front hoofs against the gates, and broke 
 them down. All the guards fled in panic, and he 
 neighed, and his neigh was as the blast of a trumpet. 
 Everyone fled before him. He went on to the 
 tower where was kept the magic mirror, and he 
 went in, and kicked the mirror and shattered it to 
 pieces. Then he trotted up the great stair into the 
 chamber of the ladies, and knelt down beside Gwen. 
 
 She thought that she had better commit herself 
 to the brazen horse than remain a prisoner among 
 the enemies of her people. So she sprang on the 
 back of the horse, and he rose and trotted away 
 with her, out of the palace, down the street of York, 
 through the broken gate, and away, away to the 
 wood where Brian was waiting. 
 
 247 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then Brian kissed his sister, and was right glad, 
 and he rode along with her across the country till 
 he came to Caer Wise, or Exeter, and there he 
 summoned all the Britons of the west to assemble 
 and make a stand against the Saxons and Angles. 
 
 It must now be told that in Mid-Britain was the 
 kingdom of Mercia, which consisted of the pagan 
 Angles who had settled there. Their chief was 
 named Penda, and he recognised the supreme 
 authority of Edwin. Now, when Edwin of North- 
 umbria heard that the Britons of the west had risen 
 under Brian, he sent word to Penda to march 
 against them. But, as it happened, in Mercia the 
 great bulk of the people were Britons, and only the 
 nobles were Germans. Moreover, Penda was jealous 
 of Edwin, who was younger than he, and therefore 
 he only reluctantly obeyed. He arrived before 
 Exeter, and besieged it. 
 
 Meanwhile, however, Cadwallon had set sail at 
 the head of a large body of men from Brittany, and 
 as Edwin knew nothing of his proceedings now that 
 the mirror was broken and his magician slain, he 
 did not bid the three hags to send storms against 
 him, Cadwallon landed, and advanced to the relief 
 of Exeter at the head of ten thousand men. A 
 skirmish with Penda ensued, and then the chief of 
 the Mercians agreed to come to terms with Cadwallon, 
 and unite forces with him, and march against Edwin. 
 
 When the Prince of Northumbria heard of this 
 combination, he was greatly alarmed ; he gathered 
 together a large army, and hastened to oppose the 
 British king and Penda. 
 
 248 
 
The Story of Cadwallon 
 
 A great battle was fought at Heathfield, on the 
 south frontiers of Northumbrla. That was a 
 glorious victory for the Britons, for they utterly 
 routed and cut to pieces the foreign invaders. Edwin 
 fell, sword in hand, and almost all his people fell 
 with him, together with his son Osfrid, and Godbold, 
 King of the Orkneys, who had come to his assistance. 
 
 Having obtained this great victory, Cadwallon 
 marched through Northumbria, driving out the 
 aliens, and everywhere restoring the Britons to their 
 own possessions. 
 
 So once more a British king held high court in 
 London, and all Britain was subject to him. 
 
 When Cadwallon grew old, he bade his people 
 when he died embalm his body and place it in brass 
 on the brazen horse made out of the sacring bells 
 in Brittany, and set him on the west gate of London, 
 with his face turned to the western sun. And he 
 said that so long as he thus sat on the brass horse, 
 so long the Saxons should not prevail. And so 
 it was. When he died, a figure was cast in his 
 form and set on the brazen horse, that had never 
 neighed nor moved since its work had been accom- 
 plished. And the figure of the king on horseback 
 was erected where now stands St. Martin's Church. 
 
 Now it fell out that after some years, the people 
 of London town said : " Of what use is that brazen 
 image of a king on horseback ? Let us melt and 
 mint him, and then he will circulate as money." 
 They did this. They melted the figure and minted 
 it, and it became pennies. But after that the 
 Saxons came, and seized on London, and there was 
 
 249 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 never after a British king in the land. And if ever 
 you chance on a bronze penny with on it the image of 
 a horse and rider, be sure it is one made out of the 
 statue of Cadwallon on his horse. 
 
 Note. — The story of Cadwallon, or Cadwallo, or Caedwalla, 
 is given by Geoffry of Monmouth, and after him by Roger of 
 Wendover, and Caradoc of Llancarvan. According to Bede, who 
 was almost a contemporary, he died in 634. Bede, of course, 
 vilifies the British hero, and glorifies the Northumbrian princes. 
 The story in Geoffry of Monmouth is, of course, fabulous, but is 
 based on fact, as we can see by the Saxon Chronicle, and by Bede. 
 Geoffry took the Welsh legends, and, having no feeling for the 
 poetry in them, did his best to spoil these legends. He introduces 
 wretched discourses of great length into the interview between 
 Cadwallon and Solomon of Armorica. 
 
 At the best the story is fragmentary, and I have taken the 
 liberty of embroidering thereon. I have introduced the brazen 
 horse earlier in the story than in GeofTry's History. 
 
 I 
 
 250 
 
XIII 
 
 THE STORY OF KING EDMUND 
 
 251 
 
XIII 
 
 THE STORY OF KING EDMUND 
 
 Long, long ago, in the kingdom of the Danes, there 
 Hved a certain man called Ragnar, and as he wore 
 his breeches of hair that had been dipped in melted 
 pitch, which dried and made it bristle, all hard and 
 black, he went by the name of Lodbrog or Shaggy- 
 breek. 
 
 Now I must tell you why Ragnar wore the shaggy 
 breeks. There lived in Gothland a great earl, and 
 he had an only child, a daughter, called Thora, very 
 beautiful, and greatly loved by her father. 
 
 Every day when the earl went out hunting, if he 
 saw anything pretty or curious, he brought it home 
 for his daughter. 
 
 Now he had built her a house for herself in a 
 sunny spot near a wood, and in it she and her 
 maidens dwelt ; and they hung the chambers all 
 round with tapestry, and the roof was gilt, so that it 
 shone just like the sun. One day the earl found in 
 the forest the loveliest little snake, that glittered like 
 
 253 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 a rainbow, and, like a rainbow, was of all colours. 
 It was so small that he put it in his pocket, and 
 when he gave it to Thora, she put it into an ashen 
 chest near the fire, where it might be warm, and 
 whence she could take it out to play with it whilst 
 sitting by the fire. 
 
 She fed the snake with milk, a spoonful every day. 
 
 It grew and grew, and at last was too big for the 
 chest, so it got out and lay before the fire, and would 
 not allow the earl's daughter or her maidens to come 
 near. It occupied the whole space before the fire. 
 
 Still she fed it with milk, and now it drank a 
 jugful twice a day. 
 
 It grew and grew, and at last filled the whole 
 room, so that the earl's daughter and her maids had 
 to remain outside the door. But the appetite of the 
 snake also grew, and it put forth its head at the 
 window and hissed for milk. 
 
 She fed it with milk, and it drank all the milk a 
 cow gave, and had to be fed four times a day. 
 
 It grew and grew, and the room was too small for 
 it, so it slipped out of the window and curled itself 
 round the house in which was the earl's daughter, 
 and she could not get out at all, for now the serpent 
 was very savage, and furious for milk ; and if the 
 earl had not driven up droves of cows every day for 
 the snake to drink their milk, the horrible creature 
 would have bitten off the heads of the earl's daughter 
 and her maids, and have sucked their blood. 
 
 When the serpent was angry, he spat out venom 
 that burned up the grass and trees, and if a spot ot 
 the venom fell on a man's hand, it went on burning 
 
 254 
 
The Story of King Edmund 
 
 through his flesh till it had reached the bone, and it 
 burnt through that and killed the man ; for he went 
 all to pieces when his bones were burnt through. 
 
 The Earl of Gothland was in great distress, he 
 did not know how to deliver his daughter. So he 
 issued a proclamation that he would give her to be 
 the wife of any man who could kill the serpent. 
 
 When the tidings reached Denmark, then Ragnar 
 heard of the offer. But he said nothing, only he 
 made himself long trousers of wild bull hair, and a 
 sort of pilot coat also of hair, and he melted pitch 
 and dipped the hair suit in it, and when the pitch 
 was dry, he put on this curious suit, and everyone 
 laughed and called him Hairy-breek. 
 
 Now, Ragnar was the son of a king, and he asked 
 ■ 255 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 his father to give him a ship and some companions. 
 The king agreed, and when Ragnar set sail, he 
 steered in the direction of Gothland, which is an 
 island in the Baltic. 
 
 One evening he arrived at Gothland, and ran his 
 vessel into a little creek. Without saying anything 
 to anyone, he took his spear, and put on his pitched 
 hairy clothes, and walked in the direction of the 
 mansion of Thora, the earl's daughter. 
 
 Before he came out of the wood, he sat down on 
 a stone and knocked out the nail that fastened the 
 head of his spear to the shaft. Then he went on, 
 and presently he saw the serpent lying coiled round 
 the house of the earl's daughter. 
 
 It smelt something strange, — it was the pitch of 
 Ragnar's garments, — and lifted its hideous head. 
 
 Ragnar was not afraid. He came on, and flung 
 his spear so that it drove right through the head of 
 the creature and pinned it to the wall. The serpent, 
 in dying, squirted forth a torrent of venom, which 
 fell on Ragnar, but did him no harm, because he 
 was protected by his tarry suit. Then he laid hold 
 of the shaft of his spear, and left the head of it 
 nailing the dead monster to the wall. 
 
 The earl was glad next morning, when he saw 
 that the serpent was dead, and he asked of everyone 
 who had done the great deed. 
 
 No one knew. One of his servants told him that 
 a strange ship was anchored in a bay of the island, 
 and he at once gave command that all on board 
 should be brought to him, each with his spear. 
 
 Now, when they were brought, as he ordered, not 
 256 
 
The Story ot King Edmund 
 
 one of the company would say he had killed the 
 monster. So the earl made them produce their 
 spears, and lo ! all had the heads on except that of 
 Ragnar, and Ragnar's shaft exactly fitted the head 
 that had pierced the throat and backbone of the 
 great serpent. 
 
 Then there was a grand feast and a merry wedding, 
 and Ragnar Hairybreeks lived very happily with his 
 wife, and by her had two sons, called Hingvar and 
 Hubba, and he was declared heir to the earl, and he 
 reigned after him in Gothland, and, after his own 
 father's death, in Denmark as well. 
 
 Now it happened one day that he took his hawk 
 and went out unattended in a little boat to catch 
 seafowl around the coast. 
 
 Whilst thus engaged, he was surprised by a storm, 
 which carried him out to sea and tossed him about 
 for several days and nights, and he was constrained 
 to bale his boat continually to keep it from sinking. 
 
 At last, one morning, he was driven ashore on a 
 flat coast that he did not know, and he was so cold 
 and stiff and exhausted with baling and with hunger, 
 that he could hardly move. 
 
 The people of the country came down to the 
 beach and found him in the boat, and the hawk 
 still on his hand ; so they took him, treated him 
 kindly, gave him to eat, and then presented him to 
 their king. Now the place where Ragnar had been 
 cast up by the sea was Redham, in Norfolk, and the 
 king of the country was called Edmund. 
 
 King Edmund received Ragnar very well, and 
 invited him to stay at his court, and, inasmuch as 
 17 257 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 the Danish language was very like the Saxon tongue, 
 Ragnar began to tell how he had been driven by the 
 storm, and also who he was, and King Edmund 
 understood his tale. 
 
 Ragnar was very happy hunting in the Suffolk 
 and Norfolk forests, and his hawk was so helpful 
 that he gained far more success than did Biorn, the 
 royal forester. King Edmund made a great deal of 
 his distinguished guest, and both laughed very 
 much at the failures of Biorn where Ragnar was 
 successful. 
 
 This made the forester very jealous and angry, 
 and he resolved to kill Ragnar. This, however, was 
 not a very easy thing to do, for Ragnar always wore 
 his suit of hair dipped in pitch, and no weapon would 
 bite in it. Indeed, so hard was this suit, that he 
 would stand up and allow King Edmund and his 
 men to aim at him with their arrows, and they could 
 not hurt him, because their arrows glanced off from 
 the pitch, or were caught among the shaggy masses 
 glued together with the black, hard substance. 
 
 Biorn the forester knew he could not kill Lodbrog, 
 unless he pretended to be great friends with him, 
 and he took him wherever there was plenty of 
 waterfowl, and rode with him wherever there were 
 deer to be hunted. By this means Ragnar lost all 
 the slight apprehension towards the man which had 
 been inspired by Biorn at the first. 
 
 Now Biorn employed himself in digging a very 
 deep pit in the forest, and when it was finished, he 
 put into it a great many venomous serpents. Then 
 he covered the pit over with branches and earth and 
 
 258 
 
The Story ot King Edmund 
 
 sods of grass, and soon no one but himself could tell 
 that it was a pitfall. 
 
 When this had been done, he went to Ragnar and 
 said, " Sir, there is a white hart with a gold collar 
 browsing in the wood. Shall we go and hunt it ? " 
 
 Lodbrog jumped up in delight. 
 
 Then Biorn said, " We must run very swiftly, so 
 lay aside your pitchy coat." 
 
 " No," answered Ragnar. " I can run in my hairy 
 breeks as fast as you in yours of linen." 
 
 Then they set off together, and were alone, for 
 Biorn had said, " We will tell no one, and so have 
 none to share our success in bringing in the white 
 hart with the golden collar." 
 
 Then the treacherous forester led him to the depth 
 of the greenwood, and when Ragnar's feet came on 
 the covering of the pitfall, he fell in, and fell among 
 a writhing mass of snakes, that at once endeavoured 
 to fasten on him, but could not bite him because of 
 his pitchy garment. 
 
 Then Lodbrog cried out to Biorn to put down his 
 hand and to help him out. Biorn did kneel at the 
 edge of the pit and put down his arm ; but when 
 Lodbrog laid hold of his hand, the forester said, 
 " You are too heavy, burdened with your hair and 
 pitch jacket. I cannot raise you." 
 
 So Lodbrog took off his jacket and handed it up 
 to Biorn ; and then the forester put down his arm 
 again. 
 
 Again he said, " You are too heavy. I cannot 
 lift you. Take off your hairy breeks." 
 
 " If I do that, the serpents will poison me," 
 259 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 answered Ragnar. " Stay a while till I have killed 
 the vermin." 
 
 Then he stamped on the heads of the adders and 
 scorpions and other noxious creatures, till he had 
 killed them all. 
 
 " Now," said he, " I have no cause to fear." And he 
 pulled off his hairy breeks and handed them up to Biorn. 
 
 When the forester saw that Ragnar was thus 
 deprived of his sure defence, he was rejoiced, and he 
 ran to a place where he had collected a barrel full 
 of writhing adders and other deadly reptiles, and he 
 rolled the barrel to the edge of the pit, and poured 
 the venomous creatures down into the deep place in 
 which was Ragnar. 
 
 The serpents at once fastened on the bare flesh of 
 the unhappy man, and he cried out in agony to the 
 huntsman, but Biorn zvould not help him. Only 
 Ragnar's dog ran whining round and round the 
 mouth of the pit, and could not help him. 
 
 Then, when Ragnar saw that he must die, he cast 
 himself down and let the serpents bite him, and he 
 sang a great song, called the " Crow Song," — which 
 is one of the most ancient poems that exists in 
 northern lands. In this song Ragnar told the story 
 of his life and battles. It begins thus : — 
 
 We hew^d with our hangers. 
 
 'Twas when the days were young-. 
 And in Gothland we were gangers, 
 
 Where the deadly dragon stung. 
 Oh, and there the serpent cruel 
 
 I slew, whom I'd defied ; 
 And Thora, by that duel, 
 
 I won to be my bride. 
 260 
 
The Story of King Edmund 
 
 This " Crow Song " consists of twenty-nine verses, 
 and the rest are about his battles, of which you have 
 not been told. 
 
 When the wicked forester saw that Lodbrog was 
 dead, then he returned home ; he sounded his horn 
 and his own dogs followed him, but the grey wolf- 
 hound that had been with Lodbrog, and which King 
 Edmund had given to his visitor, that would not 
 leave the pit's mouth. 
 
 Next day, as King Edmund sat at table, he 
 missed his friend and guest, and anxiously asked his 
 servants about him ; on which Biorn the hunts- 
 man answered that Ragnar had tarried behind in a 
 wood, and he had seen no more of him. 
 
 But as he was speaking, Lodbrog's dog came into 
 the hall and began to wag his tail and fawn on all, 
 and especially on the king ; who, on seeing him, 
 said to his attendants, " This is Lodbrog's dog, 
 vvhich I gave him. His master cannot be far 
 behind." 
 
 He then began to feed the dog, hoping soon to 
 see his master. 
 
 But he was disappointed, for when the wolf-hound 
 had satisfied his appetite, he returned to keep his 
 accustomed watch over his master's body. 
 
 After three days, the poor beast was compelled 
 by hunger to return to the king's table, and Edmund, 
 greatly wondering, gave orders to follow the dog 
 when he left the hall, and watch whither he went. 
 
 The king's servants fulfilled his commands, and 
 followed the hound, till he led them to the mouth 
 of the pit in which lay Ragnar Lodbrog, stung to 
 
 261 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 death by vipers and other venomous beasts. King 
 Edmund then caused diligent inquisition to be made 
 touching the death of Lodbrog ; and Biorn the 
 huntsman was convicted of the crime, and by order 
 of the king, the captains, and wise men, sentence was 
 passed on him. 
 
 The judges agreed that the forester should be put 
 in the same boat in which Lodbrog had come to 
 England, and should be exposed on the sea without 
 oar or sail. 
 
 Then the body of Ragnar was taken up out of 
 the pit, and a great mound was made over him ; 
 and it is said that when William the Conqueror 
 came to England, he broke into this mound, and 
 found the body of the mighty Danish chief and 
 king's son. 
 
 Now let us follow the murderer Biorn and see 
 what became of him. 
 
 A wind sprang up from the west and blew him 
 out to sea, and swept him on for many days, till it 
 cast him upon the Danish coast. 
 
 Now, when he found where he was, that he had 
 come to the land ruled over by Ragnar's sons, then 
 he was very frightened, and in the subtlety of his 
 heart devised means how he might escape hurt him- 
 self, and turn evil against those who had been his 
 judges. 
 
 And now you must learn that Ragnar's wife 
 Thora had died very soon after she had given him 
 two sons, and that Ragnar had married a second 
 wife, who had given him more sons. You must 
 hear the story of this second wife, whilst Biorn is on 
 
 262 
 
The Story of King Edmund 
 
 his way to the court of Ragnar's sons, devising 
 mischief in his heart. 
 
 After Lodbrog had lost his wife Thora, whom 
 he had deHvered from the serpent, he was very 
 down-hearted, and he sailed about the seas seeking 
 adventures. 
 
 One evening his ship put into a little narrow 
 creek or firth in Norway, and, as there was no bread 
 on board, he bade his men go up on land and find 
 some farmhouse where they might get loaves. 
 
 So the men walked some way ; at length they saw 
 a light, and, on nearing it, they beheld a little cottage, 
 and they entered and found an old woman. 
 
 They asked her to knead dough for them. But 
 she said, " I am old, and my arms are stiff. My 
 daughter is feeding the sheep ; she will be home 
 soon, and she will serve you." 
 
 Presently the girl, her daughter, came in, and the 
 men were amazed when they saw her. She was 
 upright as a pine, and her hair was as shining gold, 
 and her face like roses and snow. They thought 
 they had never seen any maid so fair, and they said 
 to the old woman, " Is this your daughter ? " 
 
 She answered, " Who else should she be ? her 
 name is Crow." 
 
 " A strange crow indeed, with shining golden 
 feathers ! " said the men. " And that she should 
 be your daughter is passing strange." 
 
 " Why should it be passing strange ? " asked the 
 old woman. 
 
 Now she had dark skin and black hair, and the 
 men thought that the name of Crow applied to her, 
 
 263 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and not at all to her daughter. But they did not 
 wish to be so rude as to say this right out in so 
 many words, but they answered, " This is the first 
 time we see a golden oriol hatched out of an old 
 crow's egg in an old crow's nest." 
 
 Then the girl set to work to knead the dough, 
 and as she kneaded she sang, and the men could 
 not take their eyes off her, so beautiful was she, and 
 her hair was so long that it flowed down to her 
 heels, so, as she was kneading bread, she took and 
 lashed it like a golden girdle round her waist. 
 
 And when the bread was kneaded, then the men 
 baked it at the hearth, and next day returned with 
 it to the ship. 
 
 Then Ragnar Lodbrog heard them talking of the 
 beautiful girl, and he became impatient when they 
 said they had never seen anyone so lovely, and he 
 exclaimed, " Is she as fair as was Thora ? " 
 
 " Indeed," answered his men, " she is far fairer." 
 
 Then Ragnar wrathfully said, " Go fetch me 
 this fairest maid to-morrow, and if she be not so 
 fair as Thora, then I will drive you out of my 
 company." 
 
 Presently he heard the men say how clever this 
 strange girl was, and he cried out, " Clever ? she 
 cannot be more so than was Thora." 
 
 " Indeed," answered his men, " she seemed to us 
 to be a hundredfold more clever." 
 
 " Go," exclaimed Ragnar, " bring her to me to- 
 morrow, and unless she prove to be far cleverer than 
 was Thora, I will hang you to the yard-arm." 
 
 Now, on the following day there was a great 
 264 
 
The Story of King Edmund 
 
 storm, and the men could not get to the cottage — 
 they were driven back. So they told the king. 
 
 He bethought himself, and he said, " I will put 
 this Crow to the proof. If she be clever as you 
 say, let her come to me clothed yet bare, fed yet not 
 fed, attended yet alone." 
 
 So the next day the men went again, and this 
 time the weather was not stormy, and they reached 
 the cottage and gave their message. 
 
 Then Crow said, " Go back to the king your 
 master and tell him I will come, as he said, to- 
 morrow." 
 
 Now, when the men returned to the ships, 
 Ragnar raised his hand and said, "If that Crow be 
 fair as you say, and come to me clothed yet bare, 
 fed yet not fed, attended yet alone, then I swear 
 before you all, I will make her my wife." For he 
 thought it was not possible. Then he added, "If 
 she be not what you say, I will hang you all up to 
 my yard-arm and sail away with you strung there." 
 
 Next morning Crow arose, and drew round her a 
 fishing net of silk, and combed out her hair till it 
 covered her from head to foot ; then she took a leek 
 and walked, chewing it as she went ; and called her 
 dog and bade it run between her feet. And so she 
 went to the sea-coast, and the king and his men 
 stood on deck and saw how she came : she was bare 
 and yet clothed with the fishing net and her rain of 
 golden hair about her ; she was eating a leek and 
 yet, as there was nought in it, she was not full ; she 
 was alone, not even her old mother with her, and 
 yet attended by her dog. 
 
 265 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then Ragnar Lodbrog ordered Queen Thora's 
 silk and golden garments to be brought out, that 
 Crow should be arrayed in them. And when she 
 was so arrayed, he could not deny that she was as 
 the sun, and Thora had been in comparison but as 
 the moon. 
 
 There was now no talking of hanging the men, 
 but only of his marriage. Yet Crow would not 
 agree till Ragnar had been away on a voyage of 
 two years. And if he returned in two years' time, 
 in the same mind, to marry a poor hag's daughter, 
 then she would consent. 
 
 So King Ragnar sailed away, and all the two years 
 he was absent could think only of the golden Crow. 
 
 At the end of the time he came back to the same 
 firth, and sent for the fair maid. 
 
 Then she came to him and said, " As you desire 
 me to be your wife, I will tell you who I am. I 
 am the daughter of King Sigurd, and he was basely 
 murdered, and my mother died ; so I have been in 
 hiding from his enemies in the house of my old 
 nurse. If you are a king's son, I am a king's 
 daughter. My real name is not Crow, but Aslauga." 
 
 Then a grand marriage was held, and Aslauga 
 became the mother of five sons. So Ragnar was 
 the father, in all, of seven. 
 
 Now I will return to Biorn on his way to the 
 palace of Ragnar's sons. By the time he reached it, 
 he had made up a story which he would tell. 
 
 So he entered the great hall where the sons were, 
 and he went up to the high seat on which sat 
 Hingvar, and saluted him. 
 
 266 
 
The Story of King Edmund 
 
 Hingvar asked him his name, and who he was. 
 
 Now there were in the hall at the time only four 
 of the sons of Ragnar. There was Hingvar in the 
 high seat. Another was called Hubba, and he was 
 scraping a spear-shaft, standing on the hall floor. 
 Another was called Sigurd Worm-in-the-eye ; he 
 was cutting his nails and playing draughts with his 
 brother Whitesark. 
 
 Hingvar asked Biorn whence he came, and what 
 his errand was. Then the treacherous wretch said 
 that he came from England and from King Edmund. 
 He had been a great friend of Ragnar and had at- 
 tended him ever since he was cast up upon the 
 Norfolk shore. He went on to say that Edmund 
 had foully murdered Ragnar, and he had done this 
 by casting him into a pit that was full of vipers 
 which had stung Lodbrog to death ; and he added 
 that he had done this by the advice of Ella, King oi 
 Northumberland, for these two kings had agreed 
 together with a great fleet to sail to Denmark and 
 subjugate it to themselves. Then the false forester 
 opened a bundle and showed the pitch and hair 
 dress of Ragnar, in proof of the truth of his 
 story. 
 
 It is told that whilst Biorn related the death oi 
 their father, the four sons remained still, listening. 
 Hingvar turned first red as blood and then white as 
 snow, and his face was puffed with the rage that 
 boiled in his heart. Hubba gripped the spear-staff 
 so hard that every finger sank into the wood and 
 left its impression on it. Whitesark clenched the 
 draught-board so tightly that the blood flowed from 
 
 267 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 under his nails ; and Sigurd cut into his finger to the 
 bone without noticing what he had done. 
 
 There was silence in the hall for some minutes, 
 and then the brothers solemnly promised to avenge 
 their father. 
 
 So they hasted and gathered together a great 
 fleet, and sailed for England. They landed in 
 Northumberland and ravaged it, and then marched 
 south till they came to the territories of King 
 Edmund. 
 
 Now the king had a palace at Hoxne, and he 
 gathered a great army, and a furious battle was 
 fought, in which the English were defeated, and 
 King Edmund fled. As he was pursued, he hid 
 himself under a bridge, and his pursuers galloped 
 over it, thinking he was ahead, but one of them, 
 happening to look into the water, saw there some- 
 thing shining, and he drew rein to look more closely. 
 It was like two flames in the water. He descended 
 the bank, and there saw the king in hiding. The 
 sun, shining on his gold spurs, had cast the luminous 
 reflection in the water, and this had attracted the 
 attention of the Dane. 
 
 Edmund was dragged forth and taken to a great 
 oak tree, tied to it, and the Danes shot at him with 
 their arrows, till they were tired of the sport, and 
 then they cut off his head and flung it into the 
 thicket. 
 
 When they thought it might be done safely, some 
 of his servants who had been in concealment came 
 forth and searched for the body. This they soon 
 found ; and in the coppice was the king's head, with 
 
 268 
 
 I 
 
The Story of King Edmund 
 
 the golden crown still surrounding the brows, and it 
 was guarded by the grey wolf-hound that had been 
 given by Edmund to Ragnar, and which, ever since 
 his master's death, had run wild in the forest. 
 
 Now the tidings of the king's head being defended 
 by the beast was talked about ; and indeed the dog 
 would not leave the remains of the king, any more 
 than he had those of Ragnar. 
 
 Then Biorn, who was with the Danish host, thought 
 he would like to see the head of his former master, 
 and Hingvar and Hubba gave orders that the head 
 should be brought into the hall. 
 
 When this was done, the wolf-hound followed, but 
 no sooner did he see the traitor, — the cause of the 
 death of both his masters, — than the faithful beast 
 flew at Biorn and fastened his teeth in his throat, 
 and, struggle as he might, the forester could not 
 throw him off. The hound cast him on the ground 
 and stood over him, looking up in the faces of the 
 Danish chiefs. 
 
 Hingvar and Hubba thought that there must be 
 some reason for the wrath of the dog against Biorn, 
 so they called to them some of the captives, who 
 had been servants to King Edmund, and asked if 
 they knew him. 
 
 They replied that he was a traitor and a murderer, 
 and told how Edmund had received Ragnar Lodbrog, 
 and treated him kindly, and how that the forester 
 had murdered him, by casting him into a pit of 
 vipers, and how that the king and his wise men had 
 sentenced Biorn to be sent adrift at sea in an open 
 boat. 
 
 269 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 When Hingvar and Hubba heard this, they were 
 very sorry that they had been so deceived, and they 
 ordered the wolf-dog to leave the prostrate man. 
 
 Then the hound obeyed, and Biorn was fast bound. 
 The brothers commanded him to show them the pit 
 in which their father had perished, and this he did. 
 Then they ordered it to be filled with poisonous 
 reptiles, and the wicked forester to be cast in, that he 
 might die in the same manner as he had contrived 
 the death of their father. 
 
 After that, they made for King Edmund a splendid 
 funeral, and he was buried at a place then called 
 Bodricksworth, but ever since that time it has been 
 known as Bury Saint Edmunds. 
 
 Note. — We have two versions of the story of the sons of Ragnar 
 Lodbrog- coming- to England ; one is that in the Icelandic Saga of 
 Ragnar and his sons, and the other is that told by Roger of 
 Wendover in his Flowers of History,^ \\v\iien about 1200. No 
 doubt he took the story of Lodbrog and King Edmund from a 
 ballad. 
 
 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says, under date 870: "This 
 year the army (of the Danes) rode across Mercia, into East 
 Anglia, and took up their winter quarters at Thetford. And the 
 same winter King Edmund fought against them, and the Danes 
 got the victory, and slew the king and subdued the land, and 
 destroyed all the minsters which they came to. The names of 
 their chiefs who slew the king were Ingvar and Hubba." 
 
 The most genuine account of King Edmund, next, of course, to 
 this scanty mention in the Chronicle, is a life written by Abbo ot 
 Fleury, by command of St. Dunstan, in 980. 
 
 The Norse version of the story and the English version are 
 very different, and I have ventured to combine both, and attempt 
 some sort of reconciliation between the two. 
 
 270 
 
XIV 
 
 DESIDERATUS 
 
 On a time it was that there lived in Scotland a noble 
 vavasor and his wife, whom he loved full well, and 
 she was good and wise. 
 
 There was but one thing made them sad, which 
 was that they had no child. 
 
 Now one day the lady said to the vavasor, 
 " Sweet friend, I have heard that far away in the 
 south is the tomb of the holy hermit Giles, and it 
 lieth in fair Provence. It has been related to me 
 how that many have made petition where his bones 
 lie, and have had their petitions heard and answered. 
 It seemeth well to me, if it pleaseth thee, that we 
 should make journey to St. Giles, and seek if there 
 the desire of our hearts may be attained." 
 
 Then answered her the vavasor, " x'\s thou desirest, 
 sweetheart, so shall it be ; and I vow unto St. Giles 
 a figure all of pure silver, if he hears our request." 
 So they made their carriage and went, and prayed 
 right humbly, that if it pleased God, He would give 
 i8 273 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 to them a child, and that the hermit Giles might 
 forward their petition. 
 
 And when they returned to Calder in Scotland 
 where they dwelled, it was even so, that a child was 
 given to them, a son ; and they called his name 
 Desideratus, that is to say, " the Desired One." 
 
 The child was very comely and blithe, and all 
 thought that they had never seen a lovelier and kindlier 
 boy. He grew up at home till he reached man's 
 estate, and was the joy and pride of his father and 
 mother. 
 
 Now, when he was of age to go forth and see men 
 and learn courtesy, then did his father send him to 
 the court of the Scottish king. 
 
 The king held him right dear, and dubbed him 
 knight, and after he had been a while at court, and 
 had won the favour of all there through his gracious 
 manners and his well-favoured face, then he bethought 
 himself of wending farther, and he departed thence, 
 and visited Normandy and Brittany, where he rode 
 in many a tournament and unhorsed many a proved 
 knight. 
 
 And it was so, in France likewise, that all looked 
 with pleasure on Desideratus and loved him, for he 
 was courteous to high and to low, and debonair, and 
 withal of a bright and beautiful countenance. 
 
 Now, when ten years were over, then Desideratus 
 greatly longed to return to his own land, and to see 
 again his father and his mother, and to serve the 
 Scottish king. 
 
 So he mounted a ship, he with his horse, and 
 committed himself to the winds and waves. But the 
 
 274 
 
Desideratus 
 
 winds were favourable, and the waves did but play 
 and drift around the sides of the ship. The seabirds 
 fluttered overhead and cried, and the sun glittered 
 in the dancing wavelets. There was never a storm 
 all the while that Desideratus was at sea, and at length 
 the prow was turned in at the Firth of Forth and 
 Desideratus and his horse came on shore, and he 
 mounted and rode to fair Edinburgh and presented 
 himself before the king, who was fain again to see 
 him. But there was sad tidings for the young man, 
 for his father was dead. Then the king committed 
 to him in fee the land that his father had held, and 
 he dismissed him, that he should go and see' and 
 comfort his mother ; and when he departed it was 
 the feast of Pentecost, and all the bells were ringing, 
 and the sun was shining, and clerks were singing in 
 every church. 
 
 Then was it fair springtide, and as Desideratus 
 rode along his way, he wondered to see how goodly 
 the land was. Fair was Normandy, and fair Bretagne, 
 but fairer far was bonnie Scotland. And as he rode 
 along the king's highway, all were keeping holiday, 
 and the maids were in their best kirtles, and their hair 
 bound up with ribbons and flowers, and some did 
 dance, and some did sing; but as Desideratus rode by, 
 all ceased, and looked, and admired the goodly knight. 
 
 Then thought Desideratus, Fair maids have I seen 
 in Normandy, and nut-brown maids in Bretagne, but 
 never such bonnie lassies as in Scotland. 
 
 Now he rode along till he came into a forest, and 
 the birds were singing, and the flowers blooming, 
 and the bees were humming, as though all nature 
 
 275 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 kept the coming of the Blessed Spirit whose is the 
 breath of life. 
 
 Now Desideratus wore silver armour, and over it a 
 garment " white as flowers in April," and about his 
 shoulders was a fresh green mantle. His spurs were 
 of gold, but not more shining were they than his 
 locks that flowed from under his bassinet. 
 
 After long riding, then, Desideratus remembered 
 that in this forest sojourned a holy hermit, who by 
 his cell had a little chapel, the which he served in 
 godly fashion. Ofttimes as a boy, when hunting 
 with his father, had he been there, and there had 
 received kind welcome and hospitality. Thither 
 now he turned, but he could not light thereon ; only 
 at set of sun he came to an opening in the forest 
 where was a spring of pure water, and by this spring 
 stood a fair maid with a garment of purple over her 
 white shift ; she was barefooted in the grass now 
 wet with the falling dew. In each hand she held a 
 golden bowl, and she stooped to the fountain, 
 and dipped, and filled the bowls with water. 
 
 Then Desideratus alighted from off his horse, and 
 he came to the fair maid, and he asked her whether she 
 could guide him to the habitation of the holy hermit. 
 
 She answered him that of hermit she knew none, 
 but that her mistress lived hard by, and would render 
 to him hospitality. 
 
 Then she went before, and he followed, leading his 
 destrier. They went along till they came to an elder- 
 bush, and though the season for the elder to flower 
 was not yet, nevertheless the bush was thick set with 
 white bunches and with green leaves, and withal was 
 
 276 
 
Desideratus 
 
 such a tangle of little boughs, that Desideratus could 
 not see through this flowery screen. But the fair 
 maid parted the leaves and lifted a bough, and the 
 knight stepped under, but was constrained to let his 
 horse remain behind, letting go the bridle. 
 
 Before him he saw a pleasant lawn, and a lady seated 
 in a tent of cloth of silver, and she was as white in 
 her apparel as the plume of a swan, and so lovely 
 that Desideratus thought that verily he had seen 
 none lovelier, wherever he had been. 
 
 She signed to the damsel, who came forward 
 carrying the golden bowls, and she inquired whom 
 she had brought with her. The damsel answered 
 and told the lady all she knew. 
 
 Then the beautiful lady signed to Desideratus to 
 draw nigh ; and when he was drawn nigh, she smiled 
 and said, " Art thou content to be my lord, and I thy 
 lady ? If so, then pledge me in this bowl of crystal 
 water." 
 
 Desideratus answered and said, " I am whatever 
 thou wouldst have me to be." 
 
 Then she stirred the water in one bowl with a 
 little blue flower that she held, and she passed the 
 vessel to him, and he drank. 
 
 And forthwith, or ever he had sipped of the 
 water, he forgot all that had passed. He remembered 
 no more of his father and mother and his home, 
 nor of the Scottish king. Nor thought he of his 
 destrier whom he had left outside the screen of 
 flowering elder; and thus there passed a twelvemonth 
 and a day, and it was to Desideratus as a dream of 
 the night. And there fell no leaves from the trees, 
 
 277 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 nor did the grass wither, nor the flowers fade. There 
 fell no rain nor snow, neither did stormy winds blow 
 and shake the branches of the trees above their heads. 
 
 Now it chanced that Desideratus felt his lips 
 parched, and he stretched forth his hand to take the 
 golden bowl and drink again of the pure water he 
 had tasted. But, as it fell out, he reached the bowl 
 of water the lady had not stirred. Forthwith, or ever 
 he had drunk a draught, he remembered all the past, 
 and was filled with wonder as to where he was. 
 Then, all at once, he heard a bell ringing, and he felt 
 a desire to kneel in God's house, and to pray, and 
 hear sweet singing of psalms. 
 
 Thereat Desideratus started up to go forth out of 
 the tent, and he saw the beautiful lady standing 
 before him. He said to her, " I hear a bell. I must 
 to prayer. I must home to my mother and to 
 my house, and see her, and then return to the king 
 my master." 
 
 Now, when the lady heard this, she was sad, and 
 wept, and she drew a golden ring from her finger and 
 put it upon his, and said, " It must needs be that thou 
 depart. Speak to no one of what thou hast seen, and 
 of me, and where thou hast tarried. Wear this ring, 
 and think of me, and when thou desirest to return, 
 then turn it about on thy finger. But if thou speak 
 of me, then the ring will vanish away, and thou 
 shalt see me no more till thou hast recovered it." 
 
 He thanked her, and went forth and passed under 
 the flowering elder, and he heard the bell tolling, 
 and he went on, and then there neighed a horse, and 
 there ran up to him his own destrier. 
 
 278 
 
Desideratus 
 
 Then he saw a hermit's cell, and ringing the bell 
 was the old hermit with whom he had lodged, he and 
 his father, the vavasor, in former days. Now the 
 hermit was very aged, and of a reverend aspect, with 
 hair and beard white as a snowdrift. 
 
 The old religious man was surprised when he saw 
 Desideratus, and left off ringing the bell, and he 
 said," Where hast thou been, my son ? Thy horse 
 came here on Pentecost last year. And now there 
 is passed a year and a day that I have cared for 
 him and stabled him, and only to-day dost thou 
 appear." 
 
 Then Desideratus was full of wonder, and he wist 
 not with whom he had been, and whether it had been 
 a work of enchantment. 
 
 So he said to the hermit that he would tell him 
 all, and take his counsel. And so he kneeled him 
 down and made confession of what had come to 
 pass. 
 
 Then the hermit said, " I cannot tell thee who 
 and what manner of woman that was with whom 
 thou hast been. This is a wood full of enchantments. 
 I know full well that Satan and his angels seek the 
 destruction of men, and can change themselves into 
 forms of angels of light. But it may be that thou 
 hast been in the presence and company of the elves, 
 which are creations of God, and wondrous fair, but 
 have no human souls, and they live a while, and then 
 their lives cease like the extinguishing of a lamp. 
 And they can alone win an immortal soul by union 
 with one of the children of Adam. Therefore do 
 they seek them. But this I lay on thee — if thou see 
 
 279 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 that fair lady again, then be to her as a stranger, 
 unless she will come to thee to the church of God, 
 and there thy union be consecrated and blessed by a 
 priest." 
 
 Now, when he had said this, then Desideratus 
 stood up, and he looked on his hand, and lo ! the 
 ring was vanished clean away. 
 
 Thereat was Desideratus full of sorrow at heart. 
 And he tarried all night, and next morning, at the 
 breaking of the day, he kneeled in the chapel and 
 heard the service of Almighty God sung by the 
 hermit, and then forth he fared, and he rode till he 
 reached Calder, and came to his home. 
 
 But his mother was dead as well as his father, and 
 he cared not to remain ; and, after some days, he 
 departed, and rode through the forest of Caledon, and 
 came again to Edinburgh to the king his master. 
 
 And he served him four years. But he was not 
 as he had been. He was ever sad, thinking of the 
 fair lady in the forest, and wondering who she might 
 be, and grieving sore that he had lost the ring. 
 
 Now it fell out one [day, when he and the king 
 were hunting a stag in the forest, that they beheld a 
 white hart that had a circlet of gold about its neck, 
 and they gave it chase, and presently they came 
 upon it, and the hart was on the green herb beside a 
 spring and a fair boy stood sheltering it under his 
 arm, and he had a little bow, from which he could 
 shoot straws, and he held this up and cried that he 
 would slay those who pursued the hart, if they drew 
 nearer and did a harm to the gentle beast. 
 
 Then the king laughed, and he and Desideratus 
 280 
 
Desideratus 
 
 alighted and drew near to the boy ; and never had 
 they seen so beautiful a child — his eyes were blue as 
 forget-me-nots and his hair as spun gold. 
 
 Then it happened that when they were nigh him 
 Desiderius spied a gold ring that hung about the 
 boy's neck, and he knew it again, and he cried and 
 said, " My son, whose is that ring ? where didst thou 
 get it ? " 
 
 And the boy answered and said, " That is my 
 father's ring and he is away, and none know where 
 he may be. But even if we did know, my mother 
 may not see him again, for forty knights keep guard 
 about her day and night, with swords drawn to slay 
 my father should he come." 
 
 Then Desideratus took the child and kissed him, 
 and wept sore and said, " Thou art my very son, 
 and I will take the ring again, then haply I may 
 find thy mother." 
 
 So he took the ring and set it on his finger again. 
 And lo ! the child and the white hart had vanished 
 clean away. 
 
 After this, Desideratus had no rest in his spirit for 
 the thoughts of his elfin wife and half elfin child. 
 He was so sad that the king grieved for him and 
 said, " It is not well that it should be so. Go into 
 the great forest of Caledon and see if thou canst 
 not find her whom thou lovest." 
 
 Then Desideratus was glad, and he rode from 
 court and entered into the forest and disappeared 
 under its green leaves and among its shadows. 
 
 Now, as he entered, there had been haymakers 
 without, tossing the sweet hay with their rakes ; and 
 
 281 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 they looked at him and wondered, and said, " Of a 
 certainty never have we seen a comelier knight, nor 
 one of a more sorrowful countenance." 
 
 It fell out that, after many hours' riding, Desideratus 
 came to a glade in the wood where sprang up a 
 crystal spring and formed a pool, and then flowed 
 away in a small rill. Beside this spring was a 
 dwarf, and he had in his hands two golden bowls, 
 and these he essayed to fill with water at the pool. 
 But, forasmuch as the dwarf was very small and the 
 sides of the pool were steep, no sooner were the 
 bowls filled than they overbalanced the dwarf, and 
 he fell into the water. Speedily he scrambled out, 
 never letting go his hold of the bowls. But, in his 
 efforts to escape out of the pool, he spilt all the 
 water out of his bowls. Then, again, he kneeled 
 and dipped, and again overbalanced himself and fell 
 head foremost into the spring. 
 
 Desideratus, seated on his horse, sat and watched 
 the little dwarf, and sorrowed for his useless trouble. 
 So he lighted off his steed, and went to the dwarf, 
 and filled his bowls with water for him. 
 
 The little dwarf was vastly pleased, and thanked 
 him, and hoisted one bowl on one shoulder and one 
 on the other to carry them. But they were thus 
 too heavy for him to convey, and he stumbled and 
 spilled all the water again. Whereupon he began to 
 howl and cry. 
 
 Then Desideratus filled the bowls again at the 
 spring and bade the dwarf be of good cheer, he 
 would carry them home for him. 
 
 " I know not how that may be, fair sir," said the 
 282 
 
Desideratus 
 
 dwarf. " 1 was sent by my mistress, the princess of 
 Elfland, and the door of her palace is guarded with 
 warriors armed cap a pie who will never let thee pass. 
 This only canst thou do. Take them to the door- 
 step and set them down there, then I will call forth 
 Blanchebelle, her waiting-maid, and she will help me 
 carry them to my lady's chamber." 
 
 Now Desideratus carried the golden bowls easily 
 one in each hand, and he passed under an elder-bush 
 and was at once in Elfland. He saw before him 
 the palace of the king of the elves ; and he drew to 
 the door. 
 
 Then said the dwarf, " Fair sir, for thy service I 
 thank thee. Set down the bowls here and I will have 
 them conveyed to my lady." 
 
 " None shall convey them but myself," said 
 Desideratus. 
 
 " That may not be," said the dwarf. 
 
 Then Desideratus declared he would return and 
 carry the bowls away with him unless the dwarf 
 showed him the way to the chamber of his lady. 
 
 Now, when the dwarf saw his determination, he 
 considered and said, " Thou must ascend by a 
 ladder to her window, and that thou must do carry- 
 ing one of the bowls in thy hand. And when thou 
 art nigh the top of the ladder, scratch with thy nail 
 on the bowl and it will whine. Then the fair maid, 
 Blanchebelle, will look forth, and when she sees thee, 
 she will know what to do." 
 
 Thereupon Desideratus was glad, and he went to 
 the window, and there was a ladder set against it, 
 and he ascended thereby, carrying the golden bowl. 
 
 283 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 But when he was nigh the top, he scratched the bowl, 
 and it began to whine and whimper. 
 
 Then the fair Blanchebelle looked forth and said, 
 " What aileth my pretty golden bowl ? " 
 
 And straightway she saw Desideratus on the ladder 
 below. Then she plucked a blue flower out ot 
 her hair, and with it she stirred the water in the 
 bowl and then withdrew the flower, and he saw her 
 no more. 
 
 Now it was so, that the fair princess of the elves 
 was asleep within on a couch, and her little child 
 was also asleep in her arms. But round about 
 were forty knights of elfin race, louting on one knee, 
 their faces turned outward, and all with swords drawn 
 and pointed. 
 
 Now Blanchebelle went with the blue flower 
 dipped in the water of the well that was in the 
 golden bowl Desideratus held aloft, and with it 
 laughingly she touched the eyes of the kneeling 
 knights. 
 
 Forthwith they all fell asleep. 
 
 Then she returned to the window and took the 
 bowl out of the hands of Desideratus and bade him 
 enter. 
 
 " Now," said she, " I pray thee be speedy, for the 
 knights sleep only for a moment." 
 
 Thereat he leaped in, but, in so doing, his foot 
 slipped and he fell on one of the swords, which 
 wounded his side full sore. And with the noise of 
 his fall, the knights waked and looked about them, 
 and started to their feet. 
 
 But Desideratus sprang to the side of the couch on 
 284 
 
Desideratus 
 
 which lay the sleeping lady, and from her arms he 
 lifted the child and carried it away. 
 
 " Fly ! or they will slay thee," said Blanchebelle, 
 and she sprinkled more of the water over the 
 knights, and again they closed their eyes and were 
 still. 
 
 Now Desideratus hasted down the ladder, carrying 
 the child, and he fled, and went under the elder-bush, 
 and came forth, and found his horse where he had 
 bound it. Then he mounted, and, carrying the 
 sleeping boy, whose face he kissed, he rode away. 
 
 But the wound in his side bled, and he was weak, 
 and he could but reach the hermit's cell, where he 
 put the child into the ancient man's hands, and, so 
 done, he fell off his horse in a swound on the green 
 herbage. 
 
 Now it must be told how that the ancient hermit 
 nursed and cared for Desideratus, and he was speedily 
 better, yet the wound would not heal. 
 
 And the hermit said to him, " It has been 
 revealed to me that the wound thou hast received is 
 from an elfin sword, and that no balm of mortal 
 men can cure it, only can it be closed and thy blood 
 staunched by the touch of thy elfin wife's hand. 
 For there runs a vein from that wound direct to the 
 heart, and there is never a hand in Christendom and 
 Elfdom that can heal it, save that of the princess thy 
 wife. But how that may be, I know not." 
 
 Then said to him Desideratus, " Take my child 
 and give him holy baptism, and call him Tristam, 
 for that I am sad at being parted from her I love 
 better than my life." 
 
 285 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 But the hermit said, " I will go with thee to 
 court, and I will ask the king himself to stand 
 sponsor to the boy." 
 
 Then Desideratus mounted his horse, but slowly, 
 slowly did he ride, for that his wound was sore, 
 and as he went, ever and anon did the blood 
 run out, and fell on the green grass and the 
 leaves. 
 
 As to the ancient hermit, he walked at his side 
 and carried the child, that laughed and was merry 
 and prattled. 
 
 So they went on to fair Edinburgh. But as they 
 came forth out of the wood, there was a wain, and 
 it was full of hay, and the haymakers were about to 
 carry the last load. Then, when they saw how 
 white and wan and wounded was the comely knight, 
 and how ancient and venerable was the hermit, 
 and burdened with bearing of the boy, they cried 
 out with one accord that Desideratus and the 
 holy man and the child should ride on top of 
 the hay. 
 
 And it was so. 
 
 Now, as this was the last load, all the wain was 
 adorned with flowers and coloured ribbons, and in 
 front was a pole with a wreath hung thereto. 
 
 So the haymakers said, " Whither shall we take 
 the wounded knight ? " 
 
 And the ancient religious man said, " To Edin- 
 burgh, to the king's high court." 
 
 And it was so. 
 
 Now, when the hay-cart drew up before the gates 
 of the palace, folk laughed to see the beautiful little 
 
 286 
 
Desideratus 
 
 boy seated in the sweet hay, holding the pole with 
 the wreath of wild roses and ribbons in front, Then 
 they marvelled to behold the reverend man come 
 down ; and they were moved with pity when the 
 haymakers lifted the bleeding knight from the wain 
 and bore him into the palace. But as for the child, 
 he carried the staff with the wreath before them, and 
 had no fear going up the stair to the hall where sat 
 the king on his throne. 
 
 Now, when the Scottish king saw what had taken 
 place, and heard the report of the ancient hermit, then 
 he was marvellously glad to see the pretty boy, and 
 he promised that forthwith he would be his sponsor. 
 But right grieved was he to see how sorely wounded 
 was his favourite knight. 
 
 He sent for all the healers and physicians, that 
 they might heal the grievous wound, but they availed 
 naught. And as Desideratus had spilled much of 
 his blood, all greatly feared that he must shortly die. 
 
 He said that he desired to see his son made into a 
 Christian man, and all prepared to haste to the 
 church, where the king would hold the child and give 
 to it the name it was to bear. 
 
 Now, just as they were preparing to go to the 
 church, and the haymakers had lifted up the wounded 
 knight to carry him thither, there came riding into 
 the hall a lady so beautiful that all the place was 
 filled with light as from sunshine. She rode on a 
 cream-white palfrey with sky-blue trappings set with 
 silver ; and behind her rode another maid, on a white 
 ass, and they lighted down before the king and did 
 him homage. 
 
 287 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then said the chief lady, " I am come, sire, to heal 
 my husband. I have escaped out of Elfinland, and 
 I never could have found him but by the blood track 
 all the way on the grass and the green leaves and 
 the flowers. Moreover, sir king, I never could 
 have escaped out of Elfinland but by stepping on his 
 blood. See how the soles of my feet are marked." 
 
 She showed her feet, and there was blood on 
 them. 
 
 " I am the daughter of the elf king, and he has no 
 other child but me ; and I must reign and rule after 
 him in the realm of elves. Therefore he would 
 retain me there, and have me take to my husband 
 one of the elfin race. 
 
 " But ever have I longed for a human soul and the 
 life of immortality. Therefore, when Desideratus 
 came into Elfinland, I took him to be my husband, 
 and a son was born to me ; and my father drew an 
 enchantment about me, that I should not go to 
 Desideratus, nor he come to me. Nevertheless, 
 through all dangers and opposition he thrust his way, 
 and he carried off my son ; and yet I could not have 
 won my way out had not my husband's blood broken 
 the enchanted ring, and only upon human blood 
 could I tread and go forth." 
 
 Then the king was joyful, and he answered the 
 lady fair, and said that he would stand sponsor to the 
 child, and she should live ever in the court of Scot- 
 land and be in great esteem. 
 
 But she said, " Sire, that may not be. I must 
 return to mine own land ; but suffer me first to kiss 
 and to heal my husband." 
 
 288 
 
Deslderatus 
 
 Thereupon she went to where Desideratus lay, and 
 she kissed his lips, and touched his side, and his 
 blood staunched, and he rose, and was well once 
 more. 
 
 He said, " And now, of a surety, we must be 
 Christianly married, as the hermit bade of old." 
 
 And she said, " It shall be so, only consider thou. 
 As it is, I must return to Elfinland, and I may 
 return alone ; but if I go alone, then the king my 
 father will marry me to an elfin lord, and I shall 
 never come forth again, but sorrow will consume me, 
 and I shall die of sheer grief But and if thou and 
 I be Christianly married, and blessed and sained by 
 a priest, then the king my father, and no power in 
 earth or hell, can ever part us. Only this must follow 
 — that thou come with me and reign in Elfinland, 
 and return to the world of men no more. Make 
 thine election which it shall be." 
 
 Then Desideratus took her hand and led her to the 
 altar, and bade a priest bless them. And after that 
 the child was baptised. 
 
 Now there was feasting and merriment that night. 
 But in the middle of the banquet there came into 
 the hall the white palfrey, and the cream-coloured ass, 
 and the destrier of the knight Desideratus, and no 
 man led them, and they stayed in the hall. 
 
 Then the lady rose up and said, " We must 
 depart. That is the token." 
 
 Then she mounted her palfrey, and took the little 
 
 Christian child in her arms, and the fair maid 
 
 Blanchebelle mounted on the ass, and Desideratus 
 
 bestrode his horse, and forth they rode out of the 
 
 19 289 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 hall and into the night. The stars were shining, and 
 men looked and saw how they rode towards the 
 wood of Caledon. 
 
 And thenceforth was Desideratus seen no more. 
 
 Note. — The " Lai del Desire," on which the story of Desideratus 
 is based is found in one MS. only, and belonged to Sir Thomas 
 Phillips, Bart, of Middlehall. It is in old Norman-French, and is 
 attributable to the twelfth century. It was first printed by Francisquc 
 Michel in 1836. London, Pickering. It is one of the many Norman- 
 French lays based on Celtic tradition and myth, that delighted the 
 kings and nobles of the court of the Plantagenets. This story 
 has a clear family relation to that of Thomas of Ercildoun ; only in 
 the latter, Thomas escapes from Fairyland, and in this lai of 
 Desideratus, the hero returns to it for ever. It is moreover the 
 same as Marie's Lai of Lanval and as that of Gruelan in Le 
 Grand d'Aussi. See Ritson's Metrical Roviances, i. 170. I have 
 taken a few liberties with the tale. In the original the true elfin 
 character of the lady is not plainly expressed, but rather implied. 
 Moreover, no reason is given for her enigmatical conduct. 
 
 As a sample of the language in which the lai is written, I give 
 the opening lines — 
 
 Entente i mettrai e ma cure 
 
 A recunter un aventure, 
 
 Dunt cil qui a icel tens resquirent 
 
 Par remembrance un lai firent. 
 
 Ca est li lais del Desire, 
 
 K.i tant par fu de grant beute. 
 
 En Escoce a une cuntred, 
 
 Ki Calatir est apelike 
 
 Encoste de la Blanche Lande (Albion), 
 
 Juste la mer ki tant est grande. 
 
 Although the lai comes to us only in Norman-French, yet it 
 almost certainly has had a Brito-English origin, and is probably 
 an English ballad that has been worked up into a Ini by a French 
 trouvl're. Marie says that all her lais were taken from British 
 orisfinals. 
 
 290 
 
XV 
 
 SIR GREY, SIR GRAHAM, AND 
 SIR GREYSKIN 
 
 Long ago, in the period when England was divided 
 into seven kingdoms, before that Egbert had united 
 them into one, there Hved in Cambridgeshire, as we 
 now call it, a king called Ethelnoth, and he had an 
 only daughter called Elgiva.^ Elgiva was the only 
 child of the king, and her father was anxious that 
 she should be well married. Elgiva, on the other 
 hand, seemed to be quite unwilling to have a husband. 
 The king sent for the noblest in the land, some of 
 whose pedigrees went back even to i\dam and Eve ; 
 but Elgiva said she did not desire as a husband a 
 man the best part of whom, like a pig-nut, was under- 
 ground. Then he sent for the handsomest men ; but 
 Elgiva said that she had no desire to marry a pretty 
 doll. Then he sent for the most learned men, but 
 she said she would not marry a dryasdust ; and when 
 he asked her to say whom she would take, she said 
 that she would only accept as her husband the bravest 
 man and strongest in fight who could be found. 
 
 ^ Or, as M. S. A. Freeman would call her, ^alfg-ifu. 
 293 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 This accordingly was proclaimed through the 
 length and breadth of England. The tidings reached 
 even Scotland and Wales. Brave knights came from 
 every quarter, and Elgiva made them fight before 
 her and hack one another about. When one was 
 dreadfully wounded and defeated, he was dismissed to 
 his home and relations to be mended up again ; his 
 chance was gone, and he might never more become a 
 candidate for her hand. 
 
 But Elgiva would not accept the last victor ; she 
 pitted him against a new comer ; and she was so 
 indifferent to her suitors that she knew them only by 
 their numbers, and not by their names. For instance, 
 if a white knight came and defeated a black knight, 
 he counted as one. If a red knight defeated the 
 white knight, he counted as two ; if he further 
 overcame a yellow knight, he reckoned as three ; but 
 if he were beaten, his conqueror was numbered four. 
 
 This was rather cruel pastime, and it served to 
 harden Elgiva's heart and make her indifferent to 
 the sufferings of men ; indeed, all she cared for was 
 the sport of making them fight. 
 
 At last her father remonstrated very seriously with 
 her, and said that he could endure this no longer. 
 She must make a final decision and abide by it. 
 The number of disabled and defeated knights now 
 amounted to three hundred and thirty-eight. She 
 said she must make up a round number before she 
 gave her hand. 
 
 At this juncture there rode into Cambridge two 
 knights. One was of the north country, and his name 
 was Sir Grey ; and the other was a Scottish knight 
 
 294 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 called Sir Graham. They were fast friends, and as 
 attached as brothers ; indeed, they had entered into 
 fellowship together to fight each other's battles, and 
 never to come to blows between them. 
 
 The two knights were graciously received at the 
 court of Cambridge, or rather Grantchester, which was 
 the site of the royal hall and palace, and which was 
 the capital, till the university drew away the population 
 about it, and Grantchester dwindled to a village, whilst 
 Cambridge from a village sprang up to be a town. 
 
 There was, however, at Cambridge some rising 
 ground, on which was a castle, that is to say, earth- 
 works enclosing a space roughly square, with a great 
 mound at one end, and this castle went by the name 
 of Wandlebury. No one who lived in the village or 
 hamlet of Cambridge ventured near it at night, for 
 the castle was haunted. It was said that a ghostly 
 rider issued from the mound and was prepared to 
 fight anyone who dared encounter him. Indeed, if 
 a man at night came within the precinct of the 
 castle and cried aloud, " One knight challenges 
 another knight ! " immediately the mound gaped, and 
 out rode the phantom on an ash-grey horse, clad 
 in armour that rattled as though he w'Ro was within 
 were only bones. And he cried in a hollow voice 
 in reply, " I, Sir Greyskin, accept the challenge." 
 Whether there were truth in this story or no, not 
 one person in Cambridge could say, for the very good 
 reason that no one had been found hardy enough to 
 attempt the adventure and challenge Sir Greyskin. 
 The spectral warrior was a subject of much discus- 
 sion and considerable doubt. 
 
 295 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 When the two knights arrived at Grantchester, 
 they found that a valiant man was in possession of 
 the field, who was known as Number One hundred 
 and thirty-eight, and they were at once summoned 
 to do battle with Number One hundred and thirty- 
 eight ; that is to say, the princess required Sir Grey 
 to joust with him, and whoever was victor to do the 
 same with the Scottish knight Sir Graham. 
 
 Then this latter said to Princess Elgiva, " Should 
 my dear comrade fall before the spear of his antago- 
 nist, I shall most certainly, rush to revenge him on 
 Number One hundred and thirty-eight." 
 
 " If that your friend fall, then Number One hun- 
 dred and thirty-eight will become Number One 
 hundred and thirty-nine, and should you defeat him, 
 you will be the happy man. Number One hundred 
 and forty, and be my husband, and inherit the realm." 
 
 " But I sincerely hope that Sir Grey will be 
 successful against him who now holds the field," said 
 Sir Graham. 
 
 "If that should happen, you will have to break 
 a lance against your comrade," 
 
 " I cannot do that. Nothing would induce me to 
 do such a thii^g." 
 
 " Not the prospect of winning me ? " asked Elgiva. 
 
 " Not even that," replied the knight. 
 
 " Then I hope you will both of you be knocked 
 head over heels by my champion now in the jousting 
 yard," said the princess angrily. 
 
 The combat was to take place on the morrow. 
 
 When Sir Grey and Sir Graham retired for the 
 night, the former informed his friend that he was 
 
 296 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 consumed with an ardent passion for the beautiful 
 Elgiva. He had, he said, never seen anyone whom 
 he had so much admired, and he concluded, after 
 abundant sighs, with saying that life would not be 
 worth living unless he won her hand. 
 
 Next morning, so greatly was Sir Grey moved by 
 his passion, that he easily unhorsed his adversary, 
 and became Number One hundred and thirty-nine. 
 He was now sanguine of winning the lady, but with 
 a stern voice she said, " I shall never accept any- 
 one who is an odd number. Smite your companion, 
 throw him in the dust, and I will accept your suit." 
 
 To this, notwithstanding his passion. Sir Grey 
 would not consent. Accordingly, after some con- 
 sideration, Elgiva said, " Then here is the adventure 
 I set you. The full moon rises to-night. Ride to 
 Wandlebury, and challenge the spectral guardian of 
 the castle and dweller in the mound. You must 
 ride alone — no one must accompany you." 
 
 Sir Grey eagerly accepted the task. Sir Graham 
 vainly endeavoured to dissuade him from it. He 
 represented to him that a lady who was ready to 
 sacrifice so many suitors was hardly one who ought 
 to inspire love, and that the possession of her hand 
 and inheritance could not compensate the risk of 
 so uncertain an adventure. 
 
 But Sir Grey would listen to no advice. Next 
 evening he rode to Cambridge, traversed the marshes, 
 and ascended Wandlebury just as the moon began to 
 rise. He could see the jack o' lanterns dancing in 
 the morasses by the river Cam. No one was with 
 him. No one was in sight. 
 
 297 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 He saw before him high mounds, and an opening 
 in the embankment, through which he penetrated. 
 Then in a loud voice he called, " One knight 
 challenges another knight." 
 
 He had hardly uttered the words before the great 
 how or mound gaped, and forth issued a harnessed 
 figure riding on a grey steed, that seemed to have no 
 flesh on it, but to be a skeleton clothed in skin. 
 Altogether the beast was sorry, and not less sorry 
 seemed the rider, in rattling, rusty, broken armour 
 that hardly held together. 
 
 This strange rider answered, " I, Sir Greyskin, 
 accept the challenge." 
 
 Then both knights set their spears in rest and 
 charged at each other. In a moment Sir Grey's 
 steed reared, and the lance of the spectral knight 
 touched him on the breast and cast him on the field. 
 He fell with such violence that he lost consciousness, 
 and lay for some time as one dead. 
 
 When he came to his senses again, he rose to his 
 knees and then to his feet, feeling much bruised and 
 in great pain, especially in his right hand. His horse 
 had galloped away in terror, and was nowhere to be 
 seen. 
 
 Sir Grey with difficulty walked out of the ancient 
 camp, and descended the hill, threaded his way 
 through the marshes, and sank exhausted at a door 
 of a house in Cambridge. 
 
 Those within, hearing the rattle of arms and a groan, 
 hastened to open, and discovered the knight prostrate 
 on the threshold. They took him up, removed his 
 armour, and found his right gauntlet full of blood. 
 
 298 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 The forefinger of his right hand had been cut off. 
 The house into which Sir Grey was taken was that 
 of a very beautiful, noble, and gracious lady, named 
 Margaret. 
 
 He was treated with the utmost kindness, but 
 nothing could overcome his sadness of spirit, at the 
 thought that he had been defeated by the spectre 
 knight, and had lost his finger, and that a finger 
 which disabled him from handling well his sword 
 and lance. 
 
 After he had spent several days in the house of 
 the Lady Margaret, he departed, and returned to 
 Grantchester, where he found his friend, Sir Graham, 
 in great anxiety about him. He arrived in most dis- 
 consolate mood. 
 
 A truncheon of his spear he bore 
 To lean hun on ; he had no more. 
 On his bedside he sat him down, 
 He groaned sore, and fell in swoun. 
 
 Sir Graham had great difficulty in restoring his spirits 
 sufficiently to draw from him the narrative of his 
 discomfiture. Then Sir Graham strove to console 
 him. But Sir Grey answered, " Talk not to me 
 of comfort, since the fair Elgiva is lost to me for 
 ever. I am vanquished and disgraced ; vanquished 
 in equal combat with a single knight. I am not 
 even Number One hundred and thirty-eight — I am 
 nothing, and that spectral being rising on my ruins 
 is Number One hundred and thirty-nine." 
 
 Sir Graham thought it useless to argue any further 
 with him. He considered hov/ he might best restore 
 happiness to his friend. 
 
 299 
 
The Old EngJish Fairy Tales 
 
 " You are," said he, " the victim of your rashness. 
 We cannot conceal from the princess your return or 
 your misfortune, but I assure you that I will hasten to 
 Wandlebury and avenge you. If I am successful, I 
 shall endeavour to make the lady accept you in place 
 of myself; for, to tell you the truth, so far from her 
 inspiring me with affection, I am entirely indifferent 
 to her charms." 
 
 Accordingly, Sir Graham armed himself, mounted 
 his horse, and at nightfall rode through the marshes, 
 among the dancing jack o' lanterns, and, reaching the 
 hill that was crowned with the ancient camp, ascended 
 it, and, passing through the gap in the entrenchment, 
 called aloud, " One knight challenges another knight." 
 Immediately the mound gaped, and out rode the 
 phantom on an ash-grey horse, clad in armour that 
 rattled as though he who was within were only bones. 
 And he cried in a hollow voice in reply, " I, Sir 
 Greyskin, accept the challenge." 
 
 Then both knights set their lances in rest, struck 
 spurs into their steeds, and rushed on each 
 other. 
 
 It befell Sir Graham no better than it had Sir Grey. 
 As the spectre knight approached, Sir Graham's horse 
 swerved, and the spear of Sir Greyskin struck the 
 rider on the side and bore him out of his saddle, and 
 flung him on the ground, where he fell senseless. 
 Then the frightened horse galloped away. 
 
 It was long before consciousness returned. When 
 Sir Graham felt a little recovered, he rose, aching in 
 all his limbs, and feeling great pain in his right hand. 
 He left the camp, descended the hill, and, wandering 
 
 300 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 through the marshes, happened to come to the same 
 gate as that which had so hospitably opened to his 
 brother in arms. Here he was received with the 
 Hke kindness. He was bathed in warm water, and 
 ointment was appHed to his bruises. When his right 
 gauntlet was taken off, it was found to be full of blood, 
 for he also had lost his forefinger. 
 
 Sir Graham was much distressed at his discom- 
 fiture, but by no means as despondent as had been 
 Sir Grey. The consequence was that he recovered 
 much more rapidly, and that he had eyes wherewith 
 to see what a very sweet lady the fair Margaret was, 
 and a heart to be sensible to gratitude, and even 
 something warmer. Indeed, Sir Graham remained 
 under the care of the Lady Margaret considerably 
 longer than had Sir Grey — not that his wounds and 
 bruises were more serious, but that he took pleasure 
 in being there. As he prepared to leave, the lady 
 brought forth a horn, filled with a medicated drink 
 of a green colour, which was so potent that his pains 
 immediately vanished. She had done the same to 
 Sir Grey, but no sooner had that knight reached the 
 palace where lived the princess he loved, than his 
 wounds opened again, and all his pains instantly 
 returned. This was not the case with Sir Graham, 
 whose heart was untouched by Elgiva, and was, 
 indeed, occupied by the Lady Margaret. 
 
 Now, when Sir Graham had returned to Grant- 
 chester, and had related his adventure and discomfi- 
 ture, the princess laughed and said, " It seems to 
 me that Sir Greyskin is now Number One hundred 
 and-forty, and therefore my intended. I will send 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 him my ring." The princess had a little footpage. 
 She held out to him a ring and said, " Run at 
 nightfall to Wandlebury and see if Sir Greyskin will 
 take it." 
 
 The boy obeyed, and when he returned he said, 
 " I came within the embankments, and the wind was 
 whistling and the stars shining frostily overhead ; 
 and I called and said, ' A fair lady sends a knight 
 a ring.' Then I heard a hollow voice reply, ' A 
 knight accepts it. Tell the fair lady I will come on 
 my grey horse and fetch her away.' " 
 
 When Elgiva heard this, she was frightened. She 
 had sent this ring in a spirit of bravado, and now 
 the spectre knight had taken her ring, and would 
 claim her as his bride. 
 
 It must now be told that Sir Grey, full of 
 melancholy after his defeat and loss of a finger, 
 had wandered about the country without finding 
 rest for his troubled mind, or diversion of 
 thought. 
 
 One frosty day he had walked as far as a range 
 of low chalk hills which are now called the Gog- 
 magogs, and he had seated himself on the side. 
 The weather being very cold, he resolved to make 
 himself a fire, and as there were abundance of flints 
 about, he took one to strike a spark from it, there- 
 with to kindle a bundle of sticks and fern that he 
 had collected in an old quarry. He said to himself 
 as he struck the flint, " Hard is the heart of her 
 I love, as the flinty stone." 
 
 As he was warming himself at the fire, he saw 
 drops of clear water falling into it. He looked up, 
 
 302 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 and observed icicles hanging from the chalk-rock, 
 and the heat of the fire was melting them. Then 
 he said, " Cold as the icicle is the heart of her I 
 love so well." Then he fell into sad musincf, and 
 perceived near his feet in a sheltered spot, exposed 
 to the sun, a dandelion flower. Not much con- 
 sidering what he did, he plucked it, and a white, 
 milky fluid flowed from the stem. When he put 
 the stem to his mouth, he found the juice was 
 exceeding bitter and unpalatable. Then he said, 
 " Gall-bitter, I trow, as the drops that flow from the 
 dandelion flower, is the heart of the lady in Grant- 
 chester bower." 
 
 When he considered what course he should pursue 
 he could arrive at no decision. He knew that for his 
 peace it would be better were he away, and yet he 
 had not the courage to tear himself from the presence 
 and society of the beautiful Elgiva. 
 
 The story now returns to the princess. 
 
 When she heard that the spectre knight from 
 Wandlebury was coming to demand her, then she 
 bade all her maidens sit up at night, and she 
 lighted seven blessed candles, made of wax that 
 had been brought from Palestine, and none dare 
 speak above a whisper. Now they waited through 
 the night till the moon rose, and, at the very moment 
 that the moon began to mount and send a flood of 
 silver over the frosty marshes and the slow-moving 
 Cam, they all heard the sound of horse-hoofs, and a 
 rattle as of armour and bones together. 
 
 Elgiva and her maidens held their breath. Then 
 they heard the horse-hoofs and rattle of bones and 
 
 303 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 armour cease under the window, and next moment 
 a hollow voice sang — 
 
 "Oh, do you sleep or wake, fair may, 
 And do you watch for me ? 
 I bring- the ring" for the g^ay wedding- 
 That we shall make presently." 
 
 Then she answered — 
 
 "Oh, you must say what is the church 
 Where you with me will wed." 
 
 He said- 
 
 It is a green and ancient how 
 That stands on pillars red." 
 
 Then she cried out- 
 
 I will not wed in a green, green how. 
 For no saint's name doth it bear ; 
 
 It hath no altar, it hath no pall. 
 Nor psalm is ever sung there." 
 
 But he sang — 
 
 "Then we shall be married beside the road 
 Beneath the gallows tree. 
 For there a priest doth swing in chains 
 To say Benedicite." 
 
 She replied — 
 
 " I will not be married beside the road. 
 Nor under the gallows tree ; 
 And I will have my merry bridesmaids. 
 By one, by two, and by three." 
 
 Then there was a light from behind the hall ; and 
 304 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskiri 
 
 this was caused by one of the maidens whom Elgiva 
 had sent privately to kindle a great heap of straw 
 that lay there. 
 
 When the phantom knight saw the bright glow, 
 he thought that the sun was rising, and he cried 
 out — 
 
 " I must away, the dawn awakes, 
 I smell the morning- air ; 
 The sun doth rise and dazzle my eyes, 
 And I have far to fare." 
 
 Then they heard the clatter of his horse-hoofs 
 and the rattle of his arms as he galloped away. 
 
 Next night it was the same thing. Again the 
 maidens assembled, and seven candles were lighted, 
 and all waited, greatly afraid, for they expected Sir 
 Greyskin to arrive. 
 
 And, indeed, no sooner did the moon appear, than 
 they heard the clatter along the road, and the sound 
 of bones and armour shaking together. 
 
 He halted under the window, and, as on the 
 previous night, he called out — 
 
 "Oh, do you sleep or w^ake, fair may? 
 And do you watch for me ? 
 I bring the ring- for the gay wedding 
 That we shall make presently.' 
 
 Then she answered — 
 
 "Oh, where is spread the wedding feast? 
 And what is on the board? 
 Is't ale as fits a villain's cup, 
 Or wine as fits a lord ? " 
 20 305 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 He replied — 
 
 "There's neither ale nor wine, my love, 
 There be no cups at all. 
 The cold, cold dew that trickleth down 
 Into our mouths shall fall." 
 
 She then asked — 
 
 "And who shall be the guests to-night? 
 And be they many or few? 
 And who the minstrels that shall play? 
 And be there link-boys too?" 
 
 He replied — 
 
 "The guests they are the moldiwarp, 
 The cricket, and the snail. 
 The death-watch it shall music make. 
 Our lights — the glow-worm pale." 
 
 At that moment, a sound, shrill and harsh, was 
 heard from behind the hall. It was occasioned by- 
 one of the maidens who had a very rasping voice. 
 Elgiva had sent her previously to the back yard to 
 crow like a cock. 
 
 Then Sir Greyskin started and said — 
 
 "I must away, the cock he crows, 
 I smell the morning air ; 
 The clarion shrill from o'er the hill 
 Bids me afar to fare." 
 
 Then they heard the clatter of the horse-hoofs 
 and the rattle of his arms as he galloped away. 
 
 Now, as It drew to the third evening, Elglva grew 
 greatly alarmed. She could think of no other 
 
 306 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 device for ridding herself of the undesired bridegroom. 
 So she sent for Sir Grey, and told him of her distress, 
 and how that the spectre knight was coming again, 
 and would infallibly carry her off, unless she could 
 devise some way of getting rid of him. He asked 
 that he and Sir Graham might help to keep her 
 company that night, and do what they could to 
 protect her against Sir Greyskin. 
 
 She gladly consented ; and now a large company 
 was assembled, awaiting the arrival of the unwelcome 
 ghostly visitor. 
 
 No sooner did the moon appear, than the clatter 
 of horse-hoofs was heard, and the rattle of old rusty 
 armour and bones, and presently Sir Greyskin drew 
 up beneath Elgiva's window, and sang as before — 
 
 "Oh, do you sleep or wake, fair ma}? 
 And do you watch for me ? 
 I bring the ring for the gay wedding 
 That we shall make presently." 
 
 Then she asked — 
 
 "Oh, what shall be my bridal dress 
 Wherein I shall be sped?" 
 
 He answered — 
 
 "Oh, that shall be a winding sheet 
 To wrap thee feet and head." 
 
 Then she went to the window and said, " I pray 
 you let me alone, and leave me." 
 
 But he answered, " I will not let thee alone, nor 
 leave thee." 
 
 307 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then she said, " I pray you, is there nothing you 
 will take in place of me ? " 
 
 And he said, " Nothing." 
 
 Then she said, " I adjure you by the seven candles 
 of blessed wax from Palestine, say, is there nothing 
 you will take instead of me ? " 
 
 Then he sang — 
 
 "Go, fetch me light from a dungeon deep, 
 Squeeze water from a stone, 
 And milk me milk from a yellow cow 
 That ne'er on feet did run," 
 
 Now, when he sang this, then Sir Grey went to 
 the window. He had a flint-stone in his pocket, 
 and he thought that surely out of the depth of the 
 flinty stone, as from a dungeon, he could bring up a 
 light, so he drew his dagger. 
 
 The spectre knight, seated on his grey horse 
 below the window, looked up and said — 
 
 "Go, fetch me light from a dungeon deep." 
 
 Thereat Sir Grey struck the flint with his dagger, 
 and a spark flashed forth and lit up the ashen, 
 upturned face of the spectre. 
 
 He uttered a howl of disappointment and rage, 
 and threw something which fell on the floor at Sir 
 Grey's feet, and it was his finger. 
 
 Then the phantom knight cried shrilly — 
 
 "Squeeze water from a stone!" 
 
 Now, as Sir Grey was at the window, he had seen 
 icicles hanging from the eaves, and he put forth his 
 hand, took one, and, holding it in his palm, it 
 
 308 
 
Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin 
 
 dissolved, and the drops fell over Sir Greyskin. 
 Indeed, he was melting or squeezing water out of 
 what was hard as crystal stone. 
 
 Thereat the spectre uttered a howl of disappointed 
 rage, and threw something which fell on the floor — 
 and it was Sir Graham's finger. 
 
 Then the phantom knight cried — 
 
 "Go, milk me milk from a yellow cow- 
 That ne'er on feet did run." 
 
 Now, Sir Grey considered, and remembered the 
 dandelion which, when he had plucked, he had set 
 in his cap. This he now took forth, and pressed 
 the stalk so that the bitter milk ran out, and dropped 
 into the eyes of the spectre below. 
 
 When he felt the drops, and saw that his demands 
 were answered, he uttered a yell of rage and flung 
 something that fell on the floor and rolled to the 
 feet of Elgiva, and it was her ring. 
 
 Then said Sir Graham, " I remember how 
 wonderful was the effect of the green elixir of the 
 Lady Margaret. I dare be sworn, if she were to put 
 on our fingers and anoint them with a salve, and 
 give us to drink of the horn, we should be sound." 
 
 So the Lady Margaret was fetched in all haste, 
 and it was as Sir Graham said. She healed both 
 him and Sir Grey, so that none could have said their 
 fingers had been cut off. 
 
 Then the princess said to Sir Grey, " Number 
 One hundred and forty-one, here is my hand." 
 
 " Nay, princess — I am One hundred and forty." 
 
 " How can that be ? " 
 
 309 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 " I cannot count myself as conquered by Sir 
 Greyskin, as I have conquered him, and added him 
 and his numbers." 
 
 " But he defeated you." 
 
 " Yes, but my second victory neutralises the first. 
 I cannot, and will not be regarded as having con- 
 quered myself." 
 
 " There is a difficulty, I see," said Elgiva ; " but 
 let us settle it thus. You had two rounds with the 
 spectre knight ; in the first you contended with 
 physical strength, the second round was a contest of 
 intellect — but the two make up but one fight. Right. 
 Number One hundred and forty, here is my hand." 
 
 •' And here is mine," said the Lady Margaret to 
 Sir Graham. 
 
 Note. — The story of Sir Grey, Sir Graham, and Sir Greyskin is 
 a combination of the metrical romance of " Sir Eger, Sir Graham, 
 and Sir Graysteel," which is imperfect, and of which one copy alone 
 remains, and also of a story given by Gervase of Tilbury in Otia 
 Iinperalia, written in 121 1. The story of Sir Eger and the rest was 
 very popular in the early part of the sixteenth century, as is 
 evident from the manner in which it is mentioned in the Complaynt 
 of Scotland, first published in 1549. In the metrical romance, of which 
 Ellis gives a summary, Sir Graysteel is not a ghostly knight ; he 
 is actually killed by Sir Graham. I hope that I have not 
 offended the purists by identifying him with the ghostly knight of 
 Gervase. The latter distinctly localises the event at Cambridge, 
 but giV'CS, as the name of the ancient encampment, Wandlebury — 
 " in Anglia ad terminos Eliensis est castrum, Cantabrica nomine, 
 cujus limites e vicino locus est, quem Wandlebiriam dicunt." 
 
 No such name remains now near Cambridge, and I should 
 conjecture that this was an old name for the prehistoric 
 camp with mound that was occupied later by the Norman castle. 
 
 For notes on this story see Liebrecht's CoUectio7i of Extracts 
 froi7i the Otia Imperalia, Hanover, 1856. I have likewise worked 
 in a scrap of the old ballad of " The Unquiet grave." 
 
 310 
 
XVI 
 
 ROBERT THE EVIL 
 
 There lived in Normandy a duke named Hubert. 
 He was a brave and a courteous man, and he loved 
 peace though he was so brave, and cared rather for 
 the happiness of his people than for making himself 
 a name through exploits of war. 
 
 He was married to the daughter of the Duke of 
 Burgundy, and but one thing interfered with their 
 perfect happiness, and that was that they were 
 childless. They were both devout in their duties to 
 God, and they built hospitals and cared for the sick 
 and the poor. Fourteen years had they been 
 together, and there was no child. The duke's heart 
 was sad, but the duchess was the most sad, because 
 she was not only herself disappointed, but she saw 
 also that it troubled her husband greatly. 
 
 One day he was out hunting, and he said to 
 himself, " How is it that so many husbands and 
 wives have children and to spare, and I and my wife 
 have none ? " 
 
 313 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Now it happened that whilst he was saying this, 
 the duchess was sitting in her garden, and was 
 weeping, and she said to herself, " There is many a 
 poor wife, who can hardly feed her children, has got 
 a large family, and I who am rich have none. How 
 is that ? " 
 
 As she thought and spoke with herself, she picked 
 with her fingers at a bit of old wall against which 
 she was leaning her arm. It was made up of small 
 stones and bits of tile and of flint pebbles, set in 
 mortar. She had picked out several of these before 
 she became aware that she had pulled out a tile 
 that covered a little hole, and that something like 
 smoke was issuing from this small hole. The smoke- 
 like substance came out as if it were blown from a 
 pipe, and it spread out before her, and then she saw 
 that it was a dense cloud of tiny black flies ; and 
 these flies all gathered close to each other till she 
 could see no light between them, and to her infinite 
 terror she discovered that the smoke - cloud was 
 contracting into the figure of a dark man. She 
 could see no features, only a general form, and 
 through it all was an endless whirling and traversing 
 of black flies. 
 
 She was so frightened that she could not speak. 
 She looked at the great shadow-like figure before 
 her and trembled. 
 
 Then she heard a voice say to her, " I will give 
 to you a son on one condition — that one of my flies 
 may enter his heart and lodge there." 
 
 When the shadow-form spoke thus, with a voice 
 like the humming of myriads of flies, then the 
 
 314 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 duchess plucked up courage, and she said, " Give me 
 a son, and I will allow one of your flies to enter and 
 lodge in his heart." 
 
 Then all at once the swarm of flies scattered, and 
 the outline of the form was gone, and the duchess 
 started to her feet. She thought she had been 
 dreaming. 
 
 At her feet lay the little tile she had picked out 
 of the wall. She stooped, took it up, and saw that 
 it bore a singular stamp like this — 
 
 Now, as the duke rode a-hunting, he came all at 
 once to a dead hind, that lay in the depth of the 
 wood. He was alone. Above the carcase was an 
 innumerable swarm of flies, so thick that it was as 
 smoke wavering in the wind. At first he thought 
 that the dead beast was on fire, but he soon assured 
 himself that this was a cloud of mosquitoes above it. 
 He drew up his horse and looked on in wonder. 
 Then he saw the cloud of flies contract into a form, 
 twice as tall as that of a man ; he could see no 
 features, only a maze of twirling mites of flies in the 
 shape of a man. 
 
 Then he heard a voice issue from this cloud-form, 
 and it said, " I will give you a son if you will allow 
 one of my midgets to drop one tiny mite of poison 
 into his blood." 
 
 315 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 When the duke heard this, he almost laughed, 
 and he said, " I want a son indeed, and the sting of 
 a mosquito will do him no harm. I grant it." 
 
 Then all at once the cloud-form dissolved, the 
 flies scattered, 'and the duke saw no more. 
 
 Well, it came to pass, some time after this, that 
 the Duchess of Normandy became the mother of a 
 little baby boy. 
 
 Then she was full of joy, but also full of alarm, 
 for she remembered what she had promised. 
 
 She had the finest muslin curtains drawn over 
 the windows, lest any flies should enter, and over 
 the baby's crib were also fine muslin curtains 
 stretched ; and she ordered eight ladies-in-waiting to 
 watch, four by day and four by night, with fans in 
 their hands, to drive away all flies from her babe. 
 Not a fly was to be seen in the room, and the 
 duchess gave strictest orders that no cobwebs were 
 to be swept down by the housemaids. 
 
 She believed that her babe would be safe when it 
 was baptized, but that till its christening it was 
 subject to the danger of the fly entering it. 
 
 The day for the baptism had arrived. The 
 weather was so sultry that the windows were opened, 
 but the muslin curtains remained close drawn. 
 
 Suddenly, all saw a flash of lightning, and then 
 heard a crash of thunder so loud that they thought 
 the castle must have been struck. The duchess 
 nearly fainted with fear. The ladies-in-waiting 
 desisted from fanning the child. 
 
 Then a blast of wind rushed in, tore the muslin 
 curtains asunder, and in the wind came a little black 
 
 316 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 fly with a long - legged mosquito on its back, 
 trumpeting triumphantly. 
 
 Before the duchess and her ladies could recover 
 themselves, the black fly had lighted on the child's 
 lips and had crept into its mouth, and the mosquito 
 danced on to the little white brow of the babe and 
 stung it there. 
 
 The child was now taken to church, and was 
 baptized by the name of Robert. /\11 the way to 
 church, and all the way back, he did nothing but 
 howl and struggle. 
 
 Never had nurses so bad a time as they had with 
 this child. He grew his teeth quicker than do most 
 babes, and when he had them, he bit his nurses. He 
 delighted also in scratching them with his sharp 
 nails. 
 
 Before the year was out, he could run about, and 
 by the time he was three could talk. The older 
 he grew, the more mischievous he became. No 
 governess could exercise any control over him. 
 When he played with other children, he struck them 
 with his fists, pulled out their hair, and kicked them. 
 
 Often the boys in the street assembled to fight 
 him, but no sooner did he appear, than their courage 
 failed and they ran away, screaming, " Robert the 
 Evil is coming after us ! " just as sheep are scattered 
 by a wolf. At last no one called him anything else 
 but Robert the Evil. 
 
 Thus Robert grew up to be a big boy. The 
 barons of Normandy, when they saw his violence, 
 were right glad, for they thought he would make a 
 warlike duke, and they were weary of the peace 
 
 Z^7 
 
I 
 
 The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 that reigned under his father, the good Duke Hubert. 
 They thought that this was merely boyish spirit ; 
 but at last they also found that his evil disposition 
 was too much for them. Just as noxious weeds 
 grow strong, so did the evil tempers and mischief- 
 loving caprice of Robert. Nothing pleased him 
 more than to run about the streets with a stick, 
 beating people, breaking windows, and behaving like 
 a madman. 
 
 The duke was much distressed. He called his 
 son to him and said, " It is high time that this 
 disorderly life should come to an end. I am going 
 to give you a tutor to instruct you in good manners, 
 and to teach you your duty to God and to 
 men." 
 
 Robert was obliged to submit ; and a good and 
 painstaking tutor was appointed. But one day, when 
 this master was rebuking Robert for neglect, the boy 
 drew a knife, fell on his tutor and stabbed him, so 
 that he sank down in his blood on the floor. 
 
 After that no man could be got who would 
 undertake the office of tutor to Robert. His parents 
 were obliged to leave him to himself, to follow his 
 own course, for he would not listen to them any 
 more than to anyone else. 
 
 He refused to learn anything, he mocked at all 
 that is holy, and not only would he not go to church 
 himself, but on Sundays he threw mud and stones 
 at those who were going to the house of God. 
 
 When the duke saw how that his son went on 
 from evil to evil, he wished that Robert had never 
 been born ; and he thought now of the black poison 
 
 318 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 of the mosquito that had entered his blood and 
 corrupted it. The duchess also was full of grief 
 that she had been given a son who caused her shame 
 and misery, and she thought it was occasioned by 
 the fly that was harboured in his heart. 
 
 One day she said to her husband, " Our son is 
 now old enough and able-bodied : it seems to me 
 that it would be well to dub him knight, perhaps 
 that may have some effect on him, and cause him to 
 amend his wicked ways." 
 
 The duke consented, though Robert was then but 
 eighteen years old. 
 
 On Whitsunday the duke assembled the barons 
 and nobles of the land, and summoned his son 
 before the great gathering. /\fter he had discussed 
 his project with his council, he thus addressed his 
 son: " Robert, hearken to what, at the advice of my 
 best friends, I say to you before all this great 
 company. It is my purpose to dub you knight, 
 that henceforth you may associate with honourable 
 men, and may exercise yourself in acquiring knightly 
 virtues, and that you may strive to change your 
 manner of life, which grieves and offends all men." 
 
 Robert answered, " Father, do as you will. I 
 care nothing whether I am a knight or not. As my 
 heart prompts or my head advises, so will I act." 
 
 Then he strode out of the hall of assembly, in 
 such a humour that with his cudgel he struck down 
 everyone who was in his way, cutting open the 
 heads of some, and maiming others in their 
 limbs. 
 
 However, his father insisted, and next day he was 
 319 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 dubbed knight, and the duke ordered a tournament 
 to be held, in which the knights might tilt at each 
 other with blunt spears. 
 
 Robert at once entered the lists, drew his sword, 
 overthrew knight after knight, fighting and raging 
 like a lion. He broke the arm of one, the leg of 
 another, and the neck of a third. Not one who 
 ventured before him came off uninjured ; and he 
 rode with such force and fury that he rode ten horses 
 to death. The duke in vain ordered the sports to 
 close. Robert would not attend. He galloped 
 about in mad fury, running down horse and man, 
 dealing out savage blows, and in this one day killed 
 three of the boldest knights of the land, beside 
 having wounded many. 
 
 He would not desist so long as any man remained 
 within the lists ; then he spurred his horse, which 
 leaped the barrier, and he rode away into the open 
 country in search of adventures. 
 
 After this he did not return to his father's castle, 
 but gathered a number of evil-doers about him, and 
 conducted himself worse than ever, riding about the 
 country ravaging it, not sparing churches, the old, 
 the young, the feeble. 
 
 Messengers came to the duke from all sides with 
 complaints against Robert. He had burnt one 
 man's harvest, he had killed another man, he had 
 robbed a church. 
 
 The duke was in the utmost distress and doubt 
 what to do. He knelt down and prayed to God, 
 whom he had so often asked to give him a son, that 
 now, in his shame and sorrow of heart. He would 
 
 320 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 show him the means whereby his grief might be 
 assuaged, and his son recovered from such a hfe of 
 wickedness. 
 
 Then one of his worthy old servants came to him, 
 and said, " Dear master, let me give you my advice. 
 Send messengers to summon Robert to come before 
 you. Then address him in the presence of your 
 kinsmen and nobles, and bid him change his mode of 
 life ; and threaten him, unless he does so, to proceed 
 against him as you would against any ordinary 
 criminal. Throw him into prison, bring him before 
 justice — and deal with him as the law requires, 
 without respect of person." 
 
 The duke thanked the man for his advice, and 
 promised to follow it. 
 
 The duke accordingly sent messengers to his son. 
 These arrived before Robert, and were ill received by 
 him. He had their eyes put out, and said mockingly, 
 " Now, sirs, you will sleep all the better ! " 
 
 The blinded messengers returned to the duke, 
 and told him all. 
 
 The duke was very angry, and considered how he 
 could bring his son under restraint. 
 
 He sent in all haste messengers into all parts of 
 the land, and ordered the officers and governors to 
 take all measures in their power to protect the land 
 against Robert, to secure his person, and to deliver 
 him over to him, his father. 
 
 When Robert and his company heard that the 
 
 whole country was rising in arms against them, they 
 
 were greatly alarmed. But Robert ground his teeth, 
 
 and vowed that he would carry on war against his 
 
 21 321 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 own father, and that he would devastate the whole 
 land before him. 
 
 For their immediate protection, he withdrew his 
 band of robbers into a deep forest, in a wild and 
 rocky region, remote from towns and villages, and 
 there he built himself a strong castle. Numerous 
 ruffians came to him there, murderers, thieves, high- 
 waymen, and all those whose crimes banished them 
 from the company of ordinary men. 
 
 From his headquarters in the forest Robert burst 
 forth and waylaid and attacked merchants on their 
 way from one town to another. He robbed them 
 of everything, and killed all he robbed. 
 
 The country was panic-stricken. No man ven- 
 tured along the road, for fear of Robert and his 
 band. When the freebooters returned to their 
 stronghold, they lived in riot and revelry, and made 
 every day one of festivity. 
 
 One day Robert rode forth alone in the forest. 
 It so happened that he fell in with seven hermits, 
 old and pious men, who were on their way through it. 
 Out of mere savagery and wantonness, Robert rode 
 at the old men, brandishing his sword, trampled them 
 under his horse's hoofs, and cut them down with his 
 sword. When they saw him charging at them, they 
 knelt down and prayed that he might be forgiven. 
 
 When all were dead, he laughed and said, " There, 
 I have given martyrs' crowns to these seven saints. 
 What more could they have desired ? " 
 
 After this horrible crime, he left the forest. All 
 his garments were stained with blood, and he looked 
 like ^ butcher from the shambles. 
 
 322 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 As he thus rode along the land, he approached 
 the castle of Arques, and learned from a shepherd 
 that his mother was there. She had arrived that day. 
 
 He at once turned his horse's head in the direction 
 of the castle, moved by some dark and uncertain 
 impulse. But as he approached and people saw 
 him, all fled from him, like hares from a hound. 
 Some shut themselves up in their houses, others 
 took refuge in the church. 
 
 For the first time it struck Robert that he was an 
 object of aversion and horror to people. " What ! ' 
 said he ; " am I the plague, that everyone turns pale 
 and flies before me ? " 
 
 Occupied with this thought, he drew up at the 
 castle gate, sprang from his horse, and called to the 
 ostlers to take it. But no servant dared approach, 
 and he was obliged himself to attach his horse to a 
 ring in the wall. 
 
 Then, with his sword all stained with blood in his 
 hand, he strode into the castle. 
 
 When the duchess, his mother, saw Robert enter, 
 and approach her with the sword drawn in his hand, 
 she turned to run away ; but Robert called out to her, 
 " Dear mother, why do you try to escape ? I will 
 not harm you. Stand and speak to me, I pray you." 
 
 Then he approached her with his sword lowered, 
 and said to her, " Mother, tell me, I pray you, why I 
 am unlike all others, that I am so furious and bent on 
 evil continually. Sometimes I know it is all bad ; 
 but my furious passions drive me on, just as a leaf 
 is blown by a hurricane." 
 
 Then the duchess said, weeping, " My son, I am 
 323 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 to blame, as is also your father. We despaired oi 
 having a son, and were rebellious against the will of 
 God. Then all at once a mysterious dark spirit 
 stood before us, before me in the garden, and after- 
 wards before your father in the forest, and promised 
 that we should have a son if I would allow him to 
 send a black fly into your heart, and if your father 
 would allow one to drop deadly poison into your 
 blood. This, we believe, is the reason why you 
 have so much evil in your heart, and so much fire 
 in your blood, and that your thoughts are only to 
 do evil continually. Now, I kneel, I feel I am guilty 
 — raise your sword and strike off my head." 
 
 Then Robert said, " Mother, is there no way by 
 which the black fly may be dislodged from my 
 heart, and the poison be driven out of my blood ? " 
 
 The duchess said, " I have sent for seven holy 
 hermits who have lived in desert places, serving God 
 in fastings and prayers. They have been to me 
 to-day, and I told them all my sorrow, and your 
 father's, and asked them their advice." 
 
 Then Robert was dismayed, for it was even these 
 men who had come at his mother's request that he 
 had killed, and it was with their blood that his 
 sword and his garments were stained. 
 
 His mother went on to say, " I spake with these 
 holy men, and they were all of one and the same 
 opinion. They said that the black fly lived on evil 
 deeds done, — blood that is shed, houses broken into 
 and robbed, harvests destroyed, — and that the only 
 way in which you could rid yourself of the black 
 fly was to starve him out." 
 
 324 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 " And how is that to be done ? " asked Robert. 
 
 " By doing no more deeds of violence. Then 
 after a while he will be forced to leave, or he will 
 perish for want of food." 
 
 " And the poison drop in my blood ? " asked 
 Robert. 
 
 " That, said they, could only be expelled by 
 prayer and fasting." 
 
 " Oh, you good mother," said Robert, " I thank 
 you for what you have said. Hitherto I have used 
 every effort to feed and fatten the black fly, and I 
 have let the poison in my blood drive me about as 
 it would. Now I will use all my efforts to drive out 
 the black fly, and to conquer and expel the poison 
 from my blood." 
 
 Without further words, Robert left the presence of 
 his mother, and the castle of Arques. 
 
 The duchess hastened to Rouen to her husband, 
 and told him all. The duke said, " It is in vain. 
 How can he make amends for all the evil he has 
 done ? I cannot trust Robert, I believe that this is a 
 mere caprice of the moment, and he will break out 
 again into worse violence than before. Yet I pray to 
 my merciful God, to hold him to his good purpose." 
 
 Robert rode back to his fortress in the forest, and 
 there found all his companions at table. 
 
 As soon as they saw him, they stood up and 
 cheered him, and bade him take his place and drink 
 and be drunken with them. 
 
 But Robert would not seat himself ; he stood, and 
 said, " Comrades, hearken what I ha.ve to say. You 
 know that the life we have led brings destruction to 
 
 325 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 soul and body. We are all hurrying on the way to 
 outer darkness, and there is no hope for us unless 
 we turn from our evil ways and repent. Therefore 
 I bid you do as I do, give up this bad life, and seek 
 to recompense for the past." 
 
 Then they all burst out laughing, they thought he 
 was mocking. But he persisted in what he said. 
 
 Then one stood up and said, " Listen to our 
 captain ! Who is the worst among us all ? Who 
 shows least mercy ? Who leads us into the greatest 
 crimes ? " 
 
 Robert answered, " That is true. I have led you 
 wrong ; now let me lead you aright." 
 
 Then another robber called out, " Master ! you 
 speak to deaf walls. Neither I nor the rest of us 
 will leave off our life of robbery and murder because 
 you desire it. We do not like a peaceful state of 
 affairs. We have no taste for honest work. We 
 are brigands, and brigands we will remain to our 
 dying day." 
 
 All praised these words, and shouted, "If we have 
 been bad hitherto, we will be worse in the 
 future." 
 
 When Robert heard their resolve, he said not 
 another word to them. He bolted the door, took 
 up a cudgel, and laid about him with all his might, 
 and did not desist till he had knocked down and 
 killed all the gang. Then he said, " I have paid 
 you all for your services as ye deserved. As is the 
 master, so is his pay." 
 
 Then Robert put the key of his castle in his 
 pocket, and went his way. 
 
 326 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 He rode on his horse, and left the wood, and 
 travelled on till he was overcome with hunger. 
 
 Towards evening he drew near to a monastery, the 
 abbot of which was a kinsman. Robert had done 
 much harm to the possessions of this abbey ; and 
 now, as he approached, everyone fled before him. 
 He rode up to the gates, and, kneeling there, begged 
 that the abbot would speak with him. The monks 
 were so frightened that they advised the abbot to 
 have nothing to do with him. However, he went to 
 the gate, and then Robert was so earnest in his pro- 
 fession of desire to amend his evil life, that the 
 abbot opened the wicket and let him in. He gave 
 him food and quarters for the night, and much good 
 advice. 
 
 Next morning Robert said to the abbot, " I have a 
 commission wherewith I charge you. Here is the key 
 of my castle. Take it to my father, and tell him that 
 within are all the things we have taken from churches 
 and castles, as well as those things of which we have 
 despoiled merchants and peasants. Tell him to divide 
 the spoil among those whom we have plundered." 
 
 Then Robert left his horse and his sword behind, 
 and went on his way on foot. 
 
 He wandered over hill and vale, very weary and 
 footsore, and did not rest till he reached the cell of 
 a holy hermit who lived on a rock above the sea. 
 
 He asked him to take him in and advise him what 
 he must do. He told him what an evil life had 
 been his, how that the black fly was lodged in his 
 heart, and the poison boiled in his veins. He told 
 him how he had stabbed his tutor when he was ^a 
 
 327 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 boy, and had mocked at religion, and how he had 
 maltreated all who came near to him ; how he had 
 broken legs and arms and necks in the tournament 
 when dubbed knight; how he had gathered about 
 him a band of miscreants ; and he told him all that 
 ever he had done, down to the murder of the seven 
 holy hermits, who had been to advise his mother 
 concerning him. 
 
 Then the hermit said to him, " My son, I will 
 prepare you a bed, and I will think and pray about 
 you all night, and tell you in the morning what you 
 must do." 
 
 So he gave to Robert some of his frugal meal, 
 and strewed him a bed of fern leaves and heather, 
 and Robert cast himself on it and fell asleep. 
 
 Now in the night the old hermit had a dream. 
 He thought that the whole cell was full of light, and 
 that he saw an angel in the midst of the light, and 
 the angel said to him, " This is what Robert must 
 do to prove his repentance, and to learn to obtain 
 complete mastery over himself. He must behave 
 himself as a fool, and as if he were dumb. He must 
 eat no meat but what is cast to the dogs, and this 
 life he must continue to lead, till it be revealed to 
 him that his repentance is accepted, when the black 
 fly will crawl out of his mouth, and the poison will 
 come away from his thigh in a drop of black 
 blood." 
 
 When the hermit heard this, he was sore amazed 
 and dismayed. 
 
 ^fi.Next morning he was very silent. Robert asked 
 him whether he had any opinion to pass on what he 
 
 32S 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 was to do. He saw that the aged man was dis- 
 tressed, and he urged him to speak out and declare 
 what he had to say. 
 
 Then the hermit wept, and said to him, " Last 
 night I saw an angel, and he told me that you must 
 comport yourself as a fool, and as if you had lost 
 your speech, and eat only what is cast to dogs. A 
 sign from heaven will be given to show when your 
 repentance is accepted, and then the black fly will 
 leave your heart, and the poison drop will distil from 
 your blood." 
 
 Robert hearkened meekly, and thanked the hermit, 
 and promised to do as he was bidden. 
 
 Then he left the cell and went his way, not 
 knowing whither he went, and as he walked, he 
 jumped and ran, and behaved like a crazy fellow. 
 
 When he was in a village or town, the children 
 ran after him, mocking, and pelting him with stones. 
 The people also looked out of their windows at him 
 and laughed at his antics. 
 
 So he went from place to place, and all he ate 
 was what was cast to the dogs in the street till he 
 came to Paris, where the Emperor Charlemagne 
 held court. 
 
 Seeing the palace door open, Robert ran into the 
 hall where the emperor was, and jumped about from 
 side to side, never remaining for one moment in the 
 same spot. 
 
 Charles the Great saw him and said, " There is a 
 fine young man, who looks like a knight, but seems 
 to be crazy. Bid him sit down and eat and drink." 
 
 The emperor's steward brought Robert to a table, 
 329 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 and placed before him meat, bread, and wine ; but 
 he would touch nothing. 
 
 Whilst Charlemagne was eating, he threw a bone 
 to a dog which lay under the table. Instantly 
 Robert sprang from his place and pursued the dog, 
 to take the bone from him. The dog would not let 
 go his spoil, so both gnawed at the same bone, one 
 at each end. The emperor, and all in the hall who 
 saw this, laughed aloud. 
 
 At last Robert got the upper hand, and kept the 
 bone for himself, and lay down on the floor and 
 gnawed it, for he was very hungry, not having eaten 
 anything for a long time. 
 
 When the emperor saw how hungry he was, he 
 threw a slice of bread to another dog. Robert took 
 this also, but divided it in half, and gave one half to 
 the dog. This also provoked much laughter, and 
 the emperor said to his men, " This is the funniest 
 fool I have ever seen. He takes from the dogs 
 their food, but will not eat anything offered him. 
 By this one can see that he is a genuine fool." 
 
 The servants of Charlemagne now gave the dogs 
 all the remains of the meats, so that Robert might 
 be satisfied ; and that they might have sport in 
 watching him. 
 
 At last Robert stood up and began to run and 
 jump about, and strike at the walls, the pillars, the 
 dogs, the benches, with a stick he had in his hand. 
 Whilst so doing he saw an open door leading into a 
 sweet garden. He ran out and found a beautiful 
 fountain in the midst of the garden. To this he 
 went and drank of the water. 
 
 330 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 As night approached, he went with the dogs to 
 the place where they slept, which was under the 
 stairs ; and he lay down among them. The emperor 
 heard of this, and ordered a feather bed to be carried 
 to him, but Robert made signs that he would not 
 have it, so it was taken away. The emperor was 
 not a little surprised when his servants returned with 
 the soft bed, and he ordered them to litter plenty of 
 straw on the ground where Robert was. 
 
 They did this, and Robert threw himself down in 
 the clean straw, among the dogs, and soon fell fast 
 asleep. 
 
 Thus it came about that Robert, the son of a 
 mighty duke, who had been accustomed to lie on a 
 good bed and eat of the best food, freely by the force of 
 his own will, assisted by the grace of God, renounced 
 all comforts and all honour, to eat with the dogs 
 under the table, and sleep with the dogs under the 
 stair, so that he might learn self-conquest, and give 
 proof of his resolution to break with his evil habits, 
 and conquer what was evil in his nature. For, 
 indeed, there was in Robert what was bad, but also 
 something that was good, as is the case with all the 
 sons of Adam ; only in Robert there was a greater 
 force of evil than in most men, because of the black 
 fly in his heart and the black blood in his veins. 
 
 But if there was this great evil in him, there was 
 in him also a strong and resolute will, and the seeds 
 of what is good and great and noble. And what 
 happened to Robert may happen to every one of us : 
 if we will, by God's help we can- conquer the evil 
 and encourage the good. 
 
 OJ 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Now listen to what follows. 
 
 In this fashion Robert continued to live, a 
 laughing - stock to the court, kindly regarded and 
 much pitied by the emperor, and dearly loved by the 
 dogs with whom he associated, especially by one old 
 hound who lay near him on the straw, and who would 
 have allowed himself to be killed, rather than be 
 separated from Robert. 
 
 It came to pass that the Emperor Charles the 
 Great had a young and beautiful daughter, who was 
 dumb. 
 
 The king's seneschal had often asked the emperor 
 to give her to him as wife, but Charlemagne would 
 not consent to this, because he thought that although 
 his daughter was dumb, yet she deserved a noble 
 husband, and not a mere servant. 
 
 This so angered the seneschal that he left the 
 court and went to the Saracens in Spain, and in- 
 trigued with them to invade Gaul and make war 
 on the great emperor. 
 
 This was all done so privately that suddenly the 
 army of the Saracens crossed the Pyrenees and 
 poured down on the fruitful plains of i\quitaine 
 before the emperor was aware that war was menaced, 
 and before he had collected an army sufficiently 
 large to oppose the infidels. 
 
 The Arabs poured over the south, and burned 
 and destroyed and slaughtered everywhere without 
 pity. 
 
 Then Charles assembled his great nobles and thus 
 addressed them : " My lords, give me good counsel, 
 that we may withstand these heathen dogs which 
 
 332 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 have wasted our land ; wherefore I take great 
 thought, for they keep all my land under their 
 subjection, and they will bring us to confusion, 
 if that God, out of His endless mercy, help us 
 not ; wherefore I pray you, everyone, to go fight 
 with them with all your power and might, and drive 
 them away." 
 
 Then answered the lords and knights all with one 
 assent, saying, " Sovereign lord, your counsel is good 
 and wise, therefore we be ready all to go with you, 
 and give them battle, and defend our right, and relieve 
 the land." 
 
 The emperor thanked them for this answer, and 
 was glad, and made proclamation throughout all the 
 country, that every man, old and young, who was 
 able to bear arms should make ready to fight against 
 the Saracens. 
 
 Great numbers of men assembled about the 
 emperor, who placed himself at the head of the host, 
 and marched forth against the enemy. 
 
 Now the old story says : " And for all that the 
 emperour had moche mo people than the seneschall, 
 yet the seneschall had wonne the felde, hadde not 
 God of His grace sente theder Robert to resyste and 
 helpe them in theyr grete necessyte." 
 
 On the very day on which the Emperor Charles 
 marched against the Saracens, it happened that 
 Robert went into the garden of the palace where 
 was the fountain, and he sat on the margin sorrowful, 
 thinking of the great danger run by the emperor 
 and his Christian men, and how unable he was to 
 help. Then all at once he heard a voice from 
 
 333 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 heaven, that said, " Robert, make haste ! arm thyself, 
 mount and fly to the assistance of the emperor and 
 the Christian host." 
 
 Robert started to his feet in great astonishment. 
 There was a flash as of lightning, and he saw before 
 him a snow-white horse, richly harnessed, and on the 
 breasting of the fountain a complete suit of silver 
 armour, and a shield on which was blazoned a red 
 cross above a crescent. 
 
 Now it happened that there stood at a window 
 the dumb princess, and she was looking into the 
 garden when this happened, and she saw the great 
 light and the sudden apparition of the horse and the 
 armour, and she further saw Robert don the armour, 
 mount the horse, and ride away. 
 
 If she had been able to speak, she would have 
 told her ladies what she had seen, but as she was 
 dumb, she kept it locked up in her heart. 
 
 Robert, in full armour, gleaming with light, on 
 the snow-white horse, galloped into the camp of the 
 Christians ; and arrived just at the moment when the 
 army of the Franks was hard pressed by the enemy, 
 and was beginning to waver. 
 
 When, however, Robert appeared, and the enemy 
 saw his flashing armour, and felt the strokes of his 
 mighty arm and sword that shone as lightning, 
 they were filled with panic, and recoiled. The 
 Christians plucked up courage, recovered lost ground, 
 and charged with shouts and levelled spears. The 
 result was a victory. 
 
 The ground was strewn with the dead of the 
 Saracens, and the Franks put the invaders to flight 
 
 334 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 No sooner was Robert assured that the victory 
 was won, than he galloped back to Paris, and to the 
 garden of the emperor. Having reached the fountain, 
 he descended from the saddle, when, instantly horse 
 and harness vanished, and Robert was but the poor 
 ragged fool he had been before. 
 
 The emperor's daughter saw this from her window. 
 Fain would she have spoken, had her tongue been 
 loosed. 
 
 Robert had received a scar on the face in the 
 battle, otherwise he was unhurt. 
 
 The emperor now returned in triumph to Paris, 
 and all the bells of all the churches rang out 
 joyously. He went at the head of his troops to the 
 cathedral, and thanked God for the assistance 
 rendered him. 
 
 When the evening banquet began, then Robert 
 was in the hall as usual, performing his wonted 
 antics, mute and crazy as before. The emperor was 
 glad to see his fool again, but when he observed the 
 scar on his face, he was vexed, and said, " I see that 
 there are envious people in my court who have taken 
 advantage of my absence to wound my poor good 
 fool. It is true that he is a fool, but he is one 
 who does no man an injury." Then the emperor 
 issued orders that no one should molest Robert at 
 any time. 
 
 However, he had other matters to think of, and 
 he began to talk with his nobles about the great 
 victory, and to ask who that was on the white horse 
 and in the silver armour, who had rendered such 
 assistance that day. As none could inform him, 
 
 335 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Charles said, " I know not who he be, but this 1 
 know of him, that he is the bravest and finest knight 
 I ever saw." 
 
 The princess was present, and heard these words. 
 She drew nigh to her father and made a sign to 
 him, pointing to Robert, so as to show who it was 
 who had ridden to the assistance of the Christian 
 army. He could not understand what she meant, 
 so he summoned her nurse, who had been with her 
 from infancy, to explain to him what his daughter 
 desired to say. The nurse, after watching her signs, 
 told Charlemagne that the princess desired to inform 
 him that Robert the fool was he who had brought 
 such unexpected and powerful assistance to the army. 
 
 The emperor laughed heartily at this, and said, 
 " Verily my daughter is as great a fool as is he." 
 But then he became angry, and said to the nurse, 
 " Instead of training my child to be sensible, you 
 encourage her to give way to all kinds of nonsensical 
 ideas." 
 
 When the princess heard this, she made no further 
 signs, although she well knew that what she wanted 
 to say was the truth. She went away in sadness of 
 heart. 
 
 After a while the Arabs had collected their forces 
 again, and once more advanced against Paris. 
 Again the emperor at the head of his Franks 
 marched against them, and this time also would have 
 been defeated unless the White Knight had come, as 
 before, to his assistance and that of the hard pressed 
 Christian host. This time also, Robert turned the 
 battle into a rout of the enemy. 
 
 336 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 When the battle was over, no one knew what had 
 become of the White Knight ; for, although the 
 emperor sent his men to observe \^'hich way he 
 went, yet he had vanished before they could come 
 up with him ; and only the princess knew who 
 he was. 
 
 A short time after this, fresh forces of the Arabs 
 crossed the Pyrenees, and the remnant of the defeated 
 host united with them ; and now the army was so 
 great that the seneschal and the Saracen captain at 
 the head of the army hoped to recover all they had 
 lost ; and they marched for the third time on Paris. 
 
 Before the Emperor Charles went forth to battle, 
 he gave orders to some of his knights to closely 
 observe the White Knight, should he again appear, 
 and to surround him and bring him before his throne. 
 They promised to do this, and when the day of 
 battle came, several of them hid in a wood by 
 the way, and waited for the coming of the White 
 Knight. 
 
 But this was in vain. Before they were aware, 
 Robert was in the midst of the fight. Then the 
 knights followed him, dealing strokes of their swords 
 right and left, but none did such wonders as Robert. 
 The enemy was unable to withstand this onslaught, 
 and the Saracen host broke up and scattered in 
 greater confusion than before. 
 
 When the battle was over, and all set their faces 
 to return home, Robert also resolved to gallop back 
 to the well in the garden, there to release himself 
 from his armour as heretofore. But the knights 
 who had been ordered to watch and secure him had 
 22 337 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 returned to the wood, and were awaiting him. When, 
 therefore, they beheld him riding towards Paris, they 
 drew up across his way, and called out to him, 
 " Gallant knight ! speak to us and say who you are, 
 and from what land you come ; for the emperor 
 desires greatly to honour and reward you." When 
 Robert heard this, he was abashed. He struck 
 spurs into his horse and flew away over hill and 
 vale ; for he knew that he was working out his 
 penance, and must not speak or receive any honour 
 from men. One of the boldest of the knights 
 pursued him on a good horse, but, as he saw that he 
 could not overtake him, he threw his spear after him, 
 not with intent to hurt Robert, but to strike and 
 arrest the white horse. However, his aim was bad, 
 and the spear struck Robert in the thigh ; the lance- 
 head entered and made a bad wound, but the shaft 
 broke off. 
 
 Robert rode away with the spear-barb in his thigh. 
 Thus the knight did not discover anything, but he 
 took up his broken spear-shaft and rode back to his 
 companions, and all were sorrowful that he should 
 have hurt the gallant White Knight. 
 
 Robert hastened to the fountain, and then 
 descended from the horse and laid aside his armour ; 
 whereupon all vanished. He drew the spear-head 
 from his thigh, and hid it between two big stones by 
 the fountain. 
 
 Poor Robert did not know how to get his wound 
 dressed, and he was constrained to cover it with 
 moss, and to rip out the lining of his jacket and 
 bind it round the wound. 
 
 338 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 Again the daughter of the emperor saw from a 
 window all that took place ; she saw what a gallant 
 and honourable knight, and withal how modest, 
 Robert was, and she began to regard him with 
 tender love. 
 
 When Robert had bound up his wound, he went 
 to the hall of the palace, to get some food ; but he 
 limped, on account of his wound ; however, he 
 endeavoured to disguise the pain he was in as best 
 he might. 
 
 Soon after came the knight who had wounded 
 him and related to the emperor how he had flung 
 his spear at the White Knight, and how unwillingly he 
 had struck him, and how that the head of the spear 
 was left in his flesh. 
 
 " The best thing to be done, sire," said he, " is 
 for you to utter a proclamation, and publish it 
 throughout the empire, and if there be any knight in 
 white harness rides a white horse, that he should be 
 brought to your presence, and that he bring with 
 him the spear-head wherewith he was hurt in the 
 thigh, showing the wound, and that you give him 
 your daughter to wife, and half your empire with 
 her." 
 
 The emperor, hearing this, approved of his counsel, 
 and made the proclamation and published it through- 
 out the empire. 
 
 The proclamation came to the ears of the 
 seneschal, who still loved the dumb princess, and 
 who thought that an opportunity was offered him 
 not only to obtain her, but also to recover the favour 
 of the emperor. He had kept very secret that he 
 
 339 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 was in league with tlie Saracens, and had been in 
 their camp, and had stirred them up to war against 
 Charles the Great, and he trusted that the emperor 
 knew nothing of his treachery. 
 
 So now he procured for himself a white horse and 
 a suit of silver armour, and he cut his thigh and 
 thrust a broken-off lance-head into the wound. He 
 hoped thereby to deceive the emperor, and win the 
 princess. When he had thus done, he armed his 
 servants and set forth for Paris with a great 
 retinue. 
 
 On reaching the capital, he at once went to the 
 palace, and saluted Charles the Great, and said to 
 him, " My lord, I am he that relieved you three 
 times in your great straits. Three times have I 
 caused you to have honour and victory against the 
 dogs of Saracens." 
 
 The emperor, who thought not of treason or 
 deceit, said, " You are a valiant and wise knight ; 
 but I had not supposed it possible that you could 
 be our deliverer, for, indeed, when you did not 
 answer my summons to arms, I took you for for- 
 sworn and a villain." 
 
 The seneschal pretended to be very angry at this, 
 and he said, " My lord emperor, marvail you nothing 
 hereat, for I am not such a coward as you take me 
 to be?" 
 
 So saying, he drew the spear-head from his thigh 
 and showed it to the emperor. 
 
 The knight stood by who had wounded Robert, 
 and he looked well at the iron spear-head, and was 
 very sure it was not the same as that which he had 
 
 340 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 used. But he thought advisable at that moment to 
 say nothing, for he was afraid of the seneschal, and 
 the emperor seemed to believe him. And, indeed, 
 Charlemagne now showed great honour to the 
 seneschal, and was ready to reward him for the 
 services he thought that he had done. 
 
 And now the time had come when Robert's 
 penance was to be ended. 
 
 He lay under the stairs on the straw, fevered with 
 his wound, and he heard how that all was being made 
 ready for the marriage of the false seneschal with the 
 beautiful princess. He knew that the wicked man 
 was claiming honour for having done that which he 
 had never acomplished. Yet Robert did not believe 
 that the hour of his deliverance had come. The dog 
 that so loved him licked his wound, when Robert 
 took off the plaster of moss. And lo ! Robert saw that 
 in the moss was a drop of poisonous black blood, 
 that had come forth from his veins and had burned 
 the moss wherever it touched. This he now threw 
 away, and he knew that the end of his sorrows was near. 
 
 At this time an angel appeared to the old hermit 
 among the rocks of Brittany, and told him all that 
 had happened to Robert, and bade him gird up his 
 loins and hasten to Paris, and declare to Robert that 
 his time of trial was accomplished. 
 
 Now there arrived the wedding-day, and the prin- 
 cess was full of shame and grief, because she was to 
 marry the seneschal, who pretended to have done 
 those gallant deeds which she, and she alone, knew 
 had been performed by the poor fool who lived under 
 the stairs. 
 
 341 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 She wept and tore her hair and wrung her hands, 
 but all in vain. She could not speak and tell her 
 father why she was so unhappy, and he no longer 
 mistrusted the seneschal, for he thought that he was 
 bound by his word to give her to the man who had 
 delivered himself and his army in their great peril on 
 three several occasions. 
 
 So a great procession was formed to go to the 
 cathedral, where the archbishop was to marry the 
 seneschal to the princess, and all the way the poor 
 princess wept and wrung her hands. 
 
 Now, when she stood in the church, and the 
 marriage service began, then all at once the string 
 of her tongue was loosed, and she cried aloud, " My 
 father ! my father ! how can you believe that this 
 wicked man and false traitor was he who assisted you ? 
 All he says is a lie. Here, in this city, even in your 
 own palace, lives the man to whom you and all here 
 present owe your lives. I have long known who was 
 the White Knight ; I tried once to show you what I 
 knew, but you would not believe me." 
 
 Then all were in great marvel to hear the dumb 
 lady speak. 
 
 And now the knight who had wounded the White 
 Knight had the courage to speak out. " Sire," said 
 he, " the spear-head that man drew from his thigh 
 never belonged to my spear." 
 
 Then the archbishop, who stood before the altar, 
 spoke out, and bade the princess declare all. But she 
 took her father by the one hand and the archbishop by 
 the other, and led them into the garden to the foun- 
 tain, and showed them where was hidden the head of 
 
 342 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 the spear. And the knight who had wounded 
 Robert, and who followed, at once knew that this was 
 verily the barb of his own weapon. He brought his 
 shaft, and the spear-head and the piece of wood still 
 attached to it fitted exactly. 
 
 Then the princess said, " Thrice have we been 
 delivered from the heathen by the valour of this 
 brave knight. Thrice have I seen his horse and 
 harness, which he has resigned thrice when his work 
 was accomplished. What has become of horse and 
 armour, that I know not, but the man himself is 
 here. Each time, when he had done what he was 
 sent to do, he went and laid himself down among 
 the dogs." To her father she said, " He it is who 
 has saved your honour and your land. It is yours 
 to reward him. Let us go and learn the truth from 
 his own lips." 
 
 Then they all went to where Robert lay on the 
 straw, and his faithful old friend the dog was licking 
 his wound. The emperor, and the archbishop, the 
 princess, the nobles of the land and the great 
 ladies, all were present. They stood in the hall, on 
 the stair, in the doorway. And when Robert saw 
 them, he hastily drew his rags over his wound. 
 
 But the emperor said to him, " Friend, I pray you 
 suffer us to look at the wound in your thigh. I must 
 needs see it." 
 
 Robert now understood what Charles the Great 
 meant, and he pretended not to comprehend. He 
 took up the straw and began to bite and tear it, and 
 then to toss it about and play with it, like a fool. 
 
 Then all at once, as he looked up, he saw the face 
 343 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 of the old hermit from Brittany. The old man had 
 entered and stood behind the emperor. Then he 
 dropped the straw and remained motionless. 
 
 The hermit in a loud voice cried out, " Hearken 
 unto me, you Robert ; and all ye who stand by^ 
 This is the man who was called Robert the Evil, and 
 indeed with right, for much evil had he done. But 
 henceforth shall he be called Robert the Good, for 
 the evil he once wrought, he will recompense with 
 much and abundant good. And now, Robert, I 
 declare to thee that the time of thy probation is at 
 an end. Serve and honour God, love mankind, your 
 brethren. And I am sent to open your mouth." 
 
 Then the hermit stood forward, and he touched 
 Robert on the lips, and Robert opened his mouth, 
 and forthwith there flew away from him a tiny black 
 fly, so thin and so feeble that it seemed not to have 
 strength to move its wings. 
 
 Then Robert fell on his knees and said, " King 
 of Heaven, I thank Thee that I who have been the 
 worst of sinners am suffered to arise and do Thee 
 service in the future." 
 
 Now, when the emperor, and the archbishop, and 
 the princess, and all who were present heard Robert 
 speak so well and so rationally, they were filled with 
 joy at their hearts. 
 
 Robert, however, at once bade all farewell, for he 
 longed to return home and see his father and 
 mother. 
 
 When he neared Normandy, — or Neustria, as it 
 was then called, — he heard that his father was dead, 
 and that an usurper had driven away the duchess 
 
 344 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 and ruled the land with violence. Robert at once 
 proclaimed that he was duke, and summoned the 
 knights of the land to him, and without much diffi- 
 culty he succeeded in expelling the usurper. There 
 was great joy when his mother met him, and learned 
 how altered a man he was. 
 
 As soon as Robert had established order and good 
 government in his duchy, he hasted back to Paris, 
 where a great wedding was celebrated, and he 
 married the daughter of Charlemagne, who had been 
 dumb, but now spoke plain. 
 
 Robert with a great retinue came to Rouen in 
 Normandy with his wife, and the people received 
 both with great joy. 
 
 Robert ruled in justice and with mercy, and the 
 land had peace and flourished under his sway. 
 
 One day a messenger came to him from the 
 emperor, to say that the seneschal, who had escaped 
 unhurt from Paris after his treachery had been dis- 
 covered, had again leagued with the Saracens, and 
 was marching into Gaul. 
 
 Then Robert collected an army and hastened to 
 the assistance of Charlemagne. A great battle was 
 fought, and in it Robert with his own hand clove 
 him from crown to shoulders by one mighty 
 blow. 
 
 After this he returned to Normandy, and lived 
 long in love and honour with his noble wife. He 
 was feared by his enemies and loved by his friends 
 and by his subjects. He died at the age of sixty- 
 two, and was known as duke by the name of Richard 
 the Good. 
 
 345 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Note. — This is one of the noblest of mediseval romances. On it 
 Meyerbeer based his opera of " Roberto il Diavolo." It has not 
 hitherto been adapted for children because of a difficulty at the 
 beg-inning- to which objection might be taken. An attempt has been 
 made in this version to g-et over the difficulty. The tale occurs in 
 an early French metrical romance of the thirteenth century. There 
 was also a mediseval mystery play on the same topic. The story 
 was turned into prose and published at L)-ons in 1496. The 
 English edition was by Wynkyn de Worde, about 1490. 
 
 It has been supposed that there is some sort of historical basis 
 for the story. Robert has been supposed to have been the son ot 
 one Aubert, first Duke of Neustria under Pepin, the father of 
 Charlemagne, about 751. This Aubert had a wife named Inde, 
 sister of the Duke of Burgundy, by whom he had a son called 
 Robert, who received the bad nickname on account of the enor- 
 mities committed by him in the Forest of Rouveray. Robert was 
 the father of Richard Sans-peur, who is also a hero of romance. 
 The stories of both were incorporated inLes Chro7iiques et excellents 
 Faits des Dues, Princes, Barotis et Seigneurs de la 7whle Diichd de 
 Nonnandie," Paris, s.a. 
 
 The story of Robert has either been made up from the legends 
 of St. Alexis and that of St. Roque, or these latter have borrowed 
 from the legend of Robert. St. Roque is always represented with 
 the dog and the wound in his thigh. He is ever in pilgrim garb ; 
 and in the original story Robert goes in pilgrimage to Rome, and 
 the incidents of his penance take place at Rome. As, however, he 
 seems to have been a contemporary with Charles the Great, and 
 is associated with his wars against the Arabs, I have transferred 
 the scene to Paris. 
 
 Robert I., sixth Duke of Normandy,'wasalsosurnamed by some 
 *'The Devil," by other "The Magnificent"; but he was the 
 second son of Richard the Good, and was father of William the 
 Conqueror. It is not possible to fit the story to this duke ; but it is by 
 no means surprising that as his name was Robert, and he showed 
 himself somewhat rough in dealing with his enemies, the nickname 
 so well known through tradition should have also attached to him. 
 
 The marvellous horse and armour are an Oriental importation, 
 and this incident can hardly be earlier than the crusades. It is 
 also introduced into other folk-tales. 
 
 The old English prose romance was reprinted by M. Thorns in 
 1828, and again in 1858. It reposes on the metrical romance ot 
 
Robert the Evil 
 
 • ' Robert le Diable " of the thirteenth century, which was first printed 
 b\ Trebutien in 1837, from a MS. in the Bibliotheque Royale at 
 Paris. There is also a metrical English romance on the same 
 subject, probably of the end of the thirteenth or beg^inning- of the 
 fourteenth century, which was printed in London in 1798. The 
 story must have been extant before the battle of Hastings, as 
 Henry of Huntingdon informs us that William the Conqueror re- 
 ferred to it in his address to the soldiers : " He overcame the devil 
 himself, with whom he wrestled, and cast down and bound him, 
 leaving him a shameful spectacle to angels. 
 
 34/ 
 
XVII 
 
 THE CROWN OF WHITE ROSES 
 
 349 
 
XVII 
 
 THE CROWN OF WHITE ROSES 
 
 There lived once on a time a mason ; he was 
 young, an excellent workman, and very diligent. 
 Consequently he was much sought after. 
 
 Now he saw a very modest, beautiful girl, and he 
 went to her mother's house to ask to have her as his 
 wife. 
 
 The mother answered and said, " My daughter is 
 the best girl in the world ; but she is very poor. 
 Indeed, she has got as her dower nothing whatever 
 but a crown of white roses. She has a fairy god- 
 mother, and this fairy at her birth gave her this rather 
 than riches. The property of the crown of white 
 roses is this : Whenever she is spoken roughly to and 
 frightened, the roses curl up ; and when she is 
 approached with words of treachery, they close alto- 
 gether ; should anyone venture to kiss her except 
 her father and mother, and her husband when she 
 has one, all the leaves of the roses will fall off. 
 Look here ! " said the old woman, and she pointed 
 
 351 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 to a wreath of white roses that hung against the 
 wall. 
 
 The mason looked and saw a beautiful garland, 
 and all the white rose-leaves were quivering and 
 curling. 
 
 " That is because my daughter is frightened," 
 said the widow ; " she saw you coming here, and she 
 knows you have come after her." 
 
 " But I am not speaking roughly," said the man. 
 
 " No ; but you are asking for her to be your wife, 
 and that has frightened her. Now I will go and call 
 her." 
 
 Then the young girl was summoned, and all the 
 rose-leaves trembled and curled as she came in, 
 and listened to the mason asking her to be his 
 wife. 
 
 She looked up at the crown, but as the flowers 
 remained open, and did not shut, she knew he was an 
 honest man, and meant nothing but good. 
 
 So she agreed to be his wife. 
 
 Then he asked her to let him kiss her. 
 
 But she drew back in a great fright, and said, 
 " No, I dare not, till you are my husband, or all 
 the leaves of the roses will fall off, and the virtue of 
 the garland will be at an end." 
 
 To make a long story short, the marriage took 
 place, and the mason got a very sweet and good 
 wife, who cared only for her house and her husband, 
 to keep the first tidy and the other happy. 
 
 Now the house occupied by the mason was a bit 
 of an old castle that had been abandoned, and would 
 have fallen into total ruin if he had not spent much 
 
The Crown of White Roses 
 
 time, when not otherwise engaged, in mending the 
 roof, patching up the walls, and making it habitable. 
 Adjoining the entrance hall was a tower, and under 
 this tower was a dungeon. In the floor was a loose 
 board on a hinge, so contrived that whoever stepped 
 on the board tumbled through into the dungeon 
 beneath, from which it was impossible for anyone to 
 extricate himself without assistance from above. 
 
 The mason told his wife to be very careful not to 
 go into the tower because of this trap-door. 
 
 They lived very happily for some time together, 
 and then the mason was asked to go and build a 
 grand dining-hall for a nobleman at a distance ; and 
 as the pay offered was good, he consented to go. 
 
 Before he departed, he said to his dear wife, " I 
 shall take the wreath of roses with me, and I shall 
 look at it every day, and if I see the leaves tremble 
 and curl, I shall know you are frightened, and if I 
 see the roses close, I shall know that someone is 
 approaching you with words of treachery ; and if 
 there seems to be real danger, then I will come back 
 to you at once. If you are in real alarm, send any 
 troublesome person into the tower-room, and tumble 
 him into the dungeon, and I will attend to the matter 
 on my return, or you can send for me, if you wish 
 it.'' 
 
 Having said this, the mason went away, and 
 carried the garland of roses with him. He 
 reached the nobleman's castle, and was set his task, 
 and worked at it diligently and skilfully. The 
 nobleman came every day to see how his hall was 
 getting on, and he sometimes stood beside the mason 
 23 353 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 in his workshop when he was engaged on his plans, 
 or in doing a bit of stone-carving. 
 
 One day he noticed the wreath of white roses 
 hanging against the wall, near the table at which 
 the man worked out his plans. Then he asked the 
 mason about it, and heard the wonderful story of 
 the virtues of the garland. 
 
 Well, this nobleman was an inquisitive man, and 
 he thought and thought about the wreath of roses, 
 and had no rest ; but made up his mind to go and 
 see the mason's wife, and find if he could snatch a 
 kiss, and then come quickly back and discover 
 whether by this means he could make the roses cast 
 all their leaves. 
 
 So he taunted the mason, and said he did not 
 believe what he said, and that this was all a story 
 made up to try him, whether he were a fool or not. 
 
 The mason persisted in what he asserted, and the 
 nobleman continued incredulous. At last he said 
 to the mason, " Will you let me go and try if I can 
 get a kiss ? " 
 
 " You may go if you like," said the mason ; " but 
 I know very well that you will get none, and if you 
 get badly off by the expedition, blame yourself and 
 not me." 
 
 " Very well," said the nobleman ; " I will risk it, 
 and take the consequences, which cannot be bad. I 
 can but be refused." 
 
 So away he went. 
 
 Now he rested not till he reached the door of the 
 house where lived the mason when at home. He 
 knocked, and was admitted. The young wife iras 
 
 354 
 
The Crown of White Roses 
 
 frightened when she saw him, for she thought that 
 something must have happened to her husband. 
 
 The nobleman said, " I have come to ask you to 
 give me a kiss. Your husband has allowed me to 
 come and try. I will give you twenty pounds if 
 you will, as I am very curious to test the virtue of 
 the wreath of roses. And now I have seen you, I 
 shall be ever your debtor if you will allow me one 
 kiss of your cherry lips." 
 
 Then the young wife said, " My lord, how can 
 you ask such a thing, when you are splashed with 
 mud all over your face ? Go into the tower-room 
 and wash your face, and then we will talk further 
 about this said kiss." 
 
 So the nobleman thought that as he rode along, 
 and passed market people on the road, mud had 
 been splashed from their horses' hoofs over his face, 
 and he hastily opened the door into the tower-room, 
 walked forward, trod on the loose plank, and went 
 head over heels down into the dungeon. 
 
 Now the mason had kept his eyes fixed on the 
 wreath, and he had seen the fluttering of the 
 rose-leaves, and the flowers closing. He was in 
 alarm, and threw aside his tools, so as to start, but 
 he looked again at the wreath, and all the roses were 
 open again. So he knew that everything was well 
 with his dear wife at home. 
 
 The nobleman, when he came to himself in the 
 dungeon, found it all dark, and though he groped 
 about, he could discover no possible way out ; so he 
 began to shout. The mason's wife paid no attention 
 to him for a long time. At last she went into the 
 
 355 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 tower-room, raised the trap-door, and asked what 
 the captive wanted. 
 
 He begged and implored to be let out, but she 
 would not hearken to his entreaties. She said that 
 she intended to keep him there till her husband's 
 return. 
 
 When the nobleman found it was no good his 
 asking to be let out, then he begged that some food 
 might be let down to him. The mason's wife 
 answered that in her house there were no idlers, 
 whoever ate had earned his victuals, and that if the 
 nobleman desired food, he must spin till he had 
 gained enough to pay for his meal. 
 
 " Spin ! " exclaimed the captive ; " that is woman's 
 work. I never span in my life." 
 
 " Nevertheless, you must spin or starve," answered 
 the mason's wife. 
 
 Well, he remained tossing and stamping about 
 in the dark dungeon some hours. At last he got so 
 ravenously hungry, that he shouted out that he was 
 ready to do the work set him. So the woman threw 
 down a bundle of flax and a distaff for him to work 
 upon, and hung a little lamp in the dungeon, by the 
 light of which he might see to work. 
 
 The nobleman now set to work spinning, and 
 though he was clumsy at first with his fingers, yet 
 in time he had spun a whole spindleful of fine thread. 
 When this was done, he was quite sick and faint with 
 hunger. He called, and the woman came ; she let 
 down a little basket, and he put his hank of thread 
 in ; and, as she was satisfied, she passed down to him 
 some bread and water, upon which he fed ravenously. 
 
The Crown of White Roses 
 
 Now it must be told how that people wondered 
 much at the disappearance of the nobleman. Some 
 thought he had gone to court because summoned by 
 the king ; some that he had gone fighting in France ; 
 
 some that he had been waylaid by robbers and 
 murdered. 
 
 It happened that one day the steward of the 
 nobleman came into the mason's workshop, and he 
 
 357 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 also asked the meaning of the ever-blooming crown 
 of roses. Then the mason told him, as he had told 
 the nobleman. 
 
 Now the steward was a cunning man, and he 
 thought within himself that he would go and try if 
 he could get a kiss ; and if he did, and the leaves fell 
 off, then this crown would be a great curiosity, and 
 he would buy it, and go round the country in a van 
 showing it, and make a great deal of money by it. 
 He did not know that if once the leaves fell off, they 
 would never come out again, and he thought that 
 the wreath would answer just as well for his own 
 wife as for that of the mason. 
 
 So he also went a journey to the house where 
 dwelt the mason's wife. He knocked at the door, 
 and was admitted, and he began to flatter and praise 
 the woman, and say all the honeyed things he could 
 think of, and then, when he supposed that he had 
 turned her head with his flattery, he popped out a 
 petition that he might have a kiss. 
 
 " Oh," said she, " how can you ask such a thing, 
 when you have been stung by a bee on your lip, 
 and it is swollen ? " 
 
 " I did not know I had been stung," said he. 
 
 " Go into the tower-room. You will find a mirror 
 there. Look into it, and see for yourself." 
 
 So he opened the door, walked in, and tumbled 
 through the trap - door head over heels into the 
 dungeon. 
 
 When he came to himself, he was greatly astonished 
 to see there his master hard at work, spinning thread. 
 The steward asked whether it was not possible to 
 
 358 
 
The Crown of White Roses 
 
 get out, but his master said that there was no chance 
 at all. 
 
 After some time, the steward began to clamour 
 for food. The mason's wife answered him through 
 the trap-door, that she would give him none unless 
 he earned it by swingling, that is to say, beating flax. 
 
 The steward said, "Then have I wonder; 
 Rather would I die of hunger, 
 
 Without housel and shrift." 
 The lord said, "So did I feel; 
 But you'll work if you hunger well, 
 
 And work what work is thee brought." 
 The lord sat and did his work ; 
 The steward sulked, it drew dark. 
 
 Great sorrow was in his thought. 
 
 The lord now shouted, and the woman came to 
 the trap-door, and he said, " Dame, I have spun all 
 the line, now let me have something to eat." 
 
 He passed up what he had spun, and some dinner 
 was let down to him. He ate up every scrap. 
 
 The lord ate and drank fast, 
 
 The steward hungered at the last, 
 
 And said, "My lord, give me some." 
 The lord said, "Not a morsel, not a sop, 
 Shalt thou have go down thy throat. 
 
 Nay — not so much as a crumb ; 
 Unless thou help to swingle line (flax), 
 Much hunger will be thine. 
 
 So work — and cease thy moan." 
 
 The steward was obliged to give in, he was 
 famished. He entreated for work, and the woman 
 threw in a great bundle of flax for him to beat with 
 
 359 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 a rod, till he had made the fibre tender, and had 
 beat away all the worthless matter. So the steward 
 worked hard, battering with a stick on the hemp to 
 disengage the fibre, and becoming hot and exhausted 
 with his work. But as he could get no food till he 
 had earned it, he did not dare to give over. 
 
 It must now be told that the mason one day saw 
 his wreath of roses all of a quiver, and then the 
 flowers close up more like buds than full roses. He 
 was much alarmed, and he pulled on his coat and 
 put aside his tools to hasten away to his wife's 
 assistance, when all at once the roses spread out 
 again as before. 
 
 There was great wonder when it was found that 
 the steward had disappeared as well as the nobleman. 
 And now the parish constable took the matter up, 
 and began to inquire, and soon learned that the last 
 that had been seen of the nobleman was on a market 
 day, riding in the direction of the mason's house. 
 
 On further inquiry, he learned that the last seen 
 of the steward was by a shepherd who had observed 
 him riding a mule into the yard of the mason's house. 
 
 So he started on a donkey, and jogged along till 
 he arrived at the old castle which had been turned 
 into a house by the mason. And he tumbled off 
 his ass, and kicked and hammered with his fists at 
 the door till it was opened, and then he burst in, 
 panting and blowing, and threw himself into a chair. 
 
 When he had got his breath, he began to bluster 
 and shout, " Where are the nobleman and the 
 steward ? They have been seen coming this way. 
 I am sure you have some knowledge as to where 
 
 360 
 
The Crown of White Roses 
 
 they are. I will see. I will have you hanged if 
 you have made away with them." 
 
 "If you think that I have done them harm, go 
 and look all about my house," said the wife. " For 
 my part, I think I have done them good." 
 
 " I'll find out. I am a man of the law. I am 
 parish constable. I'll ransack your house from attic 
 to cellar." 
 
 Then he dashed through the door into the tower- 
 room, trod on the loose plank, and away he went 
 head over heels down into the dungeon. 
 
 When he came to his senses, he looked round and 
 saw to his astonishment the nobleman spinning, and 
 the steward swingling. 
 
 The steward and also the knig-ht 
 Said, " Constable, man of might, 
 
 Come and sit us by." 
 The constable began to stare, 
 For he was, he knew not where. 
 
 But well he knew the knight, 
 And the steward working the flax. 
 He said, "Sirs, may I ax 
 
 What you do here, this night?" 
 The steward answered, "Well may you fare, 
 You came to see where we two were. 
 
 Now help this linen to dight." 
 
 The constable stormed and stamped about, and 
 vowed he was not accustomed to do woman's work, 
 and do it he would not. 
 
 The steward answered that they were as good 
 men as he, but they could not help themselves, work 
 they must, or starve. 
 
 The constable declared he would rather starve 
 
 361 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 than do that sort of work, to which the steward 
 retorted that he would whistle another tune presently. 
 
 After a while the woman let down the basket, 
 and the nobleman and steward sent up their tale of 
 work, which was approved, and their food let down 
 to them in return. Whereupon they set to eat 
 ravenously, and ate up all, nor let the constable have 
 a crumb of bread nor a drop of water. 
 
 After some hours he became furiously hungry, 
 and began to bellow and knock, and when the 
 woman opened the trap-door, he called to her to let 
 him have his task, for he could not withstand the 
 pangs of hunger much longer. So she threw him down 
 flax which he was to comb, or heckle, as it was called. 
 
 Thus they sat and wroug-ht fast 
 Till the week's days were past ; 
 
 Then the wrig-ht, home came he. 
 And as he came to his house side, 
 He heard a noise that was not ryde (small), 
 
 Of persons two or three. 
 One of them combed line (flax), 
 Another swyngled good and fine, 
 
 Before the swyngling tree. 
 The third did reel and spin, 
 Meat and drink therewith to win, 
 
 Great need thereof had he. 
 Thus the wrig-ht stood hearkening" ; 
 His wife aware of his coming-. 
 
 All to meet him went she. 
 "Dame," he said, ** what is this din? 
 I hear a g-reat noise within. 
 
 Tell me, sweet, with speed." 
 "Sir," she said, "g-ood workmen three 
 Are come to help both you and me." 
 
 Then she took her husband by one hand ; in the 
 362 
 
The Crown of White Roses 
 
 other he carried the wreath of roses, all in full blow, 
 and she led him into the house, and there the noise 
 was greater. Next she conducted him into the 
 tower-room, and here it was louder still. 
 
 Then she raised the trap-door, and the mason 
 looked down, and by the light of the lamp saw the 
 constable with an iron comb heckling or combing 
 out the flax that the steward with much labour had 
 swingled, or beaten to fibre, and the nobleman sitting 
 cross-legged in the straw, spinning, and whistling as 
 he span. 
 
 When the mason saw this, he dropped the trap- 
 door in the floor, and went into a fit of laughter, till 
 the tears ran down his cheeks. 
 
 It was some time before he recovered himself 
 sufficiently to look down again. Then he said — 
 
 "Good sirs! what do you here?" 
 
 They answered, " Earning- our meat dear 
 
 With great travail and pain. 
 We pray you help us to get out, 
 And we will promise without doubt 
 
 Never to come here again." 
 
 Well, after a while he gave way, let down a strong 
 cord, and pulled the men up one after the other. 
 
 Then the lord opened his purse and poured out 
 all the money in it into the hand of the mason, and 
 said, " I shall never forget the lesson taught me 
 by your wife. If a man will not work, neither shall 
 he eat." 
 
 Then the steward did the same ; he said, " I gladly 
 give you my money, for you are a lucky man to 
 have so wise and good a wife. I have learned one 
 
 363 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 thing, A man may be over grasping, and so over- 
 reach himself." 
 
 And then the constable opened his purse, and 
 gav^e all it contained to the mason, and said, " Take 
 this, and hold your tongue about what has happened. 
 If this gets abroad, all my consequence will be gone." 
 
 Thus the \vrig"ht's g"arland was fau* of hue, 
 And his wife was both clev^er and true, 
 
 Whereat he was full blithe. 
 And I take witness great and small, 
 Such be most women, if not all, 
 
 That now be alive. 
 
 Note. — The lay here rewritten exists in MS. in the Lambeth 
 Library, and was printed for the Early Eng-lish Text Society by 
 Mr. Furnivall, 1865. The date of the poem is about 1460, for at 
 the conclusion is an allusion, in connection with the "white roses," 
 to the accession of Edward IV., and the triumph of the White 
 Rose of the House of York over the Red Rose of the House of 
 Lancaster. As an example of the spelling- I give the last lines. 
 
 Here endyth the wryghtes processe trewe 
 Wyth hys garland feyre of hewe 
 
 That neuer dyd fade the coloure. 
 It was made by the avjse 
 Of hys wywes moder wytty and wyse 
 
 Of flourys most of honoure. 
 Of roses whyte that wylle nott fade, 
 Whi'ch floure alle Ynglond doth glade 
 
 Wyth trew loues medelyd in syght ; 
 Unto the whych floure I wys 
 The loue of God and of the comenys 
 
 Subdued bene of rj-ght. 
 
 The only alterations made in the story are such as seem 
 necessary for adaptation to a child's tale. 
 
 364 
 
XVI II 
 
 THE BADGER IN THE BAG 
 
 Powell was the name of a prince in South Wales, 
 and he had his palace at Narberth. 
 
 On the hill above his palace stood a grey old 
 cairn of piled-up stones and of unknown antiquity. 
 
 One day Powell was on the hill, when he said he 
 would stand upon the cairn. Then some of his 
 wise men said to him, " Sire, it is peculiar to that 
 mound, that whoever sits on it shall come into some 
 strange adventure." 
 
 Then Powell went up the cairn, and seated 
 himself on the top. 
 
 Thereupon, all at once, he saw a beautiful lady 
 on a snow-white horse, in a garment of gold tissue, 
 come riding by. The horse seemed to move at an 
 even pace, and to go slowly ambling. 
 
 Powell said to his men, " Who can that lady be ? " 
 
 None could answer him. 
 
 Then he said, "Go one of you and salute her, 
 and ask her name." 
 
 367 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 And one of them arose, and came into the road 
 to meet her, but she ambled past, and he followed 
 as fast as he could, being on foot ; but in no way 
 could he catch her up. Then, when he saw his 
 efforts were in vain, he returned to Powell and said, 
 " Sire, it is not possible for anyone to overtake her, 
 he being on foot." 
 
 " Then," said the prince, "go to the palace, and 
 take the fleetest horse thou seest, and pursue her." 
 
 The man took a horse, and went forward. And 
 he came to an open, level plain, and put spurs to his 
 horse ; and the more he urged his horse, the farther 
 she seemed to be from him. Yet she held the same 
 pace as at first. And his horse began to fail ; and 
 when his horse failed him, he returned to the place 
 where Powell was, and said, " Sire, it is of no avail 
 for anyone to go after that lady. I know of no 
 horse swifter than this, and it availed me nothing to 
 pursue her." 
 
 " Of a truth," said the prince, " some illusion is 
 here." 
 
 Next day he went forth again to the cairn on the 
 hill, and before he ascended it, he stationed a young 
 man near, ready mounted on his fleetest horse, and 
 bade him ride after the lady the moment he gave 
 the signal, should she again appear. 
 
 Now no sooner was Powell seated on the cairn 
 than once more the lady appeared, on the same 
 white horse and in the same apparel, coming along 
 the same road. 
 
 Then Powell signed, and the young man put 
 spurs into his horse ; but the lady trotted by, and 
 
 368 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 though his horse strained in pursuit, yet was it not 
 possible for him to come up with the lady. And 
 the more he urged his horse, the farther she was from 
 him. Yet she rode not faster than before. When 
 he saw that it availed not to follow her, he returned 
 to the place where Powell was. 
 
 Next day Powell again went to the mound, but 
 he had his own horse saddled and brought near, and 
 a page held it. Now it fell out as before. No 
 sooner had the prince seated himself, than he beheld 
 the lady coming along the same road, in the same 
 manner, and at the same pace. 
 
 Thereat Powell jumped on his horse. And by 
 the time he was seated, she had passed the mound. 
 Then he pursued, but he gained nothing on her. 
 
 Therefore he called, " Fair maiden ! for the sake 
 of him thou lovest best, tarry for me." 
 
 She answered, " I will tarry," and she drew rein. 
 She threw back the veil that half covered her face ; 
 and Powell thought that the beauty of all the 
 maidens he ever had seen was as nothing to hers. 
 
 " Lady," said he, " whence camest thou, and 
 whither dost thou go ? " 
 
 " I journey on my own errand," she answered. 
 
 " And what is that ? " he further inquired. 
 
 " I will answer truly," she said. " My chief desire 
 was to find thee." 
 
 " That is great pleasure for me to hear," he said. 
 " But tell me who thou art." 
 
 She answered, " I am Rhyannon, a princess, and 
 my father seeks to marry me to one whom I hate 
 and abhor ; and therefore, as I can obtain no help 
 24 369 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 elsewhere, I have come this way, having heard of 
 thy greatness and virtue, in the hopes that thou 
 wouldst succour me." 
 
 " That will I gladly," said Powell. 
 
 " Then," said she, " ride on with all thy knights to 
 my father's court, and ask him to give me to thee as 
 wife in the place of Wall, son of Clud." 
 
 He agreed to do so. 
 
 Then he returned to his men, and they busked 
 them in all their most splendid apparel, and rode 
 with him to the palace of the king, the father of 
 Rhyannon. Powell was well received, and he prepared 
 for him a great feast, — for him and all his knights, 
 and he seated Powell on one side. Rhyannon, the 
 Fair May,^ was on the other side of Powell. And on 
 the other side of the king, the father of the fair lady, 
 sat Teirnon, Prince of Gwent, which is now called 
 the Forest of Dean. 
 
 Much red wine was drunk, and Powell's heart was 
 lifted up, and he resolved, as soon as the feast was 
 finished, to ask the hand of Rhyannon, the Fair May. 
 
 But whilst he was thinking thereon, there entered 
 the hall a tall, red-haired youth with a freckled face, 
 and he was clothed in a garment of orange satin. 
 He came before Powell, and saluted him. 
 
 Powell knew not who he was, but he received his 
 salutation well, and said, " Nay, but here on my 
 left hand is the king — to him thou must make thy 
 request. I am but his visitor." 
 
 Then said the young man, " It is even to thee I 
 came." 
 
 ^ May is an old Eng-lish word for maiden. 
 
 2>7o 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 " Say then what thou hast to say," answered 
 Powell. 
 
 "It is this," said the red-haired youth. " Wilt 
 thou promise on thy word of honour as a prince to 
 do for me as I say ? " 
 
 " I pass thee my princely word I will do so," said 
 Powell. 
 
 " Then," said the strange youth, " I ask thee to 
 bid the king of this court give me his daughter 
 Rhyannon to wife, at once, and that this feast be my 
 wedding banquet and hers." 
 
 Then Powell was silent, because of the promise he 
 had made. 
 
 And Rhyannon at his side exclaimed, " Never 
 did man make a more foolish use of his word than 
 thou. Know that this red-haired man is Wall, the 
 son of Clud, whom I bade thee come and deliver me 
 from, and now hast thou undertaken to give me 
 unto him." 
 
 Powell was sore abashed and troubled at heart. 
 
 " Now," said she ; " it must be as thou hast said. 
 Solicit the king, my father, to give me to Wall as 
 wife, this day twelvemonth." 
 
 " I cannot do this ! " exclaimed Powell. 
 
 " Nay, but it must be so. Thou canst not go 
 against thy princely word." 
 
 Then Powell was constrained to do even as he 
 had promised. And when he had spoken, then 
 Rhyannon said, " Only this have I against it. The 
 banquet has been prepared for Powell and his 
 knights, and it ill befits that my wedding feast 
 should be on the broken victuals that remain. It 
 
 371 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 would be made a laughing matter throughout Wales, 
 that Wall, son of Clud, and Rhyannon, the Fair May, 
 made their wedding banquet off the half-gnawed 
 bones and the cast-away crusts, and drained the 
 dregs of the cups, after Powell and his men had eaten 
 and drunken." 
 
 Then Wall flushed red and said, " To this I 
 agree. Let there be a new feast." 
 
 " Be it so," said Rhyannon ; " and let our wedding 
 feast be a twelvemonth from to-day." 
 
 Then Wall, son of Clud, departed. 
 
 After that Powell was sore distressed, and he 
 could neither eat nor drink any more. 
 
 Then Rhyannon, the Fair May, said to him, " Follow 
 my counsel and do this. This day twelvemonth 
 come to my wedding repast, and come in old rags. 
 I will give thee a little bag, and bring this bag in 
 thy hand. But bring also with thee a hundred 
 knights, and conceal them among the apple-trees of 
 this orchard that is before the palace. And when 
 Wall is in the midst of his merriment, come thou in, 
 clad in ragged garments, and holding the bag in 
 thy hand, and ask nothing but a bagful of food, and 
 I will cause that if all the meat and liquor that are 
 in my father's realm were put into it, it would be no 
 fuller than before. For I have a fairy godmother, 
 and she will do this for me if I tell her my trouble, 
 and ask her assistance. Then do thou complain 
 that this bag will never be full until a man of noble 
 birth and great wealth arise and press the food in 
 the bag with both his feet, saying, ' Enough has 
 been put in.' I will cause Wall to go and tread 
 
 17^ 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 down the food in the bag, and when he does this, 
 turn thou the bag, so that he shall be up over his 
 head in it, and then slip a knot upon the thongs of 
 the bag. Then blow a blast of thy bugle-horn, and 
 let this be a signal for all thy knights to rise up out 
 of the orchard and come in." 
 
 So Powell rode back to his possessions in the 
 south of Wales ; and he carried with him the bag 
 that Rhyannon, the Fair May, had given him, and 
 tarried till the time appointed. 
 
 Then Powell waited only till he knew that Wall 
 had departed for his wedding, and then he bade his 
 knights be ready, and they rode till they came to 
 the orchard, and then they concealed themselves, 
 they and their horses. But as for Powell, he clad 
 himself in coarse and ragged garments, and wore 
 large clumsy old shoes upon his feet, and threw the 
 old bag over his shoulder. 
 
 When he heard that there was hard drinking and 
 great merriment in the hall, he entered and went in, 
 and bowed himself to and saluted the bridegroom, 
 W^all, son of Clud. 
 
 Wall said, "Well, beggar man, what lackest thou?" 
 
 " Meat, sir, meat," answered Powell, " for my bag." 
 
 " Thou shalt have as much as will fill it," said 
 Wall. 
 
 " Is that thy solemn word and oath ? " asked 
 Powell. 
 
 " Ay, I give thee my word thereto," answered 
 Wall. 
 
 Then Powell began to clear off everything from 
 the board, and it seemed as though the bag would 
 
 373 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 never be full. Then Wall called for all the stores 
 in the palace, but they sufficed not. 
 
 Rhyannon said to him, " Sir, that bag will never 
 be filled, even though all the food in all my father's 
 realm were cast into it, unless some man of noble 
 birth step in and stamp on its contents with his 
 feet. Do thou enter and tread it together, that thou 
 be not brought to shame through being unable to 
 perform thy promise to a ragged beggar man." 
 
 Then Wall sprang from his seat and said to the 
 beggar, " Hold open the mouth of the sack." 
 
 Powell did so, and Wall stepped in. 
 
 No sooner was he in the sack than Powell drew it 
 up over his head, and tied a knot fast in the thongs, 
 and then blew a blast on his bugle-horn, and his 
 knights came leaping in ; and they seized the men 
 who had come with Wall, and bound them, and cast ^ 
 them into prison. Powell threw off his old rags ' 
 and his rough shoes, and he cast down the sack 
 with Wall in it for his knights to strike at, and 
 every knight, as he came in, asked, " What is there 
 in that bag ? " 
 
 Then Powell answered, "A badger." And each 
 knight struck the bag either with his foot or with a 
 staff. And some said, " What game is this you are 
 playing ? " And they answered, " This is the merry 
 game of the Badger in the Bag." 
 
 Wall, who was within, cried out at every stroke, 
 and at last he pleaded, " Sire, release me. I would 
 not be slain, kicked to death in a sack." 
 
 " Well, then," said Powell, " what dost thou bid for 
 thy life ? " 
 
 374 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 Then said Rhyannon, " Hearken, and take my 
 counsel. Give me up to Powell, and think no more 
 to have me as thy wife, then will he let the badger 
 out of the bag." 
 
 " I will do this gladly," said Wall. 
 
 " And I will accept this," answered Powell. 
 
 Thereupon Powell loosed the strings and let Wall 
 crawl out. But Rhyannon would have held his 
 hand, and she said, " Always art thou too hasty. 
 Thou hast let him escape without making him swear 
 not to take vengeance for what has been done to 
 him. Now I greatly fear that we shall suffer for 
 this." 
 
 It was now too late to alter matters, for Wall was 
 out of the sack, and, crawling and muttering threats, 
 he had left the room. 
 
 Then the feast was continued with great merri- 
 ment, and Rhyannon was made the wife of Powell 
 instead of the wife of Wall, and when the feast was 
 ended, she and Powell, attended by his hundred 
 knights, rode to his kingdom in South Wales, and 
 to his palace at Narberth, where a great banquet 
 was made ready for them. There came to that 
 great numbers of the chief men, and most of the 
 noble ladies of the land ; and there was not one to 
 whom Rhyannon did not give some rich present 
 either a bracelet, or a ring, or a precious stone 
 And Powell ruled the land prosperously both that 
 year and the next, and then Rhyannon became the 
 mother of a beautiful babe. 
 
 Now she at once sent to her fairy godmother 
 who bade her be very watchful, for Wall, son of Clud 
 
 375 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 was full of malice, and he would seek to carry away 
 the babe, in revenge for his treatment in the bag. 
 
 Accordingly, women were appointed to watch the 
 babe both night and day. 
 
 It must be related that Wall, son of Ckid, had 
 returned home full of rage and vows of vengeance 
 for the treatment he had received, both the losing 
 of his wife and the badger baiting. There lived 
 an old witch in the Black Mountains, and on his 
 return home he went forth and consulted her. She 
 was thought to be the most powerful witch in all 
 Britain. She could make rocks dance, and trees 
 stand with their roots in the air, and the waves of 
 the sea to foam blood. 
 
 Then she said to him, " In time there will be a 
 son born to Powell and Rhyannon. Do thou take 
 that occasion to steal the child away." 
 
 " How is that to be done ? " asked Wall. 
 
 " There will be seven nurses appointed to watch the 
 cradle. Do thou disguise thyself as a woman and offer 
 thyself to be nurse. Then take this snuff-box, and 
 when in the room, offer snuff to all those there, and say 
 that it will clear the brain, and it will send all to sleep. 
 Then haste away with the babe, and bring it to me." 
 
 " And how shall I pay thee for this advice ? " 
 asked Wall. 
 
 " In this way," answered the witch. " I am 
 especially partial to horse-flesh. Every month you 
 must bring me a young foal, or a horse, for my 
 eating." 
 
 " I will do that," said W^all. 
 
 Now when the little prince was born to Powell, 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 there were seven nurses appointed, and when Wall, 
 dressed in female garments, applied, he was told 
 that the number was made up. Nevertheless, he 
 was nothing daunted, but tarried near the palace. 
 After three days and nights of watching, the nurses 
 became tired, and they wished that they could get 
 away for a walk in the fields, or for sleep, to lie down 
 for a little while ; and as nothing had happened to 
 alarm them, they thought that the precautions taken 
 were somewhat unnecessary. Then Wall offered 
 to relieve the nurses one after another during the 
 night, and they gladly accepted the offer. So he 
 took the place of the first nurse. Then Rhyannon 
 looked hard at him, and said, " Who is this red- 
 haired tall woman who has come ? " 
 
 They said that she was a nurse come to relieve the 
 one who had gone home, as she was summoned to 
 see her husband, who was ill. 
 
 All that night Rhyannon watched, and never took 
 her eyes off the strange nurse. 
 
 The second night, another nurse begged to be 
 excused, and Wall took her place. Rhyannon was 
 uneasy. She thought that she had seen the freckled 
 face somewhere, and could not recall to whom it had 
 belonged. All night she kept her eyes open, watch- 
 ing the cradle and the strange nurse. 
 
 Then Wall was afraid of being known, so he dyed 
 his face with walnut-juice, and darkened his hair, 
 and changed his dress to another colour, and offered 
 himself as substitute, and was again accepted, for 
 now the third nurse wished to be relieved. 
 
 That night the child cried, and Wall endeavoured 
 377 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 to still it. Rhyannon listened to her voice, and 
 thought she knew its tones, but could recall no 
 woman who spoke like this strange dark woman. 
 She was anxious, and did not sleep a wink all night. 
 
 Then Wall swallowed chalk to make his voice 
 soft, and offered himself for the fourth night, and 
 was again taken, for once more a nurse desired to 
 be released. 
 
 That night Rhyannon remained awake again, for 
 she had noticed the eyes of the strange woman, and 
 there was in them a cunning and a treacherousness 
 that alarmed her. So she watched throughout the 
 night. 
 
 Then Wall put a green shade over his eyes, lest 
 they should be seen, and disguised himself as an old 
 woman, and offered to take the place of the fifth 
 nurse, and was accepted. 
 
 But still Rhyannon could not sleep. She watched, 
 and she wondered that one who was bowed double 
 with age should have such smooth cheeks and 
 hands, and no wrinkles anywhere. 
 
 Then Wall took a bit of charcoal and drew it 
 over his cheeks and hands and brow, and so seemed 
 to be full of wrinkles and age ; and he was accepted 
 the sixth night. But this time, as he walked about 
 with the babe to lull it to sleep, Rhyannon saw 
 below the gown a pair of man's boots with gold 
 spurs, and this alarmed her, and she could not sleep, 
 but watched the whole night. 
 
 And on the seventh night, Wall had taken off his 
 boots and put on slippers, and Rhyannon was heavy 
 v\4th sleep, and as there was now nought to alarm 
 
 378 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 her, she slept. And as she slept, the seven nurses 
 talked, and complained how great was the restraint 
 put upon them, and how this watching wearied them. 
 
 Then Wall took out the snuff-box and offered 
 each a pinch, " for," said he, '' this will clear your 
 brains." The nurses took a pinch each, and hardly 
 had they snuffed before they were asleep. 
 
 Then Wall stole out of the room, cast aside his 
 female disguise, mounted his horse, and, carrying the 
 baby, rode away to the Black Mountains, and gave 
 the little prince to the old hag. 
 
 Now the nurses awoke before dawn, and looked 
 in the cradle, and found that the child was gone. 
 Then they were greatly alarmed, and they said one 
 to another, " We shall be burned or hanged because 
 of the child." 
 
 Then said one of the nurses, " This is what I 
 advise. There is a stag-hound bitch, and she has 
 a litter of whelps. I>et us kill some of the cubs, 
 and rub the blood on the face and hands of Rhyannon, 
 and lay the bones in the cradle, and let us declare 
 that she has devoured her son, and she alone will 
 not be able to gainsay us six." 
 
 And according to this counsel, so was it settled. 
 
 Towards morning Rhyannon awoke, and said, 
 " Where is my baby boy ? " 
 
 " Lady," said the nurses, " do not ask after your 
 child, for you ate him in the night, and we tried in 
 vain to deliver him from you. See your hands are 
 dyed in his blood, and his bones are in the cradle." 
 
 Rhyannon cried out that she was falsely accused 
 of this. But what was her word against six ? 
 
 379 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then there was great commotion in the realm, 
 and the nobles came together, and demanded that 
 Powell should condemn his wife to be burned alive 
 for the crime she had committed. But to this he 
 would never consent. So a council was held, and 
 it was ordered, by advice of the bishop, tliat she 
 should do penance for seven years, and that if she 
 spake the truth, God would reveal it, and relieve her 
 of the penance. And the penance to which the 
 nobles consented was this, that she should sit every 
 day on a horse-block near the palace gate, and that 
 every guest who came to the gate she should offer 
 to carry within on her back. 
 
 And this was imposed on her. She sat daily at 
 the gate, but never did any guest come who was so 
 uncourteous as to insist that she should carry him 
 within on her back. 
 
 Thus passed half the year. 
 
 Now all this while the witch of the Black 
 Mountains had been feeding on the colts and horses 
 of the stud of Wall, son of Clud. And she had 
 acquired such a craving for horse-flesh, that nothing 
 else would satisfy her. But by this time she had 
 eaten up all the horses and mares and colts that 
 Wall had, and he was not able to give her any more. 
 And yet she was ravenous, and though he offered 
 her bullocks and calves, she rejected them. She 
 said that she would eat horse-flesh and nothing else, 
 and she bade him go and see where there was a 
 stud from which she could obtain what she wanted. 
 
 Then he said, " Teirnon, King of Gwent, has a 
 notable stud, but he will never sell any of his 
 
 380 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 horses, not for half a kingdom. They are all white, 
 with red ears. But how to get them, I know not." 
 
 Now it fell out that Teirnon had a beautiful mare, 
 that was quite unsurpassed in the kingdom. On the 
 night of the first of May she foaled, and no one 
 knew what became of the foal — it was spirited 
 away. 
 
 One night Teirnon talked with his wife, and said 
 to her, " That will be a sad thing if our mare foal 
 every year and we lose all her colts. I will watch 
 and see what becomes of her foals." 
 
 So, next time the mare foaled, Teirnon watched, 
 and he saw an old woman's hand with claws to 
 every finger come in through the window and lay 
 hold of the colt. Then he drew his sword and 
 hewed, and cut the hand off at the wrist. 
 
 There ensued great wailing without ; so he ran 
 out of the stable, and, sure enough, there was an old 
 witch with one of her hands cut off. She begged 
 and entreated him to give her back the hand he had 
 struck off. Then he asked her what she would give 
 him if he restored to her the hand, and she said that 
 she would give him the most beautiful babe in the 
 world. 
 
 To that he agreed, and he brought out her hand, 
 and she put it to the stump, and it grew on as if it 
 had never been cut off, only a red line remained to 
 mark where the gash had been. 
 
 Then, at once, she went and brought him a child, 
 and as fair a child he never had seen. It was 
 wrapped around in a mantle of satin. Then he 
 took the child to his wife, and, because they had no 
 
 3S1 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 son, they adopted him as their own. And because 
 his hair was as yellow as gold, they called him 
 Euryn, which in the Welsh tongue signifies " The 
 Golden." 
 
 They had the boy nursed in the court until he 
 was a year old. And before he was a year old he 
 could walk. He was larger than a boy of three 
 years ; and the boy was nursed the second year, and 
 then he was as large as a child of six. 
 
 But it fell out that again was a colt taken away. 
 For it was so that the witch of the Black Mountains 
 had found the white foal with red ears that she had 
 snatched away ten times better eating than any 
 other she had tasted, and at last the craving came 
 on her so strongly, that, notwithstanding the risk 
 she ran, she could not restrain herself from carrying 
 off another. 
 
 Then Teirnon was wroth, and said he would 
 watch again. 
 
 And his wife said to him, " We do not know 
 whose child this is that has been given to us. Yet 
 is it quite clear that he is of princely birth, and the 
 more I look on him, the more he resembles in my 
 eyes the Prince Powell of South Wales. Now, the 
 garments in which he was folded were of silk, richly 
 embroidered. All this shows that he is of illustrious 
 birth, and we do wrong to retain him, if by any 
 fashion we can understand who he really is. If, 
 then, you succeed in detecting the witch stealing 
 your colt, then constrain her to say who the 
 babe is." 
 
 To this Teirnon agreed, and he watched in the 
 382 
 
The Badger in the Bag 
 
 stable on the night of the first of May when his mare 
 had foaled. 
 
 Then all at once through the window came a long 
 lean arm, and every finger had on it a claw like that 
 of a bird, and it laid hold of the colt. Thereupon 
 the king smote, and cut off the hand, and the stump 
 was withdrawn, and there ensued wailing without. 
 So he ran outside and found the witch crying and 
 hugging her wounded, mutilated arm. She begged 
 him to restore to her the hand he had cut off. He 
 agreed to do this if she would tell him whose son she 
 had given him. 
 
 Then she said, " It is the child of Rhyannon and 
 Powell that was carried off from the cradle." 
 
 Thereat Teirnon restored to her the cut-off hand, 
 and she replaced it, and all that remained to show 
 that it had been hewn away was a red line round 
 her wrist. 
 
 But Teirnon went to his wife and told her all. 
 Then they agreed to take the child to his true 
 parents. And he could now ride. So they gave to 
 him the milkwhite colt with red ears that had first 
 been clutched hold of by the witch, when her 
 hand was cut off, and redeemed by the present of 
 the baby boy. 
 
 So Teirnon and his wife went to South Wales, 
 and they took with them the lad, riding on his young 
 horse, white, with red ears. 
 
 And when they arrived at the palace of Powell, 
 there at the door sat Rhyannon on the horse-block. 
 And she rose and offered to carry them within. But 
 to this they would not consent. 
 
 383 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Then was a feast spread to welcome them ; and 
 at the feast Teirnon rehearsed all the story of how 
 he had got the child, and how he discovered who it 
 was ; and he spread his silken garments before Powell, 
 that he might see and know that what he said was 
 sooth. 
 
 Then was there great joy and rejoicing. The six 
 false nurses who had slandered the queen were 
 sentenced to lose their heads. 
 
 Rhyannon said, " My son shall be called Pryder, 
 for he is a child of sorrow and distress of mind." ^ 
 
 Note. — The story of Pwyll, Prince of Dyved, in the Mabinogion. 
 I have somewhat worked up the subtlety of Wall (Gwawll) and 
 his taking- away of the babe, as this is all very incomplete in the 
 original, and the clawed hand lacks connection in the tale. The 
 story was first translated for the Cambrian Register, and it also 
 appeared in Jone's Welsh Bards. It then appeared in Lady 
 Charlotte Guest's Edition of the Mabinogion. Dyved, of which 
 Pwyll was king, is the region of the Dimetse of the Romans, the 
 modern Pembrokeshire. If there ever existed such a person, his 
 date is as problematical as his existence. 
 
 ^ Pryder in Welsh signifies anxiety. 
 
 384 
 
25 
 
XIX 
 
 THE FOUR FRIENDS 
 
 The story has been told of the birth of Pryder. 
 Now I am going to tell something further about him 
 and his mother Rhyannon. This noble lady had 
 lost her husband and Pryder his father, Powell, of 
 whom the story has been related. Then by Pryder's 
 advice she was married to a grave and honourable 
 man called Manawhiddan, for whom Pryder enter- 
 tained a warm affection and respect. 
 
 Pryder was married to a beautiful lady of the 
 name of Kicva, and she became as fond of Rhyannon 
 as Pryder her husband was of Manawhiddan. 
 
 It must not be supposed that Wall, son of Clud, 
 had borne his discomfiture with an easy mind. He 
 could neither forget nor forgive the game of Badger 
 in the Bag, that had been played with him. So he 
 went away into Scotland, to a great magician, and 
 remained with him for twenty years, studying the 
 black art, till at last he was accomplished in necro- 
 mancy. Then he came back into Britain, and at 
 
 387 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 once resolved on revenging himself for the past 
 offences on Rhyannon and on Pryder, the son of 
 Powell. 
 
 One day, when they were all at Narberth, there 
 came on a terrific thunderstorm, and with it a 
 mist so thick that no one could see a few feet before 
 him. 
 
 After some hours the mist cleared away, and then 
 there was light. Pryder and Manawhiddan looked 
 around, and could see no one except their two wives. 
 All their men and servants, had vanished and all 
 the country was without people, and like a desert, 
 uninhabited. 
 
 " Where are all those of the court ? " cried 
 Manawhiddan ; " and where are all our men ? Let us 
 go and look for them." 
 
 They entered the hall, and there was no man. 
 They went into the bedrooms, no one was there ; 
 they entered the kitchen, all the servants had 
 vanished. There was nothing anywhere but desola- 
 tion and solitude. 
 
 They tarried several days, wondering what this 
 signified, and doubtful what to do. No living man 
 or woman was to be seen, so Pryder and his step- 
 father hunted, and in the evening they feasted ; they 
 fed on what they killed in hunting, and on the honey 
 of wild swarms of bees. 
 
 Thus passed a whole year, and then a second, 
 and then they became weary of solitude; so they 
 departed, and travelled, and crossed the river Wye, 
 and came into England, and they did not halt till 
 they arrived in Hereford. 
 
 388 
 
 I 
 
The Four Friends 
 
 They knew no one there, and they were known to 
 none, so, to maintain themselves and their wives, 
 they worked at making saddles, and as they were 
 skilful in the art of enamelling, they made rich 
 housings for horses, and gilded them, and laid on 
 blue enamel. 
 
 Their work was greatly admired, and at last no 
 noble or gentleman would buy any saddles except 
 such as had been made by the Welsh strangers. 
 
 Thus they drew away the trade from the English 
 saddlers of Hereford. These were angry, and plotted 
 to waylay and murder them. But they were warned 
 of this by a servant, and they took counsel together, 
 and resolved to depart. 
 
 So they went to Tewkesbury 
 
 " What craft shall we exercise here ? " asked 
 Pryder. 
 
 " We will make shields," answered Manawhiddan. 
 
 " Do you know anything of the craft ? " asked 
 Pryder. 
 
 " We will try," answered his stepfather. " I 
 learned something of the art and of enamel painting 
 from Lassar, who was driven out of Ireland by King 
 Matholuc, and who came into Britain." 
 
 So they set to work and made shields, and they 
 made beautiful shields, and enamelled them as they 
 had done the saddles. They prospered exceedingly, 
 so that no knight would buy a shield of any 
 armourer, but only of these Welsh strangers. Thus 
 they spoiled the trade for the native craftsmen. 
 Thereat the armourers were jealous, and they resolved 
 to fall on them and murder them. 
 
 389 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 Again, happily, they were forewarned, and they 
 escaped out of that town, and went south, and came 
 to Gloucester, and they entered in to dwell there. 
 
 " What craft shall we adopt ? " asked Pryder. 
 
 " Let us make shoes," answered Manawhiddan. 
 
 " Do you know anything about shoemaking ? " 
 asked Pryder. 
 
 " A little — we can but try, and do our best," 
 answered his stepfather. " I will teach you to stitch. 
 We will not dress the leather ourselves, but will buy 
 it ready dressed." 
 
 So they did this. They purchased the best 
 leather they could obtain, and they associated 
 themselves with a good goldsmith, and caused him 
 to make clasps for the shoes, and to gild the clasps. 
 And when they had observed and seen how this was 
 done, then they set to work themselves and made 
 shoes with buckles and clasps richly gilt and inlaid 
 with enamel ; and these became so popular in the 
 country round, that at last none, neither ladies nor 
 gentlemen, would buy any shoes of any cobblers, but 
 only of the Welsh strangers. So the shoemakers 
 resolved to surround them and stab them to death 
 with their bradawls. But they got wind of what 
 was intended, and though they had no fear of 
 the cobblers, yet they deemed it best not to be 
 in a brawl, so they left Gloucester and returned into 
 Wales, and into that part whence they had come. 
 
 They returned to Narberth, and all was as they 
 had left it. No men or women were there. Thistles 
 and nettles grew in the palace court, and owls and 
 bats haunted the towers. 
 
 390 
 
The Four Friends 
 
 They kindled a fire, and the two men hunted, and 
 the two women cooked what was killed in hunting. 
 And so time passed. 
 
 One morning Pryder and IManawhiddan rose up 
 to hunt, and ranged their dogs, and went forth. 
 Then some of the dogs ran ahead and began to yelp 
 and leap about a bush, and when the two men came 
 up, their dogs backed towards them with their hair 
 bristling. 
 
 " Let us go to the bush, and see what is there," 
 said Pryder. 
 
 Then they saw a wild boar, white as snow. 
 
 They set on their dogs, but he made a stand for a 
 while, and then broke away and ran, and all the dogs 
 after him. The two men pursued, till they came to 
 a castle, newly built, in a place where hitherto no- 
 thing had stood, and into this rushed the boar, and 
 the dogs after him. 
 
 Then Pryder said, " I will go in and see what has 
 become of the dogs and the boar." 
 
 But Manawhiddan said, " This does not seem to 
 me to be wise. Be ruled by me, and do not make 
 this adventure. Whoever has cast a spell over the 
 land, has caused this castle to be built." 
 
 " I cannot give up my dogs," said Pr^'der, and he 
 went forward. 
 
 He entered the castle, but could neither see nor 
 hear his dogs. Indeed, he saw no one man even. 
 
 In the central court of the castle was a fountain 
 of cr^^stal water and a marble breastwork round it, 
 and on this rested a golden bowl. 
 
 Pryder was thirsty, and he dipped the bowl in the 
 391 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales | 
 
 water, and at once his feet became rooted to the floor, 
 and he could not withdraw his hand from the bowl. 
 He was as one frozen, and speechless and motion- 
 less. And thus he stood. 
 
 Manawhiddan waited for him till sunset, and then 
 returned to the palace, without any tidings of Pryder 
 or of the dogs. 
 
 As he entered, his w^ife Rhyannon looked at him, 
 and said, " What has happened to my son Pryder ? " 
 Manawhiddan told her. 
 
 She exclaimed, " A bad companion are you not to 
 look better after him ! " 
 
 Then she went forth in the direction of the castle, 
 and when she found it, she at once entered, and, see- 
 ing Pryder in the courtyard holding the golden bowl, 
 she laid her hand on him, and at once was fast 
 rooted to the slab of stone on which she stood, and 
 her hand was as it were glued to her son, and she 
 could neither speak nor stir. 
 
 Then night came on, and when morning dawned, 
 no trace of the castle could be discovered, and Pryder 
 and Rhyannon had vanished. 
 
 Manawhiddan and Kicva, the wife of Pryder, 
 searched everywhere, and found nothing ; then Kicva 
 was sad and sorrowful, and she cared not whether she 
 lived or died. 
 
 Manawhiddan saw how unhappy his stepdaughter 
 was, and he bade her not be downcast, he would 
 search and not give over till he had discovered those 
 who had vanished so mysteriously. 
 
 Manawhiddan did not consider that much good 
 would ensue if they remained where they were, so he 
 
 392 
 
The Four Friends 
 
 and Kicva departed for English land, even to Bath, 
 and Manawhiddan again took to making shoes, and 
 he taught his stepdaughter to sew the leathers. He 
 made and enamelled gilded clasps as he had done at 
 Gloucester, and with the same result, that all the nobles 
 and great ladies would buy no other shoes, but such as 
 were made by him and Kicva. They remained 
 where they were for a twelvemonth, and then the 
 shoemakers became envious, and took counsel to 
 murder them. Manawhiddan had news of this, and 
 so he and Kicva left and returned into Wales. 
 
 Now when he went back, he carried a load of 
 wheat on his back ; and he carried it to Narberth, 
 where he had been before. As he had lost all his 
 dogs, he could no longer hunt ; and he resolved to 
 sow the wheat, and in the meanwhile, till it was 
 grown and ripe, to sustain life by fishing, and by 
 trapping birds and beasts, and by collecting roots and 
 berries. He fenced in three fields, and in them he 
 sowed the wheat he had brought out of England. 
 The corn grew, and gave great promise of a harvest. 
 At last it turned yellow, and Manawhiddan went to 
 look at his cornfields, and said — " To-morrow I will 
 reap the first of my crofts." 
 
 Next morning he rose early and went forth, with 
 sickle in hand, and Kicva followed him, to bind up the 
 sheaves as he cut. 
 
 But what was their astonishment and dismay to 
 see nothing in the croft but bare straw — every ear 
 had been cut off. 
 
 Then he went to the second field and said, " I 
 will reap this to-morrow." 
 
 393 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 And on the morrow he came to reap it, and found 
 that it had been dealt with in the same fashion. 
 Nothing remained but straw — all the ears of corn had 
 been taken away. 
 
 He was very wroth, and said, " Evil betide me 
 if I do not watch the third field all night. Who- 
 ever carried off the corn from the two fields will 
 endeavour to carry off the harvest from this one 
 also." 
 
 So he went at nightfall to watch the croft. 
 
 At midnight he heard a strange trampling and 
 rustling sound, and he looked from his hiding-place, 
 and saw a vast horde of field-mice coming on, so vast 
 that there seemed to be no end to them. And this 
 swarm fell on his field, and a mouse ran up each 
 straw, and nibbled off an ear. There was not a 
 single stalk of wheat all through the field that had 
 not a mouse on it. 
 
 Then the mice scampered off, carrying the ears of 
 corn with them, and leaving bare straw. 
 
 In wrath Manawhiddan sprang from his hiding- 
 place and pursued the mice. But they ran so fast 
 that he could not catch them, with the exception of 
 one which was dragging along a larger ear of wheat 
 than the rest, and would not drop it. Yet it ran 
 fast. But presently the corn-ear caught in a briar, 
 and as the mouse stayed to disentangle it, Mana- 
 whiddan put down his hand and laid hold of it. It 
 squealed and bit and struggled to escape, but all was 
 of no use ; he opened his glove, put the mouse 
 within, and fastened the glove by a string, so that the 
 little creature might not escape. 
 
 394 
 
The Four Friends 
 
 Then he returned to the ruinous palace in which 
 he Hved, and showed what he had caught, and told 
 the story to Kicva. " See," said he, " here I have a 
 thief that has been robbing me ! " 
 
 " What will you do with the mouse ? " she asked. 
 
 " I shall hang it as a thief. I wish I had 
 captured the rest, and then I would hang them 
 all." 
 
 Kicva pitied the little squeaking mouse, and she 
 said, " Stepfather, let the mouse run away. It is 
 but one, and it hardly seems dignified for a great 
 noble like you to be setting up gallows on which to 
 do execution on a poor little mouse." 
 
 " Woe betide me," answered Manawhiddan, " if 1 
 would not be executioner to them all if I could but 
 catch them." 
 
 So then he went up the hill above Narberth, and 
 he said that he would make an example of this 
 mouse. He ascended the grey old cairn on the top 
 of the hill, and, as may be remembered from the story 
 of the Bagging of the Badger, no man might do this 
 without seeing some v.'onderful sight and meeting 
 with an adventure. Manawhiddan set up two forked 
 sticks on the top of the old cairn, and put a piece of 
 wood across between the forks. It was all not above 
 eighteen inches high. That was to be the gallows. 
 Then he took a piece of twine and prepared to make 
 a noose of it. He had his glove looped round his 
 left wrist, and in the glove was the frightened squeak- 
 ing mouse, that seemed to be aware what was being 
 done. 
 
 Whilst Manawhiddan was thus engaged, he saw a 
 395 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 scholar coming towards him in poor and tattered 
 garments. It was now seven years since Mana- 
 whiddan had seen any man in that place, except only 
 his companions. He therefore suspected some 
 enchantment, and resolved to be cautious. 
 
 The scholar saluted him, and, standing below the 
 mound of stones, said, " My lord, good day." J 
 
 " I wish you the same," answered Manawhiddan, 
 without interrupting that on which he was engaged. 
 " Whence come you ? " 
 
 " I come from England," answered the scholar. 
 " Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " Because for the last seven years I have seen no 
 man or woman in this place, save my wife and 
 stepson and stepdaughter. And two of these are 
 now gone." 
 
 The scholar said, " What are you at work on there, 
 sir ? " 
 
 " I am about to hang a thief," answered Mana- 
 whiddan. 
 
 " And what manner of thief is that ? " asked the 
 stranger. 
 
 " You shall see," said Manawhiddan. He opened 
 the glove and took the little creature in his hand 
 and held it fast. 
 
 The scholar looked hard at it, and it appeared to 
 Manawhiddan that the mouse looked at the scholar. 
 
 Then said the latter, " Truly, sir, I see a mouse in 
 your hand, and verily it seems to me an unbecoming 
 thing of a king's son to be strangling mice." 
 
 " Unbecoming or not, I intend to do it," answered 
 Manawhiddan. " I only wish I had a thousand of 
 
 396 
 
The Four Friends 
 
 these thieves, and you would see the whole mound 
 bristle with gallows." 
 
 " Rather than that I should see a man of your 
 rank so demean himself," said the scholar, " I will 
 give you a pound if you will set the mouse free." 
 
 " Keep the pound to get yourself a fresh coat," 
 said the Welsh prince. "It surprises me to behold a 
 man in rags like yourself so solicitous for the life of 
 a mouse." 
 
 Then the scholar without more ado walked on his 
 way. 
 
 Now Manawhiddan tried the crossbeam between 
 the forks, to ascertain if it would hold the mouse, and 
 he cut a little notch in it for the string. Then he 
 saw a priest coming up the hill, riding on a horse 
 covered with trappings. 
 
 " Good day to thee, lord," said the priest. 
 
 Manawhiddan returned his salute, and wondered 
 yet more in himself that he should see another 
 stranger on that morning, when all hitherto had been 
 desolate and without inhabitants. 
 
 " Why, my lord," said the priest, " what work are 
 you engaged upon ? " 
 
 " I am hanging a thief that I caught robbing me." 
 
 " What manner of thief? " asked the priest. 
 
 " See, this is it," said Manawhiddan, and he showed 
 the mouse, that began to struggle and squeal in his 
 hand so soon as it saw the priest. 
 
 " Sir," exclaimed the newcomer, " I do not like to see 
 a man of your rank exercising the hangman's office." 
 
 " W^hy nDt ? " asked Manawhiddan. "If thieves 
 steal my corn, they shall die a thief's doom." 
 
 397 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 " Rather than that," said the priest, '' I will give 
 you three pounds." 
 
 " Keep your three pounds towards a bell for 
 your church, sir priest," said Manawhiddan. " I am 
 by no means disposed to give up or to sell the 
 mouse." Then the priest went his way. 
 
 Just as he was noosing the string round the neck 
 of the mouse, he saw a bishop's retinue, with his 
 sumpter-horses and his attendants, ride up the hill. 
 Then Manawhiddan wondered yet more, and he kept 
 a faster grip than ever on the mouse. He looked at 
 the bishop and said, " Give me thy blessing, my 
 lord bishop." 
 
 The bishop said, " My blessing be on thee. But 
 what art thou engaged upon ? " 
 
 Manawhiddan answered, " I am stringing up a 
 thief whom I caught stealing my corn." 
 
 The bishop said, " I will gladly give you seven 
 pounds if you will let the mouse run away." 
 
 " I will not set it free for twice that sum." 
 
 " Then, rather than that the mouse should be hung, 
 I will even give twenty pounds," said the bishop. 
 
 " I will not set it free for that sum," answered 
 Manawhiddan. 
 
 "If thou wilt let the mouse go free," said the 
 bishop, " I will give thee all the horses that thou 
 seest, and the seven loads of baggage on the seven 
 horses." 
 
 " Not for that will I liberate the mouse." 
 
 " Then," said the bishop angrily, " name thy price." 
 And he stamped his foot, and his headgear fell on 
 one side, and Manawhiddan saw that he had red 
 
 398 
 
The Four Friends 
 
 hair, and he suspected he had to do with Wall, the son 
 of Clud. So he thought a moment and then said, 
 " If I let the mouse run away, I must have Rhyannon 
 and Pryder set free." 
 
 " It shall be so," said the bishop, or rather Wall 
 who was disguised as one. " I will set them free." 
 
 " That is not sufficient," continued Manawhiddan ; 
 " I will not let loose the mouse for that alone. I 
 must have the spell taken off the land." 
 
 " That also shall be done." 
 
 " That does not suffice," continued ]\Ianawhiddan, 
 and he pinched the mouse so that it squealed. " I 
 must know both \\ho you are, and who is the 
 mouse." 
 
 *' That also }-ou shall have," said the disguised 
 bishop. " I am Wall, the son of Clud, and I have 
 done all this evil to thee and thine, because I would 
 be avenged for the Badgering in the Bag. And as 
 to the mouse, she is my wife. I transformed all my 
 household into mice, and they have destroyed all thy 
 corn. If we could have driven thee and thy stepson 
 out of the land, I would have taken it as my princi- 
 pality. Now, let the mouse, my wife, free." 
 
 " That I will not do yet," said Manawhiddan, and 
 he nipped the ear of the mouse between his finger 
 and thumb nail, and it squealed pitifully. " First you 
 must swear to me not to put any more spells on the 
 land." 
 
 " To that also I agree," said Wall. " Now release 
 the mouse, my wife." 
 
 " Not yet," answered Manawhiddan. " Before I 
 open my hand and let her run, you must swear not 
 
 399 
 
The Old English Fairy Tales 
 
 in any way to avenge what has been done upon me 
 or Pryder or any of our race." 
 
 " All this shall be," said Wall. " And truly you 
 have done well in exacting this." 
 
 " That I know," said Manawhiddan ; " therefore did 
 I keep hold of the mouse." 
 
 " Let her go now." 
 
 " Not till all be as covenanted between us. 
 Where are Pryder and Rhyannon." 
 
 " Behold, here they come," said Wall. 
 
 Then, all at once, the two lost ones stood before 
 them. The country appeared no longer desert, but 
 cultivated, and filled with people. 
 
 Thereupon Manawhiddan opened his hand, and 
 out ran — not a mouse, but a beautiful lady. Then 
 she was mounted on a palfrey, and rode away ; and 
 she and Wall were seen no more. 
 
 Note. — The story of Manawyddan, son of Llyr, is in the Mabino- 
 gion. The only alteration made in it is to make the magician into 
 Gwawl in place of Llwyd, son of Kilcoed, the friend of Gwawl, and 
 this is done for the simplification of the story. 
 
 The story of the mice is doubtless a reminiscence of an old myth 
 relative to souls, which in many mythologies are supposed to take 
 the form of mice. Apollo Smintheus was the sun-god in his cha- 
 racter of guardian of departed spirits ; so also St. Gertrude is 
 represented with mice, because in art she has inherited the attri- 
 butes of Perchta, the Teutonic goddess of the dead. 
 
 MORRISON AND GIEP., PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. 
 
A LIST OF NEW BOOKS 
 
 AND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF 
 
 METHUEN AND COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS : LONDON 
 
 36 ESSEX STREET 
 
 W.C. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 
 
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 GENERAL LITERATORE, 
 
 
 
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 LEADERS or RELIGION, 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 WORKS BY S. BARING GOULD. . 
 
 
 
 19 
 
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 29 
 
 UNIVBRSITY EXTENSION SERIES, 
 
 
 
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 CLASSICAL TRANSLATIONS, . 
 
 
 
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 SEPTEMBER 1895 
 
September 1895. 
 
 Messrs. Methuen^s 
 
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 Poetry and Belles Lettres 
 
 RUDYARD KIPLING 
 BALLADS. By Rudyard Kipling. Crown Zvo. Buckram. 6j. 
 
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 ENGLISH CLASSICS 
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 Educational 
 
 A. M. M. STEDMAN 
 STEPS TO GREEK. By A. M. M. Stedman, M.A. iZfuo. 
 IS. 6d. 
 
 A very easy introduction to Greek, with Greek-English and English-Greek Exercises. 
 
 C. E. PRIOR 
 A SKETCH OF FRENCH LITERATURE FOR ARMY 
 AND CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS. By C. E. Prior, 
 late Assistant Master at the Oxford Military College, Senior Modern 
 Language Master at Fettes College. Crown Svo. is. 6d. 
 
 F. D. SWIFT 
 DEMOSTHENES AGAINST CONON AND CALLICLES. 
 Edited, with Notes, Appendices, and Vocabulary, by F. Darwin 
 Swift, M.A., formerly Scholar of Queen's College, Oxford ; 
 Assistant Master at Denstone College. Fcap. Svo. 2s. 
 A 2 
 
< 
 
 A LIST OF 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's 
 
 PUBLICATIONS 
 
 Poetry 
 
 Kudyard Kipling. BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS; And 
 
 Oiher Verses. By Rudyard Kipling. Eighth Edition. Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 A Special Presentation Edition, bound in white buckram, with 
 extra gilt ornament. 7^. 6J. 
 
 ' Mr. Kipling's verse is strong, vivid, full of character. . . . Unmistakable genius 
 rings in every line.' — Times. 
 
 'The disreputable lingo of Cockayne is henceforth justified before the world ; fora 
 man of genius has taken it in hand, and has shown, beyond all cavilling, that in 
 its way it also is a medium for literature. You are grateful, and you say_ to 
 yourself, half in envy and half in admiration : " Here is a Sook ; here, or one is a 
 Dutchman, is one of the books of the year." ' — NatiorM,! Observer. 
 
 ' " Barrack-Room Ballads " contains some of the best v/ork that Mr. Kipling has 
 ever done, which is saying a good deal. " Fuzzy- Wuzzy," ''Gunga Din," and 
 " Tommy," are, in our opinion, altogether superior to anything of the kind that 
 English literature has hitherto produced.' — Athcmrunt. 
 
 'The ballads teem with imagination, they palpitate with emotion. We read them 
 with laughter and tears ; the metres throb in our pulses, the cunningly ordered 
 words tingle with life ; and if this be not poetry, what is?' — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Eenley. LYRA HEROICA : An Anthology selected from the 
 best English Verse of the i6th, 17th, i8th, and 19th Centuries. By 
 William Ernest Henley. Crouun Svo. Buckram^ gilt top. 6j. 
 
 Mr. Henley has brought to the task of selection an instinct alike for poetry and for 
 chivalry which seems to os quite wonderfully, and even unerringly, right.'— 
 Guardian. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List ii 
 
 "Q" THE GOLDEN POMP : A Procession of English Lyrics 
 from Surrey to Shirley, arranged by A. T. QuiLLER COUCK. Crowti 
 Svo. Buckram. 6s. 
 Also 40 copies on hand -made paper. Demy Sva. £1, is. net. 
 Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. Demy Zvo. £2, 2s. net. 
 'A delightful volame : a really golden "Pomp."' — Spectator. 
 
 ' Of the man^ anthologies of ' old rhyme ' recently made, Mr. Couch's seems the 
 richest in its materials, and the most artistic in its arrangement. Mr. Couch's 
 notes are admirable; and Messrs. Mcthuen are to be congratulated on the format 
 of the sumptuous volume.' — Realm. 
 
 " Q." GREEN BAYS : Verses and Parodies. By " Q.," Author 
 of 'Dead Man's Rock,' etc. Second Edition. Fcap. %vo. ^s.6d. 
 ' The verses display a rare and versatile gift of parody, great command of metre, and 
 a very pretty turn of humour. ' — Times. 
 
 H. C. Beeching. LYRA SACRA : An Anthology of Sacred Verse. 
 Edited by H. C. Beeching, M.A. Crown Zvo, Buckram^ gilt- 
 top. 6s. 
 
 'An anthology of high excellence.' — Athenetum^. 
 
 ' A charming selection, which maintains a lofty standard of excellence.' — Times. 
 
 Yeats. AN ANTHOLOGY OF IRISH VERSE. Edited by 
 W. B. Yeats. Crown Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 An attractive and catholic selection.' — Times. 
 ' It is edited by the most original and most accomplished of modern Irish poets, and 
 against his editing but a single objection can be brought, namely, that it excludes 
 from the collection his own delicate lyrics." — Saturday Review. 
 
 Mackay. A SONG OF THE SEA : My Lady of Dreams, 
 AND OTHER POEMS. By Eric Mackay, Author of *The Love 
 Letters of a Violinist. ' Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo, gilt top, 5 j. 
 
 • Everywhere Mr. Mackay displays himself the master of a style marked by all the 
 characteristics of the best rhetoric. He has a keen sense of rhythm and of general 
 balance ; his verse is excellently sonorous, ard would lend itself admirably to 
 elecutionary art. ... Its main merit is its "long resounding march and energy 
 divine." Mr. Mackay is full of enthusiasm, and for the right things. His new 
 book is as healthful as it is eloquent." — Globe. 
 
 'Throughout the book the poetic workmanship is fine.' — Scotsman. 
 
 Jane Barlow. THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MICE, 
 translated by Jane Barlow, Author of ' Irish Idylls,' and pictured 
 by F. D. Bedford. Small ^0. 6s. net. 
 
 Ibsen. BRAND. A Drama by Henrik Ibsen. Translated by 
 William Wilson. Crown Zvo. Second Edition, y. 6d. 
 
 •The greatest world -poem of the nineteenth century next to "Faust." "Brand 
 will have an astonishing interest for Englishmen. It is in the same set with 
 " Agamemnon," with " Lear," with the literature that we now instipctively regard 
 4-> hi^h and holy.' — Daily QhionLcU. 
 
12 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 "A.G." VERSES TO ORDER. By"A. G." Cr. Svo. 2s,6d. 
 
 net. 
 A small volume of verse by a writer whose initials are well known to Oxford men. 
 ' A capital specimen of light academic poetry. These verses are very bright and 
 engaging, easy and sufficiently witty.'— 6"^. James's Gazette. 
 
 Hosken. VERSES BY THE WAY. By J. D. Hosken. 
 Crown Svo. 5j. 
 
 Gale. CRICKET SONGS. By Norman Gale. Crown Svo. 
 Linen, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Also a limited edition on hahd-made paper. Demy Svo. los. 6d. 
 net. 
 .'As healthy as they are spirited, and ought to have a great success.' — Times. 
 ' Simple, manly, and humorous. Every cricketer should buy the book.' — Westminster 
 Gazette. ' Cricket has never known such a singer.' — Cricket. 
 
 Langbridge. BALLADS OF THE BRAVE : Poems of Chivalry, 
 Enterprise, Courage, and Constancy, from the Earliest Times to the 
 Present Day. Edited, with Notes, by Rev. F. Langbridge. 
 Crown Svo. Buckram 3^. 6d. School Edition, 2s. 6d. 
 ' A very happy conception happily carried out. These " Ballads of the Brave " are 
 intended to suit the real tastes of boys, and will suit the taste of the great majority. 
 —Spectator. ' The book is full of splendid things.'— IVorUl. 
 
 English Classics 
 
 Edited by W. E. Henley. 
 
 Messrs. Methuen are publishing, under this title, a series of the masterpieces of the 
 English tongue, which, while well within the reach of the average buyer, shall be 
 at once an ornament to the shelf of him that owns, and a delight to the eye of 
 him that reads. 
 
 The series, of which Mr. William Ernest Henley is the general editor, will confine 
 itself to no single period or department of literature. Poetry, fiction, drama, 
 biography, autobiography, letters, essays — in all these fields is the material of 
 many goodly volumes. 
 
 The books, which are designed and printed by Messrs. Constable, are issued in two 
 editions — (i) A small edition, on the finest Japanese vellum, demy Svo, 21s. a 
 volume net ; (2) the popular edition on laid paper, crown Svo, buckram, s^. 6d. a 
 volume. 
 
 THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY. 
 
 By Lawrence Sterne. With an Introduction by Charles 
 
 Whibley, and a Portrait. 2 vols. Js. 
 60 copies on Japanese paper. 4.2s. net. 
 ' Very dainty volumes are these ; the paper, type and light green binding are all 
 
 very_ agreeable to the eye. "Simplex munditiis " is the phrase that might be 
 
 applied to them. So far as we know, Sterne's famous work has never appeared in 
 
 a guise more attractive to the connoisseur than this.' — Globe, 
 'The bookis excellently printed by Messrs. Constable on good paper, and being 
 
 divided into two volumes, is light and handy without lacking the dignity of a 
 
 classic' — Manchester Guardian. 
 
Messrs. Mfthuen's List 13 
 
 ' This new edition of a great classic might make an honourable appearance in any 
 library in the world. Printed by Constable on laid paper, bound in most artistic 
 and restful-looking fig-green buckram, with a frontispiece portrait and an introduc- 
 tion by Mr. Charles Whibley, the book might well be issued at three times its 
 present price.' — I'/ish Independent. 
 
 'Cheap and comely; a very agreeable edition.' — Saturday Review. 
 
 'A real acquisition to the library,' — Birmingham Post. 
 
 THE COMEDIES OF WILLIAM CONGREVE. With 
 
 an Introduction by G. S. Street, and a Portrait. 2 vols. "js. 
 
 25 copies on Japanese paper, ^zs. net. 
 
 ' The comedies are reprinted in a good text and on a page delightful to look upon. 
 The pieces are rich reading.' — Scotsman. 
 
 ' So long as literature thrives, Congreve must be read with growing zest, in virtue of 
 qualities which were always rare, and which were never rarer than at this moment. 
 All that is best and most representative of Congreve's genius is included in this 
 latest edition, wherein for the first time the chaotic punctuation of its forerunners 
 is reduced to order — a necessary, thankless task on which Mr. Street has mani- 
 festly spent much pains. Of his introduction it remains to say that it is an ex- 
 cellent appreciation, notable for catholicity, discretion, and finesse : an admirable 
 piece of work.' — Pali Mall Gazette. 
 
 ' Two volumes of marvellous cheapness.' — Dublin Herald. 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA OF ISPAHAN. 
 By James Morier. With an Introduction by E. G. Browne, M.A. 
 and a Portrait. 2 vols. 'js. 
 25 copies on Japanese paper. 21s. net^ 
 
 History 
 
 Flinders Petrie. A HISTORY OF EGYPT, from the 
 Earliest Times to the Hyksos. By W. M. Flinders Petrie, 
 D.C.L., Professor of Egyptology at University College. Fully Illus- 
 trated, Second Edition. Crowji 8vo. 6s. 
 'An important contribution to scientific stndy.'—Scotsman. 
 
 • A history written in the spirit of scientific precision so worthily represented by Dr. 
 Petrie and his school cannot but promote sound and accurate study, and supply a 
 vacant place in the English literature of Egyptology.'— 7"rV««. 
 
 riinders Petrie. EGYPTIAN TALES. Edited by W. M. 
 Flinders Petrie. Illustrated by Tristram Ellis. Crown Svo. 
 3s. 6d. 
 
 • A valuable addition to the literature of comparative folk-lore. The drawings are 
 
 really illustrations in the literal sense of the word.' — Globe. 
 ' It has a scientific value to the student of history and archd^ology. '—Scotsvian. 
 •Invaluable as^a picture of life in Palestine and Egypt.' — Daily News. 
 
14 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 Clark. THE COLLEGES OF OXFORD : Their History and 
 their Traditions. By Members of the University. Edited by A. 
 Clark, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Lincoln College, Svo. 12s. 6d. 
 
 • A delightful book, learned and lively.' — AceuUnty. 
 
 ' A work which will certainly be appealed to for many years as the standard book on 
 the Colleges of Oxford.' — Athensutn. 
 
 Perrens. THE HISTORY OF FLORENCE FROM THE 
 TIME OF THE MEDICIS TO THE FALL OF THE 
 REPUBLIC. By F. T. Perrens. Translated by Hannah 
 Lynch. In Three Volumes. Vol. I. Svo. 12s. 6d. 
 
 ' This is a standard book by an honest and intelligent historian, who has deserved 
 well of all who are interested in Italian history.' — Manchester Guardian. 
 
 George. BATTLES OF ENGLISH HISTORY. By H. B. 
 
 George, M.A., Fellow of New College, Oxford. With numerous 
 Plans, Second Edition. Crown %vo. 6s. 
 
 ' Mr. George has undertaken a very useful task— that of making military affairs in- 
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 able intelligence and industry, and with a large measure of success'— Times. 
 
 ' This book is almost a revelation ; and we heartily congratulate the author on his 
 work and on the prospect of the reward he has well deserved for so much con- 
 scientious and sustained labour.' — Daily Chronicle. 
 
 Browning. GUELPHSAND GHIBELLINES: A Short History 
 of Mediaeval Italy, A.D. 1250- 1409. By OscAR Browning, Fellow 
 and Tutor of King's College, Cambridge. Second Edition. Crown 
 Svo. 55. 
 
 * A very able book.' — Westminster Gazette. 
 
 ' A vivid picture of mediaeval Italy. 'Standard. 
 
 Browning. THE AGE OF THE CONDOTTIERI : A Short 
 Story of Italy from 1409 to 1530. By Oscar Browning, M.A., 
 Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Crown Svo. S^- 
 This book is a continuation of Mr.. Browning's 'Guelphs and Ghibellinei,' and th« 
 
 two works form a complete account of Italian history from 1250 to 1530. 
 ' Mr, Browning is to be congratulated on the production of a work of immense 
 labour and \&3ixn\ng.'— Westminster Gazette. 
 
 O'Grady. THE STORY OF IRELAND. By Standish 
 O'Grady, Author of * Finn and his Companions.' Cr. Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 ' Novel and very fascinating history. Wonderfully a.l\nTing.'—Cork Examiner.^ 
 'Most delightful, most stimulating. Its racy humour, its original imaginingSj 
 
 make it one of the freshest, breeziest vo\\i.va&%.^— Methodist Titms. 
 'A survey at once graphic, acute, and quaintly written.' — Times. 
 
 Maiden. ENGLISH RECORDS. A Companion to the 
 History of England. ByH. E. Maldkn, M.A. Crown Svo. is,(>d. 
 
 A book which concentrates information upon dates, genealogy, officials, constitu- 
 ti;nal docnnents. etc., which is csoally fonnd scattered in different volumes. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 Biography 
 
 ColUngwood. THE LIFE OF JOHN RUSKIN. By W. G. 
 
 CoLLiNGWOOD, M.A., Editor of Mr. Ruskin's Poems. With 
 
 numerous Portraits, and 13 Drawings by Mr. Ruskin. 2 vols. Svo. 
 
 32J. Second Edition. 
 ' No more magnificent volumes have been published for a long time. . . .' — Times. 
 ' It is long since we have had a biography with such delights of substance and of 
 
 form. Such a book is a pleasure for the day, and a joy for ever.' — Daily 
 
 Chronicle. 
 'A noble monument of a noble subject. One of the most beautiful books about one 
 
 of the noblest lives of oiu' century." — Glasgow Herald. 
 
 Waldstein. JOHN RUSKIN: a Study. By Charles Wald- 
 
 STEIN, M.A., Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. With a Photo- 
 gravure Portrait after Professor Herkomer. Post Svo. ^s. 
 Also 25 copies on Japanese paper. Demy Svo. 2\s. net, 
 
 'A thoughtful, impartial, well-written criticism of Ruskin's teaching, intended to 
 separate what the author regards as valuable and permanent from what is transient 
 .and erroneous in the great master's writing.' — Daily Chronicle. 
 
 Kaufmann, CHARLES KINGSLEY. By M. Kaufmann, 
 M.A. Croivn Svo. Buckram, ^s. 
 A biography of Kingsley, especially dealing with his achievements in social rciorm. 
 ' The author has certainly gone about his work with conscientiousness and industry.' — 
 Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 
 
 Bobbins. THE EARLY LIFE OF WILLIAM EWART 
 GLADSTONE. By A. F. Robbins. With Portraits. Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 ' Considerable labour and much skill of presentation have not been unworthily 
 
 expended on this interesting work.' — Times. 
 ' Not only one of the most meritorious, but one of the most interesting, biographical 
 works that have appeared on the subject of the ex-Premier. ... It furnishes a 
 picture from many points original and striking ; it makes additions of value to the 
 evidence on which we are entitled to estimate a great public character ; and it 
 gives the reader's judgment exactly that degree of guidance which is the function 
 of a calm, restrained, and judicious historian.' — BirjyizK^luirn Daily Post. 
 
 Clark Russell. THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD COL- 
 LINGWOOD. By W. Clark Russell, Author of ' The Wreck 
 of the Grosvenor.' With Illustrations by F. Brangwyn. Second 
 Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 ' A really good book.' — Satu^<.ay Review. 
 
 ' A most excellent and wholesome book, which we should like to see in the hands of 
 every boy in the country.'— J/. /a?nfs's Gazette. 
 
i6 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 Southey. ENGLISH SEAMEN (Howard, Clifford, Hawkins, 
 Drake, Cavendish). By ROBERT SouTHEY, Edited, with an 
 Introduction, by David Hannay. Crown %vo. 6j. 
 
 This is a reprint of some excellent biographies of Elizabethan seamen, written by 
 Southey and never republished. They are practically unknown, and they de- 
 serve, and will probably obtain, a wide popularity. 
 
 General Literature 
 
 Gladstone. THE SPEECHES AND PUBLIC ADDRESSES 
 OF THE RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P. With Notes 
 and Introductions. Edited by A. W. HuTTON, M.A. (Librarian of 
 the Gladstone Library), and H. J. Cohen, M.A. With Portraits. 
 
 8w. Vols. IX. and X. 12s. 6d. each. 
 
 Henley and Whibley. A BOOK OF ENGLISH PROSE. 
 
 Collected by W. E. Henley and Charles Whibley. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Also 40 copies on Dutch paper. 21s. net. 
 Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. 42J. net. 
 'A unique volume of extracts — an art gallery of early prose.' — Birming^ham Post. 
 'An admirable companion to Mr. Henley's "Lyra Heroica."' — Saturday Review. 
 'Quite delightful. The choice made has been excellent, and the volume has been 
 most admirably printed by Messrs. Constable. A greater treat for those not well 
 acquainted with pre- Restoration prose could not be imagined.' — Athenceunt. 
 
 Wells. OXFORD AND OXFORD LIFE. By Members of 
 the University. Edited by J. Wells, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of 
 Wadham College. Crown Svo. 35. 6J. 
 
 This work contains an account of life at Oxford — intellectual, social, and religious — 
 a careful estimate of necessary expenses, a review of recent changes, a statement 
 of the present position of the University, and chapters on Women's Education, 
 aids to study, and University Extension. 
 
 ' We congratulate Mr. Wells on the production of a readable and intelligent account 
 of Oxford as it is at the present time, written by persons who are possessed of a 
 close acquaintance with the system and life of the University.'— ^//z^w^'ww. 
 
 Ouida. VIEWS AND OPINIONS. By Ouida. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 ' Her views are always well marked and forcibly expressed, so that even when you 
 most strongly differ from the writer you can always recognise and acknowledge 
 her ability.'— G/c3f. 
 
 ' Ouida is outspoken, and the reader of this book will not have a dull moment. The 
 book is full of variety, and sparkles with entertaining matter.' — Speaker. 
 
 Bowden. THE EXAMPLE OF BUDDHA: Being Quota- 
 tions from Buddhist Literature for each Day in the Year. Compiled 
 by E. M. BowDEN. With Preface bj Sir Edwin Arnold. Third 
 Edition. i6mo. 2s. td. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 17 
 
 Bushill. PROFIT SHARING AND THE LABOUR QUES- 
 TION. By T. W. Bushill, a Profit Sharing Employer. With an 
 Introduction by Sedley Taylor, Author of * Profit Sharing between 
 Capital and Labour.' Crown %vo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Maiden. THE ENGLISH CITIZEN: His Rights and 
 Duties. By H. E. Malden, M.A. Crown 8vo. is. 6J. 
 
 A simple account of the privileges and duties of the English citizen. 
 
 John Beever. PRACTICAL FLY-FISHING, Founded on 
 Nature, by John Beever, late of the Thwaite House, Coniston. A 
 New Edition, with a Memoir of the Author by W. G. Collingwood, 
 M.A. Crown Svo. ^s. 6d. 
 A little book on Fly-Fishing by an old friend of Mr. Raskin. 
 
 Science 
 
 Freudenreich. DAIRY BACTERIOLOGY. A Short Manual 
 for the Use of Students in Dairy Schools, Cheesemakers, and 
 Farmers. By Dr. Ed. von Freudenreich. Translated from the 
 German by J. R. Ainsworth Davis, B.A. (Camb.), F.C.P., Pro- 
 fessor of Biology and Geology at University College, Aberystwyth. 
 Crown Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Chalmers MitchelL OUTLINES OF BIOLOGY. By P. 
 
 Chalmers Mitchell, M.A., F.Z.S. Full}f Illustrated. Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 A text-book designed to cover the new Schedule issued by the Royal College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons. 
 
 Massee. A MONOGRAPH OF THE MYXOGASTRES. By 
 
 George Massee. With 12 Coloured Plates. Royal Svo. iSs.net. 
 
 •a work much in advance of any book in the language treating of this group of 
 organisms. It is indispensable to every student of the Myxogastres. The 
 coloured plates deserve high praise for their accuracy and execution.'— iVirj'wr?. 
 
 Theology 
 
 Driver. SERMONS ON SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH 
 THE OLD TESTAMENT. By S. R. Driver, D.D., Canon of 
 
 Christ Church, Regius Professor of Hebrew in the University of 
 Oxford. Crown Svo. 6j. 
 a welcome companion to the author's famous * Introduction.' Nrfman can read these 
 
 discourses without feeling that Dr. Driver is fully alive to the deeper teaching of 
 
 the Old Testament'— G^tf^»-ii';-:r.«. 
 
1 8 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 Cheyne. FOUNDERS OF OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM: 
 Biographical, Descriptive, and Critical Studies. By T. K. Cheyne, 
 D.D., Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at 
 Oxford. Large crown Zvo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 This important book is a historical sketch of O.T. Criticism in the form of biographi- 
 cal studies from the days of Eichhorn to those of Driver and Robertson Smith. 
 It is the only book of its kind in Engiish, 
 ' A very learned and instructive work.' — Times. 
 
 Prior. CAMBRIDGE SERMONS. Edited by C H. Prior, 
 M. A., Fellow and Tutor of Pembroke College. Crown ^vo. 6s. 
 
 A volume of sermons preached before the University of Cambridge by various 
 preachers, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop Westcott. 
 
 ' A representative collection. Bishop Westcott's is a noble strmon.'— Guardian. 
 
 •Full of thoughtfulness and dignity.'— Record. 
 
 Beeching. SERMONS TO SCHOOLBOYS. By H. C. 
 
 Beeching, M.A., Rector of Yattendon, Berks. With a Preface by 
 Canon Scott Holland. Crown Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Seven sermons preached before the boys of Bradfield College. 
 
 Layard. RELIGION IN BOYHOOD. Notes on the Reli- 
 gious Training of Boys. With a Preface by J. R. Illingworth. 
 By E. B. Layard, M.A. i8mo. is. 
 
 2Dtt)otlonal Boo!i0* 
 
 fVifh Full-pc^e Illustrations. 
 
 THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By Thomas A Kempis. 
 
 With an Introduction by Archdeacon Farrar. Illustrated by 
 
 C. M. Gere, and printed in black and red. Fcap. %vo. 35. 6d. 
 
 ' We must draw attention to the anti(^ue style, quaintness, and typographical excel- 
 lence of the work, its red-letter "initials" and black letter type, and old-fashioned 
 paragraphic arrangement of pages. The antique paper, uncut edges, and illustra- 
 tions are in accord with the other features of this unique little work.' — Newsagent. 
 
 'Amongst all the innunierable English editions of the "Imitation," there can have 
 been few which were prettier than this one, printed in strong and handsome type 
 by Messrs. Constable, with all the glory of red initials, and the comfort of buckram 
 binding.' — Glasgow Herald. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. By John Keble. With an Intro- 
 duction and Notes by W. Lock, M.A., Sub- Warden of Keble 
 College, Author of 'The Life of John Keble.' Illustrated by R. 
 Anning Bell. Fcap. %vo. ^s, ^October. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 19 
 
 Leaders of Religion 
 
 Edited by H. C. BEECHING, M.A. PVith Portraits, crown 8w. 
 
 A series of short biographies of the most prominent leaders I /' 
 
 of religious life and thought of all ages and countries. O j (^ 
 
 The following are ready — O/ 
 
 CARDINAL NEWMAN. By R. H. Hutton. 
 JOHN WESLEY. By J. H. Overton, M.A. 
 BISHOP WILBERFORCE. By G. W. Daniel, M.A. 
 CARDINAL MANNING. By A. W. HUTTON, M.A. 
 CHARLES SIMEON. By H. C. G. MOULE, M.A. 
 JOHN KEBLE. By Walter Lock, M.A. 
 THOMAS CHALMERS. By Mrs. Oliphant. 
 LANCELOT ANDREWES. By R. L. Ottley, M.A. 
 AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY. By E. L. Cutts, D.D. 
 WILLIAM LAUD. By W. H. HuTTON, M.A. 
 
 Other volumes will be announced in due course. 
 
 Works by S. Baring Gould 
 
 OLD COUNTRY LIFE. With Sixty-seven Illustrations by 
 W. Parkinson, F. D. Bedford, and F. Masey. Large Crown 
 Svo, cloth super extra^ top edge gilt, iQs, 6d. Fifth and Cheaper 
 Edition, 6j, 
 
 ' " Old Country Life," as healthy wholesome reading, full of breezy life and move- 
 ment, full of quaint stories vigoroasly told, will not be excelled by any book to be 
 published throughout the year. Sound, hearty, and English to iht.cor^.'— World. 
 
 HISTORIC ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. Third 
 Edition. Crown "ivo. 6s. 
 
 ' A collection of exciting and entertaining chapters. The whole volume is delightful 
 reading.'— 7'/w«. 
 
 FREAKS OF FANATICISM. Third Edition. Crown Zvo. 6s. 
 
 'Mr. Baring Gould has a keen eye for colour and effect, and the subjects he has 
 chosen give ample scope to his descriptive and analytic faculties. A perfectly 
 fascinating book.' — Scottish Leader, 
 
 A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG : English Folk Songs 
 with their traditional melodies. Collected and arranged by S. 
 Baring Gould and H. Fleetwood Sheppard. Demy ^to. 6s. 
 
20 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 SONGS OF THE WEST : Traditional Ballads and Songs of 
 the West of England, with their Traditional Melodies. Collected 
 by S. Baring Gould, M.A., and H. Fleetwood Shkppard, 
 M.A. Arranged for Voice and Piano. In 4 Parts (containing 25 
 Songs each), Parts /., //., ///., 3^. each. Part /F., 5j. In one 
 Vol.i French morocco^ l$s. 
 'A rich collection of humour, pathos, grace, and poetic fancy.' — Saturday Review. 
 
 A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES retold by S. BARING GoULD. 
 With numerous illustrations and initial letters by Arthur J. Gaskin. 
 Crown %vo. Buckram. 6s. 
 ' Mr. Baring Gould has done a good deed, and is deserving of gratitude, in re- writ- 
 ing in honest, simple style the old stories that delighted the childhood of " our 
 fathers and grandfathers." We do not think he has omitted any of our favourite 
 stories, the stories that are commonly regarded as merely "old-fashioned." As 
 to the form of the book, and the printing, which is by Messrs. Constable, it were 
 difficult to commend overmuch.' — Saturday Review. 
 
 YORKSHIRE ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. 
 
 Fourth Edition. Crown Svo, 6s. 
 
 STRANGE SURVIVALS AND SUPERSTITIONS. With 
 
 Illustrations. By S. Baring Gould. Crown Svo. Second Edition. 
 
 6s. 
 ' We have read Mr. Baring Gould's book from beginning to end. It is full of quaint 
 and various information, and there is not a dull page in it '—Notes and Queries. 
 
 THE TRAGEDY OF THE CAESARS: The 
 
 Emperors of the Julian and Claudian Lines. With numerous Illus- 
 trations from Busts, Gems, Cameos, etc. By S. Baring Gould, 
 Author of * Mehalah,' etc. Third Edition. Royal Svo. 15J. 
 • A most splendid and fascinating book on a subject of undying interest. The great 
 feature of the book is the use the author has made of the existing portraits of the 
 Caesars, and the admirable critical subtlety he has exhibited in dealing with this 
 line of research. It is brilliantly written, and the illustrations are supplied on a 
 scale of profuse magnificence.' — Daily Chronicle. 
 ' The volumes will in no sense disappoint the general reader. Indeed, in their way, 
 there is nothing in any sense so good in English. . . . Mr. Baring Gould has 
 presented his narrative in such a way as not to make one dull ^■ajgt.'— Athenaeum. 
 
 THE DESERTS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE. By S. Baring 
 Gould, With numerous Illustrations by F. D. Bedford, S. 
 
 HuTTON, etc. 2 vols. Demy Svo, 32^. 
 
 This book is the first serious attempt to de:.cribe the great barren tableland that 
 extends to the south of Limousin in the Department of Aveyron, Lot, etc., a 
 country of dolomite cliffsj and canons, and subterranean rivers. The region is 
 full of prehistoric and historic interest, relics of cave-dwellers, of mediaeval 
 robbers, and of the English domination and the Hundred Years' War. 
 
 •His two richly-illustrated volumes are full of matter of interest to the geologist, 
 the archaeologist, and the student of history and manners.' — Scotsman. 
 It dcils with Its subject in & maiiser wlxich rarely fails to arreit attention.' — Times. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 21 
 
 Fiction 
 
 SIX 8HILLINQ NOVELS 
 
 Marie Oorelli. BARABBAS : A DREAM OF THE WORLD'S 
 TRAGEDY. By Marie Corelli, Author of ' A Romance of Two 
 Worlds,' 'Vendetta,' etc. Seventeenth Edition. Crown S,vo. 6s. 
 •The tender reverence of the treatment and the imaginative beauty of the writing 
 have reconciled us to the daring of the conception, and the_ conviction is forced on 
 us that even so exalted a subject cannot be made too familiar to us, provided it be 
 presented in the true spirit of Christian faith. The amplifications of the Scripture 
 narrative are often conceived with high poetic insight, and this " Dream of the 
 World's Tragedy " is, despite some trifling incongruities, a lofty and not inade- 
 quate paraphrase of the supreme climax of the inspired narrative.' — Dublin 
 Review. 
 
 Anthony Hope. THE GOD IN THE CAR. By Anthony 
 Hope, Author of ' A Change of Air,' etc. Sixth Edition. Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 ' Ruston is drawn with extraordinary skill, and Maggie Dennison with many subtle 
 strokes. The minor characters are clear cut. In short the book is a brilliant one. 
 " The God in the Car " is one of the most remarkable works in a year that has 
 given us the handiwork of nearly all our best living novtVists.'— Standard. 
 
 ' A very remarkable book, deserving of critical analysis impossible within our limit ; 
 brilliant, but not superficial ; well considered, but not elaborated ; constructed 
 with the proverbial art that conceals, but yet allows itself to be enjoyed by 
 readers to whom fine literary method is a keen pleasure ; true without cynicism, 
 subtle without affectation, humorous without strain, witty without offence, inevit- 
 ably sad, with an unmorose simplicity.' — T/te World. 
 
 Anthony Hope. A CHANGE OF AIR. By Anthony Hope, 
 
 Author of * The Prisoner of Zenda,' etc. Second Edition. Crown 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 •A graceful, vivacious comedy, true to human nature. The characters are traced 
 with a masteily hand.' — Times. 
 
 Anthony Hope. A MAN OF MARK. By Anthony Hope. 
 Author of 'The Prisoner of Zenda,' * The God in the Car,* etc. 
 Second Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 'A bright, entertaining, unusually able book, quite worthy of its brilliant anther.'— 
 
 Queen. 
 ' Of all Mr. Hope's books, " A Man of Mark " is the one which best compares with 
 " The Prisoner of Zenda." The two romances are unmistakably the work of the 
 same writer, and he possesses a style of narrative peculiarly seductive, piquant, 
 comprehensive, and — his own.' — National Observer. 
 
 Conan Doyle. ROUND THE RED LAMP. By A. Conan 
 Doyle, Author of * The White Company,' * The Adventures of Sher- 
 lock Holmes,' etc. Fourth Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 ' The book is, indeed, composed of leaves from life, and is far and away the best 
 view that has been vouchsafed us behind the scenes of the consulting-room. It is 
 very superior to " The Diary of a late Physician." '—Illustrated London News. 
 
22 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 ] 
 
 'Dr. Doyle wields a canning pen, as all the world now knows. His deft touch 
 seen to perfection in these short sketches— these "facts and fancies of medical 
 life," as he calls them. Every page reveals the literary artist, the keen observer, 
 the trained delineator of human nature, its weal and its woe.' — Freeman's Journal. 
 
 ' These tales are skilful, attractive, and eminently suited to give relief to the mind 
 of a reader in quest of distraction.' — Athemeunu 
 
 Stanley Weyman. UNDER THE RED ROBE. By Stanley 
 Weyman, Author of * A Gentleman of France.' With Twelve Illus- 
 trations by R. Caton Woodville. Seventh Edition. Crown %vo. 6^. 
 A cheaper edition of a book which won instant popularity. No unfavourable review 
 occurred, and most critics spoke in terms of enthusiastic admiration. The ' West- 
 minster Gazette ' called it ' a book ofivhich we have read every word for the sheer 
 pleasure of readings and which we i>ut down with a pang that we cannot /orget 
 it all and start again.' The 'Daily Chronicle' said that ^ every one who reads 
 books at all must read this thrilling romance, from the first page of which to the 
 last the breathless reader is haled along.' It also called the book ' an itispiraiion 
 cf manliness and courage.' The 'Globe ' called it ' a delightful tale of chivalry 
 and adventure, vivid and dramatic, with a wholesome modesty and reverence 
 for the highest.' 
 
 Emily Lawless. MAELCHO : a Sixteenth Century Romance. 
 By the Hon. Emily Lawless, Author of ' Grania,' * Hurrish,' etc. 
 Second Edition. Crown %vo. 6s. 
 
 • A striking and delightful book. A task something akin to Scott's may lie before 
 
 Miss Lawless. If she carries forward this series of historical pictures with the 
 same brilliancy and truth she has already shown, and with the increasing self- 
 control one may expect from the genuine artist, she may do more for her country 
 than many a politician. Throughout this fascinating book. Miss Lawless has 
 produced something which is not_ strictly history and is not strictly fiction, but 
 nevertheless possesses both imaginative value and historical insight in a high 
 degree.' — Times. 
 
 • A really great hooV.' —Spectator. 
 
 • There is no keener pleasure in life than the recognition of genius. Good work is 
 
 commoner than it used to be, but the best is as rare as ever. All the more 
 gladly, therefore, do we welcome in " Maelcho " a piece of work of the first order, 
 which we do not hesitate to describe as one of tlie most remarkable literary 
 achievements of this generation. Miss Lawless is possessed of the very essence 
 of historical genius.' — Manchester Guardian. 
 
 E. F. Benson. DODO : A DETAIL OF THE DAY. By E. F. 
 
 Benson. Crown Svo. Sixteenth Edition. 6s. 
 
 A story of society which attracted by its brilliance universal attention. The best 
 critics were cordial in their praise. The ' Guardian ' spoke of 'Dodo'as'«M- 
 usually clever and interesting' ', the 'Spectator' called it '« delightfully witty 
 sketch of society ; ' the ' Speaker ' said the dialogue was * a perpetual feast of 
 epigram and paradox' ; the 'Athenaeum' spoke of the author as 'a writer 
 of quite exceptional ability ' ; the ' Academy ' praised his ' amazing cleverness ; ' 
 the 'World' said the book was * brilliantly written' \ and half-a-dozen papers 
 declared there was ' not a dull page in the book.' 
 
 E. F. Benson. THE RUBICON. By E. F. Benson, Author of 
 * Dodo.' Fourth Edition. Crown Svo. 6s, 
 Of Mr. Benson's second n«vel the ' Birmingham Post ' says it is ' well written, 
 stimulating, unconventional, and, in a word, characteristic ' : the ' National 
 Observer congratulates Mr. Benson upon 'a« exceptional achievement,' and 
 calls the 'book ' a notable advance on his previous work.' 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 23 
 
 M. M. Dowie. GALLIA. By M^nie Muriel Dowie. Author 
 of 'A Girl in the Carpathians.* Second Edition. Crown %vo. 6j. 
 
 ' Thft style is generally admirable, the dialogue not seldom brilliant, the situations 
 surprising in their freshness and originality, while the subsidiary as well as the 
 principal characters live and move, and the story itself is readable from title-page 
 to colophon,' — Saturday Review. 
 
 'A very notable book ; a very sympathetically, at times delightfully written book.' 
 — Daily Graphic. 
 
 MR. BARING GOULD'S NOVELS 
 
 • To say that a book is by the author of " Mehalah " is to imply that it contains a 
 
 story cast on strong lines, containing dramatic possibilities, vivid and sympathetic 
 descriptions of Nature, and a wealth of ingenious imagery.' — Speaker. 
 
 ' That whatever Mr. Baring Gould writes is well worth reading, is a conclusion that 
 may be verjr generally accepted. His views of life are fresh and vigorous, his 
 language pointed and characteristic, the incidents of which he makes use are 
 striking and original, his characters are life-like, and though somewhat excep- 
 tional people, are drawn and coloured with artistic force. Add to this that his 
 descriptions of scenes and scenery are painted with the loving eyes and skilled 
 hands of a master of his art, that he is always fresh and never dull, and under 
 such conditions it is no wonder that readers have gained confidence both in his 
 power of amusing and satisfying them, and that year by year his popularity 
 widens. ' — Court Circular. 
 
 Baring Gould. URITH : A Story of Dartmoor. By S. Baring 
 
 Gould. Third Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 • The author is at his best.' — Times. 
 
 ' He has nearly reached the high water-mark of " Mehalah." '—National Observer. 
 
 Baring Gould. IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA: A Tale of 
 the Cornish Coast. By S. Baring Gould. Fifth Edition. 6s. 
 
 Baring Gould. MRS. CURGENVEN OF CURGENVEN. 
 
 By S.. Baring Gould. Fourth Edition. 6s, 
 
 A story of Devon life. The ' Graphic ' speaks of it as ' a novel of vigorous huniour and 
 sustained i^ower^ \ the 'Sussex Daily News 'says that ' the swing of the narrative 
 is splendid^ ; and the ' Speaker' mentions its ' bright imaginative power.'' 
 
 Baring Gould. CHEAP JACK ZITA. By S. Baring Gould. 
 
 Third Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 A Romance of the Ely Fen District in 1815, which the 'Westminster Gazette' calls 
 ' a powerful drama of human passion ' ; and the ' National Observer ' ' a story 
 worthy the author.' 
 
 Baring Gould. THE QUEEN OF LOVE. By S. Baring 
 Gould. Third Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 The ' Glasgow Herald ' says that ' the scenery is ad7nirable, and the dramatic inci- 
 dents are most striking.' The 'Westminster Gazette' calls the book * strong, 
 interesting, and clever.' ' Punch ' says that ^ you cannot put it down until you 
 have finished it.' ' The Sussex Daily News ' says that it ' can be heartily recom- 
 mended to all who care for cleanly, energetic, and interesting ficiicr..' 
 
24 Messrs. Methuen's List 1 
 
 Baring Gould. KITTY ALONE. By S. Baring Gould, 
 Author of 'Mehalah,' 'Cheap Jack Zita,' etc. Fourth Edition. 
 Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 * A strong and original story, teeming with graphic description, stirring incident, 
 
 and, above all, with vivid and enthralling human interest.'— iJaz'^y Telegraph. 
 
 • Brisk, clever, keen, healthy, humorous, and interesting.' — National Observer. 
 ' Full of quaint and delightful studies of character.' — Bristol Mercury. 
 
 Mrs. Oliphant. SIR ROBERT'S FORTUNE. By Mrs. 
 Oliphant. Crown S>vo. 6s. 
 ' Full of her own peculiar charm of style and simple, subtle character-painting comes 
 her new gift, the delightful story before us. The scene mostly lies in the moors, 
 and at the touch of the authoress a Scotch moor becomes a living thing, strong, 
 tender, beautiful, and changeful. The book will take rank among the best of 
 Mrs. Oliphant's good stories.'— /'a// Mall Gazette. 
 
 W.RNorris. MATTHEW AUSTIN. By W. E. Norris, Author 
 of * Mademoiselle de Mersac,' etc. Third Edition. Crown Zvo. 6s. 
 ' "Matthew Austin" may safely be pronounced one of the most intellectually satis- 
 factory and morally bracing novels of the current year.' — Daily Telegraph. 
 ' Mr. W. E. Norris is always happy in his delineation of every-day experiences, but 
 rarely has he been brighter or breezier than in " Matthew Austin." The pictures 
 are in Mr. Norris's pleasantest vein, while running through the entire story is a 
 felicity of style and wholesomeness of tone which one is accustomed to find in the 
 novels of this favourite author.' — Scotsman. 
 
 W. E. Norris. HIS GRACE. By W. E. Norris, Author of 
 * Mademoiselle de Mersac. ' Third Edition. Crown Zvo. 6s. 
 'Mr. Norris has drawn a really fine character in the Duke of Hurstbourne, at once 
 unconventional and very true to the conventionalities of life, weak and strong in 
 a breath, capable of inane follies and heroic decisions, yet not so definitely por- 
 trayed as to relieve a reader of the necessity of study on his own behalf.' — 
 A thenceum. 
 
 W. E. Norris. THE DESPOTIC LADY AND OTHERS. 
 
 By W. E. Norris, Author of * Mademoiselle de Mersac. ' Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 'A delightfully humorous tale of a converted and rehabilitated rope-dancer.'— 
 Glasgow Herald. 
 
 ' The ingenuity of the idea, the skill with which it is worked out, and the sustained 
 humour of its situations, make it after its own manner a veritable little master- 
 piece. ' — Westminster Gazette. 
 
 ' A budget of good fiction of which no one will tire.' —Scotsman. 
 
 'An extremely entertaining volume — the sprightliest of holiday companions.' — 
 Daily Telegraph. 
 
 Gilbert Parker. MRS. FALCHION. By Gilbert Parker, 
 
 Author of * Pierre and His People.' Second Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 Mr. Parker's second book has received a warm welcome. The ' Athenaeum ' called 
 it ' a splendid study of character ' ; the * Pall Mall Gazette ' spoke of the writing as 
 ' iut little behind anything that has been done by any writer of our time ' ; the 
 ' St. James's ' called it ' a very striking and admirable novel' ; and the ' West- 
 minster Gazette ' applied to it the epithet of ' distinguished.' 
 
 Gilbert Parker. PIERRE AND HIS PEOPLE. By Gilbert 
 Parker. Second Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 ' Stories happily conceived and finely executed. There is strength and genius in Mr. 
 Parker's style.'— Daily Telegraph. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 25 
 
 Gilbert Parker. THE TRANSLATION OF A SAVAGE. By 
 Gilbert Parker, Author of 'Pierre and His People,' 'Mrs. 
 Falchion,' etc. Crown ^vo. 6s, 
 
 •The plot is original and one difficult to work out ; but Mr. Parker has done it with 
 great skill and delicacy. The reader who is not interested in this original, fresh, 
 and weil-told tale must be a dull person indeed.* — Daily Chronicle. 
 
 'A strong and successful piece of workmanship. The portrait of Lali, strong, digni- 
 fied, and pure, is exceptionally well drawn.' — Manchester Guardian. 
 
 'A very pretty and interesting story, and Mr. Parker tells it with much skill. The 
 story is one to be read.' — St. James's Gazette. 
 
 Gilbert Parker. THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD. By Gilbert 
 Parker, Author of * Pierre and his People,' etc. Third Edition. 
 Cro'cun ovo. 6s. 
 
 'Everybody with a soul for romance will thoroughly enjoy "The Trail of the 
 Sword." ' — .S"^. Janus' s Gazette. 
 
 ' A rousing and dramatic tale. A book like this, in which swords flash, great sur- 
 prises are undertaken, and daring deeds done, in which men and women live and 
 love in theold straightforward passionate way, is a joy inexpressible to the re- 
 viewer, brain-weary of the domestic tragedies and psychological puzzles of every- 
 day fiction ; and we cannot but believe that to the reader it will bring refreshment 
 as welcome and as keen.' — Daily Chronicle. 
 
 Gilbert Parker. WHEN VALMOND CAME TO PONTIAC : 
 The Story of a Lost Napoleon. By Gilbert Parker. Second 
 Edition. Crown Svo. 6s, 
 ' Here we find romance — real, breathing, living romance, but it runs flush with our 
 own times, level with our own feelings. Not here can we complain of lack of 
 inevitableness or homogeneity. The character of Valmond is drawn unerringly ; 
 his career, brief as it is, is placed before us as convincingly as history itself. The 
 book must be read, we may say re-read, for any one thoroughly to appreciate 
 Mr. Parker's delicate touch and innate sympathy with humanity.'— /*«// Mall 
 Gazette. 
 
 Arthur Morrison. TALES OF MEAN STREETS. By Arthur 
 
 Morrison. Third Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 ' Told with consummate art and extraordinary detail. He tells a plain, unvarnished 
 tale, and the very truth of it makes for beauty. In the true humanity of the book 
 lies its justification, the permanence of its interest, and its indubitable triumph.' — 
 A thencBunt. 
 
 •A great book. The author's method is amazingly efi'ective, and produces a thrilling 
 sense of reality. The writer lays upon us a master hand. "The book is simply 
 appalling and irresistible in its interest. It is humorous also ; without humour 
 it would not make the mark it is certain to make.' — World, 
 
 Julian Corbett. A BUSINESS IN GREAT WATERS. By 
 Julian Corbett, Author of *For God and Gold,' 'Kophetua 
 XIIIth.,*etc. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 'There is plenty of incident and movement in this romance. It is interesting as a 
 novel framed in an historical setting, and it is all the more worthy of attention 
 from the lover of romance as being absolutely free from the morbid, the frivolous, 
 and the ultra-sexual. —Athenceunt. 
 
 ' A stirring Ule of naval adventure during the Gre»t French War. The book is full 
 of f'lctttresque and attractive <:\\7irxanr%.' — Cla<;^ow Herald. 
 
26 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 Robert Ban. IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS. By Robert 
 Barr, Author of * From Whose Bourne,' etc, Second Edition. 
 Crown 2>vo. 6s. 
 
 ' A book which has abundantly satisfied us by its capital humour.' — Daily Chronicle. 
 ' Mr. Barr has achieved a triumph whereof he has every reason to be proud.' — Pall 
 
 Mall Gazette. 
 •There is a quaint thoughtor a good joke on nearly every page. The studies of 
 
 character are carefully finished, and linger in the memory,' — Black and White. 
 'Distinguished for kindly feeling, genuine humour, and really graphic portraiture.' 
 
 — Sussex Daily News, 
 'A delightful romance, with experiences strange and exciting. The dialogue is 
 
 always bright and witty; the scenes are depicted briefly and effectively; and 
 
 there is no incident from first to last that one would wish to have omitted.'— 
 
 Scotsman, 
 
 Mrs. Pinsent. CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD. By Ellen 
 F. Pinsent, Author of * Jenny's Case.' Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 ' There is much clever writing in this book. The story is told in a workmanlike 
 manner, and the characters conduct themselves like average human beings.'— 
 Daily News. 
 
 ' Full of interest, and, with a large measure of present excellence, gives ample pro- 
 mise of splendid y/ork.'— Birmingham Gazette, 
 
 ' Mrs. Pinsent's new novel has plenty of vigour, variety, and good writing. There 
 are certainty of purpose, strength of touch, and clearness oi y'lsion.'—Athenceum. 
 
 Clark RusseU. MY DANISH SWEETHEART. By W. 
 Clark Russell, Author of * The Wreck of the Grosvenor,' etc. 
 Illustrated. Third Edition. Crown Svo, 6s. 
 
 Pryce. TIME AND THE WOMAN. By Richard Pryce, 
 
 Author of • Miss Maxwell's Affections,' * The Quiet Mrs. Fleming,' 
 etc. Second Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 ' Mr. Pryce's work recalls the style of Octave Feuillet, by its clearness, conciseness, 
 its literary reserve. ' — A thenceutn. 
 
 Mrs. Watson. THIS MAN'S DOMINION. By the Author 
 of * A High Little World. ' Second Edition. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 • It is not a book to be read and forgotten on a railway journey, but it is rather a 
 study of the perplexing problems of life, to which the reflecting mind will 
 frequently return, even though the reader does not accept the solutions which the 
 author suggests. In these days, when the output of merely amusing novels is so 
 overpowering, this is no slight praise. There is an underlying depth in the story 
 which reminds one, in a lesser degree, of the profundity of George Eliot, and 
 " This Man's Dominion " is by no means a novel to be thrust aside as exhausted at 
 one perusal.' — Dundee Advertiser. 
 
 Marriott Watson. DIOGENES OF LONDON and other 
 Sketches. By H. B. Marriott Watson, Author of 'The Web 
 of the Spider.' Crown Svo. Buckram. 6s. 
 ' By all those who delight in the uses of words, who rate the exercise of prose above 
 the exercise of verse, who rejoice in all proofs of its delicacy and its strength, who 
 believe that English prose is chief among the moulds of thought, by these 
 Mr. Marriott Watson's book will be welcomed.'— Nafiona/ Ol-ferv«r. 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 27 
 
 Gilchrist. THE STONE DRAGON. By Murray Gilchrist. 
 
 Crovm 8vo. Buckram, 6s. 
 ' The author's faults are atoned for by certain positive and admirable merits. The 
 romances have not their counterpart in modern literature, and to read them is a 
 oniqne experience.'— iVa^rtWrt/ Obsemer. 
 
 THREE-AND-SiXPENNY NOVELS 
 
 Edna LyaU. DERRICK VAUGHAN, NOVELIST. By 
 Edna Lyall, Author of 'Donovan,' etc. Forty-first Thousand. 
 Crown Svo. 3^. 6dc 
 
 Baring Gould. ARM I NELL: A Social Romance. By S. 
 Baring Gould. New Edition. Crown Svo. p. 6d. 
 
 Baring Gould. MARGERY OF QU ETHER, and other Stories. 
 By S. Baring Gould. Crown Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 Baring Gould. JACQUETTA, and other Stories. By S. Baring 
 Gould. Crown Svo. 35. 6d. 
 
 Miss Benson. SUBJECT TO VANITY. By Margaret 
 
 Benson. With numerous Ilhistrations. Second Edition. Crown 
 
 Svo. 35. 6d. 
 ' A charming little book about household pets by a daughter of the Archbishop of 
 
 Canterbury. ' — Speaker, 
 'A delightful collection of studies of animal nature. It is very seldom that we get 
 
 anything so perfect in its kind. . . . The illustrations are clever, and the whole 
 
 book a singularly delightful one.' — Guardian. 
 'Humorous and sentimental by turns, Miss Benson always manages to interest us 
 
 in her pets, and all who love animals will appreciate her book, not only for their 
 
 sake, but quite as much for its o^-n.'— Times. 
 'All lovers of animals should read Miss Benson's book. For sympathetic under- 
 standing, humorous criticism, and appreciative observation she certainly has not 
 
 her equal.' — Manchester Guardian. 
 
 Gray. ELS A. A Novel. By E. M 'Queen Gray. Crown Svo. 
 
 ' A charming novel. The characters are not only powerful sketches, bat minutely 
 and carefully finished portraits.' — Guardian. 
 
 J. H. Pearce. JACO TRELOAR. By J. H. Pearce, Author of 
 * Esther Pentreath. ' New Edition. Crown Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 The 'Spectator' speaks of Mr. Pearce z^* a writer of exceptional power' '^ the 'Daily 
 Telegraph' calls the book ^powerful and ^''-^-'— "— '- ' • '^^ < R;.-rr,;„rrVi,r„ p«c»' 
 asserts that it is 'a novel of high quality. 
 
 X. L. AUT DIABOLUS AUT NIHIL, and Other Stories. 
 By X. L. Crown Svo. 3J. td. 
 
 ' Distinctly original and in the highest degree imaginative. The conception is almost 
 as lofty as Milton's.' — Spectator. 
 
 * Original to a degree of originality that may be called primitive — a kind of passion- 
 ate directness that absolutely absorbs us.' — Saturday Review. 
 
 ' Of powerful interest. There is something startlingly original in the treatment of the 
 themes. The terrible realism lear^is no doubt of the author's power.' — A thentrvnt. 
 
28 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 O'Grady. THE COMING OF CUCULAIN. A Romance of 
 the Heroic Age of Ireland. By Standish O'Grady, Author of 
 * Finn and his Companions,' etc. Illustrated by Murray Smith. 
 Croivn Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 'The suggestions of mystery, the rapid and exciting action, are superb poetic eflFects.' 
 — Speaker. 
 
 ' For light and colour it resembles nothing so much as a Swiss dawn.' — Manchester 
 Guardian. 
 
 •A romance extremely fascinating and admirably veWknit.'—Saturday Review. 
 
 Constance Smith. A CUMBERER OF THE GROUND. 
 By Constance Smith, Author of '"The Repentance of Paul Went- 
 worth,' etc. Nitzu Edition. Crown Svo. p. 6d. 
 
 Author of 'Vera.' THE DANCE OF THE HOURS. By 
 
 the Author of ' Vera.' Crown Svo. 35. 6d. 
 Bsmh Stuart. A WOMAN OF FORTY. By Esm^ Stuart, 
 Author of 'Muriel's Marriage,' *Virginie's Husband,* etc. New 
 Edition. Crown Svo. 35. 6d, 
 'The story is well written, and some of the scenes show great dramatic power.'— 
 Daily Chronicle. 
 
 Fenn. THE STAR GAZERS. By G. Manville Fenn, 
 Author of • Eli's Children,' etc. New Edition. Cr. Svo. ^s. 6d. 
 ' A stirring romzncc.'— Western Morning News. 
 
 ' Told with all the dramatic power for which Mr. Fenn Is con%^\C\xou%.^— Bradford 
 Observer. 
 
 Dickinson. A VICAR'S WIFE. By Evelyn Dickinson. 
 
 Crown Svo. y. 6d. 
 
 Prowse. THE POISON OF ASPS. By R. Orton Prowse. 
 Crown Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 Grey. THE STORY OF CHRIS. By Rowland Grey. 
 
 Crown Svo. $s. 
 
 Lynn Linton. THE TRUE HISTORY OF JOSHUA DAVID- 
 SON, Christian and Communist. By E. Lynn Linton. Eleventh 
 Edition. Post Svo. is. 
 
 HALF-CROWN NOVELS 
 
 A Series of Novels by popular Authors. 
 
 2/6 
 
 1. THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. By F. Mabel Robinson. 
 
 2. DISENCHANTMENT. By F. Mabel Robinson. 
 
 3. MR. BUTLER'S WARD. By F. Mabel Robinson. 
 
 4. HOVENDEN, V.C. By F. Mabel Robinson. 
 
 5. ELI'S CHILDREN. By G. Manville Fenn. 
 
 6. A DOUBLE KNOT. By G. Manville Fenn. 
 
 7. DISARMED. By M. Betham Edwards 
 
Messrs. Methuen's List 29 
 
 8. A LOST ILLUSION. By Leslie Keith. 
 
 9. A MARRIAGE AT SEA. By W. Clark Russell. 
 
 10. IN TENT AND BUNGALOW. By the Author of * Indian 
 
 Idylls.' 
 
 11. MY STEWARDSHIP. By E. M'Queen Gray. 
 
 12. A REVEREND GENTLEMAN. By J. M. Cobban. 
 
 13. A DEPLORABLE AFFAIR. By W. E. NORRIS. 
 
 14. JACK'S FATHER. By W. E. NORRIS. 
 
 15. A CAVALIER'S LAD YE. By Mrs. Dicker. 
 
 16. JIM B. 
 
 Books for Boys and Girls 
 
 A Series of Books by well-known Authors^ well illustrated. 
 Crown %vo. 
 
 3l6 
 
 1. THE ICELANDER'S SWORD. By S. Baring Gould. 
 
 2. TWO LITTLE CHILDREN AND CHING. By Edith 
 
 E. CUTHELL. 
 
 3. TODDLEBEN'S HERO. By M. M. Blake. 
 
 4. ONLY A GUARD-ROOM DOG. By Edith E. Cuthell. 
 
 5. THE DOCTOR OF THE JULIET. By Harry Colling- 
 
 WOOD. 
 
 6. MASTER ROCKAFELLAR'S VOYAGE. By W. Clark 
 
 Russell. 
 
 7. SYD BELTON : Or, The Boy who would not go to Sea. 
 
 By G. Manville Fenn. 
 
 The Peacock Library 
 
 A Series of Books for Girls by well-known Authors^ / • 
 
 handsomely bound in blue and silver^ and well illustrated. '^ / fj 
 Crown Svo. ^ / 
 
 1. A PINCH OF EXPERIENCE. By L. B. Walford. 
 
 2. THE RED GRANGE. By Mrs. Molesworth. 
 
 3. THE SECRET OF MADAME DE MONLUC. By the 
 
 Author of *MdIe Mori.' 
 
 4. DUMPS. By Mrs. Parr, Author of 'Adam and Eve.' 
 
 5. OUT OF THE FASHION. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 6. A GIRL OF THE PEOPLE. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 7. HEPSY GIPSY. By L. T. Meade. 2s. 6d. 
 
 8. THE HONOURABLE MISS. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 9. MY LAND OF BEULAH. By Mrs. Leith Adams. 
 
30 Messrs. Methuen's List 
 
 University Extension Series 
 
 A scries of books on historical, literary, and scientific subjects, suitable 
 for extension students and home reading circles. Each volume is com- 
 jilcte in itself, and the subjects are treated by competent writers in a 
 broad and philosophic spirit. 
 
 Edited by J. E. SYMES, M.A., 
 
 Principal of University College, Nottingham. 
 
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