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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, by 
+Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
+
+Author: Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+Release Date: May 17, 2008 [EBook #25502]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-MYTHS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Ted Garvin, Sam W. and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+The Glossary and Index includes a pronunciation of the Anglo-Saxon
+names in the text. These include some characters with a macron (straight
+line) above, and some with a breve (u-shaped symbol) above. Also used
+is the accute accent (´). If these do not display properly, you may need
+to adjust your font settings.
+
+
+
+
+          HERO-MYTHS & LEGENDS
+           OF THE BRITISH RACE
+
+                   BY
+           M. I. EBBUTT M. A.
+
+
+ WITH FIFTY-ONE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+     J. H. F. BACON A.R.A. BYAM SHAW
+      W. H. MARGETSON R.I. GERTRUDE
+        DEMAIN HAMMOND AND OTHERS
+
+
+             [Illustration]
+
+
+     GEORGE G. HARRAP & COMPANY LTD.
+        LONDON  CALCUTTA  SYDNEY
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Robin Hood and the Black Monk
+
+William Sewell
+
+[_Page 331_]]
+
+
+
+
+_First published August 1910_
+_by GEORGE G. HARRAP & CO._
+_39-41 Parker Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.2_
+
+_Reprinted: October 1910_
+           _September 1911_
+           _December 1914_
+           _May 1916_
+           _December 1917_
+           _February 1920_
+           _June 1924_
+
+
+_Printed in Great Britain at THE BALLANTYNE PRESS by_
+SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE & CO. LTD.
+_Colchester, London & Eton_
+
+
+
+
+    TO
+
+    MISS JULIA KENNEDY
+
+    IN TOKEN OF THE ADMIRATION
+    AND AFFECTION OF AN
+    OLD PUPIL
+    THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+In refashioning, for the pleasure of readers of the twentieth century,
+these versions of ancient tales which have given pleasure to
+story-lovers of all centuries from the eighth onward, I feel that some
+explanation of my choice is necessary. Men's conceptions of the heroic
+change with changing years, and vary with each individual mind; hence
+it often happens that one person sees in a legend only the central
+heroism, while another sees only the inartistic details of mediæval
+life which tend to disguise and warp the heroic quality.
+
+It may be that to some people the heroes I have chosen do not seem
+heroic, but there is no doubt that to the age and generation which
+wrote or sang of them they appeared real heroes, worthy of remembrance
+and celebration, and it has been my object to come as close as
+possible to the mediæval mind, with its elementary conceptions of
+honour, loyalty, devotion, and duty. I have therefore altered the
+tales as little as I could, and have tried to put them as fairly as
+possible before modern readers, bearing in mind the altered conditions
+of things and of intellects to-day.
+
+In the work of selecting and retelling these stories I have to
+acknowledge with most hearty thanks the help and advice of Mr. F. E.
+Bumby, B.A., of the University College, Nottingham, who has been
+throughout a most kind and candid censor or critic. His help has been
+in every way invaluable. I have also to acknowledge the generous
+permission given me by Mr. W. B. Yeats to write in prose the story of
+his beautiful play, "The Countess Cathleen," and to adorn it with
+quotations from that play.
+
+The poetical quotations are attributed to the authors from whose
+works they are taken wherever it is possible. When mediæval passages
+occur which are not thus attributed they are my own versions from the
+original mediæval poems.
+
+                                                    M. I. EBBUTT
+
+    TANGLEWOOD
+      BARNT GREEN
+        _July 1910_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAP.                                                         PAGE
+          INTRODUCTION                                            xvii
+
+       I. BEOWULF                                                    1
+
+      II. THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG                                 42
+
+     III. THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE                        50
+
+      IV. THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE                             63
+
+       V. HAVELOK THE DANE                                          73
+
+      VI. HOWARD THE HALT                                           95
+
+     VII. ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE                         119
+
+    VIII. THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN                                    156
+
+      IX. CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND                       184
+
+       X. THE TALE OF GAMELYN                                      204
+
+      XI. WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE                                    225
+
+     XII. BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE                                  248
+
+    XIII. THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE                              265
+
+     XIV. KING HORN                                                286
+
+      XV. ROBIN HOOD                                               314
+
+     XVI. HEREWARD THE WAKE                                        334
+
+    GLOSSARY AND INDEX                                             353
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+  Robin Hood and the Black Monk
+    (_William Sewell_)                                  _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                        _To face page_
+  "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+    grasped them"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                       4
+
+  Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      12
+
+  Beowulf finds the head of Aschere
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      22
+
+  Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      26
+
+  The death of Beowulf
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      40
+
+  The dream of the Emperor
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   46
+
+  The Queen's dilemma
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   60
+
+  They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   70
+
+  "Havelok sat up surprised"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      78
+
+  "Havelok again overthrew the porters"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      82
+
+  "With great joy they fell on their knees"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      88
+
+  Olaf and Sigrid
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      98
+
+  Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     106
+
+  "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     110
+
+  "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     116
+
+  Charlemagne
+    (_Stella Langdale_)                                            120
+
+  "Here sits Charles the King"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  124
+
+  "Ganelon rode away"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  130
+
+  "Charlemagne heard it again"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  144
+
+  Aude the Fair
+    (_Evelyn Paul_)                                                154
+
+  "Day by day Cathleen went among them"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      162
+
+  The peasant's story
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      172
+
+  "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      176
+
+  "Cathleen signed the bond"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      180
+
+  "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      190
+
+  "Three monstrous cats were let into the room"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      192
+
+  "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible jaws"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      196
+
+  "The body of Uath arose"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      200
+
+  "Go and do your own baking!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      206
+
+  "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of prison!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      214
+
+  "Then cheer thee, Adam"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      218
+
+  "Come from the seat of justice!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      222
+
+  "William continued his wonderful archery"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              232
+
+  Adam Bell writes the letter
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              234
+
+  The fight at the gate
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              238
+
+  William of Cloudeslee and his son
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              244
+
+  "Wait for me seven years, dear wife"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  252
+
+  "The King blew a loud note on his bugle"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      268
+
+  "Now you have released me from the spell completely"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      282
+
+  Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              288
+
+  Horn kills the Saracen Leader
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              298
+
+  Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              312
+
+  "Little John caught the horse by the bridle"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              316
+
+  "I have no money worth offering"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              320
+
+  "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              324
+
+  "Much shot the monk to the heart"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              330
+
+  "Her pleading won relief for them"
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              334
+
+  Alftruda
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              340
+
+  Hereward and the Princess
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              344
+
+  Hereward and Sigtryg
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              348
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+The writer who would tell again for people of the twentieth century
+the legends and stories that delighted the folk of the thirteenth and
+fourteenth centuries finds himself confronted with a vast mass of
+material ready to his hand. Unless he exercises a wise discrimination
+and has some system of selection, he becomes lost in the mazes of as
+enchanted a land,
+
+    "Where Truth and Dream walk hand in hand,"[1]
+
+as ever bewildered knights of old in days of romance. Down all the
+dimly lighted pathways of mediæval literature mystical figures beckon
+him in every direction; fairies, goblins, witches, knights and ladies
+and giants entice him, and unless, like Theseus of old, he follows
+closely his guiding clue, he will find that he reaches no goal,
+attains to no clear vision, achieves no quest. He will remain
+spell-bound, captivated by the Middle Ages--
+
+    "The life, the delight, and the sorrow
+    Of troublous and chivalrous years
+    That knew not of night nor of morrow,
+    Of hopes or of fears.
+    The wars and the woes and the glories
+    That quicken, and lighten, and rain
+    From the clouds of its chronicled stories
+    The passion, the pride, and the pain."[2]
+
+Such a golden clue to guide the modern seeker through the labyrinths
+of the mediæval mind is that which I have tried to suggest in the
+title "_Hero_-Myths and Legends of the British Race"--the pursuit and
+representation of the ideal hero as the mind of Britain and of early
+and mediæval England imagined him, together with the study of the
+characteristics which made this or that particular person, mythical or
+legendary, a hero to the century which sang or wrote about him. The
+interest goes deeper when we study, not merely
+
+    "Old heroes who could grandly do
+    As they could greatly dare,"[3]
+
+but
+
+    "Heroes of our island breed
+    And men and women of our British birth."[4]
+
+"Hero-worship endures for ever while man endures," wrote Thomas
+Carlyle, and this fidelity of men to their admiration for great heroes
+is one of the surest tokens by which we can judge of their own
+character. Such as the hero is, such will his worshippers be; and the
+men who idolised Robin Hood will be found to have been men who were
+themselves in revolt against oppressive law, or who, finding law
+powerless to prevent tyranny, glorified the lawless punishment of
+wrongs and the bold denunciation of perverted justice. The warriors
+who listened to the saga of Beowulf looked on physical prowess as the
+best of all heroic qualities, and the Normans who admired Roland saw
+in him the ideal of feudal loyalty. To every age, and to every nation,
+there is a peculiar ideal of heroism, and in the popular legends of
+each age this ideal may be found.
+
+Again, these legends give not only the hero as he seemed to his age;
+they also show the social life, the virtues and vices, the
+superstitions and beliefs, of earlier ages embedded in the tradition,
+as fossils are found in the uplifted strata of some ancient ocean-bed.
+They have ceased to live; but they remain, tokens of a life long past.
+So in the hero-legends of our nation we may find traces of the
+thoughts and religions of our ancestors many centuries ago; traces
+which lie close to one another in these romances, telling of the
+nations who came to these Islands of the West, settled, were conquered
+and driven away to make room for other races whose supremacy has been
+as brief, till all these superimposed races have blended into one, to
+form the British nation, the most widespread race of modern times. For
+
+    "Britain's might and Britain's right
+    And the brunt of British spears"[5]
+
+are not the boast of the English race alone. No man in England now can
+boast of unmixed descent, but must perforce trace his family back
+through many a marriage of Frank, and Norman, and Saxon, and Dane, and
+Roman, and Celt, and even Iberian, back to prehistoric man--
+
+    "Scot and Celt and Norman and Dane,
+    With the Northman's sinew and heart and brain,
+    And the Northman's courage for blessing or bane,
+    Are England's heroes too."[6]
+
+When Tennyson sang his greeting at the coming of Alexandra,
+
+    "Saxon or Dane or Norman we,
+    Teuton or Celt or whatever we be,"
+
+he was only recognising a truth which no boast of pure birth can
+cover--the truth that the modern Englishman is a compound of many
+races, with many characteristics; and if we would understand him, we
+must seek the clue to the riddle in early England and Scotland and
+Ireland and Wales, while even France adds her share of enlightenment
+towards the solution of the riddle.
+
+    "The Saxon force, the Celtic fire,
+    These are thy manhood's heritage."[7]
+
+Britain, as far as we can trace men in our island, was first inhabited
+by cave-men, who have left no history at all. In the course of ages
+they passed away before the Iberians or Ivernians, who came from the
+east, and bore a striking resemblance to the Basques. It may be that
+some Mongolian tribe, wandering west, drawn by the instinct which has
+driven most race-migrations westward, sent offshoots north and
+south--one to brave the dangers of the sea and inhabit Britain and
+Ireland, one to cross the Pyrenees and remain sheltered in their deep
+ravines; or it may be that Basques from the Pyrenees, daring the
+storms of the Bay of Biscay in their frail coracles, ventured to the
+shores of Britain. Short and dark were these sturdy voyagers,
+harsh-featured and long-headed, worshipping the powers of Nature with
+mysterious and cruel rites of human sacrifice, holding beliefs in
+totems and ancestor-worship and in the superiority of high descent
+claimed through the mother to that claimed through the father. When
+the stronger and more civilised Celt came he drove before him these
+little dark men, he enslaved their survivors or wedded their women,
+and in his turn fell into slavery to the cruel Druidic religion of his
+subjects. To these Iberians, and to the Celtic dread of them, we
+probably owe all the stories of dwarfs, goblins, elves, and
+earth-gnomes which fill our fairy-tale books; and if we examine
+carefully the descriptions of the abodes of these beings we shall find
+them not inconsistent with the earth-dwellings, caves, circle huts, or
+even with the burial mounds, of the Iberian race.
+
+The race that followed the Iberians, and drove them out or subdued
+them, so that they served as slaves where they had once ruled as
+lords, was the proud Aryan Celtic race. Of different tribes, Gaels,
+Brythons, and Belgæ, they were all one in spirit, and one in physical
+feature.
+
+Tall, blue-eyed, with fair or red hair, they overpowered in every way
+the diminutive Iberians, and their tattooing, while it gave them a
+name which has often been mistaken for a national designation (Picts,
+or painted men), made them dreadful to their enemies in battle, and
+ferocious-looking even in time of peace. Their civilisation was of a
+much higher type than that of the Iberians; their weapons, their
+war-chariots, their mode of life and their treatment of women, are all
+so closely similar to that of the Greeks of Homer that a theory has
+been advanced and ably defended, that the Homeric Greeks were really
+invading Celts--Gaelic or Gaulish tribes from the north of Europe. If
+it indeed be so, we owe to the Celts a debt of imperishable culture
+and civilisation. To them belongs more especially, in our national
+amalgam, the passion for the past, the ardent patriotism, the longing
+for spiritual beauty, which raises and relieves the Saxon materialism.
+
+    "Though fallen the state of Erin and changed the Scottish land,
+    Though small the power of Mona, though unwaked Llewellyn's band,
+    Though Ambrose Merlin's prophecies are held as idle tales,
+    Though Iona's ruined cloisters are swept by northern gales,
+                    One in name and in fame
+                    Are the sea-divided Gaels.
+
+    "In Northern Spain and Italy our brethren also dwell,
+    And brave are the traditions of their fathers that they tell;
+    The Eagle or the Crescent in the dawn of history pales
+    Before the advancing banners of the great Rome-conquering Gaels:
+                    One in name and in fame
+                    Are the sea-divided Gaels."[8]
+
+It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of the Celtic
+contribution to our national literature and character: the race that
+gave us Ossian, and Finn, and Cuchulain, that sang of the sorrowful
+love and doom of Deirdre, that told of the pursuit of Diarmit and
+Grania, till every dolmen and cromlech in Ireland was associated with
+these lovers; the race that preserved for us
+
+    "That grey king whose name, a ghost,
+    Streams like a cloud, man-shaped, from mountain-peak
+    And cleaves to cairn and cromlech still,"[9]
+
+the King Arthur whose Arthur's Seat overhangs Edinburgh, whose
+presence haunts the Lakes, and Wales, and Cornwall, and the forests of
+Brittany; the race that held up for us the image of the Holy
+Grail--that race can claim no small share in the moulding of the
+modern Briton.
+
+The Celt, however, had his day of supremacy and passed: the Roman
+crushed his power of initiative and made him helpless and dependent,
+and the Teuton, whether as Saxon, Angle, Frisian, or Jute, dwelt in
+his homes and ruled as slaves the former owners of the land. These
+new-comers were not physically unlike the Celts whom they
+dispossessed. Tall and fair, grey-eyed and sinewy, the Teuton was a
+hardier, more sturdy warrior than the Celt: he had not spent centuries
+of quiet settlement and imitative civilisation under the ægis of
+Imperial Rome: he had not learnt to love the arts of peace and he
+cultivated none but those of war; he was by choice a warrior and a
+sailor, a wanderer to other lands, a plougher of the desolate places
+of the "vasty deep," yet withal a lover of home, who trod at times,
+with bitter longing for his native land, the thorny paths of exile. To
+him physical cowardice was the unforgivable sin, next to treachery to
+his lord; for the loyalty of thane to his chieftain was a very deep
+and abiding reality to the Anglo-Saxon warrior, and in the early poems
+of our English race, love for "his dear lord, his chieftain-friend,"
+takes the place of that love of woman which other races felt and
+expressed. A quiet death bed was the worst end to a man's life, in the
+Anglo-Saxon's creed; it was "a cow's death," to be shunned by every
+means in a man's power; while a death in fight, victor or vanquished,
+was a worthy finish to a warrior's life. There was no fear of death
+itself in the English hero's mind, nor of Fate; the former was the
+inevitable,
+
+    "Seeing that Death, a necessary end,
+    Will come when it will come,"[10]
+
+and the latter a goddess whose decrees must needs be obeyed with proud
+submission, but not with meek acceptance. Perhaps there was little of
+spiritual insight in the minds of these Angles and Saxons, little love
+of beauty, little care for the amenities of life; but they had a
+sturdy loyalty, an uprightness, a brave disregard of death in the
+cause of duty, which we can still recognise in modern Englishmen. To
+the Saxon belong the tales where
+
+                    "The warrior kings,
+    In height and prowess more than human, strive
+    Again for glory, while the golden lyre
+    Is ever sounding in heroic ears
+    Heroic hymns."[11]
+
+When the English (Anglo-Saxons, as we generally call them) had settled
+down in England, had united their warring tribes, and developed a
+somewhat centralised government, their whole national existence was
+imperilled by the incursions of the Danes. Kindred folk to the
+Anglo-Saxons were these Danes, these Vikings from Christiania Wik,
+these Northmen from Norway or Iceland, whose fame went before them,
+and the dread of whom inspired the petition in the old Litany of the
+Church, "From the fury of the Northmen, good Lord, deliver us!" Their
+fair hair and blue or grey eyes, their tall and muscular frames, bore
+testimony to their kinship with the races they harried and plundered,
+but their spirit was different from that of the conquered Teutonic
+tribes. The Viking _loved_ the sea; it was his summer home, his field
+of war and profit. To go "a-summer-harrying" was the usual employment
+of the true Viking, and in the winter only could he enjoy domestic
+life and the pleasures of the family circle. The rapturous fight with
+the elements, in which the Northman lived and moved and had his being,
+gave him a strain of ruthless cruelty unlike anything in the more
+peaceful Anglo-Saxon character: his disregard of death for himself led
+to a certain callousness with regard to human life, and to a certain
+enjoyment in inflicting physical anguish. There was an element of Red
+Indian ruthlessness in the Viking, which looms large in the story of
+the years of Norse ascendancy over Western Europe. Yet there was also
+a power of bold and daring action, of reckless valour, of rapid
+conception and execution, which contrasted strongly with the slower
+and more placid temperament of the Anglo-Saxon, and to this Danish
+strain modern Englishmen probably owe the power of initiative, the
+love of adventure, and the daring action which have made England the
+greatest colonising nation on the earth. The Danish, Norse, or Viking
+element spread far and wide in mediæval Europe--Iceland, Normandy
+(Northman's Land), the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, the east of
+Ireland, the Danelagh of East Anglia, and the Cumberland dales all
+show traces of the conquering Danish race; and raider after raider
+came to England and stayed, until half of our island was Danish, and
+even our royal family became for a time one with the royal line of
+Denmark. The acceptance of Christianity by the Danes in England when
+Guthrum was baptized rendered much more easy their amalgamation with
+the English; but it was not so in Ireland, where the Round Towers
+still stand to show (as some authorities hold) how the terrified
+native Irish sheltered from the Danish fury which nearly destroyed the
+whole fabric of Irish Christianity. The legends of Ireland, too, are
+full of the terror of the men of "Lochlann," which is generally taken
+to mean Norway; and the great coast cities of Ireland--Dublin, Cork,
+Waterford, Wexford, and others--were so entirely Danish that only the
+decisive battle of Clontarf, in which the saintly and victorious Brian
+Boru was slain, saved Ireland to Christendom and curbed the power of
+the heathen invaders.
+
+A second wave of Norse invasion swept over England at the Norman
+Conquest, and for a time submerged the native English population. The
+chivalrous Norman knights who followed William of Normandy's sacred
+banner, whether from religious zeal or desire of plunder, were as
+truly Vikings by race as were the Danes who settled in the Danelagh.
+The days when Rolf (Rollo, or Rou), the Viking chief, won Normandy
+were not yet so long gone by that the fierce piratical instincts of
+his followers had ceased to influence their descendants: piety and
+learning, feudal law and custom, had made some impression upon the
+character of the Norman, but at heart he was still a Northman. The
+Norman barons fought for their independence against Duke William with
+all the determination of those Norse chiefs who would not acknowledge
+the overlordship of Harold Fairhair, but fled to colonise Iceland when
+he made himself King of Norway. The seafaring instincts which drove
+the Vikings to harry other lands in like manner drove the Normans to
+piratical plundering up and down the English Channel, and, when they
+had settled in England, led to continual sea-fights in the Channel
+between English and French, hardy Kentish and Norman, or Cornish and
+Breton, sailors, with a common strain of fighting blood, and a common
+love of the sea.
+
+The Norman Conquest of England was but one instance of Norman
+activity: Sicily, Italy, Constantinople, even Antioch, and the Holy
+Land itself, showed in time Norman states, Norman laws, Norman
+civilisation, and all alike felt the impulse of Norman energy and
+inspiration. England lay ready to hand for Norman invasion--the hope
+of peaceable succession to the saintly Edward the Confessor had to be
+abandoned by William; the gradual permeation of sluggish England with
+Norman earls, churchmen, courtiers, had been comprehended and checked
+by Earl Godwin and his sons (themselves of Danish race); but there
+still remained the way of open war and an appeal to religious zeal;
+and this way William took. There was genius as well as statesmanship
+in the idea of combining a personal claim to the throne held by Harold
+the usurper with a crusading summons against the schismatic and
+heretical English, who refused obedience to the true successor of St.
+Peter. The success of the idea was its justification: the success of
+the expedition proved the need that England had of some new leaven to
+energise the sluggish temperament of her sons. The Norman Conquest not
+only revived and quickened, but unified and solidified the English
+nation. The tyranny of the Norman nobles, held in check at first only
+by the tyranny of the Norman king, was the factor in mediæval English
+life that made for a national consciousness; it also helped the
+appreciation of the heroism of revolt against tyranny which is seen in
+Hereward the Wake, in Robin Hood, in William of Cloudeslee, and in
+many other English hero-rebels; but it gradually led men to a
+realization of their own rights as Englishmen. When all men alike felt
+themselves sons of England, the days were past when Norman and Saxon
+were aliens to each other, and Norman robber soon became as truly
+English as Danish viking, Anglo-Saxon seafarer, or Celtic settler.
+Then the full value of the Norman infusion was seen in quicker
+intellectual apprehension, nimbler wit, a keener sense of reverence, a
+more spiritual piety, a more refined courtesy, and a more enlightened
+perception of the value of law. The materialism of the original Saxon
+race was successively modified by many influences, and not least of
+these was the Norman Conquest.
+
+From the Norman Conquest onward England has welcomed men of many
+nations--French, Flemings, Germans, Dutch: men brought by war, by
+trade, by love of adventure, by religion; traders, refugees, exiles,
+all have found in her a hospitable shelter and a second home, and all
+have come to love the "grey old mother" that counted them among her
+sons and grew to think them her own in very truth.
+
+Geographically, also, we must recognise the admixture of races in our
+islands. The farthest western borders show most strongly the type of
+man whom we can imagine the Iberian to have been: Western Ireland, the
+Hebrides, Central and South Wales, and Cornwall are still inhabited by
+folk of Iberian descent. The blue-eyed Celt yet dwells in the
+Highlands and the greater part of Wales and the Marches--Hereford and
+Shropshire, and as far as Worcestershire and Cheshire; still the
+Dales of Cumberland, the Fen Country, East Anglia, and the Isle of Man
+show traces of Danish blood, speech, manners, and customs; still the
+slow, stolid Saxon inhabits the lands south of the Thames from Sussex
+to Hampshire and Dorset. The Angle has settled permanently over the
+Lowlands of Scotland, with the Celt along the western fringe, and
+Flemish blood shows its traces in Pembroke on the one side ("Little
+England beyond Wales") and in Norfolk on the other.
+
+With all these nations, all these natures, amalgamated in our own, it
+is no wonder that the literature of our isles contains many different
+ideals of heroism, changing according to nationality and epoch. Thus
+the physical valour of Beowulf is not the same quality as the valour
+of Havelok the Dane, though both are heroes of the strong arm; and the
+chivalry of Diarmit is not the same as the chivalry of Roland. Again,
+religion has its share in changing the ideals of a nation, and
+Constantine, the warrior of the Early English poem of "Elene," is far
+from being the same in character as the tender-hearted Constantine of
+"moral Gower's" apocryphal tale. The law-abiding nature of the
+earliest heroes, whose obedience to their king and their priest was
+absolute, differs almost entirely from the lawlessness of Gamelyn and
+Robin Hood, both of whom set church and king at defiance, and even
+account it a merit to revolt from the rule of both. It follows from
+this that we shall find our chosen heroes of very different types and
+characters; but we shall recognise that each represented to his own
+age an ideal of heroism, which that age loved sufficiently to put into
+literature, and perpetuate by the best means in its power. Of many
+another hero besides Arthur--of Barbarossa, of Hiawatha, even of
+Napoleon--has the tradition grown that he is not dead, but has passed
+away into the deathless land, whence he shall come again in his own
+time. As Tennyson has sung,
+
+                "Great bards of him will sing
+    Hereafter; and dark sayings from of old
+    Ranging and ringing through the minds of men,
+    And echoed by old folk beside their fires
+    For comfort after their wage-work is done,
+    Speak of the King."
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Lightfoot.
+
+[2] Swinburne.
+
+[3] Gerald Massey.
+
+[4] J. R. Denning.
+
+[5] W. W. Campbell.
+
+[6] _Ibid._
+
+[7] C. Roberts.
+
+[8] T. Darcy McGee.
+
+[9] Tennyson.
+
+[10] Shakespeare, _Julius Cæsar_.
+
+[11] Tennyson.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I: BEOWULF
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The figure which meets us as we enter on the study of Heroes of the
+British Race is one which appeals to us in a very special way, since
+he is the one hero in whose legend we may see the ideals of our
+English forefathers before they left their Continental home to settle
+in this island. Opinions may differ as to the date at which the poem
+of "Beowulf" was written, the place in which it was localised, and the
+religion of the poet who combined the floating legends into one epic
+whole, but all must accept the poem as embodying the life and feelings
+of our Forefathers who dwelt in North Germany on the shores of the
+North Sea and of the Baltic. The life depicted, the characters
+portrayed, the events described, are such as a simple warrior race
+would cherish in tradition and legend as relics of the life lived by
+their ancestors in what doubtless seemed to them the Golden Age.
+Perhaps stories of a divine Beowa, hero and ancestor of the English,
+became merged in other myths of sun-hero and marsh-demon, but in any
+case the stories are now crystallized around one central human figure,
+who may even be considered an historical hero, Beowulf, the thane of
+Hygelac, King of the Geats. It is this grand primitive hero who
+embodies the ideal of English heroism. Bold to rashness for himself,
+prudent for his comrades, daring, resourceful, knowing no fear, loyal
+to his king and his kinsmen, generous in war and in peace,
+self-sacrificing, Beowulf stands for all that is best in manhood in an
+age of strife. It is fitting that our first British hero should be
+physically and mentally strong, brave to seek danger and brave to look
+on death and Fate undaunted, one whose life is a struggle against
+evil forces, and whose death comes in a glorious victory over the
+powers of evil, a victory gained for the sake of others to whom
+Beowulf feels that he owes protection and devotion.
+
+
+The Story. The Coming and Passing of Scyld
+
+Once, long ago, the Danish land owned the sway of a mighty monarch,
+Scyld Scefing, the founder of a great dynasty, the Scyldings. This
+great king Scyld had come to Denmark in a mysterious manner, since no
+man knew whence he sprang. As a babe he drifted to the Danish shore in
+a vessel loaded with treasures; but no man was with him, and there was
+no token to show his kindred and race. When Scyld grew up he increased
+the power of Denmark and enlarged her borders; his fame spread far and
+wide among men, and his glory shone undimmed until the day when, full
+of years and honours, he died, leaving the throne securely established
+in his family. Then the sorrowing Danes restored him to the mysterious
+ocean from which he had come to them. Choosing their goodliest ship,
+they laid within it the corpse of their departed king, and heaped
+around him all their best and choicest treasures, until the venerable
+countenance of Scyld looked to heaven from a bed of gold and jewels;
+then they set up, high above his head, his glorious gold-wrought
+banner, and left him alone in state. The vessel was loosed from the
+shore where the mourning Danes bewailed their departing king, and
+drifted slowly away to the unknown west from which Scyld had sailed to
+his now sorrowing people; they watched until it was lost in the
+shadows of night and distance, but no man under heaven knoweth what
+shore now holds the vanished Scyld. The descendants of Scyld ruled and
+prospered till the days of his great-grandson Hrothgar, one of a
+family of four, who can all be identified historically with various
+Danish kings and princes.
+
+
+Hrothgar's Hall
+
+Hrothgar was a mighty warrior and conqueror, who won glory in battle,
+and whose fame spread wide among men, so that nobly born warriors, his
+kinsmen, were glad to serve as his bodyguard and to fight for him
+loyally in strife. So great was Hrothgar's power that he longed for
+some outward sign of the magnificence of his sway; he determined to
+build a great hall, in which he could hold feasts and banquets, and
+could entertain his warriors and thanes, and visitors from afar. The
+hall rose speedily, vast, gloriously adorned, a great meeting-place
+for men; for Hrothgar had summoned all his people to the work, and the
+walls towered up high and majestic, ending in pinnacles and gables
+resembling the antlers of a stag. At the great feast which Hrothgar
+gave first in his new home the minstrels chanted the glory of the
+hall, "Heorot," "The Hart," as the king named it; Hrothgar's desire
+was well fulfilled, that he should build the most magnificent of
+banquet-halls. Proud were the mighty warriors who feasted within it,
+and proud the heart of the king, who from his high seat on the daïs
+saw his brave thanes carousing at the long tables below him, and the
+lofty rafters of the hall rising black into the darkness.
+
+
+Grendel
+
+Day by day the feasting continued, until its noise and the festal joy
+of its revellers aroused a mighty enemy, Grendel, the loathsome
+fen-monster. This monstrous being, half-man, half-fiend, dwelt in the
+fens near the hill on which Heorot stood. Terrible was he, dangerous
+to men, of extraordinary strength, human in shape but gigantic of
+stature, covered with a green horny skin, on which the sword would not
+bite. His race, all sea-monsters, giants, goblins, and evil demons,
+were offspring of Cain, outcasts from the mercy of the Most High,
+hostile to the human race; and Grendel was one of mankind's most
+bitter enemies; hence his hatred of the joyous shouts from Heorot, and
+his determination to stop the feasting.
+
+    "This the dire mighty fiend,    he who in darkness dwelt,
+    Suffered with hatred fierce,    that every day and night
+    He heard the festal shouts    loud in the lofty hall;
+    Sound of harp echoed there,    and gleeman's sweet song.
+    Thus they lived joyously,    fearing no angry foe
+    Until the hellish fiend    wrought them great woe.
+    Grendel that ghost was called,    grisly and terrible,
+    Who, hateful wanderer,    dwelt in the moorlands,
+    The fens and wild fastnesses;    the wretch for a while abode
+    In homes of the giant-race,    since God had cast him out.
+    When night on the earth fell,    Grendel departed
+    To visit the lofty hall,    now that the warlike Danes
+    After the gladsome feast    nightly slept in it.
+    A fair troop of warrior-thanes    guarding it found he;
+    Heedlessly sleeping,    they recked not of sorrow.
+    The demon of evil,    the grim wight unholy,
+    With his fierce ravening,    greedily grasped them,
+    Seized in their slumbering    thirty right manly thanes;
+    Thence he withdrew again,    proud of his lifeless prey,
+    Home to his hiding-place,    bearing his booty,
+    In peace to devour it."
+
+[Illustration: "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+grasped them"]
+
+When dawn broke, and the Danes from their dwellings around the hall
+entered Heorot, great was the lamentation, and dire the dismay, for
+thirty noble champions had vanished, and the blood-stained tracks of
+the monster showed but too well the fate that had overtaken them.
+Hrothgar's grief was profound, for he had lost thirty of his dearly
+loved bodyguard, and he himself was too old to wage a conflict against
+the foe--a foe who repeated night by night his awful deeds, in
+spite of all that valour could do to save the Danes from his terrible
+enmity. At last no champion would face the monster, and the Danes, in
+despair, deserted the glorious hall of which they had been so proud.
+Useless stood the best of dwellings, for none dared remain in it, but
+every evening the Danes left it after their feast, and slept
+elsewhere. This affliction endured for twelve years, and all that time
+the beautiful hall of Heorot stood empty when darkness was upon it. By
+night the dire fiend visited it in search of prey, and in the morning
+his footsteps showed that his deadly enmity was not yet appeased, but
+that any effort to use the hall at night would bring down his fatal
+wrath on the careless sleepers.
+
+Far and wide spread the tidings of this terrible oppression, and many
+champions came from afar to offer King Hrothgar their aid, but none
+was heroic enough to conquer the monster, and many a mighty warrior
+lost his life in a vain struggle against Grendel. At length even these
+bold adventurers ceased to come; Grendel remained master of Heorot,
+and the Danes settled down in misery under the bondage of a perpetual
+nightly terror, while Hrothgar grew old in helpless longing for
+strength to rescue his people from their foe.
+
+
+Beowulf
+
+Meanwhile there had come to manhood and full strength a hero destined
+to make his name famous for mighty deeds of valour throughout the
+whole of the Teutonic North. In the realm of the Geats (Götaland, in
+the south of Sweden) ruled King Hygelac, a mighty ruler who was
+ambitious enough to aim at conquering his neighbours on the mainland
+of Germany. His only sister, daughter of the dead king Hrethel, had
+married a great noble, Ecgtheow, and they had one son, Beowulf, who
+from the age of seven was brought up at the Geatish court. The boy was
+a lad of great stature and handsome appearance, with fair locks and
+gallant bearing; but he greatly disappointed his grandfather, King
+Hrethel, by his sluggish character. Beowulf as a youth had been
+despised by all for his sloth and his unwarlike disposition; his
+good-nature and his rarely stirred wrath made others look upon him
+with scorn, and the mighty stature to which he grew brought him
+nothing but scoffs and sneers and insults in the banquet-hall when the
+royal feasts were held. Yet wise men might have seen the promise of
+great strength in his powerful sinews and his mighty hands, and the
+signs of great force of character in the glance of his clear blue eyes
+and the fierceness of his anger when he was once aroused. At least
+once already Beowulf had distinguished himself in a great feat--a
+swimming-match with a famous champion, Breca, who had been beaten in
+the contest. For this and other victories, and for the bodily strength
+which gave Beowulf's hand-grip the force of thirty men, the hero was
+already famed when the news of Grendel's ravages reached Geatland.
+Beowulf, eager to try his strength against the monster, and burning to
+add to his fame, asked and obtained permission from his uncle, King
+Hygelac, to seek the stricken Danish king and offer his help against
+Grendel; then, choosing fourteen loyal comrades and kinsfolk, he took
+a cheerful farewell of the Geatish royal family and sailed for
+Denmark.
+
+Thus it happened that one day the Warden of the Coast, riding on his
+round along the Danish shores, saw from the white cliffs a strange
+war-vessel running in to shore. Her banners were unknown to him, her
+crew were strangers and all in war-array, and as the Warden watched
+them they ran the ship into a small creek among the mountainous
+cliffs, made her fast to a rock with stout cables, and then landed and
+put themselves in readiness for a march. Though there were fifteen of
+the strangers and the Warden was alone, he showed no hesitation, but,
+riding boldly down into their midst, loudly demanded:
+
+    "What are ye warlike men    wielding bright weapons,
+    Wearing grey corslets    and boar-adorned helmets,
+    Who o'er the water-paths    come with your foaming keel
+    Ploughing the ocean surge?    I was appointed
+    Warden of Denmark's shores;    watch hold I by the wave
+    That on this Danish coast    no deadly enemy
+    Leading troops over sea    should land to injure.
+    None have here landed yet    more frankly coming
+    Than this fair company:    and yet ye answer not
+    The password of warriors,    and customs of kinsmen.
+    Ne'er have mine eyes beheld    a mightier warrior,
+    An earl more lordly, than    is he, the chief of you;
+    He is no common man;    if looks belie him not,
+    He is a hero bold,    worthily weaponed.
+    Anon must I know of you    kindred and country,
+    Lest ye as spies should go    free on our Danish soil.
+    Now ye men from afar,    sailing the surging sea,
+    Have heard my earnest thought:    best is a quick reply,
+    That I may swiftly know    whence ye have hither come."
+
+So the aged Warden sat on his horse, gazing attentively on the faces
+of the fifteen strangers, but watching most carefully the countenance
+of the leader; for the mighty stature, the clear glance of command,
+the goodly armour, and the lordly air of Beowulf left no doubt as to
+who was the chieftain of that little band. When the questions had been
+asked the leader of the new-comers moved forward till his mighty
+figure stood beside the Warden's horse, and as he gazed up into the
+old man's eyes he answered: "We are warriors of the Geats, members of
+King Hygelac's bodyguard. My father, well known among men of wisdom,
+was named Ecgtheow, a wise counsellor who died full of years and
+famous for his wisdom, leaving a memory dear to all good men."
+
+    "We come to seek thy king    Healfdene's glorious son,
+    Thy nation's noble lord,    with friendly mind.
+    Be thou a guardian good    to us strangers here!
+    We have an errand grave    to the great Danish king,
+    Nor will I hidden hold    what I intend!
+    Thou canst tell if it is    truth (as we lately heard)
+    That some dire enemy,    deadly in evil deed,
+    Cometh in dark of night,    sateth his secret hate,
+    Worketh through fearsome awe,    slaughter and shame.
+    I can give Hrothgar bold    counsel to conquer him,
+    How he with valiant mind    Grendel may vanquish,
+    If he would ever lose    torment of burning care,
+    If bliss shall bloom again    and woe shall vanish."
+
+The aged Warden replied: "Every bold warrior of noble mind must
+recognise the distinction between words and deeds. I judge by thy
+speech that you are all friends to our Danish king; therefore I bid
+you go forward, in warlike array, and I myself will guide you to King
+Hrothgar; I will also bid my men draw your vessel up the beach, and
+make her fast with a barricade of oars against any high tide. Safe she
+shall be until again she bears you to your own land. May your
+expedition prove successful."
+
+Thus speaking, he turned his horse's head and led the way up the steep
+cliff paths, while the Geats followed him, resplendent in shining
+armour, with boar-crests on their helmets, shields and spears in their
+hands, and mighty swords hanging in their belts: a goodly band were
+they, as they strode boldly after the Warden. Anon there appeared a
+roughly trodden path, which soon became a stone-paved road, and the
+way led on to where the great hall, Heorot, towered aloft, gleaming
+white in the sun; very glorious it seemed, with its pinnacled gables
+and its carved beams and rafters, and the Geats gazed at it with
+admiration as the Warden of the Coast said: "Yonder stands our
+monarch's hall, and your way lies clear before you. May the All-Father
+keep you safe in the conflict! Now it is time for me to return; I go
+to guard our shores from every foe."
+
+
+Hrothgar and Beowulf
+
+The little band of Geats, in their shining war-gear, strode along the
+stone-paved street, their ring-mail sounding as they went, until they
+reached the door of Heorot; and there, setting down their broad
+shields and their keen spears against the wall, they prepared to enter
+as peaceful guests the great hall of King Hrothgar. Wulfgar, one of
+Hrothgar's nobles, met them at the door and asked whence such a
+splendid band of warlike strangers, so well armed and so worthily
+equipped, had come. Their heroic bearing betokened some noble
+enterprise. Beowulf answered: "We are Hygelac's chosen friends and
+companions, and I am Beowulf. To King Hrothgar, thy master, will I
+tell mine errand, if the son of Healfdene will allow us to approach
+him."
+
+Wulfgar, impressed by the words and bearing of the hero, replied: "I
+will announce thy coming to my lord, and bring back his answer"; and
+then made his way up the hall to the high seat where Hrothgar sat on
+the daïs amidst his bodyguard of picked champions. Bowing
+respectfully, he said:
+
+    "Here are come travelling    over the sea-expanse,
+    Journeying from afar,    heroes of Geatland.
+    Beowulf is the name    of their chief warrior.
+    This is their prayer, my lord,    that they may speak with thee;
+    Do not thou give them    a hasty refusal!
+    Do not deny them    the gladness of converse!
+    They in their war-gear seem    worthy of men's respect.
+    Noble their chieftain seems,    he who the warriors
+    Hither has guided."
+
+At these words the aged king aroused himself from the sad reverie into
+which he had fallen and answered: "I knew him as a boy. Beowulf is the
+son of Ecgtheow, who wedded the daughter of the Geat King Hrethel. His
+fame has come hither before him; seafarers have told me that he has
+the might of thirty men in his hand-grip. Great joy it is to know of
+his coming, for he may save us from the terror of Grendel. If he
+succeeds in this, great treasures will I bestow upon him. Hasten;
+bring in hither Beowulf and his kindred thanes, and bid them welcome
+to the Danish folk!"
+
+Wulfgar hurried down the hall to the place where Beowulf stood with
+his little band; he led them gladly to the high seat, so that they
+stood opposite to Hrothgar, who looked keenly at the well-equipped
+troop, and kindly at its leader. A striking figure was Beowulf as he
+stood there in his gleaming ring-mail, with the mighty sword by his
+side. It was, however, but a minute that Hrothgar looked in silence,
+for with respectful greeting Beowulf spoke:
+
+    "Hail to thee, Hrothgar King!    Beowulf am I,
+    Hygelac's kinsman    and loyal companion.
+    Great deeds of valour    wrought I in my youth.
+    To me in my native land    Grendel's ill-doing
+    Came as an oft-heard tale    told by our sailors.
+    They say that this bright hall,    noblest of buildings,
+    Standeth to every man    idle and useless
+    After the evening-light    fails in the heavens.
+    Thus, Hrothgar, ancient king,    all my friends urged me,
+    Warriors and prudent thanes,    that I should seek thee,
+    Since they themselves had known    my might in battle.
+    Now I will beg of thee,    lord of the glorious Danes,
+    Prince of the Scylding race,    Folk-lord most friendly,
+    Warden of warriors,    only one boon.
+    Do not deny it me,    since I have come from far;
+    I with my men alone,    this troop of heroes good,
+    Would without help from thee    cleanse thy great hall!
+    Oft have I also heard    that the fierce monster
+    Through his mad recklessness    scorns to use weapons;
+    Therefore will I forego    (so may King Hygelac,
+    My friendly lord and king,    find in me pleasure)
+    That I should bear my sword    and my broad yellow shield
+    Into the conflict:    with my hand-grip alone
+    I 'gainst the foe will strive,    and struggle for my life--
+    He shall endure God's doom    whom death shall bear away.
+    I know that he thinketh    in this hall of conflict
+    Fearless to eat me,    if he can compass it,
+    As he has oft devoured    heroes of Denmark.
+    Then thou wilt not need    my head to hide away,
+    Grendel will have me    all mangled and gory;
+    Away will he carry,    if death then shall take me,
+    My body with gore stained    will he think to feast on,
+    On his lone track will bear it    and joyously eat it,
+    And mark with my life-blood    his lair in the moorland;
+    Nor more for my welfare    wilt thou need to care then.
+    Send thou to Hygelac,    if strife shall take me,
+    That best of byrnies    which my breast guardeth,
+    Brightest of war-weeds,    the work of Smith Weland,
+    Left me by Hrethel.    Ever Wyrd has her way."
+
+The aged King Hrothgar, who had listened attentively while the hero
+spoke of his plans and of his possible fate, now greeted him saying:
+"Thou hast sought my court for honour and for friendship's sake, O
+Beowulf: thou hast remembered the ancient alliance between Ecgtheow,
+thy father, and myself, when I shielded him, a fugitive, from the
+wrath of the Wilfings, paid them the due wergild for his crime, and
+took his oath of loyalty to myself. Long ago that time is; Ecgtheow is
+dead, and I am old and in misery. It were too long now to tell of all
+the woe that Grendel has wrought, but this I may say, that many a
+hero has boasted of the great valour he would display in strife with
+the monster, and has awaited his coming in this hall; in the morning
+there has been no trace of each hero but the dark blood-stains on
+benches and tables. How many times has that happened! But sit down now
+to the banquet and tell thy plans, if such be thy will."
+
+Thereupon room was made for the Geat warriors on the long benches, and
+Beowulf sat in the place of honour opposite to the king: great respect
+was shown to him, and all men looked with wonder on this mighty hero,
+whose courage led him to hazard this terrible combat. Great carved
+horns of ale were borne to Beowulf and his men, savoury meat was
+placed before them, and while they ate and drank the minstrels played
+and sang to the harp the deeds of men of old. The mirth of the feast
+was redoubled now men hoped that a deliverer had come indeed.
+
+
+The Quarrel
+
+Among all the Danes who were rejoicing over Beowulf's coming there was
+one whose heart was sad and his brow gloomy--one thane whom jealousy
+urged to hate any man more distinguished than himself. Hunferth, King
+Hrothgar's orator and speech-maker, from his official post at
+Hrothgar's feet watched Beowulf with scornful and jealous eyes. He
+waited until a pause came in the clamour of the feast, and suddenly
+spoke, coldly and contemptuously: "Art thou that Beowulf who strove
+against Breca, the son of Beanstan, when ye two held a swimming
+contest in the ocean and risked your lives in the deep waters? In vain
+all your friends urged you to forbear--ye would go on the hazardous
+journey; ye plunged in, buffeting the wintry waves through the
+rising storm. Seven days and nights ye toiled, but Breca overcame
+thee: he had greater strength and courage. Him the ocean bore to
+shore, and thence he sought his native land, and the fair city where
+he ruled as lord and chieftain. Fully he performed his boast against
+thee. So I now look for a worse issue for thee, for thou wilt find
+Grendel fiercer in battle than was Breca, if thou darest await him
+this night."
+
+Beowulf's brow flushed with anger as he replied haughtily: "Much hast
+thou spoken, friend Hunferth, concerning Breca and our swimming
+contest; but belike thou art drunken, for wrongly hast thou told the
+tale. A youthful folly of ours it was, when we two boasted and
+challenged each other to risk our lives in the ocean; that indeed we
+did. Naked swords we bore in our hands as we swam, to defend ourselves
+against the sea-monsters, and we floated together, neither
+outdistancing the other, for five days, when a storm drove us apart.
+Cold were the surging waves, bitter the north wind, rough was the
+swelling flood, under the darkening shades of night. Yet this was not
+the worst: the sea-monsters, excited by the raging tempest, rushed at
+me with their deadly tusks and bore me to the abyss. Well was it then
+for me that I wore my well-woven ring-mail, and had my keen sword in
+hand; with point and edge I fought the deadly beasts, and killed them.
+Many a time the hosts of monsters bore me to the ocean-bottom, but I
+slew numbers among them, and thus we battled all the night, until in
+the morning came light from the east, and I could see the windy cliffs
+along the shore, and the bodies of the slain sea-beasts floating on
+the surge. Nine there were of them, for Wyrd is gracious to the man
+who is valiant and unafraid. Never have I heard of a sterner
+conflict, nor a more unhappy warrior lost in the waters; yet I saved
+my life, and landed on the shores of Finland. Breca wrought not so
+mightily as I, nor have I heard of such warlike deeds on thy part,
+even though thou, O Hunferth, didst murder thy brothers and nearest
+kinsmen.
+
+    "Truly I say to thee,    O son of Ecglaf bold,
+    Grendel the grisly fiend    ne'er dared have wrought
+    So many miseries,    such shame and anguish dire,
+    To thy lord, Hrothgar old,    in his bright Heorot,
+    Hadst thou shown valiant mood,    sturdy and battle-fierce,
+    As thou now boastest."
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth]
+
+Very wroth was Hunferth over the reminder of his former wrongdoing and
+the implied accusation of cowardice, but he had brought it on himself
+by his unwise belittling of Beowulf's feat, and the applause of both
+Danes and Geats showed him that he dared no further attack the
+champion; he had to endure in silence Beowulf's boast that he and his
+Geats would that night await Grendel in the hall, and surprise him
+terribly, since the fiend had ceased to expect any resistance from the
+warlike Danes. The feast continued, with laughter and melody, with
+song and boast, until the door from the women's bower, in the upper
+end of the hall, opened suddenly, and Hrothgar's wife, the fair and
+gracious Queen Wealhtheow, entered. The tumult lulled for a short
+space, and the queen, pouring mead into a goblet, presented it to her
+husband; joyfully he received and drank it. Then she poured mead or
+ale for each man, and in due course came to Beowulf, as to the guest
+of honour. Gratefully Wealhtheow greeted the lordly hero, and thanked
+him for the friendship which brought him to Denmark to risk his life
+against Grendel. Beowulf, rising respectfully and taking the cup from
+the queen's hand, said with dignity:
+
+    "This I considered well    when I the ocean sought,
+    Sailed in the sea-vessel    with my brave warriors,
+    That I alone would win    thy folk's deliverance,
+    Or in the fight would fall    fast in the demon's grip.
+    Needs must I now perform    knightly deeds in this hall,
+    Or here must meet my doom    in darksome night."
+
+Well pleased, Queen Wealhtheow went to sit beside her lord, where her
+gracious smile cheered the assembly. Then the clamour of the feast was
+renewed, until Hrothgar at length gave the signal for retiring.
+Indeed, it was necessary to leave Heorot when darkness fell, for the
+fiend came each night when sunlight faded. So the whole assembly
+arose, each man bade his comrades "Good night," and the Danes
+dispersed; but Hrothgar addressed Beowulf half joyfully, half sadly,
+saying:
+
+    "Never before have I    since I held spear and shield
+    Given o'er to any man    this mighty Danish hall,
+    Save now to thee alone.    Keep thou and well defend
+    This best of banquet-halls.    Show forth thy hero-strength,
+    Call up thy bravery,    watch for the enemy!
+    Thou shalt not lack gifts of worth    if thou alive remain
+    Winner in this dire strife."
+
+Thus Hrothgar departed, to seek slumber in a less dangerous abode,
+where, greatly troubled in mind, he awaited the dawn with almost
+hopeless expectation, and Beowulf and his men prepared themselves for
+the perils of the night.
+
+
+Beowulf and Grendel
+
+The fourteen champions of the Geats now made ready for sleep; but
+while the others lay down in their armour, with weapons by their
+sides, Beowulf took off his mail, unbelted his sword, unhelmed
+himself, and gave his sword to a thane to bear away. For, as he said
+to his men, "I will strive against this fiend weaponless. With no
+armour, since he wears none, will I wrestle with him, and try to
+overcome him. I will conquer, if I win, by my hand-grip alone; and the
+All-Father shall judge between us, and grant the victory to whom He
+will."
+
+The Geats then lay down--brave men who slept calmly, though they knew
+they were risking their lives, for none of them expected to see the
+light of day again, or to revisit their native land: they had heard,
+too, much during the feast of the slaughter which Grendel had wrought.
+So night came, the voices of men grew silent, and the darkness
+shrouded all alike--calm sleepers, anxious watchers, and the deadly,
+creeping foe.
+
+When everything was still Grendel came. From the fen-fastnesses, by
+marshy tracts, through mists and swamp-born fogs, the hideous monster
+made his way to the house he hated so bitterly. Grendel strode fiercely
+to the door of Heorot, and would fain have opened it as usual, but it
+was locked and bolted. Then the fiend's wrath was roused; he grasped
+the door with his mighty hands and burst it in. As he entered he seemed
+to fill the hall with his monstrous shadow, and from his eyes shone a
+green and uncanny light, which showed him a troop of warriors lying
+asleep in their war-gear; it seemed that all slept, and the fiend did
+not notice that one man half rose, leaning on his elbow and peering
+keenly into the gloom. Grendel hastily put forth his terrible scaly
+hand and seized one hapless sleeper. Tearing him limb from limb, so
+swiftly that his cry of agony was unheard, he drank the warm blood and
+devoured the flesh; then, excited by the hideous food, he reached forth
+again. Great was Grendel's amazement to find that his hand was seized
+in a grasp such as he had never felt before, and to know that he had
+at last found an antagonist whom even he must fight warily. Beowulf
+sprang from his couch as the terrible claws of the monster fell upon
+him, and wrestled with Grendel in the darkness and gloom of the
+unlighted hall, where the flicker of the fire had died down to a dim
+glow in the dull embers. That was a dreadful struggle, as the
+combatants, in deadly conflict, swayed up and down the hall,
+overturning tables and benches, trampling underfoot dishes and goblets
+in the darkling wrestle for life. The men of the Geats felt for their
+weapons, but they could not see the combatants distinctly, though they
+heard the panting and the trampling movements, and occasionally caught
+a gleam from the fiend's eyes as his face was turned towards them. When
+they struck their weapons glanced harmlessly off Grendel's scaly hide.
+The struggle continued for some time, and the hall was an utter wreck
+within, when Grendel, worsted for once, tried to break away and rush
+out into the night; but Beowulf held him fast in the grip which no man
+on earth could equal or endure, and the monster writhed in anguish as
+he vainly strove to free himself--vainly, for Beowulf would not loose
+his grip. Suddenly, with one great cry, Grendel wrenched himself free,
+and staggered to the door, leaving behind a terrible blood-trail, for
+his arm and shoulder were torn off and left in the victor's grasp. So
+the monster fled wailing over the moors to his home in the gloomy mere,
+and Beowulf sank panting on a shattered seat, scarce believing in his
+victory, until his men gathered round, bringing a lighted torch, by the
+flaring gleam of which the green, scaly arm of Grendel looked ghastly
+and threatening. But the monster had fled, and after such a wound as
+the loss of his arm and shoulder must surely die; therefore the Geats
+raised a shout of triumph, and then took the hateful trophy and
+fastened it high up on the roof of the hall, that all who entered might
+see the token of victory and recognise that the Geat hero had performed
+his boast, that he would conquer with no weapon, but by the strength of
+his hands alone.
+
+In the morning many a warrior came to Heorot to learn the events of
+the night, and all saw the grisly trophy, praised Beowulf's might and
+courage, and followed with eager curiosity the blood-stained track of
+the fleeing demon till it came to the brink of the gloomy lake, where
+it disappeared, though the waters were stained with gore, and boiled
+and surged with endless commotion. There on the shore the Danes
+rejoiced over the death of their enemy, and returned to Heorot
+care-free and glad at heart. Meanwhile Beowulf and his Geats stayed in
+Heorot, for Hrothgar had not yet come to receive an account of their
+night-watch. Throughout the day there was feasting and rejoicing, with
+horse-races, and wrestling, and manly contests of skill and endurance;
+or the Danes collected around the bard as he chanted the glory of
+Sigmund and his son Fitela. Then came King Hrothgar himself, with his
+queen and her maiden train, and they paused to gaze with horror on the
+dreadful trophy, and to turn with gratitude to the hero who had
+delivered them from this evil spirit. Hrothgar said: "Thanks be to the
+All-Father for this happy sight! Much sorrow have I endured at the
+hands of Grendel, many warriors have I lost, many uncounted years of
+misery have I lived, but now my woe has an end! Now a youth has
+performed, with his unaided strength, what all we could not compass
+with our craft! Well might thy father, O Beowulf, rejoice in thy fame!
+Well may thy mother, if she yet lives, praise the All-Father for the
+noble son she bore! A son indeed shalt thou be to me in love, and
+nothing thou desirest shalt thou lack, that I can give thee. Often
+have I rewarded less heroic deeds with great gifts, and to thee I can
+deny nothing."
+
+Beowulf answered: "We have performed our boast, O King, and have
+driven away the enemy. I intended to force him down on one of the
+beds, and to deprive him of his life by mere strength of my hand-grip,
+but in this I did not succeed, for Grendel escaped from the hall. Yet
+he left here with me his hand, his arm, and shoulder as a token of his
+presence, and as the ransom with which he bought off the rest of his
+loathsome body; yet none the longer will he live thereby, since he
+bears with him so deadly a wound."
+
+Then the hall was cleared of the traces of the conflict and hasty
+preparation was made for a splendid banquet. There was joy in Heorot.
+The Danes assembled once again free from fear in their splendid hall,
+the walls were hung with gold-wrought embroideries and hangings of
+costly stuffs, while richly chased goblets shone on the long tables,
+and men's tongues waxed loud as they discussed and described the
+heroic struggle of the night before. Beowulf and King Hrothgar sat on
+the high seats opposite to each other, and their men, Danes and Geats,
+sitting side by side, shouted and cheered and drank deeply to the fame
+of Beowulf. The minstrels sang of the Fight in Finnsburg and the deeds
+of Finn and Hnæf, of Hengest and Queen Hildeburh. Long was the chant,
+and it roused the national pride of the Danes to hear of the victory
+of their Danish forefathers over Finn of the Frisians; and merrily the
+banquet went forward, gladdened still more by the presence of Queen
+Wealhtheow. Now Hrothgar showed his lavish generosity and his
+thankfulness by the gifts with which he loaded the Geat chief; and not
+only Beowulf, but every man of the little troop. Beowulf received a
+gold-embroidered banner, a magnificent sword, helmet, and corslet, a
+goblet of gold, and eight fleet steeds. On the back of the best was
+strapped a cunningly wrought saddle, Hrothgar's own, with gold
+ornaments. When the Geat hero had thanked the king fittingly, Queen
+Wealhtheow arose from her seat, and, lifting the great drinking-cup,
+offered it to her lord, saying:
+
+    "Take thou this goblet,    my lord and my ruler,
+    O giver of treasure,    O gold-friend of heroes,
+    And speak to the Geats    fair speeches of kindness,
+    Be mirthful and joyous,    for so should a man be!
+    To the Geats be gracious,    mindful of presents
+    Now that from far and near    thou hast firm peace!
+    Tidings have come to me    that thou for son wilt take
+    This mighty warrior    who has cleansed Heorot,
+    Brightest of banquet-halls!    Enjoy while thou mayest
+    These manifold pleasures,    and leave to thy kinsmen
+    Thy lands and thy lordships    when thou must journey forth
+    To meet thy death."
+
+Turning to Beowulf, the queen said: "Enjoy thy reward, O dear Beowulf,
+while thou canst, and live noble and blessed! Keep well thy widespread
+fame, and be a friend to my sons in time to come, should they ever
+need a protector." Then she gave him two golden armlets, set with
+jewels, costly rings, a corslet of chain-mail and a wonderful jewelled
+collar of exquisite ancient workmanship, and, bidding them continue
+their feasting, with her maidens she left the hall. The feast went on
+till Hrothgar also departed to his dwelling, and left the Danes, now
+secure and careless, to prepare their beds, place each warrior's
+shield at the head, and go to sleep in their armour ready for an
+alarm. Meanwhile Beowulf and the Geats were joyfully escorted to
+another lodging, where they slept soundly without disturbance.
+
+
+Grendel's Mother
+
+In the darkness of the night an avenger came to Heorot, came in
+silence and mystery as Grendel had done, with thoughts of murder and
+hatred raging in her heart. Grendel had gone home to die, but his
+mother, a fiend scarcely less terrible than her son, yet lived to
+avenge his death. She arose from her dwelling in the gloomy lake,
+followed the fen paths and moorland ways to Heorot, and opened the
+door. There was a horrible panic when her presence became known, and
+men ran hither and thither vainly seeking to attack her; yet there was
+less terror among them than before when they saw the figure of a
+horrible woman. In spite of all, the monster seized Aschere, one of
+King Hrothgar's thanes, and bore him away to the fens, leaving a house
+of lamentation where men had feasted so joyously a few hours before.
+The news was brought to King Hrothgar, who bitterly lamented the loss
+of his wisest and dearest counsellor, and bade them call Beowulf to
+him, since he alone could help in this extremity. When Beowulf stood
+before the king he courteously inquired if his rest had been peaceful.
+Hrothgar answered mournfully: "Ask me not of peace, for care is
+renewed in Heorot. Dead is Aschere, my best counsellor and friend, the
+truest of comrades in fight and in council. Such as Aschere was should
+a true vassal be! A deadly fiend has slain him in Heorot, and I know
+not whither she has carried his lifeless body. This is doubtless her
+vengeance for thy slaying of Grendel; he is dead, and his kinswoman
+has come to avenge him."
+
+    "I have heard it reported    by some of my people
+    That they have looked on    two such unearthly ones,
+    Huge-bodied march-striders    holding the moor wastes;
+    One of them seemed to be    shaped like a woman,
+    Her fellow in exile    bore semblance of manhood,
+    Though huger his stature    than man ever grew to:
+    In years that are long gone by    Grendel they named him,
+    But know not his father    nor aught of his kindred.
+    Thus these dire monsters    dwell in the secret lands,
+    Haunt the hills loved by wolves,    the windy nesses,
+    Dangerous marshy paths,    where the dark moorland stream
+    'Neath the o'erhanging cliffs    downwards departeth,
+    Sinks in the sombre earth.    Not far remote from us
+    Standeth the gloomy mere,    round whose shores cluster
+    Groves with their branches mossed,    hoary with lichens grey
+    A wood firmly rooted    o'ershadows the water.
+    There is a wonder seen    nightly by wanderers,
+    Flame in the waterflood:    liveth there none of men
+    Ancient or wise enough    to know its bottom.
+    Though the poor stag may be    hard by the hounds pursued,
+    Though he may seek the wood,    chased by his cruel foes,
+    Yet will he yield his life    to hunters on the brink
+    Ere he will hide his head    in the dark waters.
+    'Tis an uncanny place.    Thence the surge swelleth up
+    Dark to the heavens above,    when the wind stirreth oft
+    Terrible driving storms,    till the air darkens,
+    The skies fall to weeping."
+
+Then Hrothgar burst forth in uncontrollable emotion: "O Beowulf, help
+us if thou canst! Help is only to be found in thee. But yet thou
+knowest not the dangerous place thou must needs explore if thou seek
+the fiend in her den. I will richly reward thy valour if thou
+returnest alive from this hazardous journey."
+
+Beowulf was touched by the sorrow of the grey-haired king, and
+replied:
+
+    "Grieve not, O prudent King!    Better it is for each
+    That he avenge his friend,    than that he mourn him much.
+    Each man must undergo    death at the end of life.
+    Let him win while he may    warlike fame in the world!
+    That is best after death    for the slain warrior."
+
+"Arise, my lord; let us scan the track left by the monster, for I
+promise thee I will never lose it, wheresoever it may lead me. Only
+have patience yet for this one day of misery, as I am sure thou wilt."
+
+Hrothgar sprang up joyously, almost youthfully, and ordered his horse
+to be saddled; then, with Beowulf beside him, and a mixed throng of
+Geats and Danes following, he rode away towards the home of the
+monsters, the dread lake which all men shunned. The blood-stained
+tracks were easy to see, and the avengers moved on swiftly till they
+came to the edge of the mere, and there, with grief and horror, saw
+the head of Aschere lying on the bank.
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf finds the head of Aschere]
+
+    "The lake boiled with blood,    with hot welling gore;
+    The warriors gazed awe-struck,    and the dread horn sang
+    From time to time fiercely    eager defiance.
+    The warriors sat down there,    and saw on the water
+    The sea-dragons swimming    to search the abysses.
+    They saw on the steep nesses    sea-monsters lying,
+    Snakes and weird creatures:    these madly shot away
+    Wrathful and venomous    when the sound smote their ears,
+    The blast of the war-horn."
+
+As Beowulf stood on the shore and watched the uncouth sea-creatures,
+serpents, nicors, monstrous beasts of all kinds, he suddenly drew his
+bow and shot one of them to the heart. The rest darted furiously away,
+and the thanes were able to drag the carcase of the slain beast on
+shore, where they surveyed it with wonder.
+
+
+The Fight with Grendel's Mother
+
+Meanwhile Beowulf had made ready for his task. He trusted to his
+well-woven mail, the corslet fitting closely to his body and
+protecting his breast, the shining helm guarding his head, bright with
+the boar-image on the crest, and the mighty sword Hrunting, which
+Hunferth, his jealousy forgotten in admiration, pressed on the
+adventurous hero.
+
+    "That sword was called Hrunting,    an ancient heritage.
+    Steel was the blade itself,    tempered with poison-twigs,
+    Hardened with battle-blood:    never in fight it failed
+    Any who wielded it,    when he would wage a strife
+    In the dire battlefield,    folk-moot of enemies."
+
+When Beowulf stood ready with naked sword in hand, he turned and
+looked at his loyal followers, his friendly hosts, the grey old King
+Hrothgar, the sun and the green earth, which he might never see again;
+but it was with no trace of weakness or fear that he spoke:
+
+    "Forget not, O noble    kinsman of Healfdene,
+    Illustrious ruler,    gold-friend of warriors,
+    What we two settled    when we spake together,
+    If I for thy safety should    end here my life-days,
+    That thou wouldst be to me,    though dead, as a father.
+    Be to my kindred thanes,    my battle-comrades,
+    A worthy protector    should death o'ertake me.
+    Do thou, dear Hrothgar,    send all these treasures here
+    Which thou hast given me,    to my king, Hygelac.
+    Then may the Geat king,    brave son of Hrethel dead,
+    See by the gold and gems,    know by the treasures there,
+    That I found a generous lord,    whom I loved in my life.
+    Give thou to Hunferth too    my wondrous old weapon,
+    The sword with its graven blade;    let the right valiant man
+    Have the keen war-blade:    I will win fame with his,
+    With Hrunting, noble brand,    or death shall take me."
+
+Beowulf dived downward, as it seemed to him, for the space of a day
+ere he could perceive the floor of that sinister lake, and all that
+time he had to fight the sea-beasts, for they, attacking him with tusk
+and horn, strove to break his ring-mail, but in vain. As Beowulf came
+near the bottom he felt himself seized in long, scaly arms of gigantic
+strength. The fierce claws of the wolfish sea-woman strove eagerly to
+reach his heart through his mail, but in vain; so the she-wolf of the
+waters, a being awful and loathsome, bore him to her abode, rushing
+through thick clusters of horrible sea-beasts.
+
+    "The hero now noticed    he was in some hostile hall,
+    Where him the water-stream    no whit might injure,
+    Nor for the sheltering roof    the rush of the raging flood
+    Ever could touch him.    He saw the strange flickering flame,
+    Weird lights in the water,    shining with livid sheen:
+    He saw, too, the ocean-wolf,    the hateful sea-woman."
+
+Terrible and almost superhuman was the contest which now followed: the
+awful sea-woman flung Beowulf down on his back and stabbed at him with
+point and edge of her broad knife, seeking some vulnerable point; but
+the good corslet resisted all her efforts, and Beowulf, exerting his
+mighty force, overthrew her and sprang to his feet. Angered beyond
+measure, he brandished the flaming sword Hrunting, and flashed one
+great blow at her head which would have killed her had her scales and
+hair been vulnerable; but alas! the edge of the blade turned on her
+scaly hide, and the blow failed. Wrathfully Beowulf cast aside the
+useless sword, and determined to trust once again to his hand-grip.
+Grendel's mother now felt, in her turn, the deadly power of Beowulf's
+grasp, and was borne to the ground; but the struggle continued long,
+for Beowulf was weaponless, since the sword failed in its work. Yet
+some weapon he must have.
+
+    "So he gazed at the walls,    saw there a glorious sword,
+    An old brand gigantic,    trusty in point and edge,
+    An heirloom of heroes;    that was the best of blades,
+    Splendid and stately,    the forging of giants;
+    But it was huger than    any of human race
+    Could bear to battle-strife,    save Beowulf only."
+
+This mighty sword, a relic of earlier and greater races, brought new
+hope to Beowulf. Springing up, he snatched it from the wall and swung
+it fiercely round his head. The blow fell with crushing force on the
+neck of the sea-woman, the dread wolf of the abyss, and broke the
+bones. Dead the monster sank to the ground, and Beowulf, standing
+erect, saw at his feet the lifeless carcase of his foe. The hero still
+grasped his sword and looked warily along the walls of the
+water-dwelling, lest some other foe should emerge from its recesses;
+but as he gazed Beowulf saw his former foe, Grendel, lying dead on a
+bed in some inner hall. He strode thither, and, seizing the corpse by
+the hideous coiled locks, shore off the head to carry to earth again.
+The poisonous hot blood of the monster melted the blade of the mighty
+sword, and nothing remained but the hilt, wrought with curious
+ornaments and signs of old time. This hilt and Grendel's head were all
+that Beowulf carried off from the water-fiends' dwelling; and laden
+with these the hero sprang up through the now clear and sparkling
+water.
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel]
+
+Meanwhile the Danes and Geats had waited long for his reappearance.
+When the afternoon was well advanced the Danes departed sadly,
+lamenting the hero's death, for they concluded no man could have
+survived so long beneath the waters; but his loyal Geats sat there
+still gazing sadly at the waves, and hoping against all hope that
+Beowulf would reappear. At length they saw changes in the mere--the
+blood boiling upwards in the lake, the quenching of the unholy light,
+then the flight of the sea-monsters and a gradual clearing of the
+waters, through which at last they could see their lord uprising. How
+gladly they greeted him! What awe and wonder seized them as they
+surveyed his dreadful booty, the ghastly head of Grendel and the
+massive hilt of the gigantic sword! How eagerly they listened to his
+story, and how they vied with one another for the glory of bearing his
+armour, his spoils, and his weapons back over the moorlands and the
+fens to Heorot. It was a proud and glad troop that followed Beowulf
+into the hall, and up through the startled throng until they laid down
+before the feet of King Hrothgar the hideous head of his dead foe, and
+Beowulf, raising his voice that all might hear above the buzz and hum
+of the great banquet-hall, thus addressed the king:
+
+    "Lo! we this sea-booty,    O wise son of Healfdene,
+    Lord of the Scyldings, have    brought for thy pleasure,
+    In token of triumph,    as thou here seest.
+    From harm have I hardly    escaped with my life,
+    The war under water    sustained I with trouble,
+    The conflict was almost    decided against me,
+    If God had not guarded me!    Nought could I conquer
+    With Hrunting in battle,    though 'tis a doughty blade.
+    But the gods granted me    that I saw suddenly
+    Hanging high in the hall    a bright brand gigantic:
+    So seized I and swung it    that in the strife I slew
+    The lords of the dwelling.    The mighty blade melted fast
+    In the hot boiling blood,    the poisonous battle-gore;
+    But the hilt have I here    borne from the hostile hall.
+    I have avenged the crime,    the death of the Danish folk,
+    As it behovèd me.    Now can I promise thee
+    That thou in Heorot    care-free mayest slumber
+    With all thy warrior-troop    and all thy kindred thanes,
+    The young and the aged:    thou needst not fear for them
+    Death from these mortal foes,    as thou of yore hast done."
+
+King Hrothgar was now more delighted than ever at the return of his
+friend and the slaughter of his foes. He gazed in delight and wonder
+at the gory head of the monster, and the gigantic hilt of the weapon
+which struck it off. Then, taking the glorious hilt, and scanning
+eagerly the runes which showed its history, as the tumult stilled in
+the hall, and all men listened for his speech, he broke out: "Lo! this
+may any man say, who maintains truth and right among his people, that
+good though he may be this hero is even better! Thy glory is
+widespread, Beowulf my friend, among thine own and many other nations,
+for thou hast fulfilled all things by patience and prudence. I will
+surely perform what I promised thee, as we agreed before; and I
+foretell of thee that thou wilt be long a help and protection to thy
+people."
+
+King Hrothgar spoke long and eloquently while all men listened, for he
+reminded them of mighty warriors of old who had not won such glorious
+fame, and warned them against pride and lack of generosity and
+self-seeking; and then, ending with thanks and fresh gifts to Beowulf,
+he bade the feast continue with increased jubilation. The tumultuous
+rejoicing lasted till darkness settled on the land, and when it ended
+all retired to rest free from fear, since no more fiendish monsters
+would break in upon their slumbers; gladly and peacefully the night
+passed, and with the morn came Beowulf's resolve to return to his king
+and his native land.
+
+When Beowulf had come to this decision he went to Hrothgar and said:
+
+    "Now we sea-voyagers    come hither from afar
+    Must utter our intent    to seek King Hygelac.
+    Here were we well received,    well hast thou treated us.
+    If on this earth I can    do more to win thy love,
+    O prince of warriors,    than I have wrought as yet,
+    Here stand I ready now    weapons to wield for thee.
+    If I shall ever hear    o'er the encircling flood
+    That any neighbouring foes    threaten thy nation's fall,
+    As Grendel grim before,    swift will I bring to thee
+    Thousands of noble thanes,    heroes to help thee.
+    I know of Hygelac,    King of the Geat folk,
+    That he will strengthen me    (though he is young in years)
+    In words and warlike deeds    to bear my warrior-spear
+    Over the ocean surge,    when arms would serve thy need,
+    Swift to thine aid.    If thy son Hrethric young
+    Comes to the Geat court,    there to gain skill in arms,
+    Then will he surely find    many friends waiting him:
+    Better in distant lands    learneth by journeying
+    He who is valiant."
+
+Hrothgar was greatly moved by the words of the Geat hero and his
+promise of future help. He wondered to find such wisdom in so young a
+warrior, and felt that the Geats could never choose a better king if
+battle should cut off the son of Hygelac, and he renewed his assurance
+of continual friendship between the two countries and of enduring
+personal affection. Finally, with fresh gifts of treasure and with
+tears of regret Hrothgar embraced Beowulf and bade him go speedily to
+his ship, since a friend's yearning could not retain him longer from
+his native land. So the little troop of Geats with their gifts and
+treasures marched proudly to their vessel and sailed away to Geatland,
+their dragon-prowed ship laden with armour and jewels and steeds,
+tokens of remembrance and thanks from the grateful Danes.
+
+
+Beowulf's Return
+
+Blithe-hearted were the voyagers, and gaily the ship danced over the
+waves, as the Geats strained their eyes towards the cliffs of their
+home and the well-known shores of their country. When their vessel
+approached the land the coast-warden came hurrying to greet them, for
+he had watched the ocean day and night for the return of the valiant
+wanderers. Gladly he welcomed them, and bade his underlings help to
+bear their spoils up to the royal palace, where King Hygelac, himself
+young and valiant, awaited his victorious kinsman, with his beauteous
+queen, Hygd, beside him. Then came Beowulf, treading proudly the rocky
+paths to the royal abode, for messengers had gone in advance to
+announce to the king his nephew's success, and a banquet was being
+prepared, where Beowulf would sit beside his royal kinsman.
+
+Once more there was a splendid feast, with tumultuous rejoicing. Again
+a queenly hand--that of the beauteous Hygd--poured out the first bowl
+in which to celebrate the safe return of the victorious hero. And now
+the wonderful story of the slaying of the fen-fiends must be told.
+
+Beowulf was called upon to describe again his perils and his
+victories, and told in glowing language of the grisly monsters and the
+desperate combats, and of the boundless gratitude and splendid
+generosity of the Danish king, and of his prophecy of lasting
+friendship between the Danes and the Geats. Then he concluded:
+
+    "Thus that great nation's king    lived in all noble deeds.
+    Of guerdon I failed not,    of meed for my valour,
+    But the wise son of Healfdene    gave to me treasures great,
+    Gifts to my heart's desire.    These now I bring to thee,
+    Offer them lovingly:    now are my loyalty
+    And service due to thee,    O hero-king, alone!
+    Near kinsmen have I few    but thee, O Hygelac!"
+
+As the hero showed the treasures with which Hrothgar had rewarded his
+courage, he distributed them generously among his kinsmen and friends,
+giving his priceless jewelled collar to Queen Hygd, and his best steed
+to King Hygelac, as a true vassal and kinsman should. So Beowulf
+resumed his place as Hygelac's chief warrior and champion, and settled
+down among his own people.
+
+
+Fifty Years After
+
+When half a century had passed away, great and sorrowful changes had
+taken place in the two kingdoms of Denmark and Geatland. Hrothgar was
+dead, and had been succeeded by his son Hrethric, and Hygelac had been
+slain in a warlike expedition against the Hetware. In this expedition
+Beowulf had accompanied Hygelac, and had done all a warrior could do
+to save his kinsman and his king. When he saw his master slain he had
+fought his way through the encircling foes to the sea-shore, where,
+though sorely wounded, he flung himself into the sea and swam back to
+Geatland. There he had told Queen Hygd of the untimely death of her
+husband, and had called on her to assume the regency of the kingdom
+for her young son Heardred. Queen Hygd called an assembly of the
+Geats, and there, with the full consent of the nation, offered the
+crown to Beowulf, the wisest counsellor and bravest hero among them;
+but he refused to accept it, and so swayed the Geats by his eloquence
+and his loyalty that they unanimously raised Heardred to the throne,
+with Beowulf as his guardian and protector. When in later years
+Heardred also fell before an enemy, Beowulf was again chosen king, and
+as he was now the next of kin he accepted the throne, and ruled long
+and gloriously over Geatland. His fame as a warrior kept his country
+free from invasion, and his wisdom as a statesman increased its
+prosperity and happiness; whilst the vengeance he took for his
+kinsman's death fulfilled all ideals of family and feudal duty held by
+the men of his time. Beowulf, in fact, became an ideal king, as he was
+an ideal warrior and hero, and he closed his life by an ideal act of
+self-sacrifice for the good of his people.
+
+
+Beowulf and the Fire-Dragon
+
+In the fiftieth year of Beowulf's reign a great terror fell upon the
+land: terror of a monstrous fire-dragon, who flew forth by night from
+his den in the rocks, lighting up the blackness with his blazing
+breath, and burning houses and homesteads, men and cattle, with the
+flames from his mouth. The glare from his fiery scales was like the
+dawn-glow in the sky, but his passage left behind it every night a
+trail of black, charred desolation to confront the rising sun. Yet the
+dragon's wrath was in some way justified, since he had been robbed,
+and could not trace the thief. Centuries before Beowulf's lifetime a
+mighty family of heroes had gathered together, by feats of arms, and
+by long inheritance, an immense treasure of cups and goblets, of
+necklaces and rings, of swords and helmets and armour, cunningly
+wrought by magic spells; they had joyed in their cherished hoard for
+long years, until all had died but one, and he survived solitary,
+miserable, brooding over the fate of the dearly loved treasure. At
+last he caused his servants to make a strong fastness in the rocks,
+with cunningly devised entrances, known only to himself, and thither,
+with great toil and labour of aged limbs, he carried and hid the
+precious treasure. As he sadly regarded it, and thought of its future
+fate, he cried aloud:
+
+    "Hold thou now fast, O earth,    now men no longer can,
+    The treasure of mighty earls.    From thee brave men won it
+    In days that are long gone by,    but slaughter seized on them,
+    Death fiercely vanquished them,    each of my warriors,
+    Each one of my people,    who closed their life-days here
+    After the joy of earth.    None have I sword to wield
+    Or bring me the goblet,    the richly wrought vessel.
+    All the true heroes have    elsewhere departed!
+    Now must the gilded helm    lose its adornments,
+    For those who polished it    sleep in the gloomy grave,
+    Those who made ready erst    war-gear of warriors.
+    Likewise the battle-sark    which in the fight endured
+    Bites of the keen-edged blades    midst the loud crash of shields
+    Rusts, with its wearer dead.    Nor may the woven mail
+    After the chieftain's death    wide with a champion rove.
+    Gone is the joy of harp,    gone is the music's mirth.
+    Now the hawk goodly-winged    hovers not through the hall,
+    Nor the swift-footed mare    tramples the castle court:
+    Baleful death far has sent    all living tribes of men."
+
+When this solitary survivor of the ancient race died his hoard
+remained alone, unknown, untouched, until at length the fiery dragon,
+seeking a shelter among the rocks, found the hidden way to the cave,
+and, creeping within, discovered the lofty inner chamber and the
+wondrous hoard. For three hundred winters he brooded over it
+unchallenged, and then one day a hunted fugitive, fleeing from the
+fury of an avenging chieftain, in like manner found the cave, and the
+dragon sleeping on his gold. Terrified almost to death, the fugitive
+eagerly seized a marvellously wrought chalice and bore it stealthily
+away, feeling sure that such an offering would appease his lord's
+wrath and atone for his offence. But when the dragon awoke he
+discovered that he had been robbed, and his keen scent assured him
+that some one of mankind was the thief. As he could not at once see
+the robber, he crept around the outside of the barrow snuffing eagerly
+to find traces of the spoiler, but it was in vain; then, growing more
+wrathful, he flew over the inhabited country, shedding fiery death
+from his glowing scales and flaming breath, while no man dared to face
+this flying horror of the night.
+
+The news came to Beowulf that his folk were suffering and dying, and
+that no warrior dared to risk his life in an effort to deliver the
+land from this deadly devastation; and although he was now an aged man
+he decided to attack the fire-drake. Beowulf knew that he would not be
+able to come to hand-grips with this foe as he had done with Grendel
+and his mother: the fiery breath of this dragon was far too deadly,
+and he must trust to armour for protection. He commanded men to make
+a shield entirely of iron, for he knew that the usual shield of
+linden-wood would be instantly burnt up in the dragon's flaming
+breath. He then chose with care eleven warriors, picked men of his own
+bodyguard, to accompany him in this dangerous quest. They compelled
+the unhappy fugitive whose theft had begun the trouble to act as their
+guide, and thus they marched to the lonely spot where the dragon's
+barrow stood close to the sea-shore. The guide went unwillingly, but
+was forced thereto by his lord, because he alone knew the way.
+
+
+Beowulf Faces Death
+
+When the little party reached the place they halted for a time, and
+Beowulf sat down meditating sadly on his past life, and on the chances
+of this great conflict which he was about to begin. When he had
+striven with Grendel, when he had fought against the Hetware, he had
+been confident of victory and full of joyous self-reliance, but now
+things were changed. Beowulf was an old man, and there hung over him a
+sad foreboding that this would be his last fight, and that he would
+rid the land of no more monsters. Wyrd seemed to threaten him, and a
+sense of coming woe lay heavy on his heart as he spoke to his little
+troop: "Many great fights I had in my youth. How well I remember them
+all! I was only seven years old when King Hrethel took me to bring up,
+and loved me as dearly as his own sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, or my own
+dear lord Hygelac. Great was our grief when Hathcyn, hunting in the
+forest, slew all unwittingly his elder brother: greater than ordinary
+sorrow, because we could not avenge him on the murderer! It would have
+given no joy to Hrethel to see his second son killed disgracefully as
+a murderer! So we endured the pain till King Hrethel died, borne down
+by his bitter loss, and I wept for my protector, my kinsman. Then
+Hathcyn died also, slain by the Swedes, and my dear lord Hygelac came
+to the throne: he was gracious to me, a giver of weapons, a generous
+distributor of treasure, and I repaid him as much as I could in battle
+against his foes. Daghrefn, the Frankish warrior who slew my king, I
+sent to his doom with my deadly hand-grip: he, at least, should not
+show my lord's armour as trophy of his prowess. But this fight is
+different: here I must use both point and edge, as I was not wont in
+my youth: but here too will I, old though I be, work deeds of valour.
+I will not give way the space of one foot, but will meet him here in
+his own abode and make all my boasting good. Abide ye here, ye
+warriors, for this is not your expedition, nor the work of any man but
+me alone; wait till ye know which is triumphant, for I will win the
+gold and save my people, or death shall take me." So saying he raised
+his great shield, and, unaccompanied, set his face to the dark
+entrance, where a stream, boiling with strange heat, flowed forth from
+the cave; so hot was the air that he stood, unable to advance far for
+the suffocating steam and smoke. Angered by his impotence, Beowulf
+raised his voice and shouted a furious defiance to the awesome
+guardian of the barrow. Thus aroused, the dragon sprang up, roaring
+hideously and flapping his glowing wings together; out from the
+recesses of the barrow came his fiery breath, and then followed the
+terrible beast himself. Coiling and writhing he came, with head
+raised, and scales of burnished blue and green, glowing with inner
+heat; from his nostrils rushed two streams of fiery breath, and his
+flaming eyes shot flashes of consuming fire. He half flew, half sprang
+at Beowulf. But the hero did not retreat one step. His bright sword
+flashed in the air as he wounded the beast, but not mortally, striking
+a mighty blow on his scaly head. The guardian of the hoard writhed and
+was stunned for a moment, and then sprang at Beowulf, sending forth so
+dense a cloud of flaming breath that the hero stood in a mist of fire.
+So terrible was the heat that the iron shield glowed red-hot and the
+ring-mail on the hero's limbs seared him as a furnace, and his breast
+swelled with the keen pain: so terrible was the fiery cloud that the
+Geats, seated some distance away, turned and fled, seeking the cool
+shelter of the neighbouring woods, and left their heroic lord to
+suffer and die alone.
+
+
+Beowulf's Death
+
+Among the cowardly Geats, however, there was one who thought it
+shameful to flee--Wiglaf, the son of Weohstan. He was young, but a
+brave warrior, to whom Beowulf had shown honour, and on whom he had
+showered gifts, for he was a kinsman, and had proved himself worthy.
+Now he showed that Beowulf's favour had been justified, for he seized
+his shield, of yellow linden-wood, took his ancient sword in hand, and
+prepared to rush to Beowulf's aid. With bitter words he reproached his
+cowardly comrades, saying: "I remember how we boasted, as we sat in
+the mead hall and drank the foaming ale, as we took gladly the gold
+and jewels which our king lavished upon us, that we would repay him
+for all his gifts, if ever such need there were! Now is the need come
+upon him, and we are here! Beowulf chose us from all his bodyguard to
+help him in this mighty struggle, and we have betrayed and deserted
+him, and left him alone against a terrible foe. Now the day has come
+when our lord should see our valour, and we flee from his side! Up,
+let us go and aid him, even while the grim battle-flame flares around
+him. God knows that I would rather risk my body in the fiery cloud
+than stay here while my king fights and dies! Not such disloyalty has
+Beowulf deserved through his long reign that he should stand alone in
+the death-struggle. He and I will die together, or side by side will
+we conquer." The youthful warrior tried in vain to rouse the courage
+of his companions: they trembled, and would not move. So Wiglaf,
+holding on high his shield, plunged into the fiery cloud and moved
+towards his king, crying aloud: "Beowulf, my dear lord, let not thy
+glory be dimmed. Achieve this last deed of valour, as thou didst
+promise in days of yore, that thy fame should not fall, and I will aid
+thee."
+
+The sound of another voice roused the dragon to greater fury, and
+again came the fiery cloud, burning up like straw Wiglaf's linden
+shield, and torturing both warriors as they stood behind the iron
+shield with their heated armour. But they fought on manfully, and
+Beowulf, gathering up his strength, struck the dragon such a blow on
+the head that his ancient sword was shivered to fragments. The dragon,
+enraged, now flew at Beowulf and seized him by the neck with his
+poisonous fangs, so that the blood gushed out in streams, and ran down
+his corslet. Wiglaf was filled with grief and horror at this dreadful
+sight, and, leaving the protection of Beowulf's iron shield, dashed
+forth at the dragon, piercing the scaly body in a vital part. At once
+the fire began to fade away, and Beowulf, mastering his anguish, drew
+his broad knife, and with a last effort cut the hideous reptile
+asunder. Then the agony of the envenomed wound came upon him, and his
+limbs burnt and ached with intolerable pain. In growing distress he
+staggered to a rough ancient seat, carved out of the rock, hard by
+the door of the barrow. There he sank down, and Wiglaf laved his brow
+with water from the little stream, which boiled and steamed no longer.
+Then Beowulf partially recovered himself, and said: "Now I bequeath to
+thee, my son, the armour which I also inherited. Fifty years have I
+ruled this people in peace, so that none of my neighbours durst attack
+us. I have endured and toiled much on this earth, have held my own
+justly, have pursued none with crafty hatred, nor sworn unjust oaths.
+At all this may I rejoice now that I lie mortally wounded. Do thou, O
+dear Wiglaf, bring forth quickly from the cave the treasures for which
+I lose my life, that I may see them and be glad in my nation's wealth
+ere I die."
+
+Thereupon Wiglaf entered the barrow, and was dazed by the bewildering
+hoard of costly treasures. Filling his arms with such a load as he
+could carry, he hastened out of the barrow, fearing even then to find
+his lord dead. Then he flung down the treasures--magic armour,
+dwarf-wrought swords, carved goblets, flashing gems, and a golden
+standard--at Beowulf's feet, so that the ancient hero's dying gaze
+could fall on the hoard he had won for his people. But Beowulf was now
+so near death that he swooned away, till Wiglaf again flung water over
+him, and the dying champion roused himself to say, as he grasped his
+kinsman's hand and looked at the glittering heap before him:
+
+    "I thank God eternal,    the great King of Glory,
+    For the vast treasures    which I here gaze upon,
+    That I ere my death-day    might for my people
+    Win so great wealth.    Since I have given my life,
+    Thou must now look to    the needs of the nation;
+    Here dwell I no longer,    for Destiny calleth me!
+    Bid thou my warriors    after my funeral pyre
+    Build me a burial-cairn    high on the sea-cliff's head;
+    It shall for memory    tower up on Hronesness,
+    So that the seafarers    Beowulf's Barrow
+    Henceforth shall name it,    they who drive far and wide
+    Over the mighty flood    their foamy keels.
+    Thou art the last of all    the kindred of Wagmund!
+    Wyrd has swept all my kin,    all the brave chiefs away!
+    Now must I follow them!"
+
+These last words spoken, Beowulf fell back, and his soul passed away,
+to meet the joy reserved for all true and steadfast spirits. The hero
+was dead, but amid his grief Wiglaf yet remembered that the dire
+monster too lay dead, and the folk were delivered from the horrible
+plague, though at terrible cost! Wiglaf, as he mourned over his dead
+lord, resolved that no man should joy in the treasures for which so
+grievous a price had been paid--the cowards who deserted their king
+should help to lay the treasures in his grave and bury them far from
+human use and profit. Accordingly, when the ten faithless dastards
+ventured out from the shelter of the wood, and came shamefacedly to
+the place where Wiglaf sat, sorrowing, at the head of dead Beowulf, he
+stilled their cries of grief with one wave of the hand, which had
+still been vainly striving to arouse his king by gentle touch, and,
+gazing scornfully at them, he cried: "Lo! well may a truthful man say,
+seeing you here, safely in the war-gear and ornaments which our dead
+hero gave you, that Beowulf did but throw away his generous gifts,
+since all he bought with them was treachery and cowardice in the day
+of battle! No need had Beowulf to boast of his warriors in time of
+danger! Yet he alone avenged his people and conquered the fiend--I
+could help him but little in the fray, though I did what I could: all
+too few champions thronged round our hero when his need was sorest.
+Now are all the joys of love and loyalty ended; now is all prosperity
+gone from our nation, when foreign princes hear of your flight and
+the shameless deed of this day. Better is death to every man than a
+life of shame!"
+
+[Illustration: The death of Beowulf]
+
+The Geats stood silent, abashed before the keen and deserved
+reproaches of the young hero, and they lamented the livelong day. None
+left the shore and their lord's dead corpse; but one man who rode over
+the cliff near by saw the mournful little band, with Beowulf dead in
+the midst. This warrior galloped away to tell the people, saying: "Now
+is our ruler, the lord of the Geats, stretched dead on the plain,
+stricken by the dragon which lies dead beside him; and at his head
+sits Wiglaf, son of Weohstan, lamenting his royal kinsman. Now is the
+joy and prosperity of our folk vanished! Now shall our enemies make
+raids upon us, for we have none to withstand them! But let us hasten
+to bury our king, to bear him royally to his grave, with mourning and
+tears of woe." These unhappy tidings roused the Geats, and they
+hastened to see if it were really true, and found all as the messenger
+had said, and wondered at the mighty dragon and the glorious hoard of
+gold. They feared the monster and coveted the treasure, but all felt
+that the command now lay with Wiglaf. At last Wiglaf roused himself
+from his silent grief and said: "O men of the Geats, I am not to blame
+that our king lies here lifeless. He would fight the dragon and win
+the treasure; and these he has done, though he lost his life therein;
+yea, and I aided him all that I might, though it was but little I
+could do. Now our dear lord Beowulf bade me greet you from him, and
+bid you to make for him, after his funeral pyre, a great and mighty
+cairn, even as he was the most glorious of men in his lifetime. Bring
+ye all the treasures, bring quickly a bier, and place thereon our
+king's corpse, and let us bear our dear lord to Hronesness, where
+his funeral fire shall be kindled, and his burial cairn built."
+
+The Geats, bitterly grieving, fulfilled Wiglaf's commands. They
+gathered wood for the fire, and piled it on the cliff-head; then eight
+chosen ones brought thither the treasures, and threw the dragon's body
+over the cliff into the sea; then a wain, hung with shields, was
+brought to bear the corpse of Beowulf to Hronesness, where it was
+solemnly laid on the funeral pile and consumed to ashes.
+
+    "There then the Weder Geats    wrought for their ruler dead
+    A cairn on the ocean cliff    widespread and lofty,
+    Visible far and near    by vessels' wandering crews.
+    They built in ten days' space    the hero's monument,
+    And wrought with shining swords    the earthen rampart wall,
+    So that the wisest men    worthy might deem it.
+    Then in that cairn they placed    necklets and rings and gems
+    Which from the dragon's hoard    brave men had taken.
+    Back to the earth they gave    treasures of ancient folk,
+    Gold to the gloomy mould,    where it now lieth
+    Useless to sons of men    as it e'er was of yore.
+    Then round the mound there rode    twelve manly warriors,
+    Chanting their bitter grief,    singing the hero dead,
+    Mourning their noble king    in fitting words of woe!
+    They praised his courage high    and his proud, valiant deeds,
+    Honoured him worthily,    as it is meet for men
+    Duly to praise in words    their friendly lord and king
+    When his soul wanders forth    far from its fleshly home.
+    So all the Geat chiefs,    Beowulf's bodyguard,
+    Wept for their leader's fall:    sang in their loud laments
+    That he of earthly kings    mildest to all men was,
+    Gentlest, most gracious,    most keen to win glory."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II: THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG
+
+
+The Position of Constantine
+
+It would seem that the Emperor Constantine the Great loomed very large
+in the eyes of mediæval England. Even in Anglo-Saxon times many
+legends clustered round his name, so that Cynewulf, the religious poet
+of early England, wrote the poem of "Elene" mainly on the subject of
+his conversion. The story of the Vision of the Holy Cross with the
+inscription _In hoc signo vinces_ was inspiring to a poet to whom the
+heathen were a living reality, not a distant abstraction; and
+Constantine's generosity to the Church of Rome and its bishop
+Sylvester added another element of attraction to his character in the
+mediæval mind. It is hardly surprising that other legends of his
+conversion and generosity should have sprung up, which differ entirely
+from the earlier and more authentic record. Thus "the moral Gower" has
+preserved for us an alternative legend of the cause of Constantine's
+conversion, which forms a good illustration of the virtue of pity in
+the "Confessio Amantis." Whence this later legend sprang we have no
+knowledge, for nothing in the known history of Constantine warrants
+our regarding him as a disciple of mercy, but its existence shows that
+the mediæval mind was busied with his personality. Another most
+interesting proof of his importance to Britain is given in the
+following legend of "The Dream of Maxen Wledig," preserved in the
+"Mabinogion." This belongs to the Welsh patriotic legends, and tends
+to glorify the marriage of the British Princess Helena with the Roman
+emperor, by representing it as preordained by Fate. The fact that the
+hero of the Welsh saga is the Emperor Maxentius instead of
+Constantius detracts little from the interest of the legend, which is
+only one instance of the well-known theme of the lover led by dream,
+or vision, or magic glass to the home and heart of the beloved.
+
+
+The Emperor Maxen Wledig
+
+The Emperor Maxen Wledig was the most powerful occupant of the throne
+of the Cæsars who had ever ruled Europe from the City of the Seven
+Hills. He was the most handsome man in his dominions, tall and strong
+and skilled in all manly exercises; withal he was gracious and
+friendly to all his vassals and tributary kings, so that he was
+universally beloved. One day he announced his wish to go hunting, and
+was accompanied on his expedition down the Tiber valley by thirty-two
+vassal kings, with whom he enjoyed the sport heartily. At noon the
+heat was intense, they were far from Rome, and all were weary. The
+emperor proposed a halt, and they dismounted to take rest. Maxen lay
+down to sleep with his head on a shield, and soldiers and attendants
+stood around making a shelter for him from the sun's rays by a roof of
+shields hung on their spears. Thus he fell into a sleep so deep that
+none dared to awake him. Hours passed by, and still he slumbered, and
+still his whole retinue waited impatiently for his awakening. At
+length, when the evening shadows began to lie long and black on the
+ground, their impatience found vent in little restless movements of
+hounds chafing in their leashes, of spears clashing, of shields
+dropping from the weariness of their holders, and horses neighing and
+prancing; and then Maxen Wledig awoke suddenly with a start. "Ah, why
+did you arouse me?" he asked sadly. "Lord, your dinner hour is long
+past--did you not know?" they said. He shook his head mournfully, but
+said no word, and, mounting his horse, turned it and rode in unbroken
+silence back to Rome, with his head sunk on his breast. Behind him
+rode in dismay his retinue of kings and tributaries, who knew nothing
+of the cause of his sorrowful mood.
+
+
+The Emperor's Malady
+
+From that day the emperor was changed, changed utterly. He rode no
+more, he hunted no more, he paid no heed to the business of the
+empire, but remained in seclusion in his own apartments and slept. The
+court banquets continued without him, music and song he refused to
+hear, and though in his sleep he smiled and was happy, when he awoke
+his melancholy could not be cheered or his gloom lightened. When this
+condition of things had continued for more than a week it was
+determined that the emperor must be aroused from this dreadful state
+of apathy, and his groom of the chamber, a noble Roman of very high
+rank--indeed, a king, under the emperor--resolved to make the
+endeavour.
+
+"My lord," said he, "I have evil tidings for you. The people of Rome
+are beginning to murmur against you, because of the change that has
+come over you. They say that you are bewitched, that they can get no
+answers or decisions from you, and all the affairs of the empire go to
+wrack and ruin while you sleep and take no heed. You have ceased to be
+their emperor, they say, and they will cease to be loyal to you."
+
+
+The Dream of the Emperor
+
+Then Maxen Wledig roused himself and said to the noble: "Call hither
+my wisest senators and councillors, and I will explain the cause of my
+melancholy, and perhaps they will be able to give me relief."
+Accordingly the senators came together, and the emperor ascended his
+throne, looking so mournful that the whole Senate grieved for him, and
+feared lest death should speedily overtake him. He began to address
+them thus:
+
+"Senators and Sages of Rome, I have heard that my people murmur
+against me, and will rebel if I do not arouse myself. A terrible fate
+has fallen upon me, and I see no way of escape from my misery, unless
+ye can find one. It is now more than a week since I went hunting with
+my court, and when I was wearied I dismounted and slept. In my sleep I
+dreamt, and a vision cast its spell upon me, so that I feel no
+happiness unless I am sleeping, and seem to live only in my dreams. I
+thought I was hunting along the Tiber valley, lost my courtiers, and
+rode to the head of the valley alone. There the river flowed forth
+from a great mountain, which looked to me the highest in the world;
+but I ascended it, and found beyond fair and fertile plains, far
+vaster than any in our Italy, with mighty rivers flowing through the
+lovely country to the sea. I followed the course of the greatest
+river, and reached its mouth, where a noble port stood on the shores
+of a sea unknown to me. In the harbour lay a fleet of well-appointed
+ships, and one of these was most beautifully adorned, its planks
+covered with gold or silver, and its sails of silk. As a gangway of
+carved ivory led to the deck, I crossed it and entered the vessel,
+which immediately sailed out of the harbour into the ocean. The voyage
+was not of long duration, for we soon came to land in a wondrously
+beautiful island, with scenery of varied loveliness. This island I
+traversed, led by some secret guidance, till I reached its farthest
+shore, broken by cliffs and precipices and mountain ranges, while
+between the mountains and the sea I saw a fair and fruitful land
+traversed by a silvery, winding river, with a castle at its mouth. My
+longing drew me to the castle, and when I came to the gate I entered,
+for the dwelling stood open to every man, and such a hall as was
+therein I have never seen for splendour, even in Imperial Rome. The
+walls were covered with gold, set with precious gems, the seats were
+of gold and the tables of silver, and two fair youths, whom I saw
+playing chess, used pieces of gold on a board of silver. Their attire
+was of black satin embroidered with gold, and golden circlets were on
+their brows. I gazed at the youths for a moment, and next became aware
+of an aged man sitting near them. His carved ivory seat was adorned
+with golden eagles, the token of Imperial Rome; his ornaments on arms
+and hands and neck were of bright gold, and he was carving fresh
+chessmen from a rod of solid gold. Beside him sat, on a golden chair,
+a maiden (the loveliest in the whole world she seemed, and still
+seems, to me). White was her inner dress under a golden overdress, her
+crown of gold adorned with rubies and pearls, and a golden girdle
+encircled her slender waist. The beauty of her face won my love in
+that moment, and I knelt and said: 'Hail, Empress of Rome!' but as she
+bent forward from her seat to greet me I awoke. Now I have no peace
+and no joy except in sleep, for in dreams I always see my lady, and in
+dreams we love each other and are happy; therefore in dreams will I
+live, unless ye can find some way to satisfy my longing while I wake."
+
+[Illustration: The dream of the Emperor]
+
+
+The Quest for the Maiden
+
+The senators were at first greatly amazed, and then one of them said:
+"My lord, will you not send out messengers to seek throughout all your
+lands for the maiden in the castle? Let each group of messengers
+search for one year, and return at the end of the year with
+tidings. So shall you live in good hope of success from year to year."
+The messengers were sent out accordingly, with wands in their hands
+and a sleeve tied on each cap, in token of peace and of an embassy;
+but though they searched with all diligence, after three years three
+separate embassies had brought back no news of the mysterious land and
+the beauteous maiden.
+
+Then the groom of the chamber said to Maxen Wledig: "My lord, will you
+not go forth to hunt, as on the day when you dreamt this enthralling
+dream?" To this the emperor agreed, and rode to the place in the
+valley where he had slept. "Here," he said, "my dream began, and I
+seemed to follow the river to its source." Then the groom of the
+chamber said: "Will you not send messengers to the river's source, my
+lord, and bid them follow the track of your dream?" Accordingly
+thirteen messengers were sent, who followed the river up until it
+issued from the highest mountain they had ever seen. "Behold our
+emperor's dream!" they exclaimed, and they ascended the mountain, and
+descended the other side into a most beautiful and fertile plain, as
+Maxen Wledig had seen in his dream. Following the greatest river of
+all (probably the Rhine), the ambassadors reached the great seaport on
+the North Sea, and found the fleet waiting with one vessel larger than
+all the others; and they entered the ship and were carried to the fair
+island of Britain. Here they journeyed westward, and came to the
+mountainous land of Snowdon, whence they could see the sacred isle of
+Mona (Anglesey) and the fertile land of Arvon lying between the
+mountains and the sea. "This," said the messengers, "is the land of
+our master's dream, and in yon fair castle we shall find the maiden
+whom our emperor loves."
+
+
+The Finding of the Maiden
+
+So they went through the lovely land of Arvon to the castle of
+Caernarvon, and in that lordly fortress was the great hall, with the
+two youths playing chess, the venerable man carving chessmen, and the
+maiden in her chair of gold. When the ambassadors saw the fair
+Princess Helena they fell on their knees before her and said: "Empress
+of Rome, all hail!" But Helena half rose from her seat in anger as she
+said: "What does this mockery mean? You seem to be men of gentle
+breeding, and you wear the badge of messengers: whence comes it, then,
+that ye mock me thus?" But the ambassadors calmed her anger, saying:
+"Be not wroth, lady: this is no mockery, for the Emperor of Rome, the
+great lord Maxen Wledig, has seen you in a dream, and he has sworn to
+wed none but you. Which, therefore, will you choose, to accompany us
+to Rome, and there be made empress, or to wait here until the emperor
+can come to you?" The princess thought deeply for a time, and then
+replied: "I would not be too credulous, or too hard of belief. If the
+emperor loves me and would wed me, let him find me in my father's
+house, and make me his bride in my own home."
+
+
+The Dream Realized
+
+After this the thirteen envoys departed, and returned to the emperor
+in such haste that when their horses failed they gave no heed, but
+took others and pressed on. When they reached Rome and informed Maxen
+Wledig of the success of their mission he at once gathered his army
+and marched across Europe towards Britain. When the Roman emperor had
+crossed the sea he conquered Britain from Beli the son of Manogan,
+and made his way to Arvon. On entering the castle he saw first the two
+youths, Kynon and Adeon, playing chess, then their father, Eudav, the
+son of Caradoc, and then his beloved, the beauteous Helena, daughter
+of Eudav. "Empress of Rome, all hail!" Maxen Wledig said; and the
+princess bent forward in her chair and kissed him, for she knew he was
+her destined husband. The next day they were wedded, and the Emperor
+Maxen Wledig gave Helena as dowry all Britain for her father, the son
+of the gallant Caradoc, and for herself three castles, Caernarvon,
+Caerlleon, and Caermarthen, where she dwelt in turn; and in one of
+them was born her son Constantine, the only British-born Emperor of
+Rome. To this day in Wales the old Roman roads that connected Helena's
+three castles are known as "Sarn Helen."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III: THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE
+
+
+The Greatness of Constantine Provokes Attack
+
+In the year 312, the sixth year after Constantine had become emperor,
+the Roman Empire had increased on every hand, for Constantine was a
+mighty leader in war, a gracious and friendly lord in peace; he was a
+true king and ruler, a protector of all men. So mightily did he
+prosper that his enemies assembled great armies against him, and a
+confederation to overthrow him was made by the terrible Huns, the
+famous Goths, the brave Franks, and the warlike Hugas. This powerful
+confederation sent against Constantine an overwhelming army of Huns,
+whose numbers seemed to be countless, and yet the Hunnish leaders
+feared, when they knew that the emperor himself led the small Roman
+host.
+
+
+The Eve of the Battle
+
+The night before the battle Constantine lay sadly in the midst of his
+army, watching the stars, and dreading the result of the next day's
+conflict; for his warriors were few compared with the Hunnish
+multitude, and even Roman discipline and devotion might not win the
+day against the mad fury of the barbarous Huns. At last, wearied out,
+the emperor slept, and a vision came to him in his sleep. He seemed to
+see, standing by him, a beautiful shining form, a man more glorious
+than the sons of men, who, as Constantine sprang up ready helmed for
+war, addressed him by name. The darkness of night fled before the
+heavenly light that shone from the angel, and the messenger said:
+
+    "O Constantinus, the Ruler of Angels,
+    The Lord of all glory, the Master of heaven's hosts,
+    Claims from thee homage. Be not thou affrighted,
+    Though armies of aliens array them for battle,
+    Though terrible warriors threaten fierce conflict.
+    Look thou to the sky, to the throne of His glory;
+    There seest thou surely the symbol of conquest."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+Vision of the Cross
+
+Constantine looked up as the angel bade him, and saw, hovering in the
+air, a cross, splendid, glorious, adorned with gems and shining with
+heavenly light. On its wood letters were engraved, gleaming with
+unearthly radiance:
+
+    "With this shalt thou conquer the foe in the conflict,
+    And with it shalt hurl back the host of the heathen."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+Constantine is Cheered
+
+Constantine read these words with awe and gladness, for indeed he knew
+not what deity had thus favoured him, but he would not reject the help
+of the Unknown God; so he bowed his head in reverence, and when he
+looked again the cross and the angel had disappeared, and around him
+as he woke was the greyness of the rising dawn. The emperor summoned
+to his tent two soldiers from the troops, and bade them make a cross
+of wood to bear before the army. This they did, greatly marvelling,
+and Constantine called a standard-bearer, to whom he gave charge to
+bear forward the Standard of the Cross where the danger was greatest
+and the battle most fierce.
+
+
+The Morning of Battle
+
+When the day broke, and the two armies could see each other, both
+hosts arrayed themselves for battle, in serried ranks of armed
+warriors, shouting their war-cries.
+
+    "Loud sang the trumpets to stern-minded foemen
+    The dewy-winged eagle watched them march onward,
+    The horny-billed raven rejoiced in the battle-play,
+    The sly wolf, the forest-thief, soon saw his heart's desire
+    As the fierce warriors rushed at each other.
+    Great was the shield-breaking, loud was the clamour,
+    Hard were the hand-blows, and dire was the downfall,
+    When first the heroes felt the keen arrow-shower.
+    Soon did the Roman host fall on the death-doomed Huns,
+    Thrust forth their deadly spears over the yellow shields,
+    Broke with their battle-glaives breasts of the foemen."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+The Cross is Raised
+
+Then, when the battle was at its height, and the Romans knew not
+whether they would conquer or die fighting to the last, the
+standard-bearer raised the Cross, the token of promised victory,
+before all the host, and sang the chant of triumph. Onward he marched,
+and the Roman host followed him, pressing on resistless as the surging
+waves. The Huns, bewildered by the strange rally, and dreading the
+mysterious sign of some mighty god, rolled back, at first slowly, and
+then more and more quickly, till sullen retreat became panic rout, and
+they broke and fled. Multitudes were cut down as they fled, other
+multitudes were swept away by the devouring Danube as they tried to
+cross its current; some, half dead, reached the other side, and saved
+their lives in fortresses, guarding the steep cliffs beyond the
+Danube. Few, very few they were who ever saw their native land again.
+
+There was great rejoicing in the Roman army and in the Roman camp when
+Constantine returned in triumph with the wondrous Cross borne before
+him. He passed on to the city, and the people of Rome gazed with awe
+on the token of the Unknown God who had saved their city, but none
+would say who that God might be.
+
+
+A Council Summoned
+
+The emperor summoned a great council of all the wisest men in Rome,
+and when all were met he raised the Standard of the Cross in the midst
+and said:
+
+    "Can any man tell me, by spells or by ancient lore,
+    Who is the gracious God, giver of victory,
+    Who came in His glory, with the Cross for His token,
+    Who rescued my people and gave me the victory,
+    Scattered my foemen and put the fierce Huns to flight,
+    Showed me in heaven His sign of deliverance,
+    The loveliest Cross of light, gleaming in glory?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+At first no man could give him any answer--perhaps none dared--till
+after a long silence the wisest of all arose and said he had heard
+that the Cross was the sign of Christ the King of Heaven, and that the
+knowledge of His way was only revealed to men in baptism. When strict
+search was made some Christians were found, who preached the way of
+life to Constantine, and rejoiced that they might tell before men, of
+the life and death, the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ,
+who redeemed mankind from the bonds of evil; and then Constantine,
+being fully instructed and convinced, was baptized and became the
+first Christian emperor.
+
+
+Constantine Desires to Find our Saviour's Cross
+
+Constantine's heart, however, was too full of love for his new Lord to
+let him rest satisfied without some visible token of Christ's sojourn
+on earth. He longed to have, to keep for his own, one thing at least
+which Jesus had touched during His life, and his thoughts turned
+chiefly to that Cross which had been to himself both the sign of
+triumph and the guide to the way of life. Thus he again called
+together his Christian teachers, and inquired more closely where
+Christ had suffered.
+
+"In Judæa, outside the walls of Jerusalem, He died on the Cross," they
+told him.
+
+"Then there, near that city, so blest and so curst, we must seek His
+precious Cross," cried Constantine.
+
+
+Summons his Mother Elene
+
+Forthwith he summoned from Britain his mother the British Princess
+Elene, and when she had been taught the truth, had been converted and
+baptized, he told her of his heart's desire, and begged her to journey
+to Jerusalem and seek the sacred Cross.
+
+Elene herself, when she heard Constantine's words, was filled with
+wonder, and said: "Dear son, thy words have greatly rejoiced my heart,
+for know that I, too, have seen a vision, and would gladly seek the
+Holy Cross, where it lies hidden from the eyes of men."
+
+
+Elene's Vision
+
+    "Now will I tell thee the brightest of visions,
+    Dreamt at the midnight when men lay in slumber.
+    Hovering in heaven saw I a radiant Cross,
+    Gloriously gold-adorned, shining in splendour;
+    Starry gems shone on it at the four corners,
+    Flashed from the shoulder-span five gleaming jewels.
+    Angels surrounded it, guarding it gladly.
+    Yet in its loveliness sad was that Cross to see,
+    For 'neath the gold and gems fast blood flowed from it,
+    Till it was all defiled with the dark drops."
+
+    _Dream of the Rood._
+
+In this dream of Elene's the Cross spoke to her, and told her of the
+sad fate which had made of that hapless tree the Cross on which the
+Redeemer of mankind had released the souls of men from evil, on which
+He had spread out His arms to embrace mankind, had bowed His head,
+weary with the strife, and had given up His soul. All creation wept
+that hour, for Christ was on the Cross.
+
+    "Yet His friends came to him, left not His corpse alone,
+    Took down the Mighty King from His sharp sufferings--
+    Humbly I bowed myself down to the hands of men.
+    Sadly they laid Him down in His dark rock-hewn grave,
+    Sadly they sang for Him dirges for death-doomed ones,
+    Sadly they left Him there as His fair corpse grew cold.
+    We, the three Crosses, stood mournful in loneliness,
+    Till evil-thinking men felled us all three to ground,
+    Sank us deep into earth, sealed us from sight of man."
+
+    _Dream of the Rood._
+
+
+She Undertakes the Quest
+
+As Constantine had been guided by the heavenly vision of the True
+Cross, so now Elene would journey to the land of the Jews and find the
+reality of that Holy Cross. Her will and that of her son were one in
+this matter, so that before long the whole city resounded with the
+bustle and clamour of preparation, for Elene was to travel with the
+pomp and retinue befitting the mother of the Emperor of Rome.
+
+    "There by the Wendel Sea stood the wave-horses.
+    Proudly the plunging ships sought out the ocean path.
+    Line followed after line of the tall brine-ploughs.
+    Forth went the water-steeds o'er the sea-serpent's road
+    Bright shields on the bulwarks oft broke the foaming surge.
+    Ne'er saw I lady lead such a fair following!"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+She Comes to Judæa
+
+Queen Elene had a prosperous voyage, and, after touching at the land
+of the Greeks, reached in due time the country of Judæa, and so, with
+good hope came to Jerusalem. There, in the emperor's name, she
+summoned to an assembly all the oldest and wisest Jews, a congregation
+of a thousand venerable rabbis, learned in all the books of the Law
+and the Prophets and proud that they were the Chosen People in a world
+of heathens, aliens from the True God. These she addressed at first
+with a blending of flattery and reproach--flattery for the Chosen
+People, reproach for their perversity of wickedness--and, finally,
+peremptorily demanded an answer to any question she might ask of them.
+The Jews withdrew and deliberated sadly whether they durst refuse the
+request of so mighty a person as the emperor's mother, and, deciding
+that they durst not, returned to the hall where Elene sat in splendour
+on her throne and announced their readiness to reply to all her
+questions. Elene, however, bade them first lessen their numbers. They
+chose five hundred to reply for them, and on these she poured such
+bitter reproaches that they at last exclaimed:
+
+    "Lady, we learnt of yore laws of the Hebrew folk
+    Which all our fathers learnt from the true ark of God.
+    Lady, we know not now why thou thus blamest us;
+    How has the Jewish race done grievous wrong to thee?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+She Cross-questions the Rabbis
+
+Elene only replied: "Go ye away, and choose out from among these five
+hundred those whose wisdom is great enough to show them without delay
+the answer to all things I require"; and again they left her presence.
+When they were alone, one of them, named Judas, said "I know what
+this queen requires: she will demand to know from us where the Cross
+is concealed on which the Lord of the Christians was crucified; but if
+we tell this secret I know well that the Jews will cease to bear rule
+on the earth, and our holy scriptures will be forgotten. For my
+grandfather Zacchæus, as he lay dying, bade me confess the truth if
+ever man should inquire concerning the Holy Tree; and when I asked how
+our nation had failed to recognise the Holy and Just One, he told me
+that he had always withdrawn himself from the evil deeds of his
+generation, and their leaders had been blinded by their own
+unrighteousness, and had slain the Lord of Glory. And he ended:
+
+    "'Thus I and my father secretly held the Faith.
+    Now warn I thee, my son, speak not thou mockingly
+    Of the true Son of God reigning in glory:
+    For whom my Stephen died, and the Apostle Paul.'
+
+    _Elene._
+
+"Now," said Judas, "since things are so, decide ye what we shall
+reveal, or what conceal, if this queen asks us."
+
+
+One Appointed to Answer her
+
+The other elders replied: "Do what seems to thee best, since thou
+alone knowest this. Never have we heard of these strange secrets. Do
+thou according to thy great wisdom."
+
+While they still deliberated came the heralds with silver trumpets,
+which they blew, proclaiming aloud:
+
+    "The mighty Queen calls you, O men, to the Council,
+    That she may hear from you of your decision.
+    Great is the need ye have of all your wisdom."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Slowly and reluctantly the Jewish rabbis returned to the
+council-chamber, and listened to Elene as she plied them with
+questions about the ancient prophecies and the death of Christ; but to
+all her inquiries they professed entire ignorance, until, in her
+wrath, the queen threatened them with death by fire. Then they led
+forward Judas, saying: "He can reveal the mysteries of Fate, for he is
+of noble race, the son of a prophet. He will tell thee truth, O Queen,
+as thy soul loveth." Thus Elene let the other Jews go in peace, and
+took Judas for a hostage.
+
+
+She Threatens him
+
+Now Elene greeted Judas and said:
+
+    "Lo, thou perverse one, two things lie before thee,
+    Or death or life for thee: choose which thou wilt."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Judas replied to her, since he could not escape:
+
+    "If the starved wanderer lost on the barren moors
+    Sees both a stone and bread, easily in his reach,
+    Which, O Queen, thinkest thou he will reject?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Thereupon Elene said: "If thou wouldst dwell in heaven with the
+angels, reveal to me where the True Cross lies hidden." Now Judas was
+very sad, for his choice lay between death and the revealing of the
+fateful secret, but he still tried to evade giving an answer,
+protesting that too long a time had passed for the secret to be known.
+Elene retorted that the Trojan War was a still more ancient story, and
+yet was still well known; but Judas replied that men are bound to
+remember the valiant deeds of nations; he himself had never even heard
+the story of which she spoke. This obstinacy angered the queen
+greatly, and she demanded to be taken at once to the hill of Calvary,
+that she might purify it, for the sake of Him who died there; but
+Judas only repeated:
+
+    "I know not the place, nor aught of that field."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Queen Elene was yet more enraged by his stubborn denials, and
+determined to obtain by force an answer to her questions. Calling her
+servants, she bade them thrust Judas into a deep dry cistern, where he
+lay, starving, bound hand and foot, for seven nights and days. On the
+seventh day his stubborn spirit yielded, and Judas lifted up his voice
+and called aloud, saying:
+
+    "Now I beseech you all by the great God of heaven
+    That you will lift me up out of this misery.
+    I will tell all I know of that True Holy Cross,
+    Now I no longer can hide it for heavy pain.
+    Hunger has daunted me through all these dreary days.
+    Foolish was I of yore; late I confess it."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+He Guides her to Calvary
+
+The message was brought to Elene where she waited to hear tidings, and
+she bade her servants lift the weakened Judas from the dark pit; then
+they led him, half dead with hunger, out of the city to the hill of
+Calvary. There Judas prayed to the God whom he now feared and
+worshipped for a sign, some token to guide them in their search for
+the Holy Cross. As he prayed a sweet-smelling vapour, curling upwards
+like the incense-wreaths around the altar, rose to the skies from the
+summit of the hill. The sign was manifest to all, and Judas gave
+thanks to God for His great mercy; then, bidding the wondering
+soldiers help him, he began to dig. By this time all men knew what
+they sought, and each wished to uncover the holy relic, so that all
+dug with great zeal, until, under twenty feet of earth, they
+uncovered three crosses, so well preserved that they lay in the earth
+just as the Jews had hidden them.
+
+
+Three Crosses Found
+
+Judas and all rejoiced greatly at this marvel, and, reverently raising
+the three crosses, they bore them into the city, and laid them at the
+feet of Queen Elene, whose first rapture of joy was speedily turned to
+perplexity as she realised that she knew not which was that sacred
+Cross on which the King of Angels had suffered. "For," she said, "two
+thieves were crucified with him." But even Judas could not clear her
+doubts.
+
+    "Lo we have heard of this from all the holy books,
+    That there were with him two in His deep anguish.
+    They hung in death by Him; He was Himself the third.
+    Heaven was all darkened o'er at that dread moment.
+    Say, if thou rightly canst, which of these crosses
+    Is that blest Tree of Fate which bore the Heaven's King."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+[Illustration: The Queen's dilemma]
+
+
+A Miracle to Reveal our Saviour's Cross
+
+Judas, however, suggested that the crosses should be carried to the
+midst of the city, and that they should pray for another miracle to
+reveal the truth. This was done at dawn, and the triumphant band of
+Christians raised hymns of prayer and praise until the ninth hour;
+then came a mighty crowd bearing a young man lifeless on his bier. At
+Judas's command they laid down the bier, and he, praying to God,
+solemnly raised in turn each of the crosses and held it above the dead
+man's head. Lifeless still he lay as Judas raised the first two, but
+when he held above the corpse the third, the True Cross, the dead man
+arose instantly, body and soul reunited, one in praising God, and the
+whole multitude broke out into shouts of thanksgiving to the Lord
+of Hosts, and the sacred relic was restored to the loving care of the
+queen.
+
+
+The Nails Sought for
+
+Nevertheless Elene's longing was still unsatisfied. She called Judas
+(whose new name in baptism was Cyriacus) and begged him to fulfil her
+desires, and to pray to God that she might find the nails which had
+pierced the Lord of Life, where they lay hidden from men in the ground
+of Calvary. Leading her out of the town, Cyriacus again prayed on
+Mount Calvary that God would send forth a token and reveal the secret.
+As he prayed there came from heaven a leaping flame, brighter than the
+sun, which touched the surface of the ground here and there, and
+kindled in each place a tiny star. When they dug at the spots where
+the stars shone they found each nail shining visibly and casting a
+radiance of its own in the dark earth. So Elene had obtained her
+heart's desire, and had now the True Cross and the Holy Nails.
+
+
+Good News Brought to Constantine
+
+Word of his mother's success was sent to the Emperor Constantine, and
+he was asked what should be done with these glorious relics. He bade
+Elene build in Jerusalem a glorious church, and make therein a
+beautiful shrine of silver, where the Holy Cross should be guarded for
+all generations by priests who should watch it day and night. This was
+done, but the nails were still Elene's possession, and she was at a
+loss how to preserve these holy relics, when the devout Cyriacus, now
+ordained Bishop of Jerusalem, went to her and said: "O lady and queen,
+take these precious nails for thy son the emperor. Make with them
+rings for his horse's bridle. Victory shall ever go with them; they
+shall be called Holy to God, and he shall be called blessed whom that
+horse bears." The advice pleased the queen, and she had wrought a
+glorious bridle, adorned with the Holy Nails, and sent it to her son.
+Constantine received it with all reverence, and ordained that April
+24, the day of the miracle of revelation, should henceforth be kept in
+honour as "Holy Cross Day." Thus were the Emperor's zeal and the royal
+mother's devotion rewarded, and Christendom was enriched by some of
+its most precious treasures, the True Cross and the Holy Nails.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV: THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE
+
+
+Youth of Constantine
+
+Constantine the Great was the eldest son of the Roman Emperor
+Constantius and the British Princess Helena, or Elena, and was brought
+up as a devout worshipper of the many gods of Rome. The lad grew up
+strong and handsome, of a tall and majestic figure, skilled in all
+warlike exercises, and, as he fought in the civil wars between the
+various Roman emperors, he showed himself a bold and prudent general
+in battle, a friendly and popular leader in time of peace. The
+popularity of the youthful Constantine was dangerous to him, and he
+needed, and showed, great skill in evading the deadly jealousy of the
+old Emperor Diocletian, and the hatred of his father's rival,
+Galerius. At last, however, his position became so dangerous that
+Constantius felt his son's life was no longer safe, and earnestly
+begged him to visit his native land of Britain, where Constantius had
+just been proclaimed emperor and had defeated the wild Caledonians.
+The excuse given was that Constantius was in bad health and needed his
+son; but not until the young man was actually in Britain would his
+anxious father avow that he feared for his son's life.
+
+
+Acclaimed Emperor
+
+When the half-British Constantius died, Constantine, who was the
+favourite of the Roman soldiery of the west, was at once acclaimed as
+emperor by his devoted troops. He professed unwillingness to accept
+the honour, and it is said that he even tried in vain to escape on
+horseback from the affectionate solicitations of his soldiers. Seeing
+the uselessness of further protest, Constantine accepted the imperial
+title, and wrote to Galerius claiming the throne and justifying his
+acceptance of the unsought dignity thrust upon him. Galerius
+acquiesced in the inevitable, and granted Constantine the inferior
+title of "Cæsar," with rule over Western Europe, and the wise prince
+was content to wait until favouring circumstances should destroy his
+rivals and give him that sole sway over the Roman Empire for which he
+was so well fitted. He had now reached the age of thirty, had fought
+valiantly in the wars in Egypt and Persia, and had risen by merit to
+the rank of tribune. His marriage with Fausta, the daughter of the
+Emperor Maximian, and his elevation to the rank of Augustus brought
+him nearer to the attainment of his ambition; and at length the defeat
+and death of his rivals placed him at the head of the world-wide
+empire of Rome. It is to some period previous to Constantine's
+elevation to the supreme authority that we must refer the following
+story, told by Gower in his "Confessio Amantis" as an example of that
+true charity which is the mother of pity, and makes a man's heart so
+tender that,
+
+    "Though he might himself relieve,
+    Yet he would not another grieve,"
+
+but in order to give pleasure to others would bear his own trouble
+alone.
+
+
+Becomes a Leper
+
+The noble Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was in the full flower of his
+age, goodly to look upon, strong and happy, when a great and sudden
+affliction came upon him: leprosy attacked him. The horrible disease
+showed itself first in his face, so that no concealment was possible,
+and if he had not been the emperor he would have been driven out to
+live in the forests and wilds. The leprosy spread from his face till
+it entirely covered his body, and became so bad that he could no
+longer ride out or show himself to his people. When all cures had been
+tried and had failed, Constantine withdrew himself from his lords,
+gave up all use of arms, abandoned his imperial duties, and shut
+himself in his palace, where he lived such a secluded life in his own
+apartments that Rome had, as it were, no lord, and all men throughout
+the empire talked of his illness and prayed their gods to heal him.
+When everything seemed to be in vain, Constantine yielded to the
+prayer of his council, that he would summon all the doctors, learned
+men, and physicians from every realm to Rome, that they might consider
+his illness and try if any cure could be found for his malady.
+
+
+Rewards Offered for his Cure
+
+A proclamation went forth throughout the world and great rewards were
+offered to any man who should heal the emperor. Tempted by the rewards
+and the great fame to be won, there came leeches and physicians from
+Persia and Arabia, and from every land that owned the sway of Rome,
+philosophers from Greece and Egypt, and magicians and sorcerers from
+the unexplored desert of the east. But, though Constantine tried all
+the remedies suggested or recommended by the wise men, his leprosy
+grew no better, but rather worse, and even magic could give him no
+help.
+
+Again the learned men assembled and consulted what they should advise,
+for all were loath to abandon the emperor in his great distress, but
+they were all at a loss. They sat in silence, till at last one very
+old and very wise man, a great physician from Arabia, arose and said:
+
+
+A Desperate Remedy
+
+"Now that all else has failed, and naught is of any avail, I will tell
+of a remedy of which I have heard. It will, I believe, certainly cure
+our beloved emperor, but it is very terrible, and therefore I was
+loath to name it till every other means had been tried and failed, for
+it is a cruel thing for any man to do. Let the Emperor dip himself in
+a full bath of the blood of infants and children, seven years old or
+under, and he shall be healed, and his leprosy shall fall from him;
+for this malady is not natural to his body, and it demands an
+unnatural cure."
+
+
+Constantine Assents Regretfully
+
+The proposal was a terrible one to the assembly, and many would not
+agree to it at first, but when they considered that nothing else would
+heal the emperor they at length gave way, and sent two from among
+themselves to bring the news to Constantine, who was waiting for them
+in his darkened room. He was horrified when he heard the counsel they
+brought, and at first utterly refused to carry out so evil a plan; but
+because his life was very dear to his people, and because he felt that
+he had a great work to do in the world, he ultimately agreed, with
+many tears, to try the terrible remedy.
+
+
+A Cruel Proclamation
+
+Thereupon the council drew up letters, under the emperor's hand and
+seal, and sent them out to all the world, bidding all mothers with
+children of seven years of age or under to bring them with speed to
+Rome, that there the blood of the innocents might prove healing to the
+emperor's malady. Alas! what weeping and wailing there was among the
+mothers when they heard this cruel decree! How they cried, and clasped
+their babes to their breasts, and how they called Constantine more
+cruel than Herod, who killed the Holy Innocents! The eastern ruler,
+they said, slew only the infants of one poor village, but their
+emperor, more ruthless, claimed the lives of all the young children of
+his whole empire.
+
+
+Constantine is Conscience-stricken
+
+But though the mothers lamented bitterly, they must needs bow to the
+emperor's decree, whether they were lief or loath, and thus a great
+multitude gathered in the great courtyard of the imperial palace at
+Rome: women nursing sucking-babes at the breast, or holding toddling
+infants by the hand, or with little children running by their sides,
+and all so heart-broken and woebegone that many swooned for very
+grief. The mothers wailed aloud, the children cried, and the tumult
+grew until Constantine heard it, where he sat lonely and wretched in
+his darkened room. He looked out of his window on the mournful sight
+in the courtyard, and was roused as from a trance, saying to himself:
+"O Divine Providence, who hast formed all men alike, lo! the poor man
+is born, lives, suffers, and dies, just as does the rich; to wise man
+and fool alike come sickness and health; and no man may avoid that
+fortune which Nature's law hath ordained for him. Likewise to all men
+are Nature's gifts of strength and beauty, of soul and reason, freely
+and fully given, so that the poor child is born as capable of virtue
+as the king's son; and to each man is given free will to choose virtue
+or vice. Yet thou givest to men diversity of rank, wealth or poverty,
+lordship or servitude, not always according to their deserts; so much
+the more virtuous should that man be to whom thou hast put other men
+in subjection, men who are nevertheless his fellows and wear his
+likeness. Thou, O God, who hast put Nature and the whole universe
+under law, wouldst have all men rule themselves by law, and thou hast
+said that a man must do to others such things as he would have done to
+himself."
+
+
+His Noble Resolve
+
+Thus Constantine spoke within himself as he stood by the window and
+looked upon the weeping mothers and children, the very sentinels of
+his palace pitying them, and trying in vain to comfort them; and a
+strife grew strong within him between his natural longing for healing
+and deliverance from this loathsome disease which had darkened his
+life, and the pity he felt for these poor creatures, and his horror at
+the thought of so much human blood to be shed for himself alone. The
+great moaning of the woeful mothers came to him and the pitiful crying
+of the children, and he thought: "What am I that my health is to
+outweigh the lives and happiness of so many of my people? Is my life
+of more value to the world than those of all the children who must
+shed their blood for my healing? Surely each babe is as precious as
+Constantine the Emperor!" Thus his heart grew so tender and so full of
+compassion that he chose rather to die by this terrible sickness than
+to commit so great a slaughter of innocent children, and he renounced
+all other physicians, and trusted himself wholly to God's care.
+
+
+He Announces his Determination
+
+He at once summoned his council, and announced to them his resolution,
+giving as his reason, "He that will be truly master must be ever
+servant to pity!" and without delay the anxious mothers were told
+that their children were free and safe, for the emperor had renounced
+the cure, and needed their blood no longer. What raptures of rejoicing
+there were, what outpouring of blessing on the emperor, what songs of
+praise and thanks from the women wild with joy, cannot be fully told;
+and yet greater grew their joy and thankfulness when Constantine,
+calling his high officials, bade them take all his gathered treasures
+and distribute them among the poor women, that they might feed and
+clothe their children, and so return home untouched by any loss, and
+recompensed in some degree for their sufferings. Thus did Constantine
+obey the behests of pity, and try to atone for the wrong to which he
+had consented in his heart, and which he had so nearly done to his
+people.
+
+
+The Victims Sent Home Happy
+
+Home to all parts of the Roman Empire went the women, bearing with
+them their happy children, and the rich gifts they had received. Each
+one thanked and blessed the emperor, and sang his praises, where
+before she had passed with tears and bitter curses on his head; each
+woman shared her joy with her neighbours; and the very children learnt
+from their mothers and fathers to pray for the healing of their great
+lord, who had given up his own will and sacrificed his own cure for
+gentle pity's sake. Thus the whole world prayed for Constantine's
+healing.
+
+
+A Vision
+
+Lo! it never yet was known that charity went unrequited and this
+Constantine now learnt in his own glad experience; for that same
+night, as he lay asleep, God sent to him a vision of two strangers,
+men of noble face and form, whom he reverenced greatly, and who said
+to him: "O Constantine, because thou hast obeyed the voice of pity,
+thou hast deserved pity; therefore shalt thou find such mercy, that
+God, in His great pity, will save thee. Double healing shalt thou
+receive, first for thy body, and next for thy woeful soul; both alike
+shall be made whole. And that thou mayst not despair, God will grant
+thee a sign--thy leprosy shall not increase till thou hast sent to
+Mount Celion, to Sylvester and all his clergy. There they dwell in
+secret for dread of thee, who hast been a foe to the law of Christ,
+and hast destroyed those who preach in His Holy Name. Now thou hast
+appeased God somewhat by thy good deed, since thou hast had pity on
+the innocent blood, and hast spared it; for this thou shalt find
+teaching, from Sylvester, to the salvation of both body and soul. Thou
+wilt need no other leech." The emperor, who had listened with
+eagerness and awe, now spoke: "Great thanks I owe to you, my lords,
+and I will indeed do as ye have said; but one thing I would pray
+you--what shall I tell Sylvester of the name or estate of those who
+send me to him?" The two strangers said: "We are the Apostles Peter
+and Paul, who endured death here in thy city of Rome for the Holy Name
+of Christ, and we bid Sylvester teach and baptize thee into the true
+faith. So shall the Roman Empire become the kingdom of the Lord and of
+His Christ." So saying, they blessed him, and passed into the heavens
+out of his sight, and Constantine awoke from his slumber and knew that
+he had seen a vision. He called aloud eagerly, and his servants
+waiting in an outer room ran in to him quickly, for there was urgency
+in his voice. To them Constantine told his vision and the command
+which was laid upon him.
+
+
+Sylvester Summoned
+
+Messengers rode in hot haste to Mount Celion, and inquired long and
+anxiously for Sylvester. At last they found him, a holy and venerable
+man, and summoned him, saying: "The Emperor calls for thee: come,
+therefore, at once." Sylvester's clergy were greatly affrighted, not
+knowing what this summons might mean, and dreading the death of their
+dear bishop and master; but he went forth gladly, not knowing to what
+fate he was going. When he was brought to the palace the emperor
+greeted him kindly, and told him all his dream, and the command of the
+Apostles Peter and Paul, and ended with these words: "Now I have done
+as the vision bade, and have fetched thee here: tell me, I pray, the
+glad tidings which shall bring healing to my body and soul." When
+Sylvester heard this speech he was filled with joy and wonder, and
+thanked God for the vision He had sent to the emperor, and then he
+began to preach to him the Christian faith: he told of the Fall of
+Man, and the redemption of the world by the death and resurrection of
+Jesus Christ, of the Ascension of Jesus and His return at the Day of
+Judgment, of the justice of God, who will judge all men impartially
+according to their works, good or bad, and of the life of joy or
+misery to come. As Sylvester taught, the monarch listened and
+believed, and, when the tale was ended, announced his conversion to
+the true faith, and said he was ready, with his whole heart and soul,
+to be baptized.
+
+
+Constantine Baptized
+
+At the emperor's command, they took the great vessel of silver which
+had been made for the children's blood, and Sylvester bade them fill
+it with pure water from the well. When that was done with all haste,
+he bade Constantine stand therein, so that the water reached his chin.
+As the holy rite began a great light like the sun's rays shone from
+heaven into the place, and upon Constantine; and as the sacred words
+were being read there fell now and again from his body scales like
+those of a fish, till there was nothing left of his horrible disease;
+and thus in baptism Constantine was purified in body and soul.
+
+[Illustration: They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V: HAVELOK THE DANE
+
+
+The Origin of the Story
+
+The Danish occupation of England has left a very strong mark on our
+country in various ways--on its place-names, its racial
+characteristics, its language, its literature, and, in part, on its
+ideals. The legend of Havelok the Dane, with its popularity and
+widespread influence, is one result of Danish supremacy. It is thought
+that the origin of the legend, which contains a twofold version of the
+common story of the cruel guardian and the persecuted heir, is to be
+found in Wales; but, however that may be, it is certain that in the
+continual rise and fall of small tribal kingdoms, Celtic or Teutonic,
+English or Danish, the circumstances out of which the story grew must
+have been common enough. Kings who died leaving helpless heirs to the
+guardianship of ambitious and wicked nobles were not rare in the early
+days of Britain, Wales, or Denmark; the murder of the heir and the
+usurpation of the kingdom by the cruel regent were no unusual
+occurrences. The opportunity of localising the early legend seems to
+have come with the growing fame of Anlaf, or Olaf, Sihtricson, who was
+known to the Welsh as Abloec or Habloc. His adventurous life included
+a threefold expulsion from his inheritance of Northumbria, a marriage
+with the daughter of King Constantine III. of Scotland, and a family
+kinship with King Athelstan of England. In Anlaf Curan (as he was
+called) we have an historical hero on whom various romantic stories
+were gradually fathered, because of his adventurous life and his
+strong personality. These stories finally crystallized in a form which
+shows the English and Danish love of physical prowess (Havelok is the
+strongest man in the kingdom), as well as a certain cruelty of
+revenge which is more peculiarly Danish. There is resentment of the
+Norman predominance to be found in the popularity of a story which
+shows the kitchen-boy excelling all the nobles in manly exercises, and
+the heiress to the kingdom wedded in scorn, as so many Saxon heiresses
+were after the Conquest, to a mere scullion. There can be no doubt,
+however, that Havelok stood to mediæval England as a hero of the
+strong arm, a champion of the populace against the ruling race, and
+that his royal birth and dignity were a concession to historic facts
+and probabilities, not much regarded by the common people. The story,
+again, showed another truly humble hero, Grim the fisher, whose
+loyalty was supposed to account for the special trading privileges of
+his town, Grimsby. In Grim the story found a character who was in
+reality a hero of the poor and lowly, with the characteristic devotion
+of the tribesman to his chief, of the vassal to his lord, a devotion
+which was handed on from father to son, so that a second generation
+continued the services, and received the rewards, of the father who
+risked life and all for the sake of his king's heir.
+
+The reader will not fail to notice the characteristic anachronisms
+which give to life in Saxon England in the tenth century the colour of
+the Norman chivalry of the thirteenth.
+
+
+Havelok and Godard
+
+In Denmark, long ago, lived a good king named Birkabeyn, rich and
+powerful, a great warrior and a man of mighty prowess, whose rule was
+undisputed over the whole realm. He had three children--two daughters,
+named Swanborow and Elfleda the Fair, and one young and goodly son,
+Havelok, the heir to all his dominions. All too soon came the day
+that no man can avoid, when Death would call King Birkabeyn away, and
+he grieved sore over his young children to be left fatherless and
+unprotected; but, after much reflection, and prayers to God for wisdom
+to help his choice, he called to him Jarl Godard, a trusted counsellor
+and friend, and committed into his hands the care of the realm and of
+the three royal children, until Havelok should be of age to be
+knighted and rule the land himself. King Birkabeyn felt that such a
+charge was too great a temptation for any man unbound by oaths of
+fealty and honour, and although he did not distrust his friend, he
+required Godard to swear,
+
+    "By altar and by holy service book,
+    By bells that call the faithful to the church,
+    By blessed sacrament, and sacred rites,
+    By Holy Rood, and Him who died thereon,
+    That thou wilt truly rule and keep my realm,
+    Wilt guard my babes in love and loyalty,
+    Until my son be grown, and dubbèd knight:
+    That thou wilt then resign to him his land,
+    His power and rule, and all that owns his sway."
+
+Jarl Godard took this most solemn oath at once with many protestations
+of affection and whole-hearted devotion to the dying king and his
+heir, and King Birkabeyn died happy in the thought that his children
+would be well cared for during their helpless youth.
+
+When the funeral rites were celebrated Jarl Godard assumed the rule of
+the country, and, under pretext of securing the safety of the royal
+children, removed them to a strong castle, where no man was allowed
+access to them, and where they were kept so closely that the royal
+residence became a prison in all but name. Godard, finding Denmark
+submit to his government without resistance, began to adopt measures
+to rid himself of the real heirs to the throne, and gave orders that
+food and clothes should be supplied to the three children in such
+scanty quantities that they might die of hardship; but since they were
+slow to succumb to this cruel, torturing form of murder, he resolved
+to slay them suddenly, knowing that no one durst call him to account.
+Having steeled his heart against all pitiful thoughts, he went to the
+castle, and was taken to the inner dungeon where the poor babes lay
+shivering and weeping for cold and hunger. As he entered, Havelok, who
+was even then a bold lad, greeted him courteously, and knelt before
+him, with clasped hands, begging a boon.
+
+"Why do you weep and wail so sore?" asked Godard.
+
+"Because we are so hungry," answered Havelok. "We have so little food,
+and we have no servants to wait on us; they do not give us half as
+much as we could eat; we are shivering with cold, and our clothes are
+all in rags. Woe to us that we were ever born! Is there in the land no
+more corn with which men can make bread for us? We are nearly dead
+from hunger."
+
+These pathetic words had no effect on Godard, who had resolved to
+yield to no pity and show no mercy. He seized the two little girls as
+they lay cowering together, clasping one another for warmth, and cut
+their throats, letting the bodies of the hapless babies fall to the
+floor in a pool of blood; and then, turning to Havelok, aimed his
+knife at the boy's heart. The poor child, terrified by the awful fate
+of the two girls, knelt again before him and begged for mercy:
+
+    "Fair lord, have mercy on me now, I pray!
+    Look on my helpless youth, and pity me!
+    Oh, let me live, and I will yield you all--
+    My realm of Denmark will I leave to you,
+    And swear that I will ne'er assail your sway.
+    Oh, pity me, lord! be compassionate!
+    And I will flee far from this land of mine,
+    And vow that Birkabeyn was ne'er my sire!"
+
+Jarl Godard was touched by Havelok's piteous speech, and felt some
+faint compassion, so that he could not slay the lad himself; yet he
+knew that his only safety was in Havelok's death.
+
+"If I let him go," thought he, "Havelok will at last work me woe! I
+shall have no peace in my life, and my children after me will not hold
+the lordship of Denmark in safety, if Havelok escapes! Yet I cannot
+slay him with my own hands. I will have him cast into the sea with an
+anchor about his neck: thus at least his body will not float."
+
+Godard left Havelok kneeling in terror, and, striding from the tower,
+leaving the door locked behind him, he sent for an ignorant fisherman,
+Grim, who, he thought, could be frightened into doing his will. When
+Grim came he was led into an ante-room, where Godard, with terrible
+look and voice, addressed him thus:
+
+"Grim, thou knowest thou art my thrall." "Yea, fair lord," quoth Grim,
+trembling at Godard's stern voice. "And I can slay thee if thou dost
+disobey me." "Yea, lord; but how have I offended you?" "Thou hast not
+yet; but I have a task for thee, and if thou dost it not, dire
+punishment shall fall upon thee." "Lord, what is the work that I must
+do?" asked the poor fisherman. "Tarry: I will show thee." Then Godard
+went into the inner room of the tower, whence he returned leading a
+fair boy, who wept bitterly. "Take this boy secretly to thy house, and
+keep him there till dead of night; then launch thy boat, row out to
+sea, and fling him therein with an anchor round his neck, so that I
+shall see him never again."
+
+Grim looked curiously at the weeping boy, and said: "What reward
+shall I have if I work this sin for you?"
+
+Godard replied: "The sin will be on my head as I am thy lord and bid
+thee do it; but I will make thee a freeman, noble and rich, and my
+friend, if thou wilt do this secretly and discreetly."
+
+Thus reassured and bribed, Grim suddenly took the boy, flung him to
+the ground, and bound him hand and foot with cord which he took from
+his pockets. So anxious was he to secure the boy that he drew the
+cords very tight, and Havelok suffered terrible pain; he could not cry
+out, for a handful of rags was thrust into his mouth and over his
+nostrils, so that he could hardly breathe. Then Grim flung the poor
+boy into a horrible black sack, and carried him thus from the castle,
+as if he were bringing home broken food for his family. When Grim
+reached his poor cottage, where his wife Leve was waiting for him, he
+slung the sack from his shoulder and gave it to her, saying, "Take
+good care of this boy as of thy life. I am to drown him at midnight,
+and if I do so my lord has promised to make me a free man and give me
+great wealth."
+
+When Dame Leve heard this she sprang up and flung the lad down in a
+corner, and nearly broke his head with the crash against the earthen
+floor. There Havelok lay, bruised and aching, while the couple went to
+sleep, leaving the room all dark but for the red glow from the fire.
+At midnight Grim awoke to do his lord's behest, and Dame Leve, going
+to the living-room to kindle a light, was terrified by a mysterious
+gleam as bright as day which shone around the boy on the floor and
+streamed from his mouth. Leve hastily called Grim to see this wonder,
+and together they released Havelok from the gag and bonds and
+examined his body, when they found on the right shoulder the token of
+true royalty, a cross of red gold.
+
+"God knows," quoth Grim, "that this is the heir of our land. He will
+come to rule in good time, will bear sway over England and Denmark,
+and will punish the cruel Godard." Then, weeping sore, the loyal
+fisherman fell down at Havelok's feet, crying, "Lord, have mercy on me
+and my wife! We are thy thralls, and never will we do aught against
+thee. We will nourish thee until thou canst rule, and will hide thee
+from Godard; and thou wilt perchance give me my freedom in return for
+thy life."
+
+At this unexpected address Havelok sat up surprised, and rubbed his
+bruised head and said: "I am nearly dead, what with hunger, and thy
+cruel bonds, and the gag. Now bring me food in plenty!" "Yea, lord,"
+said Dame Leve, and bustled about, bringing the best they had in the
+hut; and Havelok ate as if he had fasted for three days; and then he
+was put to bed, and slept in peace while Grim watched over him.
+
+[Illustration: "Havelok sat up surprised"]
+
+However, Grim went the next morning to Jarl Godard and said: "Lord, I
+have done your behest, and drowned the boy with an anchor about his
+neck. He is safe, and now, I pray you, give me my reward, the gold and
+other treasures, and make me a freeman as you have promised." But
+Godard only looked fiercely at him and said: "What, wouldst thou be an
+earl? Go home, thou foul churl, and be ever a thrall! It is enough
+reward that I do not hang thee now for insolence, and for thy wicked
+deeds. Go speedily, else thou mayst stand and palter with me too
+long." And Grim shrank quietly away, lest Godard should slay him for
+the murder of Havelok.
+
+Now Grim saw in what a terrible plight he stood, at the mercy of this
+cruel and treacherous man, and he took counsel with himself and
+consulted his wife, and the two decided to flee from Denmark to save
+their lives. Gradually Grim sold all his stock, his cattle, his nets,
+everything that he owned, and turned it into good pieces of gold; then
+he bought and secretly fitted out and provisioned a ship, and at last,
+when all was ready, carried on board Havelok (who had lain hidden all
+this time), his own three sons and two daughters; then when he and his
+wife had gone on board he set sail, and, driven by a favourable wind,
+reached the shores of England.
+
+
+Goldborough and Earl Godrich
+
+Meanwhile in England a somewhat similar fate had befallen a fair
+princess named Goldborough. When her father, King Athelwold, lay dying
+all his people mourned, for he was the flower of all fair England for
+knighthood, justice, and mercy; and he himself grieved sorely for the
+sake of his little daughter, soon to be left an orphan. "What will she
+do?" moaned he. "She can neither speak nor walk! If she were only able
+to ride, to rule England, and to guard herself from shame, I should
+have no grief, even if I died and left her alone, while I lived in the
+joy of paradise!"
+
+Then Athelwold summoned a council to be held at Winchester, and asked
+the advice of the nobles as to the care of the infant Goldborough.
+They with one accord recommended Earl Godrich of Cornwall to be made
+regent for the little princess; and the earl, on being appointed,
+swore with all solemn rites that he would marry her at twelve years
+old to the highest, the best, fairest, and strongest man alive, and in
+the meantime would train her in all royal virtues and customs. So
+King Athelwold died, and was buried with great lamentations, and
+Godrich ruled the land as regent. He was a strict but just governor,
+and England had great peace, without and within, under his severe
+rule, for all lived in awe of him, though no man loved him.
+Goldborough grew and throve in all ways, and became famous through the
+land for her gracious beauty and gentle and virtuous demeanour. This
+roused the jealousy of Earl Godrich, who had played the part of king
+so long that he almost believed himself King of England, and he began
+to consider how he could secure the kingdom for himself and his son.
+Thereupon he had Goldborough taken from Winchester, where she kept
+royal state, to Dover, where she was imprisoned in the castle, and
+strictly secluded from all her friends; there she remained, with poor
+clothes and scanty food, awaiting a champion to uphold her right.
+
+
+Havelok Becomes Cook's Boy
+
+When Grim sailed from Denmark to England he landed in the Humber, at
+the place now called Grimsby, and there established himself as a
+fisherman. So successful was he that for twelve years he supported his
+family well, and carried his catches of fish far afield, even to
+Lincoln, where rare fish always brought a good price. In all this time
+Grim never once called on Havelok for help in the task of feeding the
+family; he reverenced his king, and the whole household served Havelok
+with the utmost deference, and often went with scanty rations to
+satisfy the boy's great appetite. At length Havelok began to think how
+selfishly he was living, and how much food he consumed, and was filled
+with shame when he realized how his foster-father toiled unweariedly
+while he did nothing to help. In his remorseful meditations it became
+clear to him that, though a king's son, he ought to do some useful
+work. "Of what use," thought he, "is my great strength and stature if
+I do not employ it for some good purpose? There is no shame in honest
+toil. I will work for my food, and try to make some return to Father
+Grim, who has done so much for me. I will gladly bear his baskets of
+fish to market, and I will begin to-morrow."
+
+On the next day, in spite of Grim's protests Havelok carried a load of
+fish equal to four men's burden to Grimsby market, and sold it
+successfully, returning home with the money he received; and this he
+did day by day, till a famine arose and fish and food both became
+scarce. Then Grim, more concerned for Havelok than for his own
+children, called the youth to him and bade him try his fortunes in
+Lincoln, for his own sake and for theirs; he would be better fed, and
+the little food Grim could get would go further among the others if
+Havelok were not there. The one obstacle in the way was Havelok's lack
+of clothes, and Grim overcame that by sacrificing his boat's sail to
+make Havelok a coarse tunic. That done, they bade each other farewell,
+and Havelok started for Lincoln, barefooted and bareheaded, for his
+only garment was the sailcloth tunic. In Lincoln Havelok found no
+friends and no food for two days, and he was desperate and faint with
+hunger, when he heard a call: "Porters, porters! hither to me!" Roused
+to new vigour by the chance of work, Havelok rushed with the rest, and
+bore down and hurled aside the other porters so vigorously that he was
+chosen to carry provisions for Bertram, the earl's cook; and in return
+he received the first meal he had eaten for nearly three days.
+
+On the next day Havelok again overthrew the porters, and, knocking
+down at least sixteen, secured the work. This time he had to carry
+fish, and his basket was so laden that he bore nearly a cartload,
+with which he ran to the castle. There the cook, amazed at his
+strength, first gave him a hearty meal, and then offered him good
+service under himself, with food and lodging for his wages. This offer
+Havelok accepted, and was installed as cook's boy, and employed in all
+the lowest offices--carrying wood, water, turf, hewing logs, lifting,
+fetching, carrying--and in all he showed himself a wonderfully strong
+worker, with unfailing good temper and gentleness, so that the little
+children all loved the big, gentle, fair-haired youth who worked so
+quietly and played with them so merrily. When Havelok's old tunic
+became worn out, his master, the cook, took pity on him and gave him a
+new suit, and then it could be seen how handsome and tall and strong a
+youth this cook's boy really was, and his fame spread far and wide
+round Lincoln Town.
+
+[Illustration: "Havelok again overthrew the porters"]
+
+
+Havelok and Goldborough
+
+At the great fair of Lincoln, sports of all kinds were indulged in,
+and in these Havelok took his part, for the cook, proud of his mighty
+scullion, urged him to compete in all the games and races. As Earl
+Godrich had summoned his Parliament to meet that year at Lincoln,
+there was a great concourse of spectators, and even the powerful Earl
+Regent himself sometimes watched the sports and cheered the champions.
+The first contest was "putting the stone," and the stone chosen was so
+weighty that none but the most stalwart could lift it above the
+knee--none could raise it to his breast. This sport was new to
+Havelok, who had never seen it before, but when the cook bade him try
+his strength he lifted the stone easily and threw it more than twelve
+feet. This mighty deed caused his fame to be spread, not only among
+the poor servants with whom Havelok was classed, but also among the
+barons, their masters, and Havelok's Stone became a landmark in
+Lincoln. Thus Godrich heard of a youth who stood head and shoulders
+taller than other men and was stronger, more handsome--and yet a mere
+common scullion. The news brought him a flash of inspiration: "Here is
+the highest, strongest, best man in all England, and him shall
+Goldborough wed. I shall keep my vow to the letter, and England must
+fall to me, for Goldborough's royal blood will be lost by her marriage
+with a thrall, the people will refuse her obedience, and England will
+cast her out."
+
+Godrich therefore brought Goldborough to Lincoln, received her with
+bell-ringing and seemly rejoicing, and bade her prepare for her
+wedding. This the princess refused to do until she knew who was her
+destined husband, for she said she would wed no man who was not of
+royal birth. Her firmness drove Earl Godrich to fierce wrath, and he
+burst out: "Wilt thou be queen and mistress over me? Thy pride shall
+be brought down: thou shalt have no royal spouse: a vagabond and
+scullion shalt thou wed, and that no later than to-morrow! Curses on
+him who speaks thee fair!" In vain the princess wept and bemoaned
+herself: the wedding was fixed for the morrow morn.
+
+The next day at dawn Earl Godrich sent for Havelok, the mighty cook's
+boy, and asked him: "Wilt thou take a wife?"
+
+"Nay," quoth Havelok, "that will I not. I cannot feed her, much less
+clothe and lodge her. My very garments are not my own, but belong to
+the cook, my master." Godrich fell upon Havelok and beat him
+furiously, saying, "Unless thou wilt take the wench I give thee for
+wife I will hang or blind thee"; and so, in great fear, Havelok agreed
+to the wedding. At once Goldborough was brought, and forced into an
+immediate marriage, under penalty of banishment or burning as a witch
+if she refused. And thus the unwilling couple were united by the
+Archbishop of York, who had come to attend the Parliament.
+
+Never was there so sad a wedding! The people murmured greatly at this
+unequal union, and pitied the poor princess, thus driven to wed a man
+of low birth; and Goldborough herself wept pitifully, but resigned
+herself to God's will. All men now acknowledged with grief that she
+and her husband could have no claim to the English throne, and thus
+Godrich seemed to have gained his object. Havelok and his unwilling
+bride recognised that they would not be safe near Godrich, and as
+Havelok had no home in Lincoln to which he could take the princess, he
+determined to go back to his faithful foster-father, Grim, and put the
+fair young bride under his loyal protection. Sorrowfully, with grief
+and shame in their hearts, Havelok and Goldborough made their way on
+foot to Grimsby, only to find the loyal Grim dead; but his five
+children were alive and in prosperity. When they saw Havelok and his
+wife they fell on their knees and saluted them with all respect and
+reverence. In their joy to see their king again, these worthy
+fisherfolk forgot their newly won wealth, and said: "Welcome, dear
+lord, and thy fair lady! What joy is ours to see thee again, for thy
+subjects are we, and thou canst do with us as thou wilt. All that we
+have is thine, and if thou wilt dwell with us we will serve thee and
+thy wife truly in all ways!" This greeting surprised Goldborough, who
+began to suspect some mystery, and she was greatly comforted when
+brothers and sisters busied themselves in lighting fires, cooking
+meals, and waiting on her hand and foot, as if she had been indeed a
+king's wife. Havelok, however, said nothing to explain the mystery,
+and Goldborough that night lay awake bewailing her fate as a thrall's
+bride, even though he was the fairest man in England.
+
+
+The Revelation and Return to Denmark
+
+As Goldborough lay sleepless and unhappy she became aware of a
+brilliant light shining around Havelok and streaming from his mouth;
+and while she feared and wondered an angelic voice cried to her:
+
+    "Fair Princess, cease this grief and heavy moan!
+    For Havelok, thy newly wedded spouse,
+    Is son and heir to famous kings: the sign
+    Thou findest in the cross of ruddy gold
+    That shineth on his shoulder. He shall be
+    Monarch and ruler of two mighty realms;
+    Denmark and England shall obey his rule,
+    And he shall sway them with a sure command.
+    This shalt thou see with thine own eyes, and be
+    Lady and Queen, with Havelok, o'er these lands."
+
+This angelic message so gladdened Goldborough that she kissed, for the
+first time, her unconscious husband, who started up from his sleep,
+saying, "Dear love, sleepest thou? I have had a wondrous dream. I
+thought I sat on a lofty hill, and saw all Denmark before me. As I
+stretched out my arms I embraced it all, and the people clung to my
+arms, and the castles fell at my feet; then I flew over the salt sea
+with the Danish people clinging to me, and I closed all fair England
+in my hand, and gave it to thee, dear love! Now what can this mean?"
+
+Goldborough answered joyfully: "It means, dear heart, that thou shalt
+be King of Denmark and of England too: all these realms shall fall
+into thy power, and thou shalt be ruler in Denmark within one year.
+Now do thou follow my advice, and let us go to Denmark, taking with us
+Grim's three sons, who will accompany thee for love and loyalty; and
+have no fear, for I know thou wilt succeed."
+
+The next morning Havelok went to church early, and prayed humbly and
+heartily for success in his enterprise and retribution on the false
+traitor Godard; then, laying his offering on the altar before the
+Cross, he went away glad in heart. Grim's three sons, Robert the Red,
+William Wendut, and Hugh the Raven, joyfully consented to go with
+Havelok to Denmark, to attack with all their power the false Jarl
+Godard and to win the kingdom for the rightful heir. Their wives and
+families stayed in England, but Goldborough would not leave her
+husband, and after a short voyage the party landed safely on the
+shores of Denmark, in the lands of Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of King
+Birkabeyn, who lived far from the court now that a usurper held sway
+in Denmark.
+
+
+Havelok and Ubbe
+
+Havelok dared not reveal himself and his errand until he knew more of
+the state of parties in the country, and he therefore only begged
+permission to live and trade there, giving Ubbe, as a token of
+goodwill and a tribute to his power, a valuable ring, which the jarl
+prized greatly. Ubbe, gazing at the so-called merchant's great stature
+and beauty, lamented that he was not of noble birth, and planned to
+persuade him to take up the profession of arms. At first, however, he
+simply granted Havelok permission to trade, and invited him and
+Goldborough to a feast, promising them safety and honour under his
+protection. Havelok dreaded lest his wife's beauty might place them in
+jeopardy, but he dared not refuse the invitation, which was pointedly
+given to both; accordingly, when they went to Ubbe's hall, Goldborough
+was escorted by Robert the Red and William Wendut.
+
+Ubbe received them with all honour, and all men marvelled at
+Goldborough's beauty, and Ubbe's wife loved Goldborough at first sight
+as her husband did Havelok, so that the feast passed off with all joy
+and mirth, and none dared raise a hand or lift his voice against the
+wandering merchant whom Ubbe so strangely favoured. But Ubbe knew that
+when once Havelok and his wife were away from his protection there
+would be little safety for them, since the rough Danish nobles would
+think nothing of stealing a trader's fair wife, and many a man had
+cast longing eyes on Goldborough's loveliness. Therefore when the
+feast was over, and Havelok took his leave, Ubbe sent with him a body
+of ten knights and sixty men-at-arms, and recommended them to the
+magistrate of the town, Bernard Brown, a true and upright man, bidding
+him, as he prized his life, keep the strangers in safety and honour.
+Well it was that Ubbe and Bernard Brown took these precautions, for
+late at night a riotous crowd came to Bernard's house clamouring for
+admittance. Bernard withstood the angry mob, armed with a great axe,
+but they burst the door in by hurling a huge stone; and then Havelok
+joined in the defence. He drew out the great beam which barred the
+door, and crying, "Come quickly to me, and you shall stay here! Curses
+on him who flees!" began to lay about him with the big beam, so that
+three fell dead at once. A terrible fight followed, in which Havelok,
+armed only with the beam, slew twenty men in armour, and was then sore
+beset by the rest of the troop, aiming darts and arrows at his
+unarmoured breast. It was going hardly with him, when Hugh the Raven,
+hearing and understanding the cries of the assailants, called his
+brothers to their lord's aid, and they all joined the fight so
+furiously that, long ere day, of the sixty men who had attacked the
+inn not one remained alive.
+
+In the morning news was brought to Jarl Ubbe that his stranger
+guest had slain sixty of the best of his soldiery.
+
+"What can this mean?" said Ubbe. "I had better go and see to it
+myself, for any messenger would surely treat Havelok discourteously,
+and I should be full loath to do that." He rode away to the house of
+Bernard Brown, and asked the meaning of its damaged and battered
+appearance.
+
+"My lord," answered Bernard Brown, "last night at moonrise there came
+a band of sixty thieves who would have plundered my house and bound me
+hand and foot. When Havelok and his companions saw it they came to my
+aid, with sticks and stones, and drove out the robbers like dogs from
+a mill. Havelok himself slew three at one blow. Never have I seen a
+warrior so good! He is worth a thousand in a fray. But alas! he is
+grievously wounded, with three deadly gashes in side and arm and
+thigh, and at least twenty smaller wounds. I am scarcely harmed at
+all, but I fear he will die full soon."
+
+Ubbe could scarcely believe so strange a tale, but all the bystanders
+swore that Bernard told nothing but the bare truth, and that the whole
+gang of thieves, with their leader, Griffin the Welshman, had been
+slain by the hero and his small party. Then Ubbe bade them bring
+Havelok, that he might call a leech to heal his wounds, for if the
+stranger merchant should live Jarl Ubbe would without fail dub him
+knight; and when the leech had seen the wounds he said the patient
+would make a good and quick recovery. Then Ubbe offered Havelok and
+his wife a dwelling in his own castle, under his own protection, till
+Havelok's grievous wounds were healed. There, too, fair Goldborough
+would be under the care of Ubbe's wife, who would cherish her as her
+own daughter. This kind offer was accepted gladly, and they all went
+to the castle, where a room was given them next to Ubbe's own.
+
+At midnight Ubbe woke, aroused by a bright light in Havelok's room,
+which was only separated from his own by a slight wooden partition. He
+was vexed suspecting his guest of midnight wassailing, and went to
+inquire what villainy might be hatching. To his surprise, both husband
+and wife were sound asleep, but the light shone from Havelok's mouth,
+and made a glory round his head. Utterly amazed at the marvel, Ubbe
+went away silently, and returned with all the garrison of his castle
+to the room where his guests still lay sleeping. As they gazed on the
+light Havelok turned in his sleep, and they saw on his shoulder the
+golden cross, shining like the sun, which all men knew to be the token
+of royal birth. Then Ubbe exclaimed: "Now I know who this is, and why
+I loved him so dearly at first sight: this is the son of our dead King
+Birkabeyn. Never was man so like another as this man is to the dead
+king: he is his very image and his true heir." With great joy they
+fell on their knees and kissed him eagerly, and Havelok awoke and
+began to scowl furiously, for he thought it was some treacherous
+attack; but Ubbe soon undeceived him.
+
+[Illustration: "With great joy they fell on their knees"]
+
+    "'Dear lord,' quoth he, 'be thou in naught dismayed,
+    For in thine eyes methinks I see thy thought--
+    Dear son, great joy is mine to live this day!
+    My homage, lord, I freely offer thee:
+    Thy loyal men and vassals are we all,
+    For thou art son of mighty Birkabeyn,
+    And soon shalt conquer all thy father's land,
+    Though thou art young and almost friendless here.
+    To-morrow will we swear our fealty due,
+    And dub thee knight, for prowess unexcelled.'"
+
+Now Havelok knew that his worst danger was over, and he thanked God
+for the friend He had sent him, and left to the good Jarl Ubbe the
+management of his cause. Ubbe gathered an assembly of as many mighty
+men of the realm, and barons, and good citizens, as he could summon;
+and when they were all assembled, pondering what was the cause of this
+imperative summons, Ubbe arose and said:
+
+"Gentles, bear with me if I tell you first things well known to you.
+Ye know that King Birkabeyn ruled this land until his death-day, and
+that he left three children--one son, Havelok, and two daughters--to
+the guardianship of Jarl Godard: ye all heard him swear to keep them
+loyally and treat them well. But ye do not know how he kept his oath!
+The false traitor slew both the maidens, and would have slain the boy,
+but for pity he would not kill the child with his own hands. He bade a
+fisherman drown him in the sea; but when the good man knew that it was
+the rightful heir, he saved the boy's life and fled with him to
+England, where Havelok has been brought up for many years. And now,
+behold! here he stands. In all the world he has no peer, and ye may
+well rejoice in the beauty and manliness of your king. Come now and
+pay homage to Havelok, and I myself will be your leader!"
+
+Jarl Ubbe turned to Havelok, where he stood with Goldborough beside
+him, and knelt before him to do homage, an example which was followed
+by all present. At a second and still larger assembly held a fortnight
+later a similar oath of fealty was sworn by all, Havelok was dubbed
+knight by the noble Ubbe, and a great festival was celebrated, with
+sports and amusements for the populace. A council of war and vengeance
+was held with the great nobles.
+
+
+The Death of Godard
+
+Havelok, now acknowledged King of Denmark, was unsatisfied until he had
+punished the treacherous Godard, and he took a solemn oath from his
+soldiers that they would never cease the search for the traitor till
+they had captured him and brought him bound to judgment. After all,
+Godard was captured as he was hunting. Grim's three sons, now knighted
+by King Havelok, met him in the forest, and bade him come to the king,
+who called on him to remember and account for his treatment of
+Birkabeyn's children. Godard struck out furiously with his fists, but
+Sir Robert the Red wounded him in the right arm. When Godard's men
+joined in the combat, Robert and his brothers soon slew ten of their
+adversaries, and the rest fled; returning, ashamed at the bitter
+reproaches of their lord, they were all slain by Havelok's men. Godard
+was taken, bound hand and foot, placed on a miserable jade with his
+face to the tail, and so led to Havelok. The king refused to be the
+judge of his own cause, and entrusted to Ubbe the task of presiding at
+the traitor's trial. No mercy was shown to the cruel Jarl Godard, and
+he was condemned to a traitor's death, with torments of terrible
+barbarity. The sentence was carried out to the letter, and Denmark
+rejoiced in the punishment of a cruel villain.
+
+
+Death of Godrich
+
+Meanwhile Earl Godrich of Cornwall had heard with great uneasiness
+that Havelok had become King of Denmark, and intended to invade
+England with a mighty army to assert his wife's right to the throne.
+He recognised that his own device to shame Goldborough had turned
+against him, and that he must now fight for his life and the usurped
+dominion he held over England. Godrich summoned his army to Lincoln
+for the defence of the realm against the Danes, and called out every
+man fit to bear weapons, on pain of becoming thrall if they failed
+him. Then he thus addressed them:
+
+    "Friends, listen to my words, and you will know
+    'Tis not for sport, nor idle show, that I
+    Have bidden you to meet at Lincoln here.
+    Lo! here at Grimsby foreigners are come
+    Who have already won the Priory.
+    These Danes are cruel heathen, who destroy
+    Our churches and our abbeys: priests and nuns
+    They torture to the death, or lead away
+    To serve as slaves the haughty Danish jarls.
+    Now, Englishmen, what counsel will ye take?
+    If we submit, they will rule all our land,
+    Will kill us all, and sell our babes for thralls,
+    Will take our wives and daughters for their own.
+    Help me, if ever ye loved English land,
+    To fight these heathen and to cleanse our soil
+    From hateful presence of these alien hordes.
+    I make my vow to God and all the saints
+    I will not rest, nor houseled be, nor shriven,
+    Until our realm be free from Danish foe!
+    Accursed be he who strikes no blow for home!"
+
+The army was inspired with valour by these courageous words, and the
+march to Grimsby began at once, with Earl Godrich in command.
+Havelok's men marched out gallantly to meet them, and when the battle
+joined many mighty deeds of valour were done, especially by the king
+himself, his foster-brothers, and Jarl Ubbe. The battle lasted long
+and was very fierce and bloody, but the Danes gradually overcame the
+resistance of the English, and at last, after a great hand-to-hand
+conflict, King Havelok captured Godrich. The traitor earl, who had
+lost a hand in the fray, was sent bound and fettered to Queen
+Goldborough, who kept him, carefully guarded, until he could be tried
+by his peers, since (for all his treason) he was still a knight.
+
+When the English recognised their rightful lady and queen they did
+homage with great joy, begging mercy for having resisted their lawful
+ruler at the command of a wicked traitor; and the king and queen
+pardoned all but Godrich, who was speedily brought to trial at
+Lincoln. He was sentenced to be burnt at the stake, and the sentence
+was carried out amid general rejoicings.
+
+Now that vengeance was satisfied, Havelok and his wife thought of
+recompensing the loyal helpers who had believed in them and supported
+them through the long years of adversity. Havelok married one of
+Grim's daughters to the Earl of Chester, and the other to Bertram, the
+good cook, who became Earl of Cornwall in the place of the felon
+Godrich and his disinherited children; the heroic Ubbe was made Regent
+of Denmark for Havelok, who decided to stay and rule England, and all
+the noble Danish warriors were rewarded with gifts of gold, and lands
+and castles. After a great coronation feast, which lasted for forty
+days, King Havelok dismissed the Danish regent and his followers, and
+after sad farewells they returned to their own country. Havelok and
+Goldborough ruled England in peace and security for sixty years, and
+lived together in all bliss, and had fifteen children, who all became
+mighty kings and queens.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI: HOWARD THE HALT
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In every society and in all periods the obligations of family
+affection and duty to kinsmen have been recognised as paramount. In
+the early European communities a man's first duty was to stand by his
+kinsman in strife and to avenge him in death, however unrighteous the
+kinsman's quarrel might be.
+
+How pitiful is the aged Priam's lament that he must needs kiss the
+hands that slew his dear son Hector, and, kneeling, clasp the knees of
+his son's murderer! How sad is Cuchulain's plaint that his son Connla
+must go down to the grave unavenged, since his own father slew him,
+all unwitting! One remembers, too, Beowulf's words: "Better it is for
+every man that he avenge his friend than that he mourn him much!"
+Since, then, family affection, the laws of honour and duty, and every
+recognised standard of life demanded that a kinsman should obtain a
+full wergild (or money payment) for his relative's death, unless he
+chose to take up the blood-feud against the murderer's family, we can
+hardly wonder that some of the heroes of early European literature are
+heroes of vengeance. Orestes and Electra are Greek embodiments of the
+idea of the sacredness of vengeance for murdered kinsfolk, and similar
+feelings are revealed in Gudrun's revenge for the murder of Siegfried
+in the "Nibelungenlied." To the Teutonic or Celtic warrior there would
+be heroism of a noble type in a just vengeance fully accomplished, and
+this heroism would be more easily recognised when the wrongdoer was
+rich and powerful, the avenger old, poor, and friendless. While
+admitting that the hero of vengeance belongs to and represents only
+one side of the civilisation of a somewhat barbaric community, we
+must allow that the elements of dogged perseverance, dauntless
+courage, and resolute loyalty in some degree redeemed the ferocity and
+cruelty of the blood-feud he waged against the ill-doer.
+
+It is certain that in the popular Icelandic saga of "Howard the Halt"
+tradition has recorded with minute detail of approbation the story of
+a man and woman, old, weak, friendless, who, in spite of terrible
+odds, succeeded in obtaining a late but sufficing vengeance for the
+cruel slaughter of their only son, the murderer being the most
+powerful man of the region. The part here assigned to the woman
+indicates the firm hold which the blood-feud had gained on the
+imagination of the Norsemen.
+
+
+Icelandic Ghosts
+
+The story possesses a further interest as revealing the unique
+character of the Icelandic ghost or phantom. In other literatures the
+spirit returned from the dead is a thin, immaterial, disembodied
+essence, a faint shadow of its former self; in Icelandic legend the
+spirit returns in full possession of its body, but more evil-disposed
+to mankind than before death. It fights and wrestles, pummels its
+adversary black and blue, it is huge and bloated and hideous, it tries
+to strangle men, and leaves finger-marks on their throats. If the
+ghosts are those of drowned men, they come home every night dripping
+with sea-water, and crowd the family from the fire and from the hall.
+Apparently they are evil spirits animating the dead body, and nothing
+but the utter destruction of the body avails to drive away the
+malignant spirit.
+
+
+The Story. Howard and Thorbiorn
+
+Thus runs the saga of "Howard the Halt":
+
+About the year 1000, when the Christian faith had hardly yet been
+heard of in Iceland, there dwelt at Bathstead, on the shores of
+Icefirth, in that far-distant land a mighty chieftain, of royal
+descent and great wealth, named Thorbiorn. Though not among the first
+settlers of Iceland, he had appropriated much unclaimed land, and was
+one of the leading men of the country-side, but was generally disliked
+for his arrogance and injustice. Thorkel, the lawman and arbitrator of
+Icefirth, was weak and easily cowed, so Thorbiorn's wrongdoing
+remained unchecked; many a maiden had he betrothed to himself, and
+afterwards rejected, and many a man had he ousted from his lands, yet
+no redress could be obtained, and no man was bold enough to attack so
+great a chieftain or resist his will. Thorbiorn's house at Bathstead
+was one of the best in the district, and his lands stretched down to
+the shores of the firth, where he had made a haven with a jetty for
+ships. His boathouse stood a little back above a ridge of shingle, and
+beside a deep pool or lagoon. The household of Thorbiorn included
+Sigrid, a fair maiden, young and wealthy, who was his housekeeper;
+Vakr, an ill-conditioned and malicious fellow, Thorbiorn's nephew; and
+a strong and trusted serving-man named Brand. Besides these there were
+house-carles in plenty, and labourers, all good fighting-men.
+
+Not far from Bathstead, at Bluemire, dwelt an old Viking called
+Howard. He was of honourable descent, and had won fame in earlier
+Viking expeditions, but since he had returned lamed and nearly
+helpless from his last voyage he had aged greatly, and men called him
+Howard the Halt. His wife, Biargey, however, was an active and
+stirring woman, and their only son, Olaf, bade fair to become a
+redoubtable warrior. Though only fifteen, Olaf had reached full
+stature, was tall, fair, handsome, and stronger than most men. He wore
+his fair hair long, and always went bareheaded, for his great bodily
+strength defied even the bitter winter cold of Iceland, and he faced
+the winds clad in summer raiment only. With all his strength and
+beauty, Olaf was a loving and obedient son to Howard and Biargey, and
+the couple loved him as the apple of their eye.
+
+
+Olaf Meets Sigrid
+
+The men of Icefirth were wont to drive their sheep into the mountains
+during the summer, leave them there till autumn, and then, collecting
+the scattered flocks, to restore to each man his own branded sheep.
+One autumn the flocks were wild and shy, and it was found that many
+sheep had strayed in the hills. When those that had been gathered were
+divided Thorbiorn had lost at least sixty wethers, and was greatly
+vexed. Some weeks later Olaf Howardson went alone into the hills, and
+returned with all the lost sheep, having sought them with great toil
+and danger. Olaf drove the rest of the sheep home to their grateful
+owners, and then took Thorbiorn's to Bathstead. Reaching the house at
+noonday, he knocked on the door, and as all men sat at their noontide
+meal, the housekeeper, the fair Sigrid, went forth herself and saw
+Olaf.
+
+She greeted him courteously and asked his business, and he replied, "I
+have brought home Thorbiorn's wethers which strayed this autumn," and
+then the two talked together for a short time. Now Thorbiorn was
+curious to know what the business might be, and sent his nephew Vakr
+to see who was there; he went secretly and listened to the
+conversation between Sigrid and Olaf, but heard little, for Olaf was
+just saying, "Then I need not go in to Thorbiorn; thou, Sigrid, canst
+as well tell him where his sheep are now"; then he simply bade her
+farewell and turned away.
+
+[Illustration: Olaf and Sigrid]
+
+Vakr ran back into the hall, shouting and laughing, till Thorbiorn
+asked: "How now, nephew! Why makest thou such outcry? Who is there?"
+
+"It was Olaf Howardson, the great booby of Bluemire, bringing back the
+sheep thou didst lose in the autumn."
+
+"That was a neighbourly deed," said Thorbiorn.
+
+"Ah! but there was another reason for his coming, I think," said Vakr.
+"He and Sigrid had a long talk together, and I saw her put her arms
+round his neck; she seemed well pleased to greet him."
+
+"Olaf may be a brave man, but it is rash of him to anger me thus, by
+trying to steal away my housekeeper," said Thorbiorn, scowling
+heavily. Olaf had no thanks for his kindness, and was ill received
+whenever he came; yet he came often to see Sigrid, for he loved her,
+and tried to persuade her to wed him. Thorbiorn hated him the more for
+his open wooing, which he could not forbid.
+
+
+Thorbiorn Insults Olaf
+
+The next year, when harvest was over, and the sheep were brought home,
+again most of the missing sheep belonged to Thorbiorn, and again Olaf
+went to the mountains alone and brought back the stray ones. All
+thanked him, except the master of Bathstead, to whom Olaf drove back
+sixty wethers. Thorbiorn had grown daily more enraged at Olaf's
+popularity, his strength and beauty, and his evident love for Sigrid,
+and now chose this opportunity of insulting the bold youth who
+rivalled him in fame and in public esteem.
+
+Olaf reached Bathstead at noon, and seeing that all men were in the
+hall, he entered, and made his way to the daïs where Thorbiorn sat;
+there he leaned on his axe, gazed steadily at the master, who gave him
+no single word of greeting. Then every one kept silence watching them
+both.
+
+At last Olaf broke the stillness by asking: "Why are you all dumb?
+There is no honour to those who say naught. I have stood here long
+enough and had no word of courteous greeting. Master Thorbiorn, I have
+brought home thy missing sheep."
+
+Vakr answered spitefully: "Yes, we all know that thou hast become the
+Icefirth sheep-drover; and we all know that thou hast come to claim
+some share of the sheep, as any other beggar might. Kinsman Thorbiorn,
+thou hadst better give him some little alms to satisfy him!"
+
+Olaf flushed angrily as he answered: "Nay, it is not for that I came;
+but, Thorbiorn, I will not seek thy lost sheep a third time." And as
+he turned and strode indignantly from the hall Vakr mocked and jeered
+at him. Yet Olaf passed forth in silence.
+
+The third year Olaf found and brought home all men's sheep but
+Thorbiorn's; and then Vakr spread the rumour that Olaf had stolen
+them, since he could not otherwise obtain a share of them. This rumour
+came at last to Howard's ears, and he upbraided Olaf, saying, when his
+son praised their mutton, "Yes, it is good, and it is really ours, not
+Thorbiorn's. It is terrible that we have to bear such injustice."
+
+Olaf said nothing, but, seizing the leg of mutton, flung it across the
+room; and Howard smiled at the wrath which his son could no longer
+suppress; perhaps, too, Howard longed to see Olaf in conflict with
+Thorbiorn.
+
+
+Olaf and the Wizard's Ghost
+
+While Howard was still upbraiding Olaf a widow entered, who had come
+to ask for help in a difficult matter. Her dead husband (a reputed
+wizard) returned to his house night after night as a dreadful ghost,
+and no man would live in the house. Would Howard come and break the
+spell and drive away the dreadful nightly visitant?
+
+"Alas!" replied Howard, "I am no longer young and strong. Why do you
+not ask Thorbiorn? He accounts himself to be chief here, and a
+chieftain should protect those in his country-side."
+
+"Nay," said the widow. "I am only too glad if Thorbiorn lets me alone.
+I will not meddle with him."
+
+Then said Olaf: "Father, I will go and try my strength with this
+ghost, for I am young and stronger than most, and I deem such a matter
+good sport."
+
+Accordingly Olaf went back with the widow, and slept in the hall that
+night, with a skin rug over him. At nightfall the dead wizard came in,
+ghastly, evil-looking, and terrible, and tore the skin from over Olaf;
+but the youth sprang up and wrestled with the evil creature, who
+seemed to have more than mortal strength. They fought grimly till the
+lights died out, and the struggle raged in the darkness up and down
+the hall, and finally out of doors. In the yard round the house the
+dead wizard fell, and Olaf knelt upon him and broke his back, and
+thought him safe from doing any mischief again. When Olaf returned to
+the hall men had rekindled the lights, and all made much of him, and
+tended his bruises and wounds, and counted him a hero indeed. His fame
+spread through the whole district, and he was greatly beloved by all
+men; but Thorbiorn hated him more than ever.
+
+Soon another quarrel arose, when a stranded whale, which came ashore
+on Howard's land, was adjudged to Thorbiorn. The lawman, Thorkel, was
+summoned to decide to whom the whale belonged, and came to view it.
+"It is manifestly theirs," said he falteringly, for he dreaded
+Thorbiorn's wrath. "Whose saidst thou?" cried Thorbiorn, coming to him
+menacingly, with drawn sword. "Thine," said Thorkel, with downcast
+eyes; and Thorbiorn triumphantly claimed and took the whale though the
+injustice of the decree was evident. Yet Olaf felt no ill-will to
+Thorbiorn, for Sigrid's sake, but contrived to render him another
+service.
+
+
+Olaf's Second Fight with the Ghost
+
+Brand the Strong, Thorbiorn's shepherd, could not drive his sheep one
+day. Olaf met him trying to get his frightened wethers home: it seemed
+an impossible task, because an uncanny human form, with waving arms,
+stood in a narrow bend of the path and drove them back and scattered
+them. Brand told Olaf all the tale, and when the two went to look,
+Olaf saw that the enemy was the ghost of the dead wizard whom he had
+fought before. "Which wilt thou do," said Olaf, "fight the wizard or
+gather thy sheep?"
+
+"I have no wish to fight the ghost; I will find my scattered sheep,"
+said Brand; "that is the easier task."
+
+Then Olaf ran at the ghost, who awaited him at the top of a high bank,
+and he and the wizard wrestled again with each other till they fell
+from the bank into a snowdrift, and so down to the sea-shore. There
+Olaf, whose strength had been tried to the utmost, had the upper hand,
+and again broke the back of the dead wizard; but, seeing that that had
+been of no avail before, he took the body, swam out to sea with it,
+and sank it deep in the firth. Ever after men believed that this part
+of the coast was dangerous to ships.
+
+Brand thanked the youth much for his help, and when he reached
+Bathstead related what Olaf had done for him. Thorbiorn said nothing,
+but Vakr sneered, and called Brand a coward for asking help of Olaf.
+The strife grew keen between them, almost to blows, and was only
+settled by Thorbiorn, who forbade Brand to praise Olaf or to accept
+help from him. His ill-will grew so evident to all men that Howard the
+Halt decided, in spite of Olaf's reluctance, to remove to a homestead
+on the other side of the firth, away from Thorbiorn's neighbourhood.
+
+
+Olaf Meets Thorbiorn
+
+That summer Thorbiorn decided to marry. He wooed a maiden who was
+sister of the wise Guest, who dwelt at the Mead, and Guest agreed to
+the match, on condition that Thorbiorn should renounce his injustice
+and evil ways; to this Thorbiorn assented, and the wedding was held
+shortly after. Thorbiorn had said nothing to his household of his
+proposed marriage, and Sigrid first heard of it when the wedding was
+over, and the bridal party would soon be riding home to Bathstead.
+Sigrid was very wroth that she must give up her control of the
+household to another, and refused to stay to serve under Thorbiorn's
+wife; accordingly she withdrew from Bathstead to a kinsman's house,
+taking all her goods with her. Thorbiorn raged furiously on his
+return, when he found that she was gone, for her wealth made a great
+difference to his comfort, and threatened dire punishment to all who
+had helped her. Olaf continued his wooing of Sigrid, and went to see
+her often in her kinsman's abode, and they loved each other greatly.
+
+One day when Olaf had been seeking some lost sheep he made his way to
+Sigrid's house, to talk with her as usual. As they stood near the
+house together and talked Sigrid looked suddenly anxious and said:
+
+"I see Thorbiorn and Vakr coming in a boat over the firth with weapons
+beside them, and I see the gleam of Thorbiorn's great sword Warflame.
+I fear they have done, or will do, some evil deed, and therefore I
+pray thee, Olaf, not to stay and meet them. He has hated thee for a
+long time, and the help thou didst give me to leave Bathstead did not
+mend matters. Go thy way now, and do not fall in with them."
+
+"I am not afraid," said Olaf. "I have done Thorbiorn no wrong, and I
+will not flee before him. He is only one man, as I am."
+
+"Alas!" Sigrid replied, "how canst thou, a stripling of eighteen, hope
+to stand before a grown man, a mighty champion, armed with a magic
+sword? Thy words and thoughts are brave, as thou thyself art, but the
+odds are too great for thee: they are two to one, since Vakr, ever
+spiteful and malicious, will not stand idle while thou art in combat
+with Thorbiorn."
+
+"Well," said Olaf, "I will not avoid them, but I will not seek a
+contest. If it must be so, I will fight bravely; thou shalt hear of my
+deeds."
+
+"No, that will never be; I will not live after thee to ask of them,"
+said Sigrid.
+
+"Farewell now; live long and happily!" said Olaf; and so they bade
+each other farewell, and Olaf left her there, and went down to the
+shore where his sheep lay. Thorbiorn and Vakr had just landed, and
+they greeted each other, and Olaf asked them their errand. "We go to
+my mother," said Vakr.
+
+"Let us go together," replied Olaf, "for my way is the same in part.
+But I am sorry that I must needs drive my sheep home, for Icefirth
+sheep-drovers will become proud if a great man like thee should join
+the trade, Thorbiorn."
+
+"Nay, I do not mind that," said Thorbiorn; so they all went on
+together; and as he went Olaf caught up a crooked cudgel with which to
+herd his sheep; he noticed, too, that Thorbiorn and Vakr kept trying
+to lag behind him, and he took care that they all walked abreast.
+
+
+The Combat
+
+When the three came near the house of Thordis, Vakr's mother, where
+the ways divided, Thorbiorn said: "Now, nephew Vakr, we need no longer
+delay what we would do." And then Olaf knew that he had fallen into
+their snare. He ran up a bank beside the road, and the two set on him
+from below, and he defended himself at first manfully with the crooked
+cudgel; but Thorbiorn's sword Warflame sliced this like a stalk of
+flax, and Olaf had to betake himself to his axe, and the fight went on
+for long.
+
+
+A New Enemy Comes
+
+The noise of the fray reached the ears of Thordis, Vakr's mother, in
+her house, so that she sent a boy to learn the cause, and when he told
+her that Olaf Howardson was fighting against Thorbiorn and Vakr she
+bade her second son go to the help of his kinsfolk.
+
+"I will not go," said he. "I would rather fight for Olaf than for
+them. It is a shame for two to set on one man, and they such great
+champions too. I will not be the third; I will not go."
+
+"Now I know that thou art a coward," sneered his mother. "Daughter,
+not son, thou art, too timid to help thy kinsfolk. I will show thee
+that I am a braver daughter than thou a son!"
+
+
+Olaf's Death
+
+By these words Thordis so enraged her son that he seized his axe and
+rushed from the house down the hill towards Olaf, who could not see
+the new-comer, because he stood with his back to the house. Coming
+close to Olaf, the new assailant drove the axe in deep between his
+shoulders, and when Olaf felt the blow he turned and with a mighty
+stroke slew his last enemy. Thereupon Thorbiorn thrust Olaf through
+with the sword Warflame, and he died. Then Thorbiorn took Olaf's
+teeth, which he smote from his jaw, wrapped them in a cloth, and
+carried them home.
+
+The news of the slaughter was at once told by Thorbiorn (for so long
+as homicide was not concealed it was not considered murder), and told
+fairly, so that all men praised Olaf for his brave defence, and
+lamented his death. But when men sought for the fair Sigrid she could
+not be found, and was seen no more from that day. She had loved Olaf
+greatly, had seen him fall, and could not live when he was dead; but
+no man knew where she died or was buried.
+
+The terrible news of Olaf's death came to Howard, and he sighed
+heavily and took to his bed for grief, and remained bedridden for
+twelve months, leaving his wife Biargey to manage the daily fishing
+and the farm. Men thought that Olaf would be for ever unavenged,
+because Howard was too feeble, and his adversary too mighty and too
+unjust.
+
+
+Howard Claims Wergild for Olaf
+
+When a year had passed away Biargey came to Howard where he lay in his
+bed, and bade him arise and go to Bathstead. Said she:
+
+"I would have thee claim wergild for our son, since a man that can no
+longer fight may well prove his valour by word of mouth, and if
+Thorbiorn should show any sign of justice thou shalt not claim too
+much."
+
+Howard replied: "I know it is a bootless errand to ask justice from
+Thorbiorn, but I will do thy will in this matter."
+
+So Howard went heavily, walking as an old man, to Bathstead, and,
+after the usual greetings, said:
+
+"I have come to thee, Thorbiorn, on a great matter--to claim wergild
+for my dead son Olaf, whom thou didst slay guiltless."
+
+Thorbiorn answered: "I have never yet paid a wergild, though I have
+slain many men--some say innocent men. But I am sorry for thee, since
+thou hast lost a brave son, and I will at least give thee something.
+There is an old horse named Dodderer out in the pastures, grey with
+age, sore-backed, too old to work; but thou canst take him home, and
+perhaps he will be some good, when thou hast fed him up."
+
+Now Howard was angered beyond speech. He reddened and turned straight
+to the door; and as he went down the hall Vakr shouted and jeered; but
+Howard said no word, good or bad. He returned home, and took to his
+bed for another year.
+
+[Illustration: Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn]
+
+
+Howard at the Thing
+
+In the second year Biargey again urged Howard to try for a wergild.
+She suggested that he should follow Thorbiorn to the Thing and try to
+obtain justice, for men loathed Thorbiorn's evil ways, and Howard
+would be sure to have many sympathizers. Howard was loath to go.
+"Thorbiorn, my son's slayer, has mocked me once; shall he mock me
+again where all the chieftains are assembled? I will not go to endure
+such shame!"
+
+To his surprise, Biargey urged her will, saying: "Thou wilt have
+friends, I know, since Guest will be there, and he is a just man, and
+will strive to bring about peace between thee and Thorbiorn. And
+hearken to me, and heed my words, husband! If Thorbiorn is condemned
+to pay thee money, and there is a large ring of assessors, it may be
+that when thou and he are in the ring together he will do something
+to grieve thee sorely. Then look thou well to it! If thy heart be
+light, make thou no peace; I am somewhat foresighted, and I know that
+then Olaf shall be avenged. But if thou be heavy-hearted, then do thou
+be reconciled to Thorbiorn, for I know that Olaf shall lie unatoned
+for."
+
+Howard replied: "Wife, I understand thee not, nor thy words, but this
+I know: I would do and bear all things if I might but obtain due
+vengeance for Olaf's death."
+
+At last Howard, impressed by his wife's half-prophetic words, roused
+himself, and rode away to the Thing; here he found shelter with a
+great chieftain, Steinthor of Ere, who was kind to the old man, and
+gave Howard a place in his booth. Steinthor praised Olaf's courage and
+manful defence, and bade his followers cherish the old man, and not
+arouse his grief for his dead son.
+
+
+Howard and Thorbiorn
+
+As the days wore on Howard did nothing towards obtaining compensation
+for his great loss, until Steinthor asked him why he took no action in
+the matter. Howard replied that he felt helpless against Thorbiorn's
+evil words and deeds; but Steinthor bade him try to win Guest to his
+side--then he would succeed. Howard took heart, and set off for the
+booth which Thorbiorn shared with Guest; but unhappily Guest was not
+there when Howard came. Thorbiorn greeted him and asked what matter
+had brought him, and Howard replied:
+
+"My grief for Olaf is yet deep in my heart; still I remember his
+death; and now again I come to claim a wergild for him."
+
+Thorbiorn answered: "Come to me at home in my own country, and I may
+do somewhat for thee, but I will not have thee whining against me
+here."
+
+Howard said: "If thou wilt do nothing here, I have proved that thou
+wilt do still less in thine own country; but I had hoped for help from
+other chieftains."
+
+Thorbiorn burst out wrathfully: "See! He will stir up other men
+against me! Get thee gone, old man, or thou shalt not escape a
+beating."
+
+Now Howard was greatly angered, and said: "Yes, old I am--too old and
+feeble to win respect; but the days have been when I would not have
+endured such wrong; yea, and if Olaf were still alive thou wouldst not
+have flouted me thus." As he left Thorbiorn's sight his grief and
+anger were so great that he did not notice Guest returning, but went
+heavily to Steinthor's booth, where he told all Thorbiorn's injustice,
+and won much sympathy.
+
+
+Guest and Howard
+
+When Guest had entered the booth he sat down beside Thorbiorn and
+said:
+
+"Who was the man whom I met leaving the booth just now?"
+
+"A wise question for a wise man to ask! How can I tell? So many come
+and go," said Thorbiorn.
+
+"But this was an old man, large of stature, lame in one knee; yet he
+looked a brave warrior, and he was so wrathful that he did not know
+where he went. He seemed a man likely to be lucky, too, and not one to
+be lightly wronged."
+
+"That must have been old Howard the Halt," said Thorbiorn. "He is a
+man from my district, who has come after me to the Thing."
+
+"Ah! Was it his brave son Olaf whom thou didst slay guiltless?"
+
+"Yes, certainly," returned Thorbiorn.
+
+"How hast thou kept the promise of better ways which thou didst make
+when thou didst marry my sister?" he asked; and Thorbiorn sat silent.
+"This wrong must be amended," said Guest, and sent an honourable man
+to bring Howard to him. Howard at first refused to face Thorbiorn
+again, but at last reluctantly consented to meet Guest, and when the
+latter had greeted him in friendly and honourable fashion he told the
+whole story, from the time of Thorbiorn's first jealousy of Olaf.
+
+Guest was horrified. "Heard ever man such injustice!" he cried. "Now,
+Thorbiorn, choose one of two things: either my sister shall no longer
+be thy wife, or thou shalt allow me to give judgment between Howard
+and thee."
+
+
+Guest's Judgment and the Payment of the Wergild
+
+Thorbiorn agreed to leave the matter in Guest's hands, and many men
+were called to make a ring as assessors, that all might be legally
+done, and Thorbiorn and Howard stood together in the ring. Then Guest
+gave judgment: "Thorbiorn, I cannot condemn thee to pay Howard all
+thou owest--with all thy wealth, thou hast not money enough for that;
+but for slaying Olaf thou shalt pay a threefold wergild. For the other
+wrongs thou hast done him, I, thy brother-in-law, will try to atone by
+gifts, and friendship, and all honour in my power, as long as we both
+live; and if he will come home to stay with me he shall be right
+welcome."
+
+Thorbiorn agreed to the award, saying carelessly: "I will pay him at
+home in my own country, if he will come to me when I have more
+leisure."
+
+"No," said Guest, who distrusted Thorbiorn, "thou shalt pay here, and
+now, fully; and I myself will pay one wergild, to help thee in
+atonement." When this was agreed Howard sat down in the ring, and
+Guest gave him the one wergild (a hundred of silver), which Howard
+received in the skirt of his cloak; and then Thorbiorn paid one
+wergild slowly, coin by coin, and said he had no more money; but Guest
+bade him pay it all.
+
+Then Thorbiorn drew out a cloth and untied it, saying, "He will surely
+count himself paid in full if I give him this!" and he flung into the
+old man's face, as he sat on the ground, the teeth of the dead Olaf,
+saying, "Here are thy son's teeth!"
+
+Howard sprang up, bleeding, mad with rage and grief. The silver rolled
+in all directions from his cloak as he came to his feet, but he heeded
+it not at all. Blinded with blood, and furious, he broke through the
+ring of assessors, dashed one of them to earth, and rushed away like a
+young man; but when he came to Steinthor's booth he lay as if dead,
+and spoke to no man.
+
+[Illustration: "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak"]
+
+Guest would have no more to do with Thorbiorn. "Thou hast no equal for
+cruelty and evil; thou shalt surely repent it," he said; and he rode
+to Bathstead, took his sister away, with all her wealth, and broke off
+his alliance with Thorbiorn, caring nothing for the shame he put upon
+so unjust a man.
+
+Howard went home, told Biargey all that had happened, and took to his
+bed again, a poor, old, helpless, miserable man; but his wife, who saw
+her presage beginning to come true, kept up her courage, rowed out
+fishing every day, and guided the household for yet another year.
+
+
+Biargey and her Brethren
+
+That summer, one day, as Biargey was rowed out to the fishing as
+usual, she saw Thorbiorn's boat coming up the firth, and bade her man
+take up the lines and go to meet him, and row round the cutter, while
+she talked with Thorbiorn. As Biargey's little boat approached the
+cutter Thorbiorn stopped his vessel for he saw that she would speak
+with him, and her boat circled round the cutter while she asked his
+business, and learnt that he was going with Vakr to meet a brother and
+nephew of his, to bring them to Bathstead, and that he expected to be
+away from home for a week. The little skiff had now passed completely
+round the motionless cutter, and Olaf's mother, having learnt all she
+wanted, bade her rower quit Thorbiorn; the little boat shot swiftly
+and suddenly away, leaving Thorbiorn with an uneasy sense of
+witchcraft. So disquieted did he feel that he would have pursued her
+and drowned "the old hag," as he called her, had he not been prevented
+by Brand the Strong, who had been helped in his need by Olaf.
+
+As the little craft shot away Biargey smiled mysteriously, and said to
+her rower: "Now I feel sure that Olaf my son will be avenged. I have
+work to do: let us not go home yet."
+
+"Where, then, shall we go?" asked the man.
+
+"To my brother Valbrand."
+
+
+Valbrand
+
+Now Valbrand was an old man who had been a mighty warrior in his
+youth, but had now settled down to a life of quiet and peace; he had,
+however, two promising sons, well-grown and manly youths. When
+Valbrand saw his sister he came to meet her, saying:
+
+"Welcome, sister! Seldom it is that we see thee. Wilt thou abide with
+us this night, or is thine errand one that craves haste?"
+
+"I must be home to-night," she replied, and added mysteriously: "But
+there is help I would fain ask of thee. Wilt thou lend me thy
+seal-nets? We have not enough to catch such fish as we need."
+
+Valbrand answered: "Willingly, and thou shalt choose for thyself. Here
+are three, one old and worn out, two new and untried; which wilt thou
+take?"
+
+"I will have the new ones, but I do not need them yet; keep them ready
+for the day when I shall send and ask for them," Biargey replied, and
+bade Valbrand farewell, and rowed away to her next brother.
+
+
+Thorbrand and Asbrand
+
+When Howard's wife came to her brother Thorbrand she was well received
+by him and his two sons, and here she asked for the loan of a
+trout-net, since she had not enough to catch the fish. Thorbrand
+offered her her choice--one old and worn out, or two new and untried
+nets; and again Biargey chose the new ones, and bade them be ready
+when the messenger came.
+
+From her third brother, Asbrand, who had only one son, Biargey asked a
+turf-cutter, as hers was not keen enough to cut all she wanted; again
+she was offered her choice, and chose the new, untried cutter, instead
+of the old, rusty, notched one. Then Biargey bade farewell to Asbrand,
+refusing his offer of hospitality, and went home to Howard, and told
+him of her quests and the promises she had received. The old couple
+knew what the promises meant, but they said nothing to each other
+about it.
+
+
+The Arousing of Howard
+
+When seven days had passed Biargey came to Howard, saying: "Arise now,
+and play the man, if thou wilt ever win vengeance for Olaf. Thou must
+do it now or never, since now the opportunity has come. Knowest thou
+not that to-day Thorbiorn returns to Bathstead, and thou must meet him
+to-day? And have I not found helpers for thee in my nephews? Thou wilt
+not need to face the strife alone."
+
+Hereupon Howard sprang up joyfully from his bed, and was no longer
+lame or halt, nor looked like an old man, but moved briskly, clad
+himself in good armour, and seemed a mighty warrior. His joy broke
+forth in words, and he chanted songs of gladness in vengeance, and joy
+in strife, and evil omen to the death-doomed foe. Thus gladly, with
+spear in hand, he went forth to find his enemy and avenge his son; but
+he turned and kissed his brave wife farewell, for he said: "It may
+well be that we shall not meet again." Biargey said: "Nay, we shall
+meet again, for I know that thou bearest a bold heart and a strong
+arm, and wilt do valiantly."
+
+
+Howard Gathers his Friends
+
+Howard and one fighting-man took their boat and rowed to Valbrand's
+house, and saw him and his sons making hay. Valbrand greeted Howard
+well, for he had not seen him for long, and begged him to stay there,
+but Howard would not. "I am in haste, and have come to fetch the two
+new seal-nets thou didst lend to my wife," he said; and Valbrand
+understood him well. He called to his sons, "Come hither, lads; here
+is your kinsman Howard, with mighty work on hand," and the two youths
+ran up hastily, leaving their hay-making. Valbrand went to the house,
+and returned bearing good weapons, which he gave to his sons, bidding
+them follow their kinsman Howard and help in his vengeance.
+
+They three went down to the boat, took their seats beside Howard's
+man, and rowed to Asbrand's house. There Howard asked for the promised
+new turf-cutter, and Asbrand's son, a tall and manly youth, joined the
+party. At their next visit, to Thorbrand's house, Howard asked for the
+two trout-nets, and Thorbrand's two sons, with one stout fighting-man,
+came gladly with their kinsman.
+
+
+Howard's Plan
+
+As they rowed away together one of the youths asked: "Why is it that
+thou hast no sword or axe, Uncle Howard?" Howard replied: "It may be
+that we shall meet Thorbiorn, and when the meeting is over I shall not
+be a swordless man, but it is likely that I shall have Warflame, that
+mighty weapon, the best of swords; and here I have a good spear."
+
+These words seemed to them all a good omen, and as they rowed towards
+Bathstead they saw a flock of ravens, which encouraged them yet more,
+since the raven was the bird of Odin, the haunter of fields of strife
+and bloodshed.
+
+When they reached Bathstead they sprang on the jetty, carried their
+boat over the ridge of shingle to the quiet pool by the boathouse, and
+hid themselves where they could see, but remain themselves unseen.
+Howard took command, and appointed their places, bidding them be wary,
+and not stir till he gave the word.
+
+
+Thorbiorn's Return
+
+Late that evening, just before dusk, Thorbiorn and Vakr came home,
+bringing their kinsmen with them, a party of ten in all. They had no
+suspicion of any ambush, and Thorbiorn said to Vakr: "It is a fine
+night, and dry, Vakr; we will leave the boat here--she will take no
+hurt through the night--and thou shalt carry our swords and spears up
+to the boathouse."
+
+Vakr obeyed, and bore all the weapons to the boathouse. Howard's men
+would have slain him then but Howard forbade, and let him return to
+the jetty for more armour. When Vakr had gone back Howard sent to the
+boathouse for the magic sword, Warflame; drawing it, he gripped it
+hard and brandished it, for he would fain avenge Olaf with the weapon
+which had slain him. When Vakr came towards the ambush a second time
+he was laden with shields and helmets. Howard's men sprang up to take
+him, and he turned to flee as he saw and heard them. But his foot
+slipped, and he fell into the pool, and lay there weighed down by all
+the armour, till he died miserably--a fitting end for one so ignoble
+and cruel.
+
+
+Thorbiorn's Death
+
+Howard's men shouted and waved their weapons, and ran down to the
+beach to attack their enemies; but Thorbiorn, seeing them, flung
+himself into the sea, swimming towards a small rocky islet. When
+Howard saw this he took Warflame between his teeth, and, old as he
+was, plunged into the waves and pursued Thorbiorn. The latter had,
+however, a considerable start, and was both younger and stronger than
+his adversary, so that he was already on the rock and prepared to dash
+a huge stone at Howard, when the old man reached the islet. Now there
+seemed no hope for Howard, but still he clung fiercely to the rock and
+strove to draw himself up on the land. Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone
+to cast at his foe, but his foot slipped on the wet rocks, and he fell
+backward; before he could recover his footing Howard rushed forward
+and slew him with his own sword Warflame, striking out his teeth, as
+Thorbiorn had done to Olaf.
+
+[Illustration: "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone"]
+
+When Howard swam back to Bathstead, and they told him that in all
+six of Thorbiorn's men were dead, while he had only lost one
+serving-man, he rejoiced greatly; but his vengeance was not satisfied
+until he had slain yet another brother of Thorbiorn's.
+
+
+Steinthor Shelters Howard
+
+Then, with the news of this great revenge to be told, Howard and his
+kinsmen took refuge with that Steinthor who had given him help and
+shelter during the Thing.
+
+"Who are ye, and what tidings do ye bring?" asked Steinthor as the
+little party of seven entered his hall.
+
+"I am Howard, and these are my kinsmen," said Howard. "We tell the
+slaying of Thorbiorn and his brothers, his nephews and his
+house-carles, eight in all."
+
+Steinthor exclaimed in surprise: "Art thou that Howard, old and
+bedridden, who didst seem like to die last year at the Thing, and hast
+thou done these mighty deeds with only these youths to aid thee? This
+is a great marvel, nearly as wondrous as thy restoration to youth and
+health. Great enmity will ye have aroused against you!"
+
+Said Howard: "Bethink thee that thou didst promise me thy help if I
+should ever need it. Therefore have I come to thee now, because I have
+some little need of aid."
+
+Steinthor laughed. "A little help! When dost thou think thou wilt need
+much, if this be not the time? But bide ye all here in honour, and I
+will set the matter right, since thou and these thy helpers have done
+so valiantly."
+
+
+The Thing and Guest's Award
+
+Howard and his kinsmen abode long with their host, until the Thing met
+again; then Steinthor rode away, leaving the uncle and nephews under
+good safeguard. It was a great meeting, with many cases to judge.
+When the matter of the death of Thorbiorn's family was brought up
+Steinthor spoke on Howard's behalf, and offered to let Guest again
+give judgment, since he had done so before. This offer was accepted by
+Thorbiorn's surviving kinsfolk, and Guest, as before, gave a fair
+award.
+
+Since a threefold wergild was still due to Howard for the slaying of
+Olaf, three of the eight dead need not be paid for. Thorbiorn, Vakr,
+and that brother of his slain by Olaf should continue unatoned for,
+because they were evildoers, and fell in an unrighteous quarrel of
+their own seeking; moreover, the slaying of Howard's serving-man
+cancelled one wergild; there remained, therefore, but one wergild for
+Howard to pay--one hundred of silver--which was paid out of hand. In
+addition to this, Howard must change his dwelling, and his nephews
+must travel abroad for some years. This sentence pleased all men
+greatly, and they broke up the Thing in great content, and Howard rode
+home at the head of a goodly company to his stout-hearted wife
+Biargey, who had kept his house and lands in good order all this time.
+They made a great feast, and gave rich gifts to all their friends and
+kinsmen; then when the farewells were over the exiles went abroad and
+did valiantly in Norway; but Howard sold his lands and moved to
+another part of the island. There he prospered greatly; and when he
+died his memory was handed down as that of a mighty warrior and a
+valiant and prudent man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII: ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE
+
+
+The Roland Legends
+
+Charles the Great, King of the Franks, world-famous as Charlemagne,
+won his undying renown by innumerable victories for France and for the
+Church. Charles as the head of the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope as
+the head of the Holy Catholic Church equally dominated the imagination
+of the mediæval world. Yet in romance Charlemagne's fame has been
+eclipsed by that of his illustrious nephew and vassal, Roland, whose
+crowning glory has sprung from his last conflict and heroic death in
+the valley of Roncesvalles.
+
+    "Oh for a blast of that dread horn,
+    On Fontarabian echoes borne,
+    That to King Charles did come,
+    When Roland brave, and Olivier,
+    And every paladin and peer
+    On Roncesvalles died."
+
+    _Scott._
+
+Briefly, the historical facts are these: In A.D. 778 Charles was
+returning from an expedition into Spain, where the dissensions of the
+Moorish rulers had offered him the chance of extending his borders
+while he fought for the Christian faith against the infidel. He had
+taken Pampeluna, but had been checked before Saragossa, and had not
+ventured beyond the Ebro; he was now making his way home through the
+Pyrenees. When the main army had safely traversed the passes, the rear
+was suddenly attacked by an overwhelming body of mountaineers, Gascons
+and Basques, who, resenting the violation of their mountain
+sanctuaries, and longing for plunder, drove the Frankish rearguard
+into a little valley (now marked by the chapel of Ibagneta and still
+called Roncesvalles), and there slew every man.
+
+[Illustration: Charlemagne
+
+Stella Langdale]
+
+
+The Historic Basis
+
+The whole romantic legend of Roland has sprung from the simple words
+in a contemporary chronicle, "In which battle was slain Roland,
+prefect of the marches of Brittany."[12]
+
+This same fight of Roncesvalles was the theme of an archaic poem, the
+"Song of Altobiscar," written about 1835. In it we hear the exultation
+of the Basques as they see the knights of France fall beneath their
+onslaughts. The Basques are on the heights--they hear the trampling of
+a mighty host which throngs the narrow valley below: its numbers are
+as countless as the sands of the sea, its movement as resistless as
+the waves which roll those sands on the shore. Awe fills the bosoms of
+the mountain tribesmen, but their leader is undaunted. "Let us unite
+our strong arms!" he cries aloud. "Let us tear our rocks from their
+beds and hurl them upon the enemy! Let us crush and slay them all!" So
+said, so done: the rocks roll plunging into the valley, slaying whole
+troops in their descent. "And what mangled flesh, what broken bones,
+what seas of blood! Soon of that gallant band not one is left alive;
+night covers all, the eagles devour the flesh, and the bones whiten in
+this valley to all eternity!"
+
+
+A Spanish Version
+
+So runs the "Song of Altobiscar." But Spain too claims part of the
+honour of the day of Roncesvalles. True, Roland was in reality
+slain by Basques, not by Spaniards; but Spain, eager to share the
+honour, has glorified a national hero, Bernardo del Carpio, who, in
+the Spanish legend, defeats Roland in single combat and wins the day.
+
+
+The Italian Orlando
+
+Italy has laid claim to Roland, and in the guise of Orlando, Orlando
+Furioso, Orlando Innamorato, has made him into a fantastic, chivalrous
+knight, a hero of many magical adventures.
+
+
+Roland in French Literature
+
+Noblest of all, however, is the development of the "Roland Saga" in
+French literature; for, even setting aside much legendary lore and
+accumulated tradition, the Roland of the old epic is a perfect hero of
+the early days of feudalism, when chivalry was in its very beginnings,
+before the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary added the grace of courtesy
+to its heroism. Evidently Roland had grown in importance before the
+"Chanson de Roland" took its present form, for we find the rearguard
+skirmish magnified into a great battle, which manifestly contains
+recollections of later Saracen invasions and Gascon revolts. As befits
+the hero of an epic, Roland is now of royal blood, the nephew of the
+great emperor, who has himself increased in age and splendour; this
+heroic Roland can obviously only be overcome by the treachery of one
+of the Franks themselves, so there appears the traitor Ganelon (a
+Romance version of a certain Danilo or Nanilo), who is among the
+Twelve Peers what Judas was among the Apostles; the mighty Saracens,
+not the insignificant Basques, are now the victors; and the vengeance
+taken by Charlemagne on the Saracens and on the traitor is boldly
+added to history, which leaves the disaster unavenged. Thus the bare
+fact was embroidered over gradually by the historical imagination,
+aided by patriotism, until a really national hero was evolved out of
+an obscure Breton count.
+
+
+The "Chanson de Roland"
+
+The "Song of Roland," as we now have it, seems to be a late version of
+an Anglo-Norman poem, made by a certain Turoldus or Thorold; and it
+must bear a close resemblance to that chant which fired the soldiers
+of William the Norman at Hastings, when
+
+    "Taillefer, the noble singer,
+    On his war-horse swift and fiery,
+    Rode before the Norman host;
+    Tossed his sword in air and caught it,
+    Chanted loud the death of Roland,
+    And the peers who perished with him
+    At the pass of Roncevaux."
+
+    _Roman de Rou._
+
+The "Song of Roland" bears an intimate relation to the development of
+European thought, and the hero is doubly worth our study as hero and
+as type of national character. Thus runs the story:
+
+
+The Story
+
+The Emperor Charles the Great, Carolus Magnus, or Charlemagne, had
+been for seven years in Spain, and had conquered it from sea to sea,
+except Saragossa, which, among its lofty mountains, and ruled by its
+brave king Marsile, had defied his power. Marsile still held to his
+idols, Mahomet, Apollo, and Termagaunt, dreading in his heart the day
+when Charles would force him to become a Christian.
+
+
+The Saracen Council
+
+The Saracen king gathered a council around him, as he reclined on a
+seat of blue marble in the shade of an orchard, and asked the advice
+of his wise men.
+
+    "'My lords,' quoth he, 'you know our grievous state.
+    The mighty Charles, great lord of France the fair,
+    Has spread his hosts in ruin o'er our land.
+    No armies have I to resist his course,
+    No people have I to destroy his hosts.
+    Advise me now, what counsel shall I take
+    To save my race and realm from death and shame?'"
+
+
+Blancandrin's Advice
+
+A wily emir, Blancandrin, of Val-Fonde, was the only man who replied.
+He was wise in counsel, brave in war, a loyal vassal to his lord.
+
+    "'Fear not, my liege,' he answered the sad king.
+    'Send thou to Charles the proud, the arrogant,
+    And offer fealty and service true,
+    With gifts of lions, bears, and swift-foot hounds,
+    Seven hundred camels, falcons, mules, and gold--
+    As much as fifty chariots can convey--
+    Yea, gold enough to pay his vassals all.
+    Say thou thyself will take the Christian faith,
+    And follow him to Aix to be baptized.
+    If he demands thy hostages, then I
+    And these my fellows give our sons to thee,
+    To go with Charles to France, as pledge of truth.
+    Thou wilt not follow him, thou wilt not yield
+    To be baptized, and so our sons must die;
+    But better death than life in foul disgrace,
+    With loss of our bright Spain and happy days.'
+    So cried the pagans all; but Marsile sat
+    Thoughtful, and yet at last accepted all."
+
+
+An Embassy to Charlemagne
+
+Now King Marsile dismissed the council with words of thanks, only
+retaining near him ten of his most famous barons, chief of whom was
+Blancandrin; to them he said: "My lords, go to Cordova, where Charles
+is at this time. Bear olive-branches in your hands, in token of peace,
+and reconcile me with him. Great shall be your reward if you succeed.
+Beg Charles to have pity on me, and I will follow him to Aix within a
+month, will receive the Christian law, and become his vassal in love
+and loyalty."
+
+"Sire," said Blancandrin, "you shall have a good treaty!"
+
+The ten messengers departed, bearing olive-branches in their hands,
+riding on white mules, with reins of gold and saddles of silver, and
+came to Charles as he rested after the siege of Cordova, which he had
+just taken and sacked.
+
+
+Reception by Charlemagne
+
+Charlemagne was in an orchard with his Twelve Peers and fifteen
+thousand veteran warriors of France. The messengers from the heathen
+king reached this orchard and asked for the emperor; their gaze
+wandered over groups of wise nobles playing at chess, and groups of
+gay youths fencing, till at last it rested on a throne of solid gold,
+set under a pine-tree and overshadowed with eglantine. There sat
+Charles, the king who ruled fair France, with white flowing beard and
+hoary head, stately of form and majestic of countenance. No need was
+there of usher to cry: "Here sits Charles the King."
+
+[Illustration: "Here sits Charles the King"]
+
+The ambassadors greeted Charlemagne with all honour, and Blancandrin
+opened the embassy thus:
+
+"Peace be with you from God the Lord of Glory whom you adore! Thus
+says the valiant King Marsile: He has been instructed in your faith,
+the way of salvation, and is willing to be baptized; but you have been
+too long in our bright Spain, and should return to Aix. There will
+he follow you and become your vassal, holding the kingdom of Spain at
+your hand. Gifts have we brought from him to lay at your feet, for he
+will share his treasures with you!"
+
+
+He is Perplexed
+
+Charlemagne raised his hands in thanks to God, but then bent his head
+and remained thinking deeply, for he was a man of prudent mind,
+cautious and far-seeing, and never spoke on impulse. At last he said
+proudly: "Ye have spoken fairly, but Marsile is my greatest enemy: how
+can I trust your words?"
+
+Blancandrin replied: "He will give hostages, twenty of our noblest
+youths, and my own son will be among them. King Marsile will follow
+you to the wondrous springs of Aix-la-Chapelle, and on the feast of
+St. Michael will receive baptism in your court."
+
+Thus the audience ended. The messengers were feasted in a pavilion
+raised in the orchard, and the night passed in gaiety and
+good-fellowship.
+
+
+He Consults his Twelve Peers
+
+In the early morning Charlemagne arose and heard Mass; then, sitting
+beneath a pine-tree, he called the Twelve Peers to council. There came
+the twelve heroes, chief of them Roland and his loyal brother-in-arms
+Oliver; there came Archbishop Turpin; and, among a thousand loyal
+Franks, there came Ganelon the traitor. When all were seated in due
+order Charlemagne began:
+
+"My lords and barons, I have received an embassy of peace from King
+Marsile, who sends me great gifts and offers, but on condition that I
+leave Spain and return to Aix. Thither will he follow me, to receive
+the Faith, become a Christian and my vassal. Is he to be trusted?"
+
+"Let us beware," cried all the Franks.
+
+
+Roland Speaks
+
+Roland, ever impetuous, now rose without delay, and spoke: "Fair uncle
+and sire, it would be madness to trust Marsile. Seven years have we
+warred in Spain, and many cities have I won for you, but Marsile has
+ever been treacherous. Once before when he sent messengers with
+olive-branches you and the French foolishly believed him, and he
+beheaded the two counts who were your ambassadors to him. Fight
+Marsile to the end, besiege and sack Saragossa, and avenge those who
+perished by his treachery."
+
+
+Ganelon Objects
+
+Charlemagne looked out gloomily from under his heavy brows, he twisted
+his moustache and pulled his long white beard, but said nothing, and
+all the Franks remained silent, except Ganelon, whose hostility to
+Roland showed clearly in his words:
+
+"Sire, blind credulity were wrong and foolish, but follow up your own
+advantage. When Marsile offers to become your vassal, to hold Spain at
+your hand and to take your faith, any man who urges you to reject such
+terms cares little for our death! Let pride no longer be your
+counsellor, but hear the voice of wisdom."
+
+The aged Duke Naimes, the Nestor of the army, spoke next, supporting
+Ganelon: "Sire, the advice of Count Ganelon is wise, if wisely
+followed. Marsile lies at your mercy; he has lost all, and only begs
+for pity. It would be a sin to press this cruel war, since he offers
+full guarantee by his hostages. You need only send one of your barons
+to arrange the terms of peace."
+
+This advice pleased the whole assembly, and a murmur was heard: "The
+Duke has spoken well."
+
+
+"Who Shall Go to Saragossa?"
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send
+    To Saragossa to Marsile?'
+    'Sire, let me go,' replied Duke Naimes;
+    'Give me your glove and warlike staff.'
+    'No!' cried the king, 'my counsellor,
+    Thou shalt not leave me unadvised--
+    Sit down again; I bid thee stay.'
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send
+    To Saragossa to Marsile?'
+    'Sire, I can go,' quoth Roland bold.
+    'That canst thou not,' said Oliver;
+    'Thy heart is far too hot and fierce--
+    I fear for thee. But I will go,
+    If that will please my lord the King.'
+    'No!' cried the king, 'ye shall not go.
+    I swear by this white flowing beard
+    No peer shall undertake the task.'
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send?'
+    Archbishop Turpin rose and spoke:
+    'Fair sire, let me be messenger.
+    Your nobles all have played their part;
+    Give me your glove and warlike staff,
+    And I will show this heathen king
+    In frank speech how a true knight feels.'
+    But wrathfully the king replied:
+    'By this white beard, thou shalt not go!
+    Sit down, and raise thy voice no more.'"
+
+
+Roland Suggests Ganelon
+
+"Knights of France," quoth Charlemagne, "choose me now one of your
+number to do my errand to Marsile, and to defend my honour valiantly,
+if need be."
+
+"Ah," said Roland, "then it must be Ganelon, my stepfather; for
+whether he goes or stays, you have none better than he!"
+
+This suggestion satisfied all the assembly, and they cried: "Ganelon
+will acquit himself right manfully. If it please the King, he is the
+right man to go."
+
+Charlemagne thought for a moment, and then, raising his head, beckoned
+to Ganelon. "Come hither, Ganelon," he said, "and receive this glove
+and staff, which the voice of all the Franks gives to thee."
+
+
+Ganelon is Angry
+
+"No," replied Ganelon, wrathfully. "This is the work of Roland, and I
+will never forgive him, nor his friends, Oliver and the other Peers.
+Here, in your presence, I bid them defiance!"
+
+"Your anger is too great," said Charlemagne; "you will go, since it is
+my will also."
+
+"Yes, I shall go, but I shall perish as did your two former
+ambassadors. Sire, forget not that your sister is my wife, and that
+Baldwin, my son, will be a valiant champion if he lives. I leave to
+him my lands and fiefs. Sire, guard him well, for I shall see him no
+more."
+
+"Your heart is too tender," said Charlemagne. "You must go, since such
+is my command."
+
+
+He Threatens Roland
+
+Ganelon, in rage and anguish, glared round the council, and his face
+drew all eyes, so fiercely he looked at Roland.
+
+"Madman," said he, "all men know that I am thy stepfather, and for
+this cause thou hast sent me to Marsile, that I may perish! But if I
+return I will be revenged on thee."
+
+"Madness and pride," Roland retorted, "have no terrors for me; but
+this embassy demands a prudent man not an angry fool: if Charles
+consents, I will do his errand for thee."
+
+"Thou shalt not. Thou art not my vassal, to do my work, and Charles,
+my lord, has given me his commands. I go to Saragossa; but there will
+I find some way to vent my anger."
+
+Now Roland began to laugh, so wild did his stepfather's threats seem,
+and the laughter stung Ganelon to madness. "I hate you," he cried to
+Roland; "you have brought this unjust choice on me." Then, turning to
+the emperor: "Mighty lord, behold me ready to fulfil your commands."
+
+
+But is Sent
+
+"Fair Lord Ganelon," spoke Charlemagne, "bear this message to Marsile.
+He must become my vassal and receive holy baptism. Half of Spain shall
+be his fief; the other half is for Count Roland. If Marsile does not
+accept these terms I will besiege Saragossa, capture the town, and
+lead Marsile prisoner to Aix, where he shall die in shame and torment.
+Take this letter, sealed with my seal, and deliver it into the king's
+own right hand."
+
+Thereupon Charlemagne held out his right-hand glove to Ganelon, who
+would fain have refused it. So reluctant was he to grasp it that the
+glove fell to the ground. "Ah, God!" cried the Franks, "what an evil
+omen! What woes will come to us from this embassy!" "You shall hear
+full tidings," quoth Ganelon. "Now, sire, dismiss me, for I have no
+time to lose." Very solemnly Charlemagne raised his hand and made the
+sign of the Cross over Ganelon, and gave him his blessing, saying,
+"Go, for the honour of Jesus Christ, and for your Emperor." So
+Ganelon took his leave, and returned to his lodging, where he prepared
+for his journey, and bade farewell to the weeping retainers whom he
+left behind, though they begged to accompany him. "God forbid," cried
+he, "that so many brave knights should die! Rather will I die alone.
+You, sirs, return to our fair France, greet well my wife, guard my son
+Baldwin, and defend his fief!"
+
+
+He Plots with Marsile's Messengers
+
+Then Ganelon rode away, and shortly overtook the ambassadors of the
+Moorish king, for Blancandrin had delayed their journey to accompany
+him, and the two envoys began a crafty conversation, for both were
+wary and skilful, and each was trying to read the other's mind. The
+wily Saracen began:
+
+    "'Ah! what a wondrous king is Charles!
+    How far and wide his conquests range!
+    The salt sea is no bar to him:
+    From Poland to far England's shores
+    He stretches his unquestioned sway;
+    But why seeks he to win bright Spain?'
+    'Such is his will,' quoth Ganelon;
+    'None can withstand his mighty power!'
+
+    "'How valiant are the Frankish lords
+    But how their counsel wrongs their king
+    To urge him to this long-drawn strife--
+    They ruin both themselves and him!'
+    'I blame not them,' quoth Ganelon,
+    'But Roland, swollen with fatal pride.
+    Near Carcassonne he brought the King
+    An apple, crimson streaked with gold:
+    "Fair sire," quoth he, "here at your feet
+    I lay the crowns of all the kings."
+    If he were dead we should have peace!'
+
+    "'How haughty must this Roland be
+    Who fain would conquer all the earth!
+    Such pride deserves due chastisement!
+    What warriors has he for the task?'
+    'The Franks of France,' quoth Ganelon,
+    'The bravest warriors 'neath the sun!
+    For love alone they follow him
+    (Or lavish gifts which he bestows)
+    To death, or conquest of the world!'"
+
+[Illustration: "Ganelon rode away"]
+
+
+To Betray Roland
+
+The bitterness in Ganelon's tone at once struck: Blancandrin, who cast
+a glance at him and saw the Frankish envoy trembling with rage. He
+suddenly addressed Ganelon in whispered tones: "Hast thou aught
+against the nephew of Charles? Wouldst thou have revenge on Roland?
+Deliver him to us, and King Marsile will share with thee all his
+treasures." Ganelon was at first horrified, and refused to hear more,
+but so well did Blancandrin argue and so skilfully did he lay his
+snare that before they reached Saragossa and came to the presence of
+King Marsile it was agreed that Roland should be destroyed by their
+means.
+
+
+Ganelon with the Saracens
+
+Blancandrin and his fellow ambassadors conducted Ganelon into the
+presence of the Saracen king, and announced Charlemagne's peaceable
+reception of their message and the coming of his envoy. "Let him
+speak: we listen," said Marsile.
+
+Ganelon then began artfully: "Peace be to you in the name of the Lord
+of Glory whom we adore! This is the message of King Charles: You shall
+receive the Holy Christian Faith, and Charles will graciously grant
+you one-half of Spain as a fief; the other half he intends for his
+nephew Roland (and a haughty partner you will find him!). If you
+refuse he will take Saragossa, lead you captive to Aix, and give you
+there to a shameful death."
+
+
+Marsile's Anger
+
+Marsile's anger was so great at this insulting message that he sprang
+to his feet, and would have slain Ganelon with his gold-adorned
+javelin; but he, seeing this, half drew his sword, saying:
+
+    "'Sword, how fair and bright thou art!
+    Come thou forth and view the light.
+    Long as I can wield thee here
+    Charles my Emperor shall not say
+    That I die alone, unwept.
+    Ere I fall Spain's noblest blood
+    Shall be shed to pay my death.'"
+
+
+The Saracen Council
+
+However, strife was averted, and Ganelon received praise from all for
+his bold bearing and valiant defiance of his king's enemy. When quiet
+was restored he repeated his message and delivered the emperor's
+letter, which was found to contain a demand that the caliph, Marsile's
+uncle, should be sent, a prisoner, to Charles, in atonement for the
+two ambassadors foully slain before. The indignation of the Saracen
+nobles was intense, and Ganelon was in imminent danger, but, setting
+his back against a pine-tree, he prepared to defend himself to the
+last. Again the quarrel was stayed, and Marsile, taking his most
+trusted leaders, withdrew to a secret council, whither, soon,
+Blancandrin led Ganelon. Here Marsile excused his former rage, and, in
+reparation, offered Ganelon a superb robe of marten's fur, which was
+accepted; and then began the tempting of the traitor. First demanding
+a pledge of secrecy, Marsile pitied Charlemagne, so aged and so weary
+with rule. Ganelon praised his emperor's prowess and vast power.
+Marsile repeated his words of pity, and Ganelon replied that as long
+as Roland and the Twelve Peers lived Charlemagne needed no man's pity
+and feared no man's power; his Franks, also, were the best living
+warriors. Marsile declared proudly that he could bring four hundred
+thousand men against Charlemagne's twenty thousand French; but Ganelon
+dissuaded him from any such expedition.
+
+
+Ganelon Plans Treachery
+
+    "'Not thus will you overcome him;
+    Leave this folly, turn to wisdom.
+    Give the Emperor so much treasure
+    That the Franks will be astounded.
+    Send him, too, the promised pledges,
+    Sons of all your noblest vassals.
+    To fair France will Charles march homeward,
+    Leaving (as I will contrive it)
+    Haughty Roland in the rearguard.
+    Oliver, the bold and courteous,
+    Will be with him: slay those heroes,
+    And King Charles will fall for ever!'
+    'Fair Sir Ganelon,' quoth Marsile,
+    'How must I entrap Count Roland?'
+    'When King Charles is in the mountains
+    He will leave behind his rearguard
+    Under Oliver and Roland.
+    Send against them half your army:
+    Roland and the Peers will conquer,
+    But be wearied with the struggle--
+    Then bring on your untired warriors.
+    France will lose this second battle,
+    And when Roland dies, the Emperor
+    Has no right hand for his conflicts--
+    Farewell all the Frankish greatness!
+    Ne'er again can Charles assemble
+    Such a mighty host for conquest,
+    And you will have peace henceforward!'"
+
+
+Welcomed by Marsile
+
+Marsile was overjoyed at the treacherous advice and embraced and
+richly rewarded the felon knight. The death of Roland and the Peers
+was solemnly sworn between them, by Marsile on the book of the Law of
+Mahomet, by Ganelon on the sacred relics in the pommel of his sword.
+Then, repeating the compact between them, and warning Ganelon against
+treason to his friends, Marsile dismissed the treacherous envoy who
+hastened to return and put his scheme into execution.
+
+
+Ganelon Returns to Charles
+
+In the meantime Charles had retired as far as Valtierra, on his way to
+France, and there Ganelon found him, and delivered the tribute, the
+keys of Saragossa, and a false message excusing the absence of the
+caliph. He had, so Marsile said, put to sea with three hundred
+thousand warriors who would not renounce their faith, and all had been
+drowned in a tempest, not four leagues from land. Marsile would obey
+King Charles's commands in all other respects. "Thank God!" cried
+Charlemagne. "Ganelon, you have done well, and shall be well
+rewarded!"
+
+
+The French Camp. Charles Dreams
+
+Now the whole Frankish army marched towards the Pyrenees, and, as
+evening fell, found themselves among the mountains, where Roland
+planted his banner on the topmost summit, clear against the sky, and
+the army encamped for the night; but the whole Saracen host had also
+marched and encamped in a wood not far from the Franks. Meanwhile, as
+Charlemagne slept he had dreams of evil omen. Ganelon, in his dreams,
+seized the imperial spear of tough ash-wood, and broke it, so that
+the splinters flew far and wide. In another dream he saw himself at
+Aix attacked by a leopard and a bear, which tore off his right arm; a
+greyhound came to his aid but he knew not the end of the fray, and
+slept unhappily.
+
+
+A Morning Council
+
+When morning light shone, and the army was ready to march, the
+clarions of the host sounded gaily, and Charlemagne called his barons
+around him.
+
+    "'My lords and Peers, ye see these strait defiles:
+    Choose ye to whom the rearguard shall be given.'
+    'My stepson Roland,' straight quoth Ganelon.
+    ''Mid all the Peers there is no braver knight:
+    In him will lie the safety of your host.'
+    Charles heard in wrath, and spoke in angry tones:
+    'What fiendish rage has prompted this advice?
+    Who then will go before me in the van?'
+    The traitor tarried not, but answered swift:
+    'Ogier the Dane will do that duty best.'"
+
+When Roland heard that he was to command the rearguard he knew not
+whether to be pleased or not. At first he thanked Ganelon for naming
+him. "Thanks, fair stepfather, for sending me to the post of danger.
+King Charles shall lose no man nor horse through my neglect." But when
+Ganelon replied sneeringly, "You speak the truth, as I know right
+well," Roland's gratitude turned to bitter anger, and he reproached
+the villain. "Ah, wretch! disloyal traitor! thou thinkest perchance
+that I, like thee, shall basely drop the glove, but thou shalt see!
+Sir King, give me your bow. I will not let my badge of office fall, as
+thou didst, Ganelon, at Cordova. No evil omen shall assail the host
+through me."
+
+
+Roland for the Rearguard
+
+Charlemagne was very loath to grant his request, but on the advice of
+Duke Naimes, most prudent of counsellors, he gave to Roland his bow,
+and offered to leave with him half the army. To this the champion
+would not agree, but would only have twenty thousand Franks from fair
+France. Roland clad himself in his shining armour, laced on his lordly
+helmet, girt himself with his famous sword Durendala, and hung round
+his neck his flower-painted shield; he mounted his good steed
+Veillantif, and took in hand his bright lance with the white pennon
+and golden fringe; then, looking like the Archangel St. Michael, he
+rode forward, and easy it was to see how all the Franks loved him and
+would follow where he led. Beside him rode the famous Peers of France,
+Oliver the bold and courteous, the saintly Archbishop Turpin, and
+Count Gautier, Roland's loyal vassal. They chose carefully the twenty
+thousand French for the rearguard, and Roland sent Gautier with one
+thousand of their number to search the mountains. Alas! they never
+returned, for King Almaris, a Saracen chief, met and slew them all
+among the hills; and only Gautier, sorely wounded and bleeding to
+death, returned to Roland in the final struggle.
+
+Charlemagne spoke a mournful "Farewell" to his nephew and the
+rearguard, and the mighty army began to traverse the gloomy ravine
+through the dark masses of rocks, and to emerge on the other side of
+the Pyrenees. All wept, most for joy to set eyes on that dear land of
+fair France, which for seven years they had not seen; but Charles,
+with a sad foreboding of disaster, hid his eyes beneath his cloak and
+wept in silence.
+
+
+Charles is Sad
+
+"What grief weighs on your mind, sire?" asked the wise Duke Naimes,
+riding up beside Charlemagne.
+
+"I mourn for my nephew. Last night in a vision I saw Ganelon break my
+trusty lance--this Ganelon who has sent Roland to the rear. And now I
+have left Roland in a foreign land, and, O God! if I lose him I shall
+never find his equal!" And the emperor rode on in silence, seeing
+naught but his own sad foreboding visions.
+
+
+The Saracen Pursuit
+
+Meanwhile King Marsile, with his countless Saracens, had pursued so
+quickly that the van of the heathen army soon saw waving the banners
+of the Frankish rear. Then as they halted before the strife began, one
+by one the nobles of Saragossa, the champions of the Moors, advanced
+and claimed the right to measure themselves against the Twelve Peers
+of France. Marsile's nephew received the royal glove as chief
+champion, and eleven Saracen chiefs took a vow to slay Roland and
+spread the faith of Mahomet.
+
+"Death to the rearguard! Roland shall die! Death to the Peers! Woe to
+France and Charlemagne! We will bring the Emperor to your feet! You
+shall sleep at St. Denis! Down with fair France!" Such were their
+confident cries as they armed for the conflict; and on their side no
+less eager were the Franks.
+
+"Fair Sir Comrade," said Oliver to Roland, "methinks we shall have a
+fray with the heathen."
+
+"God grant it," returned Roland. "Our duty is to hold this pass for
+our king. A vassal must endure for his lord grief and pain, heat and
+cold, torment and death; and a knight's duty is to strike mighty
+blows, that men may sing of him, in time to come, no evil songs.
+Never shall such be sung of me."
+
+
+Oliver Descries the Saracens
+
+Hearing a great tumult, Oliver ascended a hill and looked towards
+Spain, where he perceived the great pagan army, like a gleaming sea,
+with shining hauberks and helms flashing in the sun. "Alas! we are
+betrayed! This treason is plotted by Ganelon, who put us in the rear,"
+he cried. "Say no more," said Roland; "blame him not in this: he is my
+stepfather."
+
+Now Oliver alone had seen the might of the pagan array, and he was
+appalled by the countless multitudes of the heathens. He descended
+from the hill and appealed to Roland.
+
+
+Roland will not Blow his Horn
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn,
+    Your great Olifant, far-sounding:
+    Charles will hear it and return here.'
+    'Cowardice were that,' quoth Roland;
+    'In fair France my fame were tarnished.
+    No, these Pagans all shall perish
+    When I brandish Durendala.'
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn:
+    Charles will hear it and return here.'
+    'God forbid it,' Roland answered,
+    'That it e'er be sung by minstrels
+    I was asking help in battle
+    From my King against these Pagans.
+    I will ne'er do such dishonour
+    To my kinsmen and my nation.
+    No, these heathen all shall perish
+    When I brandish Durendala.'
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn
+    Charles will hear it and return here.
+    See how countless are the heathen
+    And how small our Frankish troop is!'
+    'God forbid it,' answered Roland,
+    'That our fair France be dishonoured
+    Or by me or by my comrades--
+    Death we choose, but not dishonour!'"
+
+Roland was a valiant hero, but Oliver had prudence as well as valour,
+and his advice was that of a good and careful general. Now he spoke
+reproachfully.
+
+
+It is Too Late
+
+"Ah, Roland, if you had sounded your magic horn the king would soon be
+here, and we should not perish! Now look to the heights and to the
+mountain passes: see those who surround us. None of us will see the
+light of another day!"
+
+"Speak not so foolishly," retorted Roland. "Accursed be all cowards,
+say I." Then, softening his tone a little, he continued: "Friend and
+comrade, say no more. The emperor has entrusted to us twenty thousand
+Frenchmen, and not a coward among them. Lay on with thy lance, Oliver,
+and I will strike with Durendala. If I die men shall say: 'This was
+the sword of a noble vassal.'"
+
+
+Turpin Blesses the Knights
+
+Then spoke the brave and saintly Archbishop Turpin. Spurring his
+horse, he rode, a gallant figure, to the summit of a hill, whence he
+called aloud to the Frankish knights:
+
+    "'Fair sirs and barons, Charles has left us here
+    To serve him, or at need to die for him.
+    See, yonder come the foes of Christendom,
+    And we must fight for God and Holy Faith.
+    Now, say your shrift, and make your peace with Heaven;
+    I will absolve you and will heal your souls;
+    And if you die as martyrs, your true home
+    Is ready midst the flowers of Paradise!'"
+
+The Frankish knights, dismounting, knelt before Turpin, who blessed
+and absolved them all, bidding them, as penance, to strike hard
+against the heathen.
+
+Then Roland called his brother-in-arms, the brave and courteous
+Oliver, and said: "Fair brother, I know now that Ganelon has betrayed
+us for reward and Marsile has bought us; but the payment shall be made
+with our swords, and Charlemagne will terribly avenge us."
+
+
+"Montjoie! Montjoie!"
+
+While the two armies yet stood face to face in battle array Oliver
+replied: "What good is it to speak? You would not sound your horn, and
+Charles cannot help us; he is not to blame. Barons and lords, ride on
+and yield not. In God's name fight and slay, and remember the war-cry
+of our Emperor." And at the words the war-cry of "Montjoie! Montjoie!"
+burst from the whole army as they spurred against the advancing
+heathen host.
+
+
+The Fray
+
+Great was the fray that day, deadly was the combat, as the Moors and
+Franks crashed together, shouting their cries, invoking their gods or
+saints, wielding with utmost courage sword, lance, javelin, scimitar,
+or dagger. Blades flashed, lances were splintered, helms were cloven
+in that terrible fight of heroes. Each of the Twelve Peers did mighty
+feats of arms. Roland himself slew the nephew of King Marsile, who had
+promised to bring Roland's head to his uncle's feet, and bitter were
+the words that Roland hurled at the lifeless body of his foe, who had
+but just before boasted that Charlemagne should lose his right hand.
+Oliver slew the heathen king's brother, and one by one the Twelve
+Peers proved their mettle on the twelve champions of King Marsile, and
+left them dead or mortally wounded on the field. Wherever the battle
+was fiercest and the danger greatest, where help was most needed,
+there Roland spurred to the rescue, swinging Durendala, and, falling
+on the heathen like a thunderbolt of war, turned the tide of battle
+again and yet again.
+
+    "Red was Roland, red with bloodshed:
+    Red his corselet, red his shoulders,
+    Red his arm, and red his charger."
+
+Like the red god Mars he rode through the battle; and as he went he
+met Oliver, with the truncheon or a spear in his grasp.
+
+    "'Friend, what hast thou there?' cried Roland.
+    'In this game 'tis not a distaff,
+    But a blade of steel thou needest.
+    Where is now Hauteclaire, thy good sword,
+    Golden-hilted, crystal-pommeled?'
+    'Here,' said Oliver; 'so fight I
+    That I have not time to draw it.'
+    'Friend,' quoth Roland, 'more I love thee
+    Ever henceforth than a brother.'"
+
+
+The Saracens Perish
+
+Thus the battle continued, most valiantly contested by both sides, and
+the Saracens died by hundreds and thousands, till all their host lay
+dead but one man, who fled wounded, leaving the Frenchmen masters of
+the field, but in sorry plight--broken were their swords and lances,
+rent their hauberks, torn and blood-stained their gay banners and
+pennons, and many, many of their brave comrades lay lifeless. Sadly
+they looked round on the heaps of corpses, and their minds were filled
+with grief as they thought of their companions, of fair France which
+they should see no more, and of their emperor who even now awaited
+them while they fought and died for him. Yet they were not
+discouraged; loudly their cry re-echoed, "Montjoie! Montjoie!" as
+Roland cheered them on, and Turpin called aloud: "Our men are heroes;
+no king under heaven has better. It is written in the Chronicles of
+France that in that great land it is our king's right to have valiant
+soldiers."
+
+
+A Second Saracen Army
+
+While they sought in tears the bodies of their friends, the main army
+of the Saracens, under King Marsile in person, came upon them; for the
+one fugitive who had escaped had urged Marsile to attack again at
+once, while the Franks were still weary. The advice seemed good to
+Marsile, and he advanced at the head of a hundred thousand men, whom
+he now hurled against the French in columns of fifty thousand at a
+time; and they came on right valiantly, with clarions sounding and
+trumpets blowing.
+
+    "'Soldiers of the Lord,' cried Turpin,
+    'Be ye valiant and steadfast,
+    For this day shall crowns be given you
+    Midst the flowers of Paradise.
+    In the name of God our Saviour,
+    Be ye not dismayed nor frighted,
+    Lest of you be shameful legends
+    Chanted by the tongue of minstrels.
+    Rather let us die victorious,
+    Since this eve shall see us lifeless!--
+    Heaven has no room for cowards!
+    Knights, who nobly fight, and vainly,
+    Ye shall sit amid the holy
+    In the blessed fields of Heaven.
+    On then, Friends of God, to glory!'"
+
+And the battle raged anew, with all the odds against the small handful
+of French, who knew they were doomed, and fought as though they were
+"fey."[13]
+
+
+Gloomy Portents
+
+Meanwhile the whole course of nature was disturbed. In France there
+were tempests of wind and thunder, rain and hail; thunderbolts fell
+everywhere, and the earth shook exceedingly. From Mont St. Michel to
+Cologne, from Besançon to Wissant, not one town could show its walls
+uninjured, not one village its houses unshaken. A terrible darkness
+spread over all the land, only broken when the heavens split asunder
+with the lightning-flash. Men whispered in terror: "Behold the end of
+the world! Behold the great Day of Doom!" Alas! they knew not the
+truth: it was the great mourning for the death of Roland.
+
+
+Many French Knights Fall
+
+In this second battle the French champions were weary, and before long
+they began to fall before the valour of the newly arrived Saracen
+nobles. First died Engelier the Gascon, mortally wounded by the lance
+of that Saracen who swore brotherhood to Ganelon; next Samson, and the
+noble Duke Anseis. These three were well avenged by Roland and Oliver
+and Turpin. Then in quick succession died Gerin and Gerier and other
+valiant Peers at the hands of Grandoigne, until his death-dealing
+career was cut short by Durendala. Another desperate single combat was
+won by Turpin, who slew a heathen emir "as black as molten pitch."
+
+
+The Second Army Defeated
+
+Finally this second host of the heathens gave way and fled, begging
+Marsile to come and succour them; but now of the victorious French
+there were but sixty valiant champions left alive, including Roland,
+Oliver, and the fiery prelate Turpin.
+
+
+A Third Appears
+
+Now the third host of the pagans began to roll forward upon the
+dauntless little band, and in the short breathing-space before the
+Saracens again attacked them Roland cried aloud to Oliver:
+
+    "'Fair Knight and Comrade, see these heroes,
+    Valiant warriors, lying lifeless!
+    I must mourn for our fair country
+    France, left widowed of her barons.
+    Charles my King, why art thou absent?
+    Brother mine, how shall we send him
+    Mournful tidings of our struggle?'
+    'How I know not,' said his comrade.
+    'Better death than vile dishonour.'"
+
+
+Roland Willing to Blow his Horn
+
+    "'Comrade, I will blow my war-horn:
+    Charles will hear it in the passes
+    And return with all his army.'
+    Oliver quoth: ''Twere disgraceful
+    To your kinsmen all their life-days.
+    When I urged it, then you would not;
+    Now, to sound your horn is shameful,
+    And I never will approve it.'"
+
+
+Oliver Objects. They Quarrel
+
+    "'See, the battle goes against us:
+    Comrade, I shall sound my war-horn.'
+    Oliver replied: 'O coward!
+    When I urged it, then you would not.
+    If fair France again shall greet me
+    You shall never wed my sister;
+    By this beard of mine I swear it!'
+
+    "'Why so bitter and so wrathful?'
+    Oliver returned: ''Tis thy fault;
+    Valour is not kin to madness,
+    Temperance knows naught of fury.
+    You have killed these noble champions,
+    You have slain the Emperor's vassals,
+    You have robbed us of our conquests.
+    Ah, your valour, Count, is fatal!
+    Charles must lose his doughty heroes,
+    And your league with me must finish
+    With this day in bitter sorrow.'"
+
+
+Turpin Mediates
+
+Archbishop Turpin heard the dispute, and strove to calm the angry
+heroes. "Brave knights, be not so enraged. The horn will not save the
+lives of these gallant dead, but it will be better to sound it, that
+Charles, our lord and emperor, may return, may avenge our death and
+weep over our corpses, may bear them to fair France, and bury them in
+the sanctuary, where the wild beasts shall not devour them." "That is
+well said," quoth Roland and Oliver.
+
+
+The Horn is Blown
+
+Then at last Roland put the carved ivory horn, the magic Olifant, to
+his lips, and blew so loudly that the sound echoed thirty leagues
+away. "Hark! our men are in combat!" cried Charlemagne; but Ganelon
+retorted: "Had any but the king said it, that had been a lie."
+
+A second time Roland blew his horn, so violently and with such anguish
+that the veins of his temples burst, and the blood flowed from his
+brow and from his mouth. Charlemagne, pausing, heard it again, and
+said: "That is Roland's horn; he would not sound it were there no
+battle." But Ganelon said mockingly: "There is no battle, for Roland
+is too proud to sound his horn in danger. Besides, who would dare to
+attack Roland, the strong, the valiant, great and wonderful Roland? No
+man. He is doubtless hunting, and laughing with the Peers. Your
+words, my liege, do but show how old and weak and doting you are. Ride
+on, sire; the open country lies far before you."
+
+[Illustration: "Charlemagne heard it again"]
+
+When Roland blew the horn for the third time he had hardly breath to
+awaken the echoes; but still Charlemagne heard. "How faintly comes the
+sound! There is death in that feeble blast!" said the emperor; and
+Duke Naimes interrupted eagerly: "Sire, Roland is in peril; some one
+has betrayed him--doubtless he who now tries to beguile you! Sire,
+rouse your host, arm for battle, and ride to save your nephew."
+
+
+Ganelon Arrested
+
+Then Charlemagne called aloud: "Hither, my men. Take this traitor
+Ganelon and keep him safe till my return." And the kitchen folk seized
+the felon knight, chained him by the neck, and beat him; then, binding
+him hand and foot, they flung him on a sorry nag, to be borne with
+them till Charles should demand him at their hands again.
+
+
+Charles Returns
+
+With all speed the whole army retraced their steps, turning their
+faces to Spain, and saying: "Ah, if we could find Roland alive what
+blows we would strike for him!" Alas! it was too late! Too late!
+
+How lofty are the peaks, how vast and shadowy the mountains! How dim
+and gloomy the passes, how deep the valleys! How swift the rushing
+torrents! Yet with headlong speed the Frankish army hastens back, with
+trumpets sounding in token of approaching help, all praying God to
+preserve Roland till they come. Alas! they cannot reach him in time!
+Too late. Too late!
+
+
+Roland Weeps for his Comrades
+
+Now Roland cast his gaze around on hill and valley, and saw his noble
+vassals and comrades lie dead. As a noble knight he wept for them,
+saying:
+
+    "'Fair Knights, may God have mercy on your souls!
+    May He receive you into Paradise
+    And grant you rest on banks of heavenly flowers!
+    Ne'er have I known such mighty men as you.
+    Fair France, that art the best of all dear lands,
+    How art thou widowed of thy noble sons!
+    Through me alone, dear comrades, have you died,
+    And yet through me no help nor safety comes.
+    God have you in His keeping! Brother, come,
+    Let us attack the heathen and win death,
+    Or grief will slay me! Death is duty now.'"
+
+
+He Fights Desperately
+
+So saying, he rushed into the battle, slew the only son of King
+Marsile, and drove the heathen before him as the hounds drive the
+deer. Turpin saw and applauded. "So should a good knight do, wearing
+good armour and riding a good steed. He must deal good strong strokes
+in battle, or he is not worth a groat. Let a coward be a monk in some
+cloister and pray for the sins of us fighters."
+
+Marsile in wrath attacked the slayer of his son, but in vain; Roland
+struck off his right hand, and Marsile fled back mortally wounded to
+Saragossa, while his main host, seized with panic, left the field to
+Roland. However, the caliph, Marsile's uncle, rallied the ranks, and,
+with fifty thousand Saracens, once more came against the little troop
+of Champions of the Cross, the three poor survivors of the rearguard.
+
+Roland cried aloud: "Now shall we be martyrs for our faith. Fight
+boldly, lords, for life or death! Sell yourselves dearly! Let not fair
+France be dishonoured in her sons. When the Emperor sees us dead with
+our slain foes around us he will bless our valour."
+
+
+Oliver Falls
+
+The pagans were emboldened by the sight of the three alone, and the
+caliph, rushing at Oliver, pierced him from behind with his lance. But
+though mortally wounded Oliver retained strength enough to slay the
+caliph, and to cry aloud: "Roland! Roland! Aid me!" then he rushed on
+the heathen army, doing heroic deeds and shouting "Montjoie!
+Montjoie!" while the blood ran from his wound and stained the earth
+blood-red. At this woeful sight Roland swooned with grief, and Oliver,
+faint from loss of blood, and with eyes dimmed by fast-coming death,
+distinguished not the face of his dear friend; he saw only a vague
+figure drawing near, and, mistaking it for an enemy, raised his sword
+Hauteclaire and gave Roland one last terrible blow, which clove the
+helmet, but harmed not the head. The blow roused Roland from his
+swoon, and, gazing tenderly at Oliver, he gently asked him:
+
+    "'Comrade and brother, was that blow designed
+    To slay your Roland, him who loves you so?
+    There is no vengeance you would wreak on me.'
+    'Roland, I hear you speak, but see you not.
+    God guard and keep you, friend; but pardon me
+    The blow I struck, unwitting, on your head.'
+    'I have no hurt,' said Roland; 'I forgive
+    Here and before the judgment-throne of God.'"
+
+
+And Dies
+
+Now Oliver felt the pains of death come upon him. Both sight and
+hearing were gone, his colour fled, and, dismounting, he lay upon the
+earth; there, humbly confessing his sins, he begged God to grant him
+rest in Paradise, to bless his lord Charlemagne and the fair land of
+France, and to keep above all men his comrade Roland, his best-loved
+brother-in-arms. This ended, he fell back, his heart failed, his head
+drooped low, and Oliver the brave and courteous knight lay dead on the
+blood-stained earth, with his face turned to the east. Roland lamented
+him in gentle words: "Comrade, alas for thy valour! Many days and
+years have we been comrades: no ill didst thou to me, nor I to thee:
+now thou art dead, 'tis pity that I live!"
+
+
+Turpin is Mortally Wounded. The Horn Again
+
+Turpin and Roland now stood together for a time and were joined by the
+brave Count Gautier, whose thousand men had been slain, and he himself
+grievously wounded; he now came, like a loyal vassal, to die with his
+lord Roland, and was slain in the first discharge of arrows which the
+Saracens shot. Taught by experience, the pagans kept their distance,
+and wounded Turpin with four lances, while they stood some yards away
+from the heroes. But when Turpin felt himself mortally wounded he
+plunged into the throng of the heathen, killing four hundred before he
+fell, and Roland fought on with broken armour, and with ever-bleeding
+head, till in a pause of the deadly strife he took his horn and again
+sent forth a feeble dying blast.
+
+
+Charles Answers the Horn
+
+Charlemagne heard it, and was filled with anguish. "Lords, all goes
+ill: I know by the sound of Roland's horn he has not long to live!
+Ride on faster, and let all our trumpets sound, in token of our
+approach." Then sixty thousand trumpets sounded, so that mountains
+echoed it and valleys replied, and the heathen heard it and trembled.
+"It is Charlemagne! Charles is coming!" they cried. "If Roland lives
+till he comes the war will begin again, and our bright Spain is
+lost." Thereupon four hundred banded together to slay Roland; but he
+rushed upon them, mounted on his good steed Veillantif, and the
+valiant pagans fled. But while Roland dismounted to tend the dying
+archbishop they returned and cast darts from afar, slaying Veillantif,
+the faithful war-horse, and piercing the hero's armour. Still nearer
+and nearer sounded the clarions of Charlemagne's army in the defiles,
+and the Saracen host fled for ever, leaving Roland alone, on foot,
+expiring, amid the dying and the dead.
+
+
+Turpin Blesses the Dead
+
+Roland made his way to Turpin, unlaced his golden helmet, took off his
+hauberk, tore his own tunic to bind up his grievous wounds, and then
+gently raising the prelate, carried him to the fresh green grass,
+where he most tenderly laid him down.
+
+    "'Ah, gentle lord,' said Roland, 'give me leave
+    To carry here our comrades who are dead,
+    Whom we so dearly loved; they must not lie
+    Unblest; but I will bring their corpses here
+    And thou shalt bless them, and me, ere thou die.'
+    'Go,' said the dying priest, 'but soon return.
+    Thank God! the victory is yours and mine!'"
+
+With great pain and many delays Roland traversed the field of
+slaughter, looking in the faces of the dead, till he had found and
+brought to Turpin's feet the bodies of the eleven Peers, last of all
+Oliver, his own dear friend and brother, and Turpin blessed and
+absolved them all. Now Roland's grief was so deep and his weakness so
+great that he swooned where he stood, and the archbishop saw him fall
+and heard his cry of pain. Slowly and painfully Turpin struggled to
+his feet, and, bending over Roland, took Olifant, the curved ivory
+horn; inch by inch the dying archbishop tottered towards a little
+mountain stream, that the few drops he could carry might revive
+Roland.
+
+
+He Dies
+
+However, his weakness overcame him before he reached the water, and he
+fell forward dying. Feebly he made his confession, painfully he joined
+his hands in prayer, and as he prayed his spirit fled. Turpin, the
+faithful champion of the Cross, in teaching and in battle, died in the
+service of Charlemagne. May God have mercy on his soul!
+
+When Roland awoke from his swoon he looked for Turpin, and found him
+dead, and, seeing Olifant, he guessed what the archbishop's aim had
+been, and wept for pity. Crossing the fair white hands over Turpin's
+breast, he sadly prayed:
+
+    "'Alas! brave priest, fair lord of noble birth,
+    Thy soul I give to the great King of Heaven!
+    No mightier champion has He in His hosts,
+    No prophet greater to maintain the Faith,
+    No teacher mightier to convert mankind
+    Since Christ's Apostles walked upon the earth!
+    May thy fair soul escape the pains of Hell
+    And Paradise receive thee in its bowers!'"
+
+
+Roland's Last Fight
+
+Now death was very near to Roland, and he felt it coming upon him
+while he yet prayed and commended himself to his guardian angel
+Gabriel. Taking in one hand Olifant, and in the other his good sword
+Durendala, Roland climbed a little hill, one bowshot within the realm
+of Spain. There under two pine-trees he found four marble steps, and
+as he was about to climb them, fell swooning on the grass very near
+his end. A lurking Saracen, who had feigned death, stole from his
+covert, and, calling aloud, "Charles's nephew is vanquished! I will
+bear his sword back to Arabia," seized Durendala as it lay in Roland's
+dying clasp. The attempt roused Roland, and he opened his eyes,
+saying, "Thou art not of us," then struck such a blow with Olifant on
+the helm of the heathen thief that he fell dead before his intended
+victim.
+
+
+He Tries to Break his Sword
+
+Pale, bleeding, dying, Roland struggled to his feet, bent on saving
+his good blade from the defilement of heathen hands. He grasped
+Durendala, and the brown marble before him split beneath his mighty
+blows; but the good sword stood firm, the steel grated but did not
+break, and Roland lamented aloud that his famous sword must now become
+the weapon of a lesser man. Again Roland smote with Durendala, and
+clove the block of sardonyx, but the good steel only grated and did
+not break, and the hero bewailed himself aloud, saying, "Alas! my good
+Durendala, how bright and pure thou art! How thou flamest in the
+sunbeams, as when the angel brought thee! How many lands hast thou
+conquered for Charles my King, how many champions slain, how many
+heathen converted! Must I now leave thee to the pagans? May God spare
+fair France this shame!" A third time Roland raised the sword and
+struck a rock of blue marble, which split asunder, but the steel only
+grated--it would not break; and the hero knew that he could do no
+more.
+
+
+His Last Prayer
+
+Then he flung himself on the ground under a pine-tree with his face to
+the earth, his sword and Olifant beneath him, his face to the foe,
+that Charlemagne and the Franks might see when they came that he died
+victorious. He made his confession, prayed for mercy, and offered to
+Heaven his glove, in token of submission for all his sins. "_Mea
+culpa!_ O God! I pray for pardon for all my sins, both great and
+small, that I have sinned from my birth until this day." So he held up
+towards Heaven his right-hand glove, and the angels of God descended
+around him. Again Roland prayed:
+
+    "'O very Father, who didst never lie,
+    Didst bring St. Lazarus from the dead again,
+    Didst save St. Daniel from the lion's mouth,
+    Save Thou my soul and keep it from all ills
+    That I have merited by all my sins!'"
+
+
+He Dies
+
+Again he held up to Heaven his glove, and St. Gabriel received it;
+then, with head bowed and hands clasped, the hero died, and the
+waiting cherubim, St. Raphael, St. Michael, and St. Gabriel, bore his
+soul to Paradise.
+
+So died Roland and the Peers of France.
+
+
+Charles Arrives
+
+Soon after Roland's heroic spirit had passed away the emperor came
+galloping out of the mountains into the valley of Roncesvalles, where
+not a foot of ground was without its burden of death.
+
+Loudly he called: "Fair nephew, where art thou? Where is the
+archbishop? And Count Oliver? Where are the Peers?"
+
+Alas! of what avail was it to call? No man replied, for all were dead;
+and Charlemagne wrung his hands, and tore his beard and wept, and his
+army bewailed their slain comrades, and all men thought of vengeance.
+Truly a fearful vengeance did Charles take, in that terrible battle
+which he fought the next day against the Emir of Babylon, come from
+oversea to help his vassal Marsile, when the sun stood still in heaven
+that the Christians might be avenged on their enemies; in the capture
+of Saragossa and the death of Marsile, who, already mortally wounded,
+turned his face to the wall and died when he heard of the defeat of
+the emir; but when vengeance was taken on the open enemy Charlemagne
+thought of mourning, and returned to Roncesvalles to seek the body of
+his beloved nephew.
+
+The emperor knew well that Roland would be found before his men, with
+his face to the foe. Thus he advanced a bowshot from his companions
+and climbed a little hill, there found the little flowery meadow
+stained red with the blood of his barons, and there at the summit,
+under the trees, lay the body of Roland on the green grass. The broken
+blocks of marble bore traces of the hero's dying efforts, and
+Charlemagne raised Roland, and, clasping the hero in his arms,
+lamented over him.
+
+
+His Lament
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    Never again shall our fair France behold
+    A knight so worthy, till France be no more!
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    That thou mayest rest in flowers of Paradise
+    With all His glorious Saints for evermore!
+    My honour now will lessen and decay,
+    My days be spent in grief for lack of thee,
+    My joy and power will vanish. There is none,
+    Comrade or kinsman, to maintain my cause.
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    And grant thee place in Paradise the blest,
+    Thou valiant youth, thou mighty conqueror!
+    How widowed lies our fair France and how lone
+    How will the realms that I have swayed rebel
+    Now thou art taken from my weary age!
+    So deep my woe that fain would I die too
+    And join my valiant Peers in Paradise
+    While men inter my weary limbs with thine!'"[14]
+
+
+The Dead Buried
+
+The French army buried the dead with all honour, where they had
+fallen, except the bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin, which were
+carried to Blaye, and interred in the great cathedral there; and then
+Charlemagne returned to Aix.
+
+
+Aude the Fair
+
+As Charles the Great entered his palace a beauteous maiden met him,
+Aude the Fair, the sister of Oliver and betrothed bride of Roland. She
+asked eagerly:
+
+"Where is Roland the mighty captain, who swore to take me for his
+bride?"
+
+[Illustration: Aude the Fair
+
+Evelyn Paul]
+
+"Alas! dear sister and friend," said Charlemagne, weeping and tearing
+his long white beard, "thou askest tidings of the dead. But I will
+replace him: thou shalt have Louis, my son, Count of the Marches."
+
+"These words are strange," exclaimed Aude the Fair. "God and all His
+saints and angels forbid that I should live when Roland my love is
+dead." Thereupon she lost her colour and fell at the emperor's feet;
+he thought her fainting, but she was dead. God have mercy on her soul!
+
+
+The Traitor Put to Death
+
+Too long it would be to tell of the trial of Ganelon the traitor.
+Suffice it that he was torn asunder by wild horses, and his name
+remains in France a byword for all disloyalty and treachery.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[12] _See_ "Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages," by H. Guerber.
+
+[13] Marked out for death.
+
+[14] The poetical quotations are from the "Chanson de Roland."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII: THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
+
+
+Celtic Mysticism
+
+In all Celtic literature there is recognisable a certain spirit which
+seems to be innate in the very character of the people, a spirit of
+mysticism and acknowledgment of the supernatural. It carries with it a
+love of Nature, a delight in beauty, colour and harmony, which is
+common to all the Celtic races. But with these characteristics we find
+in Ireland a spiritual beauty, a passion of self-sacrifice, unknown in
+Wales or Brittany. Hence the early Irish heroes are frequently found
+renouncing advantages, worldly honour, and life itself, at the bidding
+of some imperative moral impulse. They are the knights-errant of early
+European chivalry which was a much deeper and more real inspiration
+than the carefully cultivated artificial chivalry of centuries later.
+Cuchulain, Diarmuit, Naesi all pay with their lives for their
+obedience to the dictates of honour and conscience. And in women, for
+whom in those early days sacrifice of self was the only way of
+heroism, the surrender even of eternal bliss was only the sublimation
+of honour and chivalry; and this was the heroism of the Countess
+Cathleen.
+
+
+The Cathleen Legend
+
+The legend is old, so old that its root has been lost and we know not
+who first imagined it; but the idea, the central incident, doubtless
+goes back to Druid times, when a woman might well have offered herself
+up to the cruel gods to avert their wrath and stay the plagues which
+fell upon her people. Under a like impulse Curtius sprang into the
+gulf in the Forum, and Decius devoted himself to death to win the
+safety of the Roman army. In each case the powers, evil or
+beneficent, were supposed to be appeased by the offering of a human
+life. When Christianity found this legend of sacrifice popular among
+the heathen nations, it was comparatively easy to adopt it and give it
+a yet wider scope, by making the sacrifice spiritual rather than
+physical, and by finally rewarding the hero with heavenly joys. It is
+to be noted, too, that even at this early period there is a certain
+glorification of chicanery: the fiend fulfils his side of the
+contract, but God Himself breaks the other side. This becomes a
+regular feature in all tales that relate dealings with the Evil One:
+all Devil's Bridges, Devil's Dykes, and the Faust legends show that
+Satan may be trusted to keep his word, while the saints invariably
+kept the letter and broke the spirit. To so primitive a tale as that
+of "The Countess Cathleen" the pettifogging quibbles of later saints
+are utterly unknown: God saves her soul because it is His will to
+reward such abnegation of self, and even the Evil One dare not
+question the Divine Will.
+
+
+The Story. Happy Ireland
+
+Once, long ago, as the Chronicles tell us, Ireland was known
+throughout Europe as "The Isle of Saints," for St. Patrick had not
+long before preached the Gospel, the message of good tidings, to the
+warring inhabitants, to tribes of uncivilised Celts, and to marauding
+Danes and Vikings. He had driven out the serpent-worshippers, and
+consecrated the Black Stone of Tara to the worship of the True God; he
+had convinced the High King of the truth and reasonableness of the
+doctrine of the Trinity by the illustration of the shamrock leaf, and
+had overthrown the great idols and purified the land. Therefore the
+fair shores and fertile vales of Erin, the clustered islets, dropped
+like jewels in the azure seas, the mist-covered, heather-clad
+hill-sides, even the barren mountain-tops and the patches of firm
+ground scattered in the solitudes of fathomless bogs, were homes of
+pious Culdee or lonely hermit. There was still strife in Ireland, for
+king fought with king, and heathen marauders still vexed the land; but
+many warlike Irish clans or "septs" turned their ardour for fight to
+religious conflicts, and often every man of a tribe became a monk, so
+that great abbeys and tribal monasteries and schools were built on the
+hills where, in former days, stood the chieftain's stronghold (_rath_
+or _dun_, as Irish legends name it), with its earth mounds and wooden
+palisades. Holy psalms and chants replaced the boastful songs of the
+old bards, whilst warriors accustomed to regard fighting and hunting
+as the only occupations worthy of a free-born man, now peacefully
+illuminated manuscripts or wrought at useful handicrafts. Yet still in
+secret they dreaded and tried to appease the wrath of the Dagda,
+Brigit of the Holy Fire, Ængus the Ever-Young, and the awful Washers
+of the Ford, the Choosers of the Slain; and to this dread was now
+joined the new fear of the cruel demons who obeyed Satan, the Prince
+of Evil.
+
+
+The Young Countess
+
+At this time there dwelt in Ireland the Countess Cathleen, young,
+good, and beautiful. Her eyes were as deep, as changeful, and as pure
+as the ocean that washed Erin's shores; her yellow hair, braided in
+two long tresses, was as bright as the golden circlet on her brow or
+the yellow corn in her garners; and her step was as light and proud
+and free as that of the deer in her wide domains. She lived in a
+stately castle in the midst of great forests, with the cottages of her
+tribesmen around her gates, and day by day and year by year she
+watched the changing glories of the mighty woods, as the seasons
+brought new beauties, till her soul was as lovely as the green woods
+and purple hills around. The Countess Cathleen loved the dim,
+mysterious forest, she loved the tales of the ancient gods, and of
+
+    "Old, unhappy, far-off things,
+    And battles long ago;"
+
+    _Wordsworth._
+
+but more than all she loved her clansmen and vassals: she prayed for
+them at all the holy hours, and taught and tended them with loving
+care, so that in no place in Ireland could be found a happier tribe
+than that which obeyed her gentle rule.
+
+
+Dearth and Famine
+
+One year there fell upon Ireland, erewhile so happy, a great
+desolation--"For Scripture saith, an ending to all good things must
+be"[15]--and the happiness of the Countess Cathleen's tribe came to an
+end in this wise: A terrible famine fell on the land; the seed-corn
+rotted in the ground, for rain and never-lifting mists filled the
+heavy air and lay on the sodden earth; then when spring came barren
+fields lay brown where the shooting corn should be; the cattle died in
+the stall or fell from weakness at the plough, and the sheep died of
+hunger in the fold; as the year passed through summer towards autumn
+the berries failed in the sun-parched woods, and the withered leaves,
+fallen long before the time, lay rotting on the dank earth; the timid
+wild things of the forest, hares, rabbits, squirrels, died in their
+holes or fell easy victims to the birds and beasts of prey; and these,
+in their turn, died of hunger in the famine-stricken forests.
+
+    "I searched all day: the mice and rats and hedgehogs
+    Seemed to be dead, and I could hardly hear
+    A wing moving in all the famished woods."[16]
+
+
+Distress of the Peasants
+
+A cry of bitter agony and lamentation rose from the starving Isle of
+Saints to the gates of Heaven, and fell back unheard; the sky was hard
+as brass above and the earth was barren beneath, and men and women
+died in despair, their shrivelled lips still stained green by the
+dried grass and twigs they had striven to eat.
+
+    "I passed by Margaret Nolan's: for nine days
+    Her mouth was green with dock and dandelion;
+    And now they wake her."
+
+
+The Misery Increases
+
+In vain the High King of Ireland proclaimed a universal peace, and
+wars between quarrelling tribes stopped and foreign pirates ceased to
+molest the land, and chief met chief in the common bond of misery; in
+vain the rich gave freely of their wealth--soon there was no
+distinction between rich and poor, high and low, chief and vassal, for
+all alike felt the grip of famine, all died by the same terrible
+hunger. Soon many of the great monasteries lay desolate, their stores
+exhausted, their portals open, while the brethren, dead within, had
+none to bury them; the lonely hermits died in their little
+beehive-shaped cells, or fled from the dreadful solitude to gather in
+some wealthy abbey which could still feed its monks; and isle and vale
+which had echoed their holy chants knew the sounds no more. Over all,
+unlifting, unchanging, brooded the deadly vapour, bearing the plague
+in its heavy folds, and filling the air with a sultry lurid haze.
+
+    "There is no sign of change--day copies day,
+    Green things are dead--the cattle too are dead
+    Or dying--and on all the vapour hangs
+    And fattens with disease, and glows with heat."
+
+
+Cathleen Heartbroken for her People
+
+Round the castle of the Countess Cathleen there was great stir and
+bustle, for her tender heart was wrung with the misery of her people,
+and her prayers for them ascended to God unceasingly. So thin she grew
+and so worn that the physicians bade her servants bring harp and song
+to charm away the sadness that weighed upon her spirit; but all in
+vain! Neither the well-loved legends of the ancient gods, nor her
+harp, nor the voice of her bards could bring her relief--nothing but
+the attempt to save her people. From the earliest days of the famine
+her house and her stores were ever ready to supply the wants of the
+homeless, the poor, the suffering; her wealth was freely spent for
+food for the starving while supplies could yet be bought either near
+or in distant baronies; and when known supplies failed her lavish
+offers tempted the churlish farmers, who still hoarded grain that they
+might enrich themselves in the great dearth, to sell some of their
+garnered stores. When she could no longer induce them to part with
+their grain, her own winter provisions, wine and corn, were
+distributed generously to all who asked for relief, and none ever left
+her castle without succour.
+
+
+Her Wide Charity
+
+Thus passed the early months of bitter starvation, and the Countess
+Cathleen's name was borne far and wide through Ireland, accompanied
+with the blessings of all the rescued; and round her castle, from
+every district, gathered a mighty throng of poor--not only her own
+clansmen--who all looked to her for a daily dole of food and drink to
+keep some life in them until the pestilential mists should pass away.
+The wholesome cold of winter would purify the air and bring new hope
+and promise of new life in the coming year. Alas! the winter drew on
+apace and still the poisonous yellow vapours hung heavily over the
+land, and still the deadly famine clutched each feeble heart and
+weakened the very springs of life, and the winter frosts slew more
+than the summer heats, so feeble were the people and so weakened.
+
+
+Lawlessness Breaks Out
+
+At last, even in the Isle of Saints, the bonds of right and wrong were
+loosened, all respect for property vanished in the universal
+desolation, and men began to rob and plunder, to trust only to the
+right of might, thinking that their poor miserable lives were of more
+value than aught else, than conscience and pity and honesty. Thus
+Cathleen lost by barefaced robbery much of what she still possessed of
+flocks and herds, of scanty fruit and corn. Her servants would gladly
+have pursued the robbers and regained the spoils, but Cathleen forbade
+it, for she pitied the miserable thieves, and thought no evil of them
+in this bitter dearth. By this time she had distributed all her winter
+stores, and had only enough to feed her poor pensioners and her
+household with most scanty rations; and she herself shared equally
+with them, for the most earnest entreaties of her faithful servants
+could not induce her to fare better than they in anything. Soon there
+would be nothing left for daily distribution, and her heart almost
+broke as she saw the misery of her helpless dependents; they looked to
+her as an angel of pity and deliverance, while she knew herself to be
+as helpless as they. Day by day Cathleen went among them, with her
+pitifully scanty doles of food, cheering them by her words and
+smiles, and by her very presence; and each day she went to her chapel,
+where she could cast aside the mask of cheerfulness she wore before
+her people, and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints
+to show her how to save her own tribe and all the land.
+
+[Illustration: "Day by day Cathleen went among them"]
+
+
+Cathleen Has an Inspiration
+
+As the Countess knelt long before the altar one noontide she passed
+from her prayers into a deep sleep, and sank down on the altar steps.
+In the troubled depths of her mind a thought arose, which came to her
+as an inspiration from Heaven itself. She awoke and sprang up
+joyfully, exclaiming aloud: "Thanks be to Our Lady and to all the
+saints! To them alone the blessed thought is due. Thus can I save my
+poor until the dearth is over."
+
+Then Cathleen left her oratory with such a light heart as she had not
+felt since the terrible visitation began, and the gladness in her face
+was so new and wonderful that all her servants noticed the change, and
+her old foster-mother, who loved the Countess with the utmost
+devotion, shuddered at the thought that perhaps her darling had come
+under the power of the ancient gods and would be bewitched away to
+Tir-nan-og, the land of never-dying youth. Fearfully old Oona watched
+Cathleen's face as she passed through the hall, and Cathleen saw the
+anxious gaze, and came and laid her hand on the old woman's shoulder,
+saying, "Nay, fear not, nurse; the saints have heard my prayer and put
+it into my heart to save all these helpless ones." Then she crossed
+the hall to her own room, and called a servant, saying, "Send hither
+quickly Fergus my steward."
+
+
+She Summons her Steward
+
+Shortly afterwards the steward came, Fergus the White, an old
+grey-haired man, who had been foster-brother to Cathleen's
+grandfather. He had seen three generations pass away, he had watched
+the change from heathenism to Christianity, and of all the chief's
+family, to which his loyal devotion had ever clung, there remained but
+this one young girl, and he loved her as his own child. Fergus did
+obeisance to his liege lady, and kissed her hand kneeling as he asked:
+
+"What would the Countess Cathleen with her steward? Shall I render my
+account of lands and wealth?"
+
+
+Demands to Know what Wealth she Owns
+
+"How much have I in lands?" the Countess asked. And Fergus answered in
+surprise: "Your lands are worth one hundred thousand pounds."
+
+"Of what value is the timber in my forests?" "As much again."
+
+"What is the worth of my castles and my fair residences?" continued
+the Countess Cathleen. And Fergus still replied: "As much more,"
+though in his heart he questioned why his lady wished to know now,
+while the famine made all riches seem valueless.
+
+"How much gold still unspent lies in thy charge in my
+treasure-chests?"
+
+"Lady, your stored gold is three hundred thousand pounds, as much as
+all your lands and forests and houses are worth."
+
+The Countess Cathleen thought for an instant, and then, as one who
+makes a momentous decision, spoke firmly, though her lips quivered as
+she gave utterance to her thought:
+
+
+"Go Far and Buy Food"
+
+"Then, Fergus, take my bags of coin and go. Leave here my jewels and
+some gold, for I may hear of some stores of grain hoarded by niggard
+farmers, and may induce them to sell, if not for the love of God, then
+for the love of gold. Take, too, authority from me, written and sealed
+with my seal, to sell all my lands and timber, and castles, except
+this one alone where I must dwell. Send a man, trustworthy and speedy,
+to the North, to Ulster, where I hear the famine is less terrible, and
+let him buy what cattle he can find, and drive them back as soon as
+may be."
+
+    "Keeping this house alone, sell all I have;
+    Go to some distant country, and come again
+    With many herds of cows and ships of grain."
+
+
+The Steward Reluctantly Obeys
+
+The ancient steward, Fergus the White, stood at first speechless with
+horror and grief, but after a moment of silence his sorrow found vent
+in words, and he besought his dear lady not to sell everything, her
+ancient home, her father's lands, her treasured heirlooms, and leave
+herself no wealth for happier times. All his persuasions were useless,
+for Cathleen would not be moved; she bade him "Farewell" and hastened
+his journey, saying, "A cry is in mine ears; I cannot rest." So there
+was no help for it. A trusty man was despatched to Ulster to buy up
+all the cattle (weak and famine-stricken as they would be) in the
+North Country; while Fergus himself journeyed swiftly to England,
+which was still prosperous and fertile, untouched by the deadly
+famine, and knowing nothing of the desolation of the sister isle, to
+which the English owed so much of their knowledge of the True Faith.
+
+
+Buys Stores in England
+
+In England Fergus spent all the gold he brought with him, and then
+sold all the Countess Cathleen bade him sell--lands, castles, forests,
+pastures, timber--all but one lonely castle in the desolate woods,
+where she dwelt among her own people, with the dying folk thronging
+round her gates and in her halls. Good bargains Fergus made also, for
+he was a shrewd and loyal steward, and the saints must have touched
+the hearts of the English merchants, so that they gave good prices for
+all, or perhaps they did not realize the dire distress that prevailed
+in Ireland. However that may have been, Fergus prospered in his
+trading, and bought grain, and wine, and fat oxen and sheep, so that
+he loaded many ships with full freights of provisions, enough to carry
+the starving peasantry through the famine year till the next harvest.
+At last all his money was spent, all his ships were laden, everything
+was ready, and the little fleet lay in harbour, only awaiting a fair
+wind, which, unhappily, did not come.
+
+
+His Return Delayed
+
+First of all Fergus waited through a deadly calm, when the sails hung
+motionless, drooping, with no breath of air to stir them, when the fog
+that brooded over the shores of England never lifted and all sailing
+was impossible; then the winds dispersed the fog, and Fergus,
+forgetting caution in his great anxiety to return, hastily set sail
+for his own land, and there came fierce tempests and contrary winds,
+so that his little fleet was driven back, and one or two ships went
+down with all their stores of food. Fergus wept to see his lady's
+wealth lost in the wintry sea, but he dared not venture again, and
+though he chafed and fretted at the delay, it was nearly two months
+after he reached England before he could sail back to his young
+mistress and her starving countrymen. The trusty messenger who had
+been sent to buy cattle had succeeded beyond his own expectation; he
+also had made successful bargains, and had found more cattle than he
+believed were still alive in Ireland. He had bought all, and was
+driving them slowly towards the Countess Cathleen's forest dwelling.
+Their progress was so slow, because of their weakness and the scanty
+fodder by the way, that no news of them came to Cathleen, and she knew
+not that while corn and cattle were coming with Fergus across the sea,
+food was also coming to her slowly through the barren ways of her own
+native land. None of this she knew, and despair would have filled her
+heart, but for her faith in God and her belief in the great
+inspiration that had been given to her.
+
+
+Deepening Misery in Ireland
+
+Meanwhile terrible things had been happening in Ireland. As in England
+in later days, "men said openly that Christ and His saints slept";
+they thought with longing of the mighty old gods, for the new seemed
+powerless, and they yearned for the friendly "good people" who had
+fled from the sound of the church bell. Thus many minds were ready to
+revolt from the Christian faith if they had not feared the life after
+death and the endless torments of the Christian Hell. Some few,
+desperate, even offered secret worship to the old heathen gods, and
+true love to the One True God had grown cold.
+
+
+Two Mysterious Strangers
+
+Now on the very day on which Fergus sailed for England, and his
+comrade departed to Ulster, two mysterious and stately strangers
+suddenly appeared in Erin. Whence they came no man knew, but they were
+first seen near the wild sea-shore of the west, and the few poor
+inhabitants thought they had been put ashore by some vessel or wrecked
+on that dangerous coast. Aliens they certainly were, for they talked
+with each other in a tongue that none understood, and they appeared as
+if they did not comprehend the questions asked of them. Thus they
+passed away from the western coasts, and made their way inland; but
+when they next appeared, in a village not far from Dublin, they had
+greatly changed: they wore magnificent robes and furs, with splendid
+jewelled gloves on their hands, and golden circlets, set with gleaming
+rubies, bound their brows; their black steeds showed no trace of
+weakness and famine as they rode through the woods and carefully noted
+the misery everywhere.
+
+
+Their Strange Story
+
+At last they alighted at the little lodge, where a forester's widow
+gladly received them; and their royal dress, lofty bearing and strange
+language accorded ill with the mean surroundings and the scanty
+accommodation of that little hut. The dead forester had been one of
+the Countess Cathleen's most faithful vassals, and his holding was but
+a short distance from the castle, so that the strangers could,
+unobserved, watch the life of the little village. As time passed they
+told their hostess they were merchants, simple traders from a distant
+country, trafficking in very precious gems; but they had no wares for
+exchange, and no gems to show; they made no inquiries or researches,
+bargained with no man, seemed to do no business; they were the most
+unusual merchants ever seen in Ireland, and the strangeness of their
+behaviour troubled men's minds.
+
+
+Mysterious Behaviour
+
+Day by day they ate, unquestioning, the coarse food their poor hostess
+set before them, and the black bread which was the best food
+obtainable in those terrible days, but they added to it wine, rich and
+red, from their own private store, and they paid her lavishly in good
+red gold, so that she wondered that any men should stay in the
+famine-stricken country when they could so easily leave it at their
+will. Gradually, too, speaking now in the Irish tongue, they began to
+ask her cautious questions of the people, of the land, of the famine,
+how men lived and how they died, and so they heard of the exceeding
+goodness of the Countess Cathleen, whose bounty had saved so many
+lives, and was still saving others, though the deadly pinch of famine
+grew sorer with the passing days. To their hostess they admired
+Cathleen's goodness, and were loud in her praises, but they looked
+askance at one another and their brows were black with discontent.
+
+
+Professed Errand of Mercy
+
+Then one day the kingly merchants told the poor widow who harboured
+them that they too were the friends of the poor and starving; they
+were servants of a mighty prince, who in his compassion and mercy had
+sent them on a mission to Ireland to help the afflicted peasants to
+fight against famine and death. They said that they themselves had no
+food to give, only wine and gold in plenty, so that men might exert
+themselves and search for food to buy. Their hostess, hearing this,
+and knowing that there were still some niggards who refused to part
+with their mouldering heaps of corn, setting the price so high that no
+man could buy, called down the blessing of God and Mary and all the
+saints upon their heads, for if they would distribute their gold to
+all, or even buy the corn themselves and distribute it, men need no
+longer die of hunger.
+
+
+A New Traffic
+
+When she prayed for a blessing on the two strangers they smiled
+scornfully and impatiently; and the elder said, cunningly:
+
+    "Alas! we know the evils of mere charity,
+    And would devise a more considered way.
+    Let each man bring one piece of merchandise."
+
+"Ah, sirs!" replied the hostess, "then your compassion, your gold and
+your goodwill are of no avail. Think you, after all these weary
+months, that any man has merchandise left to sell? They have sold long
+ago all but the very clothes they wear, to keep themselves alive till
+better days come. Such offers are mockery of our distress."
+
+"We mock you not," said the elder merchant. "All men have the one
+precious thing we wish to buy, and have come hither to find; none has
+already lost or sold it."
+
+"What precious treasure can you mean? Men in Ireland now have only
+their lives, and can barely cherish those," said the poor woman,
+wondering greatly and much afraid.
+
+
+Buyers of Souls
+
+The elder merchant continued gazing at her with a crafty smile and an
+eye ever on the alert for tokens of understanding. "Poor as they are,
+Irishmen have still one thing that we will purchase, if they will
+sell: their souls, which we have come to obtain for our mighty Prince,
+and with the great price that we shall pay in pure gold men can well
+save their lives till the starving time is over. Why should men die a
+cruel, lingering death or drag through weary months of miserable
+half-satisfied life when they may live well and merrily at the cost of
+a soul, which is no good but to cause fear and pain? We take men's
+souls and liberate them from all pain and care and remorse, and we
+give in exchange money, much money, to procure comforts and ease; we
+enrol men as vassals of our great lord, and he is no hard taskmaster
+to those who own his sway."
+
+
+Slow Trade at First
+
+When the poor widow heard these dreadful words she knew that the
+strangers were demons come to tempt men's souls and to lure them to
+Hell. She crossed herself, and fled from them in fear, praying to be
+kept from temptation; and she would not return to her little cottage
+in the forest, but stayed in the village warning men against the evil
+demons who were tempting the starving people, till she too died of the
+famine, and her house was left wholly to the strangers. Yet the
+merchants fared ever well, better than before her departure, and those
+who ventured to the forest dwelling found good food and rich wine,
+which the strangers sometimes gave to their visitors, with crafty
+hints of abundance to be easily obtained. Then when timid individuals
+asked the way to win these comforts the strangers began their
+tempting, and represented the case to be gained by the sale of men's
+souls. One man, bolder than the rest, made a bargain with the demons
+and gave them his soul for three hundred crowns of gold, and from that
+time he in his turn became a tempter. He boasted of his wealth, of the
+rich food the merchants gave him at times, of the potent wine he drank
+from their generously opened bottles, and, best of all, he vaunted
+his freedom from pity, conscience, or remorse.
+
+
+Trade Increases
+
+Gradually many people came to the forest dwelling and trafficked with
+the demon merchants. The purchase of souls went on busily, and the
+demons paid prices varying according to the worth of the soul and the
+record of its former sins; but to all who sold they gave food and
+wine, and in gloating over their gold and satisfying hunger and
+thirst, men forgot to ask whence came this food and wine and the
+endless stores of coin. Now many people ventured into the forest to
+deal with the demons, and the narrow track grew into a broad beaten
+way with the numbers of those who came, and all returned fed and
+warmed, and bearing bags heavy with coin, and the promise of abundant
+food and easy service. Those who had sold their souls rioted with the
+money, for the demons gave them food, and they bought wine from the
+inexhaustible stores of the evil merchants. The poor, lost people knew
+that there was no hope for them after death, and they tried by all
+means to keep themselves alive and to enjoy what was yet left to them;
+but their mirth was fearful and they durst not stop to think.
+
+
+Cathleen Hears of the Demon Traders
+
+At first the Countess Cathleen knew nothing of the terrible doings of
+the demons, for she never passed beyond her castle gates, but spent
+her time in prayer for her people's safety and for the speedy return
+of her messengers; but when the starving throng of pensioners at her
+gates grew daily less, and there were fewer claimants for the pitiful
+allowance which was all she had to give, she wondered if some other
+mightier helper had come to Ireland. But she could hear of none,
+and soon the shameless rioting and drunkenness in the village came to
+her knowledge, and she wondered yet more whence her clansmen obtained
+the means for their excesses, for she felt instinctively that the
+origin of all this rioting must be evil. Cathleen therefore called to
+her an old peasant, whose wife had died of hunger in the early days of
+the famine, so that he himself had longed to die and join her; but
+when he came to her she was horror-struck by the change in him. Now he
+came flushed with wine, with defiant look and insolent bearing, and
+his face was full of evil mirth as he tried to answer soberly the
+Countess's questions.
+
+"Why do the villagers and strangers no longer come to me for food? I
+have but little now to give, but all are welcome to share it with me
+and my household."
+
+
+The Peasant's Story
+
+"They do not come, O Countess, because they are no longer starving.
+They have better food and wine, and abundance of money to buy more."
+
+[Illustration: The peasant's story]
+
+"Whence then have they obtained the money, the food, and the wine for
+the drinking-bouts, the tumult of which reaches me even in my
+oratory?"
+
+"Lady, they have received all from the generous merchants who are in
+the forest dwelling where old Mairi formerly lived; she is dead now,
+and these noble strangers keep open house in her cottage night and
+day; they are so wealthy that they need not stint their bounty, and so
+powerful that they can find good food, enough for all who go to them.
+Since Brigit died (your old servant, lady) her husband and son work no
+more, but serve the strange merchants, and urge men to join them; and
+I, and many others, have done so, and we are now wealthy" (here he
+showed the Countess a handful of gold) "and well fed, and have wine as
+much as heart can desire."
+
+"But do you give them nothing in return for all their generosity? Are
+they so noble that they ask nothing in requital of their bounty?"
+
+
+"Good Gold for Souls"
+
+"Oh, yes, we give them something, but nothing of importance, nothing
+we cannot spare. They are merchants of souls, and buy them for their
+king, and they pay good red gold for the useless, painful things. I
+have sold my soul to them, and now I weep no more for my wife; I am
+gay, and have wine enough and gold enough to help me through this
+dearth!"
+
+"Alas!" sighed the Countess, "and what when you too die?" The old
+peasant laughed at her grief as he said: "Then, as now, I shall have
+no soul to trouble me with remorse or conscience"; and the Countess
+covered her eyes with her hand and beckoned silently that he should
+go. In her oratory, whither she betook herself immediately, she prayed
+with all her spirit that the Virgin and all the saints would inspire
+her to defeat the demons and to save her people's souls.
+
+
+Cathleen Tries to Check the Traffic
+
+Next day Cathleen called together all the people in the village, her
+own tribesmen and strangers. She offered them again a share of all she
+had, and the daily rations she could distribute, but told them that
+all must share alike and that she had nothing but the barest
+necessaries to give--scanty portions of corn and meal, with milk from
+one or two famine-stricken cows her servants had managed to keep
+alive. To this she added that she had sent two trusty messengers for
+help, one to Ulster for cattle, and Fergus to England for corn and
+wine; they must return soon, she felt sure, with abundant supplies, if
+men would patiently await their return.
+
+
+In Vain
+
+But all was useless. Her messengers had sent no word of their return,
+and the abundant supplies at the forest cottage were more easily
+obtained, and were less carefully regulated, than those of the
+Countess Cathleen. The merchants, too, were ever at hand with their
+cunning wiles, and their active, persuasive dupes, who would gladly
+bring all others into their own soulless condition. The wine given by
+the demons warmed the hearts of all who drank, and the deceived
+peasants dreamed of happiness when the famine was over, and so the
+passionate appeal of the Countess failed, and the sale of souls
+continued merrily. The noise of revelry grew daily louder and more
+riotous, and the drinkers cared nothing for the death or departure of
+their dearest friends; while those who died, died drunken and utterly
+reckless, or full of horror and despair, reviling the crafty merchants
+who had deceived them with promises of life and happiness. The evil
+influence clung all about the country-side, and seemed in league with
+the pitiless powers of Nature against the souls of men, till at last
+the stricken Countess, putting her trust in God, sought out the forest
+lodge where the demon merchants dwelt, trafficking for souls. The way
+was easy to find now, for a broad beaten track led to the dwelling,
+and as the evil spirits saw Cathleen coming slowly along the path
+their wicked eyes gleamed and their clawlike hands worked convulsively
+in their jewelled gloves, for they hoped she had come to sell her pure
+soul.
+
+
+She Visits the Demons
+
+"What does the Countess Cathleen wish to obtain from two poor stranger
+merchants?" said the elder with an evil smile; and the younger, bowing
+deeply said: "Lady, you may command us in all things, save what
+touches our allegiance to our king." Cathleen replied: "I have no
+merchandise to barter, nothing for trade with you, for you buy such
+things as I will never sell: you buy men's souls for Hell. I come only
+to beg that you will release the poor souls whom you have bought for
+Satan's kingdom, and will have mercy on my ignorant people and deceive
+them no more. I have yet some gold unspent and jewels unsold: take all
+there is but let my people go free." Then the merchants laughed aloud
+scornfully, and rejected her offer. "Would you have us undo our work?
+Have we toiled, then, for naught to extend our master's sway? Have we
+won for him so many souls to dwell for ever in his kingdom and do his
+work, and shall we give them back for your entreaties? We have gold
+enough, and food and wine enough, fair lady. The souls we have bought
+we keep, for our master gives us honour and rank proportioned to the
+number of souls we win for him, and you may see by the golden circlets
+round our brows that we are princes of his kingdom, and have brought
+him countless souls. Nevertheless, there is one most rare and precious
+thing which could redeem these bartered souls of Ireland's peasants,
+things of little worth."
+
+
+They Make a Proposal
+
+"Oh, what is that?" said the Countess. "If I have it, or can in any
+way procure it, tell me, that I may redeem these deluded people's
+souls."
+
+"You have it now, fair saint. It is one pure soul, precious as
+multitudes of more sin-stained souls. Our master would far rather have
+a perfect and flawless pearl for his diadem than myriads of these
+cracked and flawed crystals. Your soul, most saintly Countess, would
+redeem the souls of all your tribe, if you would sell it to our king;
+it would be the fairest jewel in his crown. But think not to save your
+people otherwise, and beguile them no longer with false promises of
+help: your messenger to Ulster lies sick of ague in the Bog of Allen,
+and no food comes from England."
+
+
+False Tidings
+
+                              "We saw a man
+    Heavy with sickness in the Bog of Allen
+    Whom you had bid buy cattle. Near Fair Head
+    We saw your grain ships lying all becalmed
+    In the dark night, and not less still than they
+    Burned all their mirrored lanterns in the sea."
+
+When Cathleen heard of the failure of her messengers to bring food it
+seemed as if all hope were indeed over, and the demons smiled craftily
+upon her as she turned silently to go, and laughed joyously to each
+other when she had left their presence. Now they had good hope to win
+her for their master; but they knew that their time was short, since
+help was not far away.
+
+    "Last night, closed in the image of an owl,
+    I hurried to the cliffs of Donegal,
+    And saw, creeping on the uneasy surge,
+    Those ships that bring the woman grain and meal;
+    They are five days from us.
+                                I hurried east,
+    A grey owl flitting, flitting in the dew,
+    And saw nine hundred oxen toil through Meath,
+    Driven on by goads of iron; they too, brother,
+    Are full five days from us. Five days for traffic."
+
+
+Cathleen's Despair
+
+The Countess then went back in bitter grief to her desolate castle,
+where only faithful old servants now waited in the halls, and
+whispered together in the dark corners, and, kneeling in her oratory,
+she prayed far into the night for light in her darkness. As she prayed
+before the altar she slept for very weariness, and was aroused by a
+sudden furious knocking, and an outcry of "Thieves! Thieves!" Cathleen
+rose quickly from the altar steps, and met her foster-mother, Oona, at
+the door of the oratory; and Oona cried aloud: "Thieves have broken
+into the treasure-chamber, and nothing is left!" Cathleen asked if
+this were true, and discovered that not a single coin, not a single
+gem was left: the demons had stolen all. And while the servants still
+mourned over the lost treasures of the house there came another cry of
+"Thieves! Thieves!" and an old peasant rushed in, exclaiming that all
+the food was gone. That, alas! was true: the few sacks of meal which
+supplied the scanty daily fare were emptied and the bags flung on the
+floor. Now indeed the last poor resource was gone.
+
+[Illustration: "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber"]
+
+
+A Desperate Decision
+
+When the Countess heard of this last terrible misfortune a great light
+broke upon her mind with a blinding flash, and showed her a way to
+save others, even at the cost of her own salvation. It seemed God's
+answer to her prayer for guidance, and she resolved to follow the
+inspiration thus sent into her mind. She decided now what she would
+do; her mind was made up, and the light which shines from extreme
+sacrifice of self was so bright upon her face that her old nurse and
+her servants, wailing around her, were awe-stricken and durst not
+question or check her. She returned to her oratory door, and, standing
+on the steps, looking down on her weeping domestics, she cried:
+
+                                "I am desolate,
+    For a most sad resolve wakes in my heart;
+    But always I have faith. Old men and women,
+    Be silent; God does not forsake the world.
+            Mary Queen of Angels
+    And all you clouds and clouds of saints, farewell!"
+
+With one last long gaze at the little altar of her oratory she
+resolutely closed the door and turned away.
+
+
+She Revisits the Demons
+
+The next day the merchants in their forest lodge were still buying
+souls, and giving food and wine to the starving peasants who sold.
+They were buying men and women, sinful, terrified, afraid to die,
+eager to live; buying them more cheaply than before because of the
+increase of sin and terror. Bargains were being struck and bartering
+was in full progress, when suddenly all the peasants stopped,
+shamefaced, as one said, "Here comes the Countess Cathleen," and down
+the track she was seen approaching slowly. One by one the peasants
+slunk away, and the demon merchants were quite alone when Cathleen
+entered the little cottage where they sat, with bags of coin on the
+table before them and on the ground beside them. Again they greeted
+her with mocking respect, and asked to know her will.
+
+"Merchants, do you still buy souls for Hell?"
+
+"Lady, our traffic prospers, for the famine lies long on the land, and
+men would fain live till better days come again. Besides, we can give
+them food and wine and wealth for future years; and all in exchange
+for a mere soul, a little breath of wind."
+
+"Perhaps the Countess Cathleen has come to deal with us," said the
+younger.
+
+"Merchant, you are right; I have come to bring you merchandise. I have
+a soul to sell, so costly that perhaps the price is beyond your
+means."
+
+The elder merchant replied joyfully: "No price is beyond our means, if
+only the soul be worth the price; if it be a pure and stainless soul,
+fit to join the angels and saints in Paradise, our master will gladly
+pay all you ask. Whose is the soul, and what is the price?"
+
+
+Her Terms
+
+    "The people starve, therefore the people go
+    Thronging to you. I hear a cry come from them,
+    And it is in my ears by night and day:
+    And I would have five hundred thousand crowns,
+    To find food for them till the dearth go by;
+    And have the wretched spirits you have bought
+    For your gold crowns, released, and sent to God.
+    The soul that I would barter is my soul."
+
+
+The Bond Signed
+
+When the demons heard this, and knew that Cathleen was willing to give
+her own soul as ransom for the souls of others, they were overjoyed,
+their eyes flashed, the rubies of their golden crowns shot out fiery
+gleams, and their fingers clutched the air as if they already held her
+stainless soul. This would be a great triumph to their master, and
+they would win great honour in Hell when they brought him a soul worth
+far, far more than large abundance of ordinary sinful souls. Very
+carefully they watched while the trembling Countess signed the bond
+which gave her soul to Hell, very gladly they paid down the money for
+which she had stipulated, and very joyously they saw the signs of
+speedy death in her face, knowing, as they did, how soon the coming
+relief would show her sacrifice to have been unnecessary, though
+now it was irrevocable.
+
+[Illustration: "Cathleen signed the bond"]
+
+
+General Lamentation
+
+Sadly but resolutely she turned away, followed by her servants bearing
+the bags of gold, and as she passed through the village a rumour ran
+before her of what she had done. All men were sobered by the terrible
+tidings, and the redeemed people waited for her coming, and followed
+her weeping and lamenting, for now their souls were free again, and
+they recognised the great sacrifice she had made for them; but it was
+too late to save her, though now all would have died for her. Cathleen
+passed on into her castle, and there in the courtyard she distributed
+the money to all her people, and bade them dwell quietly in obedience
+till her steward returned. She herself, she said, could not stay; she
+must go on a long and dark journey, for her people's need had broken
+her heart and conquered her; she was no longer her own, but belonged
+to the dark lord of Hell; she could not bid them pray for her, nor
+could she pray for herself.
+
+
+Cathleen Fades Away
+
+Her people, who knew the great price at which she had redeemed them,
+besought the Blessed Virgin and all the saints to have mercy on her;
+and all the souls she had released, on earth and in Heaven, prayed for
+her night and day, and the blessed saints interceded for her. Yet from
+day to day the Countess Cathleen faded, and the demons, ceasing all
+other traffic, lurked in waiting to catch her soul as she died. Night
+and day her heart-broken foster-mother Oona tended her; but she grew
+feebler, till it seemed that she would die before Fergus returned.
+
+
+The Steward Returns
+
+On the fifth day, however, glad tidings came. Fergus had landed, and
+sent word that he was bringing corn and meal as quickly as possible;
+also a wandering peasant brought a message that nine hundred oxen were
+within one day's journey of her castle; and when the gentle Cathleen
+heard this, and knew that her people were safe, she died with a smile
+on her lips and thanks to God for her people on her tongue. That same
+night a great tempest broke over the land, which drove away the
+pestilential mists, and left the country free from evil influences,
+for with the morning men found the forest lodge crushed beneath the
+fallen trees, and the two demon merchants vanished. All gathered round
+the castle and mourned for the Countess Cathleen, for none knew how it
+would go with her spirit; they feared that the evil demons had borne
+her soul to Hell. All had prayed for her, but there had been no sign,
+no token of forgiveness. Nevertheless their prayers were heard and
+answered.
+
+
+The Demons Cheated
+
+In the next night, when the great storm had passed away and the
+vapours no longer filled the air, when Fergus had distributed food and
+wine, and the oxen had been apportioned to every family, so that
+plenty reigned in every house, when only Cathleen's castle lay
+desolate, shrouded in gloom, the faithful old nurse Oona, watching by
+the body of her darling, had a glorious vision. She saw the splendid
+armies of the angels who guard mankind from evil, she saw the saints
+who had suffered and overcome, and amid them was the Countess
+Cathleen, happy with saints and angels in the bliss of Paradise; for
+her love had redeemed her own soul as well as the souls of others,
+and God had pardoned her sin because of her self-sacrifice.
+
+    "The light beats down: the gates of pearl are wide,
+    And she is passing to the floor of peace,
+    And Mary of the seven times wounded heart
+    Has kissed her lips, and the long blessed hair
+    Has fallen on her face; the Light of Lights
+    Looks always on the motive, not the deed,
+    The Shadow of Shadows on the deed alone."
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[15] C. Kingsley.
+
+[16] The poetical quotations throughout this story are taken, by
+permission, from Mr. W. B. Yeats's play "The Countess Cathleen."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX: CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Among all the early literatures of Europe, there are two which, at
+exactly opposite corners of the continent, display most strikingly
+similar characteristics, characteristics which apparently point to
+some racial affinity in the peoples who produced them. These
+literatures are the Greek and the Irish. It has been maintained with
+much ingenuity that the Greeks of Homer, the early Britons, and the
+Irish Celts were all of one stock, as shown by the many points they
+had in common. It is certain that in customs, manner of life, ethics,
+ideas of religion, and methods of warfare a striking similarity may be
+seen between the Greeks as described by Homer and the Britons as
+Julius Cæsar knew them, or the Irish as their own legends reveal them.
+We must expect to find in their myths and legends a certain
+resemblance of Celtic ideas to Greek ideas; and if the great Achilles
+sulks in his tent because he is unjustly deprived of his captive, the
+fair Briseis, we shall not be surprised to find the Champion of Erin
+quarrelling over his claim to precedence. The contest between the
+heroes for the armour of dead Achilles is paralleled by this contest
+between the three greatest warriors of Ireland for the special dish of
+honour called the "Champion's Portion," a distinction which also
+recalls Greek life.
+
+
+Cuchulain, the Irish Achilles
+
+The resemblance of the Cuchulain legend to the story of Achilles is so
+strong that Cuchulain is often called "the Irish Achilles," but there
+are elements of humour and pathos in his story which the tale of
+Achilles cannot show, and in reckless courage, power of inspiring
+dread, sense of personal merit, and frankness of speech the Irish hero
+is not inferior to the mighty Greek. The way in which Cuchulain
+established his claim to be regarded as Chief Champion of Erin is
+related in the following story, which shows some primitive Celtic
+features found again in Welsh legends and other national folk-tales.
+
+
+The Youth of Cuchulain
+
+Cuchulain was the nephew of King Conor of Ulster, son of his sister
+Dechtire, and men say his father was no mortal man, but the great god
+Lugh of the Long Hand. When Cuchulain was born he was brought up by
+King Conor himself and the wisest men of Ireland; when five years old,
+he beat all the other boys in games and warlike exercises, and on the
+day on which he was seven he assumed the arms of a warrior, so much
+greater was he than the sons of mortal men. Cuchulain had overheard
+his tutor, Cathbad the Druid, say to the older youths, "If any young
+man take arms to-day, his name will be greater than any other name in
+Ireland, but his span of life will be short," and as he loved fame
+above long life, he persuaded his uncle, King Conor, to invest him
+with the weapons of manhood. His fame soon spread all over Ireland,
+for his warlike deeds were those of a proved warrior, not of a child
+of nursery age, and by the time Cuchulain was seventeen he was in
+reality without peer among the champions of Ulster, or of all Ireland.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Marriage
+
+When the men of Ulster remembered Cuchulain's divine origin, they
+would fain have him married, so that he might not die childless; and
+for a year they searched all Erin for a fit bride for so great a
+champion. Cuchulain, however, went wooing for himself, to the dun of
+Forgall the Wily, a Druid of great power. Forgall had two daughters,
+of whom the younger, Emer, was the most lovely and virtuous maiden to
+be found in the country, and she became Cuchulain's chosen bride.
+Gallant was his wooing, and merry and jesting were her answers to his
+suit, for though Emer loved Cuchulain at first sight she would not
+accept him at once, and long they talked together. Finally Emer
+consented to wed Cuchulain when he had undergone certain trials and
+adventures for a year, and had accomplished certain feats, a test
+which she imposed on her lover, partly as a trial of his worthiness
+and constancy and partly to satisfy her father Forgall, who would not
+agree to the marriage. When Cuchulain returned triumphant at the end
+of the year, he rescued Emer from the confinement in which her father
+had placed her, and won her at the sword's point; they were wedded,
+and dwelt at Armagh, the capital of Ulster, under the protection of
+King Conor.
+
+
+Bricriu's Feast
+
+It happened that at Conor's court was one chief who delighted in
+making mischief, as Thersites among the Grecian leaders. This man,
+Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, came to King Conor and invited him and
+all the heroes of the Red Branch, the royal bodyguard of Ulster, to a
+feast at his new dwelling, for he felt sure he could find some
+occasion to stir up strife at a feast. King Conor, however, and the
+Red Branch heroes, distrusted Bricriu so much that they refused to
+accept the invitation, unless Bricriu would give sureties that, having
+received his guests, he would leave the hall before the feasting
+began. Bricriu, who had expected some such condition, readily agreed,
+and before going home to prepare his feast took measures for stirring
+up strife among the heroes of Ulster.
+
+
+Bricriu's Falsehood
+
+Before Bricriu left Armagh he went to the mighty Laegaire and with
+many words of praise said: "All good be with you, O Laegaire, winner
+of battles! Why should you not be Champion of Ireland for ever?"
+
+"I can be, if I will," said Laegaire.
+
+"Follow my advice, and you shall be head of all the champions of
+Ireland," said cunning Bricriu.
+
+"What is your counsel?" asked Laegaire.
+
+"King Conor is coming to a feast in my house," said Bricriu, "and the
+Champion's Bit will be a splendid portion for any hero. That warrior
+who obtains it at this feast will be acclaimed Chief Champion of Erin.
+When the banquet begins do you bid your chariot-driver rise and claim
+the hero's portion for you, for you are indeed worthy of it, and I
+hope that you may get what you so well deserve!"
+
+"Some men shall die if my right is taken from me," quoth Laegaire; but
+Bricriu only laughed and turned away.
+
+
+Bricriu Meets Conall Cearnach
+
+Bricriu next met Conall Cearnach, Cuchulain's cousin, one of the
+chiefs of the Red Branch.
+
+"May all good be with you, Conall the Victorious," quoth he. "You are
+our defence and shield, and no foe dare face you in battle. Why should
+you not be Chief Champion of Ulster?"
+
+"It only depends on my will," said Conall; and then Bricriu continued
+his flattery and insidious suggestions until he had stirred up Conall
+to command his charioteer to claim the Champion's Portion at
+Bricriu's feast. Very joyous was Bricriu, and very evilly he smiled as
+he turned away when he had roused the ambition of Conall Cearnach, for
+he revelled in the prospect of coming strife.
+
+
+Bricriu Meets Cuchulain
+
+"May all good be with you, Cuchulain," said Bricriu, as he met the
+youthful hero. "You are the chief defence of Erin, our bulwark against
+the foe, our joy and darling, the hero of Ulster, the favourite of all
+the maidens of Ireland, the greatest warrior of our land! We all live
+in safety under the protection of your mighty hand, so why should you
+not be the Chief Champion of Ulster? Why will you leave the Hero's
+Portion to some less worthy warrior?"
+
+"By the god of my people, I will have it, or slay any bold man who
+dares to deprive me of it," said Cuchulain.
+
+Thereupon Bricriu left Cuchulain and travelled to his home, where he
+made his preparations for receiving the king, as if nothing were
+further from his thoughts than mischief-making and guile.
+
+
+The Feast and the Quarrel
+
+When King Conor and his court had entered Bricriu's house at Dundrum,
+and were sitting at the feast, Bricriu was forced by his sureties to
+leave the hall, for men feared his malicious tongue, and as he went to
+his watch-tower he turned and cried:
+
+"The Champion's Portion at my feast is worth having; let it be given
+to the best hero in Ulster."
+
+The carving and distribution of the viands began, and when the
+Champion's Portion was brought forward it was claimed by three
+chariot-drivers, Laegaire's, Conall's, and Cuchulain's, each on
+behalf of his master; and when no decision was made by King Conor the
+three heroes claimed it, each for himself. But Laegaire and Conall
+united in defying Cuchulain and ridiculing his claim, and a great
+fight began in the hall, till all men shook for fear; and at last King
+Conor intervened, before any man had been wounded.
+
+"Put up your swords," he said. "The Champion's Portion at this feast
+shall be divided among the three, and we will ask King Ailill and
+Queen Meave of Connaught to say who is the greatest champion." This
+plan pleased every one but Bricriu, who saw his hopes of fomenting
+strife disappear.
+
+
+The Women's Quarrel
+
+Just at that moment the women rose and quitted the hall to breathe the
+fresh air, and Bricriu spied his opportunity. Going down from his
+watch-tower, he met Fedelm, the wife of Laegaire, with her fifty
+maidens, and said to her:
+
+"All good be with you to-night, Fedelm of the Fresh Heart! Truly in
+beauty, in birth, in dignity, no woman in Ulster is your equal. If you
+enter my hall first to-night, you will be queen of the Ulster women."
+
+Fedelm walked on merrily enough, but determined that she would soon
+re-enter the hall, and certainly before any other woman. Bricriu next
+met Lendabair the Favourite, Conall's wife, and gave her similar
+flattery and a similar prophecy, and Lendabair also determined to be
+first back at the house and first to enter the hall.
+
+Then Bricriu waited till he saw Emer, Cuchulain's fair wife. "Health
+be with you, Emer, wife of the best man in Ireland! As the sun
+outshines the stars, so do you outshine all other women! You should
+of right enter the house first, for whoever does so will be queen of
+the women of Ulster, and none has a better claim to be their queen
+than Cuchulain's wife, Forgall's fair daughter."
+
+
+The Husbands Intervene
+
+The three fair women, each with her train of fifty maidens, watched
+one another carefully, and when one turned back towards the house the
+others accompanied her, step for step; and the noise of their
+returning footsteps as they raced along alarmed their husbands.
+Sencha, the king's wise counsellor, reassured them, saying, "It is
+only a woman's quarrel; Bricriu has stirred up enmity among the wives
+of the heroes"; and as he spoke Emer reached the hall, having suddenly
+outrun the others; but the doors were shut. Then followed bitter
+complaints from Fedelm and Lendabair, both united against Emer, as
+their husbands had been against Cuchulain. Again King Conor was forced
+to call for silence, since each hero was supporting his own wife's
+claims to be queen of the Ulster women. The strife was only calmed by
+the promise that the claim to the highest place should be settled by
+Ailill and Meave of Connaught, who would be impartial judges.
+
+
+The Heroes Journey to Connaught
+
+Bricriu's feast lasted for three days longer, and then King Conor and
+the Red Branch heroes returned to Armagh. There the dispute about the
+Championship began again, and Conor sent the heroes to Cruachan, in
+Connaught, to obtain a judgment from King Ailill. "If he does not
+decide, go to Curoi of Munster, who is a just and wise man, and will
+find out the best hero by wizardry and enchantments." When Conor had
+decided thus, Laegaire and Conall, after some disputation as to who
+should start first, had their chariots got ready and drove towards
+Cruachan, but Cuchulain stayed amusing himself and the women in
+Armagh. When his chariot-driver reproached him with losing the
+Champion's Portion through laziness Cuchulain replied: "I never
+thought about it, but there is still time to win it. Yoke my steeds to
+the chariot." By this time, however, the other two heroes were far,
+very far, in advance, with the chief men of Ulster following them.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Steeds
+
+Cuchulain had quite lately won two mighty magic steeds, which arose
+from two lonely lakes--the Grey of Macha, his best-beloved horse, and
+the Black Sainglain. The struggle between the hero and these magic
+steeds had been terrible before he had been able to tame them and
+reduce them to submission; now he had them yoked to his chariot, and
+when he had once started he soon came up with the other two heroes,
+and all three drove furiously towards Cruachan, with all the warriors
+of Ulster behind them.
+
+[Illustration: "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan"]
+
+
+Queen Meave Watches the Heroes
+
+The noise of the advancing war-chariots reached Queen Meave at
+Cruachan, and she wondered greatly to hear thunder from a clear sky;
+but her fair daughter, looking from her window, said: "Mother, I see
+chariots coming."
+
+"Who comes in the first?" asked Queen Meave.
+
+"I see a big stout man, with reddish gold hair and long forked beard,
+dressed in purple with gold adornments; and his shield is bronze edged
+with gold; he bears a javelin in his hand."
+
+"That man I know well," answered her mother. "He is mighty Laegaire,
+the Storm of War, the Knife of Victory; he will slay us all, unless he
+comes in peace."
+
+"I see another chariot," quoth the princess, "bearing a fair man with
+long wavy hair, a man of clear red and white complexion, wearing a
+white vest and a cloak of blue and crimson. His shield is brown, with
+yellow bosses and a bronze edge."
+
+"That is valiant Conall the Victorious," quoth Meave. "Small chance
+shall we have if he comes in anger."
+
+"Yet a third chariot comes, wherein stands a dark, sad youth, most
+handsome of all the men of Erin; he wears a crimson tunic, brooched
+with gold, a long white linen cloak, and a white, gold-embroidered
+hood. His hair is black, his look draws love, his glance shoots fire,
+and the hero-light gleams around him. His shield is crimson, with a
+silver rim, and images of beasts shine on it in gold."
+
+
+Terror in Connaught
+
+"Alas! that is the hero Cuchulain," said Meave. "He is more to be
+feared than all others. His voice in anger tells the doom of men; his
+wrath is fatal. Truly we are but dead if we have aroused Cuchulain's
+wrath." After a pause: "Tell me, daughter, are there yet other
+chariots?"
+
+"The men of Ulster follow in chariots so numerous that the earth
+quakes beneath them, and their sound is as thunder, or the dashing
+waves of the sea."
+
+Now Queen Meave was terrified in good earnest, but hoped by a hearty
+welcome to turn aside the wrath of the heroes of Ulster; thus when
+they arrived at the dun of Cruachan they found the best of receptions,
+and all the Red Branch warriors were feasted for three days and
+nights.
+
+
+Conor Explains the Matter
+
+After three days Ailill of Connaught asked their business, and King
+Conor related to him everything as it had occurred--the feast, the
+dispute for the Champion's Portion, the women's quarrel, and the
+decision to be judged by King Ailill. This angered Ailill, who was a
+peaceable man.
+
+"It was no friend of mine who referred you to me, for I shall surely
+incur the hatred of two heroes," quoth he.
+
+"You are the best judge of all," replied King Conor.
+
+"Then I must have time--three days and nights--to decide," said
+Ailill.
+
+"We can spare our heroes so long," quoth Conor, and therewith the
+Ulster men returned to Armagh, leaving the three claimants to the
+Championship at Cruachan.
+
+
+The First Test
+
+That night Ailill put them to an unexpected test. Their feast was
+served to them in a separate room, and the king went to his
+protectors, the Fairy People of the Hills, in the Good People's Hill
+at Cruachan, and begged some help in his judgment. They willingly
+aided him, and three magic beasts, in the shape of monstrous cats,
+were let into the room where the heroes feasted. When they saw them
+Laegaire and Conall rose up from their meal, clambered up among the
+rafters, and stayed there all night. Cuchulain waited till one
+attacked him, and then drawing his sword, struck the monster. It
+showed no further sign of fight, and Cuchulain kept watch all night,
+till the magic beasts disappeared at daybreak. When Ailill came into
+the room and saw the heroes as they had spent the night he laughed as
+he said:
+
+"Are you not content to yield the Championship to Cuchulain?"
+
+[Illustration: "Three monstrous cats were let into the room"]
+
+"Indeed no," said Conall and Laegaire. "We are used to fighting men,
+not monstrous beasts."
+
+
+The Second Test
+
+The next day King Ailill sent the heroes to his own foster-father,
+Ercol, to spend a night with him, that he also might test them. When
+they arrived, and had feasted, Laegaire was sent out that night to
+fight the witches of the valley. Fierce and terrible were these
+witches, and they beat Laegaire, and took his arms and armour.
+
+When Conall went to fight them the witches beat him and took his
+spear, but he kept his sword and brought it back with honour.
+Cuchulain, who was the youngest, went last, and he too was being
+beaten, when the taunts of his chariot-driver, who was watching,
+aroused him, and he beat the witches, and bore off in triumph their
+cloaks of battle. Yet even after this the other two heroes would not
+acknowledge Cuchulain's superiority.
+
+
+Ercol's Defeat
+
+The next day Ercol fought with each champion separately, and conquered
+both Laegaire and Conall, terrifying the former so much that he fled
+to Cruachan and told Meave and Ailill that Ercol had killed the other
+two. When Cuchulain arrived victorious, with Ercol tied captive at his
+chariot-wheels, he found all men mourning for him and Conall as for
+the dead.
+
+
+Meave's Plan to Avoid Strife in Cruachan
+
+Now indeed Ailill was in great perplexity, for he durst not delay his
+decision, and he dreaded the wrath of the two disappointed heroes. He
+and Queen Meave consulted long together, and at length Meave promised
+to relieve him of the responsibility of judgment. Summoning Laegaire
+to the king's room, she said:
+
+"Welcome, O Laegaire! You are greatest of the warriors of Ulster. To
+you we give the headship of the heroes of Ireland and the Champion's
+Portion, and to your wife the right to walk first of all the women of
+Ulster. In token thereof we give you this cup of bronze with a silver
+bird embossed, to be seen by no man till you be come to King Conor in
+the Red Branch House at Armagh. Then show your cup and claim your
+right, and none will dispute it with you."
+
+So Laegaire went away well pleased, and they sent for Conall. To him
+they gave a silver cup, with a bird embossed in gold, and to him they
+pretended to adjudge the Championship, and Conall left them well
+content.
+
+Cuchulain, who was playing chess, refused to attend the King of
+Connaught when he was summoned, and Queen Meave had to entreat him to
+come to their private room. There they gave him a golden cup, with a
+bird designed in precious gems, with many words of flattery for
+Cuchulain and his fair and noble wife, Emer.
+
+
+The Return of the Champions
+
+Now the heroes, each well content, bade farewell to the court at
+Cruachan, and drove back to Armagh, but none durst ask how they had
+sped. That evening, at the banquet, when the Champion's Portion was
+set aside, Laegaire arose and claimed it, showing as proof that his
+claim was just the bronze cup he brought from Queen Meave.
+
+But alas! Conall the Victorious had a silver cup, and while he was
+exulting in this proof of his rightful claim to the championship
+Cuchulain produced his golden cup, and the dispute began all over
+again. King Conor would have allowed Cuchulain's claim, but Laegaire
+vowed that his rival had bribed Ailill and Meave with great treasures
+to give him the golden cup, and neither Laegaire nor Conall would
+yield him the victory or accept the judgment as final. "Then you must
+go to Curoi," said the king, and to that they all agreed.
+
+
+The Champions Visit Curoi
+
+The next day the three champions drove to Kerry where Curoi dwelt in a
+magic dun. He was away from home planning enchantments to test them,
+for he knew they were coming, but his wife welcomed them, and bade
+them watch the dun for one night each, beginning with Laegaire, as the
+eldest. Laegaire took up his sentinel's post outside the dun, and
+Curoi's wife worked the charm which prevented entrance after
+nightfall. The night was long and silent, and Laegaire thought he
+would have a quiet watch, when he saw a great shadow arise from the
+sea.
+
+
+The Giant Fights Laegaire and Conall
+
+This shadow took the shape of a huge giant, whose spears were mighty
+branch-stripped oaks, which he hurled at Laegaire. They did not touch
+him, however, and Laegaire made some show of fight; but the giant took
+him up, squeezed him so tightly as nearly to slay him, and then threw
+him over the magic wall of the dun, where the others found him lying
+half dead. All men thought that he had sprung with a mighty leap over
+the wall, since no other entrance was to be found, and Laegaire kept
+silence and did not explain to them.
+
+Conall, who took the watch the second night, fared exactly as Laegaire
+had done, and likewise did not confess how he had been thrown over
+the wall of the dun, nor what became of the giant in the dawn.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Trials
+
+The third night was Cuchulain's watch, and he took his post outside
+the dun, and the gates and wall were secured by magic spells, so that
+none could enter. Vainly he watched till midnight, and then he thought
+he saw nine grey shadowy forms creeping towards him.
+
+"Who goes there?" he cried. "If you be friends, stop; if foes, come
+on!" Then the nine shadowy foes raised a shout, and fell upon the
+hero; but he fought hard and slew them, and beheaded them. A second
+and a third time similar groups of vague, shadowy foemen rushed at
+him, and he slew them all in like manner, and then, wearied out, sat
+down to rest.
+
+
+The Dragon
+
+Later on in the night, as he was still watching, he heard a heavy
+sound, like waves surging in the lake, and when he roused himself to
+see what it was he beheld a monstrous dragon. It was rising from the
+water and flying towards the dun, and seemed ready to devour
+everything in its way. When the dragon perceived him it soared swiftly
+into the air, and then gradually sank towards him, opening its
+terrible jaws. Cuchulain sprang up, giving his wonderful hero-leap,
+and thrust his arm into the dragon's mouth and down its throat; he
+found its heart, tore it out, and saw the monster fall dead on the
+ground. He then cut off its scaly head, which he added to those of his
+former enemies.
+
+[Illustration: "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible
+jaws"]
+
+
+The Giant Worsted by Cuchulain
+
+Towards daybreak, when feeling quite worn out and very sleepy, he
+became slowly aware of a great shadow coming to him westward from the
+sea. The shadow, as before, became a giant, who greeted him in a surly
+tone with, "This is a bad night." "It will be worse yet for you," said
+Cuchulain. The giant, as he had done with the other heroes, threw
+oaks, but just missed him; and when he tried to grapple with him the
+hero leaped up with drawn sword. In his anger the hero-light shone
+round him, and he sprang as high as the giant's head, and gave him a
+stroke that brought him to his knees. "Life for life, Cuchulain," said
+the giant, and vanished at once, leaving no trace.
+
+
+Cuchulain Re-enters the Dun
+
+Now Cuchulain would gladly have returned to the fort to rest, but
+there seemed no way of entrance, and the hero was vexed at his own
+helplessness, for he thought his comrades had jumped over the magic
+walls. Twice he boldly essayed to leap the lofty wall, and twice he
+failed; then in his wrath his great strength came upon him, the
+hero-light shone round him, and he took a little run and, leaning on
+his spear, leaped so high and so far that he alighted in the middle of
+the court, just before the door of the hall.
+
+As he sighed heavily and wearily, Curoi's wife said: "That is the sigh
+of a weary conqueror, not of a beaten man"; and Cuchulain went in and
+sat down to rest.
+
+
+The Decision
+
+The next morning Curoi's wife asked the champions: "Are you content
+that the Championship should go to Cuchulain? I know by my magic skill
+what he has endured in the past night, and you must see that you are
+not equal to him."
+
+"Nay, that we will not allow," quoth they. "It was one of Cuchulain's
+friends among the People of the Hills who came to conquer us and to
+give him the Championship. We are not content, and we will not give up
+our claim, for the fight was not fair."
+
+"Go home now to Armagh, is Curoi's word, and wait there until he
+himself brings his decision," said Curoi's wife. So they bade her
+farewell, and went back to the Red Branch House in Armagh, with the
+dispute still unsettled; but they agreed to await peaceably Curoi's
+decision, and abide by it when he should bring it.
+
+
+Uath, the Stranger
+
+Some time after this, when Curoi had made no sign of giving judgment,
+it happened that all the Ulster heroes were in their places in the Red
+Branch House, except Cuchulain and his cousin Conall. As they sat in
+order of rank in the hall they saw a terrible stranger coming into the
+room. He was gigantic in stature, hideous of aspect, with ravening
+yellow eyes. He wore a skin roughly sewn together, and a grey cloak
+over it, and he sheltered himself from the light with a spreading tree
+torn up by the roots. In his hand he bore an enormous axe, with keen
+and shining edge. This hideous apparition strode up the hall and leant
+against a carved pillar beside the fire.
+
+"Who are you?" asked one chieftain in sport. "Are you come to be our
+candlestick, or would you burn the house down? Is this the place for
+such as you? Go farther down the hall!"
+
+"My name is Uath, the Stranger, and for neither of those things am I
+come. I seek that which I cannot find in the whole world, and that is
+a man to keep the agreement he makes with me."
+
+
+The Agreement
+
+"What is the agreement?" asked King Conor.
+
+"Behold my axe!" quoth the stranger. "The man who will grasp it
+to-day may cut my head off with it, provided that I may, in like
+manner, cut off his head to-morrow. Now you men of Ulster, heroes of
+the Red Branch, have won the palm through the wide world for courage,
+honour, strength, truth, and generosity; do you, therefore, find me a
+man to keep this agreement. King Conor is excepted, because of his
+royal dignity, but no other. And if you have no champion who dare face
+me, I will say that Ulster has lost her courage and is dishonoured."
+
+"It is not right for a whole province to be disgraced for lack of a
+man to keep his word," said King Conor, "but I fear we have no such
+champions here."
+
+
+Laegaire Accepts the Challenge
+
+"By my word," said Laegaire, who had listened attentively to the whole
+conversation, "there will be a champion this very moment. Stoop down,
+fellow, and let me cut off your head, that you may take mine
+to-morrow."
+
+Then Uath chanted magic spells over the axe as he stroked the edge,
+and laid his neck on a block, and Laegaire hewed so hard that the axe
+severed the head from the body and struck deep into the block. Then
+the body of Uath arose, took up the head and the axe, and strode away
+down the hall, all people shrinking out of its way, and so it passed
+out into the night.
+
+[Illustration: "The body of Uath arose"]
+
+"If this terrible stranger returns to-morrow he will slay us all,"
+they whispered, as they looked pityingly at Laegaire, who was trying
+in vain to show no signs of apprehension.
+
+
+Laegaire and Conall Disgraced
+
+When the next evening came, and men sat in the Red Branch House,
+talking little and waiting for what would happen, in came Uath, the
+Stranger, as well and sound as before the terrible blow, bearing his
+axe, and eager to return the stroke. Alas! Laegaire's heart had failed
+him and he did not come, and the stranger jeered at the men of Ulster
+because their great champion durst not keep his agreement, nor face
+the blow he should receive in return for one he gave.
+
+The men of Ulster were utterly ashamed, but Conall Cearnach, the
+Victorious, was present that night, and he made a new agreement with
+Uath. Conall gave a blow which beheaded Uath, but again, when the
+stranger returned whole and sound on the following evening, the
+champion was not to be found: Conall would not face the blow.
+
+
+Cuchulain Accepts the Challenge
+
+When Uath found that a second hero of Ulster had failed him he again
+taunted them all with cowardice and promise-breaking.
+
+"What! is there not one man of courage among you Ulstermen? You would
+fain have a great name, but have no courage to earn it! Great heroes
+are you all! Not one among you has bravery enough to face me! Where is
+that childish youth Cuchulain! A poor miserable fellow he is, but I
+would like to see if his word is better to be relied on than the word
+of these two great heroes."
+
+"A youth I may be," said Cuchulain, "but I will keep my word without
+any agreement."
+
+Uath laughed aloud. "Yes! that is likely, is it not? And you with so
+great a fear of death!"
+
+Thereupon the youth leapt up, caught the deadly axe, and severed the
+giant's head as he stood with one stroke.
+
+
+Cuchulain Stands the Test
+
+The next day the Red Branch heroes watched Cuchulain to see what he
+would do. They would not have been surprised if he had failed like the
+others, who now were present. The champion, however, showed no signs
+of failing or retreat. He sat sorrowfully in his place waiting for the
+certain death that must come, and regretting his rashness, but with no
+thought of breaking his word.
+
+With a sigh he said to King Conor as they waited: "Do not leave this
+place till all is over. Death is coming to me very surely, but I must
+fulfil my agreement, for I would rather die than break my word."
+
+Towards the close of day Uath strode into the hall exultant.
+
+"Where is Cuchulain?" he cried.
+
+"Here I am," was the reply.
+
+"Ah, poor boy! your speech is sad to-night, and the fear of death lies
+heavy on you; but at least you have redeemed your word and have not
+failed me."
+
+The youth rose from his seat and went towards Uath, as he stood with
+the great axe ready, and knelt to receive the blow.
+
+
+Curoi's Decision and Cuchulain's Victory
+
+The hero of Ulster laid his head on the block; but Uath was not
+satisfied. "Stretch out your neck better," said he.
+
+"You are playing with me, to torment me," said Cuchulain. "Slay me now
+speedily, for I did not keep you waiting last night."
+
+However, he stretched out his neck as Uath bade, and the stranger
+raised his axe till it crashed upwards through the rafters of the
+hall, like the crash of trees falling in a storm. When the axe came
+down with a terrific sound all men looked fearfully at Cuchulain. The
+descending axe had not even touched him; it had come down with the
+blunt side on the ground, and the youth knelt there unharmed. Smiling
+at him, and leaning on his axe, stood no terrible and hideous
+stranger, but Curoi of Kerry, come to give his decision at last.
+
+"Rise up, Cuchulain," said Curoi. "There is none among all the heroes
+of Ulster to equal you in courage and loyalty and truth. The
+Championship of the Heroes of Ireland is yours from this day forth,
+and the Champion's Portion at all feasts; and to your wife I adjudge
+the first place among all the women of Ulster. Woe to him who dares to
+dispute this decision!" Thereupon Curoi vanished, and the Red Branch
+warriors gathered around Cuchulain, and all with one voice acclaimed
+him the Champion of the Heroes of all Ireland--a title which has clung
+to him until this day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X: THE TALE OF GAMELYN
+
+
+The "Wicked Brothers" Theme
+
+The tale of "Gamelyn" is a variant of the old fairy-tale subject of
+the Wicked Elder Brothers, one of the oldest and most interesting
+versions of which may still be read in the Biblical story of Joseph
+and his brethren. Usually a father dies leaving three sons, of whom
+the two elder are worthless and the youngest rises to high honour,
+whereupon the elder brothers try to kill the youngest from envy at his
+good fortune. A similar root-idea is found in "Cinderella" and other
+fairy-tales of girls, but in these there may usually be found a cruel
+stepmother and two contemptuous stepsisters--a noteworthy variation
+which seems to point to some deep-rooted idea that the ties of blood
+are stronger among women than among men.
+
+
+Literary Influence of the "Gamelyn" Story
+
+The story of "Gamelyn" has two great claims to our attention: it is,
+through Lodge's "Euphues' Golden Legacy," the ultimate source of
+Shakespeare's _As You Like It_, and it seems to be the earliest
+presentment in English literature of the figure of "the noble outlaw."
+In fact, Gamelyn is probably the literary ancestor of "bold Robin
+Hood," and stands for an English ideal of justice and equity, against
+legal oppression and wickedness in high places. He shows, too, the
+love of free life, of the merry greenwood and the open road, which
+reappears after so many centuries in the work of Robert Louis
+Stevenson.
+
+
+The Story
+
+In the reign of King Edward I. there dwelt in Lincolnshire, near the
+vast expanse of the Fens, a noble gentleman, Sir John of the Marches.
+He was now old, but was still a model of all courtesy and a "very
+perfect gentle knight." He had three sons, of whom the youngest,
+Gamelyn, was born in his father's old age, and was greatly beloved by
+the old man; the other two were much older than he, and John, the
+eldest, had already developed a vicious and malignant character.
+Gamelyn and his second brother, Otho, reverenced their father, but
+John had no respect or obedience for the good gentleman, and was the
+chief trouble of his declining years, as Gamelyn was his chief joy.
+
+
+The Father Feels his End Approaching
+
+At last old age and weakness overcame the worthy old Sir John, and he
+was forced to take to his bed, where he lay sadly meditating on his
+children's future, and wondering how to divide his possessions justly
+among the three. There was no difficulty of inheritance or
+primogeniture, for all the knight's lands were held in fee-simple, and
+not in entail, so that he might bequeath them as he would. Sir John of
+the Marches, fearing lest he should commit an injustice, sent
+throughout the district for wise knights, begging them to come
+hastily, if they wished to see him alive, and help him. When the
+country squires and lords, his near neighbours, heard of his grave
+condition, they hurried to the castle, and gathered in the bedchamber,
+where the dying knight greeted them thus: "Lords and gentlemen, I warn
+you in truth that I may no longer live; by the will of God death lays
+his hand upon me." When they heard this they tried to encourage him,
+by bidding him remember that God can provide a remedy for every
+disease, and the good knight received their kindly words without
+dispute. "That God can send remedy for an ill I will never deny; but
+I beseech you, for my sake, to divide my lands among my three sons.
+For the love of God deal justly, and forget not my youngest, Gamelyn.
+Seldom does any heir to an estate help his brothers after his father's
+death."
+
+
+How Shall he Dispose of his Estate?
+
+The friends whom Sir John had summoned deliberated long over the
+disposal of the estate. The majority wished to give all to the eldest
+son, but a strong minority urged the claims of the second, but all
+agreed that Gamelyn might wait till his eldest brother chose to give
+him a share of his father's lands. At last it was decided to divide
+the inheritance between the two elder sons, and the knights returned
+to the chamber where the brave old knight lay dying, and told him
+their decision. He summoned up strength enough to protest against
+their plan of distribution, and said:
+
+    "'Nay, by St. Martin, I can yet bequeath
+    My lands to whom I wish: they still are mine.
+    Then hearken, neighbours, while I make my will.
+    To John, my eldest son, and heir, I leave
+    Five ploughlands, my dead father's heritage;
+    My second, Otho, ploughlands five shall hold,
+    Which my good right hand won in valiant strife;
+    All else I own, in lands and goods and wealth,
+    To Gamelyn, my youngest, I devise;
+    And I beseech you, for the love of God,
+    Forsake him not, but guard his helpless youth
+    And let him not be plundered of his wealth.'"
+
+Then Sir John, satisfied with having proclaimed his will, died with
+Christian resignation, leaving his little son Gamelyn in the power of
+the cruel eldest brother, now, in his turn, Sir John.
+
+
+The Cruel Eldest Son
+
+Since the boy was a minor, the new knight, as natural guardian,
+assumed the control of Gamelyn's land, vassals, education, and
+nurture; and full evilly he discharged his duties, for he clothed and
+fed him badly, and neglected his lands, so that his parks and houses,
+his farms and villages, fell into ruinous decay. The boy, when he grew
+older, noticed this and resented it, but did not realize the power in
+his own broad limbs and mighty sinews to redress his wrongs, though by
+the time he fully understood his injuries no man would dare to face
+him in fight when he was angry, so strong a youth had he become.
+
+
+Gamelyn Resists
+
+While Gamelyn, one day, walking in the hall, mused on the ruin of all
+his inheritance, Sir John came blustering in, and, seeing him, called
+out: "How now: is dinner ready?" Enraged at being addressed as if he
+were a mere servant, he replied angrily: "Go and do your own baking; I
+am not your cook."
+
+[Illustration: "Go and do your own baking!"]
+
+Sir John almost doubted the evidence of his ears. "What, my dear
+brother, is that the way to answer? Thou hast never addressed me so
+before!"
+
+"No," replied Gamelyn; "until now I have never considered all the
+wrong you have done me. My parks are broken open, my deer are driven
+off; you have deprived me of my armour and my steeds; all that my
+father bequeathed to me is falling into ruin and decay. God's curse
+upon you, false brother!"
+
+Sir John was now enraged beyond all measure, and shouted: "Stand
+still, vagabond, and hold thy peace! What right hast thou to speak of
+land or vassals? Thou shalt learn to be grateful for food and
+raiment."
+
+"A curse upon him that calls me vagabond! I am no worse than
+yourself; I am the son of a lady and a good knight."
+
+
+Gamelyn Terrifies the Household
+
+In spite of all his anger, Sir John was a cautious man, with a prudent
+regard for his own safety. He would not risk an encounter with
+Gamelyn, but summoned his servants and bade them beat him well, till
+he should learn better manners. But when the boy understood his
+brother's intention he vowed that he would not be beaten alone--others
+should suffer too, and Sir John not the least. Thereupon, leaping on
+to the wall, he seized a pestle which lay there, and so boldly
+attacked the timid servants, though they were armed with staves, that
+he drove them in flight, and laid on furious strokes which quenched
+the small spark of courage in them. Sir John had not even that small
+amount of bravery: he fled to a loft and barred the door, while
+Gamelyn cleared the hall with his pestle, and scoffed at the cowardly
+grooms who fled so soon from the strife they had begun. When he sought
+for his brother he could not see him at first, but afterwards
+perceived his sorry countenance peeping from a window. "Brother," said
+Gamelyn, "come a little nearer, and I will teach you how to play with
+staff and buckler."
+
+"Nay, by St. Richard, I will not descend till thou hast put down that
+pestle. Brother, be no more enraged, and I will make peace with thee.
+I swear it by the grace of God!"
+
+"I was forced to defend myself," said Gamelyn, "or your menials would
+have injured and degraded me: I could not let grooms beat a good
+knight's son; but now grant me one boon, and we shall soon be
+reconciled."
+
+
+Sir John's Guile
+
+"Yes, certainly, brother; ask thy boon, and I will grant it readily.
+But indeed I was only testing thee, for thou art so young that I
+doubted thy strength and manliness. It was only a pretence of beating
+that I meant."
+
+"This is my request," said the boy: "if there is to be peace between
+us you must surrender to me all that my father bequeathed me while he
+was alive."
+
+To this Sir John consented with apparent willingness, and even
+promised to repair the decayed mansions and restore the lands and
+farms to their former prosperity; but though he feigned content with
+the agreement and kissed his brother with outward affection yet he was
+inwardly meditating plans of treachery against the unsuspecting youth.
+
+
+A Wrestling Match
+
+Shortly after this quarrel between the brothers a wrestling
+competition was announced, the winner of which would become the owner
+of a fine ram and a ring of gold, and Gamelyn determined to try his
+powers. Accordingly he begged the loan of "a little courser" from Sir
+John, who offered him his choice of all the steeds in the stable, and
+then curiously questioned him as to his errand. The lad explained that
+he wished to compete in the wrestling match, hoping to win honour by
+bearing away the prize; then, springing on the beautiful courser that
+was brought him ready saddled, he spurred his horse and rode away
+merrily, while the false Sir John locked the gate behind him, praying
+that he might get his neck broken in the contest. The boy rode along,
+rejoicing in his youth and strength, singing as he went, till he drew
+near the appointed place, and then he suddenly heard a man's voice
+lamenting aloud and crying, "Wellaway! Alas!" and saw a venerable
+yeoman wringing his hands. "Good man," said Gamelyn, "why art thou in
+such distress? Can no man help thee?"
+
+
+A Dreaded Champion
+
+"Alas!" said the yeoman. "Woe to the day on which I was born! The
+champion wrestler here has overthrown my two stalwart sons, and unless
+God help them they must die of their grievous hurts. I would give ten
+pounds to find a man to avenge on him the injuries done to my dear
+sons."
+
+"Good man, hold my horse while my groom takes my coat and shoes, and I
+will try my luck and strength against this doughty champion."
+
+"Thank God!" said the yeoman. "I will do it at once; I will guard thy
+coat and shoes and good steed safely--and may Jesus Christ speed thee
+well!"
+
+
+Gamelyn Enters
+
+When Gamelyn entered the ring, barefooted and stripped for wrestling,
+all men gazed curiously at the rash youth who dared to challenge the
+stalwart champion, and the great man himself, rising from the ground,
+strolled across to meet Gamelyn and said haughtily: "Who is thy
+father, and what is thy name? Thou art, forsooth, a young fool to come
+here!"
+
+Gamelyn answered equally haughtily: "Thou knewest well my father while
+he lived: he was Sir John of the Marches, and I am his youngest son,
+Gamelyn."
+
+The champion replied: "Boy, I knew thy father well in his lifetime,
+and I have heard of thee, and nothing good: thou hast always been in
+mischief."
+
+"Now I am older thou shalt know me better," said Gamelyn.
+
+
+Defeats the Champion
+
+The wrestling had lasted till late in the evening, and the moon was
+shining on the scene when Gamelyn and the champion began their
+struggle. The wrestler tried many wily tricks, but the boy was ready
+for them all, and stood steady against all that his opponent could do.
+Then, in his turn, he took the offensive, grasped his adversary round
+the waist, and cast him so heavily to the ground that three ribs were
+broken, and his left arm. Then the victor said mockingly:
+
+"Shall we count that a cast, or not reckon it?"
+
+"By heaven! whether it be one or no, any man in thy hand will never
+thrive," said the champion painfully.
+
+The yeoman, who had watched the match with great anxiety, now broke
+out with blessings: "Blessed be thou, young sir, that ever thou wert
+born!" and now taunting the fallen champion, said: "It was young
+'Mischief' who taught thee this game."
+
+"He is master of us all," said the champion. "In all my years of
+wrestling I have never been mishandled so cruelly."
+
+Now the victor stood in the ring, ready for more wrestling, but no man
+would venture to compete with him, and the two judges who kept order
+and awarded the prizes bade him retire, for no other competitor could
+be found to face him.
+
+But he was a little disappointed at this easy victory. "Is the fair
+over? Why, I have not half sold my wares," he said.
+
+The champion was still capable of grim jesting. "Now, as I value my
+life, any purchaser of your wares is a fool; you sell so dearly."
+
+"Not at all," broke in the yeoman; "you have bought your share full
+cheap, and made a good bargain."
+
+
+He Wins the Prizes
+
+While this short conversation had been going on the judges had
+returned to their seats, and formally awarded the prize to Gamelyn,
+and now came to him, bearing the ram and the ring for his acceptance.
+
+Gamelyn took them gladly, and went home the next morning, followed by
+a cheering crowd of admirers; but when the cowardly Sir John saw the
+people he bolted the castle doors against his more favourite and
+successful brother.
+
+
+He Overcomes his Brother's Servants
+
+The porter, obeying his master's commands, refused Gamelyn entrance;
+and the youth, enraged at this insult, broke down the door with one
+blow, caught the fleeing porter, and flung him down the well in the
+courtyard. His brother's servants fled from his anger, and the crowd
+that had accompanied him swarmed into courtyard and hall, while the
+knight took refuge in a little turret.
+
+"Welcome to you all," said Gamelyn. "We will be masters here and ask
+no man's leave. Yesterday I left five tuns of wine in the cellar; we
+will drain them dry before you go. If my brother objects (as he well
+may, for he is a miser) I will be butler and caterer and manage the
+whole feast. Any person who dares to object may join the porter in the
+well."
+
+Naturally no objections were raised, and Gamelyn and his friends held
+high revel for a week, while Sir John lay hidden in his turret,
+terrified at the noise and revelry, and dreading what his brother
+might do to him now he had so great a following.
+
+
+A Reckoning with Sir John
+
+However, the guests departed quietly on the eighth day, leaving
+Gamelyn alone, and very sorrowful, in the hall where he had held high
+revel. As he stood there, musing sadly, he heard a timid footstep, and
+saw his brother creeping towards him. When he had attracted Gamelyn's
+attention he spoke out loudly: "Who made thee so bold as to destroy
+all my household stores?"
+
+"Nay, brother, be not wroth," said the youth quietly. "If I have used
+anything I have paid for it fully beforehand. For these sixteen years
+you have had full use and profit of fifteen good ploughlands which my
+father left me; you have also the use and increase of all my cattle
+and horses; and now all this past profit I abandon to you, in return
+for the expense of this feast of mine."
+
+Then said the treacherous Sir John: "Hearken, my dear brother: I have
+no son, and thou shalt be my heir--I swear by the holy St. John."
+
+"In faith," said Gamelyn, "if that be the case, and if this offer be
+made in all sincerity, may God reward you!" for it was impossible for
+his generous disposition to suspect his brother of treachery and to
+fathom the wiles of a crafty nature; hence it happened that he was so
+soon and easily beguiled.
+
+
+Gamelyn Allows Himself to be Chained
+
+Sir John hesitated a moment, and then said doubtfully: "There is one
+thing I must tell you, Gamelyn. When you threw my porter into the well
+I swore in my wrath that I would have you bound hand and foot. That is
+impossible now without your consent, and I must be forsworn unless you
+will let yourself be bound for a moment, as a mere form, just to save
+me from the sin of perjury."
+
+So sincere Sir John seemed, and so simple did the whole thing appear,
+that Gamelyn consented at once. "Why, certainly, brother, you shall
+not be forsworn for my sake." So he sat down, and the servants bound
+him hand and foot; and then Sir John looked mockingly at him as he
+said: "So now, my fine brother, I have you caught at last." Then he
+bade them bring fetters and rivet them on Gamelyn's limbs, and chain
+him fast to a post in the centre of the hall. Then he was placed on
+his feet with his back to the post and his hands manacled behind him,
+and as he stood there the false brother told every person who entered
+that Gamelyn had suddenly gone mad, and was chained for safety's sake,
+lest he should do himself or others some deadly hurt. For two long
+days and nights he stood there bound, with no food or drink, and grew
+faint with hunger and weariness, for his fetters were so tight that he
+could not sit or lie down; bitterly he lamented the carelessness which
+made him fall such an easy prey to his treacherous brother's designs.
+
+
+Adam Spencer to the Rescue
+
+When all others had left the hall Gamelyn appealed to old Adam
+Spencer, the steward of the household, a loyal old servant who had
+known Sir John of the Marches, and had watched the boy grow up. "Adam
+Spencer," quoth he, "unless my brother is minded to slay me, I am kept
+fasting too long. I beseech thee, for the great love my father bore
+thee, get the keys and release me from my bonds. I will share all my
+free land with thee if thou wilt help me in this distress."
+
+The poor old servant was greatly perplexed. He knew not how to
+reconcile his grateful loyalty to his dead master with the loyalty due
+to his present lord, and he said doubtfully: "I have served thy
+brother for sixteen years, and if I release thee now he will
+rightly call me a traitor." "Ah, Adam! thou wilt find him a false
+rogue at the last, as I have done. Release me, dear friend Adam, and I
+will be true to my agreement, and will keep my covenant to share my
+land with thee." By these earnest words the steward was persuaded,
+and, waiting till Sir John was safely in bed, managed to obtain
+possession of the keys and release Gamelyn, who stretched his arms and
+legs and thanked God for his liberty. "Now," said he, "if I were but
+well fed no one in this house should bind me again to-night." So Adam
+took him to a private room and set food before him; eagerly he ate and
+drank till his hunger was satisfied and he began to think of revenge.
+"What is your advice, Adam? Shall I go to my brother and strike off
+his head? He well merits it."
+
+
+A Plan of Escape
+
+"No," answered Adam, "I know a better plan than that. Sir John is to
+give a great feast on Sunday to many Churchmen and prelates; there
+will be present a great number of abbots and priors and other holy
+men. Do you stand as if bound by your post in the hall, and beseech
+them to release you. If they will be surety for you, your liberty will
+be gained with no blame to me; if they all refuse, you shall cast
+aside the unlocked chains, and you and I, with two good staves, can
+soon win your freedom. Christ's curse on him who fails his comrade!"
+
+"Yes," quoth Gamelyn, "evil may I thrive if I fail in my part of the
+bargain! But if we must needs help them to do penance for their sins,
+you must warn me, brother Adam, when to begin."
+
+"By St. Charity, master, I will give you good warning. When I wink at
+you be ready to cast away your fetters at once and come to me."
+
+"This is good advice of yours, Adam, and blessings on your head. If
+these haughty Churchmen refuse to be surety for me I will give them
+good strokes in payment."
+
+
+A Great Feast
+
+Sunday came, and after mass many guests thronged to the feast in the
+great hall; they all stared curiously at Gamelyn as he stood with his
+hands behind him, apparently chained to his post, and Sir John
+explained sadly that he, after slaying the porter and wasting the
+household stores, had gone mad, and was obliged to be chained, for his
+fury was dangerous. The servants carried dainty dishes round the
+table, and beakers of rich wines, but though Gamelyn cried aloud that
+he was fasting no food was brought to him. Then he spoke pitifully and
+humbly to the noble guests: "Lords, for Christ's sake help a poor
+captive out of prison." But the guests were hard-hearted, and answered
+cruelly, especially the abbots and priors, who had been deceived by
+Sir John's false tales. So harshly did they reply to the youth's
+humble petition that he grew angry. "Oh," said he, "that is all the
+answer I am to have to my prayer! Now I see that I have no friends.
+Cursed be he that ever does good to abbot or prior!"
+
+[Illustration: "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of
+prison!"]
+
+
+The Banquet Disturbed
+
+Adam Spencer, busied about the removal of the cloth, looked anxiously
+at Gamelyn, and saw how angry he grew. He thought little more of his
+service, but, making a pretext to go to the pantry, brought two good
+oak staves, and stood them beside the hall door. Then he winked
+meaningly at Gamelyn, who with a sudden shout flung off his chains,
+rushed to the hall door, seized a staff, and began to lay about him
+lustily, whirling his weapon as lightly as if it had been a holy
+water sprinkler. There was a dreadful commotion in the hall, for the
+portly Churchmen tried to escape, but the mere laymen loved Gamelyn,
+and drew aside to give him free play, so that he was able to scatter
+the prelates. Now he had no pity on these cruel Churchmen, as they had
+been without pity for him; he knocked them over, battered them, broke
+their arms and legs, and wrought terrible havoc among them; and during
+this time Adam Spencer kept the door so that none might escape. He
+called aloud to Gamelyn to respect the sanctity of men of Holy Church
+and shed no blood, but if he should by chance break arms and legs
+there would be no sacrilege, because no blood need be shed.
+
+
+Sir John in Chains
+
+Thus Gamelyn worked his will, laying hands on monks and friars, and
+sent them home wounded in carts and waggons, while some of them
+muttered: "We were better at home, with mere bread and water, than
+here where we have had such a sorry feast!" Then Gamelyn turned his
+attention to his false brother, who had been unable to escape, seized
+him by the neck, broke his backbone with one blow from his staff, and
+thrust him, sitting, into the fetters that yet hung from the post
+where Gamelyn had stood. "Sit there, brother, and cool thy blood,"
+said Gamelyn, as he and Adam sat down to a feast, at which the
+servants waited on them eagerly, partly from love and partly from
+fear.
+
+
+The Sheriff's Men Appear
+
+Now the sheriff happened to be only five miles away, and soon heard
+the news of this disturbance, and how Gamelyn and Adam had broken the
+king's peace; and, as his duty was, he determined to arrest the
+law-breakers. Twenty-four of his best men were sent to the castle to
+gain admittance and arrest Gamelyn and his steward; but the new
+porter, a devoted adherent of Gamelyn, denied them entrance till he
+knew their errand; when they refused to tell it, he sent a servant to
+rouse Gamelyn and warn him that the sheriff's men stood before the
+gate.
+
+    "Then answered Gamelyn: 'Good porter, go;
+    Delay my foes with fair speech at the gate
+    Till I relieve thee with some cunning wile.
+    If I o'erlive this strait, I will requite
+    Thy truth and loyalty. Adam,' quoth he,
+    'Our foes are on us, and we have no friend--
+    The sheriff's men surround us, and have sworn
+    A mighty oath to take us: we must go
+    Whither our safety calls us.' He replied:
+    'Go where thou wilt, I follow to the last
+    Or die forlorn: but this proud sheriffs troop
+    Will flee before our onset, to the fens.'"
+
+
+The Sheriff Arrives
+
+As Gamelyn and Adam looked round for weapons the former saw a
+cart-staff, a stout post used for propping up the shafts; this he
+seized, and ran out at the little postern gate, followed by Adam with
+another staff. They caught the sheriff's twenty-four bold men in the
+rear, and when Gamelyn had felled three, and Adam two, the rest took
+to their heels. "What!" said Adam as they fled. "Drink a draught of my
+good wine! I am steward here." "Nay," they shouted back; "such wine as
+yours scatters a man's brains far too thoroughly." Now this little
+fray was hardly ended before the sheriff came in person with a great
+troop. Gamelyn knew not what to do, but Adam again had a plan ready.
+"Let us stay no longer, but go to the greenwood: there we shall at
+least be at liberty." The advice suited Gamelyn, and each drank a
+draught of wine, mounted his steed, and lightly rode away, leaving
+the empty nest for the sheriff, with no eggs therein. However, that
+officer dismounted, entered the hall, and found Sir John fettered and
+nearly dying. He released him, and summoned a leech, who healed his
+grievous wound, and enabled him to do more mischief.
+
+
+Gamelyn Goes to the Greenwood
+
+Meanwhile Adam wandered with Gamelyn in the greenwood, and found it
+very hard work, with little food. He complained aloud to his young
+lord:
+
+    "'Would I were back in mine old stewardship--
+    Full blithe were I, the keys to bear and keep!
+    I like not this wild wood, with wounding thorns,
+    And nought of food or drink, or restful ease.'
+    'Ah! Adam,' answered Gamelyn, 'in sooth
+    Full many a good man's son feels bitter woe!
+    Then cheer thee, Adam.'"
+
+[Illustration: "Then cheer thee, Adam"]
+
+As they spoke sadly together Gamelyn heard men's voices near by, and,
+looking through the bushes, saw seven score young men, sitting round a
+plentiful feast, spread on the green grass. He rejoiced greatly,
+bidding Adam remember that "Boot cometh after bale," and pointing out
+to him the abundance of provisions near at hand. Adam longed for a
+good meal, for they had found little to eat since they came to the
+greenwood. At that moment the master-outlaw saw them in the underwood,
+and bade his young men bring to him these new guests whom God had
+sent: perchance, he said, there were others besides these two. The
+seven bold youths who started up to do his will cried to the two
+new-comers: "Yield and hand us your bows and arrows!" "Much sorrow may
+he have who yields to you," cried Gamelyn. "Why, with five more ye
+would be only twelve, and I could fight you all." When the outlaws
+saw how boldly he bore himself they changed their tone, and said
+mildly: "Come to our master, and tell him thy desire." "Who is your
+master?" quoth Gamelyn. "He is the crowned king of the outlaws," quoth
+they; and the two strangers were led away to the chief.
+
+The master-outlaw, sitting on a rustic throne, with a crown of
+oak-leaves on his head, asked them their business, and Gamelyn
+replied: "He must needs walk in the wood who may not walk in the town.
+We are hungry and faint, and will only shoot the deer for food, for we
+are hard bestead and in great danger."
+
+
+Gamelyn Joins the Outlaws
+
+The outlaw leader had pity on their distress, and gave them food; and
+as they ate ravenously the outlaws whispered one to another: "This is
+Gamelyn!" "This is Gamelyn!" Understanding all the evils that had
+befallen him, their leader soon made Gamelyn his second in command;
+and when after three weeks the outlaw king was pardoned and allowed to
+return home, Gamelyn was chosen to succeed him and was crowned king of
+the outlaws. So he dwelt merrily in the forest, and troubled not
+himself about the world outside.
+
+
+The Law at Work
+
+Meanwhile the treacherous Sir John had recovered, and in due course
+had become sheriff, and indicted his brother for felony. As Gamelyn
+did not appear to answer the indictment he was proclaimed an outlaw
+and wolf's-head, and a price was set upon his life. Now his bondmen
+and vassals were grieved at this, for they feared the cruelty of the
+wicked sheriff; they therefore sent messengers to Gamelyn to tell him
+the ill news, and deprecate his wrath. The youth's anger rose at the
+tidings, and he promised to come and beard Sir John in his hall and
+protect his own tenants.
+
+
+Gamelyn Arrested
+
+It was certainly a stroke of rash daring thus to venture into the
+county where his brother was sheriff, but he strode boldly into the
+moot-hall, with his hood thrown back, so that all might recognise him,
+and cried aloud: "God save all you lordings here present! But, thou
+broken-backed sheriff, evil mayst thou thrive! Why hast thou done me
+such wrong and disgrace as to have me indicted and proclaimed an
+outlaw?" Sir John did not hesitate to use his legal powers, but,
+seeing his brother was quite alone, had him arrested and cast into
+prison, whence it was his intention that only death should release
+him.
+
+
+Otho as Surety
+
+All these years the second brother, Otho, had lived quietly on his own
+lands and taken no heed of the quarrels of the two others; but now,
+when news came to him of Sir John's deadly hatred to their youngest
+brother, and Gamelyn's desperate plight, he was deeply grieved, roused
+himself from his peaceful life, and rode to see if he could help his
+brother. First he besought Sir John's mercy for the prisoner, for the
+sake of brotherhood and family love; but he only replied that Gamelyn
+must stay imprisoned till the justice should hold the next assize.
+Then Otho offered to be bail, if only his young brother might be
+released from his bonds and brought from the dismal dungeon where he
+lay. To this Sir John finally consented, warning Otho that if the
+accused failed to appear before the justice he himself must suffer the
+penalty for the breach of bail. "I agree," said Otho. "Have him
+released at once, and deliver him to me." Then Gamelyn was set free
+on his brother's surety, and the two rode home to Otho's house,
+talking sadly of all that had befallen, and how Gamelyn had become
+king of the outlaws. The next morning Gamelyn asked Otho's permission
+to go to the greenwood and see how his young men fared but Otho
+pointed out so clearly how dreadful would be the consequences to him
+if he did not return that the young man vowed:
+
+    "'I swear by James, the mighty saint of Spain,
+    That I will not desert thee, nor will fail
+    To stand my trial on the appointed day,
+    If God Almighty give me strength and health
+    And power to keep my vow. I will be there,
+    That I may show what bitter hate Sir John,
+    My cruel brother, holds against me.'"
+
+
+Gamelyn Goes to the Woods
+
+Thereupon Otho bade him go. "God shield thee from shame! Come when
+thou seest it is the right time, and save us both from blame and
+reproach." So Gamelyn went gaily to the merry greenwood, and found his
+company of outlaws; and so much had they to tell of their work in his
+absence, and so much had he to relate of his adventures, that time
+slipped by, and he soon fell again into his former mode of life, and
+his custom of robbing none but Churchmen, fat abbots and priors, monks
+and canons, so that all others spoke good of him, and called him the
+"courteous outlaw."
+
+
+The Term Expires
+
+Gamelyn stood one day looking out over the woods and fields, and it
+suddenly came to his mind with a pang of self-reproach that he had
+forgotten his promise to Otho, and the day of the assize was very
+near. He called his young men (for he had learned not to trust
+himself to the honour or loyalty of his brother the sheriff), and
+bade them prepare to accompany him to the place of assize, sending
+Adam on as a scout to learn tidings. Adam returned in great haste,
+bringing sad news. The judge was in his place, a jury empanelled to
+condemn Gamelyn to death, bribed thereto by the wicked sheriff, and
+Otho was fettered in the gaol in place of his brother. The news
+enraged Gamelyn, but Adam Spencer was even more infuriated; he would
+gladly have held the doors of the moot-hall and slain every person
+inside except Otho; but his master's sense of justice was too strong
+for that. "Adam," he said, "we will not do so, but will slay the
+guilty and let the innocent escape. I myself will have some
+conversation with the justice in the hall; and meanwhile do ye, my
+men, hold the doors fast. I will make myself justice to-day, and thou,
+Adam, shalt be my clerk. We will give sentence this day, and God speed
+our new work!" All his men applauded this speech and promised him
+obedience, and the troop of outlaws hastened to surround the hall.
+
+
+Gamelyn in the Court
+
+Once again Gamelyn strode into the moot-hall in the midst of his
+enemies, and was recognised by all. He released Otho, who said gently:
+"Brother, thou hast nearly overstayed the time; the sentence has been
+given against me that I shall be hanged."
+
+"Brother," said Gamelyn, "this day shall thy foes and mine be hanged:
+the sheriff, the justice, and the wicked jurors." Then Gamelyn turned
+to the judge, who sat as if paralysed in his seat of judgment, and
+said:
+
+    "'Come from the seat of justice: all too oft
+    Hast thou polluted law's clear stream with wrong;
+    Too oft hast taken reward against the poor;
+    Too oft hast lent thine aid to villainy,
+    And given judgment 'gainst the innocent.
+    Come down and meet thine own meed at the bar,
+    While I, in thy place, give more rightful doom
+    And see that justice dwells in law for once.'"
+
+[Illustration: "Come from the seat of justice"]
+
+
+A Scene
+
+The justice sat still, dumb with astonishment, and Gamelyn struck him
+fiercely, cut his cheek, and threw him over the bar so that his arm
+broke; and no man durst withstand the outlaw, for fear of his company
+standing at the doors. The youth sat down in the judge's seat, with
+Otho beside him, and Adam in the clerk's desk; and he placed in the
+dock the false sheriff, the justice, and the unjust jurors, and
+accused them of wrong and attempted murder. In order to keep up the
+forms of law, he empanelled a jury of his own young men, who brought
+in a verdict of "Guilty," and the prisoners were all condemned to
+death and hanged out of hand, though the false sheriff attempted to
+appeal to the brotherly affection of which he had shown so little.
+
+
+Honour from the King
+
+After this high-handed punishment of their enemies Gamelyn and his
+brother went to lay their case before King Edward, and he forgave
+them, in consideration of all the wrongs and injuries Gamelyn had
+suffered; and before they returned to their distant county the king
+made Otho sheriff of the county, and Gamelyn chief forester of all his
+free forests; his band of outlaws were all pardoned, and the king gave
+them posts according to their capabilities. Now Gamelyn and his
+brother settled down to a happy, peaceful life. Otho, having no son,
+made Gamelyn his heir, and the latter married a beauteous lady, and
+lived with her in joy till his life's end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI: WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The outlaw of mediæval England has always possessed a potent charm for
+the minds of less rebellious persons. No doubt now the attraction has
+somewhat waned, for in the exploration of distant lands and the study
+of barbaric tribes men can find that breadth of outlook, that escape
+from narrow conventionalities, which they could formerly gain only by
+the cult of the "noble outlaw." The romance of life for many a worthy
+citizen must have been found in secret sympathy with Robin Hood and
+his merry band of banished men, robbing the purse-proud to help the
+needy and gaily defying law and authority.
+
+To the poor, however, the outlaw was something more than an easy
+entrance to the realms of romance; he was a real embodiment of the
+spirit of liberty. Of all the unjust laws which the Norman conquerors
+laid upon England, perhaps the most bitterly resented were the forest
+laws, and resistance to them was the most popular form of national
+independence. Hence it follows that we find outlaw heroes popular very
+early in our history--heroes who stand in the mind of the populace for
+justice and true liberty against the oppressive tyranny of subordinate
+officials, and who are always taken into favour by the king, the fount
+of true justice.
+
+
+Famous Outlaws
+
+There is some slight tinge of the "outlaw hero" in Hereward, but the
+outlaw period of that patriot's life is but an episode in his defence
+of England against William the Norman. There is a fully developed
+outlaw hero, the ideal of the type, in Robin Hood, but he has been
+somewhat idealized and ennobled by being transformed into a banished
+Earl of Huntingdon. Less known, but equally heroic, is William of
+Cloudeslee, the William Tell of England, whose fame is that of a good
+yeoman, a good archer, and a good patriot.
+
+
+The Outlaws
+
+In the green forest of Englewood, in the "North Countree," not far
+from the fortified town of Carlisle, dwelt a merry band of outlaws.
+They were not evildoers, but sturdy archers and yeomen, whose outlawry
+had been incurred only for shooting the king's deer. Indeed, to most
+men of that time--that is, to most men who were not in the royal
+service--the shooting of deer, and the pursuit of game in general,
+were not only venial offences, but the most natural thing in life. The
+royal claim to exclusive hunting in the vast forests of Epping,
+Sherwood, Needwood, Barnesdale, Englewood, and many others seemed
+preposterous to the yeomen who lived on the borders of the forests,
+and they took their risks and shot the deer and made venison pasty,
+convinced that they were wronging no one and risking only their own
+lives. They had the help and sympathy of many a man who was himself a
+law-abiding citizen, as well as the less understanding help of the
+town mob and the labourers in the country.
+
+
+The Leaders
+
+While the outlaws of merry Sherwood recognised no chief but Robin Hood
+and no foe but the Sheriff of Nottingham, the outlaws of Englewood
+were under the headship of three famous archers, brothers-in-arms
+sworn to stand by each other, but not brothers in blood. Their names
+were Adam Bell, William of Cloudeslee, and Clym of the Cleugh; and of
+the three William of Cloudeslee alone was married. His wife, fair
+Alice of Cloudeslee, dwelt in a strong house within the walls of
+Carlisle, with her three children, for they were not included in
+William's outlawry. It was possible thus for her to send her husband
+warning of any attack planned by the Sheriff of Carlisle on the
+outlaws, and she had saved him and his comrades from surprise already.
+
+
+William Goes to Carlisle
+
+When the blithe spring had come, and the forest was beautiful with its
+fresh green leaves, William began to long for his home and family; he
+had not ventured into Carlisle for some time, and it was more than six
+months since he had seen his wife's face. Little wonder was it, then,
+that he announced his intention of visiting his home, at the risk of
+capture by his old enemy the Sheriff. In vain his comrades dissuaded
+him from the venture. Adam Bell was especially urgent in his advice
+that William should remain in the greenwood.
+
+"You shall not go to Carlisle, brother, by my advice, nor with my
+consent. If the sheriff or the justice should know that you are in the
+town short would be your shrift and soon your span of life would end.
+Stay with us, and we will fetch you tidings of your wife."
+
+William replied: "Nay, I must go myself; I cannot rest content with
+tidings only. If all is well I will return by prime to-morrow, and if
+I fail you at that hour you may be sure I am taken or slain; and I
+pray you guard well my family, if that be so."
+
+Taking leave of his brother outlaws, William made his way unobserved
+into the town and came to his wife's dwelling. It was closely shut,
+with doors strongly bolted, and he was forced to knock long on the
+window before his wife opened the shutter to see who was the
+importunate visitor.
+
+"Let me in quickly, my own Alice," he said. "I have come to see you
+and my three children. How have you fared this long time?"
+
+"Alas!" she replied, hurriedly admitting him, and bolting the door
+again, "why have you come now, risking your dear life to gain news of
+us? Know you not that this house has been watched for more than six
+months, so eager are the sheriff and the justice to capture and hang
+you? I would have come to you in the forest, or sent you word of our
+welfare. I fear--oh, how I fear!--lest your coming be known!"
+
+
+The Old Woman's Treachery
+
+"Now that I am here, let us make merry," quoth William. "No man has
+seen me enter, and I would fain enjoy my short stay with you and my
+children, for I must be back in the forest by prime to-morrow. Can you
+not give a hungry outlaw food and drink?"
+
+Then Dame Alice bustled about and prepared the best she had for her
+husband; and when all was ready a very happy little family sat down to
+the meal, husband and wife talking cheerily together, while the
+children watched in wondering silence the father who had been away so
+long and came to them so seldom.
+
+There was one inmate of the house who saw in William's return a means
+of making shameful profit. She was an old bedridden woman, apparently
+paralysed, whom he had rescued from utter poverty seven years before.
+During all that time she had lain on a bed near the fire, had shared
+all the life of the family, and had never once moved from her couch.
+Now, while husband and wife talked together and the darkness deepened
+in the room, this old impostor slipped from her bed and glided
+stealthily out of the house.
+
+
+News Brought to the Sheriff
+
+It happened that the king's assize was being held just then in
+Carlisle, and the sheriff and his staunch ally the justice were
+sitting together in the Justice Hall. Thither this treacherous old
+woman hurried with all speed and pushed into the hall, forcing her way
+through the crowd till she came near the sheriff. "Ha! what would you,
+good woman?" asked he, surprised. "Sir, I bring tidings of great
+value." "Tell your tidings, and I shall see if they be of value or no.
+If they are I will reward you handsomely." "Sir, this night William of
+Cloudeslee has come into Carlisle, and is even now in his wife's
+house. He is all alone, and you can take him easily. Now what will you
+pay me, for I am sure this news is much to you?" "You say truth, good
+woman. That bold outlaw is the worst of all who kill the king's deer
+in his forest of Englewood, and if I could but catch him I should be
+well content. Dame, you shall not go without a recompense for your
+journey here and for your loyalty." The sheriff then bade his men give
+the old woman a piece of scarlet cloth, dyed in grain, enough for a
+gown, and the treacherous hag hid the gift under her cloak, hastened
+away to Alice's house, and slipped unperceived into her place again,
+hiding the scarlet cloth under the bed-coverings.
+
+
+The Hue and Cry
+
+Immediately he had heard of Cloudeslee's presence in Carlisle the
+sheriff sent out the hue and cry, and with all speed raised the whole
+town, for though none hated the outlaws men dared not refuse to obey
+the king's officer. The justice, too, joined the sheriff in the
+congenial task of capturing an outlaw whose condemnation was already
+pronounced. With all the forces at their disposal, sheriff and justice
+took their way towards the house where William and Alice unconscious
+of the danger besetting them, still talked lovingly together.
+
+Suddenly the outlaw's ears, sharpened by woodcraft and by constant
+danger, heard a growing noise coming nearer and nearer. He knew the
+sound of the footsteps of many people, and among the casual shuffling
+of feet recognised the ominous tramp of soldiers.
+
+"Wife, we are betrayed," cried William. "Hither comes the sheriff to
+take me."
+
+
+The Siege of the House
+
+Alice ran quickly up to her bedchamber and opened a window looking to
+the back, and saw, to her despair, that soldiers beset the house on
+every side and filled all the neighbouring streets. Behind them
+pressed a great throng of citizens, who seemed inclined to leave the
+capture of the outlaw to the guard. At the same moment William from
+the front called to his wife that the sheriff and justice were
+besieging the house on that side.
+
+"Alas! dear husband, what shall we do?" cried Alice. "Accursed be all
+treason! But who can have betrayed you to your foes? Go into my
+bedchamber, dear William, and defend yourself there, for it is the
+strongest room in the house. The children and I will go with you, and
+I will guard the door while you defend the windows."
+
+The plan was speedily carried out, and while William took his stand by
+the window Alice seized a pole-axe and stationed herself by the door.
+"No man shall enter this door alive while I live," said she.
+
+
+The Attack
+
+From the window Cloudeslee could perceive his mortal enemies the
+justice and the sheriff; and drawing his good longbow, he shot with
+deadly aim fair at the breast of the justice. It was well for the
+latter then that he wore a suit of good chain-mail under his robes;
+the arrow hit his breast and split in three on the mail.
+
+"Beshrew the man that clad you with that mail coat! You would have
+been a dead man now if your coat had been no thicker than mine," said
+William.
+
+"Yield yourself, Cloudeslee, and lay down your bow and arrows," said
+the justice. "You cannot escape, for we have you safe."
+
+"Never shall my husband yield; it is evil counsel you give," exclaimed
+the brave wife from her post at the door.
+
+
+The House is Burnt
+
+The sheriff, who grew more angered as the hours passed on and
+Cloudeslee was not taken, now cried aloud: "Why do we waste time
+trifling here? The man is an outlaw and his life is forfeit. Let us
+burn him and his house, and if his wife and children will not leave
+him they shall all burn together, for it is their own choice."
+
+This cruel plan was soon carried out. Fire was set to the door and
+wooden shutters, and the flames spread swiftly; the smoke rolled up in
+thick clouds into the lofty bedchamber, where the little children,
+crouching on the ground, began to weep for fear.
+
+"Alas! must we all die?" cried fair Alice, grieving for her children.
+
+William opened the window and looked out, but there was no chance of
+escape; his foes filled every street and lane around the house.
+"Surely they will spare my wife and babes," he thought; and, tearing
+the sheets from the bed, he made a rope, with which he let down to the
+ground his children, and last of all his weeping wife.
+
+He called aloud to the sheriff: "Sir Sheriff, here have I trusted to
+you my chief treasures. For God's sake do them no harm, but wreak all
+your wrath on me!"
+
+Gentle hands received Alice and her babes, and friendly citizens led
+them from the press; but Alice went reluctantly, in utter grief,
+knowing that her husband must be burnt with his house or taken by his
+foes; but for her children she would have stayed with him. William
+continued his wonderful archery, never missing his aim, till all his
+arrows were spent, and the flames came so close that his bowstring was
+burnt in two. Great blazing brands came falling upon him from the
+burning roof, and the floor was hot beneath his feet. "An evil death
+is this!" thought he. "Better it were that I should take sword and
+buckler and leap down amid my foes and so die, striking good blows in
+the throng of enemies, than stay here and let them see me burn."
+
+[Illustration: "William continued his wonderful archery"]
+
+Thereupon he leaped lightly down, and fought so fiercely that he
+nearly escaped through the throng, for the worthy citizens of Carlisle
+were not anxious to capture him; but the soldiers, urged by the
+sheriff and justice, threw doors and windows upon him, hampered his
+blows, and seized and bound him, and cast him into a deep dungeon.
+
+
+The Sheriff Gives Sentence
+
+"Now, William of Cloudeslee," quoth the sheriff, "you shall be hanged
+with speed, as soon as I can have a new gallows made. So noted an
+outlaw merits no common gibbet; a new one is most fitting.
+To-morrow at prime you shall die. There is no hope of rescue, for the
+gates of the town shall be shut. Your dear friends, Adam Bell and Clym
+of the Cleugh, would be helpless to save you, though they brought a
+thousand more like themselves, or even all the devils in Hell."
+
+Early next morning the justice arose, went to the soldiers who guarded
+the gates, and forbade them to open till the execution was over; then
+he went to the market-place and superintended the erection of a
+specially lofty gallows, beside the pillory.
+
+
+News is Brought to the Greenwood
+
+Among the crowd who watched the gallows being raised was a little lad,
+the town swineherd, who asked a bystander the meaning of the new
+gibbet.
+
+"It is put up to hang a good yeoman, William of Cloudeslee, more's the
+pity! He has done no wrong but kill the King's deer, and that merits
+not hanging. It is a foul shame that such injustice can be wrought in
+the king's name."
+
+The little lad had often met William of Cloudeslee in the forest, and
+had carried him messages from his wife; William had given the boy many
+a dinner of venison, and now he determined to help his friend if he
+could. The gates were shut and no man could pass out, but the boy
+stole along the wall till he found a crevice, by which he clambered
+down outside. Then he hastened to the forest of Englewood, and met
+Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh.
+
+"Come quickly, good yeomen; ye tarry here too long. While you are at
+ease in the greenwood your friend, William of Cloudeslee, is taken,
+condemned to death, and ready to be hanged. He needs your help this
+very hour."
+
+Adam Bell groaned. "Ah! if he had but taken our advice he would have
+been here in safety with us now. In the greenwood there is no sorrow
+or care, but when William went to the town he was running into
+trouble." Then, bending his bow, he shot with unerring aim a hart,
+which he gave to the lad as recompense for his labour and goodwill.
+
+
+The Outlaws Go to Carlisle
+
+"Come," said Clym to Adam Bell, "let us tarry no longer, but take our
+bows and arrows and see what we can do. By God's grace we will rescue
+our brother, though we may abide it full dearly ourselves. We will go
+to Carlisle without delay."
+
+The morning was fair as the two yeomen strode from the deep green
+shades of Englewood Forest along the hard white road leading to
+Carlisle Town. They were in time as yet, but when they drew near the
+wall they were amazed to see that no entrance or exit was possible;
+the gates were shut fast.
+
+Stepping back into the green thickets beside the road, the two outlaws
+consulted together. Adam Bell was for a valiant attempt to storm the
+gate, but Clym suddenly bethought him of a wiser plan.
+
+
+Clym's Stratagem
+
+Said he: "Let us pretend to be messengers from the king, with urgent
+letters to the justice. Surely that should win us admission. But alas!
+I forgot. How can we bear out our pretence, for I am no learned clerk.
+I cannot write."
+
+Quoth Adam Bell: "I can write a good clerkly hand. Wait one instant
+and I will speedily have a letter written; then we can say we have the
+king's seal. The plan will do well enough, for I hold the gate-keeper
+no learned clerk, and this will deceive him."
+
+[Illustration: Adam Bell writes the letter]
+
+Indeed, the letter which he quickly wrote and folded and sealed was
+very well and clearly written, and addressed to the Justice of
+Carlisle. Then the two bold outlaws hastened up the road and thundered
+on the town gates.
+
+
+They Enter the Town
+
+So long and loud they knocked that the warder came in great wrath,
+demanding who dared to make such clamour.
+
+Adam Bell replied: "We are two messengers come straight from our lord
+the king." Clym of the Cleugh added: "We have a letter for the justice
+which we must deliver into his own hands. Let us in speedily to
+perform our errand, for we must return to the king in haste."
+
+"No," the warder replied, "that I cannot do. No man may enter these
+gates till a false thief and outlaw be safely hanged. He is William of
+Cloudeslee, who has long deserved death."
+
+Now Clym saw that matters were becoming desperate, and time was
+passing too quickly, so he adopted a more violent tone. "Ah, rascal,
+scoundrel, madman!" quoth he. "If we be delayed here any longer thou
+shalt be hanged for a false thief! To keep the king's messengers
+waiting thus! Canst thou not see the king's seal? Canst thou not read
+the address of the royal letter? Ah, blockhead, thou shalt dearly
+abide this delay when my lord knows thereof."
+
+Thus speaking, he flourished the forged letter, with its false seal,
+in the porter's face; and the man, seeing the seal and the writing,
+believed what was told him. Reverently he took off his hood and bent
+the knee to the king's messengers, for whom he opened wide the gates,
+and they entered, walking warily.
+
+
+They Keep the Gates
+
+"At last we are within Carlisle walls, and glad thereof are we," said
+Adam Bell, "but when and how we shall go out again Christ only knows,
+who harrowed Hell and brought out its prisoners."
+
+"Now if we had the keys ourselves we should have a good chance of
+life," said Clym, "for then we could go in and out at our own will."
+"Let us call the warder," said Adam. When he came running at their
+call both the yeomen sprang upon him, flung him to the ground, bound
+him hand and foot, and cast him into a dark cell, taking his bunch of
+keys from his girdle. Adam laughed and shook the heavy keys. "Now I am
+gate-ward of merry Carlisle. See, here are my keys. I think I shall be
+the worst warder they have had for three hundred years. Let us bend
+our bows and hold our arrows ready, and walk into the town to deliver
+our brother."
+
+
+The Fight in the Market-place
+
+When they came to the market-place they found a dense crowd of
+sympathizers watching pityingly the hangman's cart, in which lay
+William of Cloudeslee, bound hand and foot, with a rope round his
+neck. The sheriff and the justice stood near the gallows, and
+Cloudeslee would have been hanged already, but that the sheriff was
+hiring a man to measure the outlaw for his grave. "You shall have the
+dead man's clothes, good fellow, if you make his grave," said he.
+
+Cloudeslee's courage was still undaunted. "I have seen as great a
+marvel ere now," quoth he, "as that a man who digs a grave for another
+may lie in it himself, in as short a time as from now to prime."
+
+"You speak proudly, my fine fellow, but hanged you shall be, if I do
+it with my own hand," retorted the sheriff furiously.
+
+Now the cart moved a little nearer to the scaffold, and William was
+raised up to be ready for execution. As he looked round the dense mass
+of faces his keen sight soon made him aware of his friends. Adam Bell
+and Clym of the Cleugh stood at one corner of the market-place with
+arrow on string, and their deadly aim bent at the sheriff and justice,
+whose horses raised them high above the murmuring throng. Cloudeslee
+showed no surprise, but said aloud: "Lo! I see comfort, and hope to
+fare well in my journey. Yet if I might have my hands free I would
+care little what else befell me."
+
+
+The Rescue
+
+Now Adam said quietly to Clym: "Brother, do you take the justice, and
+I will shoot the sheriff. Let us both loose at once and leave them
+dying. It is an easy shot, though a long one."
+
+Thus, while the sheriff yet waited for William to be measured for his
+grave, suddenly men heard the twang of bowstrings and the whistling
+flight of arrows through the air, and at the same moment both sheriff
+and justice fell writhing from their steeds, with the grey goose
+feathers standing in their breasts. All the bystanders fled from the
+dangerous neighbourhood, and left the gallows, the fatal cart, and the
+mortally wounded officials alone. The two bold outlaws rushed to
+release their comrade, cut his bonds, and lifted him to his feet.
+William seized an axe from a soldier and pursued the fleeing guard,
+while his two friends with their deadly arrows slew a man at each
+shot.
+
+
+The Mayor of Carlisle
+
+When the arrows were all used Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh threw
+away their bows and took to sword and buckler. The fight continued
+till midday for in the narrow streets the three comrades protected
+each other, and drew gradually towards the gate. Adam Bell still
+carried the keys at his girdle, and they could pass out easily if they
+could but once reach the gateway. By this time the whole town was in a
+commotion; again the hue and cry had been raised against the outlaws,
+and the Mayor of Carlisle came in person with a mighty troop of armed
+citizens, angered now at the fighting in the streets of the town.
+
+The three yeomen retreated as steadily as they could towards the gate,
+but the mayor followed valiantly armed with a pole-axe, with which he
+clove Cloudeslee's shield in two. He soon perceived the object of the
+outlaws, and bade his men guard the gates well, so that the three
+should not escape.
+
+
+The Escape from Carlisle
+
+Terrible was the din in the town now, for trumpets blew, church-bells
+were rung backward, women bewailed their dead in the streets, and over
+all resounded the clash of arms, as the fighting drew nigh the gate.
+When the gatehouse came in sight the outlaws were fighting
+desperately, with diminishing strength, but the thought of safety
+outside the walls gave them force to make one last stand. With backs
+to the gate and faces to the foe, Adam and Clym and William made a
+valiant onslaught on the townsfolk, who fled in terror, leaving a
+breathing-space in which Adam Bell turned the key, flung open the
+great ponderous gate, and flung it to again, when the three had passed
+through.
+
+[Illustration: The fight at the gate]
+
+
+Adam and the Keys
+
+As Adam locked the door they could hear inside the town the
+hurrying footsteps of the rallying citizens, whose furious attack on
+the great iron-studded door came too late. The door was locked, and
+the three friends stood in safety outside, with their pleasant forest
+home within easy reach. The change of feeling was so intense that Adam
+Bell, always the man to seize the humorous point of a situation,
+laughed lightly. He called through the barred wicket:
+
+"Here are your keys. I resign my office as warder--one half-day's work
+is enough for me; and as I have resigned, and the former gate-ward is
+somewhat damaged and has disappeared, I advise you to find a new one.
+Take your keys, and much good may you get from them. Next time I
+advise you not to stop an honest yeoman from coming to see his own
+wife and have a chat with her."
+
+Thereupon he flung the keys over the gate on the heads of the crowd,
+and the three brethren slipped away into the forest to their own
+haunts, where they found fresh bows and arrows in such abundance that
+they longed to be back in fair Carlisle with their foes before them.
+
+
+William of Cloudeslee and his Wife Meet
+
+While they were yet discussing all the details of the rescue they
+heard a woman's pitiful lament and the crying of little children.
+"Hark!" said Cloudeslee, and they all heard in the silence the words
+she said. It was William's wife, and she cried: "Alas! why did I not
+die before this day? Woe is me that my dear husband is slain! He is
+dead, and I have no friend to lament with me. If only I could see his
+comrades and tell what has befallen him my heart would be eased of
+some of its pain."
+
+William, as he listened, was deeply touched, and walked gently to
+fair Alice, as she hid her face in her hands and wept. "Welcome, wife,
+to the greenwood!" quoth he. "By heaven, I never thought to see you
+again when I lay in bonds last night." Dame Alice sprang up most
+joyously. "Oh, all is well with me now you are here; I have no care or
+woe." "For that you must thank my dear brethren, Adam and Clym," said
+he; and Alice began to load them with her thanks, but Adam cut short
+the expression of her gratitude. "No need to talk about a little
+matter like that," he said gruffly. "If we want any supper we had
+better kill something, for the meat we must eat is yet running wild."
+
+With three such good archers game was easily shot and a merry meal was
+quickly prepared in the greenwood, and all joyfully partook of venison
+and other dainties. Throughout the repast William devotedly waited on
+his wife with deepest love and reverence, for he could not forget how
+she had defended him and risked her life to stand by him.
+
+
+William's Proposed Visit to London
+
+When the meal was over, and they reclined on the green turf round the
+fire, William began thoughtfully:
+
+"It is in my mind that we ought speedily to go to London and try to
+win our pardon from the king. Unless we approach him before news can
+be brought from Carlisle he will assuredly slay us. Let us go at once,
+leaving my dear wife and my two youngest sons in a convent here; but I
+would fain take my eldest boy with me. If all goes well he can bring
+good news to Alice in her nunnery, and if all goes ill he shall bring
+her my last wishes. But I am sure I am not meant to die by the law."
+His brethren approved the plan, and they took fair Alice and her two
+youngest children to the nunnery, and then the three famous archers
+with the little boy of seven set out at their best speed for London,
+watching the passers-by carefully, that no news of the doings in
+Carlisle should precede them to the king.
+
+
+Outlaws in the Royal Palace
+
+The three yeomen, on arriving in London, made their way at once to the
+king's palace, and walked boldly into the hall, regardless of the
+astonished and indignant shouts of the royal porter. He followed them
+angrily into the hall, and began reproaching them and trying to induce
+them to withdraw, but to no purpose. Finally an usher came and said:
+"Yeomen, what is your wish? Pray tell me, and I will help you if I
+can; but if you enter the king's presence thus unmannerly you will
+cause us to be blamed. Tell me now whence you come."
+
+William fearlessly answered: "Sir, we will tell the truth without
+deceit. We are outlaws from the king's forests, outlawed for killing
+the king's deer, and we come to beg for pardon and a charter of peace,
+to show to the sheriff of our county."
+
+
+The King and the Outlaws
+
+The usher went to an inner room and begged to know the king's will,
+whether he would see these outlaws or not. The king was interested in
+these bold yeomen, who dared to avow themselves law-breakers, and bade
+men bring them to audience with him. The three comrades, with the
+little boy, on being introduced into the royal presence, knelt down
+and held up their hands, beseeching pardon for their offences.
+
+"Sire, we beseech your pardon for our breach of your laws. We are
+forest outlaws, who have slain your fallow deer in many parts of your
+royal forests." "Your names? Tell me at once," said the king. "Adam
+Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and William of Cloudeslee," they replied.
+
+The king was very wrathful. "Are you those bold robbers of whom men
+have told me? Do you now dare to come to me for pardon? On mine honour
+I vow that you shall all three be hanged without mercy, as I am
+crowned king of this realm of England. Arrest them and lay them in
+bonds." There was no resistance possible, and the yeomen submitted
+ruefully to their arrest. Adam Bell was the first to speak. "As I hope
+to thrive, this game pleases me not at all," he said. "Sire, of your
+mercy, we beg you to remember that we came to you of our own free
+will, and to let us pass away again as freely. Give us back our
+weapons and let us have free passage till we have left your palace; we
+ask no more; we shall never ask another favour, however long we live."
+
+The king was obdurate, however; he only replied: "You speak proudly
+still, but you shall all three be hanged."
+
+
+The Queen Intercedes
+
+The queen, who was sitting beside her husband, now spoke for the first
+time. "Sire, it were a pity that such good yeomen should die, if they
+might in any wise be pardoned." "There is no pardon," said the king.
+She then replied: "My lord, when I first left my native land and came
+into this country as your bride you promised to grant me at once the
+first boon I asked. I have never needed to ask one until to-day, but
+now, sire, I claim one, and I beg you to grant it." "With all my
+heart; ask your boon, and it shall be yours willingly." "Then, I pray
+you, grant me the lives of these good yeomen." "Madam, you might have
+had half my kingdom, and you ask a worthless trifle." "Sire, it seems
+not worthless to me; I beg you to keep your promise." "Madam, it vexes
+me that you have asked so little; yet since you will have these three
+outlaws, take them." The queen rejoiced greatly. "Many thanks, my lord
+and husband. I will be surety for them that they shall be true men
+henceforth. But, good my lord, give them a word of comfort, that they
+may not be wholly dismayed by your anger."
+
+
+News Comes to the King
+
+The king smiled at his wife. "Ah, madam! you will have your own way,
+as all women will. Go, fellows, wash yourselves, and find places at
+the tables, where you shall dine well enough, even if it be not on
+venison pasty from the king's own forests."
+
+The outlaws did reverence to the king and queen, and found seats with
+the king's guard at the lower tables in the hall. They were still
+satisfying their appetites when a messenger came in haste to the king;
+and the three North Countrymen looked at one another uneasily, for
+they knew the man was from Carlisle. The messenger knelt before the
+king and presented his letters. "Sire, your officers greet you well."
+
+"How fare they? How does my valiant sheriff? And the prudent justice?
+Are they well?"
+
+"Alas! my lord, they have been slain, and many another good officer
+with them."
+
+"Who hath done this?" questioned the king angrily.
+
+"My lord, three bold outlaws, Adam Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and
+William of Cloudeslee."
+
+"What! these three whom I have just pardoned? Ah, sorely I repent that
+I forgave them! I would give a thousand pounds if I could have them
+hanged all three; but I cannot."
+
+
+The King's Test
+
+As the king read the letters his anger and surprise increased. It
+seemed impossible that three men should overawe a whole town, should
+slay sheriff, justice, mayor, and nearly every official in the town,
+forge a royal letter with the king's seal, and then lock the gates and
+escape safely. There was no doubt of the fact, and the king raged
+impotently against his own foolish mercy in giving them a free pardon.
+It had been granted, however, and he could do nought but grieve over
+the ruin they had wrought in Carlisle. At last he sprang up, for he
+could endure the banquet no longer.
+
+"Call my archers to go to the butts," he commanded. "I will see these
+bold outlaws shoot, and try if their archery is so fine as men say."
+
+Accordingly the king's archers and the queen's archers arrayed
+themselves, and the three yeomen took their bows and looked well to
+their silken bowstrings; and then all made their way to the butts
+where the targets were set up. The archers shot in turn, aiming at an
+ordinary target, but Cloudeslee soon grew weary of this childish
+sport, and said aloud: "I shall never call a man a good archer who
+shoots at a target as large as a buckler. We have another sort of butt
+in my country, and that is worth shooting at."
+
+
+William of Cloudeslee's Archery
+
+"Make ready your own butts," the king commanded, and the three outlaws
+went to a bush in a field close by and returned bearing hazel-rods,
+peeled and shining white. These rods they set up at four hundred
+yards apart, and, standing by one, they said to the king: "We should
+account a man a fair archer if he could split one wand while standing
+beside the other." "It cannot be done; the feat is too great,"
+exclaimed the king. "Sire, I can easily do it," quoth Cloudeslee, and,
+taking aim very carefully, he shot, and the arrow split the wand in
+two. "In truth," said the king, "you are the best archer I have ever
+seen. Can you do greater wonders?" "Yes," quoth Cloudeslee, "one thing
+more I can do, but it is a more difficult feat. Nevertheless I will
+try it, to show you our North Country shooting." "Try, then," the king
+replied; "but if you fail you shall be hanged without mercy, because
+of your boasting."
+
+
+Cloudeslee Shoots the Apple from his Son's Head
+
+Now Cloudeslee stood for a few moments as if doubtful of himself, and
+the South Country archers watched him, hoping for a chance to retrieve
+their defeat, when William suddenly said: "I have a son, a dear son,
+seven years of age. I will tie him to a stake and place an apple on
+his head. Then from a distance of a hundred and twenty yards I will
+split the apple in two with a broad arrow." "By heaven!" the king
+cried, "that is a dreadful feat. Do as you have said, or by Him who
+died on the Cross I will hang you high. Do as you have said, but if
+you touch one hair of his head, or the edge of his gown, I will hang
+you and your two companions." "I have never broken my pledged word,"
+said the North Country bowman, and he at once made ready for the
+terrible trial. The stake was set in the ground, the boy tied to it,
+with his face turned from his father, lest he should give a start and
+destroy his aim. Cloudeslee then paced the hundred and twenty yards,
+anxiously felt his string, bent his bow, chose his broadest arrow, and
+fitted it with care.
+
+[Illustration: William of Cloudeslee and his son]
+
+
+The Last Shot
+
+It was an anxious moment. The throng of spectators felt sick with
+expectation, and many women wept and prayed for the father and his
+innocent son. But Cloudeslee showed no fear. He addressed the crowd
+gravely: "Good folk, stand all as still as may be. For such a shot a
+man needs a steady hand, and your movements may destroy my aim and
+make me slay my son. Pray for me."
+
+Then, in an unbroken silence of breathless suspense, the bold marksman
+shot, and the apple fell to the ground, cleft into two absolutely
+equal halves. A cheer from every spectator burst forth deafeningly,
+and did not die down till the king beckoned for silence.
+
+
+The King and Queen Show Favour
+
+"God forbid that I should ever be your target," quoth he. "You shall
+be my chief forester in the North Country, with daily wage, and daily
+right of killing venison; your two brethren shall become yeomen of my
+guard, and I will advance the fortunes of your family in every way."
+
+The queen smiled graciously upon William, and she bestowed a pension
+upon him, and bade him bring his wife, fair Alice, to court, to take
+up the post of chief woman of the bedchamber to the royal children.
+
+Overwhelmed with these favours, the three yeomen became conscious of
+their own offences, more than they had told to the royal pair; their
+awakened consciences sent them to a holy bishop, who heard their
+confessions, gave them penance and bade them live well for the
+future, and then absolved them. When they had returned to Englewood
+Forest and had broken up the outlaw band they came back to the royal
+court, and spent the rest of their lives in great favour with the king
+and queen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII: BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In considering the hero-myths of Scotland we are at once confronted
+with two difficulties. The first, and perhaps the greater, is this,
+that the only national heroes of Lowland Scotland are actual
+historical persons, with very little of the mythical character about
+them. The mention of Scottish heroes at once suggests Sir William
+Wallace, Robert Bruce, the Black Douglas, Sir Andrew Barton, and many
+more, whose exploits are matter of serious chronicle and sober record
+rather than subject of tradition and myth. These warriors are too much
+in reach of the fierce white searchlight of historic inquiry to be
+invested with mythical interest or to show any developments of ancient
+legend.
+
+The second difficulty is of a different nature, and yet almost equally
+perplexing. In the old ballads and poems of the Gaelic Highlands there
+are mythical heroes in abundance, such as Fingal and Ossian, Comala,
+and a host of shadowy chieftains and warriors, but they are not
+distinctively Scotch. They are only Highland Gaelic versions of the
+Irish Gaelic hero-legends, Scotch embodiments of Finn and Oisin, whose
+real home was in Ireland, and whose legends were carried to the
+Western Isles and the Highlands by conquering tribes of Scots from
+Erin. These heroes are at bottom Irish, the champions of the Fenians
+and of the Red Branch, and in the Scotch legends they have lost much
+of their original beauty and chivalry.
+
+
+The Highland Clans
+
+It is rather in the private history of the country, as it were, than
+in its national records that we are likely to find a hero who will
+have something of the mythical in his story, something of the romance
+of the Middle Ages. The wars and jealousies of the clans, the
+adventures of a chief among hostile tribesmen, the raids and forays,
+the loves and hatreds of rival families, form a good background for a
+romantic legend; and such a legend occurs in the story of Black Colin
+of Loch Awe, a warrior of the great Campbell clan in the fourteenth
+century. The tale is common in one form or another to all European
+lands where the call of the Crusades was heard, and the romantic
+Crusading element has to a certain extent softened the occasionally
+ferocious nature of Highland stories in general, so that there is no
+bloodthirsty vengeance, no long blood-feud, to be recorded of Black
+Colin Campbell.
+
+
+The Knight of Loch Awe
+
+During the wars between England and Scotland in the reigns of Edward
+I. and Edward II. one of the chief leaders in the cause of Scottish
+independence was Sir Nigel Campbell. The Knight of Loch Awe, as he was
+generally called, was a schoolfellow and comrade of Sir William
+Wallace, and a loyal and devoted adherent of Robert Bruce. In return
+for his services in the war of independence Bruce rewarded him with
+lands belonging to the rebellious MacGregors, including Glenurchy, the
+great glen at the head of Loch Awe through which flows the river
+Orchy. It was a wild and lonely district, and Sir Nigel Campbell had
+much conflict before he finally expelled the MacGregors and settled
+down peaceably in Glenurchy. There his son was born, and named Colin,
+and as years passed he won the nickname of Black Colin, from his
+swarthy complexion, or possibly from his character, which showed
+tokens of unusual fierceness and determination.
+
+
+Black Colin's Youth
+
+Sir Nigel Campbell, as all Highland chiefs did, sent his son to a
+farmer's family for fosterage. The boy became a child of his
+foster-family in every way; he lived on the plain food of the
+clansmen, oatmeal porridge and oatcake, milk from the cows, and beef
+from the herds; he ran and wrestled and hunted with his
+foster-brothers, and learnt woodcraft and warlike skill, broadsword
+play and the use of dirk and buckler, from his foster-father. More
+than all, he won a devoted following in the clan, for a man's
+foster-parents were almost dearer to him than his own father and
+mother, and his foster-brethren were bound to fight and die for him,
+and to regard him more than their own blood-relations. The
+foster-parents of Black Colin were a farmer and his wife, Patterson by
+name, living at Socach, in Glenurchy, and well and truly they
+fulfilled their trust.
+
+
+He Goes on Crusade
+
+In course of time Sir Nigel Campbell died, and Black Colin, his son,
+became Knight of Loch Awe, and lord of all Glenurchy and the country
+round. He was already noted for his strength and his dark complexion,
+which added to his beauty in the eyes of the maidens, and he soon
+found a lovely and loving bride. They dwelt on the Islet in Loch Awe,
+and were very happy for a short time, but Colin was always restless,
+because he would fain do great deeds of arms, and there was peace just
+then in the land.
+
+At last one day a messenger arrived at the castle on the Islet bearing
+tidings that another crusade was on foot. This messenger was a palmer
+who had been in the Holy Land, and had seen all the holy places in
+Jerusalem. He told Black Colin how the Saracens ruled the country,
+and hindered men from worshipping at the sacred shrines; and he told
+how he had come home by Rome, where the Pope had just proclaimed
+another Holy War. The Pope had declared that his blessing would rest
+on the man who should leave wife and home and kinsfolk, and go forth
+to fight for the Lord against the infidel. As the palmer spoke Black
+Colin became greatly moved by his words, and when the old man had made
+an end he raised the hilt of his dirk and swore by the cross thereon
+that he would obey the summons and go on crusade.
+
+
+The Lady of Loch Awe
+
+Now Black Colin's wife was greatly grieved, and wept sorely, for she
+was but young, and had been wedded no more than a year, and it seemed
+to her hard that she must be left alone. She asked her husband: "How
+far will you go on this errand?" "I will go as far as Jerusalem, if
+the Pope bids me, when I have come to Rome," said he. "Alas! and how
+long will you be away from me?" "That I know not, but it may be for
+years if the heathen Saracens will not surrender the Holy Land to the
+warriors of the Cross." "What shall I do during those long, weary
+years?" asked she. "Dear love, you shall dwell here on the Islet and
+be Lady of Glenurchy till I return again. The vassals and clansmen
+shall obey you in my stead, and the tenants shall pay you their rents
+and their dues, and in all things you shall hold my land for me."
+
+
+The Token
+
+The Lady of Loch Awe sighed as she asked: "But if you die away in that
+distant land how shall I know? What will become of me if at last such
+woeful tidings should be brought?"
+
+"Wait for me seven years, dear wife," said Colin, "and if I do not
+return before the end of that time you may marry again and take a
+brave husband to guard your rights and rule the glen, for I shall be
+dead in the Holy Land."
+
+[Illustration: "Wait for me seven years, dear wife"]
+
+"That I will never do. I will be the Lady of Glenurchy till I die, or
+I will become the bride of Heaven and find peace for my sorrowing soul
+in a nunnery. No second husband shall wed me and hold your land. But
+give me now some token that we may share it between us; and you shall
+swear that on your deathbed you will send it to me; so shall I know
+indeed that you are no longer alive."
+
+"It shall be as you say," answered Black Colin, and he went to the
+smith of the clan and bade him make a massive gold ring, on which
+Colin's name was engraved, as well as that of the Lady of Loch Awe.
+Then, breaking the ring in two, Colin gave to his wife the piece with
+his name and kept the other piece, vowing to wear it near his heart
+and only to part with it when he should be dying. In like manner she
+with bitter weeping swore to keep her half of the ring, and hung it on
+a chain round her neck; and so, with much grief and great mourning
+from the whole clan, Black Colin and his sturdy following of Campbell
+clansmen set out for the Holy Land.
+
+
+The Journey
+
+Sadly at first the little band marched away from all their friends and
+their homes; bagpipes played their loudest marching tunes, and plaids
+fluttered in the breeze, and the men marched gallantly, but with heavy
+hearts, for they knew not when they would return, and they feared
+to find supplanters in their homes when they came back after many
+years. Their courage rose, however, as the miles lengthened behind
+them, and by the time they had reached Edinburgh and had taken ship at
+Leith all was forgotten but the joy of fighting and the eager desire
+to see Rome and the Pope, the Holy Land and the Holy Sepulchre.
+Journeying up the Rhine, the Highland clansmen made their way through
+Switzerland and over the passes of the Alps down into the pleasant
+land of Italy, where the splendour of the cities surpassed their
+wildest imaginations; and so they came at last, with many other bands
+of Crusaders, to Rome.
+
+
+The Crusade
+
+At Rome the Knight of Loch Awe was so fortunate as to have an audience
+of the Pope himself, who was touched by the devotion which brought
+these stern warriors so far from their home. Black Colin knelt in
+reverence before the aged pontiff, whom he held in truth to be the
+Vicar of Christ on earth, and received his blessing, and commands to
+continue his journey to Rhodes, where the Knights of St. John would
+give him opportunity to fight for the faith. The small band of
+Campbells went on to Rhodes, and there took service with the Knights,
+and won great praise from the Grand Master; but, though they fought
+the infidel, and exalted the standard of the Cross above the Crescent,
+Colin was still not at all satisfied. He left Rhodes after some years
+with a much-diminished band, and made his way as a pilgrim to
+Jerusalem. There he stayed until he had visited all the shrines in the
+Holy Land and prayed at every sacred spot. By this time the seven
+years of his proposed absence were ended, and he was still far from
+his home and the dear glen by Loch Awe.
+
+
+The Lady's Suitor
+
+While the seven years slowly passed away his sad and lonely wife dwelt
+in the castle on the Islet, ruling her lord's clan in all gentle ways,
+but fighting boldly when raiders came to plunder her clansmen. Yearly
+she claimed her husband's dues and watched that he was not defrauded
+of his rights. But though thus firm, she was the best help in trouble
+that her clan ever had, and all blessed the name of the Lady of Loch
+Awe.
+
+So fair and gentle a lady, so beloved by her clan, was certain to have
+suitors if she were a widow, and even before the seven years had
+passed away there were men who would gladly have persuaded her that
+her husband was dead and that she was free. She, however, steadfastly
+refused to hear a word of another marriage, saying: "When Colin parted
+from me he gave me two promises, one to return, if possible, within
+seven years, and the other to send me, on his deathbed, if he died
+away from me, a sure token of his death. I have not yet waited seven
+years, nor have I had the token of his death. I am still the wife of
+Black Colin of Loch Awe."
+
+This steadfastness gradually daunted her suitors and they left her
+alone, until but one remained, the Baron Niel MacCorquodale, whose
+lands bordered on Glenurchy, and who had long cast covetous eyes on
+the glen and its fair lady, and longed no less for the wealth she was
+reputed to possess than for the power this marriage would give him.
+
+
+The Baron's Plot
+
+When the seven years were over the Baron MacCorquodale sought the Lady
+of Loch Awe again, wooing her for his wife. Again she refused,
+saying, "Until I have the token of my husband's death I will be wife
+to no other man." "And what is this token, lady?" asked the Baron, for
+he thought he could send a false one. "I will never tell that,"
+replied the lady. "Do you dare to ask the most sacred secret between
+husband and wife? I shall know the token when it comes." The Baron was
+not a little enraged that he could not discover the secret, but he
+determined to wed the lady and her wealth notwithstanding; accordingly
+he wrote by a sure and secret messenger to a friend in Rome, bidding
+him send a letter with news that Black Colin was assuredly dead, and
+that certain words (which the Baron dictated) had come from him.
+
+
+A Forged Letter
+
+One day the Lady of Loch Awe, looking out from her castle, saw the
+Baron coming, and with him a palmer whose face was bronzed by Eastern
+suns. She felt that the palmer would bring tidings, and welcomed the
+Baron with his companion. "Lady, this palmer brings you sad news,"
+quoth the Baron. "Let him tell it, then," replied she, sick with fear.
+"Alas! fair dame, if you were the wife of that gallant knight Colin of
+Loch Awe, you are now his widow," said the palmer sadly, as he handed
+her a letter. "What proof have you?" asked Black Colin's wife before
+she read the letter. "Lady, I talked with the soldier who brought the
+tidings," replied the stranger.
+
+The letter was written from Rome to "The Right Noble Dame the Lady of
+Loch Awe," and told how news had come from Rhodes, brought by a man of
+Black Colin's band, that the Knight of Loch Awe had been mortally
+wounded in a fight against the Saracens. Dying, he had bidden his
+clansmen return to their lady, but they had all perished but one,
+fighting for vengeance against the infidels. This man, who had held
+the dying Knight tenderly upon his knee, said that Colin bade his wife
+farewell, bade her remember his injunction to wed again and find a
+protector, gasped out, "Take her the token I promised; it is here,"
+and died; but the Saracens attacked the Christians again, drove them
+back, and plundered the bodies of the slain, and when the one survivor
+returned to search for the precious token there was none! The body was
+stripped of everything of value, and the clansman wound it in the
+plaid and buried it on the battlefield.
+
+
+The Lady's Stratagem
+
+There seemed no reason for the lady to doubt this news, and her grief
+was very real and sincere. She clad herself in mourning robes and
+bewailed her lost husband, but yet she was not entirely satisfied, for
+she still wore the broken half of the engraved ring on the chain round
+her neck, and still the promised death-token had not come. The Baron
+now pressed his suit with greater ardour than before, and the Lady of
+Loch Awe was hard put to it to find reasons for refusing him. It was
+necessary to keep him on good terms with the clan, for his lands
+bordered on those of Glenurchy, and he could have made war on the
+people in the glen quite easily, while the knowledge that their chief
+was dead would have made them a broken clan. So the lady turned to
+guile, as did Penelope of old in similar distress. "I will wed you,
+now that my Colin is dead," she replied at last, "but it cannot be
+immediately; I must first build a castle that will command the head of
+Glenurchy and of Loch Awe. The MacGregors knew the best place for a
+house, there on Innis Eoalan; there, where the ruins of MacGregor's
+White House now stand, will I build my castle. When it is finished the
+time of my mourning will be over, and I will fix the bridal day." With
+this promise the Baron had perforce to be contented, and the castle
+began to rise slowly at the head of Loch Awe; but its progress was not
+rapid, because the lady secretly bade her men build feebly, and often
+the walls fell down, so that the new castle was very long in coming to
+completion.
+
+
+Black Colin Hears the News
+
+In the meantime all who loved Black Colin grieved to know that the
+Lady of Loch Awe would wed again, and his foster-mother sorrowed most
+of all, for she felt sure that her beloved Colin was not dead. The
+death-token had not been sent, and she sorely mistrusted the Baron
+MacCorquodale and doubted the truth of the palmer's message. At last,
+when the new castle was nearly finished and shone white in the rays of
+the sun, she called one of her sons and bade him journey to Rome to
+find the Knight of Loch Awe, if he were yet alive, and to bring sure
+tidings of his death if he were no longer living. The young Patterson
+set off secretly, and reached Rome in due course, and there he met
+Black Colin, just returned from Jerusalem. The Knight had at last
+realized that he had spent seven years away from his home, and that
+now, in spite of all his haste, he might reach Glenurchy too late to
+save his wife from a second marriage. He comforted himself, however,
+with the thought that the token was still safe with him, and that his
+wife would be loyal; great, therefore, was his horror when he met his
+foster-brother and heard how the news of his death had been brought to
+the glen. He heard also how his wife had reluctantly promised to marry
+the Baron MacCorquodale, and had delayed her wedding by stratagem,
+and he vowed that he would return to Glenurchy in time to spoil the
+plans of the wicked baron.
+
+
+Black Colin's Return
+
+Travelling day and night, Black Colin, with his faithful clansman,
+came near to Glenurchy, and sent his follower on in advance to bring
+back news. The youth returned with tidings that the wedding had been
+fixed for the next day, since the castle was finished and no further
+excuse for delay could be made. Then Colin's anger was greatly roused,
+and he vowed that the Baron MacCorquodale, who had stooped to deceit
+and forgery to gain his ends, should pay dearly for his baseness.
+Bidding his young clansman show no sign of recognition when he
+appeared, the Knight of Loch Awe sent him to the farm in the glen,
+where the anxious foster-mother eagerly awaited the return of the
+wanderer. When she saw her son appear alone she was plunged into
+despair, for she concluded, not that Black Colin was dead, but that he
+would return too late. When he, in the beggar's disguise which he
+assumed, came down the Glen he saw the smoke from the castle on the
+Islet, and said: "I see smoke from my house, and it is the smoke of a
+wedding feast in preparation, but I pray God who sent us light and
+love that I may reap the fruit of the love that is there."
+
+
+The Foster-Mother's Recognition
+
+The Knight then went to his foster-mother's house, knocked at the
+door, and humbly craved food and shelter, as a beggar. "Come in, good
+man," quoth the mistress of the house; "sit down in the
+chimney-corner, and you shall have your fill of oatcake and milk."
+Colin sat down heavily, as if he were overwearied, and the farmer's
+wife moved about slowly, putting before him what she had; and the
+Knight saw that she did not recognise him, and that she had been
+weeping quite recently. "You are sad, I can see," he said. "What is
+the cause of your grief?" "I am not minded to tell that to a wandering
+stranger," she replied. "Perhaps I can guess what it is," he
+continued; "you have lost some dear friend, I think." "My loss is
+great enough to give me grief," she answered, weeping. "I had a dear
+foster-son, who went oversea to fight the heathen. He was dearer to me
+than my own sons, and now news has come that he is dead in that
+foreign land. And the Lady of Loch Awe, who was his wife, is to wed
+another husband to-morrow. Long she waited for him, past the seven
+years he was to be away, and now she would not marry again, but that a
+letter has come to assure her of his death. Even yet she is fretting
+because she has not had the token he promised to send her; and she
+will only marry because she dare no longer delay."
+
+"What is this token?" asked Colin. "That I know not: she has never
+told," replied the foster-mother; "but oh! if he were now here
+Glenurchy would never fall under the power of Baron MacCorquodale."
+"Would you know Black Colin if you were to see him?" the beggar asked
+meaningly; and she replied: "I think I should, for though he has been
+away for years, I nursed him, and he is my own dear fosterling." "Look
+well at me, then, good mother of mine, for I am Colin of Loch Awe."
+
+The mistress of the farm seized the beggar-man by the arm, drew him
+out into the light, and looked earnestly into his face; then, with a
+scream of joy, she flung her arms around him, and cried: "O Colin!
+Colin! my dear son, home again at last! Glad and glad I am to see you
+here in time! Weary have the years been since my nursling went away,
+but now you are home all will be well." And she embraced him and
+kissed him and stroked his hair, and exclaimed at his bronzed hue and
+his ragged attire.
+
+
+The Foster-Mother's Plan
+
+At last Colin stopped her raptures. "Tell me, mother, does my wife
+seem to wish for this marriage?" he asked; and his foster-mother
+answered: "Nay, my son, she would not wed now but that, thinking you
+are dead, she fears the Baron's anger if she continues to refuse him.
+But if you doubt her heart, follow my counsel, and you shall be
+assured of her will in this matter." "What do you advise?" asked he.
+She answered: "Stay this night with me here, and to-morrow go in your
+beggar's dress to the castle on the Islet. Stand with other beggars at
+the door, and refuse to go until the bride herself shall bring you
+food and drink. Then you can put your token in the cup the Lady of
+Loch Awe will hand you, and by her behaviour you shall learn if her
+heart is in this marriage or not." "Dear mother, your plan is good,
+and I will follow it," quoth Colin. "This night I will rest here, and
+on the morrow I will seek my wife."
+
+
+The Beggar at the Wedding
+
+Early next day Colin arose, clad himself in the disguise of a sturdy
+beggar, took a kindly farewell of his foster-mother, and made his way
+to the castle. Early as it was, all the servants were astir, and the
+whole place was in a bustle of preparation, while vagabonds of every
+description hung round the doors, begging for food and money in honour
+of the day. The new-comer acted much more boldly: he planted himself
+right in the open doorway and begged for food and drink in such a
+lordly tone that the servants were impressed by it, and one of them
+brought him what he asked--oatcake and buttermilk--and gave it to him,
+saying, "Take this and begone." Colin took the alms and drank the
+buttermilk, but put the cake into his wallet, and stood sturdily right
+in the doorway, so that the servants found it difficult to enter.
+Another servant came to him with more food and a horn of ale, saying,
+"Now take this second gift of food and begone, for you are in our way
+here, and hinder us in our work."
+
+
+The Beggar's Demand
+
+But he stood more firmly still, with his stout travelling-staff
+planted on the threshold, and said: "I will not go." Then a third
+servant approached, who said: "Go at once, or it will be the worse for
+you. We have given you quite enough for one beggar. Leave quickly now,
+or you will get us and yourself into trouble." The disguised Knight
+only replied: "I will not go until the bride herself comes out to give
+me a drink of wine," and he would not move, for all they could say.
+The servants at last grew so perplexed that they went to tell their
+mistress about this importunate beggar. She laughed as she said: "It
+is not much for me to do on my last day in the old house," and she
+bade a servant attend her to the door, bringing a large jug full of
+wine.
+
+
+The Token
+
+As the unhappy bride came out to the beggar-man he bent his head in
+greeting, and she noticed his travel-stained dress and said: "You have
+come from far, good man"; and he replied: "Yes, lady, I have seen many
+distant lands." "Alas! others have gone to see distant lands and have
+not returned," said she. "If you would have a drink from the hands of
+the bride herself, I am she, and you may take your wine now"; and,
+holding a bowl in her hands, she bade the servant fill it with wine,
+and then gave it to Colin. "I drink to your happiness," said he, and
+drained the bowl. As he gave it back to the lady he placed within it
+the token, the half of the engraved ring. "I return it richer than I
+took it, lady," said he, and his wife looked within and saw the token.
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Trembling violently, she snatched the tiny bit of gold from the bottom
+of the bowl, which fell to the ground and broke at her feet, and then
+she saw her own name engraved upon it. She looked long and long at the
+token, and then, pulling a chain at her neck, drew out her half of the
+ring with Colin's name engraved on it. "O stranger, tell me, is my
+husband dead?" she asked, grasping the beggar's arm. "Dead?" he
+questioned, gazing tenderly at her; and at his tone she looked
+straight into his eyes and knew him. "My husband!" was all that she
+could say, but she flung her arms around his neck and was clasped
+close to his heart. The servants stood bewildered, but in a moment
+their mistress had turned to them, saying, "Run, summon all the
+household, bring them all, for this is my husband, Black Colin of Loch
+Awe, come home to me again." When all in the castle knew it there was
+great excitement and rejoicing, and they feasted bountifully, for the
+wedding banquet had been prepared.
+
+
+The Baron's Flight
+
+While the feast was in progress, and the happy wife sat by her
+long-lost husband and held his hand, as though she feared to let him
+leave her, a distant sound of bagpipes was heard, and the lady
+remembered that the Baron MacCorquodale would be coming for his
+wedding, which she had entirely forgotten in her joy. She laughed
+lightly to herself, and, beckoning a clansman, bade him go and tell
+the Baron that she would take no new husband, since her old one had
+come back to her, and that there would be questions to be answered
+when time served. The Baron MacCorquodale, in his wedding finery, with
+a great party of henchmen and vassals and pipers blowing a wedding
+march, had reached the mouth of the river which enters the side of
+Loch Awe; the party had crossed the river, and were ready to take boat
+across to the Islet, when they saw a solitary man rowing towards them
+with all speed. "It is some messenger from my lady," said the Baron,
+and he waited eagerly to hear the message. With dreadful consternation
+he listened to the unexpected words as the clansman delivered them,
+and then bade the pipers cease their music. "We must return; there
+will be no wedding to-day, since Black Colin is home again," quoth he;
+and the crestfallen party retraced their steps, quickening them more
+and more as they thought of the vengeance of the long-lost chieftain;
+but they reached their home in safety.
+
+
+Castle Kilchurn
+
+In the meantime Colin had much to tell his wife of his adventures, and
+to ask her of her life all these years. They told each other all, and
+Colin saw the false letter that had been sent to the Lady of Loch Awe,
+and guessed who had plotted this deceit. His anger grew against the
+bad man who had wrought this wrong and had so nearly gained his end,
+and he vowed that he would make the Baron dearly abide it. His wife
+calmed his fury somewhat by telling him how she had waited even
+beyond the seven years, and what stratagem she had used, and at last
+he promised not to make war on the Baron, but to punish him in other
+ways.
+
+"Tell me what you have done with the rents of Glenurchy these seven
+years," said he. Then the happy wife replied: "With part I have lived,
+with part I have guarded the glen, and with part have I made a cairn
+of stones at the head of Loch Awe. Will you come with me and see it?"
+And Colin went, deeply puzzled. When they came to the head of Loch
+Awe, there stood the new castle, on the site of the old house of the
+MacGregors; and the proud wife laughed as she said: "Do you like my
+cairn of stones? It has taken long to build." Black Colin was much
+pleased with the beautiful castle she had raised for him, and renamed
+it Kilchurn Castle, which title it still keeps. True to his vow, he
+took no bloody vengeance on the Baron MacCorquodale, but when a few
+years after he fell into his power the Knight of Loch Awe forced him
+to resign a great part of his lands to be united with those of
+Glenurchy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII: THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The heroes of chivalry, from Roland the noble paladin to Spenser's
+Red-Cross Knight, have many virtues to uphold, and their
+characteristics are as varied as are the races which adopted chivalry
+and embodied it in their hero-myths. It is a far cry from the loyalty
+of Roland, in which love for his emperor is the predominant
+characteristic, to the tender and graceful reverence of Sir Calidore;
+but mediæval Wales, which has preserved the Arthurian legend most free
+from alien admixture, had a knight of courtesy quite equal to Sir
+Calidore. Courage was one quality on the possession of which these
+mediæval knights never prided themselves, because they could not
+imagine life without courage, but gentle courtesy was, unhappily,
+rare, and many a heroic legend is spoilt by the insolence of the hero
+to people of lower rank. Again, the legends often look lightly on the
+ill-treatment of maidens; yet the true hero is one who is never
+tempted to injure a defenceless woman. Similarly, a broken oath to a
+heathen or mere churl is excused as a trifling matter, but the ideal
+hero sweareth and breaketh not, though it be to his own hindrance.
+
+
+Sir Gawayne
+
+The true Knight of Courtesy is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur's nephew, who
+in many ways overshadows his more illustrious uncle. It is remarkable
+that the King Arthur of the mediæval romances is either a mere
+ordinary conqueror or a secondary figure set in the background to
+heighten the achievements of his more warlike followers. The latter is
+the conception of Arthur which we find in this legend of the gentle
+and courteous Sir Gawayne.
+
+
+King Arthur Keeps Christmas
+
+One year the noble King Arthur was keeping his Christmas at Carlisle
+with great pomp and state. By his side sat his lovely Queen Guenever,
+the brightest and most beauteous bride that a king ever wedded, and
+about him were gathered the Knights of the Round Table. Never had a
+king assembled so goodly a company of valiant warriors as now sat in
+due order at the Round Table in the great hall of Carlisle Castle, and
+King Arthur's heart was filled with pride as he looked on his heroes.
+There sat Sir Lancelot, not yet the betrayer of his lord's honour and
+happiness, with Sir Bors and Sir Banier, there Sir Bedivere, loyal to
+King Arthur till death, there surly Sir Kay, the churlish steward of
+the king's household, and King Arthur's nephews, the young and gallant
+Sir Gareth, the gentle and courteous Sir Gawayne, and the false,
+gloomy Sir Mordred, who wrought King Arthur's overthrow. The knights
+and ladies were ranged in their fitting degrees and ranks, the
+servants and pages waited and carved and filled the golden goblets,
+and the minstrels sang to their harps lays of heroes of the olden
+time.
+
+
+His Discontent
+
+Yet in the midst of all this splendour the king was ill at ease, for
+he was a warlike knight and longed for some new adventure, and of late
+none had been known. Arthur sat moodily among his knights and drained
+the wine-cup in silence, and Queen Guenever, gazing at her husband,
+durst not interrupt his gloomy thoughts. At last the king raised his
+head, and, striking the table with his hand, exclaimed fiercely: "Are
+all my knights sluggards or cowards, that none of them goes forth to
+seek adventures? You are better fitted to feast well in hall than
+fight well in field. Is my fame so greatly decayed that no man cares
+to ask for my help or my support against evildoers? I vow here, by the
+boar's head and by Our Lady, that I will not rise from this table till
+some adventure be undertaken." "Sire, your loyal knights have gathered
+round you to keep the holy Yuletide in your court," replied Sir
+Lancelot; and Sir Gawayne said: "Fair uncle, we are not cowards, but
+few evildoers dare to show themselves under your rule; hence it is
+that we seem idle. But see yonder! By my faith, now cometh an
+adventure."
+
+
+The Damsel's Request
+
+Even as Sir Gawayne spoke a fair damsel rode into the hall, with
+flying hair and disordered dress, and, dismounting from her steed,
+knelt down sobbing at Arthur's feet. She cried aloud, so that all
+heard her: "A boon, a boon, King Arthur! I beg a boon of you!" "What
+is your request?" said the king, for the maiden was in great distress,
+and her tears filled his heart with pity. "What would you have of me?"
+"I cry for vengeance on a churlish knight, who has separated my love
+from me." "Tell your story quickly," said King Arthur; and all the
+knights listened while the lady spoke.
+
+"I was betrothed to a gallant knight," she said, "whom I loved dearly,
+and we were entirely happy until yesterday. Then as we rode out
+together planning our marriage we came, through the moorland ways,
+unnoticing, to a fair lake, Tarn Wathelan, where stood a great castle,
+with streamers flying, and banners waving in the wind. It seemed a
+strong and goodly place, but alas! it stood on magic ground, and
+within the enchanted circle of its shadow an evil spell fell on every
+knight who set foot therein. As my love and I looked idly at the
+mighty keep a horrible and churlish warrior, twice the size of mortal
+man, rushed forth in complete armour; grim and fierce-looking he was,
+armed with a huge club, and sternly he bade my knight leave me to him
+and go his way alone. Then my love drew his sword to defend me, but
+the evil spell had robbed him of all strength, and he could do nought
+against the giant's club; his sword fell from his feeble hand, and the
+churlish knight, seizing him, caused him to be flung into a dungeon.
+He then returned and sorely ill-treated me, though I prayed for mercy
+in the name of chivalry and of Mary Mother. At last, when he set me
+free and bade me go, I said I would come to King Arthur's court and
+beg a champion of might to avenge me, perhaps even the king himself.
+But the giant only laughed aloud. 'Tell the foolish king,' quoth he,
+'that here I stay his coming, and that no fear of him shall stop my
+working my will on all who come. Many knights have I in prison, some
+of them King Arthur's own true men; wherefore bid him fight with me,
+if he will win them back.' Thus, laughing and jeering loudly at you,
+King Arthur, the churlish knight returned to his castle, and I rode to
+Carlisle as fast as I could."
+
+
+King Arthur's Vow
+
+When the lady had ended her sorrowful tale all present were greatly
+moved with indignation and pity, but King Arthur felt the insult most
+deeply. He sprang to his feet in great wrath, and cried aloud: "I vow
+by my knighthood, and by the Holy Rood, that I will go forth to find
+that proud giant, and will never leave him till I have overcome him."
+The knights applauded their lord's vow, but Queen Guenever looked
+doubtfully at the king, for she had noticed the damsel's mention of
+magic, and she feared some evil adventure for her husband. The damsel
+stayed in Carlisle that night, and in the morning, after he had heard
+Mass, and bidden farewell to his wife, King Arthur rode away. It was a
+lonely journey to Tarn Wathelan, but the country was very beautiful,
+though wild and rugged, and the king soon saw the little lake gleaming
+clear and cold below him, while the enchanted castle towered up above
+the water, with banners flaunting defiantly in the wind.
+
+
+The Fight
+
+The king drew his sword Excalibur and blew a loud note on his bugle.
+Thrice his challenge note resounded, but brought no reply, and then he
+cried aloud: "Come forth, proud knight! King Arthur is here to punish
+you for your misdeeds! Come forth and fight bravely. If you are
+afraid, then come forth and yield yourself my thrall."
+
+[Illustration: "The King blew a loud note on his bugle"]
+
+The churlish giant darted out at the summons, brandishing his massive
+club, and rushed straight at King Arthur. The spell of the enchanted
+ground seized the king at that moment, and his hand sank down. Down
+fell his good sword Excalibur, down fell his shield, and he found
+himself ignominiously helpless in the presence of his enemy.
+
+
+The Ransom
+
+Now the giant cried aloud: "Yield or fight, King Arthur; which will
+you do? If you fight I shall conquer you, for you have no power to
+resist me; you will be my prisoner, with no hope of ransom, will lose
+your land and spend your life in my dungeon with many other brave
+knights. If you yield I will hold you to ransom, but you must swear
+to accept the terms I shall offer."
+
+"What are they," asked King Arthur. The giant replied: "You must swear
+solemnly, by the Holy Rood, that you will return here on New Year's
+Day and bring me a true answer to the question, 'What thing is it that
+all women most desire?' If you fail to bring the right answer your
+ransom is not paid, and you are yet my prisoner. Do you accept my
+terms?" The king had no alternative: so long as he stood on the
+enchanted ground his courage was overborne by the spell and he could
+only hold up his hand and swear by the Sacred Cross and by Our Lady
+that he would return, with such answers as he could obtain, on New
+Year's Day.
+
+
+The King's Search
+
+Ashamed and humiliated, the king rode away, but not back to
+Carlisle--he would not return home till he had fulfilled his task; so
+he rode east and west and north and south, and asked every woman and
+maid he met the question the churlish knight had put to him. "What is
+it all women most desire?" he asked, and all gave him different
+replies: some said riches, some splendour, some pomp and state; others
+declared that fine attire was women's chief delight, yet others voted
+for mirth or flattery; some declared that a handsome lover was the
+cherished wish of every woman's heart; and among them all the king
+grew quite bewildered. He wrote down all the answers he received, and
+sealed them with his own seal, to give to the churlish knight when he
+returned to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan; but in his own heart King
+Arthur felt that the true answer had not yet been given to him. He was
+sad as he turned and rode towards the giant's home on New Year's Day,
+for he feared to lose his liberty and lands, and the lonely journey
+seemed much more dreary than it had before, when he rode out from
+Carlisle so full of hope and courage and self-confidence.
+
+
+The Loathly Lady
+
+Arthur was riding mournfully through a lonely forest when he heard a
+woman's voice greeting him: "God save you, King Arthur! God save and
+keep you!" and he turned at once to see the person who thus addressed
+him. He saw no one at all on his right hand, but as he turned to the
+other side he perceived a woman's form clothed in brilliant scarlet;
+the figure was seated between a holly-tree and an oak, and the berries
+of the former were not more vivid than her dress, and the brown leaves
+of the latter not more brown and wrinkled than her cheeks. At first
+sight King Arthur thought he must be bewitched--no such nightmare of a
+human face had ever seemed to him possible. Her nose was crooked and
+bent hideously to one side, while her chin seemed to bend to the
+opposite side of her face; her one eye was set deep under her beetling
+brow, and her mouth was nought but a gaping slit. Round this awful
+countenance hung snaky locks of ragged grey hair, and she was deadly
+pale, with a bleared and dimmed blue eye. The king nearly swooned when
+he saw this hideous sight, and was so amazed that he did not answer
+her salutation. The loathly lady seemed angered by the insult: "Now
+Christ save you, King Arthur! Who are you to refuse to answer my
+greeting and take no heed of me? Little of courtesy have you and your
+knights in your fine court in Carlisle if you cannot return a lady's
+greeting. Yet, Sir King, proud as you are, it may be that I can help
+you, loathly though I be; but I will do nought for one who will not be
+courteous to me."
+
+
+The Lady's Secret
+
+King Arthur was ashamed of his lack of courtesy, and tempted by the
+hint that here was a woman who could help him. "Forgive me, lady,"
+said he; "I was sorely troubled in mind, and thus, and not for want of
+courtesy, did I miss your greeting. You say that you can perhaps help
+me; if you would do this, lady, and teach me how to pay my ransom, I
+will grant anything you ask as a reward." The deformed lady said:
+"Swear to me, by Holy Rood, and by Mary Mother, that you will grant me
+whatever boon I ask, and I will help you to the secret. Yes, Sir King,
+I know by secret means that you seek the answer to the question, 'What
+is it all women most desire?' Many women have given you many replies,
+but I alone, by my magic power, can give you the right answer. This
+secret I will tell you, and in truth it will pay your ransom, when you
+have sworn to keep faith with me." "Indeed, O grim lady, the oath I
+will take gladly," said King Arthur; and when he had sworn it, with
+uplifted hand, the lady told him the secret, and he vowed with great
+bursts of laughter that this was indeed the right answer.
+
+
+The Ransom
+
+When the king had thoroughly realized the wisdom of the answer he rode
+on to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan, and blew his bugle three times. As
+it was New Year's Day, the churlish knight was ready for him, and
+rushed forth, club in hand, ready to do battle. "Sir Knight," said the
+king, "I bring here writings containing answers to your question; they
+are replies that many women have given, and should be right; these I
+bring in ransom for my life and lands." The churlish knight took the
+writings and read them one by one, and each one he flung aside, till
+all had been read; then he said to the king: "You must yield yourself
+and your lands to me, King Arthur, and rest my prisoner; for though
+these answers be many and wise, not one is the true reply to my
+question; your ransom is not paid, and your life and all you have is
+forfeit to me." "Alas! Sir Knight," quoth the king, "stay your hand,
+and let me speak once more before I yield to you; it is not much to
+grant to one who risks life and kingdom and all. Give me leave to try
+one more reply." To this the giant assented, and King Arthur
+continued: "This morning as I rode through the forest I beheld a lady
+sitting, clad in scarlet, between an oak and a holly-tree; she says,
+'All women will have their own way, and this is their chief desire.'
+Now confess that I have brought the true answer to your question, and
+that I am free, and have paid the ransom for my life and lands."
+
+
+The Price of the Ransom
+
+The giant waxed furious with rage, and shouted: "A curse upon that
+lady who told you this! It must have been my sister, for none but she
+knew the answer. Tell me, was she ugly and deformed?" When King Arthur
+replied that she was a loathly lady, the giant broke out: "I vow to
+heaven that if I can once catch her I will burn her alive; for she has
+cheated me of being King of Britain. Go your ways, Arthur; you have
+not ransomed yourself, but the ransom is paid and you are free."
+
+Gladly the king rode back to the forest where the loathly lady awaited
+him, and stopped to greet her. "I am free now, lady, thanks to you!
+What boon do you ask in reward for your help? I have promised to
+grant it you, whatever it may be." "This is my boon King Arthur, that
+you will bring some young and courteous knight from your court in
+Carlisle to marry me, and he must be brave and handsome too. You have
+sworn to fulfil my request, and you cannot break your word." These
+last words were spoken as the king shook his head and seemed on the
+point of refusing a request so unreasonable; but at this reminder he
+only hung his head and rode slowly away, while the unlovely lady
+watched him with a look of mingled pain and glee.
+
+
+King Arthur's Return
+
+On the second day of the new year King Arthur came home to Carlisle.
+Wearily he rode along and dismounted at the castle, and wearily he
+went into his hall, where sat Queen Guenever. She had been very
+anxious during her husband's absence, for she dreaded magic arts, but
+she greeted him gladly and said: "Welcome, my dear lord and king,
+welcome home again! What anxiety I have endured for you! But now you
+are here all is well. What news do you bring, my liege? Is the
+churlish knight conquered? Where have you had him hanged, and where is
+his head? Placed on a spike above some town-gate? Tell me your
+tidings, and we will rejoice together." King Arthur only sighed
+heavily as he replied: "Alas! I have boasted too much; the churlish
+knight was a giant who has conquered me, and set me free on
+conditions." "My lord, tell me how this has chanced." "His castle is
+an enchanted one, standing on enchanted ground, and surrounded with a
+circle of magic spells which sap the bravery from a warrior's mind and
+the strength from his arm. When I came on his land and felt the power
+of his mighty charms, I was unable to resist him, but fell into his
+power, and had to yield myself to him. He released me on condition
+that I would fulfil one thing which he bade me accomplish, and this I
+was enabled to do by the help of a loathly lady; but that help was
+dearly bought, and I cannot pay the price myself."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Devotion
+
+By this time Sir Gawayne, the king's favourite nephew, had entered the
+hall, and greeted his uncle warmly; then, with a few rapid questions,
+he learnt the king's news, and saw that he was in some distress. "What
+have you paid the loathly lady for her secret, uncle?" he asked.
+"Alas! I have paid her nothing; but I promised to grant her any boon
+she asked, and she has asked a thing impossible." "What is it?" asked
+Sir Gawayne. "Since you have promised it, the promise must needs be
+kept. Can I help you to perform your vow?" "Yes, you can, fair nephew
+Gawayne, but I will never ask you to do a thing so terrible," said
+King Arthur. "I am ready to do it, uncle, were it to wed the loathly
+lady herself." "That is what she asks, that a fair young knight should
+marry her. But she is too hideous and deformed; no man could make her
+his wife." "If that is all your grief," replied Sir Gawayne, "things
+shall soon be settled; I will wed this ill-favoured dame, and will be
+your ransom." "You know not what you offer," answered the king. "I
+never saw so deformed a being. Her speech is well enough, but her face
+is terrible, with crooked nose and chin, and she has only one eye."
+"She must be an ill-favoured maiden; but I heed it not," said Sir
+Gawayne gallantly, "so that I can save you from trouble and care."
+"Thanks, dear Gawayne, thanks a thousand times! Now through your
+devotion I can keep my word. To-morrow we must fetch your bride from
+her lonely lodging in the greenwood; but we will feign some pretext
+for the journey. I will summon a hunting party, with horse and hound
+and gallant riders, and none shall know that we go to bring home so
+ugly a bride." "Gramercy, uncle," said Sir Gawayne. "Till to-morrow I
+am a free man."
+
+
+The Hunting Party
+
+The next day King Arthur summoned all the court to go hunting in the
+greenwood close to Tarn Wathelan; but he did not lead the chase near
+the castle: the remembrance of his defeat and shame was too strong for
+him to wish to see the place again. They roused a noble stag and
+chased him far into the forest, where they lost him amid close
+thickets of holly and yew interspersed with oak copses and hazel
+bushes--bare were the hazels, and brown and withered the clinging oak
+leaves, but the holly looked cheery, with its fresh green leaves and
+scarlet berries. Though the chase had been fruitless, the train of
+knights laughed and talked gaily as they rode back through the forest,
+and the gayest of all was Sir Gawayne; he rode wildly down the forest
+drives, so recklessly that he drew level with Sir Kay, the churlish
+steward, who always preferred to ride alone. Sir Lancelot, Sir
+Stephen, Sir Banier, and Sir Bors all looked wonderingly at the
+reckless youth; but his younger brother, Gareth, was troubled, for he
+knew all was not well with Gawayne, and Sir Tristram, buried in his
+love for Isolde, noticed nothing, but rode heedlessly wrapped in sad
+musings.
+
+
+Sir Kay and the Loathly Lady
+
+Suddenly Sir Kay reined up his steed, amazed; his eye had caught the
+gleam of scarlet under the trees, and as he looked he became aware of
+a woman, clad in a dress of finest scarlet, sitting between a
+holly-tree and an oak. "Good greeting to you, Sir Kay," said the lady,
+but the steward was too much amazed to answer. Such a face as that of
+the lady he had never even imagined, and he took no notice of her
+salutation. By this time the rest of the knights had joined him, and
+they all halted, looking in astonishment on the misshapen face of the
+poor creature before them. It seemed terrible that a woman's figure
+should be surmounted by such hideous features, and most of the knights
+were silent for pity's sake; but the steward soon recovered from his
+amazement, and his rude nature began to show itself. The king had not
+yet appeared, and Sir Kay began to jeer aloud. "Now which of you would
+fain woo yon fair lady?" he asked. "It takes a brave man, for methinks
+he will stand in fear of any kiss he may get, it must needs be such an
+awesome thing. But yet I know not; any man who would kiss this
+beauteous damsel may well miss the way to her mouth, and his fate is
+not quite so dreadful after all. Come, who will win a lovely bride!"
+Just then King Arthur rode up, and at sight of him Sir Kay was silent;
+but the loathly lady hid her face in her hands, and wept that he
+should pour such scorn upon her.
+
+
+The Betrothal
+
+Sir Gawayne was touched with compassion for this uncomely woman alone
+among these gallant and handsome knights, a woman so helpless and
+ill-favoured, and he said: "Peace, churl Kay, the lady cannot help
+herself; and you are not so noble and courteous that you have the
+right to jeer at any maiden; such deeds do not become a knight of
+Arthur's Round Table. Besides, one of us knights here must wed this
+unfortunate lady." "Wed her?" shouted Kay. "Gawayne, you are mad!" "It
+is true, is it not, my liege?" asked Sir Gawayne, turning to the king;
+and Arthur reluctantly gave token of assent, saying, "I promised her
+not long since, for the help she gave me in a great distress, that I
+would grant her any boon she craved, and she asked for a young and
+noble knight to be her husband. My royal word is given, and I will
+keep it; therefore have I brought you here to meet her." Sir Kay burst
+out with, "What? Ask me perchance to wed this foul quean? I'll none of
+her. Where'er I get my wife from, were it from the fiend himself, this
+hideous hag shall never be mine." "Peace, Sir Kay," sternly said the
+king; "you shall not abuse this poor lady as well as refuse her. Mend
+your speech, or you shall be knight of mine no longer." Then he turned
+to the others and said: "Who will wed this lady and help me to keep my
+royal pledge? You must not all refuse, for my promise is given, and
+for a little ugliness and deformity you shall not make me break my
+plighted word of honour." As he spoke he watched them keenly, to see
+who would prove sufficiently devoted, but the knights all began to
+excuse themselves and to depart. They called their hounds, spurred
+their steeds, and pretended to search for the track of the lost stag
+again; but before they went Sir Gawayne cried aloud: "Friends, cease
+your strife and debate, for I will wed this lady myself. Lady, will
+you have me for your husband?" Thus saying, he dismounted and knelt
+before her.
+
+
+The Lady's Words
+
+The poor lady had at first no words to tell her gratitude to Sir
+Gawayne, but when she had recovered a little she spoke: "Alas! Sir
+Gawayne, I fear you do but jest. Will you wed with one so ugly and
+deformed as I? What sort of wife should I be for a knight so gay and
+gallant, so fair and comely as the king's own nephew? What will Queen
+Guenever and the ladies of the Court say when you return to Carlisle
+bringing with you such a bride? You will be shamed, and all through
+me." Then she wept bitterly, and her weeping made her seem even more
+hideous; but King Arthur, who was watching the scene, said: "Lady, I
+would fain see that knight or dame who dares mock at my nephew's
+bride. I will take order that no such unknightly discourtesy is shown
+in my court," and he glared angrily at Sir Kay and the others who had
+stayed, seeing that Sir Gawayne was prepared to sacrifice himself and
+therefore they were safe. The lady raised her head and looked keenly
+at Sir Gawayne, who took her hand, saying: "Lady, I will be a true and
+loyal husband to you if you will have me; and I shall know how to
+guard my wife from insult. Come, lady, and my uncle will announce the
+betrothal." Now the lady seemed to believe that Sir Gawayne was in
+earnest, and she sprang to her feet, saying: "Thanks to you! A
+thousand thanks, Sir Gawayne, and blessings on your head! You shall
+never rue this wedding, and the courtesy you have shown. Wend we now
+to Carlisle."
+
+
+The Journey to Carlisle
+
+A horse with a side-saddle had been brought for Sir Gawayne's bride,
+but when the lady moved it became evident that she was lame and halted
+in her walk, and there was a slight hunch on her shoulders. Both of
+these deformities showed little when she was seated, but as she moved
+the knights looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders and pitied
+Sir Gawayne, whose courtesy had bound him for life to so deformed a
+wife. Then the whole train rode away together, the bride between King
+Arthur and her betrothed, and all the knights whispering and sneering
+behind them. Great was the excitement in Carlisle to see that ugly
+dame, and greater still the bewilderment in the court when they were
+told that this loathly lady was Sir Gawayne's bride.
+
+
+The Bridal
+
+Only Queen Guenever understood, and she showed all courtesy to the
+deformed bride, and stood by her as her lady-of-honour when the
+wedding took place that evening, while King Arthur was groomsman to
+his nephew. When the long banquet was over, and bride and bridegroom
+no longer need sit side by side, the tables were cleared and the hall
+was prepared for a dance, and then men thought that Sir Gawayne would
+be free for a time to talk with his friends; but he refused. "Bride
+and bridegroom must tread the first dance together, if she wishes it,"
+quoth he, and offered his lady his hand for the dance. "I thank you,
+sweet husband," said the grim lady as she took it and moved forward to
+open the dance with him; and through the long and stately measure that
+followed, so perfect was his dignity, and the courtesy and grace with
+which he danced, that no man dreamt of smiling as the deformed lady
+moved clumsily through the figures of the dance.
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Bride
+
+At last the long evening was over, the last measure danced, the last
+wine-cup drained, the bride escorted to her chamber, the lights out,
+the guests separated in their rooms, and Gawayne was free to think of
+what he had done, and to consider how he had ruined his whole hope of
+happiness. He thought of his uncle's favour, of the poor lady's
+gratitude, of the blessing she had invoked upon him, and he determined
+to be gentle with her, though he could never love her as his wife. He
+entered the bride-chamber with the feeling of a man who has made up
+his mind to endure, and did not even look towards his bride, who sat
+awaiting him beside the fire. Choosing a chair, he sat down and looked
+sadly into the glowing embers and spoke no word.
+
+"Have you no word for me, husband? Can you not even give me a glance?"
+asked the lady, and Sir Gawayne turned his eyes to her where she sat;
+and then he sprang up in amazement, for there sat no loathly lady, no
+ugly and deformed being, but a maiden young and lovely, with black
+eyes and long curls of dark hair, with beautiful face and tall and
+graceful figure. "Who are you, maiden?" asked Sir Gawayne; and the
+fair one replied: "I am your wife, whom you found between the oak and
+the holly-tree, and whom you wedded this night."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Choice
+
+"But how has this marvel come to pass?" asked he, wondering, for the
+fair maiden was so lovely that he marvelled that he had not known her
+beauty even under that hideous disguise. "It is an enchantment to
+which I am in bondage," said she. "I am not yet entirely free from it,
+but now for a time I may appear to you as I really am. Is my lord
+content with his loving bride?" asked she, with a little smile, as she
+rose and stood before him. "Content!" he said, as he clasped her in
+his arms. "I would not change my dear lady for the fairest dame in
+Arthur's court, not though she were Queen Guenever herself. I am the
+happiest knight that lives, for I thought to save my uncle and help a
+hapless lady, and I have won my own happiness thereby. Truly I shall
+never rue the day when I wedded you, dear heart." Long they sat and
+talked together, and then Sir Gawayne grew weary, and would fain have
+slept, but his lady said: "Husband, now a heavy choice awaits you. I
+am under the spell of an evil witch, who has given me my own face and
+form for half the day, and the hideous appearance in which you first
+saw me for the other half. Choose now whether you will have me fair by
+day and ugly by night, or hideous by day and beauteous by night. The
+choice is your own."
+
+
+The Dilemma
+
+Sir Gawayne was no longer oppressed with sleep; the choice before him
+was too difficult. If the lady remained hideous by day he would have
+to endure the taunts of his fellows; if by night, he would be unhappy
+himself. If the lady were fair by day other men might woo her, and he
+himself would have no love for her; if she were fair to him alone, his
+love would make her look ridiculous before the court and the king.
+Nevertheless, acting on the spur of the moment, he spoke: "Oh, be fair
+to me only--be your old self by day, and let me have my beauteous wife
+to myself alone." "Alas! is that your choice?" she asked. "I only must
+be ugly when all are beautiful, I must be despised when all other
+ladies are admired; I am as fair as they, but I must seem foul to all
+men. Is this your love, Sir Gawayne?" and she turned from him and
+wept. Sir Gawayne was filled with pity and remorse when he heard her
+lament, and began to realize that he was studying his own pleasure
+rather than his lady's feelings, and his courtesy and gentleness again
+won the upper hand. "Dear love, if you would rather that men should
+see you fair, I will choose that, though to me you will be always
+as you are now. Be fair before others and deformed to me alone, and
+men shall never know that the enchantment is not wholly removed."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Decision
+
+Now the lady looked pleased for a moment, and then said gravely: "Have
+you thought of the danger to which a young and lovely lady is exposed
+in the court? There are many false knights who would woo a fair dame,
+though her husband were the king's favourite nephew; and who can
+tell?--one of them might please me more than you. Sure I am that many
+will be sorry they refused to wed me when they see me to-morrow morn.
+You must risk my beauty under the guard of my virtue and wisdom, if
+you have me young and fair." She looked merrily at Sir Gawayne as she
+spoke; but he considered seriously for a time, and then said: "Nay,
+dear love, I will leave the matter to you and your own wisdom, for you
+are wiser in this matter than I. I remit this wholly unto you, to
+decide according to your will. I will rest content with whatsoever you
+resolve."
+
+
+The Lady's Story
+
+Now the fair lady clapped her hands lightly, and said: "Blessings on
+you, dear Gawayne, my own dear lord and husband! Now you have released
+me from the spell completely, and I shall always be as I am now, fair
+and young, till old age shall change my beauty as he doth that of all
+mortals. My father was a great duke of high renown who had but one son
+and one daughter, both of us dearly beloved, and both of goodly
+appearance. When I had come to an age to be married my father
+determined to take a new wife, and he wedded a witch-lady. She
+resolved to rid herself of his two children, and cast a spell upon us
+both, whereby I was transformed from a fair lady into the hideous
+monster whom you wedded, and my gallant young brother into the
+churlish giant who dwells at Tarn Wathelan. She condemned me to keep
+that awful shape until I married a young and courtly knight who would
+grant me all my will. You have done all this for me, and I shall be
+always your fond and faithful wife. My brother too is set free from
+the spell, and he will become again one of the truest and most gentle
+knights alive, though none can excel my own true knight, Sir Gawayne."
+
+[Illustration: "Now you have released me from the spell completely"]
+
+
+The Surprise of the Knights
+
+The next morning the knight and his bride descended to the great hall,
+where many knights and ladies awaited them, the former thinking
+scornfully of the hideous hag whom Gawayne had wedded, the latter
+pitying so young and gallant a knight, tied to a lady so ugly. But
+both scorn and pity vanished when all saw the bride. "Who is this fair
+dame?" asked Sir Kay. "Where have you left your ancient bride?" asked
+another, and all awaited the answer in great bewilderment. "This is
+the lady to whom I was wedded yester evening," replied Sir Gawayne.
+"She was under an evil enchantment, which has vanished now that she
+has come under the power of a husband, and henceforth my fair wife
+will be one of the most beauteous ladies of King Arthur's court.
+Further, my lord King Arthur, this fair lady has assured me that the
+churlish knight of Tarn Wathelan, her brother, was also under a spell,
+which is now broken, and he will be once more a courteous and gallant
+knight, and the ground on which his fortress stands will have
+henceforth no magic power to quell the courage of any knight alive.
+Dear liege and uncle, when I wedded yesterday the loathly lady I
+thought only of your happiness, and in that way I have won my own
+lifelong bliss."
+
+King Arthur's joy at his nephew's fair hap was great for he had
+grieved sorely over Gawayne's miserable fate, and Queen Guenever
+welcomed the fair maiden as warmly as she had the loathly lady, and
+the wedding feast was renewed with greater magnificence, as a fitting
+end to the Christmas festivities.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV: KING HORN
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Among the hero-legends which are considered to be of native English
+growth and to have come down to us from the times of the Danish
+invasions is the story of King Horn; but although "King Horn," like
+"Havelok the Dane," was originally a story of Viking raids, it has
+been so altered that the Norse element has been nearly obliterated. In
+all but the bare circumstances of the tale, "King Horn" is a romance
+of chivalry, permeated with the Crusading spirit, and reflecting the
+life and customs of the thirteenth century, instead of the more
+barbarous manners of the eighth or ninth centuries. The hero's desire
+to obtain knighthood and do some deed worthy of the honour, the
+readiness to leave his betrothed for long years at the call of honour
+or duty, the embittered feeling against the Saracens, are all typical
+of the romance of the Crusades. Another curious point which shows a
+later than Norse influence is the wooing of the reluctant youth by the
+princess, of which there are many instances in mediæval literature; it
+reveals a consciousness of feudal rank which did not exist in early
+times, and a certain recognition of the privileges of royal birth
+which were not granted before the days of romantic chivalry. King Horn
+himself is a hero of the approved chivalric type, whose chief
+distinguishing feature is his long indifference to the misfortunes of
+the sorely-tried princess to whom he was betrothed.
+
+
+The Royal Family of Suddene
+
+There once lived and ruled in the pleasant land of Suddene a noble
+king named Murry, whose fair consort, Queen Godhild, was the most
+sweet and gentle lady alive, as the king was a pattern of all
+knightly virtues. This royal pair had but one child, a son, named
+Horn, now twelve years old, who had been surrounded from his birth
+with loyal service and true devotion. He had a band of twelve chosen
+companions with whom he shared sports and tasks, pleasures and griefs,
+and the little company grew up well trained in chivalrous exercises
+and qualities. Childe Horn had his favourites among the twelve. Athulf
+was his dearest friend, a loving and devoted companion; and next to
+him in Horn's affection stood Fikenhild, whose outward show of love
+covered his inward envy and hatred. In everything these two were
+Childe Horn's inseparable comrades, and it seemed that an equal bond
+of love united the three.
+
+
+The Saracen Invasion
+
+One day as King Murry was riding over the cliffs by the sea with only
+two knights in attendance he noticed some unwonted commotion in a
+little creek not far from where he was riding, and he at once turned
+his horse's head in that direction and galloped down to the shore. On
+his arrival in the small harbour he saw fifteen great ships of strange
+build, and their crews, Saracens all armed for war, had already
+landed, and were drawn up in warlike array. The odds against the king
+were terrible, but he rode boldly to the invaders and asked: "What
+brings you strangers here? Why have you sought our land?" A Saracen
+leader, gigantic of stature, spoke for them all and replied: "We are
+here to win this land to the law of Mahomet and to drive out the
+Christian law. We will slay all the inhabitants that believe on
+Christ. Thou thyself shalt be our first conquest, for thou shalt not
+leave this place alive." Thereupon the Saracens attacked the little
+band, and though the three Christians fought valiantly they were soon
+slain. The Saracens then spread over the land, slaying, burning, and
+pillaging, and forcing all who loved their lives to renounce the
+Christian faith and become followers of Mahomet. When Queen Godhild
+heard of her husband's death and saw the ruin of her people she fled
+from her palace and all her friends and betook herself to a solitary
+cave, where she lived unknown and undiscovered, and continued her
+Christian worship while the land was overrun with pagans. Ever she
+prayed that God would protect her dear son, and bring him at last to
+his father's throne.
+
+[Illustration: Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn]
+
+
+Horn's Escape
+
+Soon after the king's death the Saracens had captured Childe Horn and
+his twelve comrades, and the boys were brought before the pagan emir.
+They would all have been slain at once or flayed alive, but for the
+beauty of Childe Horn, for whose sake their lives were spared. The old
+emir looked keenly at the lads, and said: "Horn, thou art a bold and
+valiant youth, of great stature for thine age, and of full strength,
+yet I know thou hast not yet reached thy full growth. If we release
+thee with thy companions, in years to come we shall dearly rue it, for
+ye will become great champions of the Christian law and will slay many
+of us. Therefore ye must die. But we will not slay you with our own
+hands, for ye are noble lads, and shall have one feeble chance for
+your lives. Ye shall be placed in a boat and driven out to sea, and if
+ye all are drowned we shall not grieve overmuch. Either ye must die or
+we, for I know we shall dearly abide your king's death if ye youths
+survive." Thereupon the lads were all taken to the shore, and, weeping
+and lamenting, were thrust into a rudderless boat, which was towed
+out to sea and left helpless.
+
+
+Arrival in Westernesse
+
+The other boys sat lamenting and bewailing their fate, but Childe
+Horn, looking round the boat, found a pair of oars, and as he saw that
+the boat was in the grasp of some strong current he rowed in the same
+direction, so that the boat soon drifted out of sight of land. The
+other lads were a dismal crew, for they thought their death was
+certain, but Horn toiled hard at his rowing all night, and with the
+dawn grew so weary that he rested for a little on his oars. When the
+rising sun made things clear, and he could see over the crests of the
+waves, he stood up in the boat and uttered a cry of joy. "Comrades,"
+cried he, "dear friends, I see land not far away. I hear the sweet
+songs of birds and see the soft green grass. We have come to some
+unknown land and have saved our lives." Then Athulf took up the glad
+tidings and began to cheer the forlorn little crew, and under Horn's
+skilful guidance the little boat grounded gently and safely on the
+sands of Westernesse. The boys sprang on shore, all but Childe Horn
+having no thought of the past night and the journey; but he stood by
+the boat, looking sadly at it.
+
+
+Farewell to the Boat
+
+    "'Boat,' quoth he, 'which hast borne me on my way,
+    Have thou good days beside a summer sea!
+    May never wave prevail to sink thee deep!
+    Go, little boat, and when thou comest home
+    Greet well my mother, mournful Queen Godhild;
+    Tell her, frail skiff, her dear son Horn is safe.
+    Greet, too, the pagan lord, Mahomet's thrall,
+    The bitter enemy of Jesus Christ,
+    And bid him know that I am safe and well.
+    Say I have reached a land beyond the sea,
+    Whence, in God's own good time, I will return
+    Then he shall feel my vengeance for my sire.'"
+
+Then sorrowfully he pushed the boat out into the ocean, and the ebbing
+tide bore it away, while Horn and his companions set their faces
+resolutely towards the town they could see in the distance.
+
+
+King Ailmar and Childe Horn
+
+As the little band were trudging wearily towards the town they saw a
+knight riding towards them, and when he came nearer they became aware
+that he must be some noble of high rank. When he halted and began to
+question them, Childe Horn recognised by his tone and bearing that
+this must be the king. So indeed it was, for King Ailmar of
+Westernesse was one of those noble rulers who see for themselves the
+state of their subjects and make their people happy by free,
+unrestrained intercourse with them. When the king saw the forlorn
+little company he said: "Whence are ye, fair youths, so strong and
+comely of body? Never have I seen so goodly a company of thirteen
+youths in the realm of Westernesse. Tell me whence ye come, and what
+ye seek." Childe Horn assumed the office of spokesman, for he was
+leader by birth, by courage, and by intellect. "We are lads of noble
+families in Suddene, sons of Christians and of men of lofty station.
+Pagans have taken the land and slain our parents, and we boys fell
+into their hands. These heathen have slain and tortured many Christian
+men, but they had pity upon us, and put us into an old boat with no
+sail or rudder. So we drifted all night, until I saw your land at
+dawn, and our boat came to the shore. Now we are in your power, and
+you may do with us what you will, but I pray you to have pity on us
+and to feed us, that we may not perish utterly."
+
+
+Ailmar's Decision
+
+King Ailmar was touched as greatly by the simple boldness of the
+spokesman as by the hapless plight of the little troop, and he
+answered, smiling: "Thou shalt have nought but help and comfort, fair
+youth. But, I pray thee, tell me thy name." Horn answered readily:
+"King, may all good betide thee! I am named Horn, and I have come
+journeying in a boat on the sea--now I am here in thy land." King
+Ailmar replied: "Horn! That is a good name: mayst thou well enjoy it.
+Loud may this Horn sound over hill and dale till the blast of so
+mighty a Horn shall be heard in many lands from king to king, and its
+beauty and strength be known in many countries. Horn, come thou with
+me and be mine, for I love thee and will not forsake thee."
+
+
+Childe Horn at Court
+
+The king rode home, and all the band of stranger youths followed him
+on foot, but for Horn he ordered a horse to be procured, so that the
+lad rode by his side; and thus they came back to the court. When they
+entered the hall he summoned his steward, a noble old knight named
+Athelbrus, and gave the lads in charge to him, saying, "Steward, take
+these foundlings of mine, and train them well in the duties of pages,
+and later of squires. Take especial care with the training of Childe
+Horn, their chief; let him learn all thy knowledge of woodcraft and
+fishing, of hunting and hawking, of harping and singing; teach him how
+to carve before me, and to serve the cup solemnly at banquets; make
+him thy favourite pupil and train him to be a knight as good as
+thyself. His companions thou mayst put into other service, but Horn
+shall be my own page, and afterwards my squire." Athelbrus obeyed the
+king's command, and the thirteen youths soon found themselves set to
+learn the duties of court life, and showed themselves apt scholars,
+especially Childe Horn, who did his best to satisfy the king and his
+steward on every point.
+
+
+The Princess Rymenhild
+
+When Childe Horn had been at court for six years, and was now a
+squire, he became known to all courtiers, and all men loved him for
+his gentle courtesy and his willingness to do any service. King Ailmar
+made no secret of the fact that Horn was his favourite squire, and the
+Princess Rymenhild, the king's fair daughter, loved him with all her
+heart. She was the heir to the throne, and no man had ever gainsaid
+her will, and now it seemed to her unreasonable that she should not be
+allowed to wed a good and gallant youth whom she loved. It was
+difficult for her to speak alone with him, for she had six maiden
+attendants who waited on her continually, and Horn was engaged with
+his duties either in the hall, among the knights, or waiting on the
+king. The difficulties only seemed to increase her love, and she grew
+pale and wan, and looked miserable. It seemed to her that if she
+waited longer her love would never be happy, and in her impatience she
+took a bold step.
+
+
+Athelbrus Deceives the Princess
+
+She kept her chamber, called a messenger, and said to him: "Go quickly
+to Athelbrus the steward, and bid him come to me at once. Tell him to
+bring with him the squire Childe Horn, for I am lying ill in my room,
+and would be amused. Say I expect them quickly, for I am sad in mind,
+and have need of cheerful converse." The messenger bowed, and,
+withdrawing, delivered the message exactly as he had received it to
+Athelbrus, who was much perplexed thereby. He wondered whence came
+this sudden illness, and what help Childe Horn could give. It was an
+unusual thing for the squire to be asked into a lady's bower, and
+still more so into that of a princess, and Athelbrus had already felt
+some suspicion as to the sentiments of the royal lady towards the
+gallant young squire. Considering all these things, the cautious
+steward deemed it safer not to expose young Horn to the risks that
+might arise from such an interview, and therefore induced Athulf to
+wait upon the princess and to endeavour to personate his more
+distinguished companion. The plan succeeded beyond expectation in the
+dimly lighted room, and the infatuated princess soon startled the
+unsuspecting squire by a warm and unreserved declaration of her
+affection. Recovering from his natural amazement, he modestly
+disclaimed a title to the royal favour and acknowledged his identity.
+
+On discovering her mistake the princess was torn by conflicting
+emotions, but finally relieved the pressure of self-reproach and the
+confusion of maiden modesty by overwhelming the faithful steward with
+denunciation and upbraiding, until at last, in desperation, the poor
+man promised, against his better judgment, to bring about a meeting
+between his love-lorn mistress and the favoured squire.
+
+
+Athelbrus Summons Horn
+
+When Rymenhild understood that Athelbrus would fulfil her desire she
+was very glad and joyous; her sorrow was turned into happy
+expectation, and she looked kindly upon the old steward as she said:
+"Go now quickly, and send him to me in the afternoon. The king will
+go to the wood for sport and pastime, and Horn can easily remain
+behind; then he can stay with me till my father returns at eve. No one
+will betray us; and when I have met my beloved I care not what men may
+say."
+
+Then the steward went down to the banqueting-hall, where he found
+Childe Horn fulfilling his duties as cup-bearer, pouring out and
+tasting the red wine in the king's golden goblet. King Ailmar asked
+many questions about his daughter's health, and when he learnt that
+her malady was much abated he rose in gladness from the table and
+summoned his courtiers to go with him into the greenwood. Athelbrus
+bade Horn tarry, and when the gay throng had passed from the hall the
+steward said gravely: "Childe Horn, fair and courteous, my beloved
+pupil, go now to the bower of the Princess Rymenhild, and stay there
+to fulfil all her commands. It may be thou shalt hear strange things,
+but keep rash and bold words in thy heart, and let them not be upon
+thy tongue. Horn, dear lad, be true and loyal now, and thou shalt
+never repent it."
+
+
+Horn and Rymenhild
+
+Horn listened to this unusual speech with great astonishment, but,
+since Sir Athelbrus spoke so solemnly, he laid all his words to heart,
+and thus, marvelling greatly, departed to the royal bower. When he had
+knocked at the door, and had been bidden to come in, entering, he
+found Rymenhild sitting in a great chair, intently regarding him as he
+came into the room. He knelt down to make obeisance to her, and kissed
+her hand, saying, "Sweet be thy life and soft thy slumbers, fair
+Princess Rymenhild! Well may it be with thy gentle ladies of honour! I
+am here at thy command, lady, for Sir Athelbrus the steward, bade me
+come to speak with thee. Tell me thy will, and I will fulfil all thy
+desires." She arose from her seat, and, bending towards him as he
+knelt, took him by the hand and lifted him up, saying, "Arise and sit
+beside me, Childe Horn, and we will drink this cup of wine together."
+In great astonishment the youth did as the princess bade, and sat
+beside her, and soon, to his utter amazement, Rymenhild avowed her
+love for him, and offered him her hand. "Have pity on me, Horn, and
+plight me thy troth, for in very truth I love thee, and have loved
+thee long, and if thou wilt I will be thy wife."
+
+
+Horn Refuses the Princess
+
+Now Horn was in evil case, for he saw full well in what danger he
+would place the princess, Sir Athelbrus, and himself if he accepted
+the proffer of her love. He knew the reason of the steward's warning,
+and tried to think what he might say to satisfy the princess and yet
+not be disloyal to the king. At last he replied: "Christ save and keep
+thee, my lady Rymenhild, and give thee joy of thy husband, whosoever
+he may be! I am too lowly born to be worthy of such a wife; I am a
+mere foundling, living on thy father's bounty. It is not in the course
+of nature that such as I should wed a king's daughter, for there can
+be no equal match between a princess and a landless squire."
+
+Rymenhild was so disheartened and ashamed at this reply to her loving
+appeal that her colour changed, she turned deadly pale, began to sigh,
+flung her arms out wildly, and fell down in a swoon. Childe Horn
+lifted her up, full of pity for her deep distress, and began to
+comfort her and try to revive her. As he held her in his arms he
+kissed her often, and said:
+
+    "'Lady, dear love, take comfort and be strong!
+    For I will yield me wholly to thy guidance
+    If thou wilt compass one great thing for me.
+    Plead with King Ailmar that he dub me knight,
+    That I may prove me worthy of thy love.
+    Soon shall my knighthood be no idle dream,
+    And I will strive to do thy will, dear heart.'"
+
+Now at these words Rymenhild awoke from her swoon, and made him repeat
+his promise. She said: "Ah! Horn, that shall speedily be done. Ere the
+week is past thou shalt be Sir Horn, for my father loves thee, and
+will grant the dignity most willingly to one so dear to him. Go now
+quickly to Sir Athelbrus, give him as a token of my gratitude this
+golden goblet and this ring; pray him that he persuade the king to dub
+thee knight. I will repay him with rich rewards for his gentle
+courtesy to me. May Christ help him to speed thee in thy desires!"
+Horn then took leave of Rymenhild with great affection, and found
+Athelbrus, to whom he delivered the gifts and the princess's message,
+which the steward received with due reverence.
+
+
+Horn Becomes a Knight
+
+This plan seemed to Athelbrus very good, for it raised Horn to be a
+member of the noble Order of Knights, and would give him other chances
+of distinguishing himself. Accordingly he went to the king as he sat
+over the evening meal, and spoke thus: "Sir King, hear my words, for I
+have counsel for thee. To-morrow is the festival of thy birth, and the
+whole realm of Westernesse must rejoice in its master's joy. Wear thou
+thy crown in solemn state, and I think it were nought amiss if thou
+shouldst knight young Horn, who will become a worthy defender of thy
+throne." "That were well done," said King Ailmar. "The youth pleases
+me, and I will knight him with my own sword. Afterwards he shall
+knight his twelve comrades the same day."
+
+The next day the ceremony of knighting was performed with all
+solemnity, and at its close a great banquet was prepared and all men
+made merry. But Princess Rymenhild was somewhat sad. She could not
+descend to the hall and take her customary place, for this was a feast
+for knights alone, and she would not be without her betrothed one
+moment longer, so she sent a messenger to fetch Sir Horn to her bower.
+
+
+Horn and Athulf Go to Rymenhild
+
+Now that Horn was a newly dubbed knight he would not allow the
+slightest shadow of dishonour to cloud his conduct; accordingly, when
+he obeyed Rymenhild's summons he was accompanied by Athulf. "Welcome,
+Sir Horn and Sir Athulf," she cried, holding out her hands in
+greeting. "Love, now that thou hast thy will, keep thy plighted word
+and make me thy wife; release me from my anxiety and do as thou hast
+said."
+
+    "'Dear Rymenhild, hold thou thyself at peace,'
+    Quoth young Sir Horn; 'I will perform my vow.
+    But first I must ride forth to prove my might;
+    Must conquer hardships, and my own worse self,
+    Ere I can hope to woo and wed my bride.
+    We are but new-fledged knights of one day's growth,
+    And yet we know the custom of our state
+    Is first to fight and win a hero's name,
+    Then afterwards to win a lady's heart.
+    This day will I do bravely for thy love
+    And show my valour and my deep devotion
+    In prowess 'gainst the foes of this thy land.
+    If I come back in peace, I claim my wife.'"
+
+Rymenhild protested no longer, for she saw that where honour was
+concerned Horn was inflexible. "My true knight," said she, "I must in
+sooth believe thee, and I feel that I may. Take this ring engraved
+with my name, wrought by the most skilled worker of our court, and
+wear it always, for it has magic virtues. The gems are of such saving
+power that thou shalt fear no strokes in battle, nor ever be cast down
+if thou gaze on this ring and think of thy love. Athulf, too, shall
+have a similar ring. And now, Horn, I commend thee to God, and may
+Christ give thee good success and bring thee back in safety!"
+
+
+Horn's First Exploit
+
+After taking an affectionate farewell of Rymenhild, Horn went down to
+the hall, and, seeing all the other new-made knights going in to the
+banquet, he slipped quietly away and betook himself to the stables.
+There he armed himself secretly and mounted his white charger, which
+pranced and reared joyfully as he rode away; and Horn began to sing
+for joy of heart, for he had won his chief desire, and was happy in
+the love of the king's daughter. As he rode by the shore he saw a
+stranger ship drawn up on the beach, and recognised the banner and
+accoutrements of her Saracen crew, for he had never forgotten the
+heathens who had slain his father. "What brings you here?" he asked
+angrily, and as fearlessly as King Murry had done, and received the
+same answer: "We will conquer this land and slay the inhabitants."
+Then Horn's anger rose, he gripped his sword, and rushed boldly at the
+heathens, and slew many of them, striking off a head at each blow. The
+onslaught was so sudden that the Saracens were taken by surprise at
+first, but then they rallied and surrounded Horn, so that matters
+began to look dangerous for him. Then he remembered the betrothal
+ring, and looked on it, thinking earnestly of Rymenhild, his dear
+love, and such courage came to him that he was able to defeat the
+pagans and slay their leader. The others, sorely wounded--for none
+escaped unhurt--hurried on board ship and put to sea, and Horn,
+bearing the Saracen leader's head on his sword's point, rode back to
+the royal palace. Here he related to King Ailmar this first exploit of
+his knighthood, and presented the head of the foe to the king, who
+rejoiced greatly at Horn's valour and success.
+
+[Illustration: Horn kills the Saracen leader]
+
+
+Rymenhild's Dream
+
+The next day the king and all the court rode out hunting, but Horn
+made an excuse to stay behind with the princess, and the false and
+wily Fikenhild was also left at home, and he crept secretly to
+Rymenhild's bower to spy on her. She was sitting weeping bitterly when
+Sir Horn entered. He was amazed. "Love, for mercy's sake, why weepest
+thou so sorely?" he asked; and she replied: "I have had a mournful
+dream. I dreamt that I was casting a net and had caught a great fish,
+which began to burst the net. I greatly fear that I shall lose my
+chosen fish." Then she looked sadly at Horn. But the young knight was
+in a cheery mood, and replied: "May Christ and St. Stephen turn thy
+dream to good! If I am thy fish, I will never deceive thee nor do
+aught to displease thee, and hereto I plight thee my troth. But I
+would rather interpret thy dream otherwise. This great fish which
+burst thy net is some one who wishes us ill, and will do us harm
+soon." Yet in spite of Horn's brave words it was a sad betrothal, for
+Rymenhild wept bitterly, and her lover could not stop her tears.
+
+
+Fikenhild's False Accusation
+
+Fikenhild had listened to all their conversation with growing envy
+and anger, and now he stole away silently, and met King Ailmar
+returning from the chase.
+
+    "'King Ailmar,' said the false one, 'see, I bring
+    A needed warning, that thou guard thyself,
+    For Horn will take thy life; I heard him vow
+    To slay thee, or by sword or fire, this night.
+    If thou demand what cause of hate he has,
+    Know that the villain wooes thine only child,
+    Fair Rymenhild, and hopes to wear thy crown.
+    E'en now he tarries in the maiden's bower,
+    As he has often done, and talks with her
+    With guileful tongue, and cunning show of love.
+    Unless thou banish him thou art not safe
+    In life or honour, for he knows no law.'"
+
+The king at first refused to believe the envious knight's report, but,
+going to Rymenhild's bower, he found apparent confirmation, for Horn
+was comforting the princess, and promising to wed her when he should
+have done worthy feats of arms. The king's wrath knew no bounds, and
+with words of harsh reproach he banished Horn at once, on pain of
+death. The young knight armed himself quickly and returned to bid
+farewell to his betrothed.
+
+
+Horn's Banishment
+
+"Dear heart," said he, "now thy dream has come true, and thy fish must
+needs break the net and be gone. The enemy whom I foreboded has
+wrought us woe. Farewell, mine own dear Rymenhild; I may no longer
+stay, but must wander in alien lands. If I do not return at the end of
+seven years take thyself a husband and tarry no longer for me. And now
+take me in your arms and kiss me, dear love, ere I go!" So they kissed
+each other and bade farewell, and Horn called to him his comrade
+Athulf, saying, "True and faithful friend, guard well my dear love.
+Thou hast never forsaken me; now do thou keep Rymenhild for me." Then
+he rode away, and, reaching the haven, hired a good ship and sailed
+for Ireland, where he took service with King Thurston, under the name
+of Cuthbert. In Ireland he became sworn brother to the king's two
+sons, Harold and Berild, for they loved him from the first moment they
+saw him, and were in no way jealous of his beauty and valour.
+
+
+Horn Slays the Giant Emir
+
+When Christmas came, and King Thurston sat at the banquet with all his
+lords, at noontide a giant strode into the hall, bearing a message of
+defiance. He came from the Saracens, and challenged any three Irish
+knights to fight one Saracen champion. If the Irish won the pagans
+would withdraw from Ireland; if the Irish chiefs were slain the
+Saracens would hold the land. The combat was to be decided the next
+day at dawn. King Thurston accepted the challenge, and named Harold,
+Berild, and Cuthbert (as Horn was called) as the Christian champions,
+because they were the best warriors in Ireland; but Horn begged
+permission to speak, and said: "Sir King, it is not right that one man
+should fight against three, and one heathen hound think to resist
+three Christian warriors. I will fight and conquer him alone, for I
+could as easily slay three of them." At last the king allowed Horn to
+attempt the combat alone, and spent the night in sorrowful musing on
+the result of the contest, while Horn slept well and arose and armed
+himself cheerily. He then aroused the king, and the Irish troop rode
+out to a fair and level green lawn, where they found the emir with
+many companions awaiting them. The combat began at once, and Horn gave
+blows so mighty that the pagan onlookers fell swooning through very
+fear, till Horn said: "Now, knights, rest for a time, if it pleases
+you." Then the Saracens spoke together, saying aloud that no man had
+ever so daunted them before except King Murry of Suddene.
+
+This mention of his dead father aroused Horn, who now realized that he
+saw before him his father's murderers. His anger was kindled, he
+looked at his ring and thought of Rymenhild, and then, drawing his
+sword again, he rushed at the heathen champion. The giant fell pierced
+through the heart, and his companions fled to their ships, hotly
+pursued by Horn and his company. Much fighting there was, and in the
+hot strife near the ships the king's two sons, Harold and Berild, were
+both slain.
+
+
+Horn Refuses the Throne
+
+Sadly they were laid on a bier and brought back to the palace, their
+sorrowful father lamenting their early death; and when he had wept his
+fill the mournful king came into the hall where all his knights
+silently awaited him. Slowly he came up to Horn as he sat a little
+apart from the rest, and said: "Cuthbert, wilt thou fulfil my desire?
+My heirs are slain, and thou art the best knight in Ireland for
+strength and beauty and valour; I implore thee to wed Reynild, my only
+daughter (now, alas! my only child), and to rule my realm. Wilt thou
+do so, and lift the burden of my cares from my weary shoulders?" But
+Horn replied: "O Sir King, it were wrong for me to receive thy fair
+daughter and heir and rule thy realm, as thou dost offer. I shall do
+thee yet better service, my liege, before I die; and I know that thy
+grief will change ere seven years have passed away. When that time is
+over, Sir King, give me my reward: thou shalt not refuse me thy
+daughter when I desire her." To this King Thurston agreed, and Horn
+dwelt in Ireland for seven years, and sent no word or token to
+Rymenhild all the time.
+
+
+Rymenhild's Distress
+
+In the meantime Princess Rymenhild was in great perplexity and
+trouble, for a powerful ruler, King Modi of Reynes, wooed her for his
+wife, and her own betrothed sent her no token of his life or love. Her
+father accepted the new suitor for her hand, and the day of the
+wedding was fixed, so that Rymenhild could no longer delay her
+marriage. In her extremity she besought Athulf to write letters to
+Horn, begging him to return and claim his bride and protect her; and
+these letters she delivered to several messengers, bidding them search
+in all lands until they found Sir Horn and gave the letters into his
+own hand. Horn knew nought of this, till one day in the forest he met
+a weary youth, all but exhausted, who told how he had sought Horn in
+vain. When Horn declared himself, the youth broke out into loud
+lamentations over Rymenhild's unhappy fate, and delivered the letter
+which explained all her distress. Now it was Horn's turn to weep
+bitterly for his love's troubles, and he bade the messenger return to
+his mistress and tell her to cease her tears, for Horn would be there
+in time to rescue her from her hated bridegroom. The youth returned
+joyfully, but as his boat neared the shore of Westernesse a storm
+arose and the messenger was drowned; so that Rymenhild, opening her
+tower door to look for expected succour, found her messenger lying
+dead at the foot of the tower, and felt that all hope was gone. She
+wept and wrung her hands, but nothing that she could do would avert
+the evil day.
+
+
+Horn and King Thurston
+
+As soon as Horn had read Rymenhild's letter he went to King Thurston
+and revealed the whole matter to him. He told of his own royal
+parentage, his exile, his knighthood, his betrothal to the princess,
+and his banishment; then of the death of the Saracen leader who had
+slain King Murry, and the vengeance he had taken. Then he ended:
+
+    "'King Thurston, be thou wise, and grant my boon;
+    Repay the service I have yielded thee;
+    Help me to save my princess from this woe.
+    I will take counsel for fair Reynild's fate,
+    For she shall wed Sir Athulf, my best friend,
+    My truest comrade and my doughtiest knight.
+    If ever I have risked my life for thee
+    And proved myself in battle, grant my prayer.'"
+
+To this the king replied: "Childe Horn, do what thou wilt."
+
+
+Horn Returns on the Wedding-day
+
+Horn at once invited Irish knights to accompany him to Westernesse to
+rescue his love from a hateful marriage, and many came eagerly to
+fight in the cause of the valiant Cuthbert who had defended Ireland
+for seven years. Thus it was with a goodly company that Horn took
+ship, and landed in King Ailmar's realm; and he came in a happy hour,
+for it was the wedding-day of Princess Rymenhild and King Modi of
+Reynes. The Irish knights landed and encamped in a wood, while Horn
+went on alone to learn tidings. Meeting a palmer, he asked the news,
+and the palmer replied: "I have been at the wedding of Princess
+Rymenhild, and a sad sight it was, for the bride was wedded against
+her will, vowing she had a husband though he is a banished man. She
+would take no ring nor utter any vows; but the service was read, and
+afterwards King Modi took her to a strong castle, where not even a
+palmer was given entrance. I came away, for I could not endure the
+pity of it. The bride sits weeping sorely, and if report be true her
+heart is like to break with grief."
+
+
+Horn Is Disguised as a Palmer
+
+"Come, palmer," said Horn, "lend me your cloak and scrip. I must see
+this strange bridal, and it may be I shall make some there repent of
+the wrong they have done to a helpless maiden. I will essay to enter."
+The change was soon made, and Horn darkened his face and hands as if
+bronzed with Eastern suns, bowed his back, and gave his voice an old
+man's feebleness, so that no man would have known him; which done, he
+made his way to King Modi's new castle. Here he begged admittance for
+charity's sake, that he might share the broken bits of the wedding
+feast; but he was churlishly refused by the porter, who would not be
+moved by any entreaties. At last Horn lost all patience, and broke
+open the door, and threw the porter out over the drawbridge into the
+moat; then, once more assuming his disguise, he made his way into the
+hall and sat down in the beggars' row.
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Rymenhild was weeping still, and her stern husband seemed only angered
+by her tears. Horn looked about cautiously, but saw no sign of Athulf,
+his trusted comrade; for he was at this time eagerly looking for his
+friend's coming from the lofty watch-tower, and lamenting that he
+could guard the princess no longer. At last, when the banquet was
+nearly over, Rymenhild rose to pour out wine for the guests, as the
+custom was then; and she bore a horn of ale or wine along the benches
+to each person there. Horn, sitting humbly on the ground, called out:
+"Come, courteous Queen, turn to me, for we beggars are thirsty folk."
+Rymenhild smiled sadly, and, setting down the horn, filled a bowl with
+brown ale, for she thought him a drunkard. "Here, drink this, and more
+besides, if thou wilt; I never saw so bold a beggar," she said. But
+Horn refused. He handed the bowl to the other beggars, and said:
+"Lady, I will drink nought but from a silver cup, for I am not what
+you think me. I am no beggar, but a fisher, come from afar to fish at
+thy wedding feast. My net lies near by, and has lain there for seven
+years, and I am come to see if it has caught any fish. Drink to me,
+and drink to Horn from thy horn, for far have I journeyed."
+
+When the palmer spoke of fishing, and his seven-year-old net,
+Rymenhild felt cold at heart; she did not recognise him, but wondered
+greatly when he bade her drink "to Horn." She filled her cup and gave
+it to the palmer, saying, "Drink thy fill, and then tell me if thou
+hast ever seen Horn in thy wanderings." As the palmer drank, he
+dropped his ring into the cup; then he returned it to Rymenhild,
+saying, "Queen, seek out what is in thy draught." She said nothing
+then, but left the hall with her maidens and went to her bower, where
+she found the well-remembered ring she had given to Horn in token of
+betrothal. Greatly she feared that Horn was dead, and sent for the
+palmer, whom she questioned as to whence he had got the ring.
+
+
+Horn's Stratagem
+
+Horn thought he would test her love for him, since she had not
+recognised him, so he replied: "By St. Giles, lady, I have wandered
+many a mile, far into realms of the West, and there I found Sir Horn
+ready prepared to sail home to your land. He told me that he planned
+to reach the realm of Westernesse in time to see you before seven
+years had passed, and I embarked with him. The winds were favourable
+and we had a quick voyage, but, alas! he fell ill and died. When he
+lay dying he begged me piteously, 'Take this ring, from which I have
+never been parted, to my dear lady Rymenhild,' and he kissed it many
+times and pressed it to his breast. May God give his soul rest in
+Paradise!"
+
+When Rymenhild heard those terrible tidings she sighed deeply and
+said: "O heart, burst now, for thou shalt never more have Horn, for
+love of whom thou hast been tormented so sorely!" Then she fell upon
+her bed, and grasped the dagger which she had concealed there; for if
+Horn did not come in time she had planned to slay both her hateful
+lord and herself that very night. Now, in her misery, she set the
+dagger to her heart, and would have slain herself at once, had not the
+palmer interrupted her. Rushing forward, he exclaimed: "Dear Queen and
+lady, I am Horn, thine own true love. Dost thou not recognise me? I am
+Childe Horn of Westernesse. Take me in thy arms, dear love, and kiss
+me welcome home." As Rymenhild stared incredulously at him, letting
+the dagger fall from her trembling hand, he hurriedly cast away his
+disguise, brushed off the disfiguring stain he had put on his cheeks,
+and stood up straight and strong, her own noble knight and lover. What
+joy they had together! How they told each other of all their
+adventures and troubles, and how they embraced and kissed each other!
+
+
+Horn Slays King Modi
+
+When their joy had become calmer, Horn said to his lady: "Dear
+Rymenhild, I must leave thee now, and return to my knights, who are
+encamped in the forest. Within an hour I will return to the feast and
+give the king and his guests a stern lesson." Then he flung away the
+palmer's cloak, and went forth in knightly array; while the princess
+went up to the watch-tower, where Athulf still scanned the sea for
+some sign of Horn's coming. Rymenhild said: "Sir Athulf, true friend,
+go quickly to Horn, for he has arrived, and with him he brings a great
+army." The knight gladly hastened to the courtyard, mounted his steed,
+and soon overtook Horn. They were greatly rejoiced to meet again, and
+had much to tell each other and to plan for that day's work.
+
+In the evening Horn and his army reached the castle, where they found
+the gates undone for them by their friends within, and in a short but
+desperate conflict King Modi and all the guests at the banquet were
+slain, except Rymenhild, her father, and Horn's twelve comrades. Then
+a new wedding was celebrated, for King Ailmar durst not refuse his
+daughter to the victor, and the bridal was now one of real rejoicing,
+though the king was somewhat bitter of mood.
+
+
+Horn's Departure
+
+When the hours wore on to midnight, Horn, sitting beside his bride,
+called for silence in the hall, and addressed the king thus: "Sir
+King, I pray thee listen to my tale, for I have much to say and much
+to explain. My name is in sooth Horn, and I am the son of King Murry
+of Suddene, who was slain by the Saracens. Thou didst cherish me and
+give me knighthood, and I proved myself a true knight on the very day
+when I was dubbed. Thou didst love me then, but evil men accused me to
+thee and I was banished. For seven years I have lived in a strange
+land; but now that I have returned, I have won thy fair daughter as
+my bride. But I cannot dwell here in idleness while the heathen hold
+my father's land. I vow by the Holy Rood that I will not rest, and
+will not claim my wife, until I have purified Suddene from the infidel
+invaders, and can lay its crown at Rymenhild's feet. Do thou, O King,
+guard well my wife till my return."
+
+The king consented to this proposal, and, in spite of Rymenhild's
+grief, Horn immediately bade her farewell, and with his whole army
+embarked for Suddene, this time accompanied by Athulf, but leaving the
+rest of his comrades for the protection of his wife.
+
+
+The Apostate Knight
+
+The wind blew fair for Suddene, and the fleet reached the port. The
+warriors disembarked, and marched inland, to encamp for the night in a
+wood, where they could be hidden. Horn and Athulf set out at midnight
+to endeavour to obtain news of the foe, and soon found a solitary
+knight sleeping. They awoke him roughly, saying, "Knight, awake! Why
+sleepest thou here? What dost thou guard?" The knight sprang lightly
+from the ground, saw their faces and the shining crosses on their
+shields, and cast down his eyes in shame, saying, "Alas! I have served
+these pagans against my will. In time gone by I was a Christian, but
+now I am a coward renegade, who forsook his God for fear of death at
+the hands of the Saracens! I hate my infidel masters, but I fear them
+too, and they have forced me to guard this district and keep watch
+against Horn's return. If he should come to his own again how glad I
+should be! These infidels slew his father, and drove him into exile,
+with his twelve comrades, among whom was my own son, Athulf, who loved
+the prince as his own life. If the prince is yet alive, and my son
+also, God grant that I may see them both again! Then would I joyfully
+die."
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Horn answered quickly: "Sir Knight, be glad and rejoice, for here are
+we, Horn and Athulf, come to avenge my father and retake my realm from
+the heathen." Athulf's father was overcome with joy and shame; he
+hardly dared to embrace his son, yet the bliss of meeting was so great
+that he clasped Athulf in his arms and prayed his forgiveness for the
+disgrace he had brought upon him. The two young knights said nothing
+of his past weakness, but told him all their own adventures, and at
+last he said: "What is your true errand hither? Can you two alone slay
+the heathen? Dear Childe Horn, what joy this will be to thy mother
+Godhild, who still lives in a solitary retreat, praying for thee and
+for the land!" Horn broke in on his speech with "Blessed be the hour
+when I returned! Thank God that my mother yet lives! We are not alone,
+but I have an army of valiant Irish warriors, who will help me to
+regain my realm."
+
+
+The Reconquest of Suddene
+
+Now the king blew his horn, and his host marched out from the wood and
+prepared to attack the Saracens. The news soon spread that Childe Horn
+had returned, and many men who had accepted the faith of Mahomet for
+fear of death now threw off the hated religion, joined the true king's
+army, and were rebaptized. The war was not long, for the Saracens had
+made themselves universally hated, and the inhabitants rose against
+them; so that in a short time the country was purged of the infidels,
+who were slain or fled to other lands. Then Horn brought his mother
+from her retreat, and together they purified the churches which had
+been desecrated, and restored the true faith. When the land of Suddene
+was again a Christian realm King Horn was crowned with solemn rites,
+and a great coronation feast was held, which lasted too long for
+Horn's true happiness.
+
+
+Fikenhild Imprisons Rymenhild
+
+During Horn's absence from Westernesse, his comrades watched carefully
+over Rymenhild; but her father, who was growing old, had fallen much
+under the influence of the plausible Fikenhild. From the day when
+Fikenhild had falsely accused Horn to the king, Ailmar had held him in
+honour as a loyal servant, and now he had such power over the old
+ruler that when he demanded Rymenhild's hand in marriage, saying that
+Horn was dead in Suddene, the king dared not refuse, and the princess
+was bidden to make ready for a new bridal. For this day Fikenhild had
+long been prepared; he had built a massive fortress on a promontory,
+which at high tide was surrounded by the sea, but was easy of access
+at the ebb; thither he now led the weeping princess, and began a
+wedding feast which was to last all day, and to end only with the
+marriage ceremony at night.
+
+
+Horn's Dream
+
+That same night, before the feast, King Horn had a terrible dream. He
+thought he saw his wife taken on board ship; soon the ship began to
+sink, and Rymenhild held out her hands for rescue, but Fikenhild,
+standing in safety on shore, beat her back into the waves with his
+sword. With the agony of the sight Horn awoke, and, calling his
+comrade Athulf, said: "Friend, we must depart to-day. My wife is in
+danger from false Fikenhild, whom I have trusted too much. Let us
+delay no longer, but go at once. If God will, I hope to release her,
+and to punish Fikenhild. God grant we come in time!" With some few
+chosen knights, King Horn and Athulf set out, and the ship drove
+darkling through the sea, they knew not whither. All the night they
+drifted on, and in the morning found themselves beneath a newly built
+castle, which none of them had seen before.
+
+
+Horn's Disguise
+
+While they were seeking to moor their boat to the shore, one of the
+castle windows looking out to sea opened, and they saw a knight
+standing and gazing seaward, whom they speedily recognised; it was
+Athulf's cousin, Sir Arnoldin, one of the twelve comrades, who had
+accompanied the princess thither in the hope that he might yet save
+her from Fikenhild; he was now looking, as a forlorn hope, over the
+sea, though he believed Horn was dead. His joy was great when he saw
+the knights, and he came out to them and speedily told them of
+Rymenhild's distress and the position of affairs in the castle. King
+Horn was not at a loss for an expedient even in this distress. He
+quickly disguised himself and a few of his comrades as minstrels,
+harpers, fiddlers, and jugglers. Then, rowing to the mainland, he
+waited till low tide, and made his way over the beach to the castle,
+accompanied by his disguised comrades. Outside the castle walls they
+began to play and sing, and Rymenhild heard them, and, asking what the
+sounds were, gave orders that the minstrels should be admitted. They
+sat on benches low down the hall, tuning their harps and fiddles and
+watching the bride, who seemed unhappy and pale. When Horn sang a lay
+of true love and happiness, Rymenhild swooned for grief, and the
+king was touched to the heart with bitter remorse that he had tried
+her constancy so long, and had allowed her to endure such hardships
+and misery for his sake.
+
+[Illustration: Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels]
+
+
+Death of Fikenhild
+
+King Horn now glanced down and saw the ring of betrothal on his
+finger, where he had worn it ever, except that fateful day when he had
+given it as a token of recognition to Rymenhild. He thought of his
+wife's sufferings, and his mind was made up. Springing from the
+minstrels' bench, he strode boldly up the hall, throwing off his
+disguise, and, shouting, "I am King Horn! False Fikenhild, thou shalt
+die!" he slew the villain in the midst of his men. Horn's comrades
+likewise flung off their disguise, and soon overpowered the few of the
+household who cared to fight in their dead master's cause. The castle
+was taken for King Ailmar, who was persuaded to nominate Sir Arnoldin
+his heir, and the baronage of Westernesse did homage to him as the
+next king. Horn and his fair wife begged the good old steward Sir
+Athelbrus to go with them to Suddene, and on the way they touched at
+Ireland, where Reynild, the king's fair daughter, was induced to look
+favourably on Sir Athulf and accept him for her husband. The land of
+King Modi, which had now no ruler, was committed to the care of Sir
+Athelbrus, and Horn and Rymenhild at last reached Suddene, where the
+people received their fair queen with great joy, and where they dwelt
+in happiness till their lives' end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV: ROBIN HOOD
+
+
+Introduction
+
+England during the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries was
+slowly taught the value of firm administrative government. In Saxon
+England, the keeping of the peace and the maintenance of justice had
+been left largely to private and family enterprise and to local and
+trading communities. In Norman England, the royal authority was
+asserted throughout the kingdom, though as yet the king had to depend
+in large measure upon the co-operation of his barons and the help of
+the burghers to supply the lack of a standing army and an adequate
+police. Under the Plantagenets, the older chivalry was slowly breaking
+up, and a new, wealthy burgher and trading community was rapidly
+gaining influence in the land; whilst the clergy, corrupted by excess
+of wealth and power, had strained, almost to breaking, the controlling
+force of religion. It was therefore natural that in these latter days
+a class of men should arise to avail themselves of the unique
+opportunities of the time--men who, loving liberty and hating
+oppression, took the law into their own hands and executed a rough and
+ready justice between the rich and the poor which embodied the best
+traditions of knight-errantry, whilst they themselves lived a free and
+merry life on the tolls they exacted from their wealthy victims. Such
+a man may well have been the original Robin Hood, a man who, when once
+he had captured the popular imagination, soon acquired heroic
+reputation and was credited with every daring deed and every
+magnanimous action in two centuries of 'freebooting.'
+
+
+Robin Hood Seeks a Guest
+
+At one time Robin Hood lived in the noble forest of Barnesdale, in
+Yorkshire. He had but few of his merry men with him, for his
+headquarters were in the glorious forest of Sherwood. Just now,
+however, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire was less active in his
+endeavours to put down the band of outlaws, and the leader had
+wandered farther north than usual. Robin's companions were his three
+dearest comrades and most loyal followers, Little John (so called
+because of his great stature), Will Scarlet, Robin's cousin, and Much,
+the miller's son. These three were all devoted to their leader, and
+never left his side, except at such times as he sent them away on his
+business.
+
+On this day Robin was leaning against a tree, lost in thought, and his
+three followers grew impatient; they knew that before dinner could be
+served there were the three customary Masses to hear, and their leader
+gave no sign of being ready for Mass. Robin always heard three Masses
+before his dinner, one of the Father, one of the Holy Spirit, and the
+last of Our Lady, who was his patron saint and protector. As the three
+yeomen were growing hungry, Little John ventured to address him.
+"Master, it would do you good if you would dine early to-day, for you
+have fasted long." Robin aroused himself and smiled. "Ah, Little John,
+methinks care for thine own appetite hath a share in that speech, as
+well as care for me. But in sooth I care not to dine alone. I would
+have a stranger guest, some abbot or bishop or baron, who would pay us
+for our hospitality. I will not dine till a guest be found, and I
+leave it to you three to find him." Robin turned away, laughing at the
+crestfallen faces of his followers, who had not counted on such a
+vague commission; but Little John, quickly recovering himself, called
+to him: "Master, tell us, before we leave you, where we shall meet,
+and what sort of people we are to capture and bring to you in the
+greenwood."
+
+
+The Outlaws' Rules
+
+"You know that already," said their master. "You are to do no harm to
+women, nor to any company in which a woman is travelling; this is in
+honour of our dear Lady. You are to be kind and gentle to husbandmen
+and toilers of all degrees, to worthy knights and yeomen, to gallant
+squires, and to all children and helpless people; but sheriffs
+(especially him of Nottingham), bishops, and prelates of all kinds,
+and usurers in Church and State, you may regard as your enemies, and
+may rob, beat, and despoil in any way. Meet me with your guest at our
+great trysting oak in the forest, and be speedy, for dinner must wait
+until the visitor has arrived." "Now may God send us a suitable
+traveller soon," said Little John, "for I am hungry for dinner now."
+"So am I," said each of the others, and Robin laughed again. "Go ye
+all three, with bows and arrows in hand, and I will stay alone at the
+trysting tree and await your coming. As no man passes this way, you
+can walk up to the willow plantation and take your stand on Watling
+Street; there you will soon meet with likely travellers, and I will
+accept the first who appears. I will find means to have dinner ready
+against your return, and we will hope that our visitor's generosity
+will compensate us for the trouble of cooking his dinner."
+
+
+Robin Hood's Guest
+
+The three yeomen, taking their longbows in hand and arrows in their
+belts, walked up through the willow plantation to a place on Watling
+Street where another road crossed it; but there was no one in sight.
+As they stood with bows in hand, looking towards the forest of
+Barnesdale, they saw in the distance a knight riding in their
+direction. As he drew nearer they were struck by his appearance, for
+he rode as a man who had lost all interest in life; his clothes were
+disordered, he looked neither to right nor left, but drooped his head
+sadly, while one foot hung in the stirrup and the other dangled
+slackly in the air. The yeomen had never seen so doleful a rider; but,
+sad as he was, this was a visitor and must be taken to Robin;
+accordingly Little John stepped forward and caught the horse by the
+bridle.
+
+[Illustration: "Little John caught the horse by the bridle"]
+
+
+Little John Escorts the Knight
+
+The knight raised his head and looked blankly at the outlaw, who at
+once doffed his cap, saying, "Welcome, Sir Knight! I give you, on my
+master's behalf, a hearty welcome to the greenwood. Gentle knight,
+come now to my master, who hath waited three hours, fasting, for your
+approach before he would dine. Dinner is prepared, and only tarries
+your courteous appearance." The stranger knight seemed to consider
+this address carefully, for he sighed deeply, and then said: "I cry
+thee mercy, good fellow, for the delay, though I wot not how I am the
+cause thereof. But who is thy master?" Little John replied: "My
+master's name is Robin Hood, and I am sent to guide you to him." The
+knight said: "So Robin Hood is thy leader? I have heard of him, and
+know him to be a good yeoman; therefore I am ready to accompany thee,
+though, in good sooth, I had intended to eat my midday meal at Blythe
+or Doncaster to-day. But it matters little where a broken man dines!"
+
+
+Robin Hood's Feast
+
+The three yeomen conducted the knight along the forest ways to the
+trysting oak where Robin awaited them. As they went they observed
+that the knight was weeping silently for some great distress, but
+their courtesy forbade them to make any show of noticing his grief.
+When the appointed spot was reached, Robin stepped forward and
+courteously greeted his guest, with head uncovered and bended knee,
+and welcomed him gladly to the wild greenwood. "Welcome, Sir Knight,
+to our greenwood feast! I have waited three hours for a guest, and now
+Our Lady has sent you to me we can dine, after we have heard Mass."
+The knight said nothing but, "God save you, good Robin, and all your
+merry men"; and then very devoutly they heard the three Masses, sung
+by Friar Tuck. By this time others of the outlaw band had appeared,
+having returned from various errands, and a gay company sat down to a
+banquet as good as any the knight had ever eaten.
+
+
+Robin Converses with the Knight
+
+There was abundance of good things--venison and game of all kinds,
+swans and river-fowl and fish, with bread and good wine. Every one
+seemed joyous, and merry jests went round that jovial company, till
+even the careworn guest began to smile, and then to laugh outright. At
+this Robin was well pleased, for he saw that his visitor was a good
+man, and was glad to have lifted the burden of his care, even if only
+for a few minutes; so he smiled cheerfully at the knight and said: "Be
+merry, Sir Knight, I pray, and eat heartily of our food, for it is
+with great goodwill that we offer it to you." "Thanks, good Robin,"
+replied the knight. "I have enjoyed my dinner to-day greatly; for
+three weeks I have not had so good a meal. If I ever pass by this way
+again I will do my best to repay you in kind; as good a dinner will I
+try to provide as you have given me."
+
+
+Robin Demands Payment
+
+The outlaw chief seemed to be affronted by this suggestion, and
+replied, with a touch of pride in his manner: "Thanks for your
+proffer, Sir Knight, but, by Heaven! no man has ever yet deemed me a
+glutton. While I eat one dinner I am not accustomed to look eagerly
+for another--one is enough for me. But as for you, my guest, I think
+it only fitting that you should pay before you go; a yeoman was never
+meant to pay for a knight's banquet." The knight blushed, and looked
+confused for a moment, and then said: "True, Robin, and gladly would I
+reward you for my entertainment, but I have no money worth offering;
+even all I have would not be worthy of your acceptance, and I should
+be shamed in your eyes, and those of your men."
+
+[Illustration: "I have no money worth offering"]
+
+
+The Knight's Poverty
+
+"Is that the truth?" asked Robin, making a sign to Little John, who
+arose, and, going to the knight's steed, unstrapped a small coffer,
+which he brought back and placed before his master. "Search it, Little
+John," said he, and "You, sir, tell me the very truth, by your honour
+as a belted knight." "It is truth, on my honour, that I have but ten
+shillings," replied the knight, "and if Little John searches he will
+find no more." "Open the coffer," said Robin, and Little John took it
+away to the other side of the trysting oak, where he emptied its
+contents on his outspread cloak, and found exactly ten shillings.
+Returning to his master, who sat at his ease, drinking and gaily
+conversing with his anxious guest, Little John whispered: "The knight
+has told the truth," and thereupon Robin exclaimed aloud: "Sir Knight,
+I will not take one penny from you; you may rather borrow of me if
+you have need of more money, for ten shillings is but a miserable sum
+for a knight. But tell me now, if it be your pleasure, how you come to
+be in such distress." As he looked inquiringly at the stranger, whose
+blush had faded once, only to be renewed as he found his word of
+honour doubted, he noticed how thin and threadbare were his clothes
+and how worn his russet leather shoes; and he was grieved to see so
+noble-seeming a man in such a plight.
+
+
+The Knight's Story
+
+Yet Robin meant to fathom the cause of the knight's trouble, for then,
+perhaps, he would be able to help him, so he continued pitilessly:
+"Tell me just one word, which I will keep secret from all other men:
+were you driven by compulsion to take up knighthood, or urged to beg
+it by reason of the ownership of some small estate; or have you wasted
+your old inheritance with fines for brawling and strife, or in
+gambling and riotousness, or in borrowing at usury? All of these are
+fatal to a good estate."
+
+The knight replied: "Alas! good Robin, none of these hath been my
+undoing. My ancestors have all been knights for over a hundred years,
+and I have not lived wastefully, but soberly and sparely. As short a
+time ago as last year I had over four hundred pounds saved, which I
+could spend freely among my neighbours, and my income was four hundred
+pounds a year, from my land; but now my only possessions are my wife
+and children. This is the work of God's hand, and to Him I commit me
+to amend my estate in His own good time."
+
+
+How the Money was Lost
+
+"But how have you so soon lost this great wealth?" asked Robin
+incredulously; and the knight replied sadly: "Ah, Robin, you have no
+son, or you would know that a father will give up all to save his
+first-born. I have one gallant son, and when I went on the Crusade
+with our noble Prince Edward I left him at home to guard my lands, for
+he was twenty years old, and was a brave and comely youth. When I
+returned, after two years' absence, it was to find him in great
+danger, for in a public tournament he had slain in open fight a knight
+of Lancashire and a bold young squire. He would have died a shameful
+death had I not spent all my ready money and other property to save
+him from prison, for his enemies were mighty and unjust; and even that
+was not enough, for I was forced to mortgage my estates for more
+money. All my land lies in pledge to the abbot of St. Mary's Abbey, in
+York, and I have no hope to redeem it. I was riding to York when your
+men found me."
+
+
+The Sum Required
+
+"For what sum is your land pledged?" asked the master-outlaw; and the
+knight replied: "The Abbot lent me four hundred pounds, though the
+value of the land is far beyond that." "What will you do if you fail
+to redeem your land?" asked Robin. "I shall leave England at once, and
+journey once more to Jerusalem, and tread again the sacred Hill of
+Calvary, and never more return to my native land. That will be my
+fate, for I see no likelihood of repaying the loan, and I will not
+stay to see strangers holding my father's land. Farewell, my friend
+Robin, farewell to you all! Keep the ten shillings; I would have paid
+more if I could, but that is the best I can give you." "Have you no
+friends at home?" asked Robin; and the knight said: "Many friends I
+thought I had, sir. They were very kind and helpful in my days of
+prosperity, when I did not need them; now they will not know me, so
+much has my poverty seemed to alter my face and appearance."
+
+
+Robin Offers a Loan
+
+This pitiful story touched the hearts of the simple and kindly
+outlaws; they wept for pity, and cared not to hide their tears from
+each other, until Robin made them all pledge their guest in bumpers of
+good red wine. Then their chief asked, as if continuing his own train
+of thought: "Have you any friends who will act as sureties for the
+repayment of the loan?" "None at all," replied the knight hopelessly,
+"but God Himself, who suffered on the Tree for us." This last reply
+angered Robin, who thought it savoured too much of companionship with
+the fat and hypocritical monks whom he hated, and he retorted sharply:
+"No such tricks for me! Do you think I will take such a surety, or
+even one of the saints, in return for good solid gold? Get some more
+substantial surety, or no gold shall you have from me. I cannot afford
+to waste my money."
+
+
+The Knight Offers Surety
+
+The knight replied, sighing heavily: "If you will not take these I
+have no earthly surety to offer; and in Heaven there is only our dear
+Lady. I have served her truly, and she has never failed me till now,
+when her servant, the abbot, is playing me so cruel a trick." "Do you
+give Our Lady as your surety?" said Robin Hood. "I would take her bond
+for any sum, for throughout all England you could find no better
+surety than our dear Lady, who has always been gracious to me. She is
+enough security. Go, Little John, to my treasury and bring me four
+hundred pounds, well counted, with no false or clipped coin therein."
+
+
+Robin Hood's Gifts
+
+Little John, accompanied by Much, the careful treasurer of the band,
+went quickly to the secret place where the master-outlaw kept his
+gold. Very carefully they counted out the coins, testing each, to see
+that it was of full weight and value. Then, on the suggestion of
+Little John, they provided the knight with new clothing, even to boots
+and spurs, and finally supplied him with two splendid horses, one for
+riding and one to carry his baggage and the coffer of gold.
+
+The guest watched all these preparations with bewildered eyes, and
+turned to Robin, crying, "Why have you done all this for me, a perfect
+stranger?" "You are no stranger, but Our Lady's messenger. She sent
+you to me, and Heaven grant you may prove true."
+
+
+The Bond of Repayment
+
+"God grant it," echoed the knight. "But, Robin, when shall I repay
+this loan, and where? Set me a day, and I will keep it." "Here,"
+replied the outlaw, "under this greenwood tree, and in a twelvemonth's
+time; so will you have time to regain your friends and gather your
+rents from your redeemed lands. Now farewell, Sir Knight; and since it
+is not meet for a worthy knight to journey unattended, I will lend you
+also my comrade, Little John, to be your squire, and to do you yeoman
+service, if need be." The knight bade farewell to Robin and his
+generous followers, and was turning to ride away, when he suddenly
+stopped and addressed the master-outlaw: "In faith, good Robin, I had
+forgotten one thing. You know not my name. I am Sir Richard of the
+Lea, and my land lies in Uterysdale." "As for that," said Robin Hood,
+"I trouble not myself. You are Our Lady's messenger; that is enough
+for me." So Sir Richard rode gladly away, blessing the generous outlaw
+who lent him money to redeem his land, and a stout yeoman to defend
+the loan.
+
+
+Sir Richard's Journey
+
+As the knight and his new servant rode on, Sir Richard called to his
+man, saying, "I must by all means be in York to-morrow, to pay the
+abbot of St. Mary's four hundred pounds; if I fail of my day I shall
+lose my land and lordship for ever"; and Little John answered: "Fear
+not, master; we will surely be there in time enough." Then they rode
+on, and reached York early on the last day of the appointed time.
+
+
+The Abbot and Prior of St. Mary's
+
+In the meantime the abbot of St. Mary's was counting that Sir
+Richard's lands were safely his; he had no pity for the poor unlucky
+knight, but rather exulted in the legal cruelty which he could
+inflict. Very joyfully he called aloud, early that morn: "A
+twelvemonth ago to-day we lent four hundred pounds to a needy knight,
+Sir Richard of the Lea, and unless he comes by noon to-day to repay
+the money he will lose all his land and be disinherited, and our abbey
+will be the richer by a fat estate, worth four hundred pounds a year.
+Our Lady grant that he keep not his day." "Shame on you!" cried the
+prior. "This poor knight may be ill, or beyond the sea; he may be in
+hunger and cold as well as poverty, and it will be a foul wrong if you
+declare his land forfeit."
+
+"This is the set day," replied the abbot, "and he is not here." "You
+dare not escheat his estates yet," replied the prior stubbornly. "It
+is too early in the day; until noon the lands are still Sir Richard's,
+and no man shall take them ere the clock strikes. Shame on your
+conscience and your greed, to do a good knight such foul wrong! I
+would willingly pay a hundred pounds myself to prevent it."
+
+"Beshrew your meddlesome temper!" cried the abbot. "You are always
+crossing me! But I have with me the Lord Chief Justice, and he will
+declare my legal right." Just at that moment the high cellarer of the
+abbey entered to congratulate the abbot on Sir Richard's absence. "He
+is dead or ill, and we shall have the spending of four hundred pounds
+a year," quoth he.
+
+
+Sir Richard Returns
+
+On his arrival Sir Richard had quietly gone round to his old tenants
+in York, and had a goodly company of them ready to ride with him, but
+he was minded to test the charity and true religion of the abbot, and
+bade his followers assume pilgrims' robes. Thus attired, the company
+rode to the abbey gate, where the porter recognised Sir Richard, and
+the news of his coming, carried to the abbot and justice, caused them
+great grief; but the prior rejoiced, hoping that a cruel injustice
+would be prevented. As they dismounted the porter loudly called grooms
+to lead the horses into the stable and have them relieved of their
+burdens, but Sir Richard would not allow it, and left Little John to
+watch over them at the abbey portal.
+
+
+The Abbot and Sir Richard
+
+Then Sir Richard came humbly into the hall, where a great banquet was
+in progress, and knelt down in courteous salutation to the abbot and
+his guests; but the prelate, who had made up his mind what conduct to
+adopt, greeted him coldly, and many men did not return his salutation
+at all. Sir Richard spoke aloud: "Rejoice, Sir Abbot, for I am come to
+keep my day." "That is well," replied the monk, "but hast thou brought
+the money?" "No money have I, not one penny," continued Sir Richard
+sadly. "Pledge me in good red wine, Sir Justice," cried the abbot
+callously; "the land is mine. And what dost thou here, Sir Richard, a
+broken man, with no money to pay thy debt?" "I am come to beg you to
+grant me a longer time for repayment." "Not one minute past the
+appointed hour," said the exultant prelate. "Thou hast broken pledge,
+and thy land is forfeit."
+
+[Illustration: "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation"]
+
+
+Sir Richard Implores the Justice
+
+Still kneeling, Sir Richard turned to the justice and said: "Good Sir
+Justice, be my friend and plead for me." "No," he replied, "I hold to
+the law, and can give thee no help." "Gentle abbot, have pity on me,
+and let me have my land again, and I will be the humble servant of
+your monastery till I have repaid in full your four hundred pounds."
+Then the cruel prelate swore a terrible oath that never should the
+knight have his land again, and no one in the hall would speak for
+him, kneeling there poor, friendless, and alone; so at last he began
+to threaten violence. "Unless I have my land again," quoth he, "some
+of you here shall dearly abide it. Now may I see the poor man has no
+friends, for none will stand by me in my need."
+
+
+The Justice Suggests a Compromise
+
+The hint of violence made the abbot furiously angry, and, secure in
+his position and the support of the justice, he shouted loudly: "Out,
+thou false knight! Out of my hall!" Then at last Sir Richard rose to
+his feet in just wrath. "Thou liest, Sir Abbot; foully thou liest! I
+was never a false knight. In joust and tourney I have adventured as
+far and as boldly as any man alive. There is no true courtesy in thee,
+abbot, to suffer a knight to kneel so long." The quarrel now seemed so
+serious that the justice intervened, saying to the angry prelate,
+"What will you give me if I persuade him to sign a legal deed of
+release? Without it you will never hold this land in peace." "You
+shall have a hundred pounds for yourself," said the abbot, and the
+justice nodded in token of assent.
+
+
+Sir Richard Pays the Money
+
+Now Sir Richard thought it was time to drop the mask, for noon was
+nigh, and he would not risk his land again. Accordingly he cried:
+"Nay, but not so easily shall ye have my lands. Even if you were to
+pay a thousand pounds more you should not hold my father's estate.
+Have here your money back again"; and, calling for Little John, he
+bade him bring into the hall his coffer with the bags inside. Then he
+counted out on the table four hundred good golden pounds, and said
+sternly: "Abbot, here is your money again. Had you but been courteous
+to me I would have rewarded you well; now take your money, give me a
+quittance, and I will take my lands once more. Ye are all witnesses
+that I have kept my day and have paid in full." Thereupon Sir Richard
+strode haughtily out of the hall, and rode home gladly to his
+recovered lands in Uterysdale, where he and his family ever prayed for
+Robin Hood. The abbot of St. Mary's was bitterly enraged, for he had
+lost the fair lands of Sir Richard of the Lea and had received a bare
+four hundred pounds again. As for Little John, he went back to the
+forest and told his master the whole story, to Robin Hood's great
+satisfaction, for he enjoyed the chance of thwarting the schemes of a
+wealthy and usurious prelate.
+
+
+Sir Richard Sets Out to Repay the Loan
+
+When a year had passed all but a few days, Sir Richard of the Lea said
+to his wife: "Lady, I must shortly go to Barnesdale to repay Robin
+Hood the loan which saved my lands, and would fain take him some small
+gift in addition; what do you advise?" "Sir Richard, I would take a
+hundred bows of Spanish yew and a hundred sheaves of arrows,
+peacock-feathered, or grey-goose-feathered; methinks that will be to
+Robin a most acceptable gift."
+
+Sir Richard followed his wife's advice, and on the morning of the
+appointed day set out to keep his tryst at the outlaws' oak in
+Barnesdale, with the money duly counted, and the bows and arrows for
+his present to the outlaw chief.
+
+
+The Wrestling
+
+As he rode, however, at the head of his troop he passed through a
+village where there was a wrestling contest, which he stayed to watch.
+He soon saw that the victorious wrestler, who was a stranger to the
+village, would be defrauded of his well-earned prize, which consisted
+of a white bull, a noble charger gaily caparisoned, a gold ring, a
+pipe of wine, and a pair of embroidered gloves. This seemed so wrong
+to Sir Richard that he stayed to defend the right, for love of Robin
+Hood and of justice, and kept the wrestling ring in awe with his
+well-appointed troop of men, so that the stranger was allowed to claim
+his prize and carry it off. Sir Richard, anxious not to arouse the
+hostility of the villagers, bought the pipe of wine from the winner,
+and, setting it abroach, allowed all who would to drink; and so, in a
+tumult of cheers and blessings, he rode away to keep his tryst. By
+this time, however, it was nearly three in the afternoon, and he
+should have been there at twelve. He comforted himself with the
+thought that Robin would forgive the delay, for the sake of its cause,
+and so rode on comfortably enough at the head of his gallant company.
+
+
+Robin's Impatience
+
+In the meantime Robin had waited patiently at the trysting tree till
+noon, but when the hour passed and Sir Richard had not appeared he
+began to grow impatient. "Master, let us dine," said Little John. "I
+cannot; I fear Our Lady is angered with me, for she has not sent me my
+money," returned the leader; but his follower replied: "The money is
+not due till sunset, master, and Our Lady is true, and so is Sir
+Richard; have no fear." "Do you three walk up through the willow
+plantation to Watling Street, as you did last year, and bring me a
+guest," said Robin Hood. "He may be a messenger, a minstrel, a poor
+man, but he will come in God's name."
+
+
+The Monks Approach
+
+Again the three yeomen, Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much the
+miller's son, took bow in hand and set out for Watling Street; but
+this time they had not long to wait, for they at once saw a little
+procession approaching. Two black monks rode at the head; then
+followed seven sumpter-mules and a train of fifty-two men, so that the
+clerics rode in almost royal state. "Seest thou yon monks?" said
+Little John. "I will pledge my soul that they have brought our pay."
+"But they are fifty-four, and we are but three," said Scarlet. "Unless
+we bring them to dinner we dare not face our master," cried Little
+John. "Look well to your bows, your strings and arrows, and have stout
+hearts and steady hands. I will take the foremost monk, for life or
+death."
+
+
+The Capture of the Black Monk
+
+The three outlaws stepped out into the road from the shelter of the
+wood; they bent their bows and held their arrows on the string, and
+Little John cried aloud: "Stay, churlish monk, or thou goest to thy
+death, and it will be on thine own head! Evil on thee for keeping our
+master fasting so long." "Who is your master?" asked the bewildered
+monk; and Little John replied: "Robin Hood." The monk tossed his head.
+"He is a foul thief," cried he, "and will come to a bad end. I have
+heard no good of him all my days." So speaking, he tried to ride
+forward and trample down the three yeomen; but Little John cried:
+"Thou liest, churlish monk, and thou shalt rue the lie. He is a good
+yeoman of this forest, and has bidden thee to dine with him this day";
+and Much, drawing his bow, shot the monk to the heart, so that he fell
+to the ground dead. The other black monk was taken, but all his
+followers fled, except a little page, and a groom who tended the
+sumpter-mules; and thus, with Little John's help and guidance, the
+panic-stricken cleric and his train of baggage were brought to Robin
+under the trysting tree.
+
+[Illustration: "Much shot the monk to the heart"]
+
+
+The Outlaws' Feast
+
+Robin Hood doffed his cap and greeted his guest with all courtesy, but
+the monk would not reply, and Little John's account of their meeting
+made it evident that he was a churlish and unwilling guest. However,
+he was obliged to celebrate the three usual Masses, was given water
+for his ablutions before the banquet, and then when the whole
+fellowship was assembled he was set in the place of honour at the
+feast, and reverently served by Robin himself. "Be of good cheer, Sir
+Monk," said Robin. "Where is your abbey when you are at home, and who
+is your patron saint?" "I am of St. Mary's Abbey, in York, and, simple
+though I be, I am the high cellarer."
+
+
+The High Cellarer and the Suretyship
+
+"For Our Lady's sake," said Robin, "we will give this monk the best of
+cheer. Drink to me, Sir Monk; the wine is good. But I fear Our Lady is
+wroth with me, for she has not sent me my money." "Fear not, master,"
+returned Little John; "this monk is her cellarer, and no doubt she has
+made him her messenger and he carries our money with him." "That is
+likely," replied Robin. "Sir Monk, Our Lady was surety for a little
+loan between a good knight and me, and to-day the money was to be
+repaid. If you have brought it, pay it to me now, and I will thank you
+heartily." The monk was quite amazed, and cried aloud: "I have never
+heard of such a suretyship"; and as he spoke he looked so anxiously at
+his sumpter-mules that Robin guessed there was gold in their
+pack-saddles.
+
+
+The Monk is Searched
+
+Accordingly the leader feigned sudden anger. "Sir Monk, how dare you
+defame our dear Lady? She is always true and faithful, and as you say
+you are her servant, no doubt she has made you her messenger to bring
+my money. Tell me truly how much you have in your coffers, and I will
+thank you for coming so punctually." The monk replied: "Sir, I have
+only twenty marks in my bags"; to which Robin answered: "If that be
+all, and you have told the truth I will not touch one penny; rather
+will I lend you some if you need it; but if I find more, I will leave
+none, Sir Monk, for a religious man should have no silver to spend in
+luxury." Now the monk looked very greatly alarmed, but he dared make
+no protest, as Little John began to search his bags and coffers.
+
+
+Success of the Search
+
+When Little John opened the first coffer he emptied its contents, as
+before, into his cloak, and counted eight hundred pounds, with which
+he went to Robin Hood, saying, "Master, the monk has told the truth;
+here are twenty marks of his own, and eight hundred pounds which Our
+Lady has sent you in return for your loan." When Robin heard that he
+cried to the miserable monk: "Did I not say so, monk? Is not Our Lady
+the best surety a man could have? Has she not repaid me twice? Go back
+to your abbey and say that if ever St. Mary's monks need a friend they
+shall find one in Robin Hood."
+
+
+The Monk Departs
+
+"Where were you journeying?" asked the outlaw leader. "To settle
+accounts with the bailiffs of our manors," replied the cellarer; but
+he was in truth journeying to London, to obtain powers from the king
+against Sir Richard of the Lea. Robin thought for a moment, and then
+said: "Ah, then we must search your other coffer," and in spite of the
+cellarer's indignant protests he was deprived of all the money that
+second coffer contained. Then he was allowed to depart, vowing
+bitterly that a dinner in Blythe or Doncaster would have cost him much
+less dear.
+
+
+Sir Richard Arrives
+
+Late that afternoon Sir Richard of the Lea and his little company
+arrived at the trysting tree, and full courteously the knight greeted
+his deliverer and apologised for his delay. Robin asked of his
+welfare, and the knight told of his protection of the poor wrestler,
+for which Robin thanked him warmly. When he would fain have repaid the
+loan the generous outlaw refused to accept the money, though he took
+with hearty thanks the bows and arrows. In answer to the knight's
+inquiries, Robin said that he had been paid the money twice over
+before he came; and he told, to his debtor's great amusement, the
+story of the high cellarer and his eight hundred pounds, and
+concluded: "Our Lady owed me no more than four hundred pounds, and she
+now gives you, by me, the other four hundred. Take them, with her
+blessing, and if ever you need more come to Robin Hood."
+
+So Sir Richard returned to Uterysdale, and long continued to use his
+power to protect the bold outlaws, and Robin Hood dwelt securely in
+the greenwood, doing good to the poor and worthy, but acting as a
+thorn in the sides of all oppressors and tyrants.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI: HEREWARD THE WAKE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In dealing with hero-legends and myths we are sometimes confronted
+with the curious fact that a hero whose name and date can be
+ascertained with exactitude has yet in his story mythological elements
+which seem to belong to all the ages. This anomaly arises chiefly from
+the fact that the imagination of a people is a myth-making thing, and
+that the more truly popular the hero the more likely he is to become
+the centre of a whole cycle of myths, which are in different ages
+attached to the heroes of different periods. The folk-lore of
+primitive races is a great storehouse whence a people can choose tales
+and heroic deeds to glorify its own national hero, careless that the
+same tales and deeds have done duty for other peoples and other
+heroes. Hence it happens that Hereward the Saxon, a patriot hero as
+real and actual as Wellington or Nelson, whose deeds were recorded in
+prose and verse within forty years of his death, was even then
+surrounded by a cloud of romance and mystery, which hid in vagueness
+his family, his marriage, and even his death.
+
+
+The Saxon Patriot
+
+Hereward was, naturally, the darling hero of the Saxons, and for the
+patriotism of his splendid defence of Ely they forgave his final
+surrender to William the Norman; then they attributed to him all the
+virtues supposed to be inherent in the free-born, and all the glorious
+valour on which the English prided themselves; and, lastly, they
+surrounded his death with a halo of desperate fighting, and made his
+last conflict as wonderful as that of Roland at Roncesvalles. If
+Roland is the ideal of Norman feudal chivalry, Hereward is equally
+the ideal of Anglo-Saxon sturdy manliness and knighthood, and it seems
+fitting that the Saxon ideal in the individual should go down before
+the representatives, however unworthy, of a higher ideal.
+
+
+Leofric of Mercia
+
+When the weak but saintly King Edward the Confessor nominally ruled
+all England the land was divided into four great earldoms, of which
+Mercia and Kent were held by two powerful rivals. Leofric of Mercia
+and Godwin of Kent were jealous not only for themselves, but for their
+families, of each other's power and wealth, and the sons of Leofric
+and of Godwin were ever at strife, though the two earls were now old
+and prudent men, whose wars were fought with words and craft, not with
+swords. The wives of the two great earls were as different as their
+lords. The Lady Gytha, Godwin's wife, of the royal Danish race, was
+fierce and haughty, a fit helpmeet for the ambitious earl who was to
+undermine the strength of England by his efforts to win kingly power
+for his children. But the Lady Godiva, Leofric's beloved wife, was a
+gentle, pious, loving woman, who had already won an almost saintly
+reputation for sympathy and pity by her sacrifice to save her
+husband's oppressed citizens at Coventry, where her pleading won
+relief for them from the harsh earl on the pitiless condition of her
+never-forgotten ride. Happily her gentle self-suppression awoke a
+nobler spirit in her husband, and enabled him to play a worthier part
+in England's history. She was in entire sympathy with the religious
+aspirations of Edward the Confessor, and would gladly have seen one of
+her sons become a monk, perhaps to win spiritual power and a saintly
+reputation like those of the great Dunstan.
+
+[Illustration: "Her pleading won relief for them"]
+
+
+Hereward's Youth
+
+For this holy vocation she fixed on her second son, Hereward, a wild,
+wayward lad, with long golden curls, eyes of different colours, one
+grey, one blue, great breadth and strength of limb, and a wild and
+ungovernable temper which made him difficult of control. This reckless
+lad the Lady Godiva vainly tried to educate for the monkish life, but
+he utterly refused to adopt her scheme, would not master any but the
+barest rudiments of learning, and spent his time in wrestling, boxing,
+fighting and all manly exercises. Despairing of making him an
+ecclesiastic, his mother set herself to inspire him with a noble ideal
+of knighthood, but his wildness and recklessness increased with his
+years, and often his mother had to stand between the riotous lad and
+his father's deserved anger.
+
+
+His Strength and Leadership
+
+When he reached the age of sixteen or seventeen he became the terror
+of the Fen Country, for at his father's Hall of Bourne he gathered a
+band of youths as wild and reckless as himself, who accepted him for
+their leader, and obeyed him implicitly, however outrageous were his
+commands. The wise Earl Leofric, who was much at court with the
+saintly king, understood little of the nature of his second son, and
+looked upon his wild deeds as evidence of a cruel and lawless mind, a
+menace to the peace of England, while they were in reality but the
+tokens of a restless energy for which the comparatively peaceable life
+of England at that time was all too dull and tame.
+
+
+Leofric and Hereward
+
+Frequent were the disputes between father and son, and sadly did Lady
+Godiva forebode an evil ending to the clash of warring natures
+whenever Hereward and his father met; yet she could do nothing to
+avert disaster, for though her entreaties would soften the lad into
+penitence for some mad prank or reckless outrage, one hint of cold
+blame from his father would suffice to make him hardened and
+impenitent; and so things drifted from bad to worse. In all Hereward's
+lawless deeds, however, there was no meanness or crafty malice. He
+hated monks and played many a rough trick upon them, but took his
+punishment, when it came, with equable cheerfulness; he robbed
+merchants with a high hand, but made reparation liberally, counting
+himself well satisfied with the fun of a fight or the skill of a
+clever trick; his band of youths met and fought other bands, but they
+bore no malice when the strife was over. In one point only was
+Hereward less than true to his own nobility of character--he was
+jealous of admitting that any man was his superior in strength or
+comeliness, and his vanity was well supported by his extraordinary
+might and beauty.
+
+
+Hereward at Court
+
+The deeds which brought Earl Leofric's wrath upon his son in a
+terrible fashion were not matters of wanton wickedness, but of lawless
+personal violence. Called to attend his father to the Confessor's
+court, the youth, who had little respect for one so unwarlike as "the
+miracle-monger," uttered his contempt for saintly king, Norman
+prelate, and studious monks too loudly, and thereby shocked the weakly
+devout Edward, who thought piety the whole duty of man. But his
+wildness touched the king more nearly still; for in his sturdy
+patriotism he hated the Norman favourites and courtiers who surrounded
+the Confessor, and again and again his marvellous strength was shown
+in the personal injuries he inflicted on the Normans in mere boyish
+brawls, until at last his father could endure the disgrace no longer.
+
+
+Hereward's Exile
+
+Begging an audience of the king, Leofric formally asked for a writ of
+outlawry against his own son. The Confessor, surprised, but not
+displeased, felt some compunction as he saw the father's affection
+overborne by the judge's severity. Earl Godwin, Leofric's greatest
+rival, was present in the council, and his pleading for the noble lad,
+whose faults were only those of youth, was sufficient to make Leofric
+more urgent in his petition. The curse of family feud, which
+afterwards laid England prostrate at the foot of the Conqueror, was
+already felt, and felt so strongly that Hereward resented Godwin's
+intercession more than his father's sternness.
+
+
+Hereward's Farewell
+
+"What!" he cried, "shall a son of Leofric, the noblest man in England,
+accept intercession from Godwin or any of his family? No. I may be
+unworthy of my wise father and my saintly mother, but I am not yet
+sunk so low as to ask a favour from a Godwin. Father, I thank you. For
+years I have fretted against the peace of the land, and thus have
+incurred your displeasure; but in exile I may range abroad and win my
+fortune at the sword's point." "Win thy fortune, foolish boy!" said
+his father. "And whither wilt thou fare?" "Wherever fate and my
+fortune lead me," he replied recklessly. "Perhaps to join Harald
+Hardrada at Constantinople and become one of the Emperor's Varangian
+Guard; perhaps to follow old Beowa out into the West, at the end of
+some day of glorious battle; perhaps to fight giants and dragons and
+all kinds of monsters. All these things I may do, but never shall
+Mercia see me again till England calls me home. Farewell, father;
+farewell, Earl Godwin; farewell, reverend king. I go. And pray ye that
+ye may never need my arm, for it may hap that ye will call me and I
+will not come." Then Hereward rode away, followed into exile by one
+man only, Martin Lightfoot, who left the father's service for that of
+his outlawed son. It was when attending the king's court on this
+occasion that Hereward first saw and felt the charm of a lovely little
+Saxon maiden named Alftruda, a ward of the pious king.
+
+
+Hereward in Northumbria
+
+Though the king's writ of outlawry might run in Mercia, it did not
+carry more than nominal weight in Northumbria, where Earl Siward ruled
+almost as an independent lord. Thither Hereward determined to go, for
+there dwelt his own godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, and his castle was
+known as a good training school for young aspirants for knighthood.
+Sailing from Dover, Hereward landed at Whitby, and made his way to
+Gilbert's castle, where he was well received, since the cunning
+Fleming knew that an outlawry could be reversed at any time, and
+Leofric's son might yet come to rule England. Accordingly Hereward was
+enrolled in the number of young men, mainly Normans or Flemings, who
+were seeking to perfect themselves in chivalry before taking
+knighthood. He soon showed himself a brave warrior, an unequalled
+wrestler, and a wary fighter, and soon no one cared to meddle with the
+young Mercian, who outdid them all in manly sports. The envy of the
+young Normans was held in check by Gilbert, and by a wholesome dread
+of Hereward's strong arm; until, in Gilbert's absence, an incident
+occurred which placed the young exile on a pinnacle so far above them
+that only by his death could they hope to rid themselves of their
+feeling of inferiority.
+
+
+The Fairy Bear
+
+Gilbert kept in his castle court an immense white Polar bear, dreaded
+by all for its enormous strength, and called the Fairy Bear. It was
+even believed that the huge beast had some kinship to old Earl Siward,
+who bore a bear upon his crest, and was reputed to have had something
+of bear-like ferocity in his youth. This white bear was so much
+dreaded that he was kept chained up in a strong cage. One morning as
+Hereward was returning with Martin from his morning ride he heard
+shouts and shrieks from the castle yard, and, reaching the great gate,
+entered lightly and closed it behind him rapidly, for there outside
+the shattered cage, with broken chain dangling, stood the Fairy Bear,
+glaring savagely round the courtyard. But one human figure was in
+sight, that of a girl of about twelve years of age.
+
+
+Hereward Slays the Bear
+
+There were sounds of men's voices and women's shrieks from within the
+castle, but the doors were fast barred, while the maid, in her terror,
+beat on the portal with her palms, and begged them, for the love of
+God, to let her in. The cowards, refused, and in the meantime the
+great bear, irritated by the dangling chain, made a rush towards the
+child. Hereward dashed forward, shouting to distract the bear, and
+just managed to stop his charge at the girl. The savage animal turned
+on the new-comer, who needed all his agility to escape the monster's
+terrible onset. Seizing his battle-axe, the youth swung it around
+his head and split the skull of the furious beast, which fell dead. It
+was a blow so mighty that even Hereward himself was surprised at its
+deadly effect, and approached cautiously to examine his victim. In the
+meantime the little girl, who proved to be no other than the king's
+ward, Alftruda, had watched with fascinated eyes first the approach of
+the monster, and then, as she crouched in terror, its sudden
+slaughter; and now she summoned up courage to run to Hereward, who had
+always been kind to the pretty child, and to fling herself into his
+arms. "Kind Hereward," she whispered, "you have saved me and killed
+the bear. I love you for it, and I must give you a kiss, for my dame
+says so do all ladies that choose good knights to be their champions.
+Will you be mine?" As she spoke she kissed Hereward again and again.
+
+[Illustration: Alftruda]
+
+
+Hereward's Trick on the Knights
+
+"Where have they all gone, little one?" asked the young noble; and
+Alftruda replied: "We were all out here in the courtyard watching the
+young men at their exercises, when we heard a crash and a roar, and
+the cage burst open, and we saw the dreadful Fairy Bear. They all ran,
+the ladies and knights, but I was the last, and they were so
+frightened that they shut themselves in and left me outside; and when
+I beat at the door and prayed them to let me in they would not, and I
+thought the bear would eat me, till you came."
+
+"The cowards!" cried Hereward. "And they think themselves worthy of
+knighthood when they will save their own lives and leave a child in
+danger! They must be taught a lesson. Martin, come hither and aid me."
+When Martin came, the two, with infinite trouble, raised the carcase
+of the monstrous beast, and placed it just where the bower door,
+opening, would show it at once. Then Hereward bade Alftruda call to
+the knights in the bower that all was safe and they could come out,
+for the bear would not hurt them. He and Martin, listening, heard with
+great glee the bitter debate within the bower as to who should risk
+his life to open the door, the many excuses given for refusal, the
+mischievous fun in Alftruda's voice as she begged some one to open to
+her, and, best of all, the cry of horror with which the knight who had
+ventured to draw the bolt shut the door again on seeing the Fairy Bear
+waiting to enter. Hereward even carried his trick so far as to thrust
+the bear heavily against the bower door, making all the people within
+shriek and implore the protection of the saints. Finally, when he was
+tired of the jest, he convinced the valiant knights that they might
+emerge safely from their retirement, and showed how he, a stripling of
+seventeen, had slain the monster at one blow. From that time Hereward
+was the darling of the whole castle, petted, praised, beloved by all
+its inmates, except his jealous rivals.
+
+
+Hereward Leaves Northumbria
+
+The foreign knights grew so jealous of the Saxon youth, and so restive
+under his shafts of sarcastic ridicule, that they planned several
+times to kill him, and once or twice nearly succeeded. This
+insecurity, and a feeling that perhaps Earl Siward had some kinship
+with the Fairy Bear, and would wish to avenge his death, made Hereward
+decide to quit Gilbert's castle. The spirit of adventure was strong
+upon him, the sea seemed to call him; now that he had been
+acknowledged superior to the other noble youths in Gilbert's
+household, the castle no longer afforded a field for his ambition.
+Accordingly he took a sad leave of Alftruda, an affectionate one of
+Sir Gilbert, who wished to knight him for his brave deed, and a
+mocking one of his angry and unsuccessful foes.
+
+
+Hereward in Cornwall
+
+Entering into a merchant-ship, he sailed for Cornwall, and there was
+taken to the court of King Alef, a petty British chief, who, on true
+patriarchal lines, disposed of his children as he would, and had
+betrothed his fair daughter to a terrible Pictish giant, breaking off,
+in order to do it, her troth-plight with Prince Sigtryg of Waterford,
+son of a Danish king in Ireland. Hereward was ever chivalrous, and
+little Alftruda had made him feel pitiful to all maidens. Seeing
+speedily how the princess loathed her new betrothed, a hideous,
+misshapen wretch, nearly eight feet high, he determined to slay him.
+With great deliberation he picked a quarrel with the giant, and killed
+him the next day in fair fight; but King Alef was driven by the
+threats of the vengeful Pictish tribe to throw Hereward and his man
+Martin into prison, promising trial and punishment on the morrow.
+
+
+Hereward Released from Prison
+
+To the young Saxon's surprise, the released princess appeared to be as
+grieved and as revengeful as any follower of the Pictish giant, and
+she not only advocated prison and death the next day, but herself
+superintended the tying of the thongs that bound the two strangers.
+When they were left to their lonely confinement Hereward began to
+blame the princess for hypocrisy, and to protest the impossibility of
+a man's ever knowing what a woman wants. "Who would have thought," he
+cried, "that that beautiful maiden loved a giant so hideous as this
+Pict? Had I known, I would never have fought him, but her eyes said
+to me, 'Kill him,' and I have done so; this is how she rewards me!"
+"No," replied Martin, "this is how"; and he cut Hereward's bonds,
+laughing silently to himself. "Master, you were so indignant with the
+lady that you could not make allowances for her. I knew that she must
+pretend to grieve, for her father's sake, and when she came to test
+our bonds I was sure of it, for as she fingered a knot she slipped a
+knife into my hands, and bade me use it. Now we are free from our
+bonds, and must try to escape from our prison."
+
+
+The Princess Visits the Captives
+
+In vain, however, the master and man ranged round the room in which
+they were confined; it was a tiny chapel, with walls and doors of
+great thickness, and violently as Hereward exerted himself, he could
+make no impression on either walls or door, and, sitting sullenly down
+on the altar steps, he asked Martin what good was freedom from bonds
+in a secure prison. "Much, every way," replied the servant; "at least
+we die with free hands; and I, for my part, am content to trust that
+the princess has some good plan, if we will only be ready." While he
+was speaking they heard footsteps just outside the door, and the sound
+of a key being inserted into the lock. Hereward beckoned silently to
+Martin, and the two stood ready, one at each side of the door, to make
+a dash for freedom, and Martin was prepared to slay any who should
+hinder. To their great surprise, the princess entered, accompanied by
+an old priest bearing a lantern, which he set down on the altar step,
+and then the princess turned to Hereward, crying, "Pardon me, my
+deliverer!" The Saxon was still aggrieved and bewildered, and replied:
+"Do you now say 'deliverer'? This afternoon it was 'murderer,
+villain, cut-throat.' How shall I know which is your real mind?" The
+princess almost laughed as she said: "How stupid men are! What could I
+do but pretend to hate you, since otherwise the Picts would have slain
+you then and us all afterwards, but I claimed you as my victims, and
+you have been given to me. How else could I have come here to-night?
+Now tell me, if I set you free will you swear to carry a message for
+me?"
+
+[Illustration: Hereward and the Princess]
+
+
+Sigtryg Ranaldsson of Waterford
+
+"Whither shall I go, lady, and what shall I say?" asked Hereward.
+"Take this ring, my ring of betrothal, and go to Prince Sigtryg, son
+of King Ranald of Waterford. Say to him that I am beset on every side,
+and beg him to come and claim me as his bride; otherwise I fear I may
+be forced to marry some man of my father's choosing, as I was being
+driven to wed the Pictish giant. From him you have rescued me, and I
+thank you; but if my betrothed delays his coming it may be too late,
+for there are other hateful suitors who would make my father bestow my
+hand upon one of them. Beg him to come with all speed." "Lady, I will
+go now," said Hereward, "if you will set me free from this vault."
+
+
+Hereward Binds the Princess
+
+"Go quickly, and safely," said the princess; "but ere you go you have
+one duty to fulfil: you must bind me hand and foot, and fling me, with
+this old priest, on the ground." "Never," said Hereward, "will I bind
+a woman; it were foul disgrace to me for ever." But Martin only
+laughed, and the maiden said again: "How stupid men are! I must
+pretend to have been overpowered by you, or I shall be accused of
+having freed you, but I will say that I came hither to question you,
+and you and your man set on me and the priest, bound us, took the key,
+and so escaped. So shall you be free, and I shall have no blame, and
+my father no danger; and may Heaven forgive the lie."
+
+Hereward reluctantly agreed, and, with Martin's help, bound the two
+hand and foot and laid them before the altar; then, kissing the
+maiden's hand, and swearing loyalty and truth, he turned to depart.
+But the princess had one question to ask. "Who are you, noble
+stranger, so gallant and strong? I would fain know for whom to pray."
+"I am Hereward Leofricsson, and my father is the Earl of Mercia." "Are
+you that Hereward who slew the Fairy Bear? Little wonder is it that
+you have slain my monster and set me free." Then master and man left
+the chapel, after carefully turning the key in the lock. Making their
+way to the shore, they succeeded in getting a ship to carry them to
+Ireland, and in course of time reached Waterford.
+
+
+Prince Sigtryg
+
+The Danish kingdom of Waterford was ruled by King Ranald, whose only
+son, Sigtryg, was about Hereward's age, and was as noble-looking a
+youth as the Saxon hero. The king was at a feast, and Hereward,
+entering the hall with the captain of the vessel, sat down at one of
+the lower tables; but he was not one of those who can pass unnoticed.
+The prince saw him, distinguished at once his noble bearing, and asked
+him to come to the king's own table. He gladly obeyed, and as he drank
+to the prince and their goblets touched together he contrived to drop
+the ring from the Cornish princess into Sigtryg's cup. The prince saw
+and recognised it as he drained his cup, and, watching his
+opportunity, left the hall, and was soon followed by his guest.
+
+
+Hereward and Sigtryg
+
+Outside in the darkness Sigtryg turned hurriedly to Hereward, saying,
+"You bring me a message from my betrothed?" "Yes, if you are that
+Prince Sigtryg to whom the Princess of Cornwall was affianced." "Was
+affianced! What do you mean? She is still my lady and my love." "Yet
+you leave her there unaided, while her father gives her in marriage to
+a hideous giant of a Pict, breaking her betrothal, and driving the
+hapless maiden to despair. What kind of love is yours?" Hereward said
+nothing yet about his own slaying of the giant, because he wished to
+test Prince Sigtryg's sincerity, and he was satisfied, for the prince
+burst out: "Would to God that I had gone to her before! but my father
+needed my help against foreign invaders and native rebels. I will go
+immediately and save my lady or die with her!" "No need of that, for I
+killed that giant," said Hereward coolly, and Sigtryg embraced him in
+joy and they swore blood-brotherhood together. Then he asked: "What
+message do you bring me, and what means her ring?" The other replied
+by repeating the Cornish maiden's words, and urging him to start at
+once if he would save his betrothed from some other hateful marriage.
+
+
+Return to Cornwall
+
+The prince went at once to his father, told him the whole story, and
+obtained a ship and men to journey to Cornwall and rescue the
+princess; then, with Hereward by his side, he set sail, and soon
+landed in Cornwall, hoping to obtain his bride peaceably. To his grief
+he learnt that the princess had just been betrothed to a wild Cornish
+leader, Haco, and the wedding feast was to be held that very day.
+Sigtryg was greatly enraged, and sent a troop of forty Danes to King
+Alef demanding the fulfilment of the troth-plight between himself and
+his daughter, and threatening vengeance if it were broken. To this
+threat the king returned no answer, and no Dane came back to tell of
+their reception.
+
+[Illustration: Hereward and Sigtryg]
+
+
+Hereward in the Enemy's Hall
+
+Sigtryg would have waited till morning, trusting in the honour of the
+king, but Hereward disguised himself as a minstrel and obtained
+admission to the bridal feast, where he soon won applause by his
+beautiful singing. The bridegroom, Haco, in a rapture offered him any
+boon he liked to ask, but he demanded only a cup of wine from the
+hands of the bride. When she brought it to him he flung into the empty
+cup the betrothal ring, the token she had sent to Sigtryg, and said:
+"I thank thee, lady, and would reward thee for thy gentleness to a
+wandering minstrel; I give back the cup, richer than before by the
+kind thoughts of which it bears the token." The princess looked at
+him, gazed into the goblet, and saw her ring; then, looking again, she
+recognised her deliverer and knew that rescue was at hand.
+
+
+Haco's Plan
+
+While men feasted Hereward listened and talked, and found out that the
+forty Danes were prisoners, to be released on the morrow when Haco was
+sure of his bride, but released useless and miserable, since they
+would be turned adrift blinded. Haco was taking his lovely bride back
+to his own land, and Hereward saw that any rescue, to be successful,
+must be attempted on the march. Yet he knew not the way the bridal
+company would go, and he lay down to sleep in the hall, hoping that
+he might hear something more. When all men slept a dark shape came
+gliding through the hall and touched Hereward on the shoulder; he
+slept lightly, and awoke at once to recognise the old nurse of the
+princess. "Come to her now," the old woman whispered, and Hereward
+went, though he knew not that the princess was still true to her
+lover. In her bower, which she was soon to leave, Haco's sorrowful
+bride awaited the messenger.
+
+
+Rescue for Haco's Bride
+
+Sadly she smiled on the young Saxon as she said: "I knew your face
+again in spite of the disguise, but you come too late. Bear my
+farewell to Sigtryg, and say that my father's will, not mine, makes me
+false to my troth-plight." "Have you not been told, lady, that he is
+here?" asked Hereward. "Here?" the princess cried. "I have not heard.
+He loves me still and has not forsaken me?" "No, lady, he is too true
+a lover for falsehood. He sent forty Danes yesterday to demand you of
+your father and threaten his wrath if he refused." "And I knew not of
+it," said the princess softly; "yet I had heard that Haco had taken
+some prisoners, whom he means to blind." "Those are our messengers,
+and your future subjects," said Hereward. "Help me to save them and
+you. Do you know Haco's plans?" "Only this, that he will march
+to-morrow along the river, and where the ravine is darkest and forms
+the boundary between his kingdom and my father's the prisoners are to
+be blinded and released." "Is it far hence?" "Three miles to the
+eastward of this hall," she replied. "We will be there. Have no fear,
+lady, whatever you may see, but be bold and look for your lover in the
+fight." So saying, Hereward kissed the hand of the princess, and
+passed out of the hall unperceived by any one.
+
+
+The Ambush
+
+Returning to Sigtryg, the young Saxon told all that he had learnt, and
+the Danes planned an ambush in the ravine where Haco had decided to
+blind and set free his captives. All was in readiness, and side by
+side Hereward and Sigtryg were watching the pathway from their covert,
+when the sound of horses' hoofs heard on the rocks reduced them to
+silence. The bridal procession came in strange array: first the Danish
+prisoners bound each between two Cornishmen, then Haco and his unhappy
+bride, and last a great throng of Cornishmen. Hereward had taken
+command, that Sigtryg might look to the safety of his lady, and his
+plan was simplicity itself. The Danes were to wait till their
+comrades, with their guards, had passed through the ravine; then while
+the leader engaged Haco, and Sigtryg looked to the safety of the
+princess, the Danes would release the prisoners and slay every
+Cornishman, and the two parties of Danes, uniting their forces, would
+restore order to the land and destroy the followers of Haco.
+
+
+Success
+
+The whole was carried out exactly as Hereward had planned. The
+Cornishmen, with Danish captives, passed first without attack; next
+came Haco, riding grim and ferocious beside his silent bride, he
+exulting in his success, she looking eagerly for any signs of rescue.
+As they passed Hereward sprang from his shelter, crying, "Upon them,
+Danes, and set your brethren free!" and himself struck down Haco and
+smote off his head. There was a short struggle, but soon the rescued
+Danes were able to aid their deliverers, and the Cornish guards were
+all slain; the men of King Alef, never very zealous for the cause of
+Haco, fled, and the Danes were left masters of the field. Sigtryg had
+in the meantime seen to the safety of the princess, and now placing
+her between himself and Hereward, he escorted her to the ship, which
+soon brought them to Waterford and a happy bridal. The Prince and
+Princess of Waterford always recognised in Hereward their deliverer
+and best friend, and in their gratitude wished him to dwell with them
+always; but he knew "how hard a thing it is to look into happiness
+through another man's eyes," and would not stay. His roving and daring
+temper drove him to deeds of arms in other lands, where he won a
+renown second to none, but he always felt glad in his own heart, even
+in later days, when unfaithfulness to a woman was the one great sin of
+his life, that his first feats of arms had been wrought to rescue two
+maidens from their hapless fate, and that he was rightly known as
+Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women.
+
+
+
+
+GLOSSARY AND INDEX
+
+
+In the following Index no attempt is made to indicate the exact
+pronunciation of foreign names; but in the case of those from the
+Anglo-Saxon a rough approximation is given, as being often essential
+to the reading of the metrical versions. In these indications the
+letters have their ordinary English values; Ä• indicates the very
+light, obscure sound heard in the indefinite article in such a phrase
+as "with a rush."
+
+
+A
+
+  ABLOEC. See Anlaf
+
+  ACHILLES. His sulks, 184;
+    Cuchulain, "the Irish," 184
+
+  ADEON. Son of Eudav; grandson of Caradoc, 49
+
+  AGE. See Golden Age
+
+  AILILL. King of Connaught, husband of Queen Meave; to decide claims
+          to title of Chief Champion, 189;
+    seeks aid of Fairy People of the Hills, 193
+
+  AILMAR. King of Westernesse, 290;
+    welcomes and adopts Childe Horn, 291;
+    Princess Rymenhild, daughter of, 292;
+    dubs Horn knight, 297;
+    hears of Horn's first exploit, 299;
+    Fikenhild betrays Horn and Rymenhild to, 300;
+    Horn returns to, 304;
+    reluctantly gives his daughter to Horn, 308;
+    Horn leaves Rymenhild to his care, 308, 309
+
+  AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. Wondrous springs of, 125;
+    Charlemagne at, 155
+
+  ALEF. King of Cornwall; Hereward at court of, 343;
+    casts Hereward into prison, 343;
+    his daughter releases Hereward, 344, 345;
+    Sigtryg sends forty Danes to, 348
+
+  ALFTRUDA. Ward of Edward the Confessor, 339;
+    Hereward's first meeting with, 339;
+    rescues from Fairy Bear, 340, 341;
+    Hereward takes farewell of, 342
+
+  ALICE OF CLOUDESLEE. Wife of William of Cloudeslee, 227;
+    outlaw husband visits, 227, 228;
+    rescued from burning house, 232;
+    thanks Adam Bell and Clym for delivering her husband, 240;
+    appointed chief woman of bedchamber to the royal children, 246
+
+  ALL-FATHER. Praised for Beowulf's victory over Grendel, 18
+
+  ALTO-BIS-CA´R. Song of (a forgery), 120
+
+  ANGLESEY. Same as Mona, 47
+
+  ANGLO-SAXON NOBILITY. Hereward the ideal of, 334, 335
+
+  ANGLO-SAXON TIMES. Legends regarding Constantine during, 42
+
+  ÆNGUS THE EVER-YOUNG. Irish people and wrath of, 158
+
+  ANLAF. Same as Olaf, or Sihtricson; known to Welsh as Abloec or
+          Habloc; romantic stories concerning, 73
+
+  ANSEIS, DUKE OF. Mortally wounded, 143
+
+  ARABIA. Physicians from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  ARMAGH. Capital of Ulster; Cuchulain and Emer dwell at, 186;
+    King Conor and heroes return to, 190;
+    heroes return to, 195
+
+  ARNOLDIN, SIR. Cousin of Athulf; helps to save Rymenhild, 312;
+    King Ailmar nominates as his heir, 313
+
+  ARTHUR, KING. Uncle of Sir Gawayne, 265;
+    Christmas kept at Carlisle by, 266;
+    Guenever, queen of, 266;
+    uncle of Sir Gareth and Sir Mordred, 266;
+    damsel requests a boon of, 267;
+    his journey to Tarn Wathelan, and fight with giant, 269;
+    humiliated by the giant and released on certain conditions, 270;
+    his search for the answer to the giant's question, 270-272;
+    learns it from the loathly lady, 272;
+    the ransom paid to giant, 273;
+    the loathly lady demands a young and handsome knight for husband
+          for helping, 274;
+    Sir Gawayne offers to pay ransom for, 275;
+    summons court to hunt in greenwood near Tarn Wathelan, 276;
+    rebukes Sir Kay, 277;
+    his joy over his nephew's wedding with the supposed loathly lady,
+          284, 285
+
+  ARTHURIAN LEGEND. Preserved by mediæval Wales, 265
+
+  ARVON. Fertile land of, searched by ambassadors of Maxen Wledig,
+          47-49
+
+  ASBRAND. Brother of Biargey, 113;
+    helps Howard against Thorbiorn, 115
+
+  ASCHERE (ask-herĕ). One of King Hrothgar's thanes, carried off by
+          Grendel's mother, 21
+
+  ATHELBRUS. King Ailmar's steward, to train Childe Horn to be a
+          knight, 291, 292;
+    induces Athulf to personate Horn, 293;
+    sends Horn to Princess Rymenhild, 294;
+    land of King Modi committed to care of, 313
+
+  ATHELSTAN. King of England; kinship of Anlaf with, 73
+
+  ATHELWOLD. King of England, father of Goldborough, 80;
+    his death and burial, 81
+
+  ATHULF. Horn's favourite companion, 287;
+    personates Horn before Rymenhild, 293;
+    writes to Horn on behalf of Rymenhild, 303;
+    plans with Horn the rescue of Rymenhild, 308;
+    his father found at Suddene, 309, 310;
+    weds Reynild, 313
+
+  AUDE THE FAIR. Sister of Oliver, betrothed bride of Roland, 155;
+    Charlemagne promises his son Louis to, 155;
+    dies of grief for Roland's loss, 155
+
+  AUGUSTUS. Constantine's elevation to rank of, 64
+
+  AWE, LOCH. Black Colin, Knight of, 249, 250;
+    Black Colin dwells at, with wife, 250;
+    Lady of, 251;
+    Black Colin far away from, 254;
+    Black Colin's return to, 258
+
+
+B
+
+  BABYLON, EMIR OF. Marsile's vassal; defeated by Charlemagne, 154
+
+  BALTIC SEA. Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, 1
+
+  BANIER, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BARNESDALE. Forest in South Yorkshire, once dwelling-place of Robin
+          Hood, 314, 315;
+    Sir Richard of the Lea sets out for, to repay loan, 328
+
+  BARTON, SIR ANDREW. Scottish hero, 248
+
+  BASQUES. Attack Charlemagne, 119
+
+  BATHSTEAD. Place on shores of Icefirth near where Thorbiorn lived,
+          97-118
+
+  BEAN-STAN. Father of Breca, 12
+
+  BEDIVERE, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BELI. Son of Manogan; Britain conquered by Maxen Wledig from, 48
+
+  BELL, ADAM. Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, 226;
+    declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, 233;
+    rescues William from death, 237, 238;
+    visit to London to see the king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243
+
+  BEO´WA. Stories of, crystallised in stories of Beowulf, 1
+
+  BEO´WULF.
+    1. The poem of, 1.
+    2. Thane of Hygelac, King of Geats, 1;
+       son of Ecgtheow, 6;
+       nephew of King Hygelac, 6;
+       grandson of Hrethel, 6;
+       brought up at Geatish court, 6;
+       famous swimming match with Breca, 6;
+       his mighty hand-grip, 6;
+       sails for Denmark to attack Grendel, 6;
+       challenged by Warden of Denmark, 6;
+       declares his mission to Hrothgar, 10;
+       disparaged by Hunferth, 12;
+       honoured by Queen Wealhtheow, 14, 20;
+       struggles with Grendel, 16;
+       mortally wounds Grendel, 17;
+       vows to slay mother of Grendel, 23;
+       does so, 26;
+       carries off sword-hilt and Grendel's head, 26;
+       sails to Geatland, 29;
+       welcomed by King Hygelac and Queen Hygd, 29, 30;
+       chief champion of Hygelac, 30;
+       refuses the throne in favour of Heardred, and becomes guardian
+          of, 31;
+       again chosen King of Geatland, 31;
+       encounters with fire-dragon, 31-39;
+       recites slaying of Frankish warrior, Daghrefn, 35;
+       forsaken by Geats in his encounter with the fire-dragon, 36;
+       slays the dragon, 37;
+       his death and funeral, 39-41
+
+  BERILD. Son of King Thurston, 301;
+    slain by the Saracens, 302
+
+  BERNARD BROWN. Danish magistrate; protects Havelok and Goldborough,
+          88-89
+
+  BER-NA´R-DO DEL CA´R-PIO. Hero in Spanish legend who defeats Roland,
+          121
+
+  BERTRAM. Earl's cook who befriended Havelok, 82-83;
+    marries one of Grim's daughters and becomes Earl of Cornwall, 94
+
+  BIARGEY. Wife of Howard the Halt, 97;
+    urges Howard to claim wergild for Olaf, 106, 107, 108;
+    Howard returns to, 111;
+    visits her brothers, Valbrand, Thorbrand, and Asbrand, 112, 113;
+    hails Thorbiorn while out fishing, 112;
+    urges Howard to seek vengeance, 113, 114
+
+  BIRKABEYN. Rule of, as king over Denmark, 74;
+    Swanborow and Elfleda, daughters of, and Havelok, son of, 74;
+    commits Havelok to care of Jarl Godard, 75;
+    death and funeral of, 75;
+    Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of, 87
+
+  BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE, 249;
+    son of Sir Nigel Campbell, 249;
+    Patterson, name of foster-parents, 250;
+    messenger tells of new crusade, 250;
+    decides to go on crusade, 251;
+    his wife's grief, 251;
+    touches at Edinburgh and ships at Leith, _en route_ to Holy Land,
+          253;
+    his desire to see Holy Land and Holy Sepulchre, 253;
+    reaches Rome, 253;
+    sees Pope, 253;
+    regards Pope as Vicar of Christ, 253;
+    journeys to Rhodes, 253;
+    takes service with Knights of St. John, 253;
+    a pilgrim at Jerusalem, 253;
+    letter in name of, forged by Baron MacCorquodale, 255;
+    falsely reported wounded by Saracens, 255;
+    hears news of wife's impending second marriage, 257;
+    returns home, 258;
+    welcomed by foster-mother, 259;
+    disguised as a beggar, hands token to his wife, 262;
+    recognised and welcomed by his wife, 262
+
+  BLACK DOUGLAS. Scottish hero, 248
+
+  BLACK MONK, THE. Captured by Robin Hood's followers, 330;
+    high cellarer in Abbey of St. Mary, 331;
+    Robin Hood confiscates his gold as repayment of loan to Sir
+          Richard of the Lea, 331, 332;
+    departs from greenwood, 332
+
+  BLACK SAINGLAIN. One of Cuchulain's magic steeds, 191
+
+  BLANCANDRIN. Vassal of King Marsile, 123;
+    overtaken by Ganelon, 130;
+    Ganelon and, plot Roland's destruction, 131
+
+  BLAYE. Bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin buried in cathedral of,
+          155
+
+  BLUEMIRE. Dwelling-place of Howard the Halt, 97
+
+  BOG OF ALLEN. Cathleen's messenger declared to be sick in, 177
+
+  BORS, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BOURNE, HALL OF. Home of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 336
+
+  BRAND. Trusted serving-man of Thorbiorn, 97, 102
+
+  BRECA. Famous swimming champion, beaten by Beowulf, 6;
+    son of Beanstan, 12
+
+  BRICRIU OF THE BITTER TONGUE. Compared with Thersites, 186;
+    invites King Conor and Red Branch heroes to a feast, 186;
+    stirs up strife among heroes of Ulster, 187, 188;
+    flatters the wives of the heroes, 189, 190
+
+  BRIGIT.
+    1. Of the Holy Fire; wrath of, and Irish people, 158.
+    2. Cathleen's old servant, 173
+
+  BRISEIS. Achilles and his sulks concerning, 184
+
+  BRITAIN. Legend of "The Dream of Maxen Wledig" shows importance of
+          Constantine to, 42;
+    ambassadors of Maxen Wledig carried to, 47;
+    conquered by Maxen Wledig from Beli, son of Manogan, 48;
+    given by Maxen Wledig to Eudav, 49;
+    Elene summoned from, is baptized, and seeks the sacred Cross,
+          54-62;
+    Constantine sent to, 63;
+    Constantine proclaimed emperor of, 63
+
+  BRITONS, EARLY, Greeks of Homer, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+          between, 184
+
+  BRITTANY. Roland, prefect of marches of, 120
+
+  BRUCE, ROBERT. Scottish hero, 248;
+    Sir Nigel Campbell, adherent of, 249
+
+
+C
+
+  CAERLLEON. See Caernarvon, 49
+
+  CAERMARTHEN. See Caernarvon, 49
+
+  CAERNARVON. Castle in land of Arvon in which Princess Helena dwelt,
+          48;
+    given with castles Caerlleon and Caermarthen to Princess Helena as
+          dowry, 49
+
+  CAIN. Grendel, offspring of, 4
+
+  CALEDONIANS. Defeated by Constantius, 63
+
+  CALIDORE, SIR. Mediæval Wales had a knight of courtesy equal to, 265
+
+  CALVARY. The hill of, 58, 59, 61
+
+  CAMPBELL, SIR NIGEL. Leader in Scottish Independence, 249;
+    father of Black Colin, 249;
+    his death, 250;
+    clansmen of, accompany Black Colin to Holy Land, 252
+
+  CARADOC. Father of Eudav; grandfather of Princess Helena, and of
+          Princes Kynon and Adeon, 49
+
+  CARLISLE. Outlaw band near town of, in Englewood Forest, 226;
+    reference to sheriff of, 227;
+    William of Cloudeslee goes to, 227;
+    sheriff informed of William's presence at, 229;
+    outlaws Adam Bell and Clym go to, 234;
+    the outlaws escape from, 239;
+    King Arthur keeps Christmas at, 266;
+    Sir Gawayne and loathly lady wedded at, 280
+
+  CATHBAD. Druid; Cuchulain's tutor, 185
+
+  CATHLEEN. Irish countess; legend concerning, 156;
+    antiquity of the legend, 156;
+    the story, 156-183;
+    her grief because of her people's famine, 161;
+    prays to Virgin Mary, 163;
+    Fergus, steward of, 163;
+    value of her wealth, 164;
+    commands Fergus to provide food for sufferers from famine, 165;
+    her goodness extolled by the demons, 169;
+    hears of demon traders, 172;
+    tries to check traffic in souls, 174;
+    visits demons, 176;
+    Oona, foster-mother to, 178;
+    revisits demons, 179;
+    sells her soul, 179, 180;
+    her death, 182
+
+  CATHOLIC CHURCH. Pope, head of, 119
+
+  CELION. Constantine to send to, for Bishop Sylvester, 71
+
+  CELTIC LITERATURE. Spirit of mysticism in all, 156
+
+  CELTS. Gospel preached to, by St. Patrick, 157;
+    Irish, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, racial affinity between,
+          184
+
+  CHAMPION.
+    1. Of Erin: compared with Achilles, 184;
+       Cuchulain the, his fame at age of seventeen, 185;
+       Bricriu urges Laegaire to claim title of, 187;
+       title to go to warrior who obtains Champion's Bit, 187;
+       tests to decide claims to title of, 193, 194, 196-203;
+       Uath the Stranger challenges the heroes to a test to decide
+          claims to title, 199-203.
+    2. Of Women: Hereward known as, 351
+
+  CHAMPION OF IRELAND. See Champion of Erin.
+
+  CHAMPION'S BIT, THE, 187, 188;
+    claimed by chariot-drivers of Laegaire, Conall, and Cuchulain,
+          188, 189;
+    awarded by Queen Meave to Laegaire, 195;
+    heroes severally claim, 195, 196;
+    tests to decide claims to, 196-203
+
+  CHANSON DE ROLAND. Roland and, 121;
+    late version of Anglo-Norman poem, 122;
+    Thorold, author of, 122
+
+  CHARLEMAGNE. World-famed equivalent, 119;
+    head of Roman Empire, 119;
+    Roland, nephew of, 119;
+    expedition into Spain, 119;
+    receives an embassage from Marsile, 124;
+    calls his Twelve Peers to council, 125;
+    sends Ganelon to Saragossa, 128-130;
+    receives through Ganelon the keys of Saragossa, 134;
+    his evil dream, 134, 137;
+    hears Roland's horn, 145, 146;
+    hastens to the rescue, 146;
+    avenges death of Roland and the Peers, 153, 154;
+    his return to Aix, 155;
+    his son, Louis, promised to Aude the Fair, 155
+
+  CHARLES THE GREAT. King of the Franks, world-famed as Charlemagne,
+          119.
+    See Charlemagne
+
+  CHILDE HORN. See Horn
+
+  CHOSEN PEOPLE. The Jews the, 56
+
+  CHRIST. The Cross the sign of, 53;
+    the Resurrection of, preached to Constantine, 53;
+    Constantine's desire to find the sacred Cross, 54;
+    inhabitants of Suddene who believe on, threatened with death, 287
+
+  CHRISTENDOM. Enriched by treasures of the True Cross and Holy Nails,
+          62
+
+  CHRISTIAN-S. Preach the way of life to Constantine, 53;
+    the Lord of, 57;
+    faith, in Iceland, 96, 97;
+    law, to be driven out of Suddene by law of Mahomet, 287
+
+  CHURCH OF ROME. Constantine's generosity to, 42
+
+  CHURCHMEN. Beaten and battered by Gamelyn, 217
+
+  CINDERELLA. Root idea of, similar to "Gamelyn," 204
+
+  CLYM OF THE CLEUGH. Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, 226;
+    declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, 233;
+    his stratagem to save William of Cloudeslee, 234;
+    rescues William from death, 238;
+    visits London to see the king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243
+
+  COLIN, BLACK. See Black Colin, 249
+
+  COMALA. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248
+
+  CONALL CEARNACH. Cuchulain's cousin, a Red Branch chief, 187;
+    urged to claim title of Chief Champion, 187;
+    awarded Champion's Portion, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    disgraced by Uath, 201
+
+  CONFESSIO AMANTIS. Early English poem, by "the moral Gower," 42;
+    story told in, of Constantine's true charity, 64
+
+  CONNAUGHT. Ailill, King of, 189;
+    heroes sent to Cruachan in, 190
+
+  CONOR. King of Ulster, 185;
+    Cuchulain, nephew of, 185;
+    Dechtire, sister of, 185;
+    invited with the heroes of Red Branch to a feast by Bricriu, 186;
+    received with court at Dundrum by Bricriu, 188
+
+  CONQUEROR, WILLIAM THE. Cause of England being laid at feet of, 338
+
+  CONSTANTINE III. King of Scotland; marriage of Anlaf with daughter
+      of, 73
+
+  CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. Emperor of Rome; renown in mediæval England,
+          42;
+    Cynewulf's poem, "Elene," written on the subject of his conversion,
+          42;
+    his vision of the Holy Cross, 42, 50, 51;
+    generosity to Church of Rome and Bishop Sylvester, 42;
+    legends concerning, 42;
+    the only British-born Roman emperor, 49;
+    his greatness provokes a confederation to overthrow him by Huns,
+          Goths, Franks, and Hugas, 50;
+    conquers Huns by Cross standard, 52;
+    Christians preach the way of life to, 53;
+    is baptized into the Christian faith, 53;
+    his desire to find the sacred Cross, 54;
+    sends for Elene, 54;
+    ordains "Holy Cross Day," 62;
+    eldest son of Constantius, 63;
+    sent to Britain, 63;
+    proclaimed emperor, 63;
+    granted title of "Cæsar," 64;
+    marriage with Fausta, 64;
+    elevation to rank of Augustus, 64;
+    Emperor of Rome, 64;
+    attacked by leprosy, 64;
+    the remedies suggested, 65-72;
+    his noble resolve, 68;
+    his vision, 69-70;
+    his healing, 71-72
+
+  CONSTANTIUS. Emperor Maxentius hero of the Welsh saga instead of, 42;
+    father of Constantine the Great, 63;
+    proclaimed Emperor of Britain, 63
+
+  CORNISH PRINCESS, THE. Daughter of King Alef, affianced to Prince
+          Sigtryg, 343, 344, 345, 346;
+    Haco betrothed to, 347, 348;
+    receives token from Hereward, 348;
+    reveals Haco's plans to Hereward, 349;
+    rescued from Haco, 350;
+    guards, all slain, 351;
+    wedded by Sigtryg, 351
+
+  CORNWALL. Godrich, Earl of, 80;
+    Bertram made Earl of, 94;
+    Hereward sails for, 343;
+    Alef, King of, 343;
+    Sigtryg and Hereward sail for, 347
+
+  COVENTRY. Lady Godiva's ride through, 335
+
+  CRESCENT. Cross exalted above the, 253
+
+  CROSS. The Holy, Constantine's vision of, 42, 50, 51;
+    Romans conquer Huns by, 52;
+    the people awed by the standard of the, 53;
+    Constantine's desire to find the sacred, 54;
+    Elene's quest after, 54-62;
+    secret place of, revealed by Judas, 61;
+    "Holy Cross Day" ordained, 62
+
+  CRUACHAN. Conor sends heroes to Ailill at, 190;
+    Good People's Hill at, 193;
+    heroes bid farewell to court at, 195
+
+  CRUSADE-S. Reference to, 249;
+    Black Colin receives tidings of one about to be set on foot, 250;
+    Black Colin decides to go on, 251;
+    story of Horn typical of romance of the, 286
+
+  CUCHULAIN. Reference to Connla and, 95;
+    Irish hero, 156;
+    often called "the Irish Achilles," 184;
+    nephew of King Conor and son of Dechtire, 185;
+    god Lugh, reputed father of, 185;
+    champion in Ulster and all Ireland, 185;
+    bride sought for, 186;
+    wooes and weds Emer, daughter of Forgall the Wily, 186;
+    Conall Cearnach, cousin of, 187;
+    urged to claim title of Chief Champion, 188;
+    Grey of Macha and Black Sainglain, magic steeds of, 191;
+    awarded golden cup and Champion's Portion, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    answers Uath's tests, 202;
+    acclaimed Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, 203
+
+  CUROI OF MUNSTER. Failing a judgment from Ailill, to be asked to
+          decide claims to title of Chief Champion, 190;
+    heroes go to, to hear his judgment, 196;
+    puts heroes to certain tests in order to decide claims, 196-203;
+    assumes form of giant under name of Uath, the Stranger, 199-203
+
+  CURTIUS. Reference to, 156
+
+  CUTHBERT. Name under which Childe Horn serves King Thurston in
+          Ireland, 301, 302
+
+  CYNEWULF (ki´nĕ-wulf). Early English religious poet; "Elene," his
+          poem on the subject of conversion of Constantine the Great,
+          42
+
+  CYRIACUS. Baptismal name of Judas, 61;
+    Bishop of Jerusalem, 61
+
+
+D
+
+  DAGDA. Irish people and wrath of, 158
+
+  DA´G-HREFN. Frankish warrior who slays Hygelac; killed by Beowulf's
+          deadly hand-grip, 35
+
+  DANES. Corpse of Scyld sorrowfully placed in vessel by, 2;
+    feasting of, in Heorot, 4;
+    slain in Heorot by Grendel, 4;
+    desert Heorot, 5;
+    welcome Geats and Beowulf, 10;
+    rejoice over Beowulf's victory, 18-29;
+    friendship with Geats, 30;
+    Gospel preached to, 157;
+    Prince Sigtryg sends forty to King Alef, 348;
+    plan ambush for Haco, 350;
+    rescue Cornish princess, 350, 351
+
+  DANISH.
+    1. Occupation of England and its influence on language, &c., 73.
+    2. Invasions, hero-legends which have come down from times of, 286
+
+  DANUBE. Huns overwhelmed in, 52
+
+  DECHTIRE. Sister of King Conor, 185
+
+  DECIUS. Reference to, 156
+
+  DEMONS. Appear in Erin to buy souls, 168;
+    visited by Cathleen, 176;
+    revisited by her, 179;
+    Cathleen sells her soul to, to ransom her people, 179;
+    cheated of Cathleen's soul, 182
+
+  DENMARK. Under sway of Scyld Scefing, 2;
+    Scyld Scefing mysteriously comes to, as babe, 2;
+    Beowulf sails to deliver King of, from Grendel, 6;
+    Warden of, challenges Beowulf, 6;
+    King Birkabeyn's rule over, 74;
+    Godard made regent of, on behalf of Havelok, 75;
+    Havelok sails from, with Grim, 80;
+    Havelok's dream concerning, 86;
+    Havelok's return to, and recognition as King of, 87-92
+
+  DIARMUIT. Irish hero, 156
+
+  DIOCLETIAN. Emperor; Constantine evades jealousy of, 63
+
+  DODDERER. Horse offered as wergild by Thorbiorn to Howard, 107
+
+  DOVER. Princess Goldborough imprisoned in castle of, 81;
+    Hereward sails from, to Whitby, 339
+
+  DUBLIN. Demons arrive at village near, 168
+
+  DUNDRUM. Bricriu receives King Conor and court at, 188
+
+  DUNSTAN. Monk; his saintly reputation, 335
+
+  DURENDALA. Roland's famous sword, 136;
+    Roland tries in vain to break, 152
+
+
+E
+
+  ECGTHEOW (eg´theow). Father of Beowulf, 10;
+    shielded by Hrothgar against Wilfings, 11
+
+  EDINBURGH. Black Colin at, _en route_ to Holy Land, 253
+
+  EDWARD.
+    1. The First: reference to war between England and Scotland during
+          reign of, 249;
+    2. The Second: reference, _ibid._, 249.
+    3. The Confessor: division of England under, 335;
+       Hereward at court of, 337, 338;
+       banishes Hereward, 338, 339;
+       Alftruda, ward of, 339
+
+  EGYPT. Constantine's valour in wars in, 64;
+    philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  ELECTRA. Reference to Orestes and, 95
+
+  ELENA. Same as Elene and Helena, 63
+
+  "ELENE" (el�´nĕ). Cynewulf's poem of, on the subject of
+          Constantine's conversion, 42;
+    summoned from Britain by Constantine, is baptized, and seeks the
+          sacred Cross, 54-62.
+    Same as Helena (Elena), 63
+
+  ELFLEDA THE FAIR. Daughter of King Birkabeyn, 74;
+    slain by Godard, 76
+
+  ELY. Hereward's defence of, 334
+
+  EMER. Daughter of Forgall the Wily; wooed and wedded by Cuchulain,
+          186;
+    flattered by Bricriu, 189;
+    flattered by Queen Meave, 195;
+    adjudged by Uath to have first place among all the women of Ulster,
+          203
+
+  ENGELIER THE GASCON. Mortally wounded, 143
+
+  ENGLAND. Mediæval, and Constantine the Great, 42;
+    influence on language by Danish occupation, 73;
+    Athelstan, King of, 73;
+    Athelwold, King of, 80;
+    Grim sails from Denmark to, 80;
+    arrives at, in Humber (Grimsby), 81;
+    Havelok's dream concerning, 86;
+    Fergus journeys to, 165;
+    the outlaw of mediæval, 225;
+    King of, pardons outlaws, William of Cloudeslee, &c., 243;
+    war between Scotland and, 249;
+    government of, during twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth
+          centuries, 314;
+    division of, under Edward the Confessor, 335;
+    cause of being laid at Conqueror's feet, 338
+
+  ENGLEWOOD. Outlaws in forest of, under Adam Bell, William of
+          Cloudeslee, and Clym of the Cleugh, 226;
+    outlaw band broken up, 247
+
+  ERCOL. Ailill's foster-father; heroes sent to, 194
+
+  ERIN. See Ireland, 157;
+    demons appear in, 168;
+    Champion of, compared with Achilles, 184;
+    land of, searched for bride for Cuchulain, 186
+
+  EUDAV. Son of Caradoc, father of Princess Helena, 49;
+    Kynon and Adeon, sons of, 49
+
+  EUROPE. Ruled from City of Seven Hills (Rome) by Emperor Maxen
+          Wledig, 43;
+    Constantine granted rule over Western, 64;
+    relation between Greek and Irish literature among literatures of,
+          184
+
+  EVIL ONE. Tales relating dealings with, reference to, 157;
+    demons buy souls for, 168-182
+
+  EXCALIBUR. King Arthur's sword, 269
+
+
+F
+
+  FAIRY BEAR, THE. A white Polar bear owned by Gilbert of Ghent, 340;
+    reputed kinship of, to Earl Siward, 340, 342;
+    slain by Hereward, 341;
+    Hereward's trick on Norman knights with, 341, 342
+
+  FAIRY PEOPLE OF THE HILLS. King Ailill seeks aid of, 193
+
+  FAITH. Bishop Sylvester preaches the Christian, to Constantine, 71;
+    Charlemagne fights for, 119;
+    Marsile to embrace the Christian, 131;
+    the true, English knowledge of, 165;
+    Irish sufferers tempted to revolt from, 167
+
+  FALL, THE, OF MAN, 71
+
+  FAUST. Legends, trend of, 157
+
+  FAUSTA. Daughter of Emperor Maximian and wife of Constantine, 64
+
+  FEDELM. Wife of Laegaire, 189
+
+  FEN COUNTRY. Hereward, the terror of the, 336
+
+  FENIANS. Champions of the, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, 248
+
+  FERGUS THE WHITE. Cathleen's steward, 163;
+    foster-brother to Cathleen's grandfather, 164;
+    declares value of Cathleen's wealth, 164;
+    sends servant to buy food at Ulster, 165;
+    journeys to England, 165;
+    returns with help, 182
+
+  FIKENHILD. Horn's companion next in favour to Athulf, 287;
+    spies on Horn and Rymenhild, 299, 300;
+    demands Rymenhild in marriage, 311;
+    slain by Horn, 313
+
+  FINGAL. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248;
+    Scotch embodiment of Finn, 248
+
+  FINN. Fingal Scotch embodiment, 248
+
+  FINN OF THE FRISIANS. Victory of Danes over, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  FINNSBURG. Fight in, sung of in Heorot, 19
+
+  FITELA. Son of Sigmund; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, 18
+
+  FLEMINGS. Or Normans; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for
+          knighthood, 339;
+    Hereward's trick on, with Fairy Bear, 341, 342
+
+  FOREFATHERS. Feelings of our, embodied in "Beowulf," 1
+
+  FORGALL THE WILY. Cuchulain wooes Emer, daughter of, 186
+
+  FRANCE. Victories of Charlemagne for, 119;
+    Charlemagne sets out for, 134
+
+  FRANKISH.
+    1. Warrior, Daghrefn, slays Hygelac, and is slain by Beowulf, 35.
+    2. Army marches towards Pyrenees, 134;
+       arrives too late to rescue Roland, 146
+
+  FRANKS. Charles the Great (Charlemagne), King of, 119;
+    Saracen host encamps near, 134;
+    and Moors meet in battle, 140;
+    defeat the Saracens, 141;
+    attacked by second Saracen army, 142;
+    defeat the heathens once more, 143;
+    attacked by third Saracen army, 144
+
+  FRENCH LITERATURE, developing "Roland Saga," 121
+
+  FRIAR TUCK. See Tuck
+
+
+G
+
+  GALERIUS. Constantine evades hatred of, 63;
+    grants Constantine title of "Cæsar," 63
+
+  GAMELYN. Tale of, a variant of fairy-tale "Wicked Elder Brothers,"
+          204;
+    ultimate source, through Lodge's "Euphues' Golden Legacy," of
+          _As You Like It_, 204;
+    literary ancestor of "Robin Hood," 204;
+    Sir John of the Marshes, father of, 205;
+    left in charge of eldest brother, John, 206;
+    resists him, 207, 208;
+    victorious at wrestling match, 210, 211;
+    overcomes his brother's servants, 212;
+    allows himself to be chained, 213;
+    released by Adam Spencer, 214, 215;
+    batters the Churchmen, 217;
+    puts his brother John in chains, 217;
+    puts sheriff's men to flight, 218;
+    goes to the greenwood, 219;
+    joins the outlaws, 220;
+    proclaimed a wolf's-head, 220;
+    arrested, 221;
+    Otho offers himself as surety, 221;
+    fails to appear at court, 222, 223;
+    releases Otho, 223;
+    sits on judge's seat and condemns Sir John, 224;
+    made chief forester by King Edward, 224;
+    made Otho's heir, 224
+
+  GANELON. Romance version of Danilo or Nanilo, 121;
+    compared with Judas, 121;
+    one of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 125;
+    his hostility to Roland, 126;
+    plots with Blancandrin the destruction of Roland, 131;
+    delivers to Marsile the message of Charlemagne, 131, 132;
+    swears on sacred relics the treacherous death of Roland, 134;
+    delivers keys of Saragossa to Charlemagne, 134;
+    deceives Charlemagne concerning sound of Roland's horn, 145, 146;
+    arrested for treason, 146;
+    his death as a traitor, 155;
+    his name a byword in France for treachery, 155
+
+  GARETH, SIR. One of King Arthur's nephews, 266
+
+  GASCONS. Attack Charlemagne, 119
+
+  GAUTIER, COUNT. Roland's vassal, 136
+
+  GAWAYNE, SIR. King Arthur's nephew, the true Knight of Courtesy, 265;
+    learns of King Arthur's adventure with the giant, 274;
+    learns the price to be paid for the loathly lady's secret, 275;
+    offers to pay it by marrying the loathly lady, 275;
+    betroths the loathly lady, 279, 280;
+    weds the loathly lady, 280;
+    his choice frees the loathly lady from magic spells, 281, 283;
+    the beauty of his bride, 281-285
+
+  GEATISH COURT. Beowulf brought up at, 6
+
+  GEATLAND. Same as Götaland; news of Grendel's ravages reaches, 6;
+    Beowulf sails to, 29;
+    welcomed to shores of, 29, 30
+
+  GEATS. Hygelac, King of, 1;
+    Götaland, realm of, 5;
+    arrival with Beowulf at Danish shores, 7;
+    friendship with Danes, 30;
+    forsake Beowulf in his encounter with the fire-dragon, 36;
+    their sorrow over Beowulf's death, 40-41
+
+  GERIER. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  GERIN. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  GERMANY. Forefathers who dwelt in North, 1;
+    Hygelac seeks conquest of his neighbours on mainland of, 5
+
+  GHENT. See Gilbert
+
+  GILBERT OF GHENT. Hereward's godfather, 339;
+    Hereward received by, 339;
+    his Fairy Bear, slain by Hereward, 340, 341;
+    Hereward quits his castle, 342;
+    Hereward takes farewell of, 343
+
+  GLENURCHY. Glen belonging to MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell,
+          249;
+    Black Colin inherits, 250;
+    Lady of, grieves over her husband's departure on crusade, 251;
+    Baron MacCorquodale's land borders, 256;
+    Black Colin's return to, 258;
+    new castle built with rents of, 264
+
+  GOD. The Unknown, reverenced by Constantine, 51;
+    the people awed by the token of the Unknown, 53;
+    worship of the True, 157;
+    famine cools love for, 167
+
+  GODARD, JARL. Counsellor and friend of King Birkabeyn, 75;
+    Havelok committed to care of, 75;
+    regency over Denmark, 75;
+    his cruelty, 76-78;
+    his treachery disclosed and punished by death, 91-92
+
+  GODHILD. Queen of Suddene, King Murry's consort, the mother of Horn,
+          286;
+    hears of husband's death and flees, 288
+
+  GODIVA, LADY. Wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 335;
+    her famous ride through Coventry, 335;
+    Hereward, second son of, 336
+
+  GODRICH. Earl of Cornwall, regent for Princess Goldborough, 80;
+    his rule, 81;
+    imprisons Princess Goldborough out of jealousy, 81;
+    attends sports at Lincoln, 83;
+    hears of Havelok's skill and strength, 83;
+    enforces a marriage between Havelok and Goldborough, 84;
+    captured, tried as a traitor, and burnt at the stake, 93-94
+
+  GODWIN. Earl of Kent, 335;
+    Lady Gytha, wife of, 335;
+    intercedes on behalf of Hereward, 338;
+    Hereward bids farewell to, 339
+
+  GOLDBOROUGH. English princess, daughter of King Athelwold; orphaned,
+          80;
+    Earl Godrich regent for, 80;
+    imprisoned in Dover Castle, 81;
+    forced to wed Havelok, 84;
+    learns in a dream of Havelok's royal birth, 86;
+    crowned Queen of England, 94
+
+  GOLDEN AGE. Forefathers cherished lifetime of ancestors as, 1
+
+  GÖTALAND. Realm of Geats, in south of Sweden, 5.
+    See Geatland, 7
+
+  GOTHS. Form a confederation with the Huns, Franks, and Hugas to
+          overthrow Constantine, 50
+
+  GOWER, "THE MORAL." Early English poet; his poem "Confessio Amantis"
+          and Constantine's conversion, 42;
+    story told in "Confessio Amantis" of Constantine's true charity, 64
+
+  GREECE. Philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy,
+          65
+
+  GREEK-S. Elene touches at land of, 56;
+    literature, relation of, to Irish literature, 184;
+    of Homer, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity between,
+          184
+
+  GRENDEL. A loathsome fen-monster, 3;
+    enmity aroused by the feasting at Heorot, 4;
+    slays and devours Danes in Heorot, 4;
+    master of Heorot, 5;
+    Beowulf determines to attack, 6;
+    struggles with Beowulf in Heorot, 16;
+    worsted by Beowulf, 17;
+    mother of, avenges his death, 21
+
+  GREY OF MACHA. Cuchulain's best-beloved horse, 191
+
+  GRIM. Legendary hero whose loyalty secured privileges to Grimsby,
+          74;
+    Godard's thrall, 77;
+    ordered to drown Havelok, 77;
+    saves and maintains Havelok, 79-82;
+    sails from Denmark to England, 80;
+    sends Havelok to Lincoln, 82;
+    his death, 85;
+    his three sons, Robert the Red, William Wendut, and Hugh the
+          Raven, 87
+
+  GRIMSBY. The town of Grim, 74;
+    Havelok at fish-market of, 82;
+    battle near, between Havelok and Godrich, 93
+
+  GUDRUN. Reference to Siegfried and, 95
+
+  GUENEVER, QUEEN. Wife of King Arthur, 266;
+    dreads magic arts during husband's absence, 274;
+    learns of King Arthur's adventure with the giant, 274;
+    welcomes the loathly lady at court, 280
+
+  GUEST, THE WISE. Sister of, marries Thorbiorn, 103;
+    Howard seeks at the Thing, 108, 109, 110;
+    his judgment against Thorbiorn, 110, 111;
+    removes his sister from Thorbiorn, 111;
+    gives judgment at Thing against Howard, 118
+
+  GYTHA, LADY. Wife of Godwin, Earl of Kent, 335
+
+
+H
+
+  HABLOC. Welsh name for Havelok, 73
+
+  HACO. Cornish leader; betrothed to the Cornish princess, 347;
+    Cornish princess reveals plans of, to Hereward, 349;
+    ambush planned for, 350;
+    slain by Hereward, 350
+
+  HAROLD. Son of King Thurston, 301;
+    slain by the Saracens, 302
+
+  HART, THE. See Heorot, 3
+
+  HASTINGS. Battle of, and "Song of Roland," 122
+
+  HATHCYN. Son of King Hrethel, brought up with Beowulf; slays his
+          brother, Herebeald, 34;
+    slain himself by Swedes, 35
+
+  HAUTECLAIRE. Oliver's sword, 141
+
+  HAVELOK THE DANE. Legend of, 73;
+    Anlaf, equivalent, 73;
+    hero of the strong arm, in mediæval England, 74;
+    son of King Birkabeyn of Denmark, 74;
+    committed to care of Jarl Godard, 75;
+    imprisoned by Godard, 76-77;
+    saved and maintained by Grim, 78-82;
+    brought by Grim to England, 80;
+    his feats of strength, 82-84;
+    Goldborough forced to wed, 84-85;
+    Grim's three sons accompany to Denmark, 87;
+    aided by Jarl Ubbe, 88-93;
+    Ubbe recognises as heir to throne of Denmark, and renders homage
+          to, 90-91;
+    acknowledged King of Denmark, 92;
+    and of England, 94
+
+  HEALFDENE (ha´lf-d�nĕ). Father of King Hrothgar, 9
+
+  HEARDRED (ha´rd-red). Son of Hygelac and Hygd; succeeds his father,
+          31;
+    his death, 31
+
+  HECTOR. Reference to death of, 95
+
+  HELENA. British princess; marriage with Constantine glorified in
+          "Mabinogion," 42;
+    hailed as Empress of Rome, 48, 49;
+    receives three castles as dowry, Caernarvon, Caerlleon, and
+          Caermarthen, 49;
+    mother of Constantine the Great, 63
+
+  HELL. The purchase of souls for, 170-183;
+    Cathleen sells her soul to, 179
+
+  HENGEST. Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HEOROT (hyo´r-�t). Hall built by Hrothgar, 3;
+    same as "The Hart," 3;
+    enmity of Grendel to, 4;
+    feasting of Danes in, 4;
+    Danes slaughtered in, by Grendel, 4;
+    deserted by Danes, 5;
+    Grendel master of, 5;
+    Geats proceed to, 9;
+    feast in, to welcome Beowulf, 12;
+    Grendel and Beowulf struggle in, 16;
+    Grendel's mother enters and carries off Aschere, 21
+
+  HEREBEALD (he´rĕ-bald). Son of King Hrethel, brought up with
+          Beowulf, 34
+
+  HEREWARD. One of the famous outlaws, 225;
+    the Saxon, personality real, yet surrounded by cloud of romance,
+          334;
+    the ideal of Anglo-Saxon chivalry, as Roland of Norman, 334;
+    second son of Leofric and Godiva, 336;
+    terror of Fen Country, 336;
+    at court, and his conduct there, 337;
+    banished as an outlaw, 338, 339;
+    his farewell, 338, 339;
+    his first meeting with Alftruda, 339;
+    goes to his godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, 339;
+    enrolled among Flemings to qualify for knighthood, 339;
+    his encounter with the Fairy Bear, 340, 341;
+    rescues Alftruda, 341;
+    his trick on the Norman knights, 341, 342;
+    leaves Northumbria, 342;
+    takes farewell of Alftruda, 342;
+    takes farewell of Gilbert of Ghent, 343;
+    sails for Cornwall, 343;
+    at court of King Alef, 343;
+    kills the Pictish giant, 343;
+    imprisoned by King Alef, 343;
+    released by King Alef's daughter, 344, 345;
+    sails for Ireland, 346;
+    sails for Cornwall with Prince Sigtryg, 347;
+    obtains admission to Haco's bridal feast, 348;
+    learns Haco's plans, 349;
+    slays Haco and helps to rescue Cornish princess, 350, 351;
+    known as Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women, 351
+
+  HEROD. Constantine declared more cruel than, 67
+
+  HET-WARE, THE. Expedition against, 31, 34
+
+  HIGHLANDS. Gaelic, old ballads, heroes in, 248;
+    ballads, merely versions of Irish Gaelic hero-legends, 248;
+    Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried from Erin to, 248
+
+  HILDEBURH, QUEEN. Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HNÆF (năf). Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HOLY CROSS. Constantine's vision of, 42, 50, 51;
+    his desire to find, 54;
+    Elene's quest after, 54-62;
+    Judas confesses to knowledge of sacred truth of, 57;
+    Judas refuses to reveal place of, at first, but is prevailed upon
+          by starvation, 58, 59;
+    the "Day" of, ordained, 62
+
+  HOLY INNOCENTS. Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who
+          killed the, 67
+
+  HOLY LAND. Black Colin receives tidings of fresh crusade in, 250;
+    sets out for, 252;
+    Black Colin's desire to see, 253
+
+  HOLY NAILS. Obtained by Elene, 61;
+    given to Constantine, 62
+
+  HOLY ROOD. King Arthur vows by, 268;
+    giant forces him to swear by, 270
+
+  HOLY SEPULCHRE. Black Colin's desire to see, 253
+
+  HOLY TREE. See Holy Cross
+
+  HOMER. Greeks of, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+          between, 184
+
+  HOOD, ROBIN. See Robin Hood
+
+  HORN. His story originally a story of Viking raids, 286;
+    son of King Murry and Queen Godhild, 286, 308;
+    Athulf, and next Fikenhild, his favourite companions, 287;
+    captured by Saracens, 288;
+    cast adrift upon the sea, 288, 289;
+    lands on shore of Westernesse, 289;
+    questioned by King of Westernesse, 290;
+    adopted by King Ailmar, 291;
+    Athelbrus trains as a knight, 291, 292;
+    loved by Princess Rymenhild, 292;
+    Athulf personates before Princess Rymenhild, 293;
+    welcomed to Rymenhild's bower, and hears her declaration of love,
+          294, 295;
+    dubbed knight, 297;
+    his first exploit, 298;
+    spied on by Fikenhild, 299, 300;
+    banished by King Ailmar, 300;
+    sails for Ireland, 301;
+    serves King Thurston under name of Cuthbert, 301;
+    slays the giant emir, 301, 302;
+    King Thurston offers his kingdom and daughter to, 302;
+    receives letter from Rymenhild, 304;
+    reveals his identity to King Thurston and implores his help, 304;
+    returns to Westernesse, accompanied by Irish knights, 304;
+    in disguise, visits Rymenhild's wedding feast, 305;
+    his stratagem to test Rymenhild's love, 306, 307;
+    the fictitious death of, 307;
+    reveals his identity to Rymenhild, 307;
+    arranges with Athulf to deliver Rymenhild, 308;
+    weds Rymenhild, 308;
+    reconquers Suddene, 310;
+    finds his mother, 310, 311;
+    crowned King of Suddene, 311;
+    warned in dream of Rymenhild's danger, 311;
+    his return to Westernesse, 311, 312;
+    slays Fikenhild, 313;
+    dwells at Suddene with Rymenhild, 313
+
+  HOWARD THE HALT. Popular Icelandic saga, 96;
+    famous Viking, 97;
+    Biargey, wife of, 97;
+    Olaf, son of, 97;
+    upbraids Olaf, 100;
+    removes from Bathstead, 103;
+    mourns Olaf's death, 106;
+    claims wergild for Olaf, 106-111;
+    sheltered by Steinthor, 108, 109;
+    urged by Biargey to seek vengeance, 106, 107, 113;
+    seeks help of Valbrand, 114;
+    slays Thorbiorn, 116;
+    sheltered by Steinthor, 117;
+    judgment of Thing against, 118;
+    his nephews exiled, 118
+
+  HRETHEL (rethel). Father of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf, 6;
+    Beowulf and the king's sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, and Hygelac, 34;
+    Beowulf recites his death, 35
+
+  HRETHRIC (re´th-ric). Son of Hrothgar; succeeds his father, 31
+
+  HROTHGAR (roth´g�r). Great-grandson of Scyld, 2;
+    builds the hall Heorot, or "The Hart," 3;
+    grief of, over Grendel's fierce ravages, 4;
+    champions offer aid to, 5;
+    Geats conducted to, 8;
+    son of Healfdene, 9;
+    Wealhtheow, wife of, 14;
+    rejoices over Beowulf's victory, 18-29;
+    Aschere, thane of, carried off by Grendel's mother, 21;
+    grief of, over loss of Aschere, 22;
+    succeeded by his son Hrethric, 31
+
+  HRUNTING (runting). Hunferth's sword, lent Beowulf for the purpose
+          of attacking Grendel's mother, 23-25
+
+  HUGAS. See Huns, 50
+
+  HUGH THE RAVEN. Youngest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to
+          Denmark, 87
+
+  HUMBER. Grim arrives in, 81
+
+  HUNFERTH. Hrothgar's orator, jealous of Beowulf, 12;
+    lends Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, 23, 24
+
+  HUNS. Form a confederation with the Goths, Franks, and Hugas to
+          overthrow Constantine, 50;
+    Romans conquer by Cross standard, 52
+
+  HYGD. Wife of King Hygelac; hails Beowulf's return to Geatland,
+          29, 30;
+    offers crown to Beowulf, 31
+
+  HYGELAC (hē´gĕ-lac). King of Geats, 1;
+    son of King Hrethel, 5, 34;
+    brother-in-law of Ecgtheow, 6;
+    uncle of Beowulf, 6;
+    hails Beowulf's return to Geatland, 29, 30;
+    Beowulf chief champion of, 30;
+    slain in expedition against the Hetware, 31;
+    succeeded by his son, Heardred, 31;
+    brought up with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn, and Beowulf, 34
+
+
+I
+
+  ICEFIRTH. Thorbiorn in, 97
+
+  ICELAND. Christian faith in, 96, 97
+
+  ICELANDIC.
+    1. Saga, "Howard the Halt," 96.
+    2. Ghosts, reference to, 96
+
+  INNIS EOALAN. The Lady of Loch Awe builds a castle on ruins of White
+          House on, 257
+
+  INNOCENTS, HOLY. Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who
+          killed the, 67
+
+  IRELAND. Characteristics common to people of, 156;
+    known in olden Europe as "Isle of Saints," 157;
+    Gospel preached to people of, 157;
+    High King of, convinced of truth of Trinity, 157;
+    strife in, 158;
+    famine in, 159-183;
+    famine tempts people to revolt from the True Faith, 167;
+    demons arrive in, 168;
+    Cuchulain without fear among the champions of, 185;
+    Horn at, 301-304;
+    Horn touches at, on way to Suddene, 313;
+    Sigtryg, son of a Danish king, in, 343;
+    Hereward sails for, 346
+
+  IRISH. Relation of literature, to Greek literature, 184;
+    Celts, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, one stock, 184;
+    heroes, and legends concerning, 248
+
+  ISLE OF SAINTS. See Ireland, 157
+
+  ITALY. Claims Roland in guise of Orlando, Orlando Furioso, Orlando
+          Innamorato, 121
+
+
+J
+
+  JERUSALEM. The place where Christ suffered, 54;
+    Elene's quest in, to find the sacred Cross, 54-62;
+    Constantine and Elene build a glorious church in, 61;
+    Cyriacus (Judas) Bishop of, 61;
+    messenger to Black Colin familiar with all holy places in, 250;
+    Black Colin as a pilgrim at, 253
+
+  JESUS CHRIST. The Cross the sign of, 53;
+    the Resurrection and Ascension of, preached to Constantine, 53
+
+  JEWS. Elene's quest to land of, to find sacred Cross, 55-58;
+    the Chosen People, 56;
+    summoned, but dismissed in peace, by Elene, 58
+
+  JOHN.
+    1. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, 205;
+       Gamelyn left in charge of, 206;
+       Gamelyn resists, 207, 208;
+       his great feast, 216;
+       put in chains by Gamelyn, 217;
+       proclaims Gamelyn a wolf's-head, 220;
+       his death by hanging, 224.
+    2. Little. See Little John
+
+  JOSEPH and his brethren, "Gamelyn," a version of story of, 204
+
+  JUDÆA. See Jerusalem
+
+  JUDAS. Grandson of Zacchæus; confesses to knowledge of secret truth
+          of Holy Tree, 57;
+    refuses at first to disclose the secret place of the Holy Cross,
+          but is prevailed upon by starvation, 58, 59;
+    baptismal name Cyriacus, 61;
+    Ganelon compared with, 121
+
+  JUDGMENT, DAY OF, 71
+
+  JULIUS CÆSAR and early Britons, 184
+
+
+K
+
+  KAY, SIR. Steward of King Arthur's household, 266;
+    jeers at loathly lady, 277
+
+  KENT. Earldom of, held by Godwin, 335
+
+  KERRY. Champions drive to, 196
+
+  KILCHURN CASTLE. New castle built with rents of Glenurchy, 264
+
+  KNIGHT OF COURTESY. The true, is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur's nephew,
+          265
+
+  KNIGHT OF LOCH AWE. Equivalent, Black Colin Campbell, 249
+
+  KYNON. Son of Eudav, grandson of Caradoc, 49
+
+
+L
+
+  LADY OF GLENURCHY. Grief of, 251;
+    the gold ring token, 252;
+    wooed by Baron MacCorquodale, 254-257;
+    receives forged letter, 255;
+    her stratagem to delay her marriage, 256;
+    builds a castle on ruins of White House on Innis Eoalan, 256, 257;
+    recognises and welcomes her husband, 262
+
+  LADY OF LOCH AWE. Same as Lady of Glenurchy, 251
+
+  LAE-GAI´RE. Bricriu urged to claim title of, 187;
+    Fedelm, wife of, 189;
+    awarded Champion's Portion by Queen Meave, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    disgraced by Uath, 201
+
+  LANCELOT, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  LEA, SIR RICHARD OF THE. Stranger guest of Robin Hood's, 323
+
+  LEITH. Black Colin takes ship at, for Holy Land, 253
+
+  LENDABAIR. Conall's wife, 189
+
+  LEOFRIC. Earl of Mercia, 335;
+    Lady Godiva, wife of, 335;
+    Hereward, second son of, 336;
+    Hall of Bourne, home of, 336;
+    his wrath kindled against Hereward, 337;
+    asks for writ of outlawry against Hereward, 338;
+    Hereward bids farewell to, 339
+
+  LEOFRICSSON, HEREWARD. See Hereward
+
+  LEVE (l�vĕ). Wife of Grim the fisherman, 78
+
+  LIGHTFOOT, MARTIN. Hereward's follower who accompanied him into
+          exile, 339;
+    assists Hereward in his trick on Norman knights, 341, 342;
+    cast into prison by King Alef, 343;
+    released by King Alef's daughter, 344, 345
+
+  LINCOLN. Grim carries fish to, 81;
+    Havelok goes to, 82;
+    Havelok becomes porter, 82;
+    Havelok's fame in, 83;
+    Godrich summons his army to, against Havelok, 93;
+    Godrich's trial and death at, 94
+
+  LITTLE JOHN. One of Robin Hood's followers, 315;
+    searches the stranger knight's coffer, 319;
+    counts out four hundred pounds to stranger guest, 322, 323;
+    acts as squire to Sir Richard of the Lea, 323-327
+
+  LOATHLY LADY, THE, and King Arthur, 271-274;
+    demands of King Arthur a young and handsome knight for husband,
+          as price of her help, 274;
+    Sir Gawayne offers to wed, 275;
+    Sir Kay jeers at, 277;
+    her betrothal to Sir Gawayne, 279;
+    her marriage with Sir Gawayne, 280;
+    set free from magic spells, 281-285
+
+  LOCH AWE. See Awe, Loch
+
+  LONDON. Visit to, of William of Cloudeslee and fellow outlaws, 241
+
+  LOUIS. Charlemagne's son, Count of the Marshes, promised to Aude the
+          Fair, 155
+
+  LUGH OF THE LONG HAND. Great god, reputed father of Cuchulain, 185
+
+
+M
+
+  MABINOGION. A series of Welsh legends; glorifies marriage of British
+          princess Helena and Constantine, 42
+
+  MACCORQUODALE, BARON. Wooes the Lady of Loch Awe, 254-257;
+    his stratagem of a forged letter, 255;
+    hears of Black Colin's return, 263
+
+  MACGREGORS. Expelled from Glenurchy, 249
+
+  MAHOMET. Saracens declare determination to win land of Suddene
+          according to law of, 287;
+    faith of, thrown off by Saracens for the true faith, 310
+
+  MAIRI. Old widow in whose house the demon traders lived, 173
+
+  MARSILE. King of Moors; defies Charlemagne, 122;
+    idols of, 122;
+    Blancandrin's advice to, 123;
+    sends an embassage to Charlemagne, 124;
+    offers to become a Christian, 124-126;
+    Ganelon sent to, with Charlemagne's terms, 130;
+    Ganelon's reception by, 131, 132;
+    takes counsel with leaders, 132;
+    swears on the book of Law of Mahomet the treacherous death of
+          Roland, 134;
+    pursues the Frankish army, 137;
+    Roland slays only son of, 147;
+    mortally wounded, he returns to Saragossa, 147;
+    his death, 154
+
+  MARTIN. See Lightfoot
+
+  MASSES. Of the Father, of the Holy Spirit, of Our Lady, heard daily
+          by Robin Hood, 315
+
+  MAXEN WLEDIG. "The Dream of," preserved in the "Mabinogion," 42-49;
+    Emperor of Rome, 43;
+    expedition down the Tiber, 43;
+    his vision near Rome, 43;
+    his vision declared, 44-47;
+    ambassadors sent out to find the maiden of his dream, 47, 48;
+    journeys himself to land of Arvon, 48, 49;
+    conquers Britain from Beli, son of Manogan, 48;
+    weds Helena, daughter of Eudav, 49;
+    Constantine, son of, the only British-born Emperor of Rome, 49
+
+  MAXENTIUS. Emperor; hero of Welsh saga "Mabinogion," 42
+
+  MAXIMIAN. The Emperor; father of Fausta, who became Constantine's
+          wife, 64
+
+  MEAD. Dwelling-place of Guest the Wise, 103
+
+  MEAVE. Queen of Connaught, wife of King Ailill; to decide claims to
+          title of Chief Champion, 189;
+    pronounces judgment, 195
+
+  MERCIA. Earldom of, held by Leofric, 335
+
+  MODI. King of Reynes; wooes Rymenhild, 303;
+    slain by Horn, 308;
+    land of, committed to care of Sir Athelbrus, 313
+
+  MONA. Sacred isle of; same as Anglesey; ambassadors of Maxen Wledig
+          view, 47
+
+  "MONTJOIE! MONTJOIE!" Battle cry of Franks, under Roland, 140, 142,
+          148
+
+  MOORS. Rulers of, and Charlemagne, 119;
+    and Franks meet in battle, 140
+
+  MORDRED, SIR. One of King Arthur's nephews, 266
+
+  MOST HIGH. Grendel outcast from mercy of, 4
+
+  MUCH. One of Robin Hood's followers, 315;
+    assists to count out gold for stranger guest, 323
+
+  MURRY. King of Suddene, 286;
+    Queen Godhild consort of, 286;
+    Horn, son of, 286;
+    attacked and slain by Saracens, 287, 288
+
+
+N
+
+  NAESI. Irish hero, 156
+
+  NAILS, THE HOLY. Obtained by Elene, 61;
+    given to Constantine, 62
+
+  NAIMES, DUKE. One of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 126, 136, 137;
+    urges Charlemagne to hasten to rescue of Roland, 146
+
+  NORMAN ENGLAND. Royal authority in, how asserted, 314
+
+  NORMANS. Or Flemings; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for
+          knighthood, 339;
+    Hereward's trick on, with Fairy Bear, 341, 342
+
+  NORSE influence in connection with story of "King Horn," 286
+
+  NORSEMEN. Firm hold of blood-feud on imagination of, 96
+
+  NORTH COUNTRY. Equivalent, Ulster, 165
+
+  NORTH SEA. Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, 1;
+    ambassadors of Maxen Wledig reach, 47
+
+  NORTHUMBRIA. Inheritance of Anlaf, 73;
+    writ of outlawry against Hereward only of nominal weight in, 339;
+    Earl Siward ruler in, 339;
+    Hereward leaves, 342
+
+  NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. The Sheriff of, and Robin Hood, 315
+
+
+O
+
+  ODIN. The raven, the bird of, 115
+
+  OISIN. Scotch embodiment of Ossian, 248
+
+  OLAF.
+    1. Same as Anlaf, &c., 73.
+    2. Son of famous Viking, Howard the Halt, 97;
+       finds Thorbiorn's lost sheep, 98-100;
+       kills a wizard, 101;
+       second fight with the wizard's ghost, 102;
+       wooes Sigrid, 99, 103;
+       meets Thorbiorn, 103-106;
+       his death, 106;
+       Howard claims wergild for, 106-111;
+       wergild awarded for, 118
+
+  OLIFANT. Roland's horn, 138;
+    blown by Roland, 145, 146;
+    Roland's dying blast on, 149
+
+  OLIVER. One of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 125, 136;
+    descries the Saracens and proclaims Ganelon's treason, 138;
+    appeals to Roland to blow his horn, 138;
+    Hauteclaire, sword of, 141;
+    objects to Roland blowing his horn, 144;
+    mortally wounded by Marsile's uncle, 148;
+    under misapprehension, strikes Roland with Hauteclaire, 148;
+    his death, 148, 149;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  OONA. Cathleen's foster-mother, 178;
+    her vision, 182
+
+  ORCHY. River, running through Glenurchy, 249
+
+  ORESTES. Reference to Electra and, 95
+
+  ORLANDO, ETC. Italy claims Roland in guise of, 121
+
+  OSSIAN. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248;
+    Scotch embodiment of Oisin, 248
+
+  OTHO. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, 205;
+    becomes surety for Gamelyn, 221;
+    arrested owing to failure of Gamelyn to appear at court, 223;
+    released by Gamelyn, 223;
+    sits on judge's seat with Gamelyn and condemns Sir John, 224;
+    appointed sheriff by King Edward I., 224;
+    makes Gamelyn his heir, 224
+
+  OUR LADY. Robin Hood accepts her surety for four hundred pounds lent
+          to stranger guest, 322;
+    the Black Monk and the suretyship, 331-333
+
+  OUTLAWS. Famous: Hereward, Robin Hood, William of Cloudeslee, 226;
+    pardoned by king, 243;
+    rules of, in case of Robin Hood, 316;
+    their feast, 317, 318, 330
+
+
+P
+
+  PAMPELUNA. Taken by Charlemagne, 119
+
+  PARADISE. Cathleen's soul in, 182
+
+  PATTERSON. Name of foster-parents of Black Colin, 250
+
+  PEERS. Of France, 125, 136;
+    the champions of the Moors challenge the Twelve, of France, 137;
+    of Charlemagne, triumph over Marsile's twelve champions, 141;
+    their death, 143-153;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  PENELOPE. Lady of Loch Awe turns to guile, as did, 256
+
+  PEOPLE OF THE HILLS. Cuchulain's friends among, 198, 199
+
+  PERSIA. Constantine's valour in wars in, 64;
+    physicians from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  PETER AND PAUL. The Apostles; appear in a vision to Constantine,
+          70, 71
+
+  PICTISH GIANT. King Alef's daughter betrothed to, 343;
+    slain by Hereward, 343
+
+  PLANTAGENETS. England under, 314
+
+  POPE. Head of Holy Catholic Church, 119;
+    proclaims Holy War at Rome, 251;
+    sees Black Colin, 253;
+    regarded by Black Colin as Vicar of Christ on earth, 253
+
+  PRIAM. Reference to lament of, 95
+
+  PYRENEES. Charlemagne's march through passes of, 119;
+    Frankish army marches toward, 134
+
+
+R
+
+  RANALD. King of Waterford, 345, 346;
+    Prince Sigtryg, son of, 345;
+    Hereward at feast of, 346, 347
+
+  RANALDSSON, SIGTRYG. See Sigtryg
+
+  RED BRANCH. Heroes of, invited to feast by Bricriu, 186;
+    heroes return to, 199;
+    Uath, the Stranger, comes to, 199;
+    heroes of, and Uath, the Stranger, 199-203;
+    champions of, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, 248
+
+  REYNES. Modi, King of, 303;
+    wooes Rymenhild, 303, 304
+
+  REYNILD. Daughter of King Thurston; offered to Horn, 302;
+    weds Sir Athulf, 313
+
+  RHINE. Black Colin's journey up, 253
+
+  RHODES. Black Colin journeys to, 253;
+    supposed news from, by man of Black Colin's band, 255
+
+  RICHARD, SIR, OF THE LEA, Robin Hood's stranger-guest, 317-324;
+    Robin Hood's loan to, 322-324;
+    his land in Uterysdale, 323;
+    redeems his land from Abbot of St. Mary's, 324-327;
+    sets out to repay loan, 328;
+    defends the right at a wrestling contest, 328;
+    arrives before Robin Hood to repay loan, but is exempt, 333;
+    returns to Uterysdale, 333;
+    his power used to protect the outlaws, 333
+
+  ROBERT THE RED. Eldest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+          87
+
+  ROBIN HOOD. Romantic sympathy with, 225;
+    one of the famous outlaws, 226;
+    the original, 314;
+    forest of Barnesdale at one time his dwelling-place, 314, 315;
+    Sherwood Forest, headquarters of, 315;
+    Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much, his three most loyal
+          followers, 315;
+    three Masses heard by, 315;
+    sends his followers to Watling Street, 316;
+    his outlaw rules, 316;
+    stranger guest brought to, 317;
+    lends stranger guest four hundred pounds, 322;
+    sends his followers again to Watling Street, 329;
+    his followers capture and bring to greenwood, as guest, the Black
+          Monk, 330;
+    appropriates gold of the Black Monk as payment of loan to Sir
+          Richard of the Lea, 331, 332;
+    exempts Sir Richard from repayment of four hundred pounds, 333;
+    dwells securely in the greenwood under Sir Richard's protection,
+          333
+
+  ROLAND. Charlemagne's nephew; fame of, in romance, 119;
+    historical basis of legend of, 120;
+    in Spanish legend, 121;
+    "Saga" in French literature, 121;
+    "Chanson de Roland" and, 121;
+    one of the Twelve Peers, 125;
+    destruction plotted by Blancandrin and Ganelon, 131, 134;
+    plants his banner on topmost summit of Pyrenees, 134;
+    appointed to command rearguard, 135;
+    appealed to by Oliver to blow his horn, 138;
+    his army defeats Saracens, 141;
+    defeats second Saracen army, 143;
+    attacked by third Saracen army, 144;
+    willing to blow horn, but Oliver objects, 144;
+    blows Olifant, 145, 146;
+    Charlemagne hastens to rescue of, but arrives too late, 146;
+    slays only son of Marsile, 147;
+    smitten by Oliver in mistake, 148;
+    set upon by four hundred Saracens, 150;
+    realising death near, he tries to destroy sword Durendala, 152;
+    his death, 153;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  ROMAN EMPIRE. Charlemagne head of, 119
+
+  ROMANS. Conquer Huns by the Cross standard, 52
+
+  ROME. Church of, Constantine's generosity to, 42;
+    Maxen Wledig seeks rest near, 43, 46;
+    Princess Helena hailed Empress of, 48, 49;
+    Constantine calls a council of all wisest men in, 53;
+    Black Colin's messenger just home from, 251;
+    Holy War proclaimed by Pope at, 251;
+    Black Colin reaches, 253;
+    Black Colin's supposed letter from, 255
+
+  RONCESVALLES. Roland's glory from, 119;
+    celebrated in "Song of Altobiscar," 120;
+    Spain claims part of honour of, 120;
+    the battle of, 140-153
+
+  RONCEVAUX. Same as Roncesvalles, 122
+
+  ROUND TABLE. Knights of, 266
+
+  RYMENHILD. Princess, daughter of King Ailmar;
+    loves Horn, 292;
+    Athulf personates Horn before, 293;
+    welcomes Horn in her bower and declares her love, 294;
+    wishes Horn good success as knight, 298;
+    gives token to Horn, 298;
+    spied on by Fikenhild, 299, 300;
+    wooed by King Modi, 303;
+    writes to Horn through Athulf, 303;
+    Horn at wedding-feast of, 305;
+    Horn's stratagem to test her love, 306, 307;
+    her knight and lover, Horn, restored, 307;
+    wedded to Horn, 308;
+    left to her father's care, 309;
+    demanded in marriage by traitor, Fikenhild, 311;
+    delivered by Horn, 313;
+    dwells at Suddene as queen, 313
+
+
+S
+
+  SAMSON. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  SARACEN-S. Host, encamps near Franks, 134;
+    pursue the Frankish army, 137;
+    chiefs vow to slay Roland, 137;
+    defeat of, by Roland's army, 141;
+    second army attacks Roland, 142;
+    defeated once more, 143;
+    third army attacks Roland, 144;
+    their rule in the Holy Land, 251;
+    Horn's hatred of, typical of romance of Crusades, 286;
+    attack and slay King Murry, 287, 288;
+    Horn's victory over, 298;
+    Suddene purged of, by Horn, 310
+
+  SARAGOSSA. Charlemagne repulsed at, 119;
+    decided to send Ganelon to, as ambassador, 128;
+    Charlemagne's threat to take, 132;
+    Charlemagne receives through Ganelon the keys of, 134;
+    captured by Charlemagne, 154
+
+  "SARN HELEN." Roman roads in Wales connecting Helena's three castles
+          known as, 49
+
+  SAXON ENGLAND. The maintenance of justice in, 314
+
+  SAXON-S. Hereward the, 334;
+    the darling hero of the, 334;
+    Anglo-, chivalry, Hereward the ideal of, 334, 335;
+    Hereward the, known as the Champion of Women, 351
+
+  SCARLET, WILL. Cousin to and one of Robin Hood's followers, 315
+
+  SCOTLAND. Hero-myths of, 248;
+    national heroes of Lowland, actual, not mythical, 248;
+    war between England and, 249
+
+  SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE. Sir Nigel Campbell one of leaders in cause
+          of, 249
+
+  SCYLD SCEFING (skild ske´f-ing). Founder of Scyldings dynasty, 2;
+    coming to and passing from Denmark, 2;
+    Hrothgar, great-grandson of, 2
+
+  SEVEN HILLS. Rome, the City of, 43;
+    Maxen Wledig, emperor, rules Europe from, 43
+
+  SHERWOOD, FOREST OF. Headquarters of Robin Hood, 315
+
+  SIEGFRIED. Gudrun and, in "Nibelungenlied," 95
+
+  SIGMUND. Father of Fitela; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, 18
+
+  SIGRID. Thorbiorn's housekeeper, 97;
+    loved by Olaf, 99;
+    quits Thorbiorn's service, 103;
+    disappearance of, 106
+
+  SIGT-RYG RANALDSSON. Prince of Waterford; his troth-plight with King
+          Alef's daughter, 343;
+    son of King Ranald, 345;
+    Hereward's mission to, 345-347;
+    sails for Cornwall to rescue his love, 347;
+    sends forty Danes to demand fulfilment of troth-plight, 348;
+    Sigtryg and Danes plan ambush for Haco, 350;
+    rescues, and marries, Cornish princess, 350, 351
+
+  SI´HT-RIC-SON. Same as Anlaf, Abloec, &c., 73
+
+  SIR JOHN OF THE MARSHES. Noble gentleman who lived in Lincolnshire,
+          in reign of Edward I., 204, 205;
+    father of John, Otho, and Gamelyn, 205;
+    his death, 206
+
+  SI-WARD, EARL. Ruler in Northumbria, 339;
+    reputed kinship to Fairy Bear, 340, 342
+
+  SNOWDON. Mountainous land of, reached by ambassadors of Maxen
+          Wledig, 47
+
+  SOCACH. Black Colin's foster-parents' dwelling-place, 250
+
+  SOULS. The traffic in, during Irish famine, 170-183;
+    Cathleen tries to check traffic in, 174
+
+  SPAIN. Charlemagne's expedition into, 119;
+    begins to quit, 134;
+    returns to, to rescue Roland, 146
+
+  SPANISH LEGEND. Bernardo del Carpio and Roland in, 121
+
+  SPENCER.
+    1. Adam, steward in household of Sir John, releases Gamelyn,
+          214, 215.
+    2. Edmund, reference to his Red Cross Knight, 265
+
+  STEINTHOR OF ERE. Great chieftain who shelters Howard, 108, 109,
+          117;
+    speaks on Howard's behalf at the Thing, 118
+
+  ST. JOHN, KNIGHTS OF. Black Colin takes service with, 253;
+    Grand Master of, 253
+
+  ST. MARY. Abbey of, in York, lands of stranger knight in pledge to
+          Abbot of, 321;
+    land redeemed by Sir Richard of the Lea, 324-327;
+    the Black Monk high cellarer in Abbey of, 331
+
+  ST. PATRICK. Preached Gospel to people of Ireland, 157
+
+  SUDDENE. King Murry and Queen Godhild, and son Horn, the royal
+          family of, 286;
+    Horn sails for, to wrest from Saracens, 309;
+    Athulf's father found at, 309, 310;
+    Horn reconquers, 310;
+    a Christian realm once more, 311;
+    Horn crowned king of, 311
+
+  SWANBOROW. Daughter of King Birkabeyn, 74;
+    slain by Godard, 76
+
+  SWEDEN. Götaland, realm of Geats in south of, 5
+
+  SWEDES. Slay Hathcyn, son of King Hrethel, 35
+
+  SWITZERLAND. Black Colin and Highland clansmen pass through, 253
+
+  SYLVESTER. Bishop of Rome; and Constantine, 42;
+    Constantine told in a vision to send for, 70;
+    preaches the Christian faith to Constantine, 71
+
+
+T
+
+  TAILLEFER. "Song of Roland" and, 122
+
+  TARA. Black stone of, 157
+
+  TARN WATHELAN. Giant in castle near, ill-treats maiden, 267;
+    King Arthur's journey to, and fight with giant who lived in Castle
+          of, 269, 270;
+    King Arthur summons court to hunt near, 276;
+    the churlish knight of, set free from magic spells, 284
+
+  TEUTONIC NORTH. Beowulf famous throughout, 5
+
+  THERSITES. Compared with Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, 186
+
+  THING. Howard at the, 107, 108, 117, 118
+
+  THOR-BIORN. Mighty chief on shores of Icefirth, 97;
+    Vakr, nephew of, 97;
+    Olaf and sheep of, 98-100;
+    whale unjustly adjudged to, 102;
+    marries sister of Guest, 103;
+    Sigrid leaves, 103;
+    meets Olaf, 103-106;
+    Warflame, magic sword of, 104-106;
+    thrusts Olaf with Warflame, 106;
+    Howard claims wergild from, 106-111;
+    Guest's judgment against, 110, 111;
+    hailed by Biargey while out fishing, 112;
+    slain by Howard, 116
+
+  THOR-BRAND. Brother of Biargey, 113;
+    helps Howard against Thorbiorn, 115
+
+  THOR-DIS. Mother of Vakr; sends second son to assist in fight
+          against Olaf, 105
+
+  THOR-KEL. Lawman and arbitrator of Icefirth, 97;
+    his false decree concerning a whale, 102
+
+  THOR-OLD. Same as Turoldus; author of "Song of Roland," 122
+
+  THURSTON. King of Ireland; served by Horn, 301;
+    Harold and Berild, sons of, 302;
+    offers kingdom and his daughter Reynild to Horn, 302;
+    Horn discloses his identity to, 304
+
+  TIBER. Hunting expedition down, by Maxen Wledig, 43
+
+  TIR-NAN-OG. The land of never-dying youth, 163
+
+  TREE, THE HOLY. See Holy Cross
+
+  TRINITY. Truth of, demonstrated by shamrock-leaf, 157
+
+  TROJAN WAR. An ancient story, yet well known, 58
+
+  TUCK, FRIAR. Masses sung by, for Robin Hood, 318
+
+  TURPIN. Archbishop of Charlemagne, one of Twelve Peers, 125, 136;
+    blesses the knights, 139, 140;
+    mediates between Roland and Oliver, 145;
+    mortally wounded, 149;
+    his death, 150, 151
+
+
+U
+
+  UATH, THE STRANGER. Giant who tests champions, 199-203;
+    adjudges Cuchulain Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, 203
+
+  UBBE (ub-bĕ). Danish jarl, friend of King Birkabeyn; befriends
+          Havelok and Goldborough, 87-93;
+    appointed Regent of Denmark for Havelok, 94
+
+  ULSTER. Fergus commanded to buy food at, 165;
+    Conor, King of, 185;
+    Cuchulain peer among champions of, 185;
+    Armagh, capital of, 186;
+    Red Branch heroes, royal bodyguard of, 186;
+    Bricriu stirs up strife among champions of, 187, 188
+
+  UNKNOWN GOD. Constantine's acceptance and reverence of the, 51;
+    the people awed by token of, 53
+
+  UTERYSDALE. Land of Sir Richard of the Lea in, 323;
+    Sir Richard redeems the land, 324-327;
+    Sir Richard returns to, 333
+
+
+V
+
+  VAKR. Thorbiorn's nephew, 97;
+    mocks Olaf, 100;
+    jeers at Brand the Strong, 102, 103;
+    accompanies Thorbiorn to meet Olaf, 103-106;
+    Thordis, mother of, 105;
+    his miserable end, 116
+
+  VALBRAND. Brother of Biargey, 112, 113;
+    visited by Howard, 114
+
+  VALTIERRA. Charlemagne retires to, on way to France, 134
+
+  VEILLANTIF. Roland's steed, 136;
+    slain by Saracens, 150
+
+  VICAR OF CHRIST on earth, Black Colin regards Pope as, 253
+
+  VIKINGS. Gospel preached to, 157
+
+  VIRGIN MARY. Cult of, 121;
+    Cathleen invokes, 163;
+    Cathleen's people invoke, 181
+
+
+W
+
+  WALES. Old Roman roads in, that connected Helena's three castles
+          still known as "Sarn Helen," 49;
+    legend of Havelok the Dane thought to have originated in, 73;
+    mediæval, Arthurian legend preserved by, 265
+
+  WALLACE, SIR WILLIAM. Scottish hero, 248;
+    schoolfellow and comrade of Sir Nigel Campbell, 249
+
+  WARDEN. Of the coast of Denmark, welcomes Beowulf, 6;
+    conducts Geats to Heorot, 8;
+    Wulfgar, one of Hrothgar's nobles, greets Beowulf, 9;
+    of Geatland, welcomes Beowulf's return, 29
+
+  WARFLAME. Magic sword, owned by Thorbiorn, and by which he himself
+          is slain by Howard, 115, 116
+
+  WASHERS OF THE FORD. Wrath of, and Irish people, 158
+
+  WATERFORD. Prince Sigtryg of, his troth-plight with daughter of King
+          Alef, 343;
+    Ranald, King of, 345;
+    Hereward reaches, 346;
+    Prince and Princess of, Hereward the best friend of, 351
+
+  WATLING STREET. Robin Hood sends his followers to, 316;
+    a year later sends followers once more to, 329
+
+  WEALHTHEOW (wal-thyow), QUEEN. Wife of Hrothgar; honours Beowulf,
+          14, 20
+
+  WELSH.
+    1. Legends, "Mabinogion" and "The Dream of Maxen Wledig," 42;
+       Celtic features in, 185.
+    2. Saga, hero of, Emperor Maxentius, 42
+
+  WEOHSTAN (wyo-stan). Father of Wiglaf, who supported Beowulf in his
+          fight with the fire-dragon, 36
+
+  WEST. Constantine a favourite of Roman soldiery of the, 63;
+    Roman soldiery of the, proclaim Constantine emperor, 63;
+    the fictitious wanderings of Horn in realms of, 307
+
+  WESTERN ISLES. Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried to, from Erin, 248
+
+  WESTERNESSE. Childe Horn lands on shore of, 289;
+    Ailmar, King of, questions Horn, 290;
+    Horn returns to, accompanied by Irish knights, 304;
+    recital of the fictitious plans of Horn to reach, within seven
+          years, 307
+
+  WHITBY. Hereward lands at, 339
+
+  WIG-LAF. Son of Weohstan; supports Beowulf in his fight with the
+          fire-dragon, 36-41
+
+  WILF-INGS. Hrothgar shields Ecgtheow from, 11
+
+  WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE. One of the famous outlaws of England, 226
+
+  WILLIAM TELL. William of Cloudeslee the, of England, 226;
+    Alice, wife of, 227;
+    goes to Carlisle, 227;
+    sheriff informed of his presence, 229;
+    attacked by sheriff and his men, 231;
+    capture of, 232;
+    sheriff sentences to be hanged, 232;
+    news of his sentence conveyed to the greenwood, 233;
+    Clym's stratagem to save, 234;
+    rescued from death, 237, 238;
+    visits London to see king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243;
+    shoots apple from son's head, 245, 246;
+    receives royal favours from king and queen, 246
+
+  WILLIAM WENDUT. Second son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+          87
+
+  WINCHESTER. Godrich takes Goldborough from, to Dover, 81
+
+  WLEDIG. See Maxen Wledig
+
+  WOMEN, CHAMPION OF. Hereward known as, 351
+
+  WYRD (weird). Goddess of Fate, 13, 34
+
+
+Y
+
+  YORK. Archbishop of, unites in marriage Havelok and Goldborough, 85;
+    Abbot of St. Mary's Abbey, in, 321
+
+  YORKSHIRE. Barnesdale, forest in, once dwelling-place of Robin Hood,
+          314, 315
+
+  YULETIDE. King Arthur's knights keep, 267
+
+
+Z
+
+  ZACCHÆUS. Grandfather of Judas, 57
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Minor typographic errors in punctuation have been corrected without
+note. Hyphen inconsistencies have been corrected without note where
+there was a prevalence of one formation over another.
+
+There is some variation in spelling, sometimes of proper names, often
+between the main text and quoted texts, and a number of archaic words.
+These remain as printed, unless they were an obvious typographic
+error, which were amended as follows:
+
+    Page 48--need amended to heed--"... that when their
+    horses failed they gave no heed, but took others ..."
+
+    Page 73--crystalized amended to crystallized--"These
+    stories finally crystallized in a form ..."
+
+    Page 84--Havelock amended to Havelok--"... and so, in
+    great fear, Havelok agreed to the wedding."
+
+    Page 233--vension amended to venison--"... William had
+    given the boy many a dinner of venison, ..."
+
+    Page 338--Whereever amended to Wherever--""Wherever fate
+    and my fortune lead me," ..."
+
+    Page 355--7 amended to 74--"... and Havelok, son of, 74;"
+
+    Page 358--o amended to of--"... Daughter of King Alef,
+    affianced to Prince Sigtryg ..."
+
+    Page 359--Alaf amended to Alef--"Prince Sigtryg sends
+    forty to King Alef, 348;"
+
+    Page 362--Niger amended to Nigel--"Glen belonging to
+    MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell, 249;"
+
+    Page 366--Herebald amended to Herebeald--"brought up
+    with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn ..."
+
+    Page 372--missio nto amended to mission to--"Hereward's
+    mission to, 345-347;"
+
+    Page 375--332 amended to 232--"... capture of, 232;"
+
+There were some instances of omitted text; these were all checked
+against another edition of the text, and, in the case of the omitted
+page references, cross-checked against this edition, and repaired as
+follows:
+
+    Page 347--omitted word (marriage) inserted at the end of
+    the section just prior to "Return to Cornwall"--"... he
+    would save his betrothed from some other hateful
+    marriage."
+
+    Page 368--the entry for London had no page number
+    reference; 241 inserted.
+
+    Page 370--the entry for Priam had no page number
+    reference; 95 inserted.
+
+The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page.
+Other illustrations have been moved so that they are near the text
+they refer to. Some of the illustration captions have the artist's
+name included, some do not; these are all reproduced as printed.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British
+Race, by Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
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diff --git a/25502-0.zip b/25502-0.zip
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, by 
+Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
+
+Author: Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+Release Date: May 17, 2008 [EBook #25502]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-MYTHS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Ted Garvin, Sam W. and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+The Glossary and Index includes a pronunciation of the Anglo-Saxon
+names in the text. These include some characters with diacritical
+marks. These are shown as [=x] for a character with a macron (straight
+line) above it, and as [)x] for a character with a breve (u-shaped
+symbol) above it. Also used is the accute accent (´). If this does
+not display properly, you may need to adjust your font settings.
+
+
+
+
+          HERO-MYTHS & LEGENDS
+           OF THE BRITISH RACE
+
+                   BY
+           M. I. EBBUTT M. A.
+
+
+ WITH FIFTY-ONE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+     J. H. F. BACON A.R.A. BYAM SHAW
+      W. H. MARGETSON R.I. GERTRUDE
+        DEMAIN HAMMOND AND OTHERS
+
+
+             [Illustration]
+
+
+     GEORGE G. HARRAP & COMPANY LTD.
+        LONDON  CALCUTTA  SYDNEY
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Robin Hood and the Black Monk
+
+William Sewell
+
+[_Page 331_]]
+
+
+
+
+_First published August 1910_
+_by GEORGE G. HARRAP & CO._
+_39-41 Parker Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.2_
+
+_Reprinted: October 1910_
+           _September 1911_
+           _December 1914_
+           _May 1916_
+           _December 1917_
+           _February 1920_
+           _June 1924_
+
+
+_Printed in Great Britain at THE BALLANTYNE PRESS by_
+SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE & CO. LTD.
+_Colchester, London & Eton_
+
+
+
+
+    TO
+
+    MISS JULIA KENNEDY
+
+    IN TOKEN OF THE ADMIRATION
+    AND AFFECTION OF AN
+    OLD PUPIL
+    THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+In refashioning, for the pleasure of readers of the twentieth century,
+these versions of ancient tales which have given pleasure to
+story-lovers of all centuries from the eighth onward, I feel that some
+explanation of my choice is necessary. Men's conceptions of the heroic
+change with changing years, and vary with each individual mind; hence
+it often happens that one person sees in a legend only the central
+heroism, while another sees only the inartistic details of mediæval
+life which tend to disguise and warp the heroic quality.
+
+It may be that to some people the heroes I have chosen do not seem
+heroic, but there is no doubt that to the age and generation which
+wrote or sang of them they appeared real heroes, worthy of remembrance
+and celebration, and it has been my object to come as close as
+possible to the mediæval mind, with its elementary conceptions of
+honour, loyalty, devotion, and duty. I have therefore altered the
+tales as little as I could, and have tried to put them as fairly as
+possible before modern readers, bearing in mind the altered conditions
+of things and of intellects to-day.
+
+In the work of selecting and retelling these stories I have to
+acknowledge with most hearty thanks the help and advice of Mr. F. E.
+Bumby, B.A., of the University College, Nottingham, who has been
+throughout a most kind and candid censor or critic. His help has been
+in every way invaluable. I have also to acknowledge the generous
+permission given me by Mr. W. B. Yeats to write in prose the story of
+his beautiful play, "The Countess Cathleen," and to adorn it with
+quotations from that play.
+
+The poetical quotations are attributed to the authors from whose
+works they are taken wherever it is possible. When mediæval passages
+occur which are not thus attributed they are my own versions from the
+original mediæval poems.
+
+                                                    M. I. EBBUTT
+
+    TANGLEWOOD
+      BARNT GREEN
+        _July 1910_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAP.                                                         PAGE
+          INTRODUCTION                                            xvii
+
+       I. BEOWULF                                                    1
+
+      II. THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG                                 42
+
+     III. THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE                        50
+
+      IV. THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE                             63
+
+       V. HAVELOK THE DANE                                          73
+
+      VI. HOWARD THE HALT                                           95
+
+     VII. ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE                         119
+
+    VIII. THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN                                    156
+
+      IX. CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND                       184
+
+       X. THE TALE OF GAMELYN                                      204
+
+      XI. WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE                                    225
+
+     XII. BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE                                  248
+
+    XIII. THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE                              265
+
+     XIV. KING HORN                                                286
+
+      XV. ROBIN HOOD                                               314
+
+     XVI. HEREWARD THE WAKE                                        334
+
+    GLOSSARY AND INDEX                                             353
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+  Robin Hood and the Black Monk
+    (_William Sewell_)                                  _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                        _To face page_
+  "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+    grasped them"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                       4
+
+  Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      12
+
+  Beowulf finds the head of Aschere
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      22
+
+  Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      26
+
+  The death of Beowulf
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      40
+
+  The dream of the Emperor
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   46
+
+  The Queen's dilemma
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   60
+
+  They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   70
+
+  "Havelok sat up surprised"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      78
+
+  "Havelok again overthrew the porters"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      82
+
+  "With great joy they fell on their knees"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      88
+
+  Olaf and Sigrid
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      98
+
+  Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     106
+
+  "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     110
+
+  "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     116
+
+  Charlemagne
+    (_Stella Langdale_)                                            120
+
+  "Here sits Charles the King"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  124
+
+  "Ganelon rode away"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  130
+
+  "Charlemagne heard it again"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  144
+
+  Aude the Fair
+    (_Evelyn Paul_)                                                154
+
+  "Day by day Cathleen went among them"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      162
+
+  The peasant's story
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      172
+
+  "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      176
+
+  "Cathleen signed the bond"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      180
+
+  "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      190
+
+  "Three monstrous cats were let into the room"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      192
+
+  "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible jaws"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      196
+
+  "The body of Uath arose"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      200
+
+  "Go and do your own baking!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      206
+
+  "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of prison!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      214
+
+  "Then cheer thee, Adam"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      218
+
+  "Come from the seat of justice!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      222
+
+  "William continued his wonderful archery"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              232
+
+  Adam Bell writes the letter
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              234
+
+  The fight at the gate
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              238
+
+  William of Cloudeslee and his son
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              244
+
+  "Wait for me seven years, dear wife"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  252
+
+  "The King blew a loud note on his bugle"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      268
+
+  "Now you have released me from the spell completely"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      282
+
+  Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              288
+
+  Horn kills the Saracen Leader
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              298
+
+  Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              312
+
+  "Little John caught the horse by the bridle"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              316
+
+  "I have no money worth offering"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              320
+
+  "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              324
+
+  "Much shot the monk to the heart"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              330
+
+  "Her pleading won relief for them"
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              334
+
+  Alftruda
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              340
+
+  Hereward and the Princess
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              344
+
+  Hereward and Sigtryg
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              348
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+The writer who would tell again for people of the twentieth century
+the legends and stories that delighted the folk of the thirteenth and
+fourteenth centuries finds himself confronted with a vast mass of
+material ready to his hand. Unless he exercises a wise discrimination
+and has some system of selection, he becomes lost in the mazes of as
+enchanted a land,
+
+    "Where Truth and Dream walk hand in hand,"[1]
+
+as ever bewildered knights of old in days of romance. Down all the
+dimly lighted pathways of mediæval literature mystical figures beckon
+him in every direction; fairies, goblins, witches, knights and ladies
+and giants entice him, and unless, like Theseus of old, he follows
+closely his guiding clue, he will find that he reaches no goal,
+attains to no clear vision, achieves no quest. He will remain
+spell-bound, captivated by the Middle Ages--
+
+    "The life, the delight, and the sorrow
+    Of troublous and chivalrous years
+    That knew not of night nor of morrow,
+    Of hopes or of fears.
+    The wars and the woes and the glories
+    That quicken, and lighten, and rain
+    From the clouds of its chronicled stories
+    The passion, the pride, and the pain."[2]
+
+Such a golden clue to guide the modern seeker through the labyrinths
+of the mediæval mind is that which I have tried to suggest in the
+title "_Hero_-Myths and Legends of the British Race"--the pursuit and
+representation of the ideal hero as the mind of Britain and of early
+and mediæval England imagined him, together with the study of the
+characteristics which made this or that particular person, mythical or
+legendary, a hero to the century which sang or wrote about him. The
+interest goes deeper when we study, not merely
+
+    "Old heroes who could grandly do
+    As they could greatly dare,"[3]
+
+but
+
+    "Heroes of our island breed
+    And men and women of our British birth."[4]
+
+"Hero-worship endures for ever while man endures," wrote Thomas
+Carlyle, and this fidelity of men to their admiration for great heroes
+is one of the surest tokens by which we can judge of their own
+character. Such as the hero is, such will his worshippers be; and the
+men who idolised Robin Hood will be found to have been men who were
+themselves in revolt against oppressive law, or who, finding law
+powerless to prevent tyranny, glorified the lawless punishment of
+wrongs and the bold denunciation of perverted justice. The warriors
+who listened to the saga of Beowulf looked on physical prowess as the
+best of all heroic qualities, and the Normans who admired Roland saw
+in him the ideal of feudal loyalty. To every age, and to every nation,
+there is a peculiar ideal of heroism, and in the popular legends of
+each age this ideal may be found.
+
+Again, these legends give not only the hero as he seemed to his age;
+they also show the social life, the virtues and vices, the
+superstitions and beliefs, of earlier ages embedded in the tradition,
+as fossils are found in the uplifted strata of some ancient ocean-bed.
+They have ceased to live; but they remain, tokens of a life long past.
+So in the hero-legends of our nation we may find traces of the
+thoughts and religions of our ancestors many centuries ago; traces
+which lie close to one another in these romances, telling of the
+nations who came to these Islands of the West, settled, were conquered
+and driven away to make room for other races whose supremacy has been
+as brief, till all these superimposed races have blended into one, to
+form the British nation, the most widespread race of modern times. For
+
+    "Britain's might and Britain's right
+    And the brunt of British spears"[5]
+
+are not the boast of the English race alone. No man in England now can
+boast of unmixed descent, but must perforce trace his family back
+through many a marriage of Frank, and Norman, and Saxon, and Dane, and
+Roman, and Celt, and even Iberian, back to prehistoric man--
+
+    "Scot and Celt and Norman and Dane,
+    With the Northman's sinew and heart and brain,
+    And the Northman's courage for blessing or bane,
+    Are England's heroes too."[6]
+
+When Tennyson sang his greeting at the coming of Alexandra,
+
+    "Saxon or Dane or Norman we,
+    Teuton or Celt or whatever we be,"
+
+he was only recognising a truth which no boast of pure birth can
+cover--the truth that the modern Englishman is a compound of many
+races, with many characteristics; and if we would understand him, we
+must seek the clue to the riddle in early England and Scotland and
+Ireland and Wales, while even France adds her share of enlightenment
+towards the solution of the riddle.
+
+    "The Saxon force, the Celtic fire,
+    These are thy manhood's heritage."[7]
+
+Britain, as far as we can trace men in our island, was first inhabited
+by cave-men, who have left no history at all. In the course of ages
+they passed away before the Iberians or Ivernians, who came from the
+east, and bore a striking resemblance to the Basques. It may be that
+some Mongolian tribe, wandering west, drawn by the instinct which has
+driven most race-migrations westward, sent offshoots north and
+south--one to brave the dangers of the sea and inhabit Britain and
+Ireland, one to cross the Pyrenees and remain sheltered in their deep
+ravines; or it may be that Basques from the Pyrenees, daring the
+storms of the Bay of Biscay in their frail coracles, ventured to the
+shores of Britain. Short and dark were these sturdy voyagers,
+harsh-featured and long-headed, worshipping the powers of Nature with
+mysterious and cruel rites of human sacrifice, holding beliefs in
+totems and ancestor-worship and in the superiority of high descent
+claimed through the mother to that claimed through the father. When
+the stronger and more civilised Celt came he drove before him these
+little dark men, he enslaved their survivors or wedded their women,
+and in his turn fell into slavery to the cruel Druidic religion of his
+subjects. To these Iberians, and to the Celtic dread of them, we
+probably owe all the stories of dwarfs, goblins, elves, and
+earth-gnomes which fill our fairy-tale books; and if we examine
+carefully the descriptions of the abodes of these beings we shall find
+them not inconsistent with the earth-dwellings, caves, circle huts, or
+even with the burial mounds, of the Iberian race.
+
+The race that followed the Iberians, and drove them out or subdued
+them, so that they served as slaves where they had once ruled as
+lords, was the proud Aryan Celtic race. Of different tribes, Gaels,
+Brythons, and Belgæ, they were all one in spirit, and one in physical
+feature.
+
+Tall, blue-eyed, with fair or red hair, they overpowered in every way
+the diminutive Iberians, and their tattooing, while it gave them a
+name which has often been mistaken for a national designation (Picts,
+or painted men), made them dreadful to their enemies in battle, and
+ferocious-looking even in time of peace. Their civilisation was of a
+much higher type than that of the Iberians; their weapons, their
+war-chariots, their mode of life and their treatment of women, are all
+so closely similar to that of the Greeks of Homer that a theory has
+been advanced and ably defended, that the Homeric Greeks were really
+invading Celts--Gaelic or Gaulish tribes from the north of Europe. If
+it indeed be so, we owe to the Celts a debt of imperishable culture
+and civilisation. To them belongs more especially, in our national
+amalgam, the passion for the past, the ardent patriotism, the longing
+for spiritual beauty, which raises and relieves the Saxon materialism.
+
+    "Though fallen the state of Erin and changed the Scottish land,
+    Though small the power of Mona, though unwaked Llewellyn's band,
+    Though Ambrose Merlin's prophecies are held as idle tales,
+    Though Iona's ruined cloisters are swept by northern gales,
+                    One in name and in fame
+                    Are the sea-divided Gaels.
+
+    "In Northern Spain and Italy our brethren also dwell,
+    And brave are the traditions of their fathers that they tell;
+    The Eagle or the Crescent in the dawn of history pales
+    Before the advancing banners of the great Rome-conquering Gaels:
+                    One in name and in fame
+                    Are the sea-divided Gaels."[8]
+
+It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of the Celtic
+contribution to our national literature and character: the race that
+gave us Ossian, and Finn, and Cuchulain, that sang of the sorrowful
+love and doom of Deirdre, that told of the pursuit of Diarmit and
+Grania, till every dolmen and cromlech in Ireland was associated with
+these lovers; the race that preserved for us
+
+    "That grey king whose name, a ghost,
+    Streams like a cloud, man-shaped, from mountain-peak
+    And cleaves to cairn and cromlech still,"[9]
+
+the King Arthur whose Arthur's Seat overhangs Edinburgh, whose
+presence haunts the Lakes, and Wales, and Cornwall, and the forests of
+Brittany; the race that held up for us the image of the Holy
+Grail--that race can claim no small share in the moulding of the
+modern Briton.
+
+The Celt, however, had his day of supremacy and passed: the Roman
+crushed his power of initiative and made him helpless and dependent,
+and the Teuton, whether as Saxon, Angle, Frisian, or Jute, dwelt in
+his homes and ruled as slaves the former owners of the land. These
+new-comers were not physically unlike the Celts whom they
+dispossessed. Tall and fair, grey-eyed and sinewy, the Teuton was a
+hardier, more sturdy warrior than the Celt: he had not spent centuries
+of quiet settlement and imitative civilisation under the ægis of
+Imperial Rome: he had not learnt to love the arts of peace and he
+cultivated none but those of war; he was by choice a warrior and a
+sailor, a wanderer to other lands, a plougher of the desolate places
+of the "vasty deep," yet withal a lover of home, who trod at times,
+with bitter longing for his native land, the thorny paths of exile. To
+him physical cowardice was the unforgivable sin, next to treachery to
+his lord; for the loyalty of thane to his chieftain was a very deep
+and abiding reality to the Anglo-Saxon warrior, and in the early poems
+of our English race, love for "his dear lord, his chieftain-friend,"
+takes the place of that love of woman which other races felt and
+expressed. A quiet death bed was the worst end to a man's life, in the
+Anglo-Saxon's creed; it was "a cow's death," to be shunned by every
+means in a man's power; while a death in fight, victor or vanquished,
+was a worthy finish to a warrior's life. There was no fear of death
+itself in the English hero's mind, nor of Fate; the former was the
+inevitable,
+
+    "Seeing that Death, a necessary end,
+    Will come when it will come,"[10]
+
+and the latter a goddess whose decrees must needs be obeyed with proud
+submission, but not with meek acceptance. Perhaps there was little of
+spiritual insight in the minds of these Angles and Saxons, little love
+of beauty, little care for the amenities of life; but they had a
+sturdy loyalty, an uprightness, a brave disregard of death in the
+cause of duty, which we can still recognise in modern Englishmen. To
+the Saxon belong the tales where
+
+                    "The warrior kings,
+    In height and prowess more than human, strive
+    Again for glory, while the golden lyre
+    Is ever sounding in heroic ears
+    Heroic hymns."[11]
+
+When the English (Anglo-Saxons, as we generally call them) had settled
+down in England, had united their warring tribes, and developed a
+somewhat centralised government, their whole national existence was
+imperilled by the incursions of the Danes. Kindred folk to the
+Anglo-Saxons were these Danes, these Vikings from Christiania Wik,
+these Northmen from Norway or Iceland, whose fame went before them,
+and the dread of whom inspired the petition in the old Litany of the
+Church, "From the fury of the Northmen, good Lord, deliver us!" Their
+fair hair and blue or grey eyes, their tall and muscular frames, bore
+testimony to their kinship with the races they harried and plundered,
+but their spirit was different from that of the conquered Teutonic
+tribes. The Viking _loved_ the sea; it was his summer home, his field
+of war and profit. To go "a-summer-harrying" was the usual employment
+of the true Viking, and in the winter only could he enjoy domestic
+life and the pleasures of the family circle. The rapturous fight with
+the elements, in which the Northman lived and moved and had his being,
+gave him a strain of ruthless cruelty unlike anything in the more
+peaceful Anglo-Saxon character: his disregard of death for himself led
+to a certain callousness with regard to human life, and to a certain
+enjoyment in inflicting physical anguish. There was an element of Red
+Indian ruthlessness in the Viking, which looms large in the story of
+the years of Norse ascendancy over Western Europe. Yet there was also
+a power of bold and daring action, of reckless valour, of rapid
+conception and execution, which contrasted strongly with the slower
+and more placid temperament of the Anglo-Saxon, and to this Danish
+strain modern Englishmen probably owe the power of initiative, the
+love of adventure, and the daring action which have made England the
+greatest colonising nation on the earth. The Danish, Norse, or Viking
+element spread far and wide in mediæval Europe--Iceland, Normandy
+(Northman's Land), the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, the east of
+Ireland, the Danelagh of East Anglia, and the Cumberland dales all
+show traces of the conquering Danish race; and raider after raider
+came to England and stayed, until half of our island was Danish, and
+even our royal family became for a time one with the royal line of
+Denmark. The acceptance of Christianity by the Danes in England when
+Guthrum was baptized rendered much more easy their amalgamation with
+the English; but it was not so in Ireland, where the Round Towers
+still stand to show (as some authorities hold) how the terrified
+native Irish sheltered from the Danish fury which nearly destroyed the
+whole fabric of Irish Christianity. The legends of Ireland, too, are
+full of the terror of the men of "Lochlann," which is generally taken
+to mean Norway; and the great coast cities of Ireland--Dublin, Cork,
+Waterford, Wexford, and others--were so entirely Danish that only the
+decisive battle of Clontarf, in which the saintly and victorious Brian
+Boru was slain, saved Ireland to Christendom and curbed the power of
+the heathen invaders.
+
+A second wave of Norse invasion swept over England at the Norman
+Conquest, and for a time submerged the native English population. The
+chivalrous Norman knights who followed William of Normandy's sacred
+banner, whether from religious zeal or desire of plunder, were as
+truly Vikings by race as were the Danes who settled in the Danelagh.
+The days when Rolf (Rollo, or Rou), the Viking chief, won Normandy
+were not yet so long gone by that the fierce piratical instincts of
+his followers had ceased to influence their descendants: piety and
+learning, feudal law and custom, had made some impression upon the
+character of the Norman, but at heart he was still a Northman. The
+Norman barons fought for their independence against Duke William with
+all the determination of those Norse chiefs who would not acknowledge
+the overlordship of Harold Fairhair, but fled to colonise Iceland when
+he made himself King of Norway. The seafaring instincts which drove
+the Vikings to harry other lands in like manner drove the Normans to
+piratical plundering up and down the English Channel, and, when they
+had settled in England, led to continual sea-fights in the Channel
+between English and French, hardy Kentish and Norman, or Cornish and
+Breton, sailors, with a common strain of fighting blood, and a common
+love of the sea.
+
+The Norman Conquest of England was but one instance of Norman
+activity: Sicily, Italy, Constantinople, even Antioch, and the Holy
+Land itself, showed in time Norman states, Norman laws, Norman
+civilisation, and all alike felt the impulse of Norman energy and
+inspiration. England lay ready to hand for Norman invasion--the hope
+of peaceable succession to the saintly Edward the Confessor had to be
+abandoned by William; the gradual permeation of sluggish England with
+Norman earls, churchmen, courtiers, had been comprehended and checked
+by Earl Godwin and his sons (themselves of Danish race); but there
+still remained the way of open war and an appeal to religious zeal;
+and this way William took. There was genius as well as statesmanship
+in the idea of combining a personal claim to the throne held by Harold
+the usurper with a crusading summons against the schismatic and
+heretical English, who refused obedience to the true successor of St.
+Peter. The success of the idea was its justification: the success of
+the expedition proved the need that England had of some new leaven to
+energise the sluggish temperament of her sons. The Norman Conquest not
+only revived and quickened, but unified and solidified the English
+nation. The tyranny of the Norman nobles, held in check at first only
+by the tyranny of the Norman king, was the factor in mediæval English
+life that made for a national consciousness; it also helped the
+appreciation of the heroism of revolt against tyranny which is seen in
+Hereward the Wake, in Robin Hood, in William of Cloudeslee, and in
+many other English hero-rebels; but it gradually led men to a
+realization of their own rights as Englishmen. When all men alike felt
+themselves sons of England, the days were past when Norman and Saxon
+were aliens to each other, and Norman robber soon became as truly
+English as Danish viking, Anglo-Saxon seafarer, or Celtic settler.
+Then the full value of the Norman infusion was seen in quicker
+intellectual apprehension, nimbler wit, a keener sense of reverence, a
+more spiritual piety, a more refined courtesy, and a more enlightened
+perception of the value of law. The materialism of the original Saxon
+race was successively modified by many influences, and not least of
+these was the Norman Conquest.
+
+From the Norman Conquest onward England has welcomed men of many
+nations--French, Flemings, Germans, Dutch: men brought by war, by
+trade, by love of adventure, by religion; traders, refugees, exiles,
+all have found in her a hospitable shelter and a second home, and all
+have come to love the "grey old mother" that counted them among her
+sons and grew to think them her own in very truth.
+
+Geographically, also, we must recognise the admixture of races in our
+islands. The farthest western borders show most strongly the type of
+man whom we can imagine the Iberian to have been: Western Ireland, the
+Hebrides, Central and South Wales, and Cornwall are still inhabited by
+folk of Iberian descent. The blue-eyed Celt yet dwells in the
+Highlands and the greater part of Wales and the Marches--Hereford and
+Shropshire, and as far as Worcestershire and Cheshire; still the
+Dales of Cumberland, the Fen Country, East Anglia, and the Isle of Man
+show traces of Danish blood, speech, manners, and customs; still the
+slow, stolid Saxon inhabits the lands south of the Thames from Sussex
+to Hampshire and Dorset. The Angle has settled permanently over the
+Lowlands of Scotland, with the Celt along the western fringe, and
+Flemish blood shows its traces in Pembroke on the one side ("Little
+England beyond Wales") and in Norfolk on the other.
+
+With all these nations, all these natures, amalgamated in our own, it
+is no wonder that the literature of our isles contains many different
+ideals of heroism, changing according to nationality and epoch. Thus
+the physical valour of Beowulf is not the same quality as the valour
+of Havelok the Dane, though both are heroes of the strong arm; and the
+chivalry of Diarmit is not the same as the chivalry of Roland. Again,
+religion has its share in changing the ideals of a nation, and
+Constantine, the warrior of the Early English poem of "Elene," is far
+from being the same in character as the tender-hearted Constantine of
+"moral Gower's" apocryphal tale. The law-abiding nature of the
+earliest heroes, whose obedience to their king and their priest was
+absolute, differs almost entirely from the lawlessness of Gamelyn and
+Robin Hood, both of whom set church and king at defiance, and even
+account it a merit to revolt from the rule of both. It follows from
+this that we shall find our chosen heroes of very different types and
+characters; but we shall recognise that each represented to his own
+age an ideal of heroism, which that age loved sufficiently to put into
+literature, and perpetuate by the best means in its power. Of many
+another hero besides Arthur--of Barbarossa, of Hiawatha, even of
+Napoleon--has the tradition grown that he is not dead, but has passed
+away into the deathless land, whence he shall come again in his own
+time. As Tennyson has sung,
+
+                "Great bards of him will sing
+    Hereafter; and dark sayings from of old
+    Ranging and ringing through the minds of men,
+    And echoed by old folk beside their fires
+    For comfort after their wage-work is done,
+    Speak of the King."
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Lightfoot.
+
+[2] Swinburne.
+
+[3] Gerald Massey.
+
+[4] J. R. Denning.
+
+[5] W. W. Campbell.
+
+[6] _Ibid._
+
+[7] C. Roberts.
+
+[8] T. Darcy McGee.
+
+[9] Tennyson.
+
+[10] Shakespeare, _Julius Cæsar_.
+
+[11] Tennyson.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I: BEOWULF
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The figure which meets us as we enter on the study of Heroes of the
+British Race is one which appeals to us in a very special way, since
+he is the one hero in whose legend we may see the ideals of our
+English forefathers before they left their Continental home to settle
+in this island. Opinions may differ as to the date at which the poem
+of "Beowulf" was written, the place in which it was localised, and the
+religion of the poet who combined the floating legends into one epic
+whole, but all must accept the poem as embodying the life and feelings
+of our Forefathers who dwelt in North Germany on the shores of the
+North Sea and of the Baltic. The life depicted, the characters
+portrayed, the events described, are such as a simple warrior race
+would cherish in tradition and legend as relics of the life lived by
+their ancestors in what doubtless seemed to them the Golden Age.
+Perhaps stories of a divine Beowa, hero and ancestor of the English,
+became merged in other myths of sun-hero and marsh-demon, but in any
+case the stories are now crystallized around one central human figure,
+who may even be considered an historical hero, Beowulf, the thane of
+Hygelac, King of the Geats. It is this grand primitive hero who
+embodies the ideal of English heroism. Bold to rashness for himself,
+prudent for his comrades, daring, resourceful, knowing no fear, loyal
+to his king and his kinsmen, generous in war and in peace,
+self-sacrificing, Beowulf stands for all that is best in manhood in an
+age of strife. It is fitting that our first British hero should be
+physically and mentally strong, brave to seek danger and brave to look
+on death and Fate undaunted, one whose life is a struggle against
+evil forces, and whose death comes in a glorious victory over the
+powers of evil, a victory gained for the sake of others to whom
+Beowulf feels that he owes protection and devotion.
+
+
+The Story. The Coming and Passing of Scyld
+
+Once, long ago, the Danish land owned the sway of a mighty monarch,
+Scyld Scefing, the founder of a great dynasty, the Scyldings. This
+great king Scyld had come to Denmark in a mysterious manner, since no
+man knew whence he sprang. As a babe he drifted to the Danish shore in
+a vessel loaded with treasures; but no man was with him, and there was
+no token to show his kindred and race. When Scyld grew up he increased
+the power of Denmark and enlarged her borders; his fame spread far and
+wide among men, and his glory shone undimmed until the day when, full
+of years and honours, he died, leaving the throne securely established
+in his family. Then the sorrowing Danes restored him to the mysterious
+ocean from which he had come to them. Choosing their goodliest ship,
+they laid within it the corpse of their departed king, and heaped
+around him all their best and choicest treasures, until the venerable
+countenance of Scyld looked to heaven from a bed of gold and jewels;
+then they set up, high above his head, his glorious gold-wrought
+banner, and left him alone in state. The vessel was loosed from the
+shore where the mourning Danes bewailed their departing king, and
+drifted slowly away to the unknown west from which Scyld had sailed to
+his now sorrowing people; they watched until it was lost in the
+shadows of night and distance, but no man under heaven knoweth what
+shore now holds the vanished Scyld. The descendants of Scyld ruled and
+prospered till the days of his great-grandson Hrothgar, one of a
+family of four, who can all be identified historically with various
+Danish kings and princes.
+
+
+Hrothgar's Hall
+
+Hrothgar was a mighty warrior and conqueror, who won glory in battle,
+and whose fame spread wide among men, so that nobly born warriors, his
+kinsmen, were glad to serve as his bodyguard and to fight for him
+loyally in strife. So great was Hrothgar's power that he longed for
+some outward sign of the magnificence of his sway; he determined to
+build a great hall, in which he could hold feasts and banquets, and
+could entertain his warriors and thanes, and visitors from afar. The
+hall rose speedily, vast, gloriously adorned, a great meeting-place
+for men; for Hrothgar had summoned all his people to the work, and the
+walls towered up high and majestic, ending in pinnacles and gables
+resembling the antlers of a stag. At the great feast which Hrothgar
+gave first in his new home the minstrels chanted the glory of the
+hall, "Heorot," "The Hart," as the king named it; Hrothgar's desire
+was well fulfilled, that he should build the most magnificent of
+banquet-halls. Proud were the mighty warriors who feasted within it,
+and proud the heart of the king, who from his high seat on the daïs
+saw his brave thanes carousing at the long tables below him, and the
+lofty rafters of the hall rising black into the darkness.
+
+
+Grendel
+
+Day by day the feasting continued, until its noise and the festal joy
+of its revellers aroused a mighty enemy, Grendel, the loathsome
+fen-monster. This monstrous being, half-man, half-fiend, dwelt in the
+fens near the hill on which Heorot stood. Terrible was he, dangerous
+to men, of extraordinary strength, human in shape but gigantic of
+stature, covered with a green horny skin, on which the sword would not
+bite. His race, all sea-monsters, giants, goblins, and evil demons,
+were offspring of Cain, outcasts from the mercy of the Most High,
+hostile to the human race; and Grendel was one of mankind's most
+bitter enemies; hence his hatred of the joyous shouts from Heorot, and
+his determination to stop the feasting.
+
+    "This the dire mighty fiend,    he who in darkness dwelt,
+    Suffered with hatred fierce,    that every day and night
+    He heard the festal shouts    loud in the lofty hall;
+    Sound of harp echoed there,    and gleeman's sweet song.
+    Thus they lived joyously,    fearing no angry foe
+    Until the hellish fiend    wrought them great woe.
+    Grendel that ghost was called,    grisly and terrible,
+    Who, hateful wanderer,    dwelt in the moorlands,
+    The fens and wild fastnesses;    the wretch for a while abode
+    In homes of the giant-race,    since God had cast him out.
+    When night on the earth fell,    Grendel departed
+    To visit the lofty hall,    now that the warlike Danes
+    After the gladsome feast    nightly slept in it.
+    A fair troop of warrior-thanes    guarding it found he;
+    Heedlessly sleeping,    they recked not of sorrow.
+    The demon of evil,    the grim wight unholy,
+    With his fierce ravening,    greedily grasped them,
+    Seized in their slumbering    thirty right manly thanes;
+    Thence he withdrew again,    proud of his lifeless prey,
+    Home to his hiding-place,    bearing his booty,
+    In peace to devour it."
+
+[Illustration: "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+grasped them"]
+
+When dawn broke, and the Danes from their dwellings around the hall
+entered Heorot, great was the lamentation, and dire the dismay, for
+thirty noble champions had vanished, and the blood-stained tracks of
+the monster showed but too well the fate that had overtaken them.
+Hrothgar's grief was profound, for he had lost thirty of his dearly
+loved bodyguard, and he himself was too old to wage a conflict against
+the foe--a foe who repeated night by night his awful deeds, in
+spite of all that valour could do to save the Danes from his terrible
+enmity. At last no champion would face the monster, and the Danes, in
+despair, deserted the glorious hall of which they had been so proud.
+Useless stood the best of dwellings, for none dared remain in it, but
+every evening the Danes left it after their feast, and slept
+elsewhere. This affliction endured for twelve years, and all that time
+the beautiful hall of Heorot stood empty when darkness was upon it. By
+night the dire fiend visited it in search of prey, and in the morning
+his footsteps showed that his deadly enmity was not yet appeased, but
+that any effort to use the hall at night would bring down his fatal
+wrath on the careless sleepers.
+
+Far and wide spread the tidings of this terrible oppression, and many
+champions came from afar to offer King Hrothgar their aid, but none
+was heroic enough to conquer the monster, and many a mighty warrior
+lost his life in a vain struggle against Grendel. At length even these
+bold adventurers ceased to come; Grendel remained master of Heorot,
+and the Danes settled down in misery under the bondage of a perpetual
+nightly terror, while Hrothgar grew old in helpless longing for
+strength to rescue his people from their foe.
+
+
+Beowulf
+
+Meanwhile there had come to manhood and full strength a hero destined
+to make his name famous for mighty deeds of valour throughout the
+whole of the Teutonic North. In the realm of the Geats (Götaland, in
+the south of Sweden) ruled King Hygelac, a mighty ruler who was
+ambitious enough to aim at conquering his neighbours on the mainland
+of Germany. His only sister, daughter of the dead king Hrethel, had
+married a great noble, Ecgtheow, and they had one son, Beowulf, who
+from the age of seven was brought up at the Geatish court. The boy was
+a lad of great stature and handsome appearance, with fair locks and
+gallant bearing; but he greatly disappointed his grandfather, King
+Hrethel, by his sluggish character. Beowulf as a youth had been
+despised by all for his sloth and his unwarlike disposition; his
+good-nature and his rarely stirred wrath made others look upon him
+with scorn, and the mighty stature to which he grew brought him
+nothing but scoffs and sneers and insults in the banquet-hall when the
+royal feasts were held. Yet wise men might have seen the promise of
+great strength in his powerful sinews and his mighty hands, and the
+signs of great force of character in the glance of his clear blue eyes
+and the fierceness of his anger when he was once aroused. At least
+once already Beowulf had distinguished himself in a great feat--a
+swimming-match with a famous champion, Breca, who had been beaten in
+the contest. For this and other victories, and for the bodily strength
+which gave Beowulf's hand-grip the force of thirty men, the hero was
+already famed when the news of Grendel's ravages reached Geatland.
+Beowulf, eager to try his strength against the monster, and burning to
+add to his fame, asked and obtained permission from his uncle, King
+Hygelac, to seek the stricken Danish king and offer his help against
+Grendel; then, choosing fourteen loyal comrades and kinsfolk, he took
+a cheerful farewell of the Geatish royal family and sailed for
+Denmark.
+
+Thus it happened that one day the Warden of the Coast, riding on his
+round along the Danish shores, saw from the white cliffs a strange
+war-vessel running in to shore. Her banners were unknown to him, her
+crew were strangers and all in war-array, and as the Warden watched
+them they ran the ship into a small creek among the mountainous
+cliffs, made her fast to a rock with stout cables, and then landed and
+put themselves in readiness for a march. Though there were fifteen of
+the strangers and the Warden was alone, he showed no hesitation, but,
+riding boldly down into their midst, loudly demanded:
+
+    "What are ye warlike men    wielding bright weapons,
+    Wearing grey corslets    and boar-adorned helmets,
+    Who o'er the water-paths    come with your foaming keel
+    Ploughing the ocean surge?    I was appointed
+    Warden of Denmark's shores;    watch hold I by the wave
+    That on this Danish coast    no deadly enemy
+    Leading troops over sea    should land to injure.
+    None have here landed yet    more frankly coming
+    Than this fair company:    and yet ye answer not
+    The password of warriors,    and customs of kinsmen.
+    Ne'er have mine eyes beheld    a mightier warrior,
+    An earl more lordly, than    is he, the chief of you;
+    He is no common man;    if looks belie him not,
+    He is a hero bold,    worthily weaponed.
+    Anon must I know of you    kindred and country,
+    Lest ye as spies should go    free on our Danish soil.
+    Now ye men from afar,    sailing the surging sea,
+    Have heard my earnest thought:    best is a quick reply,
+    That I may swiftly know    whence ye have hither come."
+
+So the aged Warden sat on his horse, gazing attentively on the faces
+of the fifteen strangers, but watching most carefully the countenance
+of the leader; for the mighty stature, the clear glance of command,
+the goodly armour, and the lordly air of Beowulf left no doubt as to
+who was the chieftain of that little band. When the questions had been
+asked the leader of the new-comers moved forward till his mighty
+figure stood beside the Warden's horse, and as he gazed up into the
+old man's eyes he answered: "We are warriors of the Geats, members of
+King Hygelac's bodyguard. My father, well known among men of wisdom,
+was named Ecgtheow, a wise counsellor who died full of years and
+famous for his wisdom, leaving a memory dear to all good men."
+
+    "We come to seek thy king    Healfdene's glorious son,
+    Thy nation's noble lord,    with friendly mind.
+    Be thou a guardian good    to us strangers here!
+    We have an errand grave    to the great Danish king,
+    Nor will I hidden hold    what I intend!
+    Thou canst tell if it is    truth (as we lately heard)
+    That some dire enemy,    deadly in evil deed,
+    Cometh in dark of night,    sateth his secret hate,
+    Worketh through fearsome awe,    slaughter and shame.
+    I can give Hrothgar bold    counsel to conquer him,
+    How he with valiant mind    Grendel may vanquish,
+    If he would ever lose    torment of burning care,
+    If bliss shall bloom again    and woe shall vanish."
+
+The aged Warden replied: "Every bold warrior of noble mind must
+recognise the distinction between words and deeds. I judge by thy
+speech that you are all friends to our Danish king; therefore I bid
+you go forward, in warlike array, and I myself will guide you to King
+Hrothgar; I will also bid my men draw your vessel up the beach, and
+make her fast with a barricade of oars against any high tide. Safe she
+shall be until again she bears you to your own land. May your
+expedition prove successful."
+
+Thus speaking, he turned his horse's head and led the way up the steep
+cliff paths, while the Geats followed him, resplendent in shining
+armour, with boar-crests on their helmets, shields and spears in their
+hands, and mighty swords hanging in their belts: a goodly band were
+they, as they strode boldly after the Warden. Anon there appeared a
+roughly trodden path, which soon became a stone-paved road, and the
+way led on to where the great hall, Heorot, towered aloft, gleaming
+white in the sun; very glorious it seemed, with its pinnacled gables
+and its carved beams and rafters, and the Geats gazed at it with
+admiration as the Warden of the Coast said: "Yonder stands our
+monarch's hall, and your way lies clear before you. May the All-Father
+keep you safe in the conflict! Now it is time for me to return; I go
+to guard our shores from every foe."
+
+
+Hrothgar and Beowulf
+
+The little band of Geats, in their shining war-gear, strode along the
+stone-paved street, their ring-mail sounding as they went, until they
+reached the door of Heorot; and there, setting down their broad
+shields and their keen spears against the wall, they prepared to enter
+as peaceful guests the great hall of King Hrothgar. Wulfgar, one of
+Hrothgar's nobles, met them at the door and asked whence such a
+splendid band of warlike strangers, so well armed and so worthily
+equipped, had come. Their heroic bearing betokened some noble
+enterprise. Beowulf answered: "We are Hygelac's chosen friends and
+companions, and I am Beowulf. To King Hrothgar, thy master, will I
+tell mine errand, if the son of Healfdene will allow us to approach
+him."
+
+Wulfgar, impressed by the words and bearing of the hero, replied: "I
+will announce thy coming to my lord, and bring back his answer"; and
+then made his way up the hall to the high seat where Hrothgar sat on
+the daïs amidst his bodyguard of picked champions. Bowing
+respectfully, he said:
+
+    "Here are come travelling    over the sea-expanse,
+    Journeying from afar,    heroes of Geatland.
+    Beowulf is the name    of their chief warrior.
+    This is their prayer, my lord,    that they may speak with thee;
+    Do not thou give them    a hasty refusal!
+    Do not deny them    the gladness of converse!
+    They in their war-gear seem    worthy of men's respect.
+    Noble their chieftain seems,    he who the warriors
+    Hither has guided."
+
+At these words the aged king aroused himself from the sad reverie into
+which he had fallen and answered: "I knew him as a boy. Beowulf is the
+son of Ecgtheow, who wedded the daughter of the Geat King Hrethel. His
+fame has come hither before him; seafarers have told me that he has
+the might of thirty men in his hand-grip. Great joy it is to know of
+his coming, for he may save us from the terror of Grendel. If he
+succeeds in this, great treasures will I bestow upon him. Hasten;
+bring in hither Beowulf and his kindred thanes, and bid them welcome
+to the Danish folk!"
+
+Wulfgar hurried down the hall to the place where Beowulf stood with
+his little band; he led them gladly to the high seat, so that they
+stood opposite to Hrothgar, who looked keenly at the well-equipped
+troop, and kindly at its leader. A striking figure was Beowulf as he
+stood there in his gleaming ring-mail, with the mighty sword by his
+side. It was, however, but a minute that Hrothgar looked in silence,
+for with respectful greeting Beowulf spoke:
+
+    "Hail to thee, Hrothgar King!    Beowulf am I,
+    Hygelac's kinsman    and loyal companion.
+    Great deeds of valour    wrought I in my youth.
+    To me in my native land    Grendel's ill-doing
+    Came as an oft-heard tale    told by our sailors.
+    They say that this bright hall,    noblest of buildings,
+    Standeth to every man    idle and useless
+    After the evening-light    fails in the heavens.
+    Thus, Hrothgar, ancient king,    all my friends urged me,
+    Warriors and prudent thanes,    that I should seek thee,
+    Since they themselves had known    my might in battle.
+    Now I will beg of thee,    lord of the glorious Danes,
+    Prince of the Scylding race,    Folk-lord most friendly,
+    Warden of warriors,    only one boon.
+    Do not deny it me,    since I have come from far;
+    I with my men alone,    this troop of heroes good,
+    Would without help from thee    cleanse thy great hall!
+    Oft have I also heard    that the fierce monster
+    Through his mad recklessness    scorns to use weapons;
+    Therefore will I forego    (so may King Hygelac,
+    My friendly lord and king,    find in me pleasure)
+    That I should bear my sword    and my broad yellow shield
+    Into the conflict:    with my hand-grip alone
+    I 'gainst the foe will strive,    and struggle for my life--
+    He shall endure God's doom    whom death shall bear away.
+    I know that he thinketh    in this hall of conflict
+    Fearless to eat me,    if he can compass it,
+    As he has oft devoured    heroes of Denmark.
+    Then thou wilt not need    my head to hide away,
+    Grendel will have me    all mangled and gory;
+    Away will he carry,    if death then shall take me,
+    My body with gore stained    will he think to feast on,
+    On his lone track will bear it    and joyously eat it,
+    And mark with my life-blood    his lair in the moorland;
+    Nor more for my welfare    wilt thou need to care then.
+    Send thou to Hygelac,    if strife shall take me,
+    That best of byrnies    which my breast guardeth,
+    Brightest of war-weeds,    the work of Smith Weland,
+    Left me by Hrethel.    Ever Wyrd has her way."
+
+The aged King Hrothgar, who had listened attentively while the hero
+spoke of his plans and of his possible fate, now greeted him saying:
+"Thou hast sought my court for honour and for friendship's sake, O
+Beowulf: thou hast remembered the ancient alliance between Ecgtheow,
+thy father, and myself, when I shielded him, a fugitive, from the
+wrath of the Wilfings, paid them the due wergild for his crime, and
+took his oath of loyalty to myself. Long ago that time is; Ecgtheow is
+dead, and I am old and in misery. It were too long now to tell of all
+the woe that Grendel has wrought, but this I may say, that many a
+hero has boasted of the great valour he would display in strife with
+the monster, and has awaited his coming in this hall; in the morning
+there has been no trace of each hero but the dark blood-stains on
+benches and tables. How many times has that happened! But sit down now
+to the banquet and tell thy plans, if such be thy will."
+
+Thereupon room was made for the Geat warriors on the long benches, and
+Beowulf sat in the place of honour opposite to the king: great respect
+was shown to him, and all men looked with wonder on this mighty hero,
+whose courage led him to hazard this terrible combat. Great carved
+horns of ale were borne to Beowulf and his men, savoury meat was
+placed before them, and while they ate and drank the minstrels played
+and sang to the harp the deeds of men of old. The mirth of the feast
+was redoubled now men hoped that a deliverer had come indeed.
+
+
+The Quarrel
+
+Among all the Danes who were rejoicing over Beowulf's coming there was
+one whose heart was sad and his brow gloomy--one thane whom jealousy
+urged to hate any man more distinguished than himself. Hunferth, King
+Hrothgar's orator and speech-maker, from his official post at
+Hrothgar's feet watched Beowulf with scornful and jealous eyes. He
+waited until a pause came in the clamour of the feast, and suddenly
+spoke, coldly and contemptuously: "Art thou that Beowulf who strove
+against Breca, the son of Beanstan, when ye two held a swimming
+contest in the ocean and risked your lives in the deep waters? In vain
+all your friends urged you to forbear--ye would go on the hazardous
+journey; ye plunged in, buffeting the wintry waves through the
+rising storm. Seven days and nights ye toiled, but Breca overcame
+thee: he had greater strength and courage. Him the ocean bore to
+shore, and thence he sought his native land, and the fair city where
+he ruled as lord and chieftain. Fully he performed his boast against
+thee. So I now look for a worse issue for thee, for thou wilt find
+Grendel fiercer in battle than was Breca, if thou darest await him
+this night."
+
+Beowulf's brow flushed with anger as he replied haughtily: "Much hast
+thou spoken, friend Hunferth, concerning Breca and our swimming
+contest; but belike thou art drunken, for wrongly hast thou told the
+tale. A youthful folly of ours it was, when we two boasted and
+challenged each other to risk our lives in the ocean; that indeed we
+did. Naked swords we bore in our hands as we swam, to defend ourselves
+against the sea-monsters, and we floated together, neither
+outdistancing the other, for five days, when a storm drove us apart.
+Cold were the surging waves, bitter the north wind, rough was the
+swelling flood, under the darkening shades of night. Yet this was not
+the worst: the sea-monsters, excited by the raging tempest, rushed at
+me with their deadly tusks and bore me to the abyss. Well was it then
+for me that I wore my well-woven ring-mail, and had my keen sword in
+hand; with point and edge I fought the deadly beasts, and killed them.
+Many a time the hosts of monsters bore me to the ocean-bottom, but I
+slew numbers among them, and thus we battled all the night, until in
+the morning came light from the east, and I could see the windy cliffs
+along the shore, and the bodies of the slain sea-beasts floating on
+the surge. Nine there were of them, for Wyrd is gracious to the man
+who is valiant and unafraid. Never have I heard of a sterner
+conflict, nor a more unhappy warrior lost in the waters; yet I saved
+my life, and landed on the shores of Finland. Breca wrought not so
+mightily as I, nor have I heard of such warlike deeds on thy part,
+even though thou, O Hunferth, didst murder thy brothers and nearest
+kinsmen.
+
+    "Truly I say to thee,    O son of Ecglaf bold,
+    Grendel the grisly fiend    ne'er dared have wrought
+    So many miseries,    such shame and anguish dire,
+    To thy lord, Hrothgar old,    in his bright Heorot,
+    Hadst thou shown valiant mood,    sturdy and battle-fierce,
+    As thou now boastest."
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth]
+
+Very wroth was Hunferth over the reminder of his former wrongdoing and
+the implied accusation of cowardice, but he had brought it on himself
+by his unwise belittling of Beowulf's feat, and the applause of both
+Danes and Geats showed him that he dared no further attack the
+champion; he had to endure in silence Beowulf's boast that he and his
+Geats would that night await Grendel in the hall, and surprise him
+terribly, since the fiend had ceased to expect any resistance from the
+warlike Danes. The feast continued, with laughter and melody, with
+song and boast, until the door from the women's bower, in the upper
+end of the hall, opened suddenly, and Hrothgar's wife, the fair and
+gracious Queen Wealhtheow, entered. The tumult lulled for a short
+space, and the queen, pouring mead into a goblet, presented it to her
+husband; joyfully he received and drank it. Then she poured mead or
+ale for each man, and in due course came to Beowulf, as to the guest
+of honour. Gratefully Wealhtheow greeted the lordly hero, and thanked
+him for the friendship which brought him to Denmark to risk his life
+against Grendel. Beowulf, rising respectfully and taking the cup from
+the queen's hand, said with dignity:
+
+    "This I considered well    when I the ocean sought,
+    Sailed in the sea-vessel    with my brave warriors,
+    That I alone would win    thy folk's deliverance,
+    Or in the fight would fall    fast in the demon's grip.
+    Needs must I now perform    knightly deeds in this hall,
+    Or here must meet my doom    in darksome night."
+
+Well pleased, Queen Wealhtheow went to sit beside her lord, where her
+gracious smile cheered the assembly. Then the clamour of the feast was
+renewed, until Hrothgar at length gave the signal for retiring.
+Indeed, it was necessary to leave Heorot when darkness fell, for the
+fiend came each night when sunlight faded. So the whole assembly
+arose, each man bade his comrades "Good night," and the Danes
+dispersed; but Hrothgar addressed Beowulf half joyfully, half sadly,
+saying:
+
+    "Never before have I    since I held spear and shield
+    Given o'er to any man    this mighty Danish hall,
+    Save now to thee alone.    Keep thou and well defend
+    This best of banquet-halls.    Show forth thy hero-strength,
+    Call up thy bravery,    watch for the enemy!
+    Thou shalt not lack gifts of worth    if thou alive remain
+    Winner in this dire strife."
+
+Thus Hrothgar departed, to seek slumber in a less dangerous abode,
+where, greatly troubled in mind, he awaited the dawn with almost
+hopeless expectation, and Beowulf and his men prepared themselves for
+the perils of the night.
+
+
+Beowulf and Grendel
+
+The fourteen champions of the Geats now made ready for sleep; but
+while the others lay down in their armour, with weapons by their
+sides, Beowulf took off his mail, unbelted his sword, unhelmed
+himself, and gave his sword to a thane to bear away. For, as he said
+to his men, "I will strive against this fiend weaponless. With no
+armour, since he wears none, will I wrestle with him, and try to
+overcome him. I will conquer, if I win, by my hand-grip alone; and the
+All-Father shall judge between us, and grant the victory to whom He
+will."
+
+The Geats then lay down--brave men who slept calmly, though they knew
+they were risking their lives, for none of them expected to see the
+light of day again, or to revisit their native land: they had heard,
+too, much during the feast of the slaughter which Grendel had wrought.
+So night came, the voices of men grew silent, and the darkness
+shrouded all alike--calm sleepers, anxious watchers, and the deadly,
+creeping foe.
+
+When everything was still Grendel came. From the fen-fastnesses, by
+marshy tracts, through mists and swamp-born fogs, the hideous monster
+made his way to the house he hated so bitterly. Grendel strode fiercely
+to the door of Heorot, and would fain have opened it as usual, but it
+was locked and bolted. Then the fiend's wrath was roused; he grasped
+the door with his mighty hands and burst it in. As he entered he seemed
+to fill the hall with his monstrous shadow, and from his eyes shone a
+green and uncanny light, which showed him a troop of warriors lying
+asleep in their war-gear; it seemed that all slept, and the fiend did
+not notice that one man half rose, leaning on his elbow and peering
+keenly into the gloom. Grendel hastily put forth his terrible scaly
+hand and seized one hapless sleeper. Tearing him limb from limb, so
+swiftly that his cry of agony was unheard, he drank the warm blood and
+devoured the flesh; then, excited by the hideous food, he reached forth
+again. Great was Grendel's amazement to find that his hand was seized
+in a grasp such as he had never felt before, and to know that he had
+at last found an antagonist whom even he must fight warily. Beowulf
+sprang from his couch as the terrible claws of the monster fell upon
+him, and wrestled with Grendel in the darkness and gloom of the
+unlighted hall, where the flicker of the fire had died down to a dim
+glow in the dull embers. That was a dreadful struggle, as the
+combatants, in deadly conflict, swayed up and down the hall,
+overturning tables and benches, trampling underfoot dishes and goblets
+in the darkling wrestle for life. The men of the Geats felt for their
+weapons, but they could not see the combatants distinctly, though they
+heard the panting and the trampling movements, and occasionally caught
+a gleam from the fiend's eyes as his face was turned towards them. When
+they struck their weapons glanced harmlessly off Grendel's scaly hide.
+The struggle continued for some time, and the hall was an utter wreck
+within, when Grendel, worsted for once, tried to break away and rush
+out into the night; but Beowulf held him fast in the grip which no man
+on earth could equal or endure, and the monster writhed in anguish as
+he vainly strove to free himself--vainly, for Beowulf would not loose
+his grip. Suddenly, with one great cry, Grendel wrenched himself free,
+and staggered to the door, leaving behind a terrible blood-trail, for
+his arm and shoulder were torn off and left in the victor's grasp. So
+the monster fled wailing over the moors to his home in the gloomy mere,
+and Beowulf sank panting on a shattered seat, scarce believing in his
+victory, until his men gathered round, bringing a lighted torch, by the
+flaring gleam of which the green, scaly arm of Grendel looked ghastly
+and threatening. But the monster had fled, and after such a wound as
+the loss of his arm and shoulder must surely die; therefore the Geats
+raised a shout of triumph, and then took the hateful trophy and
+fastened it high up on the roof of the hall, that all who entered might
+see the token of victory and recognise that the Geat hero had performed
+his boast, that he would conquer with no weapon, but by the strength of
+his hands alone.
+
+In the morning many a warrior came to Heorot to learn the events of
+the night, and all saw the grisly trophy, praised Beowulf's might and
+courage, and followed with eager curiosity the blood-stained track of
+the fleeing demon till it came to the brink of the gloomy lake, where
+it disappeared, though the waters were stained with gore, and boiled
+and surged with endless commotion. There on the shore the Danes
+rejoiced over the death of their enemy, and returned to Heorot
+care-free and glad at heart. Meanwhile Beowulf and his Geats stayed in
+Heorot, for Hrothgar had not yet come to receive an account of their
+night-watch. Throughout the day there was feasting and rejoicing, with
+horse-races, and wrestling, and manly contests of skill and endurance;
+or the Danes collected around the bard as he chanted the glory of
+Sigmund and his son Fitela. Then came King Hrothgar himself, with his
+queen and her maiden train, and they paused to gaze with horror on the
+dreadful trophy, and to turn with gratitude to the hero who had
+delivered them from this evil spirit. Hrothgar said: "Thanks be to the
+All-Father for this happy sight! Much sorrow have I endured at the
+hands of Grendel, many warriors have I lost, many uncounted years of
+misery have I lived, but now my woe has an end! Now a youth has
+performed, with his unaided strength, what all we could not compass
+with our craft! Well might thy father, O Beowulf, rejoice in thy fame!
+Well may thy mother, if she yet lives, praise the All-Father for the
+noble son she bore! A son indeed shalt thou be to me in love, and
+nothing thou desirest shalt thou lack, that I can give thee. Often
+have I rewarded less heroic deeds with great gifts, and to thee I can
+deny nothing."
+
+Beowulf answered: "We have performed our boast, O King, and have
+driven away the enemy. I intended to force him down on one of the
+beds, and to deprive him of his life by mere strength of my hand-grip,
+but in this I did not succeed, for Grendel escaped from the hall. Yet
+he left here with me his hand, his arm, and shoulder as a token of his
+presence, and as the ransom with which he bought off the rest of his
+loathsome body; yet none the longer will he live thereby, since he
+bears with him so deadly a wound."
+
+Then the hall was cleared of the traces of the conflict and hasty
+preparation was made for a splendid banquet. There was joy in Heorot.
+The Danes assembled once again free from fear in their splendid hall,
+the walls were hung with gold-wrought embroideries and hangings of
+costly stuffs, while richly chased goblets shone on the long tables,
+and men's tongues waxed loud as they discussed and described the
+heroic struggle of the night before. Beowulf and King Hrothgar sat on
+the high seats opposite to each other, and their men, Danes and Geats,
+sitting side by side, shouted and cheered and drank deeply to the fame
+of Beowulf. The minstrels sang of the Fight in Finnsburg and the deeds
+of Finn and Hnæf, of Hengest and Queen Hildeburh. Long was the chant,
+and it roused the national pride of the Danes to hear of the victory
+of their Danish forefathers over Finn of the Frisians; and merrily the
+banquet went forward, gladdened still more by the presence of Queen
+Wealhtheow. Now Hrothgar showed his lavish generosity and his
+thankfulness by the gifts with which he loaded the Geat chief; and not
+only Beowulf, but every man of the little troop. Beowulf received a
+gold-embroidered banner, a magnificent sword, helmet, and corslet, a
+goblet of gold, and eight fleet steeds. On the back of the best was
+strapped a cunningly wrought saddle, Hrothgar's own, with gold
+ornaments. When the Geat hero had thanked the king fittingly, Queen
+Wealhtheow arose from her seat, and, lifting the great drinking-cup,
+offered it to her lord, saying:
+
+    "Take thou this goblet,    my lord and my ruler,
+    O giver of treasure,    O gold-friend of heroes,
+    And speak to the Geats    fair speeches of kindness,
+    Be mirthful and joyous,    for so should a man be!
+    To the Geats be gracious,    mindful of presents
+    Now that from far and near    thou hast firm peace!
+    Tidings have come to me    that thou for son wilt take
+    This mighty warrior    who has cleansed Heorot,
+    Brightest of banquet-halls!    Enjoy while thou mayest
+    These manifold pleasures,    and leave to thy kinsmen
+    Thy lands and thy lordships    when thou must journey forth
+    To meet thy death."
+
+Turning to Beowulf, the queen said: "Enjoy thy reward, O dear Beowulf,
+while thou canst, and live noble and blessed! Keep well thy widespread
+fame, and be a friend to my sons in time to come, should they ever
+need a protector." Then she gave him two golden armlets, set with
+jewels, costly rings, a corslet of chain-mail and a wonderful jewelled
+collar of exquisite ancient workmanship, and, bidding them continue
+their feasting, with her maidens she left the hall. The feast went on
+till Hrothgar also departed to his dwelling, and left the Danes, now
+secure and careless, to prepare their beds, place each warrior's
+shield at the head, and go to sleep in their armour ready for an
+alarm. Meanwhile Beowulf and the Geats were joyfully escorted to
+another lodging, where they slept soundly without disturbance.
+
+
+Grendel's Mother
+
+In the darkness of the night an avenger came to Heorot, came in
+silence and mystery as Grendel had done, with thoughts of murder and
+hatred raging in her heart. Grendel had gone home to die, but his
+mother, a fiend scarcely less terrible than her son, yet lived to
+avenge his death. She arose from her dwelling in the gloomy lake,
+followed the fen paths and moorland ways to Heorot, and opened the
+door. There was a horrible panic when her presence became known, and
+men ran hither and thither vainly seeking to attack her; yet there was
+less terror among them than before when they saw the figure of a
+horrible woman. In spite of all, the monster seized Aschere, one of
+King Hrothgar's thanes, and bore him away to the fens, leaving a house
+of lamentation where men had feasted so joyously a few hours before.
+The news was brought to King Hrothgar, who bitterly lamented the loss
+of his wisest and dearest counsellor, and bade them call Beowulf to
+him, since he alone could help in this extremity. When Beowulf stood
+before the king he courteously inquired if his rest had been peaceful.
+Hrothgar answered mournfully: "Ask me not of peace, for care is
+renewed in Heorot. Dead is Aschere, my best counsellor and friend, the
+truest of comrades in fight and in council. Such as Aschere was should
+a true vassal be! A deadly fiend has slain him in Heorot, and I know
+not whither she has carried his lifeless body. This is doubtless her
+vengeance for thy slaying of Grendel; he is dead, and his kinswoman
+has come to avenge him."
+
+    "I have heard it reported    by some of my people
+    That they have looked on    two such unearthly ones,
+    Huge-bodied march-striders    holding the moor wastes;
+    One of them seemed to be    shaped like a woman,
+    Her fellow in exile    bore semblance of manhood,
+    Though huger his stature    than man ever grew to:
+    In years that are long gone by    Grendel they named him,
+    But know not his father    nor aught of his kindred.
+    Thus these dire monsters    dwell in the secret lands,
+    Haunt the hills loved by wolves,    the windy nesses,
+    Dangerous marshy paths,    where the dark moorland stream
+    'Neath the o'erhanging cliffs    downwards departeth,
+    Sinks in the sombre earth.    Not far remote from us
+    Standeth the gloomy mere,    round whose shores cluster
+    Groves with their branches mossed,    hoary with lichens grey
+    A wood firmly rooted    o'ershadows the water.
+    There is a wonder seen    nightly by wanderers,
+    Flame in the waterflood:    liveth there none of men
+    Ancient or wise enough    to know its bottom.
+    Though the poor stag may be    hard by the hounds pursued,
+    Though he may seek the wood,    chased by his cruel foes,
+    Yet will he yield his life    to hunters on the brink
+    Ere he will hide his head    in the dark waters.
+    'Tis an uncanny place.    Thence the surge swelleth up
+    Dark to the heavens above,    when the wind stirreth oft
+    Terrible driving storms,    till the air darkens,
+    The skies fall to weeping."
+
+Then Hrothgar burst forth in uncontrollable emotion: "O Beowulf, help
+us if thou canst! Help is only to be found in thee. But yet thou
+knowest not the dangerous place thou must needs explore if thou seek
+the fiend in her den. I will richly reward thy valour if thou
+returnest alive from this hazardous journey."
+
+Beowulf was touched by the sorrow of the grey-haired king, and
+replied:
+
+    "Grieve not, O prudent King!    Better it is for each
+    That he avenge his friend,    than that he mourn him much.
+    Each man must undergo    death at the end of life.
+    Let him win while he may    warlike fame in the world!
+    That is best after death    for the slain warrior."
+
+"Arise, my lord; let us scan the track left by the monster, for I
+promise thee I will never lose it, wheresoever it may lead me. Only
+have patience yet for this one day of misery, as I am sure thou wilt."
+
+Hrothgar sprang up joyously, almost youthfully, and ordered his horse
+to be saddled; then, with Beowulf beside him, and a mixed throng of
+Geats and Danes following, he rode away towards the home of the
+monsters, the dread lake which all men shunned. The blood-stained
+tracks were easy to see, and the avengers moved on swiftly till they
+came to the edge of the mere, and there, with grief and horror, saw
+the head of Aschere lying on the bank.
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf finds the head of Aschere]
+
+    "The lake boiled with blood,    with hot welling gore;
+    The warriors gazed awe-struck,    and the dread horn sang
+    From time to time fiercely    eager defiance.
+    The warriors sat down there,    and saw on the water
+    The sea-dragons swimming    to search the abysses.
+    They saw on the steep nesses    sea-monsters lying,
+    Snakes and weird creatures:    these madly shot away
+    Wrathful and venomous    when the sound smote their ears,
+    The blast of the war-horn."
+
+As Beowulf stood on the shore and watched the uncouth sea-creatures,
+serpents, nicors, monstrous beasts of all kinds, he suddenly drew his
+bow and shot one of them to the heart. The rest darted furiously away,
+and the thanes were able to drag the carcase of the slain beast on
+shore, where they surveyed it with wonder.
+
+
+The Fight with Grendel's Mother
+
+Meanwhile Beowulf had made ready for his task. He trusted to his
+well-woven mail, the corslet fitting closely to his body and
+protecting his breast, the shining helm guarding his head, bright with
+the boar-image on the crest, and the mighty sword Hrunting, which
+Hunferth, his jealousy forgotten in admiration, pressed on the
+adventurous hero.
+
+    "That sword was called Hrunting,    an ancient heritage.
+    Steel was the blade itself,    tempered with poison-twigs,
+    Hardened with battle-blood:    never in fight it failed
+    Any who wielded it,    when he would wage a strife
+    In the dire battlefield,    folk-moot of enemies."
+
+When Beowulf stood ready with naked sword in hand, he turned and
+looked at his loyal followers, his friendly hosts, the grey old King
+Hrothgar, the sun and the green earth, which he might never see again;
+but it was with no trace of weakness or fear that he spoke:
+
+    "Forget not, O noble    kinsman of Healfdene,
+    Illustrious ruler,    gold-friend of warriors,
+    What we two settled    when we spake together,
+    If I for thy safety should    end here my life-days,
+    That thou wouldst be to me,    though dead, as a father.
+    Be to my kindred thanes,    my battle-comrades,
+    A worthy protector    should death o'ertake me.
+    Do thou, dear Hrothgar,    send all these treasures here
+    Which thou hast given me,    to my king, Hygelac.
+    Then may the Geat king,    brave son of Hrethel dead,
+    See by the gold and gems,    know by the treasures there,
+    That I found a generous lord,    whom I loved in my life.
+    Give thou to Hunferth too    my wondrous old weapon,
+    The sword with its graven blade;    let the right valiant man
+    Have the keen war-blade:    I will win fame with his,
+    With Hrunting, noble brand,    or death shall take me."
+
+Beowulf dived downward, as it seemed to him, for the space of a day
+ere he could perceive the floor of that sinister lake, and all that
+time he had to fight the sea-beasts, for they, attacking him with tusk
+and horn, strove to break his ring-mail, but in vain. As Beowulf came
+near the bottom he felt himself seized in long, scaly arms of gigantic
+strength. The fierce claws of the wolfish sea-woman strove eagerly to
+reach his heart through his mail, but in vain; so the she-wolf of the
+waters, a being awful and loathsome, bore him to her abode, rushing
+through thick clusters of horrible sea-beasts.
+
+    "The hero now noticed    he was in some hostile hall,
+    Where him the water-stream    no whit might injure,
+    Nor for the sheltering roof    the rush of the raging flood
+    Ever could touch him.    He saw the strange flickering flame,
+    Weird lights in the water,    shining with livid sheen:
+    He saw, too, the ocean-wolf,    the hateful sea-woman."
+
+Terrible and almost superhuman was the contest which now followed: the
+awful sea-woman flung Beowulf down on his back and stabbed at him with
+point and edge of her broad knife, seeking some vulnerable point; but
+the good corslet resisted all her efforts, and Beowulf, exerting his
+mighty force, overthrew her and sprang to his feet. Angered beyond
+measure, he brandished the flaming sword Hrunting, and flashed one
+great blow at her head which would have killed her had her scales and
+hair been vulnerable; but alas! the edge of the blade turned on her
+scaly hide, and the blow failed. Wrathfully Beowulf cast aside the
+useless sword, and determined to trust once again to his hand-grip.
+Grendel's mother now felt, in her turn, the deadly power of Beowulf's
+grasp, and was borne to the ground; but the struggle continued long,
+for Beowulf was weaponless, since the sword failed in its work. Yet
+some weapon he must have.
+
+    "So he gazed at the walls,    saw there a glorious sword,
+    An old brand gigantic,    trusty in point and edge,
+    An heirloom of heroes;    that was the best of blades,
+    Splendid and stately,    the forging of giants;
+    But it was huger than    any of human race
+    Could bear to battle-strife,    save Beowulf only."
+
+This mighty sword, a relic of earlier and greater races, brought new
+hope to Beowulf. Springing up, he snatched it from the wall and swung
+it fiercely round his head. The blow fell with crushing force on the
+neck of the sea-woman, the dread wolf of the abyss, and broke the
+bones. Dead the monster sank to the ground, and Beowulf, standing
+erect, saw at his feet the lifeless carcase of his foe. The hero still
+grasped his sword and looked warily along the walls of the
+water-dwelling, lest some other foe should emerge from its recesses;
+but as he gazed Beowulf saw his former foe, Grendel, lying dead on a
+bed in some inner hall. He strode thither, and, seizing the corpse by
+the hideous coiled locks, shore off the head to carry to earth again.
+The poisonous hot blood of the monster melted the blade of the mighty
+sword, and nothing remained but the hilt, wrought with curious
+ornaments and signs of old time. This hilt and Grendel's head were all
+that Beowulf carried off from the water-fiends' dwelling; and laden
+with these the hero sprang up through the now clear and sparkling
+water.
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel]
+
+Meanwhile the Danes and Geats had waited long for his reappearance.
+When the afternoon was well advanced the Danes departed sadly,
+lamenting the hero's death, for they concluded no man could have
+survived so long beneath the waters; but his loyal Geats sat there
+still gazing sadly at the waves, and hoping against all hope that
+Beowulf would reappear. At length they saw changes in the mere--the
+blood boiling upwards in the lake, the quenching of the unholy light,
+then the flight of the sea-monsters and a gradual clearing of the
+waters, through which at last they could see their lord uprising. How
+gladly they greeted him! What awe and wonder seized them as they
+surveyed his dreadful booty, the ghastly head of Grendel and the
+massive hilt of the gigantic sword! How eagerly they listened to his
+story, and how they vied with one another for the glory of bearing his
+armour, his spoils, and his weapons back over the moorlands and the
+fens to Heorot. It was a proud and glad troop that followed Beowulf
+into the hall, and up through the startled throng until they laid down
+before the feet of King Hrothgar the hideous head of his dead foe, and
+Beowulf, raising his voice that all might hear above the buzz and hum
+of the great banquet-hall, thus addressed the king:
+
+    "Lo! we this sea-booty,    O wise son of Healfdene,
+    Lord of the Scyldings, have    brought for thy pleasure,
+    In token of triumph,    as thou here seest.
+    From harm have I hardly    escaped with my life,
+    The war under water    sustained I with trouble,
+    The conflict was almost    decided against me,
+    If God had not guarded me!    Nought could I conquer
+    With Hrunting in battle,    though 'tis a doughty blade.
+    But the gods granted me    that I saw suddenly
+    Hanging high in the hall    a bright brand gigantic:
+    So seized I and swung it    that in the strife I slew
+    The lords of the dwelling.    The mighty blade melted fast
+    In the hot boiling blood,    the poisonous battle-gore;
+    But the hilt have I here    borne from the hostile hall.
+    I have avenged the crime,    the death of the Danish folk,
+    As it behovèd me.    Now can I promise thee
+    That thou in Heorot    care-free mayest slumber
+    With all thy warrior-troop    and all thy kindred thanes,
+    The young and the aged:    thou needst not fear for them
+    Death from these mortal foes,    as thou of yore hast done."
+
+King Hrothgar was now more delighted than ever at the return of his
+friend and the slaughter of his foes. He gazed in delight and wonder
+at the gory head of the monster, and the gigantic hilt of the weapon
+which struck it off. Then, taking the glorious hilt, and scanning
+eagerly the runes which showed its history, as the tumult stilled in
+the hall, and all men listened for his speech, he broke out: "Lo! this
+may any man say, who maintains truth and right among his people, that
+good though he may be this hero is even better! Thy glory is
+widespread, Beowulf my friend, among thine own and many other nations,
+for thou hast fulfilled all things by patience and prudence. I will
+surely perform what I promised thee, as we agreed before; and I
+foretell of thee that thou wilt be long a help and protection to thy
+people."
+
+King Hrothgar spoke long and eloquently while all men listened, for he
+reminded them of mighty warriors of old who had not won such glorious
+fame, and warned them against pride and lack of generosity and
+self-seeking; and then, ending with thanks and fresh gifts to Beowulf,
+he bade the feast continue with increased jubilation. The tumultuous
+rejoicing lasted till darkness settled on the land, and when it ended
+all retired to rest free from fear, since no more fiendish monsters
+would break in upon their slumbers; gladly and peacefully the night
+passed, and with the morn came Beowulf's resolve to return to his king
+and his native land.
+
+When Beowulf had come to this decision he went to Hrothgar and said:
+
+    "Now we sea-voyagers    come hither from afar
+    Must utter our intent    to seek King Hygelac.
+    Here were we well received,    well hast thou treated us.
+    If on this earth I can    do more to win thy love,
+    O prince of warriors,    than I have wrought as yet,
+    Here stand I ready now    weapons to wield for thee.
+    If I shall ever hear    o'er the encircling flood
+    That any neighbouring foes    threaten thy nation's fall,
+    As Grendel grim before,    swift will I bring to thee
+    Thousands of noble thanes,    heroes to help thee.
+    I know of Hygelac,    King of the Geat folk,
+    That he will strengthen me    (though he is young in years)
+    In words and warlike deeds    to bear my warrior-spear
+    Over the ocean surge,    when arms would serve thy need,
+    Swift to thine aid.    If thy son Hrethric young
+    Comes to the Geat court,    there to gain skill in arms,
+    Then will he surely find    many friends waiting him:
+    Better in distant lands    learneth by journeying
+    He who is valiant."
+
+Hrothgar was greatly moved by the words of the Geat hero and his
+promise of future help. He wondered to find such wisdom in so young a
+warrior, and felt that the Geats could never choose a better king if
+battle should cut off the son of Hygelac, and he renewed his assurance
+of continual friendship between the two countries and of enduring
+personal affection. Finally, with fresh gifts of treasure and with
+tears of regret Hrothgar embraced Beowulf and bade him go speedily to
+his ship, since a friend's yearning could not retain him longer from
+his native land. So the little troop of Geats with their gifts and
+treasures marched proudly to their vessel and sailed away to Geatland,
+their dragon-prowed ship laden with armour and jewels and steeds,
+tokens of remembrance and thanks from the grateful Danes.
+
+
+Beowulf's Return
+
+Blithe-hearted were the voyagers, and gaily the ship danced over the
+waves, as the Geats strained their eyes towards the cliffs of their
+home and the well-known shores of their country. When their vessel
+approached the land the coast-warden came hurrying to greet them, for
+he had watched the ocean day and night for the return of the valiant
+wanderers. Gladly he welcomed them, and bade his underlings help to
+bear their spoils up to the royal palace, where King Hygelac, himself
+young and valiant, awaited his victorious kinsman, with his beauteous
+queen, Hygd, beside him. Then came Beowulf, treading proudly the rocky
+paths to the royal abode, for messengers had gone in advance to
+announce to the king his nephew's success, and a banquet was being
+prepared, where Beowulf would sit beside his royal kinsman.
+
+Once more there was a splendid feast, with tumultuous rejoicing. Again
+a queenly hand--that of the beauteous Hygd--poured out the first bowl
+in which to celebrate the safe return of the victorious hero. And now
+the wonderful story of the slaying of the fen-fiends must be told.
+
+Beowulf was called upon to describe again his perils and his
+victories, and told in glowing language of the grisly monsters and the
+desperate combats, and of the boundless gratitude and splendid
+generosity of the Danish king, and of his prophecy of lasting
+friendship between the Danes and the Geats. Then he concluded:
+
+    "Thus that great nation's king    lived in all noble deeds.
+    Of guerdon I failed not,    of meed for my valour,
+    But the wise son of Healfdene    gave to me treasures great,
+    Gifts to my heart's desire.    These now I bring to thee,
+    Offer them lovingly:    now are my loyalty
+    And service due to thee,    O hero-king, alone!
+    Near kinsmen have I few    but thee, O Hygelac!"
+
+As the hero showed the treasures with which Hrothgar had rewarded his
+courage, he distributed them generously among his kinsmen and friends,
+giving his priceless jewelled collar to Queen Hygd, and his best steed
+to King Hygelac, as a true vassal and kinsman should. So Beowulf
+resumed his place as Hygelac's chief warrior and champion, and settled
+down among his own people.
+
+
+Fifty Years After
+
+When half a century had passed away, great and sorrowful changes had
+taken place in the two kingdoms of Denmark and Geatland. Hrothgar was
+dead, and had been succeeded by his son Hrethric, and Hygelac had been
+slain in a warlike expedition against the Hetware. In this expedition
+Beowulf had accompanied Hygelac, and had done all a warrior could do
+to save his kinsman and his king. When he saw his master slain he had
+fought his way through the encircling foes to the sea-shore, where,
+though sorely wounded, he flung himself into the sea and swam back to
+Geatland. There he had told Queen Hygd of the untimely death of her
+husband, and had called on her to assume the regency of the kingdom
+for her young son Heardred. Queen Hygd called an assembly of the
+Geats, and there, with the full consent of the nation, offered the
+crown to Beowulf, the wisest counsellor and bravest hero among them;
+but he refused to accept it, and so swayed the Geats by his eloquence
+and his loyalty that they unanimously raised Heardred to the throne,
+with Beowulf as his guardian and protector. When in later years
+Heardred also fell before an enemy, Beowulf was again chosen king, and
+as he was now the next of kin he accepted the throne, and ruled long
+and gloriously over Geatland. His fame as a warrior kept his country
+free from invasion, and his wisdom as a statesman increased its
+prosperity and happiness; whilst the vengeance he took for his
+kinsman's death fulfilled all ideals of family and feudal duty held by
+the men of his time. Beowulf, in fact, became an ideal king, as he was
+an ideal warrior and hero, and he closed his life by an ideal act of
+self-sacrifice for the good of his people.
+
+
+Beowulf and the Fire-Dragon
+
+In the fiftieth year of Beowulf's reign a great terror fell upon the
+land: terror of a monstrous fire-dragon, who flew forth by night from
+his den in the rocks, lighting up the blackness with his blazing
+breath, and burning houses and homesteads, men and cattle, with the
+flames from his mouth. The glare from his fiery scales was like the
+dawn-glow in the sky, but his passage left behind it every night a
+trail of black, charred desolation to confront the rising sun. Yet the
+dragon's wrath was in some way justified, since he had been robbed,
+and could not trace the thief. Centuries before Beowulf's lifetime a
+mighty family of heroes had gathered together, by feats of arms, and
+by long inheritance, an immense treasure of cups and goblets, of
+necklaces and rings, of swords and helmets and armour, cunningly
+wrought by magic spells; they had joyed in their cherished hoard for
+long years, until all had died but one, and he survived solitary,
+miserable, brooding over the fate of the dearly loved treasure. At
+last he caused his servants to make a strong fastness in the rocks,
+with cunningly devised entrances, known only to himself, and thither,
+with great toil and labour of aged limbs, he carried and hid the
+precious treasure. As he sadly regarded it, and thought of its future
+fate, he cried aloud:
+
+    "Hold thou now fast, O earth,    now men no longer can,
+    The treasure of mighty earls.    From thee brave men won it
+    In days that are long gone by,    but slaughter seized on them,
+    Death fiercely vanquished them,    each of my warriors,
+    Each one of my people,    who closed their life-days here
+    After the joy of earth.    None have I sword to wield
+    Or bring me the goblet,    the richly wrought vessel.
+    All the true heroes have    elsewhere departed!
+    Now must the gilded helm    lose its adornments,
+    For those who polished it    sleep in the gloomy grave,
+    Those who made ready erst    war-gear of warriors.
+    Likewise the battle-sark    which in the fight endured
+    Bites of the keen-edged blades    midst the loud crash of shields
+    Rusts, with its wearer dead.    Nor may the woven mail
+    After the chieftain's death    wide with a champion rove.
+    Gone is the joy of harp,    gone is the music's mirth.
+    Now the hawk goodly-winged    hovers not through the hall,
+    Nor the swift-footed mare    tramples the castle court:
+    Baleful death far has sent    all living tribes of men."
+
+When this solitary survivor of the ancient race died his hoard
+remained alone, unknown, untouched, until at length the fiery dragon,
+seeking a shelter among the rocks, found the hidden way to the cave,
+and, creeping within, discovered the lofty inner chamber and the
+wondrous hoard. For three hundred winters he brooded over it
+unchallenged, and then one day a hunted fugitive, fleeing from the
+fury of an avenging chieftain, in like manner found the cave, and the
+dragon sleeping on his gold. Terrified almost to death, the fugitive
+eagerly seized a marvellously wrought chalice and bore it stealthily
+away, feeling sure that such an offering would appease his lord's
+wrath and atone for his offence. But when the dragon awoke he
+discovered that he had been robbed, and his keen scent assured him
+that some one of mankind was the thief. As he could not at once see
+the robber, he crept around the outside of the barrow snuffing eagerly
+to find traces of the spoiler, but it was in vain; then, growing more
+wrathful, he flew over the inhabited country, shedding fiery death
+from his glowing scales and flaming breath, while no man dared to face
+this flying horror of the night.
+
+The news came to Beowulf that his folk were suffering and dying, and
+that no warrior dared to risk his life in an effort to deliver the
+land from this deadly devastation; and although he was now an aged man
+he decided to attack the fire-drake. Beowulf knew that he would not be
+able to come to hand-grips with this foe as he had done with Grendel
+and his mother: the fiery breath of this dragon was far too deadly,
+and he must trust to armour for protection. He commanded men to make
+a shield entirely of iron, for he knew that the usual shield of
+linden-wood would be instantly burnt up in the dragon's flaming
+breath. He then chose with care eleven warriors, picked men of his own
+bodyguard, to accompany him in this dangerous quest. They compelled
+the unhappy fugitive whose theft had begun the trouble to act as their
+guide, and thus they marched to the lonely spot where the dragon's
+barrow stood close to the sea-shore. The guide went unwillingly, but
+was forced thereto by his lord, because he alone knew the way.
+
+
+Beowulf Faces Death
+
+When the little party reached the place they halted for a time, and
+Beowulf sat down meditating sadly on his past life, and on the chances
+of this great conflict which he was about to begin. When he had
+striven with Grendel, when he had fought against the Hetware, he had
+been confident of victory and full of joyous self-reliance, but now
+things were changed. Beowulf was an old man, and there hung over him a
+sad foreboding that this would be his last fight, and that he would
+rid the land of no more monsters. Wyrd seemed to threaten him, and a
+sense of coming woe lay heavy on his heart as he spoke to his little
+troop: "Many great fights I had in my youth. How well I remember them
+all! I was only seven years old when King Hrethel took me to bring up,
+and loved me as dearly as his own sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, or my own
+dear lord Hygelac. Great was our grief when Hathcyn, hunting in the
+forest, slew all unwittingly his elder brother: greater than ordinary
+sorrow, because we could not avenge him on the murderer! It would have
+given no joy to Hrethel to see his second son killed disgracefully as
+a murderer! So we endured the pain till King Hrethel died, borne down
+by his bitter loss, and I wept for my protector, my kinsman. Then
+Hathcyn died also, slain by the Swedes, and my dear lord Hygelac came
+to the throne: he was gracious to me, a giver of weapons, a generous
+distributor of treasure, and I repaid him as much as I could in battle
+against his foes. Daghrefn, the Frankish warrior who slew my king, I
+sent to his doom with my deadly hand-grip: he, at least, should not
+show my lord's armour as trophy of his prowess. But this fight is
+different: here I must use both point and edge, as I was not wont in
+my youth: but here too will I, old though I be, work deeds of valour.
+I will not give way the space of one foot, but will meet him here in
+his own abode and make all my boasting good. Abide ye here, ye
+warriors, for this is not your expedition, nor the work of any man but
+me alone; wait till ye know which is triumphant, for I will win the
+gold and save my people, or death shall take me." So saying he raised
+his great shield, and, unaccompanied, set his face to the dark
+entrance, where a stream, boiling with strange heat, flowed forth from
+the cave; so hot was the air that he stood, unable to advance far for
+the suffocating steam and smoke. Angered by his impotence, Beowulf
+raised his voice and shouted a furious defiance to the awesome
+guardian of the barrow. Thus aroused, the dragon sprang up, roaring
+hideously and flapping his glowing wings together; out from the
+recesses of the barrow came his fiery breath, and then followed the
+terrible beast himself. Coiling and writhing he came, with head
+raised, and scales of burnished blue and green, glowing with inner
+heat; from his nostrils rushed two streams of fiery breath, and his
+flaming eyes shot flashes of consuming fire. He half flew, half sprang
+at Beowulf. But the hero did not retreat one step. His bright sword
+flashed in the air as he wounded the beast, but not mortally, striking
+a mighty blow on his scaly head. The guardian of the hoard writhed and
+was stunned for a moment, and then sprang at Beowulf, sending forth so
+dense a cloud of flaming breath that the hero stood in a mist of fire.
+So terrible was the heat that the iron shield glowed red-hot and the
+ring-mail on the hero's limbs seared him as a furnace, and his breast
+swelled with the keen pain: so terrible was the fiery cloud that the
+Geats, seated some distance away, turned and fled, seeking the cool
+shelter of the neighbouring woods, and left their heroic lord to
+suffer and die alone.
+
+
+Beowulf's Death
+
+Among the cowardly Geats, however, there was one who thought it
+shameful to flee--Wiglaf, the son of Weohstan. He was young, but a
+brave warrior, to whom Beowulf had shown honour, and on whom he had
+showered gifts, for he was a kinsman, and had proved himself worthy.
+Now he showed that Beowulf's favour had been justified, for he seized
+his shield, of yellow linden-wood, took his ancient sword in hand, and
+prepared to rush to Beowulf's aid. With bitter words he reproached his
+cowardly comrades, saying: "I remember how we boasted, as we sat in
+the mead hall and drank the foaming ale, as we took gladly the gold
+and jewels which our king lavished upon us, that we would repay him
+for all his gifts, if ever such need there were! Now is the need come
+upon him, and we are here! Beowulf chose us from all his bodyguard to
+help him in this mighty struggle, and we have betrayed and deserted
+him, and left him alone against a terrible foe. Now the day has come
+when our lord should see our valour, and we flee from his side! Up,
+let us go and aid him, even while the grim battle-flame flares around
+him. God knows that I would rather risk my body in the fiery cloud
+than stay here while my king fights and dies! Not such disloyalty has
+Beowulf deserved through his long reign that he should stand alone in
+the death-struggle. He and I will die together, or side by side will
+we conquer." The youthful warrior tried in vain to rouse the courage
+of his companions: they trembled, and would not move. So Wiglaf,
+holding on high his shield, plunged into the fiery cloud and moved
+towards his king, crying aloud: "Beowulf, my dear lord, let not thy
+glory be dimmed. Achieve this last deed of valour, as thou didst
+promise in days of yore, that thy fame should not fall, and I will aid
+thee."
+
+The sound of another voice roused the dragon to greater fury, and
+again came the fiery cloud, burning up like straw Wiglaf's linden
+shield, and torturing both warriors as they stood behind the iron
+shield with their heated armour. But they fought on manfully, and
+Beowulf, gathering up his strength, struck the dragon such a blow on
+the head that his ancient sword was shivered to fragments. The dragon,
+enraged, now flew at Beowulf and seized him by the neck with his
+poisonous fangs, so that the blood gushed out in streams, and ran down
+his corslet. Wiglaf was filled with grief and horror at this dreadful
+sight, and, leaving the protection of Beowulf's iron shield, dashed
+forth at the dragon, piercing the scaly body in a vital part. At once
+the fire began to fade away, and Beowulf, mastering his anguish, drew
+his broad knife, and with a last effort cut the hideous reptile
+asunder. Then the agony of the envenomed wound came upon him, and his
+limbs burnt and ached with intolerable pain. In growing distress he
+staggered to a rough ancient seat, carved out of the rock, hard by
+the door of the barrow. There he sank down, and Wiglaf laved his brow
+with water from the little stream, which boiled and steamed no longer.
+Then Beowulf partially recovered himself, and said: "Now I bequeath to
+thee, my son, the armour which I also inherited. Fifty years have I
+ruled this people in peace, so that none of my neighbours durst attack
+us. I have endured and toiled much on this earth, have held my own
+justly, have pursued none with crafty hatred, nor sworn unjust oaths.
+At all this may I rejoice now that I lie mortally wounded. Do thou, O
+dear Wiglaf, bring forth quickly from the cave the treasures for which
+I lose my life, that I may see them and be glad in my nation's wealth
+ere I die."
+
+Thereupon Wiglaf entered the barrow, and was dazed by the bewildering
+hoard of costly treasures. Filling his arms with such a load as he
+could carry, he hastened out of the barrow, fearing even then to find
+his lord dead. Then he flung down the treasures--magic armour,
+dwarf-wrought swords, carved goblets, flashing gems, and a golden
+standard--at Beowulf's feet, so that the ancient hero's dying gaze
+could fall on the hoard he had won for his people. But Beowulf was now
+so near death that he swooned away, till Wiglaf again flung water over
+him, and the dying champion roused himself to say, as he grasped his
+kinsman's hand and looked at the glittering heap before him:
+
+    "I thank God eternal,    the great King of Glory,
+    For the vast treasures    which I here gaze upon,
+    That I ere my death-day    might for my people
+    Win so great wealth.    Since I have given my life,
+    Thou must now look to    the needs of the nation;
+    Here dwell I no longer,    for Destiny calleth me!
+    Bid thou my warriors    after my funeral pyre
+    Build me a burial-cairn    high on the sea-cliff's head;
+    It shall for memory    tower up on Hronesness,
+    So that the seafarers    Beowulf's Barrow
+    Henceforth shall name it,    they who drive far and wide
+    Over the mighty flood    their foamy keels.
+    Thou art the last of all    the kindred of Wagmund!
+    Wyrd has swept all my kin,    all the brave chiefs away!
+    Now must I follow them!"
+
+These last words spoken, Beowulf fell back, and his soul passed away,
+to meet the joy reserved for all true and steadfast spirits. The hero
+was dead, but amid his grief Wiglaf yet remembered that the dire
+monster too lay dead, and the folk were delivered from the horrible
+plague, though at terrible cost! Wiglaf, as he mourned over his dead
+lord, resolved that no man should joy in the treasures for which so
+grievous a price had been paid--the cowards who deserted their king
+should help to lay the treasures in his grave and bury them far from
+human use and profit. Accordingly, when the ten faithless dastards
+ventured out from the shelter of the wood, and came shamefacedly to
+the place where Wiglaf sat, sorrowing, at the head of dead Beowulf, he
+stilled their cries of grief with one wave of the hand, which had
+still been vainly striving to arouse his king by gentle touch, and,
+gazing scornfully at them, he cried: "Lo! well may a truthful man say,
+seeing you here, safely in the war-gear and ornaments which our dead
+hero gave you, that Beowulf did but throw away his generous gifts,
+since all he bought with them was treachery and cowardice in the day
+of battle! No need had Beowulf to boast of his warriors in time of
+danger! Yet he alone avenged his people and conquered the fiend--I
+could help him but little in the fray, though I did what I could: all
+too few champions thronged round our hero when his need was sorest.
+Now are all the joys of love and loyalty ended; now is all prosperity
+gone from our nation, when foreign princes hear of your flight and
+the shameless deed of this day. Better is death to every man than a
+life of shame!"
+
+[Illustration: The death of Beowulf]
+
+The Geats stood silent, abashed before the keen and deserved
+reproaches of the young hero, and they lamented the livelong day. None
+left the shore and their lord's dead corpse; but one man who rode over
+the cliff near by saw the mournful little band, with Beowulf dead in
+the midst. This warrior galloped away to tell the people, saying: "Now
+is our ruler, the lord of the Geats, stretched dead on the plain,
+stricken by the dragon which lies dead beside him; and at his head
+sits Wiglaf, son of Weohstan, lamenting his royal kinsman. Now is the
+joy and prosperity of our folk vanished! Now shall our enemies make
+raids upon us, for we have none to withstand them! But let us hasten
+to bury our king, to bear him royally to his grave, with mourning and
+tears of woe." These unhappy tidings roused the Geats, and they
+hastened to see if it were really true, and found all as the messenger
+had said, and wondered at the mighty dragon and the glorious hoard of
+gold. They feared the monster and coveted the treasure, but all felt
+that the command now lay with Wiglaf. At last Wiglaf roused himself
+from his silent grief and said: "O men of the Geats, I am not to blame
+that our king lies here lifeless. He would fight the dragon and win
+the treasure; and these he has done, though he lost his life therein;
+yea, and I aided him all that I might, though it was but little I
+could do. Now our dear lord Beowulf bade me greet you from him, and
+bid you to make for him, after his funeral pyre, a great and mighty
+cairn, even as he was the most glorious of men in his lifetime. Bring
+ye all the treasures, bring quickly a bier, and place thereon our
+king's corpse, and let us bear our dear lord to Hronesness, where
+his funeral fire shall be kindled, and his burial cairn built."
+
+The Geats, bitterly grieving, fulfilled Wiglaf's commands. They
+gathered wood for the fire, and piled it on the cliff-head; then eight
+chosen ones brought thither the treasures, and threw the dragon's body
+over the cliff into the sea; then a wain, hung with shields, was
+brought to bear the corpse of Beowulf to Hronesness, where it was
+solemnly laid on the funeral pile and consumed to ashes.
+
+    "There then the Weder Geats    wrought for their ruler dead
+    A cairn on the ocean cliff    widespread and lofty,
+    Visible far and near    by vessels' wandering crews.
+    They built in ten days' space    the hero's monument,
+    And wrought with shining swords    the earthen rampart wall,
+    So that the wisest men    worthy might deem it.
+    Then in that cairn they placed    necklets and rings and gems
+    Which from the dragon's hoard    brave men had taken.
+    Back to the earth they gave    treasures of ancient folk,
+    Gold to the gloomy mould,    where it now lieth
+    Useless to sons of men    as it e'er was of yore.
+    Then round the mound there rode    twelve manly warriors,
+    Chanting their bitter grief,    singing the hero dead,
+    Mourning their noble king    in fitting words of woe!
+    They praised his courage high    and his proud, valiant deeds,
+    Honoured him worthily,    as it is meet for men
+    Duly to praise in words    their friendly lord and king
+    When his soul wanders forth    far from its fleshly home.
+    So all the Geat chiefs,    Beowulf's bodyguard,
+    Wept for their leader's fall:    sang in their loud laments
+    That he of earthly kings    mildest to all men was,
+    Gentlest, most gracious,    most keen to win glory."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II: THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG
+
+
+The Position of Constantine
+
+It would seem that the Emperor Constantine the Great loomed very large
+in the eyes of mediæval England. Even in Anglo-Saxon times many
+legends clustered round his name, so that Cynewulf, the religious poet
+of early England, wrote the poem of "Elene" mainly on the subject of
+his conversion. The story of the Vision of the Holy Cross with the
+inscription _In hoc signo vinces_ was inspiring to a poet to whom the
+heathen were a living reality, not a distant abstraction; and
+Constantine's generosity to the Church of Rome and its bishop
+Sylvester added another element of attraction to his character in the
+mediæval mind. It is hardly surprising that other legends of his
+conversion and generosity should have sprung up, which differ entirely
+from the earlier and more authentic record. Thus "the moral Gower" has
+preserved for us an alternative legend of the cause of Constantine's
+conversion, which forms a good illustration of the virtue of pity in
+the "Confessio Amantis." Whence this later legend sprang we have no
+knowledge, for nothing in the known history of Constantine warrants
+our regarding him as a disciple of mercy, but its existence shows that
+the mediæval mind was busied with his personality. Another most
+interesting proof of his importance to Britain is given in the
+following legend of "The Dream of Maxen Wledig," preserved in the
+"Mabinogion." This belongs to the Welsh patriotic legends, and tends
+to glorify the marriage of the British Princess Helena with the Roman
+emperor, by representing it as preordained by Fate. The fact that the
+hero of the Welsh saga is the Emperor Maxentius instead of
+Constantius detracts little from the interest of the legend, which is
+only one instance of the well-known theme of the lover led by dream,
+or vision, or magic glass to the home and heart of the beloved.
+
+
+The Emperor Maxen Wledig
+
+The Emperor Maxen Wledig was the most powerful occupant of the throne
+of the Cæsars who had ever ruled Europe from the City of the Seven
+Hills. He was the most handsome man in his dominions, tall and strong
+and skilled in all manly exercises; withal he was gracious and
+friendly to all his vassals and tributary kings, so that he was
+universally beloved. One day he announced his wish to go hunting, and
+was accompanied on his expedition down the Tiber valley by thirty-two
+vassal kings, with whom he enjoyed the sport heartily. At noon the
+heat was intense, they were far from Rome, and all were weary. The
+emperor proposed a halt, and they dismounted to take rest. Maxen lay
+down to sleep with his head on a shield, and soldiers and attendants
+stood around making a shelter for him from the sun's rays by a roof of
+shields hung on their spears. Thus he fell into a sleep so deep that
+none dared to awake him. Hours passed by, and still he slumbered, and
+still his whole retinue waited impatiently for his awakening. At
+length, when the evening shadows began to lie long and black on the
+ground, their impatience found vent in little restless movements of
+hounds chafing in their leashes, of spears clashing, of shields
+dropping from the weariness of their holders, and horses neighing and
+prancing; and then Maxen Wledig awoke suddenly with a start. "Ah, why
+did you arouse me?" he asked sadly. "Lord, your dinner hour is long
+past--did you not know?" they said. He shook his head mournfully, but
+said no word, and, mounting his horse, turned it and rode in unbroken
+silence back to Rome, with his head sunk on his breast. Behind him
+rode in dismay his retinue of kings and tributaries, who knew nothing
+of the cause of his sorrowful mood.
+
+
+The Emperor's Malady
+
+From that day the emperor was changed, changed utterly. He rode no
+more, he hunted no more, he paid no heed to the business of the
+empire, but remained in seclusion in his own apartments and slept. The
+court banquets continued without him, music and song he refused to
+hear, and though in his sleep he smiled and was happy, when he awoke
+his melancholy could not be cheered or his gloom lightened. When this
+condition of things had continued for more than a week it was
+determined that the emperor must be aroused from this dreadful state
+of apathy, and his groom of the chamber, a noble Roman of very high
+rank--indeed, a king, under the emperor--resolved to make the
+endeavour.
+
+"My lord," said he, "I have evil tidings for you. The people of Rome
+are beginning to murmur against you, because of the change that has
+come over you. They say that you are bewitched, that they can get no
+answers or decisions from you, and all the affairs of the empire go to
+wrack and ruin while you sleep and take no heed. You have ceased to be
+their emperor, they say, and they will cease to be loyal to you."
+
+
+The Dream of the Emperor
+
+Then Maxen Wledig roused himself and said to the noble: "Call hither
+my wisest senators and councillors, and I will explain the cause of my
+melancholy, and perhaps they will be able to give me relief."
+Accordingly the senators came together, and the emperor ascended his
+throne, looking so mournful that the whole Senate grieved for him, and
+feared lest death should speedily overtake him. He began to address
+them thus:
+
+"Senators and Sages of Rome, I have heard that my people murmur
+against me, and will rebel if I do not arouse myself. A terrible fate
+has fallen upon me, and I see no way of escape from my misery, unless
+ye can find one. It is now more than a week since I went hunting with
+my court, and when I was wearied I dismounted and slept. In my sleep I
+dreamt, and a vision cast its spell upon me, so that I feel no
+happiness unless I am sleeping, and seem to live only in my dreams. I
+thought I was hunting along the Tiber valley, lost my courtiers, and
+rode to the head of the valley alone. There the river flowed forth
+from a great mountain, which looked to me the highest in the world;
+but I ascended it, and found beyond fair and fertile plains, far
+vaster than any in our Italy, with mighty rivers flowing through the
+lovely country to the sea. I followed the course of the greatest
+river, and reached its mouth, where a noble port stood on the shores
+of a sea unknown to me. In the harbour lay a fleet of well-appointed
+ships, and one of these was most beautifully adorned, its planks
+covered with gold or silver, and its sails of silk. As a gangway of
+carved ivory led to the deck, I crossed it and entered the vessel,
+which immediately sailed out of the harbour into the ocean. The voyage
+was not of long duration, for we soon came to land in a wondrously
+beautiful island, with scenery of varied loveliness. This island I
+traversed, led by some secret guidance, till I reached its farthest
+shore, broken by cliffs and precipices and mountain ranges, while
+between the mountains and the sea I saw a fair and fruitful land
+traversed by a silvery, winding river, with a castle at its mouth. My
+longing drew me to the castle, and when I came to the gate I entered,
+for the dwelling stood open to every man, and such a hall as was
+therein I have never seen for splendour, even in Imperial Rome. The
+walls were covered with gold, set with precious gems, the seats were
+of gold and the tables of silver, and two fair youths, whom I saw
+playing chess, used pieces of gold on a board of silver. Their attire
+was of black satin embroidered with gold, and golden circlets were on
+their brows. I gazed at the youths for a moment, and next became aware
+of an aged man sitting near them. His carved ivory seat was adorned
+with golden eagles, the token of Imperial Rome; his ornaments on arms
+and hands and neck were of bright gold, and he was carving fresh
+chessmen from a rod of solid gold. Beside him sat, on a golden chair,
+a maiden (the loveliest in the whole world she seemed, and still
+seems, to me). White was her inner dress under a golden overdress, her
+crown of gold adorned with rubies and pearls, and a golden girdle
+encircled her slender waist. The beauty of her face won my love in
+that moment, and I knelt and said: 'Hail, Empress of Rome!' but as she
+bent forward from her seat to greet me I awoke. Now I have no peace
+and no joy except in sleep, for in dreams I always see my lady, and in
+dreams we love each other and are happy; therefore in dreams will I
+live, unless ye can find some way to satisfy my longing while I wake."
+
+[Illustration: The dream of the Emperor]
+
+
+The Quest for the Maiden
+
+The senators were at first greatly amazed, and then one of them said:
+"My lord, will you not send out messengers to seek throughout all your
+lands for the maiden in the castle? Let each group of messengers
+search for one year, and return at the end of the year with
+tidings. So shall you live in good hope of success from year to year."
+The messengers were sent out accordingly, with wands in their hands
+and a sleeve tied on each cap, in token of peace and of an embassy;
+but though they searched with all diligence, after three years three
+separate embassies had brought back no news of the mysterious land and
+the beauteous maiden.
+
+Then the groom of the chamber said to Maxen Wledig: "My lord, will you
+not go forth to hunt, as on the day when you dreamt this enthralling
+dream?" To this the emperor agreed, and rode to the place in the
+valley where he had slept. "Here," he said, "my dream began, and I
+seemed to follow the river to its source." Then the groom of the
+chamber said: "Will you not send messengers to the river's source, my
+lord, and bid them follow the track of your dream?" Accordingly
+thirteen messengers were sent, who followed the river up until it
+issued from the highest mountain they had ever seen. "Behold our
+emperor's dream!" they exclaimed, and they ascended the mountain, and
+descended the other side into a most beautiful and fertile plain, as
+Maxen Wledig had seen in his dream. Following the greatest river of
+all (probably the Rhine), the ambassadors reached the great seaport on
+the North Sea, and found the fleet waiting with one vessel larger than
+all the others; and they entered the ship and were carried to the fair
+island of Britain. Here they journeyed westward, and came to the
+mountainous land of Snowdon, whence they could see the sacred isle of
+Mona (Anglesey) and the fertile land of Arvon lying between the
+mountains and the sea. "This," said the messengers, "is the land of
+our master's dream, and in yon fair castle we shall find the maiden
+whom our emperor loves."
+
+
+The Finding of the Maiden
+
+So they went through the lovely land of Arvon to the castle of
+Caernarvon, and in that lordly fortress was the great hall, with the
+two youths playing chess, the venerable man carving chessmen, and the
+maiden in her chair of gold. When the ambassadors saw the fair
+Princess Helena they fell on their knees before her and said: "Empress
+of Rome, all hail!" But Helena half rose from her seat in anger as she
+said: "What does this mockery mean? You seem to be men of gentle
+breeding, and you wear the badge of messengers: whence comes it, then,
+that ye mock me thus?" But the ambassadors calmed her anger, saying:
+"Be not wroth, lady: this is no mockery, for the Emperor of Rome, the
+great lord Maxen Wledig, has seen you in a dream, and he has sworn to
+wed none but you. Which, therefore, will you choose, to accompany us
+to Rome, and there be made empress, or to wait here until the emperor
+can come to you?" The princess thought deeply for a time, and then
+replied: "I would not be too credulous, or too hard of belief. If the
+emperor loves me and would wed me, let him find me in my father's
+house, and make me his bride in my own home."
+
+
+The Dream Realized
+
+After this the thirteen envoys departed, and returned to the emperor
+in such haste that when their horses failed they gave no heed, but
+took others and pressed on. When they reached Rome and informed Maxen
+Wledig of the success of their mission he at once gathered his army
+and marched across Europe towards Britain. When the Roman emperor had
+crossed the sea he conquered Britain from Beli the son of Manogan,
+and made his way to Arvon. On entering the castle he saw first the two
+youths, Kynon and Adeon, playing chess, then their father, Eudav, the
+son of Caradoc, and then his beloved, the beauteous Helena, daughter
+of Eudav. "Empress of Rome, all hail!" Maxen Wledig said; and the
+princess bent forward in her chair and kissed him, for she knew he was
+her destined husband. The next day they were wedded, and the Emperor
+Maxen Wledig gave Helena as dowry all Britain for her father, the son
+of the gallant Caradoc, and for herself three castles, Caernarvon,
+Caerlleon, and Caermarthen, where she dwelt in turn; and in one of
+them was born her son Constantine, the only British-born Emperor of
+Rome. To this day in Wales the old Roman roads that connected Helena's
+three castles are known as "Sarn Helen."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III: THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE
+
+
+The Greatness of Constantine Provokes Attack
+
+In the year 312, the sixth year after Constantine had become emperor,
+the Roman Empire had increased on every hand, for Constantine was a
+mighty leader in war, a gracious and friendly lord in peace; he was a
+true king and ruler, a protector of all men. So mightily did he
+prosper that his enemies assembled great armies against him, and a
+confederation to overthrow him was made by the terrible Huns, the
+famous Goths, the brave Franks, and the warlike Hugas. This powerful
+confederation sent against Constantine an overwhelming army of Huns,
+whose numbers seemed to be countless, and yet the Hunnish leaders
+feared, when they knew that the emperor himself led the small Roman
+host.
+
+
+The Eve of the Battle
+
+The night before the battle Constantine lay sadly in the midst of his
+army, watching the stars, and dreading the result of the next day's
+conflict; for his warriors were few compared with the Hunnish
+multitude, and even Roman discipline and devotion might not win the
+day against the mad fury of the barbarous Huns. At last, wearied out,
+the emperor slept, and a vision came to him in his sleep. He seemed to
+see, standing by him, a beautiful shining form, a man more glorious
+than the sons of men, who, as Constantine sprang up ready helmed for
+war, addressed him by name. The darkness of night fled before the
+heavenly light that shone from the angel, and the messenger said:
+
+    "O Constantinus, the Ruler of Angels,
+    The Lord of all glory, the Master of heaven's hosts,
+    Claims from thee homage. Be not thou affrighted,
+    Though armies of aliens array them for battle,
+    Though terrible warriors threaten fierce conflict.
+    Look thou to the sky, to the throne of His glory;
+    There seest thou surely the symbol of conquest."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+Vision of the Cross
+
+Constantine looked up as the angel bade him, and saw, hovering in the
+air, a cross, splendid, glorious, adorned with gems and shining with
+heavenly light. On its wood letters were engraved, gleaming with
+unearthly radiance:
+
+    "With this shalt thou conquer the foe in the conflict,
+    And with it shalt hurl back the host of the heathen."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+Constantine is Cheered
+
+Constantine read these words with awe and gladness, for indeed he knew
+not what deity had thus favoured him, but he would not reject the help
+of the Unknown God; so he bowed his head in reverence, and when he
+looked again the cross and the angel had disappeared, and around him
+as he woke was the greyness of the rising dawn. The emperor summoned
+to his tent two soldiers from the troops, and bade them make a cross
+of wood to bear before the army. This they did, greatly marvelling,
+and Constantine called a standard-bearer, to whom he gave charge to
+bear forward the Standard of the Cross where the danger was greatest
+and the battle most fierce.
+
+
+The Morning of Battle
+
+When the day broke, and the two armies could see each other, both
+hosts arrayed themselves for battle, in serried ranks of armed
+warriors, shouting their war-cries.
+
+    "Loud sang the trumpets to stern-minded foemen
+    The dewy-winged eagle watched them march onward,
+    The horny-billed raven rejoiced in the battle-play,
+    The sly wolf, the forest-thief, soon saw his heart's desire
+    As the fierce warriors rushed at each other.
+    Great was the shield-breaking, loud was the clamour,
+    Hard were the hand-blows, and dire was the downfall,
+    When first the heroes felt the keen arrow-shower.
+    Soon did the Roman host fall on the death-doomed Huns,
+    Thrust forth their deadly spears over the yellow shields,
+    Broke with their battle-glaives breasts of the foemen."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+The Cross is Raised
+
+Then, when the battle was at its height, and the Romans knew not
+whether they would conquer or die fighting to the last, the
+standard-bearer raised the Cross, the token of promised victory,
+before all the host, and sang the chant of triumph. Onward he marched,
+and the Roman host followed him, pressing on resistless as the surging
+waves. The Huns, bewildered by the strange rally, and dreading the
+mysterious sign of some mighty god, rolled back, at first slowly, and
+then more and more quickly, till sullen retreat became panic rout, and
+they broke and fled. Multitudes were cut down as they fled, other
+multitudes were swept away by the devouring Danube as they tried to
+cross its current; some, half dead, reached the other side, and saved
+their lives in fortresses, guarding the steep cliffs beyond the
+Danube. Few, very few they were who ever saw their native land again.
+
+There was great rejoicing in the Roman army and in the Roman camp when
+Constantine returned in triumph with the wondrous Cross borne before
+him. He passed on to the city, and the people of Rome gazed with awe
+on the token of the Unknown God who had saved their city, but none
+would say who that God might be.
+
+
+A Council Summoned
+
+The emperor summoned a great council of all the wisest men in Rome,
+and when all were met he raised the Standard of the Cross in the midst
+and said:
+
+    "Can any man tell me, by spells or by ancient lore,
+    Who is the gracious God, giver of victory,
+    Who came in His glory, with the Cross for His token,
+    Who rescued my people and gave me the victory,
+    Scattered my foemen and put the fierce Huns to flight,
+    Showed me in heaven His sign of deliverance,
+    The loveliest Cross of light, gleaming in glory?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+At first no man could give him any answer--perhaps none dared--till
+after a long silence the wisest of all arose and said he had heard
+that the Cross was the sign of Christ the King of Heaven, and that the
+knowledge of His way was only revealed to men in baptism. When strict
+search was made some Christians were found, who preached the way of
+life to Constantine, and rejoiced that they might tell before men, of
+the life and death, the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ,
+who redeemed mankind from the bonds of evil; and then Constantine,
+being fully instructed and convinced, was baptized and became the
+first Christian emperor.
+
+
+Constantine Desires to Find our Saviour's Cross
+
+Constantine's heart, however, was too full of love for his new Lord to
+let him rest satisfied without some visible token of Christ's sojourn
+on earth. He longed to have, to keep for his own, one thing at least
+which Jesus had touched during His life, and his thoughts turned
+chiefly to that Cross which had been to himself both the sign of
+triumph and the guide to the way of life. Thus he again called
+together his Christian teachers, and inquired more closely where
+Christ had suffered.
+
+"In Judæa, outside the walls of Jerusalem, He died on the Cross," they
+told him.
+
+"Then there, near that city, so blest and so curst, we must seek His
+precious Cross," cried Constantine.
+
+
+Summons his Mother Elene
+
+Forthwith he summoned from Britain his mother the British Princess
+Elene, and when she had been taught the truth, had been converted and
+baptized, he told her of his heart's desire, and begged her to journey
+to Jerusalem and seek the sacred Cross.
+
+Elene herself, when she heard Constantine's words, was filled with
+wonder, and said: "Dear son, thy words have greatly rejoiced my heart,
+for know that I, too, have seen a vision, and would gladly seek the
+Holy Cross, where it lies hidden from the eyes of men."
+
+
+Elene's Vision
+
+    "Now will I tell thee the brightest of visions,
+    Dreamt at the midnight when men lay in slumber.
+    Hovering in heaven saw I a radiant Cross,
+    Gloriously gold-adorned, shining in splendour;
+    Starry gems shone on it at the four corners,
+    Flashed from the shoulder-span five gleaming jewels.
+    Angels surrounded it, guarding it gladly.
+    Yet in its loveliness sad was that Cross to see,
+    For 'neath the gold and gems fast blood flowed from it,
+    Till it was all defiled with the dark drops."
+
+    _Dream of the Rood._
+
+In this dream of Elene's the Cross spoke to her, and told her of the
+sad fate which had made of that hapless tree the Cross on which the
+Redeemer of mankind had released the souls of men from evil, on which
+He had spread out His arms to embrace mankind, had bowed His head,
+weary with the strife, and had given up His soul. All creation wept
+that hour, for Christ was on the Cross.
+
+    "Yet His friends came to him, left not His corpse alone,
+    Took down the Mighty King from His sharp sufferings--
+    Humbly I bowed myself down to the hands of men.
+    Sadly they laid Him down in His dark rock-hewn grave,
+    Sadly they sang for Him dirges for death-doomed ones,
+    Sadly they left Him there as His fair corpse grew cold.
+    We, the three Crosses, stood mournful in loneliness,
+    Till evil-thinking men felled us all three to ground,
+    Sank us deep into earth, sealed us from sight of man."
+
+    _Dream of the Rood._
+
+
+She Undertakes the Quest
+
+As Constantine had been guided by the heavenly vision of the True
+Cross, so now Elene would journey to the land of the Jews and find the
+reality of that Holy Cross. Her will and that of her son were one in
+this matter, so that before long the whole city resounded with the
+bustle and clamour of preparation, for Elene was to travel with the
+pomp and retinue befitting the mother of the Emperor of Rome.
+
+    "There by the Wendel Sea stood the wave-horses.
+    Proudly the plunging ships sought out the ocean path.
+    Line followed after line of the tall brine-ploughs.
+    Forth went the water-steeds o'er the sea-serpent's road
+    Bright shields on the bulwarks oft broke the foaming surge.
+    Ne'er saw I lady lead such a fair following!"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+She Comes to Judæa
+
+Queen Elene had a prosperous voyage, and, after touching at the land
+of the Greeks, reached in due time the country of Judæa, and so, with
+good hope came to Jerusalem. There, in the emperor's name, she
+summoned to an assembly all the oldest and wisest Jews, a congregation
+of a thousand venerable rabbis, learned in all the books of the Law
+and the Prophets and proud that they were the Chosen People in a world
+of heathens, aliens from the True God. These she addressed at first
+with a blending of flattery and reproach--flattery for the Chosen
+People, reproach for their perversity of wickedness--and, finally,
+peremptorily demanded an answer to any question she might ask of them.
+The Jews withdrew and deliberated sadly whether they durst refuse the
+request of so mighty a person as the emperor's mother, and, deciding
+that they durst not, returned to the hall where Elene sat in splendour
+on her throne and announced their readiness to reply to all her
+questions. Elene, however, bade them first lessen their numbers. They
+chose five hundred to reply for them, and on these she poured such
+bitter reproaches that they at last exclaimed:
+
+    "Lady, we learnt of yore laws of the Hebrew folk
+    Which all our fathers learnt from the true ark of God.
+    Lady, we know not now why thou thus blamest us;
+    How has the Jewish race done grievous wrong to thee?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+She Cross-questions the Rabbis
+
+Elene only replied: "Go ye away, and choose out from among these five
+hundred those whose wisdom is great enough to show them without delay
+the answer to all things I require"; and again they left her presence.
+When they were alone, one of them, named Judas, said "I know what
+this queen requires: she will demand to know from us where the Cross
+is concealed on which the Lord of the Christians was crucified; but if
+we tell this secret I know well that the Jews will cease to bear rule
+on the earth, and our holy scriptures will be forgotten. For my
+grandfather Zacchæus, as he lay dying, bade me confess the truth if
+ever man should inquire concerning the Holy Tree; and when I asked how
+our nation had failed to recognise the Holy and Just One, he told me
+that he had always withdrawn himself from the evil deeds of his
+generation, and their leaders had been blinded by their own
+unrighteousness, and had slain the Lord of Glory. And he ended:
+
+    "'Thus I and my father secretly held the Faith.
+    Now warn I thee, my son, speak not thou mockingly
+    Of the true Son of God reigning in glory:
+    For whom my Stephen died, and the Apostle Paul.'
+
+    _Elene._
+
+"Now," said Judas, "since things are so, decide ye what we shall
+reveal, or what conceal, if this queen asks us."
+
+
+One Appointed to Answer her
+
+The other elders replied: "Do what seems to thee best, since thou
+alone knowest this. Never have we heard of these strange secrets. Do
+thou according to thy great wisdom."
+
+While they still deliberated came the heralds with silver trumpets,
+which they blew, proclaiming aloud:
+
+    "The mighty Queen calls you, O men, to the Council,
+    That she may hear from you of your decision.
+    Great is the need ye have of all your wisdom."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Slowly and reluctantly the Jewish rabbis returned to the
+council-chamber, and listened to Elene as she plied them with
+questions about the ancient prophecies and the death of Christ; but to
+all her inquiries they professed entire ignorance, until, in her
+wrath, the queen threatened them with death by fire. Then they led
+forward Judas, saying: "He can reveal the mysteries of Fate, for he is
+of noble race, the son of a prophet. He will tell thee truth, O Queen,
+as thy soul loveth." Thus Elene let the other Jews go in peace, and
+took Judas for a hostage.
+
+
+She Threatens him
+
+Now Elene greeted Judas and said:
+
+    "Lo, thou perverse one, two things lie before thee,
+    Or death or life for thee: choose which thou wilt."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Judas replied to her, since he could not escape:
+
+    "If the starved wanderer lost on the barren moors
+    Sees both a stone and bread, easily in his reach,
+    Which, O Queen, thinkest thou he will reject?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Thereupon Elene said: "If thou wouldst dwell in heaven with the
+angels, reveal to me where the True Cross lies hidden." Now Judas was
+very sad, for his choice lay between death and the revealing of the
+fateful secret, but he still tried to evade giving an answer,
+protesting that too long a time had passed for the secret to be known.
+Elene retorted that the Trojan War was a still more ancient story, and
+yet was still well known; but Judas replied that men are bound to
+remember the valiant deeds of nations; he himself had never even heard
+the story of which she spoke. This obstinacy angered the queen
+greatly, and she demanded to be taken at once to the hill of Calvary,
+that she might purify it, for the sake of Him who died there; but
+Judas only repeated:
+
+    "I know not the place, nor aught of that field."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Queen Elene was yet more enraged by his stubborn denials, and
+determined to obtain by force an answer to her questions. Calling her
+servants, she bade them thrust Judas into a deep dry cistern, where he
+lay, starving, bound hand and foot, for seven nights and days. On the
+seventh day his stubborn spirit yielded, and Judas lifted up his voice
+and called aloud, saying:
+
+    "Now I beseech you all by the great God of heaven
+    That you will lift me up out of this misery.
+    I will tell all I know of that True Holy Cross,
+    Now I no longer can hide it for heavy pain.
+    Hunger has daunted me through all these dreary days.
+    Foolish was I of yore; late I confess it."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+He Guides her to Calvary
+
+The message was brought to Elene where she waited to hear tidings, and
+she bade her servants lift the weakened Judas from the dark pit; then
+they led him, half dead with hunger, out of the city to the hill of
+Calvary. There Judas prayed to the God whom he now feared and
+worshipped for a sign, some token to guide them in their search for
+the Holy Cross. As he prayed a sweet-smelling vapour, curling upwards
+like the incense-wreaths around the altar, rose to the skies from the
+summit of the hill. The sign was manifest to all, and Judas gave
+thanks to God for His great mercy; then, bidding the wondering
+soldiers help him, he began to dig. By this time all men knew what
+they sought, and each wished to uncover the holy relic, so that all
+dug with great zeal, until, under twenty feet of earth, they
+uncovered three crosses, so well preserved that they lay in the earth
+just as the Jews had hidden them.
+
+
+Three Crosses Found
+
+Judas and all rejoiced greatly at this marvel, and, reverently raising
+the three crosses, they bore them into the city, and laid them at the
+feet of Queen Elene, whose first rapture of joy was speedily turned to
+perplexity as she realised that she knew not which was that sacred
+Cross on which the King of Angels had suffered. "For," she said, "two
+thieves were crucified with him." But even Judas could not clear her
+doubts.
+
+    "Lo we have heard of this from all the holy books,
+    That there were with him two in His deep anguish.
+    They hung in death by Him; He was Himself the third.
+    Heaven was all darkened o'er at that dread moment.
+    Say, if thou rightly canst, which of these crosses
+    Is that blest Tree of Fate which bore the Heaven's King."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+[Illustration: The Queen's dilemma]
+
+
+A Miracle to Reveal our Saviour's Cross
+
+Judas, however, suggested that the crosses should be carried to the
+midst of the city, and that they should pray for another miracle to
+reveal the truth. This was done at dawn, and the triumphant band of
+Christians raised hymns of prayer and praise until the ninth hour;
+then came a mighty crowd bearing a young man lifeless on his bier. At
+Judas's command they laid down the bier, and he, praying to God,
+solemnly raised in turn each of the crosses and held it above the dead
+man's head. Lifeless still he lay as Judas raised the first two, but
+when he held above the corpse the third, the True Cross, the dead man
+arose instantly, body and soul reunited, one in praising God, and the
+whole multitude broke out into shouts of thanksgiving to the Lord
+of Hosts, and the sacred relic was restored to the loving care of the
+queen.
+
+
+The Nails Sought for
+
+Nevertheless Elene's longing was still unsatisfied. She called Judas
+(whose new name in baptism was Cyriacus) and begged him to fulfil her
+desires, and to pray to God that she might find the nails which had
+pierced the Lord of Life, where they lay hidden from men in the ground
+of Calvary. Leading her out of the town, Cyriacus again prayed on
+Mount Calvary that God would send forth a token and reveal the secret.
+As he prayed there came from heaven a leaping flame, brighter than the
+sun, which touched the surface of the ground here and there, and
+kindled in each place a tiny star. When they dug at the spots where
+the stars shone they found each nail shining visibly and casting a
+radiance of its own in the dark earth. So Elene had obtained her
+heart's desire, and had now the True Cross and the Holy Nails.
+
+
+Good News Brought to Constantine
+
+Word of his mother's success was sent to the Emperor Constantine, and
+he was asked what should be done with these glorious relics. He bade
+Elene build in Jerusalem a glorious church, and make therein a
+beautiful shrine of silver, where the Holy Cross should be guarded for
+all generations by priests who should watch it day and night. This was
+done, but the nails were still Elene's possession, and she was at a
+loss how to preserve these holy relics, when the devout Cyriacus, now
+ordained Bishop of Jerusalem, went to her and said: "O lady and queen,
+take these precious nails for thy son the emperor. Make with them
+rings for his horse's bridle. Victory shall ever go with them; they
+shall be called Holy to God, and he shall be called blessed whom that
+horse bears." The advice pleased the queen, and she had wrought a
+glorious bridle, adorned with the Holy Nails, and sent it to her son.
+Constantine received it with all reverence, and ordained that April
+24, the day of the miracle of revelation, should henceforth be kept in
+honour as "Holy Cross Day." Thus were the Emperor's zeal and the royal
+mother's devotion rewarded, and Christendom was enriched by some of
+its most precious treasures, the True Cross and the Holy Nails.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV: THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE
+
+
+Youth of Constantine
+
+Constantine the Great was the eldest son of the Roman Emperor
+Constantius and the British Princess Helena, or Elena, and was brought
+up as a devout worshipper of the many gods of Rome. The lad grew up
+strong and handsome, of a tall and majestic figure, skilled in all
+warlike exercises, and, as he fought in the civil wars between the
+various Roman emperors, he showed himself a bold and prudent general
+in battle, a friendly and popular leader in time of peace. The
+popularity of the youthful Constantine was dangerous to him, and he
+needed, and showed, great skill in evading the deadly jealousy of the
+old Emperor Diocletian, and the hatred of his father's rival,
+Galerius. At last, however, his position became so dangerous that
+Constantius felt his son's life was no longer safe, and earnestly
+begged him to visit his native land of Britain, where Constantius had
+just been proclaimed emperor and had defeated the wild Caledonians.
+The excuse given was that Constantius was in bad health and needed his
+son; but not until the young man was actually in Britain would his
+anxious father avow that he feared for his son's life.
+
+
+Acclaimed Emperor
+
+When the half-British Constantius died, Constantine, who was the
+favourite of the Roman soldiery of the west, was at once acclaimed as
+emperor by his devoted troops. He professed unwillingness to accept
+the honour, and it is said that he even tried in vain to escape on
+horseback from the affectionate solicitations of his soldiers. Seeing
+the uselessness of further protest, Constantine accepted the imperial
+title, and wrote to Galerius claiming the throne and justifying his
+acceptance of the unsought dignity thrust upon him. Galerius
+acquiesced in the inevitable, and granted Constantine the inferior
+title of "Cæsar," with rule over Western Europe, and the wise prince
+was content to wait until favouring circumstances should destroy his
+rivals and give him that sole sway over the Roman Empire for which he
+was so well fitted. He had now reached the age of thirty, had fought
+valiantly in the wars in Egypt and Persia, and had risen by merit to
+the rank of tribune. His marriage with Fausta, the daughter of the
+Emperor Maximian, and his elevation to the rank of Augustus brought
+him nearer to the attainment of his ambition; and at length the defeat
+and death of his rivals placed him at the head of the world-wide
+empire of Rome. It is to some period previous to Constantine's
+elevation to the supreme authority that we must refer the following
+story, told by Gower in his "Confessio Amantis" as an example of that
+true charity which is the mother of pity, and makes a man's heart so
+tender that,
+
+    "Though he might himself relieve,
+    Yet he would not another grieve,"
+
+but in order to give pleasure to others would bear his own trouble
+alone.
+
+
+Becomes a Leper
+
+The noble Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was in the full flower of his
+age, goodly to look upon, strong and happy, when a great and sudden
+affliction came upon him: leprosy attacked him. The horrible disease
+showed itself first in his face, so that no concealment was possible,
+and if he had not been the emperor he would have been driven out to
+live in the forests and wilds. The leprosy spread from his face till
+it entirely covered his body, and became so bad that he could no
+longer ride out or show himself to his people. When all cures had been
+tried and had failed, Constantine withdrew himself from his lords,
+gave up all use of arms, abandoned his imperial duties, and shut
+himself in his palace, where he lived such a secluded life in his own
+apartments that Rome had, as it were, no lord, and all men throughout
+the empire talked of his illness and prayed their gods to heal him.
+When everything seemed to be in vain, Constantine yielded to the
+prayer of his council, that he would summon all the doctors, learned
+men, and physicians from every realm to Rome, that they might consider
+his illness and try if any cure could be found for his malady.
+
+
+Rewards Offered for his Cure
+
+A proclamation went forth throughout the world and great rewards were
+offered to any man who should heal the emperor. Tempted by the rewards
+and the great fame to be won, there came leeches and physicians from
+Persia and Arabia, and from every land that owned the sway of Rome,
+philosophers from Greece and Egypt, and magicians and sorcerers from
+the unexplored desert of the east. But, though Constantine tried all
+the remedies suggested or recommended by the wise men, his leprosy
+grew no better, but rather worse, and even magic could give him no
+help.
+
+Again the learned men assembled and consulted what they should advise,
+for all were loath to abandon the emperor in his great distress, but
+they were all at a loss. They sat in silence, till at last one very
+old and very wise man, a great physician from Arabia, arose and said:
+
+
+A Desperate Remedy
+
+"Now that all else has failed, and naught is of any avail, I will tell
+of a remedy of which I have heard. It will, I believe, certainly cure
+our beloved emperor, but it is very terrible, and therefore I was
+loath to name it till every other means had been tried and failed, for
+it is a cruel thing for any man to do. Let the Emperor dip himself in
+a full bath of the blood of infants and children, seven years old or
+under, and he shall be healed, and his leprosy shall fall from him;
+for this malady is not natural to his body, and it demands an
+unnatural cure."
+
+
+Constantine Assents Regretfully
+
+The proposal was a terrible one to the assembly, and many would not
+agree to it at first, but when they considered that nothing else would
+heal the emperor they at length gave way, and sent two from among
+themselves to bring the news to Constantine, who was waiting for them
+in his darkened room. He was horrified when he heard the counsel they
+brought, and at first utterly refused to carry out so evil a plan; but
+because his life was very dear to his people, and because he felt that
+he had a great work to do in the world, he ultimately agreed, with
+many tears, to try the terrible remedy.
+
+
+A Cruel Proclamation
+
+Thereupon the council drew up letters, under the emperor's hand and
+seal, and sent them out to all the world, bidding all mothers with
+children of seven years of age or under to bring them with speed to
+Rome, that there the blood of the innocents might prove healing to the
+emperor's malady. Alas! what weeping and wailing there was among the
+mothers when they heard this cruel decree! How they cried, and clasped
+their babes to their breasts, and how they called Constantine more
+cruel than Herod, who killed the Holy Innocents! The eastern ruler,
+they said, slew only the infants of one poor village, but their
+emperor, more ruthless, claimed the lives of all the young children of
+his whole empire.
+
+
+Constantine is Conscience-stricken
+
+But though the mothers lamented bitterly, they must needs bow to the
+emperor's decree, whether they were lief or loath, and thus a great
+multitude gathered in the great courtyard of the imperial palace at
+Rome: women nursing sucking-babes at the breast, or holding toddling
+infants by the hand, or with little children running by their sides,
+and all so heart-broken and woebegone that many swooned for very
+grief. The mothers wailed aloud, the children cried, and the tumult
+grew until Constantine heard it, where he sat lonely and wretched in
+his darkened room. He looked out of his window on the mournful sight
+in the courtyard, and was roused as from a trance, saying to himself:
+"O Divine Providence, who hast formed all men alike, lo! the poor man
+is born, lives, suffers, and dies, just as does the rich; to wise man
+and fool alike come sickness and health; and no man may avoid that
+fortune which Nature's law hath ordained for him. Likewise to all men
+are Nature's gifts of strength and beauty, of soul and reason, freely
+and fully given, so that the poor child is born as capable of virtue
+as the king's son; and to each man is given free will to choose virtue
+or vice. Yet thou givest to men diversity of rank, wealth or poverty,
+lordship or servitude, not always according to their deserts; so much
+the more virtuous should that man be to whom thou hast put other men
+in subjection, men who are nevertheless his fellows and wear his
+likeness. Thou, O God, who hast put Nature and the whole universe
+under law, wouldst have all men rule themselves by law, and thou hast
+said that a man must do to others such things as he would have done to
+himself."
+
+
+His Noble Resolve
+
+Thus Constantine spoke within himself as he stood by the window and
+looked upon the weeping mothers and children, the very sentinels of
+his palace pitying them, and trying in vain to comfort them; and a
+strife grew strong within him between his natural longing for healing
+and deliverance from this loathsome disease which had darkened his
+life, and the pity he felt for these poor creatures, and his horror at
+the thought of so much human blood to be shed for himself alone. The
+great moaning of the woeful mothers came to him and the pitiful crying
+of the children, and he thought: "What am I that my health is to
+outweigh the lives and happiness of so many of my people? Is my life
+of more value to the world than those of all the children who must
+shed their blood for my healing? Surely each babe is as precious as
+Constantine the Emperor!" Thus his heart grew so tender and so full of
+compassion that he chose rather to die by this terrible sickness than
+to commit so great a slaughter of innocent children, and he renounced
+all other physicians, and trusted himself wholly to God's care.
+
+
+He Announces his Determination
+
+He at once summoned his council, and announced to them his resolution,
+giving as his reason, "He that will be truly master must be ever
+servant to pity!" and without delay the anxious mothers were told
+that their children were free and safe, for the emperor had renounced
+the cure, and needed their blood no longer. What raptures of rejoicing
+there were, what outpouring of blessing on the emperor, what songs of
+praise and thanks from the women wild with joy, cannot be fully told;
+and yet greater grew their joy and thankfulness when Constantine,
+calling his high officials, bade them take all his gathered treasures
+and distribute them among the poor women, that they might feed and
+clothe their children, and so return home untouched by any loss, and
+recompensed in some degree for their sufferings. Thus did Constantine
+obey the behests of pity, and try to atone for the wrong to which he
+had consented in his heart, and which he had so nearly done to his
+people.
+
+
+The Victims Sent Home Happy
+
+Home to all parts of the Roman Empire went the women, bearing with
+them their happy children, and the rich gifts they had received. Each
+one thanked and blessed the emperor, and sang his praises, where
+before she had passed with tears and bitter curses on his head; each
+woman shared her joy with her neighbours; and the very children learnt
+from their mothers and fathers to pray for the healing of their great
+lord, who had given up his own will and sacrificed his own cure for
+gentle pity's sake. Thus the whole world prayed for Constantine's
+healing.
+
+
+A Vision
+
+Lo! it never yet was known that charity went unrequited and this
+Constantine now learnt in his own glad experience; for that same
+night, as he lay asleep, God sent to him a vision of two strangers,
+men of noble face and form, whom he reverenced greatly, and who said
+to him: "O Constantine, because thou hast obeyed the voice of pity,
+thou hast deserved pity; therefore shalt thou find such mercy, that
+God, in His great pity, will save thee. Double healing shalt thou
+receive, first for thy body, and next for thy woeful soul; both alike
+shall be made whole. And that thou mayst not despair, God will grant
+thee a sign--thy leprosy shall not increase till thou hast sent to
+Mount Celion, to Sylvester and all his clergy. There they dwell in
+secret for dread of thee, who hast been a foe to the law of Christ,
+and hast destroyed those who preach in His Holy Name. Now thou hast
+appeased God somewhat by thy good deed, since thou hast had pity on
+the innocent blood, and hast spared it; for this thou shalt find
+teaching, from Sylvester, to the salvation of both body and soul. Thou
+wilt need no other leech." The emperor, who had listened with
+eagerness and awe, now spoke: "Great thanks I owe to you, my lords,
+and I will indeed do as ye have said; but one thing I would pray
+you--what shall I tell Sylvester of the name or estate of those who
+send me to him?" The two strangers said: "We are the Apostles Peter
+and Paul, who endured death here in thy city of Rome for the Holy Name
+of Christ, and we bid Sylvester teach and baptize thee into the true
+faith. So shall the Roman Empire become the kingdom of the Lord and of
+His Christ." So saying, they blessed him, and passed into the heavens
+out of his sight, and Constantine awoke from his slumber and knew that
+he had seen a vision. He called aloud eagerly, and his servants
+waiting in an outer room ran in to him quickly, for there was urgency
+in his voice. To them Constantine told his vision and the command
+which was laid upon him.
+
+
+Sylvester Summoned
+
+Messengers rode in hot haste to Mount Celion, and inquired long and
+anxiously for Sylvester. At last they found him, a holy and venerable
+man, and summoned him, saying: "The Emperor calls for thee: come,
+therefore, at once." Sylvester's clergy were greatly affrighted, not
+knowing what this summons might mean, and dreading the death of their
+dear bishop and master; but he went forth gladly, not knowing to what
+fate he was going. When he was brought to the palace the emperor
+greeted him kindly, and told him all his dream, and the command of the
+Apostles Peter and Paul, and ended with these words: "Now I have done
+as the vision bade, and have fetched thee here: tell me, I pray, the
+glad tidings which shall bring healing to my body and soul." When
+Sylvester heard this speech he was filled with joy and wonder, and
+thanked God for the vision He had sent to the emperor, and then he
+began to preach to him the Christian faith: he told of the Fall of
+Man, and the redemption of the world by the death and resurrection of
+Jesus Christ, of the Ascension of Jesus and His return at the Day of
+Judgment, of the justice of God, who will judge all men impartially
+according to their works, good or bad, and of the life of joy or
+misery to come. As Sylvester taught, the monarch listened and
+believed, and, when the tale was ended, announced his conversion to
+the true faith, and said he was ready, with his whole heart and soul,
+to be baptized.
+
+
+Constantine Baptized
+
+At the emperor's command, they took the great vessel of silver which
+had been made for the children's blood, and Sylvester bade them fill
+it with pure water from the well. When that was done with all haste,
+he bade Constantine stand therein, so that the water reached his chin.
+As the holy rite began a great light like the sun's rays shone from
+heaven into the place, and upon Constantine; and as the sacred words
+were being read there fell now and again from his body scales like
+those of a fish, till there was nothing left of his horrible disease;
+and thus in baptism Constantine was purified in body and soul.
+
+[Illustration: They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V: HAVELOK THE DANE
+
+
+The Origin of the Story
+
+The Danish occupation of England has left a very strong mark on our
+country in various ways--on its place-names, its racial
+characteristics, its language, its literature, and, in part, on its
+ideals. The legend of Havelok the Dane, with its popularity and
+widespread influence, is one result of Danish supremacy. It is thought
+that the origin of the legend, which contains a twofold version of the
+common story of the cruel guardian and the persecuted heir, is to be
+found in Wales; but, however that may be, it is certain that in the
+continual rise and fall of small tribal kingdoms, Celtic or Teutonic,
+English or Danish, the circumstances out of which the story grew must
+have been common enough. Kings who died leaving helpless heirs to the
+guardianship of ambitious and wicked nobles were not rare in the early
+days of Britain, Wales, or Denmark; the murder of the heir and the
+usurpation of the kingdom by the cruel regent were no unusual
+occurrences. The opportunity of localising the early legend seems to
+have come with the growing fame of Anlaf, or Olaf, Sihtricson, who was
+known to the Welsh as Abloec or Habloc. His adventurous life included
+a threefold expulsion from his inheritance of Northumbria, a marriage
+with the daughter of King Constantine III. of Scotland, and a family
+kinship with King Athelstan of England. In Anlaf Curan (as he was
+called) we have an historical hero on whom various romantic stories
+were gradually fathered, because of his adventurous life and his
+strong personality. These stories finally crystallized in a form which
+shows the English and Danish love of physical prowess (Havelok is the
+strongest man in the kingdom), as well as a certain cruelty of
+revenge which is more peculiarly Danish. There is resentment of the
+Norman predominance to be found in the popularity of a story which
+shows the kitchen-boy excelling all the nobles in manly exercises, and
+the heiress to the kingdom wedded in scorn, as so many Saxon heiresses
+were after the Conquest, to a mere scullion. There can be no doubt,
+however, that Havelok stood to mediæval England as a hero of the
+strong arm, a champion of the populace against the ruling race, and
+that his royal birth and dignity were a concession to historic facts
+and probabilities, not much regarded by the common people. The story,
+again, showed another truly humble hero, Grim the fisher, whose
+loyalty was supposed to account for the special trading privileges of
+his town, Grimsby. In Grim the story found a character who was in
+reality a hero of the poor and lowly, with the characteristic devotion
+of the tribesman to his chief, of the vassal to his lord, a devotion
+which was handed on from father to son, so that a second generation
+continued the services, and received the rewards, of the father who
+risked life and all for the sake of his king's heir.
+
+The reader will not fail to notice the characteristic anachronisms
+which give to life in Saxon England in the tenth century the colour of
+the Norman chivalry of the thirteenth.
+
+
+Havelok and Godard
+
+In Denmark, long ago, lived a good king named Birkabeyn, rich and
+powerful, a great warrior and a man of mighty prowess, whose rule was
+undisputed over the whole realm. He had three children--two daughters,
+named Swanborow and Elfleda the Fair, and one young and goodly son,
+Havelok, the heir to all his dominions. All too soon came the day
+that no man can avoid, when Death would call King Birkabeyn away, and
+he grieved sore over his young children to be left fatherless and
+unprotected; but, after much reflection, and prayers to God for wisdom
+to help his choice, he called to him Jarl Godard, a trusted counsellor
+and friend, and committed into his hands the care of the realm and of
+the three royal children, until Havelok should be of age to be
+knighted and rule the land himself. King Birkabeyn felt that such a
+charge was too great a temptation for any man unbound by oaths of
+fealty and honour, and although he did not distrust his friend, he
+required Godard to swear,
+
+    "By altar and by holy service book,
+    By bells that call the faithful to the church,
+    By blessed sacrament, and sacred rites,
+    By Holy Rood, and Him who died thereon,
+    That thou wilt truly rule and keep my realm,
+    Wilt guard my babes in love and loyalty,
+    Until my son be grown, and dubbèd knight:
+    That thou wilt then resign to him his land,
+    His power and rule, and all that owns his sway."
+
+Jarl Godard took this most solemn oath at once with many protestations
+of affection and whole-hearted devotion to the dying king and his
+heir, and King Birkabeyn died happy in the thought that his children
+would be well cared for during their helpless youth.
+
+When the funeral rites were celebrated Jarl Godard assumed the rule of
+the country, and, under pretext of securing the safety of the royal
+children, removed them to a strong castle, where no man was allowed
+access to them, and where they were kept so closely that the royal
+residence became a prison in all but name. Godard, finding Denmark
+submit to his government without resistance, began to adopt measures
+to rid himself of the real heirs to the throne, and gave orders that
+food and clothes should be supplied to the three children in such
+scanty quantities that they might die of hardship; but since they were
+slow to succumb to this cruel, torturing form of murder, he resolved
+to slay them suddenly, knowing that no one durst call him to account.
+Having steeled his heart against all pitiful thoughts, he went to the
+castle, and was taken to the inner dungeon where the poor babes lay
+shivering and weeping for cold and hunger. As he entered, Havelok, who
+was even then a bold lad, greeted him courteously, and knelt before
+him, with clasped hands, begging a boon.
+
+"Why do you weep and wail so sore?" asked Godard.
+
+"Because we are so hungry," answered Havelok. "We have so little food,
+and we have no servants to wait on us; they do not give us half as
+much as we could eat; we are shivering with cold, and our clothes are
+all in rags. Woe to us that we were ever born! Is there in the land no
+more corn with which men can make bread for us? We are nearly dead
+from hunger."
+
+These pathetic words had no effect on Godard, who had resolved to
+yield to no pity and show no mercy. He seized the two little girls as
+they lay cowering together, clasping one another for warmth, and cut
+their throats, letting the bodies of the hapless babies fall to the
+floor in a pool of blood; and then, turning to Havelok, aimed his
+knife at the boy's heart. The poor child, terrified by the awful fate
+of the two girls, knelt again before him and begged for mercy:
+
+    "Fair lord, have mercy on me now, I pray!
+    Look on my helpless youth, and pity me!
+    Oh, let me live, and I will yield you all--
+    My realm of Denmark will I leave to you,
+    And swear that I will ne'er assail your sway.
+    Oh, pity me, lord! be compassionate!
+    And I will flee far from this land of mine,
+    And vow that Birkabeyn was ne'er my sire!"
+
+Jarl Godard was touched by Havelok's piteous speech, and felt some
+faint compassion, so that he could not slay the lad himself; yet he
+knew that his only safety was in Havelok's death.
+
+"If I let him go," thought he, "Havelok will at last work me woe! I
+shall have no peace in my life, and my children after me will not hold
+the lordship of Denmark in safety, if Havelok escapes! Yet I cannot
+slay him with my own hands. I will have him cast into the sea with an
+anchor about his neck: thus at least his body will not float."
+
+Godard left Havelok kneeling in terror, and, striding from the tower,
+leaving the door locked behind him, he sent for an ignorant fisherman,
+Grim, who, he thought, could be frightened into doing his will. When
+Grim came he was led into an ante-room, where Godard, with terrible
+look and voice, addressed him thus:
+
+"Grim, thou knowest thou art my thrall." "Yea, fair lord," quoth Grim,
+trembling at Godard's stern voice. "And I can slay thee if thou dost
+disobey me." "Yea, lord; but how have I offended you?" "Thou hast not
+yet; but I have a task for thee, and if thou dost it not, dire
+punishment shall fall upon thee." "Lord, what is the work that I must
+do?" asked the poor fisherman. "Tarry: I will show thee." Then Godard
+went into the inner room of the tower, whence he returned leading a
+fair boy, who wept bitterly. "Take this boy secretly to thy house, and
+keep him there till dead of night; then launch thy boat, row out to
+sea, and fling him therein with an anchor round his neck, so that I
+shall see him never again."
+
+Grim looked curiously at the weeping boy, and said: "What reward
+shall I have if I work this sin for you?"
+
+Godard replied: "The sin will be on my head as I am thy lord and bid
+thee do it; but I will make thee a freeman, noble and rich, and my
+friend, if thou wilt do this secretly and discreetly."
+
+Thus reassured and bribed, Grim suddenly took the boy, flung him to
+the ground, and bound him hand and foot with cord which he took from
+his pockets. So anxious was he to secure the boy that he drew the
+cords very tight, and Havelok suffered terrible pain; he could not cry
+out, for a handful of rags was thrust into his mouth and over his
+nostrils, so that he could hardly breathe. Then Grim flung the poor
+boy into a horrible black sack, and carried him thus from the castle,
+as if he were bringing home broken food for his family. When Grim
+reached his poor cottage, where his wife Leve was waiting for him, he
+slung the sack from his shoulder and gave it to her, saying, "Take
+good care of this boy as of thy life. I am to drown him at midnight,
+and if I do so my lord has promised to make me a free man and give me
+great wealth."
+
+When Dame Leve heard this she sprang up and flung the lad down in a
+corner, and nearly broke his head with the crash against the earthen
+floor. There Havelok lay, bruised and aching, while the couple went to
+sleep, leaving the room all dark but for the red glow from the fire.
+At midnight Grim awoke to do his lord's behest, and Dame Leve, going
+to the living-room to kindle a light, was terrified by a mysterious
+gleam as bright as day which shone around the boy on the floor and
+streamed from his mouth. Leve hastily called Grim to see this wonder,
+and together they released Havelok from the gag and bonds and
+examined his body, when they found on the right shoulder the token of
+true royalty, a cross of red gold.
+
+"God knows," quoth Grim, "that this is the heir of our land. He will
+come to rule in good time, will bear sway over England and Denmark,
+and will punish the cruel Godard." Then, weeping sore, the loyal
+fisherman fell down at Havelok's feet, crying, "Lord, have mercy on me
+and my wife! We are thy thralls, and never will we do aught against
+thee. We will nourish thee until thou canst rule, and will hide thee
+from Godard; and thou wilt perchance give me my freedom in return for
+thy life."
+
+At this unexpected address Havelok sat up surprised, and rubbed his
+bruised head and said: "I am nearly dead, what with hunger, and thy
+cruel bonds, and the gag. Now bring me food in plenty!" "Yea, lord,"
+said Dame Leve, and bustled about, bringing the best they had in the
+hut; and Havelok ate as if he had fasted for three days; and then he
+was put to bed, and slept in peace while Grim watched over him.
+
+[Illustration: "Havelok sat up surprised"]
+
+However, Grim went the next morning to Jarl Godard and said: "Lord, I
+have done your behest, and drowned the boy with an anchor about his
+neck. He is safe, and now, I pray you, give me my reward, the gold and
+other treasures, and make me a freeman as you have promised." But
+Godard only looked fiercely at him and said: "What, wouldst thou be an
+earl? Go home, thou foul churl, and be ever a thrall! It is enough
+reward that I do not hang thee now for insolence, and for thy wicked
+deeds. Go speedily, else thou mayst stand and palter with me too
+long." And Grim shrank quietly away, lest Godard should slay him for
+the murder of Havelok.
+
+Now Grim saw in what a terrible plight he stood, at the mercy of this
+cruel and treacherous man, and he took counsel with himself and
+consulted his wife, and the two decided to flee from Denmark to save
+their lives. Gradually Grim sold all his stock, his cattle, his nets,
+everything that he owned, and turned it into good pieces of gold; then
+he bought and secretly fitted out and provisioned a ship, and at last,
+when all was ready, carried on board Havelok (who had lain hidden all
+this time), his own three sons and two daughters; then when he and his
+wife had gone on board he set sail, and, driven by a favourable wind,
+reached the shores of England.
+
+
+Goldborough and Earl Godrich
+
+Meanwhile in England a somewhat similar fate had befallen a fair
+princess named Goldborough. When her father, King Athelwold, lay dying
+all his people mourned, for he was the flower of all fair England for
+knighthood, justice, and mercy; and he himself grieved sorely for the
+sake of his little daughter, soon to be left an orphan. "What will she
+do?" moaned he. "She can neither speak nor walk! If she were only able
+to ride, to rule England, and to guard herself from shame, I should
+have no grief, even if I died and left her alone, while I lived in the
+joy of paradise!"
+
+Then Athelwold summoned a council to be held at Winchester, and asked
+the advice of the nobles as to the care of the infant Goldborough.
+They with one accord recommended Earl Godrich of Cornwall to be made
+regent for the little princess; and the earl, on being appointed,
+swore with all solemn rites that he would marry her at twelve years
+old to the highest, the best, fairest, and strongest man alive, and in
+the meantime would train her in all royal virtues and customs. So
+King Athelwold died, and was buried with great lamentations, and
+Godrich ruled the land as regent. He was a strict but just governor,
+and England had great peace, without and within, under his severe
+rule, for all lived in awe of him, though no man loved him.
+Goldborough grew and throve in all ways, and became famous through the
+land for her gracious beauty and gentle and virtuous demeanour. This
+roused the jealousy of Earl Godrich, who had played the part of king
+so long that he almost believed himself King of England, and he began
+to consider how he could secure the kingdom for himself and his son.
+Thereupon he had Goldborough taken from Winchester, where she kept
+royal state, to Dover, where she was imprisoned in the castle, and
+strictly secluded from all her friends; there she remained, with poor
+clothes and scanty food, awaiting a champion to uphold her right.
+
+
+Havelok Becomes Cook's Boy
+
+When Grim sailed from Denmark to England he landed in the Humber, at
+the place now called Grimsby, and there established himself as a
+fisherman. So successful was he that for twelve years he supported his
+family well, and carried his catches of fish far afield, even to
+Lincoln, where rare fish always brought a good price. In all this time
+Grim never once called on Havelok for help in the task of feeding the
+family; he reverenced his king, and the whole household served Havelok
+with the utmost deference, and often went with scanty rations to
+satisfy the boy's great appetite. At length Havelok began to think how
+selfishly he was living, and how much food he consumed, and was filled
+with shame when he realized how his foster-father toiled unweariedly
+while he did nothing to help. In his remorseful meditations it became
+clear to him that, though a king's son, he ought to do some useful
+work. "Of what use," thought he, "is my great strength and stature if
+I do not employ it for some good purpose? There is no shame in honest
+toil. I will work for my food, and try to make some return to Father
+Grim, who has done so much for me. I will gladly bear his baskets of
+fish to market, and I will begin to-morrow."
+
+On the next day, in spite of Grim's protests Havelok carried a load of
+fish equal to four men's burden to Grimsby market, and sold it
+successfully, returning home with the money he received; and this he
+did day by day, till a famine arose and fish and food both became
+scarce. Then Grim, more concerned for Havelok than for his own
+children, called the youth to him and bade him try his fortunes in
+Lincoln, for his own sake and for theirs; he would be better fed, and
+the little food Grim could get would go further among the others if
+Havelok were not there. The one obstacle in the way was Havelok's lack
+of clothes, and Grim overcame that by sacrificing his boat's sail to
+make Havelok a coarse tunic. That done, they bade each other farewell,
+and Havelok started for Lincoln, barefooted and bareheaded, for his
+only garment was the sailcloth tunic. In Lincoln Havelok found no
+friends and no food for two days, and he was desperate and faint with
+hunger, when he heard a call: "Porters, porters! hither to me!" Roused
+to new vigour by the chance of work, Havelok rushed with the rest, and
+bore down and hurled aside the other porters so vigorously that he was
+chosen to carry provisions for Bertram, the earl's cook; and in return
+he received the first meal he had eaten for nearly three days.
+
+On the next day Havelok again overthrew the porters, and, knocking
+down at least sixteen, secured the work. This time he had to carry
+fish, and his basket was so laden that he bore nearly a cartload,
+with which he ran to the castle. There the cook, amazed at his
+strength, first gave him a hearty meal, and then offered him good
+service under himself, with food and lodging for his wages. This offer
+Havelok accepted, and was installed as cook's boy, and employed in all
+the lowest offices--carrying wood, water, turf, hewing logs, lifting,
+fetching, carrying--and in all he showed himself a wonderfully strong
+worker, with unfailing good temper and gentleness, so that the little
+children all loved the big, gentle, fair-haired youth who worked so
+quietly and played with them so merrily. When Havelok's old tunic
+became worn out, his master, the cook, took pity on him and gave him a
+new suit, and then it could be seen how handsome and tall and strong a
+youth this cook's boy really was, and his fame spread far and wide
+round Lincoln Town.
+
+[Illustration: "Havelok again overthrew the porters"]
+
+
+Havelok and Goldborough
+
+At the great fair of Lincoln, sports of all kinds were indulged in,
+and in these Havelok took his part, for the cook, proud of his mighty
+scullion, urged him to compete in all the games and races. As Earl
+Godrich had summoned his Parliament to meet that year at Lincoln,
+there was a great concourse of spectators, and even the powerful Earl
+Regent himself sometimes watched the sports and cheered the champions.
+The first contest was "putting the stone," and the stone chosen was so
+weighty that none but the most stalwart could lift it above the
+knee--none could raise it to his breast. This sport was new to
+Havelok, who had never seen it before, but when the cook bade him try
+his strength he lifted the stone easily and threw it more than twelve
+feet. This mighty deed caused his fame to be spread, not only among
+the poor servants with whom Havelok was classed, but also among the
+barons, their masters, and Havelok's Stone became a landmark in
+Lincoln. Thus Godrich heard of a youth who stood head and shoulders
+taller than other men and was stronger, more handsome--and yet a mere
+common scullion. The news brought him a flash of inspiration: "Here is
+the highest, strongest, best man in all England, and him shall
+Goldborough wed. I shall keep my vow to the letter, and England must
+fall to me, for Goldborough's royal blood will be lost by her marriage
+with a thrall, the people will refuse her obedience, and England will
+cast her out."
+
+Godrich therefore brought Goldborough to Lincoln, received her with
+bell-ringing and seemly rejoicing, and bade her prepare for her
+wedding. This the princess refused to do until she knew who was her
+destined husband, for she said she would wed no man who was not of
+royal birth. Her firmness drove Earl Godrich to fierce wrath, and he
+burst out: "Wilt thou be queen and mistress over me? Thy pride shall
+be brought down: thou shalt have no royal spouse: a vagabond and
+scullion shalt thou wed, and that no later than to-morrow! Curses on
+him who speaks thee fair!" In vain the princess wept and bemoaned
+herself: the wedding was fixed for the morrow morn.
+
+The next day at dawn Earl Godrich sent for Havelok, the mighty cook's
+boy, and asked him: "Wilt thou take a wife?"
+
+"Nay," quoth Havelok, "that will I not. I cannot feed her, much less
+clothe and lodge her. My very garments are not my own, but belong to
+the cook, my master." Godrich fell upon Havelok and beat him
+furiously, saying, "Unless thou wilt take the wench I give thee for
+wife I will hang or blind thee"; and so, in great fear, Havelok agreed
+to the wedding. At once Goldborough was brought, and forced into an
+immediate marriage, under penalty of banishment or burning as a witch
+if she refused. And thus the unwilling couple were united by the
+Archbishop of York, who had come to attend the Parliament.
+
+Never was there so sad a wedding! The people murmured greatly at this
+unequal union, and pitied the poor princess, thus driven to wed a man
+of low birth; and Goldborough herself wept pitifully, but resigned
+herself to God's will. All men now acknowledged with grief that she
+and her husband could have no claim to the English throne, and thus
+Godrich seemed to have gained his object. Havelok and his unwilling
+bride recognised that they would not be safe near Godrich, and as
+Havelok had no home in Lincoln to which he could take the princess, he
+determined to go back to his faithful foster-father, Grim, and put the
+fair young bride under his loyal protection. Sorrowfully, with grief
+and shame in their hearts, Havelok and Goldborough made their way on
+foot to Grimsby, only to find the loyal Grim dead; but his five
+children were alive and in prosperity. When they saw Havelok and his
+wife they fell on their knees and saluted them with all respect and
+reverence. In their joy to see their king again, these worthy
+fisherfolk forgot their newly won wealth, and said: "Welcome, dear
+lord, and thy fair lady! What joy is ours to see thee again, for thy
+subjects are we, and thou canst do with us as thou wilt. All that we
+have is thine, and if thou wilt dwell with us we will serve thee and
+thy wife truly in all ways!" This greeting surprised Goldborough, who
+began to suspect some mystery, and she was greatly comforted when
+brothers and sisters busied themselves in lighting fires, cooking
+meals, and waiting on her hand and foot, as if she had been indeed a
+king's wife. Havelok, however, said nothing to explain the mystery,
+and Goldborough that night lay awake bewailing her fate as a thrall's
+bride, even though he was the fairest man in England.
+
+
+The Revelation and Return to Denmark
+
+As Goldborough lay sleepless and unhappy she became aware of a
+brilliant light shining around Havelok and streaming from his mouth;
+and while she feared and wondered an angelic voice cried to her:
+
+    "Fair Princess, cease this grief and heavy moan!
+    For Havelok, thy newly wedded spouse,
+    Is son and heir to famous kings: the sign
+    Thou findest in the cross of ruddy gold
+    That shineth on his shoulder. He shall be
+    Monarch and ruler of two mighty realms;
+    Denmark and England shall obey his rule,
+    And he shall sway them with a sure command.
+    This shalt thou see with thine own eyes, and be
+    Lady and Queen, with Havelok, o'er these lands."
+
+This angelic message so gladdened Goldborough that she kissed, for the
+first time, her unconscious husband, who started up from his sleep,
+saying, "Dear love, sleepest thou? I have had a wondrous dream. I
+thought I sat on a lofty hill, and saw all Denmark before me. As I
+stretched out my arms I embraced it all, and the people clung to my
+arms, and the castles fell at my feet; then I flew over the salt sea
+with the Danish people clinging to me, and I closed all fair England
+in my hand, and gave it to thee, dear love! Now what can this mean?"
+
+Goldborough answered joyfully: "It means, dear heart, that thou shalt
+be King of Denmark and of England too: all these realms shall fall
+into thy power, and thou shalt be ruler in Denmark within one year.
+Now do thou follow my advice, and let us go to Denmark, taking with us
+Grim's three sons, who will accompany thee for love and loyalty; and
+have no fear, for I know thou wilt succeed."
+
+The next morning Havelok went to church early, and prayed humbly and
+heartily for success in his enterprise and retribution on the false
+traitor Godard; then, laying his offering on the altar before the
+Cross, he went away glad in heart. Grim's three sons, Robert the Red,
+William Wendut, and Hugh the Raven, joyfully consented to go with
+Havelok to Denmark, to attack with all their power the false Jarl
+Godard and to win the kingdom for the rightful heir. Their wives and
+families stayed in England, but Goldborough would not leave her
+husband, and after a short voyage the party landed safely on the
+shores of Denmark, in the lands of Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of King
+Birkabeyn, who lived far from the court now that a usurper held sway
+in Denmark.
+
+
+Havelok and Ubbe
+
+Havelok dared not reveal himself and his errand until he knew more of
+the state of parties in the country, and he therefore only begged
+permission to live and trade there, giving Ubbe, as a token of
+goodwill and a tribute to his power, a valuable ring, which the jarl
+prized greatly. Ubbe, gazing at the so-called merchant's great stature
+and beauty, lamented that he was not of noble birth, and planned to
+persuade him to take up the profession of arms. At first, however, he
+simply granted Havelok permission to trade, and invited him and
+Goldborough to a feast, promising them safety and honour under his
+protection. Havelok dreaded lest his wife's beauty might place them in
+jeopardy, but he dared not refuse the invitation, which was pointedly
+given to both; accordingly, when they went to Ubbe's hall, Goldborough
+was escorted by Robert the Red and William Wendut.
+
+Ubbe received them with all honour, and all men marvelled at
+Goldborough's beauty, and Ubbe's wife loved Goldborough at first sight
+as her husband did Havelok, so that the feast passed off with all joy
+and mirth, and none dared raise a hand or lift his voice against the
+wandering merchant whom Ubbe so strangely favoured. But Ubbe knew that
+when once Havelok and his wife were away from his protection there
+would be little safety for them, since the rough Danish nobles would
+think nothing of stealing a trader's fair wife, and many a man had
+cast longing eyes on Goldborough's loveliness. Therefore when the
+feast was over, and Havelok took his leave, Ubbe sent with him a body
+of ten knights and sixty men-at-arms, and recommended them to the
+magistrate of the town, Bernard Brown, a true and upright man, bidding
+him, as he prized his life, keep the strangers in safety and honour.
+Well it was that Ubbe and Bernard Brown took these precautions, for
+late at night a riotous crowd came to Bernard's house clamouring for
+admittance. Bernard withstood the angry mob, armed with a great axe,
+but they burst the door in by hurling a huge stone; and then Havelok
+joined in the defence. He drew out the great beam which barred the
+door, and crying, "Come quickly to me, and you shall stay here! Curses
+on him who flees!" began to lay about him with the big beam, so that
+three fell dead at once. A terrible fight followed, in which Havelok,
+armed only with the beam, slew twenty men in armour, and was then sore
+beset by the rest of the troop, aiming darts and arrows at his
+unarmoured breast. It was going hardly with him, when Hugh the Raven,
+hearing and understanding the cries of the assailants, called his
+brothers to their lord's aid, and they all joined the fight so
+furiously that, long ere day, of the sixty men who had attacked the
+inn not one remained alive.
+
+In the morning news was brought to Jarl Ubbe that his stranger
+guest had slain sixty of the best of his soldiery.
+
+"What can this mean?" said Ubbe. "I had better go and see to it
+myself, for any messenger would surely treat Havelok discourteously,
+and I should be full loath to do that." He rode away to the house of
+Bernard Brown, and asked the meaning of its damaged and battered
+appearance.
+
+"My lord," answered Bernard Brown, "last night at moonrise there came
+a band of sixty thieves who would have plundered my house and bound me
+hand and foot. When Havelok and his companions saw it they came to my
+aid, with sticks and stones, and drove out the robbers like dogs from
+a mill. Havelok himself slew three at one blow. Never have I seen a
+warrior so good! He is worth a thousand in a fray. But alas! he is
+grievously wounded, with three deadly gashes in side and arm and
+thigh, and at least twenty smaller wounds. I am scarcely harmed at
+all, but I fear he will die full soon."
+
+Ubbe could scarcely believe so strange a tale, but all the bystanders
+swore that Bernard told nothing but the bare truth, and that the whole
+gang of thieves, with their leader, Griffin the Welshman, had been
+slain by the hero and his small party. Then Ubbe bade them bring
+Havelok, that he might call a leech to heal his wounds, for if the
+stranger merchant should live Jarl Ubbe would without fail dub him
+knight; and when the leech had seen the wounds he said the patient
+would make a good and quick recovery. Then Ubbe offered Havelok and
+his wife a dwelling in his own castle, under his own protection, till
+Havelok's grievous wounds were healed. There, too, fair Goldborough
+would be under the care of Ubbe's wife, who would cherish her as her
+own daughter. This kind offer was accepted gladly, and they all went
+to the castle, where a room was given them next to Ubbe's own.
+
+At midnight Ubbe woke, aroused by a bright light in Havelok's room,
+which was only separated from his own by a slight wooden partition. He
+was vexed suspecting his guest of midnight wassailing, and went to
+inquire what villainy might be hatching. To his surprise, both husband
+and wife were sound asleep, but the light shone from Havelok's mouth,
+and made a glory round his head. Utterly amazed at the marvel, Ubbe
+went away silently, and returned with all the garrison of his castle
+to the room where his guests still lay sleeping. As they gazed on the
+light Havelok turned in his sleep, and they saw on his shoulder the
+golden cross, shining like the sun, which all men knew to be the token
+of royal birth. Then Ubbe exclaimed: "Now I know who this is, and why
+I loved him so dearly at first sight: this is the son of our dead King
+Birkabeyn. Never was man so like another as this man is to the dead
+king: he is his very image and his true heir." With great joy they
+fell on their knees and kissed him eagerly, and Havelok awoke and
+began to scowl furiously, for he thought it was some treacherous
+attack; but Ubbe soon undeceived him.
+
+[Illustration: "With great joy they fell on their knees"]
+
+    "'Dear lord,' quoth he, 'be thou in naught dismayed,
+    For in thine eyes methinks I see thy thought--
+    Dear son, great joy is mine to live this day!
+    My homage, lord, I freely offer thee:
+    Thy loyal men and vassals are we all,
+    For thou art son of mighty Birkabeyn,
+    And soon shalt conquer all thy father's land,
+    Though thou art young and almost friendless here.
+    To-morrow will we swear our fealty due,
+    And dub thee knight, for prowess unexcelled.'"
+
+Now Havelok knew that his worst danger was over, and he thanked God
+for the friend He had sent him, and left to the good Jarl Ubbe the
+management of his cause. Ubbe gathered an assembly of as many mighty
+men of the realm, and barons, and good citizens, as he could summon;
+and when they were all assembled, pondering what was the cause of this
+imperative summons, Ubbe arose and said:
+
+"Gentles, bear with me if I tell you first things well known to you.
+Ye know that King Birkabeyn ruled this land until his death-day, and
+that he left three children--one son, Havelok, and two daughters--to
+the guardianship of Jarl Godard: ye all heard him swear to keep them
+loyally and treat them well. But ye do not know how he kept his oath!
+The false traitor slew both the maidens, and would have slain the boy,
+but for pity he would not kill the child with his own hands. He bade a
+fisherman drown him in the sea; but when the good man knew that it was
+the rightful heir, he saved the boy's life and fled with him to
+England, where Havelok has been brought up for many years. And now,
+behold! here he stands. In all the world he has no peer, and ye may
+well rejoice in the beauty and manliness of your king. Come now and
+pay homage to Havelok, and I myself will be your leader!"
+
+Jarl Ubbe turned to Havelok, where he stood with Goldborough beside
+him, and knelt before him to do homage, an example which was followed
+by all present. At a second and still larger assembly held a fortnight
+later a similar oath of fealty was sworn by all, Havelok was dubbed
+knight by the noble Ubbe, and a great festival was celebrated, with
+sports and amusements for the populace. A council of war and vengeance
+was held with the great nobles.
+
+
+The Death of Godard
+
+Havelok, now acknowledged King of Denmark, was unsatisfied until he had
+punished the treacherous Godard, and he took a solemn oath from his
+soldiers that they would never cease the search for the traitor till
+they had captured him and brought him bound to judgment. After all,
+Godard was captured as he was hunting. Grim's three sons, now knighted
+by King Havelok, met him in the forest, and bade him come to the king,
+who called on him to remember and account for his treatment of
+Birkabeyn's children. Godard struck out furiously with his fists, but
+Sir Robert the Red wounded him in the right arm. When Godard's men
+joined in the combat, Robert and his brothers soon slew ten of their
+adversaries, and the rest fled; returning, ashamed at the bitter
+reproaches of their lord, they were all slain by Havelok's men. Godard
+was taken, bound hand and foot, placed on a miserable jade with his
+face to the tail, and so led to Havelok. The king refused to be the
+judge of his own cause, and entrusted to Ubbe the task of presiding at
+the traitor's trial. No mercy was shown to the cruel Jarl Godard, and
+he was condemned to a traitor's death, with torments of terrible
+barbarity. The sentence was carried out to the letter, and Denmark
+rejoiced in the punishment of a cruel villain.
+
+
+Death of Godrich
+
+Meanwhile Earl Godrich of Cornwall had heard with great uneasiness
+that Havelok had become King of Denmark, and intended to invade
+England with a mighty army to assert his wife's right to the throne.
+He recognised that his own device to shame Goldborough had turned
+against him, and that he must now fight for his life and the usurped
+dominion he held over England. Godrich summoned his army to Lincoln
+for the defence of the realm against the Danes, and called out every
+man fit to bear weapons, on pain of becoming thrall if they failed
+him. Then he thus addressed them:
+
+    "Friends, listen to my words, and you will know
+    'Tis not for sport, nor idle show, that I
+    Have bidden you to meet at Lincoln here.
+    Lo! here at Grimsby foreigners are come
+    Who have already won the Priory.
+    These Danes are cruel heathen, who destroy
+    Our churches and our abbeys: priests and nuns
+    They torture to the death, or lead away
+    To serve as slaves the haughty Danish jarls.
+    Now, Englishmen, what counsel will ye take?
+    If we submit, they will rule all our land,
+    Will kill us all, and sell our babes for thralls,
+    Will take our wives and daughters for their own.
+    Help me, if ever ye loved English land,
+    To fight these heathen and to cleanse our soil
+    From hateful presence of these alien hordes.
+    I make my vow to God and all the saints
+    I will not rest, nor houseled be, nor shriven,
+    Until our realm be free from Danish foe!
+    Accursed be he who strikes no blow for home!"
+
+The army was inspired with valour by these courageous words, and the
+march to Grimsby began at once, with Earl Godrich in command.
+Havelok's men marched out gallantly to meet them, and when the battle
+joined many mighty deeds of valour were done, especially by the king
+himself, his foster-brothers, and Jarl Ubbe. The battle lasted long
+and was very fierce and bloody, but the Danes gradually overcame the
+resistance of the English, and at last, after a great hand-to-hand
+conflict, King Havelok captured Godrich. The traitor earl, who had
+lost a hand in the fray, was sent bound and fettered to Queen
+Goldborough, who kept him, carefully guarded, until he could be tried
+by his peers, since (for all his treason) he was still a knight.
+
+When the English recognised their rightful lady and queen they did
+homage with great joy, begging mercy for having resisted their lawful
+ruler at the command of a wicked traitor; and the king and queen
+pardoned all but Godrich, who was speedily brought to trial at
+Lincoln. He was sentenced to be burnt at the stake, and the sentence
+was carried out amid general rejoicings.
+
+Now that vengeance was satisfied, Havelok and his wife thought of
+recompensing the loyal helpers who had believed in them and supported
+them through the long years of adversity. Havelok married one of
+Grim's daughters to the Earl of Chester, and the other to Bertram, the
+good cook, who became Earl of Cornwall in the place of the felon
+Godrich and his disinherited children; the heroic Ubbe was made Regent
+of Denmark for Havelok, who decided to stay and rule England, and all
+the noble Danish warriors were rewarded with gifts of gold, and lands
+and castles. After a great coronation feast, which lasted for forty
+days, King Havelok dismissed the Danish regent and his followers, and
+after sad farewells they returned to their own country. Havelok and
+Goldborough ruled England in peace and security for sixty years, and
+lived together in all bliss, and had fifteen children, who all became
+mighty kings and queens.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI: HOWARD THE HALT
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In every society and in all periods the obligations of family
+affection and duty to kinsmen have been recognised as paramount. In
+the early European communities a man's first duty was to stand by his
+kinsman in strife and to avenge him in death, however unrighteous the
+kinsman's quarrel might be.
+
+How pitiful is the aged Priam's lament that he must needs kiss the
+hands that slew his dear son Hector, and, kneeling, clasp the knees of
+his son's murderer! How sad is Cuchulain's plaint that his son Connla
+must go down to the grave unavenged, since his own father slew him,
+all unwitting! One remembers, too, Beowulf's words: "Better it is for
+every man that he avenge his friend than that he mourn him much!"
+Since, then, family affection, the laws of honour and duty, and every
+recognised standard of life demanded that a kinsman should obtain a
+full wergild (or money payment) for his relative's death, unless he
+chose to take up the blood-feud against the murderer's family, we can
+hardly wonder that some of the heroes of early European literature are
+heroes of vengeance. Orestes and Electra are Greek embodiments of the
+idea of the sacredness of vengeance for murdered kinsfolk, and similar
+feelings are revealed in Gudrun's revenge for the murder of Siegfried
+in the "Nibelungenlied." To the Teutonic or Celtic warrior there would
+be heroism of a noble type in a just vengeance fully accomplished, and
+this heroism would be more easily recognised when the wrongdoer was
+rich and powerful, the avenger old, poor, and friendless. While
+admitting that the hero of vengeance belongs to and represents only
+one side of the civilisation of a somewhat barbaric community, we
+must allow that the elements of dogged perseverance, dauntless
+courage, and resolute loyalty in some degree redeemed the ferocity and
+cruelty of the blood-feud he waged against the ill-doer.
+
+It is certain that in the popular Icelandic saga of "Howard the Halt"
+tradition has recorded with minute detail of approbation the story of
+a man and woman, old, weak, friendless, who, in spite of terrible
+odds, succeeded in obtaining a late but sufficing vengeance for the
+cruel slaughter of their only son, the murderer being the most
+powerful man of the region. The part here assigned to the woman
+indicates the firm hold which the blood-feud had gained on the
+imagination of the Norsemen.
+
+
+Icelandic Ghosts
+
+The story possesses a further interest as revealing the unique
+character of the Icelandic ghost or phantom. In other literatures the
+spirit returned from the dead is a thin, immaterial, disembodied
+essence, a faint shadow of its former self; in Icelandic legend the
+spirit returns in full possession of its body, but more evil-disposed
+to mankind than before death. It fights and wrestles, pummels its
+adversary black and blue, it is huge and bloated and hideous, it tries
+to strangle men, and leaves finger-marks on their throats. If the
+ghosts are those of drowned men, they come home every night dripping
+with sea-water, and crowd the family from the fire and from the hall.
+Apparently they are evil spirits animating the dead body, and nothing
+but the utter destruction of the body avails to drive away the
+malignant spirit.
+
+
+The Story. Howard and Thorbiorn
+
+Thus runs the saga of "Howard the Halt":
+
+About the year 1000, when the Christian faith had hardly yet been
+heard of in Iceland, there dwelt at Bathstead, on the shores of
+Icefirth, in that far-distant land a mighty chieftain, of royal
+descent and great wealth, named Thorbiorn. Though not among the first
+settlers of Iceland, he had appropriated much unclaimed land, and was
+one of the leading men of the country-side, but was generally disliked
+for his arrogance and injustice. Thorkel, the lawman and arbitrator of
+Icefirth, was weak and easily cowed, so Thorbiorn's wrongdoing
+remained unchecked; many a maiden had he betrothed to himself, and
+afterwards rejected, and many a man had he ousted from his lands, yet
+no redress could be obtained, and no man was bold enough to attack so
+great a chieftain or resist his will. Thorbiorn's house at Bathstead
+was one of the best in the district, and his lands stretched down to
+the shores of the firth, where he had made a haven with a jetty for
+ships. His boathouse stood a little back above a ridge of shingle, and
+beside a deep pool or lagoon. The household of Thorbiorn included
+Sigrid, a fair maiden, young and wealthy, who was his housekeeper;
+Vakr, an ill-conditioned and malicious fellow, Thorbiorn's nephew; and
+a strong and trusted serving-man named Brand. Besides these there were
+house-carles in plenty, and labourers, all good fighting-men.
+
+Not far from Bathstead, at Bluemire, dwelt an old Viking called
+Howard. He was of honourable descent, and had won fame in earlier
+Viking expeditions, but since he had returned lamed and nearly
+helpless from his last voyage he had aged greatly, and men called him
+Howard the Halt. His wife, Biargey, however, was an active and
+stirring woman, and their only son, Olaf, bade fair to become a
+redoubtable warrior. Though only fifteen, Olaf had reached full
+stature, was tall, fair, handsome, and stronger than most men. He wore
+his fair hair long, and always went bareheaded, for his great bodily
+strength defied even the bitter winter cold of Iceland, and he faced
+the winds clad in summer raiment only. With all his strength and
+beauty, Olaf was a loving and obedient son to Howard and Biargey, and
+the couple loved him as the apple of their eye.
+
+
+Olaf Meets Sigrid
+
+The men of Icefirth were wont to drive their sheep into the mountains
+during the summer, leave them there till autumn, and then, collecting
+the scattered flocks, to restore to each man his own branded sheep.
+One autumn the flocks were wild and shy, and it was found that many
+sheep had strayed in the hills. When those that had been gathered were
+divided Thorbiorn had lost at least sixty wethers, and was greatly
+vexed. Some weeks later Olaf Howardson went alone into the hills, and
+returned with all the lost sheep, having sought them with great toil
+and danger. Olaf drove the rest of the sheep home to their grateful
+owners, and then took Thorbiorn's to Bathstead. Reaching the house at
+noonday, he knocked on the door, and as all men sat at their noontide
+meal, the housekeeper, the fair Sigrid, went forth herself and saw
+Olaf.
+
+She greeted him courteously and asked his business, and he replied, "I
+have brought home Thorbiorn's wethers which strayed this autumn," and
+then the two talked together for a short time. Now Thorbiorn was
+curious to know what the business might be, and sent his nephew Vakr
+to see who was there; he went secretly and listened to the
+conversation between Sigrid and Olaf, but heard little, for Olaf was
+just saying, "Then I need not go in to Thorbiorn; thou, Sigrid, canst
+as well tell him where his sheep are now"; then he simply bade her
+farewell and turned away.
+
+[Illustration: Olaf and Sigrid]
+
+Vakr ran back into the hall, shouting and laughing, till Thorbiorn
+asked: "How now, nephew! Why makest thou such outcry? Who is there?"
+
+"It was Olaf Howardson, the great booby of Bluemire, bringing back the
+sheep thou didst lose in the autumn."
+
+"That was a neighbourly deed," said Thorbiorn.
+
+"Ah! but there was another reason for his coming, I think," said Vakr.
+"He and Sigrid had a long talk together, and I saw her put her arms
+round his neck; she seemed well pleased to greet him."
+
+"Olaf may be a brave man, but it is rash of him to anger me thus, by
+trying to steal away my housekeeper," said Thorbiorn, scowling
+heavily. Olaf had no thanks for his kindness, and was ill received
+whenever he came; yet he came often to see Sigrid, for he loved her,
+and tried to persuade her to wed him. Thorbiorn hated him the more for
+his open wooing, which he could not forbid.
+
+
+Thorbiorn Insults Olaf
+
+The next year, when harvest was over, and the sheep were brought home,
+again most of the missing sheep belonged to Thorbiorn, and again Olaf
+went to the mountains alone and brought back the stray ones. All
+thanked him, except the master of Bathstead, to whom Olaf drove back
+sixty wethers. Thorbiorn had grown daily more enraged at Olaf's
+popularity, his strength and beauty, and his evident love for Sigrid,
+and now chose this opportunity of insulting the bold youth who
+rivalled him in fame and in public esteem.
+
+Olaf reached Bathstead at noon, and seeing that all men were in the
+hall, he entered, and made his way to the daïs where Thorbiorn sat;
+there he leaned on his axe, gazed steadily at the master, who gave him
+no single word of greeting. Then every one kept silence watching them
+both.
+
+At last Olaf broke the stillness by asking: "Why are you all dumb?
+There is no honour to those who say naught. I have stood here long
+enough and had no word of courteous greeting. Master Thorbiorn, I have
+brought home thy missing sheep."
+
+Vakr answered spitefully: "Yes, we all know that thou hast become the
+Icefirth sheep-drover; and we all know that thou hast come to claim
+some share of the sheep, as any other beggar might. Kinsman Thorbiorn,
+thou hadst better give him some little alms to satisfy him!"
+
+Olaf flushed angrily as he answered: "Nay, it is not for that I came;
+but, Thorbiorn, I will not seek thy lost sheep a third time." And as
+he turned and strode indignantly from the hall Vakr mocked and jeered
+at him. Yet Olaf passed forth in silence.
+
+The third year Olaf found and brought home all men's sheep but
+Thorbiorn's; and then Vakr spread the rumour that Olaf had stolen
+them, since he could not otherwise obtain a share of them. This rumour
+came at last to Howard's ears, and he upbraided Olaf, saying, when his
+son praised their mutton, "Yes, it is good, and it is really ours, not
+Thorbiorn's. It is terrible that we have to bear such injustice."
+
+Olaf said nothing, but, seizing the leg of mutton, flung it across the
+room; and Howard smiled at the wrath which his son could no longer
+suppress; perhaps, too, Howard longed to see Olaf in conflict with
+Thorbiorn.
+
+
+Olaf and the Wizard's Ghost
+
+While Howard was still upbraiding Olaf a widow entered, who had come
+to ask for help in a difficult matter. Her dead husband (a reputed
+wizard) returned to his house night after night as a dreadful ghost,
+and no man would live in the house. Would Howard come and break the
+spell and drive away the dreadful nightly visitant?
+
+"Alas!" replied Howard, "I am no longer young and strong. Why do you
+not ask Thorbiorn? He accounts himself to be chief here, and a
+chieftain should protect those in his country-side."
+
+"Nay," said the widow. "I am only too glad if Thorbiorn lets me alone.
+I will not meddle with him."
+
+Then said Olaf: "Father, I will go and try my strength with this
+ghost, for I am young and stronger than most, and I deem such a matter
+good sport."
+
+Accordingly Olaf went back with the widow, and slept in the hall that
+night, with a skin rug over him. At nightfall the dead wizard came in,
+ghastly, evil-looking, and terrible, and tore the skin from over Olaf;
+but the youth sprang up and wrestled with the evil creature, who
+seemed to have more than mortal strength. They fought grimly till the
+lights died out, and the struggle raged in the darkness up and down
+the hall, and finally out of doors. In the yard round the house the
+dead wizard fell, and Olaf knelt upon him and broke his back, and
+thought him safe from doing any mischief again. When Olaf returned to
+the hall men had rekindled the lights, and all made much of him, and
+tended his bruises and wounds, and counted him a hero indeed. His fame
+spread through the whole district, and he was greatly beloved by all
+men; but Thorbiorn hated him more than ever.
+
+Soon another quarrel arose, when a stranded whale, which came ashore
+on Howard's land, was adjudged to Thorbiorn. The lawman, Thorkel, was
+summoned to decide to whom the whale belonged, and came to view it.
+"It is manifestly theirs," said he falteringly, for he dreaded
+Thorbiorn's wrath. "Whose saidst thou?" cried Thorbiorn, coming to him
+menacingly, with drawn sword. "Thine," said Thorkel, with downcast
+eyes; and Thorbiorn triumphantly claimed and took the whale though the
+injustice of the decree was evident. Yet Olaf felt no ill-will to
+Thorbiorn, for Sigrid's sake, but contrived to render him another
+service.
+
+
+Olaf's Second Fight with the Ghost
+
+Brand the Strong, Thorbiorn's shepherd, could not drive his sheep one
+day. Olaf met him trying to get his frightened wethers home: it seemed
+an impossible task, because an uncanny human form, with waving arms,
+stood in a narrow bend of the path and drove them back and scattered
+them. Brand told Olaf all the tale, and when the two went to look,
+Olaf saw that the enemy was the ghost of the dead wizard whom he had
+fought before. "Which wilt thou do," said Olaf, "fight the wizard or
+gather thy sheep?"
+
+"I have no wish to fight the ghost; I will find my scattered sheep,"
+said Brand; "that is the easier task."
+
+Then Olaf ran at the ghost, who awaited him at the top of a high bank,
+and he and the wizard wrestled again with each other till they fell
+from the bank into a snowdrift, and so down to the sea-shore. There
+Olaf, whose strength had been tried to the utmost, had the upper hand,
+and again broke the back of the dead wizard; but, seeing that that had
+been of no avail before, he took the body, swam out to sea with it,
+and sank it deep in the firth. Ever after men believed that this part
+of the coast was dangerous to ships.
+
+Brand thanked the youth much for his help, and when he reached
+Bathstead related what Olaf had done for him. Thorbiorn said nothing,
+but Vakr sneered, and called Brand a coward for asking help of Olaf.
+The strife grew keen between them, almost to blows, and was only
+settled by Thorbiorn, who forbade Brand to praise Olaf or to accept
+help from him. His ill-will grew so evident to all men that Howard the
+Halt decided, in spite of Olaf's reluctance, to remove to a homestead
+on the other side of the firth, away from Thorbiorn's neighbourhood.
+
+
+Olaf Meets Thorbiorn
+
+That summer Thorbiorn decided to marry. He wooed a maiden who was
+sister of the wise Guest, who dwelt at the Mead, and Guest agreed to
+the match, on condition that Thorbiorn should renounce his injustice
+and evil ways; to this Thorbiorn assented, and the wedding was held
+shortly after. Thorbiorn had said nothing to his household of his
+proposed marriage, and Sigrid first heard of it when the wedding was
+over, and the bridal party would soon be riding home to Bathstead.
+Sigrid was very wroth that she must give up her control of the
+household to another, and refused to stay to serve under Thorbiorn's
+wife; accordingly she withdrew from Bathstead to a kinsman's house,
+taking all her goods with her. Thorbiorn raged furiously on his
+return, when he found that she was gone, for her wealth made a great
+difference to his comfort, and threatened dire punishment to all who
+had helped her. Olaf continued his wooing of Sigrid, and went to see
+her often in her kinsman's abode, and they loved each other greatly.
+
+One day when Olaf had been seeking some lost sheep he made his way to
+Sigrid's house, to talk with her as usual. As they stood near the
+house together and talked Sigrid looked suddenly anxious and said:
+
+"I see Thorbiorn and Vakr coming in a boat over the firth with weapons
+beside them, and I see the gleam of Thorbiorn's great sword Warflame.
+I fear they have done, or will do, some evil deed, and therefore I
+pray thee, Olaf, not to stay and meet them. He has hated thee for a
+long time, and the help thou didst give me to leave Bathstead did not
+mend matters. Go thy way now, and do not fall in with them."
+
+"I am not afraid," said Olaf. "I have done Thorbiorn no wrong, and I
+will not flee before him. He is only one man, as I am."
+
+"Alas!" Sigrid replied, "how canst thou, a stripling of eighteen, hope
+to stand before a grown man, a mighty champion, armed with a magic
+sword? Thy words and thoughts are brave, as thou thyself art, but the
+odds are too great for thee: they are two to one, since Vakr, ever
+spiteful and malicious, will not stand idle while thou art in combat
+with Thorbiorn."
+
+"Well," said Olaf, "I will not avoid them, but I will not seek a
+contest. If it must be so, I will fight bravely; thou shalt hear of my
+deeds."
+
+"No, that will never be; I will not live after thee to ask of them,"
+said Sigrid.
+
+"Farewell now; live long and happily!" said Olaf; and so they bade
+each other farewell, and Olaf left her there, and went down to the
+shore where his sheep lay. Thorbiorn and Vakr had just landed, and
+they greeted each other, and Olaf asked them their errand. "We go to
+my mother," said Vakr.
+
+"Let us go together," replied Olaf, "for my way is the same in part.
+But I am sorry that I must needs drive my sheep home, for Icefirth
+sheep-drovers will become proud if a great man like thee should join
+the trade, Thorbiorn."
+
+"Nay, I do not mind that," said Thorbiorn; so they all went on
+together; and as he went Olaf caught up a crooked cudgel with which to
+herd his sheep; he noticed, too, that Thorbiorn and Vakr kept trying
+to lag behind him, and he took care that they all walked abreast.
+
+
+The Combat
+
+When the three came near the house of Thordis, Vakr's mother, where
+the ways divided, Thorbiorn said: "Now, nephew Vakr, we need no longer
+delay what we would do." And then Olaf knew that he had fallen into
+their snare. He ran up a bank beside the road, and the two set on him
+from below, and he defended himself at first manfully with the crooked
+cudgel; but Thorbiorn's sword Warflame sliced this like a stalk of
+flax, and Olaf had to betake himself to his axe, and the fight went on
+for long.
+
+
+A New Enemy Comes
+
+The noise of the fray reached the ears of Thordis, Vakr's mother, in
+her house, so that she sent a boy to learn the cause, and when he told
+her that Olaf Howardson was fighting against Thorbiorn and Vakr she
+bade her second son go to the help of his kinsfolk.
+
+"I will not go," said he. "I would rather fight for Olaf than for
+them. It is a shame for two to set on one man, and they such great
+champions too. I will not be the third; I will not go."
+
+"Now I know that thou art a coward," sneered his mother. "Daughter,
+not son, thou art, too timid to help thy kinsfolk. I will show thee
+that I am a braver daughter than thou a son!"
+
+
+Olaf's Death
+
+By these words Thordis so enraged her son that he seized his axe and
+rushed from the house down the hill towards Olaf, who could not see
+the new-comer, because he stood with his back to the house. Coming
+close to Olaf, the new assailant drove the axe in deep between his
+shoulders, and when Olaf felt the blow he turned and with a mighty
+stroke slew his last enemy. Thereupon Thorbiorn thrust Olaf through
+with the sword Warflame, and he died. Then Thorbiorn took Olaf's
+teeth, which he smote from his jaw, wrapped them in a cloth, and
+carried them home.
+
+The news of the slaughter was at once told by Thorbiorn (for so long
+as homicide was not concealed it was not considered murder), and told
+fairly, so that all men praised Olaf for his brave defence, and
+lamented his death. But when men sought for the fair Sigrid she could
+not be found, and was seen no more from that day. She had loved Olaf
+greatly, had seen him fall, and could not live when he was dead; but
+no man knew where she died or was buried.
+
+The terrible news of Olaf's death came to Howard, and he sighed
+heavily and took to his bed for grief, and remained bedridden for
+twelve months, leaving his wife Biargey to manage the daily fishing
+and the farm. Men thought that Olaf would be for ever unavenged,
+because Howard was too feeble, and his adversary too mighty and too
+unjust.
+
+
+Howard Claims Wergild for Olaf
+
+When a year had passed away Biargey came to Howard where he lay in his
+bed, and bade him arise and go to Bathstead. Said she:
+
+"I would have thee claim wergild for our son, since a man that can no
+longer fight may well prove his valour by word of mouth, and if
+Thorbiorn should show any sign of justice thou shalt not claim too
+much."
+
+Howard replied: "I know it is a bootless errand to ask justice from
+Thorbiorn, but I will do thy will in this matter."
+
+So Howard went heavily, walking as an old man, to Bathstead, and,
+after the usual greetings, said:
+
+"I have come to thee, Thorbiorn, on a great matter--to claim wergild
+for my dead son Olaf, whom thou didst slay guiltless."
+
+Thorbiorn answered: "I have never yet paid a wergild, though I have
+slain many men--some say innocent men. But I am sorry for thee, since
+thou hast lost a brave son, and I will at least give thee something.
+There is an old horse named Dodderer out in the pastures, grey with
+age, sore-backed, too old to work; but thou canst take him home, and
+perhaps he will be some good, when thou hast fed him up."
+
+Now Howard was angered beyond speech. He reddened and turned straight
+to the door; and as he went down the hall Vakr shouted and jeered; but
+Howard said no word, good or bad. He returned home, and took to his
+bed for another year.
+
+[Illustration: Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn]
+
+
+Howard at the Thing
+
+In the second year Biargey again urged Howard to try for a wergild.
+She suggested that he should follow Thorbiorn to the Thing and try to
+obtain justice, for men loathed Thorbiorn's evil ways, and Howard
+would be sure to have many sympathizers. Howard was loath to go.
+"Thorbiorn, my son's slayer, has mocked me once; shall he mock me
+again where all the chieftains are assembled? I will not go to endure
+such shame!"
+
+To his surprise, Biargey urged her will, saying: "Thou wilt have
+friends, I know, since Guest will be there, and he is a just man, and
+will strive to bring about peace between thee and Thorbiorn. And
+hearken to me, and heed my words, husband! If Thorbiorn is condemned
+to pay thee money, and there is a large ring of assessors, it may be
+that when thou and he are in the ring together he will do something
+to grieve thee sorely. Then look thou well to it! If thy heart be
+light, make thou no peace; I am somewhat foresighted, and I know that
+then Olaf shall be avenged. But if thou be heavy-hearted, then do thou
+be reconciled to Thorbiorn, for I know that Olaf shall lie unatoned
+for."
+
+Howard replied: "Wife, I understand thee not, nor thy words, but this
+I know: I would do and bear all things if I might but obtain due
+vengeance for Olaf's death."
+
+At last Howard, impressed by his wife's half-prophetic words, roused
+himself, and rode away to the Thing; here he found shelter with a
+great chieftain, Steinthor of Ere, who was kind to the old man, and
+gave Howard a place in his booth. Steinthor praised Olaf's courage and
+manful defence, and bade his followers cherish the old man, and not
+arouse his grief for his dead son.
+
+
+Howard and Thorbiorn
+
+As the days wore on Howard did nothing towards obtaining compensation
+for his great loss, until Steinthor asked him why he took no action in
+the matter. Howard replied that he felt helpless against Thorbiorn's
+evil words and deeds; but Steinthor bade him try to win Guest to his
+side--then he would succeed. Howard took heart, and set off for the
+booth which Thorbiorn shared with Guest; but unhappily Guest was not
+there when Howard came. Thorbiorn greeted him and asked what matter
+had brought him, and Howard replied:
+
+"My grief for Olaf is yet deep in my heart; still I remember his
+death; and now again I come to claim a wergild for him."
+
+Thorbiorn answered: "Come to me at home in my own country, and I may
+do somewhat for thee, but I will not have thee whining against me
+here."
+
+Howard said: "If thou wilt do nothing here, I have proved that thou
+wilt do still less in thine own country; but I had hoped for help from
+other chieftains."
+
+Thorbiorn burst out wrathfully: "See! He will stir up other men
+against me! Get thee gone, old man, or thou shalt not escape a
+beating."
+
+Now Howard was greatly angered, and said: "Yes, old I am--too old and
+feeble to win respect; but the days have been when I would not have
+endured such wrong; yea, and if Olaf were still alive thou wouldst not
+have flouted me thus." As he left Thorbiorn's sight his grief and
+anger were so great that he did not notice Guest returning, but went
+heavily to Steinthor's booth, where he told all Thorbiorn's injustice,
+and won much sympathy.
+
+
+Guest and Howard
+
+When Guest had entered the booth he sat down beside Thorbiorn and
+said:
+
+"Who was the man whom I met leaving the booth just now?"
+
+"A wise question for a wise man to ask! How can I tell? So many come
+and go," said Thorbiorn.
+
+"But this was an old man, large of stature, lame in one knee; yet he
+looked a brave warrior, and he was so wrathful that he did not know
+where he went. He seemed a man likely to be lucky, too, and not one to
+be lightly wronged."
+
+"That must have been old Howard the Halt," said Thorbiorn. "He is a
+man from my district, who has come after me to the Thing."
+
+"Ah! Was it his brave son Olaf whom thou didst slay guiltless?"
+
+"Yes, certainly," returned Thorbiorn.
+
+"How hast thou kept the promise of better ways which thou didst make
+when thou didst marry my sister?" he asked; and Thorbiorn sat silent.
+"This wrong must be amended," said Guest, and sent an honourable man
+to bring Howard to him. Howard at first refused to face Thorbiorn
+again, but at last reluctantly consented to meet Guest, and when the
+latter had greeted him in friendly and honourable fashion he told the
+whole story, from the time of Thorbiorn's first jealousy of Olaf.
+
+Guest was horrified. "Heard ever man such injustice!" he cried. "Now,
+Thorbiorn, choose one of two things: either my sister shall no longer
+be thy wife, or thou shalt allow me to give judgment between Howard
+and thee."
+
+
+Guest's Judgment and the Payment of the Wergild
+
+Thorbiorn agreed to leave the matter in Guest's hands, and many men
+were called to make a ring as assessors, that all might be legally
+done, and Thorbiorn and Howard stood together in the ring. Then Guest
+gave judgment: "Thorbiorn, I cannot condemn thee to pay Howard all
+thou owest--with all thy wealth, thou hast not money enough for that;
+but for slaying Olaf thou shalt pay a threefold wergild. For the other
+wrongs thou hast done him, I, thy brother-in-law, will try to atone by
+gifts, and friendship, and all honour in my power, as long as we both
+live; and if he will come home to stay with me he shall be right
+welcome."
+
+Thorbiorn agreed to the award, saying carelessly: "I will pay him at
+home in my own country, if he will come to me when I have more
+leisure."
+
+"No," said Guest, who distrusted Thorbiorn, "thou shalt pay here, and
+now, fully; and I myself will pay one wergild, to help thee in
+atonement." When this was agreed Howard sat down in the ring, and
+Guest gave him the one wergild (a hundred of silver), which Howard
+received in the skirt of his cloak; and then Thorbiorn paid one
+wergild slowly, coin by coin, and said he had no more money; but Guest
+bade him pay it all.
+
+Then Thorbiorn drew out a cloth and untied it, saying, "He will surely
+count himself paid in full if I give him this!" and he flung into the
+old man's face, as he sat on the ground, the teeth of the dead Olaf,
+saying, "Here are thy son's teeth!"
+
+Howard sprang up, bleeding, mad with rage and grief. The silver rolled
+in all directions from his cloak as he came to his feet, but he heeded
+it not at all. Blinded with blood, and furious, he broke through the
+ring of assessors, dashed one of them to earth, and rushed away like a
+young man; but when he came to Steinthor's booth he lay as if dead,
+and spoke to no man.
+
+[Illustration: "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak"]
+
+Guest would have no more to do with Thorbiorn. "Thou hast no equal for
+cruelty and evil; thou shalt surely repent it," he said; and he rode
+to Bathstead, took his sister away, with all her wealth, and broke off
+his alliance with Thorbiorn, caring nothing for the shame he put upon
+so unjust a man.
+
+Howard went home, told Biargey all that had happened, and took to his
+bed again, a poor, old, helpless, miserable man; but his wife, who saw
+her presage beginning to come true, kept up her courage, rowed out
+fishing every day, and guided the household for yet another year.
+
+
+Biargey and her Brethren
+
+That summer, one day, as Biargey was rowed out to the fishing as
+usual, she saw Thorbiorn's boat coming up the firth, and bade her man
+take up the lines and go to meet him, and row round the cutter, while
+she talked with Thorbiorn. As Biargey's little boat approached the
+cutter Thorbiorn stopped his vessel for he saw that she would speak
+with him, and her boat circled round the cutter while she asked his
+business, and learnt that he was going with Vakr to meet a brother and
+nephew of his, to bring them to Bathstead, and that he expected to be
+away from home for a week. The little skiff had now passed completely
+round the motionless cutter, and Olaf's mother, having learnt all she
+wanted, bade her rower quit Thorbiorn; the little boat shot swiftly
+and suddenly away, leaving Thorbiorn with an uneasy sense of
+witchcraft. So disquieted did he feel that he would have pursued her
+and drowned "the old hag," as he called her, had he not been prevented
+by Brand the Strong, who had been helped in his need by Olaf.
+
+As the little craft shot away Biargey smiled mysteriously, and said to
+her rower: "Now I feel sure that Olaf my son will be avenged. I have
+work to do: let us not go home yet."
+
+"Where, then, shall we go?" asked the man.
+
+"To my brother Valbrand."
+
+
+Valbrand
+
+Now Valbrand was an old man who had been a mighty warrior in his
+youth, but had now settled down to a life of quiet and peace; he had,
+however, two promising sons, well-grown and manly youths. When
+Valbrand saw his sister he came to meet her, saying:
+
+"Welcome, sister! Seldom it is that we see thee. Wilt thou abide with
+us this night, or is thine errand one that craves haste?"
+
+"I must be home to-night," she replied, and added mysteriously: "But
+there is help I would fain ask of thee. Wilt thou lend me thy
+seal-nets? We have not enough to catch such fish as we need."
+
+Valbrand answered: "Willingly, and thou shalt choose for thyself. Here
+are three, one old and worn out, two new and untried; which wilt thou
+take?"
+
+"I will have the new ones, but I do not need them yet; keep them ready
+for the day when I shall send and ask for them," Biargey replied, and
+bade Valbrand farewell, and rowed away to her next brother.
+
+
+Thorbrand and Asbrand
+
+When Howard's wife came to her brother Thorbrand she was well received
+by him and his two sons, and here she asked for the loan of a
+trout-net, since she had not enough to catch the fish. Thorbrand
+offered her her choice--one old and worn out, or two new and untried
+nets; and again Biargey chose the new ones, and bade them be ready
+when the messenger came.
+
+From her third brother, Asbrand, who had only one son, Biargey asked a
+turf-cutter, as hers was not keen enough to cut all she wanted; again
+she was offered her choice, and chose the new, untried cutter, instead
+of the old, rusty, notched one. Then Biargey bade farewell to Asbrand,
+refusing his offer of hospitality, and went home to Howard, and told
+him of her quests and the promises she had received. The old couple
+knew what the promises meant, but they said nothing to each other
+about it.
+
+
+The Arousing of Howard
+
+When seven days had passed Biargey came to Howard, saying: "Arise now,
+and play the man, if thou wilt ever win vengeance for Olaf. Thou must
+do it now or never, since now the opportunity has come. Knowest thou
+not that to-day Thorbiorn returns to Bathstead, and thou must meet him
+to-day? And have I not found helpers for thee in my nephews? Thou wilt
+not need to face the strife alone."
+
+Hereupon Howard sprang up joyfully from his bed, and was no longer
+lame or halt, nor looked like an old man, but moved briskly, clad
+himself in good armour, and seemed a mighty warrior. His joy broke
+forth in words, and he chanted songs of gladness in vengeance, and joy
+in strife, and evil omen to the death-doomed foe. Thus gladly, with
+spear in hand, he went forth to find his enemy and avenge his son; but
+he turned and kissed his brave wife farewell, for he said: "It may
+well be that we shall not meet again." Biargey said: "Nay, we shall
+meet again, for I know that thou bearest a bold heart and a strong
+arm, and wilt do valiantly."
+
+
+Howard Gathers his Friends
+
+Howard and one fighting-man took their boat and rowed to Valbrand's
+house, and saw him and his sons making hay. Valbrand greeted Howard
+well, for he had not seen him for long, and begged him to stay there,
+but Howard would not. "I am in haste, and have come to fetch the two
+new seal-nets thou didst lend to my wife," he said; and Valbrand
+understood him well. He called to his sons, "Come hither, lads; here
+is your kinsman Howard, with mighty work on hand," and the two youths
+ran up hastily, leaving their hay-making. Valbrand went to the house,
+and returned bearing good weapons, which he gave to his sons, bidding
+them follow their kinsman Howard and help in his vengeance.
+
+They three went down to the boat, took their seats beside Howard's
+man, and rowed to Asbrand's house. There Howard asked for the promised
+new turf-cutter, and Asbrand's son, a tall and manly youth, joined the
+party. At their next visit, to Thorbrand's house, Howard asked for the
+two trout-nets, and Thorbrand's two sons, with one stout fighting-man,
+came gladly with their kinsman.
+
+
+Howard's Plan
+
+As they rowed away together one of the youths asked: "Why is it that
+thou hast no sword or axe, Uncle Howard?" Howard replied: "It may be
+that we shall meet Thorbiorn, and when the meeting is over I shall not
+be a swordless man, but it is likely that I shall have Warflame, that
+mighty weapon, the best of swords; and here I have a good spear."
+
+These words seemed to them all a good omen, and as they rowed towards
+Bathstead they saw a flock of ravens, which encouraged them yet more,
+since the raven was the bird of Odin, the haunter of fields of strife
+and bloodshed.
+
+When they reached Bathstead they sprang on the jetty, carried their
+boat over the ridge of shingle to the quiet pool by the boathouse, and
+hid themselves where they could see, but remain themselves unseen.
+Howard took command, and appointed their places, bidding them be wary,
+and not stir till he gave the word.
+
+
+Thorbiorn's Return
+
+Late that evening, just before dusk, Thorbiorn and Vakr came home,
+bringing their kinsmen with them, a party of ten in all. They had no
+suspicion of any ambush, and Thorbiorn said to Vakr: "It is a fine
+night, and dry, Vakr; we will leave the boat here--she will take no
+hurt through the night--and thou shalt carry our swords and spears up
+to the boathouse."
+
+Vakr obeyed, and bore all the weapons to the boathouse. Howard's men
+would have slain him then but Howard forbade, and let him return to
+the jetty for more armour. When Vakr had gone back Howard sent to the
+boathouse for the magic sword, Warflame; drawing it, he gripped it
+hard and brandished it, for he would fain avenge Olaf with the weapon
+which had slain him. When Vakr came towards the ambush a second time
+he was laden with shields and helmets. Howard's men sprang up to take
+him, and he turned to flee as he saw and heard them. But his foot
+slipped, and he fell into the pool, and lay there weighed down by all
+the armour, till he died miserably--a fitting end for one so ignoble
+and cruel.
+
+
+Thorbiorn's Death
+
+Howard's men shouted and waved their weapons, and ran down to the
+beach to attack their enemies; but Thorbiorn, seeing them, flung
+himself into the sea, swimming towards a small rocky islet. When
+Howard saw this he took Warflame between his teeth, and, old as he
+was, plunged into the waves and pursued Thorbiorn. The latter had,
+however, a considerable start, and was both younger and stronger than
+his adversary, so that he was already on the rock and prepared to dash
+a huge stone at Howard, when the old man reached the islet. Now there
+seemed no hope for Howard, but still he clung fiercely to the rock and
+strove to draw himself up on the land. Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone
+to cast at his foe, but his foot slipped on the wet rocks, and he fell
+backward; before he could recover his footing Howard rushed forward
+and slew him with his own sword Warflame, striking out his teeth, as
+Thorbiorn had done to Olaf.
+
+[Illustration: "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone"]
+
+When Howard swam back to Bathstead, and they told him that in all
+six of Thorbiorn's men were dead, while he had only lost one
+serving-man, he rejoiced greatly; but his vengeance was not satisfied
+until he had slain yet another brother of Thorbiorn's.
+
+
+Steinthor Shelters Howard
+
+Then, with the news of this great revenge to be told, Howard and his
+kinsmen took refuge with that Steinthor who had given him help and
+shelter during the Thing.
+
+"Who are ye, and what tidings do ye bring?" asked Steinthor as the
+little party of seven entered his hall.
+
+"I am Howard, and these are my kinsmen," said Howard. "We tell the
+slaying of Thorbiorn and his brothers, his nephews and his
+house-carles, eight in all."
+
+Steinthor exclaimed in surprise: "Art thou that Howard, old and
+bedridden, who didst seem like to die last year at the Thing, and hast
+thou done these mighty deeds with only these youths to aid thee? This
+is a great marvel, nearly as wondrous as thy restoration to youth and
+health. Great enmity will ye have aroused against you!"
+
+Said Howard: "Bethink thee that thou didst promise me thy help if I
+should ever need it. Therefore have I come to thee now, because I have
+some little need of aid."
+
+Steinthor laughed. "A little help! When dost thou think thou wilt need
+much, if this be not the time? But bide ye all here in honour, and I
+will set the matter right, since thou and these thy helpers have done
+so valiantly."
+
+
+The Thing and Guest's Award
+
+Howard and his kinsmen abode long with their host, until the Thing met
+again; then Steinthor rode away, leaving the uncle and nephews under
+good safeguard. It was a great meeting, with many cases to judge.
+When the matter of the death of Thorbiorn's family was brought up
+Steinthor spoke on Howard's behalf, and offered to let Guest again
+give judgment, since he had done so before. This offer was accepted by
+Thorbiorn's surviving kinsfolk, and Guest, as before, gave a fair
+award.
+
+Since a threefold wergild was still due to Howard for the slaying of
+Olaf, three of the eight dead need not be paid for. Thorbiorn, Vakr,
+and that brother of his slain by Olaf should continue unatoned for,
+because they were evildoers, and fell in an unrighteous quarrel of
+their own seeking; moreover, the slaying of Howard's serving-man
+cancelled one wergild; there remained, therefore, but one wergild for
+Howard to pay--one hundred of silver--which was paid out of hand. In
+addition to this, Howard must change his dwelling, and his nephews
+must travel abroad for some years. This sentence pleased all men
+greatly, and they broke up the Thing in great content, and Howard rode
+home at the head of a goodly company to his stout-hearted wife
+Biargey, who had kept his house and lands in good order all this time.
+They made a great feast, and gave rich gifts to all their friends and
+kinsmen; then when the farewells were over the exiles went abroad and
+did valiantly in Norway; but Howard sold his lands and moved to
+another part of the island. There he prospered greatly; and when he
+died his memory was handed down as that of a mighty warrior and a
+valiant and prudent man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII: ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE
+
+
+The Roland Legends
+
+Charles the Great, King of the Franks, world-famous as Charlemagne,
+won his undying renown by innumerable victories for France and for the
+Church. Charles as the head of the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope as
+the head of the Holy Catholic Church equally dominated the imagination
+of the mediæval world. Yet in romance Charlemagne's fame has been
+eclipsed by that of his illustrious nephew and vassal, Roland, whose
+crowning glory has sprung from his last conflict and heroic death in
+the valley of Roncesvalles.
+
+    "Oh for a blast of that dread horn,
+    On Fontarabian echoes borne,
+    That to King Charles did come,
+    When Roland brave, and Olivier,
+    And every paladin and peer
+    On Roncesvalles died."
+
+    _Scott._
+
+Briefly, the historical facts are these: In A.D. 778 Charles was
+returning from an expedition into Spain, where the dissensions of the
+Moorish rulers had offered him the chance of extending his borders
+while he fought for the Christian faith against the infidel. He had
+taken Pampeluna, but had been checked before Saragossa, and had not
+ventured beyond the Ebro; he was now making his way home through the
+Pyrenees. When the main army had safely traversed the passes, the rear
+was suddenly attacked by an overwhelming body of mountaineers, Gascons
+and Basques, who, resenting the violation of their mountain
+sanctuaries, and longing for plunder, drove the Frankish rearguard
+into a little valley (now marked by the chapel of Ibagneta and still
+called Roncesvalles), and there slew every man.
+
+[Illustration: Charlemagne
+
+Stella Langdale]
+
+
+The Historic Basis
+
+The whole romantic legend of Roland has sprung from the simple words
+in a contemporary chronicle, "In which battle was slain Roland,
+prefect of the marches of Brittany."[12]
+
+This same fight of Roncesvalles was the theme of an archaic poem, the
+"Song of Altobiscar," written about 1835. In it we hear the exultation
+of the Basques as they see the knights of France fall beneath their
+onslaughts. The Basques are on the heights--they hear the trampling of
+a mighty host which throngs the narrow valley below: its numbers are
+as countless as the sands of the sea, its movement as resistless as
+the waves which roll those sands on the shore. Awe fills the bosoms of
+the mountain tribesmen, but their leader is undaunted. "Let us unite
+our strong arms!" he cries aloud. "Let us tear our rocks from their
+beds and hurl them upon the enemy! Let us crush and slay them all!" So
+said, so done: the rocks roll plunging into the valley, slaying whole
+troops in their descent. "And what mangled flesh, what broken bones,
+what seas of blood! Soon of that gallant band not one is left alive;
+night covers all, the eagles devour the flesh, and the bones whiten in
+this valley to all eternity!"
+
+
+A Spanish Version
+
+So runs the "Song of Altobiscar." But Spain too claims part of the
+honour of the day of Roncesvalles. True, Roland was in reality
+slain by Basques, not by Spaniards; but Spain, eager to share the
+honour, has glorified a national hero, Bernardo del Carpio, who, in
+the Spanish legend, defeats Roland in single combat and wins the day.
+
+
+The Italian Orlando
+
+Italy has laid claim to Roland, and in the guise of Orlando, Orlando
+Furioso, Orlando Innamorato, has made him into a fantastic, chivalrous
+knight, a hero of many magical adventures.
+
+
+Roland in French Literature
+
+Noblest of all, however, is the development of the "Roland Saga" in
+French literature; for, even setting aside much legendary lore and
+accumulated tradition, the Roland of the old epic is a perfect hero of
+the early days of feudalism, when chivalry was in its very beginnings,
+before the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary added the grace of courtesy
+to its heroism. Evidently Roland had grown in importance before the
+"Chanson de Roland" took its present form, for we find the rearguard
+skirmish magnified into a great battle, which manifestly contains
+recollections of later Saracen invasions and Gascon revolts. As befits
+the hero of an epic, Roland is now of royal blood, the nephew of the
+great emperor, who has himself increased in age and splendour; this
+heroic Roland can obviously only be overcome by the treachery of one
+of the Franks themselves, so there appears the traitor Ganelon (a
+Romance version of a certain Danilo or Nanilo), who is among the
+Twelve Peers what Judas was among the Apostles; the mighty Saracens,
+not the insignificant Basques, are now the victors; and the vengeance
+taken by Charlemagne on the Saracens and on the traitor is boldly
+added to history, which leaves the disaster unavenged. Thus the bare
+fact was embroidered over gradually by the historical imagination,
+aided by patriotism, until a really national hero was evolved out of
+an obscure Breton count.
+
+
+The "Chanson de Roland"
+
+The "Song of Roland," as we now have it, seems to be a late version of
+an Anglo-Norman poem, made by a certain Turoldus or Thorold; and it
+must bear a close resemblance to that chant which fired the soldiers
+of William the Norman at Hastings, when
+
+    "Taillefer, the noble singer,
+    On his war-horse swift and fiery,
+    Rode before the Norman host;
+    Tossed his sword in air and caught it,
+    Chanted loud the death of Roland,
+    And the peers who perished with him
+    At the pass of Roncevaux."
+
+    _Roman de Rou._
+
+The "Song of Roland" bears an intimate relation to the development of
+European thought, and the hero is doubly worth our study as hero and
+as type of national character. Thus runs the story:
+
+
+The Story
+
+The Emperor Charles the Great, Carolus Magnus, or Charlemagne, had
+been for seven years in Spain, and had conquered it from sea to sea,
+except Saragossa, which, among its lofty mountains, and ruled by its
+brave king Marsile, had defied his power. Marsile still held to his
+idols, Mahomet, Apollo, and Termagaunt, dreading in his heart the day
+when Charles would force him to become a Christian.
+
+
+The Saracen Council
+
+The Saracen king gathered a council around him, as he reclined on a
+seat of blue marble in the shade of an orchard, and asked the advice
+of his wise men.
+
+    "'My lords,' quoth he, 'you know our grievous state.
+    The mighty Charles, great lord of France the fair,
+    Has spread his hosts in ruin o'er our land.
+    No armies have I to resist his course,
+    No people have I to destroy his hosts.
+    Advise me now, what counsel shall I take
+    To save my race and realm from death and shame?'"
+
+
+Blancandrin's Advice
+
+A wily emir, Blancandrin, of Val-Fonde, was the only man who replied.
+He was wise in counsel, brave in war, a loyal vassal to his lord.
+
+    "'Fear not, my liege,' he answered the sad king.
+    'Send thou to Charles the proud, the arrogant,
+    And offer fealty and service true,
+    With gifts of lions, bears, and swift-foot hounds,
+    Seven hundred camels, falcons, mules, and gold--
+    As much as fifty chariots can convey--
+    Yea, gold enough to pay his vassals all.
+    Say thou thyself will take the Christian faith,
+    And follow him to Aix to be baptized.
+    If he demands thy hostages, then I
+    And these my fellows give our sons to thee,
+    To go with Charles to France, as pledge of truth.
+    Thou wilt not follow him, thou wilt not yield
+    To be baptized, and so our sons must die;
+    But better death than life in foul disgrace,
+    With loss of our bright Spain and happy days.'
+    So cried the pagans all; but Marsile sat
+    Thoughtful, and yet at last accepted all."
+
+
+An Embassy to Charlemagne
+
+Now King Marsile dismissed the council with words of thanks, only
+retaining near him ten of his most famous barons, chief of whom was
+Blancandrin; to them he said: "My lords, go to Cordova, where Charles
+is at this time. Bear olive-branches in your hands, in token of peace,
+and reconcile me with him. Great shall be your reward if you succeed.
+Beg Charles to have pity on me, and I will follow him to Aix within a
+month, will receive the Christian law, and become his vassal in love
+and loyalty."
+
+"Sire," said Blancandrin, "you shall have a good treaty!"
+
+The ten messengers departed, bearing olive-branches in their hands,
+riding on white mules, with reins of gold and saddles of silver, and
+came to Charles as he rested after the siege of Cordova, which he had
+just taken and sacked.
+
+
+Reception by Charlemagne
+
+Charlemagne was in an orchard with his Twelve Peers and fifteen
+thousand veteran warriors of France. The messengers from the heathen
+king reached this orchard and asked for the emperor; their gaze
+wandered over groups of wise nobles playing at chess, and groups of
+gay youths fencing, till at last it rested on a throne of solid gold,
+set under a pine-tree and overshadowed with eglantine. There sat
+Charles, the king who ruled fair France, with white flowing beard and
+hoary head, stately of form and majestic of countenance. No need was
+there of usher to cry: "Here sits Charles the King."
+
+[Illustration: "Here sits Charles the King"]
+
+The ambassadors greeted Charlemagne with all honour, and Blancandrin
+opened the embassy thus:
+
+"Peace be with you from God the Lord of Glory whom you adore! Thus
+says the valiant King Marsile: He has been instructed in your faith,
+the way of salvation, and is willing to be baptized; but you have been
+too long in our bright Spain, and should return to Aix. There will
+he follow you and become your vassal, holding the kingdom of Spain at
+your hand. Gifts have we brought from him to lay at your feet, for he
+will share his treasures with you!"
+
+
+He is Perplexed
+
+Charlemagne raised his hands in thanks to God, but then bent his head
+and remained thinking deeply, for he was a man of prudent mind,
+cautious and far-seeing, and never spoke on impulse. At last he said
+proudly: "Ye have spoken fairly, but Marsile is my greatest enemy: how
+can I trust your words?"
+
+Blancandrin replied: "He will give hostages, twenty of our noblest
+youths, and my own son will be among them. King Marsile will follow
+you to the wondrous springs of Aix-la-Chapelle, and on the feast of
+St. Michael will receive baptism in your court."
+
+Thus the audience ended. The messengers were feasted in a pavilion
+raised in the orchard, and the night passed in gaiety and
+good-fellowship.
+
+
+He Consults his Twelve Peers
+
+In the early morning Charlemagne arose and heard Mass; then, sitting
+beneath a pine-tree, he called the Twelve Peers to council. There came
+the twelve heroes, chief of them Roland and his loyal brother-in-arms
+Oliver; there came Archbishop Turpin; and, among a thousand loyal
+Franks, there came Ganelon the traitor. When all were seated in due
+order Charlemagne began:
+
+"My lords and barons, I have received an embassy of peace from King
+Marsile, who sends me great gifts and offers, but on condition that I
+leave Spain and return to Aix. Thither will he follow me, to receive
+the Faith, become a Christian and my vassal. Is he to be trusted?"
+
+"Let us beware," cried all the Franks.
+
+
+Roland Speaks
+
+Roland, ever impetuous, now rose without delay, and spoke: "Fair uncle
+and sire, it would be madness to trust Marsile. Seven years have we
+warred in Spain, and many cities have I won for you, but Marsile has
+ever been treacherous. Once before when he sent messengers with
+olive-branches you and the French foolishly believed him, and he
+beheaded the two counts who were your ambassadors to him. Fight
+Marsile to the end, besiege and sack Saragossa, and avenge those who
+perished by his treachery."
+
+
+Ganelon Objects
+
+Charlemagne looked out gloomily from under his heavy brows, he twisted
+his moustache and pulled his long white beard, but said nothing, and
+all the Franks remained silent, except Ganelon, whose hostility to
+Roland showed clearly in his words:
+
+"Sire, blind credulity were wrong and foolish, but follow up your own
+advantage. When Marsile offers to become your vassal, to hold Spain at
+your hand and to take your faith, any man who urges you to reject such
+terms cares little for our death! Let pride no longer be your
+counsellor, but hear the voice of wisdom."
+
+The aged Duke Naimes, the Nestor of the army, spoke next, supporting
+Ganelon: "Sire, the advice of Count Ganelon is wise, if wisely
+followed. Marsile lies at your mercy; he has lost all, and only begs
+for pity. It would be a sin to press this cruel war, since he offers
+full guarantee by his hostages. You need only send one of your barons
+to arrange the terms of peace."
+
+This advice pleased the whole assembly, and a murmur was heard: "The
+Duke has spoken well."
+
+
+"Who Shall Go to Saragossa?"
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send
+    To Saragossa to Marsile?'
+    'Sire, let me go,' replied Duke Naimes;
+    'Give me your glove and warlike staff.'
+    'No!' cried the king, 'my counsellor,
+    Thou shalt not leave me unadvised--
+    Sit down again; I bid thee stay.'
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send
+    To Saragossa to Marsile?'
+    'Sire, I can go,' quoth Roland bold.
+    'That canst thou not,' said Oliver;
+    'Thy heart is far too hot and fierce--
+    I fear for thee. But I will go,
+    If that will please my lord the King.'
+    'No!' cried the king, 'ye shall not go.
+    I swear by this white flowing beard
+    No peer shall undertake the task.'
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send?'
+    Archbishop Turpin rose and spoke:
+    'Fair sire, let me be messenger.
+    Your nobles all have played their part;
+    Give me your glove and warlike staff,
+    And I will show this heathen king
+    In frank speech how a true knight feels.'
+    But wrathfully the king replied:
+    'By this white beard, thou shalt not go!
+    Sit down, and raise thy voice no more.'"
+
+
+Roland Suggests Ganelon
+
+"Knights of France," quoth Charlemagne, "choose me now one of your
+number to do my errand to Marsile, and to defend my honour valiantly,
+if need be."
+
+"Ah," said Roland, "then it must be Ganelon, my stepfather; for
+whether he goes or stays, you have none better than he!"
+
+This suggestion satisfied all the assembly, and they cried: "Ganelon
+will acquit himself right manfully. If it please the King, he is the
+right man to go."
+
+Charlemagne thought for a moment, and then, raising his head, beckoned
+to Ganelon. "Come hither, Ganelon," he said, "and receive this glove
+and staff, which the voice of all the Franks gives to thee."
+
+
+Ganelon is Angry
+
+"No," replied Ganelon, wrathfully. "This is the work of Roland, and I
+will never forgive him, nor his friends, Oliver and the other Peers.
+Here, in your presence, I bid them defiance!"
+
+"Your anger is too great," said Charlemagne; "you will go, since it is
+my will also."
+
+"Yes, I shall go, but I shall perish as did your two former
+ambassadors. Sire, forget not that your sister is my wife, and that
+Baldwin, my son, will be a valiant champion if he lives. I leave to
+him my lands and fiefs. Sire, guard him well, for I shall see him no
+more."
+
+"Your heart is too tender," said Charlemagne. "You must go, since such
+is my command."
+
+
+He Threatens Roland
+
+Ganelon, in rage and anguish, glared round the council, and his face
+drew all eyes, so fiercely he looked at Roland.
+
+"Madman," said he, "all men know that I am thy stepfather, and for
+this cause thou hast sent me to Marsile, that I may perish! But if I
+return I will be revenged on thee."
+
+"Madness and pride," Roland retorted, "have no terrors for me; but
+this embassy demands a prudent man not an angry fool: if Charles
+consents, I will do his errand for thee."
+
+"Thou shalt not. Thou art not my vassal, to do my work, and Charles,
+my lord, has given me his commands. I go to Saragossa; but there will
+I find some way to vent my anger."
+
+Now Roland began to laugh, so wild did his stepfather's threats seem,
+and the laughter stung Ganelon to madness. "I hate you," he cried to
+Roland; "you have brought this unjust choice on me." Then, turning to
+the emperor: "Mighty lord, behold me ready to fulfil your commands."
+
+
+But is Sent
+
+"Fair Lord Ganelon," spoke Charlemagne, "bear this message to Marsile.
+He must become my vassal and receive holy baptism. Half of Spain shall
+be his fief; the other half is for Count Roland. If Marsile does not
+accept these terms I will besiege Saragossa, capture the town, and
+lead Marsile prisoner to Aix, where he shall die in shame and torment.
+Take this letter, sealed with my seal, and deliver it into the king's
+own right hand."
+
+Thereupon Charlemagne held out his right-hand glove to Ganelon, who
+would fain have refused it. So reluctant was he to grasp it that the
+glove fell to the ground. "Ah, God!" cried the Franks, "what an evil
+omen! What woes will come to us from this embassy!" "You shall hear
+full tidings," quoth Ganelon. "Now, sire, dismiss me, for I have no
+time to lose." Very solemnly Charlemagne raised his hand and made the
+sign of the Cross over Ganelon, and gave him his blessing, saying,
+"Go, for the honour of Jesus Christ, and for your Emperor." So
+Ganelon took his leave, and returned to his lodging, where he prepared
+for his journey, and bade farewell to the weeping retainers whom he
+left behind, though they begged to accompany him. "God forbid," cried
+he, "that so many brave knights should die! Rather will I die alone.
+You, sirs, return to our fair France, greet well my wife, guard my son
+Baldwin, and defend his fief!"
+
+
+He Plots with Marsile's Messengers
+
+Then Ganelon rode away, and shortly overtook the ambassadors of the
+Moorish king, for Blancandrin had delayed their journey to accompany
+him, and the two envoys began a crafty conversation, for both were
+wary and skilful, and each was trying to read the other's mind. The
+wily Saracen began:
+
+    "'Ah! what a wondrous king is Charles!
+    How far and wide his conquests range!
+    The salt sea is no bar to him:
+    From Poland to far England's shores
+    He stretches his unquestioned sway;
+    But why seeks he to win bright Spain?'
+    'Such is his will,' quoth Ganelon;
+    'None can withstand his mighty power!'
+
+    "'How valiant are the Frankish lords
+    But how their counsel wrongs their king
+    To urge him to this long-drawn strife--
+    They ruin both themselves and him!'
+    'I blame not them,' quoth Ganelon,
+    'But Roland, swollen with fatal pride.
+    Near Carcassonne he brought the King
+    An apple, crimson streaked with gold:
+    "Fair sire," quoth he, "here at your feet
+    I lay the crowns of all the kings."
+    If he were dead we should have peace!'
+
+    "'How haughty must this Roland be
+    Who fain would conquer all the earth!
+    Such pride deserves due chastisement!
+    What warriors has he for the task?'
+    'The Franks of France,' quoth Ganelon,
+    'The bravest warriors 'neath the sun!
+    For love alone they follow him
+    (Or lavish gifts which he bestows)
+    To death, or conquest of the world!'"
+
+[Illustration: "Ganelon rode away"]
+
+
+To Betray Roland
+
+The bitterness in Ganelon's tone at once struck: Blancandrin, who cast
+a glance at him and saw the Frankish envoy trembling with rage. He
+suddenly addressed Ganelon in whispered tones: "Hast thou aught
+against the nephew of Charles? Wouldst thou have revenge on Roland?
+Deliver him to us, and King Marsile will share with thee all his
+treasures." Ganelon was at first horrified, and refused to hear more,
+but so well did Blancandrin argue and so skilfully did he lay his
+snare that before they reached Saragossa and came to the presence of
+King Marsile it was agreed that Roland should be destroyed by their
+means.
+
+
+Ganelon with the Saracens
+
+Blancandrin and his fellow ambassadors conducted Ganelon into the
+presence of the Saracen king, and announced Charlemagne's peaceable
+reception of their message and the coming of his envoy. "Let him
+speak: we listen," said Marsile.
+
+Ganelon then began artfully: "Peace be to you in the name of the Lord
+of Glory whom we adore! This is the message of King Charles: You shall
+receive the Holy Christian Faith, and Charles will graciously grant
+you one-half of Spain as a fief; the other half he intends for his
+nephew Roland (and a haughty partner you will find him!). If you
+refuse he will take Saragossa, lead you captive to Aix, and give you
+there to a shameful death."
+
+
+Marsile's Anger
+
+Marsile's anger was so great at this insulting message that he sprang
+to his feet, and would have slain Ganelon with his gold-adorned
+javelin; but he, seeing this, half drew his sword, saying:
+
+    "'Sword, how fair and bright thou art!
+    Come thou forth and view the light.
+    Long as I can wield thee here
+    Charles my Emperor shall not say
+    That I die alone, unwept.
+    Ere I fall Spain's noblest blood
+    Shall be shed to pay my death.'"
+
+
+The Saracen Council
+
+However, strife was averted, and Ganelon received praise from all for
+his bold bearing and valiant defiance of his king's enemy. When quiet
+was restored he repeated his message and delivered the emperor's
+letter, which was found to contain a demand that the caliph, Marsile's
+uncle, should be sent, a prisoner, to Charles, in atonement for the
+two ambassadors foully slain before. The indignation of the Saracen
+nobles was intense, and Ganelon was in imminent danger, but, setting
+his back against a pine-tree, he prepared to defend himself to the
+last. Again the quarrel was stayed, and Marsile, taking his most
+trusted leaders, withdrew to a secret council, whither, soon,
+Blancandrin led Ganelon. Here Marsile excused his former rage, and, in
+reparation, offered Ganelon a superb robe of marten's fur, which was
+accepted; and then began the tempting of the traitor. First demanding
+a pledge of secrecy, Marsile pitied Charlemagne, so aged and so weary
+with rule. Ganelon praised his emperor's prowess and vast power.
+Marsile repeated his words of pity, and Ganelon replied that as long
+as Roland and the Twelve Peers lived Charlemagne needed no man's pity
+and feared no man's power; his Franks, also, were the best living
+warriors. Marsile declared proudly that he could bring four hundred
+thousand men against Charlemagne's twenty thousand French; but Ganelon
+dissuaded him from any such expedition.
+
+
+Ganelon Plans Treachery
+
+    "'Not thus will you overcome him;
+    Leave this folly, turn to wisdom.
+    Give the Emperor so much treasure
+    That the Franks will be astounded.
+    Send him, too, the promised pledges,
+    Sons of all your noblest vassals.
+    To fair France will Charles march homeward,
+    Leaving (as I will contrive it)
+    Haughty Roland in the rearguard.
+    Oliver, the bold and courteous,
+    Will be with him: slay those heroes,
+    And King Charles will fall for ever!'
+    'Fair Sir Ganelon,' quoth Marsile,
+    'How must I entrap Count Roland?'
+    'When King Charles is in the mountains
+    He will leave behind his rearguard
+    Under Oliver and Roland.
+    Send against them half your army:
+    Roland and the Peers will conquer,
+    But be wearied with the struggle--
+    Then bring on your untired warriors.
+    France will lose this second battle,
+    And when Roland dies, the Emperor
+    Has no right hand for his conflicts--
+    Farewell all the Frankish greatness!
+    Ne'er again can Charles assemble
+    Such a mighty host for conquest,
+    And you will have peace henceforward!'"
+
+
+Welcomed by Marsile
+
+Marsile was overjoyed at the treacherous advice and embraced and
+richly rewarded the felon knight. The death of Roland and the Peers
+was solemnly sworn between them, by Marsile on the book of the Law of
+Mahomet, by Ganelon on the sacred relics in the pommel of his sword.
+Then, repeating the compact between them, and warning Ganelon against
+treason to his friends, Marsile dismissed the treacherous envoy who
+hastened to return and put his scheme into execution.
+
+
+Ganelon Returns to Charles
+
+In the meantime Charles had retired as far as Valtierra, on his way to
+France, and there Ganelon found him, and delivered the tribute, the
+keys of Saragossa, and a false message excusing the absence of the
+caliph. He had, so Marsile said, put to sea with three hundred
+thousand warriors who would not renounce their faith, and all had been
+drowned in a tempest, not four leagues from land. Marsile would obey
+King Charles's commands in all other respects. "Thank God!" cried
+Charlemagne. "Ganelon, you have done well, and shall be well
+rewarded!"
+
+
+The French Camp. Charles Dreams
+
+Now the whole Frankish army marched towards the Pyrenees, and, as
+evening fell, found themselves among the mountains, where Roland
+planted his banner on the topmost summit, clear against the sky, and
+the army encamped for the night; but the whole Saracen host had also
+marched and encamped in a wood not far from the Franks. Meanwhile, as
+Charlemagne slept he had dreams of evil omen. Ganelon, in his dreams,
+seized the imperial spear of tough ash-wood, and broke it, so that
+the splinters flew far and wide. In another dream he saw himself at
+Aix attacked by a leopard and a bear, which tore off his right arm; a
+greyhound came to his aid but he knew not the end of the fray, and
+slept unhappily.
+
+
+A Morning Council
+
+When morning light shone, and the army was ready to march, the
+clarions of the host sounded gaily, and Charlemagne called his barons
+around him.
+
+    "'My lords and Peers, ye see these strait defiles:
+    Choose ye to whom the rearguard shall be given.'
+    'My stepson Roland,' straight quoth Ganelon.
+    ''Mid all the Peers there is no braver knight:
+    In him will lie the safety of your host.'
+    Charles heard in wrath, and spoke in angry tones:
+    'What fiendish rage has prompted this advice?
+    Who then will go before me in the van?'
+    The traitor tarried not, but answered swift:
+    'Ogier the Dane will do that duty best.'"
+
+When Roland heard that he was to command the rearguard he knew not
+whether to be pleased or not. At first he thanked Ganelon for naming
+him. "Thanks, fair stepfather, for sending me to the post of danger.
+King Charles shall lose no man nor horse through my neglect." But when
+Ganelon replied sneeringly, "You speak the truth, as I know right
+well," Roland's gratitude turned to bitter anger, and he reproached
+the villain. "Ah, wretch! disloyal traitor! thou thinkest perchance
+that I, like thee, shall basely drop the glove, but thou shalt see!
+Sir King, give me your bow. I will not let my badge of office fall, as
+thou didst, Ganelon, at Cordova. No evil omen shall assail the host
+through me."
+
+
+Roland for the Rearguard
+
+Charlemagne was very loath to grant his request, but on the advice of
+Duke Naimes, most prudent of counsellors, he gave to Roland his bow,
+and offered to leave with him half the army. To this the champion
+would not agree, but would only have twenty thousand Franks from fair
+France. Roland clad himself in his shining armour, laced on his lordly
+helmet, girt himself with his famous sword Durendala, and hung round
+his neck his flower-painted shield; he mounted his good steed
+Veillantif, and took in hand his bright lance with the white pennon
+and golden fringe; then, looking like the Archangel St. Michael, he
+rode forward, and easy it was to see how all the Franks loved him and
+would follow where he led. Beside him rode the famous Peers of France,
+Oliver the bold and courteous, the saintly Archbishop Turpin, and
+Count Gautier, Roland's loyal vassal. They chose carefully the twenty
+thousand French for the rearguard, and Roland sent Gautier with one
+thousand of their number to search the mountains. Alas! they never
+returned, for King Almaris, a Saracen chief, met and slew them all
+among the hills; and only Gautier, sorely wounded and bleeding to
+death, returned to Roland in the final struggle.
+
+Charlemagne spoke a mournful "Farewell" to his nephew and the
+rearguard, and the mighty army began to traverse the gloomy ravine
+through the dark masses of rocks, and to emerge on the other side of
+the Pyrenees. All wept, most for joy to set eyes on that dear land of
+fair France, which for seven years they had not seen; but Charles,
+with a sad foreboding of disaster, hid his eyes beneath his cloak and
+wept in silence.
+
+
+Charles is Sad
+
+"What grief weighs on your mind, sire?" asked the wise Duke Naimes,
+riding up beside Charlemagne.
+
+"I mourn for my nephew. Last night in a vision I saw Ganelon break my
+trusty lance--this Ganelon who has sent Roland to the rear. And now I
+have left Roland in a foreign land, and, O God! if I lose him I shall
+never find his equal!" And the emperor rode on in silence, seeing
+naught but his own sad foreboding visions.
+
+
+The Saracen Pursuit
+
+Meanwhile King Marsile, with his countless Saracens, had pursued so
+quickly that the van of the heathen army soon saw waving the banners
+of the Frankish rear. Then as they halted before the strife began, one
+by one the nobles of Saragossa, the champions of the Moors, advanced
+and claimed the right to measure themselves against the Twelve Peers
+of France. Marsile's nephew received the royal glove as chief
+champion, and eleven Saracen chiefs took a vow to slay Roland and
+spread the faith of Mahomet.
+
+"Death to the rearguard! Roland shall die! Death to the Peers! Woe to
+France and Charlemagne! We will bring the Emperor to your feet! You
+shall sleep at St. Denis! Down with fair France!" Such were their
+confident cries as they armed for the conflict; and on their side no
+less eager were the Franks.
+
+"Fair Sir Comrade," said Oliver to Roland, "methinks we shall have a
+fray with the heathen."
+
+"God grant it," returned Roland. "Our duty is to hold this pass for
+our king. A vassal must endure for his lord grief and pain, heat and
+cold, torment and death; and a knight's duty is to strike mighty
+blows, that men may sing of him, in time to come, no evil songs.
+Never shall such be sung of me."
+
+
+Oliver Descries the Saracens
+
+Hearing a great tumult, Oliver ascended a hill and looked towards
+Spain, where he perceived the great pagan army, like a gleaming sea,
+with shining hauberks and helms flashing in the sun. "Alas! we are
+betrayed! This treason is plotted by Ganelon, who put us in the rear,"
+he cried. "Say no more," said Roland; "blame him not in this: he is my
+stepfather."
+
+Now Oliver alone had seen the might of the pagan array, and he was
+appalled by the countless multitudes of the heathens. He descended
+from the hill and appealed to Roland.
+
+
+Roland will not Blow his Horn
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn,
+    Your great Olifant, far-sounding:
+    Charles will hear it and return here.'
+    'Cowardice were that,' quoth Roland;
+    'In fair France my fame were tarnished.
+    No, these Pagans all shall perish
+    When I brandish Durendala.'
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn:
+    Charles will hear it and return here.'
+    'God forbid it,' Roland answered,
+    'That it e'er be sung by minstrels
+    I was asking help in battle
+    From my King against these Pagans.
+    I will ne'er do such dishonour
+    To my kinsmen and my nation.
+    No, these heathen all shall perish
+    When I brandish Durendala.'
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn
+    Charles will hear it and return here.
+    See how countless are the heathen
+    And how small our Frankish troop is!'
+    'God forbid it,' answered Roland,
+    'That our fair France be dishonoured
+    Or by me or by my comrades--
+    Death we choose, but not dishonour!'"
+
+Roland was a valiant hero, but Oliver had prudence as well as valour,
+and his advice was that of a good and careful general. Now he spoke
+reproachfully.
+
+
+It is Too Late
+
+"Ah, Roland, if you had sounded your magic horn the king would soon be
+here, and we should not perish! Now look to the heights and to the
+mountain passes: see those who surround us. None of us will see the
+light of another day!"
+
+"Speak not so foolishly," retorted Roland. "Accursed be all cowards,
+say I." Then, softening his tone a little, he continued: "Friend and
+comrade, say no more. The emperor has entrusted to us twenty thousand
+Frenchmen, and not a coward among them. Lay on with thy lance, Oliver,
+and I will strike with Durendala. If I die men shall say: 'This was
+the sword of a noble vassal.'"
+
+
+Turpin Blesses the Knights
+
+Then spoke the brave and saintly Archbishop Turpin. Spurring his
+horse, he rode, a gallant figure, to the summit of a hill, whence he
+called aloud to the Frankish knights:
+
+    "'Fair sirs and barons, Charles has left us here
+    To serve him, or at need to die for him.
+    See, yonder come the foes of Christendom,
+    And we must fight for God and Holy Faith.
+    Now, say your shrift, and make your peace with Heaven;
+    I will absolve you and will heal your souls;
+    And if you die as martyrs, your true home
+    Is ready midst the flowers of Paradise!'"
+
+The Frankish knights, dismounting, knelt before Turpin, who blessed
+and absolved them all, bidding them, as penance, to strike hard
+against the heathen.
+
+Then Roland called his brother-in-arms, the brave and courteous
+Oliver, and said: "Fair brother, I know now that Ganelon has betrayed
+us for reward and Marsile has bought us; but the payment shall be made
+with our swords, and Charlemagne will terribly avenge us."
+
+
+"Montjoie! Montjoie!"
+
+While the two armies yet stood face to face in battle array Oliver
+replied: "What good is it to speak? You would not sound your horn, and
+Charles cannot help us; he is not to blame. Barons and lords, ride on
+and yield not. In God's name fight and slay, and remember the war-cry
+of our Emperor." And at the words the war-cry of "Montjoie! Montjoie!"
+burst from the whole army as they spurred against the advancing
+heathen host.
+
+
+The Fray
+
+Great was the fray that day, deadly was the combat, as the Moors and
+Franks crashed together, shouting their cries, invoking their gods or
+saints, wielding with utmost courage sword, lance, javelin, scimitar,
+or dagger. Blades flashed, lances were splintered, helms were cloven
+in that terrible fight of heroes. Each of the Twelve Peers did mighty
+feats of arms. Roland himself slew the nephew of King Marsile, who had
+promised to bring Roland's head to his uncle's feet, and bitter were
+the words that Roland hurled at the lifeless body of his foe, who had
+but just before boasted that Charlemagne should lose his right hand.
+Oliver slew the heathen king's brother, and one by one the Twelve
+Peers proved their mettle on the twelve champions of King Marsile, and
+left them dead or mortally wounded on the field. Wherever the battle
+was fiercest and the danger greatest, where help was most needed,
+there Roland spurred to the rescue, swinging Durendala, and, falling
+on the heathen like a thunderbolt of war, turned the tide of battle
+again and yet again.
+
+    "Red was Roland, red with bloodshed:
+    Red his corselet, red his shoulders,
+    Red his arm, and red his charger."
+
+Like the red god Mars he rode through the battle; and as he went he
+met Oliver, with the truncheon or a spear in his grasp.
+
+    "'Friend, what hast thou there?' cried Roland.
+    'In this game 'tis not a distaff,
+    But a blade of steel thou needest.
+    Where is now Hauteclaire, thy good sword,
+    Golden-hilted, crystal-pommeled?'
+    'Here,' said Oliver; 'so fight I
+    That I have not time to draw it.'
+    'Friend,' quoth Roland, 'more I love thee
+    Ever henceforth than a brother.'"
+
+
+The Saracens Perish
+
+Thus the battle continued, most valiantly contested by both sides, and
+the Saracens died by hundreds and thousands, till all their host lay
+dead but one man, who fled wounded, leaving the Frenchmen masters of
+the field, but in sorry plight--broken were their swords and lances,
+rent their hauberks, torn and blood-stained their gay banners and
+pennons, and many, many of their brave comrades lay lifeless. Sadly
+they looked round on the heaps of corpses, and their minds were filled
+with grief as they thought of their companions, of fair France which
+they should see no more, and of their emperor who even now awaited
+them while they fought and died for him. Yet they were not
+discouraged; loudly their cry re-echoed, "Montjoie! Montjoie!" as
+Roland cheered them on, and Turpin called aloud: "Our men are heroes;
+no king under heaven has better. It is written in the Chronicles of
+France that in that great land it is our king's right to have valiant
+soldiers."
+
+
+A Second Saracen Army
+
+While they sought in tears the bodies of their friends, the main army
+of the Saracens, under King Marsile in person, came upon them; for the
+one fugitive who had escaped had urged Marsile to attack again at
+once, while the Franks were still weary. The advice seemed good to
+Marsile, and he advanced at the head of a hundred thousand men, whom
+he now hurled against the French in columns of fifty thousand at a
+time; and they came on right valiantly, with clarions sounding and
+trumpets blowing.
+
+    "'Soldiers of the Lord,' cried Turpin,
+    'Be ye valiant and steadfast,
+    For this day shall crowns be given you
+    Midst the flowers of Paradise.
+    In the name of God our Saviour,
+    Be ye not dismayed nor frighted,
+    Lest of you be shameful legends
+    Chanted by the tongue of minstrels.
+    Rather let us die victorious,
+    Since this eve shall see us lifeless!--
+    Heaven has no room for cowards!
+    Knights, who nobly fight, and vainly,
+    Ye shall sit amid the holy
+    In the blessed fields of Heaven.
+    On then, Friends of God, to glory!'"
+
+And the battle raged anew, with all the odds against the small handful
+of French, who knew they were doomed, and fought as though they were
+"fey."[13]
+
+
+Gloomy Portents
+
+Meanwhile the whole course of nature was disturbed. In France there
+were tempests of wind and thunder, rain and hail; thunderbolts fell
+everywhere, and the earth shook exceedingly. From Mont St. Michel to
+Cologne, from Besançon to Wissant, not one town could show its walls
+uninjured, not one village its houses unshaken. A terrible darkness
+spread over all the land, only broken when the heavens split asunder
+with the lightning-flash. Men whispered in terror: "Behold the end of
+the world! Behold the great Day of Doom!" Alas! they knew not the
+truth: it was the great mourning for the death of Roland.
+
+
+Many French Knights Fall
+
+In this second battle the French champions were weary, and before long
+they began to fall before the valour of the newly arrived Saracen
+nobles. First died Engelier the Gascon, mortally wounded by the lance
+of that Saracen who swore brotherhood to Ganelon; next Samson, and the
+noble Duke Anseis. These three were well avenged by Roland and Oliver
+and Turpin. Then in quick succession died Gerin and Gerier and other
+valiant Peers at the hands of Grandoigne, until his death-dealing
+career was cut short by Durendala. Another desperate single combat was
+won by Turpin, who slew a heathen emir "as black as molten pitch."
+
+
+The Second Army Defeated
+
+Finally this second host of the heathens gave way and fled, begging
+Marsile to come and succour them; but now of the victorious French
+there were but sixty valiant champions left alive, including Roland,
+Oliver, and the fiery prelate Turpin.
+
+
+A Third Appears
+
+Now the third host of the pagans began to roll forward upon the
+dauntless little band, and in the short breathing-space before the
+Saracens again attacked them Roland cried aloud to Oliver:
+
+    "'Fair Knight and Comrade, see these heroes,
+    Valiant warriors, lying lifeless!
+    I must mourn for our fair country
+    France, left widowed of her barons.
+    Charles my King, why art thou absent?
+    Brother mine, how shall we send him
+    Mournful tidings of our struggle?'
+    'How I know not,' said his comrade.
+    'Better death than vile dishonour.'"
+
+
+Roland Willing to Blow his Horn
+
+    "'Comrade, I will blow my war-horn:
+    Charles will hear it in the passes
+    And return with all his army.'
+    Oliver quoth: ''Twere disgraceful
+    To your kinsmen all their life-days.
+    When I urged it, then you would not;
+    Now, to sound your horn is shameful,
+    And I never will approve it.'"
+
+
+Oliver Objects. They Quarrel
+
+    "'See, the battle goes against us:
+    Comrade, I shall sound my war-horn.'
+    Oliver replied: 'O coward!
+    When I urged it, then you would not.
+    If fair France again shall greet me
+    You shall never wed my sister;
+    By this beard of mine I swear it!'
+
+    "'Why so bitter and so wrathful?'
+    Oliver returned: ''Tis thy fault;
+    Valour is not kin to madness,
+    Temperance knows naught of fury.
+    You have killed these noble champions,
+    You have slain the Emperor's vassals,
+    You have robbed us of our conquests.
+    Ah, your valour, Count, is fatal!
+    Charles must lose his doughty heroes,
+    And your league with me must finish
+    With this day in bitter sorrow.'"
+
+
+Turpin Mediates
+
+Archbishop Turpin heard the dispute, and strove to calm the angry
+heroes. "Brave knights, be not so enraged. The horn will not save the
+lives of these gallant dead, but it will be better to sound it, that
+Charles, our lord and emperor, may return, may avenge our death and
+weep over our corpses, may bear them to fair France, and bury them in
+the sanctuary, where the wild beasts shall not devour them." "That is
+well said," quoth Roland and Oliver.
+
+
+The Horn is Blown
+
+Then at last Roland put the carved ivory horn, the magic Olifant, to
+his lips, and blew so loudly that the sound echoed thirty leagues
+away. "Hark! our men are in combat!" cried Charlemagne; but Ganelon
+retorted: "Had any but the king said it, that had been a lie."
+
+A second time Roland blew his horn, so violently and with such anguish
+that the veins of his temples burst, and the blood flowed from his
+brow and from his mouth. Charlemagne, pausing, heard it again, and
+said: "That is Roland's horn; he would not sound it were there no
+battle." But Ganelon said mockingly: "There is no battle, for Roland
+is too proud to sound his horn in danger. Besides, who would dare to
+attack Roland, the strong, the valiant, great and wonderful Roland? No
+man. He is doubtless hunting, and laughing with the Peers. Your
+words, my liege, do but show how old and weak and doting you are. Ride
+on, sire; the open country lies far before you."
+
+[Illustration: "Charlemagne heard it again"]
+
+When Roland blew the horn for the third time he had hardly breath to
+awaken the echoes; but still Charlemagne heard. "How faintly comes the
+sound! There is death in that feeble blast!" said the emperor; and
+Duke Naimes interrupted eagerly: "Sire, Roland is in peril; some one
+has betrayed him--doubtless he who now tries to beguile you! Sire,
+rouse your host, arm for battle, and ride to save your nephew."
+
+
+Ganelon Arrested
+
+Then Charlemagne called aloud: "Hither, my men. Take this traitor
+Ganelon and keep him safe till my return." And the kitchen folk seized
+the felon knight, chained him by the neck, and beat him; then, binding
+him hand and foot, they flung him on a sorry nag, to be borne with
+them till Charles should demand him at their hands again.
+
+
+Charles Returns
+
+With all speed the whole army retraced their steps, turning their
+faces to Spain, and saying: "Ah, if we could find Roland alive what
+blows we would strike for him!" Alas! it was too late! Too late!
+
+How lofty are the peaks, how vast and shadowy the mountains! How dim
+and gloomy the passes, how deep the valleys! How swift the rushing
+torrents! Yet with headlong speed the Frankish army hastens back, with
+trumpets sounding in token of approaching help, all praying God to
+preserve Roland till they come. Alas! they cannot reach him in time!
+Too late. Too late!
+
+
+Roland Weeps for his Comrades
+
+Now Roland cast his gaze around on hill and valley, and saw his noble
+vassals and comrades lie dead. As a noble knight he wept for them,
+saying:
+
+    "'Fair Knights, may God have mercy on your souls!
+    May He receive you into Paradise
+    And grant you rest on banks of heavenly flowers!
+    Ne'er have I known such mighty men as you.
+    Fair France, that art the best of all dear lands,
+    How art thou widowed of thy noble sons!
+    Through me alone, dear comrades, have you died,
+    And yet through me no help nor safety comes.
+    God have you in His keeping! Brother, come,
+    Let us attack the heathen and win death,
+    Or grief will slay me! Death is duty now.'"
+
+
+He Fights Desperately
+
+So saying, he rushed into the battle, slew the only son of King
+Marsile, and drove the heathen before him as the hounds drive the
+deer. Turpin saw and applauded. "So should a good knight do, wearing
+good armour and riding a good steed. He must deal good strong strokes
+in battle, or he is not worth a groat. Let a coward be a monk in some
+cloister and pray for the sins of us fighters."
+
+Marsile in wrath attacked the slayer of his son, but in vain; Roland
+struck off his right hand, and Marsile fled back mortally wounded to
+Saragossa, while his main host, seized with panic, left the field to
+Roland. However, the caliph, Marsile's uncle, rallied the ranks, and,
+with fifty thousand Saracens, once more came against the little troop
+of Champions of the Cross, the three poor survivors of the rearguard.
+
+Roland cried aloud: "Now shall we be martyrs for our faith. Fight
+boldly, lords, for life or death! Sell yourselves dearly! Let not fair
+France be dishonoured in her sons. When the Emperor sees us dead with
+our slain foes around us he will bless our valour."
+
+
+Oliver Falls
+
+The pagans were emboldened by the sight of the three alone, and the
+caliph, rushing at Oliver, pierced him from behind with his lance. But
+though mortally wounded Oliver retained strength enough to slay the
+caliph, and to cry aloud: "Roland! Roland! Aid me!" then he rushed on
+the heathen army, doing heroic deeds and shouting "Montjoie!
+Montjoie!" while the blood ran from his wound and stained the earth
+blood-red. At this woeful sight Roland swooned with grief, and Oliver,
+faint from loss of blood, and with eyes dimmed by fast-coming death,
+distinguished not the face of his dear friend; he saw only a vague
+figure drawing near, and, mistaking it for an enemy, raised his sword
+Hauteclaire and gave Roland one last terrible blow, which clove the
+helmet, but harmed not the head. The blow roused Roland from his
+swoon, and, gazing tenderly at Oliver, he gently asked him:
+
+    "'Comrade and brother, was that blow designed
+    To slay your Roland, him who loves you so?
+    There is no vengeance you would wreak on me.'
+    'Roland, I hear you speak, but see you not.
+    God guard and keep you, friend; but pardon me
+    The blow I struck, unwitting, on your head.'
+    'I have no hurt,' said Roland; 'I forgive
+    Here and before the judgment-throne of God.'"
+
+
+And Dies
+
+Now Oliver felt the pains of death come upon him. Both sight and
+hearing were gone, his colour fled, and, dismounting, he lay upon the
+earth; there, humbly confessing his sins, he begged God to grant him
+rest in Paradise, to bless his lord Charlemagne and the fair land of
+France, and to keep above all men his comrade Roland, his best-loved
+brother-in-arms. This ended, he fell back, his heart failed, his head
+drooped low, and Oliver the brave and courteous knight lay dead on the
+blood-stained earth, with his face turned to the east. Roland lamented
+him in gentle words: "Comrade, alas for thy valour! Many days and
+years have we been comrades: no ill didst thou to me, nor I to thee:
+now thou art dead, 'tis pity that I live!"
+
+
+Turpin is Mortally Wounded. The Horn Again
+
+Turpin and Roland now stood together for a time and were joined by the
+brave Count Gautier, whose thousand men had been slain, and he himself
+grievously wounded; he now came, like a loyal vassal, to die with his
+lord Roland, and was slain in the first discharge of arrows which the
+Saracens shot. Taught by experience, the pagans kept their distance,
+and wounded Turpin with four lances, while they stood some yards away
+from the heroes. But when Turpin felt himself mortally wounded he
+plunged into the throng of the heathen, killing four hundred before he
+fell, and Roland fought on with broken armour, and with ever-bleeding
+head, till in a pause of the deadly strife he took his horn and again
+sent forth a feeble dying blast.
+
+
+Charles Answers the Horn
+
+Charlemagne heard it, and was filled with anguish. "Lords, all goes
+ill: I know by the sound of Roland's horn he has not long to live!
+Ride on faster, and let all our trumpets sound, in token of our
+approach." Then sixty thousand trumpets sounded, so that mountains
+echoed it and valleys replied, and the heathen heard it and trembled.
+"It is Charlemagne! Charles is coming!" they cried. "If Roland lives
+till he comes the war will begin again, and our bright Spain is
+lost." Thereupon four hundred banded together to slay Roland; but he
+rushed upon them, mounted on his good steed Veillantif, and the
+valiant pagans fled. But while Roland dismounted to tend the dying
+archbishop they returned and cast darts from afar, slaying Veillantif,
+the faithful war-horse, and piercing the hero's armour. Still nearer
+and nearer sounded the clarions of Charlemagne's army in the defiles,
+and the Saracen host fled for ever, leaving Roland alone, on foot,
+expiring, amid the dying and the dead.
+
+
+Turpin Blesses the Dead
+
+Roland made his way to Turpin, unlaced his golden helmet, took off his
+hauberk, tore his own tunic to bind up his grievous wounds, and then
+gently raising the prelate, carried him to the fresh green grass,
+where he most tenderly laid him down.
+
+    "'Ah, gentle lord,' said Roland, 'give me leave
+    To carry here our comrades who are dead,
+    Whom we so dearly loved; they must not lie
+    Unblest; but I will bring their corpses here
+    And thou shalt bless them, and me, ere thou die.'
+    'Go,' said the dying priest, 'but soon return.
+    Thank God! the victory is yours and mine!'"
+
+With great pain and many delays Roland traversed the field of
+slaughter, looking in the faces of the dead, till he had found and
+brought to Turpin's feet the bodies of the eleven Peers, last of all
+Oliver, his own dear friend and brother, and Turpin blessed and
+absolved them all. Now Roland's grief was so deep and his weakness so
+great that he swooned where he stood, and the archbishop saw him fall
+and heard his cry of pain. Slowly and painfully Turpin struggled to
+his feet, and, bending over Roland, took Olifant, the curved ivory
+horn; inch by inch the dying archbishop tottered towards a little
+mountain stream, that the few drops he could carry might revive
+Roland.
+
+
+He Dies
+
+However, his weakness overcame him before he reached the water, and he
+fell forward dying. Feebly he made his confession, painfully he joined
+his hands in prayer, and as he prayed his spirit fled. Turpin, the
+faithful champion of the Cross, in teaching and in battle, died in the
+service of Charlemagne. May God have mercy on his soul!
+
+When Roland awoke from his swoon he looked for Turpin, and found him
+dead, and, seeing Olifant, he guessed what the archbishop's aim had
+been, and wept for pity. Crossing the fair white hands over Turpin's
+breast, he sadly prayed:
+
+    "'Alas! brave priest, fair lord of noble birth,
+    Thy soul I give to the great King of Heaven!
+    No mightier champion has He in His hosts,
+    No prophet greater to maintain the Faith,
+    No teacher mightier to convert mankind
+    Since Christ's Apostles walked upon the earth!
+    May thy fair soul escape the pains of Hell
+    And Paradise receive thee in its bowers!'"
+
+
+Roland's Last Fight
+
+Now death was very near to Roland, and he felt it coming upon him
+while he yet prayed and commended himself to his guardian angel
+Gabriel. Taking in one hand Olifant, and in the other his good sword
+Durendala, Roland climbed a little hill, one bowshot within the realm
+of Spain. There under two pine-trees he found four marble steps, and
+as he was about to climb them, fell swooning on the grass very near
+his end. A lurking Saracen, who had feigned death, stole from his
+covert, and, calling aloud, "Charles's nephew is vanquished! I will
+bear his sword back to Arabia," seized Durendala as it lay in Roland's
+dying clasp. The attempt roused Roland, and he opened his eyes,
+saying, "Thou art not of us," then struck such a blow with Olifant on
+the helm of the heathen thief that he fell dead before his intended
+victim.
+
+
+He Tries to Break his Sword
+
+Pale, bleeding, dying, Roland struggled to his feet, bent on saving
+his good blade from the defilement of heathen hands. He grasped
+Durendala, and the brown marble before him split beneath his mighty
+blows; but the good sword stood firm, the steel grated but did not
+break, and Roland lamented aloud that his famous sword must now become
+the weapon of a lesser man. Again Roland smote with Durendala, and
+clove the block of sardonyx, but the good steel only grated and did
+not break, and the hero bewailed himself aloud, saying, "Alas! my good
+Durendala, how bright and pure thou art! How thou flamest in the
+sunbeams, as when the angel brought thee! How many lands hast thou
+conquered for Charles my King, how many champions slain, how many
+heathen converted! Must I now leave thee to the pagans? May God spare
+fair France this shame!" A third time Roland raised the sword and
+struck a rock of blue marble, which split asunder, but the steel only
+grated--it would not break; and the hero knew that he could do no
+more.
+
+
+His Last Prayer
+
+Then he flung himself on the ground under a pine-tree with his face to
+the earth, his sword and Olifant beneath him, his face to the foe,
+that Charlemagne and the Franks might see when they came that he died
+victorious. He made his confession, prayed for mercy, and offered to
+Heaven his glove, in token of submission for all his sins. "_Mea
+culpa!_ O God! I pray for pardon for all my sins, both great and
+small, that I have sinned from my birth until this day." So he held up
+towards Heaven his right-hand glove, and the angels of God descended
+around him. Again Roland prayed:
+
+    "'O very Father, who didst never lie,
+    Didst bring St. Lazarus from the dead again,
+    Didst save St. Daniel from the lion's mouth,
+    Save Thou my soul and keep it from all ills
+    That I have merited by all my sins!'"
+
+
+He Dies
+
+Again he held up to Heaven his glove, and St. Gabriel received it;
+then, with head bowed and hands clasped, the hero died, and the
+waiting cherubim, St. Raphael, St. Michael, and St. Gabriel, bore his
+soul to Paradise.
+
+So died Roland and the Peers of France.
+
+
+Charles Arrives
+
+Soon after Roland's heroic spirit had passed away the emperor came
+galloping out of the mountains into the valley of Roncesvalles, where
+not a foot of ground was without its burden of death.
+
+Loudly he called: "Fair nephew, where art thou? Where is the
+archbishop? And Count Oliver? Where are the Peers?"
+
+Alas! of what avail was it to call? No man replied, for all were dead;
+and Charlemagne wrung his hands, and tore his beard and wept, and his
+army bewailed their slain comrades, and all men thought of vengeance.
+Truly a fearful vengeance did Charles take, in that terrible battle
+which he fought the next day against the Emir of Babylon, come from
+oversea to help his vassal Marsile, when the sun stood still in heaven
+that the Christians might be avenged on their enemies; in the capture
+of Saragossa and the death of Marsile, who, already mortally wounded,
+turned his face to the wall and died when he heard of the defeat of
+the emir; but when vengeance was taken on the open enemy Charlemagne
+thought of mourning, and returned to Roncesvalles to seek the body of
+his beloved nephew.
+
+The emperor knew well that Roland would be found before his men, with
+his face to the foe. Thus he advanced a bowshot from his companions
+and climbed a little hill, there found the little flowery meadow
+stained red with the blood of his barons, and there at the summit,
+under the trees, lay the body of Roland on the green grass. The broken
+blocks of marble bore traces of the hero's dying efforts, and
+Charlemagne raised Roland, and, clasping the hero in his arms,
+lamented over him.
+
+
+His Lament
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    Never again shall our fair France behold
+    A knight so worthy, till France be no more!
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    That thou mayest rest in flowers of Paradise
+    With all His glorious Saints for evermore!
+    My honour now will lessen and decay,
+    My days be spent in grief for lack of thee,
+    My joy and power will vanish. There is none,
+    Comrade or kinsman, to maintain my cause.
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    And grant thee place in Paradise the blest,
+    Thou valiant youth, thou mighty conqueror!
+    How widowed lies our fair France and how lone
+    How will the realms that I have swayed rebel
+    Now thou art taken from my weary age!
+    So deep my woe that fain would I die too
+    And join my valiant Peers in Paradise
+    While men inter my weary limbs with thine!'"[14]
+
+
+The Dead Buried
+
+The French army buried the dead with all honour, where they had
+fallen, except the bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin, which were
+carried to Blaye, and interred in the great cathedral there; and then
+Charlemagne returned to Aix.
+
+
+Aude the Fair
+
+As Charles the Great entered his palace a beauteous maiden met him,
+Aude the Fair, the sister of Oliver and betrothed bride of Roland. She
+asked eagerly:
+
+"Where is Roland the mighty captain, who swore to take me for his
+bride?"
+
+[Illustration: Aude the Fair
+
+Evelyn Paul]
+
+"Alas! dear sister and friend," said Charlemagne, weeping and tearing
+his long white beard, "thou askest tidings of the dead. But I will
+replace him: thou shalt have Louis, my son, Count of the Marches."
+
+"These words are strange," exclaimed Aude the Fair. "God and all His
+saints and angels forbid that I should live when Roland my love is
+dead." Thereupon she lost her colour and fell at the emperor's feet;
+he thought her fainting, but she was dead. God have mercy on her soul!
+
+
+The Traitor Put to Death
+
+Too long it would be to tell of the trial of Ganelon the traitor.
+Suffice it that he was torn asunder by wild horses, and his name
+remains in France a byword for all disloyalty and treachery.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[12] _See_ "Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages," by H. Guerber.
+
+[13] Marked out for death.
+
+[14] The poetical quotations are from the "Chanson de Roland."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII: THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
+
+
+Celtic Mysticism
+
+In all Celtic literature there is recognisable a certain spirit which
+seems to be innate in the very character of the people, a spirit of
+mysticism and acknowledgment of the supernatural. It carries with it a
+love of Nature, a delight in beauty, colour and harmony, which is
+common to all the Celtic races. But with these characteristics we find
+in Ireland a spiritual beauty, a passion of self-sacrifice, unknown in
+Wales or Brittany. Hence the early Irish heroes are frequently found
+renouncing advantages, worldly honour, and life itself, at the bidding
+of some imperative moral impulse. They are the knights-errant of early
+European chivalry which was a much deeper and more real inspiration
+than the carefully cultivated artificial chivalry of centuries later.
+Cuchulain, Diarmuit, Naesi all pay with their lives for their
+obedience to the dictates of honour and conscience. And in women, for
+whom in those early days sacrifice of self was the only way of
+heroism, the surrender even of eternal bliss was only the sublimation
+of honour and chivalry; and this was the heroism of the Countess
+Cathleen.
+
+
+The Cathleen Legend
+
+The legend is old, so old that its root has been lost and we know not
+who first imagined it; but the idea, the central incident, doubtless
+goes back to Druid times, when a woman might well have offered herself
+up to the cruel gods to avert their wrath and stay the plagues which
+fell upon her people. Under a like impulse Curtius sprang into the
+gulf in the Forum, and Decius devoted himself to death to win the
+safety of the Roman army. In each case the powers, evil or
+beneficent, were supposed to be appeased by the offering of a human
+life. When Christianity found this legend of sacrifice popular among
+the heathen nations, it was comparatively easy to adopt it and give it
+a yet wider scope, by making the sacrifice spiritual rather than
+physical, and by finally rewarding the hero with heavenly joys. It is
+to be noted, too, that even at this early period there is a certain
+glorification of chicanery: the fiend fulfils his side of the
+contract, but God Himself breaks the other side. This becomes a
+regular feature in all tales that relate dealings with the Evil One:
+all Devil's Bridges, Devil's Dykes, and the Faust legends show that
+Satan may be trusted to keep his word, while the saints invariably
+kept the letter and broke the spirit. To so primitive a tale as that
+of "The Countess Cathleen" the pettifogging quibbles of later saints
+are utterly unknown: God saves her soul because it is His will to
+reward such abnegation of self, and even the Evil One dare not
+question the Divine Will.
+
+
+The Story. Happy Ireland
+
+Once, long ago, as the Chronicles tell us, Ireland was known
+throughout Europe as "The Isle of Saints," for St. Patrick had not
+long before preached the Gospel, the message of good tidings, to the
+warring inhabitants, to tribes of uncivilised Celts, and to marauding
+Danes and Vikings. He had driven out the serpent-worshippers, and
+consecrated the Black Stone of Tara to the worship of the True God; he
+had convinced the High King of the truth and reasonableness of the
+doctrine of the Trinity by the illustration of the shamrock leaf, and
+had overthrown the great idols and purified the land. Therefore the
+fair shores and fertile vales of Erin, the clustered islets, dropped
+like jewels in the azure seas, the mist-covered, heather-clad
+hill-sides, even the barren mountain-tops and the patches of firm
+ground scattered in the solitudes of fathomless bogs, were homes of
+pious Culdee or lonely hermit. There was still strife in Ireland, for
+king fought with king, and heathen marauders still vexed the land; but
+many warlike Irish clans or "septs" turned their ardour for fight to
+religious conflicts, and often every man of a tribe became a monk, so
+that great abbeys and tribal monasteries and schools were built on the
+hills where, in former days, stood the chieftain's stronghold (_rath_
+or _dun_, as Irish legends name it), with its earth mounds and wooden
+palisades. Holy psalms and chants replaced the boastful songs of the
+old bards, whilst warriors accustomed to regard fighting and hunting
+as the only occupations worthy of a free-born man, now peacefully
+illuminated manuscripts or wrought at useful handicrafts. Yet still in
+secret they dreaded and tried to appease the wrath of the Dagda,
+Brigit of the Holy Fire, Ængus the Ever-Young, and the awful Washers
+of the Ford, the Choosers of the Slain; and to this dread was now
+joined the new fear of the cruel demons who obeyed Satan, the Prince
+of Evil.
+
+
+The Young Countess
+
+At this time there dwelt in Ireland the Countess Cathleen, young,
+good, and beautiful. Her eyes were as deep, as changeful, and as pure
+as the ocean that washed Erin's shores; her yellow hair, braided in
+two long tresses, was as bright as the golden circlet on her brow or
+the yellow corn in her garners; and her step was as light and proud
+and free as that of the deer in her wide domains. She lived in a
+stately castle in the midst of great forests, with the cottages of her
+tribesmen around her gates, and day by day and year by year she
+watched the changing glories of the mighty woods, as the seasons
+brought new beauties, till her soul was as lovely as the green woods
+and purple hills around. The Countess Cathleen loved the dim,
+mysterious forest, she loved the tales of the ancient gods, and of
+
+    "Old, unhappy, far-off things,
+    And battles long ago;"
+
+    _Wordsworth._
+
+but more than all she loved her clansmen and vassals: she prayed for
+them at all the holy hours, and taught and tended them with loving
+care, so that in no place in Ireland could be found a happier tribe
+than that which obeyed her gentle rule.
+
+
+Dearth and Famine
+
+One year there fell upon Ireland, erewhile so happy, a great
+desolation--"For Scripture saith, an ending to all good things must
+be"[15]--and the happiness of the Countess Cathleen's tribe came to an
+end in this wise: A terrible famine fell on the land; the seed-corn
+rotted in the ground, for rain and never-lifting mists filled the
+heavy air and lay on the sodden earth; then when spring came barren
+fields lay brown where the shooting corn should be; the cattle died in
+the stall or fell from weakness at the plough, and the sheep died of
+hunger in the fold; as the year passed through summer towards autumn
+the berries failed in the sun-parched woods, and the withered leaves,
+fallen long before the time, lay rotting on the dank earth; the timid
+wild things of the forest, hares, rabbits, squirrels, died in their
+holes or fell easy victims to the birds and beasts of prey; and these,
+in their turn, died of hunger in the famine-stricken forests.
+
+    "I searched all day: the mice and rats and hedgehogs
+    Seemed to be dead, and I could hardly hear
+    A wing moving in all the famished woods."[16]
+
+
+Distress of the Peasants
+
+A cry of bitter agony and lamentation rose from the starving Isle of
+Saints to the gates of Heaven, and fell back unheard; the sky was hard
+as brass above and the earth was barren beneath, and men and women
+died in despair, their shrivelled lips still stained green by the
+dried grass and twigs they had striven to eat.
+
+    "I passed by Margaret Nolan's: for nine days
+    Her mouth was green with dock and dandelion;
+    And now they wake her."
+
+
+The Misery Increases
+
+In vain the High King of Ireland proclaimed a universal peace, and
+wars between quarrelling tribes stopped and foreign pirates ceased to
+molest the land, and chief met chief in the common bond of misery; in
+vain the rich gave freely of their wealth--soon there was no
+distinction between rich and poor, high and low, chief and vassal, for
+all alike felt the grip of famine, all died by the same terrible
+hunger. Soon many of the great monasteries lay desolate, their stores
+exhausted, their portals open, while the brethren, dead within, had
+none to bury them; the lonely hermits died in their little
+beehive-shaped cells, or fled from the dreadful solitude to gather in
+some wealthy abbey which could still feed its monks; and isle and vale
+which had echoed their holy chants knew the sounds no more. Over all,
+unlifting, unchanging, brooded the deadly vapour, bearing the plague
+in its heavy folds, and filling the air with a sultry lurid haze.
+
+    "There is no sign of change--day copies day,
+    Green things are dead--the cattle too are dead
+    Or dying--and on all the vapour hangs
+    And fattens with disease, and glows with heat."
+
+
+Cathleen Heartbroken for her People
+
+Round the castle of the Countess Cathleen there was great stir and
+bustle, for her tender heart was wrung with the misery of her people,
+and her prayers for them ascended to God unceasingly. So thin she grew
+and so worn that the physicians bade her servants bring harp and song
+to charm away the sadness that weighed upon her spirit; but all in
+vain! Neither the well-loved legends of the ancient gods, nor her
+harp, nor the voice of her bards could bring her relief--nothing but
+the attempt to save her people. From the earliest days of the famine
+her house and her stores were ever ready to supply the wants of the
+homeless, the poor, the suffering; her wealth was freely spent for
+food for the starving while supplies could yet be bought either near
+or in distant baronies; and when known supplies failed her lavish
+offers tempted the churlish farmers, who still hoarded grain that they
+might enrich themselves in the great dearth, to sell some of their
+garnered stores. When she could no longer induce them to part with
+their grain, her own winter provisions, wine and corn, were
+distributed generously to all who asked for relief, and none ever left
+her castle without succour.
+
+
+Her Wide Charity
+
+Thus passed the early months of bitter starvation, and the Countess
+Cathleen's name was borne far and wide through Ireland, accompanied
+with the blessings of all the rescued; and round her castle, from
+every district, gathered a mighty throng of poor--not only her own
+clansmen--who all looked to her for a daily dole of food and drink to
+keep some life in them until the pestilential mists should pass away.
+The wholesome cold of winter would purify the air and bring new hope
+and promise of new life in the coming year. Alas! the winter drew on
+apace and still the poisonous yellow vapours hung heavily over the
+land, and still the deadly famine clutched each feeble heart and
+weakened the very springs of life, and the winter frosts slew more
+than the summer heats, so feeble were the people and so weakened.
+
+
+Lawlessness Breaks Out
+
+At last, even in the Isle of Saints, the bonds of right and wrong were
+loosened, all respect for property vanished in the universal
+desolation, and men began to rob and plunder, to trust only to the
+right of might, thinking that their poor miserable lives were of more
+value than aught else, than conscience and pity and honesty. Thus
+Cathleen lost by barefaced robbery much of what she still possessed of
+flocks and herds, of scanty fruit and corn. Her servants would gladly
+have pursued the robbers and regained the spoils, but Cathleen forbade
+it, for she pitied the miserable thieves, and thought no evil of them
+in this bitter dearth. By this time she had distributed all her winter
+stores, and had only enough to feed her poor pensioners and her
+household with most scanty rations; and she herself shared equally
+with them, for the most earnest entreaties of her faithful servants
+could not induce her to fare better than they in anything. Soon there
+would be nothing left for daily distribution, and her heart almost
+broke as she saw the misery of her helpless dependents; they looked to
+her as an angel of pity and deliverance, while she knew herself to be
+as helpless as they. Day by day Cathleen went among them, with her
+pitifully scanty doles of food, cheering them by her words and
+smiles, and by her very presence; and each day she went to her chapel,
+where she could cast aside the mask of cheerfulness she wore before
+her people, and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints
+to show her how to save her own tribe and all the land.
+
+[Illustration: "Day by day Cathleen went among them"]
+
+
+Cathleen Has an Inspiration
+
+As the Countess knelt long before the altar one noontide she passed
+from her prayers into a deep sleep, and sank down on the altar steps.
+In the troubled depths of her mind a thought arose, which came to her
+as an inspiration from Heaven itself. She awoke and sprang up
+joyfully, exclaiming aloud: "Thanks be to Our Lady and to all the
+saints! To them alone the blessed thought is due. Thus can I save my
+poor until the dearth is over."
+
+Then Cathleen left her oratory with such a light heart as she had not
+felt since the terrible visitation began, and the gladness in her face
+was so new and wonderful that all her servants noticed the change, and
+her old foster-mother, who loved the Countess with the utmost
+devotion, shuddered at the thought that perhaps her darling had come
+under the power of the ancient gods and would be bewitched away to
+Tir-nan-og, the land of never-dying youth. Fearfully old Oona watched
+Cathleen's face as she passed through the hall, and Cathleen saw the
+anxious gaze, and came and laid her hand on the old woman's shoulder,
+saying, "Nay, fear not, nurse; the saints have heard my prayer and put
+it into my heart to save all these helpless ones." Then she crossed
+the hall to her own room, and called a servant, saying, "Send hither
+quickly Fergus my steward."
+
+
+She Summons her Steward
+
+Shortly afterwards the steward came, Fergus the White, an old
+grey-haired man, who had been foster-brother to Cathleen's
+grandfather. He had seen three generations pass away, he had watched
+the change from heathenism to Christianity, and of all the chief's
+family, to which his loyal devotion had ever clung, there remained but
+this one young girl, and he loved her as his own child. Fergus did
+obeisance to his liege lady, and kissed her hand kneeling as he asked:
+
+"What would the Countess Cathleen with her steward? Shall I render my
+account of lands and wealth?"
+
+
+Demands to Know what Wealth she Owns
+
+"How much have I in lands?" the Countess asked. And Fergus answered in
+surprise: "Your lands are worth one hundred thousand pounds."
+
+"Of what value is the timber in my forests?" "As much again."
+
+"What is the worth of my castles and my fair residences?" continued
+the Countess Cathleen. And Fergus still replied: "As much more,"
+though in his heart he questioned why his lady wished to know now,
+while the famine made all riches seem valueless.
+
+"How much gold still unspent lies in thy charge in my
+treasure-chests?"
+
+"Lady, your stored gold is three hundred thousand pounds, as much as
+all your lands and forests and houses are worth."
+
+The Countess Cathleen thought for an instant, and then, as one who
+makes a momentous decision, spoke firmly, though her lips quivered as
+she gave utterance to her thought:
+
+
+"Go Far and Buy Food"
+
+"Then, Fergus, take my bags of coin and go. Leave here my jewels and
+some gold, for I may hear of some stores of grain hoarded by niggard
+farmers, and may induce them to sell, if not for the love of God, then
+for the love of gold. Take, too, authority from me, written and sealed
+with my seal, to sell all my lands and timber, and castles, except
+this one alone where I must dwell. Send a man, trustworthy and speedy,
+to the North, to Ulster, where I hear the famine is less terrible, and
+let him buy what cattle he can find, and drive them back as soon as
+may be."
+
+    "Keeping this house alone, sell all I have;
+    Go to some distant country, and come again
+    With many herds of cows and ships of grain."
+
+
+The Steward Reluctantly Obeys
+
+The ancient steward, Fergus the White, stood at first speechless with
+horror and grief, but after a moment of silence his sorrow found vent
+in words, and he besought his dear lady not to sell everything, her
+ancient home, her father's lands, her treasured heirlooms, and leave
+herself no wealth for happier times. All his persuasions were useless,
+for Cathleen would not be moved; she bade him "Farewell" and hastened
+his journey, saying, "A cry is in mine ears; I cannot rest." So there
+was no help for it. A trusty man was despatched to Ulster to buy up
+all the cattle (weak and famine-stricken as they would be) in the
+North Country; while Fergus himself journeyed swiftly to England,
+which was still prosperous and fertile, untouched by the deadly
+famine, and knowing nothing of the desolation of the sister isle, to
+which the English owed so much of their knowledge of the True Faith.
+
+
+Buys Stores in England
+
+In England Fergus spent all the gold he brought with him, and then
+sold all the Countess Cathleen bade him sell--lands, castles, forests,
+pastures, timber--all but one lonely castle in the desolate woods,
+where she dwelt among her own people, with the dying folk thronging
+round her gates and in her halls. Good bargains Fergus made also, for
+he was a shrewd and loyal steward, and the saints must have touched
+the hearts of the English merchants, so that they gave good prices for
+all, or perhaps they did not realize the dire distress that prevailed
+in Ireland. However that may have been, Fergus prospered in his
+trading, and bought grain, and wine, and fat oxen and sheep, so that
+he loaded many ships with full freights of provisions, enough to carry
+the starving peasantry through the famine year till the next harvest.
+At last all his money was spent, all his ships were laden, everything
+was ready, and the little fleet lay in harbour, only awaiting a fair
+wind, which, unhappily, did not come.
+
+
+His Return Delayed
+
+First of all Fergus waited through a deadly calm, when the sails hung
+motionless, drooping, with no breath of air to stir them, when the fog
+that brooded over the shores of England never lifted and all sailing
+was impossible; then the winds dispersed the fog, and Fergus,
+forgetting caution in his great anxiety to return, hastily set sail
+for his own land, and there came fierce tempests and contrary winds,
+so that his little fleet was driven back, and one or two ships went
+down with all their stores of food. Fergus wept to see his lady's
+wealth lost in the wintry sea, but he dared not venture again, and
+though he chafed and fretted at the delay, it was nearly two months
+after he reached England before he could sail back to his young
+mistress and her starving countrymen. The trusty messenger who had
+been sent to buy cattle had succeeded beyond his own expectation; he
+also had made successful bargains, and had found more cattle than he
+believed were still alive in Ireland. He had bought all, and was
+driving them slowly towards the Countess Cathleen's forest dwelling.
+Their progress was so slow, because of their weakness and the scanty
+fodder by the way, that no news of them came to Cathleen, and she knew
+not that while corn and cattle were coming with Fergus across the sea,
+food was also coming to her slowly through the barren ways of her own
+native land. None of this she knew, and despair would have filled her
+heart, but for her faith in God and her belief in the great
+inspiration that had been given to her.
+
+
+Deepening Misery in Ireland
+
+Meanwhile terrible things had been happening in Ireland. As in England
+in later days, "men said openly that Christ and His saints slept";
+they thought with longing of the mighty old gods, for the new seemed
+powerless, and they yearned for the friendly "good people" who had
+fled from the sound of the church bell. Thus many minds were ready to
+revolt from the Christian faith if they had not feared the life after
+death and the endless torments of the Christian Hell. Some few,
+desperate, even offered secret worship to the old heathen gods, and
+true love to the One True God had grown cold.
+
+
+Two Mysterious Strangers
+
+Now on the very day on which Fergus sailed for England, and his
+comrade departed to Ulster, two mysterious and stately strangers
+suddenly appeared in Erin. Whence they came no man knew, but they were
+first seen near the wild sea-shore of the west, and the few poor
+inhabitants thought they had been put ashore by some vessel or wrecked
+on that dangerous coast. Aliens they certainly were, for they talked
+with each other in a tongue that none understood, and they appeared as
+if they did not comprehend the questions asked of them. Thus they
+passed away from the western coasts, and made their way inland; but
+when they next appeared, in a village not far from Dublin, they had
+greatly changed: they wore magnificent robes and furs, with splendid
+jewelled gloves on their hands, and golden circlets, set with gleaming
+rubies, bound their brows; their black steeds showed no trace of
+weakness and famine as they rode through the woods and carefully noted
+the misery everywhere.
+
+
+Their Strange Story
+
+At last they alighted at the little lodge, where a forester's widow
+gladly received them; and their royal dress, lofty bearing and strange
+language accorded ill with the mean surroundings and the scanty
+accommodation of that little hut. The dead forester had been one of
+the Countess Cathleen's most faithful vassals, and his holding was but
+a short distance from the castle, so that the strangers could,
+unobserved, watch the life of the little village. As time passed they
+told their hostess they were merchants, simple traders from a distant
+country, trafficking in very precious gems; but they had no wares for
+exchange, and no gems to show; they made no inquiries or researches,
+bargained with no man, seemed to do no business; they were the most
+unusual merchants ever seen in Ireland, and the strangeness of their
+behaviour troubled men's minds.
+
+
+Mysterious Behaviour
+
+Day by day they ate, unquestioning, the coarse food their poor hostess
+set before them, and the black bread which was the best food
+obtainable in those terrible days, but they added to it wine, rich and
+red, from their own private store, and they paid her lavishly in good
+red gold, so that she wondered that any men should stay in the
+famine-stricken country when they could so easily leave it at their
+will. Gradually, too, speaking now in the Irish tongue, they began to
+ask her cautious questions of the people, of the land, of the famine,
+how men lived and how they died, and so they heard of the exceeding
+goodness of the Countess Cathleen, whose bounty had saved so many
+lives, and was still saving others, though the deadly pinch of famine
+grew sorer with the passing days. To their hostess they admired
+Cathleen's goodness, and were loud in her praises, but they looked
+askance at one another and their brows were black with discontent.
+
+
+Professed Errand of Mercy
+
+Then one day the kingly merchants told the poor widow who harboured
+them that they too were the friends of the poor and starving; they
+were servants of a mighty prince, who in his compassion and mercy had
+sent them on a mission to Ireland to help the afflicted peasants to
+fight against famine and death. They said that they themselves had no
+food to give, only wine and gold in plenty, so that men might exert
+themselves and search for food to buy. Their hostess, hearing this,
+and knowing that there were still some niggards who refused to part
+with their mouldering heaps of corn, setting the price so high that no
+man could buy, called down the blessing of God and Mary and all the
+saints upon their heads, for if they would distribute their gold to
+all, or even buy the corn themselves and distribute it, men need no
+longer die of hunger.
+
+
+A New Traffic
+
+When she prayed for a blessing on the two strangers they smiled
+scornfully and impatiently; and the elder said, cunningly:
+
+    "Alas! we know the evils of mere charity,
+    And would devise a more considered way.
+    Let each man bring one piece of merchandise."
+
+"Ah, sirs!" replied the hostess, "then your compassion, your gold and
+your goodwill are of no avail. Think you, after all these weary
+months, that any man has merchandise left to sell? They have sold long
+ago all but the very clothes they wear, to keep themselves alive till
+better days come. Such offers are mockery of our distress."
+
+"We mock you not," said the elder merchant. "All men have the one
+precious thing we wish to buy, and have come hither to find; none has
+already lost or sold it."
+
+"What precious treasure can you mean? Men in Ireland now have only
+their lives, and can barely cherish those," said the poor woman,
+wondering greatly and much afraid.
+
+
+Buyers of Souls
+
+The elder merchant continued gazing at her with a crafty smile and an
+eye ever on the alert for tokens of understanding. "Poor as they are,
+Irishmen have still one thing that we will purchase, if they will
+sell: their souls, which we have come to obtain for our mighty Prince,
+and with the great price that we shall pay in pure gold men can well
+save their lives till the starving time is over. Why should men die a
+cruel, lingering death or drag through weary months of miserable
+half-satisfied life when they may live well and merrily at the cost of
+a soul, which is no good but to cause fear and pain? We take men's
+souls and liberate them from all pain and care and remorse, and we
+give in exchange money, much money, to procure comforts and ease; we
+enrol men as vassals of our great lord, and he is no hard taskmaster
+to those who own his sway."
+
+
+Slow Trade at First
+
+When the poor widow heard these dreadful words she knew that the
+strangers were demons come to tempt men's souls and to lure them to
+Hell. She crossed herself, and fled from them in fear, praying to be
+kept from temptation; and she would not return to her little cottage
+in the forest, but stayed in the village warning men against the evil
+demons who were tempting the starving people, till she too died of the
+famine, and her house was left wholly to the strangers. Yet the
+merchants fared ever well, better than before her departure, and those
+who ventured to the forest dwelling found good food and rich wine,
+which the strangers sometimes gave to their visitors, with crafty
+hints of abundance to be easily obtained. Then when timid individuals
+asked the way to win these comforts the strangers began their
+tempting, and represented the case to be gained by the sale of men's
+souls. One man, bolder than the rest, made a bargain with the demons
+and gave them his soul for three hundred crowns of gold, and from that
+time he in his turn became a tempter. He boasted of his wealth, of the
+rich food the merchants gave him at times, of the potent wine he drank
+from their generously opened bottles, and, best of all, he vaunted
+his freedom from pity, conscience, or remorse.
+
+
+Trade Increases
+
+Gradually many people came to the forest dwelling and trafficked with
+the demon merchants. The purchase of souls went on busily, and the
+demons paid prices varying according to the worth of the soul and the
+record of its former sins; but to all who sold they gave food and
+wine, and in gloating over their gold and satisfying hunger and
+thirst, men forgot to ask whence came this food and wine and the
+endless stores of coin. Now many people ventured into the forest to
+deal with the demons, and the narrow track grew into a broad beaten
+way with the numbers of those who came, and all returned fed and
+warmed, and bearing bags heavy with coin, and the promise of abundant
+food and easy service. Those who had sold their souls rioted with the
+money, for the demons gave them food, and they bought wine from the
+inexhaustible stores of the evil merchants. The poor, lost people knew
+that there was no hope for them after death, and they tried by all
+means to keep themselves alive and to enjoy what was yet left to them;
+but their mirth was fearful and they durst not stop to think.
+
+
+Cathleen Hears of the Demon Traders
+
+At first the Countess Cathleen knew nothing of the terrible doings of
+the demons, for she never passed beyond her castle gates, but spent
+her time in prayer for her people's safety and for the speedy return
+of her messengers; but when the starving throng of pensioners at her
+gates grew daily less, and there were fewer claimants for the pitiful
+allowance which was all she had to give, she wondered if some other
+mightier helper had come to Ireland. But she could hear of none,
+and soon the shameless rioting and drunkenness in the village came to
+her knowledge, and she wondered yet more whence her clansmen obtained
+the means for their excesses, for she felt instinctively that the
+origin of all this rioting must be evil. Cathleen therefore called to
+her an old peasant, whose wife had died of hunger in the early days of
+the famine, so that he himself had longed to die and join her; but
+when he came to her she was horror-struck by the change in him. Now he
+came flushed with wine, with defiant look and insolent bearing, and
+his face was full of evil mirth as he tried to answer soberly the
+Countess's questions.
+
+"Why do the villagers and strangers no longer come to me for food? I
+have but little now to give, but all are welcome to share it with me
+and my household."
+
+
+The Peasant's Story
+
+"They do not come, O Countess, because they are no longer starving.
+They have better food and wine, and abundance of money to buy more."
+
+[Illustration: The peasant's story]
+
+"Whence then have they obtained the money, the food, and the wine for
+the drinking-bouts, the tumult of which reaches me even in my
+oratory?"
+
+"Lady, they have received all from the generous merchants who are in
+the forest dwelling where old Mairi formerly lived; she is dead now,
+and these noble strangers keep open house in her cottage night and
+day; they are so wealthy that they need not stint their bounty, and so
+powerful that they can find good food, enough for all who go to them.
+Since Brigit died (your old servant, lady) her husband and son work no
+more, but serve the strange merchants, and urge men to join them; and
+I, and many others, have done so, and we are now wealthy" (here he
+showed the Countess a handful of gold) "and well fed, and have wine as
+much as heart can desire."
+
+"But do you give them nothing in return for all their generosity? Are
+they so noble that they ask nothing in requital of their bounty?"
+
+
+"Good Gold for Souls"
+
+"Oh, yes, we give them something, but nothing of importance, nothing
+we cannot spare. They are merchants of souls, and buy them for their
+king, and they pay good red gold for the useless, painful things. I
+have sold my soul to them, and now I weep no more for my wife; I am
+gay, and have wine enough and gold enough to help me through this
+dearth!"
+
+"Alas!" sighed the Countess, "and what when you too die?" The old
+peasant laughed at her grief as he said: "Then, as now, I shall have
+no soul to trouble me with remorse or conscience"; and the Countess
+covered her eyes with her hand and beckoned silently that he should
+go. In her oratory, whither she betook herself immediately, she prayed
+with all her spirit that the Virgin and all the saints would inspire
+her to defeat the demons and to save her people's souls.
+
+
+Cathleen Tries to Check the Traffic
+
+Next day Cathleen called together all the people in the village, her
+own tribesmen and strangers. She offered them again a share of all she
+had, and the daily rations she could distribute, but told them that
+all must share alike and that she had nothing but the barest
+necessaries to give--scanty portions of corn and meal, with milk from
+one or two famine-stricken cows her servants had managed to keep
+alive. To this she added that she had sent two trusty messengers for
+help, one to Ulster for cattle, and Fergus to England for corn and
+wine; they must return soon, she felt sure, with abundant supplies, if
+men would patiently await their return.
+
+
+In Vain
+
+But all was useless. Her messengers had sent no word of their return,
+and the abundant supplies at the forest cottage were more easily
+obtained, and were less carefully regulated, than those of the
+Countess Cathleen. The merchants, too, were ever at hand with their
+cunning wiles, and their active, persuasive dupes, who would gladly
+bring all others into their own soulless condition. The wine given by
+the demons warmed the hearts of all who drank, and the deceived
+peasants dreamed of happiness when the famine was over, and so the
+passionate appeal of the Countess failed, and the sale of souls
+continued merrily. The noise of revelry grew daily louder and more
+riotous, and the drinkers cared nothing for the death or departure of
+their dearest friends; while those who died, died drunken and utterly
+reckless, or full of horror and despair, reviling the crafty merchants
+who had deceived them with promises of life and happiness. The evil
+influence clung all about the country-side, and seemed in league with
+the pitiless powers of Nature against the souls of men, till at last
+the stricken Countess, putting her trust in God, sought out the forest
+lodge where the demon merchants dwelt, trafficking for souls. The way
+was easy to find now, for a broad beaten track led to the dwelling,
+and as the evil spirits saw Cathleen coming slowly along the path
+their wicked eyes gleamed and their clawlike hands worked convulsively
+in their jewelled gloves, for they hoped she had come to sell her pure
+soul.
+
+
+She Visits the Demons
+
+"What does the Countess Cathleen wish to obtain from two poor stranger
+merchants?" said the elder with an evil smile; and the younger, bowing
+deeply said: "Lady, you may command us in all things, save what
+touches our allegiance to our king." Cathleen replied: "I have no
+merchandise to barter, nothing for trade with you, for you buy such
+things as I will never sell: you buy men's souls for Hell. I come only
+to beg that you will release the poor souls whom you have bought for
+Satan's kingdom, and will have mercy on my ignorant people and deceive
+them no more. I have yet some gold unspent and jewels unsold: take all
+there is but let my people go free." Then the merchants laughed aloud
+scornfully, and rejected her offer. "Would you have us undo our work?
+Have we toiled, then, for naught to extend our master's sway? Have we
+won for him so many souls to dwell for ever in his kingdom and do his
+work, and shall we give them back for your entreaties? We have gold
+enough, and food and wine enough, fair lady. The souls we have bought
+we keep, for our master gives us honour and rank proportioned to the
+number of souls we win for him, and you may see by the golden circlets
+round our brows that we are princes of his kingdom, and have brought
+him countless souls. Nevertheless, there is one most rare and precious
+thing which could redeem these bartered souls of Ireland's peasants,
+things of little worth."
+
+
+They Make a Proposal
+
+"Oh, what is that?" said the Countess. "If I have it, or can in any
+way procure it, tell me, that I may redeem these deluded people's
+souls."
+
+"You have it now, fair saint. It is one pure soul, precious as
+multitudes of more sin-stained souls. Our master would far rather have
+a perfect and flawless pearl for his diadem than myriads of these
+cracked and flawed crystals. Your soul, most saintly Countess, would
+redeem the souls of all your tribe, if you would sell it to our king;
+it would be the fairest jewel in his crown. But think not to save your
+people otherwise, and beguile them no longer with false promises of
+help: your messenger to Ulster lies sick of ague in the Bog of Allen,
+and no food comes from England."
+
+
+False Tidings
+
+                              "We saw a man
+    Heavy with sickness in the Bog of Allen
+    Whom you had bid buy cattle. Near Fair Head
+    We saw your grain ships lying all becalmed
+    In the dark night, and not less still than they
+    Burned all their mirrored lanterns in the sea."
+
+When Cathleen heard of the failure of her messengers to bring food it
+seemed as if all hope were indeed over, and the demons smiled craftily
+upon her as she turned silently to go, and laughed joyously to each
+other when she had left their presence. Now they had good hope to win
+her for their master; but they knew that their time was short, since
+help was not far away.
+
+    "Last night, closed in the image of an owl,
+    I hurried to the cliffs of Donegal,
+    And saw, creeping on the uneasy surge,
+    Those ships that bring the woman grain and meal;
+    They are five days from us.
+                                I hurried east,
+    A grey owl flitting, flitting in the dew,
+    And saw nine hundred oxen toil through Meath,
+    Driven on by goads of iron; they too, brother,
+    Are full five days from us. Five days for traffic."
+
+
+Cathleen's Despair
+
+The Countess then went back in bitter grief to her desolate castle,
+where only faithful old servants now waited in the halls, and
+whispered together in the dark corners, and, kneeling in her oratory,
+she prayed far into the night for light in her darkness. As she prayed
+before the altar she slept for very weariness, and was aroused by a
+sudden furious knocking, and an outcry of "Thieves! Thieves!" Cathleen
+rose quickly from the altar steps, and met her foster-mother, Oona, at
+the door of the oratory; and Oona cried aloud: "Thieves have broken
+into the treasure-chamber, and nothing is left!" Cathleen asked if
+this were true, and discovered that not a single coin, not a single
+gem was left: the demons had stolen all. And while the servants still
+mourned over the lost treasures of the house there came another cry of
+"Thieves! Thieves!" and an old peasant rushed in, exclaiming that all
+the food was gone. That, alas! was true: the few sacks of meal which
+supplied the scanty daily fare were emptied and the bags flung on the
+floor. Now indeed the last poor resource was gone.
+
+[Illustration: "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber"]
+
+
+A Desperate Decision
+
+When the Countess heard of this last terrible misfortune a great light
+broke upon her mind with a blinding flash, and showed her a way to
+save others, even at the cost of her own salvation. It seemed God's
+answer to her prayer for guidance, and she resolved to follow the
+inspiration thus sent into her mind. She decided now what she would
+do; her mind was made up, and the light which shines from extreme
+sacrifice of self was so bright upon her face that her old nurse and
+her servants, wailing around her, were awe-stricken and durst not
+question or check her. She returned to her oratory door, and, standing
+on the steps, looking down on her weeping domestics, she cried:
+
+                                "I am desolate,
+    For a most sad resolve wakes in my heart;
+    But always I have faith. Old men and women,
+    Be silent; God does not forsake the world.
+            Mary Queen of Angels
+    And all you clouds and clouds of saints, farewell!"
+
+With one last long gaze at the little altar of her oratory she
+resolutely closed the door and turned away.
+
+
+She Revisits the Demons
+
+The next day the merchants in their forest lodge were still buying
+souls, and giving food and wine to the starving peasants who sold.
+They were buying men and women, sinful, terrified, afraid to die,
+eager to live; buying them more cheaply than before because of the
+increase of sin and terror. Bargains were being struck and bartering
+was in full progress, when suddenly all the peasants stopped,
+shamefaced, as one said, "Here comes the Countess Cathleen," and down
+the track she was seen approaching slowly. One by one the peasants
+slunk away, and the demon merchants were quite alone when Cathleen
+entered the little cottage where they sat, with bags of coin on the
+table before them and on the ground beside them. Again they greeted
+her with mocking respect, and asked to know her will.
+
+"Merchants, do you still buy souls for Hell?"
+
+"Lady, our traffic prospers, for the famine lies long on the land, and
+men would fain live till better days come again. Besides, we can give
+them food and wine and wealth for future years; and all in exchange
+for a mere soul, a little breath of wind."
+
+"Perhaps the Countess Cathleen has come to deal with us," said the
+younger.
+
+"Merchant, you are right; I have come to bring you merchandise. I have
+a soul to sell, so costly that perhaps the price is beyond your
+means."
+
+The elder merchant replied joyfully: "No price is beyond our means, if
+only the soul be worth the price; if it be a pure and stainless soul,
+fit to join the angels and saints in Paradise, our master will gladly
+pay all you ask. Whose is the soul, and what is the price?"
+
+
+Her Terms
+
+    "The people starve, therefore the people go
+    Thronging to you. I hear a cry come from them,
+    And it is in my ears by night and day:
+    And I would have five hundred thousand crowns,
+    To find food for them till the dearth go by;
+    And have the wretched spirits you have bought
+    For your gold crowns, released, and sent to God.
+    The soul that I would barter is my soul."
+
+
+The Bond Signed
+
+When the demons heard this, and knew that Cathleen was willing to give
+her own soul as ransom for the souls of others, they were overjoyed,
+their eyes flashed, the rubies of their golden crowns shot out fiery
+gleams, and their fingers clutched the air as if they already held her
+stainless soul. This would be a great triumph to their master, and
+they would win great honour in Hell when they brought him a soul worth
+far, far more than large abundance of ordinary sinful souls. Very
+carefully they watched while the trembling Countess signed the bond
+which gave her soul to Hell, very gladly they paid down the money for
+which she had stipulated, and very joyously they saw the signs of
+speedy death in her face, knowing, as they did, how soon the coming
+relief would show her sacrifice to have been unnecessary, though
+now it was irrevocable.
+
+[Illustration: "Cathleen signed the bond"]
+
+
+General Lamentation
+
+Sadly but resolutely she turned away, followed by her servants bearing
+the bags of gold, and as she passed through the village a rumour ran
+before her of what she had done. All men were sobered by the terrible
+tidings, and the redeemed people waited for her coming, and followed
+her weeping and lamenting, for now their souls were free again, and
+they recognised the great sacrifice she had made for them; but it was
+too late to save her, though now all would have died for her. Cathleen
+passed on into her castle, and there in the courtyard she distributed
+the money to all her people, and bade them dwell quietly in obedience
+till her steward returned. She herself, she said, could not stay; she
+must go on a long and dark journey, for her people's need had broken
+her heart and conquered her; she was no longer her own, but belonged
+to the dark lord of Hell; she could not bid them pray for her, nor
+could she pray for herself.
+
+
+Cathleen Fades Away
+
+Her people, who knew the great price at which she had redeemed them,
+besought the Blessed Virgin and all the saints to have mercy on her;
+and all the souls she had released, on earth and in Heaven, prayed for
+her night and day, and the blessed saints interceded for her. Yet from
+day to day the Countess Cathleen faded, and the demons, ceasing all
+other traffic, lurked in waiting to catch her soul as she died. Night
+and day her heart-broken foster-mother Oona tended her; but she grew
+feebler, till it seemed that she would die before Fergus returned.
+
+
+The Steward Returns
+
+On the fifth day, however, glad tidings came. Fergus had landed, and
+sent word that he was bringing corn and meal as quickly as possible;
+also a wandering peasant brought a message that nine hundred oxen were
+within one day's journey of her castle; and when the gentle Cathleen
+heard this, and knew that her people were safe, she died with a smile
+on her lips and thanks to God for her people on her tongue. That same
+night a great tempest broke over the land, which drove away the
+pestilential mists, and left the country free from evil influences,
+for with the morning men found the forest lodge crushed beneath the
+fallen trees, and the two demon merchants vanished. All gathered round
+the castle and mourned for the Countess Cathleen, for none knew how it
+would go with her spirit; they feared that the evil demons had borne
+her soul to Hell. All had prayed for her, but there had been no sign,
+no token of forgiveness. Nevertheless their prayers were heard and
+answered.
+
+
+The Demons Cheated
+
+In the next night, when the great storm had passed away and the
+vapours no longer filled the air, when Fergus had distributed food and
+wine, and the oxen had been apportioned to every family, so that
+plenty reigned in every house, when only Cathleen's castle lay
+desolate, shrouded in gloom, the faithful old nurse Oona, watching by
+the body of her darling, had a glorious vision. She saw the splendid
+armies of the angels who guard mankind from evil, she saw the saints
+who had suffered and overcome, and amid them was the Countess
+Cathleen, happy with saints and angels in the bliss of Paradise; for
+her love had redeemed her own soul as well as the souls of others,
+and God had pardoned her sin because of her self-sacrifice.
+
+    "The light beats down: the gates of pearl are wide,
+    And she is passing to the floor of peace,
+    And Mary of the seven times wounded heart
+    Has kissed her lips, and the long blessed hair
+    Has fallen on her face; the Light of Lights
+    Looks always on the motive, not the deed,
+    The Shadow of Shadows on the deed alone."
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[15] C. Kingsley.
+
+[16] The poetical quotations throughout this story are taken, by
+permission, from Mr. W. B. Yeats's play "The Countess Cathleen."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX: CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Among all the early literatures of Europe, there are two which, at
+exactly opposite corners of the continent, display most strikingly
+similar characteristics, characteristics which apparently point to
+some racial affinity in the peoples who produced them. These
+literatures are the Greek and the Irish. It has been maintained with
+much ingenuity that the Greeks of Homer, the early Britons, and the
+Irish Celts were all of one stock, as shown by the many points they
+had in common. It is certain that in customs, manner of life, ethics,
+ideas of religion, and methods of warfare a striking similarity may be
+seen between the Greeks as described by Homer and the Britons as
+Julius Cæsar knew them, or the Irish as their own legends reveal them.
+We must expect to find in their myths and legends a certain
+resemblance of Celtic ideas to Greek ideas; and if the great Achilles
+sulks in his tent because he is unjustly deprived of his captive, the
+fair Briseis, we shall not be surprised to find the Champion of Erin
+quarrelling over his claim to precedence. The contest between the
+heroes for the armour of dead Achilles is paralleled by this contest
+between the three greatest warriors of Ireland for the special dish of
+honour called the "Champion's Portion," a distinction which also
+recalls Greek life.
+
+
+Cuchulain, the Irish Achilles
+
+The resemblance of the Cuchulain legend to the story of Achilles is so
+strong that Cuchulain is often called "the Irish Achilles," but there
+are elements of humour and pathos in his story which the tale of
+Achilles cannot show, and in reckless courage, power of inspiring
+dread, sense of personal merit, and frankness of speech the Irish hero
+is not inferior to the mighty Greek. The way in which Cuchulain
+established his claim to be regarded as Chief Champion of Erin is
+related in the following story, which shows some primitive Celtic
+features found again in Welsh legends and other national folk-tales.
+
+
+The Youth of Cuchulain
+
+Cuchulain was the nephew of King Conor of Ulster, son of his sister
+Dechtire, and men say his father was no mortal man, but the great god
+Lugh of the Long Hand. When Cuchulain was born he was brought up by
+King Conor himself and the wisest men of Ireland; when five years old,
+he beat all the other boys in games and warlike exercises, and on the
+day on which he was seven he assumed the arms of a warrior, so much
+greater was he than the sons of mortal men. Cuchulain had overheard
+his tutor, Cathbad the Druid, say to the older youths, "If any young
+man take arms to-day, his name will be greater than any other name in
+Ireland, but his span of life will be short," and as he loved fame
+above long life, he persuaded his uncle, King Conor, to invest him
+with the weapons of manhood. His fame soon spread all over Ireland,
+for his warlike deeds were those of a proved warrior, not of a child
+of nursery age, and by the time Cuchulain was seventeen he was in
+reality without peer among the champions of Ulster, or of all Ireland.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Marriage
+
+When the men of Ulster remembered Cuchulain's divine origin, they
+would fain have him married, so that he might not die childless; and
+for a year they searched all Erin for a fit bride for so great a
+champion. Cuchulain, however, went wooing for himself, to the dun of
+Forgall the Wily, a Druid of great power. Forgall had two daughters,
+of whom the younger, Emer, was the most lovely and virtuous maiden to
+be found in the country, and she became Cuchulain's chosen bride.
+Gallant was his wooing, and merry and jesting were her answers to his
+suit, for though Emer loved Cuchulain at first sight she would not
+accept him at once, and long they talked together. Finally Emer
+consented to wed Cuchulain when he had undergone certain trials and
+adventures for a year, and had accomplished certain feats, a test
+which she imposed on her lover, partly as a trial of his worthiness
+and constancy and partly to satisfy her father Forgall, who would not
+agree to the marriage. When Cuchulain returned triumphant at the end
+of the year, he rescued Emer from the confinement in which her father
+had placed her, and won her at the sword's point; they were wedded,
+and dwelt at Armagh, the capital of Ulster, under the protection of
+King Conor.
+
+
+Bricriu's Feast
+
+It happened that at Conor's court was one chief who delighted in
+making mischief, as Thersites among the Grecian leaders. This man,
+Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, came to King Conor and invited him and
+all the heroes of the Red Branch, the royal bodyguard of Ulster, to a
+feast at his new dwelling, for he felt sure he could find some
+occasion to stir up strife at a feast. King Conor, however, and the
+Red Branch heroes, distrusted Bricriu so much that they refused to
+accept the invitation, unless Bricriu would give sureties that, having
+received his guests, he would leave the hall before the feasting
+began. Bricriu, who had expected some such condition, readily agreed,
+and before going home to prepare his feast took measures for stirring
+up strife among the heroes of Ulster.
+
+
+Bricriu's Falsehood
+
+Before Bricriu left Armagh he went to the mighty Laegaire and with
+many words of praise said: "All good be with you, O Laegaire, winner
+of battles! Why should you not be Champion of Ireland for ever?"
+
+"I can be, if I will," said Laegaire.
+
+"Follow my advice, and you shall be head of all the champions of
+Ireland," said cunning Bricriu.
+
+"What is your counsel?" asked Laegaire.
+
+"King Conor is coming to a feast in my house," said Bricriu, "and the
+Champion's Bit will be a splendid portion for any hero. That warrior
+who obtains it at this feast will be acclaimed Chief Champion of Erin.
+When the banquet begins do you bid your chariot-driver rise and claim
+the hero's portion for you, for you are indeed worthy of it, and I
+hope that you may get what you so well deserve!"
+
+"Some men shall die if my right is taken from me," quoth Laegaire; but
+Bricriu only laughed and turned away.
+
+
+Bricriu Meets Conall Cearnach
+
+Bricriu next met Conall Cearnach, Cuchulain's cousin, one of the
+chiefs of the Red Branch.
+
+"May all good be with you, Conall the Victorious," quoth he. "You are
+our defence and shield, and no foe dare face you in battle. Why should
+you not be Chief Champion of Ulster?"
+
+"It only depends on my will," said Conall; and then Bricriu continued
+his flattery and insidious suggestions until he had stirred up Conall
+to command his charioteer to claim the Champion's Portion at
+Bricriu's feast. Very joyous was Bricriu, and very evilly he smiled as
+he turned away when he had roused the ambition of Conall Cearnach, for
+he revelled in the prospect of coming strife.
+
+
+Bricriu Meets Cuchulain
+
+"May all good be with you, Cuchulain," said Bricriu, as he met the
+youthful hero. "You are the chief defence of Erin, our bulwark against
+the foe, our joy and darling, the hero of Ulster, the favourite of all
+the maidens of Ireland, the greatest warrior of our land! We all live
+in safety under the protection of your mighty hand, so why should you
+not be the Chief Champion of Ulster? Why will you leave the Hero's
+Portion to some less worthy warrior?"
+
+"By the god of my people, I will have it, or slay any bold man who
+dares to deprive me of it," said Cuchulain.
+
+Thereupon Bricriu left Cuchulain and travelled to his home, where he
+made his preparations for receiving the king, as if nothing were
+further from his thoughts than mischief-making and guile.
+
+
+The Feast and the Quarrel
+
+When King Conor and his court had entered Bricriu's house at Dundrum,
+and were sitting at the feast, Bricriu was forced by his sureties to
+leave the hall, for men feared his malicious tongue, and as he went to
+his watch-tower he turned and cried:
+
+"The Champion's Portion at my feast is worth having; let it be given
+to the best hero in Ulster."
+
+The carving and distribution of the viands began, and when the
+Champion's Portion was brought forward it was claimed by three
+chariot-drivers, Laegaire's, Conall's, and Cuchulain's, each on
+behalf of his master; and when no decision was made by King Conor the
+three heroes claimed it, each for himself. But Laegaire and Conall
+united in defying Cuchulain and ridiculing his claim, and a great
+fight began in the hall, till all men shook for fear; and at last King
+Conor intervened, before any man had been wounded.
+
+"Put up your swords," he said. "The Champion's Portion at this feast
+shall be divided among the three, and we will ask King Ailill and
+Queen Meave of Connaught to say who is the greatest champion." This
+plan pleased every one but Bricriu, who saw his hopes of fomenting
+strife disappear.
+
+
+The Women's Quarrel
+
+Just at that moment the women rose and quitted the hall to breathe the
+fresh air, and Bricriu spied his opportunity. Going down from his
+watch-tower, he met Fedelm, the wife of Laegaire, with her fifty
+maidens, and said to her:
+
+"All good be with you to-night, Fedelm of the Fresh Heart! Truly in
+beauty, in birth, in dignity, no woman in Ulster is your equal. If you
+enter my hall first to-night, you will be queen of the Ulster women."
+
+Fedelm walked on merrily enough, but determined that she would soon
+re-enter the hall, and certainly before any other woman. Bricriu next
+met Lendabair the Favourite, Conall's wife, and gave her similar
+flattery and a similar prophecy, and Lendabair also determined to be
+first back at the house and first to enter the hall.
+
+Then Bricriu waited till he saw Emer, Cuchulain's fair wife. "Health
+be with you, Emer, wife of the best man in Ireland! As the sun
+outshines the stars, so do you outshine all other women! You should
+of right enter the house first, for whoever does so will be queen of
+the women of Ulster, and none has a better claim to be their queen
+than Cuchulain's wife, Forgall's fair daughter."
+
+
+The Husbands Intervene
+
+The three fair women, each with her train of fifty maidens, watched
+one another carefully, and when one turned back towards the house the
+others accompanied her, step for step; and the noise of their
+returning footsteps as they raced along alarmed their husbands.
+Sencha, the king's wise counsellor, reassured them, saying, "It is
+only a woman's quarrel; Bricriu has stirred up enmity among the wives
+of the heroes"; and as he spoke Emer reached the hall, having suddenly
+outrun the others; but the doors were shut. Then followed bitter
+complaints from Fedelm and Lendabair, both united against Emer, as
+their husbands had been against Cuchulain. Again King Conor was forced
+to call for silence, since each hero was supporting his own wife's
+claims to be queen of the Ulster women. The strife was only calmed by
+the promise that the claim to the highest place should be settled by
+Ailill and Meave of Connaught, who would be impartial judges.
+
+
+The Heroes Journey to Connaught
+
+Bricriu's feast lasted for three days longer, and then King Conor and
+the Red Branch heroes returned to Armagh. There the dispute about the
+Championship began again, and Conor sent the heroes to Cruachan, in
+Connaught, to obtain a judgment from King Ailill. "If he does not
+decide, go to Curoi of Munster, who is a just and wise man, and will
+find out the best hero by wizardry and enchantments." When Conor had
+decided thus, Laegaire and Conall, after some disputation as to who
+should start first, had their chariots got ready and drove towards
+Cruachan, but Cuchulain stayed amusing himself and the women in
+Armagh. When his chariot-driver reproached him with losing the
+Champion's Portion through laziness Cuchulain replied: "I never
+thought about it, but there is still time to win it. Yoke my steeds to
+the chariot." By this time, however, the other two heroes were far,
+very far, in advance, with the chief men of Ulster following them.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Steeds
+
+Cuchulain had quite lately won two mighty magic steeds, which arose
+from two lonely lakes--the Grey of Macha, his best-beloved horse, and
+the Black Sainglain. The struggle between the hero and these magic
+steeds had been terrible before he had been able to tame them and
+reduce them to submission; now he had them yoked to his chariot, and
+when he had once started he soon came up with the other two heroes,
+and all three drove furiously towards Cruachan, with all the warriors
+of Ulster behind them.
+
+[Illustration: "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan"]
+
+
+Queen Meave Watches the Heroes
+
+The noise of the advancing war-chariots reached Queen Meave at
+Cruachan, and she wondered greatly to hear thunder from a clear sky;
+but her fair daughter, looking from her window, said: "Mother, I see
+chariots coming."
+
+"Who comes in the first?" asked Queen Meave.
+
+"I see a big stout man, with reddish gold hair and long forked beard,
+dressed in purple with gold adornments; and his shield is bronze edged
+with gold; he bears a javelin in his hand."
+
+"That man I know well," answered her mother. "He is mighty Laegaire,
+the Storm of War, the Knife of Victory; he will slay us all, unless he
+comes in peace."
+
+"I see another chariot," quoth the princess, "bearing a fair man with
+long wavy hair, a man of clear red and white complexion, wearing a
+white vest and a cloak of blue and crimson. His shield is brown, with
+yellow bosses and a bronze edge."
+
+"That is valiant Conall the Victorious," quoth Meave. "Small chance
+shall we have if he comes in anger."
+
+"Yet a third chariot comes, wherein stands a dark, sad youth, most
+handsome of all the men of Erin; he wears a crimson tunic, brooched
+with gold, a long white linen cloak, and a white, gold-embroidered
+hood. His hair is black, his look draws love, his glance shoots fire,
+and the hero-light gleams around him. His shield is crimson, with a
+silver rim, and images of beasts shine on it in gold."
+
+
+Terror in Connaught
+
+"Alas! that is the hero Cuchulain," said Meave. "He is more to be
+feared than all others. His voice in anger tells the doom of men; his
+wrath is fatal. Truly we are but dead if we have aroused Cuchulain's
+wrath." After a pause: "Tell me, daughter, are there yet other
+chariots?"
+
+"The men of Ulster follow in chariots so numerous that the earth
+quakes beneath them, and their sound is as thunder, or the dashing
+waves of the sea."
+
+Now Queen Meave was terrified in good earnest, but hoped by a hearty
+welcome to turn aside the wrath of the heroes of Ulster; thus when
+they arrived at the dun of Cruachan they found the best of receptions,
+and all the Red Branch warriors were feasted for three days and
+nights.
+
+
+Conor Explains the Matter
+
+After three days Ailill of Connaught asked their business, and King
+Conor related to him everything as it had occurred--the feast, the
+dispute for the Champion's Portion, the women's quarrel, and the
+decision to be judged by King Ailill. This angered Ailill, who was a
+peaceable man.
+
+"It was no friend of mine who referred you to me, for I shall surely
+incur the hatred of two heroes," quoth he.
+
+"You are the best judge of all," replied King Conor.
+
+"Then I must have time--three days and nights--to decide," said
+Ailill.
+
+"We can spare our heroes so long," quoth Conor, and therewith the
+Ulster men returned to Armagh, leaving the three claimants to the
+Championship at Cruachan.
+
+
+The First Test
+
+That night Ailill put them to an unexpected test. Their feast was
+served to them in a separate room, and the king went to his
+protectors, the Fairy People of the Hills, in the Good People's Hill
+at Cruachan, and begged some help in his judgment. They willingly
+aided him, and three magic beasts, in the shape of monstrous cats,
+were let into the room where the heroes feasted. When they saw them
+Laegaire and Conall rose up from their meal, clambered up among the
+rafters, and stayed there all night. Cuchulain waited till one
+attacked him, and then drawing his sword, struck the monster. It
+showed no further sign of fight, and Cuchulain kept watch all night,
+till the magic beasts disappeared at daybreak. When Ailill came into
+the room and saw the heroes as they had spent the night he laughed as
+he said:
+
+"Are you not content to yield the Championship to Cuchulain?"
+
+[Illustration: "Three monstrous cats were let into the room"]
+
+"Indeed no," said Conall and Laegaire. "We are used to fighting men,
+not monstrous beasts."
+
+
+The Second Test
+
+The next day King Ailill sent the heroes to his own foster-father,
+Ercol, to spend a night with him, that he also might test them. When
+they arrived, and had feasted, Laegaire was sent out that night to
+fight the witches of the valley. Fierce and terrible were these
+witches, and they beat Laegaire, and took his arms and armour.
+
+When Conall went to fight them the witches beat him and took his
+spear, but he kept his sword and brought it back with honour.
+Cuchulain, who was the youngest, went last, and he too was being
+beaten, when the taunts of his chariot-driver, who was watching,
+aroused him, and he beat the witches, and bore off in triumph their
+cloaks of battle. Yet even after this the other two heroes would not
+acknowledge Cuchulain's superiority.
+
+
+Ercol's Defeat
+
+The next day Ercol fought with each champion separately, and conquered
+both Laegaire and Conall, terrifying the former so much that he fled
+to Cruachan and told Meave and Ailill that Ercol had killed the other
+two. When Cuchulain arrived victorious, with Ercol tied captive at his
+chariot-wheels, he found all men mourning for him and Conall as for
+the dead.
+
+
+Meave's Plan to Avoid Strife in Cruachan
+
+Now indeed Ailill was in great perplexity, for he durst not delay his
+decision, and he dreaded the wrath of the two disappointed heroes. He
+and Queen Meave consulted long together, and at length Meave promised
+to relieve him of the responsibility of judgment. Summoning Laegaire
+to the king's room, she said:
+
+"Welcome, O Laegaire! You are greatest of the warriors of Ulster. To
+you we give the headship of the heroes of Ireland and the Champion's
+Portion, and to your wife the right to walk first of all the women of
+Ulster. In token thereof we give you this cup of bronze with a silver
+bird embossed, to be seen by no man till you be come to King Conor in
+the Red Branch House at Armagh. Then show your cup and claim your
+right, and none will dispute it with you."
+
+So Laegaire went away well pleased, and they sent for Conall. To him
+they gave a silver cup, with a bird embossed in gold, and to him they
+pretended to adjudge the Championship, and Conall left them well
+content.
+
+Cuchulain, who was playing chess, refused to attend the King of
+Connaught when he was summoned, and Queen Meave had to entreat him to
+come to their private room. There they gave him a golden cup, with a
+bird designed in precious gems, with many words of flattery for
+Cuchulain and his fair and noble wife, Emer.
+
+
+The Return of the Champions
+
+Now the heroes, each well content, bade farewell to the court at
+Cruachan, and drove back to Armagh, but none durst ask how they had
+sped. That evening, at the banquet, when the Champion's Portion was
+set aside, Laegaire arose and claimed it, showing as proof that his
+claim was just the bronze cup he brought from Queen Meave.
+
+But alas! Conall the Victorious had a silver cup, and while he was
+exulting in this proof of his rightful claim to the championship
+Cuchulain produced his golden cup, and the dispute began all over
+again. King Conor would have allowed Cuchulain's claim, but Laegaire
+vowed that his rival had bribed Ailill and Meave with great treasures
+to give him the golden cup, and neither Laegaire nor Conall would
+yield him the victory or accept the judgment as final. "Then you must
+go to Curoi," said the king, and to that they all agreed.
+
+
+The Champions Visit Curoi
+
+The next day the three champions drove to Kerry where Curoi dwelt in a
+magic dun. He was away from home planning enchantments to test them,
+for he knew they were coming, but his wife welcomed them, and bade
+them watch the dun for one night each, beginning with Laegaire, as the
+eldest. Laegaire took up his sentinel's post outside the dun, and
+Curoi's wife worked the charm which prevented entrance after
+nightfall. The night was long and silent, and Laegaire thought he
+would have a quiet watch, when he saw a great shadow arise from the
+sea.
+
+
+The Giant Fights Laegaire and Conall
+
+This shadow took the shape of a huge giant, whose spears were mighty
+branch-stripped oaks, which he hurled at Laegaire. They did not touch
+him, however, and Laegaire made some show of fight; but the giant took
+him up, squeezed him so tightly as nearly to slay him, and then threw
+him over the magic wall of the dun, where the others found him lying
+half dead. All men thought that he had sprung with a mighty leap over
+the wall, since no other entrance was to be found, and Laegaire kept
+silence and did not explain to them.
+
+Conall, who took the watch the second night, fared exactly as Laegaire
+had done, and likewise did not confess how he had been thrown over
+the wall of the dun, nor what became of the giant in the dawn.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Trials
+
+The third night was Cuchulain's watch, and he took his post outside
+the dun, and the gates and wall were secured by magic spells, so that
+none could enter. Vainly he watched till midnight, and then he thought
+he saw nine grey shadowy forms creeping towards him.
+
+"Who goes there?" he cried. "If you be friends, stop; if foes, come
+on!" Then the nine shadowy foes raised a shout, and fell upon the
+hero; but he fought hard and slew them, and beheaded them. A second
+and a third time similar groups of vague, shadowy foemen rushed at
+him, and he slew them all in like manner, and then, wearied out, sat
+down to rest.
+
+
+The Dragon
+
+Later on in the night, as he was still watching, he heard a heavy
+sound, like waves surging in the lake, and when he roused himself to
+see what it was he beheld a monstrous dragon. It was rising from the
+water and flying towards the dun, and seemed ready to devour
+everything in its way. When the dragon perceived him it soared swiftly
+into the air, and then gradually sank towards him, opening its
+terrible jaws. Cuchulain sprang up, giving his wonderful hero-leap,
+and thrust his arm into the dragon's mouth and down its throat; he
+found its heart, tore it out, and saw the monster fall dead on the
+ground. He then cut off its scaly head, which he added to those of his
+former enemies.
+
+[Illustration: "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible
+jaws"]
+
+
+The Giant Worsted by Cuchulain
+
+Towards daybreak, when feeling quite worn out and very sleepy, he
+became slowly aware of a great shadow coming to him westward from the
+sea. The shadow, as before, became a giant, who greeted him in a surly
+tone with, "This is a bad night." "It will be worse yet for you," said
+Cuchulain. The giant, as he had done with the other heroes, threw
+oaks, but just missed him; and when he tried to grapple with him the
+hero leaped up with drawn sword. In his anger the hero-light shone
+round him, and he sprang as high as the giant's head, and gave him a
+stroke that brought him to his knees. "Life for life, Cuchulain," said
+the giant, and vanished at once, leaving no trace.
+
+
+Cuchulain Re-enters the Dun
+
+Now Cuchulain would gladly have returned to the fort to rest, but
+there seemed no way of entrance, and the hero was vexed at his own
+helplessness, for he thought his comrades had jumped over the magic
+walls. Twice he boldly essayed to leap the lofty wall, and twice he
+failed; then in his wrath his great strength came upon him, the
+hero-light shone round him, and he took a little run and, leaning on
+his spear, leaped so high and so far that he alighted in the middle of
+the court, just before the door of the hall.
+
+As he sighed heavily and wearily, Curoi's wife said: "That is the sigh
+of a weary conqueror, not of a beaten man"; and Cuchulain went in and
+sat down to rest.
+
+
+The Decision
+
+The next morning Curoi's wife asked the champions: "Are you content
+that the Championship should go to Cuchulain? I know by my magic skill
+what he has endured in the past night, and you must see that you are
+not equal to him."
+
+"Nay, that we will not allow," quoth they. "It was one of Cuchulain's
+friends among the People of the Hills who came to conquer us and to
+give him the Championship. We are not content, and we will not give up
+our claim, for the fight was not fair."
+
+"Go home now to Armagh, is Curoi's word, and wait there until he
+himself brings his decision," said Curoi's wife. So they bade her
+farewell, and went back to the Red Branch House in Armagh, with the
+dispute still unsettled; but they agreed to await peaceably Curoi's
+decision, and abide by it when he should bring it.
+
+
+Uath, the Stranger
+
+Some time after this, when Curoi had made no sign of giving judgment,
+it happened that all the Ulster heroes were in their places in the Red
+Branch House, except Cuchulain and his cousin Conall. As they sat in
+order of rank in the hall they saw a terrible stranger coming into the
+room. He was gigantic in stature, hideous of aspect, with ravening
+yellow eyes. He wore a skin roughly sewn together, and a grey cloak
+over it, and he sheltered himself from the light with a spreading tree
+torn up by the roots. In his hand he bore an enormous axe, with keen
+and shining edge. This hideous apparition strode up the hall and leant
+against a carved pillar beside the fire.
+
+"Who are you?" asked one chieftain in sport. "Are you come to be our
+candlestick, or would you burn the house down? Is this the place for
+such as you? Go farther down the hall!"
+
+"My name is Uath, the Stranger, and for neither of those things am I
+come. I seek that which I cannot find in the whole world, and that is
+a man to keep the agreement he makes with me."
+
+
+The Agreement
+
+"What is the agreement?" asked King Conor.
+
+"Behold my axe!" quoth the stranger. "The man who will grasp it
+to-day may cut my head off with it, provided that I may, in like
+manner, cut off his head to-morrow. Now you men of Ulster, heroes of
+the Red Branch, have won the palm through the wide world for courage,
+honour, strength, truth, and generosity; do you, therefore, find me a
+man to keep this agreement. King Conor is excepted, because of his
+royal dignity, but no other. And if you have no champion who dare face
+me, I will say that Ulster has lost her courage and is dishonoured."
+
+"It is not right for a whole province to be disgraced for lack of a
+man to keep his word," said King Conor, "but I fear we have no such
+champions here."
+
+
+Laegaire Accepts the Challenge
+
+"By my word," said Laegaire, who had listened attentively to the whole
+conversation, "there will be a champion this very moment. Stoop down,
+fellow, and let me cut off your head, that you may take mine
+to-morrow."
+
+Then Uath chanted magic spells over the axe as he stroked the edge,
+and laid his neck on a block, and Laegaire hewed so hard that the axe
+severed the head from the body and struck deep into the block. Then
+the body of Uath arose, took up the head and the axe, and strode away
+down the hall, all people shrinking out of its way, and so it passed
+out into the night.
+
+[Illustration: "The body of Uath arose"]
+
+"If this terrible stranger returns to-morrow he will slay us all,"
+they whispered, as they looked pityingly at Laegaire, who was trying
+in vain to show no signs of apprehension.
+
+
+Laegaire and Conall Disgraced
+
+When the next evening came, and men sat in the Red Branch House,
+talking little and waiting for what would happen, in came Uath, the
+Stranger, as well and sound as before the terrible blow, bearing his
+axe, and eager to return the stroke. Alas! Laegaire's heart had failed
+him and he did not come, and the stranger jeered at the men of Ulster
+because their great champion durst not keep his agreement, nor face
+the blow he should receive in return for one he gave.
+
+The men of Ulster were utterly ashamed, but Conall Cearnach, the
+Victorious, was present that night, and he made a new agreement with
+Uath. Conall gave a blow which beheaded Uath, but again, when the
+stranger returned whole and sound on the following evening, the
+champion was not to be found: Conall would not face the blow.
+
+
+Cuchulain Accepts the Challenge
+
+When Uath found that a second hero of Ulster had failed him he again
+taunted them all with cowardice and promise-breaking.
+
+"What! is there not one man of courage among you Ulstermen? You would
+fain have a great name, but have no courage to earn it! Great heroes
+are you all! Not one among you has bravery enough to face me! Where is
+that childish youth Cuchulain! A poor miserable fellow he is, but I
+would like to see if his word is better to be relied on than the word
+of these two great heroes."
+
+"A youth I may be," said Cuchulain, "but I will keep my word without
+any agreement."
+
+Uath laughed aloud. "Yes! that is likely, is it not? And you with so
+great a fear of death!"
+
+Thereupon the youth leapt up, caught the deadly axe, and severed the
+giant's head as he stood with one stroke.
+
+
+Cuchulain Stands the Test
+
+The next day the Red Branch heroes watched Cuchulain to see what he
+would do. They would not have been surprised if he had failed like the
+others, who now were present. The champion, however, showed no signs
+of failing or retreat. He sat sorrowfully in his place waiting for the
+certain death that must come, and regretting his rashness, but with no
+thought of breaking his word.
+
+With a sigh he said to King Conor as they waited: "Do not leave this
+place till all is over. Death is coming to me very surely, but I must
+fulfil my agreement, for I would rather die than break my word."
+
+Towards the close of day Uath strode into the hall exultant.
+
+"Where is Cuchulain?" he cried.
+
+"Here I am," was the reply.
+
+"Ah, poor boy! your speech is sad to-night, and the fear of death lies
+heavy on you; but at least you have redeemed your word and have not
+failed me."
+
+The youth rose from his seat and went towards Uath, as he stood with
+the great axe ready, and knelt to receive the blow.
+
+
+Curoi's Decision and Cuchulain's Victory
+
+The hero of Ulster laid his head on the block; but Uath was not
+satisfied. "Stretch out your neck better," said he.
+
+"You are playing with me, to torment me," said Cuchulain. "Slay me now
+speedily, for I did not keep you waiting last night."
+
+However, he stretched out his neck as Uath bade, and the stranger
+raised his axe till it crashed upwards through the rafters of the
+hall, like the crash of trees falling in a storm. When the axe came
+down with a terrific sound all men looked fearfully at Cuchulain. The
+descending axe had not even touched him; it had come down with the
+blunt side on the ground, and the youth knelt there unharmed. Smiling
+at him, and leaning on his axe, stood no terrible and hideous
+stranger, but Curoi of Kerry, come to give his decision at last.
+
+"Rise up, Cuchulain," said Curoi. "There is none among all the heroes
+of Ulster to equal you in courage and loyalty and truth. The
+Championship of the Heroes of Ireland is yours from this day forth,
+and the Champion's Portion at all feasts; and to your wife I adjudge
+the first place among all the women of Ulster. Woe to him who dares to
+dispute this decision!" Thereupon Curoi vanished, and the Red Branch
+warriors gathered around Cuchulain, and all with one voice acclaimed
+him the Champion of the Heroes of all Ireland--a title which has clung
+to him until this day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X: THE TALE OF GAMELYN
+
+
+The "Wicked Brothers" Theme
+
+The tale of "Gamelyn" is a variant of the old fairy-tale subject of
+the Wicked Elder Brothers, one of the oldest and most interesting
+versions of which may still be read in the Biblical story of Joseph
+and his brethren. Usually a father dies leaving three sons, of whom
+the two elder are worthless and the youngest rises to high honour,
+whereupon the elder brothers try to kill the youngest from envy at his
+good fortune. A similar root-idea is found in "Cinderella" and other
+fairy-tales of girls, but in these there may usually be found a cruel
+stepmother and two contemptuous stepsisters--a noteworthy variation
+which seems to point to some deep-rooted idea that the ties of blood
+are stronger among women than among men.
+
+
+Literary Influence of the "Gamelyn" Story
+
+The story of "Gamelyn" has two great claims to our attention: it is,
+through Lodge's "Euphues' Golden Legacy," the ultimate source of
+Shakespeare's _As You Like It_, and it seems to be the earliest
+presentment in English literature of the figure of "the noble outlaw."
+In fact, Gamelyn is probably the literary ancestor of "bold Robin
+Hood," and stands for an English ideal of justice and equity, against
+legal oppression and wickedness in high places. He shows, too, the
+love of free life, of the merry greenwood and the open road, which
+reappears after so many centuries in the work of Robert Louis
+Stevenson.
+
+
+The Story
+
+In the reign of King Edward I. there dwelt in Lincolnshire, near the
+vast expanse of the Fens, a noble gentleman, Sir John of the Marches.
+He was now old, but was still a model of all courtesy and a "very
+perfect gentle knight." He had three sons, of whom the youngest,
+Gamelyn, was born in his father's old age, and was greatly beloved by
+the old man; the other two were much older than he, and John, the
+eldest, had already developed a vicious and malignant character.
+Gamelyn and his second brother, Otho, reverenced their father, but
+John had no respect or obedience for the good gentleman, and was the
+chief trouble of his declining years, as Gamelyn was his chief joy.
+
+
+The Father Feels his End Approaching
+
+At last old age and weakness overcame the worthy old Sir John, and he
+was forced to take to his bed, where he lay sadly meditating on his
+children's future, and wondering how to divide his possessions justly
+among the three. There was no difficulty of inheritance or
+primogeniture, for all the knight's lands were held in fee-simple, and
+not in entail, so that he might bequeath them as he would. Sir John of
+the Marches, fearing lest he should commit an injustice, sent
+throughout the district for wise knights, begging them to come
+hastily, if they wished to see him alive, and help him. When the
+country squires and lords, his near neighbours, heard of his grave
+condition, they hurried to the castle, and gathered in the bedchamber,
+where the dying knight greeted them thus: "Lords and gentlemen, I warn
+you in truth that I may no longer live; by the will of God death lays
+his hand upon me." When they heard this they tried to encourage him,
+by bidding him remember that God can provide a remedy for every
+disease, and the good knight received their kindly words without
+dispute. "That God can send remedy for an ill I will never deny; but
+I beseech you, for my sake, to divide my lands among my three sons.
+For the love of God deal justly, and forget not my youngest, Gamelyn.
+Seldom does any heir to an estate help his brothers after his father's
+death."
+
+
+How Shall he Dispose of his Estate?
+
+The friends whom Sir John had summoned deliberated long over the
+disposal of the estate. The majority wished to give all to the eldest
+son, but a strong minority urged the claims of the second, but all
+agreed that Gamelyn might wait till his eldest brother chose to give
+him a share of his father's lands. At last it was decided to divide
+the inheritance between the two elder sons, and the knights returned
+to the chamber where the brave old knight lay dying, and told him
+their decision. He summoned up strength enough to protest against
+their plan of distribution, and said:
+
+    "'Nay, by St. Martin, I can yet bequeath
+    My lands to whom I wish: they still are mine.
+    Then hearken, neighbours, while I make my will.
+    To John, my eldest son, and heir, I leave
+    Five ploughlands, my dead father's heritage;
+    My second, Otho, ploughlands five shall hold,
+    Which my good right hand won in valiant strife;
+    All else I own, in lands and goods and wealth,
+    To Gamelyn, my youngest, I devise;
+    And I beseech you, for the love of God,
+    Forsake him not, but guard his helpless youth
+    And let him not be plundered of his wealth.'"
+
+Then Sir John, satisfied with having proclaimed his will, died with
+Christian resignation, leaving his little son Gamelyn in the power of
+the cruel eldest brother, now, in his turn, Sir John.
+
+
+The Cruel Eldest Son
+
+Since the boy was a minor, the new knight, as natural guardian,
+assumed the control of Gamelyn's land, vassals, education, and
+nurture; and full evilly he discharged his duties, for he clothed and
+fed him badly, and neglected his lands, so that his parks and houses,
+his farms and villages, fell into ruinous decay. The boy, when he grew
+older, noticed this and resented it, but did not realize the power in
+his own broad limbs and mighty sinews to redress his wrongs, though by
+the time he fully understood his injuries no man would dare to face
+him in fight when he was angry, so strong a youth had he become.
+
+
+Gamelyn Resists
+
+While Gamelyn, one day, walking in the hall, mused on the ruin of all
+his inheritance, Sir John came blustering in, and, seeing him, called
+out: "How now: is dinner ready?" Enraged at being addressed as if he
+were a mere servant, he replied angrily: "Go and do your own baking; I
+am not your cook."
+
+[Illustration: "Go and do your own baking!"]
+
+Sir John almost doubted the evidence of his ears. "What, my dear
+brother, is that the way to answer? Thou hast never addressed me so
+before!"
+
+"No," replied Gamelyn; "until now I have never considered all the
+wrong you have done me. My parks are broken open, my deer are driven
+off; you have deprived me of my armour and my steeds; all that my
+father bequeathed to me is falling into ruin and decay. God's curse
+upon you, false brother!"
+
+Sir John was now enraged beyond all measure, and shouted: "Stand
+still, vagabond, and hold thy peace! What right hast thou to speak of
+land or vassals? Thou shalt learn to be grateful for food and
+raiment."
+
+"A curse upon him that calls me vagabond! I am no worse than
+yourself; I am the son of a lady and a good knight."
+
+
+Gamelyn Terrifies the Household
+
+In spite of all his anger, Sir John was a cautious man, with a prudent
+regard for his own safety. He would not risk an encounter with
+Gamelyn, but summoned his servants and bade them beat him well, till
+he should learn better manners. But when the boy understood his
+brother's intention he vowed that he would not be beaten alone--others
+should suffer too, and Sir John not the least. Thereupon, leaping on
+to the wall, he seized a pestle which lay there, and so boldly
+attacked the timid servants, though they were armed with staves, that
+he drove them in flight, and laid on furious strokes which quenched
+the small spark of courage in them. Sir John had not even that small
+amount of bravery: he fled to a loft and barred the door, while
+Gamelyn cleared the hall with his pestle, and scoffed at the cowardly
+grooms who fled so soon from the strife they had begun. When he sought
+for his brother he could not see him at first, but afterwards
+perceived his sorry countenance peeping from a window. "Brother," said
+Gamelyn, "come a little nearer, and I will teach you how to play with
+staff and buckler."
+
+"Nay, by St. Richard, I will not descend till thou hast put down that
+pestle. Brother, be no more enraged, and I will make peace with thee.
+I swear it by the grace of God!"
+
+"I was forced to defend myself," said Gamelyn, "or your menials would
+have injured and degraded me: I could not let grooms beat a good
+knight's son; but now grant me one boon, and we shall soon be
+reconciled."
+
+
+Sir John's Guile
+
+"Yes, certainly, brother; ask thy boon, and I will grant it readily.
+But indeed I was only testing thee, for thou art so young that I
+doubted thy strength and manliness. It was only a pretence of beating
+that I meant."
+
+"This is my request," said the boy: "if there is to be peace between
+us you must surrender to me all that my father bequeathed me while he
+was alive."
+
+To this Sir John consented with apparent willingness, and even
+promised to repair the decayed mansions and restore the lands and
+farms to their former prosperity; but though he feigned content with
+the agreement and kissed his brother with outward affection yet he was
+inwardly meditating plans of treachery against the unsuspecting youth.
+
+
+A Wrestling Match
+
+Shortly after this quarrel between the brothers a wrestling
+competition was announced, the winner of which would become the owner
+of a fine ram and a ring of gold, and Gamelyn determined to try his
+powers. Accordingly he begged the loan of "a little courser" from Sir
+John, who offered him his choice of all the steeds in the stable, and
+then curiously questioned him as to his errand. The lad explained that
+he wished to compete in the wrestling match, hoping to win honour by
+bearing away the prize; then, springing on the beautiful courser that
+was brought him ready saddled, he spurred his horse and rode away
+merrily, while the false Sir John locked the gate behind him, praying
+that he might get his neck broken in the contest. The boy rode along,
+rejoicing in his youth and strength, singing as he went, till he drew
+near the appointed place, and then he suddenly heard a man's voice
+lamenting aloud and crying, "Wellaway! Alas!" and saw a venerable
+yeoman wringing his hands. "Good man," said Gamelyn, "why art thou in
+such distress? Can no man help thee?"
+
+
+A Dreaded Champion
+
+"Alas!" said the yeoman. "Woe to the day on which I was born! The
+champion wrestler here has overthrown my two stalwart sons, and unless
+God help them they must die of their grievous hurts. I would give ten
+pounds to find a man to avenge on him the injuries done to my dear
+sons."
+
+"Good man, hold my horse while my groom takes my coat and shoes, and I
+will try my luck and strength against this doughty champion."
+
+"Thank God!" said the yeoman. "I will do it at once; I will guard thy
+coat and shoes and good steed safely--and may Jesus Christ speed thee
+well!"
+
+
+Gamelyn Enters
+
+When Gamelyn entered the ring, barefooted and stripped for wrestling,
+all men gazed curiously at the rash youth who dared to challenge the
+stalwart champion, and the great man himself, rising from the ground,
+strolled across to meet Gamelyn and said haughtily: "Who is thy
+father, and what is thy name? Thou art, forsooth, a young fool to come
+here!"
+
+Gamelyn answered equally haughtily: "Thou knewest well my father while
+he lived: he was Sir John of the Marches, and I am his youngest son,
+Gamelyn."
+
+The champion replied: "Boy, I knew thy father well in his lifetime,
+and I have heard of thee, and nothing good: thou hast always been in
+mischief."
+
+"Now I am older thou shalt know me better," said Gamelyn.
+
+
+Defeats the Champion
+
+The wrestling had lasted till late in the evening, and the moon was
+shining on the scene when Gamelyn and the champion began their
+struggle. The wrestler tried many wily tricks, but the boy was ready
+for them all, and stood steady against all that his opponent could do.
+Then, in his turn, he took the offensive, grasped his adversary round
+the waist, and cast him so heavily to the ground that three ribs were
+broken, and his left arm. Then the victor said mockingly:
+
+"Shall we count that a cast, or not reckon it?"
+
+"By heaven! whether it be one or no, any man in thy hand will never
+thrive," said the champion painfully.
+
+The yeoman, who had watched the match with great anxiety, now broke
+out with blessings: "Blessed be thou, young sir, that ever thou wert
+born!" and now taunting the fallen champion, said: "It was young
+'Mischief' who taught thee this game."
+
+"He is master of us all," said the champion. "In all my years of
+wrestling I have never been mishandled so cruelly."
+
+Now the victor stood in the ring, ready for more wrestling, but no man
+would venture to compete with him, and the two judges who kept order
+and awarded the prizes bade him retire, for no other competitor could
+be found to face him.
+
+But he was a little disappointed at this easy victory. "Is the fair
+over? Why, I have not half sold my wares," he said.
+
+The champion was still capable of grim jesting. "Now, as I value my
+life, any purchaser of your wares is a fool; you sell so dearly."
+
+"Not at all," broke in the yeoman; "you have bought your share full
+cheap, and made a good bargain."
+
+
+He Wins the Prizes
+
+While this short conversation had been going on the judges had
+returned to their seats, and formally awarded the prize to Gamelyn,
+and now came to him, bearing the ram and the ring for his acceptance.
+
+Gamelyn took them gladly, and went home the next morning, followed by
+a cheering crowd of admirers; but when the cowardly Sir John saw the
+people he bolted the castle doors against his more favourite and
+successful brother.
+
+
+He Overcomes his Brother's Servants
+
+The porter, obeying his master's commands, refused Gamelyn entrance;
+and the youth, enraged at this insult, broke down the door with one
+blow, caught the fleeing porter, and flung him down the well in the
+courtyard. His brother's servants fled from his anger, and the crowd
+that had accompanied him swarmed into courtyard and hall, while the
+knight took refuge in a little turret.
+
+"Welcome to you all," said Gamelyn. "We will be masters here and ask
+no man's leave. Yesterday I left five tuns of wine in the cellar; we
+will drain them dry before you go. If my brother objects (as he well
+may, for he is a miser) I will be butler and caterer and manage the
+whole feast. Any person who dares to object may join the porter in the
+well."
+
+Naturally no objections were raised, and Gamelyn and his friends held
+high revel for a week, while Sir John lay hidden in his turret,
+terrified at the noise and revelry, and dreading what his brother
+might do to him now he had so great a following.
+
+
+A Reckoning with Sir John
+
+However, the guests departed quietly on the eighth day, leaving
+Gamelyn alone, and very sorrowful, in the hall where he had held high
+revel. As he stood there, musing sadly, he heard a timid footstep, and
+saw his brother creeping towards him. When he had attracted Gamelyn's
+attention he spoke out loudly: "Who made thee so bold as to destroy
+all my household stores?"
+
+"Nay, brother, be not wroth," said the youth quietly. "If I have used
+anything I have paid for it fully beforehand. For these sixteen years
+you have had full use and profit of fifteen good ploughlands which my
+father left me; you have also the use and increase of all my cattle
+and horses; and now all this past profit I abandon to you, in return
+for the expense of this feast of mine."
+
+Then said the treacherous Sir John: "Hearken, my dear brother: I have
+no son, and thou shalt be my heir--I swear by the holy St. John."
+
+"In faith," said Gamelyn, "if that be the case, and if this offer be
+made in all sincerity, may God reward you!" for it was impossible for
+his generous disposition to suspect his brother of treachery and to
+fathom the wiles of a crafty nature; hence it happened that he was so
+soon and easily beguiled.
+
+
+Gamelyn Allows Himself to be Chained
+
+Sir John hesitated a moment, and then said doubtfully: "There is one
+thing I must tell you, Gamelyn. When you threw my porter into the well
+I swore in my wrath that I would have you bound hand and foot. That is
+impossible now without your consent, and I must be forsworn unless you
+will let yourself be bound for a moment, as a mere form, just to save
+me from the sin of perjury."
+
+So sincere Sir John seemed, and so simple did the whole thing appear,
+that Gamelyn consented at once. "Why, certainly, brother, you shall
+not be forsworn for my sake." So he sat down, and the servants bound
+him hand and foot; and then Sir John looked mockingly at him as he
+said: "So now, my fine brother, I have you caught at last." Then he
+bade them bring fetters and rivet them on Gamelyn's limbs, and chain
+him fast to a post in the centre of the hall. Then he was placed on
+his feet with his back to the post and his hands manacled behind him,
+and as he stood there the false brother told every person who entered
+that Gamelyn had suddenly gone mad, and was chained for safety's sake,
+lest he should do himself or others some deadly hurt. For two long
+days and nights he stood there bound, with no food or drink, and grew
+faint with hunger and weariness, for his fetters were so tight that he
+could not sit or lie down; bitterly he lamented the carelessness which
+made him fall such an easy prey to his treacherous brother's designs.
+
+
+Adam Spencer to the Rescue
+
+When all others had left the hall Gamelyn appealed to old Adam
+Spencer, the steward of the household, a loyal old servant who had
+known Sir John of the Marches, and had watched the boy grow up. "Adam
+Spencer," quoth he, "unless my brother is minded to slay me, I am kept
+fasting too long. I beseech thee, for the great love my father bore
+thee, get the keys and release me from my bonds. I will share all my
+free land with thee if thou wilt help me in this distress."
+
+The poor old servant was greatly perplexed. He knew not how to
+reconcile his grateful loyalty to his dead master with the loyalty due
+to his present lord, and he said doubtfully: "I have served thy
+brother for sixteen years, and if I release thee now he will
+rightly call me a traitor." "Ah, Adam! thou wilt find him a false
+rogue at the last, as I have done. Release me, dear friend Adam, and I
+will be true to my agreement, and will keep my covenant to share my
+land with thee." By these earnest words the steward was persuaded,
+and, waiting till Sir John was safely in bed, managed to obtain
+possession of the keys and release Gamelyn, who stretched his arms and
+legs and thanked God for his liberty. "Now," said he, "if I were but
+well fed no one in this house should bind me again to-night." So Adam
+took him to a private room and set food before him; eagerly he ate and
+drank till his hunger was satisfied and he began to think of revenge.
+"What is your advice, Adam? Shall I go to my brother and strike off
+his head? He well merits it."
+
+
+A Plan of Escape
+
+"No," answered Adam, "I know a better plan than that. Sir John is to
+give a great feast on Sunday to many Churchmen and prelates; there
+will be present a great number of abbots and priors and other holy
+men. Do you stand as if bound by your post in the hall, and beseech
+them to release you. If they will be surety for you, your liberty will
+be gained with no blame to me; if they all refuse, you shall cast
+aside the unlocked chains, and you and I, with two good staves, can
+soon win your freedom. Christ's curse on him who fails his comrade!"
+
+"Yes," quoth Gamelyn, "evil may I thrive if I fail in my part of the
+bargain! But if we must needs help them to do penance for their sins,
+you must warn me, brother Adam, when to begin."
+
+"By St. Charity, master, I will give you good warning. When I wink at
+you be ready to cast away your fetters at once and come to me."
+
+"This is good advice of yours, Adam, and blessings on your head. If
+these haughty Churchmen refuse to be surety for me I will give them
+good strokes in payment."
+
+
+A Great Feast
+
+Sunday came, and after mass many guests thronged to the feast in the
+great hall; they all stared curiously at Gamelyn as he stood with his
+hands behind him, apparently chained to his post, and Sir John
+explained sadly that he, after slaying the porter and wasting the
+household stores, had gone mad, and was obliged to be chained, for his
+fury was dangerous. The servants carried dainty dishes round the
+table, and beakers of rich wines, but though Gamelyn cried aloud that
+he was fasting no food was brought to him. Then he spoke pitifully and
+humbly to the noble guests: "Lords, for Christ's sake help a poor
+captive out of prison." But the guests were hard-hearted, and answered
+cruelly, especially the abbots and priors, who had been deceived by
+Sir John's false tales. So harshly did they reply to the youth's
+humble petition that he grew angry. "Oh," said he, "that is all the
+answer I am to have to my prayer! Now I see that I have no friends.
+Cursed be he that ever does good to abbot or prior!"
+
+[Illustration: "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of
+prison!"]
+
+
+The Banquet Disturbed
+
+Adam Spencer, busied about the removal of the cloth, looked anxiously
+at Gamelyn, and saw how angry he grew. He thought little more of his
+service, but, making a pretext to go to the pantry, brought two good
+oak staves, and stood them beside the hall door. Then he winked
+meaningly at Gamelyn, who with a sudden shout flung off his chains,
+rushed to the hall door, seized a staff, and began to lay about him
+lustily, whirling his weapon as lightly as if it had been a holy
+water sprinkler. There was a dreadful commotion in the hall, for the
+portly Churchmen tried to escape, but the mere laymen loved Gamelyn,
+and drew aside to give him free play, so that he was able to scatter
+the prelates. Now he had no pity on these cruel Churchmen, as they had
+been without pity for him; he knocked them over, battered them, broke
+their arms and legs, and wrought terrible havoc among them; and during
+this time Adam Spencer kept the door so that none might escape. He
+called aloud to Gamelyn to respect the sanctity of men of Holy Church
+and shed no blood, but if he should by chance break arms and legs
+there would be no sacrilege, because no blood need be shed.
+
+
+Sir John in Chains
+
+Thus Gamelyn worked his will, laying hands on monks and friars, and
+sent them home wounded in carts and waggons, while some of them
+muttered: "We were better at home, with mere bread and water, than
+here where we have had such a sorry feast!" Then Gamelyn turned his
+attention to his false brother, who had been unable to escape, seized
+him by the neck, broke his backbone with one blow from his staff, and
+thrust him, sitting, into the fetters that yet hung from the post
+where Gamelyn had stood. "Sit there, brother, and cool thy blood,"
+said Gamelyn, as he and Adam sat down to a feast, at which the
+servants waited on them eagerly, partly from love and partly from
+fear.
+
+
+The Sheriff's Men Appear
+
+Now the sheriff happened to be only five miles away, and soon heard
+the news of this disturbance, and how Gamelyn and Adam had broken the
+king's peace; and, as his duty was, he determined to arrest the
+law-breakers. Twenty-four of his best men were sent to the castle to
+gain admittance and arrest Gamelyn and his steward; but the new
+porter, a devoted adherent of Gamelyn, denied them entrance till he
+knew their errand; when they refused to tell it, he sent a servant to
+rouse Gamelyn and warn him that the sheriff's men stood before the
+gate.
+
+    "Then answered Gamelyn: 'Good porter, go;
+    Delay my foes with fair speech at the gate
+    Till I relieve thee with some cunning wile.
+    If I o'erlive this strait, I will requite
+    Thy truth and loyalty. Adam,' quoth he,
+    'Our foes are on us, and we have no friend--
+    The sheriff's men surround us, and have sworn
+    A mighty oath to take us: we must go
+    Whither our safety calls us.' He replied:
+    'Go where thou wilt, I follow to the last
+    Or die forlorn: but this proud sheriffs troop
+    Will flee before our onset, to the fens.'"
+
+
+The Sheriff Arrives
+
+As Gamelyn and Adam looked round for weapons the former saw a
+cart-staff, a stout post used for propping up the shafts; this he
+seized, and ran out at the little postern gate, followed by Adam with
+another staff. They caught the sheriff's twenty-four bold men in the
+rear, and when Gamelyn had felled three, and Adam two, the rest took
+to their heels. "What!" said Adam as they fled. "Drink a draught of my
+good wine! I am steward here." "Nay," they shouted back; "such wine as
+yours scatters a man's brains far too thoroughly." Now this little
+fray was hardly ended before the sheriff came in person with a great
+troop. Gamelyn knew not what to do, but Adam again had a plan ready.
+"Let us stay no longer, but go to the greenwood: there we shall at
+least be at liberty." The advice suited Gamelyn, and each drank a
+draught of wine, mounted his steed, and lightly rode away, leaving
+the empty nest for the sheriff, with no eggs therein. However, that
+officer dismounted, entered the hall, and found Sir John fettered and
+nearly dying. He released him, and summoned a leech, who healed his
+grievous wound, and enabled him to do more mischief.
+
+
+Gamelyn Goes to the Greenwood
+
+Meanwhile Adam wandered with Gamelyn in the greenwood, and found it
+very hard work, with little food. He complained aloud to his young
+lord:
+
+    "'Would I were back in mine old stewardship--
+    Full blithe were I, the keys to bear and keep!
+    I like not this wild wood, with wounding thorns,
+    And nought of food or drink, or restful ease.'
+    'Ah! Adam,' answered Gamelyn, 'in sooth
+    Full many a good man's son feels bitter woe!
+    Then cheer thee, Adam.'"
+
+[Illustration: "Then cheer thee, Adam"]
+
+As they spoke sadly together Gamelyn heard men's voices near by, and,
+looking through the bushes, saw seven score young men, sitting round a
+plentiful feast, spread on the green grass. He rejoiced greatly,
+bidding Adam remember that "Boot cometh after bale," and pointing out
+to him the abundance of provisions near at hand. Adam longed for a
+good meal, for they had found little to eat since they came to the
+greenwood. At that moment the master-outlaw saw them in the underwood,
+and bade his young men bring to him these new guests whom God had
+sent: perchance, he said, there were others besides these two. The
+seven bold youths who started up to do his will cried to the two
+new-comers: "Yield and hand us your bows and arrows!" "Much sorrow may
+he have who yields to you," cried Gamelyn. "Why, with five more ye
+would be only twelve, and I could fight you all." When the outlaws
+saw how boldly he bore himself they changed their tone, and said
+mildly: "Come to our master, and tell him thy desire." "Who is your
+master?" quoth Gamelyn. "He is the crowned king of the outlaws," quoth
+they; and the two strangers were led away to the chief.
+
+The master-outlaw, sitting on a rustic throne, with a crown of
+oak-leaves on his head, asked them their business, and Gamelyn
+replied: "He must needs walk in the wood who may not walk in the town.
+We are hungry and faint, and will only shoot the deer for food, for we
+are hard bestead and in great danger."
+
+
+Gamelyn Joins the Outlaws
+
+The outlaw leader had pity on their distress, and gave them food; and
+as they ate ravenously the outlaws whispered one to another: "This is
+Gamelyn!" "This is Gamelyn!" Understanding all the evils that had
+befallen him, their leader soon made Gamelyn his second in command;
+and when after three weeks the outlaw king was pardoned and allowed to
+return home, Gamelyn was chosen to succeed him and was crowned king of
+the outlaws. So he dwelt merrily in the forest, and troubled not
+himself about the world outside.
+
+
+The Law at Work
+
+Meanwhile the treacherous Sir John had recovered, and in due course
+had become sheriff, and indicted his brother for felony. As Gamelyn
+did not appear to answer the indictment he was proclaimed an outlaw
+and wolf's-head, and a price was set upon his life. Now his bondmen
+and vassals were grieved at this, for they feared the cruelty of the
+wicked sheriff; they therefore sent messengers to Gamelyn to tell him
+the ill news, and deprecate his wrath. The youth's anger rose at the
+tidings, and he promised to come and beard Sir John in his hall and
+protect his own tenants.
+
+
+Gamelyn Arrested
+
+It was certainly a stroke of rash daring thus to venture into the
+county where his brother was sheriff, but he strode boldly into the
+moot-hall, with his hood thrown back, so that all might recognise him,
+and cried aloud: "God save all you lordings here present! But, thou
+broken-backed sheriff, evil mayst thou thrive! Why hast thou done me
+such wrong and disgrace as to have me indicted and proclaimed an
+outlaw?" Sir John did not hesitate to use his legal powers, but,
+seeing his brother was quite alone, had him arrested and cast into
+prison, whence it was his intention that only death should release
+him.
+
+
+Otho as Surety
+
+All these years the second brother, Otho, had lived quietly on his own
+lands and taken no heed of the quarrels of the two others; but now,
+when news came to him of Sir John's deadly hatred to their youngest
+brother, and Gamelyn's desperate plight, he was deeply grieved, roused
+himself from his peaceful life, and rode to see if he could help his
+brother. First he besought Sir John's mercy for the prisoner, for the
+sake of brotherhood and family love; but he only replied that Gamelyn
+must stay imprisoned till the justice should hold the next assize.
+Then Otho offered to be bail, if only his young brother might be
+released from his bonds and brought from the dismal dungeon where he
+lay. To this Sir John finally consented, warning Otho that if the
+accused failed to appear before the justice he himself must suffer the
+penalty for the breach of bail. "I agree," said Otho. "Have him
+released at once, and deliver him to me." Then Gamelyn was set free
+on his brother's surety, and the two rode home to Otho's house,
+talking sadly of all that had befallen, and how Gamelyn had become
+king of the outlaws. The next morning Gamelyn asked Otho's permission
+to go to the greenwood and see how his young men fared but Otho
+pointed out so clearly how dreadful would be the consequences to him
+if he did not return that the young man vowed:
+
+    "'I swear by James, the mighty saint of Spain,
+    That I will not desert thee, nor will fail
+    To stand my trial on the appointed day,
+    If God Almighty give me strength and health
+    And power to keep my vow. I will be there,
+    That I may show what bitter hate Sir John,
+    My cruel brother, holds against me.'"
+
+
+Gamelyn Goes to the Woods
+
+Thereupon Otho bade him go. "God shield thee from shame! Come when
+thou seest it is the right time, and save us both from blame and
+reproach." So Gamelyn went gaily to the merry greenwood, and found his
+company of outlaws; and so much had they to tell of their work in his
+absence, and so much had he to relate of his adventures, that time
+slipped by, and he soon fell again into his former mode of life, and
+his custom of robbing none but Churchmen, fat abbots and priors, monks
+and canons, so that all others spoke good of him, and called him the
+"courteous outlaw."
+
+
+The Term Expires
+
+Gamelyn stood one day looking out over the woods and fields, and it
+suddenly came to his mind with a pang of self-reproach that he had
+forgotten his promise to Otho, and the day of the assize was very
+near. He called his young men (for he had learned not to trust
+himself to the honour or loyalty of his brother the sheriff), and
+bade them prepare to accompany him to the place of assize, sending
+Adam on as a scout to learn tidings. Adam returned in great haste,
+bringing sad news. The judge was in his place, a jury empanelled to
+condemn Gamelyn to death, bribed thereto by the wicked sheriff, and
+Otho was fettered in the gaol in place of his brother. The news
+enraged Gamelyn, but Adam Spencer was even more infuriated; he would
+gladly have held the doors of the moot-hall and slain every person
+inside except Otho; but his master's sense of justice was too strong
+for that. "Adam," he said, "we will not do so, but will slay the
+guilty and let the innocent escape. I myself will have some
+conversation with the justice in the hall; and meanwhile do ye, my
+men, hold the doors fast. I will make myself justice to-day, and thou,
+Adam, shalt be my clerk. We will give sentence this day, and God speed
+our new work!" All his men applauded this speech and promised him
+obedience, and the troop of outlaws hastened to surround the hall.
+
+
+Gamelyn in the Court
+
+Once again Gamelyn strode into the moot-hall in the midst of his
+enemies, and was recognised by all. He released Otho, who said gently:
+"Brother, thou hast nearly overstayed the time; the sentence has been
+given against me that I shall be hanged."
+
+"Brother," said Gamelyn, "this day shall thy foes and mine be hanged:
+the sheriff, the justice, and the wicked jurors." Then Gamelyn turned
+to the judge, who sat as if paralysed in his seat of judgment, and
+said:
+
+    "'Come from the seat of justice: all too oft
+    Hast thou polluted law's clear stream with wrong;
+    Too oft hast taken reward against the poor;
+    Too oft hast lent thine aid to villainy,
+    And given judgment 'gainst the innocent.
+    Come down and meet thine own meed at the bar,
+    While I, in thy place, give more rightful doom
+    And see that justice dwells in law for once.'"
+
+[Illustration: "Come from the seat of justice"]
+
+
+A Scene
+
+The justice sat still, dumb with astonishment, and Gamelyn struck him
+fiercely, cut his cheek, and threw him over the bar so that his arm
+broke; and no man durst withstand the outlaw, for fear of his company
+standing at the doors. The youth sat down in the judge's seat, with
+Otho beside him, and Adam in the clerk's desk; and he placed in the
+dock the false sheriff, the justice, and the unjust jurors, and
+accused them of wrong and attempted murder. In order to keep up the
+forms of law, he empanelled a jury of his own young men, who brought
+in a verdict of "Guilty," and the prisoners were all condemned to
+death and hanged out of hand, though the false sheriff attempted to
+appeal to the brotherly affection of which he had shown so little.
+
+
+Honour from the King
+
+After this high-handed punishment of their enemies Gamelyn and his
+brother went to lay their case before King Edward, and he forgave
+them, in consideration of all the wrongs and injuries Gamelyn had
+suffered; and before they returned to their distant county the king
+made Otho sheriff of the county, and Gamelyn chief forester of all his
+free forests; his band of outlaws were all pardoned, and the king gave
+them posts according to their capabilities. Now Gamelyn and his
+brother settled down to a happy, peaceful life. Otho, having no son,
+made Gamelyn his heir, and the latter married a beauteous lady, and
+lived with her in joy till his life's end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI: WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The outlaw of mediæval England has always possessed a potent charm for
+the minds of less rebellious persons. No doubt now the attraction has
+somewhat waned, for in the exploration of distant lands and the study
+of barbaric tribes men can find that breadth of outlook, that escape
+from narrow conventionalities, which they could formerly gain only by
+the cult of the "noble outlaw." The romance of life for many a worthy
+citizen must have been found in secret sympathy with Robin Hood and
+his merry band of banished men, robbing the purse-proud to help the
+needy and gaily defying law and authority.
+
+To the poor, however, the outlaw was something more than an easy
+entrance to the realms of romance; he was a real embodiment of the
+spirit of liberty. Of all the unjust laws which the Norman conquerors
+laid upon England, perhaps the most bitterly resented were the forest
+laws, and resistance to them was the most popular form of national
+independence. Hence it follows that we find outlaw heroes popular very
+early in our history--heroes who stand in the mind of the populace for
+justice and true liberty against the oppressive tyranny of subordinate
+officials, and who are always taken into favour by the king, the fount
+of true justice.
+
+
+Famous Outlaws
+
+There is some slight tinge of the "outlaw hero" in Hereward, but the
+outlaw period of that patriot's life is but an episode in his defence
+of England against William the Norman. There is a fully developed
+outlaw hero, the ideal of the type, in Robin Hood, but he has been
+somewhat idealized and ennobled by being transformed into a banished
+Earl of Huntingdon. Less known, but equally heroic, is William of
+Cloudeslee, the William Tell of England, whose fame is that of a good
+yeoman, a good archer, and a good patriot.
+
+
+The Outlaws
+
+In the green forest of Englewood, in the "North Countree," not far
+from the fortified town of Carlisle, dwelt a merry band of outlaws.
+They were not evildoers, but sturdy archers and yeomen, whose outlawry
+had been incurred only for shooting the king's deer. Indeed, to most
+men of that time--that is, to most men who were not in the royal
+service--the shooting of deer, and the pursuit of game in general,
+were not only venial offences, but the most natural thing in life. The
+royal claim to exclusive hunting in the vast forests of Epping,
+Sherwood, Needwood, Barnesdale, Englewood, and many others seemed
+preposterous to the yeomen who lived on the borders of the forests,
+and they took their risks and shot the deer and made venison pasty,
+convinced that they were wronging no one and risking only their own
+lives. They had the help and sympathy of many a man who was himself a
+law-abiding citizen, as well as the less understanding help of the
+town mob and the labourers in the country.
+
+
+The Leaders
+
+While the outlaws of merry Sherwood recognised no chief but Robin Hood
+and no foe but the Sheriff of Nottingham, the outlaws of Englewood
+were under the headship of three famous archers, brothers-in-arms
+sworn to stand by each other, but not brothers in blood. Their names
+were Adam Bell, William of Cloudeslee, and Clym of the Cleugh; and of
+the three William of Cloudeslee alone was married. His wife, fair
+Alice of Cloudeslee, dwelt in a strong house within the walls of
+Carlisle, with her three children, for they were not included in
+William's outlawry. It was possible thus for her to send her husband
+warning of any attack planned by the Sheriff of Carlisle on the
+outlaws, and she had saved him and his comrades from surprise already.
+
+
+William Goes to Carlisle
+
+When the blithe spring had come, and the forest was beautiful with its
+fresh green leaves, William began to long for his home and family; he
+had not ventured into Carlisle for some time, and it was more than six
+months since he had seen his wife's face. Little wonder was it, then,
+that he announced his intention of visiting his home, at the risk of
+capture by his old enemy the Sheriff. In vain his comrades dissuaded
+him from the venture. Adam Bell was especially urgent in his advice
+that William should remain in the greenwood.
+
+"You shall not go to Carlisle, brother, by my advice, nor with my
+consent. If the sheriff or the justice should know that you are in the
+town short would be your shrift and soon your span of life would end.
+Stay with us, and we will fetch you tidings of your wife."
+
+William replied: "Nay, I must go myself; I cannot rest content with
+tidings only. If all is well I will return by prime to-morrow, and if
+I fail you at that hour you may be sure I am taken or slain; and I
+pray you guard well my family, if that be so."
+
+Taking leave of his brother outlaws, William made his way unobserved
+into the town and came to his wife's dwelling. It was closely shut,
+with doors strongly bolted, and he was forced to knock long on the
+window before his wife opened the shutter to see who was the
+importunate visitor.
+
+"Let me in quickly, my own Alice," he said. "I have come to see you
+and my three children. How have you fared this long time?"
+
+"Alas!" she replied, hurriedly admitting him, and bolting the door
+again, "why have you come now, risking your dear life to gain news of
+us? Know you not that this house has been watched for more than six
+months, so eager are the sheriff and the justice to capture and hang
+you? I would have come to you in the forest, or sent you word of our
+welfare. I fear--oh, how I fear!--lest your coming be known!"
+
+
+The Old Woman's Treachery
+
+"Now that I am here, let us make merry," quoth William. "No man has
+seen me enter, and I would fain enjoy my short stay with you and my
+children, for I must be back in the forest by prime to-morrow. Can you
+not give a hungry outlaw food and drink?"
+
+Then Dame Alice bustled about and prepared the best she had for her
+husband; and when all was ready a very happy little family sat down to
+the meal, husband and wife talking cheerily together, while the
+children watched in wondering silence the father who had been away so
+long and came to them so seldom.
+
+There was one inmate of the house who saw in William's return a means
+of making shameful profit. She was an old bedridden woman, apparently
+paralysed, whom he had rescued from utter poverty seven years before.
+During all that time she had lain on a bed near the fire, had shared
+all the life of the family, and had never once moved from her couch.
+Now, while husband and wife talked together and the darkness deepened
+in the room, this old impostor slipped from her bed and glided
+stealthily out of the house.
+
+
+News Brought to the Sheriff
+
+It happened that the king's assize was being held just then in
+Carlisle, and the sheriff and his staunch ally the justice were
+sitting together in the Justice Hall. Thither this treacherous old
+woman hurried with all speed and pushed into the hall, forcing her way
+through the crowd till she came near the sheriff. "Ha! what would you,
+good woman?" asked he, surprised. "Sir, I bring tidings of great
+value." "Tell your tidings, and I shall see if they be of value or no.
+If they are I will reward you handsomely." "Sir, this night William of
+Cloudeslee has come into Carlisle, and is even now in his wife's
+house. He is all alone, and you can take him easily. Now what will you
+pay me, for I am sure this news is much to you?" "You say truth, good
+woman. That bold outlaw is the worst of all who kill the king's deer
+in his forest of Englewood, and if I could but catch him I should be
+well content. Dame, you shall not go without a recompense for your
+journey here and for your loyalty." The sheriff then bade his men give
+the old woman a piece of scarlet cloth, dyed in grain, enough for a
+gown, and the treacherous hag hid the gift under her cloak, hastened
+away to Alice's house, and slipped unperceived into her place again,
+hiding the scarlet cloth under the bed-coverings.
+
+
+The Hue and Cry
+
+Immediately he had heard of Cloudeslee's presence in Carlisle the
+sheriff sent out the hue and cry, and with all speed raised the whole
+town, for though none hated the outlaws men dared not refuse to obey
+the king's officer. The justice, too, joined the sheriff in the
+congenial task of capturing an outlaw whose condemnation was already
+pronounced. With all the forces at their disposal, sheriff and justice
+took their way towards the house where William and Alice unconscious
+of the danger besetting them, still talked lovingly together.
+
+Suddenly the outlaw's ears, sharpened by woodcraft and by constant
+danger, heard a growing noise coming nearer and nearer. He knew the
+sound of the footsteps of many people, and among the casual shuffling
+of feet recognised the ominous tramp of soldiers.
+
+"Wife, we are betrayed," cried William. "Hither comes the sheriff to
+take me."
+
+
+The Siege of the House
+
+Alice ran quickly up to her bedchamber and opened a window looking to
+the back, and saw, to her despair, that soldiers beset the house on
+every side and filled all the neighbouring streets. Behind them
+pressed a great throng of citizens, who seemed inclined to leave the
+capture of the outlaw to the guard. At the same moment William from
+the front called to his wife that the sheriff and justice were
+besieging the house on that side.
+
+"Alas! dear husband, what shall we do?" cried Alice. "Accursed be all
+treason! But who can have betrayed you to your foes? Go into my
+bedchamber, dear William, and defend yourself there, for it is the
+strongest room in the house. The children and I will go with you, and
+I will guard the door while you defend the windows."
+
+The plan was speedily carried out, and while William took his stand by
+the window Alice seized a pole-axe and stationed herself by the door.
+"No man shall enter this door alive while I live," said she.
+
+
+The Attack
+
+From the window Cloudeslee could perceive his mortal enemies the
+justice and the sheriff; and drawing his good longbow, he shot with
+deadly aim fair at the breast of the justice. It was well for the
+latter then that he wore a suit of good chain-mail under his robes;
+the arrow hit his breast and split in three on the mail.
+
+"Beshrew the man that clad you with that mail coat! You would have
+been a dead man now if your coat had been no thicker than mine," said
+William.
+
+"Yield yourself, Cloudeslee, and lay down your bow and arrows," said
+the justice. "You cannot escape, for we have you safe."
+
+"Never shall my husband yield; it is evil counsel you give," exclaimed
+the brave wife from her post at the door.
+
+
+The House is Burnt
+
+The sheriff, who grew more angered as the hours passed on and
+Cloudeslee was not taken, now cried aloud: "Why do we waste time
+trifling here? The man is an outlaw and his life is forfeit. Let us
+burn him and his house, and if his wife and children will not leave
+him they shall all burn together, for it is their own choice."
+
+This cruel plan was soon carried out. Fire was set to the door and
+wooden shutters, and the flames spread swiftly; the smoke rolled up in
+thick clouds into the lofty bedchamber, where the little children,
+crouching on the ground, began to weep for fear.
+
+"Alas! must we all die?" cried fair Alice, grieving for her children.
+
+William opened the window and looked out, but there was no chance of
+escape; his foes filled every street and lane around the house.
+"Surely they will spare my wife and babes," he thought; and, tearing
+the sheets from the bed, he made a rope, with which he let down to the
+ground his children, and last of all his weeping wife.
+
+He called aloud to the sheriff: "Sir Sheriff, here have I trusted to
+you my chief treasures. For God's sake do them no harm, but wreak all
+your wrath on me!"
+
+Gentle hands received Alice and her babes, and friendly citizens led
+them from the press; but Alice went reluctantly, in utter grief,
+knowing that her husband must be burnt with his house or taken by his
+foes; but for her children she would have stayed with him. William
+continued his wonderful archery, never missing his aim, till all his
+arrows were spent, and the flames came so close that his bowstring was
+burnt in two. Great blazing brands came falling upon him from the
+burning roof, and the floor was hot beneath his feet. "An evil death
+is this!" thought he. "Better it were that I should take sword and
+buckler and leap down amid my foes and so die, striking good blows in
+the throng of enemies, than stay here and let them see me burn."
+
+[Illustration: "William continued his wonderful archery"]
+
+Thereupon he leaped lightly down, and fought so fiercely that he
+nearly escaped through the throng, for the worthy citizens of Carlisle
+were not anxious to capture him; but the soldiers, urged by the
+sheriff and justice, threw doors and windows upon him, hampered his
+blows, and seized and bound him, and cast him into a deep dungeon.
+
+
+The Sheriff Gives Sentence
+
+"Now, William of Cloudeslee," quoth the sheriff, "you shall be hanged
+with speed, as soon as I can have a new gallows made. So noted an
+outlaw merits no common gibbet; a new one is most fitting.
+To-morrow at prime you shall die. There is no hope of rescue, for the
+gates of the town shall be shut. Your dear friends, Adam Bell and Clym
+of the Cleugh, would be helpless to save you, though they brought a
+thousand more like themselves, or even all the devils in Hell."
+
+Early next morning the justice arose, went to the soldiers who guarded
+the gates, and forbade them to open till the execution was over; then
+he went to the market-place and superintended the erection of a
+specially lofty gallows, beside the pillory.
+
+
+News is Brought to the Greenwood
+
+Among the crowd who watched the gallows being raised was a little lad,
+the town swineherd, who asked a bystander the meaning of the new
+gibbet.
+
+"It is put up to hang a good yeoman, William of Cloudeslee, more's the
+pity! He has done no wrong but kill the King's deer, and that merits
+not hanging. It is a foul shame that such injustice can be wrought in
+the king's name."
+
+The little lad had often met William of Cloudeslee in the forest, and
+had carried him messages from his wife; William had given the boy many
+a dinner of venison, and now he determined to help his friend if he
+could. The gates were shut and no man could pass out, but the boy
+stole along the wall till he found a crevice, by which he clambered
+down outside. Then he hastened to the forest of Englewood, and met
+Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh.
+
+"Come quickly, good yeomen; ye tarry here too long. While you are at
+ease in the greenwood your friend, William of Cloudeslee, is taken,
+condemned to death, and ready to be hanged. He needs your help this
+very hour."
+
+Adam Bell groaned. "Ah! if he had but taken our advice he would have
+been here in safety with us now. In the greenwood there is no sorrow
+or care, but when William went to the town he was running into
+trouble." Then, bending his bow, he shot with unerring aim a hart,
+which he gave to the lad as recompense for his labour and goodwill.
+
+
+The Outlaws Go to Carlisle
+
+"Come," said Clym to Adam Bell, "let us tarry no longer, but take our
+bows and arrows and see what we can do. By God's grace we will rescue
+our brother, though we may abide it full dearly ourselves. We will go
+to Carlisle without delay."
+
+The morning was fair as the two yeomen strode from the deep green
+shades of Englewood Forest along the hard white road leading to
+Carlisle Town. They were in time as yet, but when they drew near the
+wall they were amazed to see that no entrance or exit was possible;
+the gates were shut fast.
+
+Stepping back into the green thickets beside the road, the two outlaws
+consulted together. Adam Bell was for a valiant attempt to storm the
+gate, but Clym suddenly bethought him of a wiser plan.
+
+
+Clym's Stratagem
+
+Said he: "Let us pretend to be messengers from the king, with urgent
+letters to the justice. Surely that should win us admission. But alas!
+I forgot. How can we bear out our pretence, for I am no learned clerk.
+I cannot write."
+
+Quoth Adam Bell: "I can write a good clerkly hand. Wait one instant
+and I will speedily have a letter written; then we can say we have the
+king's seal. The plan will do well enough, for I hold the gate-keeper
+no learned clerk, and this will deceive him."
+
+[Illustration: Adam Bell writes the letter]
+
+Indeed, the letter which he quickly wrote and folded and sealed was
+very well and clearly written, and addressed to the Justice of
+Carlisle. Then the two bold outlaws hastened up the road and thundered
+on the town gates.
+
+
+They Enter the Town
+
+So long and loud they knocked that the warder came in great wrath,
+demanding who dared to make such clamour.
+
+Adam Bell replied: "We are two messengers come straight from our lord
+the king." Clym of the Cleugh added: "We have a letter for the justice
+which we must deliver into his own hands. Let us in speedily to
+perform our errand, for we must return to the king in haste."
+
+"No," the warder replied, "that I cannot do. No man may enter these
+gates till a false thief and outlaw be safely hanged. He is William of
+Cloudeslee, who has long deserved death."
+
+Now Clym saw that matters were becoming desperate, and time was
+passing too quickly, so he adopted a more violent tone. "Ah, rascal,
+scoundrel, madman!" quoth he. "If we be delayed here any longer thou
+shalt be hanged for a false thief! To keep the king's messengers
+waiting thus! Canst thou not see the king's seal? Canst thou not read
+the address of the royal letter? Ah, blockhead, thou shalt dearly
+abide this delay when my lord knows thereof."
+
+Thus speaking, he flourished the forged letter, with its false seal,
+in the porter's face; and the man, seeing the seal and the writing,
+believed what was told him. Reverently he took off his hood and bent
+the knee to the king's messengers, for whom he opened wide the gates,
+and they entered, walking warily.
+
+
+They Keep the Gates
+
+"At last we are within Carlisle walls, and glad thereof are we," said
+Adam Bell, "but when and how we shall go out again Christ only knows,
+who harrowed Hell and brought out its prisoners."
+
+"Now if we had the keys ourselves we should have a good chance of
+life," said Clym, "for then we could go in and out at our own will."
+"Let us call the warder," said Adam. When he came running at their
+call both the yeomen sprang upon him, flung him to the ground, bound
+him hand and foot, and cast him into a dark cell, taking his bunch of
+keys from his girdle. Adam laughed and shook the heavy keys. "Now I am
+gate-ward of merry Carlisle. See, here are my keys. I think I shall be
+the worst warder they have had for three hundred years. Let us bend
+our bows and hold our arrows ready, and walk into the town to deliver
+our brother."
+
+
+The Fight in the Market-place
+
+When they came to the market-place they found a dense crowd of
+sympathizers watching pityingly the hangman's cart, in which lay
+William of Cloudeslee, bound hand and foot, with a rope round his
+neck. The sheriff and the justice stood near the gallows, and
+Cloudeslee would have been hanged already, but that the sheriff was
+hiring a man to measure the outlaw for his grave. "You shall have the
+dead man's clothes, good fellow, if you make his grave," said he.
+
+Cloudeslee's courage was still undaunted. "I have seen as great a
+marvel ere now," quoth he, "as that a man who digs a grave for another
+may lie in it himself, in as short a time as from now to prime."
+
+"You speak proudly, my fine fellow, but hanged you shall be, if I do
+it with my own hand," retorted the sheriff furiously.
+
+Now the cart moved a little nearer to the scaffold, and William was
+raised up to be ready for execution. As he looked round the dense mass
+of faces his keen sight soon made him aware of his friends. Adam Bell
+and Clym of the Cleugh stood at one corner of the market-place with
+arrow on string, and their deadly aim bent at the sheriff and justice,
+whose horses raised them high above the murmuring throng. Cloudeslee
+showed no surprise, but said aloud: "Lo! I see comfort, and hope to
+fare well in my journey. Yet if I might have my hands free I would
+care little what else befell me."
+
+
+The Rescue
+
+Now Adam said quietly to Clym: "Brother, do you take the justice, and
+I will shoot the sheriff. Let us both loose at once and leave them
+dying. It is an easy shot, though a long one."
+
+Thus, while the sheriff yet waited for William to be measured for his
+grave, suddenly men heard the twang of bowstrings and the whistling
+flight of arrows through the air, and at the same moment both sheriff
+and justice fell writhing from their steeds, with the grey goose
+feathers standing in their breasts. All the bystanders fled from the
+dangerous neighbourhood, and left the gallows, the fatal cart, and the
+mortally wounded officials alone. The two bold outlaws rushed to
+release their comrade, cut his bonds, and lifted him to his feet.
+William seized an axe from a soldier and pursued the fleeing guard,
+while his two friends with their deadly arrows slew a man at each
+shot.
+
+
+The Mayor of Carlisle
+
+When the arrows were all used Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh threw
+away their bows and took to sword and buckler. The fight continued
+till midday for in the narrow streets the three comrades protected
+each other, and drew gradually towards the gate. Adam Bell still
+carried the keys at his girdle, and they could pass out easily if they
+could but once reach the gateway. By this time the whole town was in a
+commotion; again the hue and cry had been raised against the outlaws,
+and the Mayor of Carlisle came in person with a mighty troop of armed
+citizens, angered now at the fighting in the streets of the town.
+
+The three yeomen retreated as steadily as they could towards the gate,
+but the mayor followed valiantly armed with a pole-axe, with which he
+clove Cloudeslee's shield in two. He soon perceived the object of the
+outlaws, and bade his men guard the gates well, so that the three
+should not escape.
+
+
+The Escape from Carlisle
+
+Terrible was the din in the town now, for trumpets blew, church-bells
+were rung backward, women bewailed their dead in the streets, and over
+all resounded the clash of arms, as the fighting drew nigh the gate.
+When the gatehouse came in sight the outlaws were fighting
+desperately, with diminishing strength, but the thought of safety
+outside the walls gave them force to make one last stand. With backs
+to the gate and faces to the foe, Adam and Clym and William made a
+valiant onslaught on the townsfolk, who fled in terror, leaving a
+breathing-space in which Adam Bell turned the key, flung open the
+great ponderous gate, and flung it to again, when the three had passed
+through.
+
+[Illustration: The fight at the gate]
+
+
+Adam and the Keys
+
+As Adam locked the door they could hear inside the town the
+hurrying footsteps of the rallying citizens, whose furious attack on
+the great iron-studded door came too late. The door was locked, and
+the three friends stood in safety outside, with their pleasant forest
+home within easy reach. The change of feeling was so intense that Adam
+Bell, always the man to seize the humorous point of a situation,
+laughed lightly. He called through the barred wicket:
+
+"Here are your keys. I resign my office as warder--one half-day's work
+is enough for me; and as I have resigned, and the former gate-ward is
+somewhat damaged and has disappeared, I advise you to find a new one.
+Take your keys, and much good may you get from them. Next time I
+advise you not to stop an honest yeoman from coming to see his own
+wife and have a chat with her."
+
+Thereupon he flung the keys over the gate on the heads of the crowd,
+and the three brethren slipped away into the forest to their own
+haunts, where they found fresh bows and arrows in such abundance that
+they longed to be back in fair Carlisle with their foes before them.
+
+
+William of Cloudeslee and his Wife Meet
+
+While they were yet discussing all the details of the rescue they
+heard a woman's pitiful lament and the crying of little children.
+"Hark!" said Cloudeslee, and they all heard in the silence the words
+she said. It was William's wife, and she cried: "Alas! why did I not
+die before this day? Woe is me that my dear husband is slain! He is
+dead, and I have no friend to lament with me. If only I could see his
+comrades and tell what has befallen him my heart would be eased of
+some of its pain."
+
+William, as he listened, was deeply touched, and walked gently to
+fair Alice, as she hid her face in her hands and wept. "Welcome, wife,
+to the greenwood!" quoth he. "By heaven, I never thought to see you
+again when I lay in bonds last night." Dame Alice sprang up most
+joyously. "Oh, all is well with me now you are here; I have no care or
+woe." "For that you must thank my dear brethren, Adam and Clym," said
+he; and Alice began to load them with her thanks, but Adam cut short
+the expression of her gratitude. "No need to talk about a little
+matter like that," he said gruffly. "If we want any supper we had
+better kill something, for the meat we must eat is yet running wild."
+
+With three such good archers game was easily shot and a merry meal was
+quickly prepared in the greenwood, and all joyfully partook of venison
+and other dainties. Throughout the repast William devotedly waited on
+his wife with deepest love and reverence, for he could not forget how
+she had defended him and risked her life to stand by him.
+
+
+William's Proposed Visit to London
+
+When the meal was over, and they reclined on the green turf round the
+fire, William began thoughtfully:
+
+"It is in my mind that we ought speedily to go to London and try to
+win our pardon from the king. Unless we approach him before news can
+be brought from Carlisle he will assuredly slay us. Let us go at once,
+leaving my dear wife and my two youngest sons in a convent here; but I
+would fain take my eldest boy with me. If all goes well he can bring
+good news to Alice in her nunnery, and if all goes ill he shall bring
+her my last wishes. But I am sure I am not meant to die by the law."
+His brethren approved the plan, and they took fair Alice and her two
+youngest children to the nunnery, and then the three famous archers
+with the little boy of seven set out at their best speed for London,
+watching the passers-by carefully, that no news of the doings in
+Carlisle should precede them to the king.
+
+
+Outlaws in the Royal Palace
+
+The three yeomen, on arriving in London, made their way at once to the
+king's palace, and walked boldly into the hall, regardless of the
+astonished and indignant shouts of the royal porter. He followed them
+angrily into the hall, and began reproaching them and trying to induce
+them to withdraw, but to no purpose. Finally an usher came and said:
+"Yeomen, what is your wish? Pray tell me, and I will help you if I
+can; but if you enter the king's presence thus unmannerly you will
+cause us to be blamed. Tell me now whence you come."
+
+William fearlessly answered: "Sir, we will tell the truth without
+deceit. We are outlaws from the king's forests, outlawed for killing
+the king's deer, and we come to beg for pardon and a charter of peace,
+to show to the sheriff of our county."
+
+
+The King and the Outlaws
+
+The usher went to an inner room and begged to know the king's will,
+whether he would see these outlaws or not. The king was interested in
+these bold yeomen, who dared to avow themselves law-breakers, and bade
+men bring them to audience with him. The three comrades, with the
+little boy, on being introduced into the royal presence, knelt down
+and held up their hands, beseeching pardon for their offences.
+
+"Sire, we beseech your pardon for our breach of your laws. We are
+forest outlaws, who have slain your fallow deer in many parts of your
+royal forests." "Your names? Tell me at once," said the king. "Adam
+Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and William of Cloudeslee," they replied.
+
+The king was very wrathful. "Are you those bold robbers of whom men
+have told me? Do you now dare to come to me for pardon? On mine honour
+I vow that you shall all three be hanged without mercy, as I am
+crowned king of this realm of England. Arrest them and lay them in
+bonds." There was no resistance possible, and the yeomen submitted
+ruefully to their arrest. Adam Bell was the first to speak. "As I hope
+to thrive, this game pleases me not at all," he said. "Sire, of your
+mercy, we beg you to remember that we came to you of our own free
+will, and to let us pass away again as freely. Give us back our
+weapons and let us have free passage till we have left your palace; we
+ask no more; we shall never ask another favour, however long we live."
+
+The king was obdurate, however; he only replied: "You speak proudly
+still, but you shall all three be hanged."
+
+
+The Queen Intercedes
+
+The queen, who was sitting beside her husband, now spoke for the first
+time. "Sire, it were a pity that such good yeomen should die, if they
+might in any wise be pardoned." "There is no pardon," said the king.
+She then replied: "My lord, when I first left my native land and came
+into this country as your bride you promised to grant me at once the
+first boon I asked. I have never needed to ask one until to-day, but
+now, sire, I claim one, and I beg you to grant it." "With all my
+heart; ask your boon, and it shall be yours willingly." "Then, I pray
+you, grant me the lives of these good yeomen." "Madam, you might have
+had half my kingdom, and you ask a worthless trifle." "Sire, it seems
+not worthless to me; I beg you to keep your promise." "Madam, it vexes
+me that you have asked so little; yet since you will have these three
+outlaws, take them." The queen rejoiced greatly. "Many thanks, my lord
+and husband. I will be surety for them that they shall be true men
+henceforth. But, good my lord, give them a word of comfort, that they
+may not be wholly dismayed by your anger."
+
+
+News Comes to the King
+
+The king smiled at his wife. "Ah, madam! you will have your own way,
+as all women will. Go, fellows, wash yourselves, and find places at
+the tables, where you shall dine well enough, even if it be not on
+venison pasty from the king's own forests."
+
+The outlaws did reverence to the king and queen, and found seats with
+the king's guard at the lower tables in the hall. They were still
+satisfying their appetites when a messenger came in haste to the king;
+and the three North Countrymen looked at one another uneasily, for
+they knew the man was from Carlisle. The messenger knelt before the
+king and presented his letters. "Sire, your officers greet you well."
+
+"How fare they? How does my valiant sheriff? And the prudent justice?
+Are they well?"
+
+"Alas! my lord, they have been slain, and many another good officer
+with them."
+
+"Who hath done this?" questioned the king angrily.
+
+"My lord, three bold outlaws, Adam Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and
+William of Cloudeslee."
+
+"What! these three whom I have just pardoned? Ah, sorely I repent that
+I forgave them! I would give a thousand pounds if I could have them
+hanged all three; but I cannot."
+
+
+The King's Test
+
+As the king read the letters his anger and surprise increased. It
+seemed impossible that three men should overawe a whole town, should
+slay sheriff, justice, mayor, and nearly every official in the town,
+forge a royal letter with the king's seal, and then lock the gates and
+escape safely. There was no doubt of the fact, and the king raged
+impotently against his own foolish mercy in giving them a free pardon.
+It had been granted, however, and he could do nought but grieve over
+the ruin they had wrought in Carlisle. At last he sprang up, for he
+could endure the banquet no longer.
+
+"Call my archers to go to the butts," he commanded. "I will see these
+bold outlaws shoot, and try if their archery is so fine as men say."
+
+Accordingly the king's archers and the queen's archers arrayed
+themselves, and the three yeomen took their bows and looked well to
+their silken bowstrings; and then all made their way to the butts
+where the targets were set up. The archers shot in turn, aiming at an
+ordinary target, but Cloudeslee soon grew weary of this childish
+sport, and said aloud: "I shall never call a man a good archer who
+shoots at a target as large as a buckler. We have another sort of butt
+in my country, and that is worth shooting at."
+
+
+William of Cloudeslee's Archery
+
+"Make ready your own butts," the king commanded, and the three outlaws
+went to a bush in a field close by and returned bearing hazel-rods,
+peeled and shining white. These rods they set up at four hundred
+yards apart, and, standing by one, they said to the king: "We should
+account a man a fair archer if he could split one wand while standing
+beside the other." "It cannot be done; the feat is too great,"
+exclaimed the king. "Sire, I can easily do it," quoth Cloudeslee, and,
+taking aim very carefully, he shot, and the arrow split the wand in
+two. "In truth," said the king, "you are the best archer I have ever
+seen. Can you do greater wonders?" "Yes," quoth Cloudeslee, "one thing
+more I can do, but it is a more difficult feat. Nevertheless I will
+try it, to show you our North Country shooting." "Try, then," the king
+replied; "but if you fail you shall be hanged without mercy, because
+of your boasting."
+
+
+Cloudeslee Shoots the Apple from his Son's Head
+
+Now Cloudeslee stood for a few moments as if doubtful of himself, and
+the South Country archers watched him, hoping for a chance to retrieve
+their defeat, when William suddenly said: "I have a son, a dear son,
+seven years of age. I will tie him to a stake and place an apple on
+his head. Then from a distance of a hundred and twenty yards I will
+split the apple in two with a broad arrow." "By heaven!" the king
+cried, "that is a dreadful feat. Do as you have said, or by Him who
+died on the Cross I will hang you high. Do as you have said, but if
+you touch one hair of his head, or the edge of his gown, I will hang
+you and your two companions." "I have never broken my pledged word,"
+said the North Country bowman, and he at once made ready for the
+terrible trial. The stake was set in the ground, the boy tied to it,
+with his face turned from his father, lest he should give a start and
+destroy his aim. Cloudeslee then paced the hundred and twenty yards,
+anxiously felt his string, bent his bow, chose his broadest arrow, and
+fitted it with care.
+
+[Illustration: William of Cloudeslee and his son]
+
+
+The Last Shot
+
+It was an anxious moment. The throng of spectators felt sick with
+expectation, and many women wept and prayed for the father and his
+innocent son. But Cloudeslee showed no fear. He addressed the crowd
+gravely: "Good folk, stand all as still as may be. For such a shot a
+man needs a steady hand, and your movements may destroy my aim and
+make me slay my son. Pray for me."
+
+Then, in an unbroken silence of breathless suspense, the bold marksman
+shot, and the apple fell to the ground, cleft into two absolutely
+equal halves. A cheer from every spectator burst forth deafeningly,
+and did not die down till the king beckoned for silence.
+
+
+The King and Queen Show Favour
+
+"God forbid that I should ever be your target," quoth he. "You shall
+be my chief forester in the North Country, with daily wage, and daily
+right of killing venison; your two brethren shall become yeomen of my
+guard, and I will advance the fortunes of your family in every way."
+
+The queen smiled graciously upon William, and she bestowed a pension
+upon him, and bade him bring his wife, fair Alice, to court, to take
+up the post of chief woman of the bedchamber to the royal children.
+
+Overwhelmed with these favours, the three yeomen became conscious of
+their own offences, more than they had told to the royal pair; their
+awakened consciences sent them to a holy bishop, who heard their
+confessions, gave them penance and bade them live well for the
+future, and then absolved them. When they had returned to Englewood
+Forest and had broken up the outlaw band they came back to the royal
+court, and spent the rest of their lives in great favour with the king
+and queen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII: BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In considering the hero-myths of Scotland we are at once confronted
+with two difficulties. The first, and perhaps the greater, is this,
+that the only national heroes of Lowland Scotland are actual
+historical persons, with very little of the mythical character about
+them. The mention of Scottish heroes at once suggests Sir William
+Wallace, Robert Bruce, the Black Douglas, Sir Andrew Barton, and many
+more, whose exploits are matter of serious chronicle and sober record
+rather than subject of tradition and myth. These warriors are too much
+in reach of the fierce white searchlight of historic inquiry to be
+invested with mythical interest or to show any developments of ancient
+legend.
+
+The second difficulty is of a different nature, and yet almost equally
+perplexing. In the old ballads and poems of the Gaelic Highlands there
+are mythical heroes in abundance, such as Fingal and Ossian, Comala,
+and a host of shadowy chieftains and warriors, but they are not
+distinctively Scotch. They are only Highland Gaelic versions of the
+Irish Gaelic hero-legends, Scotch embodiments of Finn and Oisin, whose
+real home was in Ireland, and whose legends were carried to the
+Western Isles and the Highlands by conquering tribes of Scots from
+Erin. These heroes are at bottom Irish, the champions of the Fenians
+and of the Red Branch, and in the Scotch legends they have lost much
+of their original beauty and chivalry.
+
+
+The Highland Clans
+
+It is rather in the private history of the country, as it were, than
+in its national records that we are likely to find a hero who will
+have something of the mythical in his story, something of the romance
+of the Middle Ages. The wars and jealousies of the clans, the
+adventures of a chief among hostile tribesmen, the raids and forays,
+the loves and hatreds of rival families, form a good background for a
+romantic legend; and such a legend occurs in the story of Black Colin
+of Loch Awe, a warrior of the great Campbell clan in the fourteenth
+century. The tale is common in one form or another to all European
+lands where the call of the Crusades was heard, and the romantic
+Crusading element has to a certain extent softened the occasionally
+ferocious nature of Highland stories in general, so that there is no
+bloodthirsty vengeance, no long blood-feud, to be recorded of Black
+Colin Campbell.
+
+
+The Knight of Loch Awe
+
+During the wars between England and Scotland in the reigns of Edward
+I. and Edward II. one of the chief leaders in the cause of Scottish
+independence was Sir Nigel Campbell. The Knight of Loch Awe, as he was
+generally called, was a schoolfellow and comrade of Sir William
+Wallace, and a loyal and devoted adherent of Robert Bruce. In return
+for his services in the war of independence Bruce rewarded him with
+lands belonging to the rebellious MacGregors, including Glenurchy, the
+great glen at the head of Loch Awe through which flows the river
+Orchy. It was a wild and lonely district, and Sir Nigel Campbell had
+much conflict before he finally expelled the MacGregors and settled
+down peaceably in Glenurchy. There his son was born, and named Colin,
+and as years passed he won the nickname of Black Colin, from his
+swarthy complexion, or possibly from his character, which showed
+tokens of unusual fierceness and determination.
+
+
+Black Colin's Youth
+
+Sir Nigel Campbell, as all Highland chiefs did, sent his son to a
+farmer's family for fosterage. The boy became a child of his
+foster-family in every way; he lived on the plain food of the
+clansmen, oatmeal porridge and oatcake, milk from the cows, and beef
+from the herds; he ran and wrestled and hunted with his
+foster-brothers, and learnt woodcraft and warlike skill, broadsword
+play and the use of dirk and buckler, from his foster-father. More
+than all, he won a devoted following in the clan, for a man's
+foster-parents were almost dearer to him than his own father and
+mother, and his foster-brethren were bound to fight and die for him,
+and to regard him more than their own blood-relations. The
+foster-parents of Black Colin were a farmer and his wife, Patterson by
+name, living at Socach, in Glenurchy, and well and truly they
+fulfilled their trust.
+
+
+He Goes on Crusade
+
+In course of time Sir Nigel Campbell died, and Black Colin, his son,
+became Knight of Loch Awe, and lord of all Glenurchy and the country
+round. He was already noted for his strength and his dark complexion,
+which added to his beauty in the eyes of the maidens, and he soon
+found a lovely and loving bride. They dwelt on the Islet in Loch Awe,
+and were very happy for a short time, but Colin was always restless,
+because he would fain do great deeds of arms, and there was peace just
+then in the land.
+
+At last one day a messenger arrived at the castle on the Islet bearing
+tidings that another crusade was on foot. This messenger was a palmer
+who had been in the Holy Land, and had seen all the holy places in
+Jerusalem. He told Black Colin how the Saracens ruled the country,
+and hindered men from worshipping at the sacred shrines; and he told
+how he had come home by Rome, where the Pope had just proclaimed
+another Holy War. The Pope had declared that his blessing would rest
+on the man who should leave wife and home and kinsfolk, and go forth
+to fight for the Lord against the infidel. As the palmer spoke Black
+Colin became greatly moved by his words, and when the old man had made
+an end he raised the hilt of his dirk and swore by the cross thereon
+that he would obey the summons and go on crusade.
+
+
+The Lady of Loch Awe
+
+Now Black Colin's wife was greatly grieved, and wept sorely, for she
+was but young, and had been wedded no more than a year, and it seemed
+to her hard that she must be left alone. She asked her husband: "How
+far will you go on this errand?" "I will go as far as Jerusalem, if
+the Pope bids me, when I have come to Rome," said he. "Alas! and how
+long will you be away from me?" "That I know not, but it may be for
+years if the heathen Saracens will not surrender the Holy Land to the
+warriors of the Cross." "What shall I do during those long, weary
+years?" asked she. "Dear love, you shall dwell here on the Islet and
+be Lady of Glenurchy till I return again. The vassals and clansmen
+shall obey you in my stead, and the tenants shall pay you their rents
+and their dues, and in all things you shall hold my land for me."
+
+
+The Token
+
+The Lady of Loch Awe sighed as she asked: "But if you die away in that
+distant land how shall I know? What will become of me if at last such
+woeful tidings should be brought?"
+
+"Wait for me seven years, dear wife," said Colin, "and if I do not
+return before the end of that time you may marry again and take a
+brave husband to guard your rights and rule the glen, for I shall be
+dead in the Holy Land."
+
+[Illustration: "Wait for me seven years, dear wife"]
+
+"That I will never do. I will be the Lady of Glenurchy till I die, or
+I will become the bride of Heaven and find peace for my sorrowing soul
+in a nunnery. No second husband shall wed me and hold your land. But
+give me now some token that we may share it between us; and you shall
+swear that on your deathbed you will send it to me; so shall I know
+indeed that you are no longer alive."
+
+"It shall be as you say," answered Black Colin, and he went to the
+smith of the clan and bade him make a massive gold ring, on which
+Colin's name was engraved, as well as that of the Lady of Loch Awe.
+Then, breaking the ring in two, Colin gave to his wife the piece with
+his name and kept the other piece, vowing to wear it near his heart
+and only to part with it when he should be dying. In like manner she
+with bitter weeping swore to keep her half of the ring, and hung it on
+a chain round her neck; and so, with much grief and great mourning
+from the whole clan, Black Colin and his sturdy following of Campbell
+clansmen set out for the Holy Land.
+
+
+The Journey
+
+Sadly at first the little band marched away from all their friends and
+their homes; bagpipes played their loudest marching tunes, and plaids
+fluttered in the breeze, and the men marched gallantly, but with heavy
+hearts, for they knew not when they would return, and they feared
+to find supplanters in their homes when they came back after many
+years. Their courage rose, however, as the miles lengthened behind
+them, and by the time they had reached Edinburgh and had taken ship at
+Leith all was forgotten but the joy of fighting and the eager desire
+to see Rome and the Pope, the Holy Land and the Holy Sepulchre.
+Journeying up the Rhine, the Highland clansmen made their way through
+Switzerland and over the passes of the Alps down into the pleasant
+land of Italy, where the splendour of the cities surpassed their
+wildest imaginations; and so they came at last, with many other bands
+of Crusaders, to Rome.
+
+
+The Crusade
+
+At Rome the Knight of Loch Awe was so fortunate as to have an audience
+of the Pope himself, who was touched by the devotion which brought
+these stern warriors so far from their home. Black Colin knelt in
+reverence before the aged pontiff, whom he held in truth to be the
+Vicar of Christ on earth, and received his blessing, and commands to
+continue his journey to Rhodes, where the Knights of St. John would
+give him opportunity to fight for the faith. The small band of
+Campbells went on to Rhodes, and there took service with the Knights,
+and won great praise from the Grand Master; but, though they fought
+the infidel, and exalted the standard of the Cross above the Crescent,
+Colin was still not at all satisfied. He left Rhodes after some years
+with a much-diminished band, and made his way as a pilgrim to
+Jerusalem. There he stayed until he had visited all the shrines in the
+Holy Land and prayed at every sacred spot. By this time the seven
+years of his proposed absence were ended, and he was still far from
+his home and the dear glen by Loch Awe.
+
+
+The Lady's Suitor
+
+While the seven years slowly passed away his sad and lonely wife dwelt
+in the castle on the Islet, ruling her lord's clan in all gentle ways,
+but fighting boldly when raiders came to plunder her clansmen. Yearly
+she claimed her husband's dues and watched that he was not defrauded
+of his rights. But though thus firm, she was the best help in trouble
+that her clan ever had, and all blessed the name of the Lady of Loch
+Awe.
+
+So fair and gentle a lady, so beloved by her clan, was certain to have
+suitors if she were a widow, and even before the seven years had
+passed away there were men who would gladly have persuaded her that
+her husband was dead and that she was free. She, however, steadfastly
+refused to hear a word of another marriage, saying: "When Colin parted
+from me he gave me two promises, one to return, if possible, within
+seven years, and the other to send me, on his deathbed, if he died
+away from me, a sure token of his death. I have not yet waited seven
+years, nor have I had the token of his death. I am still the wife of
+Black Colin of Loch Awe."
+
+This steadfastness gradually daunted her suitors and they left her
+alone, until but one remained, the Baron Niel MacCorquodale, whose
+lands bordered on Glenurchy, and who had long cast covetous eyes on
+the glen and its fair lady, and longed no less for the wealth she was
+reputed to possess than for the power this marriage would give him.
+
+
+The Baron's Plot
+
+When the seven years were over the Baron MacCorquodale sought the Lady
+of Loch Awe again, wooing her for his wife. Again she refused,
+saying, "Until I have the token of my husband's death I will be wife
+to no other man." "And what is this token, lady?" asked the Baron, for
+he thought he could send a false one. "I will never tell that,"
+replied the lady. "Do you dare to ask the most sacred secret between
+husband and wife? I shall know the token when it comes." The Baron was
+not a little enraged that he could not discover the secret, but he
+determined to wed the lady and her wealth notwithstanding; accordingly
+he wrote by a sure and secret messenger to a friend in Rome, bidding
+him send a letter with news that Black Colin was assuredly dead, and
+that certain words (which the Baron dictated) had come from him.
+
+
+A Forged Letter
+
+One day the Lady of Loch Awe, looking out from her castle, saw the
+Baron coming, and with him a palmer whose face was bronzed by Eastern
+suns. She felt that the palmer would bring tidings, and welcomed the
+Baron with his companion. "Lady, this palmer brings you sad news,"
+quoth the Baron. "Let him tell it, then," replied she, sick with fear.
+"Alas! fair dame, if you were the wife of that gallant knight Colin of
+Loch Awe, you are now his widow," said the palmer sadly, as he handed
+her a letter. "What proof have you?" asked Black Colin's wife before
+she read the letter. "Lady, I talked with the soldier who brought the
+tidings," replied the stranger.
+
+The letter was written from Rome to "The Right Noble Dame the Lady of
+Loch Awe," and told how news had come from Rhodes, brought by a man of
+Black Colin's band, that the Knight of Loch Awe had been mortally
+wounded in a fight against the Saracens. Dying, he had bidden his
+clansmen return to their lady, but they had all perished but one,
+fighting for vengeance against the infidels. This man, who had held
+the dying Knight tenderly upon his knee, said that Colin bade his wife
+farewell, bade her remember his injunction to wed again and find a
+protector, gasped out, "Take her the token I promised; it is here,"
+and died; but the Saracens attacked the Christians again, drove them
+back, and plundered the bodies of the slain, and when the one survivor
+returned to search for the precious token there was none! The body was
+stripped of everything of value, and the clansman wound it in the
+plaid and buried it on the battlefield.
+
+
+The Lady's Stratagem
+
+There seemed no reason for the lady to doubt this news, and her grief
+was very real and sincere. She clad herself in mourning robes and
+bewailed her lost husband, but yet she was not entirely satisfied, for
+she still wore the broken half of the engraved ring on the chain round
+her neck, and still the promised death-token had not come. The Baron
+now pressed his suit with greater ardour than before, and the Lady of
+Loch Awe was hard put to it to find reasons for refusing him. It was
+necessary to keep him on good terms with the clan, for his lands
+bordered on those of Glenurchy, and he could have made war on the
+people in the glen quite easily, while the knowledge that their chief
+was dead would have made them a broken clan. So the lady turned to
+guile, as did Penelope of old in similar distress. "I will wed you,
+now that my Colin is dead," she replied at last, "but it cannot be
+immediately; I must first build a castle that will command the head of
+Glenurchy and of Loch Awe. The MacGregors knew the best place for a
+house, there on Innis Eoalan; there, where the ruins of MacGregor's
+White House now stand, will I build my castle. When it is finished the
+time of my mourning will be over, and I will fix the bridal day." With
+this promise the Baron had perforce to be contented, and the castle
+began to rise slowly at the head of Loch Awe; but its progress was not
+rapid, because the lady secretly bade her men build feebly, and often
+the walls fell down, so that the new castle was very long in coming to
+completion.
+
+
+Black Colin Hears the News
+
+In the meantime all who loved Black Colin grieved to know that the
+Lady of Loch Awe would wed again, and his foster-mother sorrowed most
+of all, for she felt sure that her beloved Colin was not dead. The
+death-token had not been sent, and she sorely mistrusted the Baron
+MacCorquodale and doubted the truth of the palmer's message. At last,
+when the new castle was nearly finished and shone white in the rays of
+the sun, she called one of her sons and bade him journey to Rome to
+find the Knight of Loch Awe, if he were yet alive, and to bring sure
+tidings of his death if he were no longer living. The young Patterson
+set off secretly, and reached Rome in due course, and there he met
+Black Colin, just returned from Jerusalem. The Knight had at last
+realized that he had spent seven years away from his home, and that
+now, in spite of all his haste, he might reach Glenurchy too late to
+save his wife from a second marriage. He comforted himself, however,
+with the thought that the token was still safe with him, and that his
+wife would be loyal; great, therefore, was his horror when he met his
+foster-brother and heard how the news of his death had been brought to
+the glen. He heard also how his wife had reluctantly promised to marry
+the Baron MacCorquodale, and had delayed her wedding by stratagem,
+and he vowed that he would return to Glenurchy in time to spoil the
+plans of the wicked baron.
+
+
+Black Colin's Return
+
+Travelling day and night, Black Colin, with his faithful clansman,
+came near to Glenurchy, and sent his follower on in advance to bring
+back news. The youth returned with tidings that the wedding had been
+fixed for the next day, since the castle was finished and no further
+excuse for delay could be made. Then Colin's anger was greatly roused,
+and he vowed that the Baron MacCorquodale, who had stooped to deceit
+and forgery to gain his ends, should pay dearly for his baseness.
+Bidding his young clansman show no sign of recognition when he
+appeared, the Knight of Loch Awe sent him to the farm in the glen,
+where the anxious foster-mother eagerly awaited the return of the
+wanderer. When she saw her son appear alone she was plunged into
+despair, for she concluded, not that Black Colin was dead, but that he
+would return too late. When he, in the beggar's disguise which he
+assumed, came down the Glen he saw the smoke from the castle on the
+Islet, and said: "I see smoke from my house, and it is the smoke of a
+wedding feast in preparation, but I pray God who sent us light and
+love that I may reap the fruit of the love that is there."
+
+
+The Foster-Mother's Recognition
+
+The Knight then went to his foster-mother's house, knocked at the
+door, and humbly craved food and shelter, as a beggar. "Come in, good
+man," quoth the mistress of the house; "sit down in the
+chimney-corner, and you shall have your fill of oatcake and milk."
+Colin sat down heavily, as if he were overwearied, and the farmer's
+wife moved about slowly, putting before him what she had; and the
+Knight saw that she did not recognise him, and that she had been
+weeping quite recently. "You are sad, I can see," he said. "What is
+the cause of your grief?" "I am not minded to tell that to a wandering
+stranger," she replied. "Perhaps I can guess what it is," he
+continued; "you have lost some dear friend, I think." "My loss is
+great enough to give me grief," she answered, weeping. "I had a dear
+foster-son, who went oversea to fight the heathen. He was dearer to me
+than my own sons, and now news has come that he is dead in that
+foreign land. And the Lady of Loch Awe, who was his wife, is to wed
+another husband to-morrow. Long she waited for him, past the seven
+years he was to be away, and now she would not marry again, but that a
+letter has come to assure her of his death. Even yet she is fretting
+because she has not had the token he promised to send her; and she
+will only marry because she dare no longer delay."
+
+"What is this token?" asked Colin. "That I know not: she has never
+told," replied the foster-mother; "but oh! if he were now here
+Glenurchy would never fall under the power of Baron MacCorquodale."
+"Would you know Black Colin if you were to see him?" the beggar asked
+meaningly; and she replied: "I think I should, for though he has been
+away for years, I nursed him, and he is my own dear fosterling." "Look
+well at me, then, good mother of mine, for I am Colin of Loch Awe."
+
+The mistress of the farm seized the beggar-man by the arm, drew him
+out into the light, and looked earnestly into his face; then, with a
+scream of joy, she flung her arms around him, and cried: "O Colin!
+Colin! my dear son, home again at last! Glad and glad I am to see you
+here in time! Weary have the years been since my nursling went away,
+but now you are home all will be well." And she embraced him and
+kissed him and stroked his hair, and exclaimed at his bronzed hue and
+his ragged attire.
+
+
+The Foster-Mother's Plan
+
+At last Colin stopped her raptures. "Tell me, mother, does my wife
+seem to wish for this marriage?" he asked; and his foster-mother
+answered: "Nay, my son, she would not wed now but that, thinking you
+are dead, she fears the Baron's anger if she continues to refuse him.
+But if you doubt her heart, follow my counsel, and you shall be
+assured of her will in this matter." "What do you advise?" asked he.
+She answered: "Stay this night with me here, and to-morrow go in your
+beggar's dress to the castle on the Islet. Stand with other beggars at
+the door, and refuse to go until the bride herself shall bring you
+food and drink. Then you can put your token in the cup the Lady of
+Loch Awe will hand you, and by her behaviour you shall learn if her
+heart is in this marriage or not." "Dear mother, your plan is good,
+and I will follow it," quoth Colin. "This night I will rest here, and
+on the morrow I will seek my wife."
+
+
+The Beggar at the Wedding
+
+Early next day Colin arose, clad himself in the disguise of a sturdy
+beggar, took a kindly farewell of his foster-mother, and made his way
+to the castle. Early as it was, all the servants were astir, and the
+whole place was in a bustle of preparation, while vagabonds of every
+description hung round the doors, begging for food and money in honour
+of the day. The new-comer acted much more boldly: he planted himself
+right in the open doorway and begged for food and drink in such a
+lordly tone that the servants were impressed by it, and one of them
+brought him what he asked--oatcake and buttermilk--and gave it to him,
+saying, "Take this and begone." Colin took the alms and drank the
+buttermilk, but put the cake into his wallet, and stood sturdily right
+in the doorway, so that the servants found it difficult to enter.
+Another servant came to him with more food and a horn of ale, saying,
+"Now take this second gift of food and begone, for you are in our way
+here, and hinder us in our work."
+
+
+The Beggar's Demand
+
+But he stood more firmly still, with his stout travelling-staff
+planted on the threshold, and said: "I will not go." Then a third
+servant approached, who said: "Go at once, or it will be the worse for
+you. We have given you quite enough for one beggar. Leave quickly now,
+or you will get us and yourself into trouble." The disguised Knight
+only replied: "I will not go until the bride herself comes out to give
+me a drink of wine," and he would not move, for all they could say.
+The servants at last grew so perplexed that they went to tell their
+mistress about this importunate beggar. She laughed as she said: "It
+is not much for me to do on my last day in the old house," and she
+bade a servant attend her to the door, bringing a large jug full of
+wine.
+
+
+The Token
+
+As the unhappy bride came out to the beggar-man he bent his head in
+greeting, and she noticed his travel-stained dress and said: "You have
+come from far, good man"; and he replied: "Yes, lady, I have seen many
+distant lands." "Alas! others have gone to see distant lands and have
+not returned," said she. "If you would have a drink from the hands of
+the bride herself, I am she, and you may take your wine now"; and,
+holding a bowl in her hands, she bade the servant fill it with wine,
+and then gave it to Colin. "I drink to your happiness," said he, and
+drained the bowl. As he gave it back to the lady he placed within it
+the token, the half of the engraved ring. "I return it richer than I
+took it, lady," said he, and his wife looked within and saw the token.
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Trembling violently, she snatched the tiny bit of gold from the bottom
+of the bowl, which fell to the ground and broke at her feet, and then
+she saw her own name engraved upon it. She looked long and long at the
+token, and then, pulling a chain at her neck, drew out her half of the
+ring with Colin's name engraved on it. "O stranger, tell me, is my
+husband dead?" she asked, grasping the beggar's arm. "Dead?" he
+questioned, gazing tenderly at her; and at his tone she looked
+straight into his eyes and knew him. "My husband!" was all that she
+could say, but she flung her arms around his neck and was clasped
+close to his heart. The servants stood bewildered, but in a moment
+their mistress had turned to them, saying, "Run, summon all the
+household, bring them all, for this is my husband, Black Colin of Loch
+Awe, come home to me again." When all in the castle knew it there was
+great excitement and rejoicing, and they feasted bountifully, for the
+wedding banquet had been prepared.
+
+
+The Baron's Flight
+
+While the feast was in progress, and the happy wife sat by her
+long-lost husband and held his hand, as though she feared to let him
+leave her, a distant sound of bagpipes was heard, and the lady
+remembered that the Baron MacCorquodale would be coming for his
+wedding, which she had entirely forgotten in her joy. She laughed
+lightly to herself, and, beckoning a clansman, bade him go and tell
+the Baron that she would take no new husband, since her old one had
+come back to her, and that there would be questions to be answered
+when time served. The Baron MacCorquodale, in his wedding finery, with
+a great party of henchmen and vassals and pipers blowing a wedding
+march, had reached the mouth of the river which enters the side of
+Loch Awe; the party had crossed the river, and were ready to take boat
+across to the Islet, when they saw a solitary man rowing towards them
+with all speed. "It is some messenger from my lady," said the Baron,
+and he waited eagerly to hear the message. With dreadful consternation
+he listened to the unexpected words as the clansman delivered them,
+and then bade the pipers cease their music. "We must return; there
+will be no wedding to-day, since Black Colin is home again," quoth he;
+and the crestfallen party retraced their steps, quickening them more
+and more as they thought of the vengeance of the long-lost chieftain;
+but they reached their home in safety.
+
+
+Castle Kilchurn
+
+In the meantime Colin had much to tell his wife of his adventures, and
+to ask her of her life all these years. They told each other all, and
+Colin saw the false letter that had been sent to the Lady of Loch Awe,
+and guessed who had plotted this deceit. His anger grew against the
+bad man who had wrought this wrong and had so nearly gained his end,
+and he vowed that he would make the Baron dearly abide it. His wife
+calmed his fury somewhat by telling him how she had waited even
+beyond the seven years, and what stratagem she had used, and at last
+he promised not to make war on the Baron, but to punish him in other
+ways.
+
+"Tell me what you have done with the rents of Glenurchy these seven
+years," said he. Then the happy wife replied: "With part I have lived,
+with part I have guarded the glen, and with part have I made a cairn
+of stones at the head of Loch Awe. Will you come with me and see it?"
+And Colin went, deeply puzzled. When they came to the head of Loch
+Awe, there stood the new castle, on the site of the old house of the
+MacGregors; and the proud wife laughed as she said: "Do you like my
+cairn of stones? It has taken long to build." Black Colin was much
+pleased with the beautiful castle she had raised for him, and renamed
+it Kilchurn Castle, which title it still keeps. True to his vow, he
+took no bloody vengeance on the Baron MacCorquodale, but when a few
+years after he fell into his power the Knight of Loch Awe forced him
+to resign a great part of his lands to be united with those of
+Glenurchy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII: THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The heroes of chivalry, from Roland the noble paladin to Spenser's
+Red-Cross Knight, have many virtues to uphold, and their
+characteristics are as varied as are the races which adopted chivalry
+and embodied it in their hero-myths. It is a far cry from the loyalty
+of Roland, in which love for his emperor is the predominant
+characteristic, to the tender and graceful reverence of Sir Calidore;
+but mediæval Wales, which has preserved the Arthurian legend most free
+from alien admixture, had a knight of courtesy quite equal to Sir
+Calidore. Courage was one quality on the possession of which these
+mediæval knights never prided themselves, because they could not
+imagine life without courage, but gentle courtesy was, unhappily,
+rare, and many a heroic legend is spoilt by the insolence of the hero
+to people of lower rank. Again, the legends often look lightly on the
+ill-treatment of maidens; yet the true hero is one who is never
+tempted to injure a defenceless woman. Similarly, a broken oath to a
+heathen or mere churl is excused as a trifling matter, but the ideal
+hero sweareth and breaketh not, though it be to his own hindrance.
+
+
+Sir Gawayne
+
+The true Knight of Courtesy is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur's nephew, who
+in many ways overshadows his more illustrious uncle. It is remarkable
+that the King Arthur of the mediæval romances is either a mere
+ordinary conqueror or a secondary figure set in the background to
+heighten the achievements of his more warlike followers. The latter is
+the conception of Arthur which we find in this legend of the gentle
+and courteous Sir Gawayne.
+
+
+King Arthur Keeps Christmas
+
+One year the noble King Arthur was keeping his Christmas at Carlisle
+with great pomp and state. By his side sat his lovely Queen Guenever,
+the brightest and most beauteous bride that a king ever wedded, and
+about him were gathered the Knights of the Round Table. Never had a
+king assembled so goodly a company of valiant warriors as now sat in
+due order at the Round Table in the great hall of Carlisle Castle, and
+King Arthur's heart was filled with pride as he looked on his heroes.
+There sat Sir Lancelot, not yet the betrayer of his lord's honour and
+happiness, with Sir Bors and Sir Banier, there Sir Bedivere, loyal to
+King Arthur till death, there surly Sir Kay, the churlish steward of
+the king's household, and King Arthur's nephews, the young and gallant
+Sir Gareth, the gentle and courteous Sir Gawayne, and the false,
+gloomy Sir Mordred, who wrought King Arthur's overthrow. The knights
+and ladies were ranged in their fitting degrees and ranks, the
+servants and pages waited and carved and filled the golden goblets,
+and the minstrels sang to their harps lays of heroes of the olden
+time.
+
+
+His Discontent
+
+Yet in the midst of all this splendour the king was ill at ease, for
+he was a warlike knight and longed for some new adventure, and of late
+none had been known. Arthur sat moodily among his knights and drained
+the wine-cup in silence, and Queen Guenever, gazing at her husband,
+durst not interrupt his gloomy thoughts. At last the king raised his
+head, and, striking the table with his hand, exclaimed fiercely: "Are
+all my knights sluggards or cowards, that none of them goes forth to
+seek adventures? You are better fitted to feast well in hall than
+fight well in field. Is my fame so greatly decayed that no man cares
+to ask for my help or my support against evildoers? I vow here, by the
+boar's head and by Our Lady, that I will not rise from this table till
+some adventure be undertaken." "Sire, your loyal knights have gathered
+round you to keep the holy Yuletide in your court," replied Sir
+Lancelot; and Sir Gawayne said: "Fair uncle, we are not cowards, but
+few evildoers dare to show themselves under your rule; hence it is
+that we seem idle. But see yonder! By my faith, now cometh an
+adventure."
+
+
+The Damsel's Request
+
+Even as Sir Gawayne spoke a fair damsel rode into the hall, with
+flying hair and disordered dress, and, dismounting from her steed,
+knelt down sobbing at Arthur's feet. She cried aloud, so that all
+heard her: "A boon, a boon, King Arthur! I beg a boon of you!" "What
+is your request?" said the king, for the maiden was in great distress,
+and her tears filled his heart with pity. "What would you have of me?"
+"I cry for vengeance on a churlish knight, who has separated my love
+from me." "Tell your story quickly," said King Arthur; and all the
+knights listened while the lady spoke.
+
+"I was betrothed to a gallant knight," she said, "whom I loved dearly,
+and we were entirely happy until yesterday. Then as we rode out
+together planning our marriage we came, through the moorland ways,
+unnoticing, to a fair lake, Tarn Wathelan, where stood a great castle,
+with streamers flying, and banners waving in the wind. It seemed a
+strong and goodly place, but alas! it stood on magic ground, and
+within the enchanted circle of its shadow an evil spell fell on every
+knight who set foot therein. As my love and I looked idly at the
+mighty keep a horrible and churlish warrior, twice the size of mortal
+man, rushed forth in complete armour; grim and fierce-looking he was,
+armed with a huge club, and sternly he bade my knight leave me to him
+and go his way alone. Then my love drew his sword to defend me, but
+the evil spell had robbed him of all strength, and he could do nought
+against the giant's club; his sword fell from his feeble hand, and the
+churlish knight, seizing him, caused him to be flung into a dungeon.
+He then returned and sorely ill-treated me, though I prayed for mercy
+in the name of chivalry and of Mary Mother. At last, when he set me
+free and bade me go, I said I would come to King Arthur's court and
+beg a champion of might to avenge me, perhaps even the king himself.
+But the giant only laughed aloud. 'Tell the foolish king,' quoth he,
+'that here I stay his coming, and that no fear of him shall stop my
+working my will on all who come. Many knights have I in prison, some
+of them King Arthur's own true men; wherefore bid him fight with me,
+if he will win them back.' Thus, laughing and jeering loudly at you,
+King Arthur, the churlish knight returned to his castle, and I rode to
+Carlisle as fast as I could."
+
+
+King Arthur's Vow
+
+When the lady had ended her sorrowful tale all present were greatly
+moved with indignation and pity, but King Arthur felt the insult most
+deeply. He sprang to his feet in great wrath, and cried aloud: "I vow
+by my knighthood, and by the Holy Rood, that I will go forth to find
+that proud giant, and will never leave him till I have overcome him."
+The knights applauded their lord's vow, but Queen Guenever looked
+doubtfully at the king, for she had noticed the damsel's mention of
+magic, and she feared some evil adventure for her husband. The damsel
+stayed in Carlisle that night, and in the morning, after he had heard
+Mass, and bidden farewell to his wife, King Arthur rode away. It was a
+lonely journey to Tarn Wathelan, but the country was very beautiful,
+though wild and rugged, and the king soon saw the little lake gleaming
+clear and cold below him, while the enchanted castle towered up above
+the water, with banners flaunting defiantly in the wind.
+
+
+The Fight
+
+The king drew his sword Excalibur and blew a loud note on his bugle.
+Thrice his challenge note resounded, but brought no reply, and then he
+cried aloud: "Come forth, proud knight! King Arthur is here to punish
+you for your misdeeds! Come forth and fight bravely. If you are
+afraid, then come forth and yield yourself my thrall."
+
+[Illustration: "The King blew a loud note on his bugle"]
+
+The churlish giant darted out at the summons, brandishing his massive
+club, and rushed straight at King Arthur. The spell of the enchanted
+ground seized the king at that moment, and his hand sank down. Down
+fell his good sword Excalibur, down fell his shield, and he found
+himself ignominiously helpless in the presence of his enemy.
+
+
+The Ransom
+
+Now the giant cried aloud: "Yield or fight, King Arthur; which will
+you do? If you fight I shall conquer you, for you have no power to
+resist me; you will be my prisoner, with no hope of ransom, will lose
+your land and spend your life in my dungeon with many other brave
+knights. If you yield I will hold you to ransom, but you must swear
+to accept the terms I shall offer."
+
+"What are they," asked King Arthur. The giant replied: "You must swear
+solemnly, by the Holy Rood, that you will return here on New Year's
+Day and bring me a true answer to the question, 'What thing is it that
+all women most desire?' If you fail to bring the right answer your
+ransom is not paid, and you are yet my prisoner. Do you accept my
+terms?" The king had no alternative: so long as he stood on the
+enchanted ground his courage was overborne by the spell and he could
+only hold up his hand and swear by the Sacred Cross and by Our Lady
+that he would return, with such answers as he could obtain, on New
+Year's Day.
+
+
+The King's Search
+
+Ashamed and humiliated, the king rode away, but not back to
+Carlisle--he would not return home till he had fulfilled his task; so
+he rode east and west and north and south, and asked every woman and
+maid he met the question the churlish knight had put to him. "What is
+it all women most desire?" he asked, and all gave him different
+replies: some said riches, some splendour, some pomp and state; others
+declared that fine attire was women's chief delight, yet others voted
+for mirth or flattery; some declared that a handsome lover was the
+cherished wish of every woman's heart; and among them all the king
+grew quite bewildered. He wrote down all the answers he received, and
+sealed them with his own seal, to give to the churlish knight when he
+returned to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan; but in his own heart King
+Arthur felt that the true answer had not yet been given to him. He was
+sad as he turned and rode towards the giant's home on New Year's Day,
+for he feared to lose his liberty and lands, and the lonely journey
+seemed much more dreary than it had before, when he rode out from
+Carlisle so full of hope and courage and self-confidence.
+
+
+The Loathly Lady
+
+Arthur was riding mournfully through a lonely forest when he heard a
+woman's voice greeting him: "God save you, King Arthur! God save and
+keep you!" and he turned at once to see the person who thus addressed
+him. He saw no one at all on his right hand, but as he turned to the
+other side he perceived a woman's form clothed in brilliant scarlet;
+the figure was seated between a holly-tree and an oak, and the berries
+of the former were not more vivid than her dress, and the brown leaves
+of the latter not more brown and wrinkled than her cheeks. At first
+sight King Arthur thought he must be bewitched--no such nightmare of a
+human face had ever seemed to him possible. Her nose was crooked and
+bent hideously to one side, while her chin seemed to bend to the
+opposite side of her face; her one eye was set deep under her beetling
+brow, and her mouth was nought but a gaping slit. Round this awful
+countenance hung snaky locks of ragged grey hair, and she was deadly
+pale, with a bleared and dimmed blue eye. The king nearly swooned when
+he saw this hideous sight, and was so amazed that he did not answer
+her salutation. The loathly lady seemed angered by the insult: "Now
+Christ save you, King Arthur! Who are you to refuse to answer my
+greeting and take no heed of me? Little of courtesy have you and your
+knights in your fine court in Carlisle if you cannot return a lady's
+greeting. Yet, Sir King, proud as you are, it may be that I can help
+you, loathly though I be; but I will do nought for one who will not be
+courteous to me."
+
+
+The Lady's Secret
+
+King Arthur was ashamed of his lack of courtesy, and tempted by the
+hint that here was a woman who could help him. "Forgive me, lady,"
+said he; "I was sorely troubled in mind, and thus, and not for want of
+courtesy, did I miss your greeting. You say that you can perhaps help
+me; if you would do this, lady, and teach me how to pay my ransom, I
+will grant anything you ask as a reward." The deformed lady said:
+"Swear to me, by Holy Rood, and by Mary Mother, that you will grant me
+whatever boon I ask, and I will help you to the secret. Yes, Sir King,
+I know by secret means that you seek the answer to the question, 'What
+is it all women most desire?' Many women have given you many replies,
+but I alone, by my magic power, can give you the right answer. This
+secret I will tell you, and in truth it will pay your ransom, when you
+have sworn to keep faith with me." "Indeed, O grim lady, the oath I
+will take gladly," said King Arthur; and when he had sworn it, with
+uplifted hand, the lady told him the secret, and he vowed with great
+bursts of laughter that this was indeed the right answer.
+
+
+The Ransom
+
+When the king had thoroughly realized the wisdom of the answer he rode
+on to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan, and blew his bugle three times. As
+it was New Year's Day, the churlish knight was ready for him, and
+rushed forth, club in hand, ready to do battle. "Sir Knight," said the
+king, "I bring here writings containing answers to your question; they
+are replies that many women have given, and should be right; these I
+bring in ransom for my life and lands." The churlish knight took the
+writings and read them one by one, and each one he flung aside, till
+all had been read; then he said to the king: "You must yield yourself
+and your lands to me, King Arthur, and rest my prisoner; for though
+these answers be many and wise, not one is the true reply to my
+question; your ransom is not paid, and your life and all you have is
+forfeit to me." "Alas! Sir Knight," quoth the king, "stay your hand,
+and let me speak once more before I yield to you; it is not much to
+grant to one who risks life and kingdom and all. Give me leave to try
+one more reply." To this the giant assented, and King Arthur
+continued: "This morning as I rode through the forest I beheld a lady
+sitting, clad in scarlet, between an oak and a holly-tree; she says,
+'All women will have their own way, and this is their chief desire.'
+Now confess that I have brought the true answer to your question, and
+that I am free, and have paid the ransom for my life and lands."
+
+
+The Price of the Ransom
+
+The giant waxed furious with rage, and shouted: "A curse upon that
+lady who told you this! It must have been my sister, for none but she
+knew the answer. Tell me, was she ugly and deformed?" When King Arthur
+replied that she was a loathly lady, the giant broke out: "I vow to
+heaven that if I can once catch her I will burn her alive; for she has
+cheated me of being King of Britain. Go your ways, Arthur; you have
+not ransomed yourself, but the ransom is paid and you are free."
+
+Gladly the king rode back to the forest where the loathly lady awaited
+him, and stopped to greet her. "I am free now, lady, thanks to you!
+What boon do you ask in reward for your help? I have promised to
+grant it you, whatever it may be." "This is my boon King Arthur, that
+you will bring some young and courteous knight from your court in
+Carlisle to marry me, and he must be brave and handsome too. You have
+sworn to fulfil my request, and you cannot break your word." These
+last words were spoken as the king shook his head and seemed on the
+point of refusing a request so unreasonable; but at this reminder he
+only hung his head and rode slowly away, while the unlovely lady
+watched him with a look of mingled pain and glee.
+
+
+King Arthur's Return
+
+On the second day of the new year King Arthur came home to Carlisle.
+Wearily he rode along and dismounted at the castle, and wearily he
+went into his hall, where sat Queen Guenever. She had been very
+anxious during her husband's absence, for she dreaded magic arts, but
+she greeted him gladly and said: "Welcome, my dear lord and king,
+welcome home again! What anxiety I have endured for you! But now you
+are here all is well. What news do you bring, my liege? Is the
+churlish knight conquered? Where have you had him hanged, and where is
+his head? Placed on a spike above some town-gate? Tell me your
+tidings, and we will rejoice together." King Arthur only sighed
+heavily as he replied: "Alas! I have boasted too much; the churlish
+knight was a giant who has conquered me, and set me free on
+conditions." "My lord, tell me how this has chanced." "His castle is
+an enchanted one, standing on enchanted ground, and surrounded with a
+circle of magic spells which sap the bravery from a warrior's mind and
+the strength from his arm. When I came on his land and felt the power
+of his mighty charms, I was unable to resist him, but fell into his
+power, and had to yield myself to him. He released me on condition
+that I would fulfil one thing which he bade me accomplish, and this I
+was enabled to do by the help of a loathly lady; but that help was
+dearly bought, and I cannot pay the price myself."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Devotion
+
+By this time Sir Gawayne, the king's favourite nephew, had entered the
+hall, and greeted his uncle warmly; then, with a few rapid questions,
+he learnt the king's news, and saw that he was in some distress. "What
+have you paid the loathly lady for her secret, uncle?" he asked.
+"Alas! I have paid her nothing; but I promised to grant her any boon
+she asked, and she has asked a thing impossible." "What is it?" asked
+Sir Gawayne. "Since you have promised it, the promise must needs be
+kept. Can I help you to perform your vow?" "Yes, you can, fair nephew
+Gawayne, but I will never ask you to do a thing so terrible," said
+King Arthur. "I am ready to do it, uncle, were it to wed the loathly
+lady herself." "That is what she asks, that a fair young knight should
+marry her. But she is too hideous and deformed; no man could make her
+his wife." "If that is all your grief," replied Sir Gawayne, "things
+shall soon be settled; I will wed this ill-favoured dame, and will be
+your ransom." "You know not what you offer," answered the king. "I
+never saw so deformed a being. Her speech is well enough, but her face
+is terrible, with crooked nose and chin, and she has only one eye."
+"She must be an ill-favoured maiden; but I heed it not," said Sir
+Gawayne gallantly, "so that I can save you from trouble and care."
+"Thanks, dear Gawayne, thanks a thousand times! Now through your
+devotion I can keep my word. To-morrow we must fetch your bride from
+her lonely lodging in the greenwood; but we will feign some pretext
+for the journey. I will summon a hunting party, with horse and hound
+and gallant riders, and none shall know that we go to bring home so
+ugly a bride." "Gramercy, uncle," said Sir Gawayne. "Till to-morrow I
+am a free man."
+
+
+The Hunting Party
+
+The next day King Arthur summoned all the court to go hunting in the
+greenwood close to Tarn Wathelan; but he did not lead the chase near
+the castle: the remembrance of his defeat and shame was too strong for
+him to wish to see the place again. They roused a noble stag and
+chased him far into the forest, where they lost him amid close
+thickets of holly and yew interspersed with oak copses and hazel
+bushes--bare were the hazels, and brown and withered the clinging oak
+leaves, but the holly looked cheery, with its fresh green leaves and
+scarlet berries. Though the chase had been fruitless, the train of
+knights laughed and talked gaily as they rode back through the forest,
+and the gayest of all was Sir Gawayne; he rode wildly down the forest
+drives, so recklessly that he drew level with Sir Kay, the churlish
+steward, who always preferred to ride alone. Sir Lancelot, Sir
+Stephen, Sir Banier, and Sir Bors all looked wonderingly at the
+reckless youth; but his younger brother, Gareth, was troubled, for he
+knew all was not well with Gawayne, and Sir Tristram, buried in his
+love for Isolde, noticed nothing, but rode heedlessly wrapped in sad
+musings.
+
+
+Sir Kay and the Loathly Lady
+
+Suddenly Sir Kay reined up his steed, amazed; his eye had caught the
+gleam of scarlet under the trees, and as he looked he became aware of
+a woman, clad in a dress of finest scarlet, sitting between a
+holly-tree and an oak. "Good greeting to you, Sir Kay," said the lady,
+but the steward was too much amazed to answer. Such a face as that of
+the lady he had never even imagined, and he took no notice of her
+salutation. By this time the rest of the knights had joined him, and
+they all halted, looking in astonishment on the misshapen face of the
+poor creature before them. It seemed terrible that a woman's figure
+should be surmounted by such hideous features, and most of the knights
+were silent for pity's sake; but the steward soon recovered from his
+amazement, and his rude nature began to show itself. The king had not
+yet appeared, and Sir Kay began to jeer aloud. "Now which of you would
+fain woo yon fair lady?" he asked. "It takes a brave man, for methinks
+he will stand in fear of any kiss he may get, it must needs be such an
+awesome thing. But yet I know not; any man who would kiss this
+beauteous damsel may well miss the way to her mouth, and his fate is
+not quite so dreadful after all. Come, who will win a lovely bride!"
+Just then King Arthur rode up, and at sight of him Sir Kay was silent;
+but the loathly lady hid her face in her hands, and wept that he
+should pour such scorn upon her.
+
+
+The Betrothal
+
+Sir Gawayne was touched with compassion for this uncomely woman alone
+among these gallant and handsome knights, a woman so helpless and
+ill-favoured, and he said: "Peace, churl Kay, the lady cannot help
+herself; and you are not so noble and courteous that you have the
+right to jeer at any maiden; such deeds do not become a knight of
+Arthur's Round Table. Besides, one of us knights here must wed this
+unfortunate lady." "Wed her?" shouted Kay. "Gawayne, you are mad!" "It
+is true, is it not, my liege?" asked Sir Gawayne, turning to the king;
+and Arthur reluctantly gave token of assent, saying, "I promised her
+not long since, for the help she gave me in a great distress, that I
+would grant her any boon she craved, and she asked for a young and
+noble knight to be her husband. My royal word is given, and I will
+keep it; therefore have I brought you here to meet her." Sir Kay burst
+out with, "What? Ask me perchance to wed this foul quean? I'll none of
+her. Where'er I get my wife from, were it from the fiend himself, this
+hideous hag shall never be mine." "Peace, Sir Kay," sternly said the
+king; "you shall not abuse this poor lady as well as refuse her. Mend
+your speech, or you shall be knight of mine no longer." Then he turned
+to the others and said: "Who will wed this lady and help me to keep my
+royal pledge? You must not all refuse, for my promise is given, and
+for a little ugliness and deformity you shall not make me break my
+plighted word of honour." As he spoke he watched them keenly, to see
+who would prove sufficiently devoted, but the knights all began to
+excuse themselves and to depart. They called their hounds, spurred
+their steeds, and pretended to search for the track of the lost stag
+again; but before they went Sir Gawayne cried aloud: "Friends, cease
+your strife and debate, for I will wed this lady myself. Lady, will
+you have me for your husband?" Thus saying, he dismounted and knelt
+before her.
+
+
+The Lady's Words
+
+The poor lady had at first no words to tell her gratitude to Sir
+Gawayne, but when she had recovered a little she spoke: "Alas! Sir
+Gawayne, I fear you do but jest. Will you wed with one so ugly and
+deformed as I? What sort of wife should I be for a knight so gay and
+gallant, so fair and comely as the king's own nephew? What will Queen
+Guenever and the ladies of the Court say when you return to Carlisle
+bringing with you such a bride? You will be shamed, and all through
+me." Then she wept bitterly, and her weeping made her seem even more
+hideous; but King Arthur, who was watching the scene, said: "Lady, I
+would fain see that knight or dame who dares mock at my nephew's
+bride. I will take order that no such unknightly discourtesy is shown
+in my court," and he glared angrily at Sir Kay and the others who had
+stayed, seeing that Sir Gawayne was prepared to sacrifice himself and
+therefore they were safe. The lady raised her head and looked keenly
+at Sir Gawayne, who took her hand, saying: "Lady, I will be a true and
+loyal husband to you if you will have me; and I shall know how to
+guard my wife from insult. Come, lady, and my uncle will announce the
+betrothal." Now the lady seemed to believe that Sir Gawayne was in
+earnest, and she sprang to her feet, saying: "Thanks to you! A
+thousand thanks, Sir Gawayne, and blessings on your head! You shall
+never rue this wedding, and the courtesy you have shown. Wend we now
+to Carlisle."
+
+
+The Journey to Carlisle
+
+A horse with a side-saddle had been brought for Sir Gawayne's bride,
+but when the lady moved it became evident that she was lame and halted
+in her walk, and there was a slight hunch on her shoulders. Both of
+these deformities showed little when she was seated, but as she moved
+the knights looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders and pitied
+Sir Gawayne, whose courtesy had bound him for life to so deformed a
+wife. Then the whole train rode away together, the bride between King
+Arthur and her betrothed, and all the knights whispering and sneering
+behind them. Great was the excitement in Carlisle to see that ugly
+dame, and greater still the bewilderment in the court when they were
+told that this loathly lady was Sir Gawayne's bride.
+
+
+The Bridal
+
+Only Queen Guenever understood, and she showed all courtesy to the
+deformed bride, and stood by her as her lady-of-honour when the
+wedding took place that evening, while King Arthur was groomsman to
+his nephew. When the long banquet was over, and bride and bridegroom
+no longer need sit side by side, the tables were cleared and the hall
+was prepared for a dance, and then men thought that Sir Gawayne would
+be free for a time to talk with his friends; but he refused. "Bride
+and bridegroom must tread the first dance together, if she wishes it,"
+quoth he, and offered his lady his hand for the dance. "I thank you,
+sweet husband," said the grim lady as she took it and moved forward to
+open the dance with him; and through the long and stately measure that
+followed, so perfect was his dignity, and the courtesy and grace with
+which he danced, that no man dreamt of smiling as the deformed lady
+moved clumsily through the figures of the dance.
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Bride
+
+At last the long evening was over, the last measure danced, the last
+wine-cup drained, the bride escorted to her chamber, the lights out,
+the guests separated in their rooms, and Gawayne was free to think of
+what he had done, and to consider how he had ruined his whole hope of
+happiness. He thought of his uncle's favour, of the poor lady's
+gratitude, of the blessing she had invoked upon him, and he determined
+to be gentle with her, though he could never love her as his wife. He
+entered the bride-chamber with the feeling of a man who has made up
+his mind to endure, and did not even look towards his bride, who sat
+awaiting him beside the fire. Choosing a chair, he sat down and looked
+sadly into the glowing embers and spoke no word.
+
+"Have you no word for me, husband? Can you not even give me a glance?"
+asked the lady, and Sir Gawayne turned his eyes to her where she sat;
+and then he sprang up in amazement, for there sat no loathly lady, no
+ugly and deformed being, but a maiden young and lovely, with black
+eyes and long curls of dark hair, with beautiful face and tall and
+graceful figure. "Who are you, maiden?" asked Sir Gawayne; and the
+fair one replied: "I am your wife, whom you found between the oak and
+the holly-tree, and whom you wedded this night."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Choice
+
+"But how has this marvel come to pass?" asked he, wondering, for the
+fair maiden was so lovely that he marvelled that he had not known her
+beauty even under that hideous disguise. "It is an enchantment to
+which I am in bondage," said she. "I am not yet entirely free from it,
+but now for a time I may appear to you as I really am. Is my lord
+content with his loving bride?" asked she, with a little smile, as she
+rose and stood before him. "Content!" he said, as he clasped her in
+his arms. "I would not change my dear lady for the fairest dame in
+Arthur's court, not though she were Queen Guenever herself. I am the
+happiest knight that lives, for I thought to save my uncle and help a
+hapless lady, and I have won my own happiness thereby. Truly I shall
+never rue the day when I wedded you, dear heart." Long they sat and
+talked together, and then Sir Gawayne grew weary, and would fain have
+slept, but his lady said: "Husband, now a heavy choice awaits you. I
+am under the spell of an evil witch, who has given me my own face and
+form for half the day, and the hideous appearance in which you first
+saw me for the other half. Choose now whether you will have me fair by
+day and ugly by night, or hideous by day and beauteous by night. The
+choice is your own."
+
+
+The Dilemma
+
+Sir Gawayne was no longer oppressed with sleep; the choice before him
+was too difficult. If the lady remained hideous by day he would have
+to endure the taunts of his fellows; if by night, he would be unhappy
+himself. If the lady were fair by day other men might woo her, and he
+himself would have no love for her; if she were fair to him alone, his
+love would make her look ridiculous before the court and the king.
+Nevertheless, acting on the spur of the moment, he spoke: "Oh, be fair
+to me only--be your old self by day, and let me have my beauteous wife
+to myself alone." "Alas! is that your choice?" she asked. "I only must
+be ugly when all are beautiful, I must be despised when all other
+ladies are admired; I am as fair as they, but I must seem foul to all
+men. Is this your love, Sir Gawayne?" and she turned from him and
+wept. Sir Gawayne was filled with pity and remorse when he heard her
+lament, and began to realize that he was studying his own pleasure
+rather than his lady's feelings, and his courtesy and gentleness again
+won the upper hand. "Dear love, if you would rather that men should
+see you fair, I will choose that, though to me you will be always
+as you are now. Be fair before others and deformed to me alone, and
+men shall never know that the enchantment is not wholly removed."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Decision
+
+Now the lady looked pleased for a moment, and then said gravely: "Have
+you thought of the danger to which a young and lovely lady is exposed
+in the court? There are many false knights who would woo a fair dame,
+though her husband were the king's favourite nephew; and who can
+tell?--one of them might please me more than you. Sure I am that many
+will be sorry they refused to wed me when they see me to-morrow morn.
+You must risk my beauty under the guard of my virtue and wisdom, if
+you have me young and fair." She looked merrily at Sir Gawayne as she
+spoke; but he considered seriously for a time, and then said: "Nay,
+dear love, I will leave the matter to you and your own wisdom, for you
+are wiser in this matter than I. I remit this wholly unto you, to
+decide according to your will. I will rest content with whatsoever you
+resolve."
+
+
+The Lady's Story
+
+Now the fair lady clapped her hands lightly, and said: "Blessings on
+you, dear Gawayne, my own dear lord and husband! Now you have released
+me from the spell completely, and I shall always be as I am now, fair
+and young, till old age shall change my beauty as he doth that of all
+mortals. My father was a great duke of high renown who had but one son
+and one daughter, both of us dearly beloved, and both of goodly
+appearance. When I had come to an age to be married my father
+determined to take a new wife, and he wedded a witch-lady. She
+resolved to rid herself of his two children, and cast a spell upon us
+both, whereby I was transformed from a fair lady into the hideous
+monster whom you wedded, and my gallant young brother into the
+churlish giant who dwells at Tarn Wathelan. She condemned me to keep
+that awful shape until I married a young and courtly knight who would
+grant me all my will. You have done all this for me, and I shall be
+always your fond and faithful wife. My brother too is set free from
+the spell, and he will become again one of the truest and most gentle
+knights alive, though none can excel my own true knight, Sir Gawayne."
+
+[Illustration: "Now you have released me from the spell completely"]
+
+
+The Surprise of the Knights
+
+The next morning the knight and his bride descended to the great hall,
+where many knights and ladies awaited them, the former thinking
+scornfully of the hideous hag whom Gawayne had wedded, the latter
+pitying so young and gallant a knight, tied to a lady so ugly. But
+both scorn and pity vanished when all saw the bride. "Who is this fair
+dame?" asked Sir Kay. "Where have you left your ancient bride?" asked
+another, and all awaited the answer in great bewilderment. "This is
+the lady to whom I was wedded yester evening," replied Sir Gawayne.
+"She was under an evil enchantment, which has vanished now that she
+has come under the power of a husband, and henceforth my fair wife
+will be one of the most beauteous ladies of King Arthur's court.
+Further, my lord King Arthur, this fair lady has assured me that the
+churlish knight of Tarn Wathelan, her brother, was also under a spell,
+which is now broken, and he will be once more a courteous and gallant
+knight, and the ground on which his fortress stands will have
+henceforth no magic power to quell the courage of any knight alive.
+Dear liege and uncle, when I wedded yesterday the loathly lady I
+thought only of your happiness, and in that way I have won my own
+lifelong bliss."
+
+King Arthur's joy at his nephew's fair hap was great for he had
+grieved sorely over Gawayne's miserable fate, and Queen Guenever
+welcomed the fair maiden as warmly as she had the loathly lady, and
+the wedding feast was renewed with greater magnificence, as a fitting
+end to the Christmas festivities.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV: KING HORN
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Among the hero-legends which are considered to be of native English
+growth and to have come down to us from the times of the Danish
+invasions is the story of King Horn; but although "King Horn," like
+"Havelok the Dane," was originally a story of Viking raids, it has
+been so altered that the Norse element has been nearly obliterated. In
+all but the bare circumstances of the tale, "King Horn" is a romance
+of chivalry, permeated with the Crusading spirit, and reflecting the
+life and customs of the thirteenth century, instead of the more
+barbarous manners of the eighth or ninth centuries. The hero's desire
+to obtain knighthood and do some deed worthy of the honour, the
+readiness to leave his betrothed for long years at the call of honour
+or duty, the embittered feeling against the Saracens, are all typical
+of the romance of the Crusades. Another curious point which shows a
+later than Norse influence is the wooing of the reluctant youth by the
+princess, of which there are many instances in mediæval literature; it
+reveals a consciousness of feudal rank which did not exist in early
+times, and a certain recognition of the privileges of royal birth
+which were not granted before the days of romantic chivalry. King Horn
+himself is a hero of the approved chivalric type, whose chief
+distinguishing feature is his long indifference to the misfortunes of
+the sorely-tried princess to whom he was betrothed.
+
+
+The Royal Family of Suddene
+
+There once lived and ruled in the pleasant land of Suddene a noble
+king named Murry, whose fair consort, Queen Godhild, was the most
+sweet and gentle lady alive, as the king was a pattern of all
+knightly virtues. This royal pair had but one child, a son, named
+Horn, now twelve years old, who had been surrounded from his birth
+with loyal service and true devotion. He had a band of twelve chosen
+companions with whom he shared sports and tasks, pleasures and griefs,
+and the little company grew up well trained in chivalrous exercises
+and qualities. Childe Horn had his favourites among the twelve. Athulf
+was his dearest friend, a loving and devoted companion; and next to
+him in Horn's affection stood Fikenhild, whose outward show of love
+covered his inward envy and hatred. In everything these two were
+Childe Horn's inseparable comrades, and it seemed that an equal bond
+of love united the three.
+
+
+The Saracen Invasion
+
+One day as King Murry was riding over the cliffs by the sea with only
+two knights in attendance he noticed some unwonted commotion in a
+little creek not far from where he was riding, and he at once turned
+his horse's head in that direction and galloped down to the shore. On
+his arrival in the small harbour he saw fifteen great ships of strange
+build, and their crews, Saracens all armed for war, had already
+landed, and were drawn up in warlike array. The odds against the king
+were terrible, but he rode boldly to the invaders and asked: "What
+brings you strangers here? Why have you sought our land?" A Saracen
+leader, gigantic of stature, spoke for them all and replied: "We are
+here to win this land to the law of Mahomet and to drive out the
+Christian law. We will slay all the inhabitants that believe on
+Christ. Thou thyself shalt be our first conquest, for thou shalt not
+leave this place alive." Thereupon the Saracens attacked the little
+band, and though the three Christians fought valiantly they were soon
+slain. The Saracens then spread over the land, slaying, burning, and
+pillaging, and forcing all who loved their lives to renounce the
+Christian faith and become followers of Mahomet. When Queen Godhild
+heard of her husband's death and saw the ruin of her people she fled
+from her palace and all her friends and betook herself to a solitary
+cave, where she lived unknown and undiscovered, and continued her
+Christian worship while the land was overrun with pagans. Ever she
+prayed that God would protect her dear son, and bring him at last to
+his father's throne.
+
+[Illustration: Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn]
+
+
+Horn's Escape
+
+Soon after the king's death the Saracens had captured Childe Horn and
+his twelve comrades, and the boys were brought before the pagan emir.
+They would all have been slain at once or flayed alive, but for the
+beauty of Childe Horn, for whose sake their lives were spared. The old
+emir looked keenly at the lads, and said: "Horn, thou art a bold and
+valiant youth, of great stature for thine age, and of full strength,
+yet I know thou hast not yet reached thy full growth. If we release
+thee with thy companions, in years to come we shall dearly rue it, for
+ye will become great champions of the Christian law and will slay many
+of us. Therefore ye must die. But we will not slay you with our own
+hands, for ye are noble lads, and shall have one feeble chance for
+your lives. Ye shall be placed in a boat and driven out to sea, and if
+ye all are drowned we shall not grieve overmuch. Either ye must die or
+we, for I know we shall dearly abide your king's death if ye youths
+survive." Thereupon the lads were all taken to the shore, and, weeping
+and lamenting, were thrust into a rudderless boat, which was towed
+out to sea and left helpless.
+
+
+Arrival in Westernesse
+
+The other boys sat lamenting and bewailing their fate, but Childe
+Horn, looking round the boat, found a pair of oars, and as he saw that
+the boat was in the grasp of some strong current he rowed in the same
+direction, so that the boat soon drifted out of sight of land. The
+other lads were a dismal crew, for they thought their death was
+certain, but Horn toiled hard at his rowing all night, and with the
+dawn grew so weary that he rested for a little on his oars. When the
+rising sun made things clear, and he could see over the crests of the
+waves, he stood up in the boat and uttered a cry of joy. "Comrades,"
+cried he, "dear friends, I see land not far away. I hear the sweet
+songs of birds and see the soft green grass. We have come to some
+unknown land and have saved our lives." Then Athulf took up the glad
+tidings and began to cheer the forlorn little crew, and under Horn's
+skilful guidance the little boat grounded gently and safely on the
+sands of Westernesse. The boys sprang on shore, all but Childe Horn
+having no thought of the past night and the journey; but he stood by
+the boat, looking sadly at it.
+
+
+Farewell to the Boat
+
+    "'Boat,' quoth he, 'which hast borne me on my way,
+    Have thou good days beside a summer sea!
+    May never wave prevail to sink thee deep!
+    Go, little boat, and when thou comest home
+    Greet well my mother, mournful Queen Godhild;
+    Tell her, frail skiff, her dear son Horn is safe.
+    Greet, too, the pagan lord, Mahomet's thrall,
+    The bitter enemy of Jesus Christ,
+    And bid him know that I am safe and well.
+    Say I have reached a land beyond the sea,
+    Whence, in God's own good time, I will return
+    Then he shall feel my vengeance for my sire.'"
+
+Then sorrowfully he pushed the boat out into the ocean, and the ebbing
+tide bore it away, while Horn and his companions set their faces
+resolutely towards the town they could see in the distance.
+
+
+King Ailmar and Childe Horn
+
+As the little band were trudging wearily towards the town they saw a
+knight riding towards them, and when he came nearer they became aware
+that he must be some noble of high rank. When he halted and began to
+question them, Childe Horn recognised by his tone and bearing that
+this must be the king. So indeed it was, for King Ailmar of
+Westernesse was one of those noble rulers who see for themselves the
+state of their subjects and make their people happy by free,
+unrestrained intercourse with them. When the king saw the forlorn
+little company he said: "Whence are ye, fair youths, so strong and
+comely of body? Never have I seen so goodly a company of thirteen
+youths in the realm of Westernesse. Tell me whence ye come, and what
+ye seek." Childe Horn assumed the office of spokesman, for he was
+leader by birth, by courage, and by intellect. "We are lads of noble
+families in Suddene, sons of Christians and of men of lofty station.
+Pagans have taken the land and slain our parents, and we boys fell
+into their hands. These heathen have slain and tortured many Christian
+men, but they had pity upon us, and put us into an old boat with no
+sail or rudder. So we drifted all night, until I saw your land at
+dawn, and our boat came to the shore. Now we are in your power, and
+you may do with us what you will, but I pray you to have pity on us
+and to feed us, that we may not perish utterly."
+
+
+Ailmar's Decision
+
+King Ailmar was touched as greatly by the simple boldness of the
+spokesman as by the hapless plight of the little troop, and he
+answered, smiling: "Thou shalt have nought but help and comfort, fair
+youth. But, I pray thee, tell me thy name." Horn answered readily:
+"King, may all good betide thee! I am named Horn, and I have come
+journeying in a boat on the sea--now I am here in thy land." King
+Ailmar replied: "Horn! That is a good name: mayst thou well enjoy it.
+Loud may this Horn sound over hill and dale till the blast of so
+mighty a Horn shall be heard in many lands from king to king, and its
+beauty and strength be known in many countries. Horn, come thou with
+me and be mine, for I love thee and will not forsake thee."
+
+
+Childe Horn at Court
+
+The king rode home, and all the band of stranger youths followed him
+on foot, but for Horn he ordered a horse to be procured, so that the
+lad rode by his side; and thus they came back to the court. When they
+entered the hall he summoned his steward, a noble old knight named
+Athelbrus, and gave the lads in charge to him, saying, "Steward, take
+these foundlings of mine, and train them well in the duties of pages,
+and later of squires. Take especial care with the training of Childe
+Horn, their chief; let him learn all thy knowledge of woodcraft and
+fishing, of hunting and hawking, of harping and singing; teach him how
+to carve before me, and to serve the cup solemnly at banquets; make
+him thy favourite pupil and train him to be a knight as good as
+thyself. His companions thou mayst put into other service, but Horn
+shall be my own page, and afterwards my squire." Athelbrus obeyed the
+king's command, and the thirteen youths soon found themselves set to
+learn the duties of court life, and showed themselves apt scholars,
+especially Childe Horn, who did his best to satisfy the king and his
+steward on every point.
+
+
+The Princess Rymenhild
+
+When Childe Horn had been at court for six years, and was now a
+squire, he became known to all courtiers, and all men loved him for
+his gentle courtesy and his willingness to do any service. King Ailmar
+made no secret of the fact that Horn was his favourite squire, and the
+Princess Rymenhild, the king's fair daughter, loved him with all her
+heart. She was the heir to the throne, and no man had ever gainsaid
+her will, and now it seemed to her unreasonable that she should not be
+allowed to wed a good and gallant youth whom she loved. It was
+difficult for her to speak alone with him, for she had six maiden
+attendants who waited on her continually, and Horn was engaged with
+his duties either in the hall, among the knights, or waiting on the
+king. The difficulties only seemed to increase her love, and she grew
+pale and wan, and looked miserable. It seemed to her that if she
+waited longer her love would never be happy, and in her impatience she
+took a bold step.
+
+
+Athelbrus Deceives the Princess
+
+She kept her chamber, called a messenger, and said to him: "Go quickly
+to Athelbrus the steward, and bid him come to me at once. Tell him to
+bring with him the squire Childe Horn, for I am lying ill in my room,
+and would be amused. Say I expect them quickly, for I am sad in mind,
+and have need of cheerful converse." The messenger bowed, and,
+withdrawing, delivered the message exactly as he had received it to
+Athelbrus, who was much perplexed thereby. He wondered whence came
+this sudden illness, and what help Childe Horn could give. It was an
+unusual thing for the squire to be asked into a lady's bower, and
+still more so into that of a princess, and Athelbrus had already felt
+some suspicion as to the sentiments of the royal lady towards the
+gallant young squire. Considering all these things, the cautious
+steward deemed it safer not to expose young Horn to the risks that
+might arise from such an interview, and therefore induced Athulf to
+wait upon the princess and to endeavour to personate his more
+distinguished companion. The plan succeeded beyond expectation in the
+dimly lighted room, and the infatuated princess soon startled the
+unsuspecting squire by a warm and unreserved declaration of her
+affection. Recovering from his natural amazement, he modestly
+disclaimed a title to the royal favour and acknowledged his identity.
+
+On discovering her mistake the princess was torn by conflicting
+emotions, but finally relieved the pressure of self-reproach and the
+confusion of maiden modesty by overwhelming the faithful steward with
+denunciation and upbraiding, until at last, in desperation, the poor
+man promised, against his better judgment, to bring about a meeting
+between his love-lorn mistress and the favoured squire.
+
+
+Athelbrus Summons Horn
+
+When Rymenhild understood that Athelbrus would fulfil her desire she
+was very glad and joyous; her sorrow was turned into happy
+expectation, and she looked kindly upon the old steward as she said:
+"Go now quickly, and send him to me in the afternoon. The king will
+go to the wood for sport and pastime, and Horn can easily remain
+behind; then he can stay with me till my father returns at eve. No one
+will betray us; and when I have met my beloved I care not what men may
+say."
+
+Then the steward went down to the banqueting-hall, where he found
+Childe Horn fulfilling his duties as cup-bearer, pouring out and
+tasting the red wine in the king's golden goblet. King Ailmar asked
+many questions about his daughter's health, and when he learnt that
+her malady was much abated he rose in gladness from the table and
+summoned his courtiers to go with him into the greenwood. Athelbrus
+bade Horn tarry, and when the gay throng had passed from the hall the
+steward said gravely: "Childe Horn, fair and courteous, my beloved
+pupil, go now to the bower of the Princess Rymenhild, and stay there
+to fulfil all her commands. It may be thou shalt hear strange things,
+but keep rash and bold words in thy heart, and let them not be upon
+thy tongue. Horn, dear lad, be true and loyal now, and thou shalt
+never repent it."
+
+
+Horn and Rymenhild
+
+Horn listened to this unusual speech with great astonishment, but,
+since Sir Athelbrus spoke so solemnly, he laid all his words to heart,
+and thus, marvelling greatly, departed to the royal bower. When he had
+knocked at the door, and had been bidden to come in, entering, he
+found Rymenhild sitting in a great chair, intently regarding him as he
+came into the room. He knelt down to make obeisance to her, and kissed
+her hand, saying, "Sweet be thy life and soft thy slumbers, fair
+Princess Rymenhild! Well may it be with thy gentle ladies of honour! I
+am here at thy command, lady, for Sir Athelbrus the steward, bade me
+come to speak with thee. Tell me thy will, and I will fulfil all thy
+desires." She arose from her seat, and, bending towards him as he
+knelt, took him by the hand and lifted him up, saying, "Arise and sit
+beside me, Childe Horn, and we will drink this cup of wine together."
+In great astonishment the youth did as the princess bade, and sat
+beside her, and soon, to his utter amazement, Rymenhild avowed her
+love for him, and offered him her hand. "Have pity on me, Horn, and
+plight me thy troth, for in very truth I love thee, and have loved
+thee long, and if thou wilt I will be thy wife."
+
+
+Horn Refuses the Princess
+
+Now Horn was in evil case, for he saw full well in what danger he
+would place the princess, Sir Athelbrus, and himself if he accepted
+the proffer of her love. He knew the reason of the steward's warning,
+and tried to think what he might say to satisfy the princess and yet
+not be disloyal to the king. At last he replied: "Christ save and keep
+thee, my lady Rymenhild, and give thee joy of thy husband, whosoever
+he may be! I am too lowly born to be worthy of such a wife; I am a
+mere foundling, living on thy father's bounty. It is not in the course
+of nature that such as I should wed a king's daughter, for there can
+be no equal match between a princess and a landless squire."
+
+Rymenhild was so disheartened and ashamed at this reply to her loving
+appeal that her colour changed, she turned deadly pale, began to sigh,
+flung her arms out wildly, and fell down in a swoon. Childe Horn
+lifted her up, full of pity for her deep distress, and began to
+comfort her and try to revive her. As he held her in his arms he
+kissed her often, and said:
+
+    "'Lady, dear love, take comfort and be strong!
+    For I will yield me wholly to thy guidance
+    If thou wilt compass one great thing for me.
+    Plead with King Ailmar that he dub me knight,
+    That I may prove me worthy of thy love.
+    Soon shall my knighthood be no idle dream,
+    And I will strive to do thy will, dear heart.'"
+
+Now at these words Rymenhild awoke from her swoon, and made him repeat
+his promise. She said: "Ah! Horn, that shall speedily be done. Ere the
+week is past thou shalt be Sir Horn, for my father loves thee, and
+will grant the dignity most willingly to one so dear to him. Go now
+quickly to Sir Athelbrus, give him as a token of my gratitude this
+golden goblet and this ring; pray him that he persuade the king to dub
+thee knight. I will repay him with rich rewards for his gentle
+courtesy to me. May Christ help him to speed thee in thy desires!"
+Horn then took leave of Rymenhild with great affection, and found
+Athelbrus, to whom he delivered the gifts and the princess's message,
+which the steward received with due reverence.
+
+
+Horn Becomes a Knight
+
+This plan seemed to Athelbrus very good, for it raised Horn to be a
+member of the noble Order of Knights, and would give him other chances
+of distinguishing himself. Accordingly he went to the king as he sat
+over the evening meal, and spoke thus: "Sir King, hear my words, for I
+have counsel for thee. To-morrow is the festival of thy birth, and the
+whole realm of Westernesse must rejoice in its master's joy. Wear thou
+thy crown in solemn state, and I think it were nought amiss if thou
+shouldst knight young Horn, who will become a worthy defender of thy
+throne." "That were well done," said King Ailmar. "The youth pleases
+me, and I will knight him with my own sword. Afterwards he shall
+knight his twelve comrades the same day."
+
+The next day the ceremony of knighting was performed with all
+solemnity, and at its close a great banquet was prepared and all men
+made merry. But Princess Rymenhild was somewhat sad. She could not
+descend to the hall and take her customary place, for this was a feast
+for knights alone, and she would not be without her betrothed one
+moment longer, so she sent a messenger to fetch Sir Horn to her bower.
+
+
+Horn and Athulf Go to Rymenhild
+
+Now that Horn was a newly dubbed knight he would not allow the
+slightest shadow of dishonour to cloud his conduct; accordingly, when
+he obeyed Rymenhild's summons he was accompanied by Athulf. "Welcome,
+Sir Horn and Sir Athulf," she cried, holding out her hands in
+greeting. "Love, now that thou hast thy will, keep thy plighted word
+and make me thy wife; release me from my anxiety and do as thou hast
+said."
+
+    "'Dear Rymenhild, hold thou thyself at peace,'
+    Quoth young Sir Horn; 'I will perform my vow.
+    But first I must ride forth to prove my might;
+    Must conquer hardships, and my own worse self,
+    Ere I can hope to woo and wed my bride.
+    We are but new-fledged knights of one day's growth,
+    And yet we know the custom of our state
+    Is first to fight and win a hero's name,
+    Then afterwards to win a lady's heart.
+    This day will I do bravely for thy love
+    And show my valour and my deep devotion
+    In prowess 'gainst the foes of this thy land.
+    If I come back in peace, I claim my wife.'"
+
+Rymenhild protested no longer, for she saw that where honour was
+concerned Horn was inflexible. "My true knight," said she, "I must in
+sooth believe thee, and I feel that I may. Take this ring engraved
+with my name, wrought by the most skilled worker of our court, and
+wear it always, for it has magic virtues. The gems are of such saving
+power that thou shalt fear no strokes in battle, nor ever be cast down
+if thou gaze on this ring and think of thy love. Athulf, too, shall
+have a similar ring. And now, Horn, I commend thee to God, and may
+Christ give thee good success and bring thee back in safety!"
+
+
+Horn's First Exploit
+
+After taking an affectionate farewell of Rymenhild, Horn went down to
+the hall, and, seeing all the other new-made knights going in to the
+banquet, he slipped quietly away and betook himself to the stables.
+There he armed himself secretly and mounted his white charger, which
+pranced and reared joyfully as he rode away; and Horn began to sing
+for joy of heart, for he had won his chief desire, and was happy in
+the love of the king's daughter. As he rode by the shore he saw a
+stranger ship drawn up on the beach, and recognised the banner and
+accoutrements of her Saracen crew, for he had never forgotten the
+heathens who had slain his father. "What brings you here?" he asked
+angrily, and as fearlessly as King Murry had done, and received the
+same answer: "We will conquer this land and slay the inhabitants."
+Then Horn's anger rose, he gripped his sword, and rushed boldly at the
+heathens, and slew many of them, striking off a head at each blow. The
+onslaught was so sudden that the Saracens were taken by surprise at
+first, but then they rallied and surrounded Horn, so that matters
+began to look dangerous for him. Then he remembered the betrothal
+ring, and looked on it, thinking earnestly of Rymenhild, his dear
+love, and such courage came to him that he was able to defeat the
+pagans and slay their leader. The others, sorely wounded--for none
+escaped unhurt--hurried on board ship and put to sea, and Horn,
+bearing the Saracen leader's head on his sword's point, rode back to
+the royal palace. Here he related to King Ailmar this first exploit of
+his knighthood, and presented the head of the foe to the king, who
+rejoiced greatly at Horn's valour and success.
+
+[Illustration: Horn kills the Saracen leader]
+
+
+Rymenhild's Dream
+
+The next day the king and all the court rode out hunting, but Horn
+made an excuse to stay behind with the princess, and the false and
+wily Fikenhild was also left at home, and he crept secretly to
+Rymenhild's bower to spy on her. She was sitting weeping bitterly when
+Sir Horn entered. He was amazed. "Love, for mercy's sake, why weepest
+thou so sorely?" he asked; and she replied: "I have had a mournful
+dream. I dreamt that I was casting a net and had caught a great fish,
+which began to burst the net. I greatly fear that I shall lose my
+chosen fish." Then she looked sadly at Horn. But the young knight was
+in a cheery mood, and replied: "May Christ and St. Stephen turn thy
+dream to good! If I am thy fish, I will never deceive thee nor do
+aught to displease thee, and hereto I plight thee my troth. But I
+would rather interpret thy dream otherwise. This great fish which
+burst thy net is some one who wishes us ill, and will do us harm
+soon." Yet in spite of Horn's brave words it was a sad betrothal, for
+Rymenhild wept bitterly, and her lover could not stop her tears.
+
+
+Fikenhild's False Accusation
+
+Fikenhild had listened to all their conversation with growing envy
+and anger, and now he stole away silently, and met King Ailmar
+returning from the chase.
+
+    "'King Ailmar,' said the false one, 'see, I bring
+    A needed warning, that thou guard thyself,
+    For Horn will take thy life; I heard him vow
+    To slay thee, or by sword or fire, this night.
+    If thou demand what cause of hate he has,
+    Know that the villain wooes thine only child,
+    Fair Rymenhild, and hopes to wear thy crown.
+    E'en now he tarries in the maiden's bower,
+    As he has often done, and talks with her
+    With guileful tongue, and cunning show of love.
+    Unless thou banish him thou art not safe
+    In life or honour, for he knows no law.'"
+
+The king at first refused to believe the envious knight's report, but,
+going to Rymenhild's bower, he found apparent confirmation, for Horn
+was comforting the princess, and promising to wed her when he should
+have done worthy feats of arms. The king's wrath knew no bounds, and
+with words of harsh reproach he banished Horn at once, on pain of
+death. The young knight armed himself quickly and returned to bid
+farewell to his betrothed.
+
+
+Horn's Banishment
+
+"Dear heart," said he, "now thy dream has come true, and thy fish must
+needs break the net and be gone. The enemy whom I foreboded has
+wrought us woe. Farewell, mine own dear Rymenhild; I may no longer
+stay, but must wander in alien lands. If I do not return at the end of
+seven years take thyself a husband and tarry no longer for me. And now
+take me in your arms and kiss me, dear love, ere I go!" So they kissed
+each other and bade farewell, and Horn called to him his comrade
+Athulf, saying, "True and faithful friend, guard well my dear love.
+Thou hast never forsaken me; now do thou keep Rymenhild for me." Then
+he rode away, and, reaching the haven, hired a good ship and sailed
+for Ireland, where he took service with King Thurston, under the name
+of Cuthbert. In Ireland he became sworn brother to the king's two
+sons, Harold and Berild, for they loved him from the first moment they
+saw him, and were in no way jealous of his beauty and valour.
+
+
+Horn Slays the Giant Emir
+
+When Christmas came, and King Thurston sat at the banquet with all his
+lords, at noontide a giant strode into the hall, bearing a message of
+defiance. He came from the Saracens, and challenged any three Irish
+knights to fight one Saracen champion. If the Irish won the pagans
+would withdraw from Ireland; if the Irish chiefs were slain the
+Saracens would hold the land. The combat was to be decided the next
+day at dawn. King Thurston accepted the challenge, and named Harold,
+Berild, and Cuthbert (as Horn was called) as the Christian champions,
+because they were the best warriors in Ireland; but Horn begged
+permission to speak, and said: "Sir King, it is not right that one man
+should fight against three, and one heathen hound think to resist
+three Christian warriors. I will fight and conquer him alone, for I
+could as easily slay three of them." At last the king allowed Horn to
+attempt the combat alone, and spent the night in sorrowful musing on
+the result of the contest, while Horn slept well and arose and armed
+himself cheerily. He then aroused the king, and the Irish troop rode
+out to a fair and level green lawn, where they found the emir with
+many companions awaiting them. The combat began at once, and Horn gave
+blows so mighty that the pagan onlookers fell swooning through very
+fear, till Horn said: "Now, knights, rest for a time, if it pleases
+you." Then the Saracens spoke together, saying aloud that no man had
+ever so daunted them before except King Murry of Suddene.
+
+This mention of his dead father aroused Horn, who now realized that he
+saw before him his father's murderers. His anger was kindled, he
+looked at his ring and thought of Rymenhild, and then, drawing his
+sword again, he rushed at the heathen champion. The giant fell pierced
+through the heart, and his companions fled to their ships, hotly
+pursued by Horn and his company. Much fighting there was, and in the
+hot strife near the ships the king's two sons, Harold and Berild, were
+both slain.
+
+
+Horn Refuses the Throne
+
+Sadly they were laid on a bier and brought back to the palace, their
+sorrowful father lamenting their early death; and when he had wept his
+fill the mournful king came into the hall where all his knights
+silently awaited him. Slowly he came up to Horn as he sat a little
+apart from the rest, and said: "Cuthbert, wilt thou fulfil my desire?
+My heirs are slain, and thou art the best knight in Ireland for
+strength and beauty and valour; I implore thee to wed Reynild, my only
+daughter (now, alas! my only child), and to rule my realm. Wilt thou
+do so, and lift the burden of my cares from my weary shoulders?" But
+Horn replied: "O Sir King, it were wrong for me to receive thy fair
+daughter and heir and rule thy realm, as thou dost offer. I shall do
+thee yet better service, my liege, before I die; and I know that thy
+grief will change ere seven years have passed away. When that time is
+over, Sir King, give me my reward: thou shalt not refuse me thy
+daughter when I desire her." To this King Thurston agreed, and Horn
+dwelt in Ireland for seven years, and sent no word or token to
+Rymenhild all the time.
+
+
+Rymenhild's Distress
+
+In the meantime Princess Rymenhild was in great perplexity and
+trouble, for a powerful ruler, King Modi of Reynes, wooed her for his
+wife, and her own betrothed sent her no token of his life or love. Her
+father accepted the new suitor for her hand, and the day of the
+wedding was fixed, so that Rymenhild could no longer delay her
+marriage. In her extremity she besought Athulf to write letters to
+Horn, begging him to return and claim his bride and protect her; and
+these letters she delivered to several messengers, bidding them search
+in all lands until they found Sir Horn and gave the letters into his
+own hand. Horn knew nought of this, till one day in the forest he met
+a weary youth, all but exhausted, who told how he had sought Horn in
+vain. When Horn declared himself, the youth broke out into loud
+lamentations over Rymenhild's unhappy fate, and delivered the letter
+which explained all her distress. Now it was Horn's turn to weep
+bitterly for his love's troubles, and he bade the messenger return to
+his mistress and tell her to cease her tears, for Horn would be there
+in time to rescue her from her hated bridegroom. The youth returned
+joyfully, but as his boat neared the shore of Westernesse a storm
+arose and the messenger was drowned; so that Rymenhild, opening her
+tower door to look for expected succour, found her messenger lying
+dead at the foot of the tower, and felt that all hope was gone. She
+wept and wrung her hands, but nothing that she could do would avert
+the evil day.
+
+
+Horn and King Thurston
+
+As soon as Horn had read Rymenhild's letter he went to King Thurston
+and revealed the whole matter to him. He told of his own royal
+parentage, his exile, his knighthood, his betrothal to the princess,
+and his banishment; then of the death of the Saracen leader who had
+slain King Murry, and the vengeance he had taken. Then he ended:
+
+    "'King Thurston, be thou wise, and grant my boon;
+    Repay the service I have yielded thee;
+    Help me to save my princess from this woe.
+    I will take counsel for fair Reynild's fate,
+    For she shall wed Sir Athulf, my best friend,
+    My truest comrade and my doughtiest knight.
+    If ever I have risked my life for thee
+    And proved myself in battle, grant my prayer.'"
+
+To this the king replied: "Childe Horn, do what thou wilt."
+
+
+Horn Returns on the Wedding-day
+
+Horn at once invited Irish knights to accompany him to Westernesse to
+rescue his love from a hateful marriage, and many came eagerly to
+fight in the cause of the valiant Cuthbert who had defended Ireland
+for seven years. Thus it was with a goodly company that Horn took
+ship, and landed in King Ailmar's realm; and he came in a happy hour,
+for it was the wedding-day of Princess Rymenhild and King Modi of
+Reynes. The Irish knights landed and encamped in a wood, while Horn
+went on alone to learn tidings. Meeting a palmer, he asked the news,
+and the palmer replied: "I have been at the wedding of Princess
+Rymenhild, and a sad sight it was, for the bride was wedded against
+her will, vowing she had a husband though he is a banished man. She
+would take no ring nor utter any vows; but the service was read, and
+afterwards King Modi took her to a strong castle, where not even a
+palmer was given entrance. I came away, for I could not endure the
+pity of it. The bride sits weeping sorely, and if report be true her
+heart is like to break with grief."
+
+
+Horn Is Disguised as a Palmer
+
+"Come, palmer," said Horn, "lend me your cloak and scrip. I must see
+this strange bridal, and it may be I shall make some there repent of
+the wrong they have done to a helpless maiden. I will essay to enter."
+The change was soon made, and Horn darkened his face and hands as if
+bronzed with Eastern suns, bowed his back, and gave his voice an old
+man's feebleness, so that no man would have known him; which done, he
+made his way to King Modi's new castle. Here he begged admittance for
+charity's sake, that he might share the broken bits of the wedding
+feast; but he was churlishly refused by the porter, who would not be
+moved by any entreaties. At last Horn lost all patience, and broke
+open the door, and threw the porter out over the drawbridge into the
+moat; then, once more assuming his disguise, he made his way into the
+hall and sat down in the beggars' row.
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Rymenhild was weeping still, and her stern husband seemed only angered
+by her tears. Horn looked about cautiously, but saw no sign of Athulf,
+his trusted comrade; for he was at this time eagerly looking for his
+friend's coming from the lofty watch-tower, and lamenting that he
+could guard the princess no longer. At last, when the banquet was
+nearly over, Rymenhild rose to pour out wine for the guests, as the
+custom was then; and she bore a horn of ale or wine along the benches
+to each person there. Horn, sitting humbly on the ground, called out:
+"Come, courteous Queen, turn to me, for we beggars are thirsty folk."
+Rymenhild smiled sadly, and, setting down the horn, filled a bowl with
+brown ale, for she thought him a drunkard. "Here, drink this, and more
+besides, if thou wilt; I never saw so bold a beggar," she said. But
+Horn refused. He handed the bowl to the other beggars, and said:
+"Lady, I will drink nought but from a silver cup, for I am not what
+you think me. I am no beggar, but a fisher, come from afar to fish at
+thy wedding feast. My net lies near by, and has lain there for seven
+years, and I am come to see if it has caught any fish. Drink to me,
+and drink to Horn from thy horn, for far have I journeyed."
+
+When the palmer spoke of fishing, and his seven-year-old net,
+Rymenhild felt cold at heart; she did not recognise him, but wondered
+greatly when he bade her drink "to Horn." She filled her cup and gave
+it to the palmer, saying, "Drink thy fill, and then tell me if thou
+hast ever seen Horn in thy wanderings." As the palmer drank, he
+dropped his ring into the cup; then he returned it to Rymenhild,
+saying, "Queen, seek out what is in thy draught." She said nothing
+then, but left the hall with her maidens and went to her bower, where
+she found the well-remembered ring she had given to Horn in token of
+betrothal. Greatly she feared that Horn was dead, and sent for the
+palmer, whom she questioned as to whence he had got the ring.
+
+
+Horn's Stratagem
+
+Horn thought he would test her love for him, since she had not
+recognised him, so he replied: "By St. Giles, lady, I have wandered
+many a mile, far into realms of the West, and there I found Sir Horn
+ready prepared to sail home to your land. He told me that he planned
+to reach the realm of Westernesse in time to see you before seven
+years had passed, and I embarked with him. The winds were favourable
+and we had a quick voyage, but, alas! he fell ill and died. When he
+lay dying he begged me piteously, 'Take this ring, from which I have
+never been parted, to my dear lady Rymenhild,' and he kissed it many
+times and pressed it to his breast. May God give his soul rest in
+Paradise!"
+
+When Rymenhild heard those terrible tidings she sighed deeply and
+said: "O heart, burst now, for thou shalt never more have Horn, for
+love of whom thou hast been tormented so sorely!" Then she fell upon
+her bed, and grasped the dagger which she had concealed there; for if
+Horn did not come in time she had planned to slay both her hateful
+lord and herself that very night. Now, in her misery, she set the
+dagger to her heart, and would have slain herself at once, had not the
+palmer interrupted her. Rushing forward, he exclaimed: "Dear Queen and
+lady, I am Horn, thine own true love. Dost thou not recognise me? I am
+Childe Horn of Westernesse. Take me in thy arms, dear love, and kiss
+me welcome home." As Rymenhild stared incredulously at him, letting
+the dagger fall from her trembling hand, he hurriedly cast away his
+disguise, brushed off the disfiguring stain he had put on his cheeks,
+and stood up straight and strong, her own noble knight and lover. What
+joy they had together! How they told each other of all their
+adventures and troubles, and how they embraced and kissed each other!
+
+
+Horn Slays King Modi
+
+When their joy had become calmer, Horn said to his lady: "Dear
+Rymenhild, I must leave thee now, and return to my knights, who are
+encamped in the forest. Within an hour I will return to the feast and
+give the king and his guests a stern lesson." Then he flung away the
+palmer's cloak, and went forth in knightly array; while the princess
+went up to the watch-tower, where Athulf still scanned the sea for
+some sign of Horn's coming. Rymenhild said: "Sir Athulf, true friend,
+go quickly to Horn, for he has arrived, and with him he brings a great
+army." The knight gladly hastened to the courtyard, mounted his steed,
+and soon overtook Horn. They were greatly rejoiced to meet again, and
+had much to tell each other and to plan for that day's work.
+
+In the evening Horn and his army reached the castle, where they found
+the gates undone for them by their friends within, and in a short but
+desperate conflict King Modi and all the guests at the banquet were
+slain, except Rymenhild, her father, and Horn's twelve comrades. Then
+a new wedding was celebrated, for King Ailmar durst not refuse his
+daughter to the victor, and the bridal was now one of real rejoicing,
+though the king was somewhat bitter of mood.
+
+
+Horn's Departure
+
+When the hours wore on to midnight, Horn, sitting beside his bride,
+called for silence in the hall, and addressed the king thus: "Sir
+King, I pray thee listen to my tale, for I have much to say and much
+to explain. My name is in sooth Horn, and I am the son of King Murry
+of Suddene, who was slain by the Saracens. Thou didst cherish me and
+give me knighthood, and I proved myself a true knight on the very day
+when I was dubbed. Thou didst love me then, but evil men accused me to
+thee and I was banished. For seven years I have lived in a strange
+land; but now that I have returned, I have won thy fair daughter as
+my bride. But I cannot dwell here in idleness while the heathen hold
+my father's land. I vow by the Holy Rood that I will not rest, and
+will not claim my wife, until I have purified Suddene from the infidel
+invaders, and can lay its crown at Rymenhild's feet. Do thou, O King,
+guard well my wife till my return."
+
+The king consented to this proposal, and, in spite of Rymenhild's
+grief, Horn immediately bade her farewell, and with his whole army
+embarked for Suddene, this time accompanied by Athulf, but leaving the
+rest of his comrades for the protection of his wife.
+
+
+The Apostate Knight
+
+The wind blew fair for Suddene, and the fleet reached the port. The
+warriors disembarked, and marched inland, to encamp for the night in a
+wood, where they could be hidden. Horn and Athulf set out at midnight
+to endeavour to obtain news of the foe, and soon found a solitary
+knight sleeping. They awoke him roughly, saying, "Knight, awake! Why
+sleepest thou here? What dost thou guard?" The knight sprang lightly
+from the ground, saw their faces and the shining crosses on their
+shields, and cast down his eyes in shame, saying, "Alas! I have served
+these pagans against my will. In time gone by I was a Christian, but
+now I am a coward renegade, who forsook his God for fear of death at
+the hands of the Saracens! I hate my infidel masters, but I fear them
+too, and they have forced me to guard this district and keep watch
+against Horn's return. If he should come to his own again how glad I
+should be! These infidels slew his father, and drove him into exile,
+with his twelve comrades, among whom was my own son, Athulf, who loved
+the prince as his own life. If the prince is yet alive, and my son
+also, God grant that I may see them both again! Then would I joyfully
+die."
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Horn answered quickly: "Sir Knight, be glad and rejoice, for here are
+we, Horn and Athulf, come to avenge my father and retake my realm from
+the heathen." Athulf's father was overcome with joy and shame; he
+hardly dared to embrace his son, yet the bliss of meeting was so great
+that he clasped Athulf in his arms and prayed his forgiveness for the
+disgrace he had brought upon him. The two young knights said nothing
+of his past weakness, but told him all their own adventures, and at
+last he said: "What is your true errand hither? Can you two alone slay
+the heathen? Dear Childe Horn, what joy this will be to thy mother
+Godhild, who still lives in a solitary retreat, praying for thee and
+for the land!" Horn broke in on his speech with "Blessed be the hour
+when I returned! Thank God that my mother yet lives! We are not alone,
+but I have an army of valiant Irish warriors, who will help me to
+regain my realm."
+
+
+The Reconquest of Suddene
+
+Now the king blew his horn, and his host marched out from the wood and
+prepared to attack the Saracens. The news soon spread that Childe Horn
+had returned, and many men who had accepted the faith of Mahomet for
+fear of death now threw off the hated religion, joined the true king's
+army, and were rebaptized. The war was not long, for the Saracens had
+made themselves universally hated, and the inhabitants rose against
+them; so that in a short time the country was purged of the infidels,
+who were slain or fled to other lands. Then Horn brought his mother
+from her retreat, and together they purified the churches which had
+been desecrated, and restored the true faith. When the land of Suddene
+was again a Christian realm King Horn was crowned with solemn rites,
+and a great coronation feast was held, which lasted too long for
+Horn's true happiness.
+
+
+Fikenhild Imprisons Rymenhild
+
+During Horn's absence from Westernesse, his comrades watched carefully
+over Rymenhild; but her father, who was growing old, had fallen much
+under the influence of the plausible Fikenhild. From the day when
+Fikenhild had falsely accused Horn to the king, Ailmar had held him in
+honour as a loyal servant, and now he had such power over the old
+ruler that when he demanded Rymenhild's hand in marriage, saying that
+Horn was dead in Suddene, the king dared not refuse, and the princess
+was bidden to make ready for a new bridal. For this day Fikenhild had
+long been prepared; he had built a massive fortress on a promontory,
+which at high tide was surrounded by the sea, but was easy of access
+at the ebb; thither he now led the weeping princess, and began a
+wedding feast which was to last all day, and to end only with the
+marriage ceremony at night.
+
+
+Horn's Dream
+
+That same night, before the feast, King Horn had a terrible dream. He
+thought he saw his wife taken on board ship; soon the ship began to
+sink, and Rymenhild held out her hands for rescue, but Fikenhild,
+standing in safety on shore, beat her back into the waves with his
+sword. With the agony of the sight Horn awoke, and, calling his
+comrade Athulf, said: "Friend, we must depart to-day. My wife is in
+danger from false Fikenhild, whom I have trusted too much. Let us
+delay no longer, but go at once. If God will, I hope to release her,
+and to punish Fikenhild. God grant we come in time!" With some few
+chosen knights, King Horn and Athulf set out, and the ship drove
+darkling through the sea, they knew not whither. All the night they
+drifted on, and in the morning found themselves beneath a newly built
+castle, which none of them had seen before.
+
+
+Horn's Disguise
+
+While they were seeking to moor their boat to the shore, one of the
+castle windows looking out to sea opened, and they saw a knight
+standing and gazing seaward, whom they speedily recognised; it was
+Athulf's cousin, Sir Arnoldin, one of the twelve comrades, who had
+accompanied the princess thither in the hope that he might yet save
+her from Fikenhild; he was now looking, as a forlorn hope, over the
+sea, though he believed Horn was dead. His joy was great when he saw
+the knights, and he came out to them and speedily told them of
+Rymenhild's distress and the position of affairs in the castle. King
+Horn was not at a loss for an expedient even in this distress. He
+quickly disguised himself and a few of his comrades as minstrels,
+harpers, fiddlers, and jugglers. Then, rowing to the mainland, he
+waited till low tide, and made his way over the beach to the castle,
+accompanied by his disguised comrades. Outside the castle walls they
+began to play and sing, and Rymenhild heard them, and, asking what the
+sounds were, gave orders that the minstrels should be admitted. They
+sat on benches low down the hall, tuning their harps and fiddles and
+watching the bride, who seemed unhappy and pale. When Horn sang a lay
+of true love and happiness, Rymenhild swooned for grief, and the
+king was touched to the heart with bitter remorse that he had tried
+her constancy so long, and had allowed her to endure such hardships
+and misery for his sake.
+
+[Illustration: Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels]
+
+
+Death of Fikenhild
+
+King Horn now glanced down and saw the ring of betrothal on his
+finger, where he had worn it ever, except that fateful day when he had
+given it as a token of recognition to Rymenhild. He thought of his
+wife's sufferings, and his mind was made up. Springing from the
+minstrels' bench, he strode boldly up the hall, throwing off his
+disguise, and, shouting, "I am King Horn! False Fikenhild, thou shalt
+die!" he slew the villain in the midst of his men. Horn's comrades
+likewise flung off their disguise, and soon overpowered the few of the
+household who cared to fight in their dead master's cause. The castle
+was taken for King Ailmar, who was persuaded to nominate Sir Arnoldin
+his heir, and the baronage of Westernesse did homage to him as the
+next king. Horn and his fair wife begged the good old steward Sir
+Athelbrus to go with them to Suddene, and on the way they touched at
+Ireland, where Reynild, the king's fair daughter, was induced to look
+favourably on Sir Athulf and accept him for her husband. The land of
+King Modi, which had now no ruler, was committed to the care of Sir
+Athelbrus, and Horn and Rymenhild at last reached Suddene, where the
+people received their fair queen with great joy, and where they dwelt
+in happiness till their lives' end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV: ROBIN HOOD
+
+
+Introduction
+
+England during the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries was
+slowly taught the value of firm administrative government. In Saxon
+England, the keeping of the peace and the maintenance of justice had
+been left largely to private and family enterprise and to local and
+trading communities. In Norman England, the royal authority was
+asserted throughout the kingdom, though as yet the king had to depend
+in large measure upon the co-operation of his barons and the help of
+the burghers to supply the lack of a standing army and an adequate
+police. Under the Plantagenets, the older chivalry was slowly breaking
+up, and a new, wealthy burgher and trading community was rapidly
+gaining influence in the land; whilst the clergy, corrupted by excess
+of wealth and power, had strained, almost to breaking, the controlling
+force of religion. It was therefore natural that in these latter days
+a class of men should arise to avail themselves of the unique
+opportunities of the time--men who, loving liberty and hating
+oppression, took the law into their own hands and executed a rough and
+ready justice between the rich and the poor which embodied the best
+traditions of knight-errantry, whilst they themselves lived a free and
+merry life on the tolls they exacted from their wealthy victims. Such
+a man may well have been the original Robin Hood, a man who, when once
+he had captured the popular imagination, soon acquired heroic
+reputation and was credited with every daring deed and every
+magnanimous action in two centuries of 'freebooting.'
+
+
+Robin Hood Seeks a Guest
+
+At one time Robin Hood lived in the noble forest of Barnesdale, in
+Yorkshire. He had but few of his merry men with him, for his
+headquarters were in the glorious forest of Sherwood. Just now,
+however, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire was less active in his
+endeavours to put down the band of outlaws, and the leader had
+wandered farther north than usual. Robin's companions were his three
+dearest comrades and most loyal followers, Little John (so called
+because of his great stature), Will Scarlet, Robin's cousin, and Much,
+the miller's son. These three were all devoted to their leader, and
+never left his side, except at such times as he sent them away on his
+business.
+
+On this day Robin was leaning against a tree, lost in thought, and his
+three followers grew impatient; they knew that before dinner could be
+served there were the three customary Masses to hear, and their leader
+gave no sign of being ready for Mass. Robin always heard three Masses
+before his dinner, one of the Father, one of the Holy Spirit, and the
+last of Our Lady, who was his patron saint and protector. As the three
+yeomen were growing hungry, Little John ventured to address him.
+"Master, it would do you good if you would dine early to-day, for you
+have fasted long." Robin aroused himself and smiled. "Ah, Little John,
+methinks care for thine own appetite hath a share in that speech, as
+well as care for me. But in sooth I care not to dine alone. I would
+have a stranger guest, some abbot or bishop or baron, who would pay us
+for our hospitality. I will not dine till a guest be found, and I
+leave it to you three to find him." Robin turned away, laughing at the
+crestfallen faces of his followers, who had not counted on such a
+vague commission; but Little John, quickly recovering himself, called
+to him: "Master, tell us, before we leave you, where we shall meet,
+and what sort of people we are to capture and bring to you in the
+greenwood."
+
+
+The Outlaws' Rules
+
+"You know that already," said their master. "You are to do no harm to
+women, nor to any company in which a woman is travelling; this is in
+honour of our dear Lady. You are to be kind and gentle to husbandmen
+and toilers of all degrees, to worthy knights and yeomen, to gallant
+squires, and to all children and helpless people; but sheriffs
+(especially him of Nottingham), bishops, and prelates of all kinds,
+and usurers in Church and State, you may regard as your enemies, and
+may rob, beat, and despoil in any way. Meet me with your guest at our
+great trysting oak in the forest, and be speedy, for dinner must wait
+until the visitor has arrived." "Now may God send us a suitable
+traveller soon," said Little John, "for I am hungry for dinner now."
+"So am I," said each of the others, and Robin laughed again. "Go ye
+all three, with bows and arrows in hand, and I will stay alone at the
+trysting tree and await your coming. As no man passes this way, you
+can walk up to the willow plantation and take your stand on Watling
+Street; there you will soon meet with likely travellers, and I will
+accept the first who appears. I will find means to have dinner ready
+against your return, and we will hope that our visitor's generosity
+will compensate us for the trouble of cooking his dinner."
+
+
+Robin Hood's Guest
+
+The three yeomen, taking their longbows in hand and arrows in their
+belts, walked up through the willow plantation to a place on Watling
+Street where another road crossed it; but there was no one in sight.
+As they stood with bows in hand, looking towards the forest of
+Barnesdale, they saw in the distance a knight riding in their
+direction. As he drew nearer they were struck by his appearance, for
+he rode as a man who had lost all interest in life; his clothes were
+disordered, he looked neither to right nor left, but drooped his head
+sadly, while one foot hung in the stirrup and the other dangled
+slackly in the air. The yeomen had never seen so doleful a rider; but,
+sad as he was, this was a visitor and must be taken to Robin;
+accordingly Little John stepped forward and caught the horse by the
+bridle.
+
+[Illustration: "Little John caught the horse by the bridle"]
+
+
+Little John Escorts the Knight
+
+The knight raised his head and looked blankly at the outlaw, who at
+once doffed his cap, saying, "Welcome, Sir Knight! I give you, on my
+master's behalf, a hearty welcome to the greenwood. Gentle knight,
+come now to my master, who hath waited three hours, fasting, for your
+approach before he would dine. Dinner is prepared, and only tarries
+your courteous appearance." The stranger knight seemed to consider
+this address carefully, for he sighed deeply, and then said: "I cry
+thee mercy, good fellow, for the delay, though I wot not how I am the
+cause thereof. But who is thy master?" Little John replied: "My
+master's name is Robin Hood, and I am sent to guide you to him." The
+knight said: "So Robin Hood is thy leader? I have heard of him, and
+know him to be a good yeoman; therefore I am ready to accompany thee,
+though, in good sooth, I had intended to eat my midday meal at Blythe
+or Doncaster to-day. But it matters little where a broken man dines!"
+
+
+Robin Hood's Feast
+
+The three yeomen conducted the knight along the forest ways to the
+trysting oak where Robin awaited them. As they went they observed
+that the knight was weeping silently for some great distress, but
+their courtesy forbade them to make any show of noticing his grief.
+When the appointed spot was reached, Robin stepped forward and
+courteously greeted his guest, with head uncovered and bended knee,
+and welcomed him gladly to the wild greenwood. "Welcome, Sir Knight,
+to our greenwood feast! I have waited three hours for a guest, and now
+Our Lady has sent you to me we can dine, after we have heard Mass."
+The knight said nothing but, "God save you, good Robin, and all your
+merry men"; and then very devoutly they heard the three Masses, sung
+by Friar Tuck. By this time others of the outlaw band had appeared,
+having returned from various errands, and a gay company sat down to a
+banquet as good as any the knight had ever eaten.
+
+
+Robin Converses with the Knight
+
+There was abundance of good things--venison and game of all kinds,
+swans and river-fowl and fish, with bread and good wine. Every one
+seemed joyous, and merry jests went round that jovial company, till
+even the careworn guest began to smile, and then to laugh outright. At
+this Robin was well pleased, for he saw that his visitor was a good
+man, and was glad to have lifted the burden of his care, even if only
+for a few minutes; so he smiled cheerfully at the knight and said: "Be
+merry, Sir Knight, I pray, and eat heartily of our food, for it is
+with great goodwill that we offer it to you." "Thanks, good Robin,"
+replied the knight. "I have enjoyed my dinner to-day greatly; for
+three weeks I have not had so good a meal. If I ever pass by this way
+again I will do my best to repay you in kind; as good a dinner will I
+try to provide as you have given me."
+
+
+Robin Demands Payment
+
+The outlaw chief seemed to be affronted by this suggestion, and
+replied, with a touch of pride in his manner: "Thanks for your
+proffer, Sir Knight, but, by Heaven! no man has ever yet deemed me a
+glutton. While I eat one dinner I am not accustomed to look eagerly
+for another--one is enough for me. But as for you, my guest, I think
+it only fitting that you should pay before you go; a yeoman was never
+meant to pay for a knight's banquet." The knight blushed, and looked
+confused for a moment, and then said: "True, Robin, and gladly would I
+reward you for my entertainment, but I have no money worth offering;
+even all I have would not be worthy of your acceptance, and I should
+be shamed in your eyes, and those of your men."
+
+[Illustration: "I have no money worth offering"]
+
+
+The Knight's Poverty
+
+"Is that the truth?" asked Robin, making a sign to Little John, who
+arose, and, going to the knight's steed, unstrapped a small coffer,
+which he brought back and placed before his master. "Search it, Little
+John," said he, and "You, sir, tell me the very truth, by your honour
+as a belted knight." "It is truth, on my honour, that I have but ten
+shillings," replied the knight, "and if Little John searches he will
+find no more." "Open the coffer," said Robin, and Little John took it
+away to the other side of the trysting oak, where he emptied its
+contents on his outspread cloak, and found exactly ten shillings.
+Returning to his master, who sat at his ease, drinking and gaily
+conversing with his anxious guest, Little John whispered: "The knight
+has told the truth," and thereupon Robin exclaimed aloud: "Sir Knight,
+I will not take one penny from you; you may rather borrow of me if
+you have need of more money, for ten shillings is but a miserable sum
+for a knight. But tell me now, if it be your pleasure, how you come to
+be in such distress." As he looked inquiringly at the stranger, whose
+blush had faded once, only to be renewed as he found his word of
+honour doubted, he noticed how thin and threadbare were his clothes
+and how worn his russet leather shoes; and he was grieved to see so
+noble-seeming a man in such a plight.
+
+
+The Knight's Story
+
+Yet Robin meant to fathom the cause of the knight's trouble, for then,
+perhaps, he would be able to help him, so he continued pitilessly:
+"Tell me just one word, which I will keep secret from all other men:
+were you driven by compulsion to take up knighthood, or urged to beg
+it by reason of the ownership of some small estate; or have you wasted
+your old inheritance with fines for brawling and strife, or in
+gambling and riotousness, or in borrowing at usury? All of these are
+fatal to a good estate."
+
+The knight replied: "Alas! good Robin, none of these hath been my
+undoing. My ancestors have all been knights for over a hundred years,
+and I have not lived wastefully, but soberly and sparely. As short a
+time ago as last year I had over four hundred pounds saved, which I
+could spend freely among my neighbours, and my income was four hundred
+pounds a year, from my land; but now my only possessions are my wife
+and children. This is the work of God's hand, and to Him I commit me
+to amend my estate in His own good time."
+
+
+How the Money was Lost
+
+"But how have you so soon lost this great wealth?" asked Robin
+incredulously; and the knight replied sadly: "Ah, Robin, you have no
+son, or you would know that a father will give up all to save his
+first-born. I have one gallant son, and when I went on the Crusade
+with our noble Prince Edward I left him at home to guard my lands, for
+he was twenty years old, and was a brave and comely youth. When I
+returned, after two years' absence, it was to find him in great
+danger, for in a public tournament he had slain in open fight a knight
+of Lancashire and a bold young squire. He would have died a shameful
+death had I not spent all my ready money and other property to save
+him from prison, for his enemies were mighty and unjust; and even that
+was not enough, for I was forced to mortgage my estates for more
+money. All my land lies in pledge to the abbot of St. Mary's Abbey, in
+York, and I have no hope to redeem it. I was riding to York when your
+men found me."
+
+
+The Sum Required
+
+"For what sum is your land pledged?" asked the master-outlaw; and the
+knight replied: "The Abbot lent me four hundred pounds, though the
+value of the land is far beyond that." "What will you do if you fail
+to redeem your land?" asked Robin. "I shall leave England at once, and
+journey once more to Jerusalem, and tread again the sacred Hill of
+Calvary, and never more return to my native land. That will be my
+fate, for I see no likelihood of repaying the loan, and I will not
+stay to see strangers holding my father's land. Farewell, my friend
+Robin, farewell to you all! Keep the ten shillings; I would have paid
+more if I could, but that is the best I can give you." "Have you no
+friends at home?" asked Robin; and the knight said: "Many friends I
+thought I had, sir. They were very kind and helpful in my days of
+prosperity, when I did not need them; now they will not know me, so
+much has my poverty seemed to alter my face and appearance."
+
+
+Robin Offers a Loan
+
+This pitiful story touched the hearts of the simple and kindly
+outlaws; they wept for pity, and cared not to hide their tears from
+each other, until Robin made them all pledge their guest in bumpers of
+good red wine. Then their chief asked, as if continuing his own train
+of thought: "Have you any friends who will act as sureties for the
+repayment of the loan?" "None at all," replied the knight hopelessly,
+"but God Himself, who suffered on the Tree for us." This last reply
+angered Robin, who thought it savoured too much of companionship with
+the fat and hypocritical monks whom he hated, and he retorted sharply:
+"No such tricks for me! Do you think I will take such a surety, or
+even one of the saints, in return for good solid gold? Get some more
+substantial surety, or no gold shall you have from me. I cannot afford
+to waste my money."
+
+
+The Knight Offers Surety
+
+The knight replied, sighing heavily: "If you will not take these I
+have no earthly surety to offer; and in Heaven there is only our dear
+Lady. I have served her truly, and she has never failed me till now,
+when her servant, the abbot, is playing me so cruel a trick." "Do you
+give Our Lady as your surety?" said Robin Hood. "I would take her bond
+for any sum, for throughout all England you could find no better
+surety than our dear Lady, who has always been gracious to me. She is
+enough security. Go, Little John, to my treasury and bring me four
+hundred pounds, well counted, with no false or clipped coin therein."
+
+
+Robin Hood's Gifts
+
+Little John, accompanied by Much, the careful treasurer of the band,
+went quickly to the secret place where the master-outlaw kept his
+gold. Very carefully they counted out the coins, testing each, to see
+that it was of full weight and value. Then, on the suggestion of
+Little John, they provided the knight with new clothing, even to boots
+and spurs, and finally supplied him with two splendid horses, one for
+riding and one to carry his baggage and the coffer of gold.
+
+The guest watched all these preparations with bewildered eyes, and
+turned to Robin, crying, "Why have you done all this for me, a perfect
+stranger?" "You are no stranger, but Our Lady's messenger. She sent
+you to me, and Heaven grant you may prove true."
+
+
+The Bond of Repayment
+
+"God grant it," echoed the knight. "But, Robin, when shall I repay
+this loan, and where? Set me a day, and I will keep it." "Here,"
+replied the outlaw, "under this greenwood tree, and in a twelvemonth's
+time; so will you have time to regain your friends and gather your
+rents from your redeemed lands. Now farewell, Sir Knight; and since it
+is not meet for a worthy knight to journey unattended, I will lend you
+also my comrade, Little John, to be your squire, and to do you yeoman
+service, if need be." The knight bade farewell to Robin and his
+generous followers, and was turning to ride away, when he suddenly
+stopped and addressed the master-outlaw: "In faith, good Robin, I had
+forgotten one thing. You know not my name. I am Sir Richard of the
+Lea, and my land lies in Uterysdale." "As for that," said Robin Hood,
+"I trouble not myself. You are Our Lady's messenger; that is enough
+for me." So Sir Richard rode gladly away, blessing the generous outlaw
+who lent him money to redeem his land, and a stout yeoman to defend
+the loan.
+
+
+Sir Richard's Journey
+
+As the knight and his new servant rode on, Sir Richard called to his
+man, saying, "I must by all means be in York to-morrow, to pay the
+abbot of St. Mary's four hundred pounds; if I fail of my day I shall
+lose my land and lordship for ever"; and Little John answered: "Fear
+not, master; we will surely be there in time enough." Then they rode
+on, and reached York early on the last day of the appointed time.
+
+
+The Abbot and Prior of St. Mary's
+
+In the meantime the abbot of St. Mary's was counting that Sir
+Richard's lands were safely his; he had no pity for the poor unlucky
+knight, but rather exulted in the legal cruelty which he could
+inflict. Very joyfully he called aloud, early that morn: "A
+twelvemonth ago to-day we lent four hundred pounds to a needy knight,
+Sir Richard of the Lea, and unless he comes by noon to-day to repay
+the money he will lose all his land and be disinherited, and our abbey
+will be the richer by a fat estate, worth four hundred pounds a year.
+Our Lady grant that he keep not his day." "Shame on you!" cried the
+prior. "This poor knight may be ill, or beyond the sea; he may be in
+hunger and cold as well as poverty, and it will be a foul wrong if you
+declare his land forfeit."
+
+"This is the set day," replied the abbot, "and he is not here." "You
+dare not escheat his estates yet," replied the prior stubbornly. "It
+is too early in the day; until noon the lands are still Sir Richard's,
+and no man shall take them ere the clock strikes. Shame on your
+conscience and your greed, to do a good knight such foul wrong! I
+would willingly pay a hundred pounds myself to prevent it."
+
+"Beshrew your meddlesome temper!" cried the abbot. "You are always
+crossing me! But I have with me the Lord Chief Justice, and he will
+declare my legal right." Just at that moment the high cellarer of the
+abbey entered to congratulate the abbot on Sir Richard's absence. "He
+is dead or ill, and we shall have the spending of four hundred pounds
+a year," quoth he.
+
+
+Sir Richard Returns
+
+On his arrival Sir Richard had quietly gone round to his old tenants
+in York, and had a goodly company of them ready to ride with him, but
+he was minded to test the charity and true religion of the abbot, and
+bade his followers assume pilgrims' robes. Thus attired, the company
+rode to the abbey gate, where the porter recognised Sir Richard, and
+the news of his coming, carried to the abbot and justice, caused them
+great grief; but the prior rejoiced, hoping that a cruel injustice
+would be prevented. As they dismounted the porter loudly called grooms
+to lead the horses into the stable and have them relieved of their
+burdens, but Sir Richard would not allow it, and left Little John to
+watch over them at the abbey portal.
+
+
+The Abbot and Sir Richard
+
+Then Sir Richard came humbly into the hall, where a great banquet was
+in progress, and knelt down in courteous salutation to the abbot and
+his guests; but the prelate, who had made up his mind what conduct to
+adopt, greeted him coldly, and many men did not return his salutation
+at all. Sir Richard spoke aloud: "Rejoice, Sir Abbot, for I am come to
+keep my day." "That is well," replied the monk, "but hast thou brought
+the money?" "No money have I, not one penny," continued Sir Richard
+sadly. "Pledge me in good red wine, Sir Justice," cried the abbot
+callously; "the land is mine. And what dost thou here, Sir Richard, a
+broken man, with no money to pay thy debt?" "I am come to beg you to
+grant me a longer time for repayment." "Not one minute past the
+appointed hour," said the exultant prelate. "Thou hast broken pledge,
+and thy land is forfeit."
+
+[Illustration: "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation"]
+
+
+Sir Richard Implores the Justice
+
+Still kneeling, Sir Richard turned to the justice and said: "Good Sir
+Justice, be my friend and plead for me." "No," he replied, "I hold to
+the law, and can give thee no help." "Gentle abbot, have pity on me,
+and let me have my land again, and I will be the humble servant of
+your monastery till I have repaid in full your four hundred pounds."
+Then the cruel prelate swore a terrible oath that never should the
+knight have his land again, and no one in the hall would speak for
+him, kneeling there poor, friendless, and alone; so at last he began
+to threaten violence. "Unless I have my land again," quoth he, "some
+of you here shall dearly abide it. Now may I see the poor man has no
+friends, for none will stand by me in my need."
+
+
+The Justice Suggests a Compromise
+
+The hint of violence made the abbot furiously angry, and, secure in
+his position and the support of the justice, he shouted loudly: "Out,
+thou false knight! Out of my hall!" Then at last Sir Richard rose to
+his feet in just wrath. "Thou liest, Sir Abbot; foully thou liest! I
+was never a false knight. In joust and tourney I have adventured as
+far and as boldly as any man alive. There is no true courtesy in thee,
+abbot, to suffer a knight to kneel so long." The quarrel now seemed so
+serious that the justice intervened, saying to the angry prelate,
+"What will you give me if I persuade him to sign a legal deed of
+release? Without it you will never hold this land in peace." "You
+shall have a hundred pounds for yourself," said the abbot, and the
+justice nodded in token of assent.
+
+
+Sir Richard Pays the Money
+
+Now Sir Richard thought it was time to drop the mask, for noon was
+nigh, and he would not risk his land again. Accordingly he cried:
+"Nay, but not so easily shall ye have my lands. Even if you were to
+pay a thousand pounds more you should not hold my father's estate.
+Have here your money back again"; and, calling for Little John, he
+bade him bring into the hall his coffer with the bags inside. Then he
+counted out on the table four hundred good golden pounds, and said
+sternly: "Abbot, here is your money again. Had you but been courteous
+to me I would have rewarded you well; now take your money, give me a
+quittance, and I will take my lands once more. Ye are all witnesses
+that I have kept my day and have paid in full." Thereupon Sir Richard
+strode haughtily out of the hall, and rode home gladly to his
+recovered lands in Uterysdale, where he and his family ever prayed for
+Robin Hood. The abbot of St. Mary's was bitterly enraged, for he had
+lost the fair lands of Sir Richard of the Lea and had received a bare
+four hundred pounds again. As for Little John, he went back to the
+forest and told his master the whole story, to Robin Hood's great
+satisfaction, for he enjoyed the chance of thwarting the schemes of a
+wealthy and usurious prelate.
+
+
+Sir Richard Sets Out to Repay the Loan
+
+When a year had passed all but a few days, Sir Richard of the Lea said
+to his wife: "Lady, I must shortly go to Barnesdale to repay Robin
+Hood the loan which saved my lands, and would fain take him some small
+gift in addition; what do you advise?" "Sir Richard, I would take a
+hundred bows of Spanish yew and a hundred sheaves of arrows,
+peacock-feathered, or grey-goose-feathered; methinks that will be to
+Robin a most acceptable gift."
+
+Sir Richard followed his wife's advice, and on the morning of the
+appointed day set out to keep his tryst at the outlaws' oak in
+Barnesdale, with the money duly counted, and the bows and arrows for
+his present to the outlaw chief.
+
+
+The Wrestling
+
+As he rode, however, at the head of his troop he passed through a
+village where there was a wrestling contest, which he stayed to watch.
+He soon saw that the victorious wrestler, who was a stranger to the
+village, would be defrauded of his well-earned prize, which consisted
+of a white bull, a noble charger gaily caparisoned, a gold ring, a
+pipe of wine, and a pair of embroidered gloves. This seemed so wrong
+to Sir Richard that he stayed to defend the right, for love of Robin
+Hood and of justice, and kept the wrestling ring in awe with his
+well-appointed troop of men, so that the stranger was allowed to claim
+his prize and carry it off. Sir Richard, anxious not to arouse the
+hostility of the villagers, bought the pipe of wine from the winner,
+and, setting it abroach, allowed all who would to drink; and so, in a
+tumult of cheers and blessings, he rode away to keep his tryst. By
+this time, however, it was nearly three in the afternoon, and he
+should have been there at twelve. He comforted himself with the
+thought that Robin would forgive the delay, for the sake of its cause,
+and so rode on comfortably enough at the head of his gallant company.
+
+
+Robin's Impatience
+
+In the meantime Robin had waited patiently at the trysting tree till
+noon, but when the hour passed and Sir Richard had not appeared he
+began to grow impatient. "Master, let us dine," said Little John. "I
+cannot; I fear Our Lady is angered with me, for she has not sent me my
+money," returned the leader; but his follower replied: "The money is
+not due till sunset, master, and Our Lady is true, and so is Sir
+Richard; have no fear." "Do you three walk up through the willow
+plantation to Watling Street, as you did last year, and bring me a
+guest," said Robin Hood. "He may be a messenger, a minstrel, a poor
+man, but he will come in God's name."
+
+
+The Monks Approach
+
+Again the three yeomen, Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much the
+miller's son, took bow in hand and set out for Watling Street; but
+this time they had not long to wait, for they at once saw a little
+procession approaching. Two black monks rode at the head; then
+followed seven sumpter-mules and a train of fifty-two men, so that the
+clerics rode in almost royal state. "Seest thou yon monks?" said
+Little John. "I will pledge my soul that they have brought our pay."
+"But they are fifty-four, and we are but three," said Scarlet. "Unless
+we bring them to dinner we dare not face our master," cried Little
+John. "Look well to your bows, your strings and arrows, and have stout
+hearts and steady hands. I will take the foremost monk, for life or
+death."
+
+
+The Capture of the Black Monk
+
+The three outlaws stepped out into the road from the shelter of the
+wood; they bent their bows and held their arrows on the string, and
+Little John cried aloud: "Stay, churlish monk, or thou goest to thy
+death, and it will be on thine own head! Evil on thee for keeping our
+master fasting so long." "Who is your master?" asked the bewildered
+monk; and Little John replied: "Robin Hood." The monk tossed his head.
+"He is a foul thief," cried he, "and will come to a bad end. I have
+heard no good of him all my days." So speaking, he tried to ride
+forward and trample down the three yeomen; but Little John cried:
+"Thou liest, churlish monk, and thou shalt rue the lie. He is a good
+yeoman of this forest, and has bidden thee to dine with him this day";
+and Much, drawing his bow, shot the monk to the heart, so that he fell
+to the ground dead. The other black monk was taken, but all his
+followers fled, except a little page, and a groom who tended the
+sumpter-mules; and thus, with Little John's help and guidance, the
+panic-stricken cleric and his train of baggage were brought to Robin
+under the trysting tree.
+
+[Illustration: "Much shot the monk to the heart"]
+
+
+The Outlaws' Feast
+
+Robin Hood doffed his cap and greeted his guest with all courtesy, but
+the monk would not reply, and Little John's account of their meeting
+made it evident that he was a churlish and unwilling guest. However,
+he was obliged to celebrate the three usual Masses, was given water
+for his ablutions before the banquet, and then when the whole
+fellowship was assembled he was set in the place of honour at the
+feast, and reverently served by Robin himself. "Be of good cheer, Sir
+Monk," said Robin. "Where is your abbey when you are at home, and who
+is your patron saint?" "I am of St. Mary's Abbey, in York, and, simple
+though I be, I am the high cellarer."
+
+
+The High Cellarer and the Suretyship
+
+"For Our Lady's sake," said Robin, "we will give this monk the best of
+cheer. Drink to me, Sir Monk; the wine is good. But I fear Our Lady is
+wroth with me, for she has not sent me my money." "Fear not, master,"
+returned Little John; "this monk is her cellarer, and no doubt she has
+made him her messenger and he carries our money with him." "That is
+likely," replied Robin. "Sir Monk, Our Lady was surety for a little
+loan between a good knight and me, and to-day the money was to be
+repaid. If you have brought it, pay it to me now, and I will thank you
+heartily." The monk was quite amazed, and cried aloud: "I have never
+heard of such a suretyship"; and as he spoke he looked so anxiously at
+his sumpter-mules that Robin guessed there was gold in their
+pack-saddles.
+
+
+The Monk is Searched
+
+Accordingly the leader feigned sudden anger. "Sir Monk, how dare you
+defame our dear Lady? She is always true and faithful, and as you say
+you are her servant, no doubt she has made you her messenger to bring
+my money. Tell me truly how much you have in your coffers, and I will
+thank you for coming so punctually." The monk replied: "Sir, I have
+only twenty marks in my bags"; to which Robin answered: "If that be
+all, and you have told the truth I will not touch one penny; rather
+will I lend you some if you need it; but if I find more, I will leave
+none, Sir Monk, for a religious man should have no silver to spend in
+luxury." Now the monk looked very greatly alarmed, but he dared make
+no protest, as Little John began to search his bags and coffers.
+
+
+Success of the Search
+
+When Little John opened the first coffer he emptied its contents, as
+before, into his cloak, and counted eight hundred pounds, with which
+he went to Robin Hood, saying, "Master, the monk has told the truth;
+here are twenty marks of his own, and eight hundred pounds which Our
+Lady has sent you in return for your loan." When Robin heard that he
+cried to the miserable monk: "Did I not say so, monk? Is not Our Lady
+the best surety a man could have? Has she not repaid me twice? Go back
+to your abbey and say that if ever St. Mary's monks need a friend they
+shall find one in Robin Hood."
+
+
+The Monk Departs
+
+"Where were you journeying?" asked the outlaw leader. "To settle
+accounts with the bailiffs of our manors," replied the cellarer; but
+he was in truth journeying to London, to obtain powers from the king
+against Sir Richard of the Lea. Robin thought for a moment, and then
+said: "Ah, then we must search your other coffer," and in spite of the
+cellarer's indignant protests he was deprived of all the money that
+second coffer contained. Then he was allowed to depart, vowing
+bitterly that a dinner in Blythe or Doncaster would have cost him much
+less dear.
+
+
+Sir Richard Arrives
+
+Late that afternoon Sir Richard of the Lea and his little company
+arrived at the trysting tree, and full courteously the knight greeted
+his deliverer and apologised for his delay. Robin asked of his
+welfare, and the knight told of his protection of the poor wrestler,
+for which Robin thanked him warmly. When he would fain have repaid the
+loan the generous outlaw refused to accept the money, though he took
+with hearty thanks the bows and arrows. In answer to the knight's
+inquiries, Robin said that he had been paid the money twice over
+before he came; and he told, to his debtor's great amusement, the
+story of the high cellarer and his eight hundred pounds, and
+concluded: "Our Lady owed me no more than four hundred pounds, and she
+now gives you, by me, the other four hundred. Take them, with her
+blessing, and if ever you need more come to Robin Hood."
+
+So Sir Richard returned to Uterysdale, and long continued to use his
+power to protect the bold outlaws, and Robin Hood dwelt securely in
+the greenwood, doing good to the poor and worthy, but acting as a
+thorn in the sides of all oppressors and tyrants.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI: HEREWARD THE WAKE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In dealing with hero-legends and myths we are sometimes confronted
+with the curious fact that a hero whose name and date can be
+ascertained with exactitude has yet in his story mythological elements
+which seem to belong to all the ages. This anomaly arises chiefly from
+the fact that the imagination of a people is a myth-making thing, and
+that the more truly popular the hero the more likely he is to become
+the centre of a whole cycle of myths, which are in different ages
+attached to the heroes of different periods. The folk-lore of
+primitive races is a great storehouse whence a people can choose tales
+and heroic deeds to glorify its own national hero, careless that the
+same tales and deeds have done duty for other peoples and other
+heroes. Hence it happens that Hereward the Saxon, a patriot hero as
+real and actual as Wellington or Nelson, whose deeds were recorded in
+prose and verse within forty years of his death, was even then
+surrounded by a cloud of romance and mystery, which hid in vagueness
+his family, his marriage, and even his death.
+
+
+The Saxon Patriot
+
+Hereward was, naturally, the darling hero of the Saxons, and for the
+patriotism of his splendid defence of Ely they forgave his final
+surrender to William the Norman; then they attributed to him all the
+virtues supposed to be inherent in the free-born, and all the glorious
+valour on which the English prided themselves; and, lastly, they
+surrounded his death with a halo of desperate fighting, and made his
+last conflict as wonderful as that of Roland at Roncesvalles. If
+Roland is the ideal of Norman feudal chivalry, Hereward is equally
+the ideal of Anglo-Saxon sturdy manliness and knighthood, and it seems
+fitting that the Saxon ideal in the individual should go down before
+the representatives, however unworthy, of a higher ideal.
+
+
+Leofric of Mercia
+
+When the weak but saintly King Edward the Confessor nominally ruled
+all England the land was divided into four great earldoms, of which
+Mercia and Kent were held by two powerful rivals. Leofric of Mercia
+and Godwin of Kent were jealous not only for themselves, but for their
+families, of each other's power and wealth, and the sons of Leofric
+and of Godwin were ever at strife, though the two earls were now old
+and prudent men, whose wars were fought with words and craft, not with
+swords. The wives of the two great earls were as different as their
+lords. The Lady Gytha, Godwin's wife, of the royal Danish race, was
+fierce and haughty, a fit helpmeet for the ambitious earl who was to
+undermine the strength of England by his efforts to win kingly power
+for his children. But the Lady Godiva, Leofric's beloved wife, was a
+gentle, pious, loving woman, who had already won an almost saintly
+reputation for sympathy and pity by her sacrifice to save her
+husband's oppressed citizens at Coventry, where her pleading won
+relief for them from the harsh earl on the pitiless condition of her
+never-forgotten ride. Happily her gentle self-suppression awoke a
+nobler spirit in her husband, and enabled him to play a worthier part
+in England's history. She was in entire sympathy with the religious
+aspirations of Edward the Confessor, and would gladly have seen one of
+her sons become a monk, perhaps to win spiritual power and a saintly
+reputation like those of the great Dunstan.
+
+[Illustration: "Her pleading won relief for them"]
+
+
+Hereward's Youth
+
+For this holy vocation she fixed on her second son, Hereward, a wild,
+wayward lad, with long golden curls, eyes of different colours, one
+grey, one blue, great breadth and strength of limb, and a wild and
+ungovernable temper which made him difficult of control. This reckless
+lad the Lady Godiva vainly tried to educate for the monkish life, but
+he utterly refused to adopt her scheme, would not master any but the
+barest rudiments of learning, and spent his time in wrestling, boxing,
+fighting and all manly exercises. Despairing of making him an
+ecclesiastic, his mother set herself to inspire him with a noble ideal
+of knighthood, but his wildness and recklessness increased with his
+years, and often his mother had to stand between the riotous lad and
+his father's deserved anger.
+
+
+His Strength and Leadership
+
+When he reached the age of sixteen or seventeen he became the terror
+of the Fen Country, for at his father's Hall of Bourne he gathered a
+band of youths as wild and reckless as himself, who accepted him for
+their leader, and obeyed him implicitly, however outrageous were his
+commands. The wise Earl Leofric, who was much at court with the
+saintly king, understood little of the nature of his second son, and
+looked upon his wild deeds as evidence of a cruel and lawless mind, a
+menace to the peace of England, while they were in reality but the
+tokens of a restless energy for which the comparatively peaceable life
+of England at that time was all too dull and tame.
+
+
+Leofric and Hereward
+
+Frequent were the disputes between father and son, and sadly did Lady
+Godiva forebode an evil ending to the clash of warring natures
+whenever Hereward and his father met; yet she could do nothing to
+avert disaster, for though her entreaties would soften the lad into
+penitence for some mad prank or reckless outrage, one hint of cold
+blame from his father would suffice to make him hardened and
+impenitent; and so things drifted from bad to worse. In all Hereward's
+lawless deeds, however, there was no meanness or crafty malice. He
+hated monks and played many a rough trick upon them, but took his
+punishment, when it came, with equable cheerfulness; he robbed
+merchants with a high hand, but made reparation liberally, counting
+himself well satisfied with the fun of a fight or the skill of a
+clever trick; his band of youths met and fought other bands, but they
+bore no malice when the strife was over. In one point only was
+Hereward less than true to his own nobility of character--he was
+jealous of admitting that any man was his superior in strength or
+comeliness, and his vanity was well supported by his extraordinary
+might and beauty.
+
+
+Hereward at Court
+
+The deeds which brought Earl Leofric's wrath upon his son in a
+terrible fashion were not matters of wanton wickedness, but of lawless
+personal violence. Called to attend his father to the Confessor's
+court, the youth, who had little respect for one so unwarlike as "the
+miracle-monger," uttered his contempt for saintly king, Norman
+prelate, and studious monks too loudly, and thereby shocked the weakly
+devout Edward, who thought piety the whole duty of man. But his
+wildness touched the king more nearly still; for in his sturdy
+patriotism he hated the Norman favourites and courtiers who surrounded
+the Confessor, and again and again his marvellous strength was shown
+in the personal injuries he inflicted on the Normans in mere boyish
+brawls, until at last his father could endure the disgrace no longer.
+
+
+Hereward's Exile
+
+Begging an audience of the king, Leofric formally asked for a writ of
+outlawry against his own son. The Confessor, surprised, but not
+displeased, felt some compunction as he saw the father's affection
+overborne by the judge's severity. Earl Godwin, Leofric's greatest
+rival, was present in the council, and his pleading for the noble lad,
+whose faults were only those of youth, was sufficient to make Leofric
+more urgent in his petition. The curse of family feud, which
+afterwards laid England prostrate at the foot of the Conqueror, was
+already felt, and felt so strongly that Hereward resented Godwin's
+intercession more than his father's sternness.
+
+
+Hereward's Farewell
+
+"What!" he cried, "shall a son of Leofric, the noblest man in England,
+accept intercession from Godwin or any of his family? No. I may be
+unworthy of my wise father and my saintly mother, but I am not yet
+sunk so low as to ask a favour from a Godwin. Father, I thank you. For
+years I have fretted against the peace of the land, and thus have
+incurred your displeasure; but in exile I may range abroad and win my
+fortune at the sword's point." "Win thy fortune, foolish boy!" said
+his father. "And whither wilt thou fare?" "Wherever fate and my
+fortune lead me," he replied recklessly. "Perhaps to join Harald
+Hardrada at Constantinople and become one of the Emperor's Varangian
+Guard; perhaps to follow old Beowa out into the West, at the end of
+some day of glorious battle; perhaps to fight giants and dragons and
+all kinds of monsters. All these things I may do, but never shall
+Mercia see me again till England calls me home. Farewell, father;
+farewell, Earl Godwin; farewell, reverend king. I go. And pray ye that
+ye may never need my arm, for it may hap that ye will call me and I
+will not come." Then Hereward rode away, followed into exile by one
+man only, Martin Lightfoot, who left the father's service for that of
+his outlawed son. It was when attending the king's court on this
+occasion that Hereward first saw and felt the charm of a lovely little
+Saxon maiden named Alftruda, a ward of the pious king.
+
+
+Hereward in Northumbria
+
+Though the king's writ of outlawry might run in Mercia, it did not
+carry more than nominal weight in Northumbria, where Earl Siward ruled
+almost as an independent lord. Thither Hereward determined to go, for
+there dwelt his own godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, and his castle was
+known as a good training school for young aspirants for knighthood.
+Sailing from Dover, Hereward landed at Whitby, and made his way to
+Gilbert's castle, where he was well received, since the cunning
+Fleming knew that an outlawry could be reversed at any time, and
+Leofric's son might yet come to rule England. Accordingly Hereward was
+enrolled in the number of young men, mainly Normans or Flemings, who
+were seeking to perfect themselves in chivalry before taking
+knighthood. He soon showed himself a brave warrior, an unequalled
+wrestler, and a wary fighter, and soon no one cared to meddle with the
+young Mercian, who outdid them all in manly sports. The envy of the
+young Normans was held in check by Gilbert, and by a wholesome dread
+of Hereward's strong arm; until, in Gilbert's absence, an incident
+occurred which placed the young exile on a pinnacle so far above them
+that only by his death could they hope to rid themselves of their
+feeling of inferiority.
+
+
+The Fairy Bear
+
+Gilbert kept in his castle court an immense white Polar bear, dreaded
+by all for its enormous strength, and called the Fairy Bear. It was
+even believed that the huge beast had some kinship to old Earl Siward,
+who bore a bear upon his crest, and was reputed to have had something
+of bear-like ferocity in his youth. This white bear was so much
+dreaded that he was kept chained up in a strong cage. One morning as
+Hereward was returning with Martin from his morning ride he heard
+shouts and shrieks from the castle yard, and, reaching the great gate,
+entered lightly and closed it behind him rapidly, for there outside
+the shattered cage, with broken chain dangling, stood the Fairy Bear,
+glaring savagely round the courtyard. But one human figure was in
+sight, that of a girl of about twelve years of age.
+
+
+Hereward Slays the Bear
+
+There were sounds of men's voices and women's shrieks from within the
+castle, but the doors were fast barred, while the maid, in her terror,
+beat on the portal with her palms, and begged them, for the love of
+God, to let her in. The cowards, refused, and in the meantime the
+great bear, irritated by the dangling chain, made a rush towards the
+child. Hereward dashed forward, shouting to distract the bear, and
+just managed to stop his charge at the girl. The savage animal turned
+on the new-comer, who needed all his agility to escape the monster's
+terrible onset. Seizing his battle-axe, the youth swung it around
+his head and split the skull of the furious beast, which fell dead. It
+was a blow so mighty that even Hereward himself was surprised at its
+deadly effect, and approached cautiously to examine his victim. In the
+meantime the little girl, who proved to be no other than the king's
+ward, Alftruda, had watched with fascinated eyes first the approach of
+the monster, and then, as she crouched in terror, its sudden
+slaughter; and now she summoned up courage to run to Hereward, who had
+always been kind to the pretty child, and to fling herself into his
+arms. "Kind Hereward," she whispered, "you have saved me and killed
+the bear. I love you for it, and I must give you a kiss, for my dame
+says so do all ladies that choose good knights to be their champions.
+Will you be mine?" As she spoke she kissed Hereward again and again.
+
+[Illustration: Alftruda]
+
+
+Hereward's Trick on the Knights
+
+"Where have they all gone, little one?" asked the young noble; and
+Alftruda replied: "We were all out here in the courtyard watching the
+young men at their exercises, when we heard a crash and a roar, and
+the cage burst open, and we saw the dreadful Fairy Bear. They all ran,
+the ladies and knights, but I was the last, and they were so
+frightened that they shut themselves in and left me outside; and when
+I beat at the door and prayed them to let me in they would not, and I
+thought the bear would eat me, till you came."
+
+"The cowards!" cried Hereward. "And they think themselves worthy of
+knighthood when they will save their own lives and leave a child in
+danger! They must be taught a lesson. Martin, come hither and aid me."
+When Martin came, the two, with infinite trouble, raised the carcase
+of the monstrous beast, and placed it just where the bower door,
+opening, would show it at once. Then Hereward bade Alftruda call to
+the knights in the bower that all was safe and they could come out,
+for the bear would not hurt them. He and Martin, listening, heard with
+great glee the bitter debate within the bower as to who should risk
+his life to open the door, the many excuses given for refusal, the
+mischievous fun in Alftruda's voice as she begged some one to open to
+her, and, best of all, the cry of horror with which the knight who had
+ventured to draw the bolt shut the door again on seeing the Fairy Bear
+waiting to enter. Hereward even carried his trick so far as to thrust
+the bear heavily against the bower door, making all the people within
+shriek and implore the protection of the saints. Finally, when he was
+tired of the jest, he convinced the valiant knights that they might
+emerge safely from their retirement, and showed how he, a stripling of
+seventeen, had slain the monster at one blow. From that time Hereward
+was the darling of the whole castle, petted, praised, beloved by all
+its inmates, except his jealous rivals.
+
+
+Hereward Leaves Northumbria
+
+The foreign knights grew so jealous of the Saxon youth, and so restive
+under his shafts of sarcastic ridicule, that they planned several
+times to kill him, and once or twice nearly succeeded. This
+insecurity, and a feeling that perhaps Earl Siward had some kinship
+with the Fairy Bear, and would wish to avenge his death, made Hereward
+decide to quit Gilbert's castle. The spirit of adventure was strong
+upon him, the sea seemed to call him; now that he had been
+acknowledged superior to the other noble youths in Gilbert's
+household, the castle no longer afforded a field for his ambition.
+Accordingly he took a sad leave of Alftruda, an affectionate one of
+Sir Gilbert, who wished to knight him for his brave deed, and a
+mocking one of his angry and unsuccessful foes.
+
+
+Hereward in Cornwall
+
+Entering into a merchant-ship, he sailed for Cornwall, and there was
+taken to the court of King Alef, a petty British chief, who, on true
+patriarchal lines, disposed of his children as he would, and had
+betrothed his fair daughter to a terrible Pictish giant, breaking off,
+in order to do it, her troth-plight with Prince Sigtryg of Waterford,
+son of a Danish king in Ireland. Hereward was ever chivalrous, and
+little Alftruda had made him feel pitiful to all maidens. Seeing
+speedily how the princess loathed her new betrothed, a hideous,
+misshapen wretch, nearly eight feet high, he determined to slay him.
+With great deliberation he picked a quarrel with the giant, and killed
+him the next day in fair fight; but King Alef was driven by the
+threats of the vengeful Pictish tribe to throw Hereward and his man
+Martin into prison, promising trial and punishment on the morrow.
+
+
+Hereward Released from Prison
+
+To the young Saxon's surprise, the released princess appeared to be as
+grieved and as revengeful as any follower of the Pictish giant, and
+she not only advocated prison and death the next day, but herself
+superintended the tying of the thongs that bound the two strangers.
+When they were left to their lonely confinement Hereward began to
+blame the princess for hypocrisy, and to protest the impossibility of
+a man's ever knowing what a woman wants. "Who would have thought," he
+cried, "that that beautiful maiden loved a giant so hideous as this
+Pict? Had I known, I would never have fought him, but her eyes said
+to me, 'Kill him,' and I have done so; this is how she rewards me!"
+"No," replied Martin, "this is how"; and he cut Hereward's bonds,
+laughing silently to himself. "Master, you were so indignant with the
+lady that you could not make allowances for her. I knew that she must
+pretend to grieve, for her father's sake, and when she came to test
+our bonds I was sure of it, for as she fingered a knot she slipped a
+knife into my hands, and bade me use it. Now we are free from our
+bonds, and must try to escape from our prison."
+
+
+The Princess Visits the Captives
+
+In vain, however, the master and man ranged round the room in which
+they were confined; it was a tiny chapel, with walls and doors of
+great thickness, and violently as Hereward exerted himself, he could
+make no impression on either walls or door, and, sitting sullenly down
+on the altar steps, he asked Martin what good was freedom from bonds
+in a secure prison. "Much, every way," replied the servant; "at least
+we die with free hands; and I, for my part, am content to trust that
+the princess has some good plan, if we will only be ready." While he
+was speaking they heard footsteps just outside the door, and the sound
+of a key being inserted into the lock. Hereward beckoned silently to
+Martin, and the two stood ready, one at each side of the door, to make
+a dash for freedom, and Martin was prepared to slay any who should
+hinder. To their great surprise, the princess entered, accompanied by
+an old priest bearing a lantern, which he set down on the altar step,
+and then the princess turned to Hereward, crying, "Pardon me, my
+deliverer!" The Saxon was still aggrieved and bewildered, and replied:
+"Do you now say 'deliverer'? This afternoon it was 'murderer,
+villain, cut-throat.' How shall I know which is your real mind?" The
+princess almost laughed as she said: "How stupid men are! What could I
+do but pretend to hate you, since otherwise the Picts would have slain
+you then and us all afterwards, but I claimed you as my victims, and
+you have been given to me. How else could I have come here to-night?
+Now tell me, if I set you free will you swear to carry a message for
+me?"
+
+[Illustration: Hereward and the Princess]
+
+
+Sigtryg Ranaldsson of Waterford
+
+"Whither shall I go, lady, and what shall I say?" asked Hereward.
+"Take this ring, my ring of betrothal, and go to Prince Sigtryg, son
+of King Ranald of Waterford. Say to him that I am beset on every side,
+and beg him to come and claim me as his bride; otherwise I fear I may
+be forced to marry some man of my father's choosing, as I was being
+driven to wed the Pictish giant. From him you have rescued me, and I
+thank you; but if my betrothed delays his coming it may be too late,
+for there are other hateful suitors who would make my father bestow my
+hand upon one of them. Beg him to come with all speed." "Lady, I will
+go now," said Hereward, "if you will set me free from this vault."
+
+
+Hereward Binds the Princess
+
+"Go quickly, and safely," said the princess; "but ere you go you have
+one duty to fulfil: you must bind me hand and foot, and fling me, with
+this old priest, on the ground." "Never," said Hereward, "will I bind
+a woman; it were foul disgrace to me for ever." But Martin only
+laughed, and the maiden said again: "How stupid men are! I must
+pretend to have been overpowered by you, or I shall be accused of
+having freed you, but I will say that I came hither to question you,
+and you and your man set on me and the priest, bound us, took the key,
+and so escaped. So shall you be free, and I shall have no blame, and
+my father no danger; and may Heaven forgive the lie."
+
+Hereward reluctantly agreed, and, with Martin's help, bound the two
+hand and foot and laid them before the altar; then, kissing the
+maiden's hand, and swearing loyalty and truth, he turned to depart.
+But the princess had one question to ask. "Who are you, noble
+stranger, so gallant and strong? I would fain know for whom to pray."
+"I am Hereward Leofricsson, and my father is the Earl of Mercia." "Are
+you that Hereward who slew the Fairy Bear? Little wonder is it that
+you have slain my monster and set me free." Then master and man left
+the chapel, after carefully turning the key in the lock. Making their
+way to the shore, they succeeded in getting a ship to carry them to
+Ireland, and in course of time reached Waterford.
+
+
+Prince Sigtryg
+
+The Danish kingdom of Waterford was ruled by King Ranald, whose only
+son, Sigtryg, was about Hereward's age, and was as noble-looking a
+youth as the Saxon hero. The king was at a feast, and Hereward,
+entering the hall with the captain of the vessel, sat down at one of
+the lower tables; but he was not one of those who can pass unnoticed.
+The prince saw him, distinguished at once his noble bearing, and asked
+him to come to the king's own table. He gladly obeyed, and as he drank
+to the prince and their goblets touched together he contrived to drop
+the ring from the Cornish princess into Sigtryg's cup. The prince saw
+and recognised it as he drained his cup, and, watching his
+opportunity, left the hall, and was soon followed by his guest.
+
+
+Hereward and Sigtryg
+
+Outside in the darkness Sigtryg turned hurriedly to Hereward, saying,
+"You bring me a message from my betrothed?" "Yes, if you are that
+Prince Sigtryg to whom the Princess of Cornwall was affianced." "Was
+affianced! What do you mean? She is still my lady and my love." "Yet
+you leave her there unaided, while her father gives her in marriage to
+a hideous giant of a Pict, breaking her betrothal, and driving the
+hapless maiden to despair. What kind of love is yours?" Hereward said
+nothing yet about his own slaying of the giant, because he wished to
+test Prince Sigtryg's sincerity, and he was satisfied, for the prince
+burst out: "Would to God that I had gone to her before! but my father
+needed my help against foreign invaders and native rebels. I will go
+immediately and save my lady or die with her!" "No need of that, for I
+killed that giant," said Hereward coolly, and Sigtryg embraced him in
+joy and they swore blood-brotherhood together. Then he asked: "What
+message do you bring me, and what means her ring?" The other replied
+by repeating the Cornish maiden's words, and urging him to start at
+once if he would save his betrothed from some other hateful marriage.
+
+
+Return to Cornwall
+
+The prince went at once to his father, told him the whole story, and
+obtained a ship and men to journey to Cornwall and rescue the
+princess; then, with Hereward by his side, he set sail, and soon
+landed in Cornwall, hoping to obtain his bride peaceably. To his grief
+he learnt that the princess had just been betrothed to a wild Cornish
+leader, Haco, and the wedding feast was to be held that very day.
+Sigtryg was greatly enraged, and sent a troop of forty Danes to King
+Alef demanding the fulfilment of the troth-plight between himself and
+his daughter, and threatening vengeance if it were broken. To this
+threat the king returned no answer, and no Dane came back to tell of
+their reception.
+
+[Illustration: Hereward and Sigtryg]
+
+
+Hereward in the Enemy's Hall
+
+Sigtryg would have waited till morning, trusting in the honour of the
+king, but Hereward disguised himself as a minstrel and obtained
+admission to the bridal feast, where he soon won applause by his
+beautiful singing. The bridegroom, Haco, in a rapture offered him any
+boon he liked to ask, but he demanded only a cup of wine from the
+hands of the bride. When she brought it to him he flung into the empty
+cup the betrothal ring, the token she had sent to Sigtryg, and said:
+"I thank thee, lady, and would reward thee for thy gentleness to a
+wandering minstrel; I give back the cup, richer than before by the
+kind thoughts of which it bears the token." The princess looked at
+him, gazed into the goblet, and saw her ring; then, looking again, she
+recognised her deliverer and knew that rescue was at hand.
+
+
+Haco's Plan
+
+While men feasted Hereward listened and talked, and found out that the
+forty Danes were prisoners, to be released on the morrow when Haco was
+sure of his bride, but released useless and miserable, since they
+would be turned adrift blinded. Haco was taking his lovely bride back
+to his own land, and Hereward saw that any rescue, to be successful,
+must be attempted on the march. Yet he knew not the way the bridal
+company would go, and he lay down to sleep in the hall, hoping that
+he might hear something more. When all men slept a dark shape came
+gliding through the hall and touched Hereward on the shoulder; he
+slept lightly, and awoke at once to recognise the old nurse of the
+princess. "Come to her now," the old woman whispered, and Hereward
+went, though he knew not that the princess was still true to her
+lover. In her bower, which she was soon to leave, Haco's sorrowful
+bride awaited the messenger.
+
+
+Rescue for Haco's Bride
+
+Sadly she smiled on the young Saxon as she said: "I knew your face
+again in spite of the disguise, but you come too late. Bear my
+farewell to Sigtryg, and say that my father's will, not mine, makes me
+false to my troth-plight." "Have you not been told, lady, that he is
+here?" asked Hereward. "Here?" the princess cried. "I have not heard.
+He loves me still and has not forsaken me?" "No, lady, he is too true
+a lover for falsehood. He sent forty Danes yesterday to demand you of
+your father and threaten his wrath if he refused." "And I knew not of
+it," said the princess softly; "yet I had heard that Haco had taken
+some prisoners, whom he means to blind." "Those are our messengers,
+and your future subjects," said Hereward. "Help me to save them and
+you. Do you know Haco's plans?" "Only this, that he will march
+to-morrow along the river, and where the ravine is darkest and forms
+the boundary between his kingdom and my father's the prisoners are to
+be blinded and released." "Is it far hence?" "Three miles to the
+eastward of this hall," she replied. "We will be there. Have no fear,
+lady, whatever you may see, but be bold and look for your lover in the
+fight." So saying, Hereward kissed the hand of the princess, and
+passed out of the hall unperceived by any one.
+
+
+The Ambush
+
+Returning to Sigtryg, the young Saxon told all that he had learnt, and
+the Danes planned an ambush in the ravine where Haco had decided to
+blind and set free his captives. All was in readiness, and side by
+side Hereward and Sigtryg were watching the pathway from their covert,
+when the sound of horses' hoofs heard on the rocks reduced them to
+silence. The bridal procession came in strange array: first the Danish
+prisoners bound each between two Cornishmen, then Haco and his unhappy
+bride, and last a great throng of Cornishmen. Hereward had taken
+command, that Sigtryg might look to the safety of his lady, and his
+plan was simplicity itself. The Danes were to wait till their
+comrades, with their guards, had passed through the ravine; then while
+the leader engaged Haco, and Sigtryg looked to the safety of the
+princess, the Danes would release the prisoners and slay every
+Cornishman, and the two parties of Danes, uniting their forces, would
+restore order to the land and destroy the followers of Haco.
+
+
+Success
+
+The whole was carried out exactly as Hereward had planned. The
+Cornishmen, with Danish captives, passed first without attack; next
+came Haco, riding grim and ferocious beside his silent bride, he
+exulting in his success, she looking eagerly for any signs of rescue.
+As they passed Hereward sprang from his shelter, crying, "Upon them,
+Danes, and set your brethren free!" and himself struck down Haco and
+smote off his head. There was a short struggle, but soon the rescued
+Danes were able to aid their deliverers, and the Cornish guards were
+all slain; the men of King Alef, never very zealous for the cause of
+Haco, fled, and the Danes were left masters of the field. Sigtryg had
+in the meantime seen to the safety of the princess, and now placing
+her between himself and Hereward, he escorted her to the ship, which
+soon brought them to Waterford and a happy bridal. The Prince and
+Princess of Waterford always recognised in Hereward their deliverer
+and best friend, and in their gratitude wished him to dwell with them
+always; but he knew "how hard a thing it is to look into happiness
+through another man's eyes," and would not stay. His roving and daring
+temper drove him to deeds of arms in other lands, where he won a
+renown second to none, but he always felt glad in his own heart, even
+in later days, when unfaithfulness to a woman was the one great sin of
+his life, that his first feats of arms had been wrought to rescue two
+maidens from their hapless fate, and that he was rightly known as
+Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women.
+
+
+
+
+GLOSSARY AND INDEX
+
+
+In the following Index no attempt is made to indicate the exact
+pronunciation of foreign names; but in the case of those from the
+Anglo-Saxon a rough approximation is given, as being often essential
+to the reading of the metrical versions. In these indications the
+letters have their ordinary English values; [)e] indicates the very
+light, obscure sound heard in the indefinite article in such a phrase
+as "with a rush."
+
+
+A
+
+  ABLOEC. See Anlaf
+
+  ACHILLES. His sulks, 184;
+    Cuchulain, "the Irish," 184
+
+  ADEON. Son of Eudav; grandson of Caradoc, 49
+
+  AGE. See Golden Age
+
+  AILILL. King of Connaught, husband of Queen Meave; to decide claims
+          to title of Chief Champion, 189;
+    seeks aid of Fairy People of the Hills, 193
+
+  AILMAR. King of Westernesse, 290;
+    welcomes and adopts Childe Horn, 291;
+    Princess Rymenhild, daughter of, 292;
+    dubs Horn knight, 297;
+    hears of Horn's first exploit, 299;
+    Fikenhild betrays Horn and Rymenhild to, 300;
+    Horn returns to, 304;
+    reluctantly gives his daughter to Horn, 308;
+    Horn leaves Rymenhild to his care, 308, 309
+
+  AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. Wondrous springs of, 125;
+    Charlemagne at, 155
+
+  ALEF. King of Cornwall; Hereward at court of, 343;
+    casts Hereward into prison, 343;
+    his daughter releases Hereward, 344, 345;
+    Sigtryg sends forty Danes to, 348
+
+  ALFTRUDA. Ward of Edward the Confessor, 339;
+    Hereward's first meeting with, 339;
+    rescues from Fairy Bear, 340, 341;
+    Hereward takes farewell of, 342
+
+  ALICE OF CLOUDESLEE. Wife of William of Cloudeslee, 227;
+    outlaw husband visits, 227, 228;
+    rescued from burning house, 232;
+    thanks Adam Bell and Clym for delivering her husband, 240;
+    appointed chief woman of bedchamber to the royal children, 246
+
+  ALL-FATHER. Praised for Beowulf's victory over Grendel, 18
+
+  ALTO-BIS-CA´R. Song of (a forgery), 120
+
+  ANGLESEY. Same as Mona, 47
+
+  ANGLO-SAXON NOBILITY. Hereward the ideal of, 334, 335
+
+  ANGLO-SAXON TIMES. Legends regarding Constantine during, 42
+
+  ÆNGUS THE EVER-YOUNG. Irish people and wrath of, 158
+
+  ANLAF. Same as Olaf, or Sihtricson; known to Welsh as Abloec or
+          Habloc; romantic stories concerning, 73
+
+  ANSEIS, DUKE OF. Mortally wounded, 143
+
+  ARABIA. Physicians from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  ARMAGH. Capital of Ulster; Cuchulain and Emer dwell at, 186;
+    King Conor and heroes return to, 190;
+    heroes return to, 195
+
+  ARNOLDIN, SIR. Cousin of Athulf; helps to save Rymenhild, 312;
+    King Ailmar nominates as his heir, 313
+
+  ARTHUR, KING. Uncle of Sir Gawayne, 265;
+    Christmas kept at Carlisle by, 266;
+    Guenever, queen of, 266;
+    uncle of Sir Gareth and Sir Mordred, 266;
+    damsel requests a boon of, 267;
+    his journey to Tarn Wathelan, and fight with giant, 269;
+    humiliated by the giant and released on certain conditions, 270;
+    his search for the answer to the giant's question, 270-272;
+    learns it from the loathly lady, 272;
+    the ransom paid to giant, 273;
+    the loathly lady demands a young and handsome knight for husband
+          for helping, 274;
+    Sir Gawayne offers to pay ransom for, 275;
+    summons court to hunt in greenwood near Tarn Wathelan, 276;
+    rebukes Sir Kay, 277;
+    his joy over his nephew's wedding with the supposed loathly lady,
+          284, 285
+
+  ARTHURIAN LEGEND. Preserved by mediæval Wales, 265
+
+  ARVON. Fertile land of, searched by ambassadors of Maxen Wledig,
+          47-49
+
+  ASBRAND. Brother of Biargey, 113;
+    helps Howard against Thorbiorn, 115
+
+  ASCHERE (ask-her[)e]). One of King Hrothgar's thanes, carried off by
+          Grendel's mother, 21
+
+  ATHELBRUS. King Ailmar's steward, to train Childe Horn to be a
+          knight, 291, 292;
+    induces Athulf to personate Horn, 293;
+    sends Horn to Princess Rymenhild, 294;
+    land of King Modi committed to care of, 313
+
+  ATHELSTAN. King of England; kinship of Anlaf with, 73
+
+  ATHELWOLD. King of England, father of Goldborough, 80;
+    his death and burial, 81
+
+  ATHULF. Horn's favourite companion, 287;
+    personates Horn before Rymenhild, 293;
+    writes to Horn on behalf of Rymenhild, 303;
+    plans with Horn the rescue of Rymenhild, 308;
+    his father found at Suddene, 309, 310;
+    weds Reynild, 313
+
+  AUDE THE FAIR. Sister of Oliver, betrothed bride of Roland, 155;
+    Charlemagne promises his son Louis to, 155;
+    dies of grief for Roland's loss, 155
+
+  AUGUSTUS. Constantine's elevation to rank of, 64
+
+  AWE, LOCH. Black Colin, Knight of, 249, 250;
+    Black Colin dwells at, with wife, 250;
+    Lady of, 251;
+    Black Colin far away from, 254;
+    Black Colin's return to, 258
+
+
+B
+
+  BABYLON, EMIR OF. Marsile's vassal; defeated by Charlemagne, 154
+
+  BALTIC SEA. Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, 1
+
+  BANIER, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BARNESDALE. Forest in South Yorkshire, once dwelling-place of Robin
+          Hood, 314, 315;
+    Sir Richard of the Lea sets out for, to repay loan, 328
+
+  BARTON, SIR ANDREW. Scottish hero, 248
+
+  BASQUES. Attack Charlemagne, 119
+
+  BATHSTEAD. Place on shores of Icefirth near where Thorbiorn lived,
+          97-118
+
+  BEAN-STAN. Father of Breca, 12
+
+  BEDIVERE, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BELI. Son of Manogan; Britain conquered by Maxen Wledig from, 48
+
+  BELL, ADAM. Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, 226;
+    declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, 233;
+    rescues William from death, 237, 238;
+    visit to London to see the king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243
+
+  BEO´WA. Stories of, crystallised in stories of Beowulf, 1
+
+  BEO´WULF.
+    1. The poem of, 1.
+    2. Thane of Hygelac, King of Geats, 1;
+       son of Ecgtheow, 6;
+       nephew of King Hygelac, 6;
+       grandson of Hrethel, 6;
+       brought up at Geatish court, 6;
+       famous swimming match with Breca, 6;
+       his mighty hand-grip, 6;
+       sails for Denmark to attack Grendel, 6;
+       challenged by Warden of Denmark, 6;
+       declares his mission to Hrothgar, 10;
+       disparaged by Hunferth, 12;
+       honoured by Queen Wealhtheow, 14, 20;
+       struggles with Grendel, 16;
+       mortally wounds Grendel, 17;
+       vows to slay mother of Grendel, 23;
+       does so, 26;
+       carries off sword-hilt and Grendel's head, 26;
+       sails to Geatland, 29;
+       welcomed by King Hygelac and Queen Hygd, 29, 30;
+       chief champion of Hygelac, 30;
+       refuses the throne in favour of Heardred, and becomes guardian
+          of, 31;
+       again chosen King of Geatland, 31;
+       encounters with fire-dragon, 31-39;
+       recites slaying of Frankish warrior, Daghrefn, 35;
+       forsaken by Geats in his encounter with the fire-dragon, 36;
+       slays the dragon, 37;
+       his death and funeral, 39-41
+
+  BERILD. Son of King Thurston, 301;
+    slain by the Saracens, 302
+
+  BERNARD BROWN. Danish magistrate; protects Havelok and Goldborough,
+          88-89
+
+  BER-NA´R-DO DEL CA´R-PIO. Hero in Spanish legend who defeats Roland,
+          121
+
+  BERTRAM. Earl's cook who befriended Havelok, 82-83;
+    marries one of Grim's daughters and becomes Earl of Cornwall, 94
+
+  BIARGEY. Wife of Howard the Halt, 97;
+    urges Howard to claim wergild for Olaf, 106, 107, 108;
+    Howard returns to, 111;
+    visits her brothers, Valbrand, Thorbrand, and Asbrand, 112, 113;
+    hails Thorbiorn while out fishing, 112;
+    urges Howard to seek vengeance, 113, 114
+
+  BIRKABEYN. Rule of, as king over Denmark, 74;
+    Swanborow and Elfleda, daughters of, and Havelok, son of, 74;
+    commits Havelok to care of Jarl Godard, 75;
+    death and funeral of, 75;
+    Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of, 87
+
+  BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE, 249;
+    son of Sir Nigel Campbell, 249;
+    Patterson, name of foster-parents, 250;
+    messenger tells of new crusade, 250;
+    decides to go on crusade, 251;
+    his wife's grief, 251;
+    touches at Edinburgh and ships at Leith, _en route_ to Holy Land,
+          253;
+    his desire to see Holy Land and Holy Sepulchre, 253;
+    reaches Rome, 253;
+    sees Pope, 253;
+    regards Pope as Vicar of Christ, 253;
+    journeys to Rhodes, 253;
+    takes service with Knights of St. John, 253;
+    a pilgrim at Jerusalem, 253;
+    letter in name of, forged by Baron MacCorquodale, 255;
+    falsely reported wounded by Saracens, 255;
+    hears news of wife's impending second marriage, 257;
+    returns home, 258;
+    welcomed by foster-mother, 259;
+    disguised as a beggar, hands token to his wife, 262;
+    recognised and welcomed by his wife, 262
+
+  BLACK DOUGLAS. Scottish hero, 248
+
+  BLACK MONK, THE. Captured by Robin Hood's followers, 330;
+    high cellarer in Abbey of St. Mary, 331;
+    Robin Hood confiscates his gold as repayment of loan to Sir
+          Richard of the Lea, 331, 332;
+    departs from greenwood, 332
+
+  BLACK SAINGLAIN. One of Cuchulain's magic steeds, 191
+
+  BLANCANDRIN. Vassal of King Marsile, 123;
+    overtaken by Ganelon, 130;
+    Ganelon and, plot Roland's destruction, 131
+
+  BLAYE. Bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin buried in cathedral of,
+          155
+
+  BLUEMIRE. Dwelling-place of Howard the Halt, 97
+
+  BOG OF ALLEN. Cathleen's messenger declared to be sick in, 177
+
+  BORS, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BOURNE, HALL OF. Home of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 336
+
+  BRAND. Trusted serving-man of Thorbiorn, 97, 102
+
+  BRECA. Famous swimming champion, beaten by Beowulf, 6;
+    son of Beanstan, 12
+
+  BRICRIU OF THE BITTER TONGUE. Compared with Thersites, 186;
+    invites King Conor and Red Branch heroes to a feast, 186;
+    stirs up strife among heroes of Ulster, 187, 188;
+    flatters the wives of the heroes, 189, 190
+
+  BRIGIT.
+    1. Of the Holy Fire; wrath of, and Irish people, 158.
+    2. Cathleen's old servant, 173
+
+  BRISEIS. Achilles and his sulks concerning, 184
+
+  BRITAIN. Legend of "The Dream of Maxen Wledig" shows importance of
+          Constantine to, 42;
+    ambassadors of Maxen Wledig carried to, 47;
+    conquered by Maxen Wledig from Beli, son of Manogan, 48;
+    given by Maxen Wledig to Eudav, 49;
+    Elene summoned from, is baptized, and seeks the sacred Cross,
+          54-62;
+    Constantine sent to, 63;
+    Constantine proclaimed emperor of, 63
+
+  BRITONS, EARLY, Greeks of Homer, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+          between, 184
+
+  BRITTANY. Roland, prefect of marches of, 120
+
+  BRUCE, ROBERT. Scottish hero, 248;
+    Sir Nigel Campbell, adherent of, 249
+
+
+C
+
+  CAERLLEON. See Caernarvon, 49
+
+  CAERMARTHEN. See Caernarvon, 49
+
+  CAERNARVON. Castle in land of Arvon in which Princess Helena dwelt,
+          48;
+    given with castles Caerlleon and Caermarthen to Princess Helena as
+          dowry, 49
+
+  CAIN. Grendel, offspring of, 4
+
+  CALEDONIANS. Defeated by Constantius, 63
+
+  CALIDORE, SIR. Mediæval Wales had a knight of courtesy equal to, 265
+
+  CALVARY. The hill of, 58, 59, 61
+
+  CAMPBELL, SIR NIGEL. Leader in Scottish Independence, 249;
+    father of Black Colin, 249;
+    his death, 250;
+    clansmen of, accompany Black Colin to Holy Land, 252
+
+  CARADOC. Father of Eudav; grandfather of Princess Helena, and of
+          Princes Kynon and Adeon, 49
+
+  CARLISLE. Outlaw band near town of, in Englewood Forest, 226;
+    reference to sheriff of, 227;
+    William of Cloudeslee goes to, 227;
+    sheriff informed of William's presence at, 229;
+    outlaws Adam Bell and Clym go to, 234;
+    the outlaws escape from, 239;
+    King Arthur keeps Christmas at, 266;
+    Sir Gawayne and loathly lady wedded at, 280
+
+  CATHBAD. Druid; Cuchulain's tutor, 185
+
+  CATHLEEN. Irish countess; legend concerning, 156;
+    antiquity of the legend, 156;
+    the story, 156-183;
+    her grief because of her people's famine, 161;
+    prays to Virgin Mary, 163;
+    Fergus, steward of, 163;
+    value of her wealth, 164;
+    commands Fergus to provide food for sufferers from famine, 165;
+    her goodness extolled by the demons, 169;
+    hears of demon traders, 172;
+    tries to check traffic in souls, 174;
+    visits demons, 176;
+    Oona, foster-mother to, 178;
+    revisits demons, 179;
+    sells her soul, 179, 180;
+    her death, 182
+
+  CATHOLIC CHURCH. Pope, head of, 119
+
+  CELION. Constantine to send to, for Bishop Sylvester, 71
+
+  CELTIC LITERATURE. Spirit of mysticism in all, 156
+
+  CELTS. Gospel preached to, by St. Patrick, 157;
+    Irish, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, racial affinity between,
+          184
+
+  CHAMPION.
+    1. Of Erin: compared with Achilles, 184;
+       Cuchulain the, his fame at age of seventeen, 185;
+       Bricriu urges Laegaire to claim title of, 187;
+       title to go to warrior who obtains Champion's Bit, 187;
+       tests to decide claims to title of, 193, 194, 196-203;
+       Uath the Stranger challenges the heroes to a test to decide
+          claims to title, 199-203.
+    2. Of Women: Hereward known as, 351
+
+  CHAMPION OF IRELAND. See Champion of Erin.
+
+  CHAMPION'S BIT, THE, 187, 188;
+    claimed by chariot-drivers of Laegaire, Conall, and Cuchulain,
+          188, 189;
+    awarded by Queen Meave to Laegaire, 195;
+    heroes severally claim, 195, 196;
+    tests to decide claims to, 196-203
+
+  CHANSON DE ROLAND. Roland and, 121;
+    late version of Anglo-Norman poem, 122;
+    Thorold, author of, 122
+
+  CHARLEMAGNE. World-famed equivalent, 119;
+    head of Roman Empire, 119;
+    Roland, nephew of, 119;
+    expedition into Spain, 119;
+    receives an embassage from Marsile, 124;
+    calls his Twelve Peers to council, 125;
+    sends Ganelon to Saragossa, 128-130;
+    receives through Ganelon the keys of Saragossa, 134;
+    his evil dream, 134, 137;
+    hears Roland's horn, 145, 146;
+    hastens to the rescue, 146;
+    avenges death of Roland and the Peers, 153, 154;
+    his return to Aix, 155;
+    his son, Louis, promised to Aude the Fair, 155
+
+  CHARLES THE GREAT. King of the Franks, world-famed as Charlemagne,
+          119.
+    See Charlemagne
+
+  CHILDE HORN. See Horn
+
+  CHOSEN PEOPLE. The Jews the, 56
+
+  CHRIST. The Cross the sign of, 53;
+    the Resurrection of, preached to Constantine, 53;
+    Constantine's desire to find the sacred Cross, 54;
+    inhabitants of Suddene who believe on, threatened with death, 287
+
+  CHRISTENDOM. Enriched by treasures of the True Cross and Holy Nails,
+          62
+
+  CHRISTIAN-S. Preach the way of life to Constantine, 53;
+    the Lord of, 57;
+    faith, in Iceland, 96, 97;
+    law, to be driven out of Suddene by law of Mahomet, 287
+
+  CHURCH OF ROME. Constantine's generosity to, 42
+
+  CHURCHMEN. Beaten and battered by Gamelyn, 217
+
+  CINDERELLA. Root idea of, similar to "Gamelyn," 204
+
+  CLYM OF THE CLEUGH. Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, 226;
+    declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, 233;
+    his stratagem to save William of Cloudeslee, 234;
+    rescues William from death, 238;
+    visits London to see the king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243
+
+  COLIN, BLACK. See Black Colin, 249
+
+  COMALA. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248
+
+  CONALL CEARNACH. Cuchulain's cousin, a Red Branch chief, 187;
+    urged to claim title of Chief Champion, 187;
+    awarded Champion's Portion, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    disgraced by Uath, 201
+
+  CONFESSIO AMANTIS. Early English poem, by "the moral Gower," 42;
+    story told in, of Constantine's true charity, 64
+
+  CONNAUGHT. Ailill, King of, 189;
+    heroes sent to Cruachan in, 190
+
+  CONOR. King of Ulster, 185;
+    Cuchulain, nephew of, 185;
+    Dechtire, sister of, 185;
+    invited with the heroes of Red Branch to a feast by Bricriu, 186;
+    received with court at Dundrum by Bricriu, 188
+
+  CONQUEROR, WILLIAM THE. Cause of England being laid at feet of, 338
+
+  CONSTANTINE III. King of Scotland; marriage of Anlaf with daughter
+      of, 73
+
+  CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. Emperor of Rome; renown in mediæval England,
+          42;
+    Cynewulf's poem, "Elene," written on the subject of his conversion,
+          42;
+    his vision of the Holy Cross, 42, 50, 51;
+    generosity to Church of Rome and Bishop Sylvester, 42;
+    legends concerning, 42;
+    the only British-born Roman emperor, 49;
+    his greatness provokes a confederation to overthrow him by Huns,
+          Goths, Franks, and Hugas, 50;
+    conquers Huns by Cross standard, 52;
+    Christians preach the way of life to, 53;
+    is baptized into the Christian faith, 53;
+    his desire to find the sacred Cross, 54;
+    sends for Elene, 54;
+    ordains "Holy Cross Day," 62;
+    eldest son of Constantius, 63;
+    sent to Britain, 63;
+    proclaimed emperor, 63;
+    granted title of "Cæsar," 64;
+    marriage with Fausta, 64;
+    elevation to rank of Augustus, 64;
+    Emperor of Rome, 64;
+    attacked by leprosy, 64;
+    the remedies suggested, 65-72;
+    his noble resolve, 68;
+    his vision, 69-70;
+    his healing, 71-72
+
+  CONSTANTIUS. Emperor Maxentius hero of the Welsh saga instead of, 42;
+    father of Constantine the Great, 63;
+    proclaimed Emperor of Britain, 63
+
+  CORNISH PRINCESS, THE. Daughter of King Alef, affianced to Prince
+          Sigtryg, 343, 344, 345, 346;
+    Haco betrothed to, 347, 348;
+    receives token from Hereward, 348;
+    reveals Haco's plans to Hereward, 349;
+    rescued from Haco, 350;
+    guards, all slain, 351;
+    wedded by Sigtryg, 351
+
+  CORNWALL. Godrich, Earl of, 80;
+    Bertram made Earl of, 94;
+    Hereward sails for, 343;
+    Alef, King of, 343;
+    Sigtryg and Hereward sail for, 347
+
+  COVENTRY. Lady Godiva's ride through, 335
+
+  CRESCENT. Cross exalted above the, 253
+
+  CROSS. The Holy, Constantine's vision of, 42, 50, 51;
+    Romans conquer Huns by, 52;
+    the people awed by the standard of the, 53;
+    Constantine's desire to find the sacred, 54;
+    Elene's quest after, 54-62;
+    secret place of, revealed by Judas, 61;
+    "Holy Cross Day" ordained, 62
+
+  CRUACHAN. Conor sends heroes to Ailill at, 190;
+    Good People's Hill at, 193;
+    heroes bid farewell to court at, 195
+
+  CRUSADE-S. Reference to, 249;
+    Black Colin receives tidings of one about to be set on foot, 250;
+    Black Colin decides to go on, 251;
+    story of Horn typical of romance of the, 286
+
+  CUCHULAIN. Reference to Connla and, 95;
+    Irish hero, 156;
+    often called "the Irish Achilles," 184;
+    nephew of King Conor and son of Dechtire, 185;
+    god Lugh, reputed father of, 185;
+    champion in Ulster and all Ireland, 185;
+    bride sought for, 186;
+    wooes and weds Emer, daughter of Forgall the Wily, 186;
+    Conall Cearnach, cousin of, 187;
+    urged to claim title of Chief Champion, 188;
+    Grey of Macha and Black Sainglain, magic steeds of, 191;
+    awarded golden cup and Champion's Portion, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    answers Uath's tests, 202;
+    acclaimed Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, 203
+
+  CUROI OF MUNSTER. Failing a judgment from Ailill, to be asked to
+          decide claims to title of Chief Champion, 190;
+    heroes go to, to hear his judgment, 196;
+    puts heroes to certain tests in order to decide claims, 196-203;
+    assumes form of giant under name of Uath, the Stranger, 199-203
+
+  CURTIUS. Reference to, 156
+
+  CUTHBERT. Name under which Childe Horn serves King Thurston in
+          Ireland, 301, 302
+
+  CYNEWULF (ki´n[)e]-wulf). Early English religious poet; "Elene," his
+          poem on the subject of conversion of Constantine the Great,
+          42
+
+  CYRIACUS. Baptismal name of Judas, 61;
+    Bishop of Jerusalem, 61
+
+
+D
+
+  DAGDA. Irish people and wrath of, 158
+
+  DA´G-HREFN. Frankish warrior who slays Hygelac; killed by Beowulf's
+          deadly hand-grip, 35
+
+  DANES. Corpse of Scyld sorrowfully placed in vessel by, 2;
+    feasting of, in Heorot, 4;
+    slain in Heorot by Grendel, 4;
+    desert Heorot, 5;
+    welcome Geats and Beowulf, 10;
+    rejoice over Beowulf's victory, 18-29;
+    friendship with Geats, 30;
+    Gospel preached to, 157;
+    Prince Sigtryg sends forty to King Alef, 348;
+    plan ambush for Haco, 350;
+    rescue Cornish princess, 350, 351
+
+  DANISH.
+    1. Occupation of England and its influence on language, &c., 73.
+    2. Invasions, hero-legends which have come down from times of, 286
+
+  DANUBE. Huns overwhelmed in, 52
+
+  DECHTIRE. Sister of King Conor, 185
+
+  DECIUS. Reference to, 156
+
+  DEMONS. Appear in Erin to buy souls, 168;
+    visited by Cathleen, 176;
+    revisited by her, 179;
+    Cathleen sells her soul to, to ransom her people, 179;
+    cheated of Cathleen's soul, 182
+
+  DENMARK. Under sway of Scyld Scefing, 2;
+    Scyld Scefing mysteriously comes to, as babe, 2;
+    Beowulf sails to deliver King of, from Grendel, 6;
+    Warden of, challenges Beowulf, 6;
+    King Birkabeyn's rule over, 74;
+    Godard made regent of, on behalf of Havelok, 75;
+    Havelok sails from, with Grim, 80;
+    Havelok's dream concerning, 86;
+    Havelok's return to, and recognition as King of, 87-92
+
+  DIARMUIT. Irish hero, 156
+
+  DIOCLETIAN. Emperor; Constantine evades jealousy of, 63
+
+  DODDERER. Horse offered as wergild by Thorbiorn to Howard, 107
+
+  DOVER. Princess Goldborough imprisoned in castle of, 81;
+    Hereward sails from, to Whitby, 339
+
+  DUBLIN. Demons arrive at village near, 168
+
+  DUNDRUM. Bricriu receives King Conor and court at, 188
+
+  DUNSTAN. Monk; his saintly reputation, 335
+
+  DURENDALA. Roland's famous sword, 136;
+    Roland tries in vain to break, 152
+
+
+E
+
+  ECGTHEOW (eg´theow). Father of Beowulf, 10;
+    shielded by Hrothgar against Wilfings, 11
+
+  EDINBURGH. Black Colin at, _en route_ to Holy Land, 253
+
+  EDWARD.
+    1. The First: reference to war between England and Scotland during
+          reign of, 249;
+    2. The Second: reference, _ibid._, 249.
+    3. The Confessor: division of England under, 335;
+       Hereward at court of, 337, 338;
+       banishes Hereward, 338, 339;
+       Alftruda, ward of, 339
+
+  EGYPT. Constantine's valour in wars in, 64;
+    philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  ELECTRA. Reference to Orestes and, 95
+
+  ELENA. Same as Elene and Helena, 63
+
+  "ELENE" (el[=a]´n[)e]). Cynewulf's poem of, on the subject of
+          Constantine's conversion, 42;
+    summoned from Britain by Constantine, is baptized, and seeks the
+          sacred Cross, 54-62.
+    Same as Helena (Elena), 63
+
+  ELFLEDA THE FAIR. Daughter of King Birkabeyn, 74;
+    slain by Godard, 76
+
+  ELY. Hereward's defence of, 334
+
+  EMER. Daughter of Forgall the Wily; wooed and wedded by Cuchulain,
+          186;
+    flattered by Bricriu, 189;
+    flattered by Queen Meave, 195;
+    adjudged by Uath to have first place among all the women of Ulster,
+          203
+
+  ENGELIER THE GASCON. Mortally wounded, 143
+
+  ENGLAND. Mediæval, and Constantine the Great, 42;
+    influence on language by Danish occupation, 73;
+    Athelstan, King of, 73;
+    Athelwold, King of, 80;
+    Grim sails from Denmark to, 80;
+    arrives at, in Humber (Grimsby), 81;
+    Havelok's dream concerning, 86;
+    Fergus journeys to, 165;
+    the outlaw of mediæval, 225;
+    King of, pardons outlaws, William of Cloudeslee, &c., 243;
+    war between Scotland and, 249;
+    government of, during twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth
+          centuries, 314;
+    division of, under Edward the Confessor, 335;
+    cause of being laid at Conqueror's feet, 338
+
+  ENGLEWOOD. Outlaws in forest of, under Adam Bell, William of
+          Cloudeslee, and Clym of the Cleugh, 226;
+    outlaw band broken up, 247
+
+  ERCOL. Ailill's foster-father; heroes sent to, 194
+
+  ERIN. See Ireland, 157;
+    demons appear in, 168;
+    Champion of, compared with Achilles, 184;
+    land of, searched for bride for Cuchulain, 186
+
+  EUDAV. Son of Caradoc, father of Princess Helena, 49;
+    Kynon and Adeon, sons of, 49
+
+  EUROPE. Ruled from City of Seven Hills (Rome) by Emperor Maxen
+          Wledig, 43;
+    Constantine granted rule over Western, 64;
+    relation between Greek and Irish literature among literatures of,
+          184
+
+  EVIL ONE. Tales relating dealings with, reference to, 157;
+    demons buy souls for, 168-182
+
+  EXCALIBUR. King Arthur's sword, 269
+
+
+F
+
+  FAIRY BEAR, THE. A white Polar bear owned by Gilbert of Ghent, 340;
+    reputed kinship of, to Earl Siward, 340, 342;
+    slain by Hereward, 341;
+    Hereward's trick on Norman knights with, 341, 342
+
+  FAIRY PEOPLE OF THE HILLS. King Ailill seeks aid of, 193
+
+  FAITH. Bishop Sylvester preaches the Christian, to Constantine, 71;
+    Charlemagne fights for, 119;
+    Marsile to embrace the Christian, 131;
+    the true, English knowledge of, 165;
+    Irish sufferers tempted to revolt from, 167
+
+  FALL, THE, OF MAN, 71
+
+  FAUST. Legends, trend of, 157
+
+  FAUSTA. Daughter of Emperor Maximian and wife of Constantine, 64
+
+  FEDELM. Wife of Laegaire, 189
+
+  FEN COUNTRY. Hereward, the terror of the, 336
+
+  FENIANS. Champions of the, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, 248
+
+  FERGUS THE WHITE. Cathleen's steward, 163;
+    foster-brother to Cathleen's grandfather, 164;
+    declares value of Cathleen's wealth, 164;
+    sends servant to buy food at Ulster, 165;
+    journeys to England, 165;
+    returns with help, 182
+
+  FIKENHILD. Horn's companion next in favour to Athulf, 287;
+    spies on Horn and Rymenhild, 299, 300;
+    demands Rymenhild in marriage, 311;
+    slain by Horn, 313
+
+  FINGAL. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248;
+    Scotch embodiment of Finn, 248
+
+  FINN. Fingal Scotch embodiment, 248
+
+  FINN OF THE FRISIANS. Victory of Danes over, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  FINNSBURG. Fight in, sung of in Heorot, 19
+
+  FITELA. Son of Sigmund; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, 18
+
+  FLEMINGS. Or Normans; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for
+          knighthood, 339;
+    Hereward's trick on, with Fairy Bear, 341, 342
+
+  FOREFATHERS. Feelings of our, embodied in "Beowulf," 1
+
+  FORGALL THE WILY. Cuchulain wooes Emer, daughter of, 186
+
+  FRANCE. Victories of Charlemagne for, 119;
+    Charlemagne sets out for, 134
+
+  FRANKISH.
+    1. Warrior, Daghrefn, slays Hygelac, and is slain by Beowulf, 35.
+    2. Army marches towards Pyrenees, 134;
+       arrives too late to rescue Roland, 146
+
+  FRANKS. Charles the Great (Charlemagne), King of, 119;
+    Saracen host encamps near, 134;
+    and Moors meet in battle, 140;
+    defeat the Saracens, 141;
+    attacked by second Saracen army, 142;
+    defeat the heathens once more, 143;
+    attacked by third Saracen army, 144
+
+  FRENCH LITERATURE, developing "Roland Saga," 121
+
+  FRIAR TUCK. See Tuck
+
+
+G
+
+  GALERIUS. Constantine evades hatred of, 63;
+    grants Constantine title of "Cæsar," 63
+
+  GAMELYN. Tale of, a variant of fairy-tale "Wicked Elder Brothers,"
+          204;
+    ultimate source, through Lodge's "Euphues' Golden Legacy," of
+          _As You Like It_, 204;
+    literary ancestor of "Robin Hood," 204;
+    Sir John of the Marshes, father of, 205;
+    left in charge of eldest brother, John, 206;
+    resists him, 207, 208;
+    victorious at wrestling match, 210, 211;
+    overcomes his brother's servants, 212;
+    allows himself to be chained, 213;
+    released by Adam Spencer, 214, 215;
+    batters the Churchmen, 217;
+    puts his brother John in chains, 217;
+    puts sheriff's men to flight, 218;
+    goes to the greenwood, 219;
+    joins the outlaws, 220;
+    proclaimed a wolf's-head, 220;
+    arrested, 221;
+    Otho offers himself as surety, 221;
+    fails to appear at court, 222, 223;
+    releases Otho, 223;
+    sits on judge's seat and condemns Sir John, 224;
+    made chief forester by King Edward, 224;
+    made Otho's heir, 224
+
+  GANELON. Romance version of Danilo or Nanilo, 121;
+    compared with Judas, 121;
+    one of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 125;
+    his hostility to Roland, 126;
+    plots with Blancandrin the destruction of Roland, 131;
+    delivers to Marsile the message of Charlemagne, 131, 132;
+    swears on sacred relics the treacherous death of Roland, 134;
+    delivers keys of Saragossa to Charlemagne, 134;
+    deceives Charlemagne concerning sound of Roland's horn, 145, 146;
+    arrested for treason, 146;
+    his death as a traitor, 155;
+    his name a byword in France for treachery, 155
+
+  GARETH, SIR. One of King Arthur's nephews, 266
+
+  GASCONS. Attack Charlemagne, 119
+
+  GAUTIER, COUNT. Roland's vassal, 136
+
+  GAWAYNE, SIR. King Arthur's nephew, the true Knight of Courtesy, 265;
+    learns of King Arthur's adventure with the giant, 274;
+    learns the price to be paid for the loathly lady's secret, 275;
+    offers to pay it by marrying the loathly lady, 275;
+    betroths the loathly lady, 279, 280;
+    weds the loathly lady, 280;
+    his choice frees the loathly lady from magic spells, 281, 283;
+    the beauty of his bride, 281-285
+
+  GEATISH COURT. Beowulf brought up at, 6
+
+  GEATLAND. Same as Götaland; news of Grendel's ravages reaches, 6;
+    Beowulf sails to, 29;
+    welcomed to shores of, 29, 30
+
+  GEATS. Hygelac, King of, 1;
+    Götaland, realm of, 5;
+    arrival with Beowulf at Danish shores, 7;
+    friendship with Danes, 30;
+    forsake Beowulf in his encounter with the fire-dragon, 36;
+    their sorrow over Beowulf's death, 40-41
+
+  GERIER. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  GERIN. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  GERMANY. Forefathers who dwelt in North, 1;
+    Hygelac seeks conquest of his neighbours on mainland of, 5
+
+  GHENT. See Gilbert
+
+  GILBERT OF GHENT. Hereward's godfather, 339;
+    Hereward received by, 339;
+    his Fairy Bear, slain by Hereward, 340, 341;
+    Hereward quits his castle, 342;
+    Hereward takes farewell of, 343
+
+  GLENURCHY. Glen belonging to MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell,
+          249;
+    Black Colin inherits, 250;
+    Lady of, grieves over her husband's departure on crusade, 251;
+    Baron MacCorquodale's land borders, 256;
+    Black Colin's return to, 258;
+    new castle built with rents of, 264
+
+  GOD. The Unknown, reverenced by Constantine, 51;
+    the people awed by the token of the Unknown, 53;
+    worship of the True, 157;
+    famine cools love for, 167
+
+  GODARD, JARL. Counsellor and friend of King Birkabeyn, 75;
+    Havelok committed to care of, 75;
+    regency over Denmark, 75;
+    his cruelty, 76-78;
+    his treachery disclosed and punished by death, 91-92
+
+  GODHILD. Queen of Suddene, King Murry's consort, the mother of Horn,
+          286;
+    hears of husband's death and flees, 288
+
+  GODIVA, LADY. Wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 335;
+    her famous ride through Coventry, 335;
+    Hereward, second son of, 336
+
+  GODRICH. Earl of Cornwall, regent for Princess Goldborough, 80;
+    his rule, 81;
+    imprisons Princess Goldborough out of jealousy, 81;
+    attends sports at Lincoln, 83;
+    hears of Havelok's skill and strength, 83;
+    enforces a marriage between Havelok and Goldborough, 84;
+    captured, tried as a traitor, and burnt at the stake, 93-94
+
+  GODWIN. Earl of Kent, 335;
+    Lady Gytha, wife of, 335;
+    intercedes on behalf of Hereward, 338;
+    Hereward bids farewell to, 339
+
+  GOLDBOROUGH. English princess, daughter of King Athelwold; orphaned,
+          80;
+    Earl Godrich regent for, 80;
+    imprisoned in Dover Castle, 81;
+    forced to wed Havelok, 84;
+    learns in a dream of Havelok's royal birth, 86;
+    crowned Queen of England, 94
+
+  GOLDEN AGE. Forefathers cherished lifetime of ancestors as, 1
+
+  GÖTALAND. Realm of Geats, in south of Sweden, 5.
+    See Geatland, 7
+
+  GOTHS. Form a confederation with the Huns, Franks, and Hugas to
+          overthrow Constantine, 50
+
+  GOWER, "THE MORAL." Early English poet; his poem "Confessio Amantis"
+          and Constantine's conversion, 42;
+    story told in "Confessio Amantis" of Constantine's true charity, 64
+
+  GREECE. Philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy,
+          65
+
+  GREEK-S. Elene touches at land of, 56;
+    literature, relation of, to Irish literature, 184;
+    of Homer, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity between,
+          184
+
+  GRENDEL. A loathsome fen-monster, 3;
+    enmity aroused by the feasting at Heorot, 4;
+    slays and devours Danes in Heorot, 4;
+    master of Heorot, 5;
+    Beowulf determines to attack, 6;
+    struggles with Beowulf in Heorot, 16;
+    worsted by Beowulf, 17;
+    mother of, avenges his death, 21
+
+  GREY OF MACHA. Cuchulain's best-beloved horse, 191
+
+  GRIM. Legendary hero whose loyalty secured privileges to Grimsby,
+          74;
+    Godard's thrall, 77;
+    ordered to drown Havelok, 77;
+    saves and maintains Havelok, 79-82;
+    sails from Denmark to England, 80;
+    sends Havelok to Lincoln, 82;
+    his death, 85;
+    his three sons, Robert the Red, William Wendut, and Hugh the
+          Raven, 87
+
+  GRIMSBY. The town of Grim, 74;
+    Havelok at fish-market of, 82;
+    battle near, between Havelok and Godrich, 93
+
+  GUDRUN. Reference to Siegfried and, 95
+
+  GUENEVER, QUEEN. Wife of King Arthur, 266;
+    dreads magic arts during husband's absence, 274;
+    learns of King Arthur's adventure with the giant, 274;
+    welcomes the loathly lady at court, 280
+
+  GUEST, THE WISE. Sister of, marries Thorbiorn, 103;
+    Howard seeks at the Thing, 108, 109, 110;
+    his judgment against Thorbiorn, 110, 111;
+    removes his sister from Thorbiorn, 111;
+    gives judgment at Thing against Howard, 118
+
+  GYTHA, LADY. Wife of Godwin, Earl of Kent, 335
+
+
+H
+
+  HABLOC. Welsh name for Havelok, 73
+
+  HACO. Cornish leader; betrothed to the Cornish princess, 347;
+    Cornish princess reveals plans of, to Hereward, 349;
+    ambush planned for, 350;
+    slain by Hereward, 350
+
+  HAROLD. Son of King Thurston, 301;
+    slain by the Saracens, 302
+
+  HART, THE. See Heorot, 3
+
+  HASTINGS. Battle of, and "Song of Roland," 122
+
+  HATHCYN. Son of King Hrethel, brought up with Beowulf; slays his
+          brother, Herebeald, 34;
+    slain himself by Swedes, 35
+
+  HAUTECLAIRE. Oliver's sword, 141
+
+  HAVELOK THE DANE. Legend of, 73;
+    Anlaf, equivalent, 73;
+    hero of the strong arm, in mediæval England, 74;
+    son of King Birkabeyn of Denmark, 74;
+    committed to care of Jarl Godard, 75;
+    imprisoned by Godard, 76-77;
+    saved and maintained by Grim, 78-82;
+    brought by Grim to England, 80;
+    his feats of strength, 82-84;
+    Goldborough forced to wed, 84-85;
+    Grim's three sons accompany to Denmark, 87;
+    aided by Jarl Ubbe, 88-93;
+    Ubbe recognises as heir to throne of Denmark, and renders homage
+          to, 90-91;
+    acknowledged King of Denmark, 92;
+    and of England, 94
+
+  HEALFDENE (ha´lf-d[=a]n[)e]). Father of King Hrothgar, 9
+
+  HEARDRED (ha´rd-red). Son of Hygelac and Hygd; succeeds his father,
+          31;
+    his death, 31
+
+  HECTOR. Reference to death of, 95
+
+  HELENA. British princess; marriage with Constantine glorified in
+          "Mabinogion," 42;
+    hailed as Empress of Rome, 48, 49;
+    receives three castles as dowry, Caernarvon, Caerlleon, and
+          Caermarthen, 49;
+    mother of Constantine the Great, 63
+
+  HELL. The purchase of souls for, 170-183;
+    Cathleen sells her soul to, 179
+
+  HENGEST. Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HEOROT (hyo´r-[)o]t). Hall built by Hrothgar, 3;
+    same as "The Hart," 3;
+    enmity of Grendel to, 4;
+    feasting of Danes in, 4;
+    Danes slaughtered in, by Grendel, 4;
+    deserted by Danes, 5;
+    Grendel master of, 5;
+    Geats proceed to, 9;
+    feast in, to welcome Beowulf, 12;
+    Grendel and Beowulf struggle in, 16;
+    Grendel's mother enters and carries off Aschere, 21
+
+  HEREBEALD (he´r[)e]-bald). Son of King Hrethel, brought up with
+          Beowulf, 34
+
+  HEREWARD. One of the famous outlaws, 225;
+    the Saxon, personality real, yet surrounded by cloud of romance,
+          334;
+    the ideal of Anglo-Saxon chivalry, as Roland of Norman, 334;
+    second son of Leofric and Godiva, 336;
+    terror of Fen Country, 336;
+    at court, and his conduct there, 337;
+    banished as an outlaw, 338, 339;
+    his farewell, 338, 339;
+    his first meeting with Alftruda, 339;
+    goes to his godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, 339;
+    enrolled among Flemings to qualify for knighthood, 339;
+    his encounter with the Fairy Bear, 340, 341;
+    rescues Alftruda, 341;
+    his trick on the Norman knights, 341, 342;
+    leaves Northumbria, 342;
+    takes farewell of Alftruda, 342;
+    takes farewell of Gilbert of Ghent, 343;
+    sails for Cornwall, 343;
+    at court of King Alef, 343;
+    kills the Pictish giant, 343;
+    imprisoned by King Alef, 343;
+    released by King Alef's daughter, 344, 345;
+    sails for Ireland, 346;
+    sails for Cornwall with Prince Sigtryg, 347;
+    obtains admission to Haco's bridal feast, 348;
+    learns Haco's plans, 349;
+    slays Haco and helps to rescue Cornish princess, 350, 351;
+    known as Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women, 351
+
+  HEROD. Constantine declared more cruel than, 67
+
+  HET-WARE, THE. Expedition against, 31, 34
+
+  HIGHLANDS. Gaelic, old ballads, heroes in, 248;
+    ballads, merely versions of Irish Gaelic hero-legends, 248;
+    Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried from Erin to, 248
+
+  HILDEBURH, QUEEN. Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HNÆF (n[)a]f). Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HOLY CROSS. Constantine's vision of, 42, 50, 51;
+    his desire to find, 54;
+    Elene's quest after, 54-62;
+    Judas confesses to knowledge of sacred truth of, 57;
+    Judas refuses to reveal place of, at first, but is prevailed upon
+          by starvation, 58, 59;
+    the "Day" of, ordained, 62
+
+  HOLY INNOCENTS. Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who
+          killed the, 67
+
+  HOLY LAND. Black Colin receives tidings of fresh crusade in, 250;
+    sets out for, 252;
+    Black Colin's desire to see, 253
+
+  HOLY NAILS. Obtained by Elene, 61;
+    given to Constantine, 62
+
+  HOLY ROOD. King Arthur vows by, 268;
+    giant forces him to swear by, 270
+
+  HOLY SEPULCHRE. Black Colin's desire to see, 253
+
+  HOLY TREE. See Holy Cross
+
+  HOMER. Greeks of, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+          between, 184
+
+  HOOD, ROBIN. See Robin Hood
+
+  HORN. His story originally a story of Viking raids, 286;
+    son of King Murry and Queen Godhild, 286, 308;
+    Athulf, and next Fikenhild, his favourite companions, 287;
+    captured by Saracens, 288;
+    cast adrift upon the sea, 288, 289;
+    lands on shore of Westernesse, 289;
+    questioned by King of Westernesse, 290;
+    adopted by King Ailmar, 291;
+    Athelbrus trains as a knight, 291, 292;
+    loved by Princess Rymenhild, 292;
+    Athulf personates before Princess Rymenhild, 293;
+    welcomed to Rymenhild's bower, and hears her declaration of love,
+          294, 295;
+    dubbed knight, 297;
+    his first exploit, 298;
+    spied on by Fikenhild, 299, 300;
+    banished by King Ailmar, 300;
+    sails for Ireland, 301;
+    serves King Thurston under name of Cuthbert, 301;
+    slays the giant emir, 301, 302;
+    King Thurston offers his kingdom and daughter to, 302;
+    receives letter from Rymenhild, 304;
+    reveals his identity to King Thurston and implores his help, 304;
+    returns to Westernesse, accompanied by Irish knights, 304;
+    in disguise, visits Rymenhild's wedding feast, 305;
+    his stratagem to test Rymenhild's love, 306, 307;
+    the fictitious death of, 307;
+    reveals his identity to Rymenhild, 307;
+    arranges with Athulf to deliver Rymenhild, 308;
+    weds Rymenhild, 308;
+    reconquers Suddene, 310;
+    finds his mother, 310, 311;
+    crowned King of Suddene, 311;
+    warned in dream of Rymenhild's danger, 311;
+    his return to Westernesse, 311, 312;
+    slays Fikenhild, 313;
+    dwells at Suddene with Rymenhild, 313
+
+  HOWARD THE HALT. Popular Icelandic saga, 96;
+    famous Viking, 97;
+    Biargey, wife of, 97;
+    Olaf, son of, 97;
+    upbraids Olaf, 100;
+    removes from Bathstead, 103;
+    mourns Olaf's death, 106;
+    claims wergild for Olaf, 106-111;
+    sheltered by Steinthor, 108, 109;
+    urged by Biargey to seek vengeance, 106, 107, 113;
+    seeks help of Valbrand, 114;
+    slays Thorbiorn, 116;
+    sheltered by Steinthor, 117;
+    judgment of Thing against, 118;
+    his nephews exiled, 118
+
+  HRETHEL (rethel). Father of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf, 6;
+    Beowulf and the king's sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, and Hygelac, 34;
+    Beowulf recites his death, 35
+
+  HRETHRIC (re´th-ric). Son of Hrothgar; succeeds his father, 31
+
+  HROTHGAR (roth´g[=a]r). Great-grandson of Scyld, 2;
+    builds the hall Heorot, or "The Hart," 3;
+    grief of, over Grendel's fierce ravages, 4;
+    champions offer aid to, 5;
+    Geats conducted to, 8;
+    son of Healfdene, 9;
+    Wealhtheow, wife of, 14;
+    rejoices over Beowulf's victory, 18-29;
+    Aschere, thane of, carried off by Grendel's mother, 21;
+    grief of, over loss of Aschere, 22;
+    succeeded by his son Hrethric, 31
+
+  HRUNTING (runting). Hunferth's sword, lent Beowulf for the purpose
+          of attacking Grendel's mother, 23-25
+
+  HUGAS. See Huns, 50
+
+  HUGH THE RAVEN. Youngest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to
+          Denmark, 87
+
+  HUMBER. Grim arrives in, 81
+
+  HUNFERTH. Hrothgar's orator, jealous of Beowulf, 12;
+    lends Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, 23, 24
+
+  HUNS. Form a confederation with the Goths, Franks, and Hugas to
+          overthrow Constantine, 50;
+    Romans conquer by Cross standard, 52
+
+  HYGD. Wife of King Hygelac; hails Beowulf's return to Geatland,
+          29, 30;
+    offers crown to Beowulf, 31
+
+  HYGELAC (h[=e]´g[)e]-lac). King of Geats, 1;
+    son of King Hrethel, 5, 34;
+    brother-in-law of Ecgtheow, 6;
+    uncle of Beowulf, 6;
+    hails Beowulf's return to Geatland, 29, 30;
+    Beowulf chief champion of, 30;
+    slain in expedition against the Hetware, 31;
+    succeeded by his son, Heardred, 31;
+    brought up with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn, and Beowulf, 34
+
+
+I
+
+  ICEFIRTH. Thorbiorn in, 97
+
+  ICELAND. Christian faith in, 96, 97
+
+  ICELANDIC.
+    1. Saga, "Howard the Halt," 96.
+    2. Ghosts, reference to, 96
+
+  INNIS EOALAN. The Lady of Loch Awe builds a castle on ruins of White
+          House on, 257
+
+  INNOCENTS, HOLY. Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who
+          killed the, 67
+
+  IRELAND. Characteristics common to people of, 156;
+    known in olden Europe as "Isle of Saints," 157;
+    Gospel preached to people of, 157;
+    High King of, convinced of truth of Trinity, 157;
+    strife in, 158;
+    famine in, 159-183;
+    famine tempts people to revolt from the True Faith, 167;
+    demons arrive in, 168;
+    Cuchulain without fear among the champions of, 185;
+    Horn at, 301-304;
+    Horn touches at, on way to Suddene, 313;
+    Sigtryg, son of a Danish king, in, 343;
+    Hereward sails for, 346
+
+  IRISH. Relation of literature, to Greek literature, 184;
+    Celts, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, one stock, 184;
+    heroes, and legends concerning, 248
+
+  ISLE OF SAINTS. See Ireland, 157
+
+  ITALY. Claims Roland in guise of Orlando, Orlando Furioso, Orlando
+          Innamorato, 121
+
+
+J
+
+  JERUSALEM. The place where Christ suffered, 54;
+    Elene's quest in, to find the sacred Cross, 54-62;
+    Constantine and Elene build a glorious church in, 61;
+    Cyriacus (Judas) Bishop of, 61;
+    messenger to Black Colin familiar with all holy places in, 250;
+    Black Colin as a pilgrim at, 253
+
+  JESUS CHRIST. The Cross the sign of, 53;
+    the Resurrection and Ascension of, preached to Constantine, 53
+
+  JEWS. Elene's quest to land of, to find sacred Cross, 55-58;
+    the Chosen People, 56;
+    summoned, but dismissed in peace, by Elene, 58
+
+  JOHN.
+    1. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, 205;
+       Gamelyn left in charge of, 206;
+       Gamelyn resists, 207, 208;
+       his great feast, 216;
+       put in chains by Gamelyn, 217;
+       proclaims Gamelyn a wolf's-head, 220;
+       his death by hanging, 224.
+    2. Little. See Little John
+
+  JOSEPH and his brethren, "Gamelyn," a version of story of, 204
+
+  JUDÆA. See Jerusalem
+
+  JUDAS. Grandson of Zacchæus; confesses to knowledge of secret truth
+          of Holy Tree, 57;
+    refuses at first to disclose the secret place of the Holy Cross,
+          but is prevailed upon by starvation, 58, 59;
+    baptismal name Cyriacus, 61;
+    Ganelon compared with, 121
+
+  JUDGMENT, DAY OF, 71
+
+  JULIUS CÆSAR and early Britons, 184
+
+
+K
+
+  KAY, SIR. Steward of King Arthur's household, 266;
+    jeers at loathly lady, 277
+
+  KENT. Earldom of, held by Godwin, 335
+
+  KERRY. Champions drive to, 196
+
+  KILCHURN CASTLE. New castle built with rents of Glenurchy, 264
+
+  KNIGHT OF COURTESY. The true, is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur's nephew,
+          265
+
+  KNIGHT OF LOCH AWE. Equivalent, Black Colin Campbell, 249
+
+  KYNON. Son of Eudav, grandson of Caradoc, 49
+
+
+L
+
+  LADY OF GLENURCHY. Grief of, 251;
+    the gold ring token, 252;
+    wooed by Baron MacCorquodale, 254-257;
+    receives forged letter, 255;
+    her stratagem to delay her marriage, 256;
+    builds a castle on ruins of White House on Innis Eoalan, 256, 257;
+    recognises and welcomes her husband, 262
+
+  LADY OF LOCH AWE. Same as Lady of Glenurchy, 251
+
+  LAE-GAI´RE. Bricriu urged to claim title of, 187;
+    Fedelm, wife of, 189;
+    awarded Champion's Portion by Queen Meave, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    disgraced by Uath, 201
+
+  LANCELOT, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  LEA, SIR RICHARD OF THE. Stranger guest of Robin Hood's, 323
+
+  LEITH. Black Colin takes ship at, for Holy Land, 253
+
+  LENDABAIR. Conall's wife, 189
+
+  LEOFRIC. Earl of Mercia, 335;
+    Lady Godiva, wife of, 335;
+    Hereward, second son of, 336;
+    Hall of Bourne, home of, 336;
+    his wrath kindled against Hereward, 337;
+    asks for writ of outlawry against Hereward, 338;
+    Hereward bids farewell to, 339
+
+  LEOFRICSSON, HEREWARD. See Hereward
+
+  LEVE (l[=a]v[)e]). Wife of Grim the fisherman, 78
+
+  LIGHTFOOT, MARTIN. Hereward's follower who accompanied him into
+          exile, 339;
+    assists Hereward in his trick on Norman knights, 341, 342;
+    cast into prison by King Alef, 343;
+    released by King Alef's daughter, 344, 345
+
+  LINCOLN. Grim carries fish to, 81;
+    Havelok goes to, 82;
+    Havelok becomes porter, 82;
+    Havelok's fame in, 83;
+    Godrich summons his army to, against Havelok, 93;
+    Godrich's trial and death at, 94
+
+  LITTLE JOHN. One of Robin Hood's followers, 315;
+    searches the stranger knight's coffer, 319;
+    counts out four hundred pounds to stranger guest, 322, 323;
+    acts as squire to Sir Richard of the Lea, 323-327
+
+  LOATHLY LADY, THE, and King Arthur, 271-274;
+    demands of King Arthur a young and handsome knight for husband,
+          as price of her help, 274;
+    Sir Gawayne offers to wed, 275;
+    Sir Kay jeers at, 277;
+    her betrothal to Sir Gawayne, 279;
+    her marriage with Sir Gawayne, 280;
+    set free from magic spells, 281-285
+
+  LOCH AWE. See Awe, Loch
+
+  LONDON. Visit to, of William of Cloudeslee and fellow outlaws, 241
+
+  LOUIS. Charlemagne's son, Count of the Marshes, promised to Aude the
+          Fair, 155
+
+  LUGH OF THE LONG HAND. Great god, reputed father of Cuchulain, 185
+
+
+M
+
+  MABINOGION. A series of Welsh legends; glorifies marriage of British
+          princess Helena and Constantine, 42
+
+  MACCORQUODALE, BARON. Wooes the Lady of Loch Awe, 254-257;
+    his stratagem of a forged letter, 255;
+    hears of Black Colin's return, 263
+
+  MACGREGORS. Expelled from Glenurchy, 249
+
+  MAHOMET. Saracens declare determination to win land of Suddene
+          according to law of, 287;
+    faith of, thrown off by Saracens for the true faith, 310
+
+  MAIRI. Old widow in whose house the demon traders lived, 173
+
+  MARSILE. King of Moors; defies Charlemagne, 122;
+    idols of, 122;
+    Blancandrin's advice to, 123;
+    sends an embassage to Charlemagne, 124;
+    offers to become a Christian, 124-126;
+    Ganelon sent to, with Charlemagne's terms, 130;
+    Ganelon's reception by, 131, 132;
+    takes counsel with leaders, 132;
+    swears on the book of Law of Mahomet the treacherous death of
+          Roland, 134;
+    pursues the Frankish army, 137;
+    Roland slays only son of, 147;
+    mortally wounded, he returns to Saragossa, 147;
+    his death, 154
+
+  MARTIN. See Lightfoot
+
+  MASSES. Of the Father, of the Holy Spirit, of Our Lady, heard daily
+          by Robin Hood, 315
+
+  MAXEN WLEDIG. "The Dream of," preserved in the "Mabinogion," 42-49;
+    Emperor of Rome, 43;
+    expedition down the Tiber, 43;
+    his vision near Rome, 43;
+    his vision declared, 44-47;
+    ambassadors sent out to find the maiden of his dream, 47, 48;
+    journeys himself to land of Arvon, 48, 49;
+    conquers Britain from Beli, son of Manogan, 48;
+    weds Helena, daughter of Eudav, 49;
+    Constantine, son of, the only British-born Emperor of Rome, 49
+
+  MAXENTIUS. Emperor; hero of Welsh saga "Mabinogion," 42
+
+  MAXIMIAN. The Emperor; father of Fausta, who became Constantine's
+          wife, 64
+
+  MEAD. Dwelling-place of Guest the Wise, 103
+
+  MEAVE. Queen of Connaught, wife of King Ailill; to decide claims to
+          title of Chief Champion, 189;
+    pronounces judgment, 195
+
+  MERCIA. Earldom of, held by Leofric, 335
+
+  MODI. King of Reynes; wooes Rymenhild, 303;
+    slain by Horn, 308;
+    land of, committed to care of Sir Athelbrus, 313
+
+  MONA. Sacred isle of; same as Anglesey; ambassadors of Maxen Wledig
+          view, 47
+
+  "MONTJOIE! MONTJOIE!" Battle cry of Franks, under Roland, 140, 142,
+          148
+
+  MOORS. Rulers of, and Charlemagne, 119;
+    and Franks meet in battle, 140
+
+  MORDRED, SIR. One of King Arthur's nephews, 266
+
+  MOST HIGH. Grendel outcast from mercy of, 4
+
+  MUCH. One of Robin Hood's followers, 315;
+    assists to count out gold for stranger guest, 323
+
+  MURRY. King of Suddene, 286;
+    Queen Godhild consort of, 286;
+    Horn, son of, 286;
+    attacked and slain by Saracens, 287, 288
+
+
+N
+
+  NAESI. Irish hero, 156
+
+  NAILS, THE HOLY. Obtained by Elene, 61;
+    given to Constantine, 62
+
+  NAIMES, DUKE. One of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 126, 136, 137;
+    urges Charlemagne to hasten to rescue of Roland, 146
+
+  NORMAN ENGLAND. Royal authority in, how asserted, 314
+
+  NORMANS. Or Flemings; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for
+          knighthood, 339;
+    Hereward's trick on, with Fairy Bear, 341, 342
+
+  NORSE influence in connection with story of "King Horn," 286
+
+  NORSEMEN. Firm hold of blood-feud on imagination of, 96
+
+  NORTH COUNTRY. Equivalent, Ulster, 165
+
+  NORTH SEA. Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, 1;
+    ambassadors of Maxen Wledig reach, 47
+
+  NORTHUMBRIA. Inheritance of Anlaf, 73;
+    writ of outlawry against Hereward only of nominal weight in, 339;
+    Earl Siward ruler in, 339;
+    Hereward leaves, 342
+
+  NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. The Sheriff of, and Robin Hood, 315
+
+
+O
+
+  ODIN. The raven, the bird of, 115
+
+  OISIN. Scotch embodiment of Ossian, 248
+
+  OLAF.
+    1. Same as Anlaf, &c., 73.
+    2. Son of famous Viking, Howard the Halt, 97;
+       finds Thorbiorn's lost sheep, 98-100;
+       kills a wizard, 101;
+       second fight with the wizard's ghost, 102;
+       wooes Sigrid, 99, 103;
+       meets Thorbiorn, 103-106;
+       his death, 106;
+       Howard claims wergild for, 106-111;
+       wergild awarded for, 118
+
+  OLIFANT. Roland's horn, 138;
+    blown by Roland, 145, 146;
+    Roland's dying blast on, 149
+
+  OLIVER. One of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 125, 136;
+    descries the Saracens and proclaims Ganelon's treason, 138;
+    appeals to Roland to blow his horn, 138;
+    Hauteclaire, sword of, 141;
+    objects to Roland blowing his horn, 144;
+    mortally wounded by Marsile's uncle, 148;
+    under misapprehension, strikes Roland with Hauteclaire, 148;
+    his death, 148, 149;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  OONA. Cathleen's foster-mother, 178;
+    her vision, 182
+
+  ORCHY. River, running through Glenurchy, 249
+
+  ORESTES. Reference to Electra and, 95
+
+  ORLANDO, ETC. Italy claims Roland in guise of, 121
+
+  OSSIAN. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248;
+    Scotch embodiment of Oisin, 248
+
+  OTHO. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, 205;
+    becomes surety for Gamelyn, 221;
+    arrested owing to failure of Gamelyn to appear at court, 223;
+    released by Gamelyn, 223;
+    sits on judge's seat with Gamelyn and condemns Sir John, 224;
+    appointed sheriff by King Edward I., 224;
+    makes Gamelyn his heir, 224
+
+  OUR LADY. Robin Hood accepts her surety for four hundred pounds lent
+          to stranger guest, 322;
+    the Black Monk and the suretyship, 331-333
+
+  OUTLAWS. Famous: Hereward, Robin Hood, William of Cloudeslee, 226;
+    pardoned by king, 243;
+    rules of, in case of Robin Hood, 316;
+    their feast, 317, 318, 330
+
+
+P
+
+  PAMPELUNA. Taken by Charlemagne, 119
+
+  PARADISE. Cathleen's soul in, 182
+
+  PATTERSON. Name of foster-parents of Black Colin, 250
+
+  PEERS. Of France, 125, 136;
+    the champions of the Moors challenge the Twelve, of France, 137;
+    of Charlemagne, triumph over Marsile's twelve champions, 141;
+    their death, 143-153;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  PENELOPE. Lady of Loch Awe turns to guile, as did, 256
+
+  PEOPLE OF THE HILLS. Cuchulain's friends among, 198, 199
+
+  PERSIA. Constantine's valour in wars in, 64;
+    physicians from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  PETER AND PAUL. The Apostles; appear in a vision to Constantine,
+          70, 71
+
+  PICTISH GIANT. King Alef's daughter betrothed to, 343;
+    slain by Hereward, 343
+
+  PLANTAGENETS. England under, 314
+
+  POPE. Head of Holy Catholic Church, 119;
+    proclaims Holy War at Rome, 251;
+    sees Black Colin, 253;
+    regarded by Black Colin as Vicar of Christ on earth, 253
+
+  PRIAM. Reference to lament of, 95
+
+  PYRENEES. Charlemagne's march through passes of, 119;
+    Frankish army marches toward, 134
+
+
+R
+
+  RANALD. King of Waterford, 345, 346;
+    Prince Sigtryg, son of, 345;
+    Hereward at feast of, 346, 347
+
+  RANALDSSON, SIGTRYG. See Sigtryg
+
+  RED BRANCH. Heroes of, invited to feast by Bricriu, 186;
+    heroes return to, 199;
+    Uath, the Stranger, comes to, 199;
+    heroes of, and Uath, the Stranger, 199-203;
+    champions of, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, 248
+
+  REYNES. Modi, King of, 303;
+    wooes Rymenhild, 303, 304
+
+  REYNILD. Daughter of King Thurston; offered to Horn, 302;
+    weds Sir Athulf, 313
+
+  RHINE. Black Colin's journey up, 253
+
+  RHODES. Black Colin journeys to, 253;
+    supposed news from, by man of Black Colin's band, 255
+
+  RICHARD, SIR, OF THE LEA, Robin Hood's stranger-guest, 317-324;
+    Robin Hood's loan to, 322-324;
+    his land in Uterysdale, 323;
+    redeems his land from Abbot of St. Mary's, 324-327;
+    sets out to repay loan, 328;
+    defends the right at a wrestling contest, 328;
+    arrives before Robin Hood to repay loan, but is exempt, 333;
+    returns to Uterysdale, 333;
+    his power used to protect the outlaws, 333
+
+  ROBERT THE RED. Eldest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+          87
+
+  ROBIN HOOD. Romantic sympathy with, 225;
+    one of the famous outlaws, 226;
+    the original, 314;
+    forest of Barnesdale at one time his dwelling-place, 314, 315;
+    Sherwood Forest, headquarters of, 315;
+    Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much, his three most loyal
+          followers, 315;
+    three Masses heard by, 315;
+    sends his followers to Watling Street, 316;
+    his outlaw rules, 316;
+    stranger guest brought to, 317;
+    lends stranger guest four hundred pounds, 322;
+    sends his followers again to Watling Street, 329;
+    his followers capture and bring to greenwood, as guest, the Black
+          Monk, 330;
+    appropriates gold of the Black Monk as payment of loan to Sir
+          Richard of the Lea, 331, 332;
+    exempts Sir Richard from repayment of four hundred pounds, 333;
+    dwells securely in the greenwood under Sir Richard's protection,
+          333
+
+  ROLAND. Charlemagne's nephew; fame of, in romance, 119;
+    historical basis of legend of, 120;
+    in Spanish legend, 121;
+    "Saga" in French literature, 121;
+    "Chanson de Roland" and, 121;
+    one of the Twelve Peers, 125;
+    destruction plotted by Blancandrin and Ganelon, 131, 134;
+    plants his banner on topmost summit of Pyrenees, 134;
+    appointed to command rearguard, 135;
+    appealed to by Oliver to blow his horn, 138;
+    his army defeats Saracens, 141;
+    defeats second Saracen army, 143;
+    attacked by third Saracen army, 144;
+    willing to blow horn, but Oliver objects, 144;
+    blows Olifant, 145, 146;
+    Charlemagne hastens to rescue of, but arrives too late, 146;
+    slays only son of Marsile, 147;
+    smitten by Oliver in mistake, 148;
+    set upon by four hundred Saracens, 150;
+    realising death near, he tries to destroy sword Durendala, 152;
+    his death, 153;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  ROMAN EMPIRE. Charlemagne head of, 119
+
+  ROMANS. Conquer Huns by the Cross standard, 52
+
+  ROME. Church of, Constantine's generosity to, 42;
+    Maxen Wledig seeks rest near, 43, 46;
+    Princess Helena hailed Empress of, 48, 49;
+    Constantine calls a council of all wisest men in, 53;
+    Black Colin's messenger just home from, 251;
+    Holy War proclaimed by Pope at, 251;
+    Black Colin reaches, 253;
+    Black Colin's supposed letter from, 255
+
+  RONCESVALLES. Roland's glory from, 119;
+    celebrated in "Song of Altobiscar," 120;
+    Spain claims part of honour of, 120;
+    the battle of, 140-153
+
+  RONCEVAUX. Same as Roncesvalles, 122
+
+  ROUND TABLE. Knights of, 266
+
+  RYMENHILD. Princess, daughter of King Ailmar;
+    loves Horn, 292;
+    Athulf personates Horn before, 293;
+    welcomes Horn in her bower and declares her love, 294;
+    wishes Horn good success as knight, 298;
+    gives token to Horn, 298;
+    spied on by Fikenhild, 299, 300;
+    wooed by King Modi, 303;
+    writes to Horn through Athulf, 303;
+    Horn at wedding-feast of, 305;
+    Horn's stratagem to test her love, 306, 307;
+    her knight and lover, Horn, restored, 307;
+    wedded to Horn, 308;
+    left to her father's care, 309;
+    demanded in marriage by traitor, Fikenhild, 311;
+    delivered by Horn, 313;
+    dwells at Suddene as queen, 313
+
+
+S
+
+  SAMSON. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  SARACEN-S. Host, encamps near Franks, 134;
+    pursue the Frankish army, 137;
+    chiefs vow to slay Roland, 137;
+    defeat of, by Roland's army, 141;
+    second army attacks Roland, 142;
+    defeated once more, 143;
+    third army attacks Roland, 144;
+    their rule in the Holy Land, 251;
+    Horn's hatred of, typical of romance of Crusades, 286;
+    attack and slay King Murry, 287, 288;
+    Horn's victory over, 298;
+    Suddene purged of, by Horn, 310
+
+  SARAGOSSA. Charlemagne repulsed at, 119;
+    decided to send Ganelon to, as ambassador, 128;
+    Charlemagne's threat to take, 132;
+    Charlemagne receives through Ganelon the keys of, 134;
+    captured by Charlemagne, 154
+
+  "SARN HELEN." Roman roads in Wales connecting Helena's three castles
+          known as, 49
+
+  SAXON ENGLAND. The maintenance of justice in, 314
+
+  SAXON-S. Hereward the, 334;
+    the darling hero of the, 334;
+    Anglo-, chivalry, Hereward the ideal of, 334, 335;
+    Hereward the, known as the Champion of Women, 351
+
+  SCARLET, WILL. Cousin to and one of Robin Hood's followers, 315
+
+  SCOTLAND. Hero-myths of, 248;
+    national heroes of Lowland, actual, not mythical, 248;
+    war between England and, 249
+
+  SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE. Sir Nigel Campbell one of leaders in cause
+          of, 249
+
+  SCYLD SCEFING (skild ske´f-ing). Founder of Scyldings dynasty, 2;
+    coming to and passing from Denmark, 2;
+    Hrothgar, great-grandson of, 2
+
+  SEVEN HILLS. Rome, the City of, 43;
+    Maxen Wledig, emperor, rules Europe from, 43
+
+  SHERWOOD, FOREST OF. Headquarters of Robin Hood, 315
+
+  SIEGFRIED. Gudrun and, in "Nibelungenlied," 95
+
+  SIGMUND. Father of Fitela; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, 18
+
+  SIGRID. Thorbiorn's housekeeper, 97;
+    loved by Olaf, 99;
+    quits Thorbiorn's service, 103;
+    disappearance of, 106
+
+  SIGT-RYG RANALDSSON. Prince of Waterford; his troth-plight with King
+          Alef's daughter, 343;
+    son of King Ranald, 345;
+    Hereward's mission to, 345-347;
+    sails for Cornwall to rescue his love, 347;
+    sends forty Danes to demand fulfilment of troth-plight, 348;
+    Sigtryg and Danes plan ambush for Haco, 350;
+    rescues, and marries, Cornish princess, 350, 351
+
+  SI´HT-RIC-SON. Same as Anlaf, Abloec, &c., 73
+
+  SIR JOHN OF THE MARSHES. Noble gentleman who lived in Lincolnshire,
+          in reign of Edward I., 204, 205;
+    father of John, Otho, and Gamelyn, 205;
+    his death, 206
+
+  SI-WARD, EARL. Ruler in Northumbria, 339;
+    reputed kinship to Fairy Bear, 340, 342
+
+  SNOWDON. Mountainous land of, reached by ambassadors of Maxen
+          Wledig, 47
+
+  SOCACH. Black Colin's foster-parents' dwelling-place, 250
+
+  SOULS. The traffic in, during Irish famine, 170-183;
+    Cathleen tries to check traffic in, 174
+
+  SPAIN. Charlemagne's expedition into, 119;
+    begins to quit, 134;
+    returns to, to rescue Roland, 146
+
+  SPANISH LEGEND. Bernardo del Carpio and Roland in, 121
+
+  SPENCER.
+    1. Adam, steward in household of Sir John, releases Gamelyn,
+          214, 215.
+    2. Edmund, reference to his Red Cross Knight, 265
+
+  STEINTHOR OF ERE. Great chieftain who shelters Howard, 108, 109,
+          117;
+    speaks on Howard's behalf at the Thing, 118
+
+  ST. JOHN, KNIGHTS OF. Black Colin takes service with, 253;
+    Grand Master of, 253
+
+  ST. MARY. Abbey of, in York, lands of stranger knight in pledge to
+          Abbot of, 321;
+    land redeemed by Sir Richard of the Lea, 324-327;
+    the Black Monk high cellarer in Abbey of, 331
+
+  ST. PATRICK. Preached Gospel to people of Ireland, 157
+
+  SUDDENE. King Murry and Queen Godhild, and son Horn, the royal
+          family of, 286;
+    Horn sails for, to wrest from Saracens, 309;
+    Athulf's father found at, 309, 310;
+    Horn reconquers, 310;
+    a Christian realm once more, 311;
+    Horn crowned king of, 311
+
+  SWANBOROW. Daughter of King Birkabeyn, 74;
+    slain by Godard, 76
+
+  SWEDEN. Götaland, realm of Geats in south of, 5
+
+  SWEDES. Slay Hathcyn, son of King Hrethel, 35
+
+  SWITZERLAND. Black Colin and Highland clansmen pass through, 253
+
+  SYLVESTER. Bishop of Rome; and Constantine, 42;
+    Constantine told in a vision to send for, 70;
+    preaches the Christian faith to Constantine, 71
+
+
+T
+
+  TAILLEFER. "Song of Roland" and, 122
+
+  TARA. Black stone of, 157
+
+  TARN WATHELAN. Giant in castle near, ill-treats maiden, 267;
+    King Arthur's journey to, and fight with giant who lived in Castle
+          of, 269, 270;
+    King Arthur summons court to hunt near, 276;
+    the churlish knight of, set free from magic spells, 284
+
+  TEUTONIC NORTH. Beowulf famous throughout, 5
+
+  THERSITES. Compared with Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, 186
+
+  THING. Howard at the, 107, 108, 117, 118
+
+  THOR-BIORN. Mighty chief on shores of Icefirth, 97;
+    Vakr, nephew of, 97;
+    Olaf and sheep of, 98-100;
+    whale unjustly adjudged to, 102;
+    marries sister of Guest, 103;
+    Sigrid leaves, 103;
+    meets Olaf, 103-106;
+    Warflame, magic sword of, 104-106;
+    thrusts Olaf with Warflame, 106;
+    Howard claims wergild from, 106-111;
+    Guest's judgment against, 110, 111;
+    hailed by Biargey while out fishing, 112;
+    slain by Howard, 116
+
+  THOR-BRAND. Brother of Biargey, 113;
+    helps Howard against Thorbiorn, 115
+
+  THOR-DIS. Mother of Vakr; sends second son to assist in fight
+          against Olaf, 105
+
+  THOR-KEL. Lawman and arbitrator of Icefirth, 97;
+    his false decree concerning a whale, 102
+
+  THOR-OLD. Same as Turoldus; author of "Song of Roland," 122
+
+  THURSTON. King of Ireland; served by Horn, 301;
+    Harold and Berild, sons of, 302;
+    offers kingdom and his daughter Reynild to Horn, 302;
+    Horn discloses his identity to, 304
+
+  TIBER. Hunting expedition down, by Maxen Wledig, 43
+
+  TIR-NAN-OG. The land of never-dying youth, 163
+
+  TREE, THE HOLY. See Holy Cross
+
+  TRINITY. Truth of, demonstrated by shamrock-leaf, 157
+
+  TROJAN WAR. An ancient story, yet well known, 58
+
+  TUCK, FRIAR. Masses sung by, for Robin Hood, 318
+
+  TURPIN. Archbishop of Charlemagne, one of Twelve Peers, 125, 136;
+    blesses the knights, 139, 140;
+    mediates between Roland and Oliver, 145;
+    mortally wounded, 149;
+    his death, 150, 151
+
+
+U
+
+  UATH, THE STRANGER. Giant who tests champions, 199-203;
+    adjudges Cuchulain Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, 203
+
+  UBBE (ub-b[)e]). Danish jarl, friend of King Birkabeyn; befriends
+          Havelok and Goldborough, 87-93;
+    appointed Regent of Denmark for Havelok, 94
+
+  ULSTER. Fergus commanded to buy food at, 165;
+    Conor, King of, 185;
+    Cuchulain peer among champions of, 185;
+    Armagh, capital of, 186;
+    Red Branch heroes, royal bodyguard of, 186;
+    Bricriu stirs up strife among champions of, 187, 188
+
+  UNKNOWN GOD. Constantine's acceptance and reverence of the, 51;
+    the people awed by token of, 53
+
+  UTERYSDALE. Land of Sir Richard of the Lea in, 323;
+    Sir Richard redeems the land, 324-327;
+    Sir Richard returns to, 333
+
+
+V
+
+  VAKR. Thorbiorn's nephew, 97;
+    mocks Olaf, 100;
+    jeers at Brand the Strong, 102, 103;
+    accompanies Thorbiorn to meet Olaf, 103-106;
+    Thordis, mother of, 105;
+    his miserable end, 116
+
+  VALBRAND. Brother of Biargey, 112, 113;
+    visited by Howard, 114
+
+  VALTIERRA. Charlemagne retires to, on way to France, 134
+
+  VEILLANTIF. Roland's steed, 136;
+    slain by Saracens, 150
+
+  VICAR OF CHRIST on earth, Black Colin regards Pope as, 253
+
+  VIKINGS. Gospel preached to, 157
+
+  VIRGIN MARY. Cult of, 121;
+    Cathleen invokes, 163;
+    Cathleen's people invoke, 181
+
+
+W
+
+  WALES. Old Roman roads in, that connected Helena's three castles
+          still known as "Sarn Helen," 49;
+    legend of Havelok the Dane thought to have originated in, 73;
+    mediæval, Arthurian legend preserved by, 265
+
+  WALLACE, SIR WILLIAM. Scottish hero, 248;
+    schoolfellow and comrade of Sir Nigel Campbell, 249
+
+  WARDEN. Of the coast of Denmark, welcomes Beowulf, 6;
+    conducts Geats to Heorot, 8;
+    Wulfgar, one of Hrothgar's nobles, greets Beowulf, 9;
+    of Geatland, welcomes Beowulf's return, 29
+
+  WARFLAME. Magic sword, owned by Thorbiorn, and by which he himself
+          is slain by Howard, 115, 116
+
+  WASHERS OF THE FORD. Wrath of, and Irish people, 158
+
+  WATERFORD. Prince Sigtryg of, his troth-plight with daughter of King
+          Alef, 343;
+    Ranald, King of, 345;
+    Hereward reaches, 346;
+    Prince and Princess of, Hereward the best friend of, 351
+
+  WATLING STREET. Robin Hood sends his followers to, 316;
+    a year later sends followers once more to, 329
+
+  WEALHTHEOW (wal-thyow), QUEEN. Wife of Hrothgar; honours Beowulf,
+          14, 20
+
+  WELSH.
+    1. Legends, "Mabinogion" and "The Dream of Maxen Wledig," 42;
+       Celtic features in, 185.
+    2. Saga, hero of, Emperor Maxentius, 42
+
+  WEOHSTAN (wyo-stan). Father of Wiglaf, who supported Beowulf in his
+          fight with the fire-dragon, 36
+
+  WEST. Constantine a favourite of Roman soldiery of the, 63;
+    Roman soldiery of the, proclaim Constantine emperor, 63;
+    the fictitious wanderings of Horn in realms of, 307
+
+  WESTERN ISLES. Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried to, from Erin, 248
+
+  WESTERNESSE. Childe Horn lands on shore of, 289;
+    Ailmar, King of, questions Horn, 290;
+    Horn returns to, accompanied by Irish knights, 304;
+    recital of the fictitious plans of Horn to reach, within seven
+          years, 307
+
+  WHITBY. Hereward lands at, 339
+
+  WIG-LAF. Son of Weohstan; supports Beowulf in his fight with the
+          fire-dragon, 36-41
+
+  WILF-INGS. Hrothgar shields Ecgtheow from, 11
+
+  WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE. One of the famous outlaws of England, 226
+
+  WILLIAM TELL. William of Cloudeslee the, of England, 226;
+    Alice, wife of, 227;
+    goes to Carlisle, 227;
+    sheriff informed of his presence, 229;
+    attacked by sheriff and his men, 231;
+    capture of, 232;
+    sheriff sentences to be hanged, 232;
+    news of his sentence conveyed to the greenwood, 233;
+    Clym's stratagem to save, 234;
+    rescued from death, 237, 238;
+    visits London to see king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243;
+    shoots apple from son's head, 245, 246;
+    receives royal favours from king and queen, 246
+
+  WILLIAM WENDUT. Second son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+          87
+
+  WINCHESTER. Godrich takes Goldborough from, to Dover, 81
+
+  WLEDIG. See Maxen Wledig
+
+  WOMEN, CHAMPION OF. Hereward known as, 351
+
+  WYRD (weird). Goddess of Fate, 13, 34
+
+
+Y
+
+  YORK. Archbishop of, unites in marriage Havelok and Goldborough, 85;
+    Abbot of St. Mary's Abbey, in, 321
+
+  YORKSHIRE. Barnesdale, forest in, once dwelling-place of Robin Hood,
+          314, 315
+
+  YULETIDE. King Arthur's knights keep, 267
+
+
+Z
+
+  ZACCHÆUS. Grandfather of Judas, 57
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Minor typographic errors in punctuation have been corrected without
+note. Hyphen inconsistencies have been corrected without note where
+there was a prevalence of one formation over another.
+
+There is some variation in spelling, sometimes of proper names, often
+between the main text and quoted texts, and a number of archaic words.
+These remain as printed, unless they were an obvious typographic
+error, which were amended as follows:
+
+    Page 48--need amended to heed--"... that when their
+    horses failed they gave no heed, but took others ..."
+
+    Page 73--crystalized amended to crystallized--"These
+    stories finally crystallized in a form ..."
+
+    Page 84--Havelock amended to Havelok--"... and so, in
+    great fear, Havelok agreed to the wedding."
+
+    Page 233--vension amended to venison--"... William had
+    given the boy many a dinner of venison, ..."
+
+    Page 338--Whereever amended to Wherever--""Wherever fate
+    and my fortune lead me," ..."
+
+    Page 355--7 amended to 74--"... and Havelok, son of, 74;"
+
+    Page 358--o amended to of--"... Daughter of King Alef,
+    affianced to Prince Sigtryg ..."
+
+    Page 359--Alaf amended to Alef--"Prince Sigtryg sends
+    forty to King Alef, 348;"
+
+    Page 362--Niger amended to Nigel--"Glen belonging to
+    MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell, 249;"
+
+    Page 366--Herebald amended to Herebeald--"brought up
+    with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn ..."
+
+    Page 372--missio nto amended to mission to--"Hereward's
+    mission to, 345-347;"
+
+    Page 375--332 amended to 232--"... capture of, 232;"
+
+There were some instances of omitted text; these were all checked
+against another edition of the text, and, in the case of the omitted
+page references, cross-checked against this edition, and repaired as
+follows:
+
+    Page 347--omitted word (marriage) inserted at the end of
+    the section just prior to "Return to Cornwall"--"... he
+    would save his betrothed from some other hateful
+    marriage."
+
+    Page 368--the entry for London had no page number
+    reference; 241 inserted.
+
+    Page 370--the entry for Priam had no page number
+    reference; 95 inserted.
+
+The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page.
+Other illustrations have been moved so that they are near the text
+they refer to. Some of the illustration captions have the artist's
+name included, some do not; these are all reproduced as printed.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British
+Race, by Maud Isabel Ebbutt
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, by 
+Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
+
+Author: Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+Release Date: May 17, 2008 [EBook #25502]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-MYTHS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Ted Garvin, Sam W. and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="bbox">
+<p><b>Transcriber's Note</b></p>
+
+<p>The Glossary and Index includes a pronunciation of the Anglo-Saxon
+names in the text. These include some characters with a macron (straight
+line) above, and some with a breve (u-shaped symbol) above. Also used
+is the accute accent (&acute;). If these do not display properly, you may need
+to adjust your font settings.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<h1 style="padding-top: 3em;">HERO-MYTHS &amp; LEGENDS<br />
+OF THE BRITISH RACE</h1>
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em;"><b>BY</b></p>
+
+<h2>M. I. EBBUTT M. A.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em; font-size: small;">WITH FIFTY-ONE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY</p>
+
+<p class="center">J. H. F. BACON A.R.A.<span class="smlspace">&nbsp;</span>BYAM SHAW<br />
+W. H. MARGETSON R.I.<span class="smlspace">&nbsp;</span>GERTRUDE<br />
+DEMAIN HAMMOND AND OTHERS</p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr01.jpg" width="300" height="249"
+alt="A bearded man blows a horn" />
+</div>
+
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 5em;">GEORGE G. HARRAP &amp; COMPANY LTD.<br />
+LONDON<span class="medspace">&nbsp;</span>CALCUTTA<span class="medspace">&nbsp;</span>SYDNEY</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr02.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_frontis" id="image_frontis"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Robin Hood and the Black Monk<br />
+William Sewell<br />
+[<i>Page <a href="#Page_331">331</a></i>]</p>
+
+
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Printing details">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><i>First published August 1910</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><i>by <span class="smcap">George G. Harrap &amp; Co.</span></i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><i>39-41 Parker Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.2</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt"><i>Reprinted:</i></td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>October 1910</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>September 1911</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>December 1914</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>May 1916</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>December 1917</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>February 1920</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl"><i>June 1924</i></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 5em;"><i>Printed in Great Britain at <span class="smcap">The Ballantyne Press</span> by</i><br />
+<span class="smcap">Spottiswoode, Ballantyne &amp; Co. Ltd.</span><br />
+<i>Colchester, London &amp; Eton</i><br /></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 5em; padding-bottom: 5em;">TO<br />
+<br />
+<span style="font-size: x-large;">MISS JULIA KENNEDY</span><br />
+<br />
+IN TOKEN OF THE ADMIRATION<br />
+AND AFFECTION OF AN<br />
+OLD PUPIL<br />
+THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg&nbsp;ix]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N refashioning, for the pleasure of readers of the
+twentieth century, these versions of ancient tales
+which have given pleasure to story-lovers of all
+centuries from the eighth onward, I feel that some
+explanation of my choice is necessary. Men&rsquo;s conceptions
+of the heroic change with changing years, and vary
+with each individual mind; hence it often happens that
+one person sees in a legend only the central heroism,
+while another sees only the inartistic details of medi&aelig;val
+life which tend to disguise and warp the heroic quality.</p>
+
+<p>It may be that to some people the heroes I have
+chosen do not seem heroic, but there is no doubt that
+to the age and generation which wrote or sang of them
+they appeared real heroes, worthy of remembrance and
+celebration, and it has been my object to come as close
+as possible to the medi&aelig;val mind, with its elementary
+conceptions of honour, loyalty, devotion, and duty. I
+have therefore altered the tales as little as I could,
+and have tried to put them as fairly as possible before
+modern readers, bearing in mind the altered conditions
+of things and of intellects to-day.</p>
+
+<p>In the work of selecting and retelling these stories
+I have to acknowledge with most hearty thanks the
+help and advice of Mr. F. E. Bumby, B.A., of the
+University College, Nottingham, who has been throughout
+a most kind and candid censor or critic. His
+help has been in every way invaluable. I have also
+to acknowledge the generous permission given me by
+Mr. W. B. Yeats to write in prose the story of his
+beautiful play, &ldquo;The Countess Cathleen,&rdquo; and to adorn
+it with quotations from that play.</p>
+
+<p>The poetical quotations are attributed to the authors
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[Pg&nbsp;x]</a></span>
+from whose works they are taken wherever it is possible.
+When medi&aelig;val passages occur which are not
+thus attributed they are my own versions from the
+original medi&aelig;val poems.</p>
+
+<p class="sig">M. I. EBBUTT</p>
+
+<p class="address"><span class="smcap">Tanglewood</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">Barnt Green</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><i>July 1910</i></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[Pg&nbsp;xi]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="60%" summary="Table of contents">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl" colspan="2"><small>CHAP.</small></td>
+    <td class="tdrt"><small>PAGE</small></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Introduction</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_xvii">xvii</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">I.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Beowulf</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">II.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">The Dream of Maxen Wledig</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">III.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">The Story of Constantine and Elene</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">IV.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">The Compassion of Constantine</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">V.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Havelok the Dane</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">VI.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Howard the Halt</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_95">95</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">VII.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Roland, the Hero of Early France</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_119">119</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">VIII.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">The Countess Cathleen</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">IX.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Cuchulain, the Champion of Ireland</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_184">184</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">X.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">The Tale of Gamelyn</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">XI.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">William of Cloudeslee</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_225">225</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">XII.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Black Colin of Loch Awe</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_248">248</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">XIII.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">The Marriage of Sir Gawayne</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">XIV.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">King Horn</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">XV.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Robin Hood</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_314">314</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">XVI.</td>
+    <td class="tdlsc">Hereward the Wake</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_334">334</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdrt">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdl">GLOSSARY AND INDEX</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_353">353</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[Pg&nbsp;xiii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="60%" summary="Table of contents">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><small>PAGE</small></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Robin Hood and the Black Monk (<i>William Sewell</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><i><a href="#image_frontis">Frontispiece</a></i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><i>To face page</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily grasped them&rdquo; (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_4">4</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_12">12</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Beowulf finds the head of Aschere (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_22">22</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_26">26</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The death of Beowulf (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_40">40</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The dream of the Emperor (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_46">46</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Queen&rsquo;s dilemma (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_60">60</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_70">70</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Havelok sat up surprised&rdquo; (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_78">78</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Havelok again overthrew the porters&rdquo; (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_82">82</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;With great joy they fell on their knees&rdquo; (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_88">88</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Olaf and Sigrid (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_98">98</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_106">106</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak&rdquo; (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_110">110</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone&rdquo; (<i>J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_116">116</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Charlemagne (<i>Stella Langdale</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_120">120</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Here sits Charles the King&rdquo; (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_124">124</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Ganelon rode away&rdquo; (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_130">130</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Charlemagne heard it again&rdquo; (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_144">144</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Aude the Fair (<i>Evelyn Paul</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_154">154</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Day by day Cathleen went among them&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_162">162</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[Pg&nbsp;xiv]</a></span>
+The peasant&rsquo;s story (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_172">172</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_176">176</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Cathleen signed the bond&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_180">180</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;All three drove furiously towards Cruachan&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_190">190</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Three monstrous cats were let into the room&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_192">192</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible jaws&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_196">196</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;The body of Uath arose&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_200">200</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Go and do your own baking!&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_206">206</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Lords, for Christ&rsquo;s sake help poor Gamelyn out of prison!&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_214">214</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Then cheer thee, Adam&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_218">218</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Come from the seat of justice!&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_222">222</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;William continued his wonderful archery&rdquo; (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_232">232</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Adam Bell writes the letter (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_234">234</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The fight at the gate (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_238">238</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">William of Cloudeslee and his son (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_244">244</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Wait for me seven years, dear wife&rdquo; (<i>Byam Shaw</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_252">252</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;The King blew a loud note on his bugle&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_268">268</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Now you have released me from the spell completely&rdquo; (<i>W. H. Margetson, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_282">282</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_288">288</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Horn kills the Saracen Leader (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_298">298</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_312">312</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Little John caught the horse by the bridle&rdquo; (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_316">316</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;I have no money worth offering&rdquo; (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_320">320</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation&rdquo; (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_324">324</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[Pg&nbsp;xv]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Much shot the monk to the heart&rdquo; (<i>Patten Wilson</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_330">330</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&ldquo;Her pleading won relief for them&rdquo; (<i>Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_334">334</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Alftruda (<i>Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_340">340</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Hereward and the Princess (<i>Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_344">344</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Hereward and Sigtryg (<i>Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I.</i>)</td>
+    <td class="tdrb"><a href="#image_page_348">348</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xvii" id="Page_xvii">[Pg&nbsp;xvii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>INTRODUCTION</h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE writer who would tell again for people of the
+twentieth century the legends and stories that
+delighted the folk of the thirteenth and fourteenth
+centuries finds himself confronted with a vast
+mass of material ready to his hand. Unless he exercises
+a wise discrimination and has some system of
+selection, he becomes lost in the mazes of as enchanted
+a land,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Where Truth and Dream walk hand in hand,&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>as ever bewildered knights of old in days of romance.
+Down all the dimly lighted pathways of medi&aelig;val literature
+mystical figures beckon him in every direction;
+fairies, goblins, witches, knights and ladies and giants
+entice him, and unless, like Theseus of old, he follows
+closely his guiding clue, he will find that he reaches
+no goal, attains to no clear vision, achieves no quest.
+He will remain spell-bound, captivated by the Middle
+Ages&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The life, the delight, and the sorrow<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of troublous and chivalrous years<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That knew not of night nor of morrow,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of hopes or of fears.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The wars and the woes and the glories<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That quicken, and lighten, and rain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From the clouds of its chronicled stories<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The passion, the pride, and the pain.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Such a golden clue to guide the modern seeker through
+the labyrinths of the medi&aelig;val mind is that which I have
+tried to suggest in the title &ldquo;<em>Hero</em>-Myths and Legends
+of the British Race&rdquo;&mdash;the pursuit and representation
+of the ideal hero as the mind of Britain and of early
+and medi&aelig;val England imagined him, together with
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xviii" id="Page_xviii">[Pg&nbsp;xviii]</a></span>
+the study of the characteristics which made this or that
+particular person, mythical or legendary, a hero to the
+century which sang or wrote about him. The interest
+goes deeper when we study, not merely</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Old heroes who could grandly do<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As they could greatly dare,&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>but</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Heroes of our island breed<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And men and women of our British birth.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hero-worship endures for ever while man endures,&rdquo;
+wrote Thomas Carlyle, and this fidelity of men to their
+admiration for great heroes is one of the surest tokens
+by which we can judge of their own character. Such
+as the hero is, such will his worshippers be; and the
+men who idolised Robin Hood will be found to have
+been men who were themselves in revolt against
+oppressive law, or who, finding law powerless to prevent
+tyranny, glorified the lawless punishment of wrongs
+and the bold denunciation of perverted justice. The
+warriors who listened to the saga of Beowulf looked on
+physical prowess as the best of all heroic qualities, and
+the Normans who admired Roland saw in him the ideal
+of feudal loyalty. To every age, and to every nation,
+there is a peculiar ideal of heroism, and in the popular
+legends of each age this ideal may be found.</p>
+
+<p>Again, these legends give not only the hero as he
+seemed to his age; they also show the social life, the
+virtues and vices, the superstitions and beliefs, of earlier
+ages embedded in the tradition, as fossils are found in
+the uplifted strata of some ancient ocean-bed. They
+have ceased to live; but they remain, tokens of a life
+long past. So in the hero-legends of our nation we
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xix" id="Page_xix">[Pg&nbsp;xix]</a></span>
+may find traces of the thoughts and religions of our
+ancestors many centuries ago; traces which lie close
+to one another in these romances, telling of the nations
+who came to these Islands of the West, settled, were
+conquered and driven away to make room for other
+races whose supremacy has been as brief, till all these
+superimposed races have blended into one, to form the
+British nation, the most widespread race of modern
+times. For</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Britain&rsquo;s might and Britain&rsquo;s right<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the brunt of British spears&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>are not the boast of the English race alone. No man in
+England now can boast of unmixed descent, but must
+perforce trace his family back through many a marriage
+of Frank, and Norman, and Saxon, and Dane, and
+Roman, and Celt, and even Iberian, back to prehistoric
+man&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Scot and Celt and Norman and Dane,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With the Northman&rsquo;s sinew and heart and brain,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the Northman&rsquo;s courage for blessing or bane,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Are England&rsquo;s heroes too.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>When Tennyson sang his greeting at the coming of
+Alexandra,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Saxon or Dane or Norman we,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Teuton or Celt or whatever we be,&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>he was only recognising a truth which no boast of pure
+birth can cover&mdash;the truth that the modern Englishman
+is a compound of many races, with many characteristics;
+and if we would understand him, we must seek
+the clue to the riddle in early England and Scotland
+and Ireland and Wales, while even France adds her
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xx" id="Page_xx">[Pg&nbsp;xx]</a></span>
+share of enlightenment towards the solution of the
+riddle.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The Saxon force, the Celtic fire,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">These are thy manhood&rsquo;s heritage.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Britain, as far as we can trace men in our island,
+was first inhabited by cave-men, who have left no
+history at all. In the course of ages they passed away
+before the Iberians or Ivernians, who came from the
+east, and bore a striking resemblance to the Basques.
+It may be that some Mongolian tribe, wandering west,
+drawn by the instinct which has driven most race-migrations
+westward, sent offshoots north and south&mdash;one
+to brave the dangers of the sea and inhabit Britain
+and Ireland, one to cross the Pyrenees and remain
+sheltered in their deep ravines; or it may be that
+Basques from the Pyrenees, daring the storms of the
+Bay of Biscay in their frail coracles, ventured to the
+shores of Britain. Short and dark were these sturdy
+voyagers, harsh-featured and long-headed, worshipping
+the powers of Nature with mysterious and cruel rites of
+human sacrifice, holding beliefs in totems and ancestor-worship
+and in the superiority of high descent claimed
+through the mother to that claimed through the father.
+When the stronger and more civilised Celt came he drove
+before him these little dark men, he enslaved their survivors
+or wedded their women, and in his turn fell into
+slavery to the cruel Druidic religion of his subjects. To
+these Iberians, and to the Celtic dread of them, we
+probably owe all the stories of dwarfs, goblins, elves,
+and earth-gnomes which fill our fairy-tale books; and
+if we examine carefully the descriptions of the abodes
+of these beings we shall find them not inconsistent with
+the earth-dwellings, caves, circle huts, or even with the
+burial mounds, of the Iberian race.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxi" id="Page_xxi">[Pg&nbsp;xxi]</a></span>
+The race that followed the Iberians, and drove them
+out or subdued them, so that they served as slaves where
+they had once ruled as lords, was the proud Aryan Celtic
+race. Of different tribes, Gaels, Brythons, and Belg&aelig;,
+they were all one in spirit, and one in physical feature.</p>
+
+<p>Tall, blue-eyed, with fair or red hair, they overpowered
+in every way the diminutive Iberians, and their tattooing,
+while it gave them a name which has often been mistaken
+for a national designation (Picts, or painted men), made
+them dreadful to their enemies in battle, and ferocious-looking
+even in time of peace. Their civilisation was
+of a much higher type than that of the Iberians; their
+weapons, their war-chariots, their mode of life and their
+treatment of women, are all so closely similar to that of
+the Greeks of Homer that a theory has been advanced
+and ably defended, that the Homeric Greeks were really
+invading Celts&mdash;Gaelic or Gaulish tribes from the north
+of Europe. If it indeed be so, we owe to the Celts a
+debt of imperishable culture and civilisation. To them
+belongs more especially, in our national amalgam, the
+passion for the past, the ardent patriotism, the longing
+for spiritual beauty, which raises and relieves the Saxon
+materialism.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Though fallen the state of Erin and changed the Scottish land,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though small the power of Mona, though unwaked Llewellyn&rsquo;s band,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though Ambrose Merlin&rsquo;s prophecies are held as idle tales,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though Iona&rsquo;s ruined cloisters are swept by northern gales,<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">One in name and in fame<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Are the sea-divided Gaels.<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;In Northern Spain and Italy our brethren also dwell,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And brave are the traditions of their fathers that they tell;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The Eagle or the Crescent in the dawn of history pales<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Before the advancing banners of the great Rome-conquering Gaels:<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">One in name and in fame<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Are the sea-divided Gaels.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxii" id="Page_xxii">[Pg&nbsp;xxii]</a></span>
+It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of
+the Celtic contribution to our national literature and
+character: the race that gave us Ossian, and Finn, and
+Cuchulain, that sang of the sorrowful love and doom of
+Deirdre, that told of the pursuit of Diarmit and Grania,
+till every dolmen and cromlech in Ireland was associated
+with these lovers; the race that preserved for us</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;That grey king whose name, a ghost,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Streams like a cloud, man-shaped, from mountain-peak<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And cleaves to cairn and cromlech still,&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>the King Arthur whose Arthur&rsquo;s Seat overhangs Edinburgh,
+whose presence haunts the Lakes, and Wales,
+and Cornwall, and the forests of Brittany; the race that
+held up for us the image of the Holy Grail&mdash;that race
+can claim no small share in the moulding of the modern
+Briton.</p>
+
+<p>The Celt, however, had his day of supremacy and
+passed: the Roman crushed his power of initiative
+and made him helpless and dependent, and the Teuton,
+whether as Saxon, Angle, Frisian, or Jute, dwelt in his
+homes and ruled as slaves the former owners of the
+land. These new-comers were not physically unlike
+the Celts whom they dispossessed. Tall and fair, grey-eyed
+and sinewy, the Teuton was a hardier, more sturdy
+warrior than the Celt: he had not spent centuries of
+quiet settlement and imitative civilisation under the
+&aelig;gis of Imperial Rome: he had not learnt to love
+the arts of peace and he cultivated none but those of
+war; he was by choice a warrior and a sailor, a wanderer
+to other lands, a plougher of the desolate places
+of the &ldquo;vasty deep,&rdquo; yet withal a lover of home, who
+trod at times, with bitter longing for his native land, the
+thorny paths of exile. To him physical cowardice was
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxiii" id="Page_xxiii">[Pg&nbsp;xxiii]</a></span>
+the unforgivable sin, next to treachery to his lord; for
+the loyalty of thane to his chieftain was a very deep
+and abiding reality to the Anglo-Saxon warrior, and
+in the early poems of our English race, love for &ldquo;his
+dear lord, his chieftain-friend,&rdquo; takes the place of that
+love of woman which other races felt and expressed. A
+quiet death bed was the worst end to a man&rsquo;s life, in the
+Anglo-Saxon&rsquo;s creed; it was &ldquo;a cow&rsquo;s death,&rdquo; to be
+shunned by every means in a man&rsquo;s power; while a
+death in fight, victor or vanquished, was a worthy finish
+to a warrior&rsquo;s life. There was no fear of death itself
+in the English hero&rsquo;s mind, nor of Fate; the former
+was the inevitable,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Seeing that Death, a necessary end,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Will come when it will come,&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>and the latter a goddess whose decrees must needs
+be obeyed with proud submission, but not with meek
+acceptance. Perhaps there was little of spiritual insight
+in the minds of these Angles and Saxons, little love of
+beauty, little care for the amenities of life; but they had
+a sturdy loyalty, an uprightness, a brave disregard of
+death in the cause of duty, which we can still recognise
+in modern Englishmen. To the Saxon belong the tales
+where</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i6">&ldquo;The warrior kings,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In height and prowess more than human, strive<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Again for glory, while the golden lyre<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is ever sounding in heroic ears<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heroic hymns.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>When the English (Anglo-Saxons, as we generally call
+them) had settled down in England, had united their
+warring tribes, and developed a somewhat centralised
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxiv" id="Page_xxiv">[Pg&nbsp;xxiv]</a></span>
+government, their whole national existence was imperilled
+by the incursions of the Danes. Kindred folk
+to the Anglo-Saxons were these Danes, these Vikings
+from Christiania Wik, these Northmen from Norway
+or Iceland, whose fame went before them, and the dread
+of whom inspired the petition in the old Litany of the
+Church, &ldquo;From the fury of the Northmen, good
+Lord, deliver us!&rdquo; Their fair hair and blue or grey
+eyes, their tall and muscular frames, bore testimony to
+their kinship with the races they harried and plundered,
+but their spirit was different from that of the conquered
+Teutonic tribes. The Viking <em>loved</em> the sea; it was his
+summer home, his field of war and profit. To go &ldquo;a-summer-harrying&rdquo;
+was the usual employment of the
+true Viking, and in the winter only could he enjoy
+domestic life and the pleasures of the family circle.
+The rapturous fight with the elements, in which the
+Northman lived and moved and had his being, gave him
+a strain of ruthless cruelty unlike anything in the more
+peaceful Anglo-Saxon character: his disregard of death
+for himself led to a certain callousness with regard to
+human life, and to a certain enjoyment in inflicting
+physical anguish. There was an element of Red Indian
+ruthlessness in the Viking, which looms large in the
+story of the years of Norse ascendancy over Western
+Europe. Yet there was also a power of bold and
+daring action, of reckless valour, of rapid conception
+and execution, which contrasted strongly with the
+slower and more placid temperament of the Anglo-Saxon,
+and to this Danish strain modern Englishmen
+probably owe the power of initiative, the love of adventure,
+and the daring action which have made England
+the greatest colonising nation on the earth. The
+Danish, Norse, or Viking element spread far and wide
+in medi&aelig;val Europe&mdash;Iceland, Normandy (Northman&rsquo;s
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxv" id="Page_xxv">[Pg&nbsp;xxv]</a></span>
+Land), the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, the east of
+Ireland, the Danelagh of East Anglia, and the Cumberland
+dales all show traces of the conquering Danish
+race; and raider after raider came to England and
+stayed, until half of our island was Danish, and even
+our royal family became for a time one with the royal
+line of Denmark. The acceptance of Christianity by
+the Danes in England when Guthrum was baptized
+rendered much more easy their amalgamation with the
+English; but it was not so in Ireland, where the Round
+Towers still stand to show (as some authorities hold)
+how the terrified native Irish sheltered from the Danish
+fury which nearly destroyed the whole fabric of Irish
+Christianity. The legends of Ireland, too, are full of
+the terror of the men of &ldquo;Lochlann,&rdquo; which is generally
+taken to mean Norway; and the great coast cities
+of Ireland&mdash;Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, and
+others&mdash;were so entirely Danish that only the decisive
+battle of Clontarf, in which the saintly and victorious
+Brian Boru was slain, saved Ireland to Christendom
+and curbed the power of the heathen invaders.</p>
+
+<p>A second wave of Norse invasion swept over England
+at the Norman Conquest, and for a time submerged
+the native English population. The chivalrous Norman
+knights who followed William of Normandy&rsquo;s sacred
+banner, whether from religious zeal or desire of plunder,
+were as truly Vikings by race as were the Danes who
+settled in the Danelagh. The days when Rolf (Rollo,
+or Rou), the Viking chief, won Normandy were not yet
+so long gone by that the fierce piratical instincts of his
+followers had ceased to influence their descendants:
+piety and learning, feudal law and custom, had made
+some impression upon the character of the Norman, but
+at heart he was still a Northman. The Norman barons
+fought for their independence against Duke William
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxvi" id="Page_xxvi">[Pg&nbsp;xxvi]</a></span>
+with all the determination of those Norse chiefs who
+would not acknowledge the overlordship of Harold
+Fairhair, but fled to colonise Iceland when he made
+himself King of Norway. The seafaring instincts which
+drove the Vikings to harry other lands in like manner
+drove the Normans to piratical plundering up and down
+the English Channel, and, when they had settled in
+England, led to continual sea-fights in the Channel
+between English and French, hardy Kentish and Norman,
+or Cornish and Breton, sailors, with a common
+strain of fighting blood, and a common love of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>The Norman Conquest of England was but one
+instance of Norman activity: Sicily, Italy, Constantinople,
+even Antioch, and the Holy Land itself, showed in
+time Norman states, Norman laws, Norman civilisation,
+and all alike felt the impulse of Norman energy and inspiration.
+England lay ready to hand for Norman invasion&mdash;the
+hope of peaceable succession to the saintly
+Edward the Confessor had to be abandoned by William;
+the gradual permeation of sluggish England with Norman
+earls, churchmen, courtiers, had been comprehended
+and checked by Earl Godwin and his sons (themselves
+of Danish race); but there still remained the way of
+open war and an appeal to religious zeal; and this way
+William took. There was genius as well as statesmanship
+in the idea of combining a personal claim to the
+throne held by Harold the usurper with a crusading
+summons against the schismatic and heretical English,
+who refused obedience to the true successor of St. Peter.
+The success of the idea was its justification: the success
+of the expedition proved the need that England had
+of some new leaven to energise the sluggish temperament
+of her sons. The Norman Conquest not only
+revived and quickened, but unified and solidified the
+English nation. The tyranny of the Norman nobles,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxvii" id="Page_xxvii">[Pg&nbsp;xxvii]</a></span>
+held in check at first only by the tyranny of the
+Norman king, was the factor in medi&aelig;val English life
+that made for a national consciousness; it also helped
+the appreciation of the heroism of revolt against tyranny
+which is seen in Hereward the Wake, in Robin Hood,
+in William of Cloudeslee, and in many other English
+hero-rebels; but it gradually led men to a realization of
+their own rights as Englishmen. When all men alike
+felt themselves sons of England, the days were past
+when Norman and Saxon were aliens to each other,
+and Norman robber soon became as truly English as
+Danish viking, Anglo-Saxon seafarer, or Celtic settler.
+Then the full value of the Norman infusion was seen in
+quicker intellectual apprehension, nimbler wit, a keener
+sense of reverence, a more spiritual piety, a more refined
+courtesy, and a more enlightened perception of the value
+of law. The materialism of the original Saxon race was
+successively modified by many influences, and not least
+of these was the Norman Conquest.</p>
+
+<p>From the Norman Conquest onward England has
+welcomed men of many nations&mdash;French, Flemings,
+Germans, Dutch: men brought by war, by trade, by
+love of adventure, by religion; traders, refugees, exiles,
+all have found in her a hospitable shelter and a second
+home, and all have come to love the &ldquo;grey old
+mother&rdquo; that counted them among her sons and grew
+to think them her own in very truth.</p>
+
+<p>Geographically, also, we must recognise the admixture
+of races in our islands. The farthest western borders
+show most strongly the type of man whom we can
+imagine the Iberian to have been: Western Ireland, the
+Hebrides, Central and South Wales, and Cornwall are
+still inhabited by folk of Iberian descent. The blue-eyed
+Celt yet dwells in the Highlands and the greater
+part of Wales and the Marches&mdash;Hereford and Shropshire,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxviii" id="Page_xxviii">[Pg&nbsp;xxviii]</a></span>
+and as far as Worcestershire and Cheshire; still
+the Dales of Cumberland, the Fen Country, East Anglia,
+and the Isle of Man show traces of Danish blood, speech,
+manners, and customs; still the slow, stolid Saxon inhabits
+the lands south of the Thames from Sussex to
+Hampshire and Dorset. The Angle has settled permanently
+over the Lowlands of Scotland, with the Celt
+along the western fringe, and Flemish blood shows its
+traces in Pembroke on the one side (&ldquo;Little England
+beyond Wales&rdquo;) and in Norfolk on the other.</p>
+
+<p>With all these nations, all these natures, amalgamated
+in our own, it is no wonder that the literature of our
+isles contains many different ideals of heroism, changing
+according to nationality and epoch. Thus the physical
+valour of Beowulf is not the same quality as the valour
+of Havelok the Dane, though both are heroes of the
+strong arm; and the chivalry of Diarmit is not the same
+as the chivalry of Roland. Again, religion has its share
+in changing the ideals of a nation, and Constantine,
+the warrior of the Early English poem of &ldquo;Elene,&rdquo; is
+far from being the same in character as the tender-hearted
+Constantine of &ldquo;moral Gower&rsquo;s&rdquo; apocryphal
+tale. The law-abiding nature of the earliest heroes,
+whose obedience to their king and their priest was
+absolute, differs almost entirely from the lawlessness of
+Gamelyn and Robin Hood, both of whom set church
+and king at defiance, and even account it a merit to
+revolt from the rule of both. It follows from this that
+we shall find our chosen heroes of very different types
+and characters; but we shall recognise that each represented
+to his own age an ideal of heroism, which that
+age loved sufficiently to put into literature, and perpetuate
+by the best means in its power. Of many
+another hero besides Arthur&mdash;of Barbarossa, of Hiawatha,
+even of Napoleon&mdash;has the tradition grown that
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxix" id="Page_xxix">[Pg&nbsp;xxix]</a></span>
+he is not dead, but has passed away into the deathless
+land, whence he shall come again in his own time. As
+Tennyson has sung,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i4">&ldquo;Great bards of him will sing<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hereafter; and dark sayings from of old<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ranging and ringing through the minds of men,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And echoed by old folk beside their fires<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For comfort after their wage-work is done,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Speak of the King.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xxx" id="Page_xxx"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Lightfoot.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Swinburne.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Gerald Massey.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> J. R. Denning.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> W. W. Campbell.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> <i>Ibid.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> C. Roberts.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> T. Darcy McGee.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> Tennyson.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Shakespeare, <i>Julius C&aelig;sar</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Tennyson.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg&nbsp;1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I: BEOWULF</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE figure which meets us as we enter on the
+study of Heroes of the British Race is one
+which appeals to us in a very special way, since
+he is the one hero in whose legend we may see the ideals
+of our English forefathers before they left their Continental
+home to settle in this island. Opinions may
+differ as to the date at which the poem of &ldquo;Beowulf&rdquo;
+was written, the place in which it was localised, and the
+religion of the poet who combined the floating legends
+into one epic whole, but all must accept the poem as
+embodying the life and feelings of our Forefathers who
+dwelt in North Germany on the shores of the North
+Sea and of the Baltic. The life depicted, the characters
+portrayed, the events described, are such as a simple
+warrior race would cherish in tradition and legend as
+relics of the life lived by their ancestors in what doubtless
+seemed to them the Golden Age. Perhaps stories
+of a divine Beowa, hero and ancestor of the English,
+became merged in other myths of sun-hero and marsh-demon,
+but in any case the stories are now crystallized
+around one central human figure, who may even be
+considered an historical hero, Beowulf, the thane of
+Hygelac, King of the Geats. It is this grand primitive
+hero who embodies the ideal of English heroism. Bold
+to rashness for himself, prudent for his comrades,
+daring, resourceful, knowing no fear, loyal to his king
+and his kinsmen, generous in war and in peace, self-sacrificing,
+Beowulf stands for all that is best in manhood
+in an age of strife. It is fitting that our first
+British hero should be physically and mentally strong,
+brave to seek danger and brave to look on death and
+Fate undaunted, one whose life is a struggle against evil
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg&nbsp;2]</a></span>
+forces, and whose death comes in a glorious victory
+over the powers of evil, a victory gained for the sake of
+others to whom Beowulf feels that he owes protection
+and devotion.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Story. The Coming and Passing of Scyld</h3>
+
+<p>Once, long ago, the Danish land owned the sway of
+a mighty monarch, Scyld Scefing, the founder of a great
+dynasty, the Scyldings. This great king Scyld had
+come to Denmark in a mysterious manner, since no
+man knew whence he sprang. As a babe he drifted
+to the Danish shore in a vessel loaded with treasures;
+but no man was with him, and there was no token to
+show his kindred and race. When Scyld grew up
+he increased the power of Denmark and enlarged her
+borders; his fame spread far and wide among men, and
+his glory shone undimmed until the day when, full of
+years and honours, he died, leaving the throne securely
+established in his family. Then the sorrowing Danes
+restored him to the mysterious ocean from which he
+had come to them. Choosing their goodliest ship, they
+laid within it the corpse of their departed king, and
+heaped around him all their best and choicest treasures,
+until the venerable countenance of Scyld looked to
+heaven from a bed of gold and jewels; then they set
+up, high above his head, his glorious gold-wrought
+banner, and left him alone in state. The vessel was
+loosed from the shore where the mourning Danes
+bewailed their departing king, and drifted slowly away
+to the unknown west from which Scyld had sailed to
+his now sorrowing people; they watched until it was
+lost in the shadows of night and distance, but no man
+under heaven knoweth what shore now holds the
+vanished Scyld. The descendants of Scyld ruled and
+prospered till the days of his great-grandson Hrothgar,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg&nbsp;3]</a></span>
+one of a family of four, who can all be identified
+historically with various Danish kings and princes.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hrothgar&rsquo;s Hall</h3>
+
+<p>Hrothgar was a mighty warrior and conqueror, who
+won glory in battle, and whose fame spread wide
+among men, so that nobly born warriors, his kinsmen,
+were glad to serve as his bodyguard and to fight for
+him loyally in strife. So great was Hrothgar&rsquo;s power
+that he longed for some outward sign of the magnificence
+of his sway; he determined to build a great hall,
+in which he could hold feasts and banquets, and could
+entertain his warriors and thanes, and visitors from afar.
+The hall rose speedily, vast, gloriously adorned, a great
+meeting-place for men; for Hrothgar had summoned
+all his people to the work, and the walls towered up
+high and majestic, ending in pinnacles and gables
+resembling the antlers of a stag. At the great feast
+which Hrothgar gave first in his new home the minstrels
+chanted the glory of the hall, &ldquo;Heorot,&rdquo; &ldquo;The
+Hart,&rdquo; as the king named it; Hrothgar&rsquo;s desire was well
+fulfilled, that he should build the most magnificent of
+banquet-halls. Proud were the mighty warriors who
+feasted within it, and proud the heart of the king, who
+from his high seat on the da&iuml;s saw his brave thanes
+carousing at the long tables below him, and the lofty
+rafters of the hall rising black into the darkness.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Grendel</h3>
+
+<p>Day by day the feasting continued, until its noise
+and the festal joy of its revellers aroused a mighty
+enemy, Grendel, the loathsome fen-monster. This
+monstrous being, half-man, half-fiend, dwelt in the
+fens near the hill on which Heorot stood. Terrible was
+he, dangerous to men, of extraordinary strength, human
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg&nbsp;4]</a></span>
+in shape but gigantic of stature, covered with a green
+horny skin, on which the sword would not bite. His
+race, all sea-monsters, giants, goblins, and evil demons,
+were offspring of Cain, outcasts from the mercy of the
+Most High, hostile to the human race; and Grendel
+was one of mankind&rsquo;s most bitter enemies; hence his
+hatred of the joyous shouts from Heorot, and his determination
+to stop the feasting.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;This the dire mighty fiend,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>he who in darkness dwelt,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Suffered with hatred fierce,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that every day and night<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He heard the festal shouts<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>loud in the lofty hall;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sound of harp echoed there,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and gleeman&rsquo;s sweet song.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thus they lived joyously,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>fearing no angry foe<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Until the hellish fiend<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>wrought them great woe.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Grendel that ghost was called,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>grisly and terrible,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who, hateful wanderer,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>dwelt in the moorlands,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The fens and wild fastnesses;<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the wretch for a while abode<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In homes of the giant-race,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>since God had cast him out.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When night on the earth fell,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Grendel departed<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To visit the lofty hall,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>now that the warlike Danes<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">After the gladsome feast<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>nightly slept in it.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A fair troop of warrior-thanes<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>guarding it found he;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heedlessly sleeping,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>they recked not of sorrow.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The demon of evil,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the grim wight unholy,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With his fierce ravening,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>greedily grasped them,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Seized in their slumbering<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>thirty right manly thanes;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thence he withdrew again,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>proud of his lifeless prey,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Home to his hiding-place,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>bearing his booty,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In peace to devour it.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr03.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_4" id="image_page_4"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+grasped them&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>When dawn broke, and the Danes from their dwellings
+around the hall entered Heorot, great was the
+lamentation, and dire the dismay, for thirty noble
+champions had vanished, and the blood-stained tracks
+of the monster showed but too well the fate that had
+overtaken them. Hrothgar&rsquo;s grief was profound, for
+he had lost thirty of his dearly loved bodyguard, and
+he himself was too old to wage a conflict against the
+foe&mdash;a foe who repeated night by night his awful deeds,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg&nbsp;5]</a></span>
+in spite of all that valour could do to save the Danes
+from his terrible enmity. At last no champion would
+face the monster, and the Danes, in despair, deserted
+the glorious hall of which they had been so proud.
+Useless stood the best of dwellings, for none dared
+remain in it, but every evening the Danes left it after
+their feast, and slept elsewhere. This affliction endured
+for twelve years, and all that time the beautiful hall of
+Heorot stood empty when darkness was upon it. By
+night the dire fiend visited it in search of prey, and
+in the morning his footsteps showed that his deadly
+enmity was not yet appeased, but that any effort to use
+the hall at night would bring down his fatal wrath on
+the careless sleepers.</p>
+
+<p>Far and wide spread the tidings of this terrible
+oppression, and many champions came from afar to
+offer King Hrothgar their aid, but none was heroic
+enough to conquer the monster, and many a mighty
+warrior lost his life in a vain struggle against Grendel.
+At length even these bold adventurers ceased to come;
+Grendel remained master of Heorot, and the Danes
+settled down in misery under the bondage of a perpetual
+nightly terror, while Hrothgar grew old in helpless
+longing for strength to rescue his people from
+their foe.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Beowulf</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile there had come to manhood and full
+strength a hero destined to make his name famous for
+mighty deeds of valour throughout the whole of the
+Teutonic North. In the realm of the Geats (G&ouml;taland,
+in the south of Sweden) ruled King Hygelac, a mighty
+ruler who was ambitious enough to aim at conquering
+his neighbours on the mainland of Germany. His
+only sister, daughter of the dead king Hrethel, had
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg&nbsp;6]</a></span>
+married a great noble, Ecgtheow, and they had one son,
+Beowulf, who from the age of seven was brought up
+at the Geatish court. The boy was a lad of great
+stature and handsome appearance, with fair locks and
+gallant bearing; but he greatly disappointed his grandfather,
+King Hrethel, by his sluggish character. Beowulf
+as a youth had been despised by all for his sloth and
+his unwarlike disposition; his good-nature and his
+rarely stirred wrath made others look upon him with
+scorn, and the mighty stature to which he grew brought
+him nothing but scoffs and sneers and insults in the
+banquet-hall when the royal feasts were held. Yet
+wise men might have seen the promise of great strength
+in his powerful sinews and his mighty hands, and the
+signs of great force of character in the glance of his
+clear blue eyes and the fierceness of his anger when he
+was once aroused. At least once already Beowulf had
+distinguished himself in a great feat&mdash;a swimming-match
+with a famous champion, Breca, who had been
+beaten in the contest. For this and other victories, and
+for the bodily strength which gave Beowulf&rsquo;s hand-grip
+the force of thirty men, the hero was already
+famed when the news of Grendel&rsquo;s ravages reached
+Geatland. Beowulf, eager to try his strength against
+the monster, and burning to add to his fame, asked
+and obtained permission from his uncle, King Hygelac,
+to seek the stricken Danish king and offer his help
+against Grendel; then, choosing fourteen loyal comrades
+and kinsfolk, he took a cheerful farewell of the
+Geatish royal family and sailed for Denmark.</p>
+
+<p>Thus it happened that one day the Warden of the
+Coast, riding on his round along the Danish shores,
+saw from the white cliffs a strange war-vessel running
+in to shore. Her banners were unknown to him, her
+crew were strangers and all in war-array, and as the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg&nbsp;7]</a></span>
+Warden watched them they ran the ship into a small
+creek among the mountainous cliffs, made her fast to a
+rock with stout cables, and then landed and put themselves
+in readiness for a march. Though there were
+fifteen of the strangers and the Warden was alone, he
+showed no hesitation, but, riding boldly down into
+their midst, loudly demanded:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;What are ye warlike men<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>wielding bright weapons,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wearing grey corslets<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and boar-adorned helmets,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who o&rsquo;er the water-paths<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>come with your foaming keel<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ploughing the ocean surge?<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>I was appointed<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Warden of Denmark&rsquo;s shores;<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>watch hold I by the wave<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That on this Danish coast<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>no deadly enemy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Leading troops over sea<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>should land to injure.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">None have here landed yet<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>more frankly coming<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Than this fair company:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and yet ye answer not<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The password of warriors,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and customs of kinsmen.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ne&rsquo;er have mine eyes beheld<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>a mightier warrior,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">An earl more lordly, than<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>is he, the chief of you;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He is no common man;<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>if looks belie him not,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He is a hero bold,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>worthily weaponed.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Anon must I know of you<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>kindred and country,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lest ye as spies should go<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>free on our Danish soil.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now ye men from afar,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sailing the surging sea,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Have heard my earnest thought:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>best is a quick reply,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I may swiftly know<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>whence ye have hither come.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>So the aged Warden sat on his horse, gazing attentively
+on the faces of the fifteen strangers, but watching
+most carefully the countenance of the leader; for the
+mighty stature, the clear glance of command, the goodly
+armour, and the lordly air of Beowulf left no doubt as
+to who was the chieftain of that little band. When the
+questions had been asked the leader of the new-comers
+moved forward till his mighty figure stood beside the
+Warden&rsquo;s horse, and as he gazed up into the old man&rsquo;s
+eyes he answered: &ldquo;We are warriors of the Geats,
+members of King Hygelac&rsquo;s bodyguard. My father, well
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg&nbsp;8]</a></span>
+known among men of wisdom, was named Ecgtheow,
+a wise counsellor who died full of years and famous for
+his wisdom, leaving a memory dear to all good men.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;We come to seek thy king<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Healfdene&rsquo;s glorious son,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy nation&rsquo;s noble lord,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>with friendly mind.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Be thou a guardian good<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to us strangers here!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We have an errand grave<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to the great Danish king,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Nor will I hidden hold<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>what I intend!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou canst tell if it is<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>truth (as we lately heard)<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That some dire enemy,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>deadly in evil deed,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Cometh in dark of night,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sateth his secret hate,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Worketh through fearsome awe,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>slaughter and shame.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I can give Hrothgar bold<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>counsel to conquer him,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How he with valiant mind<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Grendel may vanquish,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If he would ever lose<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>torment of burning care,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If bliss shall bloom again<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and woe shall vanish.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>The aged Warden replied: &ldquo;Every bold warrior of
+noble mind must recognise the distinction between
+words and deeds. I judge by thy speech that you
+are all friends to our Danish king; therefore I bid you
+go forward, in warlike array, and I myself will guide
+you to King Hrothgar; I will also bid my men draw
+your vessel up the beach, and make her fast with a
+barricade of oars against any high tide. Safe she shall
+be until again she bears you to your own land. May
+your expedition prove successful.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thus speaking, he turned his horse&rsquo;s head and led
+the way up the steep cliff paths, while the Geats followed
+him, resplendent in shining armour, with boar-crests
+on their helmets, shields and spears in their
+hands, and mighty swords hanging in their belts: a
+goodly band were they, as they strode boldly after the
+Warden. Anon there appeared a roughly trodden path,
+which soon became a stone-paved road, and the way
+led on to where the great hall, Heorot, towered aloft,
+gleaming white in the sun; very glorious it seemed,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg&nbsp;9]</a></span>
+with its pinnacled gables and its carved beams and
+rafters, and the Geats gazed at it with admiration
+as the Warden of the Coast said: &ldquo;Yonder stands our
+monarch&rsquo;s hall, and your way lies clear before you.
+May the All-Father keep you safe in the conflict!
+Now it is time for me to return; I go to guard our
+shores from every foe.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hrothgar and Beowulf</h3>
+
+<p>The little band of Geats, in their shining war-gear,
+strode along the stone-paved street, their ring-mail
+sounding as they went, until they reached the door of
+Heorot; and there, setting down their broad shields
+and their keen spears against the wall, they prepared
+to enter as peaceful guests the great hall of King
+Hrothgar. Wulfgar, one of Hrothgar&rsquo;s nobles, met
+them at the door and asked whence such a splendid band
+of warlike strangers, so well armed and so worthily
+equipped, had come. Their heroic bearing betokened
+some noble enterprise. Beowulf answered: &ldquo;We are
+Hygelac&rsquo;s chosen friends and companions, and I am
+Beowulf. To King Hrothgar, thy master, will I tell
+mine errand, if the son of Healfdene will allow us to
+approach him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Wulfgar, impressed by the words and bearing of the
+hero, replied: &ldquo;I will announce thy coming to my lord,
+and bring back his answer&rdquo;; and then made his way
+up the hall to the high seat where Hrothgar sat on
+the da&iuml;s amidst his bodyguard of picked champions.
+Bowing respectfully, he said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Here are come travelling<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>over the sea-expanse,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Journeying from afar,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>heroes of Geatland.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Beowulf is the name<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>of their chief warrior.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">This is their prayer, my lord,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that they may speak with thee;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Do not thou give them<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>a hasty refusal!<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg&nbsp;10]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">Do not deny them<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the gladness of converse!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They in their war-gear seem<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>worthy of men&rsquo;s respect.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Noble their chieftain seems,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>he who the warriors<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hither has guided.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>At these words the aged king aroused himself from
+the sad reverie into which he had fallen and answered:
+&ldquo;I knew him as a boy. Beowulf is the son of Ecgtheow,
+who wedded the daughter of the Geat King
+Hrethel. His fame has come hither before him; seafarers
+have told me that he has the might of thirty
+men in his hand-grip. Great joy it is to know of his
+coming, for he may save us from the terror of Grendel.
+If he succeeds in this, great treasures will I bestow
+upon him. Hasten; bring in hither Beowulf and his
+kindred thanes, and bid them welcome to the Danish
+folk!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Wulfgar hurried down the hall to the place where
+Beowulf stood with his little band; he led them gladly
+to the high seat, so that they stood opposite to Hrothgar,
+who looked keenly at the well-equipped troop,
+and kindly at its leader. A striking figure was Beowulf
+as he stood there in his gleaming ring-mail, with
+the mighty sword by his side. It was, however, but
+a minute that Hrothgar looked in silence, for with
+respectful greeting Beowulf spoke:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Hail to thee, Hrothgar King!<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Beowulf am I,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hygelac&rsquo;s kinsman<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and loyal companion.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Great deeds of valour<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>wrought I in my youth.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To me in my native land<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Grendel&rsquo;s ill-doing<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Came as an oft-heard tale<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>told by our sailors.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They say that this bright hall,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>noblest of buildings,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Standeth to every man<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>idle and useless<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">After the evening-light<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>fails in the heavens.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thus, Hrothgar, ancient king,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>all my friends urged me,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Warriors and prudent thanes,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that I should seek thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Since they themselves had known<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>my might in battle.<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg&nbsp;11]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">Now I will beg of thee,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>lord of the glorious Danes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Prince of the Scylding race,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Folk-lord most friendly,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Warden of warriors,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>only one boon.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Do not deny it me,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>since I have come from far;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I with my men alone,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>this troop of heroes good,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Would without help from thee<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>cleanse thy great hall!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oft have I also heard<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that the fierce monster<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Through his mad recklessness<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>scorns to use weapons;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Therefore will I forego<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>(so may King Hygelac,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My friendly lord and king,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>find in me pleasure)<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I should bear my sword<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and my broad yellow shield<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Into the conflict:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>with my hand-grip alone<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I &rsquo;gainst the foe will strive,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and struggle for my life&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He shall endure God&rsquo;s doom<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>whom death shall bear away.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I know that he thinketh<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>in this hall of conflict<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fearless to eat me,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>if he can compass it,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As he has oft devoured<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>heroes of Denmark.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then thou wilt not need<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>my head to hide away,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Grendel will have me<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>all mangled and gory;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Away will he carry,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>if death then shall take me,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My body with gore stained<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>will he think to feast on,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On his lone track will bear it<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and joyously eat it,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And mark with my life-blood<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>his lair in the moorland;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Nor more for my welfare<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>wilt thou need to care then.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Send thou to Hygelac,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>if strife shall take me,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That best of byrnies<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>which my breast guardeth,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Brightest of war-weeds,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the work of Smith Weland,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Left me by Hrethel.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Ever Wyrd has her way.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>The aged King Hrothgar, who had listened attentively
+while the hero spoke of his plans and of his
+possible fate, now greeted him saying: &ldquo;Thou hast
+sought my court for honour and for friendship&rsquo;s sake,
+O Beowulf: thou hast remembered the ancient alliance
+between Ecgtheow, thy father, and myself, when I
+shielded him, a fugitive, from the wrath of the Wilfings,
+paid them the due wergild for his crime, and
+took his oath of loyalty to myself. Long ago that
+time is; Ecgtheow is dead, and I am old and in
+misery. It were too long now to tell of all the woe
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg&nbsp;12]</a></span>
+that Grendel has wrought, but this I may say, that
+many a hero has boasted of the great valour he would
+display in strife with the monster, and has awaited his
+coming in this hall; in the morning there has been no
+trace of each hero but the dark blood-stains on benches
+and tables. How many times has that happened!
+But sit down now to the banquet and tell thy plans, if
+such be thy will.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon room was made for the Geat warriors
+on the long benches, and Beowulf sat in the place of
+honour opposite to the king: great respect was shown
+to him, and all men looked with wonder on this mighty
+hero, whose courage led him to hazard this terrible
+combat. Great carved horns of ale were borne to
+Beowulf and his men, savoury meat was placed before
+them, and while they ate and drank the minstrels
+played and sang to the harp the deeds of men of old.
+The mirth of the feast was redoubled now men hoped
+that a deliverer had come indeed.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Quarrel</h3>
+
+<p>Among all the Danes who were rejoicing over Beowulf&rsquo;s
+coming there was one whose heart was sad and
+his brow gloomy&mdash;one thane whom jealousy urged to
+hate any man more distinguished than himself. Hunferth,
+King Hrothgar&rsquo;s orator and speech-maker, from
+his official post at Hrothgar&rsquo;s feet watched Beowulf
+with scornful and jealous eyes. He waited until a pause
+came in the clamour of the feast, and suddenly spoke,
+coldly and contemptuously: &ldquo;Art thou that Beowulf
+who strove against Breca, the son of Beanstan, when
+ye two held a swimming contest in the ocean and
+risked your lives in the deep waters? In vain all
+your friends urged you to forbear&mdash;ye would go on
+the hazardous journey; ye plunged in, buffeting the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg&nbsp;13]</a></span>
+wintry waves through the rising storm. Seven days
+and nights ye toiled, but Breca overcame thee: he had
+greater strength and courage. Him the ocean bore to
+shore, and thence he sought his native land, and the
+fair city where he ruled as lord and chieftain. Fully
+he performed his boast against thee. So I now look
+for a worse issue for thee, for thou wilt find Grendel
+fiercer in battle than was Breca, if thou darest await
+him this night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Beowulf&rsquo;s brow flushed with anger as he replied
+haughtily: &ldquo;Much hast thou spoken, friend Hunferth,
+concerning Breca and our swimming contest; but belike
+thou art drunken, for wrongly hast thou told the tale.
+A youthful folly of ours it was, when we two boasted
+and challenged each other to risk our lives in the
+ocean; that indeed we did. Naked swords we bore in
+our hands as we swam, to defend ourselves against the
+sea-monsters, and we floated together, neither outdistancing
+the other, for five days, when a storm drove us
+apart. Cold were the surging waves, bitter the north
+wind, rough was the swelling flood, under the darkening
+shades of night. Yet this was not the worst: the
+sea-monsters, excited by the raging tempest, rushed
+at me with their deadly tusks and bore me to the
+abyss. Well was it then for me that I wore my well-woven
+ring-mail, and had my keen sword in hand;
+with point and edge I fought the deadly beasts, and
+killed them. Many a time the hosts of monsters bore
+me to the ocean-bottom, but I slew numbers among
+them, and thus we battled all the night, until in the
+morning came light from the east, and I could see the
+windy cliffs along the shore, and the bodies of the
+slain sea-beasts floating on the surge. Nine there
+were of them, for Wyrd is gracious to the man who
+is valiant and unafraid. Never have I heard of a
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg&nbsp;14]</a></span>
+sterner conflict, nor a more unhappy warrior lost in
+the waters; yet I saved my life, and landed on the
+shores of Finland. Breca wrought not so mightily
+as I, nor have I heard of such warlike deeds on thy
+part, even though thou, O Hunferth, didst murder
+thy brothers and nearest kinsmen.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Truly I say to thee,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>O son of Ecglaf bold,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Grendel the grisly fiend<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>ne&rsquo;er dared have wrought<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">So many miseries,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>such shame and anguish dire,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To thy lord, Hrothgar old,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>in his bright Heorot,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hadst thou shown valiant mood,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sturdy and battle-fierce,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As thou now boastest.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 417px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr04.jpg" width="417" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_12" id="image_page_12"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth</p>
+
+<p>Very wroth was Hunferth over the reminder of his
+former wrongdoing and the implied accusation of
+cowardice, but he had brought it on himself by his
+unwise belittling of Beowulf&rsquo;s feat, and the applause
+of both Danes and Geats showed him that he dared no
+further attack the champion; he had to endure in silence
+Beowulf&rsquo;s boast that he and his Geats would that night
+await Grendel in the hall, and surprise him terribly,
+since the fiend had ceased to expect any resistance from
+the warlike Danes. The feast continued, with laughter
+and melody, with song and boast, until the door from the
+women&rsquo;s bower, in the upper end of the hall, opened
+suddenly, and Hrothgar&rsquo;s wife, the fair and gracious
+Queen Wealhtheow, entered. The tumult lulled for a
+short space, and the queen, pouring mead into a goblet,
+presented it to her husband; joyfully he received
+and drank it. Then she poured mead or ale for each
+man, and in due course came to Beowulf, as to the
+guest of honour. Gratefully Wealhtheow greeted the
+lordly hero, and thanked him for the friendship which
+brought him to Denmark to risk his life against
+Grendel. Beowulf, rising respectfully and taking the
+cup from the queen&rsquo;s hand, said with dignity:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg&nbsp;15]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;This I considered well<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when I the ocean sought,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sailed in the sea-vessel<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>with my brave warriors,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I alone would win<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>thy folk&rsquo;s deliverance,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or in the fight would fall<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>fast in the demon&rsquo;s grip.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Needs must I now perform<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>knightly deeds in this hall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or here must meet my doom<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>in darksome night.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Well pleased, Queen Wealhtheow went to sit beside
+her lord, where her gracious smile cheered the assembly.
+Then the clamour of the feast was renewed, until
+Hrothgar at length gave the signal for retiring. Indeed,
+it was necessary to leave Heorot when darkness
+fell, for the fiend came each night when sunlight faded.
+So the whole assembly arose, each man bade his comrades
+&ldquo;Good night,&rdquo; and the Danes dispersed; but
+Hrothgar addressed Beowulf half joyfully, half sadly,
+saying:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Never before have I<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>since I held spear and shield<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Given o&rsquo;er to any man<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>this mighty Danish hall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Save now to thee alone.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Keep thou and well defend<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">This best of banquet-halls.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Show forth thy hero-strength,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Call up thy bravery,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>watch for the enemy!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou shalt not lack gifts of worth<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>if thou alive remain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Winner in this dire strife.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Thus Hrothgar departed, to seek slumber in a less
+dangerous abode, where, greatly troubled in mind, he
+awaited the dawn with almost hopeless expectation,
+and Beowulf and his men prepared themselves for the
+perils of the night.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Beowulf and Grendel</h3>
+
+<p>The fourteen champions of the Geats now made
+ready for sleep; but while the others lay down in their
+armour, with weapons by their sides, Beowulf took off
+his mail, unbelted his sword, unhelmed himself, and
+gave his sword to a thane to bear away. For, as he
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg&nbsp;16]</a></span>
+said to his men, &ldquo;I will strive against this fiend weaponless.
+With no armour, since he wears none, will I wrestle
+with him, and try to overcome him. I will conquer,
+if I win, by my hand-grip alone; and the All-Father
+shall judge between us, and grant the victory to whom
+He will.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The Geats then lay down&mdash;brave men who slept
+calmly, though they knew they were risking their lives,
+for none of them expected to see the light of day again,
+or to revisit their native land: they had heard, too,
+much during the feast of the slaughter which Grendel
+had wrought. So night came, the voices of men grew
+silent, and the darkness shrouded all alike&mdash;calm
+sleepers, anxious watchers, and the deadly, creeping foe.</p>
+
+<p>When everything was still Grendel came. From
+the fen-fastnesses, by marshy tracts, through mists and
+swamp-born fogs, the hideous monster made his way to
+the house he hated so bitterly. Grendel strode fiercely
+to the door of Heorot, and would fain have opened it
+as usual, but it was locked and bolted. Then the fiend&rsquo;s
+wrath was roused; he grasped the door with his mighty
+hands and burst it in. As he entered he seemed to
+fill the hall with his monstrous shadow, and from his
+eyes shone a green and uncanny light, which showed
+him a troop of warriors lying asleep in their war-gear;
+it seemed that all slept, and the fiend did not notice
+that one man half rose, leaning on his elbow and
+peering keenly into the gloom. Grendel hastily put
+forth his terrible scaly hand and seized one hapless
+sleeper. Tearing him limb from limb, so swiftly that
+his cry of agony was unheard, he drank the warm blood
+and devoured the flesh; then, excited by the hideous
+food, he reached forth again. Great was Grendel&rsquo;s
+amazement to find that his hand was seized in a grasp
+such as he had never felt before, and to know that he
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg&nbsp;17]</a></span>
+had at last found an antagonist whom even he must
+fight warily. Beowulf sprang from his couch as the
+terrible claws of the monster fell upon him, and
+wrestled with Grendel in the darkness and gloom of
+the unlighted hall, where the flicker of the fire had
+died down to a dim glow in the dull embers. That
+was a dreadful struggle, as the combatants, in deadly
+conflict, swayed up and down the hall, overturning
+tables and benches, trampling underfoot dishes and
+goblets in the darkling wrestle for life. The men of
+the Geats felt for their weapons, but they could not
+see the combatants distinctly, though they heard the
+panting and the trampling movements, and occasionally
+caught a gleam from the fiend&rsquo;s eyes as his face
+was turned towards them. When they struck their
+weapons glanced harmlessly off Grendel&rsquo;s scaly hide.
+The struggle continued for some time, and the hall
+was an utter wreck within, when Grendel, worsted for
+once, tried to break away and rush out into the night;
+but Beowulf held him fast in the grip which no man on
+earth could equal or endure, and the monster writhed
+in anguish as he vainly strove to free himself&mdash;vainly,
+for Beowulf would not loose his grip. Suddenly,
+with one great cry, Grendel wrenched himself free, and
+staggered to the door, leaving behind a terrible blood-trail,
+for his arm and shoulder were torn off and left
+in the victor&rsquo;s grasp. So the monster fled wailing
+over the moors to his home in the gloomy mere, and
+Beowulf sank panting on a shattered seat, scarce believing
+in his victory, until his men gathered round,
+bringing a lighted torch, by the flaring gleam of which
+the green, scaly arm of Grendel looked ghastly and
+threatening. But the monster had fled, and after such
+a wound as the loss of his arm and shoulder must
+surely die; therefore the Geats raised a shout of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg&nbsp;18]</a></span>
+triumph, and then took the hateful trophy and fastened
+it high up on the roof of the hall, that all who entered
+might see the token of victory and recognise that the
+Geat hero had performed his boast, that he would conquer
+with no weapon, but by the strength of his hands
+alone.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning many a warrior came to Heorot to
+learn the events of the night, and all saw the grisly
+trophy, praised Beowulf&rsquo;s might and courage, and
+followed with eager curiosity the blood-stained track of
+the fleeing demon till it came to the brink of the
+gloomy lake, where it disappeared, though the waters
+were stained with gore, and boiled and surged with
+endless commotion. There on the shore the Danes
+rejoiced over the death of their enemy, and returned to
+Heorot care-free and glad at heart. Meanwhile Beowulf
+and his Geats stayed in Heorot, for Hrothgar had not
+yet come to receive an account of their night-watch.
+Throughout the day there was feasting and rejoicing,
+with horse-races, and wrestling, and manly contests of
+skill and endurance; or the Danes collected around
+the bard as he chanted the glory of Sigmund and his
+son Fitela. Then came King Hrothgar himself, with
+his queen and her maiden train, and they paused to
+gaze with horror on the dreadful trophy, and to turn
+with gratitude to the hero who had delivered them
+from this evil spirit. Hrothgar said: &ldquo;Thanks be to
+the All-Father for this happy sight! Much sorrow
+have I endured at the hands of Grendel, many warriors
+have I lost, many uncounted years of misery have I
+lived, but now my woe has an end! Now a youth
+has performed, with his unaided strength, what all we
+could not compass with our craft! Well might thy
+father, O Beowulf, rejoice in thy fame! Well may
+thy mother, if she yet lives, praise the All-Father for
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg&nbsp;19]</a></span>
+the noble son she bore! A son indeed shalt thou be
+to me in love, and nothing thou desirest shalt thou
+lack, that I can give thee. Often have I rewarded less
+heroic deeds with great gifts, and to thee I can deny
+nothing.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Beowulf answered: &ldquo;We have performed our
+boast, O King, and have driven away the enemy. I
+intended to force him down on one of the beds, and
+to deprive him of his life by mere strength of my
+hand-grip, but in this I did not succeed, for Grendel
+escaped from the hall. Yet he left here with me his
+hand, his arm, and shoulder as a token of his presence,
+and as the ransom with which he bought off the rest
+of his loathsome body; yet none the longer will he
+live thereby, since he bears with him so deadly a
+wound.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then the hall was cleared of the traces of the conflict
+and hasty preparation was made for a splendid banquet.
+There was joy in Heorot. The Danes assembled once
+again free from fear in their splendid hall, the walls
+were hung with gold-wrought embroideries and hangings
+of costly stuffs, while richly chased goblets shone
+on the long tables, and men&rsquo;s tongues waxed loud as
+they discussed and described the heroic struggle of the
+night before. Beowulf and King Hrothgar sat on the
+high seats opposite to each other, and their men, Danes
+and Geats, sitting side by side, shouted and cheered and
+drank deeply to the fame of Beowulf. The minstrels
+sang of the Fight in Finnsburg and the deeds of Finn
+and Hn&aelig;f, of Hengest and Queen Hildeburh. Long
+was the chant, and it roused the national pride of the
+Danes to hear of the victory of their Danish forefathers
+over Finn of the Frisians; and merrily the
+banquet went forward, gladdened still more by the
+presence of Queen Wealhtheow. Now Hrothgar
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg&nbsp;20]</a></span>
+showed his lavish generosity and his thankfulness by
+the gifts with which he loaded the Geat chief; and not
+only Beowulf, but every man of the little troop. Beowulf
+received a gold-embroidered banner, a magnificent
+sword, helmet, and corslet, a goblet of gold, and eight
+fleet steeds. On the back of the best was strapped a
+cunningly wrought saddle, Hrothgar&rsquo;s own, with gold
+ornaments. When the Geat hero had thanked the
+king fittingly, Queen Wealhtheow arose from her seat,
+and, lifting the great drinking-cup, offered it to her
+lord, saying:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Take thou this goblet,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>my lord and my ruler,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">O giver of treasure,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>O gold-friend of heroes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And speak to the Geats<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>fair speeches of kindness,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Be mirthful and joyous,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>for so should a man be!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To the Geats be gracious,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>mindful of presents<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now that from far and near<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>thou hast firm peace!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Tidings have come to me<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that thou for son wilt take<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">This mighty warrior<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>who has cleansed Heorot,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Brightest of banquet-halls!<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Enjoy while thou mayest<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">These manifold pleasures,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and leave to thy kinsmen<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy lands and thy lordships<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when thou must journey forth<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To meet thy death.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Turning to Beowulf, the queen said: &ldquo;Enjoy
+thy reward, O dear Beowulf, while thou canst, and
+live noble and blessed! Keep well thy widespread
+fame, and be a friend to my sons in time to come,
+should they ever need a protector.&rdquo; Then she gave
+him two golden armlets, set with jewels, costly rings, a
+corslet of chain-mail and a wonderful jewelled collar of
+exquisite ancient workmanship, and, bidding them continue
+their feasting, with her maidens she left the hall.
+The feast went on till Hrothgar also departed to his
+dwelling, and left the Danes, now secure and careless,
+to prepare their beds, place each warrior&rsquo;s shield at the
+head, and go to sleep in their armour ready for an
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg&nbsp;21]</a></span>
+alarm. Meanwhile Beowulf and the Geats were joyfully
+escorted to another lodging, where they slept
+soundly without disturbance.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Grendel&rsquo;s Mother</h3>
+
+<p>In the darkness of the night an avenger came to
+Heorot, came in silence and mystery as Grendel had
+done, with thoughts of murder and hatred raging in her
+heart. Grendel had gone home to die, but his mother,
+a fiend scarcely less terrible than her son, yet lived to
+avenge his death. She arose from her dwelling in the
+gloomy lake, followed the fen paths and moorland
+ways to Heorot, and opened the door. There was a
+horrible panic when her presence became known, and
+men ran hither and thither vainly seeking to attack
+her; yet there was less terror among them than
+before when they saw the figure of a horrible woman.
+In spite of all, the monster seized Aschere, one of
+King Hrothgar&rsquo;s thanes, and bore him away to the
+fens, leaving a house of lamentation where men had
+feasted so joyously a few hours before. The news was
+brought to King Hrothgar, who bitterly lamented the
+loss of his wisest and dearest counsellor, and bade
+them call Beowulf to him, since he alone could help in
+this extremity. When Beowulf stood before the king
+he courteously inquired if his rest had been peaceful.
+Hrothgar answered mournfully: &ldquo;Ask me not of
+peace, for care is renewed in Heorot. Dead is
+Aschere, my best counsellor and friend, the truest of
+comrades in fight and in council. Such as Aschere
+was should a true vassal be! A deadly fiend has
+slain him in Heorot, and I know not whither she has
+carried his lifeless body. This is doubtless her vengeance
+for thy slaying of Grendel; he is dead, and his
+kinswoman has come to avenge him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg&nbsp;22]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;I have heard it reported<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>by some of my people<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That they have looked on<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>two such unearthly ones,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Huge-bodied march-striders<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>holding the moor wastes;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">One of them seemed to be<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>shaped like a woman,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Her fellow in exile<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>bore semblance of manhood,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though huger his stature<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>than man ever grew to:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In years that are long gone by<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Grendel they named him,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But know not his father<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>nor aught of his kindred.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thus these dire monsters<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>dwell in the secret lands,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Haunt the hills loved by wolves,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the windy nesses,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Dangerous marshy paths,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>where the dark moorland stream<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&rsquo;Neath the o&rsquo;erhanging cliffs<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>downwards departeth,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sinks in the sombre earth.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Not far remote from us<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Standeth the gloomy mere,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>round whose shores cluster<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Groves with their branches mossed,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>hoary with lichens grey<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A wood firmly rooted<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>o&rsquo;ershadows the water.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">There is a wonder seen<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>nightly by wanderers,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Flame in the waterflood:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>liveth there none of men<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ancient or wise enough<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to know its bottom.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though the poor stag may be<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>hard by the hounds pursued,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though he may seek the wood,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>chased by his cruel foes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Yet will he yield his life<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to hunters on the brink<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ere he will hide his head<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>in the dark waters.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&rsquo;Tis an uncanny place.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Thence the surge swelleth up<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Dark to the heavens above,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when the wind stirreth oft<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Terrible driving storms,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>till the air darkens,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The skies fall to weeping.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then Hrothgar burst forth in uncontrollable emotion:
+&ldquo;O Beowulf, help us if thou canst! Help is
+only to be found in thee. But yet thou knowest not
+the dangerous place thou must needs explore if thou
+seek the fiend in her den. I will richly reward thy valour
+if thou returnest alive from this hazardous journey.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Beowulf was touched by the sorrow of the grey-haired
+king, and replied:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Grieve not, O prudent King!<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Better it is for each<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That he avenge his friend,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>than that he mourn him much.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Each man must undergo<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>death at the end of life.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Let him win while he may<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>warlike fame in the world!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That is best after death<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>for the slain warrior.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg&nbsp;23]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Arise, my lord; let us scan the track left by the
+monster, for I promise thee I will never lose it, wheresoever
+it may lead me. Only have patience yet for
+this one day of misery, as I am sure thou wilt.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Hrothgar sprang up joyously, almost youthfully,
+and ordered his horse to be saddled; then, with Beowulf
+beside him, and a mixed throng of Geats and
+Danes following, he rode away towards the home
+of the monsters, the dread lake which all men
+shunned. The blood-stained tracks were easy to see,
+and the avengers moved on swiftly till they came to
+the edge of the mere, and there, with grief and horror,
+saw the head of Aschere lying on the bank.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr05.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_22" id="image_page_22"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Beowulf finds the head of Aschere</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The lake boiled with blood,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>with hot welling gore;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The warriors gazed awe-struck,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and the dread horn sang<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From time to time fiercely<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>eager defiance.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The warriors sat down there,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and saw on the water<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The sea-dragons swimming<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to search the abysses.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They saw on the steep nesses<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sea-monsters lying,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Snakes and weird creatures:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>these madly shot away<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wrathful and venomous<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when the sound smote their ears,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The blast of the war-horn.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>As Beowulf stood on the shore and watched the uncouth
+sea-creatures, serpents, nicors, monstrous beasts
+of all kinds, he suddenly drew his bow and shot one of
+them to the heart. The rest darted furiously away, and
+the thanes were able to drag the carcase of the slain
+beast on shore, where they surveyed it with wonder.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Fight with Grendel&rsquo;s Mother</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Beowulf had made ready for his task.
+He trusted to his well-woven mail, the corslet fitting
+closely to his body and protecting his breast, the shining
+helm guarding his head, bright with the boar-image
+on the crest, and the mighty sword Hrunting,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg&nbsp;24]</a></span>
+which Hunferth, his jealousy forgotten in admiration,
+pressed on the adventurous hero.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;That sword was called Hrunting,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>an ancient heritage.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Steel was the blade itself,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>tempered with poison-twigs,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hardened with battle-blood:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>never in fight it failed<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Any who wielded it,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when he would wage a strife<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In the dire battlefield,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>folk-moot of enemies.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>When Beowulf stood ready with naked sword in
+hand, he turned and looked at his loyal followers, his
+friendly hosts, the grey old King Hrothgar, the sun
+and the green earth, which he might never see again;
+but it was with no trace of weakness or fear that he
+spoke:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Forget not, O noble<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>kinsman of Healfdene,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Illustrious ruler,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>gold-friend of warriors,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">What we two settled<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when we spake together,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If I for thy safety should<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>end here my life-days,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That thou wouldst be to me,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>though dead, as a father.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Be to my kindred thanes,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>my battle-comrades,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A worthy protector<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>should death o&rsquo;ertake me.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Do thou, dear Hrothgar,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>send all these treasures here<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Which thou hast given me,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to my king, Hygelac.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then may the Geat king,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>brave son of Hrethel dead,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">See by the gold and gems,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>know by the treasures there,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I found a generous lord,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>whom I loved in my life.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Give thou to Hunferth too<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>my wondrous old weapon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The sword with its graven blade;<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>let the right valiant man<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Have the keen war-blade:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>I will win fame with his,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With Hrunting, noble brand,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>or death shall take me.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Beowulf dived downward, as it seemed to him, for
+the space of a day ere he could perceive the floor of
+that sinister lake, and all that time he had to fight the
+sea-beasts, for they, attacking him with tusk and horn,
+strove to break his ring-mail, but in vain. As Beowulf
+came near the bottom he felt himself seized in
+long, scaly arms of gigantic strength. The fierce claws
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg&nbsp;25]</a></span>
+of the wolfish sea-woman strove eagerly to reach his
+heart through his mail, but in vain; so the she-wolf
+of the waters, a being awful and loathsome, bore him
+to her abode, rushing through thick clusters of horrible
+sea-beasts.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The hero now noticed<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>he was in some hostile hall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where him the water-stream<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>no whit might injure,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Nor for the sheltering roof<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the rush of the raging flood<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ever could touch him.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>He saw the strange flickering flame,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Weird lights in the water,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>shining with livid sheen:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He saw, too, the ocean-wolf,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the hateful sea-woman.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Terrible and almost superhuman was the contest
+which now followed: the awful sea-woman flung Beowulf
+down on his back and stabbed at him with point
+and edge of her broad knife, seeking some vulnerable
+point; but the good corslet resisted all her efforts, and
+Beowulf, exerting his mighty force, overthrew her and
+sprang to his feet. Angered beyond measure, he
+brandished the flaming sword Hrunting, and flashed
+one great blow at her head which would have killed
+her had her scales and hair been vulnerable; but alas!
+the edge of the blade turned on her scaly hide, and the
+blow failed. Wrathfully Beowulf cast aside the useless
+sword, and determined to trust once again to his hand-grip.
+Grendel&rsquo;s mother now felt, in her turn, the
+deadly power of Beowulf&rsquo;s grasp, and was borne to
+the ground; but the struggle continued long, for Beowulf
+was weaponless, since the sword failed in its work.
+Yet some weapon he must have.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;So he gazed at the walls,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>saw there a glorious sword,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">An old brand gigantic,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>trusty in point and edge,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">An heirloom of heroes;<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that was the best of blades,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Splendid and stately,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the forging of giants;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But it was huger than<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>any of human race<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Could bear to battle-strife,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>save Beowulf only.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg&nbsp;26]</a></span>
+This mighty sword, a relic of earlier and greater
+races, brought new hope to Beowulf. Springing up, he
+snatched it from the wall and swung it fiercely round
+his head. The blow fell with crushing force on the
+neck of the sea-woman, the dread wolf of the abyss,
+and broke the bones. Dead the monster sank to the
+ground, and Beowulf, standing erect, saw at his feet
+the lifeless carcase of his foe. The hero still grasped
+his sword and looked warily along the walls of the
+water-dwelling, lest some other foe should emerge
+from its recesses; but as he gazed Beowulf saw his
+former foe, Grendel, lying dead on a bed in some
+inner hall. He strode thither, and, seizing the corpse
+by the hideous coiled locks, shore off the head to carry
+to earth again. The poisonous hot blood of the
+monster melted the blade of the mighty sword, and
+nothing remained but the hilt, wrought with curious
+ornaments and signs of old time. This hilt and Grendel&rsquo;s
+head were all that Beowulf carried off from the water-fiends&rsquo;
+dwelling; and laden with these the hero sprang
+up through the now clear and sparkling water.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr06.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_26" id="image_page_26"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the Danes and Geats had waited long
+for his reappearance. When the afternoon was well
+advanced the Danes departed sadly, lamenting the
+hero&rsquo;s death, for they concluded no man could have
+survived so long beneath the waters; but his loyal
+Geats sat there still gazing sadly at the waves, and
+hoping against all hope that Beowulf would reappear.
+At length they saw changes in the mere&mdash;the blood
+boiling upwards in the lake, the quenching of the unholy
+light, then the flight of the sea-monsters and a
+gradual clearing of the waters, through which at last
+they could see their lord uprising. How gladly
+they greeted him! What awe and wonder seized
+them as they surveyed his dreadful booty, the ghastly
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg&nbsp;27]</a></span>
+head of Grendel and the massive hilt of the gigantic
+sword! How eagerly they listened to his story, and
+how they vied with one another for the glory of bearing
+his armour, his spoils, and his weapons back over
+the moorlands and the fens to Heorot. It was a
+proud and glad troop that followed Beowulf into the
+hall, and up through the startled throng until they laid
+down before the feet of King Hrothgar the hideous
+head of his dead foe, and Beowulf, raising his voice that
+all might hear above the buzz and hum of the great
+banquet-hall, thus addressed the king:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Lo! we this sea-booty,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>O wise son of Healfdene,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lord of the Scyldings, have<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>brought for thy pleasure,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In token of triumph,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>as thou here seest.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From harm have I hardly<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>escaped with my life,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The war under water<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sustained I with trouble,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The conflict was almost<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>decided against me,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If God had not guarded me!<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Nought could I conquer<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With Hrunting in battle,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>though &rsquo;tis a doughty blade.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But the gods granted me<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that I saw suddenly<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hanging high in the hall<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>a bright brand gigantic:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">So seized I and swung it<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>that in the strife I slew<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The lords of the dwelling.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>The mighty blade melted fast<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In the hot boiling blood,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the poisonous battle-gore;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But the hilt have I here<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>borne from the hostile hall.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I have avenged the crime,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the death of the Danish folk,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As it behov&egrave;d me.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Now can I promise thee<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That thou in Heorot<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>care-free mayest slumber<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With all thy warrior-troop<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and all thy kindred thanes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The young and the aged:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>thou needst not fear for them<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Death from these mortal foes,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>as thou of yore hast done.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>King Hrothgar was now more delighted than ever at
+the return of his friend and the slaughter of his foes.
+He gazed in delight and wonder at the gory head of
+the monster, and the gigantic hilt of the weapon which
+struck it off. Then, taking the glorious hilt, and scanning
+eagerly the runes which showed its history, as the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg&nbsp;28]</a></span>
+tumult stilled in the hall, and all men listened for his
+speech, he broke out: &ldquo;Lo! this may any man say,
+who maintains truth and right among his people, that
+good though he may be this hero is even better! Thy
+glory is widespread, Beowulf my friend, among thine
+own and many other nations, for thou hast fulfilled all
+things by patience and prudence. I will surely perform
+what I promised thee, as we agreed before; and
+I foretell of thee that thou wilt be long a help and
+protection to thy people.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>King Hrothgar spoke long and eloquently while all
+men listened, for he reminded them of mighty warriors
+of old who had not won such glorious fame, and
+warned them against pride and lack of generosity and
+self-seeking; and then, ending with thanks and fresh
+gifts to Beowulf, he bade the feast continue with increased
+jubilation. The tumultuous rejoicing lasted
+till darkness settled on the land, and when it ended all
+retired to rest free from fear, since no more fiendish
+monsters would break in upon their slumbers; gladly
+and peacefully the night passed, and with the morn
+came Beowulf&rsquo;s resolve to return to his king and his
+native land.</p>
+
+<p>When Beowulf had come to this decision he went to
+Hrothgar and said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Now we sea-voyagers<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>come hither from afar<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Must utter our intent<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to seek King Hygelac.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Here were we well received,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>well hast thou treated us.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If on this earth I can<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>do more to win thy love,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">O prince of warriors,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>than I have wrought as yet,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Here stand I ready now<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>weapons to wield for thee.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If I shall ever hear<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>o&rsquo;er the encircling flood<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That any neighbouring foes<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>threaten thy nation&rsquo;s fall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As Grendel grim before,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>swift will I bring to thee<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thousands of noble thanes,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>heroes to help thee.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I know of Hygelac,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>King of the Geat folk,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That he will strengthen me<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>(though he is young in years)<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg&nbsp;29]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">In words and warlike deeds<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>to bear my warrior-spear<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Over the ocean surge,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>when arms would serve thy need,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Swift to thine aid.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>If thy son Hrethric young<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Comes to the Geat court,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>there to gain skill in arms,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then will he surely find<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>many friends waiting him:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Better in distant lands<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>learneth by journeying<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He who is valiant.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Hrothgar was greatly moved by the words of the
+Geat hero and his promise of future help. He wondered
+to find such wisdom in so young a warrior, and felt
+that the Geats could never choose a better king if battle
+should cut off the son of Hygelac, and he renewed his
+assurance of continual friendship between the two
+countries and of enduring personal affection. Finally,
+with fresh gifts of treasure and with tears of regret
+Hrothgar embraced Beowulf and bade him go speedily
+to his ship, since a friend&rsquo;s yearning could not retain him
+longer from his native land. So the little troop of Geats
+with their gifts and treasures marched proudly to their
+vessel and sailed away to Geatland, their dragon-prowed
+ship laden with armour and jewels and steeds, tokens
+of remembrance and thanks from the grateful Danes.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Beowulf&rsquo;s Return</h3>
+
+<p>Blithe-hearted were the voyagers, and gaily the ship
+danced over the waves, as the Geats strained their
+eyes towards the cliffs of their home and the well-known
+shores of their country. When their vessel
+approached the land the coast-warden came hurrying
+to greet them, for he had watched the ocean day and
+night for the return of the valiant wanderers. Gladly
+he welcomed them, and bade his underlings help to bear
+their spoils up to the royal palace, where King Hygelac,
+himself young and valiant, awaited his victorious kinsman,
+with his beauteous queen, Hygd, beside him.
+Then came Beowulf, treading proudly the rocky paths
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg&nbsp;30]</a></span>
+to the royal abode, for messengers had gone in advance
+to announce to the king his nephew&rsquo;s success, and a
+banquet was being prepared, where Beowulf would sit
+beside his royal kinsman.</p>
+
+<p>Once more there was a splendid feast, with tumultuous
+rejoicing. Again a queenly hand&mdash;that of the beauteous
+Hygd&mdash;poured out the first bowl in which to celebrate
+the safe return of the victorious hero. And now the
+wonderful story of the slaying of the fen-fiends must
+be told.</p>
+
+<p>Beowulf was called upon to describe again his perils
+and his victories, and told in glowing language of the
+grisly monsters and the desperate combats, and of the
+boundless gratitude and splendid generosity of the
+Danish king, and of his prophecy of lasting friendship between
+the Danes and the Geats. Then he concluded:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Thus that great nation&rsquo;s king<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>lived in all noble deeds.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of guerdon I failed not,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>of meed for my valour,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But the wise son of Healfdene<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>gave to me treasures great,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Gifts to my heart&rsquo;s desire.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>These now I bring to thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Offer them lovingly:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>now are my loyalty<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And service due to thee,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>O hero-king, alone!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Near kinsmen have I few<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>but thee, O Hygelac!&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>As the hero showed the treasures with which
+Hrothgar had rewarded his courage, he distributed them
+generously among his kinsmen and friends, giving his
+priceless jewelled collar to Queen Hygd, and his best
+steed to King Hygelac, as a true vassal and kinsman
+should. So Beowulf resumed his place as Hygelac&rsquo;s
+chief warrior and champion, and settled down among
+his own people.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Fifty Years After</h3>
+
+<p>When half a century had passed away, great and
+sorrowful changes had taken place in the two kingdoms
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg&nbsp;31]</a></span>
+of Denmark and Geatland. Hrothgar was dead, and had
+been succeeded by his son Hrethric, and Hygelac had
+been slain in a warlike expedition against the Hetware.
+In this expedition Beowulf had accompanied Hygelac,
+and had done all a warrior could do to save his kinsman
+and his king. When he saw his master slain he had
+fought his way through the encircling foes to the sea-shore,
+where, though sorely wounded, he flung himself
+into the sea and swam back to Geatland. There he had
+told Queen Hygd of the untimely death of her husband,
+and had called on her to assume the regency of the kingdom
+for her young son Heardred. Queen Hygd called
+an assembly of the Geats, and there, with the full consent
+of the nation, offered the crown to Beowulf, the wisest
+counsellor and bravest hero among them; but he
+refused to accept it, and so swayed the Geats by his
+eloquence and his loyalty that they unanimously raised
+Heardred to the throne, with Beowulf as his guardian
+and protector. When in later years Heardred also
+fell before an enemy, Beowulf was again chosen king,
+and as he was now the next of kin he accepted the
+throne, and ruled long and gloriously over Geatland.
+His fame as a warrior kept his country free from invasion,
+and his wisdom as a statesman increased its
+prosperity and happiness; whilst the vengeance he took
+for his kinsman&rsquo;s death fulfilled all ideals of family and
+feudal duty held by the men of his time. Beowulf, in
+fact, became an ideal king, as he was an ideal warrior
+and hero, and he closed his life by an ideal act of self-sacrifice
+for the good of his people.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Beowulf and the Fire-Dragon</h3>
+
+<p>In the fiftieth year of Beowulf&rsquo;s reign a great terror
+fell upon the land: terror of a monstrous fire-dragon,
+who flew forth by night from his den in the rocks,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg&nbsp;32]</a></span>
+lighting up the blackness with his blazing breath, and
+burning houses and homesteads, men and cattle, with
+the flames from his mouth. The glare from his fiery
+scales was like the dawn-glow in the sky, but his passage
+left behind it every night a trail of black, charred desolation
+to confront the rising sun. Yet the dragon&rsquo;s wrath
+was in some way justified, since he had been robbed,
+and could not trace the thief. Centuries before
+Beowulf&rsquo;s lifetime a mighty family of heroes had
+gathered together, by feats of arms, and by long inheritance,
+an immense treasure of cups and goblets, of
+necklaces and rings, of swords and helmets and armour,
+cunningly wrought by magic spells; they had joyed in
+their cherished hoard for long years, until all had died
+but one, and he survived solitary, miserable, brooding
+over the fate of the dearly loved treasure. At last he
+caused his servants to make a strong fastness in the
+rocks, with cunningly devised entrances, known only to
+himself, and thither, with great toil and labour of aged
+limbs, he carried and hid the precious treasure. As he
+sadly regarded it, and thought of its future fate, he
+cried aloud:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Hold thou now fast, O earth,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>now men no longer can,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The treasure of mighty earls.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>From thee brave men won it<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In days that are long gone by,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>but slaughter seized on them,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Death fiercely vanquished them,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>each of my warriors,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Each one of my people,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>who closed their life-days here<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">After the joy of earth.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>None have I sword to wield<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or bring me the goblet,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the richly wrought vessel.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">All the true heroes have<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>elsewhere departed!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now must the gilded helm<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>lose its adornments,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For those who polished it<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sleep in the gloomy grave,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Those who made ready erst<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>war-gear of warriors.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Likewise the battle-sark<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>which in the fight endured<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Bites of the keen-edged blades<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>midst the loud crash of shields<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Rusts, with its wearer dead.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Nor may the woven mail<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">After the chieftain&rsquo;s death<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>wide with a champion rove.<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg&nbsp;33]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">Gone is the joy of harp,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>gone is the music&rsquo;s mirth.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now the hawk goodly-winged<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>hovers not through the hall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Nor the swift-footed mare<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>tramples the castle court:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Baleful death far has sent<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>all living tribes of men.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>When this solitary survivor of the ancient race died
+his hoard remained alone, unknown, untouched, until
+at length the fiery dragon, seeking a shelter among the
+rocks, found the hidden way to the cave, and, creeping
+within, discovered the lofty inner chamber and the
+wondrous hoard. For three hundred winters he
+brooded over it unchallenged, and then one day a
+hunted fugitive, fleeing from the fury of an avenging
+chieftain, in like manner found the cave, and the dragon
+sleeping on his gold. Terrified almost to death, the
+fugitive eagerly seized a marvellously wrought chalice
+and bore it stealthily away, feeling sure that such an
+offering would appease his lord&rsquo;s wrath and atone for
+his offence. But when the dragon awoke he discovered
+that he had been robbed, and his keen scent assured
+him that some one of mankind was the thief. As he
+could not at once see the robber, he crept around the
+outside of the barrow snuffing eagerly to find traces of
+the spoiler, but it was in vain; then, growing more
+wrathful, he flew over the inhabited country, shedding
+fiery death from his glowing scales and flaming breath,
+while no man dared to face this flying horror of the
+night.</p>
+
+<p>The news came to Beowulf that his folk were suffering
+and dying, and that no warrior dared to risk his
+life in an effort to deliver the land from this deadly
+devastation; and although he was now an aged man
+he decided to attack the fire-drake. Beowulf knew
+that he would not be able to come to hand-grips with
+this foe as he had done with Grendel and his mother:
+the fiery breath of this dragon was far too deadly, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg&nbsp;34]</a></span>
+he must trust to armour for protection. He commanded
+men to make a shield entirely of iron, for he knew
+that the usual shield of linden-wood would be instantly
+burnt up in the dragon&rsquo;s flaming breath. He then
+chose with care eleven warriors, picked men of his own
+bodyguard, to accompany him in this dangerous quest.
+They compelled the unhappy fugitive whose theft had
+begun the trouble to act as their guide, and thus they
+marched to the lonely spot where the dragon&rsquo;s barrow
+stood close to the sea-shore. The guide went unwillingly,
+but was forced thereto by his lord, because he
+alone knew the way.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Beowulf Faces Death</h3>
+
+<p>When the little party reached the place they halted
+for a time, and Beowulf sat down meditating sadly on
+his past life, and on the chances of this great conflict
+which he was about to begin. When he had striven
+with Grendel, when he had fought against the Hetware,
+he had been confident of victory and full of joyous
+self-reliance, but now things were changed. Beowulf
+was an old man, and there hung over him a sad
+foreboding that this would be his last fight, and that
+he would rid the land of no more monsters. Wyrd
+seemed to threaten him, and a sense of coming woe
+lay heavy on his heart as he spoke to his little troop:
+&ldquo;Many great fights I had in my youth. How well I
+remember them all! I was only seven years old when
+King Hrethel took me to bring up, and loved me as
+dearly as his own sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, or my
+own dear lord Hygelac. Great was our grief when
+Hathcyn, hunting in the forest, slew all unwittingly
+his elder brother: greater than ordinary sorrow, because
+we could not avenge him on the murderer! It
+would have given no joy to Hrethel to see his second
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg&nbsp;35]</a></span>
+son killed disgracefully as a murderer! So we endured
+the pain till King Hrethel died, borne down by his bitter
+loss, and I wept for my protector, my kinsman. Then
+Hathcyn died also, slain by the Swedes, and my dear lord
+Hygelac came to the throne: he was gracious to me,
+a giver of weapons, a generous distributor of treasure,
+and I repaid him as much as I could in battle against
+his foes. Daghrefn, the Frankish warrior who slew
+my king, I sent to his doom with my deadly hand-grip:
+he, at least, should not show my lord&rsquo;s armour as
+trophy of his prowess. But this fight is different:
+here I must use both point and edge, as I was not
+wont in my youth: but here too will I, old though I
+be, work deeds of valour. I will not give way the
+space of one foot, but will meet him here in his own
+abode and make all my boasting good. Abide ye
+here, ye warriors, for this is not your expedition, nor
+the work of any man but me alone; wait till ye know
+which is triumphant, for I will win the gold and save
+my people, or death shall take me.&rdquo; So saying he
+raised his great shield, and, unaccompanied, set his face
+to the dark entrance, where a stream, boiling with
+strange heat, flowed forth from the cave; so hot was
+the air that he stood, unable to advance far for the
+suffocating steam and smoke. Angered by his impotence,
+Beowulf raised his voice and shouted a furious
+defiance to the awesome guardian of the barrow. Thus
+aroused, the dragon sprang up, roaring hideously and
+flapping his glowing wings together; out from the
+recesses of the barrow came his fiery breath, and then
+followed the terrible beast himself. Coiling and writhing
+he came, with head raised, and scales of burnished
+blue and green, glowing with inner heat; from his
+nostrils rushed two streams of fiery breath, and his
+flaming eyes shot flashes of consuming fire. He half
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg&nbsp;36]</a></span>
+flew, half sprang at Beowulf. But the hero did not
+retreat one step. His bright sword flashed in the air as he
+wounded the beast, but not mortally, striking a mighty
+blow on his scaly head. The guardian of the hoard
+writhed and was stunned for a moment, and then sprang
+at Beowulf, sending forth so dense a cloud of flaming
+breath that the hero stood in a mist of fire. So
+terrible was the heat that the iron shield glowed red-hot
+and the ring-mail on the hero&rsquo;s limbs seared him
+as a furnace, and his breast swelled with the keen pain:
+so terrible was the fiery cloud that the Geats, seated
+some distance away, turned and fled, seeking the cool
+shelter of the neighbouring woods, and left their heroic
+lord to suffer and die alone.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Beowulf&rsquo;s Death</h3>
+
+<p>Among the cowardly Geats, however, there was one
+who thought it shameful to flee&mdash;Wiglaf, the son of
+Weohstan. He was young, but a brave warrior, to
+whom Beowulf had shown honour, and on whom he had
+showered gifts, for he was a kinsman, and had proved
+himself worthy. Now he showed that Beowulf&rsquo;s favour
+had been justified, for he seized his shield, of yellow
+linden-wood, took his ancient sword in hand, and prepared
+to rush to Beowulf&rsquo;s aid. With bitter words
+he reproached his cowardly comrades, saying: &ldquo;I remember
+how we boasted, as we sat in the mead hall
+and drank the foaming ale, as we took gladly the gold
+and jewels which our king lavished upon us, that we
+would repay him for all his gifts, if ever such need there
+were! Now is the need come upon him, and we are
+here! Beowulf chose us from all his bodyguard to
+help him in this mighty struggle, and we have betrayed
+and deserted him, and left him alone against a terrible
+foe. Now the day has come when our lord should
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg&nbsp;37]</a></span>
+see our valour, and we flee from his side! Up, let us
+go and aid him, even while the grim battle-flame flares
+around him. God knows that I would rather risk my
+body in the fiery cloud than stay here while my king
+fights and dies! Not such disloyalty has Beowulf
+deserved through his long reign that he should stand
+alone in the death-struggle. He and I will die together,
+or side by side will we conquer.&rdquo; The youthful warrior
+tried in vain to rouse the courage of his companions:
+they trembled, and would not move. So Wiglaf,
+holding on high his shield, plunged into the fiery cloud
+and moved towards his king, crying aloud: &ldquo;Beowulf,
+my dear lord, let not thy glory be dimmed. Achieve
+this last deed of valour, as thou didst promise in days of
+yore, that thy fame should not fall, and I will aid thee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The sound of another voice roused the dragon to
+greater fury, and again came the fiery cloud, burning
+up like straw Wiglaf&rsquo;s linden shield, and torturing both
+warriors as they stood behind the iron shield with their
+heated armour. But they fought on manfully, and
+Beowulf, gathering up his strength, struck the dragon
+such a blow on the head that his ancient sword was
+shivered to fragments. The dragon, enraged, now
+flew at Beowulf and seized him by the neck with his
+poisonous fangs, so that the blood gushed out in
+streams, and ran down his corslet. Wiglaf was filled
+with grief and horror at this dreadful sight, and, leaving
+the protection of Beowulf&rsquo;s iron shield, dashed forth at
+the dragon, piercing the scaly body in a vital part. At
+once the fire began to fade away, and Beowulf, mastering
+his anguish, drew his broad knife, and with a last
+effort cut the hideous reptile asunder. Then the agony
+of the envenomed wound came upon him, and his limbs
+burnt and ached with intolerable pain. In growing distress
+he staggered to a rough ancient seat, carved out
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg&nbsp;38]</a></span>
+of the rock, hard by the door of the barrow. There
+he sank down, and Wiglaf laved his brow with water
+from the little stream, which boiled and steamed no
+longer. Then Beowulf partially recovered himself,
+and said: &ldquo;Now I bequeath to thee, my son, the
+armour which I also inherited. Fifty years have I
+ruled this people in peace, so that none of my neighbours
+durst attack us. I have endured and toiled much
+on this earth, have held my own justly, have pursued
+none with crafty hatred, nor sworn unjust oaths. At all
+this may I rejoice now that I lie mortally wounded.
+Do thou, O dear Wiglaf, bring forth quickly from the
+cave the treasures for which I lose my life, that I may
+see them and be glad in my nation&rsquo;s wealth ere I die.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon Wiglaf entered the barrow, and was dazed
+by the bewildering hoard of costly treasures. Filling
+his arms with such a load as he could carry, he hastened
+out of the barrow, fearing even then to find his lord dead.
+Then he flung down the treasures&mdash;magic armour,
+dwarf-wrought swords, carved goblets, flashing gems,
+and a golden standard&mdash;at Beowulf&rsquo;s feet, so that the
+ancient hero&rsquo;s dying gaze could fall on the hoard he
+had won for his people. But Beowulf was now so near
+death that he swooned away, till Wiglaf again flung
+water over him, and the dying champion roused himself
+to say, as he grasped his kinsman&rsquo;s hand and looked
+at the glittering heap before him:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;I thank God eternal,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the great King of Glory,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For the vast treasures<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>which I here gaze upon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I ere my death-day<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>might for my people<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Win so great wealth.<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Since I have given my life,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou must now look to<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the needs of the nation;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Here dwell I no longer,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>for Destiny calleth me!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Bid thou my warriors<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>after my funeral pyre<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Build me a burial-cairn<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>high on the sea-cliff&rsquo;s head;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">It shall for memory<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>tower up on Hronesness,<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg&nbsp;39]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">So that the seafarers<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Beowulf&rsquo;s Barrow<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Henceforth shall name it,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>they who drive far and wide<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Over the mighty flood<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>their foamy keels.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou art the last of all<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the kindred of Wagmund!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wyrd has swept all my kin,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>all the brave chiefs away!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now must I follow them!&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>These last words spoken, Beowulf fell back, and his
+soul passed away, to meet the joy reserved for all true
+and steadfast spirits. The hero was dead, but amid his
+grief Wiglaf yet remembered that the dire monster too
+lay dead, and the folk were delivered from the horrible
+plague, though at terrible cost! Wiglaf, as he mourned
+over his dead lord, resolved that no man should joy in
+the treasures for which so grievous a price had been
+paid&mdash;the cowards who deserted their king should help
+to lay the treasures in his grave and bury them far
+from human use and profit. Accordingly, when the
+ten faithless dastards ventured out from the shelter of
+the wood, and came shamefacedly to the place where
+Wiglaf sat, sorrowing, at the head of dead Beowulf,
+he stilled their cries of grief with one wave of the hand,
+which had still been vainly striving to arouse his king
+by gentle touch, and, gazing scornfully at them, he cried:
+&ldquo;Lo! well may a truthful man say, seeing you here,
+safely in the war-gear and ornaments which our dead
+hero gave you, that Beowulf did but throw away his
+generous gifts, since all he bought with them was
+treachery and cowardice in the day of battle! No need
+had Beowulf to boast of his warriors in time of danger!
+Yet he alone avenged his people and conquered the
+fiend&mdash;I could help him but little in the fray, though I
+did what I could: all too few champions thronged
+round our hero when his need was sorest. Now are all
+the joys of love and loyalty ended; now is all prosperity
+gone from our nation, when foreign princes
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg&nbsp;40]</a></span>
+hear of your flight and the shameless deed of this
+day. Better is death to every man than a life of
+shame!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr07.jpg" width="600" height="420" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_40" id="image_page_40"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">The death of Beowulf</p>
+
+<p>The Geats stood silent, abashed before the keen
+and deserved reproaches of the young hero, and they
+lamented the livelong day. None left the shore and
+their lord&rsquo;s dead corpse; but one man who rode over
+the cliff near by saw the mournful little band, with
+Beowulf dead in the midst. This warrior galloped
+away to tell the people, saying: &ldquo;Now is our ruler, the
+lord of the Geats, stretched dead on the plain, stricken
+by the dragon which lies dead beside him; and at his
+head sits Wiglaf, son of Weohstan, lamenting his royal
+kinsman. Now is the joy and prosperity of our folk
+vanished! Now shall our enemies make raids upon
+us, for we have none to withstand them! But let us
+hasten to bury our king, to bear him royally to his
+grave, with mourning and tears of woe.&rdquo; These unhappy
+tidings roused the Geats, and they hastened to
+see if it were really true, and found all as the messenger
+had said, and wondered at the mighty dragon and the
+glorious hoard of gold. They feared the monster and
+coveted the treasure, but all felt that the command now
+lay with Wiglaf. At last Wiglaf roused himself from his
+silent grief and said: &ldquo;O men of the Geats, I am not
+to blame that our king lies here lifeless. He would
+fight the dragon and win the treasure; and these he
+has done, though he lost his life therein; yea, and I aided
+him all that I might, though it was but little I could do.
+Now our dear lord Beowulf bade me greet you from
+him, and bid you to make for him, after his funeral
+pyre, a great and mighty cairn, even as he was the
+most glorious of men in his lifetime. Bring ye all the
+treasures, bring quickly a bier, and place thereon our
+king&rsquo;s corpse, and let us bear our dear lord to Hronesness,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg&nbsp;41]</a></span>
+where his funeral fire shall be kindled, and his
+burial cairn built.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The Geats, bitterly grieving, fulfilled Wiglaf&rsquo;s commands.
+They gathered wood for the fire, and piled
+it on the cliff-head; then eight chosen ones brought
+thither the treasures, and threw the dragon&rsquo;s body over
+the cliff into the sea; then a wain, hung with shields,
+was brought to bear the corpse of Beowulf to Hronesness,
+where it was solemnly laid on the funeral pile and
+consumed to ashes.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;There then the Weder Geats<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>wrought for their ruler dead<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A cairn on the ocean cliff<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>widespread and lofty,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Visible far and near<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>by vessels&rsquo; wandering crews.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They built in ten days&rsquo; space<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the hero&rsquo;s monument,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And wrought with shining swords<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>the earthen rampart wall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">So that the wisest men<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>worthy might deem it.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then in that cairn they placed<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>necklets and rings and gems<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Which from the dragon&rsquo;s hoard<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>brave men had taken.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Back to the earth they gave<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>treasures of ancient folk,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Gold to the gloomy mould,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>where it now lieth<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Useless to sons of men<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>as it e&rsquo;er was of yore.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then round the mound there rode<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>twelve manly warriors,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Chanting their bitter grief,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>singing the hero dead,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Mourning their noble king<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>in fitting words of woe!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They praised his courage high<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>and his proud, valiant deeds,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Honoured him worthily,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>as it is meet for men<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Duly to praise in words<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>their friendly lord and king<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When his soul wanders forth<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>far from its fleshly home.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">So all the Geat chiefs,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>Beowulf&rsquo;s bodyguard,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wept for their leader&rsquo;s fall:<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>sang in their loud laments<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That he of earthly kings<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>mildest to all men was,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Gentlest, most gracious,<span class="space">&nbsp;</span>most keen to win glory.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg&nbsp;42]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER II: THE DREAM OF
+MAXEN WLEDIG</h2>
+
+
+<h3>The Position of Constantine</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>T would seem that the Emperor Constantine the
+Great loomed very large in the eyes of medi&aelig;val
+England. Even in Anglo-Saxon times many
+legends clustered round his name, so that Cynewulf,
+the religious poet of early England, wrote the poem
+of &ldquo;Elene&rdquo; mainly on the subject of his conversion.
+The story of the Vision of the Holy Cross with the
+inscription <i>In hoc signo vinces</i> was inspiring to a poet to
+whom the heathen were a living reality, not a distant
+abstraction; and Constantine&rsquo;s generosity to the Church
+of Rome and its bishop Sylvester added another element
+of attraction to his character in the medi&aelig;val mind.
+It is hardly surprising that other legends of his conversion
+and generosity should have sprung up, which differ
+entirely from the earlier and more authentic record.
+Thus &ldquo;the moral Gower&rdquo; has preserved for us an
+alternative legend of the cause of Constantine&rsquo;s conversion,
+which forms a good illustration of the virtue of
+pity in the &ldquo;Confessio Amantis.&rdquo; Whence this later
+legend sprang we have no knowledge, for nothing in
+the known history of Constantine warrants our regarding
+him as a disciple of mercy, but its existence shows
+that the medi&aelig;val mind was busied with his personality.
+Another most interesting proof of his importance to
+Britain is given in the following legend of &ldquo;The Dream
+of Maxen Wledig,&rdquo; preserved in the &ldquo;Mabinogion.&rdquo;
+This belongs to the Welsh patriotic legends, and tends
+to glorify the marriage of the British Princess Helena
+with the Roman emperor, by representing it as preordained
+by Fate. The fact that the hero of the Welsh
+saga is the Emperor Maxentius instead of Constantius
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg&nbsp;43]</a></span>
+detracts little from the interest of the legend, which is
+only one instance of the well-known theme of the lover
+led by dream, or vision, or magic glass to the home and
+heart of the beloved.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Emperor Maxen Wledig</h3>
+
+<p>The Emperor Maxen Wledig was the most powerful
+occupant of the throne of the C&aelig;sars who had ever
+ruled Europe from the City of the Seven Hills. He
+was the most handsome man in his dominions, tall and
+strong and skilled in all manly exercises; withal he
+was gracious and friendly to all his vassals and tributary
+kings, so that he was universally beloved. One day he
+announced his wish to go hunting, and was accompanied
+on his expedition down the Tiber valley by thirty-two
+vassal kings, with whom he enjoyed the sport heartily.
+At noon the heat was intense, they were far from Rome,
+and all were weary. The emperor proposed a halt, and
+they dismounted to take rest. Maxen lay down to
+sleep with his head on a shield, and soldiers and attendants
+stood around making a shelter for him from the
+sun&rsquo;s rays by a roof of shields hung on their spears.
+Thus he fell into a sleep so deep that none dared to
+awake him. Hours passed by, and still he slumbered, and
+still his whole retinue waited impatiently for his awakening.
+At length, when the evening shadows began to
+lie long and black on the ground, their impatience found
+vent in little restless movements of hounds chafing in
+their leashes, of spears clashing, of shields dropping
+from the weariness of their holders, and horses neighing
+and prancing; and then Maxen Wledig awoke suddenly
+with a start. &ldquo;Ah, why did you arouse me?&rdquo; he asked
+sadly. &ldquo;Lord, your dinner hour is long past&mdash;did you
+not know?&rdquo; they said. He shook his head mournfully,
+but said no word, and, mounting his horse, turned it
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg&nbsp;44]</a></span>
+and rode in unbroken silence back to Rome, with his
+head sunk on his breast. Behind him rode in dismay
+his retinue of kings and tributaries, who knew nothing
+of the cause of his sorrowful mood.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Emperor&rsquo;s Malady</h3>
+
+<p>From that day the emperor was changed, changed
+utterly. He rode no more, he hunted no more, he paid
+no heed to the business of the empire, but remained
+in seclusion in his own apartments and slept. The
+court banquets continued without him, music and song
+he refused to hear, and though in his sleep he smiled
+and was happy, when he awoke his melancholy could
+not be cheered or his gloom lightened. When this
+condition of things had continued for more than a week
+it was determined that the emperor must be aroused
+from this dreadful state of apathy, and his groom of
+the chamber, a noble Roman of very high rank&mdash;indeed,
+a king, under the emperor&mdash;resolved to make the
+endeavour.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I have evil tidings for you.
+The people of Rome are beginning to murmur against
+you, because of the change that has come over you.
+They say that you are bewitched, that they can get no
+answers or decisions from you, and all the affairs of the
+empire go to wrack and ruin while you sleep and take
+no heed. You have ceased to be their emperor, they
+say, and they will cease to be loyal to you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Dream of the Emperor</h3>
+
+<p>Then Maxen Wledig roused himself and said to the
+noble: &ldquo;Call hither my wisest senators and councillors,
+and I will explain the cause of my melancholy, and
+perhaps they will be able to give me relief.&rdquo; Accordingly
+the senators came together, and the emperor
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg&nbsp;45]</a></span>
+ascended his throne, looking so mournful that the
+whole Senate grieved for him, and feared lest death
+should speedily overtake him. He began to address
+them thus:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Senators and Sages of Rome, I have heard that my
+people murmur against me, and will rebel if I do not
+arouse myself. A terrible fate has fallen upon me, and
+I see no way of escape from my misery, unless ye can
+find one. It is now more than a week since I went
+hunting with my court, and when I was wearied I dismounted
+and slept. In my sleep I dreamt, and a vision
+cast its spell upon me, so that I feel no happiness unless
+I am sleeping, and seem to live only in my dreams.
+I thought I was hunting along the Tiber valley, lost my
+courtiers, and rode to the head of the valley alone.
+There the river flowed forth from a great mountain,
+which looked to me the highest in the world; but I
+ascended it, and found beyond fair and fertile plains,
+far vaster than any in our Italy, with mighty rivers flowing
+through the lovely country to the sea. I followed
+the course of the greatest river, and reached its mouth,
+where a noble port stood on the shores of a sea unknown
+to me. In the harbour lay a fleet of well-appointed
+ships, and one of these was most beautifully adorned,
+its planks covered with gold or silver, and its sails of
+silk. As a gangway of carved ivory led to the deck, I
+crossed it and entered the vessel, which immediately
+sailed out of the harbour into the ocean. The voyage
+was not of long duration, for we soon came to land in
+a wondrously beautiful island, with scenery of varied
+loveliness. This island I traversed, led by some secret
+guidance, till I reached its farthest shore, broken by
+cliffs and precipices and mountain ranges, while between
+the mountains and the sea I saw a fair and fruitful land
+traversed by a silvery, winding river, with a castle at its
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg&nbsp;46]</a></span>
+mouth. My longing drew me to the castle, and when
+I came to the gate I entered, for the dwelling stood
+open to every man, and such a hall as was therein I
+have never seen for splendour, even in Imperial Rome.
+The walls were covered with gold, set with precious
+gems, the seats were of gold and the tables of silver,
+and two fair youths, whom I saw playing chess, used
+pieces of gold on a board of silver. Their attire was of
+black satin embroidered with gold, and golden circlets
+were on their brows. I gazed at the youths for a
+moment, and next became aware of an aged man sitting
+near them. His carved ivory seat was adorned with
+golden eagles, the token of Imperial Rome; his ornaments
+on arms and hands and neck were of bright
+gold, and he was carving fresh chessmen from a rod of
+solid gold. Beside him sat, on a golden chair, a maiden
+(the loveliest in the whole world she seemed, and still
+seems, to me). White was her inner dress under a golden
+overdress, her crown of gold adorned with rubies and
+pearls, and a golden girdle encircled her slender waist.
+The beauty of her face won my love in that moment,
+and I knelt and said: &lsquo;Hail, Empress of Rome!&rsquo; but
+as she bent forward from her seat to greet me I awoke.
+Now I have no peace and no joy except in sleep, for in
+dreams I always see my lady, and in dreams we love
+each other and are happy; therefore in dreams will I
+live, unless ye can find some way to satisfy my longing
+while I wake.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 407px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr08.jpg" width="407" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_46" id="image_page_46"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">The dream of the Emperor</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Quest for the Maiden</h3>
+
+<p>The senators were at first greatly amazed, and then
+one of them said: &ldquo;My lord, will you not send out
+messengers to seek throughout all your lands for the
+maiden in the castle? Let each group of messengers
+search for one year, and return at the end of the year
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg&nbsp;47]</a></span>
+with tidings. So shall you live in good hope of success
+from year to year.&rdquo; The messengers were sent out
+accordingly, with wands in their hands and a sleeve tied
+on each cap, in token of peace and of an embassy;
+but though they searched with all diligence, after three
+years three separate embassies had brought back no
+news of the mysterious land and the beauteous
+maiden.</p>
+
+<p>Then the groom of the chamber said to Maxen
+Wledig: &ldquo;My lord, will you not go forth to hunt, as
+on the day when you dreamt this enthralling dream?&rdquo;
+To this the emperor agreed, and rode to the place in
+the valley where he had slept. &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;my
+dream began, and I seemed to follow the river to its
+source.&rdquo; Then the groom of the chamber said: &ldquo;Will
+you not send messengers to the river&rsquo;s source, my
+lord, and bid them follow the track of your dream?&rdquo;
+Accordingly thirteen messengers were sent, who followed
+the river up until it issued from the highest mountain
+they had ever seen. &ldquo;Behold our emperor&rsquo;s dream!&rdquo;
+they exclaimed, and they ascended the mountain, and
+descended the other side into a most beautiful and
+fertile plain, as Maxen Wledig had seen in his dream.
+Following the greatest river of all (probably the Rhine),
+the ambassadors reached the great seaport on the North
+Sea, and found the fleet waiting with one vessel larger
+than all the others; and they entered the ship and were
+carried to the fair island of Britain. Here they journeyed
+westward, and came to the mountainous land of
+Snowdon, whence they could see the sacred isle of Mona
+(Anglesey) and the fertile land of Arvon lying between
+the mountains and the sea. &ldquo;This,&rdquo; said the messengers,
+&ldquo;is the land of our master&rsquo;s dream, and in yon fair
+castle we shall find the maiden whom our emperor
+loves.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg&nbsp;48]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Finding of the Maiden</h3>
+
+<p>So they went through the lovely land of Arvon to
+the castle of Caernarvon, and in that lordly fortress was
+the great hall, with the two youths playing chess, the
+venerable man carving chessmen, and the maiden in her
+chair of gold. When the ambassadors saw the fair
+Princess Helena they fell on their knees before her
+and said: &ldquo;Empress of Rome, all hail!&rdquo; But Helena
+half rose from her seat in anger as she said: &ldquo;What
+does this mockery mean? You seem to be men of
+gentle breeding, and you wear the badge of messengers:
+whence comes it, then, that ye mock me thus?&rdquo; But
+the ambassadors calmed her anger, saying: &ldquo;Be not
+wroth, lady: this is no mockery, for the Emperor of
+Rome, the great lord Maxen Wledig, has seen you in
+a dream, and he has sworn to wed none but you.
+Which, therefore, will you choose, to accompany us to
+Rome, and there be made empress, or to wait here
+until the emperor can come to you?&rdquo; The princess
+thought deeply for a time, and then replied: &ldquo;I would
+not be too credulous, or too hard of belief. If the
+emperor loves me and would wed me, let him find me
+in my father&rsquo;s house, and make me his bride in my
+own home.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Dream Realized</h3>
+
+<p>After this the thirteen envoys departed, and returned
+to the emperor in such haste that when their horses
+failed they gave no heed, but took others and pressed
+on. When they reached Rome and informed Maxen
+Wledig of the success of their mission he at once
+gathered his army and marched across Europe towards
+Britain. When the Roman emperor had crossed the
+sea he conquered Britain from Beli the son of Manogan,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg&nbsp;49]</a></span>
+and made his way to Arvon. On entering the castle he
+saw first the two youths, Kynon and Adeon, playing
+chess, then their father, Eudav, the son of Caradoc,
+and then his beloved, the beauteous Helena, daughter
+of Eudav. &ldquo;Empress of Rome, all hail!&rdquo; Maxen
+Wledig said; and the princess bent forward in her chair
+and kissed him, for she knew he was her destined
+husband. The next day they were wedded, and the
+Emperor Maxen Wledig gave Helena as dowry all
+Britain for her father, the son of the gallant Caradoc,
+and for herself three castles, Caernarvon, Caerlleon, and
+Caermarthen, where she dwelt in turn; and in one of
+them was born her son Constantine, the only British-born
+Emperor of Rome. To this day in Wales the
+old Roman roads that connected Helena&rsquo;s three castles
+are known as &ldquo;Sarn Helen.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg&nbsp;50]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER III: THE STORY OF
+CONSTANTINE AND ELENE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>The Greatness of Constantine Provokes Attack</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N the year 312, the sixth year after Constantine
+had become emperor, the Roman Empire had
+increased on every hand, for Constantine was a
+mighty leader in war, a gracious and friendly lord in
+peace; he was a true king and ruler, a protector of all
+men. So mightily did he prosper that his enemies
+assembled great armies against him, and a confederation
+to overthrow him was made by the terrible Huns, the
+famous Goths, the brave Franks, and the warlike
+Hugas. This powerful confederation sent against
+Constantine an overwhelming army of Huns, whose
+numbers seemed to be countless, and yet the Hunnish
+leaders feared, when they knew that the emperor himself
+led the small Roman host.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Eve of the Battle</h3>
+
+<p>The night before the battle Constantine lay sadly
+in the midst of his army, watching the stars, and dreading
+the result of the next day&rsquo;s conflict; for his
+warriors were few compared with the Hunnish multitude,
+and even Roman discipline and devotion might
+not win the day against the mad fury of the barbarous
+Huns. At last, wearied out, the emperor slept, and a
+vision came to him in his sleep. He seemed to see,
+standing by him, a beautiful shining form, a man more
+glorious than the sons of men, who, as Constantine
+sprang up ready helmed for war, addressed him by
+name. The darkness of night fled before the heavenly
+light that shone from the angel, and the messenger
+said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg&nbsp;51]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;O Constantinus, the Ruler of Angels,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The Lord of all glory, the Master of heaven&rsquo;s hosts,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Claims from thee homage. Be not thou affrighted,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though armies of aliens array them for battle,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though terrible warriors threaten fierce conflict.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Look thou to the sky, to the throne of His glory;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">There seest thou surely the symbol of conquest.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Vision of the Cross</h3>
+
+<p>Constantine looked up as the angel bade him, and
+saw, hovering in the air, a cross, splendid, glorious,
+adorned with gems and shining with heavenly light.
+On its wood letters were engraved, gleaming with
+unearthly radiance:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;With this shalt thou conquer the foe in the conflict,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And with it shalt hurl back the host of the heathen.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Constantine is Cheered</h3>
+
+<p>Constantine read these words with awe and gladness,
+for indeed he knew not what deity had thus favoured
+him, but he would not reject the help of the Unknown
+God; so he bowed his head in reverence, and when
+he looked again the cross and the angel had disappeared,
+and around him as he woke was the greyness of the
+rising dawn. The emperor summoned to his tent two
+soldiers from the troops, and bade them make a cross
+of wood to bear before the army. This they did,
+greatly marvelling, and Constantine called a standard-bearer,
+to whom he gave charge to bear forward the
+Standard of the Cross where the danger was greatest
+and the battle most fierce.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Morning of Battle</h3>
+
+<p>When the day broke, and the two armies could see
+each other, both hosts arrayed themselves for battle,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg&nbsp;52]</a></span>
+in serried ranks of armed warriors, shouting their war-cries.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Loud sang the trumpets to stern-minded foemen<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The dewy-winged eagle watched them march onward,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The horny-billed raven rejoiced in the battle-play,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The sly wolf, the forest-thief, soon saw his heart&rsquo;s desire<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As the fierce warriors rushed at each other.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Great was the shield-breaking, loud was the clamour,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hard were the hand-blows, and dire was the downfall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When first the heroes felt the keen arrow-shower.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Soon did the Roman host fall on the death-doomed Huns,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thrust forth their deadly spears over the yellow shields,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Broke with their battle-glaives breasts of the foemen.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Cross is Raised</h3>
+
+<p>Then, when the battle was at its height, and the
+Romans knew not whether they would conquer or die
+fighting to the last, the standard-bearer raised the
+Cross, the token of promised victory, before all the
+host, and sang the chant of triumph. Onward he
+marched, and the Roman host followed him, pressing
+on resistless as the surging waves. The Huns, bewildered
+by the strange rally, and dreading the
+mysterious sign of some mighty god, rolled back, at
+first slowly, and then more and more quickly, till sullen
+retreat became panic rout, and they broke and fled.
+Multitudes were cut down as they fled, other multitudes
+were swept away by the devouring Danube as
+they tried to cross its current; some, half dead,
+reached the other side, and saved their lives in
+fortresses, guarding the steep cliffs beyond the Danube.
+Few, very few they were who ever saw their native land
+again.</p>
+
+<p>There was great rejoicing in the Roman army and
+in the Roman camp when Constantine returned in
+triumph with the wondrous Cross borne before him.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg&nbsp;53]</a></span>
+He passed on to the city, and the people of Rome gazed
+with awe on the token of the Unknown God who had
+saved their city, but none would say who that God
+might be.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Council Summoned</h3>
+
+<p>The emperor summoned a great council of all the
+wisest men in Rome, and when all were met he raised
+the Standard of the Cross in the midst and said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Can any man tell me, by spells or by ancient lore,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who is the gracious God, giver of victory,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who came in His glory, with the Cross for His token,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who rescued my people and gave me the victory,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Scattered my foemen and put the fierce Huns to flight,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Showed me in heaven His sign of deliverance,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The loveliest Cross of light, gleaming in glory?&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<p>At first no man could give him any answer&mdash;perhaps
+none dared&mdash;till after a long silence the wisest of all
+arose and said he had heard that the Cross was the sign
+of Christ the King of Heaven, and that the knowledge
+of His way was only revealed to men in baptism.
+When strict search was made some Christians were
+found, who preached the way of life to Constantine,
+and rejoiced that they might tell before men, of the life
+and death, the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus
+Christ, who redeemed mankind from the bonds of
+evil; and then Constantine, being fully instructed and
+convinced, was baptized and became the first Christian
+emperor.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Constantine Desires to Find our Saviour&rsquo;s Cross</h3>
+
+<p>Constantine&rsquo;s heart, however, was too full of love
+for his new Lord to let him rest satisfied without some
+visible token of Christ&rsquo;s sojourn on earth. He longed
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg&nbsp;54]</a></span>
+to have, to keep for his own, one thing at least which
+Jesus had touched during His life, and his thoughts
+turned chiefly to that Cross which had been to himself
+both the sign of triumph and the guide to the way of
+life. Thus he again called together his Christian
+teachers, and inquired more closely where Christ had
+suffered.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;In Jud&aelig;a, outside the walls of Jerusalem, He died
+on the Cross,&rdquo; they told him.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Then there, near that city, so blest and so curst,
+we must seek His precious Cross,&rdquo; cried Constantine.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Summons his Mother Elene</h3>
+
+<p>Forthwith he summoned from Britain his mother
+the British Princess Elene, and when she had been
+taught the truth, had been converted and baptized, he
+told her of his heart&rsquo;s desire, and begged her to journey
+to Jerusalem and seek the sacred Cross.</p>
+
+<p>Elene herself, when she heard Constantine&rsquo;s words,
+was filled with wonder, and said: &ldquo;Dear son, thy words
+have greatly rejoiced my heart, for know that I, too,
+have seen a vision, and would gladly seek the Holy
+Cross, where it lies hidden from the eyes of men.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Elene&rsquo;s Vision</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Now will I tell thee the brightest of visions,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Dreamt at the midnight when men lay in slumber.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hovering in heaven saw I a radiant Cross,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Gloriously gold-adorned, shining in splendour;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Starry gems shone on it at the four corners,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Flashed from the shoulder-span five gleaming jewels.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Angels surrounded it, guarding it gladly.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Yet in its loveliness sad was that Cross to see,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For &rsquo;neath the gold and gems fast blood flowed from it,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till it was all defiled with the dark drops.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Dream of the Rood.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg&nbsp;55]</a></span>
+In this dream of Elene&rsquo;s the Cross spoke to her,
+and told her of the sad fate which had made of that
+hapless tree the Cross on which the Redeemer of mankind
+had released the souls of men from evil, on which
+He had spread out His arms to embrace mankind, had
+bowed His head, weary with the strife, and had given
+up His soul. All creation wept that hour, for Christ
+was on the Cross.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Yet His friends came to him, left not His corpse alone,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Took down the Mighty King from His sharp sufferings&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Humbly I bowed myself down to the hands of men.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sadly they laid Him down in His dark rock-hewn grave,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sadly they sang for Him dirges for death-doomed ones,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sadly they left Him there as His fair corpse grew cold.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We, the three Crosses, stood mournful in loneliness,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till evil-thinking men felled us all three to ground,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sank us deep into earth, sealed us from sight of man.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Dream of the Rood.</p>
+
+
+<h3>She Undertakes the Quest</h3>
+
+<p>As Constantine had been guided by the heavenly
+vision of the True Cross, so now Elene would journey
+to the land of the Jews and find the reality of that
+Holy Cross. Her will and that of her son were one
+in this matter, so that before long the whole city resounded
+with the bustle and clamour of preparation,
+for Elene was to travel with the pomp and retinue
+befitting the mother of the Emperor of Rome.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;There by the Wendel Sea stood the wave-horses.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Proudly the plunging ships sought out the ocean path.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Line followed after line of the tall brine-ploughs.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Forth went the water-steeds o&rsquo;er the sea-serpent&rsquo;s road<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Bright shields on the bulwarks oft broke the foaming surge.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ne&rsquo;er saw I lady lead such a fair following!&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg&nbsp;56]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>She Comes to Jud&aelig;a</h3>
+
+<p>Queen Elene had a prosperous voyage, and, after
+touching at the land of the Greeks, reached in due
+time the country of Jud&aelig;a, and so, with good hope
+came to Jerusalem. There, in the emperor&rsquo;s name,
+she summoned to an assembly all the oldest and wisest
+Jews, a congregation of a thousand venerable rabbis,
+learned in all the books of the Law and the Prophets
+and proud that they were the Chosen People in a world
+of heathens, aliens from the True God. These she
+addressed at first with a blending of flattery and reproach&mdash;flattery
+for the Chosen People, reproach for
+their perversity of wickedness&mdash;and, finally, peremptorily
+demanded an answer to any question she might ask
+of them. The Jews withdrew and deliberated sadly
+whether they durst refuse the request of so mighty a
+person as the emperor&rsquo;s mother, and, deciding that
+they durst not, returned to the hall where Elene sat in
+splendour on her throne and announced their readiness
+to reply to all her questions. Elene, however, bade
+them first lessen their numbers. They chose five
+hundred to reply for them, and on these she poured
+such bitter reproaches that they at last exclaimed:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Lady, we learnt of yore laws of the Hebrew folk<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Which all our fathers learnt from the true ark of God.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lady, we know not now why thou thus blamest us;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How has the Jewish race done grievous wrong to thee?&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+
+<h3>She Cross-questions the Rabbis</h3>
+
+<p>Elene only replied: &ldquo;Go ye away, and choose out
+from among these five hundred those whose wisdom is
+great enough to show them without delay the answer
+to all things I require&rdquo;; and again they left her presence.
+When they were alone, one of them, named Judas,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg&nbsp;57]</a></span>
+said &ldquo;I know what this queen requires: she will
+demand to know from us where the Cross is concealed
+on which the Lord of the Christians was crucified; but
+if we tell this secret I know well that the Jews will
+cease to bear rule on the earth, and our holy scriptures
+will be forgotten. For my grandfather Zacch&aelig;us, as
+he lay dying, bade me confess the truth if ever man
+should inquire concerning the Holy Tree; and when I
+asked how our nation had failed to recognise the Holy
+and Just One, he told me that he had always withdrawn
+himself from the evil deeds of his generation, and their
+leaders had been blinded by their own unrighteousness,
+and had slain the Lord of Glory. And he ended:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Thus I and my father secretly held the Faith.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now warn I thee, my son, speak not thou mockingly<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of the true Son of God reigning in glory:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For whom my Stephen died, and the Apostle Paul.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Judas, &ldquo;since things are so, decide ye what
+we shall reveal, or what conceal, if this queen asks us.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>One Appointed to Answer her</h3>
+
+<p>The other elders replied: &ldquo;Do what seems to thee
+best, since thou alone knowest this. Never have we
+heard of these strange secrets. Do thou according to
+thy great wisdom.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>While they still deliberated came the heralds with
+silver trumpets, which they blew, proclaiming aloud:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The mighty Queen calls you, O men, to the Council,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That she may hear from you of your decision.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Great is the need ye have of all your wisdom.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly and reluctantly the Jewish rabbis returned
+to the council-chamber, and listened to Elene as she
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg&nbsp;58]</a></span>
+plied them with questions about the ancient prophecies
+and the death of Christ; but to all her inquiries they
+professed entire ignorance, until, in her wrath, the queen
+threatened them with death by fire. Then they led
+forward Judas, saying: &ldquo;He can reveal the mysteries of
+Fate, for he is of noble race, the son of a prophet. He
+will tell thee truth, O Queen, as thy soul loveth.&rdquo;
+Thus Elene let the other Jews go in peace, and took
+Judas for a hostage.</p>
+
+
+<h3>She Threatens him</h3>
+
+<p>Now Elene greeted Judas and said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Lo, thou perverse one, two things lie before thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or death or life for thee: choose which thou wilt.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<p>Judas replied to her, since he could not escape:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;If the starved wanderer lost on the barren moors<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sees both a stone and bread, easily in his reach,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Which, O Queen, thinkest thou he will reject?&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon Elene said: &ldquo;If thou wouldst dwell in
+heaven with the angels, reveal to me where the True
+Cross lies hidden.&rdquo; Now Judas was very sad, for his
+choice lay between death and the revealing of the fateful
+secret, but he still tried to evade giving an answer,
+protesting that too long a time had passed for the secret
+to be known. Elene retorted that the Trojan War was
+a still more ancient story, and yet was still well known;
+but Judas replied that men are bound to remember the
+valiant deeds of nations; he himself had never even
+heard the story of which she spoke. This obstinacy
+angered the queen greatly, and she demanded to be
+taken at once to the hill of Calvary, that she might
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg&nbsp;59]</a></span>
+purify it, for the sake of Him who died there; but
+Judas only repeated:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;I know not the place, nor aught of that field.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Elene was yet more enraged by his stubborn
+denials, and determined to obtain by force an answer
+to her questions. Calling her servants, she bade them
+thrust Judas into a deep dry cistern, where he lay,
+starving, bound hand and foot, for seven nights and
+days. On the seventh day his stubborn spirit yielded,
+and Judas lifted up his voice and called aloud, saying:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Now I beseech you all by the great God of heaven<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That you will lift me up out of this misery.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I will tell all I know of that True Holy Cross,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now I no longer can hide it for heavy pain.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hunger has daunted me through all these dreary days.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Foolish was I of yore; late I confess it.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Guides her to Calvary</h3>
+
+<p>The message was brought to Elene where she waited
+to hear tidings, and she bade her servants lift the
+weakened Judas from the dark pit; then they led
+him, half dead with hunger, out of the city to the hill
+of Calvary. There Judas prayed to the God whom he
+now feared and worshipped for a sign, some token to
+guide them in their search for the Holy Cross. As he
+prayed a sweet-smelling vapour, curling upwards like
+the incense-wreaths around the altar, rose to the skies
+from the summit of the hill. The sign was manifest to
+all, and Judas gave thanks to God for His great mercy;
+then, bidding the wondering soldiers help him, he began
+to dig. By this time all men knew what they sought,
+and each wished to uncover the holy relic, so that all
+dug with great zeal, until, under twenty feet of earth,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg&nbsp;60]</a></span>
+they uncovered three crosses, so well preserved that
+they lay in the earth just as the Jews had hidden them.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Three Crosses Found</h3>
+
+<p>Judas and all rejoiced greatly at this marvel, and,
+reverently raising the three crosses, they bore them into
+the city, and laid them at the feet of Queen Elene, whose
+first rapture of joy was speedily turned to perplexity as
+she realised that she knew not which was that sacred
+Cross on which the King of Angels had suffered. &ldquo;For,&rdquo;
+she said, &ldquo;two thieves were crucified with him.&rdquo; But
+even Judas could not clear her doubts.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Lo we have heard of this from all the holy books,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That there were with him two in His deep anguish.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They hung in death by Him; He was Himself the third.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heaven was all darkened o&rsquo;er at that dread moment.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Say, if thou rightly canst, which of these crosses<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is that blest Tree of Fate which bore the Heaven&rsquo;s King.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Elene.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 410px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr09.jpg" width="410" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_60" id="image_page_60"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">The Queen&rsquo;s dilemma</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Miracle to Reveal our Saviour&rsquo;s Cross</h3>
+
+<p>Judas, however, suggested that the crosses should be
+carried to the midst of the city, and that they should
+pray for another miracle to reveal the truth. This was
+done at dawn, and the triumphant band of Christians
+raised hymns of prayer and praise until the ninth
+hour; then came a mighty crowd bearing a young man
+lifeless on his bier. At Judas&rsquo;s command they laid
+down the bier, and he, praying to God, solemnly raised
+in turn each of the crosses and held it above the dead
+man&rsquo;s head. Lifeless still he lay as Judas raised the
+first two, but when he held above the corpse the third,
+the True Cross, the dead man arose instantly, body
+and soul reunited, one in praising God, and the whole
+multitude broke out into shouts of thanksgiving to the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg&nbsp;61]</a></span>
+Lord of Hosts, and the sacred relic was restored to the
+loving care of the queen.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Nails Sought for</h3>
+
+<p>Nevertheless Elene&rsquo;s longing was still unsatisfied.
+She called Judas (whose new name in baptism was
+Cyriacus) and begged him to fulfil her desires, and to
+pray to God that she might find the nails which had
+pierced the Lord of Life, where they lay hidden from
+men in the ground of Calvary. Leading her out of the
+town, Cyriacus again prayed on Mount Calvary that God
+would send forth a token and reveal the secret. As
+he prayed there came from heaven a leaping flame,
+brighter than the sun, which touched the surface of the
+ground here and there, and kindled in each place a tiny
+star. When they dug at the spots where the stars
+shone they found each nail shining visibly and casting
+a radiance of its own in the dark earth. So Elene had
+obtained her heart&rsquo;s desire, and had now the True
+Cross and the Holy Nails.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Good News Brought to Constantine</h3>
+
+<p>Word of his mother&rsquo;s success was sent to the Emperor
+Constantine, and he was asked what should be done
+with these glorious relics. He bade Elene build in
+Jerusalem a glorious church, and make therein a
+beautiful shrine of silver, where the Holy Cross should
+be guarded for all generations by priests who should
+watch it day and night. This was done, but the nails
+were still Elene&rsquo;s possession, and she was at a loss how
+to preserve these holy relics, when the devout Cyriacus,
+now ordained Bishop of Jerusalem, went to her and
+said: &ldquo;O lady and queen, take these precious nails for
+thy son the emperor. Make with them rings for his
+horse&rsquo;s bridle. Victory shall ever go with them; they
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg&nbsp;62]</a></span>
+shall be called Holy to God, and he shall be called
+blessed whom that horse bears.&rdquo; The advice pleased
+the queen, and she had wrought a glorious bridle,
+adorned with the Holy Nails, and sent it to her son.
+Constantine received it with all reverence, and ordained
+that April 24, the day of the miracle of revelation,
+should henceforth be kept in honour as &ldquo;Holy Cross
+Day.&rdquo; Thus were the Emperor&rsquo;s zeal and the royal
+mother&rsquo;s devotion rewarded, and Christendom was
+enriched by some of its most precious treasures, the
+True Cross and the Holy Nails.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg&nbsp;63]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER IV: THE COMPASSION OF
+CONSTANTINE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Youth of Constantine</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">C</span>ONSTANTINE THE GREAT was the eldest
+son of the Roman Emperor Constantius and
+the British Princess Helena, or Elena, and was
+brought up as a devout worshipper of the many gods
+of Rome. The lad grew up strong and handsome, of
+a tall and majestic figure, skilled in all warlike exercises,
+and, as he fought in the civil wars between the various
+Roman emperors, he showed himself a bold and prudent
+general in battle, a friendly and popular leader
+in time of peace. The popularity of the youthful
+Constantine was dangerous to him, and he needed, and
+showed, great skill in evading the deadly jealousy of
+the old Emperor Diocletian, and the hatred of his
+father&rsquo;s rival, Galerius. At last, however, his position
+became so dangerous that Constantius felt his son&rsquo;s
+life was no longer safe, and earnestly begged him to
+visit his native land of Britain, where Constantius had
+just been proclaimed emperor and had defeated the
+wild Caledonians. The excuse given was that Constantius
+was in bad health and needed his son; but not
+until the young man was actually in Britain would his
+anxious father avow that he feared for his son&rsquo;s life.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Acclaimed Emperor</h3>
+
+<p>When the half-British Constantius died, Constantine,
+who was the favourite of the Roman soldiery of the
+west, was at once acclaimed as emperor by his devoted
+troops. He professed unwillingness to accept the
+honour, and it is said that he even tried in vain to escape
+on horseback from the affectionate solicitations of his
+soldiers. Seeing the uselessness of further protest,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg&nbsp;64]</a></span>
+Constantine accepted the imperial title, and wrote to
+Galerius claiming the throne and justifying his acceptance
+of the unsought dignity thrust upon him. Galerius
+acquiesced in the inevitable, and granted Constantine
+the inferior title of &ldquo;C&aelig;sar,&rdquo; with rule over Western
+Europe, and the wise prince was content to wait until
+favouring circumstances should destroy his rivals and
+give him that sole sway over the Roman Empire for
+which he was so well fitted. He had now reached the
+age of thirty, had fought valiantly in the wars in Egypt
+and Persia, and had risen by merit to the rank of
+tribune. His marriage with Fausta, the daughter of
+the Emperor Maximian, and his elevation to the rank
+of Augustus brought him nearer to the attainment of
+his ambition; and at length the defeat and death of his
+rivals placed him at the head of the world-wide empire
+of Rome. It is to some period previous to Constantine&rsquo;s
+elevation to the supreme authority that we
+must refer the following story, told by Gower in his
+&ldquo;Confessio Amantis&rdquo; as an example of that true charity
+which is the mother of pity, and makes a man&rsquo;s heart so
+tender that,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Though he might himself relieve,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Yet he would not another grieve,&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>but in order to give pleasure to others would bear his
+own trouble alone.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Becomes a Leper</h3>
+
+<p>The noble Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was in
+the full flower of his age, goodly to look upon, strong
+and happy, when a great and sudden affliction came
+upon him: leprosy attacked him. The horrible disease
+showed itself first in his face, so that no concealment
+was possible, and if he had not been the emperor
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg&nbsp;65]</a></span>
+he would have been driven out to live in the forests
+and wilds. The leprosy spread from his face till it
+entirely covered his body, and became so bad that he
+could no longer ride out or show himself to his people.
+When all cures had been tried and had failed, Constantine
+withdrew himself from his lords, gave up all
+use of arms, abandoned his imperial duties, and shut
+himself in his palace, where he lived such a secluded
+life in his own apartments that Rome had, as it were,
+no lord, and all men throughout the empire talked of
+his illness and prayed their gods to heal him. When
+everything seemed to be in vain, Constantine yielded
+to the prayer of his council, that he would summon all
+the doctors, learned men, and physicians from every
+realm to Rome, that they might consider his illness
+and try if any cure could be found for his malady.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Rewards Offered for his Cure</h3>
+
+<p>A proclamation went forth throughout the world
+and great rewards were offered to any man who should
+heal the emperor. Tempted by the rewards and the
+great fame to be won, there came leeches and physicians
+from Persia and Arabia, and from every land that owned
+the sway of Rome, philosophers from Greece and Egypt,
+and magicians and sorcerers from the unexplored desert
+of the east. But, though Constantine tried all the
+remedies suggested or recommended by the wise men,
+his leprosy grew no better, but rather worse, and even
+magic could give him no help.</p>
+
+<p>Again the learned men assembled and consulted
+what they should advise, for all were loath to abandon
+the emperor in his great distress, but they were all
+at a loss. They sat in silence, till at last one very old
+and very wise man, a great physician from Arabia, arose
+and said:</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg&nbsp;66]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>A Desperate Remedy</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now that all else has failed, and naught is of any
+avail, I will tell of a remedy of which I have heard. It
+will, I believe, certainly cure our beloved emperor, but
+it is very terrible, and therefore I was loath to name it
+till every other means had been tried and failed, for it
+is a cruel thing for any man to do. Let the Emperor
+dip himself in a full bath of the blood of infants and
+children, seven years old or under, and he shall be
+healed, and his leprosy shall fall from him; for this
+malady is not natural to his body, and it demands an
+unnatural cure.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Constantine Assents Regretfully</h3>
+
+<p>The proposal was a terrible one to the assembly, and
+many would not agree to it at first, but when they
+considered that nothing else would heal the emperor
+they at length gave way, and sent two from among
+themselves to bring the news to Constantine, who was
+waiting for them in his darkened room. He was
+horrified when he heard the counsel they brought, and
+at first utterly refused to carry out so evil a plan; but
+because his life was very dear to his people, and because
+he felt that he had a great work to do in the world, he
+ultimately agreed, with many tears, to try the terrible
+remedy.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Cruel Proclamation</h3>
+
+<p>Thereupon the council drew up letters, under the
+emperor&rsquo;s hand and seal, and sent them out to all the
+world, bidding all mothers with children of seven years
+of age or under to bring them with speed to Rome,
+that there the blood of the innocents might prove healing
+to the emperor&rsquo;s malady. Alas! what weeping and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg&nbsp;67]</a></span>
+wailing there was among the mothers when they heard
+this cruel decree! How they cried, and clasped their
+babes to their breasts, and how they called Constantine
+more cruel than Herod, who killed the Holy Innocents!
+The eastern ruler, they said, slew only the infants of
+one poor village, but their emperor, more ruthless,
+claimed the lives of all the young children of his whole
+empire.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Constantine is Conscience-stricken</h3>
+
+<p>But though the mothers lamented bitterly, they must
+needs bow to the emperor&rsquo;s decree, whether they were
+lief or loath, and thus a great multitude gathered in
+the great courtyard of the imperial palace at Rome:
+women nursing sucking-babes at the breast, or holding
+toddling infants by the hand, or with little children
+running by their sides, and all so heart-broken and
+woebegone that many swooned for very grief. The
+mothers wailed aloud, the children cried, and the tumult
+grew until Constantine heard it, where he sat lonely
+and wretched in his darkened room. He looked out
+of his window on the mournful sight in the courtyard,
+and was roused as from a trance, saying to himself:
+&ldquo;O Divine Providence, who hast formed all men
+alike, lo! the poor man is born, lives, suffers, and dies,
+just as does the rich; to wise man and fool alike come
+sickness and health; and no man may avoid that
+fortune which Nature&rsquo;s law hath ordained for him.
+Likewise to all men are Nature&rsquo;s gifts of strength and
+beauty, of soul and reason, freely and fully given, so
+that the poor child is born as capable of virtue as the
+king&rsquo;s son; and to each man is given free will to
+choose virtue or vice. Yet thou givest to men diversity
+of rank, wealth or poverty, lordship or servitude, not
+always according to their deserts; so much the more
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg&nbsp;68]</a></span>
+virtuous should that man be to whom thou hast put
+other men in subjection, men who are nevertheless his
+fellows and wear his likeness. Thou, O God, who
+hast put Nature and the whole universe under law,
+wouldst have all men rule themselves by law, and
+thou hast said that a man must do to others such
+things as he would have done to himself.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>His Noble Resolve</h3>
+
+<p>Thus Constantine spoke within himself as he stood
+by the window and looked upon the weeping mothers
+and children, the very sentinels of his palace pitying
+them, and trying in vain to comfort them; and a strife
+grew strong within him between his natural longing
+for healing and deliverance from this loathsome disease
+which had darkened his life, and the pity he felt for
+these poor creatures, and his horror at the thought of
+so much human blood to be shed for himself alone.
+The great moaning of the woeful mothers came to him
+and the pitiful crying of the children, and he thought:
+&ldquo;What am I that my health is to outweigh the lives
+and happiness of so many of my people? Is my life of
+more value to the world than those of all the children
+who must shed their blood for my healing? Surely
+each babe is as precious as Constantine the Emperor!&rdquo;
+Thus his heart grew so tender and so full of compassion
+that he chose rather to die by this terrible sickness than
+to commit so great a slaughter of innocent children, and
+he renounced all other physicians, and trusted himself
+wholly to God&rsquo;s care.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Announces his Determination</h3>
+
+<p>He at once summoned his council, and announced
+to them his resolution, giving as his reason, &ldquo;He that
+will be truly master must be ever servant to pity!&rdquo;
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg&nbsp;69]</a></span>
+and without delay the anxious mothers were told that
+their children were free and safe, for the emperor had
+renounced the cure, and needed their blood no longer.
+What raptures of rejoicing there were, what outpouring
+of blessing on the emperor, what songs of praise and
+thanks from the women wild with joy, cannot be fully
+told; and yet greater grew their joy and thankfulness
+when Constantine, calling his high officials, bade them
+take all his gathered treasures and distribute them
+among the poor women, that they might feed and
+clothe their children, and so return home untouched
+by any loss, and recompensed in some degree for their
+sufferings. Thus did Constantine obey the behests of
+pity, and try to atone for the wrong to which he had
+consented in his heart, and which he had so nearly done
+to his people.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Victims Sent Home Happy</h3>
+
+<p>Home to all parts of the Roman Empire went the
+women, bearing with them their happy children, and
+the rich gifts they had received. Each one thanked
+and blessed the emperor, and sang his praises, where
+before she had passed with tears and bitter curses on
+his head; each woman shared her joy with her neighbours;
+and the very children learnt from their mothers
+and fathers to pray for the healing of their great lord,
+who had given up his own will and sacrificed his own
+cure for gentle pity&rsquo;s sake. Thus the whole world
+prayed for Constantine&rsquo;s healing.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Vision</h3>
+
+<p>Lo! it never yet was known that charity went unrequited
+and this Constantine now learnt in his own
+glad experience; for that same night, as he lay asleep,
+God sent to him a vision of two strangers, men of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg&nbsp;70]</a></span>
+noble face and form, whom he reverenced greatly, and
+who said to him: &ldquo;O Constantine, because thou hast
+obeyed the voice of pity, thou hast deserved pity;
+therefore shalt thou find such mercy, that God, in His
+great pity, will save thee. Double healing shalt thou
+receive, first for thy body, and next for thy woeful soul;
+both alike shall be made whole. And that thou mayst
+not despair, God will grant thee a sign&mdash;thy leprosy
+shall not increase till thou hast sent to Mount Celion,
+to Sylvester and all his clergy. There they dwell in
+secret for dread of thee, who hast been a foe to the law
+of Christ, and hast destroyed those who preach in His
+Holy Name. Now thou hast appeased God somewhat
+by thy good deed, since thou hast had pity on the
+innocent blood, and hast spared it; for this thou shalt
+find teaching, from Sylvester, to the salvation of both
+body and soul. Thou wilt need no other leech.&rdquo; The
+emperor, who had listened with eagerness and awe,
+now spoke: &ldquo;Great thanks I owe to you, my lords,
+and I will indeed do as ye have said; but one thing I
+would pray you&mdash;what shall I tell Sylvester of the
+name or estate of those who send me to him?&rdquo; The
+two strangers said: &ldquo;We are the Apostles Peter and
+Paul, who endured death here in thy city of Rome for
+the Holy Name of Christ, and we bid Sylvester teach
+and baptize thee into the true faith. So shall the
+Roman Empire become the kingdom of the Lord and
+of His Christ.&rdquo; So saying, they blessed him, and passed
+into the heavens out of his sight, and Constantine awoke
+from his slumber and knew that he had seen a vision.
+He called aloud eagerly, and his servants waiting in an
+outer room ran in to him quickly, for there was urgency
+in his voice. To them Constantine told his vision and
+the command which was laid upon him.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg&nbsp;71]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Sylvester Summoned</h3>
+
+<p>Messengers rode in hot haste to Mount Celion, and
+inquired long and anxiously for Sylvester. At last
+they found him, a holy and venerable man, and summoned
+him, saying: &ldquo;The Emperor calls for thee:
+come, therefore, at once.&rdquo; Sylvester&rsquo;s clergy were
+greatly affrighted, not knowing what this summons
+might mean, and dreading the death of their dear
+bishop and master; but he went forth gladly, not
+knowing to what fate he was going. When he was
+brought to the palace the emperor greeted him kindly,
+and told him all his dream, and the command of the
+Apostles Peter and Paul, and ended with these words:
+&ldquo;Now I have done as the vision bade, and have fetched
+thee here: tell me, I pray, the glad tidings which shall
+bring healing to my body and soul.&rdquo; When Sylvester
+heard this speech he was filled with joy and wonder,
+and thanked God for the vision He had sent to the
+emperor, and then he began to preach to him the
+Christian faith: he told of the Fall of Man, and the
+redemption of the world by the death and resurrection
+of Jesus Christ, of the Ascension of Jesus and His
+return at the Day of Judgment, of the justice of God,
+who will judge all men impartially according to their
+works, good or bad, and of the life of joy or misery to
+come. As Sylvester taught, the monarch listened and
+believed, and, when the tale was ended, announced his
+conversion to the true faith, and said he was ready,
+with his whole heart and soul, to be baptized.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Constantine Baptized</h3>
+
+<p>At the emperor&rsquo;s command, they took the great
+vessel of silver which had been made for the children&rsquo;s
+blood, and Sylvester bade them fill it with pure water
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg&nbsp;72]</a></span>
+from the well. When that was done with all haste,
+he bade Constantine stand therein, so that the water
+reached his chin. As the holy rite began a great
+light like the sun&rsquo;s rays shone from heaven into the
+place, and upon Constantine; and as the sacred words
+were being read there fell now and again from his
+body scales like those of a fish, till there was nothing
+left of his horrible disease; and thus in baptism
+Constantine was purified in body and soul.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 415px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr10.jpg" width="415" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_70" id="image_page_70"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg&nbsp;73]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER V: HAVELOK THE DANE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>The Origin of the Story</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE Danish occupation of England has left a
+very strong mark on our country in various
+ways&mdash;on its place-names, its racial characteristics,
+its language, its literature, and, in part, on
+its ideals. The legend of Havelok the Dane, with
+its popularity and widespread influence, is one result
+of Danish supremacy. It is thought that the origin of
+the legend, which contains a twofold version of the
+common story of the cruel guardian and the persecuted
+heir, is to be found in Wales; but, however that may
+be, it is certain that in the continual rise and fall of small
+tribal kingdoms, Celtic or Teutonic, English or Danish,
+the circumstances out of which the story grew must
+have been common enough. Kings who died leaving
+helpless heirs to the guardianship of ambitious and
+wicked nobles were not rare in the early days of
+Britain, Wales, or Denmark; the murder of the heir
+and the usurpation of the kingdom by the cruel regent
+were no unusual occurrences. The opportunity of
+localising the early legend seems to have come with
+the growing fame of Anlaf, or Olaf, Sihtricson, who
+was known to the Welsh as Abloec or Habloc. His
+adventurous life included a threefold expulsion from
+his inheritance of Northumbria, a marriage with the
+daughter of King Constantine III. of Scotland, and a
+family kinship with King Athelstan of England. In
+Anlaf Curan (as he was called) we have an historical
+hero on whom various romantic stories were gradually
+fathered, because of his adventurous life and his strong
+personality. These stories finally crystallized in a
+form which shows the English and Danish love of
+physical prowess (Havelok is the strongest man in the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg&nbsp;74]</a></span>
+kingdom), as well as a certain cruelty of revenge
+which is more peculiarly Danish. There is resentment
+of the Norman predominance to be found in the
+popularity of a story which shows the kitchen-boy
+excelling all the nobles in manly exercises, and the
+heiress to the kingdom wedded in scorn, as so many
+Saxon heiresses were after the Conquest, to a mere
+scullion. There can be no doubt, however, that
+Havelok stood to medi&aelig;val England as a hero of the
+strong arm, a champion of the populace against the
+ruling race, and that his royal birth and dignity were a
+concession to historic facts and probabilities, not much
+regarded by the common people. The story, again,
+showed another truly humble hero, Grim the fisher,
+whose loyalty was supposed to account for the special
+trading privileges of his town, Grimsby. In Grim the
+story found a character who was in reality a hero of
+the poor and lowly, with the characteristic devotion of
+the tribesman to his chief, of the vassal to his lord, a
+devotion which was handed on from father to son, so
+that a second generation continued the services, and
+received the rewards, of the father who risked life and
+all for the sake of his king&rsquo;s heir.</p>
+
+<p>The reader will not fail to notice the characteristic
+anachronisms which give to life in Saxon England in
+the tenth century the colour of the Norman chivalry of
+the thirteenth.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Havelok and Godard</h3>
+
+<p>In Denmark, long ago, lived a good king named
+Birkabeyn, rich and powerful, a great warrior and a
+man of mighty prowess, whose rule was undisputed
+over the whole realm. He had three children&mdash;two
+daughters, named Swanborow and Elfleda the Fair, and
+one young and goodly son, Havelok, the heir to all
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg&nbsp;75]</a></span>
+his dominions. All too soon came the day that no
+man can avoid, when Death would call King Birkabeyn
+away, and he grieved sore over his young children to
+be left fatherless and unprotected; but, after much
+reflection, and prayers to God for wisdom to help
+his choice, he called to him Jarl Godard, a trusted
+counsellor and friend, and committed into his hands
+the care of the realm and of the three royal children,
+until Havelok should be of age to be knighted and
+rule the land himself. King Birkabeyn felt that such a
+charge was too great a temptation for any man unbound
+by oaths of fealty and honour, and although he did not
+distrust his friend, he required Godard to swear,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;By altar and by holy service book,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By bells that call the faithful to the church,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By blessed sacrament, and sacred rites,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By Holy Rood, and Him who died thereon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That thou wilt truly rule and keep my realm,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wilt guard my babes in love and loyalty,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Until my son be grown, and dubb&egrave;d knight:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That thou wilt then resign to him his land,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">His power and rule, and all that owns his sway.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Jarl Godard took this most solemn oath at once
+with many protestations of affection and whole-hearted
+devotion to the dying king and his heir, and King
+Birkabeyn died happy in the thought that his children
+would be well cared for during their helpless youth.</p>
+
+<p>When the funeral rites were celebrated Jarl Godard
+assumed the rule of the country, and, under pretext of
+securing the safety of the royal children, removed them
+to a strong castle, where no man was allowed access to
+them, and where they were kept so closely that the
+royal residence became a prison in all but name.
+Godard, finding Denmark submit to his government
+without resistance, began to adopt measures to rid
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg&nbsp;76]</a></span>
+himself of the real heirs to the throne, and gave orders
+that food and clothes should be supplied to the three
+children in such scanty quantities that they might die of
+hardship; but since they were slow to succumb to this
+cruel, torturing form of murder, he resolved to slay
+them suddenly, knowing that no one durst call him to
+account. Having steeled his heart against all pitiful
+thoughts, he went to the castle, and was taken to the
+inner dungeon where the poor babes lay shivering and
+weeping for cold and hunger. As he entered, Havelok,
+who was even then a bold lad, greeted him courteously,
+and knelt before him, with clasped hands, begging a
+boon.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why do you weep and wail so sore?&rdquo; asked
+Godard.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Because we are so hungry,&rdquo; answered Havelok.
+&ldquo;We have so little food, and we have no servants to
+wait on us; they do not give us half as much as we
+could eat; we are shivering with cold, and our clothes
+are all in rags. Woe to us that we were ever born! Is
+there in the land no more corn with which men can
+make bread for us? We are nearly dead from hunger.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>These pathetic words had no effect on Godard, who
+had resolved to yield to no pity and show no mercy.
+He seized the two little girls as they lay cowering
+together, clasping one another for warmth, and cut their
+throats, letting the bodies of the hapless babies fall to
+the floor in a pool of blood; and then, turning to
+Havelok, aimed his knife at the boy&rsquo;s heart. The poor
+child, terrified by the awful fate of the two girls, knelt
+again before him and begged for mercy:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Fair lord, have mercy on me now, I pray!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Look on my helpless youth, and pity me!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oh, let me live, and I will yield you all&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My realm of Denmark will I leave to you,<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg&nbsp;77]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">And swear that I will ne&rsquo;er assail your sway.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oh, pity me, lord! be compassionate!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I will flee far from this land of mine,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And vow that Birkabeyn was ne&rsquo;er my sire!&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Jarl Godard was touched by Havelok&rsquo;s piteous speech,
+and felt some faint compassion, so that he could not
+slay the lad himself; yet he knew that his only safety
+was in Havelok&rsquo;s death.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If I let him go,&rdquo; thought he, &ldquo;Havelok will at last
+work me woe! I shall have no peace in my life, and
+my children after me will not hold the lordship of Denmark
+in safety, if Havelok escapes! Yet I cannot slay
+him with my own hands. I will have him cast into the
+sea with an anchor about his neck: thus at least his
+body will not float.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Godard left Havelok kneeling in terror, and, striding
+from the tower, leaving the door locked behind him, he
+sent for an ignorant fisherman, Grim, who, he thought,
+could be frightened into doing his will. When Grim
+came he was led into an ante-room, where Godard, with
+terrible look and voice, addressed him thus:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Grim, thou knowest thou art my thrall.&rdquo; &ldquo;Yea,
+fair lord,&rdquo; quoth Grim, trembling at Godard&rsquo;s stern
+voice. &ldquo;And I can slay thee if thou dost disobey me.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Yea, lord; but how have I offended you?&rdquo; &ldquo;Thou
+hast not yet; but I have a task for thee, and if thou
+dost it not, dire punishment shall fall upon thee.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Lord, what is the work that I must do?&rdquo; asked the
+poor fisherman. &ldquo;Tarry: I will show thee.&rdquo; Then
+Godard went into the inner room of the tower, whence
+he returned leading a fair boy, who wept bitterly.
+&ldquo;Take this boy secretly to thy house, and keep him
+there till dead of night; then launch thy boat, row out
+to sea, and fling him therein with an anchor round his
+neck, so that I shall see him never again.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg&nbsp;78]</a></span>
+Grim looked curiously at the weeping boy, and said:
+&ldquo;What reward shall I have if I work this sin for
+you?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Godard replied: &ldquo;The sin will be on my head as I
+am thy lord and bid thee do it; but I will make thee a
+freeman, noble and rich, and my friend, if thou wilt do
+this secretly and discreetly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thus reassured and bribed, Grim suddenly took the
+boy, flung him to the ground, and bound him hand
+and foot with cord which he took from his pockets.
+So anxious was he to secure the boy that he drew the
+cords very tight, and Havelok suffered terrible pain;
+he could not cry out, for a handful of rags was thrust
+into his mouth and over his nostrils, so that he could
+hardly breathe. Then Grim flung the poor boy into a
+horrible black sack, and carried him thus from the
+castle, as if he were bringing home broken food for his
+family. When Grim reached his poor cottage, where
+his wife Leve was waiting for him, he slung the
+sack from his shoulder and gave it to her, saying,
+&ldquo;Take good care of this boy as of thy life. I am to
+drown him at midnight, and if I do so my lord has
+promised to make me a free man and give me great
+wealth.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>When Dame Leve heard this she sprang up and
+flung the lad down in a corner, and nearly broke his
+head with the crash against the earthen floor. There
+Havelok lay, bruised and aching, while the couple
+went to sleep, leaving the room all dark but for the
+red glow from the fire. At midnight Grim awoke to
+do his lord&rsquo;s behest, and Dame Leve, going to the
+living-room to kindle a light, was terrified by a
+mysterious gleam as bright as day which shone around
+the boy on the floor and streamed from his mouth.
+Leve hastily called Grim to see this wonder, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg&nbsp;79]</a></span>
+together they released Havelok from the gag and
+bonds and examined his body, when they found on the
+right shoulder the token of true royalty, a cross of red
+gold.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;God knows,&rdquo; quoth Grim, &ldquo;that this is the heir of
+our land. He will come to rule in good time, will bear
+sway over England and Denmark, and will punish the
+cruel Godard.&rdquo; Then, weeping sore, the loyal fisherman
+fell down at Havelok&rsquo;s feet, crying, &ldquo;Lord, have
+mercy on me and my wife! We are thy thralls, and
+never will we do aught against thee. We will nourish
+thee until thou canst rule, and will hide thee from
+Godard; and thou wilt perchance give me my freedom
+in return for thy life.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>At this unexpected address Havelok sat up surprised,
+and rubbed his bruised head and said: &ldquo;I am nearly
+dead, what with hunger, and thy cruel bonds, and the
+gag. Now bring me food in plenty!&rdquo; &ldquo;Yea, lord,&rdquo;
+said Dame Leve, and bustled about, bringing the best
+they had in the hut; and Havelok ate as if he had
+fasted for three days; and then he was put to bed, and
+slept in peace while Grim watched over him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr11.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_78" id="image_page_78"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Havelok sat up surprised&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>However, Grim went the next morning to Jarl Godard
+and said: &ldquo;Lord, I have done your behest, and drowned
+the boy with an anchor about his neck. He is safe,
+and now, I pray you, give me my reward, the gold and
+other treasures, and make me a freeman as you have
+promised.&rdquo; But Godard only looked fiercely at him
+and said: &ldquo;What, wouldst thou be an earl? Go home,
+thou foul churl, and be ever a thrall! It is enough
+reward that I do not hang thee now for insolence, and
+for thy wicked deeds. Go speedily, else thou mayst
+stand and palter with me too long.&rdquo; And Grim shrank
+quietly away, lest Godard should slay him for the
+murder of Havelok.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg&nbsp;80]</a></span>
+Now Grim saw in what a terrible plight he stood, at
+the mercy of this cruel and treacherous man, and he
+took counsel with himself and consulted his wife, and
+the two decided to flee from Denmark to save their
+lives. Gradually Grim sold all his stock, his cattle, his
+nets, everything that he owned, and turned it into good
+pieces of gold; then he bought and secretly fitted out
+and provisioned a ship, and at last, when all was ready,
+carried on board Havelok (who had lain hidden all this
+time), his own three sons and two daughters; then
+when he and his wife had gone on board he set sail,
+and, driven by a favourable wind, reached the shores of
+England.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Goldborough and Earl Godrich</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile in England a somewhat similar fate had
+befallen a fair princess named Goldborough. When
+her father, King Athelwold, lay dying all his people
+mourned, for he was the flower of all fair England for
+knighthood, justice, and mercy; and he himself grieved
+sorely for the sake of his little daughter, soon to be left
+an orphan. &ldquo;What will she do?&rdquo; moaned he. &ldquo;She
+can neither speak nor walk! If she were only able to
+ride, to rule England, and to guard herself from shame,
+I should have no grief, even if I died and left her
+alone, while I lived in the joy of paradise!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then Athelwold summoned a council to be held at
+Winchester, and asked the advice of the nobles as to
+the care of the infant Goldborough. They with one
+accord recommended Earl Godrich of Cornwall to be
+made regent for the little princess; and the earl, on
+being appointed, swore with all solemn rites that he
+would marry her at twelve years old to the highest,
+the best, fairest, and strongest man alive, and in the
+meantime would train her in all royal virtues and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg&nbsp;81]</a></span>
+customs. So King Athelwold died, and was buried
+with great lamentations, and Godrich ruled the land as
+regent. He was a strict but just governor, and England
+had great peace, without and within, under his severe
+rule, for all lived in awe of him, though no man loved
+him. Goldborough grew and throve in all ways, and
+became famous through the land for her gracious
+beauty and gentle and virtuous demeanour. This
+roused the jealousy of Earl Godrich, who had played
+the part of king so long that he almost believed himself
+King of England, and he began to consider how
+he could secure the kingdom for himself and his son.
+Thereupon he had Goldborough taken from Winchester,
+where she kept royal state, to Dover, where she was
+imprisoned in the castle, and strictly secluded from all
+her friends; there she remained, with poor clothes and
+scanty food, awaiting a champion to uphold her right.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Havelok Becomes Cook&rsquo;s Boy</h3>
+
+<p>When Grim sailed from Denmark to England he
+landed in the Humber, at the place now called Grimsby,
+and there established himself as a fisherman. So successful
+was he that for twelve years he supported his
+family well, and carried his catches of fish far afield,
+even to Lincoln, where rare fish always brought a good
+price. In all this time Grim never once called on
+Havelok for help in the task of feeding the family; he
+reverenced his king, and the whole household served
+Havelok with the utmost deference, and often went
+with scanty rations to satisfy the boy&rsquo;s great appetite.
+At length Havelok began to think how selfishly he
+was living, and how much food he consumed, and was
+filled with shame when he realized how his foster-father
+toiled unweariedly while he did nothing to help. In
+his remorseful meditations it became clear to him that,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg&nbsp;82]</a></span>
+though a king&rsquo;s son, he ought to do some useful work.
+&ldquo;Of what use,&rdquo; thought he, &ldquo;is my great strength and
+stature if I do not employ it for some good purpose?
+There is no shame in honest toil. I will work for my
+food, and try to make some return to Father Grim,
+who has done so much for me. I will gladly bear his
+baskets of fish to market, and I will begin to-morrow.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>On the next day, in spite of Grim&rsquo;s protests
+Havelok carried a load of fish equal to four men&rsquo;s
+burden to Grimsby market, and sold it successfully,
+returning home with the money he received; and this
+he did day by day, till a famine arose and fish and
+food both became scarce. Then Grim, more concerned
+for Havelok than for his own children, called the youth
+to him and bade him try his fortunes in Lincoln, for
+his own sake and for theirs; he would be better fed,
+and the little food Grim could get would go further
+among the others if Havelok were not there. The one
+obstacle in the way was Havelok&rsquo;s lack of clothes, and
+Grim overcame that by sacrificing his boat&rsquo;s sail to
+make Havelok a coarse tunic. That done, they bade
+each other farewell, and Havelok started for Lincoln,
+barefooted and bareheaded, for his only garment was
+the sailcloth tunic. In Lincoln Havelok found no
+friends and no food for two days, and he was desperate
+and faint with hunger, when he heard a call: &ldquo;Porters,
+porters! hither to me!&rdquo; Roused to new vigour by
+the chance of work, Havelok rushed with the rest,
+and bore down and hurled aside the other porters so
+vigorously that he was chosen to carry provisions for
+Bertram, the earl&rsquo;s cook; and in return he received
+the first meal he had eaten for nearly three days.</p>
+
+<p>On the next day Havelok again overthrew the
+porters, and, knocking down at least sixteen, secured the
+work. This time he had to carry fish, and his basket
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg&nbsp;83]</a></span>
+was so laden that he bore nearly a cartload, with
+which he ran to the castle. There the cook, amazed at
+his strength, first gave him a hearty meal, and then
+offered him good service under himself, with food and
+lodging for his wages. This offer Havelok accepted,
+and was installed as cook&rsquo;s boy, and employed in all the
+lowest offices&mdash;carrying wood, water, turf, hewing logs,
+lifting, fetching, carrying&mdash;and in all he showed himself
+a wonderfully strong worker, with unfailing good
+temper and gentleness, so that the little children all
+loved the big, gentle, fair-haired youth who worked
+so quietly and played with them so merrily. When
+Havelok&rsquo;s old tunic became worn out, his master, the
+cook, took pity on him and gave him a new suit, and
+then it could be seen how handsome and tall and strong
+a youth this cook&rsquo;s boy really was, and his fame spread
+far and wide round Lincoln Town.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 409px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr12.jpg" width="409" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_82" id="image_page_82"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Havelok again overthrew the porters&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Havelok and Goldborough</h3>
+
+<p>At the great fair of Lincoln, sports of all kinds were
+indulged in, and in these Havelok took his part, for
+the cook, proud of his mighty scullion, urged him to
+compete in all the games and races. As Earl Godrich
+had summoned his Parliament to meet that year at
+Lincoln, there was a great concourse of spectators,
+and even the powerful Earl Regent himself sometimes
+watched the sports and cheered the champions. The
+first contest was &ldquo;putting the stone,&rdquo; and the stone
+chosen was so weighty that none but the most stalwart
+could lift it above the knee&mdash;none could raise it to his
+breast. This sport was new to Havelok, who had
+never seen it before, but when the cook bade him try
+his strength he lifted the stone easily and threw it
+more than twelve feet. This mighty deed caused his
+fame to be spread, not only among the poor servants
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg&nbsp;84]</a></span>
+with whom Havelok was classed, but also among the
+barons, their masters, and Havelok&rsquo;s Stone became a
+landmark in Lincoln. Thus Godrich heard of a youth
+who stood head and shoulders taller than other men
+and was stronger, more handsome&mdash;and yet a mere
+common scullion. The news brought him a flash of
+inspiration: &ldquo;Here is the highest, strongest, best man
+in all England, and him shall Goldborough wed. I
+shall keep my vow to the letter, and England must fall
+to me, for Goldborough&rsquo;s royal blood will be lost by
+her marriage with a thrall, the people will refuse her
+obedience, and England will cast her out.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Godrich therefore brought Goldborough to Lincoln,
+received her with bell-ringing and seemly rejoicing,
+and bade her prepare for her wedding. This the
+princess refused to do until she knew who was her
+destined husband, for she said she would wed no man
+who was not of royal birth. Her firmness drove Earl
+Godrich to fierce wrath, and he burst out: &ldquo;Wilt thou
+be queen and mistress over me? Thy pride shall be
+brought down: thou shalt have no royal spouse: a
+vagabond and scullion shalt thou wed, and that no
+later than to-morrow! Curses on him who speaks thee
+fair!&rdquo; In vain the princess wept and bemoaned herself:
+the wedding was fixed for the morrow morn.</p>
+
+<p>The next day at dawn Earl Godrich sent for Havelok,
+the mighty cook&rsquo;s boy, and asked him: &ldquo;Wilt
+thou take a wife?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nay,&rdquo; quoth Havelok, &ldquo;that will I not. I cannot
+feed her, much less clothe and lodge her. My very
+garments are not my own, but belong to the cook, my
+master.&rdquo; Godrich fell upon Havelok and beat him
+furiously, saying, &ldquo;Unless thou wilt take the wench I
+give thee for wife I will hang or blind thee&rdquo;; and so,
+in great fear, Havelok agreed to the wedding. At
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg&nbsp;85]</a></span>
+once Goldborough was brought, and forced into an
+immediate marriage, under penalty of banishment or
+burning as a witch if she refused. And thus the unwilling
+couple were united by the Archbishop of York,
+who had come to attend the Parliament.</p>
+
+<p>Never was there so sad a wedding! The people
+murmured greatly at this unequal union, and pitied the
+poor princess, thus driven to wed a man of low birth;
+and Goldborough herself wept pitifully, but resigned
+herself to God&rsquo;s will. All men now acknowledged with
+grief that she and her husband could have no claim to
+the English throne, and thus Godrich seemed to have
+gained his object. Havelok and his unwilling bride
+recognised that they would not be safe near Godrich,
+and as Havelok had no home in Lincoln to which he
+could take the princess, he determined to go back to his
+faithful foster-father, Grim, and put the fair young bride
+under his loyal protection. Sorrowfully, with grief and
+shame in their hearts, Havelok and Goldborough made
+their way on foot to Grimsby, only to find the loyal
+Grim dead; but his five children were alive and in
+prosperity. When they saw Havelok and his wife they
+fell on their knees and saluted them with all respect
+and reverence. In their joy to see their king again,
+these worthy fisherfolk forgot their newly won wealth,
+and said: &ldquo;Welcome, dear lord, and thy fair lady!
+What joy is ours to see thee again, for thy subjects are
+we, and thou canst do with us as thou wilt. All that
+we have is thine, and if thou wilt dwell with us we will
+serve thee and thy wife truly in all ways!&rdquo; This
+greeting surprised Goldborough, who began to suspect
+some mystery, and she was greatly comforted when
+brothers and sisters busied themselves in lighting fires,
+cooking meals, and waiting on her hand and foot, as if
+she had been indeed a king&rsquo;s wife. Havelok, however,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg&nbsp;86]</a></span>
+said nothing to explain the mystery, and Goldborough
+that night lay awake bewailing her fate as a thrall&rsquo;s
+bride, even though he was the fairest man in England.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Revelation and Return to Denmark</h3>
+
+<p>As Goldborough lay sleepless and unhappy she became
+aware of a brilliant light shining around Havelok
+and streaming from his mouth; and while she feared
+and wondered an angelic voice cried to her:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Fair Princess, cease this grief and heavy moan!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For Havelok, thy newly wedded spouse,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is son and heir to famous kings: the sign<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou findest in the cross of ruddy gold<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That shineth on his shoulder. He shall be<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Monarch and ruler of two mighty realms;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Denmark and England shall obey his rule,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And he shall sway them with a sure command.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">This shalt thou see with thine own eyes, and be<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lady and Queen, with Havelok, o&rsquo;er these lands.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>This angelic message so gladdened Goldborough that
+she kissed, for the first time, her unconscious husband,
+who started up from his sleep, saying, &ldquo;Dear love,
+sleepest thou? I have had a wondrous dream. I
+thought I sat on a lofty hill, and saw all Denmark
+before me. As I stretched out my arms I embraced it
+all, and the people clung to my arms, and the castles
+fell at my feet; then I flew over the salt sea with the
+Danish people clinging to me, and I closed all fair
+England in my hand, and gave it to thee, dear love!
+Now what can this mean?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Goldborough answered joyfully: &ldquo;It means, dear
+heart, that thou shalt be King of Denmark and of England
+too: all these realms shall fall into thy power, and
+thou shalt be ruler in Denmark within one year. Now
+do thou follow my advice, and let us go to Denmark,
+taking with us Grim&rsquo;s three sons, who will accompany
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg&nbsp;87]</a></span>
+thee for love and loyalty; and have no fear, for I know
+thou wilt succeed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Havelok went to church early, and
+prayed humbly and heartily for success in his enterprise
+and retribution on the false traitor Godard; then, laying
+his offering on the altar before the Cross, he went away
+glad in heart. Grim&rsquo;s three sons, Robert the Red,
+William Wendut, and Hugh the Raven, joyfully consented
+to go with Havelok to Denmark, to attack with
+all their power the false Jarl Godard and to win the
+kingdom for the rightful heir. Their wives and families
+stayed in England, but Goldborough would not leave
+her husband, and after a short voyage the party landed
+safely on the shores of Denmark, in the lands of Jarl
+Ubbe, an old friend of King Birkabeyn, who lived far
+from the court now that a usurper held sway in Denmark.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Havelok and Ubbe</h3>
+
+<p>Havelok dared not reveal himself and his errand
+until he knew more of the state of parties in the
+country, and he therefore only begged permission to
+live and trade there, giving Ubbe, as a token of goodwill
+and a tribute to his power, a valuable ring, which
+the jarl prized greatly. Ubbe, gazing at the so-called
+merchant&rsquo;s great stature and beauty, lamented that he
+was not of noble birth, and planned to persuade him
+to take up the profession of arms. At first, however,
+he simply granted Havelok permission to trade, and
+invited him and Goldborough to a feast, promising
+them safety and honour under his protection. Havelok
+dreaded lest his wife&rsquo;s beauty might place them in
+jeopardy, but he dared not refuse the invitation, which
+was pointedly given to both; accordingly, when they
+went to Ubbe&rsquo;s hall, Goldborough was escorted by
+Robert the Red and William Wendut.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg&nbsp;88]</a></span>
+Ubbe received them with all honour, and all men
+marvelled at Goldborough&rsquo;s beauty, and Ubbe&rsquo;s wife
+loved Goldborough at first sight as her husband did
+Havelok, so that the feast passed off with all joy and
+mirth, and none dared raise a hand or lift his voice
+against the wandering merchant whom Ubbe so strangely
+favoured. But Ubbe knew that when once Havelok
+and his wife were away from his protection there would
+be little safety for them, since the rough Danish nobles
+would think nothing of stealing a trader&rsquo;s fair wife, and
+many a man had cast longing eyes on Goldborough&rsquo;s
+loveliness. Therefore when the feast was over, and
+Havelok took his leave, Ubbe sent with him a body of
+ten knights and sixty men-at-arms, and recommended
+them to the magistrate of the town, Bernard Brown,
+a true and upright man, bidding him, as he prized
+his life, keep the strangers in safety and honour. Well
+it was that Ubbe and Bernard Brown took these precautions,
+for late at night a riotous crowd came to
+Bernard&rsquo;s house clamouring for admittance. Bernard
+withstood the angry mob, armed with a great axe, but
+they burst the door in by hurling a huge stone; and
+then Havelok joined in the defence. He drew out the
+great beam which barred the door, and crying, &ldquo;Come
+quickly to me, and you shall stay here! Curses on him
+who flees!&rdquo; began to lay about him with the big beam, so
+that three fell dead at once. A terrible fight followed, in
+which Havelok, armed only with the beam, slew twenty
+men in armour, and was then sore beset by the rest of the
+troop, aiming darts and arrows at his unarmoured breast.
+It was going hardly with him, when Hugh the Raven,
+hearing and understanding the cries of the assailants,
+called his brothers to their lord&rsquo;s aid, and they all joined
+the fight so furiously that, long ere day, of the sixty men
+who had attacked the inn not one remained alive.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg&nbsp;89]</a></span>
+In the morning news was brought to Jarl Ubbe that
+his stranger guest had slain sixty of the best of his
+soldiery.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What can this mean?&rdquo; said Ubbe. &ldquo;I had better
+go and see to it myself, for any messenger would
+surely treat Havelok discourteously, and I should be
+full loath to do that.&rdquo; He rode away to the house of
+Bernard Brown, and asked the meaning of its damaged
+and battered appearance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; answered Bernard Brown, &ldquo;last night
+at moonrise there came a band of sixty thieves who
+would have plundered my house and bound me hand
+and foot. When Havelok and his companions saw it
+they came to my aid, with sticks and stones, and drove
+out the robbers like dogs from a mill. Havelok himself
+slew three at one blow. Never have I seen a warrior
+so good! He is worth a thousand in a fray. But
+alas! he is grievously wounded, with three deadly
+gashes in side and arm and thigh, and at least twenty
+smaller wounds. I am scarcely harmed at all, but I
+fear he will die full soon.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Ubbe could scarcely believe so strange a tale, but all
+the bystanders swore that Bernard told nothing but the
+bare truth, and that the whole gang of thieves, with
+their leader, Griffin the Welshman, had been slain by
+the hero and his small party. Then Ubbe bade them
+bring Havelok, that he might call a leech to heal his
+wounds, for if the stranger merchant should live Jarl
+Ubbe would without fail dub him knight; and when the
+leech had seen the wounds he said the patient would
+make a good and quick recovery. Then Ubbe offered
+Havelok and his wife a dwelling in his own castle,
+under his own protection, till Havelok&rsquo;s grievous
+wounds were healed. There, too, fair Goldborough
+would be under the care of Ubbe&rsquo;s wife, who would
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg&nbsp;90]</a></span>
+cherish her as her own daughter. This kind offer was
+accepted gladly, and they all went to the castle, where a
+room was given them next to Ubbe&rsquo;s own.</p>
+
+<p>At midnight Ubbe woke, aroused by a bright light
+in Havelok&rsquo;s room, which was only separated from his
+own by a slight wooden partition. He was vexed
+suspecting his guest of midnight wassailing, and went
+to inquire what villainy might be hatching. To his
+surprise, both husband and wife were sound asleep, but
+the light shone from Havelok&rsquo;s mouth, and made a
+glory round his head. Utterly amazed at the marvel,
+Ubbe went away silently, and returned with all the
+garrison of his castle to the room where his guests
+still lay sleeping. As they gazed on the light Havelok
+turned in his sleep, and they saw on his shoulder the
+golden cross, shining like the sun, which all men knew
+to be the token of royal birth. Then Ubbe exclaimed:
+&ldquo;Now I know who this is, and why I loved him so
+dearly at first sight: this is the son of our dead King
+Birkabeyn. Never was man so like another as this man
+is to the dead king: he is his very image and his true
+heir.&rdquo; With great joy they fell on their knees and
+kissed him eagerly, and Havelok awoke and began to
+scowl furiously, for he thought it was some treacherous
+attack; but Ubbe soon undeceived him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr13.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_88" id="image_page_88"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;With great joy they fell on their knees&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Dear lord,&rsquo; quoth he, &lsquo;be thou in naught dismayed,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For in thine eyes methinks I see thy thought&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Dear son, great joy is mine to live this day!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My homage, lord, I freely offer thee:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy loyal men and vassals are we all,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For thou art son of mighty Birkabeyn,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And soon shalt conquer all thy father&rsquo;s land,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Though thou art young and almost friendless here.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To-morrow will we swear our fealty due,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And dub thee knight, for prowess unexcelled.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Now Havelok knew that his worst danger was over,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg&nbsp;91]</a></span>
+and he thanked God for the friend He had sent him,
+and left to the good Jarl Ubbe the management of his
+cause. Ubbe gathered an assembly of as many mighty
+men of the realm, and barons, and good citizens, as he
+could summon; and when they were all assembled,
+pondering what was the cause of this imperative
+summons, Ubbe arose and said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Gentles, bear with me if I tell you first things well
+known to you. Ye know that King Birkabeyn ruled
+this land until his death-day, and that he left three
+children&mdash;one son, Havelok, and two daughters&mdash;to the
+guardianship of Jarl Godard: ye all heard him swear
+to keep them loyally and treat them well. But ye do
+not know how he kept his oath! The false traitor
+slew both the maidens, and would have slain the boy,
+but for pity he would not kill the child with his own
+hands. He bade a fisherman drown him in the sea;
+but when the good man knew that it was the rightful
+heir, he saved the boy&rsquo;s life and fled with him to
+England, where Havelok has been brought up for
+many years. And now, behold! here he stands. In
+all the world he has no peer, and ye may well rejoice
+in the beauty and manliness of your king. Come now
+and pay homage to Havelok, and I myself will be your
+leader!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Jarl Ubbe turned to Havelok, where he stood with
+Goldborough beside him, and knelt before him to do
+homage, an example which was followed by all present.
+At a second and still larger assembly held a fortnight
+later a similar oath of fealty was sworn by all, Havelok
+was dubbed knight by the noble Ubbe, and a great
+festival was celebrated, with sports and amusements for
+the populace. A council of war and vengeance was
+held with the great nobles.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg&nbsp;92]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Death of Godard</h3>
+
+<p>Havelok, now acknowledged King of Denmark,
+was unsatisfied until he had punished the treacherous
+Godard, and he took a solemn oath from his soldiers
+that they would never cease the search for the traitor
+till they had captured him and brought him bound to
+judgment. After all, Godard was captured as he was
+hunting. Grim&rsquo;s three sons, now knighted by King
+Havelok, met him in the forest, and bade him come
+to the king, who called on him to remember and
+account for his treatment of Birkabeyn&rsquo;s children.
+Godard struck out furiously with his fists, but Sir
+Robert the Red wounded him in the right arm. When
+Godard&rsquo;s men joined in the combat, Robert and his
+brothers soon slew ten of their adversaries, and the
+rest fled; returning, ashamed at the bitter reproaches
+of their lord, they were all slain by Havelok&rsquo;s men.
+Godard was taken, bound hand and foot, placed on a
+miserable jade with his face to the tail, and so led to
+Havelok. The king refused to be the judge of his
+own cause, and entrusted to Ubbe the task of presiding
+at the traitor&rsquo;s trial. No mercy was shown to the cruel
+Jarl Godard, and he was condemned to a traitor&rsquo;s
+death, with torments of terrible barbarity. The sentence
+was carried out to the letter, and Denmark rejoiced in
+the punishment of a cruel villain.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Death of Godrich</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Earl Godrich of Cornwall had heard
+with great uneasiness that Havelok had become King
+of Denmark, and intended to invade England with a
+mighty army to assert his wife&rsquo;s right to the throne.
+He recognised that his own device to shame Goldborough
+had turned against him, and that he must
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg&nbsp;93]</a></span>
+now fight for his life and the usurped dominion he held
+over England. Godrich summoned his army to Lincoln
+for the defence of the realm against the Danes, and
+called out every man fit to bear weapons, on pain of
+becoming thrall if they failed him. Then he thus
+addressed them:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Friends, listen to my words, and you will know<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&rsquo;Tis not for sport, nor idle show, that I<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Have bidden you to meet at Lincoln here.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lo! here at Grimsby foreigners are come<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who have already won the Priory.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">These Danes are cruel heathen, who destroy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Our churches and our abbeys: priests and nuns<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They torture to the death, or lead away<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To serve as slaves the haughty Danish jarls.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now, Englishmen, what counsel will ye take?<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If we submit, they will rule all our land,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Will kill us all, and sell our babes for thralls,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Will take our wives and daughters for their own.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Help me, if ever ye loved English land,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To fight these heathen and to cleanse our soil<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From hateful presence of these alien hordes.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I make my vow to God and all the saints<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I will not rest, nor houseled be, nor shriven,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Until our realm be free from Danish foe!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Accursed be he who strikes no blow for home!&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>The army was inspired with valour by these courageous
+words, and the march to Grimsby began at
+once, with Earl Godrich in command. Havelok&rsquo;s men
+marched out gallantly to meet them, and when the
+battle joined many mighty deeds of valour were done,
+especially by the king himself, his foster-brothers, and
+Jarl Ubbe. The battle lasted long and was very fierce
+and bloody, but the Danes gradually overcame the
+resistance of the English, and at last, after a great hand-to-hand
+conflict, King Havelok captured Godrich. The
+traitor earl, who had lost a hand in the fray, was sent
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg&nbsp;94]</a></span>
+bound and fettered to Queen Goldborough, who kept
+him, carefully guarded, until he could be tried by his
+peers, since (for all his treason) he was still a knight.</p>
+
+<p>When the English recognised their rightful lady
+and queen they did homage with great joy, begging
+mercy for having resisted their lawful ruler at the
+command of a wicked traitor; and the king and queen
+pardoned all but Godrich, who was speedily brought
+to trial at Lincoln. He was sentenced to be burnt
+at the stake, and the sentence was carried out amid
+general rejoicings.</p>
+
+<p>Now that vengeance was satisfied, Havelok and his
+wife thought of recompensing the loyal helpers who
+had believed in them and supported them through
+the long years of adversity. Havelok married one
+of Grim&rsquo;s daughters to the Earl of Chester, and the
+other to Bertram, the good cook, who became Earl
+of Cornwall in the place of the felon Godrich and
+his disinherited children; the heroic Ubbe was made
+Regent of Denmark for Havelok, who decided to stay
+and rule England, and all the noble Danish warriors
+were rewarded with gifts of gold, and lands and castles.
+After a great coronation feast, which lasted for forty
+days, King Havelok dismissed the Danish regent and
+his followers, and after sad farewells they returned to
+their own country. Havelok and Goldborough ruled
+England in peace and security for sixty years, and lived
+together in all bliss, and had fifteen children, who all
+became mighty kings and queens.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg&nbsp;95]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VI: HOWARD THE HALT</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N every society and in all periods the obligations
+of family affection and duty to kinsmen have been
+recognised as paramount. In the early European
+communities a man&rsquo;s first duty was to stand by his
+kinsman in strife and to avenge him in death, however
+unrighteous the kinsman&rsquo;s quarrel might be.</p>
+
+<p>How pitiful is the aged Priam&rsquo;s lament that he must
+needs kiss the hands that slew his dear son Hector, and,
+kneeling, clasp the knees of his son&rsquo;s murderer! How
+sad is Cuchulain&rsquo;s plaint that his son Connla must go
+down to the grave unavenged, since his own father slew
+him, all unwitting! One remembers, too, Beowulf&rsquo;s
+words: &ldquo;Better it is for every man that he avenge his
+friend than that he mourn him much!&rdquo; Since, then,
+family affection, the laws of honour and duty, and every
+recognised standard of life demanded that a kinsman
+should obtain a full wergild (or money payment) for his
+relative&rsquo;s death, unless he chose to take up the blood-feud
+against the murderer&rsquo;s family, we can hardly
+wonder that some of the heroes of early European
+literature are heroes of vengeance. Orestes and Electra
+are Greek embodiments of the idea of the sacredness of
+vengeance for murdered kinsfolk, and similar feelings
+are revealed in Gudrun&rsquo;s revenge for the murder of
+Siegfried in the &ldquo;Nibelungenlied.&rdquo; To the Teutonic
+or Celtic warrior there would be heroism of a noble
+type in a just vengeance fully accomplished, and this
+heroism would be more easily recognised when the
+wrongdoer was rich and powerful, the avenger old,
+poor, and friendless. While admitting that the hero
+of vengeance belongs to and represents only one side of
+the civilisation of a somewhat barbaric community, we
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg&nbsp;96]</a></span>
+must allow that the elements of dogged perseverance,
+dauntless courage, and resolute loyalty in some degree
+redeemed the ferocity and cruelty of the blood-feud he
+waged against the ill-doer.</p>
+
+<p>It is certain that in the popular Icelandic saga of
+&ldquo;Howard the Halt&rdquo; tradition has recorded with minute
+detail of approbation the story of a man and woman, old,
+weak, friendless, who, in spite of terrible odds, succeeded
+in obtaining a late but sufficing vengeance for the cruel
+slaughter of their only son, the murderer being the most
+powerful man of the region. The part here assigned
+to the woman indicates the firm hold which the blood-feud
+had gained on the imagination of the Norsemen.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Icelandic Ghosts</h3>
+
+<p>The story possesses a further interest as revealing
+the unique character of the Icelandic ghost or phantom.
+In other literatures the spirit returned from the dead
+is a thin, immaterial, disembodied essence, a faint
+shadow of its former self; in Icelandic legend the
+spirit returns in full possession of its body, but more
+evil-disposed to mankind than before death. It fights
+and wrestles, pummels its adversary black and blue, it
+is huge and bloated and hideous, it tries to strangle
+men, and leaves finger-marks on their throats. If the
+ghosts are those of drowned men, they come home
+every night dripping with sea-water, and crowd the
+family from the fire and from the hall. Apparently
+they are evil spirits animating the dead body, and
+nothing but the utter destruction of the body avails
+to drive away the malignant spirit.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Story. Howard and Thorbiorn</h3>
+
+<p>Thus runs the saga of &ldquo;Howard the Halt&rdquo;:</p>
+
+<p>About the year 1000, when the Christian faith had
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg&nbsp;97]</a></span>
+hardly yet been heard of in Iceland, there dwelt at
+Bathstead, on the shores of Icefirth, in that far-distant
+land a mighty chieftain, of royal descent and great
+wealth, named Thorbiorn. Though not among the
+first settlers of Iceland, he had appropriated much unclaimed
+land, and was one of the leading men of the
+country-side, but was generally disliked for his arrogance
+and injustice. Thorkel, the lawman and arbitrator of
+Icefirth, was weak and easily cowed, so Thorbiorn&rsquo;s
+wrongdoing remained unchecked; many a maiden had
+he betrothed to himself, and afterwards rejected, and
+many a man had he ousted from his lands, yet no redress
+could be obtained, and no man was bold enough
+to attack so great a chieftain or resist his will. Thorbiorn&rsquo;s
+house at Bathstead was one of the best in the
+district, and his lands stretched down to the shores of
+the firth, where he had made a haven with a jetty for
+ships. His boathouse stood a little back above a ridge
+of shingle, and beside a deep pool or lagoon. The
+household of Thorbiorn included Sigrid, a fair maiden,
+young and wealthy, who was his housekeeper; Vakr,
+an ill-conditioned and malicious fellow, Thorbiorn&rsquo;s
+nephew; and a strong and trusted serving-man named
+Brand. Besides these there were house-carles in plenty,
+and labourers, all good fighting-men.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from Bathstead, at Bluemire, dwelt an old
+Viking called Howard. He was of honourable descent,
+and had won fame in earlier Viking expeditions, but
+since he had returned lamed and nearly helpless from
+his last voyage he had aged greatly, and men called
+him Howard the Halt. His wife, Biargey, however,
+was an active and stirring woman, and their only son,
+Olaf, bade fair to become a redoubtable warrior. Though
+only fifteen, Olaf had reached full stature, was tall, fair,
+handsome, and stronger than most men. He wore his
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg&nbsp;98]</a></span>
+fair hair long, and always went bareheaded, for his great
+bodily strength defied even the bitter winter cold of
+Iceland, and he faced the winds clad in summer raiment
+only. With all his strength and beauty, Olaf was a
+loving and obedient son to Howard and Biargey, and
+the couple loved him as the apple of their eye.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Olaf Meets Sigrid</h3>
+
+<p>The men of Icefirth were wont to drive their sheep
+into the mountains during the summer, leave them
+there till autumn, and then, collecting the scattered
+flocks, to restore to each man his own branded sheep.
+One autumn the flocks were wild and shy, and it was
+found that many sheep had strayed in the hills. When
+those that had been gathered were divided Thorbiorn
+had lost at least sixty wethers, and was greatly vexed.
+Some weeks later Olaf Howardson went alone into the
+hills, and returned with all the lost sheep, having sought
+them with great toil and danger. Olaf drove the rest
+of the sheep home to their grateful owners, and then
+took Thorbiorn&rsquo;s to Bathstead. Reaching the house
+at noonday, he knocked on the door, and as all men sat
+at their noontide meal, the housekeeper, the fair Sigrid,
+went forth herself and saw Olaf.</p>
+
+<p>She greeted him courteously and asked his business,
+and he replied, &ldquo;I have brought home Thorbiorn&rsquo;s
+wethers which strayed this autumn,&rdquo; and then the two
+talked together for a short time. Now Thorbiorn was
+curious to know what the business might be, and sent
+his nephew Vakr to see who was there; he went
+secretly and listened to the conversation between Sigrid
+and Olaf, but heard little, for Olaf was just saying, &ldquo;Then
+I need not go in to Thorbiorn; thou, Sigrid, canst as
+well tell him where his sheep are now&rdquo;; then he simply
+bade her farewell and turned away.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr14.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_98" id="image_page_98"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Olaf and Sigrid</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg&nbsp;99]</a></span>
+Vakr ran back into the hall, shouting and laughing,
+till Thorbiorn asked: &ldquo;How now, nephew! Why
+makest thou such outcry? Who is there?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It was Olaf Howardson, the great booby of Bluemire,
+bringing back the sheep thou didst lose in the
+autumn.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That was a neighbourly deed,&rdquo; said Thorbiorn.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ah! but there was another reason for his coming,
+I think,&rdquo; said Vakr. &ldquo;He and Sigrid had a long talk
+together, and I saw her put her arms round his neck;
+she seemed well pleased to greet him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Olaf may be a brave man, but it is rash of him to
+anger me thus, by trying to steal away my housekeeper,&rdquo;
+said Thorbiorn, scowling heavily. Olaf had no thanks
+for his kindness, and was ill received whenever he
+came; yet he came often to see Sigrid, for he loved
+her, and tried to persuade her to wed him. Thorbiorn
+hated him the more for his open wooing, which he
+could not forbid.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Thorbiorn Insults Olaf</h3>
+
+<p>The next year, when harvest was over, and the sheep
+were brought home, again most of the missing sheep
+belonged to Thorbiorn, and again Olaf went to the
+mountains alone and brought back the stray ones. All
+thanked him, except the master of Bathstead, to whom
+Olaf drove back sixty wethers. Thorbiorn had grown
+daily more enraged at Olaf&rsquo;s popularity, his strength
+and beauty, and his evident love for Sigrid, and now
+chose this opportunity of insulting the bold youth who
+rivalled him in fame and in public esteem.</p>
+
+<p>Olaf reached Bathstead at noon, and seeing that all
+men were in the hall, he entered, and made his way to the
+da&iuml;s where Thorbiorn sat; there he leaned on his axe,
+gazed steadily at the master, who gave him no
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg&nbsp;100]</a></span>
+single word of greeting. Then every one kept silence
+watching them both.</p>
+
+<p>At last Olaf broke the stillness by asking: &ldquo;Why are
+you all dumb? There is no honour to those who say
+naught. I have stood here long enough and had no
+word of courteous greeting. Master Thorbiorn, I have
+brought home thy missing sheep.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Vakr answered spitefully: &ldquo;Yes, we all know that
+thou hast become the Icefirth sheep-drover; and we
+all know that thou hast come to claim some share of
+the sheep, as any other beggar might. Kinsman Thorbiorn,
+thou hadst better give him some little alms to
+satisfy him!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Olaf flushed angrily as he answered: &ldquo;Nay, it is not
+for that I came; but, Thorbiorn, I will not seek thy
+lost sheep a third time.&rdquo; And as he turned and strode
+indignantly from the hall Vakr mocked and jeered at
+him. Yet Olaf passed forth in silence.</p>
+
+<p>The third year Olaf found and brought home all
+men&rsquo;s sheep but Thorbiorn&rsquo;s; and then Vakr spread the
+rumour that Olaf had stolen them, since he could not
+otherwise obtain a share of them. This rumour came
+at last to Howard&rsquo;s ears, and he upbraided Olaf, saying,
+when his son praised their mutton, &ldquo;Yes, it is good,
+and it is really ours, not Thorbiorn&rsquo;s. It is terrible
+that we have to bear such injustice.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Olaf said nothing, but, seizing the leg of mutton, flung
+it across the room; and Howard smiled at the wrath
+which his son could no longer suppress; perhaps, too,
+Howard longed to see Olaf in conflict with Thorbiorn.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Olaf and the Wizard&rsquo;s Ghost</h3>
+
+<p>While Howard was still upbraiding Olaf a widow
+entered, who had come to ask for help in a difficult
+matter. Her dead husband (a reputed wizard) returned
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg&nbsp;101]</a></span>
+to his house night after night as a dreadful ghost, and
+no man would live in the house. Would Howard come
+and break the spell and drive away the dreadful nightly
+visitant?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; replied Howard, &ldquo;I am no longer young
+and strong. Why do you not ask Thorbiorn? He
+accounts himself to be chief here, and a chieftain should
+protect those in his country-side.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nay,&rdquo; said the widow. &ldquo;I am only too glad if
+Thorbiorn lets me alone. I will not meddle with him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then said Olaf: &ldquo;Father, I will go and try my
+strength with this ghost, for I am young and stronger
+than most, and I deem such a matter good sport.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly Olaf went back with the widow, and
+slept in the hall that night, with a skin rug over him.
+At nightfall the dead wizard came in, ghastly, evil-looking,
+and terrible, and tore the skin from over Olaf;
+but the youth sprang up and wrestled with the evil
+creature, who seemed to have more than mortal strength.
+They fought grimly till the lights died out, and the
+struggle raged in the darkness up and down the hall,
+and finally out of doors. In the yard round the house
+the dead wizard fell, and Olaf knelt upon him and
+broke his back, and thought him safe from doing any
+mischief again. When Olaf returned to the hall men
+had rekindled the lights, and all made much of him, and
+tended his bruises and wounds, and counted him a hero
+indeed. His fame spread through the whole district,
+and he was greatly beloved by all men; but Thorbiorn
+hated him more than ever.</p>
+
+<p>Soon another quarrel arose, when a stranded whale,
+which came ashore on Howard&rsquo;s land, was adjudged to
+Thorbiorn. The lawman, Thorkel, was summoned to
+decide to whom the whale belonged, and came to view
+it. &ldquo;It is manifestly theirs,&rdquo; said he falteringly, for he
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg&nbsp;102]</a></span>
+dreaded Thorbiorn&rsquo;s wrath. &ldquo;Whose saidst thou?&rdquo;
+cried Thorbiorn, coming to him menacingly, with drawn
+sword. &ldquo;Thine,&rdquo; said Thorkel, with downcast eyes;
+and Thorbiorn triumphantly claimed and took the whale
+though the injustice of the decree was evident. Yet
+Olaf felt no ill-will to Thorbiorn, for Sigrid&rsquo;s sake, but
+contrived to render him another service.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Olaf&rsquo;s Second Fight with the Ghost</h3>
+
+<p>Brand the Strong, Thorbiorn&rsquo;s shepherd, could not
+drive his sheep one day. Olaf met him trying to get
+his frightened wethers home: it seemed an impossible
+task, because an uncanny human form, with waving
+arms, stood in a narrow bend of the path and drove
+them back and scattered them. Brand told Olaf all the
+tale, and when the two went to look, Olaf saw that the
+enemy was the ghost of the dead wizard whom he had
+fought before. &ldquo;Which wilt thou do,&rdquo; said Olaf,
+&ldquo;fight the wizard or gather thy sheep?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have no wish to fight the ghost; I will find my
+scattered sheep,&rdquo; said Brand; &ldquo;that is the easier task.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then Olaf ran at the ghost, who awaited him at the
+top of a high bank, and he and the wizard wrestled
+again with each other till they fell from the bank into
+a snowdrift, and so down to the sea-shore. There
+Olaf, whose strength had been tried to the utmost,
+had the upper hand, and again broke the back of the
+dead wizard; but, seeing that that had been of no
+avail before, he took the body, swam out to sea with it,
+and sank it deep in the firth. Ever after men believed
+that this part of the coast was dangerous to ships.</p>
+
+<p>Brand thanked the youth much for his help, and
+when he reached Bathstead related what Olaf had done
+for him. Thorbiorn said nothing, but Vakr sneered,
+and called Brand a coward for asking help of Olaf.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg&nbsp;103]</a></span>
+The strife grew keen between them, almost to blows,
+and was only settled by Thorbiorn, who forbade Brand
+to praise Olaf or to accept help from him. His ill-will
+grew so evident to all men that Howard the Halt
+decided, in spite of Olaf&rsquo;s reluctance, to remove to a
+homestead on the other side of the firth, away from
+Thorbiorn&rsquo;s neighbourhood.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Olaf Meets Thorbiorn</h3>
+
+<p>That summer Thorbiorn decided to marry. He
+wooed a maiden who was sister of the wise Guest, who
+dwelt at the Mead, and Guest agreed to the match,
+on condition that Thorbiorn should renounce his
+injustice and evil ways; to this Thorbiorn assented,
+and the wedding was held shortly after. Thorbiorn
+had said nothing to his household of his proposed
+marriage, and Sigrid first heard of it when the wedding
+was over, and the bridal party would soon be riding
+home to Bathstead. Sigrid was very wroth that she
+must give up her control of the household to another,
+and refused to stay to serve under Thorbiorn&rsquo;s wife;
+accordingly she withdrew from Bathstead to a kinsman&rsquo;s
+house, taking all her goods with her. Thorbiorn
+raged furiously on his return, when he found that she
+was gone, for her wealth made a great difference to
+his comfort, and threatened dire punishment to all who
+had helped her. Olaf continued his wooing of Sigrid,
+and went to see her often in her kinsman&rsquo;s abode, and
+they loved each other greatly.</p>
+
+<p>One day when Olaf had been seeking some lost sheep
+he made his way to Sigrid&rsquo;s house, to talk with her as
+usual. As they stood near the house together and
+talked Sigrid looked suddenly anxious and said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I see Thorbiorn and Vakr coming in a boat over
+the firth with weapons beside them, and I see the gleam
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg&nbsp;104]</a></span>
+of Thorbiorn&rsquo;s great sword Warflame. I fear they have
+done, or will do, some evil deed, and therefore I pray
+thee, Olaf, not to stay and meet them. He has hated
+thee for a long time, and the help thou didst give me
+to leave Bathstead did not mend matters. Go thy way
+now, and do not fall in with them.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am not afraid,&rdquo; said Olaf. &ldquo;I have done Thorbiorn
+no wrong, and I will not flee before him. He is
+only one man, as I am.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; Sigrid replied, &ldquo;how canst thou, a stripling
+of eighteen, hope to stand before a grown man, a mighty
+champion, armed with a magic sword? Thy words and
+thoughts are brave, as thou thyself art, but the odds are
+too great for thee: they are two to one, since Vakr,
+ever spiteful and malicious, will not stand idle while
+thou art in combat with Thorbiorn.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said Olaf, &ldquo;I will not avoid them, but I
+will not seek a contest. If it must be so, I will fight
+bravely; thou shalt hear of my deeds.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, that will never be; I will not live after thee
+to ask of them,&rdquo; said Sigrid.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Farewell now; live long and happily!&rdquo; said Olaf;
+and so they bade each other farewell, and Olaf left her
+there, and went down to the shore where his sheep lay.
+Thorbiorn and Vakr had just landed, and they greeted
+each other, and Olaf asked them their errand. &ldquo;We
+go to my mother,&rdquo; said Vakr.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Let us go together,&rdquo; replied Olaf, &ldquo;for my way is
+the same in part. But I am sorry that I must needs
+drive my sheep home, for Icefirth sheep-drovers will
+become proud if a great man like thee should join the
+trade, Thorbiorn.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nay, I do not mind that,&rdquo; said Thorbiorn; so they
+all went on together; and as he went Olaf caught up a
+crooked cudgel with which to herd his sheep; he noticed,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg&nbsp;105]</a></span>
+too, that Thorbiorn and Vakr kept trying to lag behind
+him, and he took care that they all walked abreast.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Combat</h3>
+
+<p>When the three came near the house of Thordis,
+Vakr&rsquo;s mother, where the ways divided, Thorbiorn
+said: &ldquo;Now, nephew Vakr, we need no longer delay
+what we would do.&rdquo; And then Olaf knew that he had
+fallen into their snare. He ran up a bank beside the
+road, and the two set on him from below, and he
+defended himself at first manfully with the crooked
+cudgel; but Thorbiorn&rsquo;s sword Warflame sliced this
+like a stalk of flax, and Olaf had to betake himself to
+his axe, and the fight went on for long.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A New Enemy Comes</h3>
+
+<p>The noise of the fray reached the ears of Thordis,
+Vakr&rsquo;s mother, in her house, so that she sent a boy to
+learn the cause, and when he told her that Olaf Howardson
+was fighting against Thorbiorn and Vakr she bade
+her second son go to the help of his kinsfolk.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I will not go,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;I would rather fight for
+Olaf than for them. It is a shame for two to set on
+one man, and they such great champions too. I will
+not be the third; I will not go.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now I know that thou art a coward,&rdquo; sneered his
+mother. &ldquo;Daughter, not son, thou art, too timid to
+help thy kinsfolk. I will show thee that I am a braver
+daughter than thou a son!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Olaf&rsquo;s Death</h3>
+
+<p>By these words Thordis so enraged her son that he
+seized his axe and rushed from the house down the hill
+towards Olaf, who could not see the new-comer, because
+he stood with his back to the house. Coming close to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg&nbsp;106]</a></span>
+Olaf, the new assailant drove the axe in deep between
+his shoulders, and when Olaf felt the blow he turned
+and with a mighty stroke slew his last enemy. Thereupon
+Thorbiorn thrust Olaf through with the sword
+Warflame, and he died. Then Thorbiorn took Olaf&rsquo;s
+teeth, which he smote from his jaw, wrapped them in a
+cloth, and carried them home.</p>
+
+<p>The news of the slaughter was at once told by Thorbiorn
+(for so long as homicide was not concealed it was
+not considered murder), and told fairly, so that all men
+praised Olaf for his brave defence, and lamented his
+death. But when men sought for the fair Sigrid she
+could not be found, and was seen no more from that
+day. She had loved Olaf greatly, had seen him fall, and
+could not live when he was dead; but no man knew
+where she died or was buried.</p>
+
+<p>The terrible news of Olaf&rsquo;s death came to Howard,
+and he sighed heavily and took to his bed for grief,
+and remained bedridden for twelve months, leaving his
+wife Biargey to manage the daily fishing and the farm.
+Men thought that Olaf would be for ever unavenged,
+because Howard was too feeble, and his adversary too
+mighty and too unjust.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Howard Claims Wergild for Olaf</h3>
+
+<p>When a year had passed away Biargey came to
+Howard where he lay in his bed, and bade him arise
+and go to Bathstead. Said she:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I would have thee claim wergild for our son, since
+a man that can no longer fight may well prove his valour
+by word of mouth, and if Thorbiorn should show any
+sign of justice thou shalt not claim too much.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Howard replied: &ldquo;I know it is a bootless errand to
+ask justice from Thorbiorn, but I will do thy will in this
+matter.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg&nbsp;107]</a></span>
+So Howard went heavily, walking as an old man, to
+Bathstead, and, after the usual greetings, said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have come to thee, Thorbiorn, on a great matter&mdash;to
+claim wergild for my dead son Olaf, whom thou
+didst slay guiltless.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thorbiorn answered: &ldquo;I have never yet paid a
+wergild, though I have slain many men&mdash;some say
+innocent men. But I am sorry for thee, since thou hast
+lost a brave son, and I will at least give thee something.
+There is an old horse named Dodderer out in the
+pastures, grey with age, sore-backed, too old to work;
+but thou canst take him home, and perhaps he will be
+some good, when thou hast fed him up.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Howard was angered beyond speech. He
+reddened and turned straight to the door; and as he
+went down the hall Vakr shouted and jeered; but
+Howard said no word, good or bad. He returned
+home, and took to his bed for another year.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr15.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_106" id="image_page_106"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn</p>
+
+
+<h3>Howard at the Thing</h3>
+
+<p>In the second year Biargey again urged Howard to
+try for a wergild. She suggested that he should follow
+Thorbiorn to the Thing and try to obtain justice, for
+men loathed Thorbiorn&rsquo;s evil ways, and Howard would
+be sure to have many sympathizers. Howard was loath
+to go. &ldquo;Thorbiorn, my son&rsquo;s slayer, has mocked me
+once; shall he mock me again where all the chieftains
+are assembled? I will not go to endure such shame!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>To his surprise, Biargey urged her will, saying:
+&ldquo;Thou wilt have friends, I know, since Guest will be
+there, and he is a just man, and will strive to bring
+about peace between thee and Thorbiorn. And hearken
+to me, and heed my words, husband! If Thorbiorn is
+condemned to pay thee money, and there is a large
+ring of assessors, it may be that when thou and he are
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg&nbsp;108]</a></span>
+in the ring together he will do something to grieve
+thee sorely. Then look thou well to it! If thy heart
+be light, make thou no peace; I am somewhat foresighted,
+and I know that then Olaf shall be avenged.
+But if thou be heavy-hearted, then do thou be reconciled
+to Thorbiorn, for I know that Olaf shall lie
+unatoned for.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Howard replied: &ldquo;Wife, I understand thee not,
+nor thy words, but this I know: I would do and bear
+all things if I might but obtain due vengeance for Olaf&rsquo;s
+death.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>At last Howard, impressed by his wife&rsquo;s half-prophetic
+words, roused himself, and rode away to the
+Thing; here he found shelter with a great chieftain,
+Steinthor of Ere, who was kind to the old man, and
+gave Howard a place in his booth. Steinthor praised
+Olaf&rsquo;s courage and manful defence, and bade his
+followers cherish the old man, and not arouse his grief
+for his dead son.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Howard and Thorbiorn</h3>
+
+<p>As the days wore on Howard did nothing towards
+obtaining compensation for his great loss, until Steinthor
+asked him why he took no action in the matter. Howard
+replied that he felt helpless against Thorbiorn&rsquo;s evil
+words and deeds; but Steinthor bade him try to win
+Guest to his side&mdash;then he would succeed. Howard
+took heart, and set off for the booth which Thorbiorn
+shared with Guest; but unhappily Guest was not there
+when Howard came. Thorbiorn greeted him and asked
+what matter had brought him, and Howard replied:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My grief for Olaf is yet deep in my heart; still I
+remember his death; and now again I come to claim a
+wergild for him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thorbiorn answered: &ldquo;Come to me at home in my
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg&nbsp;109]</a></span>
+own country, and I may do somewhat for thee, but I
+will not have thee whining against me here.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Howard said: &ldquo;If thou wilt do nothing here, I have
+proved that thou wilt do still less in thine own country;
+but I had hoped for help from other chieftains.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thorbiorn burst out wrathfully: &ldquo;See! He will
+stir up other men against me! Get thee gone, old man,
+or thou shalt not escape a beating.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Howard was greatly angered, and said: &ldquo;Yes, old
+I am&mdash;too old and feeble to win respect; but the days
+have been when I would not have endured such wrong;
+yea, and if Olaf were still alive thou wouldst not have
+flouted me thus.&rdquo; As he left Thorbiorn&rsquo;s sight his
+grief and anger were so great that he did not notice
+Guest returning, but went heavily to Steinthor&rsquo;s booth,
+where he told all Thorbiorn&rsquo;s injustice, and won much
+sympathy.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Guest and Howard</h3>
+
+<p>When Guest had entered the booth he sat down
+beside Thorbiorn and said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who was the man whom I met leaving the booth
+just now?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A wise question for a wise man to ask! How can
+I tell? So many come and go,&rdquo; said Thorbiorn.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But this was an old man, large of stature, lame in
+one knee; yet he looked a brave warrior, and he was so
+wrathful that he did not know where he went. He
+seemed a man likely to be lucky, too, and not one to be
+lightly wronged.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That must have been old Howard the Halt,&rdquo; said
+Thorbiorn. &ldquo;He is a man from my district, who has
+come after me to the Thing.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ah! Was it his brave son Olaf whom thou didst
+slay guiltless?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg&nbsp;110]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Yes, certainly,&rdquo; returned Thorbiorn.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How hast thou kept the promise of better ways
+which thou didst make when thou didst marry my
+sister?&rdquo; he asked; and Thorbiorn sat silent. &ldquo;This
+wrong must be amended,&rdquo; said Guest, and sent an
+honourable man to bring Howard to him. Howard
+at first refused to face Thorbiorn again, but at last
+reluctantly consented to meet Guest, and when the
+latter had greeted him in friendly and honourable
+fashion he told the whole story, from the time of
+Thorbiorn&rsquo;s first jealousy of Olaf.</p>
+
+<p>Guest was horrified. &ldquo;Heard ever man such injustice!&rdquo;
+he cried. &ldquo;Now, Thorbiorn, choose one
+of two things: either my sister shall no longer be thy
+wife, or thou shalt allow me to give judgment between
+Howard and thee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Guest&rsquo;s Judgment and the Payment of the Wergild</h3>
+
+<p>Thorbiorn agreed to leave the matter in Guest&rsquo;s
+hands, and many men were called to make a ring as
+assessors, that all might be legally done, and Thorbiorn
+and Howard stood together in the ring. Then Guest
+gave judgment: &ldquo;Thorbiorn, I cannot condemn thee
+to pay Howard all thou owest&mdash;with all thy wealth,
+thou hast not money enough for that; but for slaying
+Olaf thou shalt pay a threefold wergild. For the other
+wrongs thou hast done him, I, thy brother-in-law, will
+try to atone by gifts, and friendship, and all honour in
+my power, as long as we both live; and if he will come
+home to stay with me he shall be right welcome.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thorbiorn agreed to the award, saying carelessly:
+&ldquo;I will pay him at home in my own country, if he
+will come to me when I have more leisure.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Guest, who distrusted Thorbiorn, &ldquo;thou
+shalt pay here, and now, fully; and I myself will pay
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg&nbsp;111]</a></span>
+one wergild, to help thee in atonement.&rdquo; When this
+was agreed Howard sat down in the ring, and Guest
+gave him the one wergild (a hundred of silver), which
+Howard received in the skirt of his cloak; and then
+Thorbiorn paid one wergild slowly, coin by coin, and said
+he had no more money; but Guest bade him pay it all.</p>
+
+<p>Then Thorbiorn drew out a cloth and untied it,
+saying, &ldquo;He will surely count himself paid in full if
+I give him this!&rdquo; and he flung into the old man&rsquo;s face,
+as he sat on the ground, the teeth of the dead Olaf,
+saying, &ldquo;Here are thy son&rsquo;s teeth!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Howard sprang up, bleeding, mad with rage and
+grief. The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak
+as he came to his feet, but he heeded it not at all.
+Blinded with blood, and furious, he broke through the
+ring of assessors, dashed one of them to earth, and
+rushed away like a young man; but when he came to
+Steinthor&rsquo;s booth he lay as if dead, and spoke to no
+man.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr16.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_110" id="image_page_110"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Guest would have no more to do with Thorbiorn.
+&ldquo;Thou hast no equal for cruelty and evil; thou
+shalt surely repent it,&rdquo; he said; and he rode to
+Bathstead, took his sister away, with all her wealth, and
+broke off his alliance with Thorbiorn, caring nothing
+for the shame he put upon so unjust a man.</p>
+
+<p>Howard went home, told Biargey all that had
+happened, and took to his bed again, a poor, old,
+helpless, miserable man; but his wife, who saw her
+presage beginning to come true, kept up her courage,
+rowed out fishing every day, and guided the household
+for yet another year.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Biargey and her Brethren</h3>
+
+<p>That summer, one day, as Biargey was rowed out to
+the fishing as usual, she saw Thorbiorn&rsquo;s boat coming
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg&nbsp;112]</a></span>
+up the firth, and bade her man take up the lines and
+go to meet him, and row round the cutter, while she
+talked with Thorbiorn. As Biargey&rsquo;s little boat
+approached the cutter Thorbiorn stopped his vessel
+for he saw that she would speak with him, and her
+boat circled round the cutter while she asked his
+business, and learnt that he was going with Vakr to
+meet a brother and nephew of his, to bring them to
+Bathstead, and that he expected to be away from home
+for a week. The little skiff had now passed completely
+round the motionless cutter, and Olaf&rsquo;s mother, having
+learnt all she wanted, bade her rower quit Thorbiorn;
+the little boat shot swiftly and suddenly away, leaving
+Thorbiorn with an uneasy sense of witchcraft. So
+disquieted did he feel that he would have pursued her
+and drowned &ldquo;the old hag,&rdquo; as he called her, had he
+not been prevented by Brand the Strong, who had
+been helped in his need by Olaf.</p>
+
+<p>As the little craft shot away Biargey smiled mysteriously,
+and said to her rower: &ldquo;Now I feel sure that
+Olaf my son will be avenged. I have work to do: let
+us not go home yet.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where, then, shall we go?&rdquo; asked the man.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;To my brother Valbrand.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Valbrand</h3>
+
+<p>Now Valbrand was an old man who had been a
+mighty warrior in his youth, but had now settled down
+to a life of quiet and peace; he had, however, two
+promising sons, well-grown and manly youths. When
+Valbrand saw his sister he came to meet her, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Welcome, sister! Seldom it is that we see thee.
+Wilt thou abide with us this night, or is thine errand
+one that craves haste?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I must be home to-night,&rdquo; she replied, and added
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg&nbsp;113]</a></span>
+mysteriously: &ldquo;But there is help I would fain ask of
+thee. Wilt thou lend me thy seal-nets? We have not
+enough to catch such fish as we need.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Valbrand answered: &ldquo;Willingly, and thou shalt choose
+for thyself. Here are three, one old and worn out, two
+new and untried; which wilt thou take?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I will have the new ones, but I do not need them
+yet; keep them ready for the day when I shall send
+and ask for them,&rdquo; Biargey replied, and bade Valbrand
+farewell, and rowed away to her next brother.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Thorbrand and Asbrand</h3>
+
+<p>When Howard&rsquo;s wife came to her brother Thorbrand
+she was well received by him and his two sons,
+and here she asked for the loan of a trout-net, since she
+had not enough to catch the fish. Thorbrand offered
+her her choice&mdash;one old and worn out, or two new
+and untried nets; and again Biargey chose the new
+ones, and bade them be ready when the messenger
+came.</p>
+
+<p>From her third brother, Asbrand, who had only one
+son, Biargey asked a turf-cutter, as hers was not keen
+enough to cut all she wanted; again she was offered
+her choice, and chose the new, untried cutter, instead of
+the old, rusty, notched one. Then Biargey bade farewell
+to Asbrand, refusing his offer of hospitality, and
+went home to Howard, and told him of her quests and
+the promises she had received. The old couple knew
+what the promises meant, but they said nothing to each
+other about it.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Arousing of Howard</h3>
+
+<p>When seven days had passed Biargey came to
+Howard, saying: &ldquo;Arise now, and play the man, if thou
+wilt ever win vengeance for Olaf. Thou must do it
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg&nbsp;114]</a></span>
+now or never, since now the opportunity has come.
+Knowest thou not that to-day Thorbiorn returns to
+Bathstead, and thou must meet him to-day? And
+have I not found helpers for thee in my nephews?
+Thou wilt not need to face the strife alone.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Hereupon Howard sprang up joyfully from his bed,
+and was no longer lame or halt, nor looked like an old
+man, but moved briskly, clad himself in good armour,
+and seemed a mighty warrior. His joy broke forth in
+words, and he chanted songs of gladness in vengeance,
+and joy in strife, and evil omen to the death-doomed
+foe. Thus gladly, with spear in hand, he went forth to
+find his enemy and avenge his son; but he turned and
+kissed his brave wife farewell, for he said: &ldquo;It may
+well be that we shall not meet again.&rdquo; Biargey said:
+&ldquo;Nay, we shall meet again, for I know that thou
+bearest a bold heart and a strong arm, and wilt do
+valiantly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Howard Gathers his Friends</h3>
+
+<p>Howard and one fighting-man took their boat and
+rowed to Valbrand&rsquo;s house, and saw him and his sons
+making hay. Valbrand greeted Howard well, for he
+had not seen him for long, and begged him to stay
+there, but Howard would not. &ldquo;I am in haste, and
+have come to fetch the two new seal-nets thou didst
+lend to my wife,&rdquo; he said; and Valbrand understood him
+well. He called to his sons, &ldquo;Come hither, lads; here
+is your kinsman Howard, with mighty work on hand,&rdquo;
+and the two youths ran up hastily, leaving their hay-making.
+Valbrand went to the house, and returned
+bearing good weapons, which he gave to his sons,
+bidding them follow their kinsman Howard and help
+in his vengeance.</p>
+
+<p>They three went down to the boat, took their
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg&nbsp;115]</a></span>
+seats beside Howard&rsquo;s man, and rowed to Asbrand&rsquo;s
+house. There Howard asked for the promised new
+turf-cutter, and Asbrand&rsquo;s son, a tall and manly youth,
+joined the party. At their next visit, to Thorbrand&rsquo;s
+house, Howard asked for the two trout-nets, and
+Thorbrand&rsquo;s two sons, with one stout fighting-man,
+came gladly with their kinsman.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Howard&rsquo;s Plan</h3>
+
+<p>As they rowed away together one of the youths
+asked: &ldquo;Why is it that thou hast no sword or axe, Uncle
+Howard?&rdquo; Howard replied: &ldquo;It may be that we shall
+meet Thorbiorn, and when the meeting is over I shall
+not be a swordless man, but it is likely that I shall have
+Warflame, that mighty weapon, the best of swords; and
+here I have a good spear.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>These words seemed to them all a good omen, and as
+they rowed towards Bathstead they saw a flock of ravens,
+which encouraged them yet more, since the raven was the
+bird of Odin, the haunter of fields of strife and bloodshed.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached Bathstead they sprang on the
+jetty, carried their boat over the ridge of shingle to the
+quiet pool by the boathouse, and hid themselves where
+they could see, but remain themselves unseen. Howard
+took command, and appointed their places, bidding them
+be wary, and not stir till he gave the word.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Thorbiorn&rsquo;s Return</h3>
+
+<p>Late that evening, just before dusk, Thorbiorn and
+Vakr came home, bringing their kinsmen with them, a
+party of ten in all. They had no suspicion of any
+ambush, and Thorbiorn said to Vakr: &ldquo;It is a fine night,
+and dry, Vakr; we will leave the boat here&mdash;she will
+take no hurt through the night&mdash;and thou shalt carry
+our swords and spears up to the boathouse.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg&nbsp;116]</a></span>
+Vakr obeyed, and bore all the weapons to the boathouse.
+Howard&rsquo;s men would have slain him then but
+Howard forbade, and let him return to the jetty for
+more armour. When Vakr had gone back Howard
+sent to the boathouse for the magic sword, Warflame;
+drawing it, he gripped it hard and brandished it, for he
+would fain avenge Olaf with the weapon which had
+slain him. When Vakr came towards the ambush a
+second time he was laden with shields and helmets.
+Howard&rsquo;s men sprang up to take him, and he turned to
+flee as he saw and heard them. But his foot slipped, and
+he fell into the pool, and lay there weighed down by all
+the armour, till he died miserably&mdash;a fitting end for one
+so ignoble and cruel.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Thorbiorn&rsquo;s Death</h3>
+
+<p>Howard&rsquo;s men shouted and waved their weapons,
+and ran down to the beach to attack their enemies;
+but Thorbiorn, seeing them, flung himself into the
+sea, swimming towards a small rocky islet. When
+Howard saw this he took Warflame between his teeth,
+and, old as he was, plunged into the waves and pursued
+Thorbiorn. The latter had, however, a considerable
+start, and was both younger and stronger than his
+adversary, so that he was already on the rock and
+prepared to dash a huge stone at Howard, when the old
+man reached the islet. Now there seemed no hope for
+Howard, but still he clung fiercely to the rock and
+strove to draw himself up on the land. Thorbiorn
+lifted the huge stone to cast at his foe, but his foot
+slipped on the wet rocks, and he fell backward; before
+he could recover his footing Howard rushed forward
+and slew him with his own sword Warflame, striking
+out his teeth, as Thorbiorn had done to Olaf.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr17.jpg" width="413" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_116" id="image_page_116"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>When Howard swam back to Bathstead, and they
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg&nbsp;117]</a></span>
+told him that in all six of Thorbiorn&rsquo;s men were dead,
+while he had only lost one serving-man, he rejoiced
+greatly; but his vengeance was not satisfied until he
+had slain yet another brother of Thorbiorn&rsquo;s.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Steinthor Shelters Howard</h3>
+
+<p>Then, with the news of this great revenge to be told,
+Howard and his kinsmen took refuge with that Steinthor
+who had given him help and shelter during the Thing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who are ye, and what tidings do ye bring?&rdquo; asked
+Steinthor as the little party of seven entered his hall.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am Howard, and these are my kinsmen,&rdquo; said
+Howard. &ldquo;We tell the slaying of Thorbiorn and his
+brothers, his nephews and his house-carles, eight in all.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Steinthor exclaimed in surprise: &ldquo;Art thou that
+Howard, old and bedridden, who didst seem like to
+die last year at the Thing, and hast thou done these
+mighty deeds with only these youths to aid thee?
+This is a great marvel, nearly as wondrous as thy
+restoration to youth and health. Great enmity will ye
+have aroused against you!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Said Howard: &ldquo;Bethink thee that thou didst
+promise me thy help if I should ever need it. Therefore
+have I come to thee now, because I have some
+little need of aid.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Steinthor laughed. &ldquo;A little help! When dost thou
+think thou wilt need much, if this be not the time?
+But bide ye all here in honour, and I will set the matter
+right, since thou and these thy helpers have done so
+valiantly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Thing and Guest&rsquo;s Award</h3>
+
+<p>Howard and his kinsmen abode long with their host,
+until the Thing met again; then Steinthor rode away,
+leaving the uncle and nephews under good safeguard.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg&nbsp;118]</a></span>
+It was a great meeting, with many cases to judge.
+When the matter of the death of Thorbiorn&rsquo;s family
+was brought up Steinthor spoke on Howard&rsquo;s behalf,
+and offered to let Guest again give judgment, since
+he had done so before. This offer was accepted by
+Thorbiorn&rsquo;s surviving kinsfolk, and Guest, as before,
+gave a fair award.</p>
+
+<p>Since a threefold wergild was still due to Howard
+for the slaying of Olaf, three of the eight dead need
+not be paid for. Thorbiorn, Vakr, and that brother
+of his slain by Olaf should continue unatoned for,
+because they were evildoers, and fell in an unrighteous
+quarrel of their own seeking; moreover, the slaying
+of Howard&rsquo;s serving-man cancelled one wergild; there
+remained, therefore, but one wergild for Howard to
+pay&mdash;one hundred of silver&mdash;which was paid out of
+hand. In addition to this, Howard must change his
+dwelling, and his nephews must travel abroad for some
+years. This sentence pleased all men greatly, and they
+broke up the Thing in great content, and Howard rode
+home at the head of a goodly company to his stout-hearted
+wife Biargey, who had kept his house and lands
+in good order all this time. They made a great feast,
+and gave rich gifts to all their friends and kinsmen;
+then when the farewells were over the exiles went
+abroad and did valiantly in Norway; but Howard sold
+his lands and moved to another part of the island.
+There he prospered greatly; and when he died his
+memory was handed down as that of a mighty warrior
+and a valiant and prudent man.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg&nbsp;119]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VII: ROLAND, THE HERO
+OF EARLY FRANCE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>The Roland Legends</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">C</span>HARLES THE GREAT, King of the Franks,
+world-famous as Charlemagne, won his undying
+renown by innumerable victories for
+France and for the Church. Charles as the head of the
+Holy Roman Empire and the Pope as the head of the
+Holy Catholic Church equally dominated the imagination
+of the medi&aelig;val world. Yet in romance Charlemagne&rsquo;s
+fame has been eclipsed by that of his illustrious
+nephew and vassal, Roland, whose crowning glory has
+sprung from his last conflict and heroic death in the
+valley of Roncesvalles.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Oh for a blast of that dread horn,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On Fontarabian echoes borne,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That to King Charles did come,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When Roland brave, and Olivier,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And every paladin and peer<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On Roncesvalles died.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Scott.</p>
+
+<p>Briefly, the historical facts are these: In <small>A.D.</small> 778
+Charles was returning from an expedition into Spain,
+where the dissensions of the Moorish rulers had
+offered him the chance of extending his borders while
+he fought for the Christian faith against the infidel.
+He had taken Pampeluna, but had been checked before
+Saragossa, and had not ventured beyond the Ebro;
+he was now making his way home through the
+Pyrenees. When the main army had safely traversed
+the passes, the rear was suddenly attacked by an
+overwhelming body of mountaineers, Gascons and
+Basques, who, resenting the violation of their mountain
+sanctuaries, and longing for plunder, drove the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg&nbsp;120]</a></span>
+Frankish rearguard into a little valley (now marked by
+the chapel of Ibagneta and still called Roncesvalles),
+and there slew every man.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 428px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr18.jpg" width="428" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_120" id="image_page_120"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Charlemagne<br />
+Stella Langdale</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Historic Basis</h3>
+
+<p>The whole romantic legend of Roland has sprung
+from the simple words in a contemporary chronicle,
+&ldquo;In which battle was slain Roland, prefect of the
+marches of Brittany.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p>
+
+<p>This same fight of Roncesvalles was the theme of
+an archaic poem, the &ldquo;Song of Altobiscar,&rdquo; written
+about 1835. In it we hear the exultation of the Basques
+as they see the knights of France fall beneath their
+onslaughts. The Basques are on the heights&mdash;they
+hear the trampling of a mighty host which throngs
+the narrow valley below: its numbers are as countless
+as the sands of the sea, its movement as resistless
+as the waves which roll those sands on the shore.
+Awe fills the bosoms of the mountain tribesmen, but
+their leader is undaunted. &ldquo;Let us unite our strong
+arms!&rdquo; he cries aloud. &ldquo;Let us tear our rocks from
+their beds and hurl them upon the enemy! Let us
+crush and slay them all!&rdquo; So said, so done: the
+rocks roll plunging into the valley, slaying whole
+troops in their descent. &ldquo;And what mangled flesh,
+what broken bones, what seas of blood! Soon of
+that gallant band not one is left alive; night covers
+all, the eagles devour the flesh, and the bones whiten
+in this valley to all eternity!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Spanish Version</h3>
+
+<p>So runs the &ldquo;Song of Altobiscar.&rdquo; But Spain too
+claims part of the honour of the day of Roncesvalles.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg&nbsp;121]</a></span>
+True, Roland was in reality slain by Basques, not by
+Spaniards; but Spain, eager to share the honour, has
+glorified a national hero, Bernardo del Carpio, who, in
+the Spanish legend, defeats Roland in single combat
+and wins the day.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Italian Orlando</h3>
+
+<p>Italy has laid claim to Roland, and in the guise of
+Orlando, Orlando Furioso, Orlando Innamorato, has
+made him into a fantastic, chivalrous knight, a hero of
+many magical adventures.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Roland in French Literature</h3>
+
+<p>Noblest of all, however, is the development of the
+&ldquo;Roland Saga&rdquo; in French literature; for, even setting
+aside much legendary lore and accumulated tradition,
+the Roland of the old epic is a perfect hero of the
+early days of feudalism, when chivalry was in its very
+beginnings, before the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary
+added the grace of courtesy to its heroism. Evidently
+Roland had grown in importance before the &ldquo;Chanson
+de Roland&rdquo; took its present form, for we find the
+rearguard skirmish magnified into a great battle, which
+manifestly contains recollections of later Saracen invasions
+and Gascon revolts. As befits the hero of an
+epic, Roland is now of royal blood, the nephew of the
+great emperor, who has himself increased in age and
+splendour; this heroic Roland can obviously only be
+overcome by the treachery of one of the Franks themselves,
+so there appears the traitor Ganelon (a Romance
+version of a certain Danilo or Nanilo), who is among
+the Twelve Peers what Judas was among the Apostles;
+the mighty Saracens, not the insignificant Basques, are
+now the victors; and the vengeance taken by Charlemagne
+on the Saracens and on the traitor is boldly
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg&nbsp;122]</a></span>
+added to history, which leaves the disaster unavenged.
+Thus the bare fact was embroidered over gradually by
+the historical imagination, aided by patriotism, until
+a really national hero was evolved out of an obscure
+Breton count.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The &ldquo;Chanson de Roland&rdquo;</h3>
+
+<p>The &ldquo;Song of Roland,&rdquo; as we now have it, seems to
+be a late version of an Anglo-Norman poem, made by
+a certain Turoldus or Thorold; and it must bear a
+close resemblance to that chant which fired the soldiers
+of William the Norman at Hastings, when</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Taillefer, the noble singer,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On his war-horse swift and fiery,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Rode before the Norman host;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Tossed his sword in air and caught it,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Chanted loud the death of Roland,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the peers who perished with him<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">At the pass of Roncevaux.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Roman de Rou.</p>
+
+<p>The &ldquo;Song of Roland&rdquo; bears an intimate relation to
+the development of European thought, and the hero
+is doubly worth our study as hero and as type of
+national character. Thus runs the story:</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Story</h3>
+
+<p>The Emperor Charles the Great, Carolus Magnus,
+or Charlemagne, had been for seven years in Spain,
+and had conquered it from sea to sea, except Saragossa,
+which, among its lofty mountains, and ruled by its
+brave king Marsile, had defied his power. Marsile
+still held to his idols, Mahomet, Apollo, and Termagaunt,
+dreading in his heart the day when Charles
+would force him to become a Christian.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg&nbsp;123]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Saracen Council</h3>
+
+<p>The Saracen king gathered a council around him,
+as he reclined on a seat of blue marble in the shade of
+an orchard, and asked the advice of his wise men.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;My lords,&rsquo; quoth he, &lsquo;you know our grievous state.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The mighty Charles, great lord of France the fair,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Has spread his hosts in ruin o&rsquo;er our land.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No armies have I to resist his course,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No people have I to destroy his hosts.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Advise me now, what counsel shall I take<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To save my race and realm from death and shame?&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Blancandrin&rsquo;s Advice</h3>
+
+<p>A wily emir, Blancandrin, of Val-Fonde, was the
+only man who replied. He was wise in counsel, brave
+in war, a loyal vassal to his lord.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Fear not, my liege,&rsquo; he answered the sad king.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Send thou to Charles the proud, the arrogant,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And offer fealty and service true,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With gifts of lions, bears, and swift-foot hounds,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Seven hundred camels, falcons, mules, and gold&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As much as fifty chariots can convey&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Yea, gold enough to pay his vassals all.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Say thou thyself will take the Christian faith,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And follow him to Aix to be baptized.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If he demands thy hostages, then I<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And these my fellows give our sons to thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To go with Charles to France, as pledge of truth.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou wilt not follow him, thou wilt not yield<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To be baptized, and so our sons must die;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But better death than life in foul disgrace,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With loss of our bright Spain and happy days.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">So cried the pagans all; but Marsile sat<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thoughtful, and yet at last accepted all.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>An Embassy to Charlemagne</h3>
+
+<p>Now King Marsile dismissed the council with words
+of thanks, only retaining near him ten of his most
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg&nbsp;124]</a></span>
+famous barons, chief of whom was Blancandrin; to
+them he said: &ldquo;My lords, go to Cordova, where Charles
+is at this time. Bear olive-branches in your hands, in
+token of peace, and reconcile me with him. Great shall
+be your reward if you succeed. Beg Charles to have
+pity on me, and I will follow him to Aix within a
+month, will receive the Christian law, and become his
+vassal in love and loyalty.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Sire,&rdquo; said Blancandrin, &ldquo;you shall have a good
+treaty!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The ten messengers departed, bearing olive-branches
+in their hands, riding on white mules, with reins of
+gold and saddles of silver, and came to Charles as he
+rested after the siege of Cordova, which he had just
+taken and sacked.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Reception by Charlemagne</h3>
+
+<p>Charlemagne was in an orchard with his Twelve
+Peers and fifteen thousand veteran warriors of France.
+The messengers from the heathen king reached this
+orchard and asked for the emperor; their gaze
+wandered over groups of wise nobles playing at chess,
+and groups of gay youths fencing, till at last it rested
+on a throne of solid gold, set under a pine-tree and
+overshadowed with eglantine. There sat Charles, the
+king who ruled fair France, with white flowing beard
+and hoary head, stately of form and majestic of countenance.
+No need was there of usher to cry: &ldquo;Here
+sits Charles the King.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 409px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr19.jpg" width="409" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_124" id="image_page_124"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Here sits Charles the King&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The ambassadors greeted Charlemagne with all
+honour, and Blancandrin opened the embassy thus:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Peace be with you from God the Lord of Glory
+whom you adore! Thus says the valiant King Marsile:
+He has been instructed in your faith, the way of salvation,
+and is willing to be baptized; but you have been
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg&nbsp;125]</a></span>
+too long in our bright Spain, and should return to Aix.
+There will he follow you and become your vassal,
+holding the kingdom of Spain at your hand. Gifts
+have we brought from him to lay at your feet, for he
+will share his treasures with you!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>He is Perplexed</h3>
+
+<p>Charlemagne raised his hands in thanks to God, but
+then bent his head and remained thinking deeply, for
+he was a man of prudent mind, cautious and far-seeing,
+and never spoke on impulse. At last he said proudly:
+&ldquo;Ye have spoken fairly, but Marsile is my greatest
+enemy: how can I trust your words?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Blancandrin replied: &ldquo;He will give hostages, twenty
+of our noblest youths, and my own son will be
+among them. King Marsile will follow you to the
+wondrous springs of Aix-la-Chapelle, and on the feast
+of St. Michael will receive baptism in your court.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thus the audience ended. The messengers were
+feasted in a pavilion raised in the orchard, and the
+night passed in gaiety and good-fellowship.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Consults his Twelve Peers</h3>
+
+<p>In the early morning Charlemagne arose and heard
+Mass; then, sitting beneath a pine-tree, he called the
+Twelve Peers to council. There came the twelve
+heroes, chief of them Roland and his loyal brother-in-arms
+Oliver; there came Archbishop Turpin; and,
+among a thousand loyal Franks, there came Ganelon
+the traitor. When all were seated in due order
+Charlemagne began:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My lords and barons, I have received an embassy
+of peace from King Marsile, who sends me great gifts
+and offers, but on condition that I leave Spain and
+return to Aix. Thither will he follow me, to receive
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg&nbsp;126]</a></span>
+the Faith, become a Christian and my vassal. Is he
+to be trusted?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Let us beware,&rdquo; cried all the Franks.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Roland Speaks</h3>
+
+<p>Roland, ever impetuous, now rose without delay, and
+spoke: &ldquo;Fair uncle and sire, it would be madness to
+trust Marsile. Seven years have we warred in Spain,
+and many cities have I won for you, but Marsile has
+ever been treacherous. Once before when he sent
+messengers with olive-branches you and the French
+foolishly believed him, and he beheaded the two counts
+who were your ambassadors to him. Fight Marsile to
+the end, besiege and sack Saragossa, and avenge those
+who perished by his treachery.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ganelon Objects</h3>
+
+<p>Charlemagne looked out gloomily from under his
+heavy brows, he twisted his moustache and pulled his
+long white beard, but said nothing, and all the Franks
+remained silent, except Ganelon, whose hostility to
+Roland showed clearly in his words:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Sire, blind credulity were wrong and foolish, but
+follow up your own advantage. When Marsile offers
+to become your vassal, to hold Spain at your hand and
+to take your faith, any man who urges you to reject
+such terms cares little for our death! Let pride no
+longer be your counsellor, but hear the voice of
+wisdom.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The aged Duke Naimes, the Nestor of the army,
+spoke next, supporting Ganelon: &ldquo;Sire, the advice of
+Count Ganelon is wise, if wisely followed. Marsile
+lies at your mercy; he has lost all, and only begs for
+pity. It would be a sin to press this cruel war, since
+he offers full guarantee by his hostages. You need
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg&nbsp;127]</a></span>
+only send one of your barons to arrange the terms of
+peace.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This advice pleased the whole assembly, and a
+murmur was heard: &ldquo;The Duke has spoken well.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>&ldquo;Who Shall Go to Saragossa?&rdquo;</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;My lords and peers, whom shall we send<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To Saragossa to Marsile?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Sire, let me go,&rsquo; replied Duke Naimes;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Give me your glove and warlike staff.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;No!&rsquo; cried the king, &lsquo;my counsellor,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou shalt not leave me unadvised&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sit down again; I bid thee stay.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;My lords and peers, whom shall we send<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To Saragossa to Marsile?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Sire, I can go,&rsquo; quoth Roland bold.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;That canst thou not,&rsquo; said Oliver;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Thy heart is far too hot and fierce&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I fear for thee. But I will go,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If that will please my lord the King.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;No!&rsquo; cried the king, &lsquo;ye shall not go.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I swear by this white flowing beard<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No peer shall undertake the task.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;My lords and peers, whom shall we send?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Archbishop Turpin rose and spoke:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Fair sire, let me be messenger.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Your nobles all have played their part;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Give me your glove and warlike staff,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I will show this heathen king<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In frank speech how a true knight feels.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But wrathfully the king replied:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;By this white beard, thou shalt not go!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sit down, and raise thy voice no more.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Roland Suggests Ganelon</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Knights of France,&rdquo; quoth Charlemagne, &ldquo;choose
+me now one of your number to do my errand to
+Marsile, and to defend my honour valiantly, if
+need be.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg&nbsp;128]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Ah,&rdquo; said Roland, &ldquo;then it must be Ganelon, my
+stepfather; for whether he goes or stays, you have
+none better than he!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This suggestion satisfied all the assembly, and they
+cried: &ldquo;Ganelon will acquit himself right manfully.
+If it please the King, he is the right man to go.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Charlemagne thought for a moment, and then, raising
+his head, beckoned to Ganelon. &ldquo;Come hither,
+Ganelon,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and receive this glove and staff,
+which the voice of all the Franks gives to thee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ganelon is Angry</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied Ganelon, wrathfully. &ldquo;This is the
+work of Roland, and I will never forgive him, nor his
+friends, Oliver and the other Peers. Here, in your
+presence, I bid them defiance!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Your anger is too great,&rdquo; said Charlemagne; &ldquo;you
+will go, since it is my will also.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, I shall go, but I shall perish as did your two
+former ambassadors. Sire, forget not that your sister
+is my wife, and that Baldwin, my son, will be a valiant
+champion if he lives. I leave to him my lands and
+fiefs. Sire, guard him well, for I shall see him no
+more.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Your heart is too tender,&rdquo; said Charlemagne.
+&ldquo;You must go, since such is my command.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Threatens Roland</h3>
+
+<p>Ganelon, in rage and anguish, glared round the
+council, and his face drew all eyes, so fiercely he looked
+at Roland.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Madman,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;all men know that I am thy
+stepfather, and for this cause thou hast sent me to
+Marsile, that I may perish! But if I return I will be
+revenged on thee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg&nbsp;129]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Madness and pride,&rdquo; Roland retorted, &ldquo;have no
+terrors for me; but this embassy demands a prudent
+man not an angry fool: if Charles consents, I will do
+his errand for thee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Thou shalt not. Thou art not my vassal, to do my
+work, and Charles, my lord, has given me his commands.
+I go to Saragossa; but there will I find some
+way to vent my anger.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Roland began to laugh, so wild did his stepfather&rsquo;s
+threats seem, and the laughter stung Ganelon
+to madness. &ldquo;I hate you,&rdquo; he cried to Roland; &ldquo;you
+have brought this unjust choice on me.&rdquo; Then, turning
+to the emperor: &ldquo;Mighty lord, behold me ready to
+fulfil your commands.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>But is Sent</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Fair Lord Ganelon,&rdquo; spoke Charlemagne, &ldquo;bear
+this message to Marsile. He must become my vassal
+and receive holy baptism. Half of Spain shall be his
+fief; the other half is for Count Roland. If Marsile
+does not accept these terms I will besiege Saragossa,
+capture the town, and lead Marsile prisoner to Aix,
+where he shall die in shame and torment. Take this
+letter, sealed with my seal, and deliver it into the
+king&rsquo;s own right hand.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon Charlemagne held out his right-hand
+glove to Ganelon, who would fain have refused it. So
+reluctant was he to grasp it that the glove fell to the
+ground. &ldquo;Ah, God!&rdquo; cried the Franks, &ldquo;what an
+evil omen! What woes will come to us from this
+embassy!&rdquo; &ldquo;You shall hear full tidings,&rdquo; quoth
+Ganelon. &ldquo;Now, sire, dismiss me, for I have no time
+to lose.&rdquo; Very solemnly Charlemagne raised his hand
+and made the sign of the Cross over Ganelon, and gave
+him his blessing, saying, &ldquo;Go, for the honour of Jesus
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg&nbsp;130]</a></span>
+Christ, and for your Emperor.&rdquo; So Ganelon took his
+leave, and returned to his lodging, where he prepared
+for his journey, and bade farewell to the weeping
+retainers whom he left behind, though they begged to
+accompany him. &ldquo;God forbid,&rdquo; cried he, &ldquo;that so
+many brave knights should die! Rather will I die
+alone. You, sirs, return to our fair France, greet
+well my wife, guard my son Baldwin, and defend his
+fief!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Plots with Marsile&rsquo;s Messengers</h3>
+
+<p>Then Ganelon rode away, and shortly overtook the
+ambassadors of the Moorish king, for Blancandrin had
+delayed their journey to accompany him, and the two
+envoys began a crafty conversation, for both were wary
+and skilful, and each was trying to read the other&rsquo;s
+mind. The wily Saracen began:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Ah! what a wondrous king is Charles!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How far and wide his conquests range!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The salt sea is no bar to him:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From Poland to far England&rsquo;s shores<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He stretches his unquestioned sway;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But why seeks he to win bright Spain?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Such is his will,&rsquo; quoth Ganelon;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;None can withstand his mighty power!&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;How valiant are the Frankish lords<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But how their counsel wrongs their king<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To urge him to this long-drawn strife&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They ruin both themselves and him!&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;I blame not them,&rsquo; quoth Ganelon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;But Roland, swollen with fatal pride.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Near Carcassonne he brought the King<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">An apple, crimson streaked with gold:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Fair sire,&rdquo; quoth he, &ldquo;here at your feet<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I lay the crowns of all the kings.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If he were dead we should have peace!&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg&nbsp;131]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;How haughty must this Roland be<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who fain would conquer all the earth!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Such pride deserves due chastisement!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">What warriors has he for the task?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;The Franks of France,&rsquo; quoth Ganelon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;The bravest warriors &rsquo;neath the sun!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For love alone they follow him<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">(Or lavish gifts which he bestows)<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To death, or conquest of the world!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 402px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr20.jpg" width="402" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_130" id="image_page_130"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Ganelon rode away&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>To Betray Roland</h3>
+
+<p>The bitterness in Ganelon&rsquo;s tone at once struck:
+Blancandrin, who cast a glance at him and saw the
+Frankish envoy trembling with rage. He suddenly
+addressed Ganelon in whispered tones: &ldquo;Hast thou
+aught against the nephew of Charles? Wouldst thou
+have revenge on Roland? Deliver him to us, and
+King Marsile will share with thee all his treasures.&rdquo;
+Ganelon was at first horrified, and refused to hear more,
+but so well did Blancandrin argue and so skilfully did
+he lay his snare that before they reached Saragossa and
+came to the presence of King Marsile it was agreed
+that Roland should be destroyed by their means.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ganelon with the Saracens</h3>
+
+<p>Blancandrin and his fellow ambassadors conducted
+Ganelon into the presence of the Saracen king, and
+announced Charlemagne&rsquo;s peaceable reception of their
+message and the coming of his envoy. &ldquo;Let him
+speak: we listen,&rdquo; said Marsile.</p>
+
+<p>Ganelon then began artfully: &ldquo;Peace be to you in the
+name of the Lord of Glory whom we adore! This is
+the message of King Charles: You shall receive the
+Holy Christian Faith, and Charles will graciously grant
+you one-half of Spain as a fief; the other half he intends
+for his nephew Roland (and a haughty partner you will
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg&nbsp;132]</a></span>
+find him!). If you refuse he will take Saragossa, lead
+you captive to Aix, and give you there to a shameful
+death.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Marsile&rsquo;s Anger</h3>
+
+<p>Marsile&rsquo;s anger was so great at this insulting message
+that he sprang to his feet, and would have slain Ganelon
+with his gold-adorned javelin; but he, seeing this, half
+drew his sword, saying:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Sword, how fair and bright thou art!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Come thou forth and view the light.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Long as I can wield thee here<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles my Emperor shall not say<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I die alone, unwept.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ere I fall Spain&rsquo;s noblest blood<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Shall be shed to pay my death.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Saracen Council</h3>
+
+<p>However, strife was averted, and Ganelon received
+praise from all for his bold bearing and valiant defiance
+of his king&rsquo;s enemy. When quiet was restored he
+repeated his message and delivered the emperor&rsquo;s
+letter, which was found to contain a demand that the
+caliph, Marsile&rsquo;s uncle, should be sent, a prisoner, to
+Charles, in atonement for the two ambassadors foully
+slain before. The indignation of the Saracen nobles
+was intense, and Ganelon was in imminent danger, but,
+setting his back against a pine-tree, he prepared to defend
+himself to the last. Again the quarrel was stayed, and
+Marsile, taking his most trusted leaders, withdrew to a
+secret council, whither, soon, Blancandrin led Ganelon.
+Here Marsile excused his former rage, and, in reparation,
+offered Ganelon a superb robe of marten&rsquo;s fur, which
+was accepted; and then began the tempting of the
+traitor. First demanding a pledge of secrecy, Marsile
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg&nbsp;133]</a></span>
+pitied Charlemagne, so aged and so weary with rule.
+Ganelon praised his emperor&rsquo;s prowess and vast power.
+Marsile repeated his words of pity, and Ganelon replied
+that as long as Roland and the Twelve Peers lived
+Charlemagne needed no man&rsquo;s pity and feared no
+man&rsquo;s power; his Franks, also, were the best living
+warriors. Marsile declared proudly that he could bring
+four hundred thousand men against Charlemagne&rsquo;s
+twenty thousand French; but Ganelon dissuaded him
+from any such expedition.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ganelon Plans Treachery</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Not thus will you overcome him;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Leave this folly, turn to wisdom.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Give the Emperor so much treasure<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That the Franks will be astounded.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Send him, too, the promised pledges,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sons of all your noblest vassals.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To fair France will Charles march homeward,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Leaving (as I will contrive it)<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Haughty Roland in the rearguard.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oliver, the bold and courteous,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Will be with him: slay those heroes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And King Charles will fall for ever!&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Fair Sir Ganelon,&rsquo; quoth Marsile,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;How must I entrap Count Roland?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;When King Charles is in the mountains<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He will leave behind his rearguard<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Under Oliver and Roland.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Send against them half your army:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Roland and the Peers will conquer,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But be wearied with the struggle&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then bring on your untired warriors.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">France will lose this second battle,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And when Roland dies, the Emperor<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Has no right hand for his conflicts&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Farewell all the Frankish greatness!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ne&rsquo;er again can Charles assemble<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Such a mighty host for conquest,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And you will have peace henceforward!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg&nbsp;134]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Welcomed by Marsile</h3>
+
+<p>Marsile was overjoyed at the treacherous advice and
+embraced and richly rewarded the felon knight. The
+death of Roland and the Peers was solemnly sworn
+between them, by Marsile on the book of the Law of
+Mahomet, by Ganelon on the sacred relics in the
+pommel of his sword. Then, repeating the compact
+between them, and warning Ganelon against treason to
+his friends, Marsile dismissed the treacherous envoy
+who hastened to return and put his scheme into
+execution.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ganelon Returns to Charles</h3>
+
+<p>In the meantime Charles had retired as far as
+Valtierra, on his way to France, and there Ganelon
+found him, and delivered the tribute, the keys of
+Saragossa, and a false message excusing the absence of
+the caliph. He had, so Marsile said, put to sea with
+three hundred thousand warriors who would not renounce
+their faith, and all had been drowned in a
+tempest, not four leagues from land. Marsile would
+obey King Charles&rsquo;s commands in all other respects.
+&ldquo;Thank God!&rdquo; cried Charlemagne. &ldquo;Ganelon, you
+have done well, and shall be well rewarded!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The French Camp. Charles Dreams</h3>
+
+<p>Now the whole Frankish army marched towards the
+Pyrenees, and, as evening fell, found themselves among
+the mountains, where Roland planted his banner on the
+topmost summit, clear against the sky, and the army
+encamped for the night; but the whole Saracen host
+had also marched and encamped in a wood not far from
+the Franks. Meanwhile, as Charlemagne slept he had
+dreams of evil omen. Ganelon, in his dreams, seized
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg&nbsp;135]</a></span>
+the imperial spear of tough ash-wood, and broke it, so
+that the splinters flew far and wide. In another dream
+he saw himself at Aix attacked by a leopard and a bear,
+which tore off his right arm; a greyhound came to his
+aid but he knew not the end of the fray, and slept
+unhappily.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Morning Council</h3>
+
+<p>When morning light shone, and the army was ready
+to march, the clarions of the host sounded gaily, and
+Charlemagne called his barons around him.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;My lords and Peers, ye see these strait defiles:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Choose ye to whom the rearguard shall be given.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;My stepson Roland,&rsquo; straight quoth Ganelon.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;&rsquo;Mid all the Peers there is no braver knight:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In him will lie the safety of your host.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles heard in wrath, and spoke in angry tones:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;What fiendish rage has prompted this advice?<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who then will go before me in the van?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The traitor tarried not, but answered swift:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Ogier the Dane will do that duty best.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>When Roland heard that he was to command the
+rearguard he knew not whether to be pleased or not.
+At first he thanked Ganelon for naming him. &ldquo;Thanks,
+fair stepfather, for sending me to the post of danger.
+King Charles shall lose no man nor horse through my
+neglect.&rdquo; But when Ganelon replied sneeringly, &ldquo;You
+speak the truth, as I know right well,&rdquo; Roland&rsquo;s gratitude
+turned to bitter anger, and he reproached the
+villain. &ldquo;Ah, wretch! disloyal traitor! thou thinkest
+perchance that I, like thee, shall basely drop the glove,
+but thou shalt see! Sir King, give me your bow. I
+will not let my badge of office fall, as thou didst,
+Ganelon, at Cordova. No evil omen shall assail the
+host through me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg&nbsp;136]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Roland for the Rearguard</h3>
+
+<p>Charlemagne was very loath to grant his request, but
+on the advice of Duke Naimes, most prudent of counsellors,
+he gave to Roland his bow, and offered to leave
+with him half the army. To this the champion would
+not agree, but would only have twenty thousand Franks
+from fair France. Roland clad himself in his shining
+armour, laced on his lordly helmet, girt himself with
+his famous sword Durendala, and hung round his neck
+his flower-painted shield; he mounted his good steed
+Veillantif, and took in hand his bright lance with the
+white pennon and golden fringe; then, looking like
+the Archangel St. Michael, he rode forward, and easy
+it was to see how all the Franks loved him and would
+follow where he led. Beside him rode the famous
+Peers of France, Oliver the bold and courteous, the
+saintly Archbishop Turpin, and Count Gautier, Roland&rsquo;s
+loyal vassal. They chose carefully the twenty thousand
+French for the rearguard, and Roland sent Gautier
+with one thousand of their number to search the
+mountains. Alas! they never returned, for King
+Almaris, a Saracen chief, met and slew them all
+among the hills; and only Gautier, sorely wounded
+and bleeding to death, returned to Roland in the final
+struggle.</p>
+
+<p>Charlemagne spoke a mournful &ldquo;Farewell&rdquo; to his
+nephew and the rearguard, and the mighty army began
+to traverse the gloomy ravine through the dark masses
+of rocks, and to emerge on the other side of the
+Pyrenees. All wept, most for joy to set eyes on that
+dear land of fair France, which for seven years they
+had not seen; but Charles, with a sad foreboding of
+disaster, hid his eyes beneath his cloak and wept in
+silence.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg&nbsp;137]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Charles is Sad</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What grief weighs on your mind, sire?&rdquo; asked the
+wise Duke Naimes, riding up beside Charlemagne.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I mourn for my nephew. Last night in a vision I
+saw Ganelon break my trusty lance&mdash;this Ganelon who
+has sent Roland to the rear. And now I have left
+Roland in a foreign land, and, O God! if I lose him
+I shall never find his equal!&rdquo; And the emperor rode
+on in silence, seeing naught but his own sad foreboding
+visions.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Saracen Pursuit</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile King Marsile, with his countless Saracens,
+had pursued so quickly that the van of the heathen
+army soon saw waving the banners of the Frankish
+rear. Then as they halted before the strife began, one
+by one the nobles of Saragossa, the champions of the
+Moors, advanced and claimed the right to measure
+themselves against the Twelve Peers of France. Marsile&rsquo;s
+nephew received the royal glove as chief champion,
+and eleven Saracen chiefs took a vow to slay Roland
+and spread the faith of Mahomet.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Death to the rearguard! Roland shall die!
+Death to the Peers! Woe to France and Charlemagne!
+We will bring the Emperor to your feet! You shall
+sleep at St. Denis! Down with fair France!&rdquo; Such
+were their confident cries as they armed for the conflict;
+and on their side no less eager were the Franks.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Fair Sir Comrade,&rdquo; said Oliver to Roland, &ldquo;methinks
+we shall have a fray with the heathen.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;God grant it,&rdquo; returned Roland. &ldquo;Our duty is to
+hold this pass for our king. A vassal must endure for
+his lord grief and pain, heat and cold, torment and
+death; and a knight&rsquo;s duty is to strike mighty blows,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg&nbsp;138]</a></span>
+that men may sing of him, in time to come, no evil
+songs. Never shall such be sung of me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Oliver Descries the Saracens</h3>
+
+<p>Hearing a great tumult, Oliver ascended a hill and
+looked towards Spain, where he perceived the great
+pagan army, like a gleaming sea, with shining hauberks
+and helms flashing in the sun. &ldquo;Alas! we are betrayed!
+This treason is plotted by Ganelon, who put us in
+the rear,&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;Say no more,&rdquo; said Roland;
+&ldquo;blame him not in this: he is my stepfather.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Oliver alone had seen the might of the pagan
+array, and he was appalled by the countless multitudes
+of the heathens. He descended from the hill and
+appealed to Roland.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Roland will not Blow his Horn</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Your great Olifant, far-sounding:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles will hear it and return here.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Cowardice were that,&rsquo; quoth Roland;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;In fair France my fame were tarnished.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No, these Pagans all shall perish<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When I brandish Durendala.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles will hear it and return here.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;God forbid it,&rsquo; Roland answered,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;That it e&rsquo;er be sung by minstrels<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I was asking help in battle<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From my King against these Pagans.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I will ne&rsquo;er do such dishonour<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To my kinsmen and my nation.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No, these heathen all shall perish<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When I brandish Durendala.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles will hear it and return here.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">See how countless are the heathen<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And how small our Frankish troop is!&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg&nbsp;139]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;God forbid it,&rsquo; answered Roland,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;That our fair France be dishonoured<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or by me or by my comrades&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Death we choose, but not dishonour!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Roland was a valiant hero, but Oliver had prudence
+as well as valour, and his advice was that of a good and
+careful general. Now he spoke reproachfully.</p>
+
+
+<h3>It is Too Late</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ah, Roland, if you had sounded your magic horn
+the king would soon be here, and we should not
+perish! Now look to the heights and to the mountain
+passes: see those who surround us. None of us will
+see the light of another day!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Speak not so foolishly,&rdquo; retorted Roland. &ldquo;Accursed
+be all cowards, say I.&rdquo; Then, softening his tone a little,
+he continued: &ldquo;Friend and comrade, say no more.
+The emperor has entrusted to us twenty thousand
+Frenchmen, and not a coward among them. Lay on
+with thy lance, Oliver, and I will strike with Durendala.
+If I die men shall say: &lsquo;This was the sword of a
+noble vassal.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Turpin Blesses the Knights</h3>
+
+<p>Then spoke the brave and saintly Archbishop Turpin.
+Spurring his horse, he rode, a gallant figure, to the
+summit of a hill, whence he called aloud to the Frankish
+knights:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Fair sirs and barons, Charles has left us here<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To serve him, or at need to die for him.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">See, yonder come the foes of Christendom,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And we must fight for God and Holy Faith.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now, say your shrift, and make your peace with Heaven;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I will absolve you and will heal your souls;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And if you die as martyrs, your true home<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is ready midst the flowers of Paradise!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg&nbsp;140]</a></span>
+The Frankish knights, dismounting, knelt before
+Turpin, who blessed and absolved them all, bidding
+them, as penance, to strike hard against the heathen.</p>
+
+<p>Then Roland called his brother-in-arms, the brave
+and courteous Oliver, and said: &ldquo;Fair brother, I know
+now that Ganelon has betrayed us for reward and
+Marsile has bought us; but the payment shall be
+made with our swords, and Charlemagne will terribly
+avenge us.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>&ldquo;Montjoie! Montjoie!&rdquo;</h3>
+
+<p>While the two armies yet stood face to face in battle
+array Oliver replied: &ldquo;What good is it to speak?
+You would not sound your horn, and Charles cannot
+help us; he is not to blame. Barons and lords, ride on
+and yield not. In God&rsquo;s name fight and slay, and
+remember the war-cry of our Emperor.&rdquo; And at the
+words the war-cry of &ldquo;Montjoie! Montjoie!&rdquo; burst
+from the whole army as they spurred against the
+advancing heathen host.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Fray</h3>
+
+<p>Great was the fray that day, deadly was the combat,
+as the Moors and Franks crashed together, shouting
+their cries, invoking their gods or saints, wielding with
+utmost courage sword, lance, javelin, scimitar, or dagger.
+Blades flashed, lances were splintered, helms were cloven
+in that terrible fight of heroes. Each of the Twelve
+Peers did mighty feats of arms. Roland himself slew
+the nephew of King Marsile, who had promised to
+bring Roland&rsquo;s head to his uncle&rsquo;s feet, and bitter were
+the words that Roland hurled at the lifeless body of
+his foe, who had but just before boasted that Charlemagne
+should lose his right hand. Oliver slew the
+heathen king&rsquo;s brother, and one by one the Twelve
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg&nbsp;141]</a></span>
+Peers proved their mettle on the twelve champions of
+King Marsile, and left them dead or mortally wounded
+on the field. Wherever the battle was fiercest and the
+danger greatest, where help was most needed, there
+Roland spurred to the rescue, swinging Durendala,
+and, falling on the heathen like a thunderbolt of war,
+turned the tide of battle again and yet again.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Red was Roland, red with bloodshed:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Red his corselet, red his shoulders,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Red his arm, and red his charger.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Like the red god Mars he rode through the battle;
+and as he went he met Oliver, with the truncheon or
+a spear in his grasp.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Friend, what hast thou there?&rsquo; cried Roland.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;In this game &rsquo;tis not a distaff,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But a blade of steel thou needest.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where is now Hauteclaire, thy good sword,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Golden-hilted, crystal-pommeled?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Here,&rsquo; said Oliver; &lsquo;so fight I<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I have not time to draw it.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Friend,&rsquo; quoth Roland, &lsquo;more I love thee<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ever henceforth than a brother.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Saracens Perish</h3>
+
+<p>Thus the battle continued, most valiantly contested
+by both sides, and the Saracens died by hundreds and
+thousands, till all their host lay dead but one man, who
+fled wounded, leaving the Frenchmen masters of the
+field, but in sorry plight&mdash;broken were their swords and
+lances, rent their hauberks, torn and blood-stained their
+gay banners and pennons, and many, many of their
+brave comrades lay lifeless. Sadly they looked round on
+the heaps of corpses, and their minds were filled with
+grief as they thought of their companions, of fair France
+which they should see no more, and of their emperor
+who even now awaited them while they fought and died
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg&nbsp;142]</a></span>
+for him. Yet they were not discouraged; loudly their
+cry re-echoed, &ldquo;Montjoie! Montjoie!&rdquo; as Roland
+cheered them on, and Turpin called aloud: &ldquo;Our men
+are heroes; no king under heaven has better. It is
+written in the Chronicles of France that in that great
+land it is our king&rsquo;s right to have valiant soldiers.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Second Saracen Army</h3>
+
+<p>While they sought in tears the bodies of their friends,
+the main army of the Saracens, under King Marsile in
+person, came upon them; for the one fugitive who had
+escaped had urged Marsile to attack again at once, while
+the Franks were still weary. The advice seemed good
+to Marsile, and he advanced at the head of a hundred
+thousand men, whom he now hurled against the French
+in columns of fifty thousand at a time; and they came
+on right valiantly, with clarions sounding and trumpets
+blowing.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Soldiers of the Lord,&rsquo; cried Turpin,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Be ye valiant and steadfast,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For this day shall crowns be given you<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Midst the flowers of Paradise.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In the name of God our Saviour,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Be ye not dismayed nor frighted,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lest of you be shameful legends<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Chanted by the tongue of minstrels.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Rather let us die victorious,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Since this eve shall see us lifeless!&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heaven has no room for cowards!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Knights, who nobly fight, and vainly,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye shall sit amid the holy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In the blessed fields of Heaven.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On then, Friends of God, to glory!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>And the battle raged anew, with all the odds against the
+small handful of French, who knew they were doomed,
+and fought as though they were &ldquo;fey.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg&nbsp;143]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Gloomy Portents</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the whole course of nature was disturbed.
+In France there were tempests of wind and thunder,
+rain and hail; thunderbolts fell everywhere, and the
+earth shook exceedingly. From Mont St. Michel to
+Cologne, from Besan&ccedil;on to Wissant, not one town
+could show its walls uninjured, not one village its houses
+unshaken. A terrible darkness spread over all the
+land, only broken when the heavens split asunder with
+the lightning-flash. Men whispered in terror: &ldquo;Behold
+the end of the world! Behold the great Day of Doom!&rdquo;
+Alas! they knew not the truth: it was the great mourning
+for the death of Roland.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Many French Knights Fall</h3>
+
+<p>In this second battle the French champions were
+weary, and before long they began to fall before the
+valour of the newly arrived Saracen nobles. First died
+Engelier the Gascon, mortally wounded by the lance
+of that Saracen who swore brotherhood to Ganelon;
+next Samson, and the noble Duke Anseis. These three
+were well avenged by Roland and Oliver and Turpin.
+Then in quick succession died Gerin and Gerier and
+other valiant Peers at the hands of Grandoigne, until
+his death-dealing career was cut short by Durendala.
+Another desperate single combat was won by Turpin,
+who slew a heathen emir &ldquo;as black as molten pitch.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Second Army Defeated</h3>
+
+<p>Finally this second host of the heathens gave way
+and fled, begging Marsile to come and succour them;
+but now of the victorious French there were but sixty
+valiant champions left alive, including Roland, Oliver,
+and the fiery prelate Turpin.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg&nbsp;144]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>A Third Appears</h3>
+
+<p>Now the third host of the pagans began to roll forward
+upon the dauntless little band, and in the short
+breathing-space before the Saracens again attacked them
+Roland cried aloud to Oliver:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Fair Knight and Comrade, see these heroes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Valiant warriors, lying lifeless!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I must mourn for our fair country<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">France, left widowed of her barons.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles my King, why art thou absent?<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Brother mine, how shall we send him<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Mournful tidings of our struggle?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;How I know not,&rsquo; said his comrade.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Better death than vile dishonour.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Roland Willing to Blow his Horn</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Comrade, I will blow my war-horn:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles will hear it in the passes<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And return with all his army.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oliver quoth: &lsquo;&rsquo;Twere disgraceful<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To your kinsmen all their life-days.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When I urged it, then you would not;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now, to sound your horn is shameful,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I never will approve it.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Oliver Objects. They Quarrel</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;See, the battle goes against us:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Comrade, I shall sound my war-horn.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oliver replied: &lsquo;O coward!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When I urged it, then you would not.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If fair France again shall greet me<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">You shall never wed my sister;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By this beard of mine I swear it!&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Why so bitter and so wrathful?&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oliver returned: &lsquo;&rsquo;Tis thy fault;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Valour is not kin to madness,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Temperance knows naught of fury.<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg&nbsp;145]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">You have killed these noble champions,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">You have slain the Emperor&rsquo;s vassals,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">You have robbed us of our conquests.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ah, your valour, Count, is fatal!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Charles must lose his doughty heroes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And your league with me must finish<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With this day in bitter sorrow.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Turpin Mediates</h3>
+
+<p>Archbishop Turpin heard the dispute, and strove to
+calm the angry heroes. &ldquo;Brave knights, be not so
+enraged. The horn will not save the lives of these
+gallant dead, but it will be better to sound it, that
+Charles, our lord and emperor, may return, may
+avenge our death and weep over our corpses, may bear
+them to fair France, and bury them in the sanctuary,
+where the wild beasts shall not devour them.&rdquo; &ldquo;That
+is well said,&rdquo; quoth Roland and Oliver.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Horn is Blown</h3>
+
+<p>Then at last Roland put the carved ivory horn, the
+magic Olifant, to his lips, and blew so loudly that the
+sound echoed thirty leagues away. &ldquo;Hark! our men
+are in combat!&rdquo; cried Charlemagne; but Ganelon
+retorted: &ldquo;Had any but the king said it, that had
+been a lie.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>A second time Roland blew his horn, so violently
+and with such anguish that the veins of his temples
+burst, and the blood flowed from his brow and from
+his mouth. Charlemagne, pausing, heard it again, and
+said: &ldquo;That is Roland&rsquo;s horn; he would not sound
+it were there no battle.&rdquo; But Ganelon said mockingly:
+&ldquo;There is no battle, for Roland is too proud to sound
+his horn in danger. Besides, who would dare to attack
+Roland, the strong, the valiant, great and wonderful
+Roland? No man. He is doubtless hunting, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg&nbsp;146]</a></span>
+laughing with the Peers. Your words, my liege, do but
+show how old and weak and doting you are. Ride on,
+sire; the open country lies far before you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr21.jpg" width="413" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_144" id="image_page_144"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Charlemagne heard it again&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>When Roland blew the horn for the third time
+he had hardly breath to awaken the echoes; but still
+Charlemagne heard. &ldquo;How faintly comes the sound!
+There is death in that feeble blast!&rdquo; said the emperor;
+and Duke Naimes interrupted eagerly: &ldquo;Sire, Roland
+is in peril; some one has betrayed him&mdash;doubtless he
+who now tries to beguile you! Sire, rouse your host,
+arm for battle, and ride to save your nephew.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ganelon Arrested</h3>
+
+<p>Then Charlemagne called aloud: &ldquo;Hither, my men.
+Take this traitor Ganelon and keep him safe till my
+return.&rdquo; And the kitchen folk seized the felon knight,
+chained him by the neck, and beat him; then, binding
+him hand and foot, they flung him on a sorry nag, to
+be borne with them till Charles should demand him at
+their hands again.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Charles Returns</h3>
+
+<p>With all speed the whole army retraced their steps,
+turning their faces to Spain, and saying: &ldquo;Ah, if we
+could find Roland alive what blows we would strike
+for him!&rdquo; Alas! it was too late! Too late!</p>
+
+<p>How lofty are the peaks, how vast and shadowy the
+mountains! How dim and gloomy the passes, how
+deep the valleys! How swift the rushing torrents!
+Yet with headlong speed the Frankish army hastens
+back, with trumpets sounding in token of approaching
+help, all praying God to preserve Roland till they come.
+Alas! they cannot reach him in time! Too late.
+Too late!</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg&nbsp;147]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Roland Weeps for his Comrades</h3>
+
+<p>Now Roland cast his gaze around on hill and
+valley, and saw his noble vassals and comrades lie
+dead. As a noble knight he wept for them, saying:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Fair Knights, may God have mercy on your souls!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">May He receive you into Paradise<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And grant you rest on banks of heavenly flowers!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ne&rsquo;er have I known such mighty men as you.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fair France, that art the best of all dear lands,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How art thou widowed of thy noble sons!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Through me alone, dear comrades, have you died,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And yet through me no help nor safety comes.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">God have you in His keeping! Brother, come,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Let us attack the heathen and win death,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or grief will slay me! Death is duty now.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>He Fights Desperately</h3>
+
+<p>So saying, he rushed into the battle, slew the only son
+of King Marsile, and drove the heathen before him as
+the hounds drive the deer. Turpin saw and applauded.
+&ldquo;So should a good knight do, wearing good armour
+and riding a good steed. He must deal good strong
+strokes in battle, or he is not worth a groat. Let a
+coward be a monk in some cloister and pray for the
+sins of us fighters.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Marsile in wrath attacked the slayer of his son, but
+in vain; Roland struck off his right hand, and Marsile
+fled back mortally wounded to Saragossa, while his
+main host, seized with panic, left the field to Roland.
+However, the caliph, Marsile&rsquo;s uncle, rallied the ranks,
+and, with fifty thousand Saracens, once more came
+against the little troop of Champions of the Cross,
+the three poor survivors of the rearguard.</p>
+
+<p>Roland cried aloud: &ldquo;Now shall we be martyrs for
+our faith. Fight boldly, lords, for life or death! Sell
+yourselves dearly! Let not fair France be dishonoured
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg&nbsp;148]</a></span>
+in her sons. When the Emperor sees us dead with
+our slain foes around us he will bless our valour.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Oliver Falls</h3>
+
+<p>The pagans were emboldened by the sight of the
+three alone, and the caliph, rushing at Oliver, pierced
+him from behind with his lance. But though mortally
+wounded Oliver retained strength enough to slay the
+caliph, and to cry aloud: &ldquo;Roland! Roland! Aid me!&rdquo;
+then he rushed on the heathen army, doing heroic deeds
+and shouting &ldquo;Montjoie! Montjoie!&rdquo; while the
+blood ran from his wound and stained the earth blood-red.
+At this woeful sight Roland swooned with grief,
+and Oliver, faint from loss of blood, and with eyes
+dimmed by fast-coming death, distinguished not the
+face of his dear friend; he saw only a vague figure
+drawing near, and, mistaking it for an enemy, raised his
+sword Hauteclaire and gave Roland one last terrible
+blow, which clove the helmet, but harmed not the head.
+The blow roused Roland from his swoon, and, gazing
+tenderly at Oliver, he gently asked him:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Comrade and brother, was that blow designed<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To slay your Roland, him who loves you so?<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">There is no vengeance you would wreak on me.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Roland, I hear you speak, but see you not.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">God guard and keep you, friend; but pardon me<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The blow I struck, unwitting, on your head.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;I have no hurt,&rsquo; said Roland; &lsquo;I forgive<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Here and before the judgment-throne of God.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>And Dies</h3>
+
+<p>Now Oliver felt the pains of death come upon him.
+Both sight and hearing were gone, his colour fled, and,
+dismounting, he lay upon the earth; there, humbly
+confessing his sins, he begged God to grant him rest
+in Paradise, to bless his lord Charlemagne and the fair
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg&nbsp;149]</a></span>
+land of France, and to keep above all men his comrade
+Roland, his best-loved brother-in-arms. This ended,
+he fell back, his heart failed, his head drooped low, and
+Oliver the brave and courteous knight lay dead on the
+blood-stained earth, with his face turned to the east.
+Roland lamented him in gentle words: &ldquo;Comrade, alas
+for thy valour! Many days and years have we been
+comrades: no ill didst thou to me, nor I to thee: now
+thou art dead, &rsquo;tis pity that I live!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Turpin is Mortally Wounded. The Horn Again</h3>
+
+<p>Turpin and Roland now stood together for a time
+and were joined by the brave Count Gautier, whose
+thousand men had been slain, and he himself grievously
+wounded; he now came, like a loyal vassal, to die with
+his lord Roland, and was slain in the first discharge of
+arrows which the Saracens shot. Taught by experience,
+the pagans kept their distance, and wounded Turpin
+with four lances, while they stood some yards away
+from the heroes. But when Turpin felt himself
+mortally wounded he plunged into the throng of the
+heathen, killing four hundred before he fell, and Roland
+fought on with broken armour, and with ever-bleeding
+head, till in a pause of the deadly strife he took his
+horn and again sent forth a feeble dying blast.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Charles Answers the Horn</h3>
+
+<p>Charlemagne heard it, and was filled with anguish.
+&ldquo;Lords, all goes ill: I know by the sound of Roland&rsquo;s
+horn he has not long to live! Ride on faster, and let
+all our trumpets sound, in token of our approach.&rdquo;
+Then sixty thousand trumpets sounded, so that
+mountains echoed it and valleys replied, and the
+heathen heard it and trembled. &ldquo;It is Charlemagne!
+Charles is coming!&rdquo; they cried. &ldquo;If Roland lives till
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg&nbsp;150]</a></span>
+he comes the war will begin again, and our bright
+Spain is lost.&rdquo; Thereupon four hundred banded
+together to slay Roland; but he rushed upon them,
+mounted on his good steed Veillantif, and the valiant
+pagans fled. But while Roland dismounted to tend the
+dying archbishop they returned and cast darts from afar,
+slaying Veillantif, the faithful war-horse, and piercing
+the hero&rsquo;s armour. Still nearer and nearer sounded the
+clarions of Charlemagne&rsquo;s army in the defiles, and the
+Saracen host fled for ever, leaving Roland alone, on
+foot, expiring, amid the dying and the dead.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Turpin Blesses the Dead</h3>
+
+<p>Roland made his way to Turpin, unlaced his golden
+helmet, took off his hauberk, tore his own tunic to bind
+up his grievous wounds, and then gently raising the
+prelate, carried him to the fresh green grass, where he
+most tenderly laid him down.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Ah, gentle lord,&rsquo; said Roland, &lsquo;give me leave<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To carry here our comrades who are dead,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Whom we so dearly loved; they must not lie<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Unblest; but I will bring their corpses here<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And thou shalt bless them, and me, ere thou die.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Go,&rsquo; said the dying priest, &lsquo;but soon return.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thank God! the victory is yours and mine!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>With great pain and many delays Roland traversed
+the field of slaughter, looking in the faces of the dead,
+till he had found and brought to Turpin&rsquo;s feet the
+bodies of the eleven Peers, last of all Oliver, his own
+dear friend and brother, and Turpin blessed and absolved
+them all. Now Roland&rsquo;s grief was so deep and his
+weakness so great that he swooned where he stood,
+and the archbishop saw him fall and heard his cry of
+pain. Slowly and painfully Turpin struggled to his
+feet, and, bending over Roland, took Olifant, the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg&nbsp;151]</a></span>
+curved ivory horn; inch by inch the dying archbishop
+tottered towards a little mountain stream, that the few
+drops he could carry might revive Roland.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Dies</h3>
+
+<p>However, his weakness overcame him before he
+reached the water, and he fell forward dying. Feebly
+he made his confession, painfully he joined his hands
+in prayer, and as he prayed his spirit fled. Turpin,
+the faithful champion of the Cross, in teaching and in
+battle, died in the service of Charlemagne. May God
+have mercy on his soul!</p>
+
+<p>When Roland awoke from his swoon he looked for
+Turpin, and found him dead, and, seeing Olifant, he
+guessed what the archbishop&rsquo;s aim had been, and wept
+for pity. Crossing the fair white hands over Turpin&rsquo;s
+breast, he sadly prayed:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Alas! brave priest, fair lord of noble birth,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy soul I give to the great King of Heaven!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No mightier champion has He in His hosts,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No prophet greater to maintain the Faith,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No teacher mightier to convert mankind<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Since Christ&rsquo;s Apostles walked upon the earth!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">May thy fair soul escape the pains of Hell<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And Paradise receive thee in its bowers!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Roland&rsquo;s Last Fight</h3>
+
+<p>Now death was very near to Roland, and he felt it
+coming upon him while he yet prayed and commended
+himself to his guardian angel Gabriel. Taking in one
+hand Olifant, and in the other his good sword Durendala,
+Roland climbed a little hill, one bowshot within the
+realm of Spain. There under two pine-trees he found
+four marble steps, and as he was about to climb them,
+fell swooning on the grass very near his end. A lurking
+Saracen, who had feigned death, stole from his covert,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg&nbsp;152]</a></span>
+and, calling aloud, &ldquo;Charles&rsquo;s nephew is vanquished!
+I will bear his sword back to Arabia,&rdquo; seized Durendala
+as it lay in Roland&rsquo;s dying clasp. The attempt roused
+Roland, and he opened his eyes, saying, &ldquo;Thou art not
+of us,&rdquo; then struck such a blow with Olifant on the
+helm of the heathen thief that he fell dead before his
+intended victim.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Tries to Break his Sword</h3>
+
+<p>Pale, bleeding, dying, Roland struggled to his feet,
+bent on saving his good blade from the defilement of
+heathen hands. He grasped Durendala, and the brown
+marble before him split beneath his mighty blows; but
+the good sword stood firm, the steel grated but did not
+break, and Roland lamented aloud that his famous
+sword must now become the weapon of a lesser man.
+Again Roland smote with Durendala, and clove the
+block of sardonyx, but the good steel only grated and
+did not break, and the hero bewailed himself aloud,
+saying, &ldquo;Alas! my good Durendala, how bright and
+pure thou art! How thou flamest in the sunbeams,
+as when the angel brought thee! How many lands
+hast thou conquered for Charles my King, how many
+champions slain, how many heathen converted!
+Must I now leave thee to the pagans? May God
+spare fair France this shame!&rdquo; A third time Roland
+raised the sword and struck a rock of blue marble, which
+split asunder, but the steel only grated&mdash;it would not
+break; and the hero knew that he could do no more.</p>
+
+
+<h3>His Last Prayer</h3>
+
+<p>Then he flung himself on the ground under a pine-tree
+with his face to the earth, his sword and Olifant
+beneath him, his face to the foe, that Charlemagne and
+the Franks might see when they came that he died
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg&nbsp;153]</a></span>
+victorious. He made his confession, prayed for mercy,
+and offered to Heaven his glove, in token of submission
+for all his sins. &ldquo;<em>Mea culpa!</em> O God! I pray for
+pardon for all my sins, both great and small, that I
+have sinned from my birth until this day.&rdquo; So he held
+up towards Heaven his right-hand glove, and the
+angels of God descended around him. Again Roland
+prayed:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;O very Father, who didst never lie,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Didst bring St. Lazarus from the dead again,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Didst save St. Daniel from the lion&rsquo;s mouth,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Save Thou my soul and keep it from all ills<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I have merited by all my sins!&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>He Dies</h3>
+
+<p>Again he held up to Heaven his glove, and St.
+Gabriel received it; then, with head bowed and
+hands clasped, the hero died, and the waiting cherubim,
+St. Raphael, St. Michael, and St. Gabriel, bore his soul
+to Paradise.</p>
+
+<p>So died Roland and the Peers of France.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Charles Arrives</h3>
+
+<p>Soon after Roland&rsquo;s heroic spirit had passed away
+the emperor came galloping out of the mountains into
+the valley of Roncesvalles, where not a foot of ground
+was without its burden of death.</p>
+
+<p>Loudly he called: &ldquo;Fair nephew, where art thou?
+Where is the archbishop? And Count Oliver?
+Where are the Peers?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Alas! of what avail was it to call? No man replied,
+for all were dead; and Charlemagne wrung his hands,
+and tore his beard and wept, and his army bewailed
+their slain comrades, and all men thought of vengeance.
+Truly a fearful vengeance did Charles take, in that
+terrible battle which he fought the next day against the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg&nbsp;154]</a></span>
+Emir of Babylon, come from oversea to help his vassal
+Marsile, when the sun stood still in heaven that the
+Christians might be avenged on their enemies; in the
+capture of Saragossa and the death of Marsile, who,
+already mortally wounded, turned his face to the wall
+and died when he heard of the defeat of the emir;
+but when vengeance was taken on the open enemy
+Charlemagne thought of mourning, and returned to
+Roncesvalles to seek the body of his beloved nephew.</p>
+
+<p>The emperor knew well that Roland would be found
+before his men, with his face to the foe. Thus he
+advanced a bowshot from his companions and climbed
+a little hill, there found the little flowery meadow
+stained red with the blood of his barons, and there at
+the summit, under the trees, lay the body of Roland
+on the green grass. The broken blocks of marble bore
+traces of the hero&rsquo;s dying efforts, and Charlemagne
+raised Roland, and, clasping the hero in his arms,
+lamented over him.</p>
+
+
+<h3>His Lament</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Never again shall our fair France behold<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A knight so worthy, till France be no more!<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That thou mayest rest in flowers of Paradise<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With all His glorious Saints for evermore!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My honour now will lessen and decay,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My days be spent in grief for lack of thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My joy and power will vanish. There is none,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Comrade or kinsman, to maintain my cause.<br /></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And grant thee place in Paradise the blest,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou valiant youth, thou mighty conqueror!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How widowed lies our fair France and how lone<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How will the realms that I have swayed rebel<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now thou art taken from my weary age!<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg&nbsp;155]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">So deep my woe that fain would I die too<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And join my valiant Peers in Paradise<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">While men inter my weary limbs with thine!&rsquo;&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Dead Buried</h3>
+
+<p>The French army buried the dead with all honour,
+where they had fallen, except the bodies of Roland,
+Oliver, and Turpin, which were carried to Blaye, and
+interred in the great cathedral there; and then Charlemagne
+returned to Aix.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Aude the Fair</h3>
+
+<p>As Charles the Great entered his palace a beauteous
+maiden met him, Aude the Fair, the sister of Oliver and
+betrothed bride of Roland. She asked eagerly:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where is Roland the mighty captain, who swore to
+take me for his bride?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr22.jpg" width="425" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_154" id="image_page_154"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Aude the Fair<br />
+Evelyn Paul</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas! dear sister and friend,&rdquo; said Charlemagne,
+weeping and tearing his long white beard, &ldquo;thou askest
+tidings of the dead. But I will replace him: thou
+shalt have Louis, my son, Count of the Marches.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;These words are strange,&rdquo; exclaimed Aude the
+Fair. &ldquo;God and all His saints and angels forbid that
+I should live when Roland my love is dead.&rdquo; Thereupon
+she lost her colour and fell at the emperor&rsquo;s
+feet; he thought her fainting, but she was dead. God
+have mercy on her soul!</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Traitor Put to Death</h3>
+
+<p>Too long it would be to tell of the trial of Ganelon
+the traitor. Suffice it that he was torn asunder by wild
+horses, and his name remains in France a byword for
+all disloyalty and treachery.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> <i>See</i> &ldquo;Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages,&rdquo; by H. Guerber.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Marked out for death.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> The poetical quotations are from the &ldquo;Chanson de Roland.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg&nbsp;156]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII: THE COUNTESS
+CATHLEEN</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Celtic Mysticism</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N all Celtic literature there is recognisable a certain
+spirit which seems to be innate in the very character
+of the people, a spirit of mysticism and
+acknowledgment of the supernatural. It carries with
+it a love of Nature, a delight in beauty, colour and
+harmony, which is common to all the Celtic races. But
+with these characteristics we find in Ireland a spiritual
+beauty, a passion of self-sacrifice, unknown in Wales or
+Brittany. Hence the early Irish heroes are frequently
+found renouncing advantages, worldly honour, and life
+itself, at the bidding of some imperative moral impulse.
+They are the knights-errant of early European chivalry
+which was a much deeper and more real inspiration
+than the carefully cultivated artificial chivalry of centuries
+later. Cuchulain, Diarmuit, Naesi all pay with
+their lives for their obedience to the dictates of honour
+and conscience. And in women, for whom in those
+early days sacrifice of self was the only way of heroism,
+the surrender even of eternal bliss was only the sublimation
+of honour and chivalry; and this was the heroism
+of the Countess Cathleen.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Cathleen Legend</h3>
+
+<p>The legend is old, so old that its root has been lost
+and we know not who first imagined it; but the idea,
+the central incident, doubtless goes back to Druid
+times, when a woman might well have offered herself
+up to the cruel gods to avert their wrath and stay the
+plagues which fell upon her people. Under a like impulse
+Curtius sprang into the gulf in the Forum, and
+Decius devoted himself to death to win the safety of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg&nbsp;157]</a></span>
+the Roman army. In each case the powers, evil or
+beneficent, were supposed to be appeased by the offering
+of a human life. When Christianity found this
+legend of sacrifice popular among the heathen nations,
+it was comparatively easy to adopt it and give it a yet
+wider scope, by making the sacrifice spiritual rather
+than physical, and by finally rewarding the hero with
+heavenly joys. It is to be noted, too, that even at this
+early period there is a certain glorification of chicanery:
+the fiend fulfils his side of the contract, but God Himself
+breaks the other side. This becomes a regular
+feature in all tales that relate dealings with the Evil
+One: all Devil&rsquo;s Bridges, Devil&rsquo;s Dykes, and the
+Faust legends show that Satan may be trusted to keep
+his word, while the saints invariably kept the letter and
+broke the spirit. To so primitive a tale as that of
+&ldquo;The Countess Cathleen&rdquo; the pettifogging quibbles of
+later saints are utterly unknown: God saves her soul
+because it is His will to reward such abnegation of self,
+and even the Evil One dare not question the Divine Will.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Story. Happy Ireland</h3>
+
+<p>Once, long ago, as the Chronicles tell us, Ireland
+was known throughout Europe as &ldquo;The Isle of Saints,&rdquo;
+for St. Patrick had not long before preached the Gospel,
+the message of good tidings, to the warring inhabitants,
+to tribes of uncivilised Celts, and to marauding
+Danes and Vikings. He had driven out the serpent-worshippers,
+and consecrated the Black Stone of Tara
+to the worship of the True God; he had convinced the
+High King of the truth and reasonableness of the doctrine
+of the Trinity by the illustration of the shamrock
+leaf, and had overthrown the great idols and purified
+the land. Therefore the fair shores and fertile vales of
+Erin, the clustered islets, dropped like jewels in the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg&nbsp;158]</a></span>
+azure seas, the mist-covered, heather-clad hill-sides, even
+the barren mountain-tops and the patches of firm
+ground scattered in the solitudes of fathomless bogs,
+were homes of pious Culdee or lonely hermit. There
+was still strife in Ireland, for king fought with king, and
+heathen marauders still vexed the land; but many warlike
+Irish clans or &ldquo;septs&rdquo; turned their ardour for fight
+to religious conflicts, and often every man of a tribe became
+a monk, so that great abbeys and tribal monasteries
+and schools were built on the hills where, in
+former days, stood the chieftain&rsquo;s stronghold (<i>rath</i> or
+<i>dun</i>, as Irish legends name it), with its earth mounds and
+wooden palisades. Holy psalms and chants replaced
+the boastful songs of the old bards, whilst warriors
+accustomed to regard fighting and hunting as the only
+occupations worthy of a free-born man, now peacefully
+illuminated manuscripts or wrought at useful handicrafts.
+Yet still in secret they dreaded and tried to
+appease the wrath of the Dagda, Brigit of the Holy
+Fire, &AElig;ngus the Ever-Young, and the awful Washers of
+the Ford, the Choosers of the Slain; and to this dread
+was now joined the new fear of the cruel demons who
+obeyed Satan, the Prince of Evil.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Young Countess</h3>
+
+<p>At this time there dwelt in Ireland the Countess
+Cathleen, young, good, and beautiful. Her eyes were
+as deep, as changeful, and as pure as the ocean that
+washed Erin&rsquo;s shores; her yellow hair, braided in two
+long tresses, was as bright as the golden circlet on her
+brow or the yellow corn in her garners; and her step
+was as light and proud and free as that of the deer in
+her wide domains. She lived in a stately castle in the
+midst of great forests, with the cottages of her tribesmen
+around her gates, and day by day and year by
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg&nbsp;159]</a></span>
+year she watched the changing glories of the mighty
+woods, as the seasons brought new beauties, till her
+soul was as lovely as the green woods and purple
+hills around. The Countess Cathleen loved the dim,
+mysterious forest, she loved the tales of the ancient
+gods, and of</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Old, unhappy, far-off things,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And battles long ago;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="author">Wordsworth.</p>
+
+<p>but more than all she loved her clansmen and vassals:
+she prayed for them at all the holy hours, and taught
+and tended them with loving care, so that in no place in
+Ireland could be found a happier tribe than that which
+obeyed her gentle rule.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Dearth and Famine</h3>
+
+<p>One year there fell upon Ireland, erewhile so happy,
+a great desolation&mdash;&ldquo;For Scripture saith, an ending to
+all good things must be&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a>&mdash;and the happiness of the
+Countess Cathleen&rsquo;s tribe came to an end in this wise:
+A terrible famine fell on the land; the seed-corn rotted
+in the ground, for rain and never-lifting mists filled
+the heavy air and lay on the sodden earth; then when
+spring came barren fields lay brown where the shooting
+corn should be; the cattle died in the stall or fell from
+weakness at the plough, and the sheep died of hunger
+in the fold; as the year passed through summer
+towards autumn the berries failed in the sun-parched
+woods, and the withered leaves, fallen long before the
+time, lay rotting on the dank earth; the timid wild
+things of the forest, hares, rabbits, squirrels, died in
+their holes or fell easy victims to the birds and beasts
+of prey; and these, in their turn, died of hunger in the
+famine-stricken forests.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg&nbsp;160]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;I searched all day: the mice and rats and hedgehogs<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Seemed to be dead, and I could hardly hear<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A wing moving in all the famished woods.&rdquo;<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a><br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Distress of the Peasants</h3>
+
+<p>A cry of bitter agony and lamentation rose from the
+starving Isle of Saints to the gates of Heaven, and fell
+back unheard; the sky was hard as brass above and
+the earth was barren beneath, and men and women
+died in despair, their shrivelled lips still stained green
+by the dried grass and twigs they had striven to eat.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;I passed by Margaret Nolan&rsquo;s: for nine days<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Her mouth was green with dock and dandelion;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And now they wake her.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Misery Increases</h3>
+
+<p>In vain the High King of Ireland proclaimed a
+universal peace, and wars between quarrelling tribes
+stopped and foreign pirates ceased to molest the land,
+and chief met chief in the common bond of misery;
+in vain the rich gave freely of their wealth&mdash;soon there
+was no distinction between rich and poor, high and low,
+chief and vassal, for all alike felt the grip of famine, all
+died by the same terrible hunger. Soon many of the
+great monasteries lay desolate, their stores exhausted,
+their portals open, while the brethren, dead within, had
+none to bury them; the lonely hermits died in their
+little beehive-shaped cells, or fled from the dreadful
+solitude to gather in some wealthy abbey which could
+still feed its monks; and isle and vale which had
+echoed their holy chants knew the sounds no more.
+Over all, unlifting, unchanging, brooded the deadly
+vapour, bearing the plague in its heavy folds, and
+filling the air with a sultry lurid haze.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg&nbsp;161]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;There is no sign of change&mdash;day copies day,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Green things are dead&mdash;the cattle too are dead<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or dying&mdash;and on all the vapour hangs<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And fattens with disease, and glows with heat.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Cathleen Heartbroken for her People</h3>
+
+<p>Round the castle of the Countess Cathleen there was
+great stir and bustle, for her tender heart was wrung
+with the misery of her people, and her prayers for them
+ascended to God unceasingly. So thin she grew and so
+worn that the physicians bade her servants bring harp
+and song to charm away the sadness that weighed upon
+her spirit; but all in vain! Neither the well-loved
+legends of the ancient gods, nor her harp, nor the voice
+of her bards could bring her relief&mdash;nothing but the
+attempt to save her people. From the earliest days of
+the famine her house and her stores were ever ready to
+supply the wants of the homeless, the poor, the suffering;
+her wealth was freely spent for food for the
+starving while supplies could yet be bought either near
+or in distant baronies; and when known supplies failed
+her lavish offers tempted the churlish farmers, who still
+hoarded grain that they might enrich themselves in the
+great dearth, to sell some of their garnered stores.
+When she could no longer induce them to part with
+their grain, her own winter provisions, wine and corn,
+were distributed generously to all who asked for relief,
+and none ever left her castle without succour.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Her Wide Charity</h3>
+
+<p>Thus passed the early months of bitter starvation,
+and the Countess Cathleen&rsquo;s name was borne far and
+wide through Ireland, accompanied with the blessings
+of all the rescued; and round her castle, from every
+district, gathered a mighty throng of poor&mdash;not only her
+own clansmen&mdash;who all looked to her for a daily dole of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg&nbsp;162]</a></span>
+food and drink to keep some life in them until the
+pestilential mists should pass away. The wholesome
+cold of winter would purify the air and bring new hope
+and promise of new life in the coming year. Alas!
+the winter drew on apace and still the poisonous
+yellow vapours hung heavily over the land, and still the
+deadly famine clutched each feeble heart and weakened
+the very springs of life, and the winter frosts slew more
+than the summer heats, so feeble were the people and so
+weakened.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Lawlessness Breaks Out</h3>
+
+<p>At last, even in the Isle of Saints, the bonds of right
+and wrong were loosened, all respect for property
+vanished in the universal desolation, and men began to
+rob and plunder, to trust only to the right of might,
+thinking that their poor miserable lives were of more
+value than aught else, than conscience and pity and
+honesty. Thus Cathleen lost by barefaced robbery
+much of what she still possessed of flocks and herds, of
+scanty fruit and corn. Her servants would gladly have
+pursued the robbers and regained the spoils, but Cathleen
+forbade it, for she pitied the miserable thieves, and
+thought no evil of them in this bitter dearth. By this
+time she had distributed all her winter stores, and had
+only enough to feed her poor pensioners and her household
+with most scanty rations; and she herself shared
+equally with them, for the most earnest entreaties of her
+faithful servants could not induce her to fare better than
+they in anything. Soon there would be nothing left for
+daily distribution, and her heart almost broke as she saw
+the misery of her helpless dependents; they looked to
+her as an angel of pity and deliverance, while she knew
+herself to be as helpless as they. Day by day Cathleen
+went among them, with her pitifully scanty doles of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg&nbsp;163]</a></span>
+food, cheering them by her words and smiles, and by
+her very presence; and each day she went to her chapel,
+where she could cast aside the mask of cheerfulness
+she wore before her people, and prayed to the Blessed
+Virgin Mary and all the saints to show her how to save
+her own tribe and all the land.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr23.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_162" id="image_page_162"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Day by day Cathleen went among them&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cathleen Has an Inspiration</h3>
+
+<p>As the Countess knelt long before the altar one noontide
+she passed from her prayers into a deep sleep, and
+sank down on the altar steps. In the troubled depths
+of her mind a thought arose, which came to her as an
+inspiration from Heaven itself. She awoke and sprang
+up joyfully, exclaiming aloud: &ldquo;Thanks be to Our Lady
+and to all the saints! To them alone the blessed
+thought is due. Thus can I save my poor until the
+dearth is over.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then Cathleen left her oratory with such a light
+heart as she had not felt since the terrible visitation
+began, and the gladness in her face was so new and
+wonderful that all her servants noticed the change, and
+her old foster-mother, who loved the Countess with the
+utmost devotion, shuddered at the thought that perhaps
+her darling had come under the power of the ancient
+gods and would be bewitched away to Tir-nan-og,
+the land of never-dying youth. Fearfully old Oona
+watched Cathleen&rsquo;s face as she passed through the hall,
+and Cathleen saw the anxious gaze, and came and laid
+her hand on the old woman&rsquo;s shoulder, saying, &ldquo;Nay,
+fear not, nurse; the saints have heard my prayer and
+put it into my heart to save all these helpless ones.&rdquo;
+Then she crossed the hall to her own room, and called
+a servant, saying, &ldquo;Send hither quickly Fergus my
+steward.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg&nbsp;164]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>She Summons her Steward</h3>
+
+<p>Shortly afterwards the steward came, Fergus the
+White, an old grey-haired man, who had been foster-brother
+to Cathleen&rsquo;s grandfather. He had seen three
+generations pass away, he had watched the change from
+heathenism to Christianity, and of all the chief&rsquo;s family,
+to which his loyal devotion had ever clung, there remained
+but this one young girl, and he loved her as
+his own child. Fergus did obeisance to his liege lady,
+and kissed her hand kneeling as he asked:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What would the Countess Cathleen with her
+steward? Shall I render my account of lands and
+wealth?&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Demands to Know what Wealth she Owns</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How much have I in lands?&rdquo; the Countess asked.
+And Fergus answered in surprise: &ldquo;Your lands are
+worth one hundred thousand pounds.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Of what value is the timber in my forests?&rdquo; &ldquo;As
+much again.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is the worth of my castles and my fair
+residences?&rdquo; continued the Countess Cathleen. And
+Fergus still replied: &ldquo;As much more,&rdquo; though in his
+heart he questioned why his lady wished to know now,
+while the famine made all riches seem valueless.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How much gold still unspent lies in thy charge in
+my treasure-chests?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Lady, your stored gold is three hundred thousand
+pounds, as much as all your lands and forests and
+houses are worth.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The Countess Cathleen thought for an instant, and
+then, as one who makes a momentous decision, spoke
+firmly, though her lips quivered as she gave utterance
+to her thought:</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg&nbsp;165]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>&ldquo;Go Far and Buy Food&rdquo;</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Then, Fergus, take my bags of coin and go. Leave
+here my jewels and some gold, for I may hear of some
+stores of grain hoarded by niggard farmers, and may
+induce them to sell, if not for the love of God, then
+for the love of gold. Take, too, authority from me,
+written and sealed with my seal, to sell all my lands and
+timber, and castles, except this one alone where I must
+dwell. Send a man, trustworthy and speedy, to the
+North, to Ulster, where I hear the famine is less terrible,
+and let him buy what cattle he can find, and drive them
+back as soon as may be.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Keeping this house alone, sell all I have;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Go to some distant country, and come again<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With many herds of cows and ships of grain.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Steward Reluctantly Obeys</h3>
+
+<p>The ancient steward, Fergus the White, stood at first
+speechless with horror and grief, but after a moment of
+silence his sorrow found vent in words, and he besought
+his dear lady not to sell everything, her ancient home,
+her father&rsquo;s lands, her treasured heirlooms, and leave
+herself no wealth for happier times. All his persuasions
+were useless, for Cathleen would not be moved; she
+bade him &ldquo;Farewell&rdquo; and hastened his journey, saying,
+&ldquo;A cry is in mine ears; I cannot rest.&rdquo; So there was
+no help for it. A trusty man was despatched to Ulster
+to buy up all the cattle (weak and famine-stricken as
+they would be) in the North Country; while Fergus
+himself journeyed swiftly to England, which was still
+prosperous and fertile, untouched by the deadly famine,
+and knowing nothing of the desolation of the sister isle,
+to which the English owed so much of their knowledge
+of the True Faith.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg&nbsp;166]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Buys Stores in England</h3>
+
+<p>In England Fergus spent all the gold he brought
+with him, and then sold all the Countess Cathleen bade
+him sell&mdash;lands, castles, forests, pastures, timber&mdash;all
+but one lonely castle in the desolate woods, where she
+dwelt among her own people, with the dying folk
+thronging round her gates and in her halls. Good
+bargains Fergus made also, for he was a shrewd and
+loyal steward, and the saints must have touched the
+hearts of the English merchants, so that they gave
+good prices for all, or perhaps they did not realize the
+dire distress that prevailed in Ireland. However that
+may have been, Fergus prospered in his trading, and
+bought grain, and wine, and fat oxen and sheep, so that
+he loaded many ships with full freights of provisions,
+enough to carry the starving peasantry through the
+famine year till the next harvest. At last all his money
+was spent, all his ships were laden, everything was
+ready, and the little fleet lay in harbour, only awaiting
+a fair wind, which, unhappily, did not come.</p>
+
+
+<h3>His Return Delayed</h3>
+
+<p>First of all Fergus waited through a deadly calm,
+when the sails hung motionless, drooping, with no
+breath of air to stir them, when the fog that brooded
+over the shores of England never lifted and all sailing
+was impossible; then the winds dispersed the fog,
+and Fergus, forgetting caution in his great anxiety to
+return, hastily set sail for his own land, and there came
+fierce tempests and contrary winds, so that his little
+fleet was driven back, and one or two ships went down
+with all their stores of food. Fergus wept to see his
+lady&rsquo;s wealth lost in the wintry sea, but he dared not
+venture again, and though he chafed and fretted at
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg&nbsp;167]</a></span>
+the delay, it was nearly two months after he reached
+England before he could sail back to his young mistress
+and her starving countrymen. The trusty messenger
+who had been sent to buy cattle had succeeded beyond
+his own expectation; he also had made successful
+bargains, and had found more cattle than he believed
+were still alive in Ireland. He had bought all, and was
+driving them slowly towards the Countess Cathleen&rsquo;s
+forest dwelling. Their progress was so slow, because of
+their weakness and the scanty fodder by the way, that
+no news of them came to Cathleen, and she knew not
+that while corn and cattle were coming with Fergus
+across the sea, food was also coming to her slowly
+through the barren ways of her own native land. None
+of this she knew, and despair would have filled her
+heart, but for her faith in God and her belief in the
+great inspiration that had been given to her.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Deepening Misery in Ireland</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile terrible things had been happening in
+Ireland. As in England in later days, &ldquo;men said openly
+that Christ and His saints slept&rdquo;; they thought with
+longing of the mighty old gods, for the new seemed
+powerless, and they yearned for the friendly &ldquo;good
+people&rdquo; who had fled from the sound of the church
+bell. Thus many minds were ready to revolt from the
+Christian faith if they had not feared the life after death
+and the endless torments of the Christian Hell. Some
+few, desperate, even offered secret worship to the old
+heathen gods, and true love to the One True God had
+grown cold.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Two Mysterious Strangers</h3>
+
+<p>Now on the very day on which Fergus sailed for England,
+and his comrade departed to Ulster, two mysterious
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg&nbsp;168]</a></span>
+and stately strangers suddenly appeared in Erin. Whence
+they came no man knew, but they were first seen near
+the wild sea-shore of the west, and the few poor inhabitants
+thought they had been put ashore by some
+vessel or wrecked on that dangerous coast. Aliens they
+certainly were, for they talked with each other in a
+tongue that none understood, and they appeared as if
+they did not comprehend the questions asked of them.
+Thus they passed away from the western coasts, and
+made their way inland; but when they next appeared,
+in a village not far from Dublin, they had greatly
+changed: they wore magnificent robes and furs, with
+splendid jewelled gloves on their hands, and golden
+circlets, set with gleaming rubies, bound their brows;
+their black steeds showed no trace of weakness and
+famine as they rode through the woods and carefully
+noted the misery everywhere.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Their Strange Story</h3>
+
+<p>At last they alighted at the little lodge, where a
+forester&rsquo;s widow gladly received them; and their royal
+dress, lofty bearing and strange language accorded ill
+with the mean surroundings and the scanty accommodation
+of that little hut. The dead forester had
+been one of the Countess Cathleen&rsquo;s most faithful
+vassals, and his holding was but a short distance from
+the castle, so that the strangers could, unobserved, watch
+the life of the little village. As time passed they told
+their hostess they were merchants, simple traders from a
+distant country, trafficking in very precious gems; but
+they had no wares for exchange, and no gems to show;
+they made no inquiries or researches, bargained with
+no man, seemed to do no business; they were the most
+unusual merchants ever seen in Ireland, and the strangeness
+of their behaviour troubled men&rsquo;s minds.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg&nbsp;169]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Mysterious Behaviour</h3>
+
+<p>Day by day they ate, unquestioning, the coarse food
+their poor hostess set before them, and the black bread
+which was the best food obtainable in those terrible
+days, but they added to it wine, rich and red, from
+their own private store, and they paid her lavishly in
+good red gold, so that she wondered that any men
+should stay in the famine-stricken country when they
+could so easily leave it at their will. Gradually, too,
+speaking now in the Irish tongue, they began to ask
+her cautious questions of the people, of the land, of
+the famine, how men lived and how they died, and so
+they heard of the exceeding goodness of the Countess
+Cathleen, whose bounty had saved so many lives, and
+was still saving others, though the deadly pinch of famine
+grew sorer with the passing days. To their hostess they
+admired Cathleen&rsquo;s goodness, and were loud in her
+praises, but they looked askance at one another and
+their brows were black with discontent.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Professed Errand of Mercy</h3>
+
+<p>Then one day the kingly merchants told the poor
+widow who harboured them that they too were the
+friends of the poor and starving; they were servants
+of a mighty prince, who in his compassion and mercy
+had sent them on a mission to Ireland to help the
+afflicted peasants to fight against famine and death.
+They said that they themselves had no food to give,
+only wine and gold in plenty, so that men might exert
+themselves and search for food to buy. Their hostess,
+hearing this, and knowing that there were still some
+niggards who refused to part with their mouldering
+heaps of corn, setting the price so high that no man
+could buy, called down the blessing of God and Mary
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg&nbsp;170]</a></span>
+and all the saints upon their heads, for if they would
+distribute their gold to all, or even buy the corn themselves
+and distribute it, men need no longer die of
+hunger.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A New Traffic</h3>
+
+<p>When she prayed for a blessing on the two strangers
+they smiled scornfully and impatiently; and the elder
+said, cunningly:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Alas! we know the evils of mere charity,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And would devise a more considered way.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Let each man bring one piece of merchandise.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ah, sirs!&rdquo; replied the hostess, &ldquo;then your compassion,
+your gold and your goodwill are of no avail.
+Think you, after all these weary months, that any man
+has merchandise left to sell? They have sold long ago
+all but the very clothes they wear, to keep themselves
+alive till better days come. Such offers are mockery of
+our distress.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We mock you not,&rdquo; said the elder merchant. &ldquo;All
+men have the one precious thing we wish to buy, and
+have come hither to find; none has already lost or
+sold it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What precious treasure can you mean? Men in
+Ireland now have only their lives, and can barely
+cherish those,&rdquo; said the poor woman, wondering greatly
+and much afraid.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Buyers of Souls</h3>
+
+<p>The elder merchant continued gazing at her with a
+crafty smile and an eye ever on the alert for tokens of
+understanding. &ldquo;Poor as they are, Irishmen have still
+one thing that we will purchase, if they will sell: their
+souls, which we have come to obtain for our mighty
+Prince, and with the great price that we shall pay in
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg&nbsp;171]</a></span>
+pure gold men can well save their lives till the starving
+time is over. Why should men die a cruel, lingering
+death or drag through weary months of miserable half-satisfied
+life when they may live well and merrily at
+the cost of a soul, which is no good but to cause fear
+and pain? We take men&rsquo;s souls and liberate them from
+all pain and care and remorse, and we give in exchange
+money, much money, to procure comforts and ease;
+we enrol men as vassals of our great lord, and he is no
+hard taskmaster to those who own his sway.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Slow Trade at First</h3>
+
+<p>When the poor widow heard these dreadful words
+she knew that the strangers were demons come to
+tempt men&rsquo;s souls and to lure them to Hell. She
+crossed herself, and fled from them in fear, praying to
+be kept from temptation; and she would not return to
+her little cottage in the forest, but stayed in the village
+warning men against the evil demons who were tempting
+the starving people, till she too died of the famine,
+and her house was left wholly to the strangers. Yet
+the merchants fared ever well, better than before her
+departure, and those who ventured to the forest
+dwelling found good food and rich wine, which the
+strangers sometimes gave to their visitors, with crafty
+hints of abundance to be easily obtained. Then when
+timid individuals asked the way to win these comforts
+the strangers began their tempting, and represented the
+case to be gained by the sale of men&rsquo;s souls. One man,
+bolder than the rest, made a bargain with the demons
+and gave them his soul for three hundred crowns of
+gold, and from that time he in his turn became a
+tempter. He boasted of his wealth, of the rich food
+the merchants gave him at times, of the potent wine
+he drank from their generously opened bottles, and,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg&nbsp;172]</a></span>
+best of all, he vaunted his freedom from pity, conscience,
+or remorse.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Trade Increases</h3>
+
+<p>Gradually many people came to the forest dwelling
+and trafficked with the demon merchants. The purchase
+of souls went on busily, and the demons paid prices
+varying according to the worth of the soul and the
+record of its former sins; but to all who sold they
+gave food and wine, and in gloating over their gold
+and satisfying hunger and thirst, men forgot to ask
+whence came this food and wine and the endless stores
+of coin. Now many people ventured into the forest to
+deal with the demons, and the narrow track grew into
+a broad beaten way with the numbers of those who
+came, and all returned fed and warmed, and bearing
+bags heavy with coin, and the promise of abundant
+food and easy service. Those who had sold their souls
+rioted with the money, for the demons gave them food,
+and they bought wine from the inexhaustible stores
+of the evil merchants. The poor, lost people knew that
+there was no hope for them after death, and they tried
+by all means to keep themselves alive and to enjoy
+what was yet left to them; but their mirth was fearful
+and they durst not stop to think.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cathleen Hears of the Demon Traders</h3>
+
+<p>At first the Countess Cathleen knew nothing of the
+terrible doings of the demons, for she never passed beyond
+her castle gates, but spent her time in prayer for
+her people&rsquo;s safety and for the speedy return of her messengers;
+but when the starving throng of pensioners at
+her gates grew daily less, and there were fewer claimants
+for the pitiful allowance which was all she had to give,
+she wondered if some other mightier helper had come
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg&nbsp;173]</a></span>
+to Ireland. But she could hear of none, and soon the
+shameless rioting and drunkenness in the village came
+to her knowledge, and she wondered yet more whence
+her clansmen obtained the means for their excesses, for
+she felt instinctively that the origin of all this rioting
+must be evil. Cathleen therefore called to her an old
+peasant, whose wife had died of hunger in the early
+days of the famine, so that he himself had longed to
+die and join her; but when he came to her she was
+horror-struck by the change in him. Now he came
+flushed with wine, with defiant look and insolent bearing,
+and his face was full of evil mirth as he tried to
+answer soberly the Countess&rsquo;s questions.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why do the villagers and strangers no longer
+come to me for food? I have but little now to give,
+but all are welcome to share it with me and my
+household.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Peasant&rsquo;s Story</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They do not come, O Countess, because they are
+no longer starving. They have better food and wine,
+and abundance of money to buy more.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 410px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr24.jpg" width="410" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_172" id="image_page_172"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">The peasant&rsquo;s story</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Whence then have they obtained the money, the
+food, and the wine for the drinking-bouts, the tumult
+of which reaches me even in my oratory?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Lady, they have received all from the generous
+merchants who are in the forest dwelling where old
+Mairi formerly lived; she is dead now, and these noble
+strangers keep open house in her cottage night and
+day; they are so wealthy that they need not stint their
+bounty, and so powerful that they can find good food,
+enough for all who go to them. Since Brigit died
+(your old servant, lady) her husband and son work no
+more, but serve the strange merchants, and urge
+men to join them; and I, and many others, have
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg&nbsp;174]</a></span>
+done so, and we are now wealthy&rdquo; (here he showed
+the Countess a handful of gold) &ldquo;and well fed, and have
+wine as much as heart can desire.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But do you give them nothing in return for all
+their generosity? Are they so noble that they ask
+nothing in requital of their bounty?&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>&ldquo;Good Gold for Souls&rdquo;</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes, we give them something, but nothing
+of importance, nothing we cannot spare. They are
+merchants of souls, and buy them for their king, and
+they pay good red gold for the useless, painful things.
+I have sold my soul to them, and now I weep no more
+for my wife; I am gay, and have wine enough and
+gold enough to help me through this dearth!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; sighed the Countess, &ldquo;and what when
+you too die?&rdquo; The old peasant laughed at her grief
+as he said: &ldquo;Then, as now, I shall have no soul to
+trouble me with remorse or conscience&rdquo;; and the
+Countess covered her eyes with her hand and beckoned
+silently that he should go. In her oratory, whither she
+betook herself immediately, she prayed with all her
+spirit that the Virgin and all the saints would inspire
+her to defeat the demons and to save her people&rsquo;s souls.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cathleen Tries to Check the Traffic</h3>
+
+<p>Next day Cathleen called together all the people in
+the village, her own tribesmen and strangers. She
+offered them again a share of all she had, and the daily
+rations she could distribute, but told them that all must
+share alike and that she had nothing but the barest
+necessaries to give&mdash;scanty portions of corn and meal,
+with milk from one or two famine-stricken cows her
+servants had managed to keep alive. To this she
+added that she had sent two trusty messengers for help,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg&nbsp;175]</a></span>
+one to Ulster for cattle, and Fergus to England for
+corn and wine; they must return soon, she felt sure,
+with abundant supplies, if men would patiently await
+their return.</p>
+
+
+<h3>In Vain</h3>
+
+<p>But all was useless. Her messengers had sent no
+word of their return, and the abundant supplies at the
+forest cottage were more easily obtained, and were less
+carefully regulated, than those of the Countess Cathleen.
+The merchants, too, were ever at hand with their cunning
+wiles, and their active, persuasive dupes, who
+would gladly bring all others into their own soulless
+condition. The wine given by the demons warmed the
+hearts of all who drank, and the deceived peasants
+dreamed of happiness when the famine was over, and
+so the passionate appeal of the Countess failed, and
+the sale of souls continued merrily. The noise of
+revelry grew daily louder and more riotous, and the
+drinkers cared nothing for the death or departure of
+their dearest friends; while those who died, died
+drunken and utterly reckless, or full of horror and
+despair, reviling the crafty merchants who had deceived
+them with promises of life and happiness. The evil
+influence clung all about the country-side, and seemed
+in league with the pitiless powers of Nature against
+the souls of men, till at last the stricken Countess,
+putting her trust in God, sought out the forest lodge
+where the demon merchants dwelt, trafficking for souls.
+The way was easy to find now, for a broad beaten track
+led to the dwelling, and as the evil spirits saw Cathleen
+coming slowly along the path their wicked eyes gleamed
+and their clawlike hands worked convulsively in their
+jewelled gloves, for they hoped she had come to sell
+her pure soul.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg&nbsp;176]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>She Visits the Demons</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What does the Countess Cathleen wish to obtain
+from two poor stranger merchants?&rdquo; said the elder
+with an evil smile; and the younger, bowing deeply
+said: &ldquo;Lady, you may command us in all things, save
+what touches our allegiance to our king.&rdquo; Cathleen
+replied: &ldquo;I have no merchandise to barter, nothing for
+trade with you, for you buy such things as I will never
+sell: you buy men&rsquo;s souls for Hell. I come only to
+beg that you will release the poor souls whom you have
+bought for Satan&rsquo;s kingdom, and will have mercy on my
+ignorant people and deceive them no more. I have yet
+some gold unspent and jewels unsold: take all there is
+but let my people go free.&rdquo; Then the merchants
+laughed aloud scornfully, and rejected her offer.
+&ldquo;Would you have us undo our work? Have we
+toiled, then, for naught to extend our master&rsquo;s sway?
+Have we won for him so many souls to dwell for ever
+in his kingdom and do his work, and shall we give
+them back for your entreaties? We have gold enough,
+and food and wine enough, fair lady. The souls we
+have bought we keep, for our master gives us honour
+and rank proportioned to the number of souls we win
+for him, and you may see by the golden circlets round
+our brows that we are princes of his kingdom, and have
+brought him countless souls. Nevertheless, there is
+one most rare and precious thing which could redeem
+these bartered souls of Ireland&rsquo;s peasants, things of little
+worth.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>They Make a Proposal</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, what is that?&rdquo; said the Countess. &ldquo;If I have
+it, or can in any way procure it, tell me, that I may
+redeem these deluded people&rsquo;s souls.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg&nbsp;177]</a></span>
+&ldquo;You have it now, fair saint. It is one pure soul,
+precious as multitudes of more sin-stained souls. Our
+master would far rather have a perfect and flawless pearl
+for his diadem than myriads of these cracked and flawed
+crystals. Your soul, most saintly Countess, would
+redeem the souls of all your tribe, if you would sell it
+to our king; it would be the fairest jewel in his crown.
+But think not to save your people otherwise, and
+beguile them no longer with false promises of help:
+your messenger to Ulster lies sick of ague in the Bog of
+Allen, and no food comes from England.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>False Tidings</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i11">&ldquo;We saw a man<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heavy with sickness in the Bog of Allen<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Whom you had bid buy cattle. Near Fair Head<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We saw your grain ships lying all becalmed<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In the dark night, and not less still than they<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Burned all their mirrored lanterns in the sea.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>When Cathleen heard of the failure of her messengers
+to bring food it seemed as if all hope were indeed over,
+and the demons smiled craftily upon her as she turned
+silently to go, and laughed joyously to each other when
+she had left their presence. Now they had good hope
+to win her for their master; but they knew that their
+time was short, since help was not far away.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Last night, closed in the image of an owl,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I hurried to the cliffs of Donegal,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And saw, creeping on the uneasy surge,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Those ships that bring the woman grain and meal;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">They are five days from us.<br /></span>
+<span class="i11">I hurried east,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A grey owl flitting, flitting in the dew,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And saw nine hundred oxen toil through Meath,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Driven on by goads of iron; they too, brother,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Are full five days from us. Five days for traffic.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg&nbsp;178]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Cathleen&rsquo;s Despair</h3>
+
+<p>The Countess then went back in bitter grief to her
+desolate castle, where only faithful old servants now
+waited in the halls, and whispered together in the dark
+corners, and, kneeling in her oratory, she prayed far into
+the night for light in her darkness. As she prayed
+before the altar she slept for very weariness, and was
+aroused by a sudden furious knocking, and an outcry of
+&ldquo;Thieves! Thieves!&rdquo; Cathleen rose quickly from
+the altar steps, and met her foster-mother, Oona, at the
+door of the oratory; and Oona cried aloud: &ldquo;Thieves
+have broken into the treasure-chamber, and nothing is
+left!&rdquo; Cathleen asked if this were true, and discovered
+that not a single coin, not a single gem was left: the
+demons had stolen all. And while the servants still
+mourned over the lost treasures of the house there
+came another cry of &ldquo;Thieves! Thieves!&rdquo; and an
+old peasant rushed in, exclaiming that all the food was
+gone. That, alas! was true: the few sacks of meal
+which supplied the scanty daily fare were emptied and
+the bags flung on the floor. Now indeed the last poor
+resource was gone.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr25.jpg" width="413" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_176" id="image_page_176"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Desperate Decision</h3>
+
+<p>When the Countess heard of this last terrible
+misfortune a great light broke upon her mind with a
+blinding flash, and showed her a way to save others,
+even at the cost of her own salvation. It seemed God&rsquo;s
+answer to her prayer for guidance, and she resolved
+to follow the inspiration thus sent into her mind.
+She decided now what she would do; her mind was
+made up, and the light which shines from extreme
+sacrifice of self was so bright upon her face that her
+old nurse and her servants, wailing around her, were
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg&nbsp;179]</a></span>
+awe-stricken and durst not question or check her.
+She returned to her oratory door, and, standing on
+the steps, looking down on her weeping domestics,
+she cried:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i11">&ldquo;I am desolate,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For a most sad resolve wakes in my heart;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But always I have faith. Old men and women,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Be silent; God does not forsake the world.<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">Mary Queen of Angels<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And all you clouds and clouds of saints, farewell!&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>With one last long gaze at the little altar of her oratory
+she resolutely closed the door and turned away.</p>
+
+
+<h3>She Revisits the Demons</h3>
+
+<p>The next day the merchants in their forest lodge
+were still buying souls, and giving food and wine to the
+starving peasants who sold. They were buying men
+and women, sinful, terrified, afraid to die, eager to live;
+buying them more cheaply than before because of the
+increase of sin and terror. Bargains were being struck
+and bartering was in full progress, when suddenly all
+the peasants stopped, shamefaced, as one said, &ldquo;Here
+comes the Countess Cathleen,&rdquo; and down the track she
+was seen approaching slowly. One by one the peasants
+slunk away, and the demon merchants were quite alone
+when Cathleen entered the little cottage where they sat,
+with bags of coin on the table before them and on the
+ground beside them. Again they greeted her with
+mocking respect, and asked to know her will.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Merchants, do you still buy souls for Hell?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Lady, our traffic prospers, for the famine lies long
+on the land, and men would fain live till better days
+come again. Besides, we can give them food and wine
+and wealth for future years; and all in exchange for a
+mere soul, a little breath of wind.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg&nbsp;180]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Perhaps the Countess Cathleen has come to deal
+with us,&rdquo; said the younger.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Merchant, you are right; I have come to bring
+you merchandise. I have a soul to sell, so costly that
+perhaps the price is beyond your means.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The elder merchant replied joyfully: &ldquo;No price is
+beyond our means, if only the soul be worth the price;
+if it be a pure and stainless soul, fit to join the angels
+and saints in Paradise, our master will gladly pay all
+you ask. Whose is the soul, and what is the price?&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Her Terms</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The people starve, therefore the people go<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thronging to you. I hear a cry come from them,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And it is in my ears by night and day:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I would have five hundred thousand crowns,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To find food for them till the dearth go by;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And have the wretched spirits you have bought<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For your gold crowns, released, and sent to God.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The soul that I would barter is my soul.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Bond Signed</h3>
+
+<p>When the demons heard this, and knew that Cathleen
+was willing to give her own soul as ransom for the
+souls of others, they were overjoyed, their eyes flashed,
+the rubies of their golden crowns shot out fiery gleams,
+and their fingers clutched the air as if they already held
+her stainless soul. This would be a great triumph to
+their master, and they would win great honour in Hell
+when they brought him a soul worth far, far more than
+large abundance of ordinary sinful souls. Very carefully
+they watched while the trembling Countess signed
+the bond which gave her soul to Hell, very gladly they
+paid down the money for which she had stipulated, and
+very joyously they saw the signs of speedy death in her
+face, knowing, as they did, how soon the coming relief
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg&nbsp;181]</a></span>
+would show her sacrifice to have been unnecessary,
+though now it was irrevocable.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr26.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_180" id="image_page_180"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Cathleen signed the bond&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>General Lamentation</h3>
+
+<p>Sadly but resolutely she turned away, followed by
+her servants bearing the bags of gold, and as she passed
+through the village a rumour ran before her of what
+she had done. All men were sobered by the terrible
+tidings, and the redeemed people waited for her coming,
+and followed her weeping and lamenting, for now their
+souls were free again, and they recognised the great
+sacrifice she had made for them; but it was too late to
+save her, though now all would have died for her.
+Cathleen passed on into her castle, and there in the
+courtyard she distributed the money to all her people,
+and bade them dwell quietly in obedience till her steward
+returned. She herself, she said, could not stay; she
+must go on a long and dark journey, for her people&rsquo;s
+need had broken her heart and conquered her; she
+was no longer her own, but belonged to the dark lord
+of Hell; she could not bid them pray for her, nor
+could she pray for herself.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cathleen Fades Away</h3>
+
+<p>Her people, who knew the great price at which she
+had redeemed them, besought the Blessed Virgin and
+all the saints to have mercy on her; and all the souls
+she had released, on earth and in Heaven, prayed for
+her night and day, and the blessed saints interceded
+for her. Yet from day to day the Countess Cathleen
+faded, and the demons, ceasing all other traffic, lurked
+in waiting to catch her soul as she died. Night and day
+her heart-broken foster-mother Oona tended her; but
+she grew feebler, till it seemed that she would die before
+Fergus returned.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg&nbsp;182]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Steward Returns</h3>
+
+<p>On the fifth day, however, glad tidings came. Fergus
+had landed, and sent word that he was bringing corn
+and meal as quickly as possible; also a wandering
+peasant brought a message that nine hundred oxen were
+within one day&rsquo;s journey of her castle; and when the
+gentle Cathleen heard this, and knew that her people
+were safe, she died with a smile on her lips and thanks
+to God for her people on her tongue. That same night
+a great tempest broke over the land, which drove away
+the pestilential mists, and left the country free from
+evil influences, for with the morning men found the
+forest lodge crushed beneath the fallen trees, and the
+two demon merchants vanished. All gathered round
+the castle and mourned for the Countess Cathleen, for
+none knew how it would go with her spirit; they feared
+that the evil demons had borne her soul to Hell. All
+had prayed for her, but there had been no sign, no token
+of forgiveness. Nevertheless their prayers were heard
+and answered.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Demons Cheated</h3>
+
+<p>In the next night, when the great storm had passed
+away and the vapours no longer filled the air, when Fergus
+had distributed food and wine, and the oxen had been
+apportioned to every family, so that plenty reigned in
+every house, when only Cathleen&rsquo;s castle lay desolate,
+shrouded in gloom, the faithful old nurse Oona, watching
+by the body of her darling, had a glorious vision.
+She saw the splendid armies of the angels who guard
+mankind from evil, she saw the saints who had suffered
+and overcome, and amid them was the Countess Cathleen,
+happy with saints and angels in the bliss of Paradise;
+for her love had redeemed her own soul as well as the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg&nbsp;183]</a></span>
+souls of others, and God had pardoned her sin because
+of her self-sacrifice.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;The light beats down: the gates of pearl are wide,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And she is passing to the floor of peace,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And Mary of the seven times wounded heart<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Has kissed her lips, and the long blessed hair<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Has fallen on her face; the Light of Lights<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Looks always on the motive, not the deed,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The Shadow of Shadows on the deed alone.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> C. Kingsley.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> The poetical quotations throughout this story are taken, by
+permission, from Mr. W. B. Yeats&rsquo;s play &ldquo;The Countess Cathleen.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg&nbsp;184]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER IX: CUCHULAIN, THE
+CHAMPION OF IRELAND</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">A</span>MONG all the early literatures of Europe, there
+are two which, at exactly opposite corners of the
+continent, display most strikingly similar characteristics,
+characteristics which apparently point to some
+racial affinity in the peoples who produced them. These
+literatures are the Greek and the Irish. It has been
+maintained with much ingenuity that the Greeks of
+Homer, the early Britons, and the Irish Celts were all
+of one stock, as shown by the many points they had in
+common. It is certain that in customs, manner of life,
+ethics, ideas of religion, and methods of warfare a
+striking similarity may be seen between the Greeks as
+described by Homer and the Britons as Julius C&aelig;sar
+knew them, or the Irish as their own legends reveal
+them. We must expect to find in their myths and legends
+a certain resemblance of Celtic ideas to Greek ideas;
+and if the great Achilles sulks in his tent because he is
+unjustly deprived of his captive, the fair Briseis, we shall
+not be surprised to find the Champion of Erin quarrelling
+over his claim to precedence. The contest between
+the heroes for the armour of dead Achilles is paralleled
+by this contest between the three greatest warriors of
+Ireland for the special dish of honour called the
+&ldquo;Champion&rsquo;s Portion,&rdquo; a distinction which also recalls
+Greek life.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cuchulain, the Irish Achilles</h3>
+
+<p>The resemblance of the Cuchulain legend to the story
+of Achilles is so strong that Cuchulain is often called
+&ldquo;the Irish Achilles,&rdquo; but there are elements of humour
+and pathos in his story which the tale of Achilles cannot
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg&nbsp;185]</a></span>
+show, and in reckless courage, power of inspiring dread,
+sense of personal merit, and frankness of speech the
+Irish hero is not inferior to the mighty Greek. The
+way in which Cuchulain established his claim to be
+regarded as Chief Champion of Erin is related in the
+following story, which shows some primitive Celtic
+features found again in Welsh legends and other
+national folk-tales.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Youth of Cuchulain</h3>
+
+<p>Cuchulain was the nephew of King Conor of Ulster,
+son of his sister Dechtire, and men say his father was
+no mortal man, but the great god Lugh of the Long
+Hand. When Cuchulain was born he was brought up
+by King Conor himself and the wisest men of Ireland;
+when five years old, he beat all the other boys in games
+and warlike exercises, and on the day on which he was
+seven he assumed the arms of a warrior, so much
+greater was he than the sons of mortal men. Cuchulain
+had overheard his tutor, Cathbad the Druid, say to the
+older youths, &ldquo;If any young man take arms to-day, his
+name will be greater than any other name in Ireland,
+but his span of life will be short,&rdquo; and as he loved fame
+above long life, he persuaded his uncle, King Conor, to
+invest him with the weapons of manhood. His fame
+soon spread all over Ireland, for his warlike deeds were
+those of a proved warrior, not of a child of nursery age,
+and by the time Cuchulain was seventeen he was in reality
+without peer among the champions of Ulster, or of all
+Ireland.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cuchulain&rsquo;s Marriage</h3>
+
+<p>When the men of Ulster remembered Cuchulain&rsquo;s
+divine origin, they would fain have him married, so that
+he might not die childless; and for a year they searched
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg&nbsp;186]</a></span>
+all Erin for a fit bride for so great a champion.
+Cuchulain, however, went wooing for himself, to the
+dun of Forgall the Wily, a Druid of great power.
+Forgall had two daughters, of whom the younger, Emer,
+was the most lovely and virtuous maiden to be found
+in the country, and she became Cuchulain&rsquo;s chosen
+bride. Gallant was his wooing, and merry and jesting
+were her answers to his suit, for though Emer loved
+Cuchulain at first sight she would not accept him at
+once, and long they talked together. Finally Emer
+consented to wed Cuchulain when he had undergone
+certain trials and adventures for a year, and had accomplished
+certain feats, a test which she imposed on her
+lover, partly as a trial of his worthiness and constancy
+and partly to satisfy her father Forgall, who would not
+agree to the marriage. When Cuchulain returned
+triumphant at the end of the year, he rescued Emer
+from the confinement in which her father had placed
+her, and won her at the sword&rsquo;s point; they were
+wedded, and dwelt at Armagh, the capital of Ulster,
+under the protection of King Conor.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Bricriu&rsquo;s Feast</h3>
+
+<p>It happened that at Conor&rsquo;s court was one chief who
+delighted in making mischief, as Thersites among the
+Grecian leaders. This man, Bricriu of the Bitter
+Tongue, came to King Conor and invited him and all
+the heroes of the Red Branch, the royal bodyguard of
+Ulster, to a feast at his new dwelling, for he felt sure
+he could find some occasion to stir up strife at a feast.
+King Conor, however, and the Red Branch heroes, distrusted
+Bricriu so much that they refused to accept
+the invitation, unless Bricriu would give sureties that,
+having received his guests, he would leave the hall
+before the feasting began. Bricriu, who had expected
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg&nbsp;187]</a></span>
+some such condition, readily agreed, and before going
+home to prepare his feast took measures for stirring up
+strife among the heroes of Ulster.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Bricriu&rsquo;s Falsehood</h3>
+
+<p>Before Bricriu left Armagh he went to the mighty
+Laegaire and with many words of praise said: &ldquo;All
+good be with you, O Laegaire, winner of battles!
+Why should you not be Champion of Ireland for ever?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can be, if I will,&rdquo; said Laegaire.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Follow my advice, and you shall be head of all the
+champions of Ireland,&rdquo; said cunning Bricriu.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is your counsel?&rdquo; asked Laegaire.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;King Conor is coming to a feast in my house,&rdquo; said
+Bricriu, &ldquo;and the Champion&rsquo;s Bit will be a splendid
+portion for any hero. That warrior who obtains it at
+this feast will be acclaimed Chief Champion of Erin.
+When the banquet begins do you bid your chariot-driver
+rise and claim the hero&rsquo;s portion for you, for
+you are indeed worthy of it, and I hope that you may
+get what you so well deserve!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Some men shall die if my right is taken from me,&rdquo;
+quoth Laegaire; but Bricriu only laughed and turned
+away.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Bricriu Meets Conall Cearnach</h3>
+
+<p>Bricriu next met Conall Cearnach, Cuchulain&rsquo;s cousin,
+one of the chiefs of the Red Branch.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;May all good be with you, Conall the Victorious,&rdquo;
+quoth he. &ldquo;You are our defence and shield, and no foe
+dare face you in battle. Why should you not be Chief
+Champion of Ulster?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It only depends on my will,&rdquo; said Conall; and then
+Bricriu continued his flattery and insidious suggestions
+until he had stirred up Conall to command his
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg&nbsp;188]</a></span>
+charioteer to claim the Champion&rsquo;s Portion at Bricriu&rsquo;s
+feast. Very joyous was Bricriu, and very evilly he
+smiled as he turned away when he had roused the
+ambition of Conall Cearnach, for he revelled in the
+prospect of coming strife.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Bricriu Meets Cuchulain</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;May all good be with you, Cuchulain,&rdquo; said Bricriu,
+as he met the youthful hero. &ldquo;You are the chief
+defence of Erin, our bulwark against the foe, our joy
+and darling, the hero of Ulster, the favourite of all the
+maidens of Ireland, the greatest warrior of our land!
+We all live in safety under the protection of your
+mighty hand, so why should you not be the Chief
+Champion of Ulster? Why will you leave the Hero&rsquo;s
+Portion to some less worthy warrior?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By the god of my people, I will have it, or slay
+any bold man who dares to deprive me of it,&rdquo; said
+Cuchulain.</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon Bricriu left Cuchulain and travelled to his
+home, where he made his preparations for receiving the
+king, as if nothing were further from his thoughts than
+mischief-making and guile.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Feast and the Quarrel</h3>
+
+<p>When King Conor and his court had entered
+Bricriu&rsquo;s house at Dundrum, and were sitting at the
+feast, Bricriu was forced by his sureties to leave the hall,
+for men feared his malicious tongue, and as he went to
+his watch-tower he turned and cried:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The Champion&rsquo;s Portion at my feast is worth
+having; let it be given to the best hero in Ulster.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The carving and distribution of the viands began, and
+when the Champion&rsquo;s Portion was brought forward it
+was claimed by three chariot-drivers, Laegaire&rsquo;s, Conall&rsquo;s,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg&nbsp;189]</a></span>
+and Cuchulain&rsquo;s, each on behalf of his master; and
+when no decision was made by King Conor the three
+heroes claimed it, each for himself. But Laegaire and
+Conall united in defying Cuchulain and ridiculing his
+claim, and a great fight began in the hall, till all men
+shook for fear; and at last King Conor intervened,
+before any man had been wounded.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Put up your swords,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The Champion&rsquo;s
+Portion at this feast shall be divided among the three,
+and we will ask King Ailill and Queen Meave of Connaught
+to say who is the greatest champion.&rdquo; This
+plan pleased every one but Bricriu, who saw his hopes
+of fomenting strife disappear.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Women&rsquo;s Quarrel</h3>
+
+<p>Just at that moment the women rose and quitted
+the hall to breathe the fresh air, and Bricriu spied his
+opportunity. Going down from his watch-tower, he
+met Fedelm, the wife of Laegaire, with her fifty
+maidens, and said to her:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;All good be with you to-night, Fedelm of the
+Fresh Heart! Truly in beauty, in birth, in dignity,
+no woman in Ulster is your equal. If you enter my
+hall first to-night, you will be queen of the Ulster
+women.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Fedelm walked on merrily enough, but determined
+that she would soon re-enter the hall, and certainly before
+any other woman. Bricriu next met Lendabair the
+Favourite, Conall&rsquo;s wife, and gave her similar flattery
+and a similar prophecy, and Lendabair also determined
+to be first back at the house and first to enter the hall.</p>
+
+<p>Then Bricriu waited till he saw Emer, Cuchulain&rsquo;s
+fair wife. &ldquo;Health be with you, Emer, wife of the
+best man in Ireland! As the sun outshines the stars,
+so do you outshine all other women! You should
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg&nbsp;190]</a></span>
+of right enter the house first, for whoever does so will
+be queen of the women of Ulster, and none has a better
+claim to be their queen than Cuchulain&rsquo;s wife, Forgall&rsquo;s
+fair daughter.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Husbands Intervene</h3>
+
+<p>The three fair women, each with her train of fifty
+maidens, watched one another carefully, and when one
+turned back towards the house the others accompanied
+her, step for step; and the noise of their returning
+footsteps as they raced along alarmed their husbands.
+Sencha, the king&rsquo;s wise counsellor, reassured them, saying,
+&ldquo;It is only a woman&rsquo;s quarrel; Bricriu has stirred
+up enmity among the wives of the heroes&rdquo;; and as he
+spoke Emer reached the hall, having suddenly outrun
+the others; but the doors were shut. Then followed
+bitter complaints from Fedelm and Lendabair, both
+united against Emer, as their husbands had been against
+Cuchulain. Again King Conor was forced to call for
+silence, since each hero was supporting his own wife&rsquo;s
+claims to be queen of the Ulster women. The strife
+was only calmed by the promise that the claim to the
+highest place should be settled by Ailill and Meave of
+Connaught, who would be impartial judges.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Heroes Journey to Connaught</h3>
+
+<p>Bricriu&rsquo;s feast lasted for three days longer, and then
+King Conor and the Red Branch heroes returned to
+Armagh. There the dispute about the Championship
+began again, and Conor sent the heroes to Cruachan, in
+Connaught, to obtain a judgment from King Ailill.
+&ldquo;If he does not decide, go to Curoi of Munster, who
+is a just and wise man, and will find out the best hero
+by wizardry and enchantments.&rdquo; When Conor had
+decided thus, Laegaire and Conall, after some disputation
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg&nbsp;191]</a></span>
+as to who should start first, had their chariots
+got ready and drove towards Cruachan, but Cuchulain
+stayed amusing himself and the women in Armagh.
+When his chariot-driver reproached him with losing
+the Champion&rsquo;s Portion through laziness Cuchulain
+replied: &ldquo;I never thought about it, but there is still
+time to win it. Yoke my steeds to the chariot.&rdquo; By this
+time, however, the other two heroes were far, very far,
+in advance, with the chief men of Ulster following
+them.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cuchulain&rsquo;s Steeds</h3>
+
+<p>Cuchulain had quite lately won two mighty magic
+steeds, which arose from two lonely lakes&mdash;the Grey
+of Macha, his best-beloved horse, and the Black Sainglain.
+The struggle between the hero and these magic
+steeds had been terrible before he had been able to
+tame them and reduce them to submission; now he
+had them yoked to his chariot, and when he had once
+started he soon came up with the other two heroes, and
+all three drove furiously towards Cruachan, with all the
+warriors of Ulster behind them.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 405px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr27.jpg" width="405" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_190" id="image_page_190"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;All three drove furiously towards Cruachan&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Queen Meave Watches the Heroes</h3>
+
+<p>The noise of the advancing war-chariots reached
+Queen Meave at Cruachan, and she wondered greatly
+to hear thunder from a clear sky; but her fair daughter,
+looking from her window, said: &ldquo;Mother, I see chariots
+coming.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who comes in the first?&rdquo; asked Queen Meave.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I see a big stout man, with reddish gold hair and
+long forked beard, dressed in purple with gold adornments;
+and his shield is bronze edged with gold; he
+bears a javelin in his hand.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That man I know well,&rdquo; answered her mother.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg&nbsp;192]</a></span>
+&ldquo;He is mighty Laegaire, the Storm of War, the Knife of
+Victory; he will slay us all, unless he comes in peace.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I see another chariot,&rdquo; quoth the princess, &ldquo;bearing
+a fair man with long wavy hair, a man of clear red and
+white complexion, wearing a white vest and a cloak
+of blue and crimson. His shield is brown, with yellow
+bosses and a bronze edge.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That is valiant Conall the Victorious,&rdquo; quoth
+Meave. &ldquo;Small chance shall we have if he comes in
+anger.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yet a third chariot comes, wherein stands a dark,
+sad youth, most handsome of all the men of Erin; he
+wears a crimson tunic, brooched with gold, a long white
+linen cloak, and a white, gold-embroidered hood. His
+hair is black, his look draws love, his glance shoots fire,
+and the hero-light gleams around him. His shield is
+crimson, with a silver rim, and images of beasts shine on
+it in gold.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Terror in Connaught</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas! that is the hero Cuchulain,&rdquo; said Meave.
+&ldquo;He is more to be feared than all others. His voice
+in anger tells the doom of men; his wrath is fatal.
+Truly we are but dead if we have aroused Cuchulain&rsquo;s
+wrath.&rdquo; After a pause: &ldquo;Tell me, daughter, are there
+yet other chariots?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The men of Ulster follow in chariots so numerous
+that the earth quakes beneath them, and their sound is
+as thunder, or the dashing waves of the sea.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Queen Meave was terrified in good earnest, but
+hoped by a hearty welcome to turn aside the wrath of
+the heroes of Ulster; thus when they arrived at the
+dun of Cruachan they found the best of receptions, and
+all the Red Branch warriors were feasted for three days
+and nights.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg&nbsp;193]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Conor Explains the Matter</h3>
+
+<p>After three days Ailill of Connaught asked their
+business, and King Conor related to him everything as
+it had occurred&mdash;the feast, the dispute for the Champion&rsquo;s
+Portion, the women&rsquo;s quarrel, and the decision
+to be judged by King Ailill. This angered Ailill, who
+was a peaceable man.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It was no friend of mine who referred you to me,
+for I shall surely incur the hatred of two heroes,&rdquo;
+quoth he.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are the best judge of all,&rdquo; replied King Conor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Then I must have time&mdash;three days and nights&mdash;to
+decide,&rdquo; said Ailill.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We can spare our heroes so long,&rdquo; quoth Conor, and
+therewith the Ulster men returned to Armagh, leaving
+the three claimants to the Championship at Cruachan.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The First Test</h3>
+
+<p>That night Ailill put them to an unexpected test.
+Their feast was served to them in a separate room, and
+the king went to his protectors, the Fairy People of
+the Hills, in the Good People&rsquo;s Hill at Cruachan, and
+begged some help in his judgment. They willingly
+aided him, and three magic beasts, in the shape of
+monstrous cats, were let into the room where the
+heroes feasted. When they saw them Laegaire and
+Conall rose up from their meal, clambered up among
+the rafters, and stayed there all night. Cuchulain waited
+till one attacked him, and then drawing his sword, struck
+the monster. It showed no further sign of fight, and
+Cuchulain kept watch all night, till the magic beasts
+disappeared at daybreak. When Ailill came into the
+room and saw the heroes as they had spent the night
+he laughed as he said:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg&nbsp;194]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Are you not content to yield the Championship to
+Cuchulain?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr28.jpg" width="413" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_192" id="image_page_192"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Three monstrous cats were let into the room&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Indeed no,&rdquo; said Conall and Laegaire. &ldquo;We are used
+to fighting men, not monstrous beasts.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Second Test</h3>
+
+<p>The next day King Ailill sent the heroes to his own
+foster-father, Ercol, to spend a night with him, that he
+also might test them. When they arrived, and had
+feasted, Laegaire was sent out that night to fight the
+witches of the valley. Fierce and terrible were these
+witches, and they beat Laegaire, and took his arms and
+armour.</p>
+
+<p>When Conall went to fight them the witches beat
+him and took his spear, but he kept his sword and
+brought it back with honour. Cuchulain, who was the
+youngest, went last, and he too was being beaten,
+when the taunts of his chariot-driver, who was watching,
+aroused him, and he beat the witches, and bore off in
+triumph their cloaks of battle. Yet even after this
+the other two heroes would not acknowledge Cuchulain&rsquo;s
+superiority.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ercol&rsquo;s Defeat</h3>
+
+<p>The next day Ercol fought with each champion
+separately, and conquered both Laegaire and Conall,
+terrifying the former so much that he fled to Cruachan
+and told Meave and Ailill that Ercol had killed the
+other two. When Cuchulain arrived victorious, with
+Ercol tied captive at his chariot-wheels, he found all
+men mourning for him and Conall as for the dead.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Meave&rsquo;s Plan to Avoid Strife in Cruachan</h3>
+
+<p>Now indeed Ailill was in great perplexity, for he
+durst not delay his decision, and he dreaded the wrath
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg&nbsp;195]</a></span>
+of the two disappointed heroes. He and Queen Meave
+consulted long together, and at length Meave promised
+to relieve him of the responsibility of judgment.
+Summoning Laegaire to the king&rsquo;s room, she said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Welcome, O Laegaire! You are greatest of the
+warriors of Ulster. To you we give the headship of
+the heroes of Ireland and the Champion&rsquo;s Portion, and
+to your wife the right to walk first of all the women of
+Ulster. In token thereof we give you this cup of
+bronze with a silver bird embossed, to be seen by no
+man till you be come to King Conor in the Red Branch
+House at Armagh. Then show your cup and claim
+your right, and none will dispute it with you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>So Laegaire went away well pleased, and they sent
+for Conall. To him they gave a silver cup, with a bird
+embossed in gold, and to him they pretended to adjudge
+the Championship, and Conall left them well content.</p>
+
+<p>Cuchulain, who was playing chess, refused to attend
+the King of Connaught when he was summoned, and
+Queen Meave had to entreat him to come to their
+private room. There they gave him a golden cup,
+with a bird designed in precious gems, with many
+words of flattery for Cuchulain and his fair and noble
+wife, Emer.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Return of the Champions</h3>
+
+<p>Now the heroes, each well content, bade farewell to
+the court at Cruachan, and drove back to Armagh, but
+none durst ask how they had sped. That evening,
+at the banquet, when the Champion&rsquo;s Portion was set
+aside, Laegaire arose and claimed it, showing as proof
+that his claim was just the bronze cup he brought from
+Queen Meave.</p>
+
+<p>But alas! Conall the Victorious had a silver cup, and
+while he was exulting in this proof of his rightful claim
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg&nbsp;196]</a></span>
+to the championship Cuchulain produced his golden
+cup, and the dispute began all over again. King Conor
+would have allowed Cuchulain&rsquo;s claim, but Laegaire
+vowed that his rival had bribed Ailill and Meave with
+great treasures to give him the golden cup, and neither
+Laegaire nor Conall would yield him the victory or
+accept the judgment as final. &ldquo;Then you must go to
+Curoi,&rdquo; said the king, and to that they all agreed.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Champions Visit Curoi</h3>
+
+<p>The next day the three champions drove to Kerry
+where Curoi dwelt in a magic dun. He was away from
+home planning enchantments to test them, for he knew
+they were coming, but his wife welcomed them, and
+bade them watch the dun for one night each, beginning
+with Laegaire, as the eldest. Laegaire took up
+his sentinel&rsquo;s post outside the dun, and Curoi&rsquo;s wife
+worked the charm which prevented entrance after nightfall.
+The night was long and silent, and Laegaire
+thought he would have a quiet watch, when he saw a
+great shadow arise from the sea.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Giant Fights Laegaire and Conall</h3>
+
+<p>This shadow took the shape of a huge giant, whose
+spears were mighty branch-stripped oaks, which he
+hurled at Laegaire. They did not touch him, however,
+and Laegaire made some show of fight; but the giant
+took him up, squeezed him so tightly as nearly to slay
+him, and then threw him over the magic wall of the dun,
+where the others found him lying half dead. All men
+thought that he had sprung with a mighty leap over
+the wall, since no other entrance was to be found, and
+Laegaire kept silence and did not explain to them.</p>
+
+<p>Conall, who took the watch the second night, fared
+exactly as Laegaire had done, and likewise did not
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg&nbsp;197]</a></span>
+confess how he had been thrown over the wall of the
+dun, nor what became of the giant in the dawn.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cuchulain&rsquo;s Trials</h3>
+
+<p>The third night was Cuchulain&rsquo;s watch, and he took his
+post outside the dun, and the gates and wall were secured
+by magic spells, so that none could enter. Vainly he
+watched till midnight, and then he thought he saw nine
+grey shadowy forms creeping towards him.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who goes there?&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;If you be friends,
+stop; if foes, come on!&rdquo; Then the nine shadowy foes
+raised a shout, and fell upon the hero; but he fought
+hard and slew them, and beheaded them. A second
+and a third time similar groups of vague, shadowy foemen
+rushed at him, and he slew them all in like manner,
+and then, wearied out, sat down to rest.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Dragon</h3>
+
+<p>Later on in the night, as he was still watching, he
+heard a heavy sound, like waves surging in the lake, and
+when he roused himself to see what it was he beheld a
+monstrous dragon. It was rising from the water and flying
+towards the dun, and seemed ready to devour everything
+in its way. When the dragon perceived him it
+soared swiftly into the air, and then gradually sank
+towards him, opening its terrible jaws. Cuchulain
+sprang up, giving his wonderful hero-leap, and thrust
+his arm into the dragon&rsquo;s mouth and down its throat;
+he found its heart, tore it out, and saw the monster fall
+dead on the ground. He then cut off its scaly head,
+which he added to those of his former enemies.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 404px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr29.jpg" width="404" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_196" id="image_page_196"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible jaws&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Giant Worsted by Cuchulain</h3>
+
+<p>Towards daybreak, when feeling quite worn out
+and very sleepy, he became slowly aware of a great
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg&nbsp;198]</a></span>
+shadow coming to him westward from the sea. The
+shadow, as before, became a giant, who greeted him
+in a surly tone with, &ldquo;This is a bad night.&rdquo; &ldquo;It will
+be worse yet for you,&rdquo; said Cuchulain. The giant, as
+he had done with the other heroes, threw oaks, but just
+missed him; and when he tried to grapple with him
+the hero leaped up with drawn sword. In his anger
+the hero-light shone round him, and he sprang as high
+as the giant&rsquo;s head, and gave him a stroke that brought
+him to his knees. &ldquo;Life for life, Cuchulain,&rdquo; said the
+giant, and vanished at once, leaving no trace.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cuchulain Re-enters the Dun</h3>
+
+<p>Now Cuchulain would gladly have returned to the
+fort to rest, but there seemed no way of entrance, and
+the hero was vexed at his own helplessness, for he
+thought his comrades had jumped over the magic walls.
+Twice he boldly essayed to leap the lofty wall, and
+twice he failed; then in his wrath his great strength
+came upon him, the hero-light shone round him, and
+he took a little run and, leaning on his spear, leaped so
+high and so far that he alighted in the middle of the
+court, just before the door of the hall.</p>
+
+<p>As he sighed heavily and wearily, Curoi&rsquo;s wife said:
+&ldquo;That is the sigh of a weary conqueror, not of a beaten
+man&rdquo;; and Cuchulain went in and sat down to rest.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Decision</h3>
+
+<p>The next morning Curoi&rsquo;s wife asked the champions:
+&ldquo;Are you content that the Championship should go to
+Cuchulain? I know by my magic skill what he has
+endured in the past night, and you must see that you
+are not equal to him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nay, that we will not allow,&rdquo; quoth they. &ldquo;It
+was one of Cuchulain&rsquo;s friends among the People of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg&nbsp;199]</a></span>
+the Hills who came to conquer us and to give him the
+Championship. We are not content, and we will not
+give up our claim, for the fight was not fair.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Go home now to Armagh, is Curoi&rsquo;s word, and wait
+there until he himself brings his decision,&rdquo; said Curoi&rsquo;s
+wife. So they bade her farewell, and went back to the
+Red Branch House in Armagh, with the dispute still
+unsettled; but they agreed to await peaceably Curoi&rsquo;s
+decision, and abide by it when he should bring it.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Uath, the Stranger</h3>
+
+<p>Some time after this, when Curoi had made no sign
+of giving judgment, it happened that all the Ulster
+heroes were in their places in the Red Branch House,
+except Cuchulain and his cousin Conall. As they sat
+in order of rank in the hall they saw a terrible stranger
+coming into the room. He was gigantic in stature,
+hideous of aspect, with ravening yellow eyes. He wore
+a skin roughly sewn together, and a grey cloak over it,
+and he sheltered himself from the light with a spreading
+tree torn up by the roots. In his hand he bore an
+enormous axe, with keen and shining edge. This hideous
+apparition strode up the hall and leant against a carved
+pillar beside the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who are you?&rdquo; asked one chieftain in sport.
+&ldquo;Are you come to be our candlestick, or would you
+burn the house down? Is this the place for such as
+you? Go farther down the hall!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My name is Uath, the Stranger, and for neither of
+those things am I come. I seek that which I cannot
+find in the whole world, and that is a man to keep the
+agreement he makes with me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Agreement</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is the agreement?&rdquo; asked King Conor.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg&nbsp;200]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Behold my axe!&rdquo; quoth the stranger. &ldquo;The man
+who will grasp it to-day may cut my head off with it,
+provided that I may, in like manner, cut off his head
+to-morrow. Now you men of Ulster, heroes of the
+Red Branch, have won the palm through the wide world
+for courage, honour, strength, truth, and generosity;
+do you, therefore, find me a man to keep this agreement.
+King Conor is excepted, because of his royal
+dignity, but no other. And if you have no champion
+who dare face me, I will say that Ulster has lost her
+courage and is dishonoured.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is not right for a whole province to be disgraced
+for lack of a man to keep his word,&rdquo; said King Conor,
+&ldquo;but I fear we have no such champions here.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Laegaire Accepts the Challenge</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By my word,&rdquo; said Laegaire, who had listened
+attentively to the whole conversation, &ldquo;there will be
+a champion this very moment. Stoop down, fellow,
+and let me cut off your head, that you may take mine
+to-morrow.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then Uath chanted magic spells over the axe as he
+stroked the edge, and laid his neck on a block, and
+Laegaire hewed so hard that the axe severed the head
+from the body and struck deep into the block. Then
+the body of Uath arose, took up the head and the axe,
+and strode away down the hall, all people shrinking out
+of its way, and so it passed out into the night.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr30.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_200" id="image_page_200"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;The body of Uath arose&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If this terrible stranger returns to-morrow he will
+slay us all,&rdquo; they whispered, as they looked pityingly at
+Laegaire, who was trying in vain to show no signs of
+apprehension.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Laegaire and Conall Disgraced</h3>
+
+<p>When the next evening came, and men sat in the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg&nbsp;201]</a></span>
+Red Branch House, talking little and waiting for what
+would happen, in came Uath, the Stranger, as well
+and sound as before the terrible blow, bearing his axe,
+and eager to return the stroke. Alas! Laegaire&rsquo;s heart
+had failed him and he did not come, and the stranger
+jeered at the men of Ulster because their great champion
+durst not keep his agreement, nor face the blow
+he should receive in return for one he gave.</p>
+
+<p>The men of Ulster were utterly ashamed, but Conall
+Cearnach, the Victorious, was present that night, and he
+made a new agreement with Uath. Conall gave a blow
+which beheaded Uath, but again, when the stranger
+returned whole and sound on the following evening, the
+champion was not to be found: Conall would not face
+the blow.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cuchulain Accepts the Challenge</h3>
+
+<p>When Uath found that a second hero of Ulster had
+failed him he again taunted them all with cowardice and
+promise-breaking.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What! is there not one man of courage among you
+Ulstermen? You would fain have a great name, but
+have no courage to earn it! Great heroes are you all!
+Not one among you has bravery enough to face me!
+Where is that childish youth Cuchulain! A poor
+miserable fellow he is, but I would like to see if his
+word is better to be relied on than the word of these
+two great heroes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A youth I may be,&rdquo; said Cuchulain, &ldquo;but I will
+keep my word without any agreement.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Uath laughed aloud. &ldquo;Yes! that is likely, is it not?
+And you with so great a fear of death!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon the youth leapt up, caught the deadly
+axe, and severed the giant&rsquo;s head as he stood with one
+stroke.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg&nbsp;202]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Cuchulain Stands the Test</h3>
+
+<p>The next day the Red Branch heroes watched Cuchulain
+to see what he would do. They would not have
+been surprised if he had failed like the others, who now
+were present. The champion, however, showed no signs
+of failing or retreat. He sat sorrowfully in his place
+waiting for the certain death that must come, and regretting
+his rashness, but with no thought of breaking
+his word.</p>
+
+<p>With a sigh he said to King Conor as they waited:
+&ldquo;Do not leave this place till all is over. Death is
+coming to me very surely, but I must fulfil my agreement,
+for I would rather die than break my word.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Towards the close of day Uath strode into the hall
+exultant.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where is Cuchulain?&rdquo; he cried.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Here I am,&rdquo; was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ah, poor boy! your speech is sad to-night, and
+the fear of death lies heavy on you; but at least you
+have redeemed your word and have not failed me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The youth rose from his seat and went towards Uath,
+as he stood with the great axe ready, and knelt to
+receive the blow.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Curoi&rsquo;s Decision and Cuchulain&rsquo;s Victory</h3>
+
+<p>The hero of Ulster laid his head on the block;
+but Uath was not satisfied. &ldquo;Stretch out your neck
+better,&rdquo; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are playing with me, to torment me,&rdquo; said
+Cuchulain. &ldquo;Slay me now speedily, for I did not keep
+you waiting last night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>However, he stretched out his neck as Uath bade, and
+the stranger raised his axe till it crashed upwards through
+the rafters of the hall, like the crash of trees falling in a
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg&nbsp;203]</a></span>
+storm. When the axe came down with a terrific sound
+all men looked fearfully at Cuchulain. The descending
+axe had not even touched him; it had come down with
+the blunt side on the ground, and the youth knelt there
+unharmed. Smiling at him, and leaning on his axe,
+stood no terrible and hideous stranger, but Curoi of
+Kerry, come to give his decision at last.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Rise up, Cuchulain,&rdquo; said Curoi. &ldquo;There is none
+among all the heroes of Ulster to equal you in courage
+and loyalty and truth. The Championship of the
+Heroes of Ireland is yours from this day forth, and the
+Champion&rsquo;s Portion at all feasts; and to your wife I
+adjudge the first place among all the women of Ulster.
+Woe to him who dares to dispute this decision!&rdquo;
+Thereupon Curoi vanished, and the Red Branch warriors
+gathered around Cuchulain, and all with one voice
+acclaimed him the Champion of the Heroes of all Ireland&mdash;a
+title which has clung to him until this day.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg&nbsp;204]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER X: THE TALE OF
+GAMELYN</h2>
+
+
+<h3>The &ldquo;Wicked Brothers&rdquo; Theme</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE tale of &ldquo;Gamelyn&rdquo; is a variant of the old
+fairy-tale subject of the Wicked Elder Brothers,
+one of the oldest and most interesting versions of
+which may still be read in the Biblical story of Joseph and
+his brethren. Usually a father dies leaving three sons,
+of whom the two elder are worthless and the youngest
+rises to high honour, whereupon the elder brothers try
+to kill the youngest from envy at his good fortune. A
+similar root-idea is found in &ldquo;Cinderella&rdquo; and other
+fairy-tales of girls, but in these there may usually be
+found a cruel stepmother and two contemptuous stepsisters&mdash;a
+noteworthy variation which seems to point to
+some deep-rooted idea that the ties of blood are stronger
+among women than among men.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Literary Influence of the &ldquo;Gamelyn&rdquo; Story</h3>
+
+<p>The story of &ldquo;Gamelyn&rdquo; has two great claims to our
+attention: it is, through Lodge&rsquo;s &ldquo;Euphues&rsquo; Golden
+Legacy,&rdquo; the ultimate source of Shakespeare&rsquo;s <i>As You
+Like It</i>, and it seems to be the earliest presentment in
+English literature of the figure of &ldquo;the noble outlaw.&rdquo;
+In fact, Gamelyn is probably the literary ancestor of
+&ldquo;bold Robin Hood,&rdquo; and stands for an English
+ideal of justice and equity, against legal oppression and
+wickedness in high places. He shows, too, the love of
+free life, of the merry greenwood and the open road,
+which reappears after so many centuries in the work of
+Robert Louis Stevenson.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Story</h3>
+
+<p>In the reign of King Edward I. there dwelt in
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg&nbsp;205]</a></span>
+Lincolnshire, near the vast expanse of the Fens, a noble
+gentleman, Sir John of the Marches. He was now old,
+but was still a model of all courtesy and a &ldquo;very perfect
+gentle knight.&rdquo; He had three sons, of whom the
+youngest, Gamelyn, was born in his father&rsquo;s old age, and
+was greatly beloved by the old man; the other two were
+much older than he, and John, the eldest, had already
+developed a vicious and malignant character. Gamelyn
+and his second brother, Otho, reverenced their father,
+but John had no respect or obedience for the good
+gentleman, and was the chief trouble of his declining
+years, as Gamelyn was his chief joy.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Father Feels his End Approaching</h3>
+
+<p>At last old age and weakness overcame the worthy
+old Sir John, and he was forced to take to his bed,
+where he lay sadly meditating on his children&rsquo;s future,
+and wondering how to divide his possessions justly
+among the three. There was no difficulty of inheritance
+or primogeniture, for all the knight&rsquo;s lands were held in
+fee-simple, and not in entail, so that he might bequeath
+them as he would. Sir John of the Marches, fearing
+lest he should commit an injustice, sent throughout the
+district for wise knights, begging them to come hastily,
+if they wished to see him alive, and help him. When
+the country squires and lords, his near neighbours,
+heard of his grave condition, they hurried to the castle,
+and gathered in the bedchamber, where the dying knight
+greeted them thus: &ldquo;Lords and gentlemen, I warn
+you in truth that I may no longer live; by the will of
+God death lays his hand upon me.&rdquo; When they heard
+this they tried to encourage him, by bidding him
+remember that God can provide a remedy for every
+disease, and the good knight received their kindly words
+without dispute. &ldquo;That God can send remedy for an
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg&nbsp;206]</a></span>
+ill I will never deny; but I beseech you, for my sake,
+to divide my lands among my three sons. For the
+love of God deal justly, and forget not my youngest,
+Gamelyn. Seldom does any heir to an estate help his
+brothers after his father&rsquo;s death.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>How Shall he Dispose of his Estate?</h3>
+
+<p>The friends whom Sir John had summoned deliberated
+long over the disposal of the estate. The majority
+wished to give all to the eldest son, but a strong
+minority urged the claims of the second, but all agreed
+that Gamelyn might wait till his eldest brother chose to
+give him a share of his father&rsquo;s lands. At last it was
+decided to divide the inheritance between the two elder
+sons, and the knights returned to the chamber where
+the brave old knight lay dying, and told him their
+decision. He summoned up strength enough to protest
+against their plan of distribution, and said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Nay, by St. Martin, I can yet bequeath<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My lands to whom I wish: they still are mine.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then hearken, neighbours, while I make my will.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To John, my eldest son, and heir, I leave<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Five ploughlands, my dead father&rsquo;s heritage;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My second, Otho, ploughlands five shall hold,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Which my good right hand won in valiant strife;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">All else I own, in lands and goods and wealth,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To Gamelyn, my youngest, I devise;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I beseech you, for the love of God,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Forsake him not, but guard his helpless youth<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And let him not be plundered of his wealth.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then Sir John, satisfied with having proclaimed his
+will, died with Christian resignation, leaving his little
+son Gamelyn in the power of the cruel eldest brother,
+now, in his turn, Sir John.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg&nbsp;207]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Cruel Eldest Son</h3>
+
+<p>Since the boy was a minor, the new knight, as
+natural guardian, assumed the control of Gamelyn&rsquo;s
+land, vassals, education, and nurture; and full evilly he
+discharged his duties, for he clothed and fed him badly,
+and neglected his lands, so that his parks and houses,
+his farms and villages, fell into ruinous decay. The boy,
+when he grew older, noticed this and resented it, but
+did not realize the power in his own broad limbs and
+mighty sinews to redress his wrongs, though by the
+time he fully understood his injuries no man would
+dare to face him in fight when he was angry, so strong
+a youth had he become.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Resists</h3>
+
+<p>While Gamelyn, one day, walking in the hall, mused
+on the ruin of all his inheritance, Sir John came blustering
+in, and, seeing him, called out: &ldquo;How now: is
+dinner ready?&rdquo; Enraged at being addressed as if he
+were a mere servant, he replied angrily: &ldquo;Go and do
+your own baking; I am not your cook.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 415px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr31.jpg" width="415" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_206" id="image_page_206"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Go and do your own baking!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Sir John almost doubted the evidence of his ears.
+&ldquo;What, my dear brother, is that the way to answer?
+Thou hast never addressed me so before!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied Gamelyn; &ldquo;until now I have never
+considered all the wrong you have done me. My parks
+are broken open, my deer are driven off; you have
+deprived me of my armour and my steeds; all that my
+father bequeathed to me is falling into ruin and decay.
+God&rsquo;s curse upon you, false brother!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Sir John was now enraged beyond all measure, and
+shouted: &ldquo;Stand still, vagabond, and hold thy peace!
+What right hast thou to speak of land or vassals? Thou
+shalt learn to be grateful for food and raiment.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg&nbsp;208]</a></span>
+&ldquo;A curse upon him that calls me vagabond! I am
+no worse than yourself; I am the son of a lady and a
+good knight.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Terrifies the Household</h3>
+
+<p>In spite of all his anger, Sir John was a cautious man,
+with a prudent regard for his own safety. He would
+not risk an encounter with Gamelyn, but summoned
+his servants and bade them beat him well, till he should
+learn better manners. But when the boy understood
+his brother&rsquo;s intention he vowed that he would not be
+beaten alone&mdash;others should suffer too, and Sir John
+not the least. Thereupon, leaping on to the wall, he
+seized a pestle which lay there, and so boldly attacked
+the timid servants, though they were armed with staves,
+that he drove them in flight, and laid on furious strokes
+which quenched the small spark of courage in them.
+Sir John had not even that small amount of bravery:
+he fled to a loft and barred the door, while Gamelyn
+cleared the hall with his pestle, and scoffed at the
+cowardly grooms who fled so soon from the strife they
+had begun. When he sought for his brother he could
+not see him at first, but afterwards perceived his sorry
+countenance peeping from a window. &ldquo;Brother,&rdquo; said
+Gamelyn, &ldquo;come a little nearer, and I will teach you
+how to play with staff and buckler.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nay, by St. Richard, I will not descend till thou
+hast put down that pestle. Brother, be no more
+enraged, and I will make peace with thee. I swear it
+by the grace of God!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was forced to defend myself,&rdquo; said Gamelyn,
+&ldquo;or your menials would have injured and degraded
+me: I could not let grooms beat a good knight&rsquo;s
+son; but now grant me one boon, and we shall soon
+be reconciled.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg&nbsp;209]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Sir John&rsquo;s Guile</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, certainly, brother; ask thy boon, and I will
+grant it readily. But indeed I was only testing thee,
+for thou art so young that I doubted thy strength and
+manliness. It was only a pretence of beating that I
+meant.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This is my request,&rdquo; said the boy: &ldquo;if there is
+to be peace between us you must surrender to me all
+that my father bequeathed me while he was alive.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>To this Sir John consented with apparent willingness,
+and even promised to repair the decayed mansions
+and restore the lands and farms to their former prosperity;
+but though he feigned content with the agreement
+and kissed his brother with outward affection
+yet he was inwardly meditating plans of treachery
+against the unsuspecting youth.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Wrestling Match</h3>
+
+<p>Shortly after this quarrel between the brothers a
+wrestling competition was announced, the winner of
+which would become the owner of a fine ram and a ring
+of gold, and Gamelyn determined to try his powers.
+Accordingly he begged the loan of &ldquo;a little courser&rdquo;
+from Sir John, who offered him his choice of all the
+steeds in the stable, and then curiously questioned
+him as to his errand. The lad explained that he
+wished to compete in the wrestling match, hoping to
+win honour by bearing away the prize; then, springing
+on the beautiful courser that was brought him ready
+saddled, he spurred his horse and rode away merrily,
+while the false Sir John locked the gate behind him,
+praying that he might get his neck broken in the
+contest. The boy rode along, rejoicing in his youth
+and strength, singing as he went, till he drew near the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg&nbsp;210]</a></span>
+appointed place, and then he suddenly heard a man&rsquo;s
+voice lamenting aloud and crying, &ldquo;Wellaway! Alas!&rdquo;
+and saw a venerable yeoman wringing his hands.
+&ldquo;Good man,&rdquo; said Gamelyn, &ldquo;why art thou in such
+distress? Can no man help thee?&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Dreaded Champion</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said the yeoman. &ldquo;Woe to the day on
+which I was born! The champion wrestler here has
+overthrown my two stalwart sons, and unless God
+help them they must die of their grievous hurts. I
+would give ten pounds to find a man to avenge on
+him the injuries done to my dear sons.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Good man, hold my horse while my groom takes
+my coat and shoes, and I will try my luck and strength
+against this doughty champion.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Thank God!&rdquo; said the yeoman. &ldquo;I will do it at
+once; I will guard thy coat and shoes and good steed
+safely&mdash;and may Jesus Christ speed thee well!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Enters</h3>
+
+<p>When Gamelyn entered the ring, barefooted and
+stripped for wrestling, all men gazed curiously at the
+rash youth who dared to challenge the stalwart champion,
+and the great man himself, rising from the ground,
+strolled across to meet Gamelyn and said haughtily:
+&ldquo;Who is thy father, and what is thy name? Thou
+art, forsooth, a young fool to come here!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Gamelyn answered equally haughtily: &ldquo;Thou
+knewest well my father while he lived: he was Sir
+John of the Marches, and I am his youngest son,
+Gamelyn.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The champion replied: &ldquo;Boy, I knew thy father
+well in his lifetime, and I have heard of thee, and
+nothing good: thou hast always been in mischief.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg&nbsp;211]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Now I am older thou shalt know me better,&rdquo; said
+Gamelyn.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Defeats the Champion</h3>
+
+<p>The wrestling had lasted till late in the evening, and
+the moon was shining on the scene when Gamelyn and
+the champion began their struggle. The wrestler tried
+many wily tricks, but the boy was ready for them all,
+and stood steady against all that his opponent could do.
+Then, in his turn, he took the offensive, grasped his
+adversary round the waist, and cast him so heavily to
+the ground that three ribs were broken, and his left
+arm. Then the victor said mockingly:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Shall we count that a cast, or not reckon it?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By heaven! whether it be one or no, any man in thy
+hand will never thrive,&rdquo; said the champion painfully.</p>
+
+<p>The yeoman, who had watched the match with great
+anxiety, now broke out with blessings: &ldquo;Blessed be
+thou, young sir, that ever thou wert born!&rdquo; and now
+taunting the fallen champion, said: &ldquo;It was young
+&lsquo;Mischief&rsquo; who taught thee this game.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He is master of us all,&rdquo; said the champion. &ldquo;In
+all my years of wrestling I have never been mishandled
+so cruelly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now the victor stood in the ring, ready for more
+wrestling, but no man would venture to compete with
+him, and the two judges who kept order and awarded
+the prizes bade him retire, for no other competitor
+could be found to face him.</p>
+
+<p>But he was a little disappointed at this easy victory.
+&ldquo;Is the fair over? Why, I have not half sold my
+wares,&rdquo; he said.</p>
+
+<p>The champion was still capable of grim jesting.
+&ldquo;Now, as I value my life, any purchaser of your wares
+is a fool; you sell so dearly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg&nbsp;212]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Not at all,&rdquo; broke in the yeoman; &ldquo;you have bought
+your share full cheap, and made a good bargain.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Wins the Prizes</h3>
+
+<p>While this short conversation had been going on the
+judges had returned to their seats, and formally awarded
+the prize to Gamelyn, and now came to him, bearing
+the ram and the ring for his acceptance.</p>
+
+<p>Gamelyn took them gladly, and went home the next
+morning, followed by a cheering crowd of admirers;
+but when the cowardly Sir John saw the people he
+bolted the castle doors against his more favourite and
+successful brother.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Overcomes his Brother&rsquo;s Servants</h3>
+
+<p>The porter, obeying his master&rsquo;s commands, refused
+Gamelyn entrance; and the youth, enraged at this
+insult, broke down the door with one blow, caught the
+fleeing porter, and flung him down the well in the
+courtyard. His brother&rsquo;s servants fled from his anger,
+and the crowd that had accompanied him swarmed
+into courtyard and hall, while the knight took refuge in
+a little turret.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Welcome to you all,&rdquo; said Gamelyn. &ldquo;We will be
+masters here and ask no man&rsquo;s leave. Yesterday I left
+five tuns of wine in the cellar; we will drain them dry
+before you go. If my brother objects (as he well may,
+for he is a miser) I will be butler and caterer and
+manage the whole feast. Any person who dares to
+object may join the porter in the well.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Naturally no objections were raised, and Gamelyn and
+his friends held high revel for a week, while Sir John
+lay hidden in his turret, terrified at the noise and
+revelry, and dreading what his brother might do to
+him now he had so great a following.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg&nbsp;213]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>A Reckoning with Sir John</h3>
+
+<p>However, the guests departed quietly on the eighth
+day, leaving Gamelyn alone, and very sorrowful, in the
+hall where he had held high revel. As he stood there,
+musing sadly, he heard a timid footstep, and saw his
+brother creeping towards him. When he had attracted
+Gamelyn&rsquo;s attention he spoke out loudly: &ldquo;Who made
+thee so bold as to destroy all my household stores?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nay, brother, be not wroth,&rdquo; said the youth quietly.
+&ldquo;If I have used anything I have paid for it fully beforehand.
+For these sixteen years you have had full use
+and profit of fifteen good ploughlands which my father
+left me; you have also the use and increase of all my
+cattle and horses; and now all this past profit I abandon
+to you, in return for the expense of this feast of mine.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then said the treacherous Sir John: &ldquo;Hearken,
+my dear brother: I have no son, and thou shalt be my
+heir&mdash;I swear by the holy St. John.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;In faith,&rdquo; said Gamelyn, &ldquo;if that be the case, and if
+this offer be made in all sincerity, may God reward
+you!&rdquo; for it was impossible for his generous disposition
+to suspect his brother of treachery and to fathom the
+wiles of a crafty nature; hence it happened that he was
+so soon and easily beguiled.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Allows Himself to be Chained</h3>
+
+<p>Sir John hesitated a moment, and then said doubtfully:
+&ldquo;There is one thing I must tell you, Gamelyn. When
+you threw my porter into the well I swore in my wrath
+that I would have you bound hand and foot. That
+is impossible now without your consent, and I must be
+forsworn unless you will let yourself be bound for a
+moment, as a mere form, just to save me from the sin
+of perjury.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg&nbsp;214]</a></span>
+So sincere Sir John seemed, and so simple did the
+whole thing appear, that Gamelyn consented at once.
+&ldquo;Why, certainly, brother, you shall not be forsworn for
+my sake.&rdquo; So he sat down, and the servants bound him
+hand and foot; and then Sir John looked mockingly at
+him as he said: &ldquo;So now, my fine brother, I have you
+caught at last.&rdquo; Then he bade them bring fetters and
+rivet them on Gamelyn&rsquo;s limbs, and chain him fast to a
+post in the centre of the hall. Then he was placed on
+his feet with his back to the post and his hands manacled
+behind him, and as he stood there the false brother told
+every person who entered that Gamelyn had suddenly
+gone mad, and was chained for safety&rsquo;s sake, lest he should
+do himself or others some deadly hurt. For two long
+days and nights he stood there bound, with no food or
+drink, and grew faint with hunger and weariness, for
+his fetters were so tight that he could not sit or lie
+down; bitterly he lamented the carelessness which made
+him fall such an easy prey to his treacherous brother&rsquo;s
+designs.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Adam Spencer to the Rescue</h3>
+
+<p>When all others had left the hall Gamelyn appealed
+to old Adam Spencer, the steward of the household,
+a loyal old servant who had known Sir John of the
+Marches, and had watched the boy grow up. &ldquo;Adam
+Spencer,&rdquo; quoth he, &ldquo;unless my brother is minded to
+slay me, I am kept fasting too long. I beseech thee,
+for the great love my father bore thee, get the keys and
+release me from my bonds. I will share all my free
+land with thee if thou wilt help me in this distress.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The poor old servant was greatly perplexed. He knew
+not how to reconcile his grateful loyalty to his dead master
+with the loyalty due to his present lord, and he said
+doubtfully: &ldquo;I have served thy brother for sixteen years,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg&nbsp;215]</a></span>
+and if I release thee now he will rightly call me a traitor.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Ah, Adam! thou wilt find him a false rogue at the last,
+as I have done. Release me, dear friend Adam, and I
+will be true to my agreement, and will keep my covenant
+to share my land with thee.&rdquo; By these earnest words
+the steward was persuaded, and, waiting till Sir John
+was safely in bed, managed to obtain possession of the
+keys and release Gamelyn, who stretched his arms and
+legs and thanked God for his liberty. &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said he,
+&ldquo;if I were but well fed no one in this house should
+bind me again to-night.&rdquo; So Adam took him to a
+private room and set food before him; eagerly he
+ate and drank till his hunger was satisfied and he began
+to think of revenge. &ldquo;What is your advice, Adam?
+Shall I go to my brother and strike off his head? He
+well merits it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Plan of Escape</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; answered Adam, &ldquo;I know a better plan than
+that. Sir John is to give a great feast on Sunday to
+many Churchmen and prelates; there will be present a
+great number of abbots and priors and other holy men.
+Do you stand as if bound by your post in the hall, and
+beseech them to release you. If they will be surety for
+you, your liberty will be gained with no blame to me; if
+they all refuse, you shall cast aside the unlocked chains,
+and you and I, with two good staves, can soon win your
+freedom. Christ&rsquo;s curse on him who fails his comrade!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; quoth Gamelyn, &ldquo;evil may I thrive if I fail
+in my part of the bargain! But if we must needs help
+them to do penance for their sins, you must warn me,
+brother Adam, when to begin.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By St. Charity, master, I will give you good
+warning. When I wink at you be ready to cast away
+your fetters at once and come to me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg&nbsp;216]</a></span>
+&ldquo;This is good advice of yours, Adam, and blessings
+on your head. If these haughty Churchmen refuse
+to be surety for me I will give them good strokes in
+payment.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Great Feast</h3>
+
+<p>Sunday came, and after mass many guests thronged
+to the feast in the great hall; they all stared curiously
+at Gamelyn as he stood with his hands behind him,
+apparently chained to his post, and Sir John explained
+sadly that he, after slaying the porter and wasting the
+household stores, had gone mad, and was obliged to be
+chained, for his fury was dangerous. The servants
+carried dainty dishes round the table, and beakers of
+rich wines, but though Gamelyn cried aloud that he
+was fasting no food was brought to him. Then he
+spoke pitifully and humbly to the noble guests:
+&ldquo;Lords, for Christ&rsquo;s sake help a poor captive out of
+prison.&rdquo; But the guests were hard-hearted, and answered
+cruelly, especially the abbots and priors, who had been
+deceived by Sir John&rsquo;s false tales. So harshly did they
+reply to the youth&rsquo;s humble petition that he grew angry.
+&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;that is all the answer I am to have to
+my prayer! Now I see that I have no friends. Cursed
+be he that ever does good to abbot or prior!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr32.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_214" id="image_page_214"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Lords, for Christ&rsquo;s sake help poor Gamelyn out of prison!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Banquet Disturbed</h3>
+
+<p>Adam Spencer, busied about the removal of the cloth,
+looked anxiously at Gamelyn, and saw how angry he
+grew. He thought little more of his service, but, making
+a pretext to go to the pantry, brought two good oak staves,
+and stood them beside the hall door. Then he winked
+meaningly at Gamelyn, who with a sudden shout flung
+off his chains, rushed to the hall door, seized a staff,
+and began to lay about him lustily, whirling his weapon
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg&nbsp;217]</a></span>
+as lightly as if it had been a holy water sprinkler.
+There was a dreadful commotion in the hall, for the
+portly Churchmen tried to escape, but the mere laymen
+loved Gamelyn, and drew aside to give him free play,
+so that he was able to scatter the prelates. Now he
+had no pity on these cruel Churchmen, as they had been
+without pity for him; he knocked them over, battered
+them, broke their arms and legs, and wrought terrible
+havoc among them; and during this time Adam
+Spencer kept the door so that none might escape.
+He called aloud to Gamelyn to respect the sanctity
+of men of Holy Church and shed no blood, but if he
+should by chance break arms and legs there would be
+no sacrilege, because no blood need be shed.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir John in Chains</h3>
+
+<p>Thus Gamelyn worked his will, laying hands on
+monks and friars, and sent them home wounded in
+carts and waggons, while some of them muttered:
+&ldquo;We were better at home, with mere bread and water,
+than here where we have had such a sorry feast!&rdquo; Then
+Gamelyn turned his attention to his false brother, who
+had been unable to escape, seized him by the neck,
+broke his backbone with one blow from his staff, and
+thrust him, sitting, into the fetters that yet hung from
+the post where Gamelyn had stood. &ldquo;Sit there, brother,
+and cool thy blood,&rdquo; said Gamelyn, as he and Adam
+sat down to a feast, at which the servants waited on
+them eagerly, partly from love and partly from fear.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Sheriff&rsquo;s Men Appear</h3>
+
+<p>Now the sheriff happened to be only five miles away,
+and soon heard the news of this disturbance, and how
+Gamelyn and Adam had broken the king&rsquo;s peace; and,
+as his duty was, he determined to arrest the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg&nbsp;218]</a></span>
+law-breakers. Twenty-four of his best men were sent to
+the castle to gain admittance and arrest Gamelyn and
+his steward; but the new porter, a devoted adherent
+of Gamelyn, denied them entrance till he knew their
+errand; when they refused to tell it, he sent a servant
+to rouse Gamelyn and warn him that the sheriff&rsquo;s
+men stood before the gate.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;Then answered Gamelyn: &lsquo;Good porter, go;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Delay my foes with fair speech at the gate<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till I relieve thee with some cunning wile.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If I o&rsquo;erlive this strait, I will requite<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy truth and loyalty. Adam,&rsquo; quoth he,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Our foes are on us, and we have no friend&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The sheriff&rsquo;s men surround us, and have sworn<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A mighty oath to take us: we must go<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Whither our safety calls us.&rsquo; He replied:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Go where thou wilt, I follow to the last<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or die forlorn: but this proud sheriffs troop<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Will flee before our onset, to the fens.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>The Sheriff Arrives</h3>
+
+<p>As Gamelyn and Adam looked round for weapons
+the former saw a cart-staff, a stout post used for propping
+up the shafts; this he seized, and ran out at the
+little postern gate, followed by Adam with another
+staff. They caught the sheriff&rsquo;s twenty-four bold men
+in the rear, and when Gamelyn had felled three, and
+Adam two, the rest took to their heels. &ldquo;What!&rdquo; said
+Adam as they fled. &ldquo;Drink a draught of my good wine!
+I am steward here.&rdquo; &ldquo;Nay,&rdquo; they shouted back; &ldquo;such
+wine as yours scatters a man&rsquo;s brains far too thoroughly.&rdquo;
+Now this little fray was hardly ended before the sheriff
+came in person with a great troop. Gamelyn knew not
+what to do, but Adam again had a plan ready. &ldquo;Let us
+stay no longer, but go to the greenwood: there we shall
+at least be at liberty.&rdquo; The advice suited Gamelyn, and
+each drank a draught of wine, mounted his steed, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg&nbsp;219]</a></span>
+lightly rode away, leaving the empty nest for the sheriff,
+with no eggs therein. However, that officer dismounted,
+entered the hall, and found Sir John fettered and nearly
+dying. He released him, and summoned a leech, who
+healed his grievous wound, and enabled him to do more
+mischief.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Goes to the Greenwood</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Adam wandered with Gamelyn in the
+greenwood, and found it very hard work, with little
+food. He complained aloud to his young lord:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Would I were back in mine old stewardship&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Full blithe were I, the keys to bear and keep!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I like not this wild wood, with wounding thorns,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And nought of food or drink, or restful ease.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Ah! Adam,&rsquo; answered Gamelyn, &lsquo;in sooth<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Full many a good man&rsquo;s son feels bitter woe!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then cheer thee, Adam.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 407px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr33.jpg" width="407" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_218" id="image_page_218"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Then cheer thee, Adam&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>As they spoke sadly together Gamelyn heard men&rsquo;s
+voices near by, and, looking through the bushes, saw
+seven score young men, sitting round a plentiful feast,
+spread on the green grass. He rejoiced greatly, bidding
+Adam remember that &ldquo;Boot cometh after bale,&rdquo; and
+pointing out to him the abundance of provisions near
+at hand. Adam longed for a good meal, for they had
+found little to eat since they came to the greenwood.
+At that moment the master-outlaw saw them in the
+underwood, and bade his young men bring to him
+these new guests whom God had sent: perchance, he
+said, there were others besides these two. The seven
+bold youths who started up to do his will cried to
+the two new-comers: &ldquo;Yield and hand us your bows
+and arrows!&rdquo; &ldquo;Much sorrow may he have who yields
+to you,&rdquo; cried Gamelyn. &ldquo;Why, with five more ye would
+be only twelve, and I could fight you all.&rdquo; When the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg&nbsp;220]</a></span>
+outlaws saw how boldly he bore himself they changed
+their tone, and said mildly: &ldquo;Come to our master, and
+tell him thy desire.&rdquo; &ldquo;Who is your master?&rdquo; quoth
+Gamelyn. &ldquo;He is the crowned king of the outlaws,&rdquo;
+quoth they; and the two strangers were led away to the
+chief.</p>
+
+<p>The master-outlaw, sitting on a rustic throne, with
+a crown of oak-leaves on his head, asked them their
+business, and Gamelyn replied: &ldquo;He must needs walk
+in the wood who may not walk in the town. We are
+hungry and faint, and will only shoot the deer for food,
+for we are hard bestead and in great danger.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Joins the Outlaws</h3>
+
+<p>The outlaw leader had pity on their distress, and
+gave them food; and as they ate ravenously the outlaws
+whispered one to another: &ldquo;This is Gamelyn!&rdquo;
+&ldquo;This is Gamelyn!&rdquo; Understanding all the evils
+that had befallen him, their leader soon made Gamelyn
+his second in command; and when after three weeks the
+outlaw king was pardoned and allowed to return home,
+Gamelyn was chosen to succeed him and was crowned
+king of the outlaws. So he dwelt merrily in the forest,
+and troubled not himself about the world outside.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Law at Work</h3>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the treacherous Sir John had recovered,
+and in due course had become sheriff, and indicted his
+brother for felony. As Gamelyn did not appear to
+answer the indictment he was proclaimed an outlaw
+and wolf&rsquo;s-head, and a price was set upon his life.
+Now his bondmen and vassals were grieved at this, for
+they feared the cruelty of the wicked sheriff; they
+therefore sent messengers to Gamelyn to tell him the
+ill news, and deprecate his wrath. The youth&rsquo;s anger
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg&nbsp;221]</a></span>
+rose at the tidings, and he promised to come and beard
+Sir John in his hall and protect his own tenants.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Arrested</h3>
+
+<p>It was certainly a stroke of rash daring thus to venture
+into the county where his brother was sheriff, but
+he strode boldly into the moot-hall, with his hood
+thrown back, so that all might recognise him, and cried
+aloud: &ldquo;God save all you lordings here present! But,
+thou broken-backed sheriff, evil mayst thou thrive!
+Why hast thou done me such wrong and disgrace as
+to have me indicted and proclaimed an outlaw?&rdquo;
+Sir John did not hesitate to use his legal powers, but,
+seeing his brother was quite alone, had him arrested
+and cast into prison, whence it was his intention that
+only death should release him.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Otho as Surety</h3>
+
+<p>All these years the second brother, Otho, had lived
+quietly on his own lands and taken no heed of the
+quarrels of the two others; but now, when news came
+to him of Sir John&rsquo;s deadly hatred to their youngest
+brother, and Gamelyn&rsquo;s desperate plight, he was deeply
+grieved, roused himself from his peaceful life, and rode
+to see if he could help his brother. First he besought
+Sir John&rsquo;s mercy for the prisoner, for the sake of
+brotherhood and family love; but he only replied
+that Gamelyn must stay imprisoned till the justice
+should hold the next assize. Then Otho offered to be
+bail, if only his young brother might be released from his
+bonds and brought from the dismal dungeon where he
+lay. To this Sir John finally consented, warning Otho
+that if the accused failed to appear before the justice
+he himself must suffer the penalty for the breach
+of bail. &ldquo;I agree,&rdquo; said Otho. &ldquo;Have him released at
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg&nbsp;222]</a></span>
+once, and deliver him to me.&rdquo; Then Gamelyn was set
+free on his brother&rsquo;s surety, and the two rode home
+to Otho&rsquo;s house, talking sadly of all that had befallen,
+and how Gamelyn had become king of the outlaws.
+The next morning Gamelyn asked Otho&rsquo;s permission to
+go to the greenwood and see how his young men fared
+but Otho pointed out so clearly how dreadful would
+be the consequences to him if he did not return that
+the young man vowed:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;I swear by James, the mighty saint of Spain,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I will not desert thee, nor will fail<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To stand my trial on the appointed day,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If God Almighty give me strength and health<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And power to keep my vow. I will be there,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I may show what bitter hate Sir John,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My cruel brother, holds against me.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn Goes to the Woods</h3>
+
+<p>Thereupon Otho bade him go. &ldquo;God shield thee
+from shame! Come when thou seest it is the right
+time, and save us both from blame and reproach.&rdquo; So
+Gamelyn went gaily to the merry greenwood, and found
+his company of outlaws; and so much had they to tell
+of their work in his absence, and so much had he to
+relate of his adventures, that time slipped by, and
+he soon fell again into his former mode of life, and
+his custom of robbing none but Churchmen, fat abbots
+and priors, monks and canons, so that all others spoke
+good of him, and called him the &ldquo;courteous outlaw.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Term Expires</h3>
+
+<p>Gamelyn stood one day looking out over the woods
+and fields, and it suddenly came to his mind with a
+pang of self-reproach that he had forgotten his promise
+to Otho, and the day of the assize was very near. He
+called his young men (for he had learned not to trust
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg&nbsp;223]</a></span>
+himself to the honour or loyalty of his brother the
+sheriff), and bade them prepare to accompany him to
+the place of assize, sending Adam on as a scout to learn
+tidings. Adam returned in great haste, bringing sad
+news. The judge was in his place, a jury empanelled
+to condemn Gamelyn to death, bribed thereto by the
+wicked sheriff, and Otho was fettered in the gaol in
+place of his brother. The news enraged Gamelyn, but
+Adam Spencer was even more infuriated; he would
+gladly have held the doors of the moot-hall and slain
+every person inside except Otho; but his master&rsquo;s sense
+of justice was too strong for that. &ldquo;Adam,&rdquo; he said,
+&ldquo;we will not do so, but will slay the guilty and let the
+innocent escape. I myself will have some conversation
+with the justice in the hall; and meanwhile do ye, my
+men, hold the doors fast. I will make myself justice to-day,
+and thou, Adam, shalt be my clerk. We will give sentence
+this day, and God speed our new work!&rdquo; All his
+men applauded this speech and promised him obedience,
+and the troop of outlaws hastened to surround the hall.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Gamelyn in the Court</h3>
+
+<p>Once again Gamelyn strode into the moot-hall in
+the midst of his enemies, and was recognised by all.
+He released Otho, who said gently: &ldquo;Brother, thou
+hast nearly overstayed the time; the sentence has been
+given against me that I shall be hanged.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Brother,&rdquo; said Gamelyn, &ldquo;this day shall thy foes and
+mine be hanged: the sheriff, the justice, and the wicked
+jurors.&rdquo; Then Gamelyn turned to the judge, who sat as
+if paralysed in his seat of judgment, and said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Come from the seat of justice: all too oft<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hast thou polluted law&rsquo;s clear stream with wrong;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Too oft hast taken reward against the poor;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Too oft hast lent thine aid to villainy,<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg&nbsp;224]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">And given judgment &rsquo;gainst the innocent.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Come down and meet thine own meed at the bar,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">While I, in thy place, give more rightful doom<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And see that justice dwells in law for once.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr34.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_222" id="image_page_222"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Come from the seat of justice&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Scene</h3>
+
+<p>The justice sat still, dumb with astonishment, and
+Gamelyn struck him fiercely, cut his cheek, and threw
+him over the bar so that his arm broke; and no man
+durst withstand the outlaw, for fear of his company
+standing at the doors. The youth sat down in the
+judge&rsquo;s seat, with Otho beside him, and Adam in the
+clerk&rsquo;s desk; and he placed in the dock the false
+sheriff, the justice, and the unjust jurors, and accused
+them of wrong and attempted murder. In order to
+keep up the forms of law, he empanelled a jury of
+his own young men, who brought in a verdict of
+&ldquo;Guilty,&rdquo; and the prisoners were all condemned to
+death and hanged out of hand, though the false sheriff
+attempted to appeal to the brotherly affection of which
+he had shown so little.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Honour from the King</h3>
+
+<p>After this high-handed punishment of their enemies
+Gamelyn and his brother went to lay their case before
+King Edward, and he forgave them, in consideration of
+all the wrongs and injuries Gamelyn had suffered; and
+before they returned to their distant county the king
+made Otho sheriff of the county, and Gamelyn chief
+forester of all his free forests; his band of outlaws
+were all pardoned, and the king gave them posts
+according to their capabilities. Now Gamelyn and his
+brother settled down to a happy, peaceful life. Otho,
+having no son, made Gamelyn his heir, and the latter
+married a beauteous lady, and lived with her in joy till
+his life&rsquo;s end.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg&nbsp;225]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XI: WILLIAM OF
+CLOUDESLEE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE outlaw of medi&aelig;val England has always
+possessed a potent charm for the minds of less
+rebellious persons. No doubt now the attraction
+has somewhat waned, for in the exploration of
+distant lands and the study of barbaric tribes men can
+find that breadth of outlook, that escape from narrow
+conventionalities, which they could formerly gain only
+by the cult of the &ldquo;noble outlaw.&rdquo; The romance of
+life for many a worthy citizen must have been found
+in secret sympathy with Robin Hood and his merry
+band of banished men, robbing the purse-proud to help
+the needy and gaily defying law and authority.</p>
+
+<p>To the poor, however, the outlaw was something
+more than an easy entrance to the realms of romance;
+he was a real embodiment of the spirit of liberty. Of
+all the unjust laws which the Norman conquerors laid
+upon England, perhaps the most bitterly resented were
+the forest laws, and resistance to them was the most
+popular form of national independence. Hence it
+follows that we find outlaw heroes popular very early
+in our history&mdash;heroes who stand in the mind of the
+populace for justice and true liberty against the oppressive
+tyranny of subordinate officials, and who are always
+taken into favour by the king, the fount of true justice.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Famous Outlaws</h3>
+
+<p>There is some slight tinge of the &ldquo;outlaw hero&rdquo; in
+Hereward, but the outlaw period of that patriot&rsquo;s life
+is but an episode in his defence of England against
+William the Norman. There is a fully developed outlaw
+hero, the ideal of the type, in Robin Hood, but he
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg&nbsp;226]</a></span>
+has been somewhat idealized and ennobled by being
+transformed into a banished Earl of Huntingdon. Less
+known, but equally heroic, is William of Cloudeslee,
+the William Tell of England, whose fame is that of a
+good yeoman, a good archer, and a good patriot.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Outlaws</h3>
+
+<p>In the green forest of Englewood, in the &ldquo;North
+Countree,&rdquo; not far from the fortified town of Carlisle,
+dwelt a merry band of outlaws. They were not evildoers,
+but sturdy archers and yeomen, whose outlawry
+had been incurred only for shooting the king&rsquo;s deer.
+Indeed, to most men of that time&mdash;that is, to most men
+who were not in the royal service&mdash;the shooting of deer,
+and the pursuit of game in general, were not only
+venial offences, but the most natural thing in life. The
+royal claim to exclusive hunting in the vast forests of
+Epping, Sherwood, Needwood, Barnesdale, Englewood,
+and many others seemed preposterous to the yeomen
+who lived on the borders of the forests, and they took
+their risks and shot the deer and made venison pasty,
+convinced that they were wronging no one and risking
+only their own lives. They had the help and sympathy
+of many a man who was himself a law-abiding citizen,
+as well as the less understanding help of the town mob
+and the labourers in the country.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Leaders</h3>
+
+<p>While the outlaws of merry Sherwood recognised no
+chief but Robin Hood and no foe but the Sheriff of
+Nottingham, the outlaws of Englewood were under
+the headship of three famous archers, brothers-in-arms
+sworn to stand by each other, but not brothers in blood.
+Their names were Adam Bell, William of Cloudeslee,
+and Clym of the Cleugh; and of the three William of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg&nbsp;227]</a></span>
+Cloudeslee alone was married. His wife, fair Alice of
+Cloudeslee, dwelt in a strong house within the walls
+of Carlisle, with her three children, for they were not
+included in William&rsquo;s outlawry. It was possible thus
+for her to send her husband warning of any attack
+planned by the Sheriff of Carlisle on the outlaws, and she
+had saved him and his comrades from surprise already.</p>
+
+
+<h3>William Goes to Carlisle</h3>
+
+<p>When the blithe spring had come, and the forest was
+beautiful with its fresh green leaves, William began to
+long for his home and family; he had not ventured
+into Carlisle for some time, and it was more than six
+months since he had seen his wife&rsquo;s face. Little wonder
+was it, then, that he announced his intention of visiting
+his home, at the risk of capture by his old enemy the
+Sheriff. In vain his comrades dissuaded him from the
+venture. Adam Bell was especially urgent in his advice
+that William should remain in the greenwood.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You shall not go to Carlisle, brother, by my advice,
+nor with my consent. If the sheriff or the justice
+should know that you are in the town short would be
+your shrift and soon your span of life would end. Stay
+with us, and we will fetch you tidings of your wife.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>William replied: &ldquo;Nay, I must go myself; I cannot
+rest content with tidings only. If all is well I will
+return by prime to-morrow, and if I fail you at that
+hour you may be sure I am taken or slain; and I pray
+you guard well my family, if that be so.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Taking leave of his brother outlaws, William made
+his way unobserved into the town and came to his wife&rsquo;s
+dwelling. It was closely shut, with doors strongly
+bolted, and he was forced to knock long on the window
+before his wife opened the shutter to see who was the
+importunate visitor.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg&nbsp;228]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Let me in quickly, my own Alice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have
+come to see you and my three children. How have
+you fared this long time?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; she replied, hurriedly admitting him, and
+bolting the door again, &ldquo;why have you come now,
+risking your dear life to gain news of us? Know you
+not that this house has been watched for more than six
+months, so eager are the sheriff and the justice to
+capture and hang you? I would have come to you in
+the forest, or sent you word of our welfare. I fear&mdash;oh,
+how I fear!&mdash;lest your coming be known!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Old Woman&rsquo;s Treachery</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now that I am here, let us make merry,&rdquo; quoth
+William. &ldquo;No man has seen me enter, and I would
+fain enjoy my short stay with you and my children, for
+I must be back in the forest by prime to-morrow. Can
+you not give a hungry outlaw food and drink?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then Dame Alice bustled about and prepared the
+best she had for her husband; and when all was ready
+a very happy little family sat down to the meal,
+husband and wife talking cheerily together, while the
+children watched in wondering silence the father who
+had been away so long and came to them so seldom.</p>
+
+<p>There was one inmate of the house who saw in
+William&rsquo;s return a means of making shameful profit.
+She was an old bedridden woman, apparently paralysed,
+whom he had rescued from utter poverty seven years
+before. During all that time she had lain on a bed
+near the fire, had shared all the life of the family, and
+had never once moved from her couch. Now, while
+husband and wife talked together and the darkness
+deepened in the room, this old impostor slipped from
+her bed and glided stealthily out of the house.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg&nbsp;229]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>News Brought to the Sheriff</h3>
+
+<p>It happened that the king&rsquo;s assize was being held
+just then in Carlisle, and the sheriff and his staunch
+ally the justice were sitting together in the Justice
+Hall. Thither this treacherous old woman hurried
+with all speed and pushed into the hall, forcing her
+way through the crowd till she came near the sheriff.
+&ldquo;Ha! what would you, good woman?&rdquo; asked he,
+surprised. &ldquo;Sir, I bring tidings of great value.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Tell your tidings, and I shall see if they be of value
+or no. If they are I will reward you handsomely.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Sir, this night William of Cloudeslee has come into
+Carlisle, and is even now in his wife&rsquo;s house. He is
+all alone, and you can take him easily. Now what will
+you pay me, for I am sure this news is much to you?&rdquo;
+&ldquo;You say truth, good woman. That bold outlaw is
+the worst of all who kill the king&rsquo;s deer in his forest of
+Englewood, and if I could but catch him I should be
+well content. Dame, you shall not go without a
+recompense for your journey here and for your
+loyalty.&rdquo; The sheriff then bade his men give the
+old woman a piece of scarlet cloth, dyed in grain,
+enough for a gown, and the treacherous hag hid the
+gift under her cloak, hastened away to Alice&rsquo;s house,
+and slipped unperceived into her place again, hiding the
+scarlet cloth under the bed-coverings.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Hue and Cry</h3>
+
+<p>Immediately he had heard of Cloudeslee&rsquo;s presence
+in Carlisle the sheriff sent out the hue and cry, and
+with all speed raised the whole town, for though none
+hated the outlaws men dared not refuse to obey the
+king&rsquo;s officer. The justice, too, joined the sheriff
+in the congenial task of capturing an outlaw whose
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg&nbsp;230]</a></span>
+condemnation was already pronounced. With all the
+forces at their disposal, sheriff and justice took their
+way towards the house where William and Alice
+unconscious of the danger besetting them, still talked
+lovingly together.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the outlaw&rsquo;s ears, sharpened by woodcraft
+and by constant danger, heard a growing noise
+coming nearer and nearer. He knew the sound of
+the footsteps of many people, and among the casual
+shuffling of feet recognised the ominous tramp of
+soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wife, we are betrayed,&rdquo; cried William. &ldquo;Hither
+comes the sheriff to take me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Siege of the House</h3>
+
+<p>Alice ran quickly up to her bedchamber and opened
+a window looking to the back, and saw, to her despair,
+that soldiers beset the house on every side and filled all
+the neighbouring streets. Behind them pressed a great
+throng of citizens, who seemed inclined to leave the
+capture of the outlaw to the guard. At the same
+moment William from the front called to his wife that
+the sheriff and justice were besieging the house on
+that side.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas! dear husband, what shall we do?&rdquo; cried
+Alice. &ldquo;Accursed be all treason! But who can have
+betrayed you to your foes? Go into my bedchamber,
+dear William, and defend yourself there, for it is the
+strongest room in the house. The children and I will
+go with you, and I will guard the door while you
+defend the windows.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The plan was speedily carried out, and while William
+took his stand by the window Alice seized a pole-axe
+and stationed herself by the door. &ldquo;No man shall
+enter this door alive while I live,&rdquo; said she.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg&nbsp;231]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Attack</h3>
+
+<p>From the window Cloudeslee could perceive his
+mortal enemies the justice and the sheriff; and drawing
+his good longbow, he shot with deadly aim fair at
+the breast of the justice. It was well for the latter
+then that he wore a suit of good chain-mail under his
+robes; the arrow hit his breast and split in three on the
+mail.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Beshrew the man that clad you with that mail
+coat! You would have been a dead man now if your
+coat had been no thicker than mine,&rdquo; said William.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yield yourself, Cloudeslee, and lay down your bow
+and arrows,&rdquo; said the justice. &ldquo;You cannot escape, for
+we have you safe.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Never shall my husband yield; it is evil counsel
+you give,&rdquo; exclaimed the brave wife from her post at
+the door.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The House is Burnt</h3>
+
+<p>The sheriff, who grew more angered as the hours
+passed on and Cloudeslee was not taken, now cried
+aloud: &ldquo;Why do we waste time trifling here? The
+man is an outlaw and his life is forfeit. Let us burn
+him and his house, and if his wife and children will
+not leave him they shall all burn together, for it is
+their own choice.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This cruel plan was soon carried out. Fire was set
+to the door and wooden shutters, and the flames spread
+swiftly; the smoke rolled up in thick clouds into the
+lofty bedchamber, where the little children, crouching
+on the ground, began to weep for fear.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas! must we all die?&rdquo; cried fair Alice, grieving
+for her children.</p>
+
+<p>William opened the window and looked out, but
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg&nbsp;232]</a></span>
+there was no chance of escape; his foes filled every
+street and lane around the house. &ldquo;Surely they will
+spare my wife and babes,&rdquo; he thought; and, tearing the
+sheets from the bed, he made a rope, with which he let
+down to the ground his children, and last of all his
+weeping wife.</p>
+
+<p>He called aloud to the sheriff: &ldquo;Sir Sheriff, here have
+I trusted to you my chief treasures. For God&rsquo;s sake do
+them no harm, but wreak all your wrath on me!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Gentle hands received Alice and her babes, and
+friendly citizens led them from the press; but Alice went
+reluctantly, in utter grief, knowing that her husband
+must be burnt with his house or taken by his foes; but
+for her children she would have stayed with him.
+William continued his wonderful archery, never missing
+his aim, till all his arrows were spent, and the flames
+came so close that his bowstring was burnt in two. Great
+blazing brands came falling upon him from the burning
+roof, and the floor was hot beneath his feet. &ldquo;An evil
+death is this!&rdquo; thought he. &ldquo;Better it were that I should
+take sword and buckler and leap down amid my foes
+and so die, striking good blows in the throng of enemies,
+than stay here and let them see me burn.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr35.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_232" id="image_page_232"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;William continued his wonderful archery&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon he leaped lightly down, and fought so
+fiercely that he nearly escaped through the throng, for
+the worthy citizens of Carlisle were not anxious to
+capture him; but the soldiers, urged by the sheriff and
+justice, threw doors and windows upon him, hampered
+his blows, and seized and bound him, and cast him into
+a deep dungeon.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Sheriff Gives Sentence</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now, William of Cloudeslee,&rdquo; quoth the sheriff,
+&ldquo;you shall be hanged with speed, as soon as I can have
+a new gallows made. So noted an outlaw merits no
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg&nbsp;233]</a></span>
+common gibbet; a new one is most fitting. To-morrow
+at prime you shall die. There is no hope of rescue, for
+the gates of the town shall be shut. Your dear friends,
+Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh, would be helpless
+to save you, though they brought a thousand more like
+themselves, or even all the devils in Hell.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Early next morning the justice arose, went to the
+soldiers who guarded the gates, and forbade them to
+open till the execution was over; then he went to the
+market-place and superintended the erection of a specially
+lofty gallows, beside the pillory.</p>
+
+
+<h3>News is Brought to the Greenwood</h3>
+
+<p>Among the crowd who watched the gallows being
+raised was a little lad, the town swineherd, who asked
+a bystander the meaning of the new gibbet.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is put up to hang a good yeoman, William of
+Cloudeslee, more&rsquo;s the pity! He has done no wrong
+but kill the King&rsquo;s deer, and that merits not hanging.
+It is a foul shame that such injustice can be wrought in
+the king&rsquo;s name.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The little lad had often met William of Cloudeslee
+in the forest, and had carried him messages from his
+wife; William had given the boy many a dinner of
+venison, and now he determined to help his friend if he
+could. The gates were shut and no man could pass
+out, but the boy stole along the wall till he found a
+crevice, by which he clambered down outside. Then he
+hastened to the forest of Englewood, and met Adam
+Bell and Clym of the Cleugh.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come quickly, good yeomen; ye tarry here too long.
+While you are at ease in the greenwood your friend,
+William of Cloudeslee, is taken, condemned to death, and
+ready to be hanged. He needs your help this very hour.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Adam Bell groaned. &ldquo;Ah! if he had but taken our
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg&nbsp;234]</a></span>
+advice he would have been here in safety with us now.
+In the greenwood there is no sorrow or care, but when
+William went to the town he was running into trouble.&rdquo;
+Then, bending his bow, he shot with unerring aim a
+hart, which he gave to the lad as recompense for his
+labour and goodwill.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Outlaws Go to Carlisle</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said Clym to Adam Bell, &ldquo;let us tarry no
+longer, but take our bows and arrows and see what we
+can do. By God&rsquo;s grace we will rescue our brother,
+though we may abide it full dearly ourselves. We will
+go to Carlisle without delay.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The morning was fair as the two yeomen strode from
+the deep green shades of Englewood Forest along the
+hard white road leading to Carlisle Town. They were
+in time as yet, but when they drew near the wall they
+were amazed to see that no entrance or exit was possible;
+the gates were shut fast.</p>
+
+<p>Stepping back into the green thickets beside the road,
+the two outlaws consulted together. Adam Bell was
+for a valiant attempt to storm the gate, but Clym suddenly
+bethought him of a wiser plan.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Clym&rsquo;s Stratagem</h3>
+
+<p>Said he: &ldquo;Let us pretend to be messengers from the
+king, with urgent letters to the justice. Surely that
+should win us admission. But alas! I forgot. How
+can we bear out our pretence, for I am no learned clerk.
+I cannot write.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Quoth Adam Bell: &ldquo;I can write a good clerkly hand.
+Wait one instant and I will speedily have a letter written;
+then we can say we have the king&rsquo;s seal. The plan will
+do well enough, for I hold the gate-keeper no learned
+clerk, and this will deceive him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 418px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr36.jpg" width="418" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_234" id="image_page_234"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Adam Bell writes the letter</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg&nbsp;235]</a></span>
+Indeed, the letter which he quickly wrote and folded
+and sealed was very well and clearly written, and addressed
+to the Justice of Carlisle. Then the two bold
+outlaws hastened up the road and thundered on the
+town gates.</p>
+
+
+<h3>They Enter the Town</h3>
+
+<p>So long and loud they knocked that the warder came
+in great wrath, demanding who dared to make such
+clamour.</p>
+
+<p>Adam Bell replied: &ldquo;We are two messengers come
+straight from our lord the king.&rdquo; Clym of the Cleugh
+added: &ldquo;We have a letter for the justice which we
+must deliver into his own hands. Let us in speedily to
+perform our errand, for we must return to the king in
+haste.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; the warder replied, &ldquo;that I cannot do. No
+man may enter these gates till a false thief and outlaw be
+safely hanged. He is William of Cloudeslee, who has
+long deserved death.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Clym saw that matters were becoming desperate,
+and time was passing too quickly, so he adopted a more
+violent tone. &ldquo;Ah, rascal, scoundrel, madman!&rdquo; quoth
+he. &ldquo;If we be delayed here any longer thou shalt be
+hanged for a false thief! To keep the king&rsquo;s messengers
+waiting thus! Canst thou not see the king&rsquo;s seal?
+Canst thou not read the address of the royal letter?
+Ah, blockhead, thou shalt dearly abide this delay when
+my lord knows thereof.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thus speaking, he flourished the forged letter, with
+its false seal, in the porter&rsquo;s face; and the man, seeing
+the seal and the writing, believed what was told him.
+Reverently he took off his hood and bent the knee to
+the king&rsquo;s messengers, for whom he opened wide the
+gates, and they entered, walking warily.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg&nbsp;236]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>They Keep the Gates</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;At last we are within Carlisle walls, and glad thereof
+are we,&rdquo; said Adam Bell, &ldquo;but when and how we shall
+go out again Christ only knows, who harrowed Hell
+and brought out its prisoners.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now if we had the keys ourselves we should have
+a good chance of life,&rdquo; said Clym, &ldquo;for then we could
+go in and out at our own will.&rdquo; &ldquo;Let us call the
+warder,&rdquo; said Adam. When he came running at their
+call both the yeomen sprang upon him, flung him to
+the ground, bound him hand and foot, and cast him
+into a dark cell, taking his bunch of keys from his
+girdle. Adam laughed and shook the heavy keys.
+&ldquo;Now I am gate-ward of merry Carlisle. See, here
+are my keys. I think I shall be the worst warder they
+have had for three hundred years. Let us bend our
+bows and hold our arrows ready, and walk into the
+town to deliver our brother.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Fight in the Market-place</h3>
+
+<p>When they came to the market-place they found a
+dense crowd of sympathizers watching pityingly the
+hangman&rsquo;s cart, in which lay William of Cloudeslee,
+bound hand and foot, with a rope round his neck.
+The sheriff and the justice stood near the gallows, and
+Cloudeslee would have been hanged already, but that
+the sheriff was hiring a man to measure the outlaw for
+his grave. &ldquo;You shall have the dead man&rsquo;s clothes,
+good fellow, if you make his grave,&rdquo; said he.</p>
+
+<p>Cloudeslee&rsquo;s courage was still undaunted. &ldquo;I have
+seen as great a marvel ere now,&rdquo; quoth he, &ldquo;as that a
+man who digs a grave for another may lie in it himself,
+in as short a time as from now to prime.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You speak proudly, my fine fellow, but hanged you
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg&nbsp;237]</a></span>
+shall be, if I do it with my own hand,&rdquo; retorted the
+sheriff furiously.</p>
+
+<p>Now the cart moved a little nearer to the scaffold, and
+William was raised up to be ready for execution. As
+he looked round the dense mass of faces his keen sight
+soon made him aware of his friends. Adam Bell and
+Clym of the Cleugh stood at one corner of the market-place
+with arrow on string, and their deadly aim bent
+at the sheriff and justice, whose horses raised them
+high above the murmuring throng. Cloudeslee showed
+no surprise, but said aloud: &ldquo;Lo! I see comfort, and
+hope to fare well in my journey. Yet if I might have
+my hands free I would care little what else befell me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Rescue</h3>
+
+<p>Now Adam said quietly to Clym: &ldquo;Brother, do you
+take the justice, and I will shoot the sheriff. Let us
+both loose at once and leave them dying. It is an
+easy shot, though a long one.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thus, while the sheriff yet waited for William to be
+measured for his grave, suddenly men heard the twang
+of bowstrings and the whistling flight of arrows through
+the air, and at the same moment both sheriff and
+justice fell writhing from their steeds, with the grey
+goose feathers standing in their breasts. All the bystanders
+fled from the dangerous neighbourhood, and left
+the gallows, the fatal cart, and the mortally wounded
+officials alone. The two bold outlaws rushed to release
+their comrade, cut his bonds, and lifted him to his feet.
+William seized an axe from a soldier and pursued the
+fleeing guard, while his two friends with their deadly
+arrows slew a man at each shot.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Mayor of Carlisle</h3>
+
+<p>When the arrows were all used Adam Bell and Clym
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg&nbsp;238]</a></span>
+of the Cleugh threw away their bows and took to
+sword and buckler. The fight continued till midday
+for in the narrow streets the three comrades protected
+each other, and drew gradually towards the gate. Adam
+Bell still carried the keys at his girdle, and they could
+pass out easily if they could but once reach the gateway.
+By this time the whole town was in a commotion; again
+the hue and cry had been raised against the outlaws, and
+the Mayor of Carlisle came in person with a mighty
+troop of armed citizens, angered now at the fighting in
+the streets of the town.</p>
+
+<p>The three yeomen retreated as steadily as they could
+towards the gate, but the mayor followed valiantly
+armed with a pole-axe, with which he clove Cloudeslee&rsquo;s
+shield in two. He soon perceived the object of the
+outlaws, and bade his men guard the gates well, so that
+the three should not escape.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Escape from Carlisle</h3>
+
+<p>Terrible was the din in the town now, for trumpets
+blew, church-bells were rung backward, women bewailed
+their dead in the streets, and over all resounded the
+clash of arms, as the fighting drew nigh the gate. When
+the gatehouse came in sight the outlaws were fighting
+desperately, with diminishing strength, but the thought
+of safety outside the walls gave them force to make one
+last stand. With backs to the gate and faces to the
+foe, Adam and Clym and William made a valiant
+onslaught on the townsfolk, who fled in terror, leaving
+a breathing-space in which Adam Bell turned the key,
+flung open the great ponderous gate, and flung it to
+again, when the three had passed through.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 398px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr37.jpg" width="398" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_238" id="image_page_238"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">The fight at the gate</p>
+
+
+<h3>Adam and the Keys</h3>
+
+<p>As Adam locked the door they could hear inside
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg&nbsp;239]</a></span>
+the town the hurrying footsteps of the rallying citizens,
+whose furious attack on the great iron-studded door
+came too late. The door was locked, and the three
+friends stood in safety outside, with their pleasant
+forest home within easy reach. The change of feeling
+was so intense that Adam Bell, always the man to seize
+the humorous point of a situation, laughed lightly.
+He called through the barred wicket:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Here are your keys. I resign my office as warder&mdash;one
+half-day&rsquo;s work is enough for me; and as I
+have resigned, and the former gate-ward is somewhat
+damaged and has disappeared, I advise you to find a
+new one. Take your keys, and much good may you
+get from them. Next time I advise you not to stop an
+honest yeoman from coming to see his own wife and
+have a chat with her.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon he flung the keys over the gate on the
+heads of the crowd, and the three brethren slipped
+away into the forest to their own haunts, where they
+found fresh bows and arrows in such abundance that
+they longed to be back in fair Carlisle with their foes
+before them.</p>
+
+
+<h3>William of Cloudeslee and his Wife Meet</h3>
+
+<p>While they were yet discussing all the details of the
+rescue they heard a woman&rsquo;s pitiful lament and the
+crying of little children. &ldquo;Hark!&rdquo; said Cloudeslee,
+and they all heard in the silence the words she said.
+It was William&rsquo;s wife, and she cried: &ldquo;Alas! why did
+I not die before this day? Woe is me that my dear
+husband is slain! He is dead, and I have no friend to
+lament with me. If only I could see his comrades and
+tell what has befallen him my heart would be eased of
+some of its pain.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>William, as he listened, was deeply touched, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg&nbsp;240]</a></span>
+walked gently to fair Alice, as she hid her face in her
+hands and wept. &ldquo;Welcome, wife, to the greenwood!&rdquo;
+quoth he. &ldquo;By heaven, I never thought to
+see you again when I lay in bonds last night.&rdquo; Dame
+Alice sprang up most joyously. &ldquo;Oh, all is well with
+me now you are here; I have no care or woe.&rdquo; &ldquo;For
+that you must thank my dear brethren, Adam and
+Clym,&rdquo; said he; and Alice began to load them with
+her thanks, but Adam cut short the expression of her
+gratitude. &ldquo;No need to talk about a little matter like
+that,&rdquo; he said gruffly. &ldquo;If we want any supper we
+had better kill something, for the meat we must eat is
+yet running wild.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>With three such good archers game was easily shot
+and a merry meal was quickly prepared in the greenwood,
+and all joyfully partook of venison and other
+dainties. Throughout the repast William devotedly
+waited on his wife with deepest love and reverence, for
+he could not forget how she had defended him and
+risked her life to stand by him.</p>
+
+
+<h3>William&rsquo;s Proposed Visit to London</h3>
+
+<p>When the meal was over, and they reclined on the
+green turf round the fire, William began thoughtfully:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is in my mind that we ought speedily to go to
+London and try to win our pardon from the king.
+Unless we approach him before news can be brought
+from Carlisle he will assuredly slay us. Let us go at
+once, leaving my dear wife and my two youngest sons
+in a convent here; but I would fain take my eldest boy
+with me. If all goes well he can bring good news to
+Alice in her nunnery, and if all goes ill he shall bring
+her my last wishes. But I am sure I am not meant to
+die by the law.&rdquo; His brethren approved the plan, and
+they took fair Alice and her two youngest children to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg&nbsp;241]</a></span>
+the nunnery, and then the three famous archers with
+the little boy of seven set out at their best speed for
+London, watching the passers-by carefully, that no news
+of the doings in Carlisle should precede them to the
+king.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Outlaws in the Royal Palace</h3>
+
+<p>The three yeomen, on arriving in London, made
+their way at once to the king&rsquo;s palace, and walked
+boldly into the hall, regardless of the astonished and
+indignant shouts of the royal porter. He followed
+them angrily into the hall, and began reproaching
+them and trying to induce them to withdraw, but to no
+purpose. Finally an usher came and said: &ldquo;Yeomen,
+what is your wish? Pray tell me, and I will help you
+if I can; but if you enter the king&rsquo;s presence thus
+unmannerly you will cause us to be blamed. Tell me
+now whence you come.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>William fearlessly answered: &ldquo;Sir, we will tell the
+truth without deceit. We are outlaws from the king&rsquo;s
+forests, outlawed for killing the king&rsquo;s deer, and we
+come to beg for pardon and a charter of peace, to show
+to the sheriff of our county.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The King and the Outlaws</h3>
+
+<p>The usher went to an inner room and begged to
+know the king&rsquo;s will, whether he would see these outlaws
+or not. The king was interested in these bold
+yeomen, who dared to avow themselves law-breakers,
+and bade men bring them to audience with him. The
+three comrades, with the little boy, on being introduced
+into the royal presence, knelt down and held up their
+hands, beseeching pardon for their offences.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Sire, we beseech your pardon for our breach of
+your laws. We are forest outlaws, who have slain your
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg&nbsp;242]</a></span>
+fallow deer in many parts of your royal forests.&rdquo; &ldquo;Your
+names? Tell me at once,&rdquo; said the king. &ldquo;Adam
+Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and William of Cloudeslee,&rdquo;
+they replied.</p>
+
+<p>The king was very wrathful. &ldquo;Are you those bold
+robbers of whom men have told me? Do you now dare
+to come to me for pardon? On mine honour I vow that
+you shall all three be hanged without mercy, as I am
+crowned king of this realm of England. Arrest them
+and lay them in bonds.&rdquo; There was no resistance
+possible, and the yeomen submitted ruefully to their
+arrest. Adam Bell was the first to speak. &ldquo;As I hope
+to thrive, this game pleases me not at all,&rdquo; he said.
+&ldquo;Sire, of your mercy, we beg you to remember that we
+came to you of our own free will, and to let us pass
+away again as freely. Give us back our weapons and
+let us have free passage till we have left your palace;
+we ask no more; we shall never ask another favour,
+however long we live.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The king was obdurate, however; he only replied:
+&ldquo;You speak proudly still, but you shall all three be
+hanged.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Queen Intercedes</h3>
+
+<p>The queen, who was sitting beside her husband, now
+spoke for the first time. &ldquo;Sire, it were a pity that such
+good yeomen should die, if they might in any wise be
+pardoned.&rdquo; &ldquo;There is no pardon,&rdquo; said the king. She
+then replied: &ldquo;My lord, when I first left my native
+land and came into this country as your bride you
+promised to grant me at once the first boon I asked. I
+have never needed to ask one until to-day, but now, sire,
+I claim one, and I beg you to grant it.&rdquo; &ldquo;With all my
+heart; ask your boon, and it shall be yours willingly.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Then, I pray you, grant me the lives of these good
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg&nbsp;243]</a></span>
+yeomen.&rdquo; &ldquo;Madam, you might have had half my kingdom,
+and you ask a worthless trifle.&rdquo; &ldquo;Sire, it seems
+not worthless to me; I beg you to keep your promise.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Madam, it vexes me that you have asked so little;
+yet since you will have these three outlaws, take them.&rdquo;
+The queen rejoiced greatly. &ldquo;Many thanks, my lord
+and husband. I will be surety for them that they
+shall be true men henceforth. But, good my lord, give
+them a word of comfort, that they may not be wholly
+dismayed by your anger.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>News Comes to the King</h3>
+
+<p>The king smiled at his wife. &ldquo;Ah, madam! you
+will have your own way, as all women will. Go,
+fellows, wash yourselves, and find places at the tables,
+where you shall dine well enough, even if it be not on
+venison pasty from the king&rsquo;s own forests.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The outlaws did reverence to the king and queen, and
+found seats with the king&rsquo;s guard at the lower tables
+in the hall. They were still satisfying their appetites
+when a messenger came in haste to the king; and the
+three North Countrymen looked at one another uneasily,
+for they knew the man was from Carlisle. The
+messenger knelt before the king and presented his
+letters. &ldquo;Sire, your officers greet you well.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How fare they? How does my valiant sheriff?
+And the prudent justice? Are they well?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alas! my lord, they have been slain, and many
+another good officer with them.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who hath done this?&rdquo; questioned the king
+angrily.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My lord, three bold outlaws, Adam Bell, Clym of
+the Cleugh, and William of Cloudeslee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What! these three whom I have just pardoned?
+Ah, sorely I repent that I forgave them! I would give
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg&nbsp;244]</a></span>
+a thousand pounds if I could have them hanged all
+three; but I cannot.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The King&rsquo;s Test</h3>
+
+<p>As the king read the letters his anger and surprise
+increased. It seemed impossible that three men should
+overawe a whole town, should slay sheriff, justice,
+mayor, and nearly every official in the town, forge a
+royal letter with the king&rsquo;s seal, and then lock the
+gates and escape safely. There was no doubt of the
+fact, and the king raged impotently against his own
+foolish mercy in giving them a free pardon. It had
+been granted, however, and he could do nought but
+grieve over the ruin they had wrought in Carlisle. At
+last he sprang up, for he could endure the banquet no
+longer.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Call my archers to go to the butts,&rdquo; he commanded.
+&ldquo;I will see these bold outlaws shoot, and
+try if their archery is so fine as men say.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly the king&rsquo;s archers and the queen&rsquo;s
+archers arrayed themselves, and the three yeomen took
+their bows and looked well to their silken bowstrings;
+and then all made their way to the butts where the
+targets were set up. The archers shot in turn, aiming
+at an ordinary target, but Cloudeslee soon grew weary
+of this childish sport, and said aloud: &ldquo;I shall never
+call a man a good archer who shoots at a target as large
+as a buckler. We have another sort of butt in my
+country, and that is worth shooting at.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>William of Cloudeslee&rsquo;s Archery</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Make ready your own butts,&rdquo; the king commanded,
+and the three outlaws went to a bush in a
+field close by and returned bearing hazel-rods, peeled
+and shining white. These rods they set up at four
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg&nbsp;245]</a></span>
+hundred yards apart, and, standing by one, they
+said to the king: &ldquo;We should account a man a
+fair archer if he could split one wand while standing
+beside the other.&rdquo; &ldquo;It cannot be done; the feat is
+too great,&rdquo; exclaimed the king. &ldquo;Sire, I can easily
+do it,&rdquo; quoth Cloudeslee, and, taking aim very carefully,
+he shot, and the arrow split the wand in
+two. &ldquo;In truth,&rdquo; said the king, &ldquo;you are the best
+archer I have ever seen. Can you do greater wonders?&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; quoth Cloudeslee, &ldquo;one thing more
+I can do, but it is a more difficult feat. Nevertheless
+I will try it, to show you our North Country
+shooting.&rdquo; &ldquo;Try, then,&rdquo; the king replied; &ldquo;but if
+you fail you shall be hanged without mercy, because
+of your boasting.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Cloudeslee Shoots the Apple from his Son&rsquo;s Head</h3>
+
+<p>Now Cloudeslee stood for a few moments as if
+doubtful of himself, and the South Country archers
+watched him, hoping for a chance to retrieve their defeat,
+when William suddenly said: &ldquo;I have a son, a dear
+son, seven years of age. I will tie him to a stake and
+place an apple on his head. Then from a distance of a
+hundred and twenty yards I will split the apple in two
+with a broad arrow.&rdquo; &ldquo;By heaven!&rdquo; the king cried,
+&ldquo;that is a dreadful feat. Do as you have said, or by
+Him who died on the Cross I will hang you high. Do
+as you have said, but if you touch one hair of his head, or
+the edge of his gown, I will hang you and your two companions.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;I have never broken my pledged word,&rdquo;
+said the North Country bowman, and he at once made
+ready for the terrible trial. The stake was set in the
+ground, the boy tied to it, with his face turned from his
+father, lest he should give a start and destroy his aim.
+Cloudeslee then paced the hundred and twenty yards,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg&nbsp;246]</a></span>
+anxiously felt his string, bent his bow, chose his broadest
+arrow, and fitted it with care.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 401px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr38.jpg" width="401" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_244" id="image_page_244"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">William of Cloudeslee and his son</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Last Shot</h3>
+
+<p>It was an anxious moment. The throng of spectators
+felt sick with expectation, and many women wept and
+prayed for the father and his innocent son. But
+Cloudeslee showed no fear. He addressed the crowd
+gravely: &ldquo;Good folk, stand all as still as may be. For
+such a shot a man needs a steady hand, and your movements
+may destroy my aim and make me slay my son.
+Pray for me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then, in an unbroken silence of breathless suspense,
+the bold marksman shot, and the apple fell
+to the ground, cleft into two absolutely equal halves.
+A cheer from every spectator burst forth deafeningly,
+and did not die down till the king beckoned for
+silence.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The King and Queen Show Favour</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;God forbid that I should ever be your target,&rdquo;
+quoth he. &ldquo;You shall be my chief forester in the North
+Country, with daily wage, and daily right of killing
+venison; your two brethren shall become yeomen of
+my guard, and I will advance the fortunes of your
+family in every way.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The queen smiled graciously upon William, and
+she bestowed a pension upon him, and bade him
+bring his wife, fair Alice, to court, to take up the
+post of chief woman of the bedchamber to the royal
+children.</p>
+
+<p>Overwhelmed with these favours, the three yeomen
+became conscious of their own offences, more than they
+had told to the royal pair; their awakened consciences
+sent them to a holy bishop, who heard their confessions,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg&nbsp;247]</a></span>
+gave them penance and bade them live well for the
+future, and then absolved them. When they had
+returned to Englewood Forest and had broken up the
+outlaw band they came back to the royal court, and
+spent the rest of their lives in great favour with the
+king and queen.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg&nbsp;248]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XII: BLACK COLIN OF
+LOCH AWE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N considering the hero-myths of Scotland we are
+at once confronted with two difficulties. The first,
+and perhaps the greater, is this, that the only
+national heroes of Lowland Scotland are actual historical
+persons, with very little of the mythical character about
+them. The mention of Scottish heroes at once suggests
+Sir William Wallace, Robert Bruce, the Black Douglas,
+Sir Andrew Barton, and many more, whose exploits are
+matter of serious chronicle and sober record rather than
+subject of tradition and myth. These warriors are too
+much in reach of the fierce white searchlight of historic
+inquiry to be invested with mythical interest or to show
+any developments of ancient legend.</p>
+
+<p>The second difficulty is of a different nature, and
+yet almost equally perplexing. In the old ballads and
+poems of the Gaelic Highlands there are mythical
+heroes in abundance, such as Fingal and Ossian, Comala,
+and a host of shadowy chieftains and warriors, but they
+are not distinctively Scotch. They are only Highland
+Gaelic versions of the Irish Gaelic hero-legends, Scotch
+embodiments of Finn and Oisin, whose real home was
+in Ireland, and whose legends were carried to the
+Western Isles and the Highlands by conquering tribes
+of Scots from Erin. These heroes are at bottom Irish,
+the champions of the Fenians and of the Red Branch,
+and in the Scotch legends they have lost much of their
+original beauty and chivalry.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Highland Clans</h3>
+
+<p>It is rather in the private history of the country, as
+it were, than in its national records that we are likely
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg&nbsp;249]</a></span>
+to find a hero who will have something of the mythical
+in his story, something of the romance of the Middle
+Ages. The wars and jealousies of the clans, the
+adventures of a chief among hostile tribesmen, the
+raids and forays, the loves and hatreds of rival families,
+form a good background for a romantic legend; and
+such a legend occurs in the story of Black Colin of
+Loch Awe, a warrior of the great Campbell clan in the
+fourteenth century. The tale is common in one form
+or another to all European lands where the call of the
+Crusades was heard, and the romantic Crusading element
+has to a certain extent softened the occasionally
+ferocious nature of Highland stories in general, so that
+there is no bloodthirsty vengeance, no long blood-feud,
+to be recorded of Black Colin Campbell.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Knight of Loch Awe</h3>
+
+<p>During the wars between England and Scotland in
+the reigns of Edward I. and Edward II. one of the
+chief leaders in the cause of Scottish independence was
+Sir Nigel Campbell. The Knight of Loch Awe, as he
+was generally called, was a schoolfellow and comrade of
+Sir William Wallace, and a loyal and devoted adherent
+of Robert Bruce. In return for his services in the war
+of independence Bruce rewarded him with lands belonging
+to the rebellious MacGregors, including Glenurchy,
+the great glen at the head of Loch Awe through which
+flows the river Orchy. It was a wild and lonely district,
+and Sir Nigel Campbell had much conflict before
+he finally expelled the MacGregors and settled down
+peaceably in Glenurchy. There his son was born, and
+named Colin, and as years passed he won the nickname
+of Black Colin, from his swarthy complexion, or possibly
+from his character, which showed tokens of unusual
+fierceness and determination.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg&nbsp;250]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Black Colin&rsquo;s Youth</h3>
+
+<p>Sir Nigel Campbell, as all Highland chiefs did,
+sent his son to a farmer&rsquo;s family for fosterage. The
+boy became a child of his foster-family in every way;
+he lived on the plain food of the clansmen, oatmeal
+porridge and oatcake, milk from the cows, and beef
+from the herds; he ran and wrestled and hunted with
+his foster-brothers, and learnt woodcraft and warlike
+skill, broadsword play and the use of dirk and buckler,
+from his foster-father. More than all, he won a devoted
+following in the clan, for a man&rsquo;s foster-parents were
+almost dearer to him than his own father and mother,
+and his foster-brethren were bound to fight and die
+for him, and to regard him more than their own blood-relations.
+The foster-parents of Black Colin were
+a farmer and his wife, Patterson by name, living at
+Socach, in Glenurchy, and well and truly they fulfilled
+their trust.</p>
+
+
+<h3>He Goes on Crusade</h3>
+
+<p>In course of time Sir Nigel Campbell died, and
+Black Colin, his son, became Knight of Loch Awe, and
+lord of all Glenurchy and the country round. He was
+already noted for his strength and his dark complexion,
+which added to his beauty in the eyes of the maidens,
+and he soon found a lovely and loving bride. They
+dwelt on the Islet in Loch Awe, and were very happy
+for a short time, but Colin was always restless, because
+he would fain do great deeds of arms, and there was
+peace just then in the land.</p>
+
+<p>At last one day a messenger arrived at the castle on the
+Islet bearing tidings that another crusade was on foot.
+This messenger was a palmer who had been in the
+Holy Land, and had seen all the holy places in Jerusalem.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg&nbsp;251]</a></span>
+He told Black Colin how the Saracens ruled the country,
+and hindered men from worshipping at the sacred
+shrines; and he told how he had come home by Rome,
+where the Pope had just proclaimed another Holy
+War. The Pope had declared that his blessing would
+rest on the man who should leave wife and home and
+kinsfolk, and go forth to fight for the Lord against the
+infidel. As the palmer spoke Black Colin became
+greatly moved by his words, and when the old man
+had made an end he raised the hilt of his dirk and
+swore by the cross thereon that he would obey the
+summons and go on crusade.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Lady of Loch Awe</h3>
+
+<p>Now Black Colin&rsquo;s wife was greatly grieved, and
+wept sorely, for she was but young, and had been
+wedded no more than a year, and it seemed to her hard
+that she must be left alone. She asked her husband:
+&ldquo;How far will you go on this errand?&rdquo; &ldquo;I will go
+as far as Jerusalem, if the Pope bids me, when I have
+come to Rome,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;Alas! and how long will
+you be away from me?&rdquo; &ldquo;That I know not, but
+it may be for years if the heathen Saracens will not
+surrender the Holy Land to the warriors of the
+Cross.&rdquo; &ldquo;What shall I do during those long, weary
+years?&rdquo; asked she. &ldquo;Dear love, you shall dwell
+here on the Islet and be Lady of Glenurchy till I
+return again. The vassals and clansmen shall obey
+you in my stead, and the tenants shall pay you their
+rents and their dues, and in all things you shall hold
+my land for me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Token</h3>
+
+<p>The Lady of Loch Awe sighed as she asked: &ldquo;But if
+you die away in that distant land how shall I know?
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg&nbsp;252]</a></span>
+What will become of me if at last such woeful tidings
+should be brought?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wait for me seven years, dear wife,&rdquo; said Colin,
+&ldquo;and if I do not return before the end of that time
+you may marry again and take a brave husband to
+guard your rights and rule the glen, for I shall be
+dead in the Holy Land.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 414px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr39.jpg" width="414" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_252" id="image_page_252"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Wait for me seven years, dear wife&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That I will never do. I will be the Lady of Glenurchy
+till I die, or I will become the bride of Heaven
+and find peace for my sorrowing soul in a nunnery. No
+second husband shall wed me and hold your land. But
+give me now some token that we may share it between
+us; and you shall swear that on your deathbed you
+will send it to me; so shall I know indeed that you
+are no longer alive.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It shall be as you say,&rdquo; answered Black Colin,
+and he went to the smith of the clan and bade him
+make a massive gold ring, on which Colin&rsquo;s name was
+engraved, as well as that of the Lady of Loch Awe.
+Then, breaking the ring in two, Colin gave to his
+wife the piece with his name and kept the other
+piece, vowing to wear it near his heart and only to
+part with it when he should be dying. In like
+manner she with bitter weeping swore to keep her
+half of the ring, and hung it on a chain round her
+neck; and so, with much grief and great mourning
+from the whole clan, Black Colin and his sturdy
+following of Campbell clansmen set out for the Holy
+Land.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Journey</h3>
+
+<p>Sadly at first the little band marched away from all
+their friends and their homes; bagpipes played their
+loudest marching tunes, and plaids fluttered in the
+breeze, and the men marched gallantly, but with heavy
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg&nbsp;253]</a></span>
+hearts, for they knew not when they would return, and
+they feared to find supplanters in their homes when
+they came back after many years. Their courage rose,
+however, as the miles lengthened behind them, and by
+the time they had reached Edinburgh and had taken
+ship at Leith all was forgotten but the joy of fighting
+and the eager desire to see Rome and the Pope, the
+Holy Land and the Holy Sepulchre. Journeying up
+the Rhine, the Highland clansmen made their way
+through Switzerland and over the passes of the Alps
+down into the pleasant land of Italy, where the splendour
+of the cities surpassed their wildest imaginations;
+and so they came at last, with many other bands of
+Crusaders, to Rome.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Crusade</h3>
+
+<p>At Rome the Knight of Loch Awe was so fortunate
+as to have an audience of the Pope himself, who was
+touched by the devotion which brought these stern
+warriors so far from their home. Black Colin knelt in
+reverence before the aged pontiff, whom he held in
+truth to be the Vicar of Christ on earth, and received
+his blessing, and commands to continue his journey to
+Rhodes, where the Knights of St. John would give him
+opportunity to fight for the faith. The small band of
+Campbells went on to Rhodes, and there took service
+with the Knights, and won great praise from the Grand
+Master; but, though they fought the infidel, and
+exalted the standard of the Cross above the Crescent,
+Colin was still not at all satisfied. He left Rhodes
+after some years with a much-diminished band, and
+made his way as a pilgrim to Jerusalem. There he
+stayed until he had visited all the shrines in the Holy
+Land and prayed at every sacred spot. By this time
+the seven years of his proposed absence were ended,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg&nbsp;254]</a></span>
+and he was still far from his home and the dear glen
+by Loch Awe.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Lady&rsquo;s Suitor</h3>
+
+<p>While the seven years slowly passed away his sad and
+lonely wife dwelt in the castle on the Islet, ruling her
+lord&rsquo;s clan in all gentle ways, but fighting boldly when
+raiders came to plunder her clansmen. Yearly she
+claimed her husband&rsquo;s dues and watched that he was
+not defrauded of his rights. But though thus firm,
+she was the best help in trouble that her clan ever had,
+and all blessed the name of the Lady of Loch Awe.</p>
+
+<p>So fair and gentle a lady, so beloved by her clan,
+was certain to have suitors if she were a widow, and
+even before the seven years had passed away there were
+men who would gladly have persuaded her that her
+husband was dead and that she was free. She, however,
+steadfastly refused to hear a word of another marriage,
+saying: &ldquo;When Colin parted from me he gave me two
+promises, one to return, if possible, within seven years,
+and the other to send me, on his deathbed, if he died
+away from me, a sure token of his death. I have not
+yet waited seven years, nor have I had the token of his
+death. I am still the wife of Black Colin of Loch Awe.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This steadfastness gradually daunted her suitors and
+they left her alone, until but one remained, the Baron
+Niel MacCorquodale, whose lands bordered on Glenurchy,
+and who had long cast covetous eyes on the
+glen and its fair lady, and longed no less for the wealth
+she was reputed to possess than for the power this
+marriage would give him.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Baron&rsquo;s Plot</h3>
+
+<p>When the seven years were over the Baron MacCorquodale
+sought the Lady of Loch Awe again, wooing
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg&nbsp;255]</a></span>
+her for his wife. Again she refused, saying, &ldquo;Until
+I have the token of my husband&rsquo;s death I will be
+wife to no other man.&rdquo; &ldquo;And what is this token,
+lady?&rdquo; asked the Baron, for he thought he could send
+a false one. &ldquo;I will never tell that,&rdquo; replied the lady.
+&ldquo;Do you dare to ask the most sacred secret between
+husband and wife? I shall know the token when it
+comes.&rdquo; The Baron was not a little enraged that he
+could not discover the secret, but he determined to
+wed the lady and her wealth notwithstanding; accordingly
+he wrote by a sure and secret messenger to a
+friend in Rome, bidding him send a letter with
+news that Black Colin was assuredly dead, and that
+certain words (which the Baron dictated) had come
+from him.</p>
+
+
+<h3>A Forged Letter</h3>
+
+<p>One day the Lady of Loch Awe, looking out from her
+castle, saw the Baron coming, and with him a palmer
+whose face was bronzed by Eastern suns. She felt that
+the palmer would bring tidings, and welcomed the
+Baron with his companion. &ldquo;Lady, this palmer brings
+you sad news,&rdquo; quoth the Baron. &ldquo;Let him tell it,
+then,&rdquo; replied she, sick with fear. &ldquo;Alas! fair dame,
+if you were the wife of that gallant knight Colin of
+Loch Awe, you are now his widow,&rdquo; said the palmer
+sadly, as he handed her a letter. &ldquo;What proof have
+you?&rdquo; asked Black Colin&rsquo;s wife before she read the
+letter. &ldquo;Lady, I talked with the soldier who brought
+the tidings,&rdquo; replied the stranger.</p>
+
+<p>The letter was written from Rome to &ldquo;The Right
+Noble Dame the Lady of Loch Awe,&rdquo; and told how
+news had come from Rhodes, brought by a man of
+Black Colin&rsquo;s band, that the Knight of Loch Awe had
+been mortally wounded in a fight against the Saracens.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg&nbsp;256]</a></span>
+Dying, he had bidden his clansmen return to their
+lady, but they had all perished but one, fighting for
+vengeance against the infidels. This man, who had
+held the dying Knight tenderly upon his knee, said
+that Colin bade his wife farewell, bade her remember
+his injunction to wed again and find a protector, gasped
+out, &ldquo;Take her the token I promised; it is here,&rdquo; and
+died; but the Saracens attacked the Christians again,
+drove them back, and plundered the bodies of the slain,
+and when the one survivor returned to search for the
+precious token there was none! The body was stripped
+of everything of value, and the clansman wound it in
+the plaid and buried it on the battlefield.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Lady&rsquo;s Stratagem</h3>
+
+<p>There seemed no reason for the lady to doubt this
+news, and her grief was very real and sincere. She clad
+herself in mourning robes and bewailed her lost husband,
+but yet she was not entirely satisfied, for she still wore
+the broken half of the engraved ring on the chain round
+her neck, and still the promised death-token had not
+come. The Baron now pressed his suit with greater
+ardour than before, and the Lady of Loch Awe was hard
+put to it to find reasons for refusing him. It was
+necessary to keep him on good terms with the clan, for
+his lands bordered on those of Glenurchy, and he could
+have made war on the people in the glen quite easily,
+while the knowledge that their chief was dead would
+have made them a broken clan. So the lady turned to
+guile, as did Penelope of old in similar distress. &ldquo;I
+will wed you, now that my Colin is dead,&rdquo; she replied
+at last, &ldquo;but it cannot be immediately; I must first
+build a castle that will command the head of Glenurchy
+and of Loch Awe. The MacGregors knew the best place
+for a house, there on Innis Eoalan; there, where the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg&nbsp;257]</a></span>
+ruins of MacGregor&rsquo;s White House now stand, will I
+build my castle. When it is finished the time of my
+mourning will be over, and I will fix the bridal day.&rdquo;
+With this promise the Baron had perforce to be contented,
+and the castle began to rise slowly at the head of
+Loch Awe; but its progress was not rapid, because the
+lady secretly bade her men build feebly, and often the
+walls fell down, so that the new castle was very long
+in coming to completion.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Black Colin Hears the News</h3>
+
+<p>In the meantime all who loved Black Colin grieved
+to know that the Lady of Loch Awe would wed again,
+and his foster-mother sorrowed most of all, for she felt
+sure that her beloved Colin was not dead. The death-token
+had not been sent, and she sorely mistrusted the
+Baron MacCorquodale and doubted the truth of the
+palmer&rsquo;s message. At last, when the new castle was
+nearly finished and shone white in the rays of the sun,
+she called one of her sons and bade him journey to
+Rome to find the Knight of Loch Awe, if he were yet
+alive, and to bring sure tidings of his death if he were
+no longer living. The young Patterson set off secretly,
+and reached Rome in due course, and there he met
+Black Colin, just returned from Jerusalem. The Knight
+had at last realized that he had spent seven years away
+from his home, and that now, in spite of all his haste,
+he might reach Glenurchy too late to save his wife from
+a second marriage. He comforted himself, however,
+with the thought that the token was still safe with him,
+and that his wife would be loyal; great, therefore, was
+his horror when he met his foster-brother and heard how
+the news of his death had been brought to the glen.
+He heard also how his wife had reluctantly promised
+to marry the Baron MacCorquodale, and had delayed
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg&nbsp;258]</a></span>
+her wedding by stratagem, and he vowed that he would
+return to Glenurchy in time to spoil the plans of the
+wicked baron.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Black Colin&rsquo;s Return</h3>
+
+<p>Travelling day and night, Black Colin, with his faithful
+clansman, came near to Glenurchy, and sent his
+follower on in advance to bring back news. The youth
+returned with tidings that the wedding had been fixed
+for the next day, since the castle was finished and no
+further excuse for delay could be made. Then Colin&rsquo;s
+anger was greatly roused, and he vowed that the Baron
+MacCorquodale, who had stooped to deceit and forgery
+to gain his ends, should pay dearly for his baseness.
+Bidding his young clansman show no sign of recognition
+when he appeared, the Knight of Loch Awe sent him to
+the farm in the glen, where the anxious foster-mother
+eagerly awaited the return of the wanderer. When she
+saw her son appear alone she was plunged into despair,
+for she concluded, not that Black Colin was dead,
+but that he would return too late. When he, in the
+beggar&rsquo;s disguise which he assumed, came down the
+Glen he saw the smoke from the castle on the Islet,
+and said: &ldquo;I see smoke from my house, and it is the
+smoke of a wedding feast in preparation, but I pray
+God who sent us light and love that I may reap the
+fruit of the love that is there.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Foster-Mother&rsquo;s Recognition</h3>
+
+<p>The Knight then went to his foster-mother&rsquo;s house,
+knocked at the door, and humbly craved food and
+shelter, as a beggar. &ldquo;Come in, good man,&rdquo; quoth
+the mistress of the house; &ldquo;sit down in the chimney-corner,
+and you shall have your fill of oatcake and
+milk.&rdquo; Colin sat down heavily, as if he were
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg&nbsp;259]</a></span>
+overwearied, and the farmer&rsquo;s wife moved about slowly, putting
+before him what she had; and the Knight saw that
+she did not recognise him, and that she had been weeping
+quite recently. &ldquo;You are sad, I can see,&rdquo; he said.
+&ldquo;What is the cause of your grief?&rdquo; &ldquo;I am not minded
+to tell that to a wandering stranger,&rdquo; she replied.
+&ldquo;Perhaps I can guess what it is,&rdquo; he continued; &ldquo;you
+have lost some dear friend, I think.&rdquo; &ldquo;My loss is great
+enough to give me grief,&rdquo; she answered, weeping. &ldquo;I
+had a dear foster-son, who went oversea to fight the
+heathen. He was dearer to me than my own sons, and
+now news has come that he is dead in that foreign land.
+And the Lady of Loch Awe, who was his wife, is to wed
+another husband to-morrow. Long she waited for him,
+past the seven years he was to be away, and now she
+would not marry again, but that a letter has come to
+assure her of his death. Even yet she is fretting
+because she has not had the token he promised to
+send her; and she will only marry because she dare
+no longer delay.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is this token?&rdquo; asked Colin. &ldquo;That I know
+not: she has never told,&rdquo; replied the foster-mother;
+&ldquo;but oh! if he were now here Glenurchy would never fall
+under the power of Baron MacCorquodale.&rdquo; &ldquo;Would
+you know Black Colin if you were to see him?&rdquo; the
+beggar asked meaningly; and she replied: &ldquo;I think I
+should, for though he has been away for years, I nursed
+him, and he is my own dear fosterling.&rdquo; &ldquo;Look well at
+me, then, good mother of mine, for I am Colin of Loch
+Awe.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The mistress of the farm seized the beggar-man by
+the arm, drew him out into the light, and looked
+earnestly into his face; then, with a scream of joy, she
+flung her arms around him, and cried: &ldquo;O Colin!
+Colin! my dear son, home again at last! Glad and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg&nbsp;260]</a></span>
+glad I am to see you here in time! Weary have the
+years been since my nursling went away, but now you
+are home all will be well.&rdquo; And she embraced him and
+kissed him and stroked his hair, and exclaimed at his
+bronzed hue and his ragged attire.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Foster-Mother&rsquo;s Plan</h3>
+
+<p>At last Colin stopped her raptures. &ldquo;Tell me,
+mother, does my wife seem to wish for this marriage?&rdquo;
+he asked; and his foster-mother answered: &ldquo;Nay, my
+son, she would not wed now but that, thinking you are
+dead, she fears the Baron&rsquo;s anger if she continues to
+refuse him. But if you doubt her heart, follow my
+counsel, and you shall be assured of her will in this
+matter.&rdquo; &ldquo;What do you advise?&rdquo; asked he. She
+answered: &ldquo;Stay this night with me here, and to-morrow
+go in your beggar&rsquo;s dress to the castle on the Islet. Stand
+with other beggars at the door, and refuse to go until
+the bride herself shall bring you food and drink. Then
+you can put your token in the cup the Lady of Loch Awe
+will hand you, and by her behaviour you shall learn if
+her heart is in this marriage or not.&rdquo; &ldquo;Dear mother,
+your plan is good, and I will follow it,&rdquo; quoth Colin.
+&ldquo;This night I will rest here, and on the morrow I will
+seek my wife.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Beggar at the Wedding</h3>
+
+<p>Early next day Colin arose, clad himself in the disguise
+of a sturdy beggar, took a kindly farewell of his
+foster-mother, and made his way to the castle. Early
+as it was, all the servants were astir, and the whole place
+was in a bustle of preparation, while vagabonds of every
+description hung round the doors, begging for food and
+money in honour of the day. The new-comer acted
+much more boldly: he planted himself right in the open
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg&nbsp;261]</a></span>
+doorway and begged for food and drink in such a lordly
+tone that the servants were impressed by it, and one of
+them brought him what he asked&mdash;oatcake and buttermilk&mdash;and
+gave it to him, saying, &ldquo;Take this and begone.&rdquo;
+Colin took the alms and drank the buttermilk,
+but put the cake into his wallet, and stood sturdily
+right in the doorway, so that the servants found it difficult
+to enter. Another servant came to him with more
+food and a horn of ale, saying, &ldquo;Now take this second
+gift of food and begone, for you are in our way here,
+and hinder us in our work.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Beggar&rsquo;s Demand</h3>
+
+<p>But he stood more firmly still, with his stout travelling-staff
+planted on the threshold, and said: &ldquo;I will not
+go.&rdquo; Then a third servant approached, who said: &ldquo;Go
+at once, or it will be the worse for you. We have given
+you quite enough for one beggar. Leave quickly now,
+or you will get us and yourself into trouble.&rdquo; The
+disguised Knight only replied: &ldquo;I will not go until the
+bride herself comes out to give me a drink of wine,&rdquo;
+and he would not move, for all they could say. The
+servants at last grew so perplexed that they went to
+tell their mistress about this importunate beggar. She
+laughed as she said: &ldquo;It is not much for me to do on
+my last day in the old house,&rdquo; and she bade a servant
+attend her to the door, bringing a large jug full of wine.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Token</h3>
+
+<p>As the unhappy bride came out to the beggar-man
+he bent his head in greeting, and she noticed his
+travel-stained dress and said: &ldquo;You have come from
+far, good man&rdquo;; and he replied: &ldquo;Yes, lady, I have
+seen many distant lands.&rdquo; &ldquo;Alas! others have gone
+to see distant lands and have not returned,&rdquo; said she.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg&nbsp;262]</a></span>
+&ldquo;If you would have a drink from the hands of the
+bride herself, I am she, and you may take your wine
+now&rdquo;; and, holding a bowl in her hands, she bade the
+servant fill it with wine, and then gave it to Colin.
+&ldquo;I drink to your happiness,&rdquo; said he, and drained the
+bowl. As he gave it back to the lady he placed within
+it the token, the half of the engraved ring. &ldquo;I return
+it richer than I took it, lady,&rdquo; said he, and his wife
+looked within and saw the token.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Recognition</h3>
+
+<p>Trembling violently, she snatched the tiny bit of
+gold from the bottom of the bowl, which fell to the
+ground and broke at her feet, and then she saw her
+own name engraved upon it. She looked long and
+long at the token, and then, pulling a chain at her
+neck, drew out her half of the ring with Colin&rsquo;s name
+engraved on it. &ldquo;O stranger, tell me, is my husband
+dead?&rdquo; she asked, grasping the beggar&rsquo;s arm. &ldquo;Dead?&rdquo;
+he questioned, gazing tenderly at her; and at his tone
+she looked straight into his eyes and knew him.
+&ldquo;My husband!&rdquo; was all that she could say, but she
+flung her arms around his neck and was clasped close
+to his heart. The servants stood bewildered, but
+in a moment their mistress had turned to them,
+saying, &ldquo;Run, summon all the household, bring them
+all, for this is my husband, Black Colin of Loch Awe,
+come home to me again.&rdquo; When all in the castle knew
+it there was great excitement and rejoicing, and they
+feasted bountifully, for the wedding banquet had been
+prepared.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Baron&rsquo;s Flight</h3>
+
+<p>While the feast was in progress, and the happy wife
+sat by her long-lost husband and held his hand, as
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg&nbsp;263]</a></span>
+though she feared to let him leave her, a distant sound
+of bagpipes was heard, and the lady remembered that
+the Baron MacCorquodale would be coming for his
+wedding, which she had entirely forgotten in her joy.
+She laughed lightly to herself, and, beckoning a clansman,
+bade him go and tell the Baron that she would take no
+new husband, since her old one had come back to her,
+and that there would be questions to be answered when
+time served. The Baron MacCorquodale, in his wedding
+finery, with a great party of henchmen and vassals and
+pipers blowing a wedding march, had reached the mouth
+of the river which enters the side of Loch Awe; the
+party had crossed the river, and were ready to take
+boat across to the Islet, when they saw a solitary man
+rowing towards them with all speed. &ldquo;It is some
+messenger from my lady,&rdquo; said the Baron, and he
+waited eagerly to hear the message. With dreadful
+consternation he listened to the unexpected words as
+the clansman delivered them, and then bade the pipers
+cease their music. &ldquo;We must return; there will be
+no wedding to-day, since Black Colin is home again,&rdquo;
+quoth he; and the crestfallen party retraced their steps,
+quickening them more and more as they thought of the
+vengeance of the long-lost chieftain; but they reached
+their home in safety.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Castle Kilchurn</h3>
+
+<p>In the meantime Colin had much to tell his wife of
+his adventures, and to ask her of her life all these years.
+They told each other all, and Colin saw the false letter
+that had been sent to the Lady of Loch Awe, and guessed
+who had plotted this deceit. His anger grew against
+the bad man who had wrought this wrong and had so
+nearly gained his end, and he vowed that he would
+make the Baron dearly abide it. His wife calmed his
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg&nbsp;264]</a></span>
+fury somewhat by telling him how she had waited even
+beyond the seven years, and what stratagem she had
+used, and at last he promised not to make war on the
+Baron, but to punish him in other ways.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Tell me what you have done with the rents of
+Glenurchy these seven years,&rdquo; said he. Then the
+happy wife replied: &ldquo;With part I have lived, with part
+I have guarded the glen, and with part have I made a
+cairn of stones at the head of Loch Awe. Will you
+come with me and see it?&rdquo; And Colin went, deeply
+puzzled. When they came to the head of Loch Awe,
+there stood the new castle, on the site of the old house
+of the MacGregors; and the proud wife laughed as she
+said: &ldquo;Do you like my cairn of stones? It has taken
+long to build.&rdquo; Black Colin was much pleased with
+the beautiful castle she had raised for him, and renamed
+it Kilchurn Castle, which title it still keeps. True to
+his vow, he took no bloody vengeance on the Baron
+MacCorquodale, but when a few years after he fell
+into his power the Knight of Loch Awe forced him to
+resign a great part of his lands to be united with those
+of Glenurchy.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg&nbsp;265]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII: THE MARRIAGE OF
+SIR GAWAYNE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE heroes of chivalry, from Roland the noble
+paladin to Spenser&rsquo;s Red-Cross Knight, have
+many virtues to uphold, and their characteristics
+are as varied as are the races which adopted chivalry
+and embodied it in their hero-myths. It is a far cry
+from the loyalty of Roland, in which love for his
+emperor is the predominant characteristic, to the tender
+and graceful reverence of Sir Calidore; but medi&aelig;val
+Wales, which has preserved the Arthurian legend most
+free from alien admixture, had a knight of courtesy quite
+equal to Sir Calidore. Courage was one quality on the
+possession of which these medi&aelig;val knights never prided
+themselves, because they could not imagine life without
+courage, but gentle courtesy was, unhappily, rare, and
+many a heroic legend is spoilt by the insolence of the
+hero to people of lower rank. Again, the legends often
+look lightly on the ill-treatment of maidens; yet the
+true hero is one who is never tempted to injure a
+defenceless woman. Similarly, a broken oath to a
+heathen or mere churl is excused as a trifling matter,
+but the ideal hero sweareth and breaketh not, though it
+be to his own hindrance.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Gawayne</h3>
+
+<p>The true Knight of Courtesy is Sir Gawayne, King
+Arthur&rsquo;s nephew, who in many ways overshadows his
+more illustrious uncle. It is remarkable that the King
+Arthur of the medi&aelig;val romances is either a mere
+ordinary conqueror or a secondary figure set in the
+background to heighten the achievements of his more
+warlike followers. The latter is the conception of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg&nbsp;266]</a></span>
+Arthur which we find in this legend of the gentle and
+courteous Sir Gawayne.</p>
+
+
+<h3>King Arthur Keeps Christmas</h3>
+
+<p>One year the noble King Arthur was keeping his
+Christmas at Carlisle with great pomp and state. By
+his side sat his lovely Queen Guenever, the brightest
+and most beauteous bride that a king ever wedded, and
+about him were gathered the Knights of the Round
+Table. Never had a king assembled so goodly a
+company of valiant warriors as now sat in due order at
+the Round Table in the great hall of Carlisle Castle,
+and King Arthur&rsquo;s heart was filled with pride as he looked
+on his heroes. There sat Sir Lancelot, not yet the
+betrayer of his lord&rsquo;s honour and happiness, with Sir
+Bors and Sir Banier, there Sir Bedivere, loyal to King
+Arthur till death, there surly Sir Kay, the churlish
+steward of the king&rsquo;s household, and King Arthur&rsquo;s
+nephews, the young and gallant Sir Gareth, the gentle
+and courteous Sir Gawayne, and the false, gloomy Sir
+Mordred, who wrought King Arthur&rsquo;s overthrow. The
+knights and ladies were ranged in their fitting degrees
+and ranks, the servants and pages waited and carved
+and filled the golden goblets, and the minstrels sang to
+their harps lays of heroes of the olden time.</p>
+
+
+<h3>His Discontent</h3>
+
+<p>Yet in the midst of all this splendour the king was
+ill at ease, for he was a warlike knight and longed for
+some new adventure, and of late none had been known.
+Arthur sat moodily among his knights and drained the
+wine-cup in silence, and Queen Guenever, gazing at
+her husband, durst not interrupt his gloomy thoughts.
+At last the king raised his head, and, striking the table
+with his hand, exclaimed fiercely: &ldquo;Are all my knights
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg&nbsp;267]</a></span>
+sluggards or cowards, that none of them goes forth to
+seek adventures? You are better fitted to feast well
+in hall than fight well in field. Is my fame so greatly
+decayed that no man cares to ask for my help or my
+support against evildoers? I vow here, by the boar&rsquo;s
+head and by Our Lady, that I will not rise from this
+table till some adventure be undertaken.&rdquo; &ldquo;Sire, your
+loyal knights have gathered round you to keep the holy
+Yuletide in your court,&rdquo; replied Sir Lancelot; and Sir
+Gawayne said: &ldquo;Fair uncle, we are not cowards, but few
+evildoers dare to show themselves under your rule;
+hence it is that we seem idle. But see yonder! By
+my faith, now cometh an adventure.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Damsel&rsquo;s Request</h3>
+
+<p>Even as Sir Gawayne spoke a fair damsel rode into
+the hall, with flying hair and disordered dress, and,
+dismounting from her steed, knelt down sobbing at
+Arthur&rsquo;s feet. She cried aloud, so that all heard her:
+&ldquo;A boon, a boon, King Arthur! I beg a boon of you!&rdquo;
+&ldquo;What is your request?&rdquo; said the king, for the maiden
+was in great distress, and her tears filled his heart with
+pity. &ldquo;What would you have of me?&rdquo; &ldquo;I cry for
+vengeance on a churlish knight, who has separated my
+love from me.&rdquo; &ldquo;Tell your story quickly,&rdquo; said King
+Arthur; and all the knights listened while the lady
+spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was betrothed to a gallant knight,&rdquo; she said,
+&ldquo;whom I loved dearly, and we were entirely happy
+until yesterday. Then as we rode out together
+planning our marriage we came, through the moorland
+ways, unnoticing, to a fair lake, Tarn Wathelan, where
+stood a great castle, with streamers flying, and banners
+waving in the wind. It seemed a strong and goodly
+place, but alas! it stood on magic ground, and within
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg&nbsp;268]</a></span>
+the enchanted circle of its shadow an evil spell fell on
+every knight who set foot therein. As my love and I
+looked idly at the mighty keep a horrible and churlish
+warrior, twice the size of mortal man, rushed forth in
+complete armour; grim and fierce-looking he was,
+armed with a huge club, and sternly he bade my
+knight leave me to him and go his way alone. Then
+my love drew his sword to defend me, but the evil
+spell had robbed him of all strength, and he could do
+nought against the giant&rsquo;s club; his sword fell from his
+feeble hand, and the churlish knight, seizing him, caused
+him to be flung into a dungeon. He then returned and
+sorely ill-treated me, though I prayed for mercy in the
+name of chivalry and of Mary Mother. At last, when
+he set me free and bade me go, I said I would come
+to King Arthur&rsquo;s court and beg a champion of might
+to avenge me, perhaps even the king himself. But
+the giant only laughed aloud. &lsquo;Tell the foolish
+king,&rsquo; quoth he, &lsquo;that here I stay his coming, and
+that no fear of him shall stop my working my will on
+all who come. Many knights have I in prison, some
+of them King Arthur&rsquo;s own true men; wherefore bid
+him fight with me, if he will win them back.&rsquo; Thus,
+laughing and jeering loudly at you, King Arthur, the
+churlish knight returned to his castle, and I rode to
+Carlisle as fast as I could.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>King Arthur&rsquo;s Vow</h3>
+
+<p>When the lady had ended her sorrowful tale all
+present were greatly moved with indignation and pity,
+but King Arthur felt the insult most deeply. He
+sprang to his feet in great wrath, and cried aloud: &ldquo;I
+vow by my knighthood, and by the Holy Rood, that I
+will go forth to find that proud giant, and will never
+leave him till I have overcome him.&rdquo; The knights
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg&nbsp;269]</a></span>
+applauded their lord&rsquo;s vow, but Queen Guenever looked
+doubtfully at the king, for she had noticed the damsel&rsquo;s
+mention of magic, and she feared some evil adventure
+for her husband. The damsel stayed in Carlisle that
+night, and in the morning, after he had heard Mass, and
+bidden farewell to his wife, King Arthur rode away.
+It was a lonely journey to Tarn Wathelan, but the country
+was very beautiful, though wild and rugged, and the king
+soon saw the little lake gleaming clear and cold below
+him, while the enchanted castle towered up above the
+water, with banners flaunting defiantly in the wind.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Fight</h3>
+
+<p>The king drew his sword Excalibur and blew a loud
+note on his bugle. Thrice his challenge note resounded,
+but brought no reply, and then he cried aloud: &ldquo;Come
+forth, proud knight! King Arthur is here to punish
+you for your misdeeds! Come forth and fight bravely.
+If you are afraid, then come forth and yield yourself
+my thrall.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr40.jpg" width="413" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_268" id="image_page_268"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;The King blew a loud note on his bugle&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The churlish giant darted out at the summons, brandishing
+his massive club, and rushed straight at King
+Arthur. The spell of the enchanted ground seized the
+king at that moment, and his hand sank down. Down
+fell his good sword Excalibur, down fell his shield, and
+he found himself ignominiously helpless in the presence
+of his enemy.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Ransom</h3>
+
+<p>Now the giant cried aloud: &ldquo;Yield or fight, King
+Arthur; which will you do? If you fight I shall conquer
+you, for you have no power to resist me; you will
+be my prisoner, with no hope of ransom, will lose your
+land and spend your life in my dungeon with many
+other brave knights. If you yield I will hold you to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg&nbsp;270]</a></span>
+ransom, but you must swear to accept the terms I
+shall offer.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What are they,&rdquo; asked King Arthur. The giant
+replied: &ldquo;You must swear solemnly, by the Holy Rood,
+that you will return here on New Year&rsquo;s Day and
+bring me a true answer to the question, &lsquo;What thing
+is it that all women most desire?&rsquo; If you fail to bring
+the right answer your ransom is not paid, and you are
+yet my prisoner. Do you accept my terms?&rdquo; The
+king had no alternative: so long as he stood on the
+enchanted ground his courage was overborne by the
+spell and he could only hold up his hand and swear by
+the Sacred Cross and by Our Lady that he would return,
+with such answers as he could obtain, on New Year&rsquo;s Day.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The King&rsquo;s Search</h3>
+
+<p>Ashamed and humiliated, the king rode away, but
+not back to Carlisle&mdash;he would not return home till he
+had fulfilled his task; so he rode east and west and
+north and south, and asked every woman and maid he
+met the question the churlish knight had put to him.
+&ldquo;What is it all women most desire?&rdquo; he asked,
+and all gave him different replies: some said riches,
+some splendour, some pomp and state; others declared
+that fine attire was women&rsquo;s chief delight, yet others
+voted for mirth or flattery; some declared that a handsome
+lover was the cherished wish of every woman&rsquo;s
+heart; and among them all the king grew quite bewildered.
+He wrote down all the answers he received,
+and sealed them with his own seal, to give to the churlish
+knight when he returned to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan;
+but in his own heart King Arthur felt that the true
+answer had not yet been given to him. He was sad
+as he turned and rode towards the giant&rsquo;s home on New
+Year&rsquo;s Day, for he feared to lose his liberty and lands,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg&nbsp;271]</a></span>
+and the lonely journey seemed much more dreary than
+it had before, when he rode out from Carlisle so full of
+hope and courage and self-confidence.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Loathly Lady</h3>
+
+<p>Arthur was riding mournfully through a lonely forest
+when he heard a woman&rsquo;s voice greeting him: &ldquo;God
+save you, King Arthur! God save and keep you!&rdquo;
+and he turned at once to see the person who thus
+addressed him. He saw no one at all on his right hand,
+but as he turned to the other side he perceived a
+woman&rsquo;s form clothed in brilliant scarlet; the figure was
+seated between a holly-tree and an oak, and the berries
+of the former were not more vivid than her dress,
+and the brown leaves of the latter not more brown
+and wrinkled than her cheeks. At first sight King
+Arthur thought he must be bewitched&mdash;no such nightmare
+of a human face had ever seemed to him possible.
+Her nose was crooked and bent hideously to one side,
+while her chin seemed to bend to the opposite side of
+her face; her one eye was set deep under her beetling
+brow, and her mouth was nought but a gaping slit.
+Round this awful countenance hung snaky locks of
+ragged grey hair, and she was deadly pale, with a bleared
+and dimmed blue eye. The king nearly swooned when
+he saw this hideous sight, and was so amazed that he
+did not answer her salutation. The loathly lady seemed
+angered by the insult: &ldquo;Now Christ save you, King
+Arthur! Who are you to refuse to answer my greeting
+and take no heed of me? Little of courtesy have you
+and your knights in your fine court in Carlisle if you
+cannot return a lady&rsquo;s greeting. Yet, Sir King, proud as
+you are, it may be that I can help you, loathly though
+I be; but I will do nought for one who will not be
+courteous to me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg&nbsp;272]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Lady&rsquo;s Secret</h3>
+
+<p>King Arthur was ashamed of his lack of courtesy,
+and tempted by the hint that here was a woman who
+could help him. &ldquo;Forgive me, lady,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;I was
+sorely troubled in mind, and thus, and not for want of
+courtesy, did I miss your greeting. You say that you
+can perhaps help me; if you would do this, lady, and
+teach me how to pay my ransom, I will grant anything
+you ask as a reward.&rdquo; The deformed lady said:
+&ldquo;Swear to me, by Holy Rood, and by Mary Mother,
+that you will grant me whatever boon I ask, and I will
+help you to the secret. Yes, Sir King, I know by secret
+means that you seek the answer to the question, &lsquo;What
+is it all women most desire?&rsquo; Many women have
+given you many replies, but I alone, by my magic
+power, can give you the right answer. This secret I
+will tell you, and in truth it will pay your ransom,
+when you have sworn to keep faith with me.&rdquo; &ldquo;Indeed,
+O grim lady, the oath I will take gladly,&rdquo; said
+King Arthur; and when he had sworn it, with uplifted
+hand, the lady told him the secret, and he vowed with
+great bursts of laughter that this was indeed the right
+answer.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Ransom</h3>
+
+<p>When the king had thoroughly realized the wisdom
+of the answer he rode on to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan,
+and blew his bugle three times. As it was New
+Year&rsquo;s Day, the churlish knight was ready for him,
+and rushed forth, club in hand, ready to do battle.
+&ldquo;Sir Knight,&rdquo; said the king, &ldquo;I bring here writings
+containing answers to your question; they are replies
+that many women have given, and should be right;
+these I bring in ransom for my life and lands.&rdquo; The
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg&nbsp;273]</a></span>
+churlish knight took the writings and read them one
+by one, and each one he flung aside, till all had been
+read; then he said to the king: &ldquo;You must yield
+yourself and your lands to me, King Arthur, and rest
+my prisoner; for though these answers be many and
+wise, not one is the true reply to my question; your
+ransom is not paid, and your life and all you have is
+forfeit to me.&rdquo; &ldquo;Alas! Sir Knight,&rdquo; quoth the king,
+&ldquo;stay your hand, and let me speak once more before I
+yield to you; it is not much to grant to one who risks
+life and kingdom and all. Give me leave to try one
+more reply.&rdquo; To this the giant assented, and King
+Arthur continued: &ldquo;This morning as I rode through
+the forest I beheld a lady sitting, clad in scarlet,
+between an oak and a holly-tree; she says, &lsquo;All women
+will have their own way, and this is their chief desire.&rsquo;
+Now confess that I have brought the true answer to
+your question, and that I am free, and have paid the
+ransom for my life and lands.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Price of the Ransom</h3>
+
+<p>The giant waxed furious with rage, and shouted: &ldquo;A
+curse upon that lady who told you this! It must have
+been my sister, for none but she knew the answer.
+Tell me, was she ugly and deformed?&rdquo; When King
+Arthur replied that she was a loathly lady, the giant
+broke out: &ldquo;I vow to heaven that if I can once catch
+her I will burn her alive; for she has cheated me of
+being King of Britain. Go your ways, Arthur; you
+have not ransomed yourself, but the ransom is paid
+and you are free.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Gladly the king rode back to the forest where the
+loathly lady awaited him, and stopped to greet her.
+&ldquo;I am free now, lady, thanks to you! What boon do
+you ask in reward for your help? I have promised to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg&nbsp;274]</a></span>
+grant it you, whatever it may be.&rdquo; &ldquo;This is my boon
+King Arthur, that you will bring some young and
+courteous knight from your court in Carlisle to marry
+me, and he must be brave and handsome too. You
+have sworn to fulfil my request, and you cannot break
+your word.&rdquo; These last words were spoken as the
+king shook his head and seemed on the point of refusing
+a request so unreasonable; but at this reminder
+he only hung his head and rode slowly away, while the
+unlovely lady watched him with a look of mingled pain
+and glee.</p>
+
+
+<h3>King Arthur&rsquo;s Return</h3>
+
+<p>On the second day of the new year King Arthur
+came home to Carlisle. Wearily he rode along and dismounted
+at the castle, and wearily he went into his
+hall, where sat Queen Guenever. She had been very
+anxious during her husband&rsquo;s absence, for she dreaded
+magic arts, but she greeted him gladly and said: &ldquo;Welcome,
+my dear lord and king, welcome home again!
+What anxiety I have endured for you! But now you
+are here all is well. What news do you bring, my
+liege? Is the churlish knight conquered? Where
+have you had him hanged, and where is his head?
+Placed on a spike above some town-gate? Tell me
+your tidings, and we will rejoice together.&rdquo; King
+Arthur only sighed heavily as he replied: &ldquo;Alas! I
+have boasted too much; the churlish knight was a giant
+who has conquered me, and set me free on conditions.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;My lord, tell me how this has chanced.&rdquo; &ldquo;His
+castle is an enchanted one, standing on enchanted
+ground, and surrounded with a circle of magic spells
+which sap the bravery from a warrior&rsquo;s mind and the
+strength from his arm. When I came on his land and
+felt the power of his mighty charms, I was unable to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg&nbsp;275]</a></span>
+resist him, but fell into his power, and had to yield
+myself to him. He released me on condition that I
+would fulfil one thing which he bade me accomplish,
+and this I was enabled to do by the help of a loathly
+lady; but that help was dearly bought, and I cannot
+pay the price myself.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Gawayne&rsquo;s Devotion</h3>
+
+<p>By this time Sir Gawayne, the king&rsquo;s favourite
+nephew, had entered the hall, and greeted his uncle
+warmly; then, with a few rapid questions, he learnt
+the king&rsquo;s news, and saw that he was in some distress.
+&ldquo;What have you paid the loathly lady for her secret,
+uncle?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;Alas! I have paid her nothing;
+but I promised to grant her any boon she asked, and
+she has asked a thing impossible.&rdquo; &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo;
+asked Sir Gawayne. &ldquo;Since you have promised it,
+the promise must needs be kept. Can I help you to
+perform your vow?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, you can, fair nephew
+Gawayne, but I will never ask you to do a thing so
+terrible,&rdquo; said King Arthur. &ldquo;I am ready to do it,
+uncle, were it to wed the loathly lady herself.&rdquo; &ldquo;That
+is what she asks, that a fair young knight should marry
+her. But she is too hideous and deformed; no man
+could make her his wife.&rdquo; &ldquo;If that is all your grief,&rdquo;
+replied Sir Gawayne, &ldquo;things shall soon be settled;
+I will wed this ill-favoured dame, and will be your
+ransom.&rdquo; &ldquo;You know not what you offer,&rdquo; answered
+the king. &ldquo;I never saw so deformed a being. Her
+speech is well enough, but her face is terrible, with
+crooked nose and chin, and she has only one eye.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;She must be an ill-favoured maiden; but I heed it
+not,&rdquo; said Sir Gawayne gallantly, &ldquo;so that I can save
+you from trouble and care.&rdquo; &ldquo;Thanks, dear Gawayne,
+thanks a thousand times! Now through your devotion
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg&nbsp;276]</a></span>
+I can keep my word. To-morrow we must fetch your
+bride from her lonely lodging in the greenwood; but
+we will feign some pretext for the journey. I will summon
+a hunting party, with horse and hound and gallant
+riders, and none shall know that we go to bring home so
+ugly a bride.&rdquo; &ldquo;Gramercy, uncle,&rdquo; said Sir Gawayne.
+&ldquo;Till to-morrow I am a free man.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Hunting Party</h3>
+
+<p>The next day King Arthur summoned all the court
+to go hunting in the greenwood close to Tarn Wathelan;
+but he did not lead the chase near the castle: the
+remembrance of his defeat and shame was too strong for
+him to wish to see the place again. They roused a
+noble stag and chased him far into the forest, where
+they lost him amid close thickets of holly and yew interspersed
+with oak copses and hazel bushes&mdash;bare were
+the hazels, and brown and withered the clinging oak
+leaves, but the holly looked cheery, with its fresh green
+leaves and scarlet berries. Though the chase had been
+fruitless, the train of knights laughed and talked gaily
+as they rode back through the forest, and the gayest of
+all was Sir Gawayne; he rode wildly down the forest
+drives, so recklessly that he drew level with Sir Kay,
+the churlish steward, who always preferred to ride alone.
+Sir Lancelot, Sir Stephen, Sir Banier, and Sir Bors all
+looked wonderingly at the reckless youth; but his
+younger brother, Gareth, was troubled, for he knew all
+was not well with Gawayne, and Sir Tristram, buried in
+his love for Isolde, noticed nothing, but rode heedlessly
+wrapped in sad musings.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Kay and the Loathly Lady</h3>
+
+<p>Suddenly Sir Kay reined up his steed, amazed; his
+eye had caught the gleam of scarlet under the trees, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg&nbsp;277]</a></span>
+as he looked he became aware of a woman, clad in a
+dress of finest scarlet, sitting between a holly-tree and
+an oak. &ldquo;Good greeting to you, Sir Kay,&rdquo; said the
+lady, but the steward was too much amazed to answer.
+Such a face as that of the lady he had never even
+imagined, and he took no notice of her salutation.
+By this time the rest of the knights had joined him,
+and they all halted, looking in astonishment on the misshapen
+face of the poor creature before them. It seemed
+terrible that a woman&rsquo;s figure should be surmounted by
+such hideous features, and most of the knights were silent
+for pity&rsquo;s sake; but the steward soon recovered from
+his amazement, and his rude nature began to show
+itself. The king had not yet appeared, and Sir Kay
+began to jeer aloud. &ldquo;Now which of you would fain
+woo yon fair lady?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;It takes a brave man,
+for methinks he will stand in fear of any kiss he may
+get, it must needs be such an awesome thing. But yet
+I know not; any man who would kiss this beauteous
+damsel may well miss the way to her mouth,
+and his fate is not quite so dreadful after all. Come,
+who will win a lovely bride!&rdquo; Just then King Arthur
+rode up, and at sight of him Sir Kay was silent; but the
+loathly lady hid her face in her hands, and wept that he
+should pour such scorn upon her.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Betrothal</h3>
+
+<p>Sir Gawayne was touched with compassion for this
+uncomely woman alone among these gallant and handsome
+knights, a woman so helpless and ill-favoured,
+and he said: &ldquo;Peace, churl Kay, the lady cannot help
+herself; and you are not so noble and courteous that
+you have the right to jeer at any maiden; such deeds
+do not become a knight of Arthur&rsquo;s Round Table.
+Besides, one of us knights here must wed this
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg&nbsp;278]</a></span>
+unfortunate lady.&rdquo; &ldquo;Wed her?&rdquo; shouted Kay. &ldquo;Gawayne,
+you are mad!&rdquo; &ldquo;It is true, is it not, my liege?&rdquo;
+asked Sir Gawayne, turning to the king; and Arthur
+reluctantly gave token of assent, saying, &ldquo;I promised
+her not long since, for the help she gave me in a great
+distress, that I would grant her any boon she craved,
+and she asked for a young and noble knight to be her
+husband. My royal word is given, and I will keep it;
+therefore have I brought you here to meet her.&rdquo; Sir
+Kay burst out with, &ldquo;What? Ask me perchance to
+wed this foul quean? I&rsquo;ll none of her. Where&rsquo;er I
+get my wife from, were it from the fiend himself, this
+hideous hag shall never be mine.&rdquo; &ldquo;Peace, Sir Kay,&rdquo;
+sternly said the king; &ldquo;you shall not abuse this poor
+lady as well as refuse her. Mend your speech, or you
+shall be knight of mine no longer.&rdquo; Then he turned
+to the others and said: &ldquo;Who will wed this lady and
+help me to keep my royal pledge? You must not all
+refuse, for my promise is given, and for a little ugliness
+and deformity you shall not make me break my
+plighted word of honour.&rdquo; As he spoke he watched
+them keenly, to see who would prove sufficiently
+devoted, but the knights all began to excuse themselves
+and to depart. They called their hounds, spurred
+their steeds, and pretended to search for the track of
+the lost stag again; but before they went Sir Gawayne
+cried aloud: &ldquo;Friends, cease your strife and debate,
+for I will wed this lady myself. Lady, will you have
+me for your husband?&rdquo; Thus saying, he dismounted
+and knelt before her.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Lady&rsquo;s Words</h3>
+
+<p>The poor lady had at first no words to tell her gratitude
+to Sir Gawayne, but when she had recovered a
+little she spoke: &ldquo;Alas! Sir Gawayne, I fear you do
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg&nbsp;279]</a></span>
+but jest. Will you wed with one so ugly and deformed
+as I? What sort of wife should I be for a knight so
+gay and gallant, so fair and comely as the king&rsquo;s own
+nephew? What will Queen Guenever and the ladies of
+the Court say when you return to Carlisle bringing
+with you such a bride? You will be shamed, and all
+through me.&rdquo; Then she wept bitterly, and her weeping
+made her seem even more hideous; but King Arthur,
+who was watching the scene, said: &ldquo;Lady, I would fain
+see that knight or dame who dares mock at my nephew&rsquo;s
+bride. I will take order that no such unknightly discourtesy
+is shown in my court,&rdquo; and he glared angrily
+at Sir Kay and the others who had stayed, seeing that
+Sir Gawayne was prepared to sacrifice himself and therefore
+they were safe. The lady raised her head and looked
+keenly at Sir Gawayne, who took her hand, saying:
+&ldquo;Lady, I will be a true and loyal husband to you if you
+will have me; and I shall know how to guard my wife
+from insult. Come, lady, and my uncle will announce
+the betrothal.&rdquo; Now the lady seemed to believe that Sir
+Gawayne was in earnest, and she sprang to her feet,
+saying: &ldquo;Thanks to you! A thousand thanks, Sir
+Gawayne, and blessings on your head! You shall
+never rue this wedding, and the courtesy you have
+shown. Wend we now to Carlisle.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Journey to Carlisle</h3>
+
+<p>A horse with a side-saddle had been brought for
+Sir Gawayne&rsquo;s bride, but when the lady moved it became
+evident that she was lame and halted in her
+walk, and there was a slight hunch on her shoulders.
+Both of these deformities showed little when she was
+seated, but as she moved the knights looked at one
+another, shrugged their shoulders and pitied Sir Gawayne,
+whose courtesy had bound him for life to so deformed
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg&nbsp;280]</a></span>
+a wife. Then the whole train rode away together, the
+bride between King Arthur and her betrothed, and all
+the knights whispering and sneering behind them. Great
+was the excitement in Carlisle to see that ugly dame, and
+greater still the bewilderment in the court when they
+were told that this loathly lady was Sir Gawayne&rsquo;s
+bride.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Bridal</h3>
+
+<p>Only Queen Guenever understood, and she showed
+all courtesy to the deformed bride, and stood by her as
+her lady-of-honour when the wedding took place that
+evening, while King Arthur was groomsman to his
+nephew. When the long banquet was over, and bride and
+bridegroom no longer need sit side by side, the tables
+were cleared and the hall was prepared for a dance, and
+then men thought that Sir Gawayne would be free for
+a time to talk with his friends; but he refused. &ldquo;Bride
+and bridegroom must tread the first dance together, if
+she wishes it,&rdquo; quoth he, and offered his lady his hand
+for the dance. &ldquo;I thank you, sweet husband,&rdquo; said the
+grim lady as she took it and moved forward to open
+the dance with him; and through the long and stately
+measure that followed, so perfect was his dignity, and
+the courtesy and grace with which he danced, that no
+man dreamt of smiling as the deformed lady moved
+clumsily through the figures of the dance.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Gawayne&rsquo;s Bride</h3>
+
+<p>At last the long evening was over, the last measure
+danced, the last wine-cup drained, the bride escorted to
+her chamber, the lights out, the guests separated in
+their rooms, and Gawayne was free to think of what he
+had done, and to consider how he had ruined his whole
+hope of happiness. He thought of his uncle&rsquo;s favour,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg&nbsp;281]</a></span>
+of the poor lady&rsquo;s gratitude, of the blessing she had
+invoked upon him, and he determined to be gentle with
+her, though he could never love her as his wife. He
+entered the bride-chamber with the feeling of a man
+who has made up his mind to endure, and did not even
+look towards his bride, who sat awaiting him beside
+the fire. Choosing a chair, he sat down and looked sadly
+into the glowing embers and spoke no word.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have you no word for me, husband? Can you
+not even give me a glance?&rdquo; asked the lady, and Sir
+Gawayne turned his eyes to her where she sat; and
+then he sprang up in amazement, for there sat no
+loathly lady, no ugly and deformed being, but a maiden
+young and lovely, with black eyes and long curls of
+dark hair, with beautiful face and tall and graceful
+figure. &ldquo;Who are you, maiden?&rdquo; asked Sir Gawayne;
+and the fair one replied: &ldquo;I am your wife, whom you
+found between the oak and the holly-tree, and whom
+you wedded this night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Gawayne&rsquo;s Choice</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But how has this marvel come to pass?&rdquo; asked he,
+wondering, for the fair maiden was so lovely that he
+marvelled that he had not known her beauty even
+under that hideous disguise. &ldquo;It is an enchantment
+to which I am in bondage,&rdquo; said she. &ldquo;I am not yet
+entirely free from it, but now for a time I may appear
+to you as I really am. Is my lord content with his
+loving bride?&rdquo; asked she, with a little smile, as she
+rose and stood before him. &ldquo;Content!&rdquo; he said, as
+he clasped her in his arms. &ldquo;I would not change my
+dear lady for the fairest dame in Arthur&rsquo;s court, not
+though she were Queen Guenever herself. I am the
+happiest knight that lives, for I thought to save my
+uncle and help a hapless lady, and I have won my
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg&nbsp;282]</a></span>
+own happiness thereby. Truly I shall never rue the
+day when I wedded you, dear heart.&rdquo; Long they sat
+and talked together, and then Sir Gawayne grew weary,
+and would fain have slept, but his lady said: &ldquo;Husband,
+now a heavy choice awaits you. I am under the
+spell of an evil witch, who has given me my own face
+and form for half the day, and the hideous appearance
+in which you first saw me for the other half. Choose
+now whether you will have me fair by day and ugly by
+night, or hideous by day and beauteous by night. The
+choice is your own.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Dilemma</h3>
+
+<p>Sir Gawayne was no longer oppressed with sleep;
+the choice before him was too difficult. If the lady
+remained hideous by day he would have to endure the
+taunts of his fellows; if by night, he would be unhappy
+himself. If the lady were fair by day other
+men might woo her, and he himself would have no
+love for her; if she were fair to him alone, his love
+would make her look ridiculous before the court and
+the king. Nevertheless, acting on the spur of the
+moment, he spoke: &ldquo;Oh, be fair to me only&mdash;be
+your old self by day, and let me have my beauteous
+wife to myself alone.&rdquo; &ldquo;Alas! is that your choice?&rdquo;
+she asked. &ldquo;I only must be ugly when all are beautiful,
+I must be despised when all other ladies are
+admired; I am as fair as they, but I must seem foul
+to all men. Is this your love, Sir Gawayne?&rdquo; and
+she turned from him and wept. Sir Gawayne was
+filled with pity and remorse when he heard her lament,
+and began to realize that he was studying his own
+pleasure rather than his lady&rsquo;s feelings, and his courtesy
+and gentleness again won the upper hand. &ldquo;Dear
+love, if you would rather that men should see you
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg&nbsp;283]</a></span>
+fair, I will choose that, though to me you will be
+always as you are now. Be fair before others and
+deformed to me alone, and men shall never know that
+the enchantment is not wholly removed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Gawayne&rsquo;s Decision</h3>
+
+<p>Now the lady looked pleased for a moment, and
+then said gravely: &ldquo;Have you thought of the danger
+to which a young and lovely lady is exposed in the
+court? There are many false knights who would woo
+a fair dame, though her husband were the king&rsquo;s
+favourite nephew; and who can tell?&mdash;one of them
+might please me more than you. Sure I am that many
+will be sorry they refused to wed me when they see
+me to-morrow morn. You must risk my beauty under
+the guard of my virtue and wisdom, if you have me
+young and fair.&rdquo; She looked merrily at Sir Gawayne
+as she spoke; but he considered seriously for a time,
+and then said: &ldquo;Nay, dear love, I will leave the matter
+to you and your own wisdom, for you are wiser in this
+matter than I. I remit this wholly unto you, to decide
+according to your will. I will rest content with whatsoever
+you resolve.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Lady&rsquo;s Story</h3>
+
+<p>Now the fair lady clapped her hands lightly, and
+said: &ldquo;Blessings on you, dear Gawayne, my own dear
+lord and husband! Now you have released me from
+the spell completely, and I shall always be as I am now,
+fair and young, till old age shall change my beauty as
+he doth that of all mortals. My father was a great duke
+of high renown who had but one son and one daughter,
+both of us dearly beloved, and both of goodly appearance.
+When I had come to an age to be married my
+father determined to take a new wife, and he wedded
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg&nbsp;284]</a></span>
+a witch-lady. She resolved to rid herself of his two
+children, and cast a spell upon us both, whereby I was
+transformed from a fair lady into the hideous monster
+whom you wedded, and my gallant young brother into
+the churlish giant who dwells at Tarn Wathelan. She
+condemned me to keep that awful shape until I married
+a young and courtly knight who would grant me all
+my will. You have done all this for me, and I shall be
+always your fond and faithful wife. My brother too
+is set free from the spell, and he will become again
+one of the truest and most gentle knights alive, though
+none can excel my own true knight, Sir Gawayne.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr41.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_282" id="image_page_282"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Now you have released me from the spell completely&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Surprise of the Knights</h3>
+
+<p>The next morning the knight and his bride descended
+to the great hall, where many knights and ladies awaited
+them, the former thinking scornfully of the hideous
+hag whom Gawayne had wedded, the latter pitying so
+young and gallant a knight, tied to a lady so ugly. But
+both scorn and pity vanished when all saw the bride.
+&ldquo;Who is this fair dame?&rdquo; asked Sir Kay. &ldquo;Where
+have you left your ancient bride?&rdquo; asked another, and
+all awaited the answer in great bewilderment. &ldquo;This is
+the lady to whom I was wedded yester evening,&rdquo; replied
+Sir Gawayne. &ldquo;She was under an evil enchantment, which
+has vanished now that she has come under the power of a
+husband, and henceforth my fair wife will be one of the
+most beauteous ladies of King Arthur&rsquo;s court. Further,
+my lord King Arthur, this fair lady has assured me that
+the churlish knight of Tarn Wathelan, her brother, was
+also under a spell, which is now broken, and he will be
+once more a courteous and gallant knight, and the
+ground on which his fortress stands will have henceforth
+no magic power to quell the courage of any knight
+alive. Dear liege and uncle, when I wedded yesterday
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg&nbsp;285]</a></span>
+the loathly lady I thought only of your happiness, and
+in that way I have won my own lifelong bliss.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>King Arthur&rsquo;s joy at his nephew&rsquo;s fair hap was great
+for he had grieved sorely over Gawayne&rsquo;s miserable
+fate, and Queen Guenever welcomed the fair maiden as
+warmly as she had the loathly lady, and the wedding
+feast was renewed with greater magnificence, as a fitting
+end to the Christmas festivities.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg&nbsp;286]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV: KING HORN</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">A</span>MONG the hero-legends which are considered
+to be of native English growth and to have
+come down to us from the times of the Danish
+invasions is the story of King Horn; but although
+&ldquo;King Horn,&rdquo; like &ldquo;Havelok the Dane,&rdquo; was originally
+a story of Viking raids, it has been so altered that
+the Norse element has been nearly obliterated. In all
+but the bare circumstances of the tale, &ldquo;King Horn&rdquo;
+is a romance of chivalry, permeated with the Crusading
+spirit, and reflecting the life and customs of the thirteenth
+century, instead of the more barbarous manners
+of the eighth or ninth centuries. The hero&rsquo;s desire to
+obtain knighthood and do some deed worthy of the
+honour, the readiness to leave his betrothed for long
+years at the call of honour or duty, the embittered
+feeling against the Saracens, are all typical of the
+romance of the Crusades. Another curious point
+which shows a later than Norse influence is the wooing
+of the reluctant youth by the princess, of which there
+are many instances in medi&aelig;val literature; it reveals
+a consciousness of feudal rank which did not exist in
+early times, and a certain recognition of the privileges
+of royal birth which were not granted before the days
+of romantic chivalry. King Horn himself is a hero of
+the approved chivalric type, whose chief distinguishing
+feature is his long indifference to the misfortunes of
+the sorely-tried princess to whom he was betrothed.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Royal Family of Suddene</h3>
+
+<p>There once lived and ruled in the pleasant land of
+Suddene a noble king named Murry, whose fair consort,
+Queen Godhild, was the most sweet and gentle
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg&nbsp;287]</a></span>
+lady alive, as the king was a pattern of all knightly
+virtues. This royal pair had but one child, a son,
+named Horn, now twelve years old, who had been
+surrounded from his birth with loyal service and true
+devotion. He had a band of twelve chosen companions
+with whom he shared sports and tasks, pleasures and
+griefs, and the little company grew up well trained in
+chivalrous exercises and qualities. Childe Horn had
+his favourites among the twelve. Athulf was his dearest
+friend, a loving and devoted companion; and next to
+him in Horn&rsquo;s affection stood Fikenhild, whose outward
+show of love covered his inward envy and hatred. In
+everything these two were Childe Horn&rsquo;s inseparable
+comrades, and it seemed that an equal bond of love
+united the three.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Saracen Invasion</h3>
+
+<p>One day as King Murry was riding over the cliffs by
+the sea with only two knights in attendance he noticed
+some unwonted commotion in a little creek not far
+from where he was riding, and he at once turned his
+horse&rsquo;s head in that direction and galloped down to
+the shore. On his arrival in the small harbour he saw
+fifteen great ships of strange build, and their crews,
+Saracens all armed for war, had already landed, and
+were drawn up in warlike array. The odds against the
+king were terrible, but he rode boldly to the invaders
+and asked: &ldquo;What brings you strangers here? Why
+have you sought our land?&rdquo; A Saracen leader,
+gigantic of stature, spoke for them all and replied:
+&ldquo;We are here to win this land to the law of Mahomet
+and to drive out the Christian law. We will slay all
+the inhabitants that believe on Christ. Thou thyself
+shalt be our first conquest, for thou shalt not leave
+this place alive.&rdquo; Thereupon the Saracens attacked
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg&nbsp;288]</a></span>
+the little band, and though the three Christians fought
+valiantly they were soon slain. The Saracens then
+spread over the land, slaying, burning, and pillaging,
+and forcing all who loved their lives to renounce the
+Christian faith and become followers of Mahomet.
+When Queen Godhild heard of her husband&rsquo;s death
+and saw the ruin of her people she fled from her
+palace and all her friends and betook herself to a
+solitary cave, where she lived unknown and undiscovered,
+and continued her Christian worship while
+the land was overrun with pagans. Ever she prayed
+that God would protect her dear son, and bring him
+at last to his father&rsquo;s throne.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr42.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_288" id="image_page_288"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s Escape</h3>
+
+<p>Soon after the king&rsquo;s death the Saracens had captured
+Childe Horn and his twelve comrades, and the boys
+were brought before the pagan emir. They would all
+have been slain at once or flayed alive, but for the
+beauty of Childe Horn, for whose sake their lives were
+spared. The old emir looked keenly at the lads, and
+said: &ldquo;Horn, thou art a bold and valiant youth, of
+great stature for thine age, and of full strength, yet I
+know thou hast not yet reached thy full growth. If
+we release thee with thy companions, in years to come
+we shall dearly rue it, for ye will become great champions
+of the Christian law and will slay many of us.
+Therefore ye must die. But we will not slay you with
+our own hands, for ye are noble lads, and shall have
+one feeble chance for your lives. Ye shall be placed in
+a boat and driven out to sea, and if ye all are drowned
+we shall not grieve overmuch. Either ye must die or
+we, for I know we shall dearly abide your king&rsquo;s death
+if ye youths survive.&rdquo; Thereupon the lads were all
+taken to the shore, and, weeping and lamenting, were
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg&nbsp;289]</a></span>
+thrust into a rudderless boat, which was towed out to
+sea and left helpless.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Arrival in Westernesse</h3>
+
+<p>The other boys sat lamenting and bewailing their
+fate, but Childe Horn, looking round the boat, found a
+pair of oars, and as he saw that the boat was in the
+grasp of some strong current he rowed in the same
+direction, so that the boat soon drifted out of sight of
+land. The other lads were a dismal crew, for they
+thought their death was certain, but Horn toiled hard
+at his rowing all night, and with the dawn grew so
+weary that he rested for a little on his oars. When the
+rising sun made things clear, and he could see over the
+crests of the waves, he stood up in the boat and uttered
+a cry of joy. &ldquo;Comrades,&rdquo; cried he, &ldquo;dear friends, I
+see land not far away. I hear the sweet songs of birds
+and see the soft green grass. We have come to some
+unknown land and have saved our lives.&rdquo; Then
+Athulf took up the glad tidings and began to cheer the
+forlorn little crew, and under Horn&rsquo;s skilful guidance
+the little boat grounded gently and safely on the sands
+of Westernesse. The boys sprang on shore, all but
+Childe Horn having no thought of the past night and
+the journey; but he stood by the boat, looking sadly
+at it.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Farewell to the Boat</h3>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Boat,&rsquo; quoth he, &lsquo;which hast borne me on my way,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Have thou good days beside a summer sea!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">May never wave prevail to sink thee deep!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Go, little boat, and when thou comest home<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Greet well my mother, mournful Queen Godhild;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Tell her, frail skiff, her dear son Horn is safe.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Greet, too, the pagan lord, Mahomet&rsquo;s thrall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The bitter enemy of Jesus Christ,<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg&nbsp;290]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">And bid him know that I am safe and well.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Say I have reached a land beyond the sea,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Whence, in God&rsquo;s own good time, I will return<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then he shall feel my vengeance for my sire.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then sorrowfully he pushed the boat out into the
+ocean, and the ebbing tide bore it away, while Horn
+and his companions set their faces resolutely towards
+the town they could see in the distance.</p>
+
+
+<h3>King Ailmar and Childe Horn</h3>
+
+<p>As the little band were trudging wearily towards the
+town they saw a knight riding towards them, and when
+he came nearer they became aware that he must be
+some noble of high rank. When he halted and began
+to question them, Childe Horn recognised by his tone
+and bearing that this must be the king. So indeed it
+was, for King Ailmar of Westernesse was one of those
+noble rulers who see for themselves the state of their
+subjects and make their people happy by free, unrestrained
+intercourse with them. When the king saw
+the forlorn little company he said: &ldquo;Whence are ye,
+fair youths, so strong and comely of body? Never
+have I seen so goodly a company of thirteen youths in
+the realm of Westernesse. Tell me whence ye come,
+and what ye seek.&rdquo; Childe Horn assumed the office
+of spokesman, for he was leader by birth, by courage,
+and by intellect. &ldquo;We are lads of noble families in
+Suddene, sons of Christians and of men of lofty station.
+Pagans have taken the land and slain our parents, and
+we boys fell into their hands. These heathen have
+slain and tortured many Christian men, but they had
+pity upon us, and put us into an old boat with no sail
+or rudder. So we drifted all night, until I saw your
+land at dawn, and our boat came to the shore. Now
+we are in your power, and you may do with us what
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg&nbsp;291]</a></span>
+you will, but I pray you to have pity on us and to feed
+us, that we may not perish utterly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Ailmar&rsquo;s Decision</h3>
+
+<p>King Ailmar was touched as greatly by the simple
+boldness of the spokesman as by the hapless plight of
+the little troop, and he answered, smiling: &ldquo;Thou shalt
+have nought but help and comfort, fair youth. But, I
+pray thee, tell me thy name.&rdquo; Horn answered
+readily: &ldquo;King, may all good betide thee! I am
+named Horn, and I have come journeying in a boat on
+the sea&mdash;now I am here in thy land.&rdquo; King Ailmar replied:
+&ldquo;Horn! That is a good name: mayst thou well
+enjoy it. Loud may this Horn sound over hill and
+dale till the blast of so mighty a Horn shall be heard
+in many lands from king to king, and its beauty and
+strength be known in many countries. Horn, come
+thou with me and be mine, for I love thee and will not
+forsake thee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Childe Horn at Court</h3>
+
+<p>The king rode home, and all the band of stranger
+youths followed him on foot, but for Horn he ordered
+a horse to be procured, so that the lad rode by his side;
+and thus they came back to the court. When they
+entered the hall he summoned his steward, a noble old
+knight named Athelbrus, and gave the lads in charge to
+him, saying, &ldquo;Steward, take these foundlings of mine,
+and train them well in the duties of pages, and later of
+squires. Take especial care with the training of Childe
+Horn, their chief; let him learn all thy knowledge of
+woodcraft and fishing, of hunting and hawking, of harping
+and singing; teach him how to carve before me,
+and to serve the cup solemnly at banquets; make him
+thy favourite pupil and train him to be a knight as good
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg&nbsp;292]</a></span>
+as thyself. His companions thou mayst put into other
+service, but Horn shall be my own page, and afterwards
+my squire.&rdquo; Athelbrus obeyed the king&rsquo;s command,
+and the thirteen youths soon found themselves set to
+learn the duties of court life, and showed themselves
+apt scholars, especially Childe Horn, who did his best
+to satisfy the king and his steward on every point.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Princess Rymenhild</h3>
+
+<p>When Childe Horn had been at court for six years,
+and was now a squire, he became known to all courtiers,
+and all men loved him for his gentle courtesy and his
+willingness to do any service. King Ailmar made no
+secret of the fact that Horn was his favourite squire,
+and the Princess Rymenhild, the king&rsquo;s fair daughter,
+loved him with all her heart. She was the heir to the
+throne, and no man had ever gainsaid her will, and now
+it seemed to her unreasonable that she should not be
+allowed to wed a good and gallant youth whom she
+loved. It was difficult for her to speak alone with him,
+for she had six maiden attendants who waited on her
+continually, and Horn was engaged with his duties
+either in the hall, among the knights, or waiting on the
+king. The difficulties only seemed to increase her
+love, and she grew pale and wan, and looked miserable.
+It seemed to her that if she waited longer her
+love would never be happy, and in her impatience she
+took a bold step.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Athelbrus Deceives the Princess</h3>
+
+<p>She kept her chamber, called a messenger, and said
+to him: &ldquo;Go quickly to Athelbrus the steward, and bid
+him come to me at once. Tell him to bring with him
+the squire Childe Horn, for I am lying ill in my room,
+and would be amused. Say I expect them quickly, for
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg&nbsp;293]</a></span>
+I am sad in mind, and have need of cheerful converse.&rdquo;
+The messenger bowed, and, withdrawing, delivered the
+message exactly as he had received it to Athelbrus, who
+was much perplexed thereby. He wondered whence
+came this sudden illness, and what help Childe Horn
+could give. It was an unusual thing for the squire to be
+asked into a lady&rsquo;s bower, and still more so into that of
+a princess, and Athelbrus had already felt some suspicion
+as to the sentiments of the royal lady towards
+the gallant young squire. Considering all these things,
+the cautious steward deemed it safer not to expose
+young Horn to the risks that might arise from such an
+interview, and therefore induced Athulf to wait upon
+the princess and to endeavour to personate his more
+distinguished companion. The plan succeeded beyond
+expectation in the dimly lighted room, and the infatuated
+princess soon startled the unsuspecting squire by a warm
+and unreserved declaration of her affection. Recovering
+from his natural amazement, he modestly disclaimed a
+title to the royal favour and acknowledged his identity.</p>
+
+<p>On discovering her mistake the princess was torn by
+conflicting emotions, but finally relieved the pressure
+of self-reproach and the confusion of maiden modesty
+by overwhelming the faithful steward with denunciation
+and upbraiding, until at last, in desperation, the poor
+man promised, against his better judgment, to bring
+about a meeting between his love-lorn mistress and the
+favoured squire.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Athelbrus Summons Horn</h3>
+
+<p>When Rymenhild understood that Athelbrus would
+fulfil her desire she was very glad and joyous; her
+sorrow was turned into happy expectation, and she
+looked kindly upon the old steward as she said: &ldquo;Go
+now quickly, and send him to me in the afternoon.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg&nbsp;294]</a></span>
+The king will go to the wood for sport and pastime, and
+Horn can easily remain behind; then he can stay with
+me till my father returns at eve. No one will betray
+us; and when I have met my beloved I care not what
+men may say.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then the steward went down to the banqueting-hall,
+where he found Childe Horn fulfilling his duties
+as cup-bearer, pouring out and tasting the red wine in
+the king&rsquo;s golden goblet. King Ailmar asked many
+questions about his daughter&rsquo;s health, and when he learnt
+that her malady was much abated he rose in gladness
+from the table and summoned his courtiers to go with
+him into the greenwood. Athelbrus bade Horn tarry,
+and when the gay throng had passed from the hall the
+steward said gravely: &ldquo;Childe Horn, fair and courteous,
+my beloved pupil, go now to the bower of the Princess
+Rymenhild, and stay there to fulfil all her commands.
+It may be thou shalt hear strange things, but keep rash
+and bold words in thy heart, and let them not be upon
+thy tongue. Horn, dear lad, be true and loyal now,
+and thou shalt never repent it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn and Rymenhild</h3>
+
+<p>Horn listened to this unusual speech with great
+astonishment, but, since Sir Athelbrus spoke so solemnly,
+he laid all his words to heart, and thus, marvelling
+greatly, departed to the royal bower. When he had
+knocked at the door, and had been bidden to come in,
+entering, he found Rymenhild sitting in a great chair,
+intently regarding him as he came into the room. He
+knelt down to make obeisance to her, and kissed her
+hand, saying, &ldquo;Sweet be thy life and soft thy slumbers,
+fair Princess Rymenhild! Well may it be with thy
+gentle ladies of honour! I am here at thy command,
+lady, for Sir Athelbrus the steward, bade me come to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg&nbsp;295]</a></span>
+speak with thee. Tell me thy will, and I will fulfil all
+thy desires.&rdquo; She arose from her seat, and, bending
+towards him as he knelt, took him by the hand and
+lifted him up, saying, &ldquo;Arise and sit beside me, Childe
+Horn, and we will drink this cup of wine together.&rdquo;
+In great astonishment the youth did as the princess
+bade, and sat beside her, and soon, to his utter
+amazement, Rymenhild avowed her love for him, and
+offered him her hand. &ldquo;Have pity on me, Horn, and
+plight me thy troth, for in very truth I love thee,
+and have loved thee long, and if thou wilt I will be thy
+wife.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Refuses the Princess</h3>
+
+<p>Now Horn was in evil case, for he saw full well
+in what danger he would place the princess, Sir
+Athelbrus, and himself if he accepted the proffer of
+her love. He knew the reason of the steward&rsquo;s
+warning, and tried to think what he might say to
+satisfy the princess and yet not be disloyal to the
+king. At last he replied: &ldquo;Christ save and keep
+thee, my lady Rymenhild, and give thee joy of thy
+husband, whosoever he may be! I am too lowly
+born to be worthy of such a wife; I am a mere
+foundling, living on thy father&rsquo;s bounty. It is not
+in the course of nature that such as I should wed
+a king&rsquo;s daughter, for there can be no equal match
+between a princess and a landless squire.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Rymenhild was so disheartened and ashamed at this
+reply to her loving appeal that her colour changed, she
+turned deadly pale, began to sigh, flung her arms out
+wildly, and fell down in a swoon. Childe Horn lifted
+her up, full of pity for her deep distress, and began to
+comfort her and try to revive her. As he held her in
+his arms he kissed her often, and said:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg&nbsp;296]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Lady, dear love, take comfort and be strong!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For I will yield me wholly to thy guidance<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If thou wilt compass one great thing for me.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Plead with King Ailmar that he dub me knight,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That I may prove me worthy of thy love.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Soon shall my knighthood be no idle dream,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I will strive to do thy will, dear heart.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Now at these words Rymenhild awoke from her
+swoon, and made him repeat his promise. She said:
+&ldquo;Ah! Horn, that shall speedily be done. Ere the
+week is past thou shalt be Sir Horn, for my father
+loves thee, and will grant the dignity most willingly to
+one so dear to him. Go now quickly to Sir Athelbrus,
+give him as a token of my gratitude this golden goblet
+and this ring; pray him that he persuade the king to
+dub thee knight. I will repay him with rich rewards
+for his gentle courtesy to me. May Christ help him to
+speed thee in thy desires!&rdquo; Horn then took leave of
+Rymenhild with great affection, and found Athelbrus,
+to whom he delivered the gifts and the princess&rsquo;s
+message, which the steward received with due reverence.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Becomes a Knight</h3>
+
+<p>This plan seemed to Athelbrus very good, for it
+raised Horn to be a member of the noble Order of
+Knights, and would give him other chances of distinguishing
+himself. Accordingly he went to the king as
+he sat over the evening meal, and spoke thus: &ldquo;Sir
+King, hear my words, for I have counsel for thee.
+To-morrow is the festival of thy birth, and the whole
+realm of Westernesse must rejoice in its master&rsquo;s joy.
+Wear thou thy crown in solemn state, and I think it
+were nought amiss if thou shouldst knight young
+Horn, who will become a worthy defender of thy
+throne.&rdquo; &ldquo;That were well done,&rdquo; said King Ailmar.
+&ldquo;The youth pleases me, and I will knight him with
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg&nbsp;297]</a></span>
+my own sword. Afterwards he shall knight his twelve
+comrades the same day.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The next day the ceremony of knighting was performed
+with all solemnity, and at its close a great
+banquet was prepared and all men made merry. But
+Princess Rymenhild was somewhat sad. She could
+not descend to the hall and take her customary place,
+for this was a feast for knights alone, and she would
+not be without her betrothed one moment longer, so
+she sent a messenger to fetch Sir Horn to her bower.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn and Athulf Go to Rymenhild</h3>
+
+<p>Now that Horn was a newly dubbed knight he
+would not allow the slightest shadow of dishonour
+to cloud his conduct; accordingly, when he obeyed
+Rymenhild&rsquo;s summons he was accompanied by Athulf.
+&ldquo;Welcome, Sir Horn and Sir Athulf,&rdquo; she cried,
+holding out her hands in greeting. &ldquo;Love, now that
+thou hast thy will, keep thy plighted word and make
+me thy wife; release me from my anxiety and do as
+thou hast said.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;Dear Rymenhild, hold thou thyself at peace,&rsquo;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Quoth young Sir Horn; &lsquo;I will perform my vow.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But first I must ride forth to prove my might;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Must conquer hardships, and my own worse self,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ere I can hope to woo and wed my bride.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We are but new-fledged knights of one day&rsquo;s growth,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And yet we know the custom of our state<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is first to fight and win a hero&rsquo;s name,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then afterwards to win a lady&rsquo;s heart.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">This day will I do bravely for thy love<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And show my valour and my deep devotion<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In prowess &rsquo;gainst the foes of this thy land.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If I come back in peace, I claim my wife.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Rymenhild protested no longer, for she saw that
+where honour was concerned Horn was inflexible.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg&nbsp;298]</a></span>
+&ldquo;My true knight,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;I must in sooth believe
+thee, and I feel that I may. Take this ring engraved
+with my name, wrought by the most skilled worker of
+our court, and wear it always, for it has magic virtues.
+The gems are of such saving power that thou shalt fear
+no strokes in battle, nor ever be cast down if thou gaze
+on this ring and think of thy love. Athulf, too, shall
+have a similar ring. And now, Horn, I commend thee
+to God, and may Christ give thee good success and
+bring thee back in safety!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s First Exploit</h3>
+
+<p>After taking an affectionate farewell of Rymenhild,
+Horn went down to the hall, and, seeing all the other
+new-made knights going in to the banquet, he slipped
+quietly away and betook himself to the stables. There
+he armed himself secretly and mounted his white
+charger, which pranced and reared joyfully as he rode
+away; and Horn began to sing for joy of heart, for he
+had won his chief desire, and was happy in the love of
+the king&rsquo;s daughter. As he rode by the shore he saw
+a stranger ship drawn up on the beach, and recognised
+the banner and accoutrements of her Saracen crew, for he
+had never forgotten the heathens who had slain his father.
+&ldquo;What brings you here?&rdquo; he asked angrily, and as
+fearlessly as King Murry had done, and received the
+same answer: &ldquo;We will conquer this land and slay the
+inhabitants.&rdquo; Then Horn&rsquo;s anger rose, he gripped his
+sword, and rushed boldly at the heathens, and slew
+many of them, striking off a head at each blow. The
+onslaught was so sudden that the Saracens were taken
+by surprise at first, but then they rallied and surrounded
+Horn, so that matters began to look dangerous for him.
+Then he remembered the betrothal ring, and looked on
+it, thinking earnestly of Rymenhild, his dear love, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg&nbsp;299]</a></span>
+such courage came to him that he was able to defeat
+the pagans and slay their leader. The others, sorely
+wounded&mdash;for none escaped unhurt&mdash;hurried on board
+ship and put to sea, and Horn, bearing the Saracen
+leader&rsquo;s head on his sword&rsquo;s point, rode back to the
+royal palace. Here he related to King Ailmar this
+first exploit of his knighthood, and presented the head
+of the foe to the king, who rejoiced greatly at Horn&rsquo;s
+valour and success.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 403px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr43.jpg" width="403" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_298" id="image_page_298"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Horn kills the Saracen leader</p>
+
+
+<h3>Rymenhild&rsquo;s Dream</h3>
+
+<p>The next day the king and all the court rode out
+hunting, but Horn made an excuse to stay behind with
+the princess, and the false and wily Fikenhild was also
+left at home, and he crept secretly to Rymenhild&rsquo;s
+bower to spy on her. She was sitting weeping bitterly
+when Sir Horn entered. He was amazed. &ldquo;Love, for
+mercy&rsquo;s sake, why weepest thou so sorely?&rdquo; he asked;
+and she replied: &ldquo;I have had a mournful dream. I
+dreamt that I was casting a net and had caught a great
+fish, which began to burst the net. I greatly fear that
+I shall lose my chosen fish.&rdquo; Then she looked sadly at
+Horn. But the young knight was in a cheery mood,
+and replied: &ldquo;May Christ and St. Stephen turn thy
+dream to good! If I am thy fish, I will never deceive
+thee nor do aught to displease thee, and hereto I plight
+thee my troth. But I would rather interpret thy dream
+otherwise. This great fish which burst thy net is
+some one who wishes us ill, and will do us harm soon.&rdquo;
+Yet in spite of Horn&rsquo;s brave words it was a sad
+betrothal, for Rymenhild wept bitterly, and her lover
+could not stop her tears.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Fikenhild&rsquo;s False Accusation</h3>
+
+<p>Fikenhild had listened to all their conversation with
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg&nbsp;300]</a></span>
+growing envy and anger, and now he stole away silently,
+and met King Ailmar returning from the chase.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;King Ailmar,&rsquo; said the false one, &lsquo;see, I bring<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A needed warning, that thou guard thyself,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For Horn will take thy life; I heard him vow<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To slay thee, or by sword or fire, this night.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If thou demand what cause of hate he has,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Know that the villain wooes thine only child,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fair Rymenhild, and hopes to wear thy crown.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">E&rsquo;en now he tarries in the maiden&rsquo;s bower,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">As he has often done, and talks with her<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With guileful tongue, and cunning show of love.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Unless thou banish him thou art not safe<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In life or honour, for he knows no law.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>The king at first refused to believe the envious
+knight&rsquo;s report, but, going to Rymenhild&rsquo;s bower, he
+found apparent confirmation, for Horn was comforting
+the princess, and promising to wed her when he should
+have done worthy feats of arms. The king&rsquo;s wrath
+knew no bounds, and with words of harsh reproach he
+banished Horn at once, on pain of death. The young
+knight armed himself quickly and returned to bid
+farewell to his betrothed.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s Banishment</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Dear heart,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;now thy dream has come
+true, and thy fish must needs break the net and be
+gone. The enemy whom I foreboded has wrought us
+woe. Farewell, mine own dear Rymenhild; I may no
+longer stay, but must wander in alien lands. If I do
+not return at the end of seven years take thyself a husband
+and tarry no longer for me. And now take me
+in your arms and kiss me, dear love, ere I go!&rdquo; So
+they kissed each other and bade farewell, and Horn
+called to him his comrade Athulf, saying, &ldquo;True and
+faithful friend, guard well my dear love. Thou hast
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg&nbsp;301]</a></span>
+never forsaken me; now do thou keep Rymenhild for
+me.&rdquo; Then he rode away, and, reaching the haven,
+hired a good ship and sailed for Ireland, where he took
+service with King Thurston, under the name of Cuthbert.
+In Ireland he became sworn brother to the
+king&rsquo;s two sons, Harold and Berild, for they loved him
+from the first moment they saw him, and were in no
+way jealous of his beauty and valour.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Slays the Giant Emir</h3>
+
+<p>When Christmas came, and King Thurston sat at the
+banquet with all his lords, at noontide a giant strode
+into the hall, bearing a message of defiance. He came
+from the Saracens, and challenged any three Irish knights
+to fight one Saracen champion. If the Irish won the
+pagans would withdraw from Ireland; if the Irish
+chiefs were slain the Saracens would hold the land.
+The combat was to be decided the next day at dawn.
+King Thurston accepted the challenge, and named
+Harold, Berild, and Cuthbert (as Horn was called) as
+the Christian champions, because they were the best
+warriors in Ireland; but Horn begged permission to
+speak, and said: &ldquo;Sir King, it is not right that one man
+should fight against three, and one heathen hound think
+to resist three Christian warriors. I will fight and conquer
+him alone, for I could as easily slay three of them.&rdquo;
+At last the king allowed Horn to attempt the combat
+alone, and spent the night in sorrowful musing on the
+result of the contest, while Horn slept well and arose
+and armed himself cheerily. He then aroused the
+king, and the Irish troop rode out to a fair and level
+green lawn, where they found the emir with many
+companions awaiting them. The combat began at
+once, and Horn gave blows so mighty that the pagan
+onlookers fell swooning through very fear, till Horn
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg&nbsp;302]</a></span>
+said: &ldquo;Now, knights, rest for a time, if it pleases you.&rdquo;
+Then the Saracens spoke together, saying aloud that no
+man had ever so daunted them before except King
+Murry of Suddene.</p>
+
+<p>This mention of his dead father aroused Horn, who
+now realized that he saw before him his father&rsquo;s
+murderers. His anger was kindled, he looked at his
+ring and thought of Rymenhild, and then, drawing his
+sword again, he rushed at the heathen champion. The
+giant fell pierced through the heart, and his companions
+fled to their ships, hotly pursued by Horn and his
+company. Much fighting there was, and in the hot
+strife near the ships the king&rsquo;s two sons, Harold and
+Berild, were both slain.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Refuses the Throne</h3>
+
+<p>Sadly they were laid on a bier and brought back
+to the palace, their sorrowful father lamenting their
+early death; and when he had wept his fill the mournful
+king came into the hall where all his knights silently
+awaited him. Slowly he came up to Horn as he sat a
+little apart from the rest, and said: &ldquo;Cuthbert, wilt
+thou fulfil my desire? My heirs are slain, and thou
+art the best knight in Ireland for strength and beauty
+and valour; I implore thee to wed Reynild, my only
+daughter (now, alas! my only child), and to rule my
+realm. Wilt thou do so, and lift the burden of my
+cares from my weary shoulders?&rdquo; But Horn replied:
+&ldquo;O Sir King, it were wrong for me to receive thy fair
+daughter and heir and rule thy realm, as thou dost
+offer. I shall do thee yet better service, my liege,
+before I die; and I know that thy grief will change ere
+seven years have passed away. When that time is
+over, Sir King, give me my reward: thou shalt not
+refuse me thy daughter when I desire her.&rdquo; To this
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg&nbsp;303]</a></span>
+King Thurston agreed, and Horn dwelt in Ireland for
+seven years, and sent no word or token to Rymenhild
+all the time.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Rymenhild&rsquo;s Distress</h3>
+
+<p>In the meantime Princess Rymenhild was in great
+perplexity and trouble, for a powerful ruler, King Modi
+of Reynes, wooed her for his wife, and her own betrothed
+sent her no token of his life or love. Her
+father accepted the new suitor for her hand, and the
+day of the wedding was fixed, so that Rymenhild could
+no longer delay her marriage. In her extremity she
+besought Athulf to write letters to Horn, begging him
+to return and claim his bride and protect her; and
+these letters she delivered to several messengers, bidding
+them search in all lands until they found Sir Horn
+and gave the letters into his own hand. Horn knew
+nought of this, till one day in the forest he met a weary
+youth, all but exhausted, who told how he had sought
+Horn in vain. When Horn declared himself, the
+youth broke out into loud lamentations over Rymenhild&rsquo;s
+unhappy fate, and delivered the letter which
+explained all her distress. Now it was Horn&rsquo;s turn to
+weep bitterly for his love&rsquo;s troubles, and he bade the
+messenger return to his mistress and tell her to cease
+her tears, for Horn would be there in time to rescue
+her from her hated bridegroom. The youth returned
+joyfully, but as his boat neared the shore of Westernesse
+a storm arose and the messenger was drowned;
+so that Rymenhild, opening her tower door to look for
+expected succour, found her messenger lying dead at
+the foot of the tower, and felt that all hope was gone.
+She wept and wrung her hands, but nothing that she
+could do would avert the evil day.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg&nbsp;304]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Horn and King Thurston</h3>
+
+<p>As soon as Horn had read Rymenhild&rsquo;s letter he
+went to King Thurston and revealed the whole matter
+to him. He told of his own royal parentage, his exile,
+his knighthood, his betrothal to the princess, and his
+banishment; then of the death of the Saracen leader
+who had slain King Murry, and the vengeance he had
+taken. Then he ended:</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&ldquo;&lsquo;King Thurston, be thou wise, and grant my boon;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Repay the service I have yielded thee;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Help me to save my princess from this woe.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I will take counsel for fair Reynild&rsquo;s fate,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For she shall wed Sir Athulf, my best friend,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My truest comrade and my doughtiest knight.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">If ever I have risked my life for thee<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And proved myself in battle, grant my prayer.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>To this the king replied: &ldquo;Childe Horn, do what
+thou wilt.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Returns on the Wedding-day</h3>
+
+<p>Horn at once invited Irish knights to accompany him
+to Westernesse to rescue his love from a hateful marriage,
+and many came eagerly to fight in the cause of
+the valiant Cuthbert who had defended Ireland for
+seven years. Thus it was with a goodly company that
+Horn took ship, and landed in King Ailmar&rsquo;s realm;
+and he came in a happy hour, for it was the wedding-day
+of Princess Rymenhild and King Modi of Reynes.
+The Irish knights landed and encamped in a wood,
+while Horn went on alone to learn tidings. Meeting a
+palmer, he asked the news, and the palmer replied: &ldquo;I
+have been at the wedding of Princess Rymenhild, and
+a sad sight it was, for the bride was wedded against her
+will, vowing she had a husband though he is a banished
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg&nbsp;305]</a></span>
+man. She would take no ring nor utter any vows; but
+the service was read, and afterwards King Modi took
+her to a strong castle, where not even a palmer was
+given entrance. I came away, for I could not endure
+the pity of it. The bride sits weeping sorely, and if
+report be true her heart is like to break with grief.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Is Disguised as a Palmer</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come, palmer,&rdquo; said Horn, &ldquo;lend me your cloak
+and scrip. I must see this strange bridal, and it may
+be I shall make some there repent of the wrong they
+have done to a helpless maiden. I will essay to enter.&rdquo;
+The change was soon made, and Horn darkened his
+face and hands as if bronzed with Eastern suns, bowed
+his back, and gave his voice an old man&rsquo;s feebleness, so
+that no man would have known him; which done, he
+made his way to King Modi&rsquo;s new castle. Here he
+begged admittance for charity&rsquo;s sake, that he might
+share the broken bits of the wedding feast; but he was
+churlishly refused by the porter, who would not be
+moved by any entreaties. At last Horn lost all patience,
+and broke open the door, and threw the porter out
+over the drawbridge into the moat; then, once more
+assuming his disguise, he made his way into the hall
+and sat down in the beggars&rsquo; row.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Recognition</h3>
+
+<p>Rymenhild was weeping still, and her stern husband
+seemed only angered by her tears. Horn looked about
+cautiously, but saw no sign of Athulf, his trusted
+comrade; for he was at this time eagerly looking for
+his friend&rsquo;s coming from the lofty watch-tower, and
+lamenting that he could guard the princess no longer.
+At last, when the banquet was nearly over, Rymenhild
+rose to pour out wine for the guests, as the custom was
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg&nbsp;306]</a></span>
+then; and she bore a horn of ale or wine along the
+benches to each person there. Horn, sitting humbly
+on the ground, called out: &ldquo;Come, courteous Queen,
+turn to me, for we beggars are thirsty folk.&rdquo; Rymenhild
+smiled sadly, and, setting down the horn, filled a
+bowl with brown ale, for she thought him a drunkard.
+&ldquo;Here, drink this, and more besides, if thou wilt; I
+never saw so bold a beggar,&rdquo; she said. But Horn
+refused. He handed the bowl to the other beggars,
+and said: &ldquo;Lady, I will drink nought but from a silver
+cup, for I am not what you think me. I am no beggar,
+but a fisher, come from afar to fish at thy wedding feast.
+My net lies near by, and has lain there for seven years,
+and I am come to see if it has caught any fish. Drink
+to me, and drink to Horn from thy horn, for far have
+I journeyed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>When the palmer spoke of fishing, and his seven-year-old
+net, Rymenhild felt cold at heart; she did
+not recognise him, but wondered greatly when he bade
+her drink &ldquo;to Horn.&rdquo; She filled her cup and gave it
+to the palmer, saying, &ldquo;Drink thy fill, and then tell
+me if thou hast ever seen Horn in thy wanderings.&rdquo;
+As the palmer drank, he dropped his ring into the cup;
+then he returned it to Rymenhild, saying, &ldquo;Queen,
+seek out what is in thy draught.&rdquo; She said nothing
+then, but left the hall with her maidens and went to
+her bower, where she found the well-remembered ring
+she had given to Horn in token of betrothal. Greatly
+she feared that Horn was dead, and sent for the palmer,
+whom she questioned as to whence he had got the ring.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s Stratagem</h3>
+
+<p>Horn thought he would test her love for him, since
+she had not recognised him, so he replied: &ldquo;By
+St. Giles, lady, I have wandered many a mile, far
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg&nbsp;307]</a></span>
+into realms of the West, and there I found Sir Horn
+ready prepared to sail home to your land. He told
+me that he planned to reach the realm of Westernesse
+in time to see you before seven years had passed, and I
+embarked with him. The winds were favourable and we
+had a quick voyage, but, alas! he fell ill and died. When
+he lay dying he begged me piteously, &lsquo;Take this ring,
+from which I have never been parted, to my dear lady
+Rymenhild,&rsquo; and he kissed it many times and pressed it to
+his breast. May God give his soul rest in Paradise!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>When Rymenhild heard those terrible tidings she
+sighed deeply and said: &ldquo;O heart, burst now, for thou
+shalt never more have Horn, for love of whom thou
+hast been tormented so sorely!&rdquo; Then she fell upon
+her bed, and grasped the dagger which she had concealed
+there; for if Horn did not come in time she
+had planned to slay both her hateful lord and herself
+that very night. Now, in her misery, she set the dagger
+to her heart, and would have slain herself at once, had
+not the palmer interrupted her. Rushing forward, he
+exclaimed: &ldquo;Dear Queen and lady, I am Horn, thine
+own true love. Dost thou not recognise me? I am
+Childe Horn of Westernesse. Take me in thy arms,
+dear love, and kiss me welcome home.&rdquo; As Rymenhild
+stared incredulously at him, letting the dagger fall from
+her trembling hand, he hurriedly cast away his disguise,
+brushed off the disfiguring stain he had put on his
+cheeks, and stood up straight and strong, her own noble
+knight and lover. What joy they had together! How
+they told each other of all their adventures and troubles,
+and how they embraced and kissed each other!</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn Slays King Modi</h3>
+
+<p>When their joy had become calmer, Horn said to his
+lady: &ldquo;Dear Rymenhild, I must leave thee now, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg&nbsp;308]</a></span>
+return to my knights, who are encamped in the forest.
+Within an hour I will return to the feast and give
+the king and his guests a stern lesson.&rdquo; Then he flung
+away the palmer&rsquo;s cloak, and went forth in knightly
+array; while the princess went up to the watch-tower,
+where Athulf still scanned the sea for some sign of
+Horn&rsquo;s coming. Rymenhild said: &ldquo;Sir Athulf, true
+friend, go quickly to Horn, for he has arrived, and
+with him he brings a great army.&rdquo; The knight gladly
+hastened to the courtyard, mounted his steed, and soon
+overtook Horn. They were greatly rejoiced to meet
+again, and had much to tell each other and to plan for
+that day&rsquo;s work.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening Horn and his army reached the castle,
+where they found the gates undone for them by their
+friends within, and in a short but desperate conflict
+King Modi and all the guests at the banquet were
+slain, except Rymenhild, her father, and Horn&rsquo;s twelve
+comrades. Then a new wedding was celebrated, for
+King Ailmar durst not refuse his daughter to the
+victor, and the bridal was now one of real rejoicing,
+though the king was somewhat bitter of mood.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s Departure</h3>
+
+<p>When the hours wore on to midnight, Horn, sitting
+beside his bride, called for silence in the hall, and
+addressed the king thus: &ldquo;Sir King, I pray thee listen
+to my tale, for I have much to say and much to explain.
+My name is in sooth Horn, and I am the son of King
+Murry of Suddene, who was slain by the Saracens.
+Thou didst cherish me and give me knighthood, and I
+proved myself a true knight on the very day when
+I was dubbed. Thou didst love me then, but evil
+men accused me to thee and I was banished. For seven
+years I have lived in a strange land; but now that I
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg&nbsp;309]</a></span>
+have returned, I have won thy fair daughter as my
+bride. But I cannot dwell here in idleness while the
+heathen hold my father&rsquo;s land. I vow by the Holy
+Rood that I will not rest, and will not claim my wife,
+until I have purified Suddene from the infidel invaders,
+and can lay its crown at Rymenhild&rsquo;s feet. Do thou,
+O King, guard well my wife till my return.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The king consented to this proposal, and, in spite of
+Rymenhild&rsquo;s grief, Horn immediately bade her farewell,
+and with his whole army embarked for Suddene, this
+time accompanied by Athulf, but leaving the rest of his
+comrades for the protection of his wife.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Apostate Knight</h3>
+
+<p>The wind blew fair for Suddene, and the fleet reached
+the port. The warriors disembarked, and marched inland,
+to encamp for the night in a wood, where they
+could be hidden. Horn and Athulf set out at midnight
+to endeavour to obtain news of the foe, and soon found
+a solitary knight sleeping. They awoke him roughly,
+saying, &ldquo;Knight, awake! Why sleepest thou here?
+What dost thou guard?&rdquo; The knight sprang lightly
+from the ground, saw their faces and the shining crosses
+on their shields, and cast down his eyes in shame, saying,
+&ldquo;Alas! I have served these pagans against my will.
+In time gone by I was a Christian, but now I am a
+coward renegade, who forsook his God for fear of death
+at the hands of the Saracens! I hate my infidel masters,
+but I fear them too, and they have forced me to guard
+this district and keep watch against Horn&rsquo;s return. If
+he should come to his own again how glad I should
+be! These infidels slew his father, and drove him into
+exile, with his twelve comrades, among whom was my
+own son, Athulf, who loved the prince as his own life.
+If the prince is yet alive, and my son also, God grant
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg&nbsp;310]</a></span>
+that I may see them both again! Then would I
+joyfully die.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Recognition</h3>
+
+<p>Horn answered quickly: &ldquo;Sir Knight, be glad and
+rejoice, for here are we, Horn and Athulf, come to
+avenge my father and retake my realm from the
+heathen.&rdquo; Athulf&rsquo;s father was overcome with joy and
+shame; he hardly dared to embrace his son, yet the
+bliss of meeting was so great that he clasped Athulf in
+his arms and prayed his forgiveness for the disgrace
+he had brought upon him. The two young knights
+said nothing of his past weakness, but told him all their
+own adventures, and at last he said: &ldquo;What is your true
+errand hither? Can you two alone slay the heathen?
+Dear Childe Horn, what joy this will be to thy mother
+Godhild, who still lives in a solitary retreat, praying for
+thee and for the land!&rdquo; Horn broke in on his speech
+with &ldquo;Blessed be the hour when I returned! Thank
+God that my mother yet lives! We are not alone, but
+I have an army of valiant Irish warriors, who will help
+me to regain my realm.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Reconquest of Suddene</h3>
+
+<p>Now the king blew his horn, and his host marched
+out from the wood and prepared to attack the Saracens.
+The news soon spread that Childe Horn had returned,
+and many men who had accepted the faith of Mahomet
+for fear of death now threw off the hated religion,
+joined the true king&rsquo;s army, and were rebaptized. The
+war was not long, for the Saracens had made themselves
+universally hated, and the inhabitants rose against
+them; so that in a short time the country was purged
+of the infidels, who were slain or fled to other lands.
+Then Horn brought his mother from her retreat, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg&nbsp;311]</a></span>
+together they purified the churches which had been
+desecrated, and restored the true faith. When the
+land of Suddene was again a Christian realm King
+Horn was crowned with solemn rites, and a great
+coronation feast was held, which lasted too long for
+Horn&rsquo;s true happiness.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Fikenhild Imprisons Rymenhild</h3>
+
+<p>During Horn&rsquo;s absence from Westernesse, his comrades
+watched carefully over Rymenhild; but her father,
+who was growing old, had fallen much under the
+influence of the plausible Fikenhild. From the day
+when Fikenhild had falsely accused Horn to the king,
+Ailmar had held him in honour as a loyal servant, and
+now he had such power over the old ruler that when
+he demanded Rymenhild&rsquo;s hand in marriage, saying
+that Horn was dead in Suddene, the king dared not
+refuse, and the princess was bidden to make ready for
+a new bridal. For this day Fikenhild had long been
+prepared; he had built a massive fortress on a promontory,
+which at high tide was surrounded by the sea,
+but was easy of access at the ebb; thither he now led
+the weeping princess, and began a wedding feast which
+was to last all day, and to end only with the marriage
+ceremony at night.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s Dream</h3>
+
+<p>That same night, before the feast, King Horn had a
+terrible dream. He thought he saw his wife taken
+on board ship; soon the ship began to sink, and Rymenhild
+held out her hands for rescue, but Fikenhild,
+standing in safety on shore, beat her back into the
+waves with his sword. With the agony of the sight
+Horn awoke, and, calling his comrade Athulf, said:
+&ldquo;Friend, we must depart to-day. My wife is in danger
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg&nbsp;312]</a></span>
+from false Fikenhild, whom I have trusted too much.
+Let us delay no longer, but go at once. If God will,
+I hope to release her, and to punish Fikenhild. God
+grant we come in time!&rdquo; With some few chosen
+knights, King Horn and Athulf set out, and the ship
+drove darkling through the sea, they knew not whither.
+All the night they drifted on, and in the morning found
+themselves beneath a newly built castle, which none of
+them had seen before.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Horn&rsquo;s Disguise</h3>
+
+<p>While they were seeking to moor their boat to the
+shore, one of the castle windows looking out to sea
+opened, and they saw a knight standing and gazing seaward,
+whom they speedily recognised; it was Athulf&rsquo;s
+cousin, Sir Arnoldin, one of the twelve comrades, who
+had accompanied the princess thither in the hope that
+he might yet save her from Fikenhild; he was now
+looking, as a forlorn hope, over the sea, though he
+believed Horn was dead. His joy was great when he
+saw the knights, and he came out to them and speedily
+told them of Rymenhild&rsquo;s distress and the position of
+affairs in the castle. King Horn was not at a loss for
+an expedient even in this distress. He quickly disguised
+himself and a few of his comrades as minstrels,
+harpers, fiddlers, and jugglers. Then, rowing to the
+mainland, he waited till low tide, and made his way
+over the beach to the castle, accompanied by his disguised
+comrades. Outside the castle walls they began
+to play and sing, and Rymenhild heard them, and,
+asking what the sounds were, gave orders that the
+minstrels should be admitted. They sat on benches
+low down the hall, tuning their harps and fiddles
+and watching the bride, who seemed unhappy and
+pale. When Horn sang a lay of true love and happiness,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg&nbsp;313]</a></span>
+Rymenhild swooned for grief, and the king was
+touched to the heart with bitter remorse that he had
+tried her constancy so long, and had allowed her to
+endure such hardships and misery for his sake.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 409px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr44.jpg" width="409" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_312" id="image_page_312"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels</p>
+
+
+<h3>Death of Fikenhild</h3>
+
+<p>King Horn now glanced down and saw the ring of
+betrothal on his finger, where he had worn it ever, except
+that fateful day when he had given it as a token of
+recognition to Rymenhild. He thought of his wife&rsquo;s
+sufferings, and his mind was made up. Springing from
+the minstrels&rsquo; bench, he strode boldly up the hall,
+throwing off his disguise, and, shouting, &ldquo;I am King
+Horn! False Fikenhild, thou shalt die!&rdquo; he slew the
+villain in the midst of his men. Horn&rsquo;s comrades likewise
+flung off their disguise, and soon overpowered the
+few of the household who cared to fight in their dead
+master&rsquo;s cause. The castle was taken for King Ailmar,
+who was persuaded to nominate Sir Arnoldin his heir,
+and the baronage of Westernesse did homage to him as
+the next king. Horn and his fair wife begged the good
+old steward Sir Athelbrus to go with them to Suddene,
+and on the way they touched at Ireland, where Reynild,
+the king&rsquo;s fair daughter, was induced to look favourably
+on Sir Athulf and accept him for her husband. The
+land of King Modi, which had now no ruler, was committed
+to the care of Sir Athelbrus, and Horn and
+Rymenhild at last reached Suddene, where the people
+received their fair queen with great joy, and where they
+dwelt in happiness till their lives&rsquo; end.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg&nbsp;314]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XV: ROBIN HOOD</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">E</span>NGLAND during the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth
+centuries was slowly taught the value
+of firm administrative government. In Saxon
+England, the keeping of the peace and the maintenance
+of justice had been left largely to private and family enterprise
+and to local and trading communities. In Norman
+England, the royal authority was asserted throughout the
+kingdom, though as yet the king had to depend in large
+measure upon the co-operation of his barons and the help
+of the burghers to supply the lack of a standing army and
+an adequate police. Under the Plantagenets, the older
+chivalry was slowly breaking up, and a new, wealthy
+burgher and trading community was rapidly gaining
+influence in the land; whilst the clergy, corrupted by
+excess of wealth and power, had strained, almost to
+breaking, the controlling force of religion. It was
+therefore natural that in these latter days a class of
+men should arise to avail themselves of the unique
+opportunities of the time&mdash;men who, loving liberty and
+hating oppression, took the law into their own hands and
+executed a rough and ready justice between the rich and
+the poor which embodied the best traditions of knight-errantry,
+whilst they themselves lived a free and merry
+life on the tolls they exacted from their wealthy victims.
+Such a man may well have been the original Robin
+Hood, a man who, when once he had captured the
+popular imagination, soon acquired heroic reputation
+and was credited with every daring deed and every magnanimous
+action in two centuries of &lsquo;freebooting.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Robin Hood Seeks a Guest</h3>
+
+<p>At one time Robin Hood lived in the noble forest of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg&nbsp;315]</a></span>
+Barnesdale, in Yorkshire. He had but few of his merry
+men with him, for his headquarters were in the glorious
+forest of Sherwood. Just now, however, the Sheriff of
+Nottinghamshire was less active in his endeavours to put
+down the band of outlaws, and the leader had wandered
+farther north than usual. Robin&rsquo;s companions were his
+three dearest comrades and most loyal followers, Little
+John (so called because of his great stature), Will Scarlet,
+Robin&rsquo;s cousin, and Much, the miller&rsquo;s son. These three
+were all devoted to their leader, and never left his side,
+except at such times as he sent them away on his business.</p>
+
+<p>On this day Robin was leaning against a tree, lost in
+thought, and his three followers grew impatient; they
+knew that before dinner could be served there were the
+three customary Masses to hear, and their leader gave
+no sign of being ready for Mass. Robin always heard
+three Masses before his dinner, one of the Father, one
+of the Holy Spirit, and the last of Our Lady, who was
+his patron saint and protector. As the three yeomen
+were growing hungry, Little John ventured to address
+him. &ldquo;Master, it would do you good if you would
+dine early to-day, for you have fasted long.&rdquo; Robin
+aroused himself and smiled. &ldquo;Ah, Little John, methinks
+care for thine own appetite hath a share in that
+speech, as well as care for me. But in sooth I care not
+to dine alone. I would have a stranger guest, some
+abbot or bishop or baron, who would pay us for our
+hospitality. I will not dine till a guest be found, and
+I leave it to you three to find him.&rdquo; Robin turned
+away, laughing at the crestfallen faces of his followers,
+who had not counted on such a vague commission;
+but Little John, quickly recovering himself, called to
+him: &ldquo;Master, tell us, before we leave you, where we
+shall meet, and what sort of people we are to capture
+and bring to you in the greenwood.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg&nbsp;316]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>The Outlaws&rsquo; Rules</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You know that already,&rdquo; said their master. &ldquo;You
+are to do no harm to women, nor to any company in
+which a woman is travelling; this is in honour of our
+dear Lady. You are to be kind and gentle to husbandmen
+and toilers of all degrees, to worthy knights and yeomen,
+to gallant squires, and to all children and helpless
+people; but sheriffs (especially him of Nottingham),
+bishops, and prelates of all kinds, and usurers in Church
+and State, you may regard as your enemies, and may
+rob, beat, and despoil in any way. Meet me with your
+guest at our great trysting oak in the forest, and be
+speedy, for dinner must wait until the visitor has
+arrived.&rdquo; &ldquo;Now may God send us a suitable traveller
+soon,&rdquo; said Little John, &ldquo;for I am hungry for dinner
+now.&rdquo; &ldquo;So am I,&rdquo; said each of the others, and
+Robin laughed again. &ldquo;Go ye all three, with bows
+and arrows in hand, and I will stay alone at the trysting
+tree and await your coming. As no man passes this
+way, you can walk up to the willow plantation and
+take your stand on Watling Street; there you will
+soon meet with likely travellers, and I will accept the
+first who appears. I will find means to have dinner
+ready against your return, and we will hope that our
+visitor&rsquo;s generosity will compensate us for the trouble
+of cooking his dinner.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Robin Hood&rsquo;s Guest</h3>
+
+<p>The three yeomen, taking their longbows in hand
+and arrows in their belts, walked up through the willow
+plantation to a place on Watling Street where another
+road crossed it; but there was no one in sight. As
+they stood with bows in hand, looking towards the
+forest of Barnesdale, they saw in the distance a knight
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg&nbsp;317]</a></span>
+riding in their direction. As he drew nearer they
+were struck by his appearance, for he rode as a man
+who had lost all interest in life; his clothes were
+disordered, he looked neither to right nor left, but
+drooped his head sadly, while one foot hung in the
+stirrup and the other dangled slackly in the air. The
+yeomen had never seen so doleful a rider; but, sad as
+he was, this was a visitor and must be taken to Robin;
+accordingly Little John stepped forward and caught the
+horse by the bridle.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr45.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_316" id="image_page_316"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Little John caught the horse by the bridle&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Little John Escorts the Knight</h3>
+
+<p>The knight raised his head and looked blankly at the
+outlaw, who at once doffed his cap, saying, &ldquo;Welcome,
+Sir Knight! I give you, on my master&rsquo;s behalf, a hearty
+welcome to the greenwood. Gentle knight, come now
+to my master, who hath waited three hours, fasting,
+for your approach before he would dine. Dinner is
+prepared, and only tarries your courteous appearance.&rdquo;
+The stranger knight seemed to consider this address
+carefully, for he sighed deeply, and then said: &ldquo;I cry
+thee mercy, good fellow, for the delay, though I wot
+not how I am the cause thereof. But who is thy
+master?&rdquo; Little John replied: &ldquo;My master&rsquo;s name is
+Robin Hood, and I am sent to guide you to him.&rdquo; The
+knight said: &ldquo;So Robin Hood is thy leader? I have
+heard of him, and know him to be a good yeoman;
+therefore I am ready to accompany thee, though, in
+good sooth, I had intended to eat my midday meal at
+Blythe or Doncaster to-day. But it matters little where
+a broken man dines!&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Robin Hood&rsquo;s Feast</h3>
+
+<p>The three yeomen conducted the knight along the
+forest ways to the trysting oak where Robin awaited
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg&nbsp;318]</a></span>
+them. As they went they observed that the knight
+was weeping silently for some great distress, but their
+courtesy forbade them to make any show of noticing
+his grief. When the appointed spot was reached, Robin
+stepped forward and courteously greeted his guest,
+with head uncovered and bended knee, and welcomed
+him gladly to the wild greenwood. &ldquo;Welcome, Sir
+Knight, to our greenwood feast! I have waited three
+hours for a guest, and now Our Lady has sent you to
+me we can dine, after we have heard Mass.&rdquo; The
+knight said nothing but, &ldquo;God save you, good Robin,
+and all your merry men&rdquo;; and then very devoutly they
+heard the three Masses, sung by Friar Tuck. By this
+time others of the outlaw band had appeared, having
+returned from various errands, and a gay company sat
+down to a banquet as good as any the knight had ever
+eaten.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Robin Converses with the Knight</h3>
+
+<p>There was abundance of good things&mdash;venison and
+game of all kinds, swans and river-fowl and fish, with
+bread and good wine. Every one seemed joyous, and
+merry jests went round that jovial company, till even
+the careworn guest began to smile, and then to laugh
+outright. At this Robin was well pleased, for he saw that
+his visitor was a good man, and was glad to have lifted
+the burden of his care, even if only for a few minutes;
+so he smiled cheerfully at the knight and said: &ldquo;Be
+merry, Sir Knight, I pray, and eat heartily of our food,
+for it is with great goodwill that we offer it to you.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Thanks, good Robin,&rdquo; replied the knight. &ldquo;I have
+enjoyed my dinner to-day greatly; for three weeks I
+have not had so good a meal. If I ever pass by this
+way again I will do my best to repay you in kind; as good
+a dinner will I try to provide as you have given me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg&nbsp;319]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Robin Demands Payment</h3>
+
+<p>The outlaw chief seemed to be affronted by this
+suggestion, and replied, with a touch of pride in his
+manner: &ldquo;Thanks for your proffer, Sir Knight, but,
+by Heaven! no man has ever yet deemed me a glutton.
+While I eat one dinner I am not accustomed to look
+eagerly for another&mdash;one is enough for me. But as
+for you, my guest, I think it only fitting that you
+should pay before you go; a yeoman was never meant
+to pay for a knight&rsquo;s banquet.&rdquo; The knight blushed,
+and looked confused for a moment, and then said:
+&ldquo;True, Robin, and gladly would I reward you for my
+entertainment, but I have no money worth offering;
+even all I have would not be worthy of your acceptance,
+and I should be shamed in your eyes, and those of your
+men.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 421px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr46.jpg" width="421" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_320" id="image_page_320"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;I have no money worth offering&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Knight&rsquo;s Poverty</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is that the truth?&rdquo; asked Robin, making a sign to
+Little John, who arose, and, going to the knight&rsquo;s steed,
+unstrapped a small coffer, which he brought back and
+placed before his master. &ldquo;Search it, Little John,&rdquo;
+said he, and &ldquo;You, sir, tell me the very truth, by your
+honour as a belted knight.&rdquo; &ldquo;It is truth, on my
+honour, that I have but ten shillings,&rdquo; replied the
+knight, &ldquo;and if Little John searches he will find no
+more.&rdquo; &ldquo;Open the coffer,&rdquo; said Robin, and Little John
+took it away to the other side of the trysting oak,
+where he emptied its contents on his outspread cloak,
+and found exactly ten shillings. Returning to his
+master, who sat at his ease, drinking and gaily conversing
+with his anxious guest, Little John whispered:
+&ldquo;The knight has told the truth,&rdquo; and thereupon Robin
+exclaimed aloud: &ldquo;Sir Knight, I will not take one
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg&nbsp;320]</a></span>
+penny from you; you may rather borrow of me if you
+have need of more money, for ten shillings is but a
+miserable sum for a knight. But tell me now, if it be
+your pleasure, how you come to be in such distress.&rdquo;
+As he looked inquiringly at the stranger, whose blush
+had faded once, only to be renewed as he found his
+word of honour doubted, he noticed how thin and
+threadbare were his clothes and how worn his russet
+leather shoes; and he was grieved to see so noble-seeming
+a man in such a plight.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Knight&rsquo;s Story</h3>
+
+<p>Yet Robin meant to fathom the cause of the knight&rsquo;s
+trouble, for then, perhaps, he would be able to help him,
+so he continued pitilessly: &ldquo;Tell me just one word,
+which I will keep secret from all other men: were you
+driven by compulsion to take up knighthood, or urged
+to beg it by reason of the ownership of some small
+estate; or have you wasted your old inheritance with
+fines for brawling and strife, or in gambling and riotousness,
+or in borrowing at usury? All of these are fatal
+to a good estate.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The knight replied: &ldquo;Alas! good Robin, none of
+these hath been my undoing. My ancestors have all
+been knights for over a hundred years, and I have not
+lived wastefully, but soberly and sparely. As short a
+time ago as last year I had over four hundred pounds
+saved, which I could spend freely among my neighbours,
+and my income was four hundred pounds a year, from
+my land; but now my only possessions are my wife and
+children. This is the work of God&rsquo;s hand, and to Him I
+commit me to amend my estate in His own good time.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>How the Money was Lost</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But how have you so soon lost this great wealth?&rdquo;
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg&nbsp;321]</a></span>
+asked Robin incredulously; and the knight replied
+sadly: &ldquo;Ah, Robin, you have no son, or you would
+know that a father will give up all to save his first-born.
+I have one gallant son, and when I went on the Crusade
+with our noble Prince Edward I left him at home to
+guard my lands, for he was twenty years old, and was a
+brave and comely youth. When I returned, after two
+years&rsquo; absence, it was to find him in great danger, for in
+a public tournament he had slain in open fight a knight
+of Lancashire and a bold young squire. He would
+have died a shameful death had I not spent all my
+ready money and other property to save him from
+prison, for his enemies were mighty and unjust; and
+even that was not enough, for I was forced to mortgage
+my estates for more money. All my land lies in pledge
+to the abbot of St. Mary&rsquo;s Abbey, in York, and I have
+no hope to redeem it. I was riding to York when
+your men found me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Sum Required</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;For what sum is your land pledged?&rdquo; asked the
+master-outlaw; and the knight replied: &ldquo;The Abbot lent
+me four hundred pounds, though the value of the land
+is far beyond that.&rdquo; &ldquo;What will you do if you fail
+to redeem your land?&rdquo; asked Robin. &ldquo;I shall leave
+England at once, and journey once more to Jerusalem,
+and tread again the sacred Hill of Calvary, and never
+more return to my native land. That will be my fate,
+for I see no likelihood of repaying the loan, and I will
+not stay to see strangers holding my father&rsquo;s land. Farewell,
+my friend Robin, farewell to you all! Keep the
+ten shillings; I would have paid more if I could, but
+that is the best I can give you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Have you no
+friends at home?&rdquo; asked Robin; and the knight said:
+&ldquo;Many friends I thought I had, sir. They were very
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg&nbsp;322]</a></span>
+kind and helpful in my days of prosperity, when I did not
+need them; now they will not know me, so much has
+my poverty seemed to alter my face and appearance.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Robin Offers a Loan</h3>
+
+<p>This pitiful story touched the hearts of the simple and
+kindly outlaws; they wept for pity, and cared not to hide
+their tears from each other, until Robin made them all
+pledge their guest in bumpers of good red wine. Then
+their chief asked, as if continuing his own train of thought:
+&ldquo;Have you any friends who will act as sureties for the
+repayment of the loan?&rdquo; &ldquo;None at all,&rdquo; replied the
+knight hopelessly, &ldquo;but God Himself, who suffered
+on the Tree for us.&rdquo; This last reply angered Robin,
+who thought it savoured too much of companionship
+with the fat and hypocritical monks whom he hated,
+and he retorted sharply: &ldquo;No such tricks for me! Do
+you think I will take such a surety, or even one of the
+saints, in return for good solid gold? Get some more
+substantial surety, or no gold shall you have from me.
+I cannot afford to waste my money.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Knight Offers Surety</h3>
+
+<p>The knight replied, sighing heavily: &ldquo;If you will
+not take these I have no earthly surety to offer; and in
+Heaven there is only our dear Lady. I have served
+her truly, and she has never failed me till now, when
+her servant, the abbot, is playing me so cruel a trick.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Do you give Our Lady as your surety?&rdquo; said Robin
+Hood. &ldquo;I would take her bond for any sum, for
+throughout all England you could find no better surety
+than our dear Lady, who has always been gracious to
+me. She is enough security. Go, Little John, to my
+treasury and bring me four hundred pounds, well
+counted, with no false or clipped coin therein.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg&nbsp;323]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Robin Hood&rsquo;s Gifts</h3>
+
+<p>Little John, accompanied by Much, the careful
+treasurer of the band, went quickly to the secret place
+where the master-outlaw kept his gold. Very carefully
+they counted out the coins, testing each, to see that it
+was of full weight and value. Then, on the suggestion
+of Little John, they provided the knight with new
+clothing, even to boots and spurs, and finally supplied
+him with two splendid horses, one for riding and one
+to carry his baggage and the coffer of gold.</p>
+
+<p>The guest watched all these preparations with bewildered
+eyes, and turned to Robin, crying, &ldquo;Why
+have you done all this for me, a perfect stranger?&rdquo;
+&ldquo;You are no stranger, but Our Lady&rsquo;s messenger. She
+sent you to me, and Heaven grant you may prove true.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Bond of Repayment</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;God grant it,&rdquo; echoed the knight. &ldquo;But, Robin,
+when shall I repay this loan, and where? Set me a
+day, and I will keep it.&rdquo; &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; replied the outlaw,
+&ldquo;under this greenwood tree, and in a twelvemonth&rsquo;s
+time; so will you have time to regain your friends and
+gather your rents from your redeemed lands. Now
+farewell, Sir Knight; and since it is not meet for a
+worthy knight to journey unattended, I will lend you
+also my comrade, Little John, to be your squire, and
+to do you yeoman service, if need be.&rdquo; The knight
+bade farewell to Robin and his generous followers, and
+was turning to ride away, when he suddenly stopped
+and addressed the master-outlaw: &ldquo;In faith, good
+Robin, I had forgotten one thing. You know not my
+name. I am Sir Richard of the Lea, and my land lies
+in Uterysdale.&rdquo; &ldquo;As for that,&rdquo; said Robin Hood, &ldquo;I
+trouble not myself. You are Our Lady&rsquo;s messenger;
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg&nbsp;324]</a></span>
+that is enough for me.&rdquo; So Sir Richard rode gladly
+away, blessing the generous outlaw who lent him money
+to redeem his land, and a stout yeoman to defend the
+loan.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Richard&rsquo;s Journey</h3>
+
+<p>As the knight and his new servant rode on, Sir
+Richard called to his man, saying, &ldquo;I must by all
+means be in York to-morrow, to pay the abbot of
+St. Mary&rsquo;s four hundred pounds; if I fail of my day
+I shall lose my land and lordship for ever&rdquo;; and Little
+John answered: &ldquo;Fear not, master; we will surely be
+there in time enough.&rdquo; Then they rode on, and reached
+York early on the last day of the appointed time.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Abbot and Prior of St. Mary&rsquo;s</h3>
+
+<p>In the meantime the abbot of St. Mary&rsquo;s was
+counting that Sir Richard&rsquo;s lands were safely his; he
+had no pity for the poor unlucky knight, but rather
+exulted in the legal cruelty which he could inflict.
+Very joyfully he called aloud, early that morn: &ldquo;A
+twelvemonth ago to-day we lent four hundred pounds
+to a needy knight, Sir Richard of the Lea, and unless
+he comes by noon to-day to repay the money he will
+lose all his land and be disinherited, and our abbey will
+be the richer by a fat estate, worth four hundred pounds
+a year. Our Lady grant that he keep not his day.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Shame on you!&rdquo; cried the prior. &ldquo;This poor knight
+may be ill, or beyond the sea; he may be in hunger
+and cold as well as poverty, and it will be a foul
+wrong if you declare his land forfeit.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This is the set day,&rdquo; replied the abbot, &ldquo;and he is
+not here.&rdquo; &ldquo;You dare not escheat his estates yet,&rdquo;
+replied the prior stubbornly. &ldquo;It is too early in the
+day; until noon the lands are still Sir Richard&rsquo;s, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg&nbsp;325]</a></span>
+no man shall take them ere the clock strikes. Shame
+on your conscience and your greed, to do a good knight
+such foul wrong! I would willingly pay a hundred
+pounds myself to prevent it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Beshrew your meddlesome temper!&rdquo; cried the
+abbot. &ldquo;You are always crossing me! But I have
+with me the Lord Chief Justice, and he will declare my
+legal right.&rdquo; Just at that moment the high cellarer
+of the abbey entered to congratulate the abbot on Sir
+Richard&rsquo;s absence. &ldquo;He is dead or ill, and we shall
+have the spending of four hundred pounds a year,&rdquo;
+quoth he.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Richard Returns</h3>
+
+<p>On his arrival Sir Richard had quietly gone round to
+his old tenants in York, and had a goodly company of
+them ready to ride with him, but he was minded to test
+the charity and true religion of the abbot, and bade his
+followers assume pilgrims&rsquo; robes. Thus attired, the
+company rode to the abbey gate, where the porter recognised
+Sir Richard, and the news of his coming, carried
+to the abbot and justice, caused them great grief; but
+the prior rejoiced, hoping that a cruel injustice would
+be prevented. As they dismounted the porter loudly
+called grooms to lead the horses into the stable and
+have them relieved of their burdens, but Sir Richard
+would not allow it, and left Little John to watch over
+them at the abbey portal.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Abbot and Sir Richard</h3>
+
+<p>Then Sir Richard came humbly into the hall, where
+a great banquet was in progress, and knelt down in
+courteous salutation to the abbot and his guests; but
+the prelate, who had made up his mind what conduct
+to adopt, greeted him coldly, and many men did not
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg&nbsp;326]</a></span>
+return his salutation at all. Sir Richard spoke aloud:
+&ldquo;Rejoice, Sir Abbot, for I am come to keep my day.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;That is well,&rdquo; replied the monk, &ldquo;but hast thou
+brought the money?&rdquo; &ldquo;No money have I, not one
+penny,&rdquo; continued Sir Richard sadly. &ldquo;Pledge me in
+good red wine, Sir Justice,&rdquo; cried the abbot callously;
+&ldquo;the land is mine. And what dost thou here, Sir
+Richard, a broken man, with no money to pay thy
+debt?&rdquo; &ldquo;I am come to beg you to grant me a longer
+time for repayment.&rdquo; &ldquo;Not one minute past the appointed
+hour,&rdquo; said the exultant prelate. &ldquo;Thou hast
+broken pledge, and thy land is forfeit.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr47.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_324" id="image_page_324"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Richard Implores the Justice</h3>
+
+<p>Still kneeling, Sir Richard turned to the justice and
+said: &ldquo;Good Sir Justice, be my friend and plead for
+me.&rdquo; &ldquo;No,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;I hold to the law, and can
+give thee no help.&rdquo; &ldquo;Gentle abbot, have pity on me,
+and let me have my land again, and I will be the humble
+servant of your monastery till I have repaid in full your
+four hundred pounds.&rdquo; Then the cruel prelate swore
+a terrible oath that never should the knight have his
+land again, and no one in the hall would speak for
+him, kneeling there poor, friendless, and alone; so at
+last he began to threaten violence. &ldquo;Unless I have
+my land again,&rdquo; quoth he, &ldquo;some of you here shall
+dearly abide it. Now may I see the poor man has no
+friends, for none will stand by me in my need.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Justice Suggests a Compromise</h3>
+
+<p>The hint of violence made the abbot furiously
+angry, and, secure in his position and the support of
+the justice, he shouted loudly: &ldquo;Out, thou false knight!
+Out of my hall!&rdquo; Then at last Sir Richard rose to his
+feet in just wrath. &ldquo;Thou liest, Sir Abbot; foully thou
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg&nbsp;327]</a></span>
+liest! I was never a false knight. In joust and
+tourney I have adventured as far and as boldly as any
+man alive. There is no true courtesy in thee, abbot,
+to suffer a knight to kneel so long.&rdquo; The quarrel now
+seemed so serious that the justice intervened, saying to
+the angry prelate, &ldquo;What will you give me if I persuade
+him to sign a legal deed of release? Without it you
+will never hold this land in peace.&rdquo; &ldquo;You shall have a
+hundred pounds for yourself,&rdquo; said the abbot, and the
+justice nodded in token of assent.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Richard Pays the Money</h3>
+
+<p>Now Sir Richard thought it was time to drop the
+mask, for noon was nigh, and he would not risk his
+land again. Accordingly he cried: &ldquo;Nay, but not so
+easily shall ye have my lands. Even if you were to pay
+a thousand pounds more you should not hold my
+father&rsquo;s estate. Have here your money back again&rdquo;;
+and, calling for Little John, he bade him bring into the
+hall his coffer with the bags inside. Then he counted
+out on the table four hundred good golden pounds,
+and said sternly: &ldquo;Abbot, here is your money again.
+Had you but been courteous to me I would have rewarded
+you well; now take your money, give me
+a quittance, and I will take my lands once more. Ye
+are all witnesses that I have kept my day and have paid
+in full.&rdquo; Thereupon Sir Richard strode haughtily out
+of the hall, and rode home gladly to his recovered
+lands in Uterysdale, where he and his family ever
+prayed for Robin Hood. The abbot of St. Mary&rsquo;s
+was bitterly enraged, for he had lost the fair lands
+of Sir Richard of the Lea and had received a bare
+four hundred pounds again. As for Little John,
+he went back to the forest and told his master the
+whole story, to Robin Hood&rsquo;s great satisfaction,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg&nbsp;328]</a></span>
+for he enjoyed the chance of thwarting the schemes of
+a wealthy and usurious prelate.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sir Richard Sets Out to Repay the Loan</h3>
+
+<p>When a year had passed all but a few days, Sir
+Richard of the Lea said to his wife: &ldquo;Lady, I must
+shortly go to Barnesdale to repay Robin Hood the loan
+which saved my lands, and would fain take him some small
+gift in addition; what do you advise?&rdquo; &ldquo;Sir Richard,
+I would take a hundred bows of Spanish yew and a
+hundred sheaves of arrows, peacock-feathered, or grey-goose-feathered;
+methinks that will be to Robin a
+most acceptable gift.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Sir Richard followed his wife&rsquo;s advice, and on the
+morning of the appointed day set out to keep his tryst
+at the outlaws&rsquo; oak in Barnesdale, with the money duly
+counted, and the bows and arrows for his present to
+the outlaw chief.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Wrestling</h3>
+
+<p>As he rode, however, at the head of his troop he
+passed through a village where there was a wrestling
+contest, which he stayed to watch. He soon saw that
+the victorious wrestler, who was a stranger to the
+village, would be defrauded of his well-earned prize,
+which consisted of a white bull, a noble charger gaily
+caparisoned, a gold ring, a pipe of wine, and a pair of
+embroidered gloves. This seemed so wrong to Sir
+Richard that he stayed to defend the right, for love of
+Robin Hood and of justice, and kept the wrestling ring
+in awe with his well-appointed troop of men, so that
+the stranger was allowed to claim his prize and carry it
+off. Sir Richard, anxious not to arouse the hostility of
+the villagers, bought the pipe of wine from the winner,
+and, setting it abroach, allowed all who would to drink;
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg&nbsp;329]</a></span>
+and so, in a tumult of cheers and blessings, he rode
+away to keep his tryst. By this time, however, it was
+nearly three in the afternoon, and he should have been
+there at twelve. He comforted himself with the thought
+that Robin would forgive the delay, for the sake of its
+cause, and so rode on comfortably enough at the head
+of his gallant company.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Robin&rsquo;s Impatience</h3>
+
+<p>In the meantime Robin had waited patiently at the
+trysting tree till noon, but when the hour passed
+and Sir Richard had not appeared he began to grow
+impatient. &ldquo;Master, let us dine,&rdquo; said Little John.
+&ldquo;I cannot; I fear Our Lady is angered with me,
+for she has not sent me my money,&rdquo; returned the
+leader; but his follower replied: &ldquo;The money is not
+due till sunset, master, and Our Lady is true, and so is
+Sir Richard; have no fear.&rdquo; &ldquo;Do you three walk up
+through the willow plantation to Watling Street, as
+you did last year, and bring me a guest,&rdquo; said Robin
+Hood. &ldquo;He may be a messenger, a minstrel, a poor
+man, but he will come in God&rsquo;s name.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Monks Approach</h3>
+
+<p>Again the three yeomen, Little John, Will Scarlet,
+and Much the miller&rsquo;s son, took bow in hand and set
+out for Watling Street; but this time they had not long
+to wait, for they at once saw a little procession approaching.
+Two black monks rode at the head; then followed
+seven sumpter-mules and a train of fifty-two men, so
+that the clerics rode in almost royal state. &ldquo;Seest
+thou yon monks?&rdquo; said Little John. &ldquo;I will pledge
+my soul that they have brought our pay.&rdquo; &ldquo;But they
+are fifty-four, and we are but three,&rdquo; said Scarlet.
+&ldquo;Unless we bring them to dinner we dare not face
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg&nbsp;330]</a></span>
+our master,&rdquo; cried Little John. &ldquo;Look well to your
+bows, your strings and arrows, and have stout hearts
+and steady hands. I will take the foremost monk, for
+life or death.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Capture of the Black Monk</h3>
+
+<p>The three outlaws stepped out into the road from
+the shelter of the wood; they bent their bows and
+held their arrows on the string, and Little John cried
+aloud: &ldquo;Stay, churlish monk, or thou goest to thy
+death, and it will be on thine own head! Evil on
+thee for keeping our master fasting so long.&rdquo; &ldquo;Who
+is your master?&rdquo; asked the bewildered monk; and
+Little John replied: &ldquo;Robin Hood.&rdquo; The monk tossed
+his head. &ldquo;He is a foul thief,&rdquo; cried he, &ldquo;and will
+come to a bad end. I have heard no good of him all
+my days.&rdquo; So speaking, he tried to ride forward and
+trample down the three yeomen; but Little John cried:
+&ldquo;Thou liest, churlish monk, and thou shalt rue the lie.
+He is a good yeoman of this forest, and has bidden
+thee to dine with him this day&rdquo;; and Much, drawing
+his bow, shot the monk to the heart, so that he fell to
+the ground dead. The other black monk was taken,
+but all his followers fled, except a little page, and a
+groom who tended the sumpter-mules; and thus, with
+Little John&rsquo;s help and guidance, the panic-stricken
+cleric and his train of baggage were brought to Robin
+under the trysting tree.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr48.jpg" width="413" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_330" id="image_page_330"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Much shot the monk to the heart&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Outlaws&rsquo; Feast</h3>
+
+<p>Robin Hood doffed his cap and greeted his guest
+with all courtesy, but the monk would not reply, and
+Little John&rsquo;s account of their meeting made it evident
+that he was a churlish and unwilling guest. However,
+he was obliged to celebrate the three usual Masses, was
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg&nbsp;331]</a></span>
+given water for his ablutions before the banquet, and
+then when the whole fellowship was assembled he was
+set in the place of honour at the feast, and reverently
+served by Robin himself. &ldquo;Be of good cheer, Sir
+Monk,&rdquo; said Robin. &ldquo;Where is your abbey when you
+are at home, and who is your patron saint?&rdquo; &ldquo;I am
+of St. Mary&rsquo;s Abbey, in York, and, simple though I be,
+I am the high cellarer.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The High Cellarer and the Suretyship</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;For Our Lady&rsquo;s sake,&rdquo; said Robin, &ldquo;we will give
+this monk the best of cheer. Drink to me, Sir Monk;
+the wine is good. But I fear Our Lady is wroth with
+me, for she has not sent me my money.&rdquo; &ldquo;Fear not,
+master,&rdquo; returned Little John; &ldquo;this monk is her
+cellarer, and no doubt she has made him her messenger
+and he carries our money with him.&rdquo; &ldquo;That is
+likely,&rdquo; replied Robin. &ldquo;Sir Monk, Our Lady was
+surety for a little loan between a good knight and me,
+and to-day the money was to be repaid. If you have
+brought it, pay it to me now, and I will thank you
+heartily.&rdquo; The monk was quite amazed, and cried
+aloud: &ldquo;I have never heard of such a suretyship&rdquo;;
+and as he spoke he looked so anxiously at his
+sumpter-mules that Robin guessed there was gold in
+their pack-saddles.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Monk is Searched</h3>
+
+<p>Accordingly the leader feigned sudden anger. &ldquo;Sir
+Monk, how dare you defame our dear Lady? She
+is always true and faithful, and as you say you are
+her servant, no doubt she has made you her messenger
+to bring my money. Tell me truly how much
+you have in your coffers, and I will thank you for
+coming so punctually.&rdquo; The monk replied: &ldquo;Sir, I
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg&nbsp;332]</a></span>
+have only twenty marks in my bags&rdquo;; to which Robin
+answered: &ldquo;If that be all, and you have told the truth
+I will not touch one penny; rather will I lend you some
+if you need it; but if I find more, I will leave none,
+Sir Monk, for a religious man should have no silver to
+spend in luxury.&rdquo; Now the monk looked very greatly
+alarmed, but he dared make no protest, as Little John
+began to search his bags and coffers.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Success of the Search</h3>
+
+<p>When Little John opened the first coffer he emptied
+its contents, as before, into his cloak, and counted eight
+hundred pounds, with which he went to Robin Hood,
+saying, &ldquo;Master, the monk has told the truth; here
+are twenty marks of his own, and eight hundred pounds
+which Our Lady has sent you in return for your loan.&rdquo;
+When Robin heard that he cried to the miserable
+monk: &ldquo;Did I not say so, monk? Is not Our Lady
+the best surety a man could have? Has she not repaid
+me twice? Go back to your abbey and say that if ever
+St. Mary&rsquo;s monks need a friend they shall find one in
+Robin Hood.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Monk Departs</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where were you journeying?&rdquo; asked the outlaw
+leader. &ldquo;To settle accounts with the bailiffs of our
+manors,&rdquo; replied the cellarer; but he was in truth
+journeying to London, to obtain powers from the king
+against Sir Richard of the Lea. Robin thought for a
+moment, and then said: &ldquo;Ah, then we must search
+your other coffer,&rdquo; and in spite of the cellarer&rsquo;s indignant
+protests he was deprived of all the money
+that second coffer contained. Then he was allowed
+to depart, vowing bitterly that a dinner in Blythe or
+Doncaster would have cost him much less dear.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg&nbsp;333]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Sir Richard Arrives</h3>
+
+<p>Late that afternoon Sir Richard of the Lea and his
+little company arrived at the trysting tree, and full
+courteously the knight greeted his deliverer and
+apologised for his delay. Robin asked of his welfare,
+and the knight told of his protection of the poor
+wrestler, for which Robin thanked him warmly. When
+he would fain have repaid the loan the generous outlaw
+refused to accept the money, though he took with
+hearty thanks the bows and arrows. In answer to the
+knight&rsquo;s inquiries, Robin said that he had been paid
+the money twice over before he came; and he told,
+to his debtor&rsquo;s great amusement, the story of the high
+cellarer and his eight hundred pounds, and concluded:
+&ldquo;Our Lady owed me no more than four hundred
+pounds, and she now gives you, by me, the other four
+hundred. Take them, with her blessing, and if ever
+you need more come to Robin Hood.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>So Sir Richard returned to Uterysdale, and long
+continued to use his power to protect the bold outlaws,
+and Robin Hood dwelt securely in the greenwood,
+doing good to the poor and worthy, but acting as a
+thorn in the sides of all oppressors and tyrants.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg&nbsp;334]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI: HEREWARD THE WAKE</h2>
+
+
+<h3>Introduction</h3>
+
+<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N dealing with hero-legends and myths we are sometimes
+confronted with the curious fact that a hero
+whose name and date can be ascertained with exactitude
+has yet in his story mythological elements which
+seem to belong to all the ages. This anomaly arises
+chiefly from the fact that the imagination of a people is a
+myth-making thing, and that the more truly popular the
+hero the more likely he is to become the centre of a
+whole cycle of myths, which are in different ages
+attached to the heroes of different periods. The folk-lore
+of primitive races is a great storehouse whence a
+people can choose tales and heroic deeds to glorify its
+own national hero, careless that the same tales and deeds
+have done duty for other peoples and other heroes.
+Hence it happens that Hereward the Saxon, a patriot
+hero as real and actual as Wellington or Nelson, whose
+deeds were recorded in prose and verse within forty
+years of his death, was even then surrounded by a cloud
+of romance and mystery, which hid in vagueness his
+family, his marriage, and even his death.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Saxon Patriot</h3>
+
+<p>Hereward was, naturally, the darling hero of the
+Saxons, and for the patriotism of his splendid defence
+of Ely they forgave his final surrender to William the
+Norman; then they attributed to him all the virtues
+supposed to be inherent in the free-born, and all the
+glorious valour on which the English prided themselves;
+and, lastly, they surrounded his death with a
+halo of desperate fighting, and made his last conflict as
+wonderful as that of Roland at Roncesvalles. If Roland
+is the ideal of Norman feudal chivalry, Hereward is
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg&nbsp;335]</a></span>
+equally the ideal of Anglo-Saxon sturdy manliness and
+knighthood, and it seems fitting that the Saxon ideal in
+the individual should go down before the representatives,
+however unworthy, of a higher ideal.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Leofric of Mercia</h3>
+
+<p>When the weak but saintly King Edward the
+Confessor nominally ruled all England the land was
+divided into four great earldoms, of which Mercia and
+Kent were held by two powerful rivals. Leofric of
+Mercia and Godwin of Kent were jealous not only for
+themselves, but for their families, of each other&rsquo;s power
+and wealth, and the sons of Leofric and of Godwin were
+ever at strife, though the two earls were now old and
+prudent men, whose wars were fought with words and
+craft, not with swords. The wives of the two great
+earls were as different as their lords. The Lady Gytha,
+Godwin&rsquo;s wife, of the royal Danish race, was fierce and
+haughty, a fit helpmeet for the ambitious earl who
+was to undermine the strength of England by his
+efforts to win kingly power for his children. But the
+Lady Godiva, Leofric&rsquo;s beloved wife, was a gentle,
+pious, loving woman, who had already won an almost
+saintly reputation for sympathy and pity by her sacrifice
+to save her husband&rsquo;s oppressed citizens at Coventry,
+where her pleading won relief for them from the harsh
+earl on the pitiless condition of her never-forgotten
+ride. Happily her gentle self-suppression awoke a
+nobler spirit in her husband, and enabled him to
+play a worthier part in England&rsquo;s history. She was
+in entire sympathy with the religious aspirations of
+Edward the Confessor, and would gladly have seen
+one of her sons become a monk, perhaps to win
+spiritual power and a saintly reputation like those of
+the great Dunstan.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 414px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr49.jpg" width="414" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_334" id="image_page_334"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&ldquo;Her pleading won relief for them&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg&nbsp;336]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Hereward&rsquo;s Youth</h3>
+
+<p>For this holy vocation she fixed on her second son,
+Hereward, a wild, wayward lad, with long golden curls,
+eyes of different colours, one grey, one blue, great
+breadth and strength of limb, and a wild and ungovernable
+temper which made him difficult of control. This
+reckless lad the Lady Godiva vainly tried to educate
+for the monkish life, but he utterly refused to adopt
+her scheme, would not master any but the barest
+rudiments of learning, and spent his time in wrestling,
+boxing, fighting and all manly exercises. Despairing
+of making him an ecclesiastic, his mother set herself to
+inspire him with a noble ideal of knighthood, but his
+wildness and recklessness increased with his years, and
+often his mother had to stand between the riotous lad
+and his father&rsquo;s deserved anger.</p>
+
+
+<h3>His Strength and Leadership</h3>
+
+<p>When he reached the age of sixteen or seventeen he
+became the terror of the Fen Country, for at his father&rsquo;s
+Hall of Bourne he gathered a band of youths as wild
+and reckless as himself, who accepted him for their
+leader, and obeyed him implicitly, however outrageous
+were his commands. The wise Earl Leofric, who was
+much at court with the saintly king, understood little
+of the nature of his second son, and looked upon his
+wild deeds as evidence of a cruel and lawless mind, a
+menace to the peace of England, while they were in
+reality but the tokens of a restless energy for which
+the comparatively peaceable life of England at that
+time was all too dull and tame.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Leofric and Hereward</h3>
+
+<p>Frequent were the disputes between father and son,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg&nbsp;337]</a></span>
+and sadly did Lady Godiva forebode an evil ending to
+the clash of warring natures whenever Hereward and
+his father met; yet she could do nothing to avert
+disaster, for though her entreaties would soften the lad
+into penitence for some mad prank or reckless outrage,
+one hint of cold blame from his father would suffice to
+make him hardened and impenitent; and so things
+drifted from bad to worse. In all Hereward&rsquo;s lawless
+deeds, however, there was no meanness or crafty malice.
+He hated monks and played many a rough trick upon
+them, but took his punishment, when it came, with
+equable cheerfulness; he robbed merchants with a high
+hand, but made reparation liberally, counting himself
+well satisfied with the fun of a fight or the skill of a
+clever trick; his band of youths met and fought other
+bands, but they bore no malice when the strife was
+over. In one point only was Hereward less than true
+to his own nobility of character&mdash;he was jealous of
+admitting that any man was his superior in strength
+or comeliness, and his vanity was well supported by his
+extraordinary might and beauty.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward at Court</h3>
+
+<p>The deeds which brought Earl Leofric&rsquo;s wrath upon
+his son in a terrible fashion were not matters of wanton
+wickedness, but of lawless personal violence. Called to
+attend his father to the Confessor&rsquo;s court, the youth,
+who had little respect for one so unwarlike as &ldquo;the
+miracle-monger,&rdquo; uttered his contempt for saintly king,
+Norman prelate, and studious monks too loudly, and
+thereby shocked the weakly devout Edward, who
+thought piety the whole duty of man. But his wildness
+touched the king more nearly still; for in his sturdy
+patriotism he hated the Norman favourites and courtiers
+who surrounded the Confessor, and again and again his
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg&nbsp;338]</a></span>
+marvellous strength was shown in the personal injuries
+he inflicted on the Normans in mere boyish brawls,
+until at last his father could endure the disgrace no
+longer.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward&rsquo;s Exile</h3>
+
+<p>Begging an audience of the king, Leofric formally
+asked for a writ of outlawry against his own son. The
+Confessor, surprised, but not displeased, felt some compunction
+as he saw the father&rsquo;s affection overborne by
+the judge&rsquo;s severity. Earl Godwin, Leofric&rsquo;s greatest
+rival, was present in the council, and his pleading for
+the noble lad, whose faults were only those of youth, was
+sufficient to make Leofric more urgent in his petition.
+The curse of family feud, which afterwards laid England
+prostrate at the foot of the Conqueror, was already felt,
+and felt so strongly that Hereward resented Godwin&rsquo;s
+intercession more than his father&rsquo;s sternness.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward&rsquo;s Farewell</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What!&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;shall a son of Leofric, the noblest
+man in England, accept intercession from Godwin or
+any of his family? No. I may be unworthy of my
+wise father and my saintly mother, but I am not yet sunk
+so low as to ask a favour from a Godwin. Father, I
+thank you. For years I have fretted against the peace
+of the land, and thus have incurred your displeasure;
+but in exile I may range abroad and win my fortune at
+the sword&rsquo;s point.&rdquo; &ldquo;Win thy fortune, foolish boy!&rdquo;
+said his father. &ldquo;And whither wilt thou fare?&rdquo; &ldquo;Wherever
+fate and my fortune lead me,&rdquo; he replied recklessly.
+&ldquo;Perhaps to join Harald Hardrada at Constantinople
+and become one of the Emperor&rsquo;s Varangian Guard;
+perhaps to follow old Beowa out into the West, at the
+end of some day of glorious battle; perhaps to fight
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg&nbsp;339]</a></span>
+giants and dragons and all kinds of monsters. All
+these things I may do, but never shall Mercia see me
+again till England calls me home. Farewell, father;
+farewell, Earl Godwin; farewell, reverend king. I go.
+And pray ye that ye may never need my arm, for it
+may hap that ye will call me and I will not come.&rdquo;
+Then Hereward rode away, followed into exile by one
+man only, Martin Lightfoot, who left the father&rsquo;s
+service for that of his outlawed son. It was when
+attending the king&rsquo;s court on this occasion that Hereward
+first saw and felt the charm of a lovely little
+Saxon maiden named Alftruda, a ward of the pious
+king.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward in Northumbria</h3>
+
+<p>Though the king&rsquo;s writ of outlawry might run in
+Mercia, it did not carry more than nominal weight in
+Northumbria, where Earl Siward ruled almost as an
+independent lord. Thither Hereward determined to
+go, for there dwelt his own godfather, Gilbert of Ghent,
+and his castle was known as a good training school for
+young aspirants for knighthood. Sailing from Dover,
+Hereward landed at Whitby, and made his way to
+Gilbert&rsquo;s castle, where he was well received, since the
+cunning Fleming knew that an outlawry could be
+reversed at any time, and Leofric&rsquo;s son might yet come
+to rule England. Accordingly Hereward was enrolled
+in the number of young men, mainly Normans or
+Flemings, who were seeking to perfect themselves in
+chivalry before taking knighthood. He soon showed
+himself a brave warrior, an unequalled wrestler, and a
+wary fighter, and soon no one cared to meddle with the
+young Mercian, who outdid them all in manly sports.
+The envy of the young Normans was held in check by
+Gilbert, and by a wholesome dread of Hereward&rsquo;s
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg&nbsp;340]</a></span>
+strong arm; until, in Gilbert&rsquo;s absence, an incident
+occurred which placed the young exile on a pinnacle so
+far above them that only by his death could they hope
+to rid themselves of their feeling of inferiority.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Fairy Bear</h3>
+
+<p>Gilbert kept in his castle court an immense white
+Polar bear, dreaded by all for its enormous strength,
+and called the Fairy Bear. It was even believed that
+the huge beast had some kinship to old Earl Siward,
+who bore a bear upon his crest, and was reputed to
+have had something of bear-like ferocity in his youth.
+This white bear was so much dreaded that he was kept
+chained up in a strong cage. One morning as Hereward
+was returning with Martin from his morning ride he
+heard shouts and shrieks from the castle yard, and,
+reaching the great gate, entered lightly and closed it
+behind him rapidly, for there outside the shattered cage,
+with broken chain dangling, stood the Fairy Bear,
+glaring savagely round the courtyard. But one human
+figure was in sight, that of a girl of about twelve years
+of age.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward Slays the Bear</h3>
+
+<p>There were sounds of men&rsquo;s voices and women&rsquo;s
+shrieks from within the castle, but the doors were
+fast barred, while the maid, in her terror, beat on
+the portal with her palms, and begged them, for the
+love of God, to let her in. The cowards, refused,
+and in the meantime the great bear, irritated by the
+dangling chain, made a rush towards the child.
+Hereward dashed forward, shouting to distract the
+bear, and just managed to stop his charge at the girl.
+The savage animal turned on the new-comer, who
+needed all his agility to escape the monster&rsquo;s terrible
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg&nbsp;341]</a></span>
+onset. Seizing his battle-axe, the youth swung it
+around his head and split the skull of the furious
+beast, which fell dead. It was a blow so mighty that
+even Hereward himself was surprised at its deadly effect,
+and approached cautiously to examine his victim. In
+the meantime the little girl, who proved to be no other
+than the king&rsquo;s ward, Alftruda, had watched with
+fascinated eyes first the approach of the monster, and
+then, as she crouched in terror, its sudden slaughter;
+and now she summoned up courage to run to Hereward,
+who had always been kind to the pretty child, and to
+fling herself into his arms. &ldquo;Kind Hereward,&rdquo; she
+whispered, &ldquo;you have saved me and killed the bear.
+I love you for it, and I must give you a kiss, for my
+dame says so do all ladies that choose good knights to
+be their champions. Will you be mine?&rdquo; As she
+spoke she kissed Hereward again and again.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 414px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr50.jpg" width="414" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_340" id="image_page_340"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Alftruda</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward&rsquo;s Trick on the Knights</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where have they all gone, little one?&rdquo; asked the
+young noble; and Alftruda replied: &ldquo;We were all out
+here in the courtyard watching the young men at their
+exercises, when we heard a crash and a roar, and the
+cage burst open, and we saw the dreadful Fairy Bear.
+They all ran, the ladies and knights, but I was the last,
+and they were so frightened that they shut themselves
+in and left me outside; and when I beat at the door
+and prayed them to let me in they would not, and I
+thought the bear would eat me, till you came.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The cowards!&rdquo; cried Hereward. &ldquo;And they think
+themselves worthy of knighthood when they will save
+their own lives and leave a child in danger! They
+must be taught a lesson. Martin, come hither and aid
+me.&rdquo; When Martin came, the two, with infinite trouble,
+raised the carcase of the monstrous beast, and placed
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg&nbsp;342]</a></span>
+it just where the bower door, opening, would show it
+at once. Then Hereward bade Alftruda call to the
+knights in the bower that all was safe and they could
+come out, for the bear would not hurt them. He and
+Martin, listening, heard with great glee the bitter
+debate within the bower as to who should risk his life to
+open the door, the many excuses given for refusal, the
+mischievous fun in Alftruda&rsquo;s voice as she begged some
+one to open to her, and, best of all, the cry of horror
+with which the knight who had ventured to draw the bolt
+shut the door again on seeing the Fairy Bear waiting to
+enter. Hereward even carried his trick so far as to
+thrust the bear heavily against the bower door, making
+all the people within shriek and implore the protection
+of the saints. Finally, when he was tired of the jest, he
+convinced the valiant knights that they might emerge
+safely from their retirement, and showed how he, a
+stripling of seventeen, had slain the monster at one blow.
+From that time Hereward was the darling of the whole
+castle, petted, praised, beloved by all its inmates, except
+his jealous rivals.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward Leaves Northumbria</h3>
+
+<p>The foreign knights grew so jealous of the Saxon
+youth, and so restive under his shafts of sarcastic ridicule,
+that they planned several times to kill him, and once or
+twice nearly succeeded. This insecurity, and a feeling
+that perhaps Earl Siward had some kinship with the
+Fairy Bear, and would wish to avenge his death, made
+Hereward decide to quit Gilbert&rsquo;s castle. The spirit of
+adventure was strong upon him, the sea seemed to call
+him; now that he had been acknowledged superior to
+the other noble youths in Gilbert&rsquo;s household, the
+castle no longer afforded a field for his ambition.
+Accordingly he took a sad leave of Alftruda, an
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg&nbsp;343]</a></span>
+affectionate one of Sir Gilbert, who wished to knight
+him for his brave deed, and a mocking one of his
+angry and unsuccessful foes.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward in Cornwall</h3>
+
+<p>Entering into a merchant-ship, he sailed for Cornwall,
+and there was taken to the court of King Alef,
+a petty British chief, who, on true patriarchal lines,
+disposed of his children as he would, and had betrothed
+his fair daughter to a terrible Pictish giant, breaking
+off, in order to do it, her troth-plight with Prince
+Sigtryg of Waterford, son of a Danish king in Ireland.
+Hereward was ever chivalrous, and little Alftruda had
+made him feel pitiful to all maidens. Seeing speedily
+how the princess loathed her new betrothed, a hideous,
+misshapen wretch, nearly eight feet high, he determined
+to slay him. With great deliberation he picked a
+quarrel with the giant, and killed him the next day in
+fair fight; but King Alef was driven by the threats of the
+vengeful Pictish tribe to throw Hereward and his man
+Martin into prison, promising trial and punishment on
+the morrow.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward Released from Prison</h3>
+
+<p>To the young Saxon&rsquo;s surprise, the released princess
+appeared to be as grieved and as revengeful as any
+follower of the Pictish giant, and she not only advocated
+prison and death the next day, but herself superintended
+the tying of the thongs that bound the two strangers.
+When they were left to their lonely confinement Hereward
+began to blame the princess for hypocrisy, and to
+protest the impossibility of a man&rsquo;s ever knowing what a
+woman wants. &ldquo;Who would have thought,&rdquo; he cried,
+&ldquo;that that beautiful maiden loved a giant so hideous as
+this Pict? Had I known, I would never have fought
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg&nbsp;344]</a></span>
+him, but her eyes said to me, &lsquo;Kill him,&rsquo; and I have
+done so; this is how she rewards me!&rdquo; &ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied
+Martin, &ldquo;this is how&rdquo;; and he cut Hereward&rsquo;s bonds,
+laughing silently to himself. &ldquo;Master, you were so
+indignant with the lady that you could not make
+allowances for her. I knew that she must pretend to
+grieve, for her father&rsquo;s sake, and when she came to test
+our bonds I was sure of it, for as she fingered a knot
+she slipped a knife into my hands, and bade me use it.
+Now we are free from our bonds, and must try to escape
+from our prison.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Princess Visits the Captives</h3>
+
+<p>In vain, however, the master and man ranged round
+the room in which they were confined; it was a tiny
+chapel, with walls and doors of great thickness, and
+violently as Hereward exerted himself, he could make
+no impression on either walls or door, and, sitting
+sullenly down on the altar steps, he asked Martin what
+good was freedom from bonds in a secure prison.
+&ldquo;Much, every way,&rdquo; replied the servant; &ldquo;at least we
+die with free hands; and I, for my part, am content to
+trust that the princess has some good plan, if we will
+only be ready.&rdquo; While he was speaking they heard
+footsteps just outside the door, and the sound of a key
+being inserted into the lock. Hereward beckoned
+silently to Martin, and the two stood ready, one at
+each side of the door, to make a dash for freedom, and
+Martin was prepared to slay any who should hinder.
+To their great surprise, the princess entered, accompanied
+by an old priest bearing a lantern, which he set
+down on the altar step, and then the princess turned
+to Hereward, crying, &ldquo;Pardon me, my deliverer!&rdquo;
+The Saxon was still aggrieved and bewildered, and
+replied: &ldquo;Do you now say &lsquo;deliverer&rsquo;? This afternoon
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg&nbsp;345]</a></span>
+it was &lsquo;murderer, villain, cut-throat.&rsquo; How
+shall I know which is your real mind?&rdquo; The princess
+almost laughed as she said: &ldquo;How stupid men are!
+What could I do but pretend to hate you, since otherwise
+the Picts would have slain you then and us all
+afterwards, but I claimed you as my victims, and you
+have been given to me. How else could I have come
+here to-night? Now tell me, if I set you free will
+you swear to carry a message for me?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 415px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr51.jpg" width="415" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_344" id="image_page_344"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Hereward and the Princess</p>
+
+
+<h3>Sigtryg Ranaldsson of Waterford</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Whither shall I go, lady, and what shall I say?&rdquo; asked
+Hereward. &ldquo;Take this ring, my ring of betrothal, and
+go to Prince Sigtryg, son of King Ranald of Waterford.
+Say to him that I am beset on every side, and beg him
+to come and claim me as his bride; otherwise I fear I
+may be forced to marry some man of my father&rsquo;s
+choosing, as I was being driven to wed the Pictish
+giant. From him you have rescued me, and I thank
+you; but if my betrothed delays his coming it may
+be too late, for there are other hateful suitors who would
+make my father bestow my hand upon one of them.
+Beg him to come with all speed.&rdquo; &ldquo;Lady, I will go now,&rdquo;
+said Hereward, &ldquo;if you will set me free from this vault.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward Binds the Princess</h3>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Go quickly, and safely,&rdquo; said the princess; &ldquo;but
+ere you go you have one duty to fulfil: you must bind
+me hand and foot, and fling me, with this old priest, on
+the ground.&rdquo; &ldquo;Never,&rdquo; said Hereward, &ldquo;will I bind
+a woman; it were foul disgrace to me for ever.&rdquo; But
+Martin only laughed, and the maiden said again:
+&ldquo;How stupid men are! I must pretend to have been
+overpowered by you, or I shall be accused of having
+freed you, but I will say that I came hither to question
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg&nbsp;346]</a></span>
+you, and you and your man set on me and the priest,
+bound us, took the key, and so escaped. So shall you
+be free, and I shall have no blame, and my father no
+danger; and may Heaven forgive the lie.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Hereward reluctantly agreed, and, with Martin&rsquo;s help,
+bound the two hand and foot and laid them before the
+altar; then, kissing the maiden&rsquo;s hand, and swearing
+loyalty and truth, he turned to depart. But the princess
+had one question to ask. &ldquo;Who are you, noble stranger,
+so gallant and strong? I would fain know for whom
+to pray.&rdquo; &ldquo;I am Hereward Leofricsson, and my father
+is the Earl of Mercia.&rdquo; &ldquo;Are you that Hereward who
+slew the Fairy Bear? Little wonder is it that you have
+slain my monster and set me free.&rdquo; Then master and
+man left the chapel, after carefully turning the key in the
+lock. Making their way to the shore, they succeeded
+in getting a ship to carry them to Ireland, and in course
+of time reached Waterford.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Prince Sigtryg</h3>
+
+<p>The Danish kingdom of Waterford was ruled by
+King Ranald, whose only son, Sigtryg, was about Hereward&rsquo;s
+age, and was as noble-looking a youth as the
+Saxon hero. The king was at a feast, and Hereward,
+entering the hall with the captain of the vessel, sat
+down at one of the lower tables; but he was not one of
+those who can pass unnoticed. The prince saw him,
+distinguished at once his noble bearing, and asked him
+to come to the king&rsquo;s own table. He gladly obeyed,
+and as he drank to the prince and their goblets touched
+together he contrived to drop the ring from the
+Cornish princess into Sigtryg&rsquo;s cup. The prince saw
+and recognised it as he drained his cup, and, watching
+his opportunity, left the hall, and was soon followed by
+his guest.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg&nbsp;347]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>Hereward and Sigtryg</h3>
+
+<p>Outside in the darkness Sigtryg turned hurriedly to
+Hereward, saying, &ldquo;You bring me a message from my
+betrothed?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, if you are that Prince Sigtryg to
+whom the Princess of Cornwall was affianced.&rdquo; &ldquo;Was
+affianced! What do you mean? She is still my lady
+and my love.&rdquo; &ldquo;Yet you leave her there unaided,
+while her father gives her in marriage to a hideous
+giant of a Pict, breaking her betrothal, and driving
+the hapless maiden to despair. What kind of love is
+yours?&rdquo; Hereward said nothing yet about his own
+slaying of the giant, because he wished to test Prince
+Sigtryg&rsquo;s sincerity, and he was satisfied, for the prince
+burst out: &ldquo;Would to God that I had gone to her
+before! but my father needed my help against foreign
+invaders and native rebels. I will go immediately and
+save my lady or die with her!&rdquo; &ldquo;No need of that,
+for I killed that giant,&rdquo; said Hereward coolly, and
+Sigtryg embraced him in joy and they swore blood-brotherhood
+together. Then he asked: &ldquo;What
+message do you bring me, and what means her
+ring?&rdquo; The other replied by repeating the Cornish
+maiden&rsquo;s words, and urging him to start at once if
+he would save his betrothed from some other hateful
+marriage.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Return to Cornwall</h3>
+
+<p>The prince went at once to his father, told him the
+whole story, and obtained a ship and men to journey to
+Cornwall and rescue the princess; then, with Hereward
+by his side, he set sail, and soon landed in Cornwall,
+hoping to obtain his bride peaceably. To his grief he
+learnt that the princess had just been betrothed to a
+wild Cornish leader, Haco, and the wedding feast was
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg&nbsp;348]</a></span>
+to be held that very day. Sigtryg was greatly enraged,
+and sent a troop of forty Danes to King Alef demanding
+the fulfilment of the troth-plight between himself
+and his daughter, and threatening vengeance if it were
+broken. To this threat the king returned no answer,
+and no Dane came back to tell of their reception.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/hmlbr52.jpg" width="416" height="600" alt="" />
+<a name="image_page_348" id="image_page_348"></a>
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">Hereward and Sigtryg</p>
+
+
+<h3>Hereward in the Enemy&rsquo;s Hall</h3>
+
+<p>Sigtryg would have waited till morning, trusting in
+the honour of the king, but Hereward disguised himself
+as a minstrel and obtained admission to the bridal
+feast, where he soon won applause by his beautiful
+singing. The bridegroom, Haco, in a rapture offered
+him any boon he liked to ask, but he demanded only a
+cup of wine from the hands of the bride. When she
+brought it to him he flung into the empty cup the
+betrothal ring, the token she had sent to Sigtryg, and
+said: &ldquo;I thank thee, lady, and would reward thee for
+thy gentleness to a wandering minstrel; I give back
+the cup, richer than before by the kind thoughts of
+which it bears the token.&rdquo; The princess looked at
+him, gazed into the goblet, and saw her ring; then,
+looking again, she recognised her deliverer and knew
+that rescue was at hand.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Haco&rsquo;s Plan</h3>
+
+<p>While men feasted Hereward listened and talked,
+and found out that the forty Danes were prisoners, to
+be released on the morrow when Haco was sure of his
+bride, but released useless and miserable, since they
+would be turned adrift blinded. Haco was taking his
+lovely bride back to his own land, and Hereward saw
+that any rescue, to be successful, must be attempted
+on the march. Yet he knew not the way the bridal
+company would go, and he lay down to sleep in the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg&nbsp;349]</a></span>
+hall, hoping that he might hear something more.
+When all men slept a dark shape came gliding
+through the hall and touched Hereward on the
+shoulder; he slept lightly, and awoke at once to
+recognise the old nurse of the princess. &ldquo;Come to
+her now,&rdquo; the old woman whispered, and Hereward
+went, though he knew not that the princess was still
+true to her lover. In her bower, which she was
+soon to leave, Haco&rsquo;s sorrowful bride awaited the
+messenger.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Rescue for Haco&rsquo;s Bride</h3>
+
+<p>Sadly she smiled on the young Saxon as she said:
+&ldquo;I knew your face again in spite of the disguise, but
+you come too late. Bear my farewell to Sigtryg, and
+say that my father&rsquo;s will, not mine, makes me false to
+my troth-plight.&rdquo; &ldquo;Have you not been told, lady,
+that he is here?&rdquo; asked Hereward. &ldquo;Here?&rdquo; the
+princess cried. &ldquo;I have not heard. He loves me still
+and has not forsaken me?&rdquo; &ldquo;No, lady, he is too true
+a lover for falsehood. He sent forty Danes yesterday to
+demand you of your father and threaten his wrath if he
+refused.&rdquo; &ldquo;And I knew not of it,&rdquo; said the princess
+softly; &ldquo;yet I had heard that Haco had taken some
+prisoners, whom he means to blind.&rdquo; &ldquo;Those are our
+messengers, and your future subjects,&rdquo; said Hereward.
+&ldquo;Help me to save them and you. Do you know
+Haco&rsquo;s plans?&rdquo; &ldquo;Only this, that he will march
+to-morrow along the river, and where the ravine is
+darkest and forms the boundary between his kingdom
+and my father&rsquo;s the prisoners are to be blinded and
+released.&rdquo; &ldquo;Is it far hence?&rdquo; &ldquo;Three miles to the
+eastward of this hall,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;We will be
+there. Have no fear, lady, whatever you may see, but
+be bold and look for your lover in the fight.&rdquo; So
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg&nbsp;350]</a></span>
+saying, Hereward kissed the hand of the princess, and
+passed out of the hall unperceived by any one.</p>
+
+
+<h3>The Ambush</h3>
+
+<p>Returning to Sigtryg, the young Saxon told all that
+he had learnt, and the Danes planned an ambush in the
+ravine where Haco had decided to blind and set free
+his captives. All was in readiness, and side by side
+Hereward and Sigtryg were watching the pathway from
+their covert, when the sound of horses&rsquo; hoofs heard on
+the rocks reduced them to silence. The bridal procession
+came in strange array: first the Danish prisoners
+bound each between two Cornishmen, then Haco and
+his unhappy bride, and last a great throng of Cornishmen.
+Hereward had taken command, that Sigtryg
+might look to the safety of his lady, and his plan
+was simplicity itself. The Danes were to wait till their
+comrades, with their guards, had passed through the
+ravine; then while the leader engaged Haco, and
+Sigtryg looked to the safety of the princess, the Danes
+would release the prisoners and slay every Cornishman,
+and the two parties of Danes, uniting their forces, would
+restore order to the land and destroy the followers of
+Haco.</p>
+
+
+<h3>Success</h3>
+
+<p>The whole was carried out exactly as Hereward had
+planned. The Cornishmen, with Danish captives, passed
+first without attack; next came Haco, riding grim and
+ferocious beside his silent bride, he exulting in his
+success, she looking eagerly for any signs of rescue.
+As they passed Hereward sprang from his shelter,
+crying, &ldquo;Upon them, Danes, and set your brethren
+free!&rdquo; and himself struck down Haco and smote off
+his head. There was a short struggle, but soon the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg&nbsp;351]</a></span>
+rescued Danes were able to aid their deliverers, and the
+Cornish guards were all slain; the men of King Alef,
+never very zealous for the cause of Haco, fled, and the
+Danes were left masters of the field. Sigtryg had in
+the meantime seen to the safety of the princess, and
+now placing her between himself and Hereward, he
+escorted her to the ship, which soon brought them to
+Waterford and a happy bridal. The Prince and Princess
+of Waterford always recognised in Hereward their
+deliverer and best friend, and in their gratitude wished
+him to dwell with them always; but he knew &ldquo;how hard
+a thing it is to look into happiness through another
+man&rsquo;s eyes,&rdquo; and would not stay. His roving and
+daring temper drove him to deeds of arms in other
+lands, where he won a renown second to none, but he
+always felt glad in his own heart, even in later days,
+when unfaithfulness to a woman was the one great sin of
+his life, that his first feats of arms had been wrought to
+rescue two maidens from their hapless fate, and that he
+was rightly known as Hereward the Saxon, the Champion
+of Women.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg&nbsp;353]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>GLOSSARY AND INDEX</h2>
+
+
+<p>In the following Index no attempt is made to indicate the exact pronunciation
+of foreign names; but in the case of those from the Anglo-Saxon
+a rough approximation is given, as being often essential to the
+reading of the metrical versions. In these indications the letters have
+their ordinary English values; &#277; indicates the very light, obscure sound
+heard in the indefinite article in such a phrase as &ldquo;with a rush.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="center">
+<a href="#A">A</a> <a href="#B">B</a> <a href="#C">C</a>
+<a href="#D">D</a> <a href="#E">E</a> <a href="#F">F</a>
+<a href="#G">G</a> <a href="#H">H</a> <a href="#I">I</a>
+<a href="#J">J</a> <a href="#K">K</a> <a href="#L">L</a>
+<a href="#M">M</a> <a href="#N">N</a> <a href="#O">O</a>
+<a href="#P">P</a> <a href="#R">R</a> <a href="#S">S</a>
+<a href="#T">T</a> <a href="#U">U</a> <a href="#V">V</a>
+<a href="#W">W</a> <a href="#Y">Y</a> <a href="#Z">Z</a>
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="A" id="A"></a>A<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Abloec.</span> See <a href="#Anlaf"><b>Anlaf</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Achilles.</span> His sulks, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cuchulain, &ldquo;the Irish,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_184">184</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Adeon.</span> Son of Eudav; grandson of Caradoc, <a href="#Page_49">49</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Age.</span> See <a href="#Golden_Age"><b>Golden Age</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ailill.</span> King of Connaught, husband of Queen Meave; to decide claims to title of Chief Champion, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">seeks aid of Fairy People of the Hills, <a href="#Page_193">193</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ailmar.</span> King of Westernesse, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">welcomes and adopts Childe Horn, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Princess Rymenhild, daughter of, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">dubs Horn knight, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hears of Horn&rsquo;s first exploit, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Fikenhild betrays Horn and Rymenhild to, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn returns to, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">reluctantly gives his daughter to Horn, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn leaves Rymenhild to his care, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>, <a href="#Page_309">309</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Aix-la-Chapelle.</span> Wondrous springs of, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne at, <a href="#Page_155">155</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Alef.</span> King of Cornwall; Hereward at court of, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">casts Hereward into prison, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his daughter releases Hereward, <a href="#Page_344">344</a>, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sigtryg sends forty Danes to, <a href="#Page_348">348</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Alftruda.</span> Ward of Edward the Confessor, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward&rsquo;s first meeting with, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescues from Fairy Bear, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward takes farewell of, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Alice of Cloudeslee.</span> Wife of William of Cloudeslee, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">outlaw husband visits, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescued from burning house, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">thanks Adam Bell and Clym for delivering her husband, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">appointed chief woman of bedchamber to the royal children, <a href="#Page_246">246</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">All-Father.</span> Praised for Beowulf&rsquo;s victory over Grendel, <a href="#Page_18">18</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Alto-bis-ca&acute;r.</span> Song of (a forgery), <a href="#Page_120">120</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Anglesey.</span> Same as Mona, <a href="#Page_47">47</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Anglo-Saxon Nobility.</span> Hereward the ideal of, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Anglo-Saxon Times.</span> Legends regarding Constantine during, <a href="#Page_42">42</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">&AElig;ngus the Ever-Young.</span> Irish people and wrath of, <a href="#Page_158">158</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Anlaf" id="Anlaf"></a><span class="smcap">Anlaf.</span> Same as Olaf, or Sihtricson; known to Welsh as Abloec or Habloc; romantic stories concerning, <a href="#Page_73">73</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Anseis, Duke of.</span> Mortally wounded, <a href="#Page_143">143</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Arabia.</span> Physicians from, with remedies for Constantine&rsquo;s leprosy, <a href="#Page_65">65</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Armagh.</span> Capital of Ulster; Cuchulain and Emer dwell at, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">King Conor and heroes return to, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">heroes return to, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Arnoldin, Sir.</span> Cousin of Athulf; helps to save Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_312">312</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">King Ailmar nominates as his heir, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Arthur, King.</span> Uncle of Sir Gawayne, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Christmas kept at Carlisle by, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Guenever, queen of, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">uncle of Sir Gareth and Sir Mordred, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">damsel requests a boon of, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his journey to Tarn Wathelan, and fight with giant, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">humiliated by the giant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg&nbsp;354]</a></span>
+and released on certain conditions, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his search for the answer to the giant&rsquo;s question, <a href="#Page_270">270-272</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">learns it from the loathly lady, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the ransom paid to giant, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the loathly lady demands a young and handsome knight for husband for helping, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Gawayne offers to pay ransom for, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">summons court to hunt in greenwood near Tarn Wathelan, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rebukes Sir Kay, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his joy over his nephew&rsquo;s wedding with the supposed loathly lady, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>, <a href="#Page_285">285</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Arthurian Legend.</span> Preserved by medi&aelig;val Wales, <a href="#Page_265">265</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Arvon.</span> Fertile land of, searched by ambassadors of Maxen Wledig, <a href="#Page_47">47-49</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Asbrand.</span> Brother of Biargey, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">helps Howard against Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Aschere</span> (ask-her&#277;). One of King Hrothgar&rsquo;s thanes, carried off by Grendel&rsquo;s mother, <a href="#Page_21">21</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Athelbrus.</span> King Ailmar&rsquo;s steward, to train Childe Horn to be a knight, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">induces Athulf to personate Horn, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends Horn to Princess Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">land of King Modi committed to care of, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Athelstan.</span> King of England; kinship of Anlaf with, <a href="#Page_73">73</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Athelwold.</span> King of England, father of Goldborough, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">his death and burial, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Athulf.</span> Horn&rsquo;s favourite companion, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">personates Horn before Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">writes to Horn on behalf of Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">plans with Horn the rescue of Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his father found at Suddene, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">weds Reynild, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Aude the Fair.</span> Sister of Oliver, betrothed bride of Roland, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne promises his son Louis to, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">dies of grief for Roland&rsquo;s loss, <a href="#Page_155">155</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Augustus.</span> Constantine&rsquo;s elevation to rank of, <a href="#Page_64">64</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Loch_Awe" id="Loch_Awe"></a><span class="smcap">Awe, Loch.</span> Black Colin, Knight of, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin dwells at, with wife, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Lady of, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin far away from, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin&rsquo;s return to, <a href="#Page_258">258</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="B" id="B"></a>B<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Babylon, Emir of.</span> Marsile&rsquo;s vassal; defeated by Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_154">154</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Baltic Sea.</span> Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, <a href="#Page_1">1</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Banier, Sir.</span> A Knight of the Round Table, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Barnesdale.</span> Forest in South Yorkshire, once dwelling-place of Robin Hood, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Richard of the Lea sets out for, to repay loan, <a href="#Page_328">328</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Barton, Sir Andrew.</span> Scottish hero, <a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Basques.</span> Attack Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_119">119</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bathstead.</span> Place on shores of Icefirth near where Thorbiorn lived, <a href="#Page_97">97-118</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bean-stan.</span> Father of Breca, <a href="#Page_12">12</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bedivere, Sir.</span> A Knight of the Round Table, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Beli.</span> Son of Manogan; Britain conquered by Maxen Wledig from, <a href="#Page_48">48</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bell, Adam.</span> Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescues William from death, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">visit to London to see the king, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the king pardons, <a href="#Page_243">243</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Beo&acute;wa.</span> Stories of, crystallised in stories of Beowulf, <a href="#Page_1">1</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Beo&acute;wulf.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. The poem of, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Thane of Hygelac, King of Geats, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">son of Ecgtheow, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">nephew of King Hygelac, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">grandson of Hrethel, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">brought up at Geatish court, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">famous swimming match<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg&nbsp;355]</a></span>
+with Breca, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">his mighty hand-grip, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">sails for Denmark to attack Grendel, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">challenged by Warden of Denmark, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">declares his mission to Hrothgar, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">disparaged by Hunferth, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">honoured by Queen Wealhtheow, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">struggles with Grendel, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">mortally wounds Grendel, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">vows to slay mother of Grendel, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">does so, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">carries off sword-hilt and Grendel&rsquo;s head, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">sails to Geatland, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">welcomed by King Hygelac and Queen Hygd, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">chief champion of Hygelac, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">refuses the throne in favour of Heardred, and becomes guardian of, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">again chosen King of Geatland, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">encounters with fire-dragon, <a href="#Page_31">31-39</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">recites slaying of Frankish warrior, Daghrefn, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">forsaken by Geats in his encounter with the fire-dragon, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">slays the dragon, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">his death and funeral, <a href="#Page_39">39-41</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Berild.</span> Son of King Thurston, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by the Saracens, <a href="#Page_302">302</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bernard Brown.</span> Danish magistrate; protects Havelok and Goldborough, <a href="#Page_88">88-89</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ber-na&acute;r-do del Ca&acute;r-pio.</span> Hero in Spanish legend who defeats Roland, <a href="#Page_121">121</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bertram.</span> Earl&rsquo;s cook who befriended Havelok, <a href="#Page_82">82-83</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">marries one of Grim&rsquo;s daughters and becomes Earl of Cornwall, <a href="#Page_94">94</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Biargey.</span> Wife of Howard the Halt, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">urges Howard to claim wergild for Olaf, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>,
+<a href="#Page_108">108</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Howard returns to, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">visits her brothers, Valbrand, Thorbrand, and Asbrand, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hails Thorbiorn while out fishing, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">urges Howard to seek vengeance, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Birkabeyn.</span> Rule of, as king over Denmark, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Swanborow and Elfleda, daughters of, and Havelok, son of, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">commits Havelok to care of Jarl Godard, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">death and funeral of, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Black_Colin" id="Black_Colin"></a><span class="smcap">Black Colin of Loch Awe</span>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">son of Sir Nigel Campbell, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Patterson, name of foster-parents, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">messenger tells of new crusade, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">decides to go on crusade, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his wife&rsquo;s grief, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">touches at Edinburgh and ships at Leith, <i>en route</i> to Holy Land, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his desire to see Holy Land and Holy Sepulchre, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">reaches Rome, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sees Pope, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">regards Pope as Vicar of Christ, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">journeys to Rhodes, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">takes service with Knights of St. John, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">a pilgrim at Jerusalem, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">letter in name of, forged by Baron MacCorquodale, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">falsely reported wounded by Saracens, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hears news of wife&rsquo;s impending second marriage, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">returns home, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">welcomed by foster-mother, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">disguised as a beggar, hands token to his wife, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">recognised and welcomed by his wife, <a href="#Page_262">262</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Black Douglas.</span> Scottish hero, <a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Black Monk, The.</span> Captured by Robin Hood&rsquo;s followers, <a href="#Page_330">330</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">high cellarer in Abbey of St. Mary, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Robin Hood confiscates his gold as repayment of loan to Sir Richard of the Lea,
+<a href="#Page_331">331</a>, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">departs from greenwood, <a href="#Page_332">332</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Black Sainglain.</span> One of Cuchulain&rsquo;s magic steeds, <a href="#Page_191">191</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Blancandrin.</span> Vassal of King Marsile, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">overtaken by Ganelon, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Ganelon and, plot Roland&rsquo;s destruction, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Blaye.</span> Bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin buried in cathedral of,
+<a href="#Page_155">155</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bluemire.</span> Dwelling-place of Howard the Halt, <a href="#Page_97">97</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg&nbsp;356]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Bog of Allen.</span> Cathleen&rsquo;s messenger declared to be sick in, <a href="#Page_177">177</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bors, Sir.</span> A Knight of the Round Table, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bourne, Hall of.</span> Home of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, <a href="#Page_336">336</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Brand.</span> Trusted serving-man of Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
+<a href="#Page_102">102</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Breca.</span> Famous swimming champion, beaten by Beowulf, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">son of Beanstan, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue.</span> Compared with Thersites, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">invites King Conor and Red Branch heroes to a feast, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">stirs up strife among heroes of Ulster, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">flatters the wives of the heroes, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Brigit.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Of the Holy Fire; wrath of, and Irish people, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Cathleen&rsquo;s old servant, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Briseis.</span> Achilles and his sulks concerning, <a href="#Page_184">184</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Britain.</span> Legend of &ldquo;The Dream of Maxen Wledig&rdquo; shows importance of Constantine
+to, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">ambassadors of Maxen Wledig carried to, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">conquered by Maxen Wledig from Beli, son of Manogan, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">given by Maxen Wledig to Eudav, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Elene summoned from, is baptized, and seeks the sacred Cross, <a href="#Page_54">54-62</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine sent to, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine proclaimed emperor of, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Britons, Early</span>, Greeks of Homer, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+between, <a href="#Page_184">184</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Brittany.</span> Roland, prefect of marches of, <a href="#Page_120">120</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Bruce, Robert.</span> Scottish hero, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Nigel Campbell, adherent of, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="C" id="C"></a>C<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Caerlleon.</span> See <a href="#Caernarvon"><b>Caernarvon</b></a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Caermarthen.</span> See <a href="#Caernarvon"><b>Caernarvon</b></a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Caernarvon" id="Caernarvon"></a><span class="smcap">Caernarvon.</span> Castle in land of Arvon
+in which Princess Helena dwelt, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">given with castles Caerlleon and Caermarthen to Princess Helena as dowry, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cain.</span> Grendel, offspring of, <a href="#Page_4">4</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Caledonians.</span> Defeated by Constantius, <a href="#Page_63">63</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Calidore, Sir.</span> Medi&aelig;val Wales had a knight of courtesy equal to, <a href="#Page_265">265</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Calvary.</span> The hill of, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>,
+<a href="#Page_61">61</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Campbell, Sir Nigel.</span> Leader in Scottish Independence, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">father of Black Colin, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">clansmen of, accompany Black Colin to Holy Land, <a href="#Page_252">252</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Caradoc.</span> Father of Eudav; grandfather of Princess Helena, and of Princes
+Kynon and Adeon, <a href="#Page_49">49</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Carlisle.</span> Outlaw band near town of, in Englewood Forest, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">reference to sheriff of, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">William of Cloudeslee goes to, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sheriff informed of William&rsquo;s presence at, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">outlaws Adam Bell and Clym go to, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the outlaws escape from, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">King Arthur keeps Christmas at, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Gawayne and loathly lady wedded at, <a href="#Page_280">280</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cathbad.</span> Druid; Cuchulain&rsquo;s tutor, <a href="#Page_185">185</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cathleen.</span> Irish countess; legend concerning, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">antiquity of the legend, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the story, <a href="#Page_156">156-183</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her grief because of her people&rsquo;s famine, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">prays to Virgin Mary, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Fergus, steward of, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">value of her wealth, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">commands Fergus to provide food for sufferers from famine, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her goodness extolled by the demons, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hears of demon traders, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">tries to check traffic in souls, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">visits demons, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Oona, foster-mother to, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">revisits demons, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sells her soul, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her death, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Catholic Church.</span> Pope, head of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg&nbsp;357]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Celion.</span> Constantine to send to, for Bishop Sylvester, <a href="#Page_71">71</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Celtic Literature.</span> Spirit of mysticism in all, <a href="#Page_156">156</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Celts.</span> Gospel preached to, by St. Patrick, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Irish, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, racial affinity between, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Champion" id="Champion"></a><span class="smcap">Champion.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Of Erin: compared with Achilles, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Cuchulain the, his fame at age of seventeen, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Bricriu urges Laegaire to claim title of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">title to go to warrior who obtains Champion&rsquo;s Bit, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">tests to decide claims to title of, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>,
+<a href="#Page_196">196-203</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Uath the Stranger challenges the heroes to a test to decide claims to title,
+<a href="#Page_199">199-203</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Of Women: Hereward known as, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Champion of Ireland.</span> See <a href="#Champion"><b>Champion of Erin</b></a>.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Champion&rsquo;s Bit, The</span>, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">claimed by chariot-drivers of Laegaire, Conall, and Cuchulain, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>,
+<a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">awarded by Queen Meave to Laegaire, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">heroes severally claim, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">tests to decide claims to, <a href="#Page_196">196-203</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Chanson de Roland.</span> Roland and, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">late version of Anglo-Norman poem, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Thorold, author of, <a href="#Page_122">122</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Charlemagne" id="Charlemagne"></a><span class="smcap">Charlemagne.</span> World-famed equivalent, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">head of Roman Empire, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Roland, nephew of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">expedition into Spain, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives an embassage from Marsile, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">calls his Twelve Peers to council, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends Ganelon to Saragossa, <a href="#Page_128">128-130</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives through Ganelon the keys of Saragossa, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his evil dream, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hears Roland&rsquo;s horn, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hastens to the rescue, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">avenges death of Roland and the Peers, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his return to Aix, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his son, Louis, promised to Aude the Fair, <a href="#Page_155">155</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Charles the Great.</span> King of the Franks, world-famed as Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>.<br />
+<span class="in1">See <a href="#Charlemagne"><b>Charlemagne</b></a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Childe Horn.</span> See <a href="#Horn"><b>Horn</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Chosen People.</span> The Jews the, <a href="#Page_56">56</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Christ.</span> The Cross the sign of, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the Resurrection of, preached to Constantine, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine&rsquo;s desire to find the sacred Cross, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">inhabitants of Suddene who believe on, threatened with death, <a href="#Page_287">287</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Christendom.</span> Enriched by treasures of the True Cross and Holy Nails, <a href="#Page_62">62</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Christian-s.</span> Preach the way of life to Constantine, <a href="#Page_1">53</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the Lord of, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">faith, in Iceland, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">law, to be driven out of Suddene by law of Mahomet, <a href="#Page_287">287</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Church of Rome.</span> Constantine&rsquo;s generosity to, <a href="#Page_42">42</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Churchmen.</span> Beaten and battered by Gamelyn, <a href="#Page_217">217</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cinderella.</span> Root idea of, similar to &ldquo;Gamelyn,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_204">204</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Clym of the Cleugh.</span> Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his stratagem to save William of Cloudeslee, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescues William from death, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">visits London to see the king, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the king pardons, <a href="#Page_243">243</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Colin, Black.</span> See <a href="#Black_Colin"><b>Black Colin</b></a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Comala.</span> Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, <a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Conall Cearnach.</span> Cuchulain&rsquo;s cousin, a Red Branch chief, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">urged to claim title of Chief Champion, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">awarded Champion&rsquo;s Portion, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">claim tested by Curoi, <a href="#Page_196">196-203</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">disgraced by Uath, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Confessio Amantis.</span> Early English poem, by &ldquo;the moral Gower,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">story told in, of Constantine&rsquo;s true charity, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Connaught.</span> Ailill, King of, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">heroes sent to Cruachan in, <a href="#Page_190">190</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Conor.</span> King of Ulster, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cuchulain, nephew of, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg&nbsp;358]</a></span>
+<span class="in1">Dechtire, sister of, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">invited with the heroes of Red Branch to a feast by Bricriu, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">received with court at Dundrum by Bricriu, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Conqueror, William the.</span> Cause of England being laid at feet of, <a href="#Page_338">338</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Constantine III.</span> King of Scotland; marriage of Anlaf with daughter of, <a href="#Page_73">73</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Constantine the Great.</span> Emperor of Rome; renown in medi&aelig;val England, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cynewulf&rsquo;s poem, &ldquo;Elene,&rdquo; written on the subject of his conversion, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his vision of the Holy Cross, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">generosity to Church of Rome and Bishop Sylvester, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">legends concerning, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the only British-born Roman emperor, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his greatness provokes a confederation to overthrow him by Huns, Goths, Franks, and Hugas, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">conquers Huns by Cross standard, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Christians preach the way of life to, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">is baptized into the Christian faith, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his desire to find the sacred Cross, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends for Elene, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">ordains &ldquo;Holy Cross Day,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_62">62</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">eldest son of Constantius, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sent to Britain, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">proclaimed emperor, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">granted title of &ldquo;C&aelig;sar,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">marriage with Fausta, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">elevation to rank of Augustus, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Emperor of Rome, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attacked by leprosy, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the remedies suggested, <a href="#Page_65">65-72</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his noble resolve, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his vision, <a href="#Page_69">69-70</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his healing, <a href="#Page_71">71-72</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Constantius.</span> Emperor Maxentius hero of the Welsh saga instead of, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">father of Constantine the Great, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">proclaimed Emperor of Britain, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cornish Princess, The.</span> Daughter of King Alef, affianced to Prince Sigtryg, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>,
+<a href="#Page_344">344</a>, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Haco betrothed to, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives token from Hereward, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">reveals Haco&rsquo;s plans to Hereward, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescued from Haco, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">guards, all slain, <a href="#Page_351">351</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">wedded by Sigtryg, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cornwall.</span> Godrich, Earl of, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Bertram made Earl of, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward sails for, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Alef, King of, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sigtryg and Hereward sail for, <a href="#Page_347">347</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Coventry.</span> Lady Godiva&rsquo;s ride through, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Crescent.</span> Cross exalted above the, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cross.</span> The Holy, Constantine&rsquo;s vision of, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>,
+<a href="#Page_51">51</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Romans conquer Huns by, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the people awed by the standard of the, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine&rsquo;s desire to find the sacred, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Elene&rsquo;s quest after, <a href="#Page_54">54-62</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">secret place of, revealed by Judas, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">&ldquo;Holy Cross Day&rdquo; ordained, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cruachan.</span> Conor sends heroes to Ailill at, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Good People&rsquo;s Hill at, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">heroes bid farewell to court at, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Crusade-s.</span> Reference to, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin receives tidings of one about to be set on foot, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin decides to go on, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">story of Horn typical of romance of the, <a href="#Page_286">286</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cuchulain.</span> Reference to Connla and, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Irish hero, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">often called &ldquo;the Irish Achilles,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">nephew of King Conor and son of Dechtire, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">god Lugh, reputed father of, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">champion in Ulster and all Ireland, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">bride sought for, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">wooes and weds Emer, daughter of Forgall the Wily, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Conall Cearnach, cousin of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">urged to claim title of Chief Champion, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Grey of Macha and Black Sainglain, magic steeds of, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">awarded golden cup and Champion&rsquo;s Portion, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">claim tested by Curoi, <a href="#Page_196">196-203</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">answers Uath&rsquo;s tests, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">acclaimed Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg&nbsp;359]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Curoi of Munster.</span> Failing a judgment from Ailill, to be asked to decide claims to title of
+Chief Champion, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">heroes go to, to hear his judgment, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">puts heroes to certain tests in order to decide claims, <a href="#Page_196">196-203</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">assumes form of giant under name of Uath, the Stranger, <a href="#Page_199">199-203</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Curtius.</span> Reference to, <a href="#Page_156">156</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cuthbert.</span> Name under which Childe Horn serves King Thurston in Ireland, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>,
+<a href="#Page_302">302</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cynewulf</span> (ki&acute;n&#277;-wulf). Early English religious poet; &ldquo;Elene,&rdquo; his poem on the subject
+of conversion of Constantine the Great, <a href="#Page_42">42</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Cyriacus.</span> Baptismal name of Judas, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Bishop of Jerusalem, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="D" id="D"></a>D<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dagda.</span> Irish people and wrath of, <a href="#Page_158">158</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Da&acute;g-hrefn.</span> Frankish warrior who slays Hygelac; killed by Beowulf&rsquo;s deadly hand-grip,
+<a href="#Page_35">35</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Danes.</span> Corpse of Scyld sorrowfully placed in vessel by, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">feasting of, in Heorot, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slain in Heorot by Grendel, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">desert Heorot, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">welcome Geats and Beowulf, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rejoice over Beowulf&rsquo;s victory, <a href="#Page_18">18-29</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">friendship with Geats, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Gospel preached to, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Prince Sigtryg sends forty to King Alef, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">plan ambush for Haco, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescue Cornish princess, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Danish.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Occupation of England and its influence on language, &amp;c., <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Invasions, hero-legends which have come down from times of, <a href="#Page_286">286</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Danube.</span> Huns overwhelmed in, <a href="#Page_52">52</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dechtire.</span> Sister of King Conor, <a href="#Page_185">185</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Decius.</span> Reference to, <a href="#Page_156">156</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Demons.</span> Appear in Erin to buy souls, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">visited by Cathleen, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">revisited by her, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Cathleen sells her soul to, to ransom her people, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">cheated of Cathleen&rsquo;s soul, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Denmark.</span> Under sway of Scyld Scefing, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Scyld Scefing mysteriously comes to, as babe, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Beowulf sails to deliver King of, from Grendel, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Warden of, challenges Beowulf, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">King Birkabeyn&rsquo;s rule over, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Godard made regent of, on behalf of Havelok, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok sails from, with Grim, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok&rsquo;s dream concerning, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok&rsquo;s return to, and recognition as King of, <a href="#Page_87">87-92</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Diarmuit.</span> Irish hero, <a href="#Page_156">156</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Diocletian.</span> Emperor; Constantine evades jealousy of, <a href="#Page_63">63</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dodderer.</span> Horse offered as wergild by Thorbiorn to Howard, <a href="#Page_107">107</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dover.</span> Princess Goldborough imprisoned in castle of, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward sails from, to Whitby, <a href="#Page_339">339</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dublin.</span> Demons arrive at village near, <a href="#Page_168">168</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dundrum.</span> Bricriu receives King Conor and court at, <a href="#Page_188">188</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Dunstan.</span> Monk; his saintly reputation, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Durendala.</span> Roland&rsquo;s famous sword, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Roland tries in vain to break, <a href="#Page_152">152</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="E" id="E"></a>E<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ecgtheow</span> (eg&acute;theow). Father of Beowulf, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">shielded by Hrothgar against Wilfings, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Edinburgh.</span> Black Colin at, <i>en route</i> to Holy Land, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Edward.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. The First: reference to war between England and Scotland during reign of, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. The Second: reference, <i>ibid.</i>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">3. The Confessor: division of England under, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Hereward at court of, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>;</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg&nbsp;360]</a></span>
+<span class="in2">banishes Hereward, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Alftruda, ward of, <a href="#Page_339">339</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Egypt.</span> Constantine&rsquo;s valour in wars in, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine&rsquo;s leprosy, <a href="#Page_65">65</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Electra.</span> Reference to Orestes and, <a href="#Page_95">95</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Elena.</span> Same as Elene and Helena, <a href="#Page_63">63</a><br />
+<br />
+&ldquo;<span class="smcap">Elene</span>&rdquo; (el&#257;&acute;n&#277;). Cynewulf&rsquo;s poem of, on the subject of Constantine&rsquo;s
+conversion, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">summoned from Britain by Constantine, is baptized, and seeks the sacred Cross, <a href="#Page_54">54-62</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Same as Helena (Elena), <a href="#Page_63">63</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Elfleda the Fair.</span> Daughter of King Birkabeyn, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Godard, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ely.</span> Hereward&rsquo;s defence of, <a href="#Page_334">334</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Emer.</span> Daughter of Forgall the Wily; wooed and wedded by Cuchulain, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">flattered by Bricriu, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">flattered by Queen Meave, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">adjudged by Uath to have first place among all the women of Ulster, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Engelier the Gascon.</span> Mortally wounded, <a href="#Page_143">143</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">England.</span> Medi&aelig;val, and Constantine the Great, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">influence on language by Danish occupation, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athelstan, King of, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athelwold, King of, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Grim sails from Denmark to, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arrives at, in Humber (Grimsby), <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok&rsquo;s dream concerning, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Fergus journeys to, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the outlaw of medi&aelig;val, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">King of, pardons outlaws, William of Cloudeslee, &amp;c., <a href="#Page_243">243</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">war between Scotland and, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">government of, during twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">division of, under Edward the Confessor, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">cause of being laid at Conqueror&rsquo;s feet, <a href="#Page_338">338</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Englewood.</span> Outlaws in forest of, under Adam Bell, William of Cloudeslee, and Clym of the
+Cleugh, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">outlaw band broken up, <a href="#Page_247">247</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ercol.</span> Ailill&rsquo;s foster-father; heroes sent to, <a href="#Page_194">194</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Erin.</span> See <a href="#Ireland"><b>Ireland</b></a>, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">demons appear in, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Champion of, compared with Achilles, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">land of, searched for bride for Cuchulain, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Eudav.</span> Son of Caradoc, father of Princess Helena, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Kynon and Adeon, sons of, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Europe.</span> Ruled from City of Seven Hills (Rome) by Emperor Maxen Wledig, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine granted rule over Western, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">relation between Greek and Irish literature among literatures of, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Evil One.</span> Tales relating dealings with, reference to, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">demons buy souls for, <a href="#Page_168">168-182</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Excalibur.</span> King Arthur&rsquo;s sword, <a href="#Page_269">269</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="F" id="F"></a>F<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fairy Bear, The.</span> A white Polar bear owned by Gilbert of Ghent, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">reputed kinship of, to Earl Siward, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Hereward, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward&rsquo;s trick on Norman knights with, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fairy People of the Hills.</span> King Ailill seeks aid of, <a href="#Page_193">193</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Faith.</span> Bishop Sylvester preaches the Christian, to Constantine, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne fights for, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Marsile to embrace the Christian, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the true, English knowledge of, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Irish sufferers tempted to revolt from, <a href="#Page_167">167</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fall, The, of Man</span>, <a href="#Page_71">71</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Faust.</span> Legends, trend of, <a href="#Page_157">157</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fausta.</span> Daughter of Emperor Maximian and wife of Constantine, <a href="#Page_64">64</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fedelm.</span> Wife of Laegaire, <a href="#Page_189">189</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fen Country.</span> Hereward, the terror of the, <a href="#Page_336">336</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg&nbsp;361]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Fenians.</span> Champions of the, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, <a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fergus the White.</span> Cathleen&rsquo;s steward, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">foster-brother to Cathleen&rsquo;s grandfather, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">declares value of Cathleen&rsquo;s wealth, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends servant to buy food at Ulster, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">journeys to England, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">returns with help, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fikenhild.</span> Horn&rsquo;s companion next in favour to Athulf, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">spies on Horn and Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">demands Rymenhild in marriage, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Horn, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fingal.</span> Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Scotch embodiment of Finn, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Finn.</span> Fingal Scotch embodiment, <a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Finn of the Frisians.</span> Victory of Danes over, chanted in Heorot, <a href="#Page_19">19</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Finnsburg.</span> Fight in, sung of in Heorot, <a href="#Page_19">19</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Fitela.</span> Son of Sigmund; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, <a href="#Page_18">18</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Flemings.</span> Or Normans; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for knighthood, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward&rsquo;s trick on, with Fairy Bear, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Forefathers.</span> Feelings of our, embodied in &ldquo;Beowulf,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_1">1</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Forgall the Wily.</span> Cuchulain wooes Emer, daughter of, <a href="#Page_186">186</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">France.</span> Victories of Charlemagne for, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne sets out for, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Frankish.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Warrior, Daghrefn, slays Hygelac, and is slain by Beowulf, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Army marches towards Pyrenees, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">arrives too late to rescue Roland, <a href="#Page_146">146</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Franks.</span> Charles the Great (Charlemagne), King of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Saracen host encamps near, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">and Moors meet in battle, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">defeat the Saracens, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attacked by second Saracen army, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">defeat the heathens once more, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attacked by third Saracen army, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">French Literature</span>, developing &ldquo;Roland Saga,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_121">121</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Friar Tuck.</span> See <a href="#Tuck"><b>Tuck</b></a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="G" id="G"></a>G<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Galerius.</span> Constantine evades hatred of, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">grants Constantine title of &ldquo;C&aelig;sar,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_63">63</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gamelyn.</span> Tale of, a variant of fairy-tale &ldquo;Wicked Elder Brothers,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_204">204</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">ultimate source, through Lodge&rsquo;s &ldquo;Euphues&rsquo; Golden Legacy,&rdquo; of <i>As You Like It</i>, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">literary ancestor of &ldquo;Robin Hood,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_204">204</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sir John of the Marshes, father of, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">left in charge of eldest brother, John, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">resists him, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">victorious at wrestling match, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">overcomes his brother&rsquo;s servants, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">allows himself to be chained, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">released by Adam Spencer, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">batters the Churchmen, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">puts his brother John in chains, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">puts sheriff&rsquo;s men to flight, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">goes to the greenwood, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">joins the outlaws, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">proclaimed a wolf&rsquo;s-head, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arrested, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Otho offers himself as surety, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">fails to appear at court, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">releases Otho, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sits on judge&rsquo;s seat and condemns Sir John, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">made chief forester by King Edward, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">made Otho&rsquo;s heir, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ganelon.</span> Romance version of Danilo or Nanilo, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">compared with Judas, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">one of Charlemagne&rsquo;s Twelve Peers, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his hostility to Roland, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">plots with Blancandrin the destruction of Roland, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">delivers to Marsile the message of Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">swears on sacred relics the treacherous death of Roland,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg&nbsp;362]</a></span> <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">delivers keys of Saragossa to Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">deceives Charlemagne concerning sound of Roland&rsquo;s horn, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arrested for treason, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death as a traitor, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his name a byword in France for treachery, <a href="#Page_155">155</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gareth, Sir.</span> One of King Arthur&rsquo;s nephews, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gascons.</span> Attack Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_119">119</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gautier, Count.</span> Roland&rsquo;s vassal, <a href="#Page_136">136</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gawayne, Sir.</span> King Arthur&rsquo;s nephew, the true Knight of Courtesy, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">learns of King Arthur&rsquo;s adventure with the giant, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">learns the price to be paid for the loathly lady&rsquo;s secret, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">offers to pay it by marrying the loathly lady, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">betroths the loathly lady, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">weds the loathly lady, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his choice frees the loathly lady from magic spells, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the beauty of his bride, <a href="#Page_281">281-285</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Geatish Court.</span> Beowulf brought up at, <a href="#Page_6">6</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Geatland" id="Geatland"></a><span class="smcap">Geatland.</span> Same as G&ouml;taland; news of Grendel&rsquo;s ravages
+reaches, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Beowulf sails to, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">welcomed to shores of, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Geats.</span> Hygelac, King of, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">G&ouml;taland, realm of, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arrival with Beowulf at Danish shores, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">friendship with Danes, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">forsake Beowulf in his encounter with the fire-dragon, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">their sorrow over Beowulf&rsquo;s death, <a href="#Page_40">40-41</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gerier.</span> Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, <a href="#Page_143">143</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gerin.</span> Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, <a href="#Page_143">143</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Germany.</span> Forefathers who dwelt in North, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Hygelac seeks conquest of his neighbours on mainland of, <a href="#Page_5">5</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ghent.</span> See <a href="#Gilbert"><b>Gilbert</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Gilbert" id="Gilbert"></a><span class="smcap">Gilbert of Ghent.</span> Hereward&rsquo;s godfather, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward received by, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his Fairy Bear, slain by Hereward, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward quits his castle, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward takes farewell of, <a href="#Page_343">343</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Glenurchy.</span> Glen belonging to MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin inherits, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Lady of, grieves over her husband&rsquo;s departure on crusade, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Baron MacCorquodale&rsquo;s land borders, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin&rsquo;s return to, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">new castle built with rents of, <a href="#Page_264">264</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">God.</span> The Unknown, reverenced by Constantine, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the people awed by the token of the Unknown, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">worship of the True, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">famine cools love for, <a href="#Page_167">167</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Godard, Jarl.</span> Counsellor and friend of King Birkabeyn, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok committed to care of, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">regency over Denmark, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his cruelty, <a href="#Page_76">76-78</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his treachery disclosed and punished by death, <a href="#Page_91">91-92</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Godhild.</span> Queen of Suddene, King Murry&rsquo;s consort, the mother of Horn, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">hears of husband&rsquo;s death and flees, <a href="#Page_288">288</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Godiva, Lady.</span> Wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">her famous ride through Coventry, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward, second son of, <a href="#Page_336">336</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Godrich.</span> Earl of Cornwall, regent for Princess Goldborough, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">his rule, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">imprisons Princess Goldborough out of jealousy, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attends sports at Lincoln, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hears of Havelok&rsquo;s skill and strength, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">enforces a marriage between Havelok and Goldborough, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">captured, tried as a traitor, and burnt at the stake, <a href="#Page_93">93-94</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Godwin.</span> Earl of Kent, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Lady Gytha, wife of, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">intercedes on behalf of Hereward, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward bids farewell to, <a href="#Page_339">339</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg&nbsp;363]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Goldborough.</span> English princess, daughter of King Athelwold; orphaned, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Earl Godrich regent for, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">imprisoned in Dover Castle, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">forced to wed Havelok, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">learns in a dream of Havelok&rsquo;s royal birth, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">crowned Queen of England, <a href="#Page_94">94</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Golden_Age" id="Golden_Age"></a><span class="smcap">Golden Age.</span> Forefathers cherished lifetime of
+ancestors as, <a href="#Page_1">1</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">G&ouml;taland.</span> Realm of Geats, in south of Sweden, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.<br />
+<span class="in1">See <a href="#Geatland"><b>Geatland</b></a>, <a href="#Page_7">7</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Goths.</span> Form a confederation with the Huns, Franks, and Hugas to overthrow Constantine,
+<a href="#Page_50">50</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gower, &ldquo;The Moral.&rdquo;</span> Early English poet; his poem &ldquo;Confessio Amantis&rdquo; and Constantine&rsquo;s
+conversion, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">story told in &ldquo;Confessio Amantis&rdquo; of Constantine&rsquo;s true charity, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Greece.</span> Philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine&rsquo;s leprosy, <a href="#Page_65">65</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Greek-s.</span> Elene touches at land of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">literature, relation of, to Irish literature, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">of Homer, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity between, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Grendel.</span> A loathsome fen-monster, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">enmity aroused by the feasting at Heorot, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slays and devours Danes in Heorot, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">master of Heorot, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Beowulf determines to attack, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">struggles with Beowulf in Heorot, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">worsted by Beowulf, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mother of, avenges his death, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Grey of Macha.</span> Cuchulain&rsquo;s best-beloved horse, <a href="#Page_191">191</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Grim.</span> Legendary hero whose loyalty secured privileges to Grimsby, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Godard&rsquo;s thrall, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">ordered to drown Havelok, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">saves and maintains Havelok, <a href="#Page_79">79-82</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sails from Denmark to England, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends Havelok to Lincoln, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his three sons, Robert the Red, William Wendut, and Hugh the Raven, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Grimsby.</span> The town of Grim, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok at fish-market of, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">battle near, between Havelok and Godrich, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gudrun.</span> Reference to Siegfried and, <a href="#Page_95">95</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Guenever, Queen.</span> Wife of King Arthur, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">dreads magic arts during husband&rsquo;s absence, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">learns of King Arthur&rsquo;s adventure with the giant, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">welcomes the loathly lady at court, <a href="#Page_280">280</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Guest, The Wise.</span> Sister of, marries Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Howard seeks at the Thing, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his judgment against Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">removes his sister from Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">gives judgment at Thing against Howard, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Gytha, Lady.</span> Wife of Godwin, Earl of Kent, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="H" id="H"></a>H<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Habloc.</span> Welsh name for Havelok, <a href="#Page_73">73</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Haco.</span> Cornish leader; betrothed to the Cornish princess, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cornish princess reveals plans of, to Hereward, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">ambush planned for, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Hereward, <a href="#Page_350">350</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Harold.</span> Son of King Thurston, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by the Saracens, <a href="#Page_302">302</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hart, The.</span> See <a href="#Heorot"><b>Heorot</b></a>, <a href="#Page_3">3</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hastings.</span> Battle of, and &ldquo;Song of Roland,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_122">122</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hathcyn.</span> Son of King Hrethel, brought up with Beowulf; slays his brother, Herebeald, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain himself by Swedes, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hauteclaire.</span> Oliver&rsquo;s sword, <a href="#Page_141">141</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Havelok the Dane.</span> Legend of, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Anlaf, equivalent, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hero of the strong arm, in medi&aelig;val England, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">son of King Birkabeyn of Denmark, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">committed to care of Jarl Godard,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg&nbsp;364]</a></span> <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">imprisoned by Godard, <a href="#Page_76">76-77</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">saved and maintained by Grim, <a href="#Page_78">78-82</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">brought by Grim to England, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his feats of strength, <a href="#Page_82">82-84</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Goldborough forced to wed, <a href="#Page_84">84-85</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Grim&rsquo;s three sons accompany to Denmark, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">aided by Jarl Ubbe, <a href="#Page_88">88-93</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Ubbe recognises as heir to throne of Denmark, and renders homage to, <a href="#Page_90">90-91</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">acknowledged King of Denmark, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">and of England, <a href="#Page_94">94</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Healfdene</span> (ha&acute;lf-d&#257;n&#277;). Father of King Hrothgar, <a href="#Page_9">9</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Heardred</span> (ha&acute;rd-red). Son of Hygelac and Hygd; succeeds his father, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hector.</span> Reference to death of, <a href="#Page_95">95</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Helena.</span> British princess; marriage with Constantine glorified in &ldquo;Mabinogion,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">hailed as Empress of Rome, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives three castles as dowry, Caernarvon, Caerlleon, and Caermarthen, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mother of Constantine the Great, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hell.</span> The purchase of souls for, <a href="#Page_170">170-183</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cathleen sells her soul to, <a href="#Page_179">179</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hengest.</span> Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, <a href="#Page_19">19</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Heorot" id="Heorot"></a><span class="smcap">Heorot</span> (hyo&acute;r-&#335;t). Hall built by Hrothgar,
+<a href="#Page_3">3</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">same as &ldquo;The Hart,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">enmity of Grendel to, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">feasting of Danes in, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Danes slaughtered in, by Grendel, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">deserted by Danes, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Grendel master of, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Geats proceed to, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">feast in, to welcome Beowulf, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Grendel and Beowulf struggle in, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Grendel&rsquo;s mother enters and carries off Aschere, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Herebeald</span> (he&acute;r&#277;-bald). Son of King Hrethel, brought up with Beowulf,
+<a href="#Page_34">34</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Hereward" id="Hereward"></a><span class="smcap">Hereward.</span> One of the famous outlaws,
+<a href="#Page_225">225</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the Saxon, personality real, yet surrounded by cloud of romance, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the ideal of Anglo-Saxon chivalry, as Roland of Norman, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">second son of Leofric and Godiva, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">terror of Fen Country, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">at court, and his conduct there, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">banished as an outlaw, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his farewell, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his first meeting with Alftruda, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">goes to his godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">enrolled among Flemings to qualify for knighthood, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his encounter with the Fairy Bear, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescues Alftruda, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his trick on the Norman knights, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">leaves Northumbria, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">takes farewell of Alftruda, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">takes farewell of Gilbert of Ghent, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sails for Cornwall, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">at court of King Alef, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">kills the Pictish giant, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">imprisoned by King Alef, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">released by King Alef&rsquo;s daughter, <a href="#Page_344">344</a>, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sails for Ireland, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sails for Cornwall with Prince Sigtryg, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">obtains admission to Haco&rsquo;s bridal feast, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">learns Haco&rsquo;s plans, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slays Haco and helps to rescue Cornish princess, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>, <a href="#Page_351">351</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">known as Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Herod.</span> Constantine declared more cruel than, <a href="#Page_67">67</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Het-ware, The.</span> Expedition against, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Highlands.</span> Gaelic, old ballads, heroes in, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">ballads, merely versions of Irish Gaelic hero-legends, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried from Erin to, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hildeburh, Queen.</span> Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, <a href="#Page_19">19</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hn&aelig;f</span> (n&#259;f). Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, <a href="#Page_19">19</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Holy_Cross" id="Holy_Cross"></a><span class="smcap">Holy Cross.</span> Constantine&rsquo;s vision of,
+<a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>,
+<a href="#Page_51">51</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">his desire to find, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Elene&rsquo;s quest after, <a href="#Page_54">54-62</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Judas confesses to knowledge of sacred truth of, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Judas refuses to reveal <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg&nbsp;365]</a></span>
+place of, at first, but is prevailed upon by starvation, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the &ldquo;Day&rdquo; of, ordained, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Holy Innocents.</span> Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who killed the, <a href="#Page_67">67</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Holy Land.</span> Black Colin receives tidings of fresh crusade in, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">sets out for, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin&rsquo;s desire to see, <a href="#Page_253">253</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Holy Nails.</span> Obtained by Elene, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">given to Constantine, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Holy Rood.</span> King Arthur vows by, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">giant forces him to swear by, <a href="#Page_270">270</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Holy Sepulchre.</span> Black Colin&rsquo;s desire to see, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Holy Tree.</span> See <a href="#Holy_Cross"><b>Holy Cross</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Homer.</span> Greeks of, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity between,
+<a href="#Page_184">184</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hood, Robin.</span> See <a href="#Robin_Hood"><b>Robin Hood</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Horn" id="Horn"></a><span class="smcap">Horn.</span> His story originally a story of Viking raids,
+<a href="#Page_286">286</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">son of King Murry and Queen Godhild, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athulf, and next Fikenhild, his favourite companions, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">captured by Saracens, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">cast adrift upon the sea, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">lands on shore of Westernesse, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">questioned by King of Westernesse, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">adopted by King Ailmar, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athelbrus trains as a knight, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">loved by Princess Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athulf personates before Princess Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">welcomed to Rymenhild&rsquo;s bower, and hears her declaration of love, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>,
+<a href="#Page_295">295</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">dubbed knight, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his first exploit, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">spied on by Fikenhild, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">banished by King Ailmar, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sails for Ireland, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">serves King Thurston under name of Cuthbert, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slays the giant emir, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">King Thurston offers his kingdom and daughter to, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives letter from Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">reveals his identity to King Thurston and implores his help, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">returns to Westernesse, accompanied by Irish knights, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">in disguise, visits Rymenhild&rsquo;s wedding feast, <a href="#Page_305">305</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his stratagem to test Rymenhild&rsquo;s love, <a href="#Page_306">306</a>, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the fictitious death of, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">reveals his identity to Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arranges with Athulf to deliver Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">weds Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">reconquers Suddene, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">finds his mother, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">crowned King of Suddene, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">warned in dream of Rymenhild&rsquo;s danger, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his return to Westernesse, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>, <a href="#Page_312">312</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slays Fikenhild, <a href="#Page_313">313</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">dwells at Suddene with Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Howard the Halt.</span> Popular Icelandic saga, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">famous Viking, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Biargey, wife of, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Olaf, son of, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">upbraids Olaf, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">removes from Bathstead, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mourns Olaf&rsquo;s death, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">claims wergild for Olaf, <a href="#Page_106">106-111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sheltered by Steinthor, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">urged by Biargey to seek vengeance, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>,
+<a href="#Page_113">113</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">seeks help of Valbrand, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slays Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sheltered by Steinthor, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">judgment of Thing against, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his nephews exiled, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hrethel</span> (rethel). Father of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Beowulf and the king&rsquo;s sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, and Hygelac, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Beowulf recites his death, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hrethric</span> (re&acute;th-ric). Son of Hrothgar; succeeds his father, <a href="#Page_31">31</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hrothgar</span> (roth&acute;g&#257;r). Great-grandson of Scyld, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">builds the hall Heorot, or &ldquo;The Hart,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">grief of, over Grendel&rsquo;s fierce ravages, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">champions offer aid to, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Geats conducted to, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">son of Healfdene, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Wealhtheow, wife of, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rejoices over Beowulf&rsquo;s victory, <a href="#Page_18">18-29</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Aschere, thane of, carried off by Grendel&rsquo;s mother, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">grief <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg&nbsp;366]</a></span>
+of, over loss of Aschere, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">succeeded by his son Hrethric, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hrunting</span> (runting). Hunferth&rsquo;s sword, lent Beowulf for the purpose of attacking Grendel&rsquo;s
+mother, <a href="#Page_23">23-25</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hugas.</span> See <a href="#Huns"><b>Huns</b></a>, <a href="#Page_50">50</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hugh the Raven.</span> Youngest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark, <a href="#Page_87">87</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Humber.</span> Grim arrives in, <a href="#Page_81">81</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hunferth.</span> Hrothgar&rsquo;s orator, jealous of Beowulf, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">lends Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_24">24</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Huns" id="Huns"></a><span class="smcap">Huns.</span> Form a confederation with the Goths, Franks, and Hugas to
+overthrow Constantine, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Romans conquer by Cross standard, <a href="#Page_52">52</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hygd.</span> Wife of King Hygelac; hails Beowulf&rsquo;s return to Geatland, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>,
+<a href="#Page_30">30</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">offers crown to Beowulf, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Hygelac</span> (h&#275;&acute;g&#277;-lac). King of Geats, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">son of King Hrethel, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">brother-in-law of Ecgtheow, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">uncle of Beowulf, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hails Beowulf&rsquo;s return to Geatland, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Beowulf chief champion of, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slain in expedition against the Hetware, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">succeeded by his son, Heardred, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">brought up with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn, and Beowulf, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="I" id="I"></a>I<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Icefirth.</span> Thorbiorn in, <a href="#Page_97">97</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Iceland.</span> Christian faith in, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_97">97</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Icelandic.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Saga, &ldquo;Howard the Halt,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_96">96</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Ghosts, reference to, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Innis Eoalan.</span> The Lady of Loch Awe builds a castle on ruins of White House on,
+<a href="#Page_257">257</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Innocents, Holy.</span> Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who killed the, <a href="#Page_67">67</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Ireland" id="Ireland"></a><span class="smcap">Ireland.</span> Characteristics common to people of,
+<a href="#Page_156">156</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">known in olden Europe as &ldquo;Isle of Saints,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Gospel preached to people of, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">High King of, convinced of truth of Trinity, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">strife in, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">famine in, <a href="#Page_159">159-183</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">famine tempts people to revolt from the True Faith, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">demons arrive in, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Cuchulain without fear among the champions of, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn at, <a href="#Page_301">301-304</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn touches at, on way to Suddene, <a href="#Page_313">313</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sigtryg, son of a Danish king, in, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward sails for, <a href="#Page_346">346</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Irish.</span> Relation of literature, to Greek literature, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Celts, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, one stock, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">heroes, and legends concerning, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Isle of Saints.</span> See <a href="#Ireland"><b>Ireland</b></a>, <a href="#Page_157">157</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Italy.</span> Claims Roland in guise of Orlando, Orlando Furioso, Orlando Innamorato,
+<a href="#Page_121">121</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="J" id="J"></a>J<br />
+<br />
+<a name="Jerusalem" id="Jerusalem"></a><span class="smcap">Jerusalem.</span> The place where Christ suffered, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Elene&rsquo;s quest in, to find the sacred Cross, <a href="#Page_54">54-62</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine and Elene build a glorious church in, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Cyriacus (Judas) Bishop of, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">messenger to Black Colin familiar with all holy places in, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin as a pilgrim at, <a href="#Page_253">253</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Jesus Christ.</span> The Cross the sign of, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the Resurrection and Ascension of, preached to Constantine, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Jews.</span> Elene&rsquo;s quest to land of, to find sacred Cross, <a href="#Page_55">55-58</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the Chosen People, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">summoned, but dismissed in peace, by Elene, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">John.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Gamelyn left in charge of, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Gamelyn resists, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">his great feast, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">put in chains by Gamelyn, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">proclaims Gamelyn <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg&nbsp;367]</a></span>
+a wolf&rsquo;s-head, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">his death by hanging, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Little. See <a href="#Little_John"><b>Little John</b></a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Joseph</span> and his brethren, &ldquo;Gamelyn,&rdquo; a version of story of, <a href="#Page_204">204</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Jud&aelig;a.</span> See <a href="#Jerusalem"><b>Jerusalem</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Judas.</span> Grandson of Zacch&aelig;us; confesses to knowledge of secret truth of Holy Tree,
+<a href="#Page_57">57</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">refuses at first to disclose the secret place of the Holy Cross, but is prevailed upon by starvation,
+<a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">baptismal name Cyriacus, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Ganelon compared with, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Judgment, Day of</span>, <a href="#Page_71">71</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Julius C&aelig;sar</span> and early Britons, <a href="#Page_184">184</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="K" id="K"></a>K<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Kay, Sir.</span> Steward of King Arthur&rsquo;s household, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">jeers at loathly lady, <a href="#Page_277">277</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Kent.</span> Earldom of, held by Godwin, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Kerry.</span> Champions drive to, <a href="#Page_196">196</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Kilchurn Castle.</span> New castle built with rents of Glenurchy, <a href="#Page_264">264</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Knight of Courtesy.</span> The true, is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur&rsquo;s nephew, <a href="#Page_265">265</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Knight of Loch Awe.</span> Equivalent, Black Colin Campbell, <a href="#Page_249">249</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Kynon.</span> Son of Eudav, grandson of Caradoc, <a href="#Page_49">49</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="L" id="L"></a>L<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lady of Glenurchy.</span> Grief of, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the gold ring token, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">wooed by Baron MacCorquodale, <a href="#Page_254">254-257</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives forged letter, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her stratagem to delay her marriage, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">builds a castle on ruins of White House on Innis Eoalan, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">recognises and welcomes her husband, <a href="#Page_262">262</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lady of Loch Awe.</span> Same as Lady of Glenurchy, <a href="#Page_251">251</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lae-gai&acute;re.</span> Bricriu urged to claim title of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Fedelm, wife of, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">awarded Champion&rsquo;s Portion by Queen Meave, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">claim tested by Curoi, <a href="#Page_196">196-203</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">disgraced by Uath, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lancelot, Sir.</span> A Knight of the Round Table, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lea, Sir Richard of the.</span> Stranger guest of Robin Hood&rsquo;s, <a href="#Page_323">323</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Leith.</span> Black Colin takes ship at, for Holy Land, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lendabair.</span> Conall&rsquo;s wife, <a href="#Page_189">189</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Leofric.</span> Earl of Mercia, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Lady Godiva, wife of, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward, second son of, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hall of Bourne, home of, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his wrath kindled against Hereward, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">asks for writ of outlawry against Hereward, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward bids farewell to, <a href="#Page_339">339</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Leofricsson, Hereward.</span> See <a href="#Hereward"><b>Hereward</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Leve</span> (l&#257;v&#277;). Wife of Grim the fisherman, <a href="#Page_78">78</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Lightfoot" id="Lightfoot"></a><span class="smcap">Lightfoot, Martin.</span> Hereward&rsquo;s follower who
+accompanied him into exile, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">assists Hereward in his trick on Norman knights, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>,
+<a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">cast into prison by King Alef, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">released by King Alef&rsquo;s daughter, <a href="#Page_344">344</a>, <a href="#Page_345">345</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lincoln.</span> Grim carries fish to, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok goes to, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok becomes porter, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Havelok&rsquo;s fame in, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Godrich summons his army to, against Havelok, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Godrich&rsquo;s trial and death at, <a href="#Page_94">94</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Little_John" id="Little_John"></a><span class="smcap">Little John.</span> One of Robin Hood&rsquo;s followers,
+<a href="#Page_315">315</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">searches the stranger knight&rsquo;s coffer, <a href="#Page_319">319</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">counts out four hundred pounds to stranger guest, <a href="#Page_322">322</a>,
+<a href="#Page_323">323</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">acts as squire to Sir Richard of the Lea, <a href="#Page_323">323-327</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Loathly Lady, The</span>, and King Arthur, <a href="#Page_271">271-274</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">demands of King Arthur a young and handsome knight for husband, as
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg&nbsp;368]</a></span> price of her help,
+<a href="#Page_274">274</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Gawayne offers to wed, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Kay jeers at, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her betrothal to Sir Gawayne, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her marriage with Sir Gawayne, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">set free from magic spells, <a href="#Page_281">281-285</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Loch Awe.</span> See <a href="#Loch_Awe"><b>Awe, Loch</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">London.</span> Visit to, of William of Cloudeslee and fellow outlaws, <a href="#Page_241">241</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Louis.</span> Charlemagne&rsquo;s son, Count of the Marshes, promised to Aude the Fair,
+<a href="#Page_155">155</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Lugh of the Long Hand.</span> Great god, reputed father of Cuchulain, <a href="#Page_185">185</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="M" id="M"></a>M<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mabinogion.</span> A series of Welsh legends; glorifies marriage of British princess Helena and
+Constantine, <a href="#Page_42">42</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">MacCorquodale, Baron.</span> Wooes the Lady of Loch Awe, <a href="#Page_254">254-257</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">his stratagem of a forged letter, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hears of Black Colin&rsquo;s return, <a href="#Page_263">263</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">MacGregors.</span> Expelled from Glenurchy, <a href="#Page_249">249</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mahomet.</span> Saracens declare determination to win land of Suddene according to law of,
+<a href="#Page_287">287</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">faith of, thrown off by Saracens for the true faith, <a href="#Page_310">310</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mairi.</span> Old widow in whose house the demon traders lived, <a href="#Page_173">173</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Marsile.</span> King of Moors; defies Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">idols of, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Blancandrin&rsquo;s advice to, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends an embassage to Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">offers to become a Christian, <a href="#Page_124">124-126</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Ganelon sent to, with Charlemagne&rsquo;s terms, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Ganelon&rsquo;s reception by, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">takes counsel with leaders, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">swears on the book of Law of Mahomet the treacherous death of Roland,
+<a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">pursues the Frankish army, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Roland slays only son of, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mortally wounded, he returns to Saragossa, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_154">154</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Martin.</span> See <a href="#Lightfoot"><b>Lightfoot</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Masses.</span> Of the Father, of the Holy Spirit, of Our Lady, heard daily by Robin Hood,
+<a href="#Page_315">315</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Maxen_Wledig" id="Maxen_Wledig"></a><span class="smcap">Maxen Wledig.</span> &ldquo;The Dream of,&rdquo; preserved
+in the &ldquo;Mabinogion,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_42">42-49</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Emperor of Rome, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">expedition down the Tiber, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his vision near Rome, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his vision declared, <a href="#Page_44">44-47</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">ambassadors sent out to find the maiden of his dream, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
+<a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">journeys himself to land of Arvon, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">conquers Britain from Beli, son of Manogan, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">weds Helena, daughter of Eudav, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine, son of, the only British-born Emperor of Rome, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Maxentius.</span> Emperor; hero of Welsh saga &ldquo;Mabinogion,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_42">42</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Maximian.</span> The Emperor; father of Fausta, who became Constantine&rsquo;s wife,
+<a href="#Page_64">64</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mead.</span> Dwelling-place of Guest the Wise, <a href="#Page_103">103</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Meave.</span> Queen of Connaught, wife of King Ailill; to decide claims to title of Chief
+Champion, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">pronounces judgment, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mercia.</span> Earldom of, held by Leofric, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Modi.</span> King of Reynes; wooes Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Horn, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">land of, committed to care of Sir Athelbrus, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mona.</span> Sacred isle of; same as Anglesey; ambassadors of Maxen Wledig view,
+<a href="#Page_47">47</a><br />
+<br />
+&ldquo;<span class="smcap">Montjoie! Montjoie!</span>&rdquo; Battle cry of Franks, under Roland, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
+<a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_148">148</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Moors.</span> Rulers of, and Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">and Franks meet in battle, <a href="#Page_140">140</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Mordred, Sir.</span> One of King Arthur&rsquo;s nephews, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Most High.</span> Grendel outcast from mercy of, <a href="#Page_4">4</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg&nbsp;369]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Much.</span> One of Robin Hood&rsquo;s followers, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">assists to count out gold for stranger guest, <a href="#Page_323">323</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Murry.</span> King of Suddene, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Queen Godhild consort of, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn, son of, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attacked and slain by Saracens, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>, <a href="#Page_288">288</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="N" id="N"></a>N<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Naesi.</span> Irish hero, <a href="#Page_156">156</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Nails, The Holy.</span> Obtained by Elene, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">given to Constantine, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Naimes, Duke.</span> One of Charlemagne&rsquo;s Twelve Peers, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>,
+<a href="#Page_136">136</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">urges Charlemagne to hasten to rescue of Roland, <a href="#Page_146">146</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Norman England.</span> Royal authority in, how asserted, <a href="#Page_314">314</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Normans.</span> Or Flemings; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for knighthood,
+<a href="#Page_339">339</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward&rsquo;s trick on, with Fairy Bear, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Norse</span> influence in connection with story of &ldquo;King Horn,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_286">286</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Norsemen.</span> Firm hold of blood-feud on imagination of, <a href="#Page_96">96</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">North Country.</span> Equivalent, Ulster, <a href="#Page_165">165</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">North Sea.</span> Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">ambassadors of Maxen Wledig reach, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Northumbria.</span> Inheritance of Anlaf, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">writ of outlawry against Hereward only of nominal weight in, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Earl Siward ruler in, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward leaves, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Nottinghamshire.</span> The Sheriff of, and Robin Hood, <a href="#Page_315">315</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="O" id="O"></a>O<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Odin.</span> The raven, the bird of, <a href="#Page_115">115</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Oisin.</span> Scotch embodiment of Ossian, <a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Olaf.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Same as Anlaf, &amp;c., <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Son of famous Viking, Howard the Halt, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">finds Thorbiorn&rsquo;s lost sheep, <a href="#Page_98">98-100</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">kills a wizard, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">second fight with the wizard&rsquo;s ghost, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">wooes Sigrid, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">meets Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_103">103-106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">his death, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Howard claims wergild for, <a href="#Page_106">106-111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">wergild awarded for, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Olifant.</span> Roland&rsquo;s horn, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">blown by Roland, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Roland&rsquo;s dying blast on, <a href="#Page_149">149</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Oliver.</span> One of Charlemagne&rsquo;s Twelve Peers, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>,
+<a href="#Page_136">136</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">descries the Saracens and proclaims Ganelon&rsquo;s treason, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">appeals to Roland to blow his horn, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hauteclaire, sword of, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">objects to Roland blowing his horn, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mortally wounded by Marsile&rsquo;s uncle, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">under misapprehension, strikes Roland with Hauteclaire, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">avenged by Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Oona.</span> Cathleen&rsquo;s foster-mother, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">her vision, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Orchy.</span> River, running through Glenurchy, <a href="#Page_249">249</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Orestes.</span> Reference to Electra and, <a href="#Page_95">95</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Orlando, etc.</span> Italy claims Roland in guise of, <a href="#Page_121">121</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ossian.</span> Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Scotch embodiment of Oisin, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Otho.</span> Son of Sir John of the Marshes, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">becomes surety for Gamelyn, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arrested owing to failure of Gamelyn to appear at court, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">released by Gamelyn, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sits on judge&rsquo;s seat with Gamelyn and condemns Sir John, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">appointed sheriff by King Edward I., <a href="#Page_224">224</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">makes Gamelyn his heir, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Our Lady.</span> Robin Hood accepts her surety for four hundred pounds lent to stranger
+guest, <a href="#Page_322">322</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the Black Monk and the suretyship, <a href="#Page_331">331-333</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Outlaws.</span> Famous: Hereward, Robin Hood, William of Cloudeslee,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg&nbsp;370]</a></span> <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">pardoned by king, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rules of, in case of Robin Hood, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">their feast, <a href="#Page_317">317</a>, <a href="#Page_318">318</a>,
+<a href="#Page_330">330</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="P" id="P"></a>P<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Pampeluna.</span> Taken by Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_119">119</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Paradise.</span> Cathleen&rsquo;s soul in, <a href="#Page_182">182</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Patterson.</span> Name of foster-parents of Black Colin, <a href="#Page_250">250</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Peers.</span> Of France, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the champions of the Moors challenge the Twelve, of France, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">of Charlemagne, triumph over Marsile&rsquo;s twelve champions, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">their death, <a href="#Page_143">143-153</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">avenged by Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Penelope.</span> Lady of Loch Awe turns to guile, as did, <a href="#Page_256">256</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">People of the Hills.</span> Cuchulain&rsquo;s friends among, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>,
+<a href="#Page_199">199</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Persia.</span> Constantine&rsquo;s valour in wars in, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">physicians from, with remedies for Constantine&rsquo;s leprosy, <a href="#Page_65">65</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Peter and Paul.</span> The Apostles; appear in a vision to Constantine, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>,
+<a href="#Page_71">71</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Pictish Giant.</span> King Alef&rsquo;s daughter betrothed to, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Hereward, <a href="#Page_343">343</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Plantagenets.</span> England under, <a href="#Page_314">314</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Pope.</span> Head of Holy Catholic Church, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">proclaims Holy War at Rome, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sees Black Colin, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">regarded by Black Colin as Vicar of Christ on earth, <a href="#Page_253">253</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Priam.</span> Reference to lament of, <a href="#Page_95">95</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Pyrenees.</span> Charlemagne&rsquo;s march through passes of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Frankish army marches toward, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="R" id="R"></a>R<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ranald.</span> King of Waterford, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Prince Sigtryg, son of, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward at feast of, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>, <a href="#Page_347">347</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ranaldsson, Sigtryg.</span> See <a href="#Sigtryg"><b>Sigtryg</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Red Branch.</span> Heroes of, invited to feast by Bricriu, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">heroes return to, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Uath, the Stranger, comes to, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">heroes of, and Uath, the Stranger, <a href="#Page_199">199-203</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">champions of, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Reynes.</span> Modi, King of, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">wooes Rymenhild, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Reynild.</span> Daughter of King Thurston; offered to Horn, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">weds Sir Athulf, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Rhine.</span> Black Colin&rsquo;s journey up, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Rhodes.</span> Black Colin journeys to, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">supposed news from, by man of Black Colin&rsquo;s band, <a href="#Page_255">255</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Richard, Sir, of the Lea</span>, Robin Hood&rsquo;s stranger-guest, <a href="#Page_317">317-324</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Robin Hood&rsquo;s loan to, <a href="#Page_322">322-324</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his land in Uterysdale, <a href="#Page_323">323</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">redeems his land from Abbot of St. Mary&rsquo;s, <a href="#Page_324">324-327</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sets out to repay loan, <a href="#Page_328">328</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">defends the right at a wrestling contest, <a href="#Page_328">328</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">arrives before Robin Hood to repay loan, but is exempt, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">returns to Uterysdale, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his power used to protect the outlaws, <a href="#Page_333">333</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Robert the Red.</span> Eldest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+<a href="#Page_87">87</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Robin_Hood" id="Robin_Hood"></a><span class="smcap">Robin Hood.</span> Romantic sympathy with,
+<a href="#Page_225">225</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">one of the famous outlaws, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the original, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">forest of Barnesdale at one time his dwelling-place, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>,
+<a href="#Page_315">315</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sherwood Forest, headquarters of, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much, his three most loyal followers, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">three Masses heard by, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends his followers to Watling Street, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his outlaw rules, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">stranger guest brought to, <a href="#Page_317">317</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">lends stranger guest <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg&nbsp;371]</a></span>
+four hundred pounds, <a href="#Page_322">322</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends his followers again to Watling Street, <a href="#Page_329">329</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his followers capture and bring to greenwood, as guest, the Black Monk, <a href="#Page_330">330</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">appropriates gold of the Black Monk as payment of loan to Sir Richard of the Lea,
+<a href="#Page_331">331</a>, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">exempts Sir Richard from repayment of four hundred pounds, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">dwells securely in the greenwood under Sir Richard&rsquo;s protection, <a href="#Page_333">333</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Roland.</span> Charlemagne&rsquo;s nephew; fame of, in romance, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">historical basis of legend of, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">in Spanish legend, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">&ldquo;Saga&rdquo; in French literature, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">&ldquo;Chanson de Roland&rdquo; and, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">one of the Twelve Peers, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">destruction plotted by Blancandrin and Ganelon, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>,
+<a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">plants his banner on topmost summit of Pyrenees, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">appointed to command rearguard, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">appealed to by Oliver to blow his horn, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his army defeats Saracens, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">defeats second Saracen army, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attacked by third Saracen army, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">willing to blow horn, but Oliver objects, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">blows Olifant, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne hastens to rescue of, but arrives too late, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slays only son of Marsile, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">smitten by Oliver in mistake, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">set upon by four hundred Saracens, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">realising death near, he tries to destroy sword Durendala, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">avenged by Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Roman Empire.</span> Charlemagne head of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Romans.</span> Conquer Huns by the Cross standard, <a href="#Page_52">52</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Rome.</span> Church of, Constantine&rsquo;s generosity to, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Maxen Wledig seeks rest near, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Princess Helena hailed Empress of, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine calls a council of all wisest men in, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin&rsquo;s messenger just home from, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Holy War proclaimed by Pope at, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin reaches, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Black Colin&rsquo;s supposed letter from, <a href="#Page_255">255</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Roncesvalles.</span> Roland&rsquo;s glory from, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">celebrated in &ldquo;Song of Altobiscar,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Spain claims part of honour of, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the battle of, <a href="#Page_140">140-153</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Roncevaux.</span> Same as Roncesvalles, <a href="#Page_122">122</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Round Table.</span> Knights of, <a href="#Page_266">266</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Rymenhild.</span> Princess, daughter of King Ailmar;<br />
+<span class="in1">loves Horn, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athulf personates Horn before, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">welcomes Horn in her bower and declares her love, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">wishes Horn good success as knight, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">gives token to Horn, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">spied on by Fikenhild, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">wooed by King Modi, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">writes to Horn through Athulf, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn at wedding-feast of, <a href="#Page_305">305</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn&rsquo;s stratagem to test her love, <a href="#Page_306">306</a>, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">her knight and lover, Horn, restored, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">wedded to Horn, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">left to her father&rsquo;s care, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">demanded in marriage by traitor, Fikenhild, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">delivered by Horn, <a href="#Page_313">313</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">dwells at Suddene as queen, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="S" id="S"></a>S<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Samson.</span> Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, <a href="#Page_143">143</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Saracen-s.</span> Host, encamps near Franks, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">pursue the Frankish army, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">chiefs vow to slay Roland, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">defeat of, by Roland&rsquo;s army, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">second army attacks Roland, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">defeated once more, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">third army attacks Roland, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">their rule in the Holy Land, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn&rsquo;s hatred of, typical of romance of Crusades, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attack and slay King Murry, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg&nbsp;372]</a></span>
+<a href="#Page_287">287</a>, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn&rsquo;s victory over, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Suddene purged of, by Horn, <a href="#Page_310">310</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Saragossa.</span> Charlemagne repulsed at, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">decided to send Ganelon to, as ambassador, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne&rsquo;s threat to take, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Charlemagne receives through Ganelon the keys of, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">captured by Charlemagne, <a href="#Page_154">154</a></span><br />
+<br />
+&ldquo;<span class="smcap">Sarn Helen.</span>&rdquo; Roman roads in Wales connecting Helena&rsquo;s three castles known as,
+<a href="#Page_49">49</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Saxon England.</span> The maintenance of justice in, <a href="#Page_314">314</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Saxon-s.</span> Hereward the, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the darling hero of the, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Anglo-, chivalry, Hereward the ideal of, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward the, known as the Champion of Women, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Scarlet, Will.</span> Cousin to and one of Robin Hood&rsquo;s followers, <a href="#Page_315">315</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Scotland.</span> Hero-myths of, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">national heroes of Lowland, actual, not mythical, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">war between England and, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Scottish Independence.</span> Sir Nigel Campbell one of leaders in cause of,
+<a href="#Page_249">249</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Scyld Scefing</span> (skild ske&acute;f-ing). Founder of Scyldings dynasty, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">coming to and passing from Denmark, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hrothgar, great-grandson of, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Seven Hills.</span> Rome, the City of, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Maxen Wledig, emperor, rules Europe from, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Sherwood, Forest of.</span> Headquarters of Robin Hood, <a href="#Page_315">315</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Siegfried.</span> Gudrun and, in &ldquo;Nibelungenlied,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_95">95</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Sigmund.</span> Father of Fitela; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, <a href="#Page_18">18</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Sigrid.</span> Thorbiorn&rsquo;s housekeeper, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">loved by Olaf, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">quits Thorbiorn&rsquo;s service, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">disappearance of, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Sigtryg" id="Sigtryg"></a><span class="smcap">Sigt-ryg Ranaldsson.</span> Prince of Waterford; his
+troth-plight with King Alef&rsquo;s daughter, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">son of King Ranald, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward&rsquo;s mission to, <a href="#Page_345">345-347</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sails for Cornwall to rescue his love, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sends forty Danes to demand fulfilment of troth-plight, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sigtryg and Danes plan ambush for Haco, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescues, and marries, Cornish princess, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Si&acute;ht-ric-son.</span> Same as Anlaf, Abloec, &amp;c., <a href="#Page_73">73</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Sir John of the Marshes.</span> Noble gentleman who lived in Lincolnshire, in reign of
+Edward I., <a href="#Page_204">204</a>, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">father of John, Otho, and Gamelyn, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Si-ward, Earl.</span> Ruler in Northumbria, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">reputed kinship to Fairy Bear, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Snowdon.</span> Mountainous land of, reached by ambassadors of Maxen Wledig,
+<a href="#Page_47">47</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Socach.</span> Black Colin&rsquo;s foster-parents&rsquo; dwelling-place, <a href="#Page_250">250</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Souls.</span> The traffic in, during Irish famine, <a href="#Page_170">170-183</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cathleen tries to check traffic in, <a href="#Page_174">174</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Spain.</span> Charlemagne&rsquo;s expedition into, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">begins to quit, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">returns to, to rescue Roland, <a href="#Page_146">146</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Spanish Legend.</span> Bernardo del Carpio and Roland in, <a href="#Page_121">121</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Spencer.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Adam, steward in household of Sir John, releases Gamelyn, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>,
+<a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Edmund, reference to his Red Cross Knight, <a href="#Page_265">265</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Steinthor of Ere.</span> Great chieftain who shelters Howard, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>,
+<a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">speaks on Howard&rsquo;s behalf at the Thing, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">St. John, Knights of.</span> Black Colin takes service with, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Grand Master of, <a href="#Page_253">253</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">St. Mary.</span> Abbey of, in York, lands of stranger knight in pledge to Abbot of,
+<a href="#Page_321">321</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">land redeemed by Sir Richard of the Lea, <a href="#Page_324">324-327</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the Black Monk high cellarer in Abbey of, <a href="#Page_331">331</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[Pg&nbsp;373]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">St. Patrick.</span> Preached Gospel to people of Ireland, <a href="#Page_157">157</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Suddene.</span> King Murry and Queen Godhild, and son Horn, the royal family of,
+<a href="#Page_286">286</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Horn sails for, to wrest from Saracens, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Athulf&rsquo;s father found at, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn reconquers, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">a Christian realm once more, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn crowned king of, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Swanborow.</span> Daughter of King Birkabeyn, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Godard, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Sweden.</span> G&ouml;taland, realm of Geats in south of, <a href="#Page_5">5</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Swedes.</span> Slay Hathcyn, son of King Hrethel, <a href="#Page_35">35</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Switzerland.</span> Black Colin and Highland clansmen pass through, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Sylvester.</span> Bishop of Rome; and Constantine, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Constantine told in a vision to send for, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">preaches the Christian faith to Constantine, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="T" id="T"></a>T<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Taillefer.</span> &ldquo;Song of Roland&rdquo; and, <a href="#Page_122">122</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Tara.</span> Black stone of, <a href="#Page_157">157</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Tarn Wathelan.</span> Giant in castle near, ill-treats maiden, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">King Arthur&rsquo;s journey to, and fight with giant who lived in Castle of,
+<a href="#Page_269">269</a>, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">King Arthur summons court to hunt near, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the churlish knight of, set free from magic spells, <a href="#Page_284">284</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Teutonic North.</span> Beowulf famous throughout, <a href="#Page_5">5</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thersites.</span> Compared with Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, <a href="#Page_186">186</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thing.</span> Howard at the, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>,
+<a href="#Page_117">117</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thor-biorn.</span> Mighty chief on shores of Icefirth, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Vakr, nephew of, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Olaf and sheep of, <a href="#Page_98">98-100</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">whale unjustly adjudged to, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">marries sister of Guest, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sigrid leaves, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">meets Olaf, <a href="#Page_103">103-106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Warflame, magic sword of, <a href="#Page_104">104-106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">thrusts Olaf with Warflame, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Howard claims wergild from, <a href="#Page_106">106-111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Guest&rsquo;s judgment against, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">hailed by Biargey while out fishing, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Howard, <a href="#Page_116">116</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thor-brand.</span> Brother of Biargey, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">helps Howard against Thorbiorn, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thor-dis.</span> Mother of Vakr; sends second son to assist in fight against Olaf,
+<a href="#Page_105">105</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thor-kel.</span> Lawman and arbitrator of Icefirth, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">his false decree concerning a whale, <a href="#Page_102">102</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thor-old.</span> Same as Turoldus; author of &ldquo;Song of Roland,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_122">122</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thurston.</span> King of Ireland; served by Horn, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Harold and Berild, sons of, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">offers kingdom and his daughter Reynild to Horn, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn discloses his identity to, <a href="#Page_304">304</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Tiber.</span> Hunting expedition down, by Maxen Wledig, <a href="#Page_43">43</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Tir-nan-og.</span> The land of never-dying youth, <a href="#Page_163">163</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Tree, The Holy.</span> See <a href="#Holy_Cross"><b>Holy Cross</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Trinity.</span> Truth of, demonstrated by shamrock-leaf, <a href="#Page_157">157</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Trojan War.</span> An ancient story, yet well known, <a href="#Page_58">58</a><br />
+<br />
+<a name="Tuck" id="Tuck"></a><span class="smcap">Tuck, Friar.</span> Masses sung by, for Robin Hood,
+<a href="#Page_318">318</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Turpin.</span> Archbishop of Charlemagne, one of Twelve Peers, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>,
+<a href="#Page_136">136</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">blesses the knights, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mediates between Roland and Oliver, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">mortally wounded, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his death, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_151">151</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="index"><a name="U" id="U"></a>U<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Uath, the Stranger.</span> Giant who tests champions, <a href="#Page_199">199-203</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">adjudges Cuchulain Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ubbe</span> (ub-b&#277;). Danish jarl, friend of King Birkabeyn; befriends
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[Pg&nbsp;374]</a></span>
+Havelok and Goldborough, <a href="#Page_87">87-93</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">appointed Regent of Denmark for Havelok, <a href="#Page_94">94</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ulster.</span> Fergus commanded to buy food at, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Conor, King of, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Cuchulain peer among champions of, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Armagh, capital of, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Red Branch heroes, royal bodyguard of, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Bricriu stirs up strife among champions of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>,
+<a href="#Page_188">188</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Unknown God.</span> Constantine&rsquo;s acceptance and reverence of the, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">the people awed by token of, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Uterysdale.</span> Land of Sir Richard of the Lea in, <a href="#Page_323">323</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Richard redeems the land, <a href="#Page_324">324-327</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Sir Richard returns to, <a href="#Page_333">333</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="V" id="V"></a>V<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Vakr.</span> Thorbiorn&rsquo;s nephew, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">mocks Olaf, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">jeers at Brand the Strong, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">accompanies Thorbiorn to meet Olaf, <a href="#Page_103">103-106</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Thordis, mother of, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">his miserable end, <a href="#Page_116">116</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Valbrand.</span> Brother of Biargey, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">visited by Howard, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Valtierra.</span> Charlemagne retires to, on way to France, <a href="#Page_134">134</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Veillantif.</span> Roland&rsquo;s steed, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">slain by Saracens, <a href="#Page_150">150</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Vicar of Christ</span> on earth, Black Colin regards Pope as, <a href="#Page_253">253</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Vikings.</span> Gospel preached to, <a href="#Page_157">157</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Virgin Mary.</span> Cult of, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Cathleen invokes, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Cathleen&rsquo;s people invoke, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="W" id="W"></a>W<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wales.</span> Old Roman roads in, that connected Helena&rsquo;s three castles still known as
+&ldquo;Sarn Helen,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">legend of Havelok the Dane thought to have originated in, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">medi&aelig;val, Arthurian legend preserved by, <a href="#Page_265">265</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wallace, Sir William.</span> Scottish hero, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">schoolfellow and comrade of Sir Nigel Campbell, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Warden.</span> Of the coast of Denmark, welcomes Beowulf, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">conducts Geats to Heorot, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Wulfgar, one of Hrothgar&rsquo;s nobles, greets Beowulf, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">of Geatland, welcomes Beowulf&rsquo;s return, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Warflame.</span> Magic sword, owned by Thorbiorn, and by which he himself is slain by Howard,
+<a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Washers of the Ford.</span> Wrath of, and Irish people, <a href="#Page_158">158</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Waterford.</span> Prince Sigtryg of, his troth-plight with daughter of King Alef,
+<a href="#Page_343">343</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Ranald, King of, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Hereward reaches, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Prince and Princess of, Hereward the best friend of, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Watling Street.</span> Robin Hood sends his followers to, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">a year later sends followers once more to, <a href="#Page_329">329</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wealhtheow</span> (wal-thyow), <span class="smcap">Queen</span>. Wife of Hrothgar; honours
+Beowulf, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_20">20</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Welsh.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">1. Legends, &ldquo;Mabinogion&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Dream of Maxen Wledig,&rdquo; <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in2">Celtic features in, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</span><br />
+<span class="in1">2. Saga, hero of, Emperor Maxentius, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Weohstan</span> (wyo-stan). Father of Wiglaf, who supported Beowulf in his fight with the
+fire-dragon, <a href="#Page_36">36</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">West.</span> Constantine a favourite of Roman soldiery of the, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Roman soldiery of the, proclaim Constantine emperor, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the fictitious wanderings of Horn in realms of, <a href="#Page_307">307</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Western Isles.</span> Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried to, from Erin,
+<a href="#Page_248">248</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Westernesse.</span> Childe Horn lands on shore of, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Ailmar, King of, questions Horn, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Horn returns to, accompanied by Irish knights, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">recital of the fictitious plans of Horn
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[Pg&nbsp;375]</a></span>
+to reach, within seven years, <a href="#Page_307">307</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Whitby.</span> Hereward lands at, <a href="#Page_339">339</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wig-laf.</span> Son of Weohstan; supports Beowulf in his fight with the fire-dragon,
+<a href="#Page_36">36-41</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wilf-ings.</span> Hrothgar shields Ecgtheow from, <a href="#Page_11">11</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">William of Cloudeslee.</span> One of the famous outlaws of England, <a href="#Page_226">226</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">William Tell.</span> William of Cloudeslee the, of England, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Alice, wife of, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">goes to Carlisle, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sheriff informed of his presence, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">attacked by sheriff and his men, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">capture of, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">sheriff sentences to be hanged, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">news of his sentence conveyed to the greenwood, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">Clym&rsquo;s stratagem to save, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">rescued from death, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">visits London to see king, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">the king pardons, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">shoots apple from son&rsquo;s head, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>;</span><br />
+<span class="in1">receives royal favours from king and queen, <a href="#Page_246">246</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">William Wendut.</span> Second son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+<a href="#Page_87">87</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Winchester.</span> Godrich takes Goldborough from, to Dover, <a href="#Page_81">81</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wledig.</span> See <a href="#Maxen_Wledig"><b>Maxen Wledig</b></a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Women, Champion of.</span> Hereward known as, <a href="#Page_351">351</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Wyrd</span> (weird). Goddess of Fate, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="Y" id="Y"></a>Y<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">York.</span> Archbishop of, unites in marriage Havelok and Goldborough, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>;<br />
+<span class="in1">Abbot of St. Mary&rsquo;s Abbey, in, <a href="#Page_321">321</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Yorkshire.</span> Barnesdale, forest in, once dwelling-place of Robin Hood, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>,
+<a href="#Page_315">315</a><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Yuletide.</span> King Arthur&rsquo;s knights keep, <a href="#Page_267">267</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="index"><a name="Z" id="Z"></a>Z<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Zacch&aelig;us.</span> Grandfather of Judas, <a href="#Page_57">57</a><br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="bbox">
+<p><b>Transcriber's Note</b></p>
+
+<p>Minor typographic errors in punctuation have been corrected without note.
+Hyphen inconsistencies have been corrected without note where there was a prevalence of
+one formation over another.</p>
+
+<p>There is some variation in spelling, sometimes of proper names, often between the main
+text and quoted texts, and a number of archaic words. These remain as printed, unless they were an obvious
+typographic error, which were amended as follows:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_48">48</a>&mdash;need amended to heed&mdash;"... that when their horses
+failed they gave no heed, but took others ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_73">73</a>&mdash;crystalized amended to crystallized&mdash;"These stories finally crystallized in a
+form ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_84">84</a>&mdash;Havelock amended to Havelok&mdash;"... and so, in great fear, Havelok agreed to the
+wedding."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_233">233</a>&mdash;vension amended to venison&mdash;"... William had given the boy many a dinner of
+venison, ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_338">338</a>&mdash;Whereever amended to Wherever&mdash;""Wherever fate and my fortune lead me," ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_355">355</a>&mdash;7 amended to 74&mdash;"... and Havelok, son of, 74;"</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_358">358</a>&mdash;o amended to of&mdash;"... Daughter of King Alef, affianced to Prince Sigtryg ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_359">359</a>&mdash;Alaf amended to Alef&mdash;"Prince Sigtryg sends forty to King Alef, 348;"</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_362">362</a>&mdash;Niger amended to Nigel&mdash;"Glen belonging to MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel
+Campbell, 249;"</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_366">366</a>&mdash;Herebald amended to Herebeald&mdash;"brought up with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn
+..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_372">372</a>&mdash;missio nto amended to mission to&mdash;"Hereward&rsquo;s mission to, 345-347;"</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_375">375</a>&mdash;332 amended to 232&mdash;"... capture of, 232;"</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>There were some instances of omitted text; these were all checked against another
+edition of the text, and, in the case of the omitted page references,
+cross-checked against this edition, and repaired as follows:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>Page <a href="#Page_347">347</a>&mdash;omitted word (marriage) inserted at the end of the section just prior to "Return to
+Cornwall"&mdash;"... he would save his betrothed from some other hateful marriage."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_368">368</a>&mdash;the entry for London had no page number reference; 241 inserted.</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_370">370</a>&mdash;the entry for Priam had no page number reference; 95 inserted.</p></div>
+
+<p>The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. Other illustrations
+have been moved so that they are near the text they refer to. Some of the illustration
+captions have the artist's name included, some do not; these are all reproduced as printed.</p>
+
+<p>Links have been added to beginning of the Glossary and Index for ease of navigation.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, by
+Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
+
+Author: Maud Isabel Ebbutt
+
+Release Date: May 17, 2008 [EBook #25502]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-MYTHS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Ted Garvin, Sam W. and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+The Glossary and Index includes a pronunciation of the Anglo-Saxon
+names in the text. These include some characters with diacritical
+marks. These are shown as [=x] for a character with a macron (straight
+line) above it, and as [)x] for a character with a breve (u-shaped
+symbol) above it. Also used is the accute accent ('). If this does
+not display properly, you may need to adjust your font settings.
+
+
+
+
+          HERO-MYTHS & LEGENDS
+           OF THE BRITISH RACE
+
+                   BY
+           M. I. EBBUTT M. A.
+
+
+ WITH FIFTY-ONE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+     J. H. F. BACON A.R.A. BYAM SHAW
+      W. H. MARGETSON R.I. GERTRUDE
+        DEMAIN HAMMOND AND OTHERS
+
+
+             [Illustration]
+
+
+     GEORGE G. HARRAP & COMPANY LTD.
+        LONDON  CALCUTTA  SYDNEY
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Robin Hood and the Black Monk
+
+William Sewell
+
+[_Page 331_]]
+
+
+
+
+_First published August 1910_
+_by GEORGE G. HARRAP & CO._
+_39-41 Parker Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.2_
+
+_Reprinted: October 1910_
+           _September 1911_
+           _December 1914_
+           _May 1916_
+           _December 1917_
+           _February 1920_
+           _June 1924_
+
+
+_Printed in Great Britain at THE BALLANTYNE PRESS by_
+SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE & CO. LTD.
+_Colchester, London & Eton_
+
+
+
+
+    TO
+
+    MISS JULIA KENNEDY
+
+    IN TOKEN OF THE ADMIRATION
+    AND AFFECTION OF AN
+    OLD PUPIL
+    THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+In refashioning, for the pleasure of readers of the twentieth century,
+these versions of ancient tales which have given pleasure to
+story-lovers of all centuries from the eighth onward, I feel that some
+explanation of my choice is necessary. Men's conceptions of the heroic
+change with changing years, and vary with each individual mind; hence
+it often happens that one person sees in a legend only the central
+heroism, while another sees only the inartistic details of mediaeval
+life which tend to disguise and warp the heroic quality.
+
+It may be that to some people the heroes I have chosen do not seem
+heroic, but there is no doubt that to the age and generation which
+wrote or sang of them they appeared real heroes, worthy of remembrance
+and celebration, and it has been my object to come as close as
+possible to the mediaeval mind, with its elementary conceptions of
+honour, loyalty, devotion, and duty. I have therefore altered the
+tales as little as I could, and have tried to put them as fairly as
+possible before modern readers, bearing in mind the altered conditions
+of things and of intellects to-day.
+
+In the work of selecting and retelling these stories I have to
+acknowledge with most hearty thanks the help and advice of Mr. F. E.
+Bumby, B.A., of the University College, Nottingham, who has been
+throughout a most kind and candid censor or critic. His help has been
+in every way invaluable. I have also to acknowledge the generous
+permission given me by Mr. W. B. Yeats to write in prose the story of
+his beautiful play, "The Countess Cathleen," and to adorn it with
+quotations from that play.
+
+The poetical quotations are attributed to the authors from whose
+works they are taken wherever it is possible. When mediaeval passages
+occur which are not thus attributed they are my own versions from the
+original mediaeval poems.
+
+                                                    M. I. EBBUTT
+
+    TANGLEWOOD
+      BARNT GREEN
+        _July 1910_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAP.                                                         PAGE
+          INTRODUCTION                                            xvii
+
+       I. BEOWULF                                                    1
+
+      II. THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG                                 42
+
+     III. THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE                        50
+
+      IV. THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE                             63
+
+       V. HAVELOK THE DANE                                          73
+
+      VI. HOWARD THE HALT                                           95
+
+     VII. ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE                         119
+
+    VIII. THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN                                    156
+
+      IX. CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND                       184
+
+       X. THE TALE OF GAMELYN                                      204
+
+      XI. WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE                                    225
+
+     XII. BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE                                  248
+
+    XIII. THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE                              265
+
+     XIV. KING HORN                                                286
+
+      XV. ROBIN HOOD                                               314
+
+     XVI. HEREWARD THE WAKE                                        334
+
+    GLOSSARY AND INDEX                                             353
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  PAGE
+  Robin Hood and the Black Monk
+    (_William Sewell_)                                  _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                        _To face page_
+  "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+    grasped them"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                       4
+
+  Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      12
+
+  Beowulf finds the head of Aschere
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      22
+
+  Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      26
+
+  The death of Beowulf
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      40
+
+  The dream of the Emperor
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   46
+
+  The Queen's dilemma
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   60
+
+  They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                   70
+
+  "Havelok sat up surprised"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      78
+
+  "Havelok again overthrew the porters"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      82
+
+  "With great joy they fell on their knees"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      88
+
+  Olaf and Sigrid
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                      98
+
+  Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     106
+
+  "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     110
+
+  "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone"
+    (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._)                                     116
+
+  Charlemagne
+    (_Stella Langdale_)                                            120
+
+  "Here sits Charles the King"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  124
+
+  "Ganelon rode away"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  130
+
+  "Charlemagne heard it again"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  144
+
+  Aude the Fair
+    (_Evelyn Paul_)                                                154
+
+  "Day by day Cathleen went among them"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      162
+
+  The peasant's story
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      172
+
+  "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      176
+
+  "Cathleen signed the bond"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      180
+
+  "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      190
+
+  "Three monstrous cats were let into the room"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      192
+
+  "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible jaws"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      196
+
+  "The body of Uath arose"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      200
+
+  "Go and do your own baking!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      206
+
+  "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of prison!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      214
+
+  "Then cheer thee, Adam"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      218
+
+  "Come from the seat of justice!"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      222
+
+  "William continued his wonderful archery"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              232
+
+  Adam Bell writes the letter
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              234
+
+  The fight at the gate
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              238
+
+  William of Cloudeslee and his son
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              244
+
+  "Wait for me seven years, dear wife"
+    (_Byam Shaw_)                                                  252
+
+  "The King blew a loud note on his bugle"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      268
+
+  "Now you have released me from the spell completely"
+    (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._)                                      282
+
+  Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              288
+
+  Horn kills the Saracen Leader
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              298
+
+  Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              312
+
+  "Little John caught the horse by the bridle"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              316
+
+  "I have no money worth offering"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              320
+
+  "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              324
+
+  "Much shot the monk to the heart"
+    (_Patten Wilson_)                                              330
+
+  "Her pleading won relief for them"
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              334
+
+  Alftruda
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              340
+
+  Hereward and the Princess
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              344
+
+  Hereward and Sigtryg
+    (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._)                              348
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+The writer who would tell again for people of the twentieth century
+the legends and stories that delighted the folk of the thirteenth and
+fourteenth centuries finds himself confronted with a vast mass of
+material ready to his hand. Unless he exercises a wise discrimination
+and has some system of selection, he becomes lost in the mazes of as
+enchanted a land,
+
+    "Where Truth and Dream walk hand in hand,"[1]
+
+as ever bewildered knights of old in days of romance. Down all the
+dimly lighted pathways of mediaeval literature mystical figures beckon
+him in every direction; fairies, goblins, witches, knights and ladies
+and giants entice him, and unless, like Theseus of old, he follows
+closely his guiding clue, he will find that he reaches no goal,
+attains to no clear vision, achieves no quest. He will remain
+spell-bound, captivated by the Middle Ages--
+
+    "The life, the delight, and the sorrow
+    Of troublous and chivalrous years
+    That knew not of night nor of morrow,
+    Of hopes or of fears.
+    The wars and the woes and the glories
+    That quicken, and lighten, and rain
+    From the clouds of its chronicled stories
+    The passion, the pride, and the pain."[2]
+
+Such a golden clue to guide the modern seeker through the labyrinths
+of the mediaeval mind is that which I have tried to suggest in the
+title "_Hero_-Myths and Legends of the British Race"--the pursuit and
+representation of the ideal hero as the mind of Britain and of early
+and mediaeval England imagined him, together with the study of the
+characteristics which made this or that particular person, mythical or
+legendary, a hero to the century which sang or wrote about him. The
+interest goes deeper when we study, not merely
+
+    "Old heroes who could grandly do
+    As they could greatly dare,"[3]
+
+but
+
+    "Heroes of our island breed
+    And men and women of our British birth."[4]
+
+"Hero-worship endures for ever while man endures," wrote Thomas
+Carlyle, and this fidelity of men to their admiration for great heroes
+is one of the surest tokens by which we can judge of their own
+character. Such as the hero is, such will his worshippers be; and the
+men who idolised Robin Hood will be found to have been men who were
+themselves in revolt against oppressive law, or who, finding law
+powerless to prevent tyranny, glorified the lawless punishment of
+wrongs and the bold denunciation of perverted justice. The warriors
+who listened to the saga of Beowulf looked on physical prowess as the
+best of all heroic qualities, and the Normans who admired Roland saw
+in him the ideal of feudal loyalty. To every age, and to every nation,
+there is a peculiar ideal of heroism, and in the popular legends of
+each age this ideal may be found.
+
+Again, these legends give not only the hero as he seemed to his age;
+they also show the social life, the virtues and vices, the
+superstitions and beliefs, of earlier ages embedded in the tradition,
+as fossils are found in the uplifted strata of some ancient ocean-bed.
+They have ceased to live; but they remain, tokens of a life long past.
+So in the hero-legends of our nation we may find traces of the
+thoughts and religions of our ancestors many centuries ago; traces
+which lie close to one another in these romances, telling of the
+nations who came to these Islands of the West, settled, were conquered
+and driven away to make room for other races whose supremacy has been
+as brief, till all these superimposed races have blended into one, to
+form the British nation, the most widespread race of modern times. For
+
+    "Britain's might and Britain's right
+    And the brunt of British spears"[5]
+
+are not the boast of the English race alone. No man in England now can
+boast of unmixed descent, but must perforce trace his family back
+through many a marriage of Frank, and Norman, and Saxon, and Dane, and
+Roman, and Celt, and even Iberian, back to prehistoric man--
+
+    "Scot and Celt and Norman and Dane,
+    With the Northman's sinew and heart and brain,
+    And the Northman's courage for blessing or bane,
+    Are England's heroes too."[6]
+
+When Tennyson sang his greeting at the coming of Alexandra,
+
+    "Saxon or Dane or Norman we,
+    Teuton or Celt or whatever we be,"
+
+he was only recognising a truth which no boast of pure birth can
+cover--the truth that the modern Englishman is a compound of many
+races, with many characteristics; and if we would understand him, we
+must seek the clue to the riddle in early England and Scotland and
+Ireland and Wales, while even France adds her share of enlightenment
+towards the solution of the riddle.
+
+    "The Saxon force, the Celtic fire,
+    These are thy manhood's heritage."[7]
+
+Britain, as far as we can trace men in our island, was first inhabited
+by cave-men, who have left no history at all. In the course of ages
+they passed away before the Iberians or Ivernians, who came from the
+east, and bore a striking resemblance to the Basques. It may be that
+some Mongolian tribe, wandering west, drawn by the instinct which has
+driven most race-migrations westward, sent offshoots north and
+south--one to brave the dangers of the sea and inhabit Britain and
+Ireland, one to cross the Pyrenees and remain sheltered in their deep
+ravines; or it may be that Basques from the Pyrenees, daring the
+storms of the Bay of Biscay in their frail coracles, ventured to the
+shores of Britain. Short and dark were these sturdy voyagers,
+harsh-featured and long-headed, worshipping the powers of Nature with
+mysterious and cruel rites of human sacrifice, holding beliefs in
+totems and ancestor-worship and in the superiority of high descent
+claimed through the mother to that claimed through the father. When
+the stronger and more civilised Celt came he drove before him these
+little dark men, he enslaved their survivors or wedded their women,
+and in his turn fell into slavery to the cruel Druidic religion of his
+subjects. To these Iberians, and to the Celtic dread of them, we
+probably owe all the stories of dwarfs, goblins, elves, and
+earth-gnomes which fill our fairy-tale books; and if we examine
+carefully the descriptions of the abodes of these beings we shall find
+them not inconsistent with the earth-dwellings, caves, circle huts, or
+even with the burial mounds, of the Iberian race.
+
+The race that followed the Iberians, and drove them out or subdued
+them, so that they served as slaves where they had once ruled as
+lords, was the proud Aryan Celtic race. Of different tribes, Gaels,
+Brythons, and Belgae, they were all one in spirit, and one in physical
+feature.
+
+Tall, blue-eyed, with fair or red hair, they overpowered in every way
+the diminutive Iberians, and their tattooing, while it gave them a
+name which has often been mistaken for a national designation (Picts,
+or painted men), made them dreadful to their enemies in battle, and
+ferocious-looking even in time of peace. Their civilisation was of a
+much higher type than that of the Iberians; their weapons, their
+war-chariots, their mode of life and their treatment of women, are all
+so closely similar to that of the Greeks of Homer that a theory has
+been advanced and ably defended, that the Homeric Greeks were really
+invading Celts--Gaelic or Gaulish tribes from the north of Europe. If
+it indeed be so, we owe to the Celts a debt of imperishable culture
+and civilisation. To them belongs more especially, in our national
+amalgam, the passion for the past, the ardent patriotism, the longing
+for spiritual beauty, which raises and relieves the Saxon materialism.
+
+    "Though fallen the state of Erin and changed the Scottish land,
+    Though small the power of Mona, though unwaked Llewellyn's band,
+    Though Ambrose Merlin's prophecies are held as idle tales,
+    Though Iona's ruined cloisters are swept by northern gales,
+                    One in name and in fame
+                    Are the sea-divided Gaels.
+
+    "In Northern Spain and Italy our brethren also dwell,
+    And brave are the traditions of their fathers that they tell;
+    The Eagle or the Crescent in the dawn of history pales
+    Before the advancing banners of the great Rome-conquering Gaels:
+                    One in name and in fame
+                    Are the sea-divided Gaels."[8]
+
+It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of the Celtic
+contribution to our national literature and character: the race that
+gave us Ossian, and Finn, and Cuchulain, that sang of the sorrowful
+love and doom of Deirdre, that told of the pursuit of Diarmit and
+Grania, till every dolmen and cromlech in Ireland was associated with
+these lovers; the race that preserved for us
+
+    "That grey king whose name, a ghost,
+    Streams like a cloud, man-shaped, from mountain-peak
+    And cleaves to cairn and cromlech still,"[9]
+
+the King Arthur whose Arthur's Seat overhangs Edinburgh, whose
+presence haunts the Lakes, and Wales, and Cornwall, and the forests of
+Brittany; the race that held up for us the image of the Holy
+Grail--that race can claim no small share in the moulding of the
+modern Briton.
+
+The Celt, however, had his day of supremacy and passed: the Roman
+crushed his power of initiative and made him helpless and dependent,
+and the Teuton, whether as Saxon, Angle, Frisian, or Jute, dwelt in
+his homes and ruled as slaves the former owners of the land. These
+new-comers were not physically unlike the Celts whom they
+dispossessed. Tall and fair, grey-eyed and sinewy, the Teuton was a
+hardier, more sturdy warrior than the Celt: he had not spent centuries
+of quiet settlement and imitative civilisation under the aegis of
+Imperial Rome: he had not learnt to love the arts of peace and he
+cultivated none but those of war; he was by choice a warrior and a
+sailor, a wanderer to other lands, a plougher of the desolate places
+of the "vasty deep," yet withal a lover of home, who trod at times,
+with bitter longing for his native land, the thorny paths of exile. To
+him physical cowardice was the unforgivable sin, next to treachery to
+his lord; for the loyalty of thane to his chieftain was a very deep
+and abiding reality to the Anglo-Saxon warrior, and in the early poems
+of our English race, love for "his dear lord, his chieftain-friend,"
+takes the place of that love of woman which other races felt and
+expressed. A quiet death bed was the worst end to a man's life, in the
+Anglo-Saxon's creed; it was "a cow's death," to be shunned by every
+means in a man's power; while a death in fight, victor or vanquished,
+was a worthy finish to a warrior's life. There was no fear of death
+itself in the English hero's mind, nor of Fate; the former was the
+inevitable,
+
+    "Seeing that Death, a necessary end,
+    Will come when it will come,"[10]
+
+and the latter a goddess whose decrees must needs be obeyed with proud
+submission, but not with meek acceptance. Perhaps there was little of
+spiritual insight in the minds of these Angles and Saxons, little love
+of beauty, little care for the amenities of life; but they had a
+sturdy loyalty, an uprightness, a brave disregard of death in the
+cause of duty, which we can still recognise in modern Englishmen. To
+the Saxon belong the tales where
+
+                    "The warrior kings,
+    In height and prowess more than human, strive
+    Again for glory, while the golden lyre
+    Is ever sounding in heroic ears
+    Heroic hymns."[11]
+
+When the English (Anglo-Saxons, as we generally call them) had settled
+down in England, had united their warring tribes, and developed a
+somewhat centralised government, their whole national existence was
+imperilled by the incursions of the Danes. Kindred folk to the
+Anglo-Saxons were these Danes, these Vikings from Christiania Wik,
+these Northmen from Norway or Iceland, whose fame went before them,
+and the dread of whom inspired the petition in the old Litany of the
+Church, "From the fury of the Northmen, good Lord, deliver us!" Their
+fair hair and blue or grey eyes, their tall and muscular frames, bore
+testimony to their kinship with the races they harried and plundered,
+but their spirit was different from that of the conquered Teutonic
+tribes. The Viking _loved_ the sea; it was his summer home, his field
+of war and profit. To go "a-summer-harrying" was the usual employment
+of the true Viking, and in the winter only could he enjoy domestic
+life and the pleasures of the family circle. The rapturous fight with
+the elements, in which the Northman lived and moved and had his being,
+gave him a strain of ruthless cruelty unlike anything in the more
+peaceful Anglo-Saxon character: his disregard of death for himself led
+to a certain callousness with regard to human life, and to a certain
+enjoyment in inflicting physical anguish. There was an element of Red
+Indian ruthlessness in the Viking, which looms large in the story of
+the years of Norse ascendancy over Western Europe. Yet there was also
+a power of bold and daring action, of reckless valour, of rapid
+conception and execution, which contrasted strongly with the slower
+and more placid temperament of the Anglo-Saxon, and to this Danish
+strain modern Englishmen probably owe the power of initiative, the
+love of adventure, and the daring action which have made England the
+greatest colonising nation on the earth. The Danish, Norse, or Viking
+element spread far and wide in mediaeval Europe--Iceland, Normandy
+(Northman's Land), the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, the east of
+Ireland, the Danelagh of East Anglia, and the Cumberland dales all
+show traces of the conquering Danish race; and raider after raider
+came to England and stayed, until half of our island was Danish, and
+even our royal family became for a time one with the royal line of
+Denmark. The acceptance of Christianity by the Danes in England when
+Guthrum was baptized rendered much more easy their amalgamation with
+the English; but it was not so in Ireland, where the Round Towers
+still stand to show (as some authorities hold) how the terrified
+native Irish sheltered from the Danish fury which nearly destroyed the
+whole fabric of Irish Christianity. The legends of Ireland, too, are
+full of the terror of the men of "Lochlann," which is generally taken
+to mean Norway; and the great coast cities of Ireland--Dublin, Cork,
+Waterford, Wexford, and others--were so entirely Danish that only the
+decisive battle of Clontarf, in which the saintly and victorious Brian
+Boru was slain, saved Ireland to Christendom and curbed the power of
+the heathen invaders.
+
+A second wave of Norse invasion swept over England at the Norman
+Conquest, and for a time submerged the native English population. The
+chivalrous Norman knights who followed William of Normandy's sacred
+banner, whether from religious zeal or desire of plunder, were as
+truly Vikings by race as were the Danes who settled in the Danelagh.
+The days when Rolf (Rollo, or Rou), the Viking chief, won Normandy
+were not yet so long gone by that the fierce piratical instincts of
+his followers had ceased to influence their descendants: piety and
+learning, feudal law and custom, had made some impression upon the
+character of the Norman, but at heart he was still a Northman. The
+Norman barons fought for their independence against Duke William with
+all the determination of those Norse chiefs who would not acknowledge
+the overlordship of Harold Fairhair, but fled to colonise Iceland when
+he made himself King of Norway. The seafaring instincts which drove
+the Vikings to harry other lands in like manner drove the Normans to
+piratical plundering up and down the English Channel, and, when they
+had settled in England, led to continual sea-fights in the Channel
+between English and French, hardy Kentish and Norman, or Cornish and
+Breton, sailors, with a common strain of fighting blood, and a common
+love of the sea.
+
+The Norman Conquest of England was but one instance of Norman
+activity: Sicily, Italy, Constantinople, even Antioch, and the Holy
+Land itself, showed in time Norman states, Norman laws, Norman
+civilisation, and all alike felt the impulse of Norman energy and
+inspiration. England lay ready to hand for Norman invasion--the hope
+of peaceable succession to the saintly Edward the Confessor had to be
+abandoned by William; the gradual permeation of sluggish England with
+Norman earls, churchmen, courtiers, had been comprehended and checked
+by Earl Godwin and his sons (themselves of Danish race); but there
+still remained the way of open war and an appeal to religious zeal;
+and this way William took. There was genius as well as statesmanship
+in the idea of combining a personal claim to the throne held by Harold
+the usurper with a crusading summons against the schismatic and
+heretical English, who refused obedience to the true successor of St.
+Peter. The success of the idea was its justification: the success of
+the expedition proved the need that England had of some new leaven to
+energise the sluggish temperament of her sons. The Norman Conquest not
+only revived and quickened, but unified and solidified the English
+nation. The tyranny of the Norman nobles, held in check at first only
+by the tyranny of the Norman king, was the factor in mediaeval English
+life that made for a national consciousness; it also helped the
+appreciation of the heroism of revolt against tyranny which is seen in
+Hereward the Wake, in Robin Hood, in William of Cloudeslee, and in
+many other English hero-rebels; but it gradually led men to a
+realization of their own rights as Englishmen. When all men alike felt
+themselves sons of England, the days were past when Norman and Saxon
+were aliens to each other, and Norman robber soon became as truly
+English as Danish viking, Anglo-Saxon seafarer, or Celtic settler.
+Then the full value of the Norman infusion was seen in quicker
+intellectual apprehension, nimbler wit, a keener sense of reverence, a
+more spiritual piety, a more refined courtesy, and a more enlightened
+perception of the value of law. The materialism of the original Saxon
+race was successively modified by many influences, and not least of
+these was the Norman Conquest.
+
+From the Norman Conquest onward England has welcomed men of many
+nations--French, Flemings, Germans, Dutch: men brought by war, by
+trade, by love of adventure, by religion; traders, refugees, exiles,
+all have found in her a hospitable shelter and a second home, and all
+have come to love the "grey old mother" that counted them among her
+sons and grew to think them her own in very truth.
+
+Geographically, also, we must recognise the admixture of races in our
+islands. The farthest western borders show most strongly the type of
+man whom we can imagine the Iberian to have been: Western Ireland, the
+Hebrides, Central and South Wales, and Cornwall are still inhabited by
+folk of Iberian descent. The blue-eyed Celt yet dwells in the
+Highlands and the greater part of Wales and the Marches--Hereford and
+Shropshire, and as far as Worcestershire and Cheshire; still the
+Dales of Cumberland, the Fen Country, East Anglia, and the Isle of Man
+show traces of Danish blood, speech, manners, and customs; still the
+slow, stolid Saxon inhabits the lands south of the Thames from Sussex
+to Hampshire and Dorset. The Angle has settled permanently over the
+Lowlands of Scotland, with the Celt along the western fringe, and
+Flemish blood shows its traces in Pembroke on the one side ("Little
+England beyond Wales") and in Norfolk on the other.
+
+With all these nations, all these natures, amalgamated in our own, it
+is no wonder that the literature of our isles contains many different
+ideals of heroism, changing according to nationality and epoch. Thus
+the physical valour of Beowulf is not the same quality as the valour
+of Havelok the Dane, though both are heroes of the strong arm; and the
+chivalry of Diarmit is not the same as the chivalry of Roland. Again,
+religion has its share in changing the ideals of a nation, and
+Constantine, the warrior of the Early English poem of "Elene," is far
+from being the same in character as the tender-hearted Constantine of
+"moral Gower's" apocryphal tale. The law-abiding nature of the
+earliest heroes, whose obedience to their king and their priest was
+absolute, differs almost entirely from the lawlessness of Gamelyn and
+Robin Hood, both of whom set church and king at defiance, and even
+account it a merit to revolt from the rule of both. It follows from
+this that we shall find our chosen heroes of very different types and
+characters; but we shall recognise that each represented to his own
+age an ideal of heroism, which that age loved sufficiently to put into
+literature, and perpetuate by the best means in its power. Of many
+another hero besides Arthur--of Barbarossa, of Hiawatha, even of
+Napoleon--has the tradition grown that he is not dead, but has passed
+away into the deathless land, whence he shall come again in his own
+time. As Tennyson has sung,
+
+                "Great bards of him will sing
+    Hereafter; and dark sayings from of old
+    Ranging and ringing through the minds of men,
+    And echoed by old folk beside their fires
+    For comfort after their wage-work is done,
+    Speak of the King."
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Lightfoot.
+
+[2] Swinburne.
+
+[3] Gerald Massey.
+
+[4] J. R. Denning.
+
+[5] W. W. Campbell.
+
+[6] _Ibid._
+
+[7] C. Roberts.
+
+[8] T. Darcy McGee.
+
+[9] Tennyson.
+
+[10] Shakespeare, _Julius Caesar_.
+
+[11] Tennyson.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I: BEOWULF
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The figure which meets us as we enter on the study of Heroes of the
+British Race is one which appeals to us in a very special way, since
+he is the one hero in whose legend we may see the ideals of our
+English forefathers before they left their Continental home to settle
+in this island. Opinions may differ as to the date at which the poem
+of "Beowulf" was written, the place in which it was localised, and the
+religion of the poet who combined the floating legends into one epic
+whole, but all must accept the poem as embodying the life and feelings
+of our Forefathers who dwelt in North Germany on the shores of the
+North Sea and of the Baltic. The life depicted, the characters
+portrayed, the events described, are such as a simple warrior race
+would cherish in tradition and legend as relics of the life lived by
+their ancestors in what doubtless seemed to them the Golden Age.
+Perhaps stories of a divine Beowa, hero and ancestor of the English,
+became merged in other myths of sun-hero and marsh-demon, but in any
+case the stories are now crystallized around one central human figure,
+who may even be considered an historical hero, Beowulf, the thane of
+Hygelac, King of the Geats. It is this grand primitive hero who
+embodies the ideal of English heroism. Bold to rashness for himself,
+prudent for his comrades, daring, resourceful, knowing no fear, loyal
+to his king and his kinsmen, generous in war and in peace,
+self-sacrificing, Beowulf stands for all that is best in manhood in an
+age of strife. It is fitting that our first British hero should be
+physically and mentally strong, brave to seek danger and brave to look
+on death and Fate undaunted, one whose life is a struggle against
+evil forces, and whose death comes in a glorious victory over the
+powers of evil, a victory gained for the sake of others to whom
+Beowulf feels that he owes protection and devotion.
+
+
+The Story. The Coming and Passing of Scyld
+
+Once, long ago, the Danish land owned the sway of a mighty monarch,
+Scyld Scefing, the founder of a great dynasty, the Scyldings. This
+great king Scyld had come to Denmark in a mysterious manner, since no
+man knew whence he sprang. As a babe he drifted to the Danish shore in
+a vessel loaded with treasures; but no man was with him, and there was
+no token to show his kindred and race. When Scyld grew up he increased
+the power of Denmark and enlarged her borders; his fame spread far and
+wide among men, and his glory shone undimmed until the day when, full
+of years and honours, he died, leaving the throne securely established
+in his family. Then the sorrowing Danes restored him to the mysterious
+ocean from which he had come to them. Choosing their goodliest ship,
+they laid within it the corpse of their departed king, and heaped
+around him all their best and choicest treasures, until the venerable
+countenance of Scyld looked to heaven from a bed of gold and jewels;
+then they set up, high above his head, his glorious gold-wrought
+banner, and left him alone in state. The vessel was loosed from the
+shore where the mourning Danes bewailed their departing king, and
+drifted slowly away to the unknown west from which Scyld had sailed to
+his now sorrowing people; they watched until it was lost in the
+shadows of night and distance, but no man under heaven knoweth what
+shore now holds the vanished Scyld. The descendants of Scyld ruled and
+prospered till the days of his great-grandson Hrothgar, one of a
+family of four, who can all be identified historically with various
+Danish kings and princes.
+
+
+Hrothgar's Hall
+
+Hrothgar was a mighty warrior and conqueror, who won glory in battle,
+and whose fame spread wide among men, so that nobly born warriors, his
+kinsmen, were glad to serve as his bodyguard and to fight for him
+loyally in strife. So great was Hrothgar's power that he longed for
+some outward sign of the magnificence of his sway; he determined to
+build a great hall, in which he could hold feasts and banquets, and
+could entertain his warriors and thanes, and visitors from afar. The
+hall rose speedily, vast, gloriously adorned, a great meeting-place
+for men; for Hrothgar had summoned all his people to the work, and the
+walls towered up high and majestic, ending in pinnacles and gables
+resembling the antlers of a stag. At the great feast which Hrothgar
+gave first in his new home the minstrels chanted the glory of the
+hall, "Heorot," "The Hart," as the king named it; Hrothgar's desire
+was well fulfilled, that he should build the most magnificent of
+banquet-halls. Proud were the mighty warriors who feasted within it,
+and proud the heart of the king, who from his high seat on the dais
+saw his brave thanes carousing at the long tables below him, and the
+lofty rafters of the hall rising black into the darkness.
+
+
+Grendel
+
+Day by day the feasting continued, until its noise and the festal joy
+of its revellers aroused a mighty enemy, Grendel, the loathsome
+fen-monster. This monstrous being, half-man, half-fiend, dwelt in the
+fens near the hill on which Heorot stood. Terrible was he, dangerous
+to men, of extraordinary strength, human in shape but gigantic of
+stature, covered with a green horny skin, on which the sword would not
+bite. His race, all sea-monsters, giants, goblins, and evil demons,
+were offspring of Cain, outcasts from the mercy of the Most High,
+hostile to the human race; and Grendel was one of mankind's most
+bitter enemies; hence his hatred of the joyous shouts from Heorot, and
+his determination to stop the feasting.
+
+    "This the dire mighty fiend,    he who in darkness dwelt,
+    Suffered with hatred fierce,    that every day and night
+    He heard the festal shouts    loud in the lofty hall;
+    Sound of harp echoed there,    and gleeman's sweet song.
+    Thus they lived joyously,    fearing no angry foe
+    Until the hellish fiend    wrought them great woe.
+    Grendel that ghost was called,    grisly and terrible,
+    Who, hateful wanderer,    dwelt in the moorlands,
+    The fens and wild fastnesses;    the wretch for a while abode
+    In homes of the giant-race,    since God had cast him out.
+    When night on the earth fell,    Grendel departed
+    To visit the lofty hall,    now that the warlike Danes
+    After the gladsome feast    nightly slept in it.
+    A fair troop of warrior-thanes    guarding it found he;
+    Heedlessly sleeping,    they recked not of sorrow.
+    The demon of evil,    the grim wight unholy,
+    With his fierce ravening,    greedily grasped them,
+    Seized in their slumbering    thirty right manly thanes;
+    Thence he withdrew again,    proud of his lifeless prey,
+    Home to his hiding-place,    bearing his booty,
+    In peace to devour it."
+
+[Illustration: "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily
+grasped them"]
+
+When dawn broke, and the Danes from their dwellings around the hall
+entered Heorot, great was the lamentation, and dire the dismay, for
+thirty noble champions had vanished, and the blood-stained tracks of
+the monster showed but too well the fate that had overtaken them.
+Hrothgar's grief was profound, for he had lost thirty of his dearly
+loved bodyguard, and he himself was too old to wage a conflict against
+the foe--a foe who repeated night by night his awful deeds, in
+spite of all that valour could do to save the Danes from his terrible
+enmity. At last no champion would face the monster, and the Danes, in
+despair, deserted the glorious hall of which they had been so proud.
+Useless stood the best of dwellings, for none dared remain in it, but
+every evening the Danes left it after their feast, and slept
+elsewhere. This affliction endured for twelve years, and all that time
+the beautiful hall of Heorot stood empty when darkness was upon it. By
+night the dire fiend visited it in search of prey, and in the morning
+his footsteps showed that his deadly enmity was not yet appeased, but
+that any effort to use the hall at night would bring down his fatal
+wrath on the careless sleepers.
+
+Far and wide spread the tidings of this terrible oppression, and many
+champions came from afar to offer King Hrothgar their aid, but none
+was heroic enough to conquer the monster, and many a mighty warrior
+lost his life in a vain struggle against Grendel. At length even these
+bold adventurers ceased to come; Grendel remained master of Heorot,
+and the Danes settled down in misery under the bondage of a perpetual
+nightly terror, while Hrothgar grew old in helpless longing for
+strength to rescue his people from their foe.
+
+
+Beowulf
+
+Meanwhile there had come to manhood and full strength a hero destined
+to make his name famous for mighty deeds of valour throughout the
+whole of the Teutonic North. In the realm of the Geats (Goetaland, in
+the south of Sweden) ruled King Hygelac, a mighty ruler who was
+ambitious enough to aim at conquering his neighbours on the mainland
+of Germany. His only sister, daughter of the dead king Hrethel, had
+married a great noble, Ecgtheow, and they had one son, Beowulf, who
+from the age of seven was brought up at the Geatish court. The boy was
+a lad of great stature and handsome appearance, with fair locks and
+gallant bearing; but he greatly disappointed his grandfather, King
+Hrethel, by his sluggish character. Beowulf as a youth had been
+despised by all for his sloth and his unwarlike disposition; his
+good-nature and his rarely stirred wrath made others look upon him
+with scorn, and the mighty stature to which he grew brought him
+nothing but scoffs and sneers and insults in the banquet-hall when the
+royal feasts were held. Yet wise men might have seen the promise of
+great strength in his powerful sinews and his mighty hands, and the
+signs of great force of character in the glance of his clear blue eyes
+and the fierceness of his anger when he was once aroused. At least
+once already Beowulf had distinguished himself in a great feat--a
+swimming-match with a famous champion, Breca, who had been beaten in
+the contest. For this and other victories, and for the bodily strength
+which gave Beowulf's hand-grip the force of thirty men, the hero was
+already famed when the news of Grendel's ravages reached Geatland.
+Beowulf, eager to try his strength against the monster, and burning to
+add to his fame, asked and obtained permission from his uncle, King
+Hygelac, to seek the stricken Danish king and offer his help against
+Grendel; then, choosing fourteen loyal comrades and kinsfolk, he took
+a cheerful farewell of the Geatish royal family and sailed for
+Denmark.
+
+Thus it happened that one day the Warden of the Coast, riding on his
+round along the Danish shores, saw from the white cliffs a strange
+war-vessel running in to shore. Her banners were unknown to him, her
+crew were strangers and all in war-array, and as the Warden watched
+them they ran the ship into a small creek among the mountainous
+cliffs, made her fast to a rock with stout cables, and then landed and
+put themselves in readiness for a march. Though there were fifteen of
+the strangers and the Warden was alone, he showed no hesitation, but,
+riding boldly down into their midst, loudly demanded:
+
+    "What are ye warlike men    wielding bright weapons,
+    Wearing grey corslets    and boar-adorned helmets,
+    Who o'er the water-paths    come with your foaming keel
+    Ploughing the ocean surge?    I was appointed
+    Warden of Denmark's shores;    watch hold I by the wave
+    That on this Danish coast    no deadly enemy
+    Leading troops over sea    should land to injure.
+    None have here landed yet    more frankly coming
+    Than this fair company:    and yet ye answer not
+    The password of warriors,    and customs of kinsmen.
+    Ne'er have mine eyes beheld    a mightier warrior,
+    An earl more lordly, than    is he, the chief of you;
+    He is no common man;    if looks belie him not,
+    He is a hero bold,    worthily weaponed.
+    Anon must I know of you    kindred and country,
+    Lest ye as spies should go    free on our Danish soil.
+    Now ye men from afar,    sailing the surging sea,
+    Have heard my earnest thought:    best is a quick reply,
+    That I may swiftly know    whence ye have hither come."
+
+So the aged Warden sat on his horse, gazing attentively on the faces
+of the fifteen strangers, but watching most carefully the countenance
+of the leader; for the mighty stature, the clear glance of command,
+the goodly armour, and the lordly air of Beowulf left no doubt as to
+who was the chieftain of that little band. When the questions had been
+asked the leader of the new-comers moved forward till his mighty
+figure stood beside the Warden's horse, and as he gazed up into the
+old man's eyes he answered: "We are warriors of the Geats, members of
+King Hygelac's bodyguard. My father, well known among men of wisdom,
+was named Ecgtheow, a wise counsellor who died full of years and
+famous for his wisdom, leaving a memory dear to all good men."
+
+    "We come to seek thy king    Healfdene's glorious son,
+    Thy nation's noble lord,    with friendly mind.
+    Be thou a guardian good    to us strangers here!
+    We have an errand grave    to the great Danish king,
+    Nor will I hidden hold    what I intend!
+    Thou canst tell if it is    truth (as we lately heard)
+    That some dire enemy,    deadly in evil deed,
+    Cometh in dark of night,    sateth his secret hate,
+    Worketh through fearsome awe,    slaughter and shame.
+    I can give Hrothgar bold    counsel to conquer him,
+    How he with valiant mind    Grendel may vanquish,
+    If he would ever lose    torment of burning care,
+    If bliss shall bloom again    and woe shall vanish."
+
+The aged Warden replied: "Every bold warrior of noble mind must
+recognise the distinction between words and deeds. I judge by thy
+speech that you are all friends to our Danish king; therefore I bid
+you go forward, in warlike array, and I myself will guide you to King
+Hrothgar; I will also bid my men draw your vessel up the beach, and
+make her fast with a barricade of oars against any high tide. Safe she
+shall be until again she bears you to your own land. May your
+expedition prove successful."
+
+Thus speaking, he turned his horse's head and led the way up the steep
+cliff paths, while the Geats followed him, resplendent in shining
+armour, with boar-crests on their helmets, shields and spears in their
+hands, and mighty swords hanging in their belts: a goodly band were
+they, as they strode boldly after the Warden. Anon there appeared a
+roughly trodden path, which soon became a stone-paved road, and the
+way led on to where the great hall, Heorot, towered aloft, gleaming
+white in the sun; very glorious it seemed, with its pinnacled gables
+and its carved beams and rafters, and the Geats gazed at it with
+admiration as the Warden of the Coast said: "Yonder stands our
+monarch's hall, and your way lies clear before you. May the All-Father
+keep you safe in the conflict! Now it is time for me to return; I go
+to guard our shores from every foe."
+
+
+Hrothgar and Beowulf
+
+The little band of Geats, in their shining war-gear, strode along the
+stone-paved street, their ring-mail sounding as they went, until they
+reached the door of Heorot; and there, setting down their broad
+shields and their keen spears against the wall, they prepared to enter
+as peaceful guests the great hall of King Hrothgar. Wulfgar, one of
+Hrothgar's nobles, met them at the door and asked whence such a
+splendid band of warlike strangers, so well armed and so worthily
+equipped, had come. Their heroic bearing betokened some noble
+enterprise. Beowulf answered: "We are Hygelac's chosen friends and
+companions, and I am Beowulf. To King Hrothgar, thy master, will I
+tell mine errand, if the son of Healfdene will allow us to approach
+him."
+
+Wulfgar, impressed by the words and bearing of the hero, replied: "I
+will announce thy coming to my lord, and bring back his answer"; and
+then made his way up the hall to the high seat where Hrothgar sat on
+the dais amidst his bodyguard of picked champions. Bowing
+respectfully, he said:
+
+    "Here are come travelling    over the sea-expanse,
+    Journeying from afar,    heroes of Geatland.
+    Beowulf is the name    of their chief warrior.
+    This is their prayer, my lord,    that they may speak with thee;
+    Do not thou give them    a hasty refusal!
+    Do not deny them    the gladness of converse!
+    They in their war-gear seem    worthy of men's respect.
+    Noble their chieftain seems,    he who the warriors
+    Hither has guided."
+
+At these words the aged king aroused himself from the sad reverie into
+which he had fallen and answered: "I knew him as a boy. Beowulf is the
+son of Ecgtheow, who wedded the daughter of the Geat King Hrethel. His
+fame has come hither before him; seafarers have told me that he has
+the might of thirty men in his hand-grip. Great joy it is to know of
+his coming, for he may save us from the terror of Grendel. If he
+succeeds in this, great treasures will I bestow upon him. Hasten;
+bring in hither Beowulf and his kindred thanes, and bid them welcome
+to the Danish folk!"
+
+Wulfgar hurried down the hall to the place where Beowulf stood with
+his little band; he led them gladly to the high seat, so that they
+stood opposite to Hrothgar, who looked keenly at the well-equipped
+troop, and kindly at its leader. A striking figure was Beowulf as he
+stood there in his gleaming ring-mail, with the mighty sword by his
+side. It was, however, but a minute that Hrothgar looked in silence,
+for with respectful greeting Beowulf spoke:
+
+    "Hail to thee, Hrothgar King!    Beowulf am I,
+    Hygelac's kinsman    and loyal companion.
+    Great deeds of valour    wrought I in my youth.
+    To me in my native land    Grendel's ill-doing
+    Came as an oft-heard tale    told by our sailors.
+    They say that this bright hall,    noblest of buildings,
+    Standeth to every man    idle and useless
+    After the evening-light    fails in the heavens.
+    Thus, Hrothgar, ancient king,    all my friends urged me,
+    Warriors and prudent thanes,    that I should seek thee,
+    Since they themselves had known    my might in battle.
+    Now I will beg of thee,    lord of the glorious Danes,
+    Prince of the Scylding race,    Folk-lord most friendly,
+    Warden of warriors,    only one boon.
+    Do not deny it me,    since I have come from far;
+    I with my men alone,    this troop of heroes good,
+    Would without help from thee    cleanse thy great hall!
+    Oft have I also heard    that the fierce monster
+    Through his mad recklessness    scorns to use weapons;
+    Therefore will I forego    (so may King Hygelac,
+    My friendly lord and king,    find in me pleasure)
+    That I should bear my sword    and my broad yellow shield
+    Into the conflict:    with my hand-grip alone
+    I 'gainst the foe will strive,    and struggle for my life--
+    He shall endure God's doom    whom death shall bear away.
+    I know that he thinketh    in this hall of conflict
+    Fearless to eat me,    if he can compass it,
+    As he has oft devoured    heroes of Denmark.
+    Then thou wilt not need    my head to hide away,
+    Grendel will have me    all mangled and gory;
+    Away will he carry,    if death then shall take me,
+    My body with gore stained    will he think to feast on,
+    On his lone track will bear it    and joyously eat it,
+    And mark with my life-blood    his lair in the moorland;
+    Nor more for my welfare    wilt thou need to care then.
+    Send thou to Hygelac,    if strife shall take me,
+    That best of byrnies    which my breast guardeth,
+    Brightest of war-weeds,    the work of Smith Weland,
+    Left me by Hrethel.    Ever Wyrd has her way."
+
+The aged King Hrothgar, who had listened attentively while the hero
+spoke of his plans and of his possible fate, now greeted him saying:
+"Thou hast sought my court for honour and for friendship's sake, O
+Beowulf: thou hast remembered the ancient alliance between Ecgtheow,
+thy father, and myself, when I shielded him, a fugitive, from the
+wrath of the Wilfings, paid them the due wergild for his crime, and
+took his oath of loyalty to myself. Long ago that time is; Ecgtheow is
+dead, and I am old and in misery. It were too long now to tell of all
+the woe that Grendel has wrought, but this I may say, that many a
+hero has boasted of the great valour he would display in strife with
+the monster, and has awaited his coming in this hall; in the morning
+there has been no trace of each hero but the dark blood-stains on
+benches and tables. How many times has that happened! But sit down now
+to the banquet and tell thy plans, if such be thy will."
+
+Thereupon room was made for the Geat warriors on the long benches, and
+Beowulf sat in the place of honour opposite to the king: great respect
+was shown to him, and all men looked with wonder on this mighty hero,
+whose courage led him to hazard this terrible combat. Great carved
+horns of ale were borne to Beowulf and his men, savoury meat was
+placed before them, and while they ate and drank the minstrels played
+and sang to the harp the deeds of men of old. The mirth of the feast
+was redoubled now men hoped that a deliverer had come indeed.
+
+
+The Quarrel
+
+Among all the Danes who were rejoicing over Beowulf's coming there was
+one whose heart was sad and his brow gloomy--one thane whom jealousy
+urged to hate any man more distinguished than himself. Hunferth, King
+Hrothgar's orator and speech-maker, from his official post at
+Hrothgar's feet watched Beowulf with scornful and jealous eyes. He
+waited until a pause came in the clamour of the feast, and suddenly
+spoke, coldly and contemptuously: "Art thou that Beowulf who strove
+against Breca, the son of Beanstan, when ye two held a swimming
+contest in the ocean and risked your lives in the deep waters? In vain
+all your friends urged you to forbear--ye would go on the hazardous
+journey; ye plunged in, buffeting the wintry waves through the
+rising storm. Seven days and nights ye toiled, but Breca overcame
+thee: he had greater strength and courage. Him the ocean bore to
+shore, and thence he sought his native land, and the fair city where
+he ruled as lord and chieftain. Fully he performed his boast against
+thee. So I now look for a worse issue for thee, for thou wilt find
+Grendel fiercer in battle than was Breca, if thou darest await him
+this night."
+
+Beowulf's brow flushed with anger as he replied haughtily: "Much hast
+thou spoken, friend Hunferth, concerning Breca and our swimming
+contest; but belike thou art drunken, for wrongly hast thou told the
+tale. A youthful folly of ours it was, when we two boasted and
+challenged each other to risk our lives in the ocean; that indeed we
+did. Naked swords we bore in our hands as we swam, to defend ourselves
+against the sea-monsters, and we floated together, neither
+outdistancing the other, for five days, when a storm drove us apart.
+Cold were the surging waves, bitter the north wind, rough was the
+swelling flood, under the darkening shades of night. Yet this was not
+the worst: the sea-monsters, excited by the raging tempest, rushed at
+me with their deadly tusks and bore me to the abyss. Well was it then
+for me that I wore my well-woven ring-mail, and had my keen sword in
+hand; with point and edge I fought the deadly beasts, and killed them.
+Many a time the hosts of monsters bore me to the ocean-bottom, but I
+slew numbers among them, and thus we battled all the night, until in
+the morning came light from the east, and I could see the windy cliffs
+along the shore, and the bodies of the slain sea-beasts floating on
+the surge. Nine there were of them, for Wyrd is gracious to the man
+who is valiant and unafraid. Never have I heard of a sterner
+conflict, nor a more unhappy warrior lost in the waters; yet I saved
+my life, and landed on the shores of Finland. Breca wrought not so
+mightily as I, nor have I heard of such warlike deeds on thy part,
+even though thou, O Hunferth, didst murder thy brothers and nearest
+kinsmen.
+
+    "Truly I say to thee,    O son of Ecglaf bold,
+    Grendel the grisly fiend    ne'er dared have wrought
+    So many miseries,    such shame and anguish dire,
+    To thy lord, Hrothgar old,    in his bright Heorot,
+    Hadst thou shown valiant mood,    sturdy and battle-fierce,
+    As thou now boastest."
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth]
+
+Very wroth was Hunferth over the reminder of his former wrongdoing and
+the implied accusation of cowardice, but he had brought it on himself
+by his unwise belittling of Beowulf's feat, and the applause of both
+Danes and Geats showed him that he dared no further attack the
+champion; he had to endure in silence Beowulf's boast that he and his
+Geats would that night await Grendel in the hall, and surprise him
+terribly, since the fiend had ceased to expect any resistance from the
+warlike Danes. The feast continued, with laughter and melody, with
+song and boast, until the door from the women's bower, in the upper
+end of the hall, opened suddenly, and Hrothgar's wife, the fair and
+gracious Queen Wealhtheow, entered. The tumult lulled for a short
+space, and the queen, pouring mead into a goblet, presented it to her
+husband; joyfully he received and drank it. Then she poured mead or
+ale for each man, and in due course came to Beowulf, as to the guest
+of honour. Gratefully Wealhtheow greeted the lordly hero, and thanked
+him for the friendship which brought him to Denmark to risk his life
+against Grendel. Beowulf, rising respectfully and taking the cup from
+the queen's hand, said with dignity:
+
+    "This I considered well    when I the ocean sought,
+    Sailed in the sea-vessel    with my brave warriors,
+    That I alone would win    thy folk's deliverance,
+    Or in the fight would fall    fast in the demon's grip.
+    Needs must I now perform    knightly deeds in this hall,
+    Or here must meet my doom    in darksome night."
+
+Well pleased, Queen Wealhtheow went to sit beside her lord, where her
+gracious smile cheered the assembly. Then the clamour of the feast was
+renewed, until Hrothgar at length gave the signal for retiring.
+Indeed, it was necessary to leave Heorot when darkness fell, for the
+fiend came each night when sunlight faded. So the whole assembly
+arose, each man bade his comrades "Good night," and the Danes
+dispersed; but Hrothgar addressed Beowulf half joyfully, half sadly,
+saying:
+
+    "Never before have I    since I held spear and shield
+    Given o'er to any man    this mighty Danish hall,
+    Save now to thee alone.    Keep thou and well defend
+    This best of banquet-halls.    Show forth thy hero-strength,
+    Call up thy bravery,    watch for the enemy!
+    Thou shalt not lack gifts of worth    if thou alive remain
+    Winner in this dire strife."
+
+Thus Hrothgar departed, to seek slumber in a less dangerous abode,
+where, greatly troubled in mind, he awaited the dawn with almost
+hopeless expectation, and Beowulf and his men prepared themselves for
+the perils of the night.
+
+
+Beowulf and Grendel
+
+The fourteen champions of the Geats now made ready for sleep; but
+while the others lay down in their armour, with weapons by their
+sides, Beowulf took off his mail, unbelted his sword, unhelmed
+himself, and gave his sword to a thane to bear away. For, as he said
+to his men, "I will strive against this fiend weaponless. With no
+armour, since he wears none, will I wrestle with him, and try to
+overcome him. I will conquer, if I win, by my hand-grip alone; and the
+All-Father shall judge between us, and grant the victory to whom He
+will."
+
+The Geats then lay down--brave men who slept calmly, though they knew
+they were risking their lives, for none of them expected to see the
+light of day again, or to revisit their native land: they had heard,
+too, much during the feast of the slaughter which Grendel had wrought.
+So night came, the voices of men grew silent, and the darkness
+shrouded all alike--calm sleepers, anxious watchers, and the deadly,
+creeping foe.
+
+When everything was still Grendel came. From the fen-fastnesses, by
+marshy tracts, through mists and swamp-born fogs, the hideous monster
+made his way to the house he hated so bitterly. Grendel strode fiercely
+to the door of Heorot, and would fain have opened it as usual, but it
+was locked and bolted. Then the fiend's wrath was roused; he grasped
+the door with his mighty hands and burst it in. As he entered he seemed
+to fill the hall with his monstrous shadow, and from his eyes shone a
+green and uncanny light, which showed him a troop of warriors lying
+asleep in their war-gear; it seemed that all slept, and the fiend did
+not notice that one man half rose, leaning on his elbow and peering
+keenly into the gloom. Grendel hastily put forth his terrible scaly
+hand and seized one hapless sleeper. Tearing him limb from limb, so
+swiftly that his cry of agony was unheard, he drank the warm blood and
+devoured the flesh; then, excited by the hideous food, he reached forth
+again. Great was Grendel's amazement to find that his hand was seized
+in a grasp such as he had never felt before, and to know that he had
+at last found an antagonist whom even he must fight warily. Beowulf
+sprang from his couch as the terrible claws of the monster fell upon
+him, and wrestled with Grendel in the darkness and gloom of the
+unlighted hall, where the flicker of the fire had died down to a dim
+glow in the dull embers. That was a dreadful struggle, as the
+combatants, in deadly conflict, swayed up and down the hall,
+overturning tables and benches, trampling underfoot dishes and goblets
+in the darkling wrestle for life. The men of the Geats felt for their
+weapons, but they could not see the combatants distinctly, though they
+heard the panting and the trampling movements, and occasionally caught
+a gleam from the fiend's eyes as his face was turned towards them. When
+they struck their weapons glanced harmlessly off Grendel's scaly hide.
+The struggle continued for some time, and the hall was an utter wreck
+within, when Grendel, worsted for once, tried to break away and rush
+out into the night; but Beowulf held him fast in the grip which no man
+on earth could equal or endure, and the monster writhed in anguish as
+he vainly strove to free himself--vainly, for Beowulf would not loose
+his grip. Suddenly, with one great cry, Grendel wrenched himself free,
+and staggered to the door, leaving behind a terrible blood-trail, for
+his arm and shoulder were torn off and left in the victor's grasp. So
+the monster fled wailing over the moors to his home in the gloomy mere,
+and Beowulf sank panting on a shattered seat, scarce believing in his
+victory, until his men gathered round, bringing a lighted torch, by the
+flaring gleam of which the green, scaly arm of Grendel looked ghastly
+and threatening. But the monster had fled, and after such a wound as
+the loss of his arm and shoulder must surely die; therefore the Geats
+raised a shout of triumph, and then took the hateful trophy and
+fastened it high up on the roof of the hall, that all who entered might
+see the token of victory and recognise that the Geat hero had performed
+his boast, that he would conquer with no weapon, but by the strength of
+his hands alone.
+
+In the morning many a warrior came to Heorot to learn the events of
+the night, and all saw the grisly trophy, praised Beowulf's might and
+courage, and followed with eager curiosity the blood-stained track of
+the fleeing demon till it came to the brink of the gloomy lake, where
+it disappeared, though the waters were stained with gore, and boiled
+and surged with endless commotion. There on the shore the Danes
+rejoiced over the death of their enemy, and returned to Heorot
+care-free and glad at heart. Meanwhile Beowulf and his Geats stayed in
+Heorot, for Hrothgar had not yet come to receive an account of their
+night-watch. Throughout the day there was feasting and rejoicing, with
+horse-races, and wrestling, and manly contests of skill and endurance;
+or the Danes collected around the bard as he chanted the glory of
+Sigmund and his son Fitela. Then came King Hrothgar himself, with his
+queen and her maiden train, and they paused to gaze with horror on the
+dreadful trophy, and to turn with gratitude to the hero who had
+delivered them from this evil spirit. Hrothgar said: "Thanks be to the
+All-Father for this happy sight! Much sorrow have I endured at the
+hands of Grendel, many warriors have I lost, many uncounted years of
+misery have I lived, but now my woe has an end! Now a youth has
+performed, with his unaided strength, what all we could not compass
+with our craft! Well might thy father, O Beowulf, rejoice in thy fame!
+Well may thy mother, if she yet lives, praise the All-Father for the
+noble son she bore! A son indeed shalt thou be to me in love, and
+nothing thou desirest shalt thou lack, that I can give thee. Often
+have I rewarded less heroic deeds with great gifts, and to thee I can
+deny nothing."
+
+Beowulf answered: "We have performed our boast, O King, and have
+driven away the enemy. I intended to force him down on one of the
+beds, and to deprive him of his life by mere strength of my hand-grip,
+but in this I did not succeed, for Grendel escaped from the hall. Yet
+he left here with me his hand, his arm, and shoulder as a token of his
+presence, and as the ransom with which he bought off the rest of his
+loathsome body; yet none the longer will he live thereby, since he
+bears with him so deadly a wound."
+
+Then the hall was cleared of the traces of the conflict and hasty
+preparation was made for a splendid banquet. There was joy in Heorot.
+The Danes assembled once again free from fear in their splendid hall,
+the walls were hung with gold-wrought embroideries and hangings of
+costly stuffs, while richly chased goblets shone on the long tables,
+and men's tongues waxed loud as they discussed and described the
+heroic struggle of the night before. Beowulf and King Hrothgar sat on
+the high seats opposite to each other, and their men, Danes and Geats,
+sitting side by side, shouted and cheered and drank deeply to the fame
+of Beowulf. The minstrels sang of the Fight in Finnsburg and the deeds
+of Finn and Hnaef, of Hengest and Queen Hildeburh. Long was the chant,
+and it roused the national pride of the Danes to hear of the victory
+of their Danish forefathers over Finn of the Frisians; and merrily the
+banquet went forward, gladdened still more by the presence of Queen
+Wealhtheow. Now Hrothgar showed his lavish generosity and his
+thankfulness by the gifts with which he loaded the Geat chief; and not
+only Beowulf, but every man of the little troop. Beowulf received a
+gold-embroidered banner, a magnificent sword, helmet, and corslet, a
+goblet of gold, and eight fleet steeds. On the back of the best was
+strapped a cunningly wrought saddle, Hrothgar's own, with gold
+ornaments. When the Geat hero had thanked the king fittingly, Queen
+Wealhtheow arose from her seat, and, lifting the great drinking-cup,
+offered it to her lord, saying:
+
+    "Take thou this goblet,    my lord and my ruler,
+    O giver of treasure,    O gold-friend of heroes,
+    And speak to the Geats    fair speeches of kindness,
+    Be mirthful and joyous,    for so should a man be!
+    To the Geats be gracious,    mindful of presents
+    Now that from far and near    thou hast firm peace!
+    Tidings have come to me    that thou for son wilt take
+    This mighty warrior    who has cleansed Heorot,
+    Brightest of banquet-halls!    Enjoy while thou mayest
+    These manifold pleasures,    and leave to thy kinsmen
+    Thy lands and thy lordships    when thou must journey forth
+    To meet thy death."
+
+Turning to Beowulf, the queen said: "Enjoy thy reward, O dear Beowulf,
+while thou canst, and live noble and blessed! Keep well thy widespread
+fame, and be a friend to my sons in time to come, should they ever
+need a protector." Then she gave him two golden armlets, set with
+jewels, costly rings, a corslet of chain-mail and a wonderful jewelled
+collar of exquisite ancient workmanship, and, bidding them continue
+their feasting, with her maidens she left the hall. The feast went on
+till Hrothgar also departed to his dwelling, and left the Danes, now
+secure and careless, to prepare their beds, place each warrior's
+shield at the head, and go to sleep in their armour ready for an
+alarm. Meanwhile Beowulf and the Geats were joyfully escorted to
+another lodging, where they slept soundly without disturbance.
+
+
+Grendel's Mother
+
+In the darkness of the night an avenger came to Heorot, came in
+silence and mystery as Grendel had done, with thoughts of murder and
+hatred raging in her heart. Grendel had gone home to die, but his
+mother, a fiend scarcely less terrible than her son, yet lived to
+avenge his death. She arose from her dwelling in the gloomy lake,
+followed the fen paths and moorland ways to Heorot, and opened the
+door. There was a horrible panic when her presence became known, and
+men ran hither and thither vainly seeking to attack her; yet there was
+less terror among them than before when they saw the figure of a
+horrible woman. In spite of all, the monster seized Aschere, one of
+King Hrothgar's thanes, and bore him away to the fens, leaving a house
+of lamentation where men had feasted so joyously a few hours before.
+The news was brought to King Hrothgar, who bitterly lamented the loss
+of his wisest and dearest counsellor, and bade them call Beowulf to
+him, since he alone could help in this extremity. When Beowulf stood
+before the king he courteously inquired if his rest had been peaceful.
+Hrothgar answered mournfully: "Ask me not of peace, for care is
+renewed in Heorot. Dead is Aschere, my best counsellor and friend, the
+truest of comrades in fight and in council. Such as Aschere was should
+a true vassal be! A deadly fiend has slain him in Heorot, and I know
+not whither she has carried his lifeless body. This is doubtless her
+vengeance for thy slaying of Grendel; he is dead, and his kinswoman
+has come to avenge him."
+
+    "I have heard it reported    by some of my people
+    That they have looked on    two such unearthly ones,
+    Huge-bodied march-striders    holding the moor wastes;
+    One of them seemed to be    shaped like a woman,
+    Her fellow in exile    bore semblance of manhood,
+    Though huger his stature    than man ever grew to:
+    In years that are long gone by    Grendel they named him,
+    But know not his father    nor aught of his kindred.
+    Thus these dire monsters    dwell in the secret lands,
+    Haunt the hills loved by wolves,    the windy nesses,
+    Dangerous marshy paths,    where the dark moorland stream
+    'Neath the o'erhanging cliffs    downwards departeth,
+    Sinks in the sombre earth.    Not far remote from us
+    Standeth the gloomy mere,    round whose shores cluster
+    Groves with their branches mossed,    hoary with lichens grey
+    A wood firmly rooted    o'ershadows the water.
+    There is a wonder seen    nightly by wanderers,
+    Flame in the waterflood:    liveth there none of men
+    Ancient or wise enough    to know its bottom.
+    Though the poor stag may be    hard by the hounds pursued,
+    Though he may seek the wood,    chased by his cruel foes,
+    Yet will he yield his life    to hunters on the brink
+    Ere he will hide his head    in the dark waters.
+    'Tis an uncanny place.    Thence the surge swelleth up
+    Dark to the heavens above,    when the wind stirreth oft
+    Terrible driving storms,    till the air darkens,
+    The skies fall to weeping."
+
+Then Hrothgar burst forth in uncontrollable emotion: "O Beowulf, help
+us if thou canst! Help is only to be found in thee. But yet thou
+knowest not the dangerous place thou must needs explore if thou seek
+the fiend in her den. I will richly reward thy valour if thou
+returnest alive from this hazardous journey."
+
+Beowulf was touched by the sorrow of the grey-haired king, and
+replied:
+
+    "Grieve not, O prudent King!    Better it is for each
+    That he avenge his friend,    than that he mourn him much.
+    Each man must undergo    death at the end of life.
+    Let him win while he may    warlike fame in the world!
+    That is best after death    for the slain warrior."
+
+"Arise, my lord; let us scan the track left by the monster, for I
+promise thee I will never lose it, wheresoever it may lead me. Only
+have patience yet for this one day of misery, as I am sure thou wilt."
+
+Hrothgar sprang up joyously, almost youthfully, and ordered his horse
+to be saddled; then, with Beowulf beside him, and a mixed throng of
+Geats and Danes following, he rode away towards the home of the
+monsters, the dread lake which all men shunned. The blood-stained
+tracks were easy to see, and the avengers moved on swiftly till they
+came to the edge of the mere, and there, with grief and horror, saw
+the head of Aschere lying on the bank.
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf finds the head of Aschere]
+
+    "The lake boiled with blood,    with hot welling gore;
+    The warriors gazed awe-struck,    and the dread horn sang
+    From time to time fiercely    eager defiance.
+    The warriors sat down there,    and saw on the water
+    The sea-dragons swimming    to search the abysses.
+    They saw on the steep nesses    sea-monsters lying,
+    Snakes and weird creatures:    these madly shot away
+    Wrathful and venomous    when the sound smote their ears,
+    The blast of the war-horn."
+
+As Beowulf stood on the shore and watched the uncouth sea-creatures,
+serpents, nicors, monstrous beasts of all kinds, he suddenly drew his
+bow and shot one of them to the heart. The rest darted furiously away,
+and the thanes were able to drag the carcase of the slain beast on
+shore, where they surveyed it with wonder.
+
+
+The Fight with Grendel's Mother
+
+Meanwhile Beowulf had made ready for his task. He trusted to his
+well-woven mail, the corslet fitting closely to his body and
+protecting his breast, the shining helm guarding his head, bright with
+the boar-image on the crest, and the mighty sword Hrunting, which
+Hunferth, his jealousy forgotten in admiration, pressed on the
+adventurous hero.
+
+    "That sword was called Hrunting,    an ancient heritage.
+    Steel was the blade itself,    tempered with poison-twigs,
+    Hardened with battle-blood:    never in fight it failed
+    Any who wielded it,    when he would wage a strife
+    In the dire battlefield,    folk-moot of enemies."
+
+When Beowulf stood ready with naked sword in hand, he turned and
+looked at his loyal followers, his friendly hosts, the grey old King
+Hrothgar, the sun and the green earth, which he might never see again;
+but it was with no trace of weakness or fear that he spoke:
+
+    "Forget not, O noble    kinsman of Healfdene,
+    Illustrious ruler,    gold-friend of warriors,
+    What we two settled    when we spake together,
+    If I for thy safety should    end here my life-days,
+    That thou wouldst be to me,    though dead, as a father.
+    Be to my kindred thanes,    my battle-comrades,
+    A worthy protector    should death o'ertake me.
+    Do thou, dear Hrothgar,    send all these treasures here
+    Which thou hast given me,    to my king, Hygelac.
+    Then may the Geat king,    brave son of Hrethel dead,
+    See by the gold and gems,    know by the treasures there,
+    That I found a generous lord,    whom I loved in my life.
+    Give thou to Hunferth too    my wondrous old weapon,
+    The sword with its graven blade;    let the right valiant man
+    Have the keen war-blade:    I will win fame with his,
+    With Hrunting, noble brand,    or death shall take me."
+
+Beowulf dived downward, as it seemed to him, for the space of a day
+ere he could perceive the floor of that sinister lake, and all that
+time he had to fight the sea-beasts, for they, attacking him with tusk
+and horn, strove to break his ring-mail, but in vain. As Beowulf came
+near the bottom he felt himself seized in long, scaly arms of gigantic
+strength. The fierce claws of the wolfish sea-woman strove eagerly to
+reach his heart through his mail, but in vain; so the she-wolf of the
+waters, a being awful and loathsome, bore him to her abode, rushing
+through thick clusters of horrible sea-beasts.
+
+    "The hero now noticed    he was in some hostile hall,
+    Where him the water-stream    no whit might injure,
+    Nor for the sheltering roof    the rush of the raging flood
+    Ever could touch him.    He saw the strange flickering flame,
+    Weird lights in the water,    shining with livid sheen:
+    He saw, too, the ocean-wolf,    the hateful sea-woman."
+
+Terrible and almost superhuman was the contest which now followed: the
+awful sea-woman flung Beowulf down on his back and stabbed at him with
+point and edge of her broad knife, seeking some vulnerable point; but
+the good corslet resisted all her efforts, and Beowulf, exerting his
+mighty force, overthrew her and sprang to his feet. Angered beyond
+measure, he brandished the flaming sword Hrunting, and flashed one
+great blow at her head which would have killed her had her scales and
+hair been vulnerable; but alas! the edge of the blade turned on her
+scaly hide, and the blow failed. Wrathfully Beowulf cast aside the
+useless sword, and determined to trust once again to his hand-grip.
+Grendel's mother now felt, in her turn, the deadly power of Beowulf's
+grasp, and was borne to the ground; but the struggle continued long,
+for Beowulf was weaponless, since the sword failed in its work. Yet
+some weapon he must have.
+
+    "So he gazed at the walls,    saw there a glorious sword,
+    An old brand gigantic,    trusty in point and edge,
+    An heirloom of heroes;    that was the best of blades,
+    Splendid and stately,    the forging of giants;
+    But it was huger than    any of human race
+    Could bear to battle-strife,    save Beowulf only."
+
+This mighty sword, a relic of earlier and greater races, brought new
+hope to Beowulf. Springing up, he snatched it from the wall and swung
+it fiercely round his head. The blow fell with crushing force on the
+neck of the sea-woman, the dread wolf of the abyss, and broke the
+bones. Dead the monster sank to the ground, and Beowulf, standing
+erect, saw at his feet the lifeless carcase of his foe. The hero still
+grasped his sword and looked warily along the walls of the
+water-dwelling, lest some other foe should emerge from its recesses;
+but as he gazed Beowulf saw his former foe, Grendel, lying dead on a
+bed in some inner hall. He strode thither, and, seizing the corpse by
+the hideous coiled locks, shore off the head to carry to earth again.
+The poisonous hot blood of the monster melted the blade of the mighty
+sword, and nothing remained but the hilt, wrought with curious
+ornaments and signs of old time. This hilt and Grendel's head were all
+that Beowulf carried off from the water-fiends' dwelling; and laden
+with these the hero sprang up through the now clear and sparkling
+water.
+
+[Illustration: Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel]
+
+Meanwhile the Danes and Geats had waited long for his reappearance.
+When the afternoon was well advanced the Danes departed sadly,
+lamenting the hero's death, for they concluded no man could have
+survived so long beneath the waters; but his loyal Geats sat there
+still gazing sadly at the waves, and hoping against all hope that
+Beowulf would reappear. At length they saw changes in the mere--the
+blood boiling upwards in the lake, the quenching of the unholy light,
+then the flight of the sea-monsters and a gradual clearing of the
+waters, through which at last they could see their lord uprising. How
+gladly they greeted him! What awe and wonder seized them as they
+surveyed his dreadful booty, the ghastly head of Grendel and the
+massive hilt of the gigantic sword! How eagerly they listened to his
+story, and how they vied with one another for the glory of bearing his
+armour, his spoils, and his weapons back over the moorlands and the
+fens to Heorot. It was a proud and glad troop that followed Beowulf
+into the hall, and up through the startled throng until they laid down
+before the feet of King Hrothgar the hideous head of his dead foe, and
+Beowulf, raising his voice that all might hear above the buzz and hum
+of the great banquet-hall, thus addressed the king:
+
+    "Lo! we this sea-booty,    O wise son of Healfdene,
+    Lord of the Scyldings, have    brought for thy pleasure,
+    In token of triumph,    as thou here seest.
+    From harm have I hardly    escaped with my life,
+    The war under water    sustained I with trouble,
+    The conflict was almost    decided against me,
+    If God had not guarded me!    Nought could I conquer
+    With Hrunting in battle,    though 'tis a doughty blade.
+    But the gods granted me    that I saw suddenly
+    Hanging high in the hall    a bright brand gigantic:
+    So seized I and swung it    that in the strife I slew
+    The lords of the dwelling.    The mighty blade melted fast
+    In the hot boiling blood,    the poisonous battle-gore;
+    But the hilt have I here    borne from the hostile hall.
+    I have avenged the crime,    the death of the Danish folk,
+    As it behoved me.    Now can I promise thee
+    That thou in Heorot    care-free mayest slumber
+    With all thy warrior-troop    and all thy kindred thanes,
+    The young and the aged:    thou needst not fear for them
+    Death from these mortal foes,    as thou of yore hast done."
+
+King Hrothgar was now more delighted than ever at the return of his
+friend and the slaughter of his foes. He gazed in delight and wonder
+at the gory head of the monster, and the gigantic hilt of the weapon
+which struck it off. Then, taking the glorious hilt, and scanning
+eagerly the runes which showed its history, as the tumult stilled in
+the hall, and all men listened for his speech, he broke out: "Lo! this
+may any man say, who maintains truth and right among his people, that
+good though he may be this hero is even better! Thy glory is
+widespread, Beowulf my friend, among thine own and many other nations,
+for thou hast fulfilled all things by patience and prudence. I will
+surely perform what I promised thee, as we agreed before; and I
+foretell of thee that thou wilt be long a help and protection to thy
+people."
+
+King Hrothgar spoke long and eloquently while all men listened, for he
+reminded them of mighty warriors of old who had not won such glorious
+fame, and warned them against pride and lack of generosity and
+self-seeking; and then, ending with thanks and fresh gifts to Beowulf,
+he bade the feast continue with increased jubilation. The tumultuous
+rejoicing lasted till darkness settled on the land, and when it ended
+all retired to rest free from fear, since no more fiendish monsters
+would break in upon their slumbers; gladly and peacefully the night
+passed, and with the morn came Beowulf's resolve to return to his king
+and his native land.
+
+When Beowulf had come to this decision he went to Hrothgar and said:
+
+    "Now we sea-voyagers    come hither from afar
+    Must utter our intent    to seek King Hygelac.
+    Here were we well received,    well hast thou treated us.
+    If on this earth I can    do more to win thy love,
+    O prince of warriors,    than I have wrought as yet,
+    Here stand I ready now    weapons to wield for thee.
+    If I shall ever hear    o'er the encircling flood
+    That any neighbouring foes    threaten thy nation's fall,
+    As Grendel grim before,    swift will I bring to thee
+    Thousands of noble thanes,    heroes to help thee.
+    I know of Hygelac,    King of the Geat folk,
+    That he will strengthen me    (though he is young in years)
+    In words and warlike deeds    to bear my warrior-spear
+    Over the ocean surge,    when arms would serve thy need,
+    Swift to thine aid.    If thy son Hrethric young
+    Comes to the Geat court,    there to gain skill in arms,
+    Then will he surely find    many friends waiting him:
+    Better in distant lands    learneth by journeying
+    He who is valiant."
+
+Hrothgar was greatly moved by the words of the Geat hero and his
+promise of future help. He wondered to find such wisdom in so young a
+warrior, and felt that the Geats could never choose a better king if
+battle should cut off the son of Hygelac, and he renewed his assurance
+of continual friendship between the two countries and of enduring
+personal affection. Finally, with fresh gifts of treasure and with
+tears of regret Hrothgar embraced Beowulf and bade him go speedily to
+his ship, since a friend's yearning could not retain him longer from
+his native land. So the little troop of Geats with their gifts and
+treasures marched proudly to their vessel and sailed away to Geatland,
+their dragon-prowed ship laden with armour and jewels and steeds,
+tokens of remembrance and thanks from the grateful Danes.
+
+
+Beowulf's Return
+
+Blithe-hearted were the voyagers, and gaily the ship danced over the
+waves, as the Geats strained their eyes towards the cliffs of their
+home and the well-known shores of their country. When their vessel
+approached the land the coast-warden came hurrying to greet them, for
+he had watched the ocean day and night for the return of the valiant
+wanderers. Gladly he welcomed them, and bade his underlings help to
+bear their spoils up to the royal palace, where King Hygelac, himself
+young and valiant, awaited his victorious kinsman, with his beauteous
+queen, Hygd, beside him. Then came Beowulf, treading proudly the rocky
+paths to the royal abode, for messengers had gone in advance to
+announce to the king his nephew's success, and a banquet was being
+prepared, where Beowulf would sit beside his royal kinsman.
+
+Once more there was a splendid feast, with tumultuous rejoicing. Again
+a queenly hand--that of the beauteous Hygd--poured out the first bowl
+in which to celebrate the safe return of the victorious hero. And now
+the wonderful story of the slaying of the fen-fiends must be told.
+
+Beowulf was called upon to describe again his perils and his
+victories, and told in glowing language of the grisly monsters and the
+desperate combats, and of the boundless gratitude and splendid
+generosity of the Danish king, and of his prophecy of lasting
+friendship between the Danes and the Geats. Then he concluded:
+
+    "Thus that great nation's king    lived in all noble deeds.
+    Of guerdon I failed not,    of meed for my valour,
+    But the wise son of Healfdene    gave to me treasures great,
+    Gifts to my heart's desire.    These now I bring to thee,
+    Offer them lovingly:    now are my loyalty
+    And service due to thee,    O hero-king, alone!
+    Near kinsmen have I few    but thee, O Hygelac!"
+
+As the hero showed the treasures with which Hrothgar had rewarded his
+courage, he distributed them generously among his kinsmen and friends,
+giving his priceless jewelled collar to Queen Hygd, and his best steed
+to King Hygelac, as a true vassal and kinsman should. So Beowulf
+resumed his place as Hygelac's chief warrior and champion, and settled
+down among his own people.
+
+
+Fifty Years After
+
+When half a century had passed away, great and sorrowful changes had
+taken place in the two kingdoms of Denmark and Geatland. Hrothgar was
+dead, and had been succeeded by his son Hrethric, and Hygelac had been
+slain in a warlike expedition against the Hetware. In this expedition
+Beowulf had accompanied Hygelac, and had done all a warrior could do
+to save his kinsman and his king. When he saw his master slain he had
+fought his way through the encircling foes to the sea-shore, where,
+though sorely wounded, he flung himself into the sea and swam back to
+Geatland. There he had told Queen Hygd of the untimely death of her
+husband, and had called on her to assume the regency of the kingdom
+for her young son Heardred. Queen Hygd called an assembly of the
+Geats, and there, with the full consent of the nation, offered the
+crown to Beowulf, the wisest counsellor and bravest hero among them;
+but he refused to accept it, and so swayed the Geats by his eloquence
+and his loyalty that they unanimously raised Heardred to the throne,
+with Beowulf as his guardian and protector. When in later years
+Heardred also fell before an enemy, Beowulf was again chosen king, and
+as he was now the next of kin he accepted the throne, and ruled long
+and gloriously over Geatland. His fame as a warrior kept his country
+free from invasion, and his wisdom as a statesman increased its
+prosperity and happiness; whilst the vengeance he took for his
+kinsman's death fulfilled all ideals of family and feudal duty held by
+the men of his time. Beowulf, in fact, became an ideal king, as he was
+an ideal warrior and hero, and he closed his life by an ideal act of
+self-sacrifice for the good of his people.
+
+
+Beowulf and the Fire-Dragon
+
+In the fiftieth year of Beowulf's reign a great terror fell upon the
+land: terror of a monstrous fire-dragon, who flew forth by night from
+his den in the rocks, lighting up the blackness with his blazing
+breath, and burning houses and homesteads, men and cattle, with the
+flames from his mouth. The glare from his fiery scales was like the
+dawn-glow in the sky, but his passage left behind it every night a
+trail of black, charred desolation to confront the rising sun. Yet the
+dragon's wrath was in some way justified, since he had been robbed,
+and could not trace the thief. Centuries before Beowulf's lifetime a
+mighty family of heroes had gathered together, by feats of arms, and
+by long inheritance, an immense treasure of cups and goblets, of
+necklaces and rings, of swords and helmets and armour, cunningly
+wrought by magic spells; they had joyed in their cherished hoard for
+long years, until all had died but one, and he survived solitary,
+miserable, brooding over the fate of the dearly loved treasure. At
+last he caused his servants to make a strong fastness in the rocks,
+with cunningly devised entrances, known only to himself, and thither,
+with great toil and labour of aged limbs, he carried and hid the
+precious treasure. As he sadly regarded it, and thought of its future
+fate, he cried aloud:
+
+    "Hold thou now fast, O earth,    now men no longer can,
+    The treasure of mighty earls.    From thee brave men won it
+    In days that are long gone by,    but slaughter seized on them,
+    Death fiercely vanquished them,    each of my warriors,
+    Each one of my people,    who closed their life-days here
+    After the joy of earth.    None have I sword to wield
+    Or bring me the goblet,    the richly wrought vessel.
+    All the true heroes have    elsewhere departed!
+    Now must the gilded helm    lose its adornments,
+    For those who polished it    sleep in the gloomy grave,
+    Those who made ready erst    war-gear of warriors.
+    Likewise the battle-sark    which in the fight endured
+    Bites of the keen-edged blades    midst the loud crash of shields
+    Rusts, with its wearer dead.    Nor may the woven mail
+    After the chieftain's death    wide with a champion rove.
+    Gone is the joy of harp,    gone is the music's mirth.
+    Now the hawk goodly-winged    hovers not through the hall,
+    Nor the swift-footed mare    tramples the castle court:
+    Baleful death far has sent    all living tribes of men."
+
+When this solitary survivor of the ancient race died his hoard
+remained alone, unknown, untouched, until at length the fiery dragon,
+seeking a shelter among the rocks, found the hidden way to the cave,
+and, creeping within, discovered the lofty inner chamber and the
+wondrous hoard. For three hundred winters he brooded over it
+unchallenged, and then one day a hunted fugitive, fleeing from the
+fury of an avenging chieftain, in like manner found the cave, and the
+dragon sleeping on his gold. Terrified almost to death, the fugitive
+eagerly seized a marvellously wrought chalice and bore it stealthily
+away, feeling sure that such an offering would appease his lord's
+wrath and atone for his offence. But when the dragon awoke he
+discovered that he had been robbed, and his keen scent assured him
+that some one of mankind was the thief. As he could not at once see
+the robber, he crept around the outside of the barrow snuffing eagerly
+to find traces of the spoiler, but it was in vain; then, growing more
+wrathful, he flew over the inhabited country, shedding fiery death
+from his glowing scales and flaming breath, while no man dared to face
+this flying horror of the night.
+
+The news came to Beowulf that his folk were suffering and dying, and
+that no warrior dared to risk his life in an effort to deliver the
+land from this deadly devastation; and although he was now an aged man
+he decided to attack the fire-drake. Beowulf knew that he would not be
+able to come to hand-grips with this foe as he had done with Grendel
+and his mother: the fiery breath of this dragon was far too deadly,
+and he must trust to armour for protection. He commanded men to make
+a shield entirely of iron, for he knew that the usual shield of
+linden-wood would be instantly burnt up in the dragon's flaming
+breath. He then chose with care eleven warriors, picked men of his own
+bodyguard, to accompany him in this dangerous quest. They compelled
+the unhappy fugitive whose theft had begun the trouble to act as their
+guide, and thus they marched to the lonely spot where the dragon's
+barrow stood close to the sea-shore. The guide went unwillingly, but
+was forced thereto by his lord, because he alone knew the way.
+
+
+Beowulf Faces Death
+
+When the little party reached the place they halted for a time, and
+Beowulf sat down meditating sadly on his past life, and on the chances
+of this great conflict which he was about to begin. When he had
+striven with Grendel, when he had fought against the Hetware, he had
+been confident of victory and full of joyous self-reliance, but now
+things were changed. Beowulf was an old man, and there hung over him a
+sad foreboding that this would be his last fight, and that he would
+rid the land of no more monsters. Wyrd seemed to threaten him, and a
+sense of coming woe lay heavy on his heart as he spoke to his little
+troop: "Many great fights I had in my youth. How well I remember them
+all! I was only seven years old when King Hrethel took me to bring up,
+and loved me as dearly as his own sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, or my own
+dear lord Hygelac. Great was our grief when Hathcyn, hunting in the
+forest, slew all unwittingly his elder brother: greater than ordinary
+sorrow, because we could not avenge him on the murderer! It would have
+given no joy to Hrethel to see his second son killed disgracefully as
+a murderer! So we endured the pain till King Hrethel died, borne down
+by his bitter loss, and I wept for my protector, my kinsman. Then
+Hathcyn died also, slain by the Swedes, and my dear lord Hygelac came
+to the throne: he was gracious to me, a giver of weapons, a generous
+distributor of treasure, and I repaid him as much as I could in battle
+against his foes. Daghrefn, the Frankish warrior who slew my king, I
+sent to his doom with my deadly hand-grip: he, at least, should not
+show my lord's armour as trophy of his prowess. But this fight is
+different: here I must use both point and edge, as I was not wont in
+my youth: but here too will I, old though I be, work deeds of valour.
+I will not give way the space of one foot, but will meet him here in
+his own abode and make all my boasting good. Abide ye here, ye
+warriors, for this is not your expedition, nor the work of any man but
+me alone; wait till ye know which is triumphant, for I will win the
+gold and save my people, or death shall take me." So saying he raised
+his great shield, and, unaccompanied, set his face to the dark
+entrance, where a stream, boiling with strange heat, flowed forth from
+the cave; so hot was the air that he stood, unable to advance far for
+the suffocating steam and smoke. Angered by his impotence, Beowulf
+raised his voice and shouted a furious defiance to the awesome
+guardian of the barrow. Thus aroused, the dragon sprang up, roaring
+hideously and flapping his glowing wings together; out from the
+recesses of the barrow came his fiery breath, and then followed the
+terrible beast himself. Coiling and writhing he came, with head
+raised, and scales of burnished blue and green, glowing with inner
+heat; from his nostrils rushed two streams of fiery breath, and his
+flaming eyes shot flashes of consuming fire. He half flew, half sprang
+at Beowulf. But the hero did not retreat one step. His bright sword
+flashed in the air as he wounded the beast, but not mortally, striking
+a mighty blow on his scaly head. The guardian of the hoard writhed and
+was stunned for a moment, and then sprang at Beowulf, sending forth so
+dense a cloud of flaming breath that the hero stood in a mist of fire.
+So terrible was the heat that the iron shield glowed red-hot and the
+ring-mail on the hero's limbs seared him as a furnace, and his breast
+swelled with the keen pain: so terrible was the fiery cloud that the
+Geats, seated some distance away, turned and fled, seeking the cool
+shelter of the neighbouring woods, and left their heroic lord to
+suffer and die alone.
+
+
+Beowulf's Death
+
+Among the cowardly Geats, however, there was one who thought it
+shameful to flee--Wiglaf, the son of Weohstan. He was young, but a
+brave warrior, to whom Beowulf had shown honour, and on whom he had
+showered gifts, for he was a kinsman, and had proved himself worthy.
+Now he showed that Beowulf's favour had been justified, for he seized
+his shield, of yellow linden-wood, took his ancient sword in hand, and
+prepared to rush to Beowulf's aid. With bitter words he reproached his
+cowardly comrades, saying: "I remember how we boasted, as we sat in
+the mead hall and drank the foaming ale, as we took gladly the gold
+and jewels which our king lavished upon us, that we would repay him
+for all his gifts, if ever such need there were! Now is the need come
+upon him, and we are here! Beowulf chose us from all his bodyguard to
+help him in this mighty struggle, and we have betrayed and deserted
+him, and left him alone against a terrible foe. Now the day has come
+when our lord should see our valour, and we flee from his side! Up,
+let us go and aid him, even while the grim battle-flame flares around
+him. God knows that I would rather risk my body in the fiery cloud
+than stay here while my king fights and dies! Not such disloyalty has
+Beowulf deserved through his long reign that he should stand alone in
+the death-struggle. He and I will die together, or side by side will
+we conquer." The youthful warrior tried in vain to rouse the courage
+of his companions: they trembled, and would not move. So Wiglaf,
+holding on high his shield, plunged into the fiery cloud and moved
+towards his king, crying aloud: "Beowulf, my dear lord, let not thy
+glory be dimmed. Achieve this last deed of valour, as thou didst
+promise in days of yore, that thy fame should not fall, and I will aid
+thee."
+
+The sound of another voice roused the dragon to greater fury, and
+again came the fiery cloud, burning up like straw Wiglaf's linden
+shield, and torturing both warriors as they stood behind the iron
+shield with their heated armour. But they fought on manfully, and
+Beowulf, gathering up his strength, struck the dragon such a blow on
+the head that his ancient sword was shivered to fragments. The dragon,
+enraged, now flew at Beowulf and seized him by the neck with his
+poisonous fangs, so that the blood gushed out in streams, and ran down
+his corslet. Wiglaf was filled with grief and horror at this dreadful
+sight, and, leaving the protection of Beowulf's iron shield, dashed
+forth at the dragon, piercing the scaly body in a vital part. At once
+the fire began to fade away, and Beowulf, mastering his anguish, drew
+his broad knife, and with a last effort cut the hideous reptile
+asunder. Then the agony of the envenomed wound came upon him, and his
+limbs burnt and ached with intolerable pain. In growing distress he
+staggered to a rough ancient seat, carved out of the rock, hard by
+the door of the barrow. There he sank down, and Wiglaf laved his brow
+with water from the little stream, which boiled and steamed no longer.
+Then Beowulf partially recovered himself, and said: "Now I bequeath to
+thee, my son, the armour which I also inherited. Fifty years have I
+ruled this people in peace, so that none of my neighbours durst attack
+us. I have endured and toiled much on this earth, have held my own
+justly, have pursued none with crafty hatred, nor sworn unjust oaths.
+At all this may I rejoice now that I lie mortally wounded. Do thou, O
+dear Wiglaf, bring forth quickly from the cave the treasures for which
+I lose my life, that I may see them and be glad in my nation's wealth
+ere I die."
+
+Thereupon Wiglaf entered the barrow, and was dazed by the bewildering
+hoard of costly treasures. Filling his arms with such a load as he
+could carry, he hastened out of the barrow, fearing even then to find
+his lord dead. Then he flung down the treasures--magic armour,
+dwarf-wrought swords, carved goblets, flashing gems, and a golden
+standard--at Beowulf's feet, so that the ancient hero's dying gaze
+could fall on the hoard he had won for his people. But Beowulf was now
+so near death that he swooned away, till Wiglaf again flung water over
+him, and the dying champion roused himself to say, as he grasped his
+kinsman's hand and looked at the glittering heap before him:
+
+    "I thank God eternal,    the great King of Glory,
+    For the vast treasures    which I here gaze upon,
+    That I ere my death-day    might for my people
+    Win so great wealth.    Since I have given my life,
+    Thou must now look to    the needs of the nation;
+    Here dwell I no longer,    for Destiny calleth me!
+    Bid thou my warriors    after my funeral pyre
+    Build me a burial-cairn    high on the sea-cliff's head;
+    It shall for memory    tower up on Hronesness,
+    So that the seafarers    Beowulf's Barrow
+    Henceforth shall name it,    they who drive far and wide
+    Over the mighty flood    their foamy keels.
+    Thou art the last of all    the kindred of Wagmund!
+    Wyrd has swept all my kin,    all the brave chiefs away!
+    Now must I follow them!"
+
+These last words spoken, Beowulf fell back, and his soul passed away,
+to meet the joy reserved for all true and steadfast spirits. The hero
+was dead, but amid his grief Wiglaf yet remembered that the dire
+monster too lay dead, and the folk were delivered from the horrible
+plague, though at terrible cost! Wiglaf, as he mourned over his dead
+lord, resolved that no man should joy in the treasures for which so
+grievous a price had been paid--the cowards who deserted their king
+should help to lay the treasures in his grave and bury them far from
+human use and profit. Accordingly, when the ten faithless dastards
+ventured out from the shelter of the wood, and came shamefacedly to
+the place where Wiglaf sat, sorrowing, at the head of dead Beowulf, he
+stilled their cries of grief with one wave of the hand, which had
+still been vainly striving to arouse his king by gentle touch, and,
+gazing scornfully at them, he cried: "Lo! well may a truthful man say,
+seeing you here, safely in the war-gear and ornaments which our dead
+hero gave you, that Beowulf did but throw away his generous gifts,
+since all he bought with them was treachery and cowardice in the day
+of battle! No need had Beowulf to boast of his warriors in time of
+danger! Yet he alone avenged his people and conquered the fiend--I
+could help him but little in the fray, though I did what I could: all
+too few champions thronged round our hero when his need was sorest.
+Now are all the joys of love and loyalty ended; now is all prosperity
+gone from our nation, when foreign princes hear of your flight and
+the shameless deed of this day. Better is death to every man than a
+life of shame!"
+
+[Illustration: The death of Beowulf]
+
+The Geats stood silent, abashed before the keen and deserved
+reproaches of the young hero, and they lamented the livelong day. None
+left the shore and their lord's dead corpse; but one man who rode over
+the cliff near by saw the mournful little band, with Beowulf dead in
+the midst. This warrior galloped away to tell the people, saying: "Now
+is our ruler, the lord of the Geats, stretched dead on the plain,
+stricken by the dragon which lies dead beside him; and at his head
+sits Wiglaf, son of Weohstan, lamenting his royal kinsman. Now is the
+joy and prosperity of our folk vanished! Now shall our enemies make
+raids upon us, for we have none to withstand them! But let us hasten
+to bury our king, to bear him royally to his grave, with mourning and
+tears of woe." These unhappy tidings roused the Geats, and they
+hastened to see if it were really true, and found all as the messenger
+had said, and wondered at the mighty dragon and the glorious hoard of
+gold. They feared the monster and coveted the treasure, but all felt
+that the command now lay with Wiglaf. At last Wiglaf roused himself
+from his silent grief and said: "O men of the Geats, I am not to blame
+that our king lies here lifeless. He would fight the dragon and win
+the treasure; and these he has done, though he lost his life therein;
+yea, and I aided him all that I might, though it was but little I
+could do. Now our dear lord Beowulf bade me greet you from him, and
+bid you to make for him, after his funeral pyre, a great and mighty
+cairn, even as he was the most glorious of men in his lifetime. Bring
+ye all the treasures, bring quickly a bier, and place thereon our
+king's corpse, and let us bear our dear lord to Hronesness, where
+his funeral fire shall be kindled, and his burial cairn built."
+
+The Geats, bitterly grieving, fulfilled Wiglaf's commands. They
+gathered wood for the fire, and piled it on the cliff-head; then eight
+chosen ones brought thither the treasures, and threw the dragon's body
+over the cliff into the sea; then a wain, hung with shields, was
+brought to bear the corpse of Beowulf to Hronesness, where it was
+solemnly laid on the funeral pile and consumed to ashes.
+
+    "There then the Weder Geats    wrought for their ruler dead
+    A cairn on the ocean cliff    widespread and lofty,
+    Visible far and near    by vessels' wandering crews.
+    They built in ten days' space    the hero's monument,
+    And wrought with shining swords    the earthen rampart wall,
+    So that the wisest men    worthy might deem it.
+    Then in that cairn they placed    necklets and rings and gems
+    Which from the dragon's hoard    brave men had taken.
+    Back to the earth they gave    treasures of ancient folk,
+    Gold to the gloomy mould,    where it now lieth
+    Useless to sons of men    as it e'er was of yore.
+    Then round the mound there rode    twelve manly warriors,
+    Chanting their bitter grief,    singing the hero dead,
+    Mourning their noble king    in fitting words of woe!
+    They praised his courage high    and his proud, valiant deeds,
+    Honoured him worthily,    as it is meet for men
+    Duly to praise in words    their friendly lord and king
+    When his soul wanders forth    far from its fleshly home.
+    So all the Geat chiefs,    Beowulf's bodyguard,
+    Wept for their leader's fall:    sang in their loud laments
+    That he of earthly kings    mildest to all men was,
+    Gentlest, most gracious,    most keen to win glory."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II: THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG
+
+
+The Position of Constantine
+
+It would seem that the Emperor Constantine the Great loomed very large
+in the eyes of mediaeval England. Even in Anglo-Saxon times many
+legends clustered round his name, so that Cynewulf, the religious poet
+of early England, wrote the poem of "Elene" mainly on the subject of
+his conversion. The story of the Vision of the Holy Cross with the
+inscription _In hoc signo vinces_ was inspiring to a poet to whom the
+heathen were a living reality, not a distant abstraction; and
+Constantine's generosity to the Church of Rome and its bishop
+Sylvester added another element of attraction to his character in the
+mediaeval mind. It is hardly surprising that other legends of his
+conversion and generosity should have sprung up, which differ entirely
+from the earlier and more authentic record. Thus "the moral Gower" has
+preserved for us an alternative legend of the cause of Constantine's
+conversion, which forms a good illustration of the virtue of pity in
+the "Confessio Amantis." Whence this later legend sprang we have no
+knowledge, for nothing in the known history of Constantine warrants
+our regarding him as a disciple of mercy, but its existence shows that
+the mediaeval mind was busied with his personality. Another most
+interesting proof of his importance to Britain is given in the
+following legend of "The Dream of Maxen Wledig," preserved in the
+"Mabinogion." This belongs to the Welsh patriotic legends, and tends
+to glorify the marriage of the British Princess Helena with the Roman
+emperor, by representing it as preordained by Fate. The fact that the
+hero of the Welsh saga is the Emperor Maxentius instead of
+Constantius detracts little from the interest of the legend, which is
+only one instance of the well-known theme of the lover led by dream,
+or vision, or magic glass to the home and heart of the beloved.
+
+
+The Emperor Maxen Wledig
+
+The Emperor Maxen Wledig was the most powerful occupant of the throne
+of the Caesars who had ever ruled Europe from the City of the Seven
+Hills. He was the most handsome man in his dominions, tall and strong
+and skilled in all manly exercises; withal he was gracious and
+friendly to all his vassals and tributary kings, so that he was
+universally beloved. One day he announced his wish to go hunting, and
+was accompanied on his expedition down the Tiber valley by thirty-two
+vassal kings, with whom he enjoyed the sport heartily. At noon the
+heat was intense, they were far from Rome, and all were weary. The
+emperor proposed a halt, and they dismounted to take rest. Maxen lay
+down to sleep with his head on a shield, and soldiers and attendants
+stood around making a shelter for him from the sun's rays by a roof of
+shields hung on their spears. Thus he fell into a sleep so deep that
+none dared to awake him. Hours passed by, and still he slumbered, and
+still his whole retinue waited impatiently for his awakening. At
+length, when the evening shadows began to lie long and black on the
+ground, their impatience found vent in little restless movements of
+hounds chafing in their leashes, of spears clashing, of shields
+dropping from the weariness of their holders, and horses neighing and
+prancing; and then Maxen Wledig awoke suddenly with a start. "Ah, why
+did you arouse me?" he asked sadly. "Lord, your dinner hour is long
+past--did you not know?" they said. He shook his head mournfully, but
+said no word, and, mounting his horse, turned it and rode in unbroken
+silence back to Rome, with his head sunk on his breast. Behind him
+rode in dismay his retinue of kings and tributaries, who knew nothing
+of the cause of his sorrowful mood.
+
+
+The Emperor's Malady
+
+From that day the emperor was changed, changed utterly. He rode no
+more, he hunted no more, he paid no heed to the business of the
+empire, but remained in seclusion in his own apartments and slept. The
+court banquets continued without him, music and song he refused to
+hear, and though in his sleep he smiled and was happy, when he awoke
+his melancholy could not be cheered or his gloom lightened. When this
+condition of things had continued for more than a week it was
+determined that the emperor must be aroused from this dreadful state
+of apathy, and his groom of the chamber, a noble Roman of very high
+rank--indeed, a king, under the emperor--resolved to make the
+endeavour.
+
+"My lord," said he, "I have evil tidings for you. The people of Rome
+are beginning to murmur against you, because of the change that has
+come over you. They say that you are bewitched, that they can get no
+answers or decisions from you, and all the affairs of the empire go to
+wrack and ruin while you sleep and take no heed. You have ceased to be
+their emperor, they say, and they will cease to be loyal to you."
+
+
+The Dream of the Emperor
+
+Then Maxen Wledig roused himself and said to the noble: "Call hither
+my wisest senators and councillors, and I will explain the cause of my
+melancholy, and perhaps they will be able to give me relief."
+Accordingly the senators came together, and the emperor ascended his
+throne, looking so mournful that the whole Senate grieved for him, and
+feared lest death should speedily overtake him. He began to address
+them thus:
+
+"Senators and Sages of Rome, I have heard that my people murmur
+against me, and will rebel if I do not arouse myself. A terrible fate
+has fallen upon me, and I see no way of escape from my misery, unless
+ye can find one. It is now more than a week since I went hunting with
+my court, and when I was wearied I dismounted and slept. In my sleep I
+dreamt, and a vision cast its spell upon me, so that I feel no
+happiness unless I am sleeping, and seem to live only in my dreams. I
+thought I was hunting along the Tiber valley, lost my courtiers, and
+rode to the head of the valley alone. There the river flowed forth
+from a great mountain, which looked to me the highest in the world;
+but I ascended it, and found beyond fair and fertile plains, far
+vaster than any in our Italy, with mighty rivers flowing through the
+lovely country to the sea. I followed the course of the greatest
+river, and reached its mouth, where a noble port stood on the shores
+of a sea unknown to me. In the harbour lay a fleet of well-appointed
+ships, and one of these was most beautifully adorned, its planks
+covered with gold or silver, and its sails of silk. As a gangway of
+carved ivory led to the deck, I crossed it and entered the vessel,
+which immediately sailed out of the harbour into the ocean. The voyage
+was not of long duration, for we soon came to land in a wondrously
+beautiful island, with scenery of varied loveliness. This island I
+traversed, led by some secret guidance, till I reached its farthest
+shore, broken by cliffs and precipices and mountain ranges, while
+between the mountains and the sea I saw a fair and fruitful land
+traversed by a silvery, winding river, with a castle at its mouth. My
+longing drew me to the castle, and when I came to the gate I entered,
+for the dwelling stood open to every man, and such a hall as was
+therein I have never seen for splendour, even in Imperial Rome. The
+walls were covered with gold, set with precious gems, the seats were
+of gold and the tables of silver, and two fair youths, whom I saw
+playing chess, used pieces of gold on a board of silver. Their attire
+was of black satin embroidered with gold, and golden circlets were on
+their brows. I gazed at the youths for a moment, and next became aware
+of an aged man sitting near them. His carved ivory seat was adorned
+with golden eagles, the token of Imperial Rome; his ornaments on arms
+and hands and neck were of bright gold, and he was carving fresh
+chessmen from a rod of solid gold. Beside him sat, on a golden chair,
+a maiden (the loveliest in the whole world she seemed, and still
+seems, to me). White was her inner dress under a golden overdress, her
+crown of gold adorned with rubies and pearls, and a golden girdle
+encircled her slender waist. The beauty of her face won my love in
+that moment, and I knelt and said: 'Hail, Empress of Rome!' but as she
+bent forward from her seat to greet me I awoke. Now I have no peace
+and no joy except in sleep, for in dreams I always see my lady, and in
+dreams we love each other and are happy; therefore in dreams will I
+live, unless ye can find some way to satisfy my longing while I wake."
+
+[Illustration: The dream of the Emperor]
+
+
+The Quest for the Maiden
+
+The senators were at first greatly amazed, and then one of them said:
+"My lord, will you not send out messengers to seek throughout all your
+lands for the maiden in the castle? Let each group of messengers
+search for one year, and return at the end of the year with
+tidings. So shall you live in good hope of success from year to year."
+The messengers were sent out accordingly, with wands in their hands
+and a sleeve tied on each cap, in token of peace and of an embassy;
+but though they searched with all diligence, after three years three
+separate embassies had brought back no news of the mysterious land and
+the beauteous maiden.
+
+Then the groom of the chamber said to Maxen Wledig: "My lord, will you
+not go forth to hunt, as on the day when you dreamt this enthralling
+dream?" To this the emperor agreed, and rode to the place in the
+valley where he had slept. "Here," he said, "my dream began, and I
+seemed to follow the river to its source." Then the groom of the
+chamber said: "Will you not send messengers to the river's source, my
+lord, and bid them follow the track of your dream?" Accordingly
+thirteen messengers were sent, who followed the river up until it
+issued from the highest mountain they had ever seen. "Behold our
+emperor's dream!" they exclaimed, and they ascended the mountain, and
+descended the other side into a most beautiful and fertile plain, as
+Maxen Wledig had seen in his dream. Following the greatest river of
+all (probably the Rhine), the ambassadors reached the great seaport on
+the North Sea, and found the fleet waiting with one vessel larger than
+all the others; and they entered the ship and were carried to the fair
+island of Britain. Here they journeyed westward, and came to the
+mountainous land of Snowdon, whence they could see the sacred isle of
+Mona (Anglesey) and the fertile land of Arvon lying between the
+mountains and the sea. "This," said the messengers, "is the land of
+our master's dream, and in yon fair castle we shall find the maiden
+whom our emperor loves."
+
+
+The Finding of the Maiden
+
+So they went through the lovely land of Arvon to the castle of
+Caernarvon, and in that lordly fortress was the great hall, with the
+two youths playing chess, the venerable man carving chessmen, and the
+maiden in her chair of gold. When the ambassadors saw the fair
+Princess Helena they fell on their knees before her and said: "Empress
+of Rome, all hail!" But Helena half rose from her seat in anger as she
+said: "What does this mockery mean? You seem to be men of gentle
+breeding, and you wear the badge of messengers: whence comes it, then,
+that ye mock me thus?" But the ambassadors calmed her anger, saying:
+"Be not wroth, lady: this is no mockery, for the Emperor of Rome, the
+great lord Maxen Wledig, has seen you in a dream, and he has sworn to
+wed none but you. Which, therefore, will you choose, to accompany us
+to Rome, and there be made empress, or to wait here until the emperor
+can come to you?" The princess thought deeply for a time, and then
+replied: "I would not be too credulous, or too hard of belief. If the
+emperor loves me and would wed me, let him find me in my father's
+house, and make me his bride in my own home."
+
+
+The Dream Realized
+
+After this the thirteen envoys departed, and returned to the emperor
+in such haste that when their horses failed they gave no heed, but
+took others and pressed on. When they reached Rome and informed Maxen
+Wledig of the success of their mission he at once gathered his army
+and marched across Europe towards Britain. When the Roman emperor had
+crossed the sea he conquered Britain from Beli the son of Manogan,
+and made his way to Arvon. On entering the castle he saw first the two
+youths, Kynon and Adeon, playing chess, then their father, Eudav, the
+son of Caradoc, and then his beloved, the beauteous Helena, daughter
+of Eudav. "Empress of Rome, all hail!" Maxen Wledig said; and the
+princess bent forward in her chair and kissed him, for she knew he was
+her destined husband. The next day they were wedded, and the Emperor
+Maxen Wledig gave Helena as dowry all Britain for her father, the son
+of the gallant Caradoc, and for herself three castles, Caernarvon,
+Caerlleon, and Caermarthen, where she dwelt in turn; and in one of
+them was born her son Constantine, the only British-born Emperor of
+Rome. To this day in Wales the old Roman roads that connected Helena's
+three castles are known as "Sarn Helen."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III: THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE
+
+
+The Greatness of Constantine Provokes Attack
+
+In the year 312, the sixth year after Constantine had become emperor,
+the Roman Empire had increased on every hand, for Constantine was a
+mighty leader in war, a gracious and friendly lord in peace; he was a
+true king and ruler, a protector of all men. So mightily did he
+prosper that his enemies assembled great armies against him, and a
+confederation to overthrow him was made by the terrible Huns, the
+famous Goths, the brave Franks, and the warlike Hugas. This powerful
+confederation sent against Constantine an overwhelming army of Huns,
+whose numbers seemed to be countless, and yet the Hunnish leaders
+feared, when they knew that the emperor himself led the small Roman
+host.
+
+
+The Eve of the Battle
+
+The night before the battle Constantine lay sadly in the midst of his
+army, watching the stars, and dreading the result of the next day's
+conflict; for his warriors were few compared with the Hunnish
+multitude, and even Roman discipline and devotion might not win the
+day against the mad fury of the barbarous Huns. At last, wearied out,
+the emperor slept, and a vision came to him in his sleep. He seemed to
+see, standing by him, a beautiful shining form, a man more glorious
+than the sons of men, who, as Constantine sprang up ready helmed for
+war, addressed him by name. The darkness of night fled before the
+heavenly light that shone from the angel, and the messenger said:
+
+    "O Constantinus, the Ruler of Angels,
+    The Lord of all glory, the Master of heaven's hosts,
+    Claims from thee homage. Be not thou affrighted,
+    Though armies of aliens array them for battle,
+    Though terrible warriors threaten fierce conflict.
+    Look thou to the sky, to the throne of His glory;
+    There seest thou surely the symbol of conquest."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+Vision of the Cross
+
+Constantine looked up as the angel bade him, and saw, hovering in the
+air, a cross, splendid, glorious, adorned with gems and shining with
+heavenly light. On its wood letters were engraved, gleaming with
+unearthly radiance:
+
+    "With this shalt thou conquer the foe in the conflict,
+    And with it shalt hurl back the host of the heathen."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+Constantine is Cheered
+
+Constantine read these words with awe and gladness, for indeed he knew
+not what deity had thus favoured him, but he would not reject the help
+of the Unknown God; so he bowed his head in reverence, and when he
+looked again the cross and the angel had disappeared, and around him
+as he woke was the greyness of the rising dawn. The emperor summoned
+to his tent two soldiers from the troops, and bade them make a cross
+of wood to bear before the army. This they did, greatly marvelling,
+and Constantine called a standard-bearer, to whom he gave charge to
+bear forward the Standard of the Cross where the danger was greatest
+and the battle most fierce.
+
+
+The Morning of Battle
+
+When the day broke, and the two armies could see each other, both
+hosts arrayed themselves for battle, in serried ranks of armed
+warriors, shouting their war-cries.
+
+    "Loud sang the trumpets to stern-minded foemen
+    The dewy-winged eagle watched them march onward,
+    The horny-billed raven rejoiced in the battle-play,
+    The sly wolf, the forest-thief, soon saw his heart's desire
+    As the fierce warriors rushed at each other.
+    Great was the shield-breaking, loud was the clamour,
+    Hard were the hand-blows, and dire was the downfall,
+    When first the heroes felt the keen arrow-shower.
+    Soon did the Roman host fall on the death-doomed Huns,
+    Thrust forth their deadly spears over the yellow shields,
+    Broke with their battle-glaives breasts of the foemen."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+The Cross is Raised
+
+Then, when the battle was at its height, and the Romans knew not
+whether they would conquer or die fighting to the last, the
+standard-bearer raised the Cross, the token of promised victory,
+before all the host, and sang the chant of triumph. Onward he marched,
+and the Roman host followed him, pressing on resistless as the surging
+waves. The Huns, bewildered by the strange rally, and dreading the
+mysterious sign of some mighty god, rolled back, at first slowly, and
+then more and more quickly, till sullen retreat became panic rout, and
+they broke and fled. Multitudes were cut down as they fled, other
+multitudes were swept away by the devouring Danube as they tried to
+cross its current; some, half dead, reached the other side, and saved
+their lives in fortresses, guarding the steep cliffs beyond the
+Danube. Few, very few they were who ever saw their native land again.
+
+There was great rejoicing in the Roman army and in the Roman camp when
+Constantine returned in triumph with the wondrous Cross borne before
+him. He passed on to the city, and the people of Rome gazed with awe
+on the token of the Unknown God who had saved their city, but none
+would say who that God might be.
+
+
+A Council Summoned
+
+The emperor summoned a great council of all the wisest men in Rome,
+and when all were met he raised the Standard of the Cross in the midst
+and said:
+
+    "Can any man tell me, by spells or by ancient lore,
+    Who is the gracious God, giver of victory,
+    Who came in His glory, with the Cross for His token,
+    Who rescued my people and gave me the victory,
+    Scattered my foemen and put the fierce Huns to flight,
+    Showed me in heaven His sign of deliverance,
+    The loveliest Cross of light, gleaming in glory?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+At first no man could give him any answer--perhaps none dared--till
+after a long silence the wisest of all arose and said he had heard
+that the Cross was the sign of Christ the King of Heaven, and that the
+knowledge of His way was only revealed to men in baptism. When strict
+search was made some Christians were found, who preached the way of
+life to Constantine, and rejoiced that they might tell before men, of
+the life and death, the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ,
+who redeemed mankind from the bonds of evil; and then Constantine,
+being fully instructed and convinced, was baptized and became the
+first Christian emperor.
+
+
+Constantine Desires to Find our Saviour's Cross
+
+Constantine's heart, however, was too full of love for his new Lord to
+let him rest satisfied without some visible token of Christ's sojourn
+on earth. He longed to have, to keep for his own, one thing at least
+which Jesus had touched during His life, and his thoughts turned
+chiefly to that Cross which had been to himself both the sign of
+triumph and the guide to the way of life. Thus he again called
+together his Christian teachers, and inquired more closely where
+Christ had suffered.
+
+"In Judaea, outside the walls of Jerusalem, He died on the Cross," they
+told him.
+
+"Then there, near that city, so blest and so curst, we must seek His
+precious Cross," cried Constantine.
+
+
+Summons his Mother Elene
+
+Forthwith he summoned from Britain his mother the British Princess
+Elene, and when she had been taught the truth, had been converted and
+baptized, he told her of his heart's desire, and begged her to journey
+to Jerusalem and seek the sacred Cross.
+
+Elene herself, when she heard Constantine's words, was filled with
+wonder, and said: "Dear son, thy words have greatly rejoiced my heart,
+for know that I, too, have seen a vision, and would gladly seek the
+Holy Cross, where it lies hidden from the eyes of men."
+
+
+Elene's Vision
+
+    "Now will I tell thee the brightest of visions,
+    Dreamt at the midnight when men lay in slumber.
+    Hovering in heaven saw I a radiant Cross,
+    Gloriously gold-adorned, shining in splendour;
+    Starry gems shone on it at the four corners,
+    Flashed from the shoulder-span five gleaming jewels.
+    Angels surrounded it, guarding it gladly.
+    Yet in its loveliness sad was that Cross to see,
+    For 'neath the gold and gems fast blood flowed from it,
+    Till it was all defiled with the dark drops."
+
+    _Dream of the Rood._
+
+In this dream of Elene's the Cross spoke to her, and told her of the
+sad fate which had made of that hapless tree the Cross on which the
+Redeemer of mankind had released the souls of men from evil, on which
+He had spread out His arms to embrace mankind, had bowed His head,
+weary with the strife, and had given up His soul. All creation wept
+that hour, for Christ was on the Cross.
+
+    "Yet His friends came to him, left not His corpse alone,
+    Took down the Mighty King from His sharp sufferings--
+    Humbly I bowed myself down to the hands of men.
+    Sadly they laid Him down in His dark rock-hewn grave,
+    Sadly they sang for Him dirges for death-doomed ones,
+    Sadly they left Him there as His fair corpse grew cold.
+    We, the three Crosses, stood mournful in loneliness,
+    Till evil-thinking men felled us all three to ground,
+    Sank us deep into earth, sealed us from sight of man."
+
+    _Dream of the Rood._
+
+
+She Undertakes the Quest
+
+As Constantine had been guided by the heavenly vision of the True
+Cross, so now Elene would journey to the land of the Jews and find the
+reality of that Holy Cross. Her will and that of her son were one in
+this matter, so that before long the whole city resounded with the
+bustle and clamour of preparation, for Elene was to travel with the
+pomp and retinue befitting the mother of the Emperor of Rome.
+
+    "There by the Wendel Sea stood the wave-horses.
+    Proudly the plunging ships sought out the ocean path.
+    Line followed after line of the tall brine-ploughs.
+    Forth went the water-steeds o'er the sea-serpent's road
+    Bright shields on the bulwarks oft broke the foaming surge.
+    Ne'er saw I lady lead such a fair following!"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+She Comes to Judaea
+
+Queen Elene had a prosperous voyage, and, after touching at the land
+of the Greeks, reached in due time the country of Judaea, and so, with
+good hope came to Jerusalem. There, in the emperor's name, she
+summoned to an assembly all the oldest and wisest Jews, a congregation
+of a thousand venerable rabbis, learned in all the books of the Law
+and the Prophets and proud that they were the Chosen People in a world
+of heathens, aliens from the True God. These she addressed at first
+with a blending of flattery and reproach--flattery for the Chosen
+People, reproach for their perversity of wickedness--and, finally,
+peremptorily demanded an answer to any question she might ask of them.
+The Jews withdrew and deliberated sadly whether they durst refuse the
+request of so mighty a person as the emperor's mother, and, deciding
+that they durst not, returned to the hall where Elene sat in splendour
+on her throne and announced their readiness to reply to all her
+questions. Elene, however, bade them first lessen their numbers. They
+chose five hundred to reply for them, and on these she poured such
+bitter reproaches that they at last exclaimed:
+
+    "Lady, we learnt of yore laws of the Hebrew folk
+    Which all our fathers learnt from the true ark of God.
+    Lady, we know not now why thou thus blamest us;
+    How has the Jewish race done grievous wrong to thee?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+She Cross-questions the Rabbis
+
+Elene only replied: "Go ye away, and choose out from among these five
+hundred those whose wisdom is great enough to show them without delay
+the answer to all things I require"; and again they left her presence.
+When they were alone, one of them, named Judas, said "I know what
+this queen requires: she will demand to know from us where the Cross
+is concealed on which the Lord of the Christians was crucified; but if
+we tell this secret I know well that the Jews will cease to bear rule
+on the earth, and our holy scriptures will be forgotten. For my
+grandfather Zacchaeus, as he lay dying, bade me confess the truth if
+ever man should inquire concerning the Holy Tree; and when I asked how
+our nation had failed to recognise the Holy and Just One, he told me
+that he had always withdrawn himself from the evil deeds of his
+generation, and their leaders had been blinded by their own
+unrighteousness, and had slain the Lord of Glory. And he ended:
+
+    "'Thus I and my father secretly held the Faith.
+    Now warn I thee, my son, speak not thou mockingly
+    Of the true Son of God reigning in glory:
+    For whom my Stephen died, and the Apostle Paul.'
+
+    _Elene._
+
+"Now," said Judas, "since things are so, decide ye what we shall
+reveal, or what conceal, if this queen asks us."
+
+
+One Appointed to Answer her
+
+The other elders replied: "Do what seems to thee best, since thou
+alone knowest this. Never have we heard of these strange secrets. Do
+thou according to thy great wisdom."
+
+While they still deliberated came the heralds with silver trumpets,
+which they blew, proclaiming aloud:
+
+    "The mighty Queen calls you, O men, to the Council,
+    That she may hear from you of your decision.
+    Great is the need ye have of all your wisdom."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Slowly and reluctantly the Jewish rabbis returned to the
+council-chamber, and listened to Elene as she plied them with
+questions about the ancient prophecies and the death of Christ; but to
+all her inquiries they professed entire ignorance, until, in her
+wrath, the queen threatened them with death by fire. Then they led
+forward Judas, saying: "He can reveal the mysteries of Fate, for he is
+of noble race, the son of a prophet. He will tell thee truth, O Queen,
+as thy soul loveth." Thus Elene let the other Jews go in peace, and
+took Judas for a hostage.
+
+
+She Threatens him
+
+Now Elene greeted Judas and said:
+
+    "Lo, thou perverse one, two things lie before thee,
+    Or death or life for thee: choose which thou wilt."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Judas replied to her, since he could not escape:
+
+    "If the starved wanderer lost on the barren moors
+    Sees both a stone and bread, easily in his reach,
+    Which, O Queen, thinkest thou he will reject?"
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Thereupon Elene said: "If thou wouldst dwell in heaven with the
+angels, reveal to me where the True Cross lies hidden." Now Judas was
+very sad, for his choice lay between death and the revealing of the
+fateful secret, but he still tried to evade giving an answer,
+protesting that too long a time had passed for the secret to be known.
+Elene retorted that the Trojan War was a still more ancient story, and
+yet was still well known; but Judas replied that men are bound to
+remember the valiant deeds of nations; he himself had never even heard
+the story of which she spoke. This obstinacy angered the queen
+greatly, and she demanded to be taken at once to the hill of Calvary,
+that she might purify it, for the sake of Him who died there; but
+Judas only repeated:
+
+    "I know not the place, nor aught of that field."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+Queen Elene was yet more enraged by his stubborn denials, and
+determined to obtain by force an answer to her questions. Calling her
+servants, she bade them thrust Judas into a deep dry cistern, where he
+lay, starving, bound hand and foot, for seven nights and days. On the
+seventh day his stubborn spirit yielded, and Judas lifted up his voice
+and called aloud, saying:
+
+    "Now I beseech you all by the great God of heaven
+    That you will lift me up out of this misery.
+    I will tell all I know of that True Holy Cross,
+    Now I no longer can hide it for heavy pain.
+    Hunger has daunted me through all these dreary days.
+    Foolish was I of yore; late I confess it."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+
+He Guides her to Calvary
+
+The message was brought to Elene where she waited to hear tidings, and
+she bade her servants lift the weakened Judas from the dark pit; then
+they led him, half dead with hunger, out of the city to the hill of
+Calvary. There Judas prayed to the God whom he now feared and
+worshipped for a sign, some token to guide them in their search for
+the Holy Cross. As he prayed a sweet-smelling vapour, curling upwards
+like the incense-wreaths around the altar, rose to the skies from the
+summit of the hill. The sign was manifest to all, and Judas gave
+thanks to God for His great mercy; then, bidding the wondering
+soldiers help him, he began to dig. By this time all men knew what
+they sought, and each wished to uncover the holy relic, so that all
+dug with great zeal, until, under twenty feet of earth, they
+uncovered three crosses, so well preserved that they lay in the earth
+just as the Jews had hidden them.
+
+
+Three Crosses Found
+
+Judas and all rejoiced greatly at this marvel, and, reverently raising
+the three crosses, they bore them into the city, and laid them at the
+feet of Queen Elene, whose first rapture of joy was speedily turned to
+perplexity as she realised that she knew not which was that sacred
+Cross on which the King of Angels had suffered. "For," she said, "two
+thieves were crucified with him." But even Judas could not clear her
+doubts.
+
+    "Lo we have heard of this from all the holy books,
+    That there were with him two in His deep anguish.
+    They hung in death by Him; He was Himself the third.
+    Heaven was all darkened o'er at that dread moment.
+    Say, if thou rightly canst, which of these crosses
+    Is that blest Tree of Fate which bore the Heaven's King."
+
+    _Elene._
+
+[Illustration: The Queen's dilemma]
+
+
+A Miracle to Reveal our Saviour's Cross
+
+Judas, however, suggested that the crosses should be carried to the
+midst of the city, and that they should pray for another miracle to
+reveal the truth. This was done at dawn, and the triumphant band of
+Christians raised hymns of prayer and praise until the ninth hour;
+then came a mighty crowd bearing a young man lifeless on his bier. At
+Judas's command they laid down the bier, and he, praying to God,
+solemnly raised in turn each of the crosses and held it above the dead
+man's head. Lifeless still he lay as Judas raised the first two, but
+when he held above the corpse the third, the True Cross, the dead man
+arose instantly, body and soul reunited, one in praising God, and the
+whole multitude broke out into shouts of thanksgiving to the Lord
+of Hosts, and the sacred relic was restored to the loving care of the
+queen.
+
+
+The Nails Sought for
+
+Nevertheless Elene's longing was still unsatisfied. She called Judas
+(whose new name in baptism was Cyriacus) and begged him to fulfil her
+desires, and to pray to God that she might find the nails which had
+pierced the Lord of Life, where they lay hidden from men in the ground
+of Calvary. Leading her out of the town, Cyriacus again prayed on
+Mount Calvary that God would send forth a token and reveal the secret.
+As he prayed there came from heaven a leaping flame, brighter than the
+sun, which touched the surface of the ground here and there, and
+kindled in each place a tiny star. When they dug at the spots where
+the stars shone they found each nail shining visibly and casting a
+radiance of its own in the dark earth. So Elene had obtained her
+heart's desire, and had now the True Cross and the Holy Nails.
+
+
+Good News Brought to Constantine
+
+Word of his mother's success was sent to the Emperor Constantine, and
+he was asked what should be done with these glorious relics. He bade
+Elene build in Jerusalem a glorious church, and make therein a
+beautiful shrine of silver, where the Holy Cross should be guarded for
+all generations by priests who should watch it day and night. This was
+done, but the nails were still Elene's possession, and she was at a
+loss how to preserve these holy relics, when the devout Cyriacus, now
+ordained Bishop of Jerusalem, went to her and said: "O lady and queen,
+take these precious nails for thy son the emperor. Make with them
+rings for his horse's bridle. Victory shall ever go with them; they
+shall be called Holy to God, and he shall be called blessed whom that
+horse bears." The advice pleased the queen, and she had wrought a
+glorious bridle, adorned with the Holy Nails, and sent it to her son.
+Constantine received it with all reverence, and ordained that April
+24, the day of the miracle of revelation, should henceforth be kept in
+honour as "Holy Cross Day." Thus were the Emperor's zeal and the royal
+mother's devotion rewarded, and Christendom was enriched by some of
+its most precious treasures, the True Cross and the Holy Nails.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV: THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE
+
+
+Youth of Constantine
+
+Constantine the Great was the eldest son of the Roman Emperor
+Constantius and the British Princess Helena, or Elena, and was brought
+up as a devout worshipper of the many gods of Rome. The lad grew up
+strong and handsome, of a tall and majestic figure, skilled in all
+warlike exercises, and, as he fought in the civil wars between the
+various Roman emperors, he showed himself a bold and prudent general
+in battle, a friendly and popular leader in time of peace. The
+popularity of the youthful Constantine was dangerous to him, and he
+needed, and showed, great skill in evading the deadly jealousy of the
+old Emperor Diocletian, and the hatred of his father's rival,
+Galerius. At last, however, his position became so dangerous that
+Constantius felt his son's life was no longer safe, and earnestly
+begged him to visit his native land of Britain, where Constantius had
+just been proclaimed emperor and had defeated the wild Caledonians.
+The excuse given was that Constantius was in bad health and needed his
+son; but not until the young man was actually in Britain would his
+anxious father avow that he feared for his son's life.
+
+
+Acclaimed Emperor
+
+When the half-British Constantius died, Constantine, who was the
+favourite of the Roman soldiery of the west, was at once acclaimed as
+emperor by his devoted troops. He professed unwillingness to accept
+the honour, and it is said that he even tried in vain to escape on
+horseback from the affectionate solicitations of his soldiers. Seeing
+the uselessness of further protest, Constantine accepted the imperial
+title, and wrote to Galerius claiming the throne and justifying his
+acceptance of the unsought dignity thrust upon him. Galerius
+acquiesced in the inevitable, and granted Constantine the inferior
+title of "Caesar," with rule over Western Europe, and the wise prince
+was content to wait until favouring circumstances should destroy his
+rivals and give him that sole sway over the Roman Empire for which he
+was so well fitted. He had now reached the age of thirty, had fought
+valiantly in the wars in Egypt and Persia, and had risen by merit to
+the rank of tribune. His marriage with Fausta, the daughter of the
+Emperor Maximian, and his elevation to the rank of Augustus brought
+him nearer to the attainment of his ambition; and at length the defeat
+and death of his rivals placed him at the head of the world-wide
+empire of Rome. It is to some period previous to Constantine's
+elevation to the supreme authority that we must refer the following
+story, told by Gower in his "Confessio Amantis" as an example of that
+true charity which is the mother of pity, and makes a man's heart so
+tender that,
+
+    "Though he might himself relieve,
+    Yet he would not another grieve,"
+
+but in order to give pleasure to others would bear his own trouble
+alone.
+
+
+Becomes a Leper
+
+The noble Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was in the full flower of his
+age, goodly to look upon, strong and happy, when a great and sudden
+affliction came upon him: leprosy attacked him. The horrible disease
+showed itself first in his face, so that no concealment was possible,
+and if he had not been the emperor he would have been driven out to
+live in the forests and wilds. The leprosy spread from his face till
+it entirely covered his body, and became so bad that he could no
+longer ride out or show himself to his people. When all cures had been
+tried and had failed, Constantine withdrew himself from his lords,
+gave up all use of arms, abandoned his imperial duties, and shut
+himself in his palace, where he lived such a secluded life in his own
+apartments that Rome had, as it were, no lord, and all men throughout
+the empire talked of his illness and prayed their gods to heal him.
+When everything seemed to be in vain, Constantine yielded to the
+prayer of his council, that he would summon all the doctors, learned
+men, and physicians from every realm to Rome, that they might consider
+his illness and try if any cure could be found for his malady.
+
+
+Rewards Offered for his Cure
+
+A proclamation went forth throughout the world and great rewards were
+offered to any man who should heal the emperor. Tempted by the rewards
+and the great fame to be won, there came leeches and physicians from
+Persia and Arabia, and from every land that owned the sway of Rome,
+philosophers from Greece and Egypt, and magicians and sorcerers from
+the unexplored desert of the east. But, though Constantine tried all
+the remedies suggested or recommended by the wise men, his leprosy
+grew no better, but rather worse, and even magic could give him no
+help.
+
+Again the learned men assembled and consulted what they should advise,
+for all were loath to abandon the emperor in his great distress, but
+they were all at a loss. They sat in silence, till at last one very
+old and very wise man, a great physician from Arabia, arose and said:
+
+
+A Desperate Remedy
+
+"Now that all else has failed, and naught is of any avail, I will tell
+of a remedy of which I have heard. It will, I believe, certainly cure
+our beloved emperor, but it is very terrible, and therefore I was
+loath to name it till every other means had been tried and failed, for
+it is a cruel thing for any man to do. Let the Emperor dip himself in
+a full bath of the blood of infants and children, seven years old or
+under, and he shall be healed, and his leprosy shall fall from him;
+for this malady is not natural to his body, and it demands an
+unnatural cure."
+
+
+Constantine Assents Regretfully
+
+The proposal was a terrible one to the assembly, and many would not
+agree to it at first, but when they considered that nothing else would
+heal the emperor they at length gave way, and sent two from among
+themselves to bring the news to Constantine, who was waiting for them
+in his darkened room. He was horrified when he heard the counsel they
+brought, and at first utterly refused to carry out so evil a plan; but
+because his life was very dear to his people, and because he felt that
+he had a great work to do in the world, he ultimately agreed, with
+many tears, to try the terrible remedy.
+
+
+A Cruel Proclamation
+
+Thereupon the council drew up letters, under the emperor's hand and
+seal, and sent them out to all the world, bidding all mothers with
+children of seven years of age or under to bring them with speed to
+Rome, that there the blood of the innocents might prove healing to the
+emperor's malady. Alas! what weeping and wailing there was among the
+mothers when they heard this cruel decree! How they cried, and clasped
+their babes to their breasts, and how they called Constantine more
+cruel than Herod, who killed the Holy Innocents! The eastern ruler,
+they said, slew only the infants of one poor village, but their
+emperor, more ruthless, claimed the lives of all the young children of
+his whole empire.
+
+
+Constantine is Conscience-stricken
+
+But though the mothers lamented bitterly, they must needs bow to the
+emperor's decree, whether they were lief or loath, and thus a great
+multitude gathered in the great courtyard of the imperial palace at
+Rome: women nursing sucking-babes at the breast, or holding toddling
+infants by the hand, or with little children running by their sides,
+and all so heart-broken and woebegone that many swooned for very
+grief. The mothers wailed aloud, the children cried, and the tumult
+grew until Constantine heard it, where he sat lonely and wretched in
+his darkened room. He looked out of his window on the mournful sight
+in the courtyard, and was roused as from a trance, saying to himself:
+"O Divine Providence, who hast formed all men alike, lo! the poor man
+is born, lives, suffers, and dies, just as does the rich; to wise man
+and fool alike come sickness and health; and no man may avoid that
+fortune which Nature's law hath ordained for him. Likewise to all men
+are Nature's gifts of strength and beauty, of soul and reason, freely
+and fully given, so that the poor child is born as capable of virtue
+as the king's son; and to each man is given free will to choose virtue
+or vice. Yet thou givest to men diversity of rank, wealth or poverty,
+lordship or servitude, not always according to their deserts; so much
+the more virtuous should that man be to whom thou hast put other men
+in subjection, men who are nevertheless his fellows and wear his
+likeness. Thou, O God, who hast put Nature and the whole universe
+under law, wouldst have all men rule themselves by law, and thou hast
+said that a man must do to others such things as he would have done to
+himself."
+
+
+His Noble Resolve
+
+Thus Constantine spoke within himself as he stood by the window and
+looked upon the weeping mothers and children, the very sentinels of
+his palace pitying them, and trying in vain to comfort them; and a
+strife grew strong within him between his natural longing for healing
+and deliverance from this loathsome disease which had darkened his
+life, and the pity he felt for these poor creatures, and his horror at
+the thought of so much human blood to be shed for himself alone. The
+great moaning of the woeful mothers came to him and the pitiful crying
+of the children, and he thought: "What am I that my health is to
+outweigh the lives and happiness of so many of my people? Is my life
+of more value to the world than those of all the children who must
+shed their blood for my healing? Surely each babe is as precious as
+Constantine the Emperor!" Thus his heart grew so tender and so full of
+compassion that he chose rather to die by this terrible sickness than
+to commit so great a slaughter of innocent children, and he renounced
+all other physicians, and trusted himself wholly to God's care.
+
+
+He Announces his Determination
+
+He at once summoned his council, and announced to them his resolution,
+giving as his reason, "He that will be truly master must be ever
+servant to pity!" and without delay the anxious mothers were told
+that their children were free and safe, for the emperor had renounced
+the cure, and needed their blood no longer. What raptures of rejoicing
+there were, what outpouring of blessing on the emperor, what songs of
+praise and thanks from the women wild with joy, cannot be fully told;
+and yet greater grew their joy and thankfulness when Constantine,
+calling his high officials, bade them take all his gathered treasures
+and distribute them among the poor women, that they might feed and
+clothe their children, and so return home untouched by any loss, and
+recompensed in some degree for their sufferings. Thus did Constantine
+obey the behests of pity, and try to atone for the wrong to which he
+had consented in his heart, and which he had so nearly done to his
+people.
+
+
+The Victims Sent Home Happy
+
+Home to all parts of the Roman Empire went the women, bearing with
+them their happy children, and the rich gifts they had received. Each
+one thanked and blessed the emperor, and sang his praises, where
+before she had passed with tears and bitter curses on his head; each
+woman shared her joy with her neighbours; and the very children learnt
+from their mothers and fathers to pray for the healing of their great
+lord, who had given up his own will and sacrificed his own cure for
+gentle pity's sake. Thus the whole world prayed for Constantine's
+healing.
+
+
+A Vision
+
+Lo! it never yet was known that charity went unrequited and this
+Constantine now learnt in his own glad experience; for that same
+night, as he lay asleep, God sent to him a vision of two strangers,
+men of noble face and form, whom he reverenced greatly, and who said
+to him: "O Constantine, because thou hast obeyed the voice of pity,
+thou hast deserved pity; therefore shalt thou find such mercy, that
+God, in His great pity, will save thee. Double healing shalt thou
+receive, first for thy body, and next for thy woeful soul; both alike
+shall be made whole. And that thou mayst not despair, God will grant
+thee a sign--thy leprosy shall not increase till thou hast sent to
+Mount Celion, to Sylvester and all his clergy. There they dwell in
+secret for dread of thee, who hast been a foe to the law of Christ,
+and hast destroyed those who preach in His Holy Name. Now thou hast
+appeased God somewhat by thy good deed, since thou hast had pity on
+the innocent blood, and hast spared it; for this thou shalt find
+teaching, from Sylvester, to the salvation of both body and soul. Thou
+wilt need no other leech." The emperor, who had listened with
+eagerness and awe, now spoke: "Great thanks I owe to you, my lords,
+and I will indeed do as ye have said; but one thing I would pray
+you--what shall I tell Sylvester of the name or estate of those who
+send me to him?" The two strangers said: "We are the Apostles Peter
+and Paul, who endured death here in thy city of Rome for the Holy Name
+of Christ, and we bid Sylvester teach and baptize thee into the true
+faith. So shall the Roman Empire become the kingdom of the Lord and of
+His Christ." So saying, they blessed him, and passed into the heavens
+out of his sight, and Constantine awoke from his slumber and knew that
+he had seen a vision. He called aloud eagerly, and his servants
+waiting in an outer room ran in to him quickly, for there was urgency
+in his voice. To them Constantine told his vision and the command
+which was laid upon him.
+
+
+Sylvester Summoned
+
+Messengers rode in hot haste to Mount Celion, and inquired long and
+anxiously for Sylvester. At last they found him, a holy and venerable
+man, and summoned him, saying: "The Emperor calls for thee: come,
+therefore, at once." Sylvester's clergy were greatly affrighted, not
+knowing what this summons might mean, and dreading the death of their
+dear bishop and master; but he went forth gladly, not knowing to what
+fate he was going. When he was brought to the palace the emperor
+greeted him kindly, and told him all his dream, and the command of the
+Apostles Peter and Paul, and ended with these words: "Now I have done
+as the vision bade, and have fetched thee here: tell me, I pray, the
+glad tidings which shall bring healing to my body and soul." When
+Sylvester heard this speech he was filled with joy and wonder, and
+thanked God for the vision He had sent to the emperor, and then he
+began to preach to him the Christian faith: he told of the Fall of
+Man, and the redemption of the world by the death and resurrection of
+Jesus Christ, of the Ascension of Jesus and His return at the Day of
+Judgment, of the justice of God, who will judge all men impartially
+according to their works, good or bad, and of the life of joy or
+misery to come. As Sylvester taught, the monarch listened and
+believed, and, when the tale was ended, announced his conversion to
+the true faith, and said he was ready, with his whole heart and soul,
+to be baptized.
+
+
+Constantine Baptized
+
+At the emperor's command, they took the great vessel of silver which
+had been made for the children's blood, and Sylvester bade them fill
+it with pure water from the well. When that was done with all haste,
+he bade Constantine stand therein, so that the water reached his chin.
+As the holy rite began a great light like the sun's rays shone from
+heaven into the place, and upon Constantine; and as the sacred words
+were being read there fell now and again from his body scales like
+those of a fish, till there was nothing left of his horrible disease;
+and thus in baptism Constantine was purified in body and soul.
+
+[Illustration: They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V: HAVELOK THE DANE
+
+
+The Origin of the Story
+
+The Danish occupation of England has left a very strong mark on our
+country in various ways--on its place-names, its racial
+characteristics, its language, its literature, and, in part, on its
+ideals. The legend of Havelok the Dane, with its popularity and
+widespread influence, is one result of Danish supremacy. It is thought
+that the origin of the legend, which contains a twofold version of the
+common story of the cruel guardian and the persecuted heir, is to be
+found in Wales; but, however that may be, it is certain that in the
+continual rise and fall of small tribal kingdoms, Celtic or Teutonic,
+English or Danish, the circumstances out of which the story grew must
+have been common enough. Kings who died leaving helpless heirs to the
+guardianship of ambitious and wicked nobles were not rare in the early
+days of Britain, Wales, or Denmark; the murder of the heir and the
+usurpation of the kingdom by the cruel regent were no unusual
+occurrences. The opportunity of localising the early legend seems to
+have come with the growing fame of Anlaf, or Olaf, Sihtricson, who was
+known to the Welsh as Abloec or Habloc. His adventurous life included
+a threefold expulsion from his inheritance of Northumbria, a marriage
+with the daughter of King Constantine III. of Scotland, and a family
+kinship with King Athelstan of England. In Anlaf Curan (as he was
+called) we have an historical hero on whom various romantic stories
+were gradually fathered, because of his adventurous life and his
+strong personality. These stories finally crystallized in a form which
+shows the English and Danish love of physical prowess (Havelok is the
+strongest man in the kingdom), as well as a certain cruelty of
+revenge which is more peculiarly Danish. There is resentment of the
+Norman predominance to be found in the popularity of a story which
+shows the kitchen-boy excelling all the nobles in manly exercises, and
+the heiress to the kingdom wedded in scorn, as so many Saxon heiresses
+were after the Conquest, to a mere scullion. There can be no doubt,
+however, that Havelok stood to mediaeval England as a hero of the
+strong arm, a champion of the populace against the ruling race, and
+that his royal birth and dignity were a concession to historic facts
+and probabilities, not much regarded by the common people. The story,
+again, showed another truly humble hero, Grim the fisher, whose
+loyalty was supposed to account for the special trading privileges of
+his town, Grimsby. In Grim the story found a character who was in
+reality a hero of the poor and lowly, with the characteristic devotion
+of the tribesman to his chief, of the vassal to his lord, a devotion
+which was handed on from father to son, so that a second generation
+continued the services, and received the rewards, of the father who
+risked life and all for the sake of his king's heir.
+
+The reader will not fail to notice the characteristic anachronisms
+which give to life in Saxon England in the tenth century the colour of
+the Norman chivalry of the thirteenth.
+
+
+Havelok and Godard
+
+In Denmark, long ago, lived a good king named Birkabeyn, rich and
+powerful, a great warrior and a man of mighty prowess, whose rule was
+undisputed over the whole realm. He had three children--two daughters,
+named Swanborow and Elfleda the Fair, and one young and goodly son,
+Havelok, the heir to all his dominions. All too soon came the day
+that no man can avoid, when Death would call King Birkabeyn away, and
+he grieved sore over his young children to be left fatherless and
+unprotected; but, after much reflection, and prayers to God for wisdom
+to help his choice, he called to him Jarl Godard, a trusted counsellor
+and friend, and committed into his hands the care of the realm and of
+the three royal children, until Havelok should be of age to be
+knighted and rule the land himself. King Birkabeyn felt that such a
+charge was too great a temptation for any man unbound by oaths of
+fealty and honour, and although he did not distrust his friend, he
+required Godard to swear,
+
+    "By altar and by holy service book,
+    By bells that call the faithful to the church,
+    By blessed sacrament, and sacred rites,
+    By Holy Rood, and Him who died thereon,
+    That thou wilt truly rule and keep my realm,
+    Wilt guard my babes in love and loyalty,
+    Until my son be grown, and dubbed knight:
+    That thou wilt then resign to him his land,
+    His power and rule, and all that owns his sway."
+
+Jarl Godard took this most solemn oath at once with many protestations
+of affection and whole-hearted devotion to the dying king and his
+heir, and King Birkabeyn died happy in the thought that his children
+would be well cared for during their helpless youth.
+
+When the funeral rites were celebrated Jarl Godard assumed the rule of
+the country, and, under pretext of securing the safety of the royal
+children, removed them to a strong castle, where no man was allowed
+access to them, and where they were kept so closely that the royal
+residence became a prison in all but name. Godard, finding Denmark
+submit to his government without resistance, began to adopt measures
+to rid himself of the real heirs to the throne, and gave orders that
+food and clothes should be supplied to the three children in such
+scanty quantities that they might die of hardship; but since they were
+slow to succumb to this cruel, torturing form of murder, he resolved
+to slay them suddenly, knowing that no one durst call him to account.
+Having steeled his heart against all pitiful thoughts, he went to the
+castle, and was taken to the inner dungeon where the poor babes lay
+shivering and weeping for cold and hunger. As he entered, Havelok, who
+was even then a bold lad, greeted him courteously, and knelt before
+him, with clasped hands, begging a boon.
+
+"Why do you weep and wail so sore?" asked Godard.
+
+"Because we are so hungry," answered Havelok. "We have so little food,
+and we have no servants to wait on us; they do not give us half as
+much as we could eat; we are shivering with cold, and our clothes are
+all in rags. Woe to us that we were ever born! Is there in the land no
+more corn with which men can make bread for us? We are nearly dead
+from hunger."
+
+These pathetic words had no effect on Godard, who had resolved to
+yield to no pity and show no mercy. He seized the two little girls as
+they lay cowering together, clasping one another for warmth, and cut
+their throats, letting the bodies of the hapless babies fall to the
+floor in a pool of blood; and then, turning to Havelok, aimed his
+knife at the boy's heart. The poor child, terrified by the awful fate
+of the two girls, knelt again before him and begged for mercy:
+
+    "Fair lord, have mercy on me now, I pray!
+    Look on my helpless youth, and pity me!
+    Oh, let me live, and I will yield you all--
+    My realm of Denmark will I leave to you,
+    And swear that I will ne'er assail your sway.
+    Oh, pity me, lord! be compassionate!
+    And I will flee far from this land of mine,
+    And vow that Birkabeyn was ne'er my sire!"
+
+Jarl Godard was touched by Havelok's piteous speech, and felt some
+faint compassion, so that he could not slay the lad himself; yet he
+knew that his only safety was in Havelok's death.
+
+"If I let him go," thought he, "Havelok will at last work me woe! I
+shall have no peace in my life, and my children after me will not hold
+the lordship of Denmark in safety, if Havelok escapes! Yet I cannot
+slay him with my own hands. I will have him cast into the sea with an
+anchor about his neck: thus at least his body will not float."
+
+Godard left Havelok kneeling in terror, and, striding from the tower,
+leaving the door locked behind him, he sent for an ignorant fisherman,
+Grim, who, he thought, could be frightened into doing his will. When
+Grim came he was led into an ante-room, where Godard, with terrible
+look and voice, addressed him thus:
+
+"Grim, thou knowest thou art my thrall." "Yea, fair lord," quoth Grim,
+trembling at Godard's stern voice. "And I can slay thee if thou dost
+disobey me." "Yea, lord; but how have I offended you?" "Thou hast not
+yet; but I have a task for thee, and if thou dost it not, dire
+punishment shall fall upon thee." "Lord, what is the work that I must
+do?" asked the poor fisherman. "Tarry: I will show thee." Then Godard
+went into the inner room of the tower, whence he returned leading a
+fair boy, who wept bitterly. "Take this boy secretly to thy house, and
+keep him there till dead of night; then launch thy boat, row out to
+sea, and fling him therein with an anchor round his neck, so that I
+shall see him never again."
+
+Grim looked curiously at the weeping boy, and said: "What reward
+shall I have if I work this sin for you?"
+
+Godard replied: "The sin will be on my head as I am thy lord and bid
+thee do it; but I will make thee a freeman, noble and rich, and my
+friend, if thou wilt do this secretly and discreetly."
+
+Thus reassured and bribed, Grim suddenly took the boy, flung him to
+the ground, and bound him hand and foot with cord which he took from
+his pockets. So anxious was he to secure the boy that he drew the
+cords very tight, and Havelok suffered terrible pain; he could not cry
+out, for a handful of rags was thrust into his mouth and over his
+nostrils, so that he could hardly breathe. Then Grim flung the poor
+boy into a horrible black sack, and carried him thus from the castle,
+as if he were bringing home broken food for his family. When Grim
+reached his poor cottage, where his wife Leve was waiting for him, he
+slung the sack from his shoulder and gave it to her, saying, "Take
+good care of this boy as of thy life. I am to drown him at midnight,
+and if I do so my lord has promised to make me a free man and give me
+great wealth."
+
+When Dame Leve heard this she sprang up and flung the lad down in a
+corner, and nearly broke his head with the crash against the earthen
+floor. There Havelok lay, bruised and aching, while the couple went to
+sleep, leaving the room all dark but for the red glow from the fire.
+At midnight Grim awoke to do his lord's behest, and Dame Leve, going
+to the living-room to kindle a light, was terrified by a mysterious
+gleam as bright as day which shone around the boy on the floor and
+streamed from his mouth. Leve hastily called Grim to see this wonder,
+and together they released Havelok from the gag and bonds and
+examined his body, when they found on the right shoulder the token of
+true royalty, a cross of red gold.
+
+"God knows," quoth Grim, "that this is the heir of our land. He will
+come to rule in good time, will bear sway over England and Denmark,
+and will punish the cruel Godard." Then, weeping sore, the loyal
+fisherman fell down at Havelok's feet, crying, "Lord, have mercy on me
+and my wife! We are thy thralls, and never will we do aught against
+thee. We will nourish thee until thou canst rule, and will hide thee
+from Godard; and thou wilt perchance give me my freedom in return for
+thy life."
+
+At this unexpected address Havelok sat up surprised, and rubbed his
+bruised head and said: "I am nearly dead, what with hunger, and thy
+cruel bonds, and the gag. Now bring me food in plenty!" "Yea, lord,"
+said Dame Leve, and bustled about, bringing the best they had in the
+hut; and Havelok ate as if he had fasted for three days; and then he
+was put to bed, and slept in peace while Grim watched over him.
+
+[Illustration: "Havelok sat up surprised"]
+
+However, Grim went the next morning to Jarl Godard and said: "Lord, I
+have done your behest, and drowned the boy with an anchor about his
+neck. He is safe, and now, I pray you, give me my reward, the gold and
+other treasures, and make me a freeman as you have promised." But
+Godard only looked fiercely at him and said: "What, wouldst thou be an
+earl? Go home, thou foul churl, and be ever a thrall! It is enough
+reward that I do not hang thee now for insolence, and for thy wicked
+deeds. Go speedily, else thou mayst stand and palter with me too
+long." And Grim shrank quietly away, lest Godard should slay him for
+the murder of Havelok.
+
+Now Grim saw in what a terrible plight he stood, at the mercy of this
+cruel and treacherous man, and he took counsel with himself and
+consulted his wife, and the two decided to flee from Denmark to save
+their lives. Gradually Grim sold all his stock, his cattle, his nets,
+everything that he owned, and turned it into good pieces of gold; then
+he bought and secretly fitted out and provisioned a ship, and at last,
+when all was ready, carried on board Havelok (who had lain hidden all
+this time), his own three sons and two daughters; then when he and his
+wife had gone on board he set sail, and, driven by a favourable wind,
+reached the shores of England.
+
+
+Goldborough and Earl Godrich
+
+Meanwhile in England a somewhat similar fate had befallen a fair
+princess named Goldborough. When her father, King Athelwold, lay dying
+all his people mourned, for he was the flower of all fair England for
+knighthood, justice, and mercy; and he himself grieved sorely for the
+sake of his little daughter, soon to be left an orphan. "What will she
+do?" moaned he. "She can neither speak nor walk! If she were only able
+to ride, to rule England, and to guard herself from shame, I should
+have no grief, even if I died and left her alone, while I lived in the
+joy of paradise!"
+
+Then Athelwold summoned a council to be held at Winchester, and asked
+the advice of the nobles as to the care of the infant Goldborough.
+They with one accord recommended Earl Godrich of Cornwall to be made
+regent for the little princess; and the earl, on being appointed,
+swore with all solemn rites that he would marry her at twelve years
+old to the highest, the best, fairest, and strongest man alive, and in
+the meantime would train her in all royal virtues and customs. So
+King Athelwold died, and was buried with great lamentations, and
+Godrich ruled the land as regent. He was a strict but just governor,
+and England had great peace, without and within, under his severe
+rule, for all lived in awe of him, though no man loved him.
+Goldborough grew and throve in all ways, and became famous through the
+land for her gracious beauty and gentle and virtuous demeanour. This
+roused the jealousy of Earl Godrich, who had played the part of king
+so long that he almost believed himself King of England, and he began
+to consider how he could secure the kingdom for himself and his son.
+Thereupon he had Goldborough taken from Winchester, where she kept
+royal state, to Dover, where she was imprisoned in the castle, and
+strictly secluded from all her friends; there she remained, with poor
+clothes and scanty food, awaiting a champion to uphold her right.
+
+
+Havelok Becomes Cook's Boy
+
+When Grim sailed from Denmark to England he landed in the Humber, at
+the place now called Grimsby, and there established himself as a
+fisherman. So successful was he that for twelve years he supported his
+family well, and carried his catches of fish far afield, even to
+Lincoln, where rare fish always brought a good price. In all this time
+Grim never once called on Havelok for help in the task of feeding the
+family; he reverenced his king, and the whole household served Havelok
+with the utmost deference, and often went with scanty rations to
+satisfy the boy's great appetite. At length Havelok began to think how
+selfishly he was living, and how much food he consumed, and was filled
+with shame when he realized how his foster-father toiled unweariedly
+while he did nothing to help. In his remorseful meditations it became
+clear to him that, though a king's son, he ought to do some useful
+work. "Of what use," thought he, "is my great strength and stature if
+I do not employ it for some good purpose? There is no shame in honest
+toil. I will work for my food, and try to make some return to Father
+Grim, who has done so much for me. I will gladly bear his baskets of
+fish to market, and I will begin to-morrow."
+
+On the next day, in spite of Grim's protests Havelok carried a load of
+fish equal to four men's burden to Grimsby market, and sold it
+successfully, returning home with the money he received; and this he
+did day by day, till a famine arose and fish and food both became
+scarce. Then Grim, more concerned for Havelok than for his own
+children, called the youth to him and bade him try his fortunes in
+Lincoln, for his own sake and for theirs; he would be better fed, and
+the little food Grim could get would go further among the others if
+Havelok were not there. The one obstacle in the way was Havelok's lack
+of clothes, and Grim overcame that by sacrificing his boat's sail to
+make Havelok a coarse tunic. That done, they bade each other farewell,
+and Havelok started for Lincoln, barefooted and bareheaded, for his
+only garment was the sailcloth tunic. In Lincoln Havelok found no
+friends and no food for two days, and he was desperate and faint with
+hunger, when he heard a call: "Porters, porters! hither to me!" Roused
+to new vigour by the chance of work, Havelok rushed with the rest, and
+bore down and hurled aside the other porters so vigorously that he was
+chosen to carry provisions for Bertram, the earl's cook; and in return
+he received the first meal he had eaten for nearly three days.
+
+On the next day Havelok again overthrew the porters, and, knocking
+down at least sixteen, secured the work. This time he had to carry
+fish, and his basket was so laden that he bore nearly a cartload,
+with which he ran to the castle. There the cook, amazed at his
+strength, first gave him a hearty meal, and then offered him good
+service under himself, with food and lodging for his wages. This offer
+Havelok accepted, and was installed as cook's boy, and employed in all
+the lowest offices--carrying wood, water, turf, hewing logs, lifting,
+fetching, carrying--and in all he showed himself a wonderfully strong
+worker, with unfailing good temper and gentleness, so that the little
+children all loved the big, gentle, fair-haired youth who worked so
+quietly and played with them so merrily. When Havelok's old tunic
+became worn out, his master, the cook, took pity on him and gave him a
+new suit, and then it could be seen how handsome and tall and strong a
+youth this cook's boy really was, and his fame spread far and wide
+round Lincoln Town.
+
+[Illustration: "Havelok again overthrew the porters"]
+
+
+Havelok and Goldborough
+
+At the great fair of Lincoln, sports of all kinds were indulged in,
+and in these Havelok took his part, for the cook, proud of his mighty
+scullion, urged him to compete in all the games and races. As Earl
+Godrich had summoned his Parliament to meet that year at Lincoln,
+there was a great concourse of spectators, and even the powerful Earl
+Regent himself sometimes watched the sports and cheered the champions.
+The first contest was "putting the stone," and the stone chosen was so
+weighty that none but the most stalwart could lift it above the
+knee--none could raise it to his breast. This sport was new to
+Havelok, who had never seen it before, but when the cook bade him try
+his strength he lifted the stone easily and threw it more than twelve
+feet. This mighty deed caused his fame to be spread, not only among
+the poor servants with whom Havelok was classed, but also among the
+barons, their masters, and Havelok's Stone became a landmark in
+Lincoln. Thus Godrich heard of a youth who stood head and shoulders
+taller than other men and was stronger, more handsome--and yet a mere
+common scullion. The news brought him a flash of inspiration: "Here is
+the highest, strongest, best man in all England, and him shall
+Goldborough wed. I shall keep my vow to the letter, and England must
+fall to me, for Goldborough's royal blood will be lost by her marriage
+with a thrall, the people will refuse her obedience, and England will
+cast her out."
+
+Godrich therefore brought Goldborough to Lincoln, received her with
+bell-ringing and seemly rejoicing, and bade her prepare for her
+wedding. This the princess refused to do until she knew who was her
+destined husband, for she said she would wed no man who was not of
+royal birth. Her firmness drove Earl Godrich to fierce wrath, and he
+burst out: "Wilt thou be queen and mistress over me? Thy pride shall
+be brought down: thou shalt have no royal spouse: a vagabond and
+scullion shalt thou wed, and that no later than to-morrow! Curses on
+him who speaks thee fair!" In vain the princess wept and bemoaned
+herself: the wedding was fixed for the morrow morn.
+
+The next day at dawn Earl Godrich sent for Havelok, the mighty cook's
+boy, and asked him: "Wilt thou take a wife?"
+
+"Nay," quoth Havelok, "that will I not. I cannot feed her, much less
+clothe and lodge her. My very garments are not my own, but belong to
+the cook, my master." Godrich fell upon Havelok and beat him
+furiously, saying, "Unless thou wilt take the wench I give thee for
+wife I will hang or blind thee"; and so, in great fear, Havelok agreed
+to the wedding. At once Goldborough was brought, and forced into an
+immediate marriage, under penalty of banishment or burning as a witch
+if she refused. And thus the unwilling couple were united by the
+Archbishop of York, who had come to attend the Parliament.
+
+Never was there so sad a wedding! The people murmured greatly at this
+unequal union, and pitied the poor princess, thus driven to wed a man
+of low birth; and Goldborough herself wept pitifully, but resigned
+herself to God's will. All men now acknowledged with grief that she
+and her husband could have no claim to the English throne, and thus
+Godrich seemed to have gained his object. Havelok and his unwilling
+bride recognised that they would not be safe near Godrich, and as
+Havelok had no home in Lincoln to which he could take the princess, he
+determined to go back to his faithful foster-father, Grim, and put the
+fair young bride under his loyal protection. Sorrowfully, with grief
+and shame in their hearts, Havelok and Goldborough made their way on
+foot to Grimsby, only to find the loyal Grim dead; but his five
+children were alive and in prosperity. When they saw Havelok and his
+wife they fell on their knees and saluted them with all respect and
+reverence. In their joy to see their king again, these worthy
+fisherfolk forgot their newly won wealth, and said: "Welcome, dear
+lord, and thy fair lady! What joy is ours to see thee again, for thy
+subjects are we, and thou canst do with us as thou wilt. All that we
+have is thine, and if thou wilt dwell with us we will serve thee and
+thy wife truly in all ways!" This greeting surprised Goldborough, who
+began to suspect some mystery, and she was greatly comforted when
+brothers and sisters busied themselves in lighting fires, cooking
+meals, and waiting on her hand and foot, as if she had been indeed a
+king's wife. Havelok, however, said nothing to explain the mystery,
+and Goldborough that night lay awake bewailing her fate as a thrall's
+bride, even though he was the fairest man in England.
+
+
+The Revelation and Return to Denmark
+
+As Goldborough lay sleepless and unhappy she became aware of a
+brilliant light shining around Havelok and streaming from his mouth;
+and while she feared and wondered an angelic voice cried to her:
+
+    "Fair Princess, cease this grief and heavy moan!
+    For Havelok, thy newly wedded spouse,
+    Is son and heir to famous kings: the sign
+    Thou findest in the cross of ruddy gold
+    That shineth on his shoulder. He shall be
+    Monarch and ruler of two mighty realms;
+    Denmark and England shall obey his rule,
+    And he shall sway them with a sure command.
+    This shalt thou see with thine own eyes, and be
+    Lady and Queen, with Havelok, o'er these lands."
+
+This angelic message so gladdened Goldborough that she kissed, for the
+first time, her unconscious husband, who started up from his sleep,
+saying, "Dear love, sleepest thou? I have had a wondrous dream. I
+thought I sat on a lofty hill, and saw all Denmark before me. As I
+stretched out my arms I embraced it all, and the people clung to my
+arms, and the castles fell at my feet; then I flew over the salt sea
+with the Danish people clinging to me, and I closed all fair England
+in my hand, and gave it to thee, dear love! Now what can this mean?"
+
+Goldborough answered joyfully: "It means, dear heart, that thou shalt
+be King of Denmark and of England too: all these realms shall fall
+into thy power, and thou shalt be ruler in Denmark within one year.
+Now do thou follow my advice, and let us go to Denmark, taking with us
+Grim's three sons, who will accompany thee for love and loyalty; and
+have no fear, for I know thou wilt succeed."
+
+The next morning Havelok went to church early, and prayed humbly and
+heartily for success in his enterprise and retribution on the false
+traitor Godard; then, laying his offering on the altar before the
+Cross, he went away glad in heart. Grim's three sons, Robert the Red,
+William Wendut, and Hugh the Raven, joyfully consented to go with
+Havelok to Denmark, to attack with all their power the false Jarl
+Godard and to win the kingdom for the rightful heir. Their wives and
+families stayed in England, but Goldborough would not leave her
+husband, and after a short voyage the party landed safely on the
+shores of Denmark, in the lands of Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of King
+Birkabeyn, who lived far from the court now that a usurper held sway
+in Denmark.
+
+
+Havelok and Ubbe
+
+Havelok dared not reveal himself and his errand until he knew more of
+the state of parties in the country, and he therefore only begged
+permission to live and trade there, giving Ubbe, as a token of
+goodwill and a tribute to his power, a valuable ring, which the jarl
+prized greatly. Ubbe, gazing at the so-called merchant's great stature
+and beauty, lamented that he was not of noble birth, and planned to
+persuade him to take up the profession of arms. At first, however, he
+simply granted Havelok permission to trade, and invited him and
+Goldborough to a feast, promising them safety and honour under his
+protection. Havelok dreaded lest his wife's beauty might place them in
+jeopardy, but he dared not refuse the invitation, which was pointedly
+given to both; accordingly, when they went to Ubbe's hall, Goldborough
+was escorted by Robert the Red and William Wendut.
+
+Ubbe received them with all honour, and all men marvelled at
+Goldborough's beauty, and Ubbe's wife loved Goldborough at first sight
+as her husband did Havelok, so that the feast passed off with all joy
+and mirth, and none dared raise a hand or lift his voice against the
+wandering merchant whom Ubbe so strangely favoured. But Ubbe knew that
+when once Havelok and his wife were away from his protection there
+would be little safety for them, since the rough Danish nobles would
+think nothing of stealing a trader's fair wife, and many a man had
+cast longing eyes on Goldborough's loveliness. Therefore when the
+feast was over, and Havelok took his leave, Ubbe sent with him a body
+of ten knights and sixty men-at-arms, and recommended them to the
+magistrate of the town, Bernard Brown, a true and upright man, bidding
+him, as he prized his life, keep the strangers in safety and honour.
+Well it was that Ubbe and Bernard Brown took these precautions, for
+late at night a riotous crowd came to Bernard's house clamouring for
+admittance. Bernard withstood the angry mob, armed with a great axe,
+but they burst the door in by hurling a huge stone; and then Havelok
+joined in the defence. He drew out the great beam which barred the
+door, and crying, "Come quickly to me, and you shall stay here! Curses
+on him who flees!" began to lay about him with the big beam, so that
+three fell dead at once. A terrible fight followed, in which Havelok,
+armed only with the beam, slew twenty men in armour, and was then sore
+beset by the rest of the troop, aiming darts and arrows at his
+unarmoured breast. It was going hardly with him, when Hugh the Raven,
+hearing and understanding the cries of the assailants, called his
+brothers to their lord's aid, and they all joined the fight so
+furiously that, long ere day, of the sixty men who had attacked the
+inn not one remained alive.
+
+In the morning news was brought to Jarl Ubbe that his stranger
+guest had slain sixty of the best of his soldiery.
+
+"What can this mean?" said Ubbe. "I had better go and see to it
+myself, for any messenger would surely treat Havelok discourteously,
+and I should be full loath to do that." He rode away to the house of
+Bernard Brown, and asked the meaning of its damaged and battered
+appearance.
+
+"My lord," answered Bernard Brown, "last night at moonrise there came
+a band of sixty thieves who would have plundered my house and bound me
+hand and foot. When Havelok and his companions saw it they came to my
+aid, with sticks and stones, and drove out the robbers like dogs from
+a mill. Havelok himself slew three at one blow. Never have I seen a
+warrior so good! He is worth a thousand in a fray. But alas! he is
+grievously wounded, with three deadly gashes in side and arm and
+thigh, and at least twenty smaller wounds. I am scarcely harmed at
+all, but I fear he will die full soon."
+
+Ubbe could scarcely believe so strange a tale, but all the bystanders
+swore that Bernard told nothing but the bare truth, and that the whole
+gang of thieves, with their leader, Griffin the Welshman, had been
+slain by the hero and his small party. Then Ubbe bade them bring
+Havelok, that he might call a leech to heal his wounds, for if the
+stranger merchant should live Jarl Ubbe would without fail dub him
+knight; and when the leech had seen the wounds he said the patient
+would make a good and quick recovery. Then Ubbe offered Havelok and
+his wife a dwelling in his own castle, under his own protection, till
+Havelok's grievous wounds were healed. There, too, fair Goldborough
+would be under the care of Ubbe's wife, who would cherish her as her
+own daughter. This kind offer was accepted gladly, and they all went
+to the castle, where a room was given them next to Ubbe's own.
+
+At midnight Ubbe woke, aroused by a bright light in Havelok's room,
+which was only separated from his own by a slight wooden partition. He
+was vexed suspecting his guest of midnight wassailing, and went to
+inquire what villainy might be hatching. To his surprise, both husband
+and wife were sound asleep, but the light shone from Havelok's mouth,
+and made a glory round his head. Utterly amazed at the marvel, Ubbe
+went away silently, and returned with all the garrison of his castle
+to the room where his guests still lay sleeping. As they gazed on the
+light Havelok turned in his sleep, and they saw on his shoulder the
+golden cross, shining like the sun, which all men knew to be the token
+of royal birth. Then Ubbe exclaimed: "Now I know who this is, and why
+I loved him so dearly at first sight: this is the son of our dead King
+Birkabeyn. Never was man so like another as this man is to the dead
+king: he is his very image and his true heir." With great joy they
+fell on their knees and kissed him eagerly, and Havelok awoke and
+began to scowl furiously, for he thought it was some treacherous
+attack; but Ubbe soon undeceived him.
+
+[Illustration: "With great joy they fell on their knees"]
+
+    "'Dear lord,' quoth he, 'be thou in naught dismayed,
+    For in thine eyes methinks I see thy thought--
+    Dear son, great joy is mine to live this day!
+    My homage, lord, I freely offer thee:
+    Thy loyal men and vassals are we all,
+    For thou art son of mighty Birkabeyn,
+    And soon shalt conquer all thy father's land,
+    Though thou art young and almost friendless here.
+    To-morrow will we swear our fealty due,
+    And dub thee knight, for prowess unexcelled.'"
+
+Now Havelok knew that his worst danger was over, and he thanked God
+for the friend He had sent him, and left to the good Jarl Ubbe the
+management of his cause. Ubbe gathered an assembly of as many mighty
+men of the realm, and barons, and good citizens, as he could summon;
+and when they were all assembled, pondering what was the cause of this
+imperative summons, Ubbe arose and said:
+
+"Gentles, bear with me if I tell you first things well known to you.
+Ye know that King Birkabeyn ruled this land until his death-day, and
+that he left three children--one son, Havelok, and two daughters--to
+the guardianship of Jarl Godard: ye all heard him swear to keep them
+loyally and treat them well. But ye do not know how he kept his oath!
+The false traitor slew both the maidens, and would have slain the boy,
+but for pity he would not kill the child with his own hands. He bade a
+fisherman drown him in the sea; but when the good man knew that it was
+the rightful heir, he saved the boy's life and fled with him to
+England, where Havelok has been brought up for many years. And now,
+behold! here he stands. In all the world he has no peer, and ye may
+well rejoice in the beauty and manliness of your king. Come now and
+pay homage to Havelok, and I myself will be your leader!"
+
+Jarl Ubbe turned to Havelok, where he stood with Goldborough beside
+him, and knelt before him to do homage, an example which was followed
+by all present. At a second and still larger assembly held a fortnight
+later a similar oath of fealty was sworn by all, Havelok was dubbed
+knight by the noble Ubbe, and a great festival was celebrated, with
+sports and amusements for the populace. A council of war and vengeance
+was held with the great nobles.
+
+
+The Death of Godard
+
+Havelok, now acknowledged King of Denmark, was unsatisfied until he had
+punished the treacherous Godard, and he took a solemn oath from his
+soldiers that they would never cease the search for the traitor till
+they had captured him and brought him bound to judgment. After all,
+Godard was captured as he was hunting. Grim's three sons, now knighted
+by King Havelok, met him in the forest, and bade him come to the king,
+who called on him to remember and account for his treatment of
+Birkabeyn's children. Godard struck out furiously with his fists, but
+Sir Robert the Red wounded him in the right arm. When Godard's men
+joined in the combat, Robert and his brothers soon slew ten of their
+adversaries, and the rest fled; returning, ashamed at the bitter
+reproaches of their lord, they were all slain by Havelok's men. Godard
+was taken, bound hand and foot, placed on a miserable jade with his
+face to the tail, and so led to Havelok. The king refused to be the
+judge of his own cause, and entrusted to Ubbe the task of presiding at
+the traitor's trial. No mercy was shown to the cruel Jarl Godard, and
+he was condemned to a traitor's death, with torments of terrible
+barbarity. The sentence was carried out to the letter, and Denmark
+rejoiced in the punishment of a cruel villain.
+
+
+Death of Godrich
+
+Meanwhile Earl Godrich of Cornwall had heard with great uneasiness
+that Havelok had become King of Denmark, and intended to invade
+England with a mighty army to assert his wife's right to the throne.
+He recognised that his own device to shame Goldborough had turned
+against him, and that he must now fight for his life and the usurped
+dominion he held over England. Godrich summoned his army to Lincoln
+for the defence of the realm against the Danes, and called out every
+man fit to bear weapons, on pain of becoming thrall if they failed
+him. Then he thus addressed them:
+
+    "Friends, listen to my words, and you will know
+    'Tis not for sport, nor idle show, that I
+    Have bidden you to meet at Lincoln here.
+    Lo! here at Grimsby foreigners are come
+    Who have already won the Priory.
+    These Danes are cruel heathen, who destroy
+    Our churches and our abbeys: priests and nuns
+    They torture to the death, or lead away
+    To serve as slaves the haughty Danish jarls.
+    Now, Englishmen, what counsel will ye take?
+    If we submit, they will rule all our land,
+    Will kill us all, and sell our babes for thralls,
+    Will take our wives and daughters for their own.
+    Help me, if ever ye loved English land,
+    To fight these heathen and to cleanse our soil
+    From hateful presence of these alien hordes.
+    I make my vow to God and all the saints
+    I will not rest, nor houseled be, nor shriven,
+    Until our realm be free from Danish foe!
+    Accursed be he who strikes no blow for home!"
+
+The army was inspired with valour by these courageous words, and the
+march to Grimsby began at once, with Earl Godrich in command.
+Havelok's men marched out gallantly to meet them, and when the battle
+joined many mighty deeds of valour were done, especially by the king
+himself, his foster-brothers, and Jarl Ubbe. The battle lasted long
+and was very fierce and bloody, but the Danes gradually overcame the
+resistance of the English, and at last, after a great hand-to-hand
+conflict, King Havelok captured Godrich. The traitor earl, who had
+lost a hand in the fray, was sent bound and fettered to Queen
+Goldborough, who kept him, carefully guarded, until he could be tried
+by his peers, since (for all his treason) he was still a knight.
+
+When the English recognised their rightful lady and queen they did
+homage with great joy, begging mercy for having resisted their lawful
+ruler at the command of a wicked traitor; and the king and queen
+pardoned all but Godrich, who was speedily brought to trial at
+Lincoln. He was sentenced to be burnt at the stake, and the sentence
+was carried out amid general rejoicings.
+
+Now that vengeance was satisfied, Havelok and his wife thought of
+recompensing the loyal helpers who had believed in them and supported
+them through the long years of adversity. Havelok married one of
+Grim's daughters to the Earl of Chester, and the other to Bertram, the
+good cook, who became Earl of Cornwall in the place of the felon
+Godrich and his disinherited children; the heroic Ubbe was made Regent
+of Denmark for Havelok, who decided to stay and rule England, and all
+the noble Danish warriors were rewarded with gifts of gold, and lands
+and castles. After a great coronation feast, which lasted for forty
+days, King Havelok dismissed the Danish regent and his followers, and
+after sad farewells they returned to their own country. Havelok and
+Goldborough ruled England in peace and security for sixty years, and
+lived together in all bliss, and had fifteen children, who all became
+mighty kings and queens.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI: HOWARD THE HALT
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In every society and in all periods the obligations of family
+affection and duty to kinsmen have been recognised as paramount. In
+the early European communities a man's first duty was to stand by his
+kinsman in strife and to avenge him in death, however unrighteous the
+kinsman's quarrel might be.
+
+How pitiful is the aged Priam's lament that he must needs kiss the
+hands that slew his dear son Hector, and, kneeling, clasp the knees of
+his son's murderer! How sad is Cuchulain's plaint that his son Connla
+must go down to the grave unavenged, since his own father slew him,
+all unwitting! One remembers, too, Beowulf's words: "Better it is for
+every man that he avenge his friend than that he mourn him much!"
+Since, then, family affection, the laws of honour and duty, and every
+recognised standard of life demanded that a kinsman should obtain a
+full wergild (or money payment) for his relative's death, unless he
+chose to take up the blood-feud against the murderer's family, we can
+hardly wonder that some of the heroes of early European literature are
+heroes of vengeance. Orestes and Electra are Greek embodiments of the
+idea of the sacredness of vengeance for murdered kinsfolk, and similar
+feelings are revealed in Gudrun's revenge for the murder of Siegfried
+in the "Nibelungenlied." To the Teutonic or Celtic warrior there would
+be heroism of a noble type in a just vengeance fully accomplished, and
+this heroism would be more easily recognised when the wrongdoer was
+rich and powerful, the avenger old, poor, and friendless. While
+admitting that the hero of vengeance belongs to and represents only
+one side of the civilisation of a somewhat barbaric community, we
+must allow that the elements of dogged perseverance, dauntless
+courage, and resolute loyalty in some degree redeemed the ferocity and
+cruelty of the blood-feud he waged against the ill-doer.
+
+It is certain that in the popular Icelandic saga of "Howard the Halt"
+tradition has recorded with minute detail of approbation the story of
+a man and woman, old, weak, friendless, who, in spite of terrible
+odds, succeeded in obtaining a late but sufficing vengeance for the
+cruel slaughter of their only son, the murderer being the most
+powerful man of the region. The part here assigned to the woman
+indicates the firm hold which the blood-feud had gained on the
+imagination of the Norsemen.
+
+
+Icelandic Ghosts
+
+The story possesses a further interest as revealing the unique
+character of the Icelandic ghost or phantom. In other literatures the
+spirit returned from the dead is a thin, immaterial, disembodied
+essence, a faint shadow of its former self; in Icelandic legend the
+spirit returns in full possession of its body, but more evil-disposed
+to mankind than before death. It fights and wrestles, pummels its
+adversary black and blue, it is huge and bloated and hideous, it tries
+to strangle men, and leaves finger-marks on their throats. If the
+ghosts are those of drowned men, they come home every night dripping
+with sea-water, and crowd the family from the fire and from the hall.
+Apparently they are evil spirits animating the dead body, and nothing
+but the utter destruction of the body avails to drive away the
+malignant spirit.
+
+
+The Story. Howard and Thorbiorn
+
+Thus runs the saga of "Howard the Halt":
+
+About the year 1000, when the Christian faith had hardly yet been
+heard of in Iceland, there dwelt at Bathstead, on the shores of
+Icefirth, in that far-distant land a mighty chieftain, of royal
+descent and great wealth, named Thorbiorn. Though not among the first
+settlers of Iceland, he had appropriated much unclaimed land, and was
+one of the leading men of the country-side, but was generally disliked
+for his arrogance and injustice. Thorkel, the lawman and arbitrator of
+Icefirth, was weak and easily cowed, so Thorbiorn's wrongdoing
+remained unchecked; many a maiden had he betrothed to himself, and
+afterwards rejected, and many a man had he ousted from his lands, yet
+no redress could be obtained, and no man was bold enough to attack so
+great a chieftain or resist his will. Thorbiorn's house at Bathstead
+was one of the best in the district, and his lands stretched down to
+the shores of the firth, where he had made a haven with a jetty for
+ships. His boathouse stood a little back above a ridge of shingle, and
+beside a deep pool or lagoon. The household of Thorbiorn included
+Sigrid, a fair maiden, young and wealthy, who was his housekeeper;
+Vakr, an ill-conditioned and malicious fellow, Thorbiorn's nephew; and
+a strong and trusted serving-man named Brand. Besides these there were
+house-carles in plenty, and labourers, all good fighting-men.
+
+Not far from Bathstead, at Bluemire, dwelt an old Viking called
+Howard. He was of honourable descent, and had won fame in earlier
+Viking expeditions, but since he had returned lamed and nearly
+helpless from his last voyage he had aged greatly, and men called him
+Howard the Halt. His wife, Biargey, however, was an active and
+stirring woman, and their only son, Olaf, bade fair to become a
+redoubtable warrior. Though only fifteen, Olaf had reached full
+stature, was tall, fair, handsome, and stronger than most men. He wore
+his fair hair long, and always went bareheaded, for his great bodily
+strength defied even the bitter winter cold of Iceland, and he faced
+the winds clad in summer raiment only. With all his strength and
+beauty, Olaf was a loving and obedient son to Howard and Biargey, and
+the couple loved him as the apple of their eye.
+
+
+Olaf Meets Sigrid
+
+The men of Icefirth were wont to drive their sheep into the mountains
+during the summer, leave them there till autumn, and then, collecting
+the scattered flocks, to restore to each man his own branded sheep.
+One autumn the flocks were wild and shy, and it was found that many
+sheep had strayed in the hills. When those that had been gathered were
+divided Thorbiorn had lost at least sixty wethers, and was greatly
+vexed. Some weeks later Olaf Howardson went alone into the hills, and
+returned with all the lost sheep, having sought them with great toil
+and danger. Olaf drove the rest of the sheep home to their grateful
+owners, and then took Thorbiorn's to Bathstead. Reaching the house at
+noonday, he knocked on the door, and as all men sat at their noontide
+meal, the housekeeper, the fair Sigrid, went forth herself and saw
+Olaf.
+
+She greeted him courteously and asked his business, and he replied, "I
+have brought home Thorbiorn's wethers which strayed this autumn," and
+then the two talked together for a short time. Now Thorbiorn was
+curious to know what the business might be, and sent his nephew Vakr
+to see who was there; he went secretly and listened to the
+conversation between Sigrid and Olaf, but heard little, for Olaf was
+just saying, "Then I need not go in to Thorbiorn; thou, Sigrid, canst
+as well tell him where his sheep are now"; then he simply bade her
+farewell and turned away.
+
+[Illustration: Olaf and Sigrid]
+
+Vakr ran back into the hall, shouting and laughing, till Thorbiorn
+asked: "How now, nephew! Why makest thou such outcry? Who is there?"
+
+"It was Olaf Howardson, the great booby of Bluemire, bringing back the
+sheep thou didst lose in the autumn."
+
+"That was a neighbourly deed," said Thorbiorn.
+
+"Ah! but there was another reason for his coming, I think," said Vakr.
+"He and Sigrid had a long talk together, and I saw her put her arms
+round his neck; she seemed well pleased to greet him."
+
+"Olaf may be a brave man, but it is rash of him to anger me thus, by
+trying to steal away my housekeeper," said Thorbiorn, scowling
+heavily. Olaf had no thanks for his kindness, and was ill received
+whenever he came; yet he came often to see Sigrid, for he loved her,
+and tried to persuade her to wed him. Thorbiorn hated him the more for
+his open wooing, which he could not forbid.
+
+
+Thorbiorn Insults Olaf
+
+The next year, when harvest was over, and the sheep were brought home,
+again most of the missing sheep belonged to Thorbiorn, and again Olaf
+went to the mountains alone and brought back the stray ones. All
+thanked him, except the master of Bathstead, to whom Olaf drove back
+sixty wethers. Thorbiorn had grown daily more enraged at Olaf's
+popularity, his strength and beauty, and his evident love for Sigrid,
+and now chose this opportunity of insulting the bold youth who
+rivalled him in fame and in public esteem.
+
+Olaf reached Bathstead at noon, and seeing that all men were in the
+hall, he entered, and made his way to the dais where Thorbiorn sat;
+there he leaned on his axe, gazed steadily at the master, who gave him
+no single word of greeting. Then every one kept silence watching them
+both.
+
+At last Olaf broke the stillness by asking: "Why are you all dumb?
+There is no honour to those who say naught. I have stood here long
+enough and had no word of courteous greeting. Master Thorbiorn, I have
+brought home thy missing sheep."
+
+Vakr answered spitefully: "Yes, we all know that thou hast become the
+Icefirth sheep-drover; and we all know that thou hast come to claim
+some share of the sheep, as any other beggar might. Kinsman Thorbiorn,
+thou hadst better give him some little alms to satisfy him!"
+
+Olaf flushed angrily as he answered: "Nay, it is not for that I came;
+but, Thorbiorn, I will not seek thy lost sheep a third time." And as
+he turned and strode indignantly from the hall Vakr mocked and jeered
+at him. Yet Olaf passed forth in silence.
+
+The third year Olaf found and brought home all men's sheep but
+Thorbiorn's; and then Vakr spread the rumour that Olaf had stolen
+them, since he could not otherwise obtain a share of them. This rumour
+came at last to Howard's ears, and he upbraided Olaf, saying, when his
+son praised their mutton, "Yes, it is good, and it is really ours, not
+Thorbiorn's. It is terrible that we have to bear such injustice."
+
+Olaf said nothing, but, seizing the leg of mutton, flung it across the
+room; and Howard smiled at the wrath which his son could no longer
+suppress; perhaps, too, Howard longed to see Olaf in conflict with
+Thorbiorn.
+
+
+Olaf and the Wizard's Ghost
+
+While Howard was still upbraiding Olaf a widow entered, who had come
+to ask for help in a difficult matter. Her dead husband (a reputed
+wizard) returned to his house night after night as a dreadful ghost,
+and no man would live in the house. Would Howard come and break the
+spell and drive away the dreadful nightly visitant?
+
+"Alas!" replied Howard, "I am no longer young and strong. Why do you
+not ask Thorbiorn? He accounts himself to be chief here, and a
+chieftain should protect those in his country-side."
+
+"Nay," said the widow. "I am only too glad if Thorbiorn lets me alone.
+I will not meddle with him."
+
+Then said Olaf: "Father, I will go and try my strength with this
+ghost, for I am young and stronger than most, and I deem such a matter
+good sport."
+
+Accordingly Olaf went back with the widow, and slept in the hall that
+night, with a skin rug over him. At nightfall the dead wizard came in,
+ghastly, evil-looking, and terrible, and tore the skin from over Olaf;
+but the youth sprang up and wrestled with the evil creature, who
+seemed to have more than mortal strength. They fought grimly till the
+lights died out, and the struggle raged in the darkness up and down
+the hall, and finally out of doors. In the yard round the house the
+dead wizard fell, and Olaf knelt upon him and broke his back, and
+thought him safe from doing any mischief again. When Olaf returned to
+the hall men had rekindled the lights, and all made much of him, and
+tended his bruises and wounds, and counted him a hero indeed. His fame
+spread through the whole district, and he was greatly beloved by all
+men; but Thorbiorn hated him more than ever.
+
+Soon another quarrel arose, when a stranded whale, which came ashore
+on Howard's land, was adjudged to Thorbiorn. The lawman, Thorkel, was
+summoned to decide to whom the whale belonged, and came to view it.
+"It is manifestly theirs," said he falteringly, for he dreaded
+Thorbiorn's wrath. "Whose saidst thou?" cried Thorbiorn, coming to him
+menacingly, with drawn sword. "Thine," said Thorkel, with downcast
+eyes; and Thorbiorn triumphantly claimed and took the whale though the
+injustice of the decree was evident. Yet Olaf felt no ill-will to
+Thorbiorn, for Sigrid's sake, but contrived to render him another
+service.
+
+
+Olaf's Second Fight with the Ghost
+
+Brand the Strong, Thorbiorn's shepherd, could not drive his sheep one
+day. Olaf met him trying to get his frightened wethers home: it seemed
+an impossible task, because an uncanny human form, with waving arms,
+stood in a narrow bend of the path and drove them back and scattered
+them. Brand told Olaf all the tale, and when the two went to look,
+Olaf saw that the enemy was the ghost of the dead wizard whom he had
+fought before. "Which wilt thou do," said Olaf, "fight the wizard or
+gather thy sheep?"
+
+"I have no wish to fight the ghost; I will find my scattered sheep,"
+said Brand; "that is the easier task."
+
+Then Olaf ran at the ghost, who awaited him at the top of a high bank,
+and he and the wizard wrestled again with each other till they fell
+from the bank into a snowdrift, and so down to the sea-shore. There
+Olaf, whose strength had been tried to the utmost, had the upper hand,
+and again broke the back of the dead wizard; but, seeing that that had
+been of no avail before, he took the body, swam out to sea with it,
+and sank it deep in the firth. Ever after men believed that this part
+of the coast was dangerous to ships.
+
+Brand thanked the youth much for his help, and when he reached
+Bathstead related what Olaf had done for him. Thorbiorn said nothing,
+but Vakr sneered, and called Brand a coward for asking help of Olaf.
+The strife grew keen between them, almost to blows, and was only
+settled by Thorbiorn, who forbade Brand to praise Olaf or to accept
+help from him. His ill-will grew so evident to all men that Howard the
+Halt decided, in spite of Olaf's reluctance, to remove to a homestead
+on the other side of the firth, away from Thorbiorn's neighbourhood.
+
+
+Olaf Meets Thorbiorn
+
+That summer Thorbiorn decided to marry. He wooed a maiden who was
+sister of the wise Guest, who dwelt at the Mead, and Guest agreed to
+the match, on condition that Thorbiorn should renounce his injustice
+and evil ways; to this Thorbiorn assented, and the wedding was held
+shortly after. Thorbiorn had said nothing to his household of his
+proposed marriage, and Sigrid first heard of it when the wedding was
+over, and the bridal party would soon be riding home to Bathstead.
+Sigrid was very wroth that she must give up her control of the
+household to another, and refused to stay to serve under Thorbiorn's
+wife; accordingly she withdrew from Bathstead to a kinsman's house,
+taking all her goods with her. Thorbiorn raged furiously on his
+return, when he found that she was gone, for her wealth made a great
+difference to his comfort, and threatened dire punishment to all who
+had helped her. Olaf continued his wooing of Sigrid, and went to see
+her often in her kinsman's abode, and they loved each other greatly.
+
+One day when Olaf had been seeking some lost sheep he made his way to
+Sigrid's house, to talk with her as usual. As they stood near the
+house together and talked Sigrid looked suddenly anxious and said:
+
+"I see Thorbiorn and Vakr coming in a boat over the firth with weapons
+beside them, and I see the gleam of Thorbiorn's great sword Warflame.
+I fear they have done, or will do, some evil deed, and therefore I
+pray thee, Olaf, not to stay and meet them. He has hated thee for a
+long time, and the help thou didst give me to leave Bathstead did not
+mend matters. Go thy way now, and do not fall in with them."
+
+"I am not afraid," said Olaf. "I have done Thorbiorn no wrong, and I
+will not flee before him. He is only one man, as I am."
+
+"Alas!" Sigrid replied, "how canst thou, a stripling of eighteen, hope
+to stand before a grown man, a mighty champion, armed with a magic
+sword? Thy words and thoughts are brave, as thou thyself art, but the
+odds are too great for thee: they are two to one, since Vakr, ever
+spiteful and malicious, will not stand idle while thou art in combat
+with Thorbiorn."
+
+"Well," said Olaf, "I will not avoid them, but I will not seek a
+contest. If it must be so, I will fight bravely; thou shalt hear of my
+deeds."
+
+"No, that will never be; I will not live after thee to ask of them,"
+said Sigrid.
+
+"Farewell now; live long and happily!" said Olaf; and so they bade
+each other farewell, and Olaf left her there, and went down to the
+shore where his sheep lay. Thorbiorn and Vakr had just landed, and
+they greeted each other, and Olaf asked them their errand. "We go to
+my mother," said Vakr.
+
+"Let us go together," replied Olaf, "for my way is the same in part.
+But I am sorry that I must needs drive my sheep home, for Icefirth
+sheep-drovers will become proud if a great man like thee should join
+the trade, Thorbiorn."
+
+"Nay, I do not mind that," said Thorbiorn; so they all went on
+together; and as he went Olaf caught up a crooked cudgel with which to
+herd his sheep; he noticed, too, that Thorbiorn and Vakr kept trying
+to lag behind him, and he took care that they all walked abreast.
+
+
+The Combat
+
+When the three came near the house of Thordis, Vakr's mother, where
+the ways divided, Thorbiorn said: "Now, nephew Vakr, we need no longer
+delay what we would do." And then Olaf knew that he had fallen into
+their snare. He ran up a bank beside the road, and the two set on him
+from below, and he defended himself at first manfully with the crooked
+cudgel; but Thorbiorn's sword Warflame sliced this like a stalk of
+flax, and Olaf had to betake himself to his axe, and the fight went on
+for long.
+
+
+A New Enemy Comes
+
+The noise of the fray reached the ears of Thordis, Vakr's mother, in
+her house, so that she sent a boy to learn the cause, and when he told
+her that Olaf Howardson was fighting against Thorbiorn and Vakr she
+bade her second son go to the help of his kinsfolk.
+
+"I will not go," said he. "I would rather fight for Olaf than for
+them. It is a shame for two to set on one man, and they such great
+champions too. I will not be the third; I will not go."
+
+"Now I know that thou art a coward," sneered his mother. "Daughter,
+not son, thou art, too timid to help thy kinsfolk. I will show thee
+that I am a braver daughter than thou a son!"
+
+
+Olaf's Death
+
+By these words Thordis so enraged her son that he seized his axe and
+rushed from the house down the hill towards Olaf, who could not see
+the new-comer, because he stood with his back to the house. Coming
+close to Olaf, the new assailant drove the axe in deep between his
+shoulders, and when Olaf felt the blow he turned and with a mighty
+stroke slew his last enemy. Thereupon Thorbiorn thrust Olaf through
+with the sword Warflame, and he died. Then Thorbiorn took Olaf's
+teeth, which he smote from his jaw, wrapped them in a cloth, and
+carried them home.
+
+The news of the slaughter was at once told by Thorbiorn (for so long
+as homicide was not concealed it was not considered murder), and told
+fairly, so that all men praised Olaf for his brave defence, and
+lamented his death. But when men sought for the fair Sigrid she could
+not be found, and was seen no more from that day. She had loved Olaf
+greatly, had seen him fall, and could not live when he was dead; but
+no man knew where she died or was buried.
+
+The terrible news of Olaf's death came to Howard, and he sighed
+heavily and took to his bed for grief, and remained bedridden for
+twelve months, leaving his wife Biargey to manage the daily fishing
+and the farm. Men thought that Olaf would be for ever unavenged,
+because Howard was too feeble, and his adversary too mighty and too
+unjust.
+
+
+Howard Claims Wergild for Olaf
+
+When a year had passed away Biargey came to Howard where he lay in his
+bed, and bade him arise and go to Bathstead. Said she:
+
+"I would have thee claim wergild for our son, since a man that can no
+longer fight may well prove his valour by word of mouth, and if
+Thorbiorn should show any sign of justice thou shalt not claim too
+much."
+
+Howard replied: "I know it is a bootless errand to ask justice from
+Thorbiorn, but I will do thy will in this matter."
+
+So Howard went heavily, walking as an old man, to Bathstead, and,
+after the usual greetings, said:
+
+"I have come to thee, Thorbiorn, on a great matter--to claim wergild
+for my dead son Olaf, whom thou didst slay guiltless."
+
+Thorbiorn answered: "I have never yet paid a wergild, though I have
+slain many men--some say innocent men. But I am sorry for thee, since
+thou hast lost a brave son, and I will at least give thee something.
+There is an old horse named Dodderer out in the pastures, grey with
+age, sore-backed, too old to work; but thou canst take him home, and
+perhaps he will be some good, when thou hast fed him up."
+
+Now Howard was angered beyond speech. He reddened and turned straight
+to the door; and as he went down the hall Vakr shouted and jeered; but
+Howard said no word, good or bad. He returned home, and took to his
+bed for another year.
+
+[Illustration: Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn]
+
+
+Howard at the Thing
+
+In the second year Biargey again urged Howard to try for a wergild.
+She suggested that he should follow Thorbiorn to the Thing and try to
+obtain justice, for men loathed Thorbiorn's evil ways, and Howard
+would be sure to have many sympathizers. Howard was loath to go.
+"Thorbiorn, my son's slayer, has mocked me once; shall he mock me
+again where all the chieftains are assembled? I will not go to endure
+such shame!"
+
+To his surprise, Biargey urged her will, saying: "Thou wilt have
+friends, I know, since Guest will be there, and he is a just man, and
+will strive to bring about peace between thee and Thorbiorn. And
+hearken to me, and heed my words, husband! If Thorbiorn is condemned
+to pay thee money, and there is a large ring of assessors, it may be
+that when thou and he are in the ring together he will do something
+to grieve thee sorely. Then look thou well to it! If thy heart be
+light, make thou no peace; I am somewhat foresighted, and I know that
+then Olaf shall be avenged. But if thou be heavy-hearted, then do thou
+be reconciled to Thorbiorn, for I know that Olaf shall lie unatoned
+for."
+
+Howard replied: "Wife, I understand thee not, nor thy words, but this
+I know: I would do and bear all things if I might but obtain due
+vengeance for Olaf's death."
+
+At last Howard, impressed by his wife's half-prophetic words, roused
+himself, and rode away to the Thing; here he found shelter with a
+great chieftain, Steinthor of Ere, who was kind to the old man, and
+gave Howard a place in his booth. Steinthor praised Olaf's courage and
+manful defence, and bade his followers cherish the old man, and not
+arouse his grief for his dead son.
+
+
+Howard and Thorbiorn
+
+As the days wore on Howard did nothing towards obtaining compensation
+for his great loss, until Steinthor asked him why he took no action in
+the matter. Howard replied that he felt helpless against Thorbiorn's
+evil words and deeds; but Steinthor bade him try to win Guest to his
+side--then he would succeed. Howard took heart, and set off for the
+booth which Thorbiorn shared with Guest; but unhappily Guest was not
+there when Howard came. Thorbiorn greeted him and asked what matter
+had brought him, and Howard replied:
+
+"My grief for Olaf is yet deep in my heart; still I remember his
+death; and now again I come to claim a wergild for him."
+
+Thorbiorn answered: "Come to me at home in my own country, and I may
+do somewhat for thee, but I will not have thee whining against me
+here."
+
+Howard said: "If thou wilt do nothing here, I have proved that thou
+wilt do still less in thine own country; but I had hoped for help from
+other chieftains."
+
+Thorbiorn burst out wrathfully: "See! He will stir up other men
+against me! Get thee gone, old man, or thou shalt not escape a
+beating."
+
+Now Howard was greatly angered, and said: "Yes, old I am--too old and
+feeble to win respect; but the days have been when I would not have
+endured such wrong; yea, and if Olaf were still alive thou wouldst not
+have flouted me thus." As he left Thorbiorn's sight his grief and
+anger were so great that he did not notice Guest returning, but went
+heavily to Steinthor's booth, where he told all Thorbiorn's injustice,
+and won much sympathy.
+
+
+Guest and Howard
+
+When Guest had entered the booth he sat down beside Thorbiorn and
+said:
+
+"Who was the man whom I met leaving the booth just now?"
+
+"A wise question for a wise man to ask! How can I tell? So many come
+and go," said Thorbiorn.
+
+"But this was an old man, large of stature, lame in one knee; yet he
+looked a brave warrior, and he was so wrathful that he did not know
+where he went. He seemed a man likely to be lucky, too, and not one to
+be lightly wronged."
+
+"That must have been old Howard the Halt," said Thorbiorn. "He is a
+man from my district, who has come after me to the Thing."
+
+"Ah! Was it his brave son Olaf whom thou didst slay guiltless?"
+
+"Yes, certainly," returned Thorbiorn.
+
+"How hast thou kept the promise of better ways which thou didst make
+when thou didst marry my sister?" he asked; and Thorbiorn sat silent.
+"This wrong must be amended," said Guest, and sent an honourable man
+to bring Howard to him. Howard at first refused to face Thorbiorn
+again, but at last reluctantly consented to meet Guest, and when the
+latter had greeted him in friendly and honourable fashion he told the
+whole story, from the time of Thorbiorn's first jealousy of Olaf.
+
+Guest was horrified. "Heard ever man such injustice!" he cried. "Now,
+Thorbiorn, choose one of two things: either my sister shall no longer
+be thy wife, or thou shalt allow me to give judgment between Howard
+and thee."
+
+
+Guest's Judgment and the Payment of the Wergild
+
+Thorbiorn agreed to leave the matter in Guest's hands, and many men
+were called to make a ring as assessors, that all might be legally
+done, and Thorbiorn and Howard stood together in the ring. Then Guest
+gave judgment: "Thorbiorn, I cannot condemn thee to pay Howard all
+thou owest--with all thy wealth, thou hast not money enough for that;
+but for slaying Olaf thou shalt pay a threefold wergild. For the other
+wrongs thou hast done him, I, thy brother-in-law, will try to atone by
+gifts, and friendship, and all honour in my power, as long as we both
+live; and if he will come home to stay with me he shall be right
+welcome."
+
+Thorbiorn agreed to the award, saying carelessly: "I will pay him at
+home in my own country, if he will come to me when I have more
+leisure."
+
+"No," said Guest, who distrusted Thorbiorn, "thou shalt pay here, and
+now, fully; and I myself will pay one wergild, to help thee in
+atonement." When this was agreed Howard sat down in the ring, and
+Guest gave him the one wergild (a hundred of silver), which Howard
+received in the skirt of his cloak; and then Thorbiorn paid one
+wergild slowly, coin by coin, and said he had no more money; but Guest
+bade him pay it all.
+
+Then Thorbiorn drew out a cloth and untied it, saying, "He will surely
+count himself paid in full if I give him this!" and he flung into the
+old man's face, as he sat on the ground, the teeth of the dead Olaf,
+saying, "Here are thy son's teeth!"
+
+Howard sprang up, bleeding, mad with rage and grief. The silver rolled
+in all directions from his cloak as he came to his feet, but he heeded
+it not at all. Blinded with blood, and furious, he broke through the
+ring of assessors, dashed one of them to earth, and rushed away like a
+young man; but when he came to Steinthor's booth he lay as if dead,
+and spoke to no man.
+
+[Illustration: "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak"]
+
+Guest would have no more to do with Thorbiorn. "Thou hast no equal for
+cruelty and evil; thou shalt surely repent it," he said; and he rode
+to Bathstead, took his sister away, with all her wealth, and broke off
+his alliance with Thorbiorn, caring nothing for the shame he put upon
+so unjust a man.
+
+Howard went home, told Biargey all that had happened, and took to his
+bed again, a poor, old, helpless, miserable man; but his wife, who saw
+her presage beginning to come true, kept up her courage, rowed out
+fishing every day, and guided the household for yet another year.
+
+
+Biargey and her Brethren
+
+That summer, one day, as Biargey was rowed out to the fishing as
+usual, she saw Thorbiorn's boat coming up the firth, and bade her man
+take up the lines and go to meet him, and row round the cutter, while
+she talked with Thorbiorn. As Biargey's little boat approached the
+cutter Thorbiorn stopped his vessel for he saw that she would speak
+with him, and her boat circled round the cutter while she asked his
+business, and learnt that he was going with Vakr to meet a brother and
+nephew of his, to bring them to Bathstead, and that he expected to be
+away from home for a week. The little skiff had now passed completely
+round the motionless cutter, and Olaf's mother, having learnt all she
+wanted, bade her rower quit Thorbiorn; the little boat shot swiftly
+and suddenly away, leaving Thorbiorn with an uneasy sense of
+witchcraft. So disquieted did he feel that he would have pursued her
+and drowned "the old hag," as he called her, had he not been prevented
+by Brand the Strong, who had been helped in his need by Olaf.
+
+As the little craft shot away Biargey smiled mysteriously, and said to
+her rower: "Now I feel sure that Olaf my son will be avenged. I have
+work to do: let us not go home yet."
+
+"Where, then, shall we go?" asked the man.
+
+"To my brother Valbrand."
+
+
+Valbrand
+
+Now Valbrand was an old man who had been a mighty warrior in his
+youth, but had now settled down to a life of quiet and peace; he had,
+however, two promising sons, well-grown and manly youths. When
+Valbrand saw his sister he came to meet her, saying:
+
+"Welcome, sister! Seldom it is that we see thee. Wilt thou abide with
+us this night, or is thine errand one that craves haste?"
+
+"I must be home to-night," she replied, and added mysteriously: "But
+there is help I would fain ask of thee. Wilt thou lend me thy
+seal-nets? We have not enough to catch such fish as we need."
+
+Valbrand answered: "Willingly, and thou shalt choose for thyself. Here
+are three, one old and worn out, two new and untried; which wilt thou
+take?"
+
+"I will have the new ones, but I do not need them yet; keep them ready
+for the day when I shall send and ask for them," Biargey replied, and
+bade Valbrand farewell, and rowed away to her next brother.
+
+
+Thorbrand and Asbrand
+
+When Howard's wife came to her brother Thorbrand she was well received
+by him and his two sons, and here she asked for the loan of a
+trout-net, since she had not enough to catch the fish. Thorbrand
+offered her her choice--one old and worn out, or two new and untried
+nets; and again Biargey chose the new ones, and bade them be ready
+when the messenger came.
+
+From her third brother, Asbrand, who had only one son, Biargey asked a
+turf-cutter, as hers was not keen enough to cut all she wanted; again
+she was offered her choice, and chose the new, untried cutter, instead
+of the old, rusty, notched one. Then Biargey bade farewell to Asbrand,
+refusing his offer of hospitality, and went home to Howard, and told
+him of her quests and the promises she had received. The old couple
+knew what the promises meant, but they said nothing to each other
+about it.
+
+
+The Arousing of Howard
+
+When seven days had passed Biargey came to Howard, saying: "Arise now,
+and play the man, if thou wilt ever win vengeance for Olaf. Thou must
+do it now or never, since now the opportunity has come. Knowest thou
+not that to-day Thorbiorn returns to Bathstead, and thou must meet him
+to-day? And have I not found helpers for thee in my nephews? Thou wilt
+not need to face the strife alone."
+
+Hereupon Howard sprang up joyfully from his bed, and was no longer
+lame or halt, nor looked like an old man, but moved briskly, clad
+himself in good armour, and seemed a mighty warrior. His joy broke
+forth in words, and he chanted songs of gladness in vengeance, and joy
+in strife, and evil omen to the death-doomed foe. Thus gladly, with
+spear in hand, he went forth to find his enemy and avenge his son; but
+he turned and kissed his brave wife farewell, for he said: "It may
+well be that we shall not meet again." Biargey said: "Nay, we shall
+meet again, for I know that thou bearest a bold heart and a strong
+arm, and wilt do valiantly."
+
+
+Howard Gathers his Friends
+
+Howard and one fighting-man took their boat and rowed to Valbrand's
+house, and saw him and his sons making hay. Valbrand greeted Howard
+well, for he had not seen him for long, and begged him to stay there,
+but Howard would not. "I am in haste, and have come to fetch the two
+new seal-nets thou didst lend to my wife," he said; and Valbrand
+understood him well. He called to his sons, "Come hither, lads; here
+is your kinsman Howard, with mighty work on hand," and the two youths
+ran up hastily, leaving their hay-making. Valbrand went to the house,
+and returned bearing good weapons, which he gave to his sons, bidding
+them follow their kinsman Howard and help in his vengeance.
+
+They three went down to the boat, took their seats beside Howard's
+man, and rowed to Asbrand's house. There Howard asked for the promised
+new turf-cutter, and Asbrand's son, a tall and manly youth, joined the
+party. At their next visit, to Thorbrand's house, Howard asked for the
+two trout-nets, and Thorbrand's two sons, with one stout fighting-man,
+came gladly with their kinsman.
+
+
+Howard's Plan
+
+As they rowed away together one of the youths asked: "Why is it that
+thou hast no sword or axe, Uncle Howard?" Howard replied: "It may be
+that we shall meet Thorbiorn, and when the meeting is over I shall not
+be a swordless man, but it is likely that I shall have Warflame, that
+mighty weapon, the best of swords; and here I have a good spear."
+
+These words seemed to them all a good omen, and as they rowed towards
+Bathstead they saw a flock of ravens, which encouraged them yet more,
+since the raven was the bird of Odin, the haunter of fields of strife
+and bloodshed.
+
+When they reached Bathstead they sprang on the jetty, carried their
+boat over the ridge of shingle to the quiet pool by the boathouse, and
+hid themselves where they could see, but remain themselves unseen.
+Howard took command, and appointed their places, bidding them be wary,
+and not stir till he gave the word.
+
+
+Thorbiorn's Return
+
+Late that evening, just before dusk, Thorbiorn and Vakr came home,
+bringing their kinsmen with them, a party of ten in all. They had no
+suspicion of any ambush, and Thorbiorn said to Vakr: "It is a fine
+night, and dry, Vakr; we will leave the boat here--she will take no
+hurt through the night--and thou shalt carry our swords and spears up
+to the boathouse."
+
+Vakr obeyed, and bore all the weapons to the boathouse. Howard's men
+would have slain him then but Howard forbade, and let him return to
+the jetty for more armour. When Vakr had gone back Howard sent to the
+boathouse for the magic sword, Warflame; drawing it, he gripped it
+hard and brandished it, for he would fain avenge Olaf with the weapon
+which had slain him. When Vakr came towards the ambush a second time
+he was laden with shields and helmets. Howard's men sprang up to take
+him, and he turned to flee as he saw and heard them. But his foot
+slipped, and he fell into the pool, and lay there weighed down by all
+the armour, till he died miserably--a fitting end for one so ignoble
+and cruel.
+
+
+Thorbiorn's Death
+
+Howard's men shouted and waved their weapons, and ran down to the
+beach to attack their enemies; but Thorbiorn, seeing them, flung
+himself into the sea, swimming towards a small rocky islet. When
+Howard saw this he took Warflame between his teeth, and, old as he
+was, plunged into the waves and pursued Thorbiorn. The latter had,
+however, a considerable start, and was both younger and stronger than
+his adversary, so that he was already on the rock and prepared to dash
+a huge stone at Howard, when the old man reached the islet. Now there
+seemed no hope for Howard, but still he clung fiercely to the rock and
+strove to draw himself up on the land. Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone
+to cast at his foe, but his foot slipped on the wet rocks, and he fell
+backward; before he could recover his footing Howard rushed forward
+and slew him with his own sword Warflame, striking out his teeth, as
+Thorbiorn had done to Olaf.
+
+[Illustration: "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone"]
+
+When Howard swam back to Bathstead, and they told him that in all
+six of Thorbiorn's men were dead, while he had only lost one
+serving-man, he rejoiced greatly; but his vengeance was not satisfied
+until he had slain yet another brother of Thorbiorn's.
+
+
+Steinthor Shelters Howard
+
+Then, with the news of this great revenge to be told, Howard and his
+kinsmen took refuge with that Steinthor who had given him help and
+shelter during the Thing.
+
+"Who are ye, and what tidings do ye bring?" asked Steinthor as the
+little party of seven entered his hall.
+
+"I am Howard, and these are my kinsmen," said Howard. "We tell the
+slaying of Thorbiorn and his brothers, his nephews and his
+house-carles, eight in all."
+
+Steinthor exclaimed in surprise: "Art thou that Howard, old and
+bedridden, who didst seem like to die last year at the Thing, and hast
+thou done these mighty deeds with only these youths to aid thee? This
+is a great marvel, nearly as wondrous as thy restoration to youth and
+health. Great enmity will ye have aroused against you!"
+
+Said Howard: "Bethink thee that thou didst promise me thy help if I
+should ever need it. Therefore have I come to thee now, because I have
+some little need of aid."
+
+Steinthor laughed. "A little help! When dost thou think thou wilt need
+much, if this be not the time? But bide ye all here in honour, and I
+will set the matter right, since thou and these thy helpers have done
+so valiantly."
+
+
+The Thing and Guest's Award
+
+Howard and his kinsmen abode long with their host, until the Thing met
+again; then Steinthor rode away, leaving the uncle and nephews under
+good safeguard. It was a great meeting, with many cases to judge.
+When the matter of the death of Thorbiorn's family was brought up
+Steinthor spoke on Howard's behalf, and offered to let Guest again
+give judgment, since he had done so before. This offer was accepted by
+Thorbiorn's surviving kinsfolk, and Guest, as before, gave a fair
+award.
+
+Since a threefold wergild was still due to Howard for the slaying of
+Olaf, three of the eight dead need not be paid for. Thorbiorn, Vakr,
+and that brother of his slain by Olaf should continue unatoned for,
+because they were evildoers, and fell in an unrighteous quarrel of
+their own seeking; moreover, the slaying of Howard's serving-man
+cancelled one wergild; there remained, therefore, but one wergild for
+Howard to pay--one hundred of silver--which was paid out of hand. In
+addition to this, Howard must change his dwelling, and his nephews
+must travel abroad for some years. This sentence pleased all men
+greatly, and they broke up the Thing in great content, and Howard rode
+home at the head of a goodly company to his stout-hearted wife
+Biargey, who had kept his house and lands in good order all this time.
+They made a great feast, and gave rich gifts to all their friends and
+kinsmen; then when the farewells were over the exiles went abroad and
+did valiantly in Norway; but Howard sold his lands and moved to
+another part of the island. There he prospered greatly; and when he
+died his memory was handed down as that of a mighty warrior and a
+valiant and prudent man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII: ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE
+
+
+The Roland Legends
+
+Charles the Great, King of the Franks, world-famous as Charlemagne,
+won his undying renown by innumerable victories for France and for the
+Church. Charles as the head of the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope as
+the head of the Holy Catholic Church equally dominated the imagination
+of the mediaeval world. Yet in romance Charlemagne's fame has been
+eclipsed by that of his illustrious nephew and vassal, Roland, whose
+crowning glory has sprung from his last conflict and heroic death in
+the valley of Roncesvalles.
+
+    "Oh for a blast of that dread horn,
+    On Fontarabian echoes borne,
+    That to King Charles did come,
+    When Roland brave, and Olivier,
+    And every paladin and peer
+    On Roncesvalles died."
+
+    _Scott._
+
+Briefly, the historical facts are these: In A.D. 778 Charles was
+returning from an expedition into Spain, where the dissensions of the
+Moorish rulers had offered him the chance of extending his borders
+while he fought for the Christian faith against the infidel. He had
+taken Pampeluna, but had been checked before Saragossa, and had not
+ventured beyond the Ebro; he was now making his way home through the
+Pyrenees. When the main army had safely traversed the passes, the rear
+was suddenly attacked by an overwhelming body of mountaineers, Gascons
+and Basques, who, resenting the violation of their mountain
+sanctuaries, and longing for plunder, drove the Frankish rearguard
+into a little valley (now marked by the chapel of Ibagneta and still
+called Roncesvalles), and there slew every man.
+
+[Illustration: Charlemagne
+
+Stella Langdale]
+
+
+The Historic Basis
+
+The whole romantic legend of Roland has sprung from the simple words
+in a contemporary chronicle, "In which battle was slain Roland,
+prefect of the marches of Brittany."[12]
+
+This same fight of Roncesvalles was the theme of an archaic poem, the
+"Song of Altobiscar," written about 1835. In it we hear the exultation
+of the Basques as they see the knights of France fall beneath their
+onslaughts. The Basques are on the heights--they hear the trampling of
+a mighty host which throngs the narrow valley below: its numbers are
+as countless as the sands of the sea, its movement as resistless as
+the waves which roll those sands on the shore. Awe fills the bosoms of
+the mountain tribesmen, but their leader is undaunted. "Let us unite
+our strong arms!" he cries aloud. "Let us tear our rocks from their
+beds and hurl them upon the enemy! Let us crush and slay them all!" So
+said, so done: the rocks roll plunging into the valley, slaying whole
+troops in their descent. "And what mangled flesh, what broken bones,
+what seas of blood! Soon of that gallant band not one is left alive;
+night covers all, the eagles devour the flesh, and the bones whiten in
+this valley to all eternity!"
+
+
+A Spanish Version
+
+So runs the "Song of Altobiscar." But Spain too claims part of the
+honour of the day of Roncesvalles. True, Roland was in reality
+slain by Basques, not by Spaniards; but Spain, eager to share the
+honour, has glorified a national hero, Bernardo del Carpio, who, in
+the Spanish legend, defeats Roland in single combat and wins the day.
+
+
+The Italian Orlando
+
+Italy has laid claim to Roland, and in the guise of Orlando, Orlando
+Furioso, Orlando Innamorato, has made him into a fantastic, chivalrous
+knight, a hero of many magical adventures.
+
+
+Roland in French Literature
+
+Noblest of all, however, is the development of the "Roland Saga" in
+French literature; for, even setting aside much legendary lore and
+accumulated tradition, the Roland of the old epic is a perfect hero of
+the early days of feudalism, when chivalry was in its very beginnings,
+before the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary added the grace of courtesy
+to its heroism. Evidently Roland had grown in importance before the
+"Chanson de Roland" took its present form, for we find the rearguard
+skirmish magnified into a great battle, which manifestly contains
+recollections of later Saracen invasions and Gascon revolts. As befits
+the hero of an epic, Roland is now of royal blood, the nephew of the
+great emperor, who has himself increased in age and splendour; this
+heroic Roland can obviously only be overcome by the treachery of one
+of the Franks themselves, so there appears the traitor Ganelon (a
+Romance version of a certain Danilo or Nanilo), who is among the
+Twelve Peers what Judas was among the Apostles; the mighty Saracens,
+not the insignificant Basques, are now the victors; and the vengeance
+taken by Charlemagne on the Saracens and on the traitor is boldly
+added to history, which leaves the disaster unavenged. Thus the bare
+fact was embroidered over gradually by the historical imagination,
+aided by patriotism, until a really national hero was evolved out of
+an obscure Breton count.
+
+
+The "Chanson de Roland"
+
+The "Song of Roland," as we now have it, seems to be a late version of
+an Anglo-Norman poem, made by a certain Turoldus or Thorold; and it
+must bear a close resemblance to that chant which fired the soldiers
+of William the Norman at Hastings, when
+
+    "Taillefer, the noble singer,
+    On his war-horse swift and fiery,
+    Rode before the Norman host;
+    Tossed his sword in air and caught it,
+    Chanted loud the death of Roland,
+    And the peers who perished with him
+    At the pass of Roncevaux."
+
+    _Roman de Rou._
+
+The "Song of Roland" bears an intimate relation to the development of
+European thought, and the hero is doubly worth our study as hero and
+as type of national character. Thus runs the story:
+
+
+The Story
+
+The Emperor Charles the Great, Carolus Magnus, or Charlemagne, had
+been for seven years in Spain, and had conquered it from sea to sea,
+except Saragossa, which, among its lofty mountains, and ruled by its
+brave king Marsile, had defied his power. Marsile still held to his
+idols, Mahomet, Apollo, and Termagaunt, dreading in his heart the day
+when Charles would force him to become a Christian.
+
+
+The Saracen Council
+
+The Saracen king gathered a council around him, as he reclined on a
+seat of blue marble in the shade of an orchard, and asked the advice
+of his wise men.
+
+    "'My lords,' quoth he, 'you know our grievous state.
+    The mighty Charles, great lord of France the fair,
+    Has spread his hosts in ruin o'er our land.
+    No armies have I to resist his course,
+    No people have I to destroy his hosts.
+    Advise me now, what counsel shall I take
+    To save my race and realm from death and shame?'"
+
+
+Blancandrin's Advice
+
+A wily emir, Blancandrin, of Val-Fonde, was the only man who replied.
+He was wise in counsel, brave in war, a loyal vassal to his lord.
+
+    "'Fear not, my liege,' he answered the sad king.
+    'Send thou to Charles the proud, the arrogant,
+    And offer fealty and service true,
+    With gifts of lions, bears, and swift-foot hounds,
+    Seven hundred camels, falcons, mules, and gold--
+    As much as fifty chariots can convey--
+    Yea, gold enough to pay his vassals all.
+    Say thou thyself will take the Christian faith,
+    And follow him to Aix to be baptized.
+    If he demands thy hostages, then I
+    And these my fellows give our sons to thee,
+    To go with Charles to France, as pledge of truth.
+    Thou wilt not follow him, thou wilt not yield
+    To be baptized, and so our sons must die;
+    But better death than life in foul disgrace,
+    With loss of our bright Spain and happy days.'
+    So cried the pagans all; but Marsile sat
+    Thoughtful, and yet at last accepted all."
+
+
+An Embassy to Charlemagne
+
+Now King Marsile dismissed the council with words of thanks, only
+retaining near him ten of his most famous barons, chief of whom was
+Blancandrin; to them he said: "My lords, go to Cordova, where Charles
+is at this time. Bear olive-branches in your hands, in token of peace,
+and reconcile me with him. Great shall be your reward if you succeed.
+Beg Charles to have pity on me, and I will follow him to Aix within a
+month, will receive the Christian law, and become his vassal in love
+and loyalty."
+
+"Sire," said Blancandrin, "you shall have a good treaty!"
+
+The ten messengers departed, bearing olive-branches in their hands,
+riding on white mules, with reins of gold and saddles of silver, and
+came to Charles as he rested after the siege of Cordova, which he had
+just taken and sacked.
+
+
+Reception by Charlemagne
+
+Charlemagne was in an orchard with his Twelve Peers and fifteen
+thousand veteran warriors of France. The messengers from the heathen
+king reached this orchard and asked for the emperor; their gaze
+wandered over groups of wise nobles playing at chess, and groups of
+gay youths fencing, till at last it rested on a throne of solid gold,
+set under a pine-tree and overshadowed with eglantine. There sat
+Charles, the king who ruled fair France, with white flowing beard and
+hoary head, stately of form and majestic of countenance. No need was
+there of usher to cry: "Here sits Charles the King."
+
+[Illustration: "Here sits Charles the King"]
+
+The ambassadors greeted Charlemagne with all honour, and Blancandrin
+opened the embassy thus:
+
+"Peace be with you from God the Lord of Glory whom you adore! Thus
+says the valiant King Marsile: He has been instructed in your faith,
+the way of salvation, and is willing to be baptized; but you have been
+too long in our bright Spain, and should return to Aix. There will
+he follow you and become your vassal, holding the kingdom of Spain at
+your hand. Gifts have we brought from him to lay at your feet, for he
+will share his treasures with you!"
+
+
+He is Perplexed
+
+Charlemagne raised his hands in thanks to God, but then bent his head
+and remained thinking deeply, for he was a man of prudent mind,
+cautious and far-seeing, and never spoke on impulse. At last he said
+proudly: "Ye have spoken fairly, but Marsile is my greatest enemy: how
+can I trust your words?"
+
+Blancandrin replied: "He will give hostages, twenty of our noblest
+youths, and my own son will be among them. King Marsile will follow
+you to the wondrous springs of Aix-la-Chapelle, and on the feast of
+St. Michael will receive baptism in your court."
+
+Thus the audience ended. The messengers were feasted in a pavilion
+raised in the orchard, and the night passed in gaiety and
+good-fellowship.
+
+
+He Consults his Twelve Peers
+
+In the early morning Charlemagne arose and heard Mass; then, sitting
+beneath a pine-tree, he called the Twelve Peers to council. There came
+the twelve heroes, chief of them Roland and his loyal brother-in-arms
+Oliver; there came Archbishop Turpin; and, among a thousand loyal
+Franks, there came Ganelon the traitor. When all were seated in due
+order Charlemagne began:
+
+"My lords and barons, I have received an embassy of peace from King
+Marsile, who sends me great gifts and offers, but on condition that I
+leave Spain and return to Aix. Thither will he follow me, to receive
+the Faith, become a Christian and my vassal. Is he to be trusted?"
+
+"Let us beware," cried all the Franks.
+
+
+Roland Speaks
+
+Roland, ever impetuous, now rose without delay, and spoke: "Fair uncle
+and sire, it would be madness to trust Marsile. Seven years have we
+warred in Spain, and many cities have I won for you, but Marsile has
+ever been treacherous. Once before when he sent messengers with
+olive-branches you and the French foolishly believed him, and he
+beheaded the two counts who were your ambassadors to him. Fight
+Marsile to the end, besiege and sack Saragossa, and avenge those who
+perished by his treachery."
+
+
+Ganelon Objects
+
+Charlemagne looked out gloomily from under his heavy brows, he twisted
+his moustache and pulled his long white beard, but said nothing, and
+all the Franks remained silent, except Ganelon, whose hostility to
+Roland showed clearly in his words:
+
+"Sire, blind credulity were wrong and foolish, but follow up your own
+advantage. When Marsile offers to become your vassal, to hold Spain at
+your hand and to take your faith, any man who urges you to reject such
+terms cares little for our death! Let pride no longer be your
+counsellor, but hear the voice of wisdom."
+
+The aged Duke Naimes, the Nestor of the army, spoke next, supporting
+Ganelon: "Sire, the advice of Count Ganelon is wise, if wisely
+followed. Marsile lies at your mercy; he has lost all, and only begs
+for pity. It would be a sin to press this cruel war, since he offers
+full guarantee by his hostages. You need only send one of your barons
+to arrange the terms of peace."
+
+This advice pleased the whole assembly, and a murmur was heard: "The
+Duke has spoken well."
+
+
+"Who Shall Go to Saragossa?"
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send
+    To Saragossa to Marsile?'
+    'Sire, let me go,' replied Duke Naimes;
+    'Give me your glove and warlike staff.'
+    'No!' cried the king, 'my counsellor,
+    Thou shalt not leave me unadvised--
+    Sit down again; I bid thee stay.'
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send
+    To Saragossa to Marsile?'
+    'Sire, I can go,' quoth Roland bold.
+    'That canst thou not,' said Oliver;
+    'Thy heart is far too hot and fierce--
+    I fear for thee. But I will go,
+    If that will please my lord the King.'
+    'No!' cried the king, 'ye shall not go.
+    I swear by this white flowing beard
+    No peer shall undertake the task.'
+
+    "'My lords and peers, whom shall we send?'
+    Archbishop Turpin rose and spoke:
+    'Fair sire, let me be messenger.
+    Your nobles all have played their part;
+    Give me your glove and warlike staff,
+    And I will show this heathen king
+    In frank speech how a true knight feels.'
+    But wrathfully the king replied:
+    'By this white beard, thou shalt not go!
+    Sit down, and raise thy voice no more.'"
+
+
+Roland Suggests Ganelon
+
+"Knights of France," quoth Charlemagne, "choose me now one of your
+number to do my errand to Marsile, and to defend my honour valiantly,
+if need be."
+
+"Ah," said Roland, "then it must be Ganelon, my stepfather; for
+whether he goes or stays, you have none better than he!"
+
+This suggestion satisfied all the assembly, and they cried: "Ganelon
+will acquit himself right manfully. If it please the King, he is the
+right man to go."
+
+Charlemagne thought for a moment, and then, raising his head, beckoned
+to Ganelon. "Come hither, Ganelon," he said, "and receive this glove
+and staff, which the voice of all the Franks gives to thee."
+
+
+Ganelon is Angry
+
+"No," replied Ganelon, wrathfully. "This is the work of Roland, and I
+will never forgive him, nor his friends, Oliver and the other Peers.
+Here, in your presence, I bid them defiance!"
+
+"Your anger is too great," said Charlemagne; "you will go, since it is
+my will also."
+
+"Yes, I shall go, but I shall perish as did your two former
+ambassadors. Sire, forget not that your sister is my wife, and that
+Baldwin, my son, will be a valiant champion if he lives. I leave to
+him my lands and fiefs. Sire, guard him well, for I shall see him no
+more."
+
+"Your heart is too tender," said Charlemagne. "You must go, since such
+is my command."
+
+
+He Threatens Roland
+
+Ganelon, in rage and anguish, glared round the council, and his face
+drew all eyes, so fiercely he looked at Roland.
+
+"Madman," said he, "all men know that I am thy stepfather, and for
+this cause thou hast sent me to Marsile, that I may perish! But if I
+return I will be revenged on thee."
+
+"Madness and pride," Roland retorted, "have no terrors for me; but
+this embassy demands a prudent man not an angry fool: if Charles
+consents, I will do his errand for thee."
+
+"Thou shalt not. Thou art not my vassal, to do my work, and Charles,
+my lord, has given me his commands. I go to Saragossa; but there will
+I find some way to vent my anger."
+
+Now Roland began to laugh, so wild did his stepfather's threats seem,
+and the laughter stung Ganelon to madness. "I hate you," he cried to
+Roland; "you have brought this unjust choice on me." Then, turning to
+the emperor: "Mighty lord, behold me ready to fulfil your commands."
+
+
+But is Sent
+
+"Fair Lord Ganelon," spoke Charlemagne, "bear this message to Marsile.
+He must become my vassal and receive holy baptism. Half of Spain shall
+be his fief; the other half is for Count Roland. If Marsile does not
+accept these terms I will besiege Saragossa, capture the town, and
+lead Marsile prisoner to Aix, where he shall die in shame and torment.
+Take this letter, sealed with my seal, and deliver it into the king's
+own right hand."
+
+Thereupon Charlemagne held out his right-hand glove to Ganelon, who
+would fain have refused it. So reluctant was he to grasp it that the
+glove fell to the ground. "Ah, God!" cried the Franks, "what an evil
+omen! What woes will come to us from this embassy!" "You shall hear
+full tidings," quoth Ganelon. "Now, sire, dismiss me, for I have no
+time to lose." Very solemnly Charlemagne raised his hand and made the
+sign of the Cross over Ganelon, and gave him his blessing, saying,
+"Go, for the honour of Jesus Christ, and for your Emperor." So
+Ganelon took his leave, and returned to his lodging, where he prepared
+for his journey, and bade farewell to the weeping retainers whom he
+left behind, though they begged to accompany him. "God forbid," cried
+he, "that so many brave knights should die! Rather will I die alone.
+You, sirs, return to our fair France, greet well my wife, guard my son
+Baldwin, and defend his fief!"
+
+
+He Plots with Marsile's Messengers
+
+Then Ganelon rode away, and shortly overtook the ambassadors of the
+Moorish king, for Blancandrin had delayed their journey to accompany
+him, and the two envoys began a crafty conversation, for both were
+wary and skilful, and each was trying to read the other's mind. The
+wily Saracen began:
+
+    "'Ah! what a wondrous king is Charles!
+    How far and wide his conquests range!
+    The salt sea is no bar to him:
+    From Poland to far England's shores
+    He stretches his unquestioned sway;
+    But why seeks he to win bright Spain?'
+    'Such is his will,' quoth Ganelon;
+    'None can withstand his mighty power!'
+
+    "'How valiant are the Frankish lords
+    But how their counsel wrongs their king
+    To urge him to this long-drawn strife--
+    They ruin both themselves and him!'
+    'I blame not them,' quoth Ganelon,
+    'But Roland, swollen with fatal pride.
+    Near Carcassonne he brought the King
+    An apple, crimson streaked with gold:
+    "Fair sire," quoth he, "here at your feet
+    I lay the crowns of all the kings."
+    If he were dead we should have peace!'
+
+    "'How haughty must this Roland be
+    Who fain would conquer all the earth!
+    Such pride deserves due chastisement!
+    What warriors has he for the task?'
+    'The Franks of France,' quoth Ganelon,
+    'The bravest warriors 'neath the sun!
+    For love alone they follow him
+    (Or lavish gifts which he bestows)
+    To death, or conquest of the world!'"
+
+[Illustration: "Ganelon rode away"]
+
+
+To Betray Roland
+
+The bitterness in Ganelon's tone at once struck: Blancandrin, who cast
+a glance at him and saw the Frankish envoy trembling with rage. He
+suddenly addressed Ganelon in whispered tones: "Hast thou aught
+against the nephew of Charles? Wouldst thou have revenge on Roland?
+Deliver him to us, and King Marsile will share with thee all his
+treasures." Ganelon was at first horrified, and refused to hear more,
+but so well did Blancandrin argue and so skilfully did he lay his
+snare that before they reached Saragossa and came to the presence of
+King Marsile it was agreed that Roland should be destroyed by their
+means.
+
+
+Ganelon with the Saracens
+
+Blancandrin and his fellow ambassadors conducted Ganelon into the
+presence of the Saracen king, and announced Charlemagne's peaceable
+reception of their message and the coming of his envoy. "Let him
+speak: we listen," said Marsile.
+
+Ganelon then began artfully: "Peace be to you in the name of the Lord
+of Glory whom we adore! This is the message of King Charles: You shall
+receive the Holy Christian Faith, and Charles will graciously grant
+you one-half of Spain as a fief; the other half he intends for his
+nephew Roland (and a haughty partner you will find him!). If you
+refuse he will take Saragossa, lead you captive to Aix, and give you
+there to a shameful death."
+
+
+Marsile's Anger
+
+Marsile's anger was so great at this insulting message that he sprang
+to his feet, and would have slain Ganelon with his gold-adorned
+javelin; but he, seeing this, half drew his sword, saying:
+
+    "'Sword, how fair and bright thou art!
+    Come thou forth and view the light.
+    Long as I can wield thee here
+    Charles my Emperor shall not say
+    That I die alone, unwept.
+    Ere I fall Spain's noblest blood
+    Shall be shed to pay my death.'"
+
+
+The Saracen Council
+
+However, strife was averted, and Ganelon received praise from all for
+his bold bearing and valiant defiance of his king's enemy. When quiet
+was restored he repeated his message and delivered the emperor's
+letter, which was found to contain a demand that the caliph, Marsile's
+uncle, should be sent, a prisoner, to Charles, in atonement for the
+two ambassadors foully slain before. The indignation of the Saracen
+nobles was intense, and Ganelon was in imminent danger, but, setting
+his back against a pine-tree, he prepared to defend himself to the
+last. Again the quarrel was stayed, and Marsile, taking his most
+trusted leaders, withdrew to a secret council, whither, soon,
+Blancandrin led Ganelon. Here Marsile excused his former rage, and, in
+reparation, offered Ganelon a superb robe of marten's fur, which was
+accepted; and then began the tempting of the traitor. First demanding
+a pledge of secrecy, Marsile pitied Charlemagne, so aged and so weary
+with rule. Ganelon praised his emperor's prowess and vast power.
+Marsile repeated his words of pity, and Ganelon replied that as long
+as Roland and the Twelve Peers lived Charlemagne needed no man's pity
+and feared no man's power; his Franks, also, were the best living
+warriors. Marsile declared proudly that he could bring four hundred
+thousand men against Charlemagne's twenty thousand French; but Ganelon
+dissuaded him from any such expedition.
+
+
+Ganelon Plans Treachery
+
+    "'Not thus will you overcome him;
+    Leave this folly, turn to wisdom.
+    Give the Emperor so much treasure
+    That the Franks will be astounded.
+    Send him, too, the promised pledges,
+    Sons of all your noblest vassals.
+    To fair France will Charles march homeward,
+    Leaving (as I will contrive it)
+    Haughty Roland in the rearguard.
+    Oliver, the bold and courteous,
+    Will be with him: slay those heroes,
+    And King Charles will fall for ever!'
+    'Fair Sir Ganelon,' quoth Marsile,
+    'How must I entrap Count Roland?'
+    'When King Charles is in the mountains
+    He will leave behind his rearguard
+    Under Oliver and Roland.
+    Send against them half your army:
+    Roland and the Peers will conquer,
+    But be wearied with the struggle--
+    Then bring on your untired warriors.
+    France will lose this second battle,
+    And when Roland dies, the Emperor
+    Has no right hand for his conflicts--
+    Farewell all the Frankish greatness!
+    Ne'er again can Charles assemble
+    Such a mighty host for conquest,
+    And you will have peace henceforward!'"
+
+
+Welcomed by Marsile
+
+Marsile was overjoyed at the treacherous advice and embraced and
+richly rewarded the felon knight. The death of Roland and the Peers
+was solemnly sworn between them, by Marsile on the book of the Law of
+Mahomet, by Ganelon on the sacred relics in the pommel of his sword.
+Then, repeating the compact between them, and warning Ganelon against
+treason to his friends, Marsile dismissed the treacherous envoy who
+hastened to return and put his scheme into execution.
+
+
+Ganelon Returns to Charles
+
+In the meantime Charles had retired as far as Valtierra, on his way to
+France, and there Ganelon found him, and delivered the tribute, the
+keys of Saragossa, and a false message excusing the absence of the
+caliph. He had, so Marsile said, put to sea with three hundred
+thousand warriors who would not renounce their faith, and all had been
+drowned in a tempest, not four leagues from land. Marsile would obey
+King Charles's commands in all other respects. "Thank God!" cried
+Charlemagne. "Ganelon, you have done well, and shall be well
+rewarded!"
+
+
+The French Camp. Charles Dreams
+
+Now the whole Frankish army marched towards the Pyrenees, and, as
+evening fell, found themselves among the mountains, where Roland
+planted his banner on the topmost summit, clear against the sky, and
+the army encamped for the night; but the whole Saracen host had also
+marched and encamped in a wood not far from the Franks. Meanwhile, as
+Charlemagne slept he had dreams of evil omen. Ganelon, in his dreams,
+seized the imperial spear of tough ash-wood, and broke it, so that
+the splinters flew far and wide. In another dream he saw himself at
+Aix attacked by a leopard and a bear, which tore off his right arm; a
+greyhound came to his aid but he knew not the end of the fray, and
+slept unhappily.
+
+
+A Morning Council
+
+When morning light shone, and the army was ready to march, the
+clarions of the host sounded gaily, and Charlemagne called his barons
+around him.
+
+    "'My lords and Peers, ye see these strait defiles:
+    Choose ye to whom the rearguard shall be given.'
+    'My stepson Roland,' straight quoth Ganelon.
+    ''Mid all the Peers there is no braver knight:
+    In him will lie the safety of your host.'
+    Charles heard in wrath, and spoke in angry tones:
+    'What fiendish rage has prompted this advice?
+    Who then will go before me in the van?'
+    The traitor tarried not, but answered swift:
+    'Ogier the Dane will do that duty best.'"
+
+When Roland heard that he was to command the rearguard he knew not
+whether to be pleased or not. At first he thanked Ganelon for naming
+him. "Thanks, fair stepfather, for sending me to the post of danger.
+King Charles shall lose no man nor horse through my neglect." But when
+Ganelon replied sneeringly, "You speak the truth, as I know right
+well," Roland's gratitude turned to bitter anger, and he reproached
+the villain. "Ah, wretch! disloyal traitor! thou thinkest perchance
+that I, like thee, shall basely drop the glove, but thou shalt see!
+Sir King, give me your bow. I will not let my badge of office fall, as
+thou didst, Ganelon, at Cordova. No evil omen shall assail the host
+through me."
+
+
+Roland for the Rearguard
+
+Charlemagne was very loath to grant his request, but on the advice of
+Duke Naimes, most prudent of counsellors, he gave to Roland his bow,
+and offered to leave with him half the army. To this the champion
+would not agree, but would only have twenty thousand Franks from fair
+France. Roland clad himself in his shining armour, laced on his lordly
+helmet, girt himself with his famous sword Durendala, and hung round
+his neck his flower-painted shield; he mounted his good steed
+Veillantif, and took in hand his bright lance with the white pennon
+and golden fringe; then, looking like the Archangel St. Michael, he
+rode forward, and easy it was to see how all the Franks loved him and
+would follow where he led. Beside him rode the famous Peers of France,
+Oliver the bold and courteous, the saintly Archbishop Turpin, and
+Count Gautier, Roland's loyal vassal. They chose carefully the twenty
+thousand French for the rearguard, and Roland sent Gautier with one
+thousand of their number to search the mountains. Alas! they never
+returned, for King Almaris, a Saracen chief, met and slew them all
+among the hills; and only Gautier, sorely wounded and bleeding to
+death, returned to Roland in the final struggle.
+
+Charlemagne spoke a mournful "Farewell" to his nephew and the
+rearguard, and the mighty army began to traverse the gloomy ravine
+through the dark masses of rocks, and to emerge on the other side of
+the Pyrenees. All wept, most for joy to set eyes on that dear land of
+fair France, which for seven years they had not seen; but Charles,
+with a sad foreboding of disaster, hid his eyes beneath his cloak and
+wept in silence.
+
+
+Charles is Sad
+
+"What grief weighs on your mind, sire?" asked the wise Duke Naimes,
+riding up beside Charlemagne.
+
+"I mourn for my nephew. Last night in a vision I saw Ganelon break my
+trusty lance--this Ganelon who has sent Roland to the rear. And now I
+have left Roland in a foreign land, and, O God! if I lose him I shall
+never find his equal!" And the emperor rode on in silence, seeing
+naught but his own sad foreboding visions.
+
+
+The Saracen Pursuit
+
+Meanwhile King Marsile, with his countless Saracens, had pursued so
+quickly that the van of the heathen army soon saw waving the banners
+of the Frankish rear. Then as they halted before the strife began, one
+by one the nobles of Saragossa, the champions of the Moors, advanced
+and claimed the right to measure themselves against the Twelve Peers
+of France. Marsile's nephew received the royal glove as chief
+champion, and eleven Saracen chiefs took a vow to slay Roland and
+spread the faith of Mahomet.
+
+"Death to the rearguard! Roland shall die! Death to the Peers! Woe to
+France and Charlemagne! We will bring the Emperor to your feet! You
+shall sleep at St. Denis! Down with fair France!" Such were their
+confident cries as they armed for the conflict; and on their side no
+less eager were the Franks.
+
+"Fair Sir Comrade," said Oliver to Roland, "methinks we shall have a
+fray with the heathen."
+
+"God grant it," returned Roland. "Our duty is to hold this pass for
+our king. A vassal must endure for his lord grief and pain, heat and
+cold, torment and death; and a knight's duty is to strike mighty
+blows, that men may sing of him, in time to come, no evil songs.
+Never shall such be sung of me."
+
+
+Oliver Descries the Saracens
+
+Hearing a great tumult, Oliver ascended a hill and looked towards
+Spain, where he perceived the great pagan army, like a gleaming sea,
+with shining hauberks and helms flashing in the sun. "Alas! we are
+betrayed! This treason is plotted by Ganelon, who put us in the rear,"
+he cried. "Say no more," said Roland; "blame him not in this: he is my
+stepfather."
+
+Now Oliver alone had seen the might of the pagan array, and he was
+appalled by the countless multitudes of the heathens. He descended
+from the hill and appealed to Roland.
+
+
+Roland will not Blow his Horn
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn,
+    Your great Olifant, far-sounding:
+    Charles will hear it and return here.'
+    'Cowardice were that,' quoth Roland;
+    'In fair France my fame were tarnished.
+    No, these Pagans all shall perish
+    When I brandish Durendala.'
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn:
+    Charles will hear it and return here.'
+    'God forbid it,' Roland answered,
+    'That it e'er be sung by minstrels
+    I was asking help in battle
+    From my King against these Pagans.
+    I will ne'er do such dishonour
+    To my kinsmen and my nation.
+    No, these heathen all shall perish
+    When I brandish Durendala.'
+
+    "'Comrade Roland, sound your war-horn
+    Charles will hear it and return here.
+    See how countless are the heathen
+    And how small our Frankish troop is!'
+    'God forbid it,' answered Roland,
+    'That our fair France be dishonoured
+    Or by me or by my comrades--
+    Death we choose, but not dishonour!'"
+
+Roland was a valiant hero, but Oliver had prudence as well as valour,
+and his advice was that of a good and careful general. Now he spoke
+reproachfully.
+
+
+It is Too Late
+
+"Ah, Roland, if you had sounded your magic horn the king would soon be
+here, and we should not perish! Now look to the heights and to the
+mountain passes: see those who surround us. None of us will see the
+light of another day!"
+
+"Speak not so foolishly," retorted Roland. "Accursed be all cowards,
+say I." Then, softening his tone a little, he continued: "Friend and
+comrade, say no more. The emperor has entrusted to us twenty thousand
+Frenchmen, and not a coward among them. Lay on with thy lance, Oliver,
+and I will strike with Durendala. If I die men shall say: 'This was
+the sword of a noble vassal.'"
+
+
+Turpin Blesses the Knights
+
+Then spoke the brave and saintly Archbishop Turpin. Spurring his
+horse, he rode, a gallant figure, to the summit of a hill, whence he
+called aloud to the Frankish knights:
+
+    "'Fair sirs and barons, Charles has left us here
+    To serve him, or at need to die for him.
+    See, yonder come the foes of Christendom,
+    And we must fight for God and Holy Faith.
+    Now, say your shrift, and make your peace with Heaven;
+    I will absolve you and will heal your souls;
+    And if you die as martyrs, your true home
+    Is ready midst the flowers of Paradise!'"
+
+The Frankish knights, dismounting, knelt before Turpin, who blessed
+and absolved them all, bidding them, as penance, to strike hard
+against the heathen.
+
+Then Roland called his brother-in-arms, the brave and courteous
+Oliver, and said: "Fair brother, I know now that Ganelon has betrayed
+us for reward and Marsile has bought us; but the payment shall be made
+with our swords, and Charlemagne will terribly avenge us."
+
+
+"Montjoie! Montjoie!"
+
+While the two armies yet stood face to face in battle array Oliver
+replied: "What good is it to speak? You would not sound your horn, and
+Charles cannot help us; he is not to blame. Barons and lords, ride on
+and yield not. In God's name fight and slay, and remember the war-cry
+of our Emperor." And at the words the war-cry of "Montjoie! Montjoie!"
+burst from the whole army as they spurred against the advancing
+heathen host.
+
+
+The Fray
+
+Great was the fray that day, deadly was the combat, as the Moors and
+Franks crashed together, shouting their cries, invoking their gods or
+saints, wielding with utmost courage sword, lance, javelin, scimitar,
+or dagger. Blades flashed, lances were splintered, helms were cloven
+in that terrible fight of heroes. Each of the Twelve Peers did mighty
+feats of arms. Roland himself slew the nephew of King Marsile, who had
+promised to bring Roland's head to his uncle's feet, and bitter were
+the words that Roland hurled at the lifeless body of his foe, who had
+but just before boasted that Charlemagne should lose his right hand.
+Oliver slew the heathen king's brother, and one by one the Twelve
+Peers proved their mettle on the twelve champions of King Marsile, and
+left them dead or mortally wounded on the field. Wherever the battle
+was fiercest and the danger greatest, where help was most needed,
+there Roland spurred to the rescue, swinging Durendala, and, falling
+on the heathen like a thunderbolt of war, turned the tide of battle
+again and yet again.
+
+    "Red was Roland, red with bloodshed:
+    Red his corselet, red his shoulders,
+    Red his arm, and red his charger."
+
+Like the red god Mars he rode through the battle; and as he went he
+met Oliver, with the truncheon or a spear in his grasp.
+
+    "'Friend, what hast thou there?' cried Roland.
+    'In this game 'tis not a distaff,
+    But a blade of steel thou needest.
+    Where is now Hauteclaire, thy good sword,
+    Golden-hilted, crystal-pommeled?'
+    'Here,' said Oliver; 'so fight I
+    That I have not time to draw it.'
+    'Friend,' quoth Roland, 'more I love thee
+    Ever henceforth than a brother.'"
+
+
+The Saracens Perish
+
+Thus the battle continued, most valiantly contested by both sides, and
+the Saracens died by hundreds and thousands, till all their host lay
+dead but one man, who fled wounded, leaving the Frenchmen masters of
+the field, but in sorry plight--broken were their swords and lances,
+rent their hauberks, torn and blood-stained their gay banners and
+pennons, and many, many of their brave comrades lay lifeless. Sadly
+they looked round on the heaps of corpses, and their minds were filled
+with grief as they thought of their companions, of fair France which
+they should see no more, and of their emperor who even now awaited
+them while they fought and died for him. Yet they were not
+discouraged; loudly their cry re-echoed, "Montjoie! Montjoie!" as
+Roland cheered them on, and Turpin called aloud: "Our men are heroes;
+no king under heaven has better. It is written in the Chronicles of
+France that in that great land it is our king's right to have valiant
+soldiers."
+
+
+A Second Saracen Army
+
+While they sought in tears the bodies of their friends, the main army
+of the Saracens, under King Marsile in person, came upon them; for the
+one fugitive who had escaped had urged Marsile to attack again at
+once, while the Franks were still weary. The advice seemed good to
+Marsile, and he advanced at the head of a hundred thousand men, whom
+he now hurled against the French in columns of fifty thousand at a
+time; and they came on right valiantly, with clarions sounding and
+trumpets blowing.
+
+    "'Soldiers of the Lord,' cried Turpin,
+    'Be ye valiant and steadfast,
+    For this day shall crowns be given you
+    Midst the flowers of Paradise.
+    In the name of God our Saviour,
+    Be ye not dismayed nor frighted,
+    Lest of you be shameful legends
+    Chanted by the tongue of minstrels.
+    Rather let us die victorious,
+    Since this eve shall see us lifeless!--
+    Heaven has no room for cowards!
+    Knights, who nobly fight, and vainly,
+    Ye shall sit amid the holy
+    In the blessed fields of Heaven.
+    On then, Friends of God, to glory!'"
+
+And the battle raged anew, with all the odds against the small handful
+of French, who knew they were doomed, and fought as though they were
+"fey."[13]
+
+
+Gloomy Portents
+
+Meanwhile the whole course of nature was disturbed. In France there
+were tempests of wind and thunder, rain and hail; thunderbolts fell
+everywhere, and the earth shook exceedingly. From Mont St. Michel to
+Cologne, from Besancon to Wissant, not one town could show its walls
+uninjured, not one village its houses unshaken. A terrible darkness
+spread over all the land, only broken when the heavens split asunder
+with the lightning-flash. Men whispered in terror: "Behold the end of
+the world! Behold the great Day of Doom!" Alas! they knew not the
+truth: it was the great mourning for the death of Roland.
+
+
+Many French Knights Fall
+
+In this second battle the French champions were weary, and before long
+they began to fall before the valour of the newly arrived Saracen
+nobles. First died Engelier the Gascon, mortally wounded by the lance
+of that Saracen who swore brotherhood to Ganelon; next Samson, and the
+noble Duke Anseis. These three were well avenged by Roland and Oliver
+and Turpin. Then in quick succession died Gerin and Gerier and other
+valiant Peers at the hands of Grandoigne, until his death-dealing
+career was cut short by Durendala. Another desperate single combat was
+won by Turpin, who slew a heathen emir "as black as molten pitch."
+
+
+The Second Army Defeated
+
+Finally this second host of the heathens gave way and fled, begging
+Marsile to come and succour them; but now of the victorious French
+there were but sixty valiant champions left alive, including Roland,
+Oliver, and the fiery prelate Turpin.
+
+
+A Third Appears
+
+Now the third host of the pagans began to roll forward upon the
+dauntless little band, and in the short breathing-space before the
+Saracens again attacked them Roland cried aloud to Oliver:
+
+    "'Fair Knight and Comrade, see these heroes,
+    Valiant warriors, lying lifeless!
+    I must mourn for our fair country
+    France, left widowed of her barons.
+    Charles my King, why art thou absent?
+    Brother mine, how shall we send him
+    Mournful tidings of our struggle?'
+    'How I know not,' said his comrade.
+    'Better death than vile dishonour.'"
+
+
+Roland Willing to Blow his Horn
+
+    "'Comrade, I will blow my war-horn:
+    Charles will hear it in the passes
+    And return with all his army.'
+    Oliver quoth: ''Twere disgraceful
+    To your kinsmen all their life-days.
+    When I urged it, then you would not;
+    Now, to sound your horn is shameful,
+    And I never will approve it.'"
+
+
+Oliver Objects. They Quarrel
+
+    "'See, the battle goes against us:
+    Comrade, I shall sound my war-horn.'
+    Oliver replied: 'O coward!
+    When I urged it, then you would not.
+    If fair France again shall greet me
+    You shall never wed my sister;
+    By this beard of mine I swear it!'
+
+    "'Why so bitter and so wrathful?'
+    Oliver returned: ''Tis thy fault;
+    Valour is not kin to madness,
+    Temperance knows naught of fury.
+    You have killed these noble champions,
+    You have slain the Emperor's vassals,
+    You have robbed us of our conquests.
+    Ah, your valour, Count, is fatal!
+    Charles must lose his doughty heroes,
+    And your league with me must finish
+    With this day in bitter sorrow.'"
+
+
+Turpin Mediates
+
+Archbishop Turpin heard the dispute, and strove to calm the angry
+heroes. "Brave knights, be not so enraged. The horn will not save the
+lives of these gallant dead, but it will be better to sound it, that
+Charles, our lord and emperor, may return, may avenge our death and
+weep over our corpses, may bear them to fair France, and bury them in
+the sanctuary, where the wild beasts shall not devour them." "That is
+well said," quoth Roland and Oliver.
+
+
+The Horn is Blown
+
+Then at last Roland put the carved ivory horn, the magic Olifant, to
+his lips, and blew so loudly that the sound echoed thirty leagues
+away. "Hark! our men are in combat!" cried Charlemagne; but Ganelon
+retorted: "Had any but the king said it, that had been a lie."
+
+A second time Roland blew his horn, so violently and with such anguish
+that the veins of his temples burst, and the blood flowed from his
+brow and from his mouth. Charlemagne, pausing, heard it again, and
+said: "That is Roland's horn; he would not sound it were there no
+battle." But Ganelon said mockingly: "There is no battle, for Roland
+is too proud to sound his horn in danger. Besides, who would dare to
+attack Roland, the strong, the valiant, great and wonderful Roland? No
+man. He is doubtless hunting, and laughing with the Peers. Your
+words, my liege, do but show how old and weak and doting you are. Ride
+on, sire; the open country lies far before you."
+
+[Illustration: "Charlemagne heard it again"]
+
+When Roland blew the horn for the third time he had hardly breath to
+awaken the echoes; but still Charlemagne heard. "How faintly comes the
+sound! There is death in that feeble blast!" said the emperor; and
+Duke Naimes interrupted eagerly: "Sire, Roland is in peril; some one
+has betrayed him--doubtless he who now tries to beguile you! Sire,
+rouse your host, arm for battle, and ride to save your nephew."
+
+
+Ganelon Arrested
+
+Then Charlemagne called aloud: "Hither, my men. Take this traitor
+Ganelon and keep him safe till my return." And the kitchen folk seized
+the felon knight, chained him by the neck, and beat him; then, binding
+him hand and foot, they flung him on a sorry nag, to be borne with
+them till Charles should demand him at their hands again.
+
+
+Charles Returns
+
+With all speed the whole army retraced their steps, turning their
+faces to Spain, and saying: "Ah, if we could find Roland alive what
+blows we would strike for him!" Alas! it was too late! Too late!
+
+How lofty are the peaks, how vast and shadowy the mountains! How dim
+and gloomy the passes, how deep the valleys! How swift the rushing
+torrents! Yet with headlong speed the Frankish army hastens back, with
+trumpets sounding in token of approaching help, all praying God to
+preserve Roland till they come. Alas! they cannot reach him in time!
+Too late. Too late!
+
+
+Roland Weeps for his Comrades
+
+Now Roland cast his gaze around on hill and valley, and saw his noble
+vassals and comrades lie dead. As a noble knight he wept for them,
+saying:
+
+    "'Fair Knights, may God have mercy on your souls!
+    May He receive you into Paradise
+    And grant you rest on banks of heavenly flowers!
+    Ne'er have I known such mighty men as you.
+    Fair France, that art the best of all dear lands,
+    How art thou widowed of thy noble sons!
+    Through me alone, dear comrades, have you died,
+    And yet through me no help nor safety comes.
+    God have you in His keeping! Brother, come,
+    Let us attack the heathen and win death,
+    Or grief will slay me! Death is duty now.'"
+
+
+He Fights Desperately
+
+So saying, he rushed into the battle, slew the only son of King
+Marsile, and drove the heathen before him as the hounds drive the
+deer. Turpin saw and applauded. "So should a good knight do, wearing
+good armour and riding a good steed. He must deal good strong strokes
+in battle, or he is not worth a groat. Let a coward be a monk in some
+cloister and pray for the sins of us fighters."
+
+Marsile in wrath attacked the slayer of his son, but in vain; Roland
+struck off his right hand, and Marsile fled back mortally wounded to
+Saragossa, while his main host, seized with panic, left the field to
+Roland. However, the caliph, Marsile's uncle, rallied the ranks, and,
+with fifty thousand Saracens, once more came against the little troop
+of Champions of the Cross, the three poor survivors of the rearguard.
+
+Roland cried aloud: "Now shall we be martyrs for our faith. Fight
+boldly, lords, for life or death! Sell yourselves dearly! Let not fair
+France be dishonoured in her sons. When the Emperor sees us dead with
+our slain foes around us he will bless our valour."
+
+
+Oliver Falls
+
+The pagans were emboldened by the sight of the three alone, and the
+caliph, rushing at Oliver, pierced him from behind with his lance. But
+though mortally wounded Oliver retained strength enough to slay the
+caliph, and to cry aloud: "Roland! Roland! Aid me!" then he rushed on
+the heathen army, doing heroic deeds and shouting "Montjoie!
+Montjoie!" while the blood ran from his wound and stained the earth
+blood-red. At this woeful sight Roland swooned with grief, and Oliver,
+faint from loss of blood, and with eyes dimmed by fast-coming death,
+distinguished not the face of his dear friend; he saw only a vague
+figure drawing near, and, mistaking it for an enemy, raised his sword
+Hauteclaire and gave Roland one last terrible blow, which clove the
+helmet, but harmed not the head. The blow roused Roland from his
+swoon, and, gazing tenderly at Oliver, he gently asked him:
+
+    "'Comrade and brother, was that blow designed
+    To slay your Roland, him who loves you so?
+    There is no vengeance you would wreak on me.'
+    'Roland, I hear you speak, but see you not.
+    God guard and keep you, friend; but pardon me
+    The blow I struck, unwitting, on your head.'
+    'I have no hurt,' said Roland; 'I forgive
+    Here and before the judgment-throne of God.'"
+
+
+And Dies
+
+Now Oliver felt the pains of death come upon him. Both sight and
+hearing were gone, his colour fled, and, dismounting, he lay upon the
+earth; there, humbly confessing his sins, he begged God to grant him
+rest in Paradise, to bless his lord Charlemagne and the fair land of
+France, and to keep above all men his comrade Roland, his best-loved
+brother-in-arms. This ended, he fell back, his heart failed, his head
+drooped low, and Oliver the brave and courteous knight lay dead on the
+blood-stained earth, with his face turned to the east. Roland lamented
+him in gentle words: "Comrade, alas for thy valour! Many days and
+years have we been comrades: no ill didst thou to me, nor I to thee:
+now thou art dead, 'tis pity that I live!"
+
+
+Turpin is Mortally Wounded. The Horn Again
+
+Turpin and Roland now stood together for a time and were joined by the
+brave Count Gautier, whose thousand men had been slain, and he himself
+grievously wounded; he now came, like a loyal vassal, to die with his
+lord Roland, and was slain in the first discharge of arrows which the
+Saracens shot. Taught by experience, the pagans kept their distance,
+and wounded Turpin with four lances, while they stood some yards away
+from the heroes. But when Turpin felt himself mortally wounded he
+plunged into the throng of the heathen, killing four hundred before he
+fell, and Roland fought on with broken armour, and with ever-bleeding
+head, till in a pause of the deadly strife he took his horn and again
+sent forth a feeble dying blast.
+
+
+Charles Answers the Horn
+
+Charlemagne heard it, and was filled with anguish. "Lords, all goes
+ill: I know by the sound of Roland's horn he has not long to live!
+Ride on faster, and let all our trumpets sound, in token of our
+approach." Then sixty thousand trumpets sounded, so that mountains
+echoed it and valleys replied, and the heathen heard it and trembled.
+"It is Charlemagne! Charles is coming!" they cried. "If Roland lives
+till he comes the war will begin again, and our bright Spain is
+lost." Thereupon four hundred banded together to slay Roland; but he
+rushed upon them, mounted on his good steed Veillantif, and the
+valiant pagans fled. But while Roland dismounted to tend the dying
+archbishop they returned and cast darts from afar, slaying Veillantif,
+the faithful war-horse, and piercing the hero's armour. Still nearer
+and nearer sounded the clarions of Charlemagne's army in the defiles,
+and the Saracen host fled for ever, leaving Roland alone, on foot,
+expiring, amid the dying and the dead.
+
+
+Turpin Blesses the Dead
+
+Roland made his way to Turpin, unlaced his golden helmet, took off his
+hauberk, tore his own tunic to bind up his grievous wounds, and then
+gently raising the prelate, carried him to the fresh green grass,
+where he most tenderly laid him down.
+
+    "'Ah, gentle lord,' said Roland, 'give me leave
+    To carry here our comrades who are dead,
+    Whom we so dearly loved; they must not lie
+    Unblest; but I will bring their corpses here
+    And thou shalt bless them, and me, ere thou die.'
+    'Go,' said the dying priest, 'but soon return.
+    Thank God! the victory is yours and mine!'"
+
+With great pain and many delays Roland traversed the field of
+slaughter, looking in the faces of the dead, till he had found and
+brought to Turpin's feet the bodies of the eleven Peers, last of all
+Oliver, his own dear friend and brother, and Turpin blessed and
+absolved them all. Now Roland's grief was so deep and his weakness so
+great that he swooned where he stood, and the archbishop saw him fall
+and heard his cry of pain. Slowly and painfully Turpin struggled to
+his feet, and, bending over Roland, took Olifant, the curved ivory
+horn; inch by inch the dying archbishop tottered towards a little
+mountain stream, that the few drops he could carry might revive
+Roland.
+
+
+He Dies
+
+However, his weakness overcame him before he reached the water, and he
+fell forward dying. Feebly he made his confession, painfully he joined
+his hands in prayer, and as he prayed his spirit fled. Turpin, the
+faithful champion of the Cross, in teaching and in battle, died in the
+service of Charlemagne. May God have mercy on his soul!
+
+When Roland awoke from his swoon he looked for Turpin, and found him
+dead, and, seeing Olifant, he guessed what the archbishop's aim had
+been, and wept for pity. Crossing the fair white hands over Turpin's
+breast, he sadly prayed:
+
+    "'Alas! brave priest, fair lord of noble birth,
+    Thy soul I give to the great King of Heaven!
+    No mightier champion has He in His hosts,
+    No prophet greater to maintain the Faith,
+    No teacher mightier to convert mankind
+    Since Christ's Apostles walked upon the earth!
+    May thy fair soul escape the pains of Hell
+    And Paradise receive thee in its bowers!'"
+
+
+Roland's Last Fight
+
+Now death was very near to Roland, and he felt it coming upon him
+while he yet prayed and commended himself to his guardian angel
+Gabriel. Taking in one hand Olifant, and in the other his good sword
+Durendala, Roland climbed a little hill, one bowshot within the realm
+of Spain. There under two pine-trees he found four marble steps, and
+as he was about to climb them, fell swooning on the grass very near
+his end. A lurking Saracen, who had feigned death, stole from his
+covert, and, calling aloud, "Charles's nephew is vanquished! I will
+bear his sword back to Arabia," seized Durendala as it lay in Roland's
+dying clasp. The attempt roused Roland, and he opened his eyes,
+saying, "Thou art not of us," then struck such a blow with Olifant on
+the helm of the heathen thief that he fell dead before his intended
+victim.
+
+
+He Tries to Break his Sword
+
+Pale, bleeding, dying, Roland struggled to his feet, bent on saving
+his good blade from the defilement of heathen hands. He grasped
+Durendala, and the brown marble before him split beneath his mighty
+blows; but the good sword stood firm, the steel grated but did not
+break, and Roland lamented aloud that his famous sword must now become
+the weapon of a lesser man. Again Roland smote with Durendala, and
+clove the block of sardonyx, but the good steel only grated and did
+not break, and the hero bewailed himself aloud, saying, "Alas! my good
+Durendala, how bright and pure thou art! How thou flamest in the
+sunbeams, as when the angel brought thee! How many lands hast thou
+conquered for Charles my King, how many champions slain, how many
+heathen converted! Must I now leave thee to the pagans? May God spare
+fair France this shame!" A third time Roland raised the sword and
+struck a rock of blue marble, which split asunder, but the steel only
+grated--it would not break; and the hero knew that he could do no
+more.
+
+
+His Last Prayer
+
+Then he flung himself on the ground under a pine-tree with his face to
+the earth, his sword and Olifant beneath him, his face to the foe,
+that Charlemagne and the Franks might see when they came that he died
+victorious. He made his confession, prayed for mercy, and offered to
+Heaven his glove, in token of submission for all his sins. "_Mea
+culpa!_ O God! I pray for pardon for all my sins, both great and
+small, that I have sinned from my birth until this day." So he held up
+towards Heaven his right-hand glove, and the angels of God descended
+around him. Again Roland prayed:
+
+    "'O very Father, who didst never lie,
+    Didst bring St. Lazarus from the dead again,
+    Didst save St. Daniel from the lion's mouth,
+    Save Thou my soul and keep it from all ills
+    That I have merited by all my sins!'"
+
+
+He Dies
+
+Again he held up to Heaven his glove, and St. Gabriel received it;
+then, with head bowed and hands clasped, the hero died, and the
+waiting cherubim, St. Raphael, St. Michael, and St. Gabriel, bore his
+soul to Paradise.
+
+So died Roland and the Peers of France.
+
+
+Charles Arrives
+
+Soon after Roland's heroic spirit had passed away the emperor came
+galloping out of the mountains into the valley of Roncesvalles, where
+not a foot of ground was without its burden of death.
+
+Loudly he called: "Fair nephew, where art thou? Where is the
+archbishop? And Count Oliver? Where are the Peers?"
+
+Alas! of what avail was it to call? No man replied, for all were dead;
+and Charlemagne wrung his hands, and tore his beard and wept, and his
+army bewailed their slain comrades, and all men thought of vengeance.
+Truly a fearful vengeance did Charles take, in that terrible battle
+which he fought the next day against the Emir of Babylon, come from
+oversea to help his vassal Marsile, when the sun stood still in heaven
+that the Christians might be avenged on their enemies; in the capture
+of Saragossa and the death of Marsile, who, already mortally wounded,
+turned his face to the wall and died when he heard of the defeat of
+the emir; but when vengeance was taken on the open enemy Charlemagne
+thought of mourning, and returned to Roncesvalles to seek the body of
+his beloved nephew.
+
+The emperor knew well that Roland would be found before his men, with
+his face to the foe. Thus he advanced a bowshot from his companions
+and climbed a little hill, there found the little flowery meadow
+stained red with the blood of his barons, and there at the summit,
+under the trees, lay the body of Roland on the green grass. The broken
+blocks of marble bore traces of the hero's dying efforts, and
+Charlemagne raised Roland, and, clasping the hero in his arms,
+lamented over him.
+
+
+His Lament
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    Never again shall our fair France behold
+    A knight so worthy, till France be no more!
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    That thou mayest rest in flowers of Paradise
+    With all His glorious Saints for evermore!
+    My honour now will lessen and decay,
+    My days be spent in grief for lack of thee,
+    My joy and power will vanish. There is none,
+    Comrade or kinsman, to maintain my cause.
+
+    "'The Lord have mercy, Roland, on thy soul!
+    And grant thee place in Paradise the blest,
+    Thou valiant youth, thou mighty conqueror!
+    How widowed lies our fair France and how lone
+    How will the realms that I have swayed rebel
+    Now thou art taken from my weary age!
+    So deep my woe that fain would I die too
+    And join my valiant Peers in Paradise
+    While men inter my weary limbs with thine!'"[14]
+
+
+The Dead Buried
+
+The French army buried the dead with all honour, where they had
+fallen, except the bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin, which were
+carried to Blaye, and interred in the great cathedral there; and then
+Charlemagne returned to Aix.
+
+
+Aude the Fair
+
+As Charles the Great entered his palace a beauteous maiden met him,
+Aude the Fair, the sister of Oliver and betrothed bride of Roland. She
+asked eagerly:
+
+"Where is Roland the mighty captain, who swore to take me for his
+bride?"
+
+[Illustration: Aude the Fair
+
+Evelyn Paul]
+
+"Alas! dear sister and friend," said Charlemagne, weeping and tearing
+his long white beard, "thou askest tidings of the dead. But I will
+replace him: thou shalt have Louis, my son, Count of the Marches."
+
+"These words are strange," exclaimed Aude the Fair. "God and all His
+saints and angels forbid that I should live when Roland my love is
+dead." Thereupon she lost her colour and fell at the emperor's feet;
+he thought her fainting, but she was dead. God have mercy on her soul!
+
+
+The Traitor Put to Death
+
+Too long it would be to tell of the trial of Ganelon the traitor.
+Suffice it that he was torn asunder by wild horses, and his name
+remains in France a byword for all disloyalty and treachery.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[12] _See_ "Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages," by H. Guerber.
+
+[13] Marked out for death.
+
+[14] The poetical quotations are from the "Chanson de Roland."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII: THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
+
+
+Celtic Mysticism
+
+In all Celtic literature there is recognisable a certain spirit which
+seems to be innate in the very character of the people, a spirit of
+mysticism and acknowledgment of the supernatural. It carries with it a
+love of Nature, a delight in beauty, colour and harmony, which is
+common to all the Celtic races. But with these characteristics we find
+in Ireland a spiritual beauty, a passion of self-sacrifice, unknown in
+Wales or Brittany. Hence the early Irish heroes are frequently found
+renouncing advantages, worldly honour, and life itself, at the bidding
+of some imperative moral impulse. They are the knights-errant of early
+European chivalry which was a much deeper and more real inspiration
+than the carefully cultivated artificial chivalry of centuries later.
+Cuchulain, Diarmuit, Naesi all pay with their lives for their
+obedience to the dictates of honour and conscience. And in women, for
+whom in those early days sacrifice of self was the only way of
+heroism, the surrender even of eternal bliss was only the sublimation
+of honour and chivalry; and this was the heroism of the Countess
+Cathleen.
+
+
+The Cathleen Legend
+
+The legend is old, so old that its root has been lost and we know not
+who first imagined it; but the idea, the central incident, doubtless
+goes back to Druid times, when a woman might well have offered herself
+up to the cruel gods to avert their wrath and stay the plagues which
+fell upon her people. Under a like impulse Curtius sprang into the
+gulf in the Forum, and Decius devoted himself to death to win the
+safety of the Roman army. In each case the powers, evil or
+beneficent, were supposed to be appeased by the offering of a human
+life. When Christianity found this legend of sacrifice popular among
+the heathen nations, it was comparatively easy to adopt it and give it
+a yet wider scope, by making the sacrifice spiritual rather than
+physical, and by finally rewarding the hero with heavenly joys. It is
+to be noted, too, that even at this early period there is a certain
+glorification of chicanery: the fiend fulfils his side of the
+contract, but God Himself breaks the other side. This becomes a
+regular feature in all tales that relate dealings with the Evil One:
+all Devil's Bridges, Devil's Dykes, and the Faust legends show that
+Satan may be trusted to keep his word, while the saints invariably
+kept the letter and broke the spirit. To so primitive a tale as that
+of "The Countess Cathleen" the pettifogging quibbles of later saints
+are utterly unknown: God saves her soul because it is His will to
+reward such abnegation of self, and even the Evil One dare not
+question the Divine Will.
+
+
+The Story. Happy Ireland
+
+Once, long ago, as the Chronicles tell us, Ireland was known
+throughout Europe as "The Isle of Saints," for St. Patrick had not
+long before preached the Gospel, the message of good tidings, to the
+warring inhabitants, to tribes of uncivilised Celts, and to marauding
+Danes and Vikings. He had driven out the serpent-worshippers, and
+consecrated the Black Stone of Tara to the worship of the True God; he
+had convinced the High King of the truth and reasonableness of the
+doctrine of the Trinity by the illustration of the shamrock leaf, and
+had overthrown the great idols and purified the land. Therefore the
+fair shores and fertile vales of Erin, the clustered islets, dropped
+like jewels in the azure seas, the mist-covered, heather-clad
+hill-sides, even the barren mountain-tops and the patches of firm
+ground scattered in the solitudes of fathomless bogs, were homes of
+pious Culdee or lonely hermit. There was still strife in Ireland, for
+king fought with king, and heathen marauders still vexed the land; but
+many warlike Irish clans or "septs" turned their ardour for fight to
+religious conflicts, and often every man of a tribe became a monk, so
+that great abbeys and tribal monasteries and schools were built on the
+hills where, in former days, stood the chieftain's stronghold (_rath_
+or _dun_, as Irish legends name it), with its earth mounds and wooden
+palisades. Holy psalms and chants replaced the boastful songs of the
+old bards, whilst warriors accustomed to regard fighting and hunting
+as the only occupations worthy of a free-born man, now peacefully
+illuminated manuscripts or wrought at useful handicrafts. Yet still in
+secret they dreaded and tried to appease the wrath of the Dagda,
+Brigit of the Holy Fire, AEngus the Ever-Young, and the awful Washers
+of the Ford, the Choosers of the Slain; and to this dread was now
+joined the new fear of the cruel demons who obeyed Satan, the Prince
+of Evil.
+
+
+The Young Countess
+
+At this time there dwelt in Ireland the Countess Cathleen, young,
+good, and beautiful. Her eyes were as deep, as changeful, and as pure
+as the ocean that washed Erin's shores; her yellow hair, braided in
+two long tresses, was as bright as the golden circlet on her brow or
+the yellow corn in her garners; and her step was as light and proud
+and free as that of the deer in her wide domains. She lived in a
+stately castle in the midst of great forests, with the cottages of her
+tribesmen around her gates, and day by day and year by year she
+watched the changing glories of the mighty woods, as the seasons
+brought new beauties, till her soul was as lovely as the green woods
+and purple hills around. The Countess Cathleen loved the dim,
+mysterious forest, she loved the tales of the ancient gods, and of
+
+    "Old, unhappy, far-off things,
+    And battles long ago;"
+
+    _Wordsworth._
+
+but more than all she loved her clansmen and vassals: she prayed for
+them at all the holy hours, and taught and tended them with loving
+care, so that in no place in Ireland could be found a happier tribe
+than that which obeyed her gentle rule.
+
+
+Dearth and Famine
+
+One year there fell upon Ireland, erewhile so happy, a great
+desolation--"For Scripture saith, an ending to all good things must
+be"[15]--and the happiness of the Countess Cathleen's tribe came to an
+end in this wise: A terrible famine fell on the land; the seed-corn
+rotted in the ground, for rain and never-lifting mists filled the
+heavy air and lay on the sodden earth; then when spring came barren
+fields lay brown where the shooting corn should be; the cattle died in
+the stall or fell from weakness at the plough, and the sheep died of
+hunger in the fold; as the year passed through summer towards autumn
+the berries failed in the sun-parched woods, and the withered leaves,
+fallen long before the time, lay rotting on the dank earth; the timid
+wild things of the forest, hares, rabbits, squirrels, died in their
+holes or fell easy victims to the birds and beasts of prey; and these,
+in their turn, died of hunger in the famine-stricken forests.
+
+    "I searched all day: the mice and rats and hedgehogs
+    Seemed to be dead, and I could hardly hear
+    A wing moving in all the famished woods."[16]
+
+
+Distress of the Peasants
+
+A cry of bitter agony and lamentation rose from the starving Isle of
+Saints to the gates of Heaven, and fell back unheard; the sky was hard
+as brass above and the earth was barren beneath, and men and women
+died in despair, their shrivelled lips still stained green by the
+dried grass and twigs they had striven to eat.
+
+    "I passed by Margaret Nolan's: for nine days
+    Her mouth was green with dock and dandelion;
+    And now they wake her."
+
+
+The Misery Increases
+
+In vain the High King of Ireland proclaimed a universal peace, and
+wars between quarrelling tribes stopped and foreign pirates ceased to
+molest the land, and chief met chief in the common bond of misery; in
+vain the rich gave freely of their wealth--soon there was no
+distinction between rich and poor, high and low, chief and vassal, for
+all alike felt the grip of famine, all died by the same terrible
+hunger. Soon many of the great monasteries lay desolate, their stores
+exhausted, their portals open, while the brethren, dead within, had
+none to bury them; the lonely hermits died in their little
+beehive-shaped cells, or fled from the dreadful solitude to gather in
+some wealthy abbey which could still feed its monks; and isle and vale
+which had echoed their holy chants knew the sounds no more. Over all,
+unlifting, unchanging, brooded the deadly vapour, bearing the plague
+in its heavy folds, and filling the air with a sultry lurid haze.
+
+    "There is no sign of change--day copies day,
+    Green things are dead--the cattle too are dead
+    Or dying--and on all the vapour hangs
+    And fattens with disease, and glows with heat."
+
+
+Cathleen Heartbroken for her People
+
+Round the castle of the Countess Cathleen there was great stir and
+bustle, for her tender heart was wrung with the misery of her people,
+and her prayers for them ascended to God unceasingly. So thin she grew
+and so worn that the physicians bade her servants bring harp and song
+to charm away the sadness that weighed upon her spirit; but all in
+vain! Neither the well-loved legends of the ancient gods, nor her
+harp, nor the voice of her bards could bring her relief--nothing but
+the attempt to save her people. From the earliest days of the famine
+her house and her stores were ever ready to supply the wants of the
+homeless, the poor, the suffering; her wealth was freely spent for
+food for the starving while supplies could yet be bought either near
+or in distant baronies; and when known supplies failed her lavish
+offers tempted the churlish farmers, who still hoarded grain that they
+might enrich themselves in the great dearth, to sell some of their
+garnered stores. When she could no longer induce them to part with
+their grain, her own winter provisions, wine and corn, were
+distributed generously to all who asked for relief, and none ever left
+her castle without succour.
+
+
+Her Wide Charity
+
+Thus passed the early months of bitter starvation, and the Countess
+Cathleen's name was borne far and wide through Ireland, accompanied
+with the blessings of all the rescued; and round her castle, from
+every district, gathered a mighty throng of poor--not only her own
+clansmen--who all looked to her for a daily dole of food and drink to
+keep some life in them until the pestilential mists should pass away.
+The wholesome cold of winter would purify the air and bring new hope
+and promise of new life in the coming year. Alas! the winter drew on
+apace and still the poisonous yellow vapours hung heavily over the
+land, and still the deadly famine clutched each feeble heart and
+weakened the very springs of life, and the winter frosts slew more
+than the summer heats, so feeble were the people and so weakened.
+
+
+Lawlessness Breaks Out
+
+At last, even in the Isle of Saints, the bonds of right and wrong were
+loosened, all respect for property vanished in the universal
+desolation, and men began to rob and plunder, to trust only to the
+right of might, thinking that their poor miserable lives were of more
+value than aught else, than conscience and pity and honesty. Thus
+Cathleen lost by barefaced robbery much of what she still possessed of
+flocks and herds, of scanty fruit and corn. Her servants would gladly
+have pursued the robbers and regained the spoils, but Cathleen forbade
+it, for she pitied the miserable thieves, and thought no evil of them
+in this bitter dearth. By this time she had distributed all her winter
+stores, and had only enough to feed her poor pensioners and her
+household with most scanty rations; and she herself shared equally
+with them, for the most earnest entreaties of her faithful servants
+could not induce her to fare better than they in anything. Soon there
+would be nothing left for daily distribution, and her heart almost
+broke as she saw the misery of her helpless dependents; they looked to
+her as an angel of pity and deliverance, while she knew herself to be
+as helpless as they. Day by day Cathleen went among them, with her
+pitifully scanty doles of food, cheering them by her words and
+smiles, and by her very presence; and each day she went to her chapel,
+where she could cast aside the mask of cheerfulness she wore before
+her people, and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints
+to show her how to save her own tribe and all the land.
+
+[Illustration: "Day by day Cathleen went among them"]
+
+
+Cathleen Has an Inspiration
+
+As the Countess knelt long before the altar one noontide she passed
+from her prayers into a deep sleep, and sank down on the altar steps.
+In the troubled depths of her mind a thought arose, which came to her
+as an inspiration from Heaven itself. She awoke and sprang up
+joyfully, exclaiming aloud: "Thanks be to Our Lady and to all the
+saints! To them alone the blessed thought is due. Thus can I save my
+poor until the dearth is over."
+
+Then Cathleen left her oratory with such a light heart as she had not
+felt since the terrible visitation began, and the gladness in her face
+was so new and wonderful that all her servants noticed the change, and
+her old foster-mother, who loved the Countess with the utmost
+devotion, shuddered at the thought that perhaps her darling had come
+under the power of the ancient gods and would be bewitched away to
+Tir-nan-og, the land of never-dying youth. Fearfully old Oona watched
+Cathleen's face as she passed through the hall, and Cathleen saw the
+anxious gaze, and came and laid her hand on the old woman's shoulder,
+saying, "Nay, fear not, nurse; the saints have heard my prayer and put
+it into my heart to save all these helpless ones." Then she crossed
+the hall to her own room, and called a servant, saying, "Send hither
+quickly Fergus my steward."
+
+
+She Summons her Steward
+
+Shortly afterwards the steward came, Fergus the White, an old
+grey-haired man, who had been foster-brother to Cathleen's
+grandfather. He had seen three generations pass away, he had watched
+the change from heathenism to Christianity, and of all the chief's
+family, to which his loyal devotion had ever clung, there remained but
+this one young girl, and he loved her as his own child. Fergus did
+obeisance to his liege lady, and kissed her hand kneeling as he asked:
+
+"What would the Countess Cathleen with her steward? Shall I render my
+account of lands and wealth?"
+
+
+Demands to Know what Wealth she Owns
+
+"How much have I in lands?" the Countess asked. And Fergus answered in
+surprise: "Your lands are worth one hundred thousand pounds."
+
+"Of what value is the timber in my forests?" "As much again."
+
+"What is the worth of my castles and my fair residences?" continued
+the Countess Cathleen. And Fergus still replied: "As much more,"
+though in his heart he questioned why his lady wished to know now,
+while the famine made all riches seem valueless.
+
+"How much gold still unspent lies in thy charge in my
+treasure-chests?"
+
+"Lady, your stored gold is three hundred thousand pounds, as much as
+all your lands and forests and houses are worth."
+
+The Countess Cathleen thought for an instant, and then, as one who
+makes a momentous decision, spoke firmly, though her lips quivered as
+she gave utterance to her thought:
+
+
+"Go Far and Buy Food"
+
+"Then, Fergus, take my bags of coin and go. Leave here my jewels and
+some gold, for I may hear of some stores of grain hoarded by niggard
+farmers, and may induce them to sell, if not for the love of God, then
+for the love of gold. Take, too, authority from me, written and sealed
+with my seal, to sell all my lands and timber, and castles, except
+this one alone where I must dwell. Send a man, trustworthy and speedy,
+to the North, to Ulster, where I hear the famine is less terrible, and
+let him buy what cattle he can find, and drive them back as soon as
+may be."
+
+    "Keeping this house alone, sell all I have;
+    Go to some distant country, and come again
+    With many herds of cows and ships of grain."
+
+
+The Steward Reluctantly Obeys
+
+The ancient steward, Fergus the White, stood at first speechless with
+horror and grief, but after a moment of silence his sorrow found vent
+in words, and he besought his dear lady not to sell everything, her
+ancient home, her father's lands, her treasured heirlooms, and leave
+herself no wealth for happier times. All his persuasions were useless,
+for Cathleen would not be moved; she bade him "Farewell" and hastened
+his journey, saying, "A cry is in mine ears; I cannot rest." So there
+was no help for it. A trusty man was despatched to Ulster to buy up
+all the cattle (weak and famine-stricken as they would be) in the
+North Country; while Fergus himself journeyed swiftly to England,
+which was still prosperous and fertile, untouched by the deadly
+famine, and knowing nothing of the desolation of the sister isle, to
+which the English owed so much of their knowledge of the True Faith.
+
+
+Buys Stores in England
+
+In England Fergus spent all the gold he brought with him, and then
+sold all the Countess Cathleen bade him sell--lands, castles, forests,
+pastures, timber--all but one lonely castle in the desolate woods,
+where she dwelt among her own people, with the dying folk thronging
+round her gates and in her halls. Good bargains Fergus made also, for
+he was a shrewd and loyal steward, and the saints must have touched
+the hearts of the English merchants, so that they gave good prices for
+all, or perhaps they did not realize the dire distress that prevailed
+in Ireland. However that may have been, Fergus prospered in his
+trading, and bought grain, and wine, and fat oxen and sheep, so that
+he loaded many ships with full freights of provisions, enough to carry
+the starving peasantry through the famine year till the next harvest.
+At last all his money was spent, all his ships were laden, everything
+was ready, and the little fleet lay in harbour, only awaiting a fair
+wind, which, unhappily, did not come.
+
+
+His Return Delayed
+
+First of all Fergus waited through a deadly calm, when the sails hung
+motionless, drooping, with no breath of air to stir them, when the fog
+that brooded over the shores of England never lifted and all sailing
+was impossible; then the winds dispersed the fog, and Fergus,
+forgetting caution in his great anxiety to return, hastily set sail
+for his own land, and there came fierce tempests and contrary winds,
+so that his little fleet was driven back, and one or two ships went
+down with all their stores of food. Fergus wept to see his lady's
+wealth lost in the wintry sea, but he dared not venture again, and
+though he chafed and fretted at the delay, it was nearly two months
+after he reached England before he could sail back to his young
+mistress and her starving countrymen. The trusty messenger who had
+been sent to buy cattle had succeeded beyond his own expectation; he
+also had made successful bargains, and had found more cattle than he
+believed were still alive in Ireland. He had bought all, and was
+driving them slowly towards the Countess Cathleen's forest dwelling.
+Their progress was so slow, because of their weakness and the scanty
+fodder by the way, that no news of them came to Cathleen, and she knew
+not that while corn and cattle were coming with Fergus across the sea,
+food was also coming to her slowly through the barren ways of her own
+native land. None of this she knew, and despair would have filled her
+heart, but for her faith in God and her belief in the great
+inspiration that had been given to her.
+
+
+Deepening Misery in Ireland
+
+Meanwhile terrible things had been happening in Ireland. As in England
+in later days, "men said openly that Christ and His saints slept";
+they thought with longing of the mighty old gods, for the new seemed
+powerless, and they yearned for the friendly "good people" who had
+fled from the sound of the church bell. Thus many minds were ready to
+revolt from the Christian faith if they had not feared the life after
+death and the endless torments of the Christian Hell. Some few,
+desperate, even offered secret worship to the old heathen gods, and
+true love to the One True God had grown cold.
+
+
+Two Mysterious Strangers
+
+Now on the very day on which Fergus sailed for England, and his
+comrade departed to Ulster, two mysterious and stately strangers
+suddenly appeared in Erin. Whence they came no man knew, but they were
+first seen near the wild sea-shore of the west, and the few poor
+inhabitants thought they had been put ashore by some vessel or wrecked
+on that dangerous coast. Aliens they certainly were, for they talked
+with each other in a tongue that none understood, and they appeared as
+if they did not comprehend the questions asked of them. Thus they
+passed away from the western coasts, and made their way inland; but
+when they next appeared, in a village not far from Dublin, they had
+greatly changed: they wore magnificent robes and furs, with splendid
+jewelled gloves on their hands, and golden circlets, set with gleaming
+rubies, bound their brows; their black steeds showed no trace of
+weakness and famine as they rode through the woods and carefully noted
+the misery everywhere.
+
+
+Their Strange Story
+
+At last they alighted at the little lodge, where a forester's widow
+gladly received them; and their royal dress, lofty bearing and strange
+language accorded ill with the mean surroundings and the scanty
+accommodation of that little hut. The dead forester had been one of
+the Countess Cathleen's most faithful vassals, and his holding was but
+a short distance from the castle, so that the strangers could,
+unobserved, watch the life of the little village. As time passed they
+told their hostess they were merchants, simple traders from a distant
+country, trafficking in very precious gems; but they had no wares for
+exchange, and no gems to show; they made no inquiries or researches,
+bargained with no man, seemed to do no business; they were the most
+unusual merchants ever seen in Ireland, and the strangeness of their
+behaviour troubled men's minds.
+
+
+Mysterious Behaviour
+
+Day by day they ate, unquestioning, the coarse food their poor hostess
+set before them, and the black bread which was the best food
+obtainable in those terrible days, but they added to it wine, rich and
+red, from their own private store, and they paid her lavishly in good
+red gold, so that she wondered that any men should stay in the
+famine-stricken country when they could so easily leave it at their
+will. Gradually, too, speaking now in the Irish tongue, they began to
+ask her cautious questions of the people, of the land, of the famine,
+how men lived and how they died, and so they heard of the exceeding
+goodness of the Countess Cathleen, whose bounty had saved so many
+lives, and was still saving others, though the deadly pinch of famine
+grew sorer with the passing days. To their hostess they admired
+Cathleen's goodness, and were loud in her praises, but they looked
+askance at one another and their brows were black with discontent.
+
+
+Professed Errand of Mercy
+
+Then one day the kingly merchants told the poor widow who harboured
+them that they too were the friends of the poor and starving; they
+were servants of a mighty prince, who in his compassion and mercy had
+sent them on a mission to Ireland to help the afflicted peasants to
+fight against famine and death. They said that they themselves had no
+food to give, only wine and gold in plenty, so that men might exert
+themselves and search for food to buy. Their hostess, hearing this,
+and knowing that there were still some niggards who refused to part
+with their mouldering heaps of corn, setting the price so high that no
+man could buy, called down the blessing of God and Mary and all the
+saints upon their heads, for if they would distribute their gold to
+all, or even buy the corn themselves and distribute it, men need no
+longer die of hunger.
+
+
+A New Traffic
+
+When she prayed for a blessing on the two strangers they smiled
+scornfully and impatiently; and the elder said, cunningly:
+
+    "Alas! we know the evils of mere charity,
+    And would devise a more considered way.
+    Let each man bring one piece of merchandise."
+
+"Ah, sirs!" replied the hostess, "then your compassion, your gold and
+your goodwill are of no avail. Think you, after all these weary
+months, that any man has merchandise left to sell? They have sold long
+ago all but the very clothes they wear, to keep themselves alive till
+better days come. Such offers are mockery of our distress."
+
+"We mock you not," said the elder merchant. "All men have the one
+precious thing we wish to buy, and have come hither to find; none has
+already lost or sold it."
+
+"What precious treasure can you mean? Men in Ireland now have only
+their lives, and can barely cherish those," said the poor woman,
+wondering greatly and much afraid.
+
+
+Buyers of Souls
+
+The elder merchant continued gazing at her with a crafty smile and an
+eye ever on the alert for tokens of understanding. "Poor as they are,
+Irishmen have still one thing that we will purchase, if they will
+sell: their souls, which we have come to obtain for our mighty Prince,
+and with the great price that we shall pay in pure gold men can well
+save their lives till the starving time is over. Why should men die a
+cruel, lingering death or drag through weary months of miserable
+half-satisfied life when they may live well and merrily at the cost of
+a soul, which is no good but to cause fear and pain? We take men's
+souls and liberate them from all pain and care and remorse, and we
+give in exchange money, much money, to procure comforts and ease; we
+enrol men as vassals of our great lord, and he is no hard taskmaster
+to those who own his sway."
+
+
+Slow Trade at First
+
+When the poor widow heard these dreadful words she knew that the
+strangers were demons come to tempt men's souls and to lure them to
+Hell. She crossed herself, and fled from them in fear, praying to be
+kept from temptation; and she would not return to her little cottage
+in the forest, but stayed in the village warning men against the evil
+demons who were tempting the starving people, till she too died of the
+famine, and her house was left wholly to the strangers. Yet the
+merchants fared ever well, better than before her departure, and those
+who ventured to the forest dwelling found good food and rich wine,
+which the strangers sometimes gave to their visitors, with crafty
+hints of abundance to be easily obtained. Then when timid individuals
+asked the way to win these comforts the strangers began their
+tempting, and represented the case to be gained by the sale of men's
+souls. One man, bolder than the rest, made a bargain with the demons
+and gave them his soul for three hundred crowns of gold, and from that
+time he in his turn became a tempter. He boasted of his wealth, of the
+rich food the merchants gave him at times, of the potent wine he drank
+from their generously opened bottles, and, best of all, he vaunted
+his freedom from pity, conscience, or remorse.
+
+
+Trade Increases
+
+Gradually many people came to the forest dwelling and trafficked with
+the demon merchants. The purchase of souls went on busily, and the
+demons paid prices varying according to the worth of the soul and the
+record of its former sins; but to all who sold they gave food and
+wine, and in gloating over their gold and satisfying hunger and
+thirst, men forgot to ask whence came this food and wine and the
+endless stores of coin. Now many people ventured into the forest to
+deal with the demons, and the narrow track grew into a broad beaten
+way with the numbers of those who came, and all returned fed and
+warmed, and bearing bags heavy with coin, and the promise of abundant
+food and easy service. Those who had sold their souls rioted with the
+money, for the demons gave them food, and they bought wine from the
+inexhaustible stores of the evil merchants. The poor, lost people knew
+that there was no hope for them after death, and they tried by all
+means to keep themselves alive and to enjoy what was yet left to them;
+but their mirth was fearful and they durst not stop to think.
+
+
+Cathleen Hears of the Demon Traders
+
+At first the Countess Cathleen knew nothing of the terrible doings of
+the demons, for she never passed beyond her castle gates, but spent
+her time in prayer for her people's safety and for the speedy return
+of her messengers; but when the starving throng of pensioners at her
+gates grew daily less, and there were fewer claimants for the pitiful
+allowance which was all she had to give, she wondered if some other
+mightier helper had come to Ireland. But she could hear of none,
+and soon the shameless rioting and drunkenness in the village came to
+her knowledge, and she wondered yet more whence her clansmen obtained
+the means for their excesses, for she felt instinctively that the
+origin of all this rioting must be evil. Cathleen therefore called to
+her an old peasant, whose wife had died of hunger in the early days of
+the famine, so that he himself had longed to die and join her; but
+when he came to her she was horror-struck by the change in him. Now he
+came flushed with wine, with defiant look and insolent bearing, and
+his face was full of evil mirth as he tried to answer soberly the
+Countess's questions.
+
+"Why do the villagers and strangers no longer come to me for food? I
+have but little now to give, but all are welcome to share it with me
+and my household."
+
+
+The Peasant's Story
+
+"They do not come, O Countess, because they are no longer starving.
+They have better food and wine, and abundance of money to buy more."
+
+[Illustration: The peasant's story]
+
+"Whence then have they obtained the money, the food, and the wine for
+the drinking-bouts, the tumult of which reaches me even in my
+oratory?"
+
+"Lady, they have received all from the generous merchants who are in
+the forest dwelling where old Mairi formerly lived; she is dead now,
+and these noble strangers keep open house in her cottage night and
+day; they are so wealthy that they need not stint their bounty, and so
+powerful that they can find good food, enough for all who go to them.
+Since Brigit died (your old servant, lady) her husband and son work no
+more, but serve the strange merchants, and urge men to join them; and
+I, and many others, have done so, and we are now wealthy" (here he
+showed the Countess a handful of gold) "and well fed, and have wine as
+much as heart can desire."
+
+"But do you give them nothing in return for all their generosity? Are
+they so noble that they ask nothing in requital of their bounty?"
+
+
+"Good Gold for Souls"
+
+"Oh, yes, we give them something, but nothing of importance, nothing
+we cannot spare. They are merchants of souls, and buy them for their
+king, and they pay good red gold for the useless, painful things. I
+have sold my soul to them, and now I weep no more for my wife; I am
+gay, and have wine enough and gold enough to help me through this
+dearth!"
+
+"Alas!" sighed the Countess, "and what when you too die?" The old
+peasant laughed at her grief as he said: "Then, as now, I shall have
+no soul to trouble me with remorse or conscience"; and the Countess
+covered her eyes with her hand and beckoned silently that he should
+go. In her oratory, whither she betook herself immediately, she prayed
+with all her spirit that the Virgin and all the saints would inspire
+her to defeat the demons and to save her people's souls.
+
+
+Cathleen Tries to Check the Traffic
+
+Next day Cathleen called together all the people in the village, her
+own tribesmen and strangers. She offered them again a share of all she
+had, and the daily rations she could distribute, but told them that
+all must share alike and that she had nothing but the barest
+necessaries to give--scanty portions of corn and meal, with milk from
+one or two famine-stricken cows her servants had managed to keep
+alive. To this she added that she had sent two trusty messengers for
+help, one to Ulster for cattle, and Fergus to England for corn and
+wine; they must return soon, she felt sure, with abundant supplies, if
+men would patiently await their return.
+
+
+In Vain
+
+But all was useless. Her messengers had sent no word of their return,
+and the abundant supplies at the forest cottage were more easily
+obtained, and were less carefully regulated, than those of the
+Countess Cathleen. The merchants, too, were ever at hand with their
+cunning wiles, and their active, persuasive dupes, who would gladly
+bring all others into their own soulless condition. The wine given by
+the demons warmed the hearts of all who drank, and the deceived
+peasants dreamed of happiness when the famine was over, and so the
+passionate appeal of the Countess failed, and the sale of souls
+continued merrily. The noise of revelry grew daily louder and more
+riotous, and the drinkers cared nothing for the death or departure of
+their dearest friends; while those who died, died drunken and utterly
+reckless, or full of horror and despair, reviling the crafty merchants
+who had deceived them with promises of life and happiness. The evil
+influence clung all about the country-side, and seemed in league with
+the pitiless powers of Nature against the souls of men, till at last
+the stricken Countess, putting her trust in God, sought out the forest
+lodge where the demon merchants dwelt, trafficking for souls. The way
+was easy to find now, for a broad beaten track led to the dwelling,
+and as the evil spirits saw Cathleen coming slowly along the path
+their wicked eyes gleamed and their clawlike hands worked convulsively
+in their jewelled gloves, for they hoped she had come to sell her pure
+soul.
+
+
+She Visits the Demons
+
+"What does the Countess Cathleen wish to obtain from two poor stranger
+merchants?" said the elder with an evil smile; and the younger, bowing
+deeply said: "Lady, you may command us in all things, save what
+touches our allegiance to our king." Cathleen replied: "I have no
+merchandise to barter, nothing for trade with you, for you buy such
+things as I will never sell: you buy men's souls for Hell. I come only
+to beg that you will release the poor souls whom you have bought for
+Satan's kingdom, and will have mercy on my ignorant people and deceive
+them no more. I have yet some gold unspent and jewels unsold: take all
+there is but let my people go free." Then the merchants laughed aloud
+scornfully, and rejected her offer. "Would you have us undo our work?
+Have we toiled, then, for naught to extend our master's sway? Have we
+won for him so many souls to dwell for ever in his kingdom and do his
+work, and shall we give them back for your entreaties? We have gold
+enough, and food and wine enough, fair lady. The souls we have bought
+we keep, for our master gives us honour and rank proportioned to the
+number of souls we win for him, and you may see by the golden circlets
+round our brows that we are princes of his kingdom, and have brought
+him countless souls. Nevertheless, there is one most rare and precious
+thing which could redeem these bartered souls of Ireland's peasants,
+things of little worth."
+
+
+They Make a Proposal
+
+"Oh, what is that?" said the Countess. "If I have it, or can in any
+way procure it, tell me, that I may redeem these deluded people's
+souls."
+
+"You have it now, fair saint. It is one pure soul, precious as
+multitudes of more sin-stained souls. Our master would far rather have
+a perfect and flawless pearl for his diadem than myriads of these
+cracked and flawed crystals. Your soul, most saintly Countess, would
+redeem the souls of all your tribe, if you would sell it to our king;
+it would be the fairest jewel in his crown. But think not to save your
+people otherwise, and beguile them no longer with false promises of
+help: your messenger to Ulster lies sick of ague in the Bog of Allen,
+and no food comes from England."
+
+
+False Tidings
+
+                              "We saw a man
+    Heavy with sickness in the Bog of Allen
+    Whom you had bid buy cattle. Near Fair Head
+    We saw your grain ships lying all becalmed
+    In the dark night, and not less still than they
+    Burned all their mirrored lanterns in the sea."
+
+When Cathleen heard of the failure of her messengers to bring food it
+seemed as if all hope were indeed over, and the demons smiled craftily
+upon her as she turned silently to go, and laughed joyously to each
+other when she had left their presence. Now they had good hope to win
+her for their master; but they knew that their time was short, since
+help was not far away.
+
+    "Last night, closed in the image of an owl,
+    I hurried to the cliffs of Donegal,
+    And saw, creeping on the uneasy surge,
+    Those ships that bring the woman grain and meal;
+    They are five days from us.
+                                I hurried east,
+    A grey owl flitting, flitting in the dew,
+    And saw nine hundred oxen toil through Meath,
+    Driven on by goads of iron; they too, brother,
+    Are full five days from us. Five days for traffic."
+
+
+Cathleen's Despair
+
+The Countess then went back in bitter grief to her desolate castle,
+where only faithful old servants now waited in the halls, and
+whispered together in the dark corners, and, kneeling in her oratory,
+she prayed far into the night for light in her darkness. As she prayed
+before the altar she slept for very weariness, and was aroused by a
+sudden furious knocking, and an outcry of "Thieves! Thieves!" Cathleen
+rose quickly from the altar steps, and met her foster-mother, Oona, at
+the door of the oratory; and Oona cried aloud: "Thieves have broken
+into the treasure-chamber, and nothing is left!" Cathleen asked if
+this were true, and discovered that not a single coin, not a single
+gem was left: the demons had stolen all. And while the servants still
+mourned over the lost treasures of the house there came another cry of
+"Thieves! Thieves!" and an old peasant rushed in, exclaiming that all
+the food was gone. That, alas! was true: the few sacks of meal which
+supplied the scanty daily fare were emptied and the bags flung on the
+floor. Now indeed the last poor resource was gone.
+
+[Illustration: "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber"]
+
+
+A Desperate Decision
+
+When the Countess heard of this last terrible misfortune a great light
+broke upon her mind with a blinding flash, and showed her a way to
+save others, even at the cost of her own salvation. It seemed God's
+answer to her prayer for guidance, and she resolved to follow the
+inspiration thus sent into her mind. She decided now what she would
+do; her mind was made up, and the light which shines from extreme
+sacrifice of self was so bright upon her face that her old nurse and
+her servants, wailing around her, were awe-stricken and durst not
+question or check her. She returned to her oratory door, and, standing
+on the steps, looking down on her weeping domestics, she cried:
+
+                                "I am desolate,
+    For a most sad resolve wakes in my heart;
+    But always I have faith. Old men and women,
+    Be silent; God does not forsake the world.
+            Mary Queen of Angels
+    And all you clouds and clouds of saints, farewell!"
+
+With one last long gaze at the little altar of her oratory she
+resolutely closed the door and turned away.
+
+
+She Revisits the Demons
+
+The next day the merchants in their forest lodge were still buying
+souls, and giving food and wine to the starving peasants who sold.
+They were buying men and women, sinful, terrified, afraid to die,
+eager to live; buying them more cheaply than before because of the
+increase of sin and terror. Bargains were being struck and bartering
+was in full progress, when suddenly all the peasants stopped,
+shamefaced, as one said, "Here comes the Countess Cathleen," and down
+the track she was seen approaching slowly. One by one the peasants
+slunk away, and the demon merchants were quite alone when Cathleen
+entered the little cottage where they sat, with bags of coin on the
+table before them and on the ground beside them. Again they greeted
+her with mocking respect, and asked to know her will.
+
+"Merchants, do you still buy souls for Hell?"
+
+"Lady, our traffic prospers, for the famine lies long on the land, and
+men would fain live till better days come again. Besides, we can give
+them food and wine and wealth for future years; and all in exchange
+for a mere soul, a little breath of wind."
+
+"Perhaps the Countess Cathleen has come to deal with us," said the
+younger.
+
+"Merchant, you are right; I have come to bring you merchandise. I have
+a soul to sell, so costly that perhaps the price is beyond your
+means."
+
+The elder merchant replied joyfully: "No price is beyond our means, if
+only the soul be worth the price; if it be a pure and stainless soul,
+fit to join the angels and saints in Paradise, our master will gladly
+pay all you ask. Whose is the soul, and what is the price?"
+
+
+Her Terms
+
+    "The people starve, therefore the people go
+    Thronging to you. I hear a cry come from them,
+    And it is in my ears by night and day:
+    And I would have five hundred thousand crowns,
+    To find food for them till the dearth go by;
+    And have the wretched spirits you have bought
+    For your gold crowns, released, and sent to God.
+    The soul that I would barter is my soul."
+
+
+The Bond Signed
+
+When the demons heard this, and knew that Cathleen was willing to give
+her own soul as ransom for the souls of others, they were overjoyed,
+their eyes flashed, the rubies of their golden crowns shot out fiery
+gleams, and their fingers clutched the air as if they already held her
+stainless soul. This would be a great triumph to their master, and
+they would win great honour in Hell when they brought him a soul worth
+far, far more than large abundance of ordinary sinful souls. Very
+carefully they watched while the trembling Countess signed the bond
+which gave her soul to Hell, very gladly they paid down the money for
+which she had stipulated, and very joyously they saw the signs of
+speedy death in her face, knowing, as they did, how soon the coming
+relief would show her sacrifice to have been unnecessary, though
+now it was irrevocable.
+
+[Illustration: "Cathleen signed the bond"]
+
+
+General Lamentation
+
+Sadly but resolutely she turned away, followed by her servants bearing
+the bags of gold, and as she passed through the village a rumour ran
+before her of what she had done. All men were sobered by the terrible
+tidings, and the redeemed people waited for her coming, and followed
+her weeping and lamenting, for now their souls were free again, and
+they recognised the great sacrifice she had made for them; but it was
+too late to save her, though now all would have died for her. Cathleen
+passed on into her castle, and there in the courtyard she distributed
+the money to all her people, and bade them dwell quietly in obedience
+till her steward returned. She herself, she said, could not stay; she
+must go on a long and dark journey, for her people's need had broken
+her heart and conquered her; she was no longer her own, but belonged
+to the dark lord of Hell; she could not bid them pray for her, nor
+could she pray for herself.
+
+
+Cathleen Fades Away
+
+Her people, who knew the great price at which she had redeemed them,
+besought the Blessed Virgin and all the saints to have mercy on her;
+and all the souls she had released, on earth and in Heaven, prayed for
+her night and day, and the blessed saints interceded for her. Yet from
+day to day the Countess Cathleen faded, and the demons, ceasing all
+other traffic, lurked in waiting to catch her soul as she died. Night
+and day her heart-broken foster-mother Oona tended her; but she grew
+feebler, till it seemed that she would die before Fergus returned.
+
+
+The Steward Returns
+
+On the fifth day, however, glad tidings came. Fergus had landed, and
+sent word that he was bringing corn and meal as quickly as possible;
+also a wandering peasant brought a message that nine hundred oxen were
+within one day's journey of her castle; and when the gentle Cathleen
+heard this, and knew that her people were safe, she died with a smile
+on her lips and thanks to God for her people on her tongue. That same
+night a great tempest broke over the land, which drove away the
+pestilential mists, and left the country free from evil influences,
+for with the morning men found the forest lodge crushed beneath the
+fallen trees, and the two demon merchants vanished. All gathered round
+the castle and mourned for the Countess Cathleen, for none knew how it
+would go with her spirit; they feared that the evil demons had borne
+her soul to Hell. All had prayed for her, but there had been no sign,
+no token of forgiveness. Nevertheless their prayers were heard and
+answered.
+
+
+The Demons Cheated
+
+In the next night, when the great storm had passed away and the
+vapours no longer filled the air, when Fergus had distributed food and
+wine, and the oxen had been apportioned to every family, so that
+plenty reigned in every house, when only Cathleen's castle lay
+desolate, shrouded in gloom, the faithful old nurse Oona, watching by
+the body of her darling, had a glorious vision. She saw the splendid
+armies of the angels who guard mankind from evil, she saw the saints
+who had suffered and overcome, and amid them was the Countess
+Cathleen, happy with saints and angels in the bliss of Paradise; for
+her love had redeemed her own soul as well as the souls of others,
+and God had pardoned her sin because of her self-sacrifice.
+
+    "The light beats down: the gates of pearl are wide,
+    And she is passing to the floor of peace,
+    And Mary of the seven times wounded heart
+    Has kissed her lips, and the long blessed hair
+    Has fallen on her face; the Light of Lights
+    Looks always on the motive, not the deed,
+    The Shadow of Shadows on the deed alone."
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[15] C. Kingsley.
+
+[16] The poetical quotations throughout this story are taken, by
+permission, from Mr. W. B. Yeats's play "The Countess Cathleen."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX: CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Among all the early literatures of Europe, there are two which, at
+exactly opposite corners of the continent, display most strikingly
+similar characteristics, characteristics which apparently point to
+some racial affinity in the peoples who produced them. These
+literatures are the Greek and the Irish. It has been maintained with
+much ingenuity that the Greeks of Homer, the early Britons, and the
+Irish Celts were all of one stock, as shown by the many points they
+had in common. It is certain that in customs, manner of life, ethics,
+ideas of religion, and methods of warfare a striking similarity may be
+seen between the Greeks as described by Homer and the Britons as
+Julius Caesar knew them, or the Irish as their own legends reveal them.
+We must expect to find in their myths and legends a certain
+resemblance of Celtic ideas to Greek ideas; and if the great Achilles
+sulks in his tent because he is unjustly deprived of his captive, the
+fair Briseis, we shall not be surprised to find the Champion of Erin
+quarrelling over his claim to precedence. The contest between the
+heroes for the armour of dead Achilles is paralleled by this contest
+between the three greatest warriors of Ireland for the special dish of
+honour called the "Champion's Portion," a distinction which also
+recalls Greek life.
+
+
+Cuchulain, the Irish Achilles
+
+The resemblance of the Cuchulain legend to the story of Achilles is so
+strong that Cuchulain is often called "the Irish Achilles," but there
+are elements of humour and pathos in his story which the tale of
+Achilles cannot show, and in reckless courage, power of inspiring
+dread, sense of personal merit, and frankness of speech the Irish hero
+is not inferior to the mighty Greek. The way in which Cuchulain
+established his claim to be regarded as Chief Champion of Erin is
+related in the following story, which shows some primitive Celtic
+features found again in Welsh legends and other national folk-tales.
+
+
+The Youth of Cuchulain
+
+Cuchulain was the nephew of King Conor of Ulster, son of his sister
+Dechtire, and men say his father was no mortal man, but the great god
+Lugh of the Long Hand. When Cuchulain was born he was brought up by
+King Conor himself and the wisest men of Ireland; when five years old,
+he beat all the other boys in games and warlike exercises, and on the
+day on which he was seven he assumed the arms of a warrior, so much
+greater was he than the sons of mortal men. Cuchulain had overheard
+his tutor, Cathbad the Druid, say to the older youths, "If any young
+man take arms to-day, his name will be greater than any other name in
+Ireland, but his span of life will be short," and as he loved fame
+above long life, he persuaded his uncle, King Conor, to invest him
+with the weapons of manhood. His fame soon spread all over Ireland,
+for his warlike deeds were those of a proved warrior, not of a child
+of nursery age, and by the time Cuchulain was seventeen he was in
+reality without peer among the champions of Ulster, or of all Ireland.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Marriage
+
+When the men of Ulster remembered Cuchulain's divine origin, they
+would fain have him married, so that he might not die childless; and
+for a year they searched all Erin for a fit bride for so great a
+champion. Cuchulain, however, went wooing for himself, to the dun of
+Forgall the Wily, a Druid of great power. Forgall had two daughters,
+of whom the younger, Emer, was the most lovely and virtuous maiden to
+be found in the country, and she became Cuchulain's chosen bride.
+Gallant was his wooing, and merry and jesting were her answers to his
+suit, for though Emer loved Cuchulain at first sight she would not
+accept him at once, and long they talked together. Finally Emer
+consented to wed Cuchulain when he had undergone certain trials and
+adventures for a year, and had accomplished certain feats, a test
+which she imposed on her lover, partly as a trial of his worthiness
+and constancy and partly to satisfy her father Forgall, who would not
+agree to the marriage. When Cuchulain returned triumphant at the end
+of the year, he rescued Emer from the confinement in which her father
+had placed her, and won her at the sword's point; they were wedded,
+and dwelt at Armagh, the capital of Ulster, under the protection of
+King Conor.
+
+
+Bricriu's Feast
+
+It happened that at Conor's court was one chief who delighted in
+making mischief, as Thersites among the Grecian leaders. This man,
+Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, came to King Conor and invited him and
+all the heroes of the Red Branch, the royal bodyguard of Ulster, to a
+feast at his new dwelling, for he felt sure he could find some
+occasion to stir up strife at a feast. King Conor, however, and the
+Red Branch heroes, distrusted Bricriu so much that they refused to
+accept the invitation, unless Bricriu would give sureties that, having
+received his guests, he would leave the hall before the feasting
+began. Bricriu, who had expected some such condition, readily agreed,
+and before going home to prepare his feast took measures for stirring
+up strife among the heroes of Ulster.
+
+
+Bricriu's Falsehood
+
+Before Bricriu left Armagh he went to the mighty Laegaire and with
+many words of praise said: "All good be with you, O Laegaire, winner
+of battles! Why should you not be Champion of Ireland for ever?"
+
+"I can be, if I will," said Laegaire.
+
+"Follow my advice, and you shall be head of all the champions of
+Ireland," said cunning Bricriu.
+
+"What is your counsel?" asked Laegaire.
+
+"King Conor is coming to a feast in my house," said Bricriu, "and the
+Champion's Bit will be a splendid portion for any hero. That warrior
+who obtains it at this feast will be acclaimed Chief Champion of Erin.
+When the banquet begins do you bid your chariot-driver rise and claim
+the hero's portion for you, for you are indeed worthy of it, and I
+hope that you may get what you so well deserve!"
+
+"Some men shall die if my right is taken from me," quoth Laegaire; but
+Bricriu only laughed and turned away.
+
+
+Bricriu Meets Conall Cearnach
+
+Bricriu next met Conall Cearnach, Cuchulain's cousin, one of the
+chiefs of the Red Branch.
+
+"May all good be with you, Conall the Victorious," quoth he. "You are
+our defence and shield, and no foe dare face you in battle. Why should
+you not be Chief Champion of Ulster?"
+
+"It only depends on my will," said Conall; and then Bricriu continued
+his flattery and insidious suggestions until he had stirred up Conall
+to command his charioteer to claim the Champion's Portion at
+Bricriu's feast. Very joyous was Bricriu, and very evilly he smiled as
+he turned away when he had roused the ambition of Conall Cearnach, for
+he revelled in the prospect of coming strife.
+
+
+Bricriu Meets Cuchulain
+
+"May all good be with you, Cuchulain," said Bricriu, as he met the
+youthful hero. "You are the chief defence of Erin, our bulwark against
+the foe, our joy and darling, the hero of Ulster, the favourite of all
+the maidens of Ireland, the greatest warrior of our land! We all live
+in safety under the protection of your mighty hand, so why should you
+not be the Chief Champion of Ulster? Why will you leave the Hero's
+Portion to some less worthy warrior?"
+
+"By the god of my people, I will have it, or slay any bold man who
+dares to deprive me of it," said Cuchulain.
+
+Thereupon Bricriu left Cuchulain and travelled to his home, where he
+made his preparations for receiving the king, as if nothing were
+further from his thoughts than mischief-making and guile.
+
+
+The Feast and the Quarrel
+
+When King Conor and his court had entered Bricriu's house at Dundrum,
+and were sitting at the feast, Bricriu was forced by his sureties to
+leave the hall, for men feared his malicious tongue, and as he went to
+his watch-tower he turned and cried:
+
+"The Champion's Portion at my feast is worth having; let it be given
+to the best hero in Ulster."
+
+The carving and distribution of the viands began, and when the
+Champion's Portion was brought forward it was claimed by three
+chariot-drivers, Laegaire's, Conall's, and Cuchulain's, each on
+behalf of his master; and when no decision was made by King Conor the
+three heroes claimed it, each for himself. But Laegaire and Conall
+united in defying Cuchulain and ridiculing his claim, and a great
+fight began in the hall, till all men shook for fear; and at last King
+Conor intervened, before any man had been wounded.
+
+"Put up your swords," he said. "The Champion's Portion at this feast
+shall be divided among the three, and we will ask King Ailill and
+Queen Meave of Connaught to say who is the greatest champion." This
+plan pleased every one but Bricriu, who saw his hopes of fomenting
+strife disappear.
+
+
+The Women's Quarrel
+
+Just at that moment the women rose and quitted the hall to breathe the
+fresh air, and Bricriu spied his opportunity. Going down from his
+watch-tower, he met Fedelm, the wife of Laegaire, with her fifty
+maidens, and said to her:
+
+"All good be with you to-night, Fedelm of the Fresh Heart! Truly in
+beauty, in birth, in dignity, no woman in Ulster is your equal. If you
+enter my hall first to-night, you will be queen of the Ulster women."
+
+Fedelm walked on merrily enough, but determined that she would soon
+re-enter the hall, and certainly before any other woman. Bricriu next
+met Lendabair the Favourite, Conall's wife, and gave her similar
+flattery and a similar prophecy, and Lendabair also determined to be
+first back at the house and first to enter the hall.
+
+Then Bricriu waited till he saw Emer, Cuchulain's fair wife. "Health
+be with you, Emer, wife of the best man in Ireland! As the sun
+outshines the stars, so do you outshine all other women! You should
+of right enter the house first, for whoever does so will be queen of
+the women of Ulster, and none has a better claim to be their queen
+than Cuchulain's wife, Forgall's fair daughter."
+
+
+The Husbands Intervene
+
+The three fair women, each with her train of fifty maidens, watched
+one another carefully, and when one turned back towards the house the
+others accompanied her, step for step; and the noise of their
+returning footsteps as they raced along alarmed their husbands.
+Sencha, the king's wise counsellor, reassured them, saying, "It is
+only a woman's quarrel; Bricriu has stirred up enmity among the wives
+of the heroes"; and as he spoke Emer reached the hall, having suddenly
+outrun the others; but the doors were shut. Then followed bitter
+complaints from Fedelm and Lendabair, both united against Emer, as
+their husbands had been against Cuchulain. Again King Conor was forced
+to call for silence, since each hero was supporting his own wife's
+claims to be queen of the Ulster women. The strife was only calmed by
+the promise that the claim to the highest place should be settled by
+Ailill and Meave of Connaught, who would be impartial judges.
+
+
+The Heroes Journey to Connaught
+
+Bricriu's feast lasted for three days longer, and then King Conor and
+the Red Branch heroes returned to Armagh. There the dispute about the
+Championship began again, and Conor sent the heroes to Cruachan, in
+Connaught, to obtain a judgment from King Ailill. "If he does not
+decide, go to Curoi of Munster, who is a just and wise man, and will
+find out the best hero by wizardry and enchantments." When Conor had
+decided thus, Laegaire and Conall, after some disputation as to who
+should start first, had their chariots got ready and drove towards
+Cruachan, but Cuchulain stayed amusing himself and the women in
+Armagh. When his chariot-driver reproached him with losing the
+Champion's Portion through laziness Cuchulain replied: "I never
+thought about it, but there is still time to win it. Yoke my steeds to
+the chariot." By this time, however, the other two heroes were far,
+very far, in advance, with the chief men of Ulster following them.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Steeds
+
+Cuchulain had quite lately won two mighty magic steeds, which arose
+from two lonely lakes--the Grey of Macha, his best-beloved horse, and
+the Black Sainglain. The struggle between the hero and these magic
+steeds had been terrible before he had been able to tame them and
+reduce them to submission; now he had them yoked to his chariot, and
+when he had once started he soon came up with the other two heroes,
+and all three drove furiously towards Cruachan, with all the warriors
+of Ulster behind them.
+
+[Illustration: "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan"]
+
+
+Queen Meave Watches the Heroes
+
+The noise of the advancing war-chariots reached Queen Meave at
+Cruachan, and she wondered greatly to hear thunder from a clear sky;
+but her fair daughter, looking from her window, said: "Mother, I see
+chariots coming."
+
+"Who comes in the first?" asked Queen Meave.
+
+"I see a big stout man, with reddish gold hair and long forked beard,
+dressed in purple with gold adornments; and his shield is bronze edged
+with gold; he bears a javelin in his hand."
+
+"That man I know well," answered her mother. "He is mighty Laegaire,
+the Storm of War, the Knife of Victory; he will slay us all, unless he
+comes in peace."
+
+"I see another chariot," quoth the princess, "bearing a fair man with
+long wavy hair, a man of clear red and white complexion, wearing a
+white vest and a cloak of blue and crimson. His shield is brown, with
+yellow bosses and a bronze edge."
+
+"That is valiant Conall the Victorious," quoth Meave. "Small chance
+shall we have if he comes in anger."
+
+"Yet a third chariot comes, wherein stands a dark, sad youth, most
+handsome of all the men of Erin; he wears a crimson tunic, brooched
+with gold, a long white linen cloak, and a white, gold-embroidered
+hood. His hair is black, his look draws love, his glance shoots fire,
+and the hero-light gleams around him. His shield is crimson, with a
+silver rim, and images of beasts shine on it in gold."
+
+
+Terror in Connaught
+
+"Alas! that is the hero Cuchulain," said Meave. "He is more to be
+feared than all others. His voice in anger tells the doom of men; his
+wrath is fatal. Truly we are but dead if we have aroused Cuchulain's
+wrath." After a pause: "Tell me, daughter, are there yet other
+chariots?"
+
+"The men of Ulster follow in chariots so numerous that the earth
+quakes beneath them, and their sound is as thunder, or the dashing
+waves of the sea."
+
+Now Queen Meave was terrified in good earnest, but hoped by a hearty
+welcome to turn aside the wrath of the heroes of Ulster; thus when
+they arrived at the dun of Cruachan they found the best of receptions,
+and all the Red Branch warriors were feasted for three days and
+nights.
+
+
+Conor Explains the Matter
+
+After three days Ailill of Connaught asked their business, and King
+Conor related to him everything as it had occurred--the feast, the
+dispute for the Champion's Portion, the women's quarrel, and the
+decision to be judged by King Ailill. This angered Ailill, who was a
+peaceable man.
+
+"It was no friend of mine who referred you to me, for I shall surely
+incur the hatred of two heroes," quoth he.
+
+"You are the best judge of all," replied King Conor.
+
+"Then I must have time--three days and nights--to decide," said
+Ailill.
+
+"We can spare our heroes so long," quoth Conor, and therewith the
+Ulster men returned to Armagh, leaving the three claimants to the
+Championship at Cruachan.
+
+
+The First Test
+
+That night Ailill put them to an unexpected test. Their feast was
+served to them in a separate room, and the king went to his
+protectors, the Fairy People of the Hills, in the Good People's Hill
+at Cruachan, and begged some help in his judgment. They willingly
+aided him, and three magic beasts, in the shape of monstrous cats,
+were let into the room where the heroes feasted. When they saw them
+Laegaire and Conall rose up from their meal, clambered up among the
+rafters, and stayed there all night. Cuchulain waited till one
+attacked him, and then drawing his sword, struck the monster. It
+showed no further sign of fight, and Cuchulain kept watch all night,
+till the magic beasts disappeared at daybreak. When Ailill came into
+the room and saw the heroes as they had spent the night he laughed as
+he said:
+
+"Are you not content to yield the Championship to Cuchulain?"
+
+[Illustration: "Three monstrous cats were let into the room"]
+
+"Indeed no," said Conall and Laegaire. "We are used to fighting men,
+not monstrous beasts."
+
+
+The Second Test
+
+The next day King Ailill sent the heroes to his own foster-father,
+Ercol, to spend a night with him, that he also might test them. When
+they arrived, and had feasted, Laegaire was sent out that night to
+fight the witches of the valley. Fierce and terrible were these
+witches, and they beat Laegaire, and took his arms and armour.
+
+When Conall went to fight them the witches beat him and took his
+spear, but he kept his sword and brought it back with honour.
+Cuchulain, who was the youngest, went last, and he too was being
+beaten, when the taunts of his chariot-driver, who was watching,
+aroused him, and he beat the witches, and bore off in triumph their
+cloaks of battle. Yet even after this the other two heroes would not
+acknowledge Cuchulain's superiority.
+
+
+Ercol's Defeat
+
+The next day Ercol fought with each champion separately, and conquered
+both Laegaire and Conall, terrifying the former so much that he fled
+to Cruachan and told Meave and Ailill that Ercol had killed the other
+two. When Cuchulain arrived victorious, with Ercol tied captive at his
+chariot-wheels, he found all men mourning for him and Conall as for
+the dead.
+
+
+Meave's Plan to Avoid Strife in Cruachan
+
+Now indeed Ailill was in great perplexity, for he durst not delay his
+decision, and he dreaded the wrath of the two disappointed heroes. He
+and Queen Meave consulted long together, and at length Meave promised
+to relieve him of the responsibility of judgment. Summoning Laegaire
+to the king's room, she said:
+
+"Welcome, O Laegaire! You are greatest of the warriors of Ulster. To
+you we give the headship of the heroes of Ireland and the Champion's
+Portion, and to your wife the right to walk first of all the women of
+Ulster. In token thereof we give you this cup of bronze with a silver
+bird embossed, to be seen by no man till you be come to King Conor in
+the Red Branch House at Armagh. Then show your cup and claim your
+right, and none will dispute it with you."
+
+So Laegaire went away well pleased, and they sent for Conall. To him
+they gave a silver cup, with a bird embossed in gold, and to him they
+pretended to adjudge the Championship, and Conall left them well
+content.
+
+Cuchulain, who was playing chess, refused to attend the King of
+Connaught when he was summoned, and Queen Meave had to entreat him to
+come to their private room. There they gave him a golden cup, with a
+bird designed in precious gems, with many words of flattery for
+Cuchulain and his fair and noble wife, Emer.
+
+
+The Return of the Champions
+
+Now the heroes, each well content, bade farewell to the court at
+Cruachan, and drove back to Armagh, but none durst ask how they had
+sped. That evening, at the banquet, when the Champion's Portion was
+set aside, Laegaire arose and claimed it, showing as proof that his
+claim was just the bronze cup he brought from Queen Meave.
+
+But alas! Conall the Victorious had a silver cup, and while he was
+exulting in this proof of his rightful claim to the championship
+Cuchulain produced his golden cup, and the dispute began all over
+again. King Conor would have allowed Cuchulain's claim, but Laegaire
+vowed that his rival had bribed Ailill and Meave with great treasures
+to give him the golden cup, and neither Laegaire nor Conall would
+yield him the victory or accept the judgment as final. "Then you must
+go to Curoi," said the king, and to that they all agreed.
+
+
+The Champions Visit Curoi
+
+The next day the three champions drove to Kerry where Curoi dwelt in a
+magic dun. He was away from home planning enchantments to test them,
+for he knew they were coming, but his wife welcomed them, and bade
+them watch the dun for one night each, beginning with Laegaire, as the
+eldest. Laegaire took up his sentinel's post outside the dun, and
+Curoi's wife worked the charm which prevented entrance after
+nightfall. The night was long and silent, and Laegaire thought he
+would have a quiet watch, when he saw a great shadow arise from the
+sea.
+
+
+The Giant Fights Laegaire and Conall
+
+This shadow took the shape of a huge giant, whose spears were mighty
+branch-stripped oaks, which he hurled at Laegaire. They did not touch
+him, however, and Laegaire made some show of fight; but the giant took
+him up, squeezed him so tightly as nearly to slay him, and then threw
+him over the magic wall of the dun, where the others found him lying
+half dead. All men thought that he had sprung with a mighty leap over
+the wall, since no other entrance was to be found, and Laegaire kept
+silence and did not explain to them.
+
+Conall, who took the watch the second night, fared exactly as Laegaire
+had done, and likewise did not confess how he had been thrown over
+the wall of the dun, nor what became of the giant in the dawn.
+
+
+Cuchulain's Trials
+
+The third night was Cuchulain's watch, and he took his post outside
+the dun, and the gates and wall were secured by magic spells, so that
+none could enter. Vainly he watched till midnight, and then he thought
+he saw nine grey shadowy forms creeping towards him.
+
+"Who goes there?" he cried. "If you be friends, stop; if foes, come
+on!" Then the nine shadowy foes raised a shout, and fell upon the
+hero; but he fought hard and slew them, and beheaded them. A second
+and a third time similar groups of vague, shadowy foemen rushed at
+him, and he slew them all in like manner, and then, wearied out, sat
+down to rest.
+
+
+The Dragon
+
+Later on in the night, as he was still watching, he heard a heavy
+sound, like waves surging in the lake, and when he roused himself to
+see what it was he beheld a monstrous dragon. It was rising from the
+water and flying towards the dun, and seemed ready to devour
+everything in its way. When the dragon perceived him it soared swiftly
+into the air, and then gradually sank towards him, opening its
+terrible jaws. Cuchulain sprang up, giving his wonderful hero-leap,
+and thrust his arm into the dragon's mouth and down its throat; he
+found its heart, tore it out, and saw the monster fall dead on the
+ground. He then cut off its scaly head, which he added to those of his
+former enemies.
+
+[Illustration: "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible
+jaws"]
+
+
+The Giant Worsted by Cuchulain
+
+Towards daybreak, when feeling quite worn out and very sleepy, he
+became slowly aware of a great shadow coming to him westward from the
+sea. The shadow, as before, became a giant, who greeted him in a surly
+tone with, "This is a bad night." "It will be worse yet for you," said
+Cuchulain. The giant, as he had done with the other heroes, threw
+oaks, but just missed him; and when he tried to grapple with him the
+hero leaped up with drawn sword. In his anger the hero-light shone
+round him, and he sprang as high as the giant's head, and gave him a
+stroke that brought him to his knees. "Life for life, Cuchulain," said
+the giant, and vanished at once, leaving no trace.
+
+
+Cuchulain Re-enters the Dun
+
+Now Cuchulain would gladly have returned to the fort to rest, but
+there seemed no way of entrance, and the hero was vexed at his own
+helplessness, for he thought his comrades had jumped over the magic
+walls. Twice he boldly essayed to leap the lofty wall, and twice he
+failed; then in his wrath his great strength came upon him, the
+hero-light shone round him, and he took a little run and, leaning on
+his spear, leaped so high and so far that he alighted in the middle of
+the court, just before the door of the hall.
+
+As he sighed heavily and wearily, Curoi's wife said: "That is the sigh
+of a weary conqueror, not of a beaten man"; and Cuchulain went in and
+sat down to rest.
+
+
+The Decision
+
+The next morning Curoi's wife asked the champions: "Are you content
+that the Championship should go to Cuchulain? I know by my magic skill
+what he has endured in the past night, and you must see that you are
+not equal to him."
+
+"Nay, that we will not allow," quoth they. "It was one of Cuchulain's
+friends among the People of the Hills who came to conquer us and to
+give him the Championship. We are not content, and we will not give up
+our claim, for the fight was not fair."
+
+"Go home now to Armagh, is Curoi's word, and wait there until he
+himself brings his decision," said Curoi's wife. So they bade her
+farewell, and went back to the Red Branch House in Armagh, with the
+dispute still unsettled; but they agreed to await peaceably Curoi's
+decision, and abide by it when he should bring it.
+
+
+Uath, the Stranger
+
+Some time after this, when Curoi had made no sign of giving judgment,
+it happened that all the Ulster heroes were in their places in the Red
+Branch House, except Cuchulain and his cousin Conall. As they sat in
+order of rank in the hall they saw a terrible stranger coming into the
+room. He was gigantic in stature, hideous of aspect, with ravening
+yellow eyes. He wore a skin roughly sewn together, and a grey cloak
+over it, and he sheltered himself from the light with a spreading tree
+torn up by the roots. In his hand he bore an enormous axe, with keen
+and shining edge. This hideous apparition strode up the hall and leant
+against a carved pillar beside the fire.
+
+"Who are you?" asked one chieftain in sport. "Are you come to be our
+candlestick, or would you burn the house down? Is this the place for
+such as you? Go farther down the hall!"
+
+"My name is Uath, the Stranger, and for neither of those things am I
+come. I seek that which I cannot find in the whole world, and that is
+a man to keep the agreement he makes with me."
+
+
+The Agreement
+
+"What is the agreement?" asked King Conor.
+
+"Behold my axe!" quoth the stranger. "The man who will grasp it
+to-day may cut my head off with it, provided that I may, in like
+manner, cut off his head to-morrow. Now you men of Ulster, heroes of
+the Red Branch, have won the palm through the wide world for courage,
+honour, strength, truth, and generosity; do you, therefore, find me a
+man to keep this agreement. King Conor is excepted, because of his
+royal dignity, but no other. And if you have no champion who dare face
+me, I will say that Ulster has lost her courage and is dishonoured."
+
+"It is not right for a whole province to be disgraced for lack of a
+man to keep his word," said King Conor, "but I fear we have no such
+champions here."
+
+
+Laegaire Accepts the Challenge
+
+"By my word," said Laegaire, who had listened attentively to the whole
+conversation, "there will be a champion this very moment. Stoop down,
+fellow, and let me cut off your head, that you may take mine
+to-morrow."
+
+Then Uath chanted magic spells over the axe as he stroked the edge,
+and laid his neck on a block, and Laegaire hewed so hard that the axe
+severed the head from the body and struck deep into the block. Then
+the body of Uath arose, took up the head and the axe, and strode away
+down the hall, all people shrinking out of its way, and so it passed
+out into the night.
+
+[Illustration: "The body of Uath arose"]
+
+"If this terrible stranger returns to-morrow he will slay us all,"
+they whispered, as they looked pityingly at Laegaire, who was trying
+in vain to show no signs of apprehension.
+
+
+Laegaire and Conall Disgraced
+
+When the next evening came, and men sat in the Red Branch House,
+talking little and waiting for what would happen, in came Uath, the
+Stranger, as well and sound as before the terrible blow, bearing his
+axe, and eager to return the stroke. Alas! Laegaire's heart had failed
+him and he did not come, and the stranger jeered at the men of Ulster
+because their great champion durst not keep his agreement, nor face
+the blow he should receive in return for one he gave.
+
+The men of Ulster were utterly ashamed, but Conall Cearnach, the
+Victorious, was present that night, and he made a new agreement with
+Uath. Conall gave a blow which beheaded Uath, but again, when the
+stranger returned whole and sound on the following evening, the
+champion was not to be found: Conall would not face the blow.
+
+
+Cuchulain Accepts the Challenge
+
+When Uath found that a second hero of Ulster had failed him he again
+taunted them all with cowardice and promise-breaking.
+
+"What! is there not one man of courage among you Ulstermen? You would
+fain have a great name, but have no courage to earn it! Great heroes
+are you all! Not one among you has bravery enough to face me! Where is
+that childish youth Cuchulain! A poor miserable fellow he is, but I
+would like to see if his word is better to be relied on than the word
+of these two great heroes."
+
+"A youth I may be," said Cuchulain, "but I will keep my word without
+any agreement."
+
+Uath laughed aloud. "Yes! that is likely, is it not? And you with so
+great a fear of death!"
+
+Thereupon the youth leapt up, caught the deadly axe, and severed the
+giant's head as he stood with one stroke.
+
+
+Cuchulain Stands the Test
+
+The next day the Red Branch heroes watched Cuchulain to see what he
+would do. They would not have been surprised if he had failed like the
+others, who now were present. The champion, however, showed no signs
+of failing or retreat. He sat sorrowfully in his place waiting for the
+certain death that must come, and regretting his rashness, but with no
+thought of breaking his word.
+
+With a sigh he said to King Conor as they waited: "Do not leave this
+place till all is over. Death is coming to me very surely, but I must
+fulfil my agreement, for I would rather die than break my word."
+
+Towards the close of day Uath strode into the hall exultant.
+
+"Where is Cuchulain?" he cried.
+
+"Here I am," was the reply.
+
+"Ah, poor boy! your speech is sad to-night, and the fear of death lies
+heavy on you; but at least you have redeemed your word and have not
+failed me."
+
+The youth rose from his seat and went towards Uath, as he stood with
+the great axe ready, and knelt to receive the blow.
+
+
+Curoi's Decision and Cuchulain's Victory
+
+The hero of Ulster laid his head on the block; but Uath was not
+satisfied. "Stretch out your neck better," said he.
+
+"You are playing with me, to torment me," said Cuchulain. "Slay me now
+speedily, for I did not keep you waiting last night."
+
+However, he stretched out his neck as Uath bade, and the stranger
+raised his axe till it crashed upwards through the rafters of the
+hall, like the crash of trees falling in a storm. When the axe came
+down with a terrific sound all men looked fearfully at Cuchulain. The
+descending axe had not even touched him; it had come down with the
+blunt side on the ground, and the youth knelt there unharmed. Smiling
+at him, and leaning on his axe, stood no terrible and hideous
+stranger, but Curoi of Kerry, come to give his decision at last.
+
+"Rise up, Cuchulain," said Curoi. "There is none among all the heroes
+of Ulster to equal you in courage and loyalty and truth. The
+Championship of the Heroes of Ireland is yours from this day forth,
+and the Champion's Portion at all feasts; and to your wife I adjudge
+the first place among all the women of Ulster. Woe to him who dares to
+dispute this decision!" Thereupon Curoi vanished, and the Red Branch
+warriors gathered around Cuchulain, and all with one voice acclaimed
+him the Champion of the Heroes of all Ireland--a title which has clung
+to him until this day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X: THE TALE OF GAMELYN
+
+
+The "Wicked Brothers" Theme
+
+The tale of "Gamelyn" is a variant of the old fairy-tale subject of
+the Wicked Elder Brothers, one of the oldest and most interesting
+versions of which may still be read in the Biblical story of Joseph
+and his brethren. Usually a father dies leaving three sons, of whom
+the two elder are worthless and the youngest rises to high honour,
+whereupon the elder brothers try to kill the youngest from envy at his
+good fortune. A similar root-idea is found in "Cinderella" and other
+fairy-tales of girls, but in these there may usually be found a cruel
+stepmother and two contemptuous stepsisters--a noteworthy variation
+which seems to point to some deep-rooted idea that the ties of blood
+are stronger among women than among men.
+
+
+Literary Influence of the "Gamelyn" Story
+
+The story of "Gamelyn" has two great claims to our attention: it is,
+through Lodge's "Euphues' Golden Legacy," the ultimate source of
+Shakespeare's _As You Like It_, and it seems to be the earliest
+presentment in English literature of the figure of "the noble outlaw."
+In fact, Gamelyn is probably the literary ancestor of "bold Robin
+Hood," and stands for an English ideal of justice and equity, against
+legal oppression and wickedness in high places. He shows, too, the
+love of free life, of the merry greenwood and the open road, which
+reappears after so many centuries in the work of Robert Louis
+Stevenson.
+
+
+The Story
+
+In the reign of King Edward I. there dwelt in Lincolnshire, near the
+vast expanse of the Fens, a noble gentleman, Sir John of the Marches.
+He was now old, but was still a model of all courtesy and a "very
+perfect gentle knight." He had three sons, of whom the youngest,
+Gamelyn, was born in his father's old age, and was greatly beloved by
+the old man; the other two were much older than he, and John, the
+eldest, had already developed a vicious and malignant character.
+Gamelyn and his second brother, Otho, reverenced their father, but
+John had no respect or obedience for the good gentleman, and was the
+chief trouble of his declining years, as Gamelyn was his chief joy.
+
+
+The Father Feels his End Approaching
+
+At last old age and weakness overcame the worthy old Sir John, and he
+was forced to take to his bed, where he lay sadly meditating on his
+children's future, and wondering how to divide his possessions justly
+among the three. There was no difficulty of inheritance or
+primogeniture, for all the knight's lands were held in fee-simple, and
+not in entail, so that he might bequeath them as he would. Sir John of
+the Marches, fearing lest he should commit an injustice, sent
+throughout the district for wise knights, begging them to come
+hastily, if they wished to see him alive, and help him. When the
+country squires and lords, his near neighbours, heard of his grave
+condition, they hurried to the castle, and gathered in the bedchamber,
+where the dying knight greeted them thus: "Lords and gentlemen, I warn
+you in truth that I may no longer live; by the will of God death lays
+his hand upon me." When they heard this they tried to encourage him,
+by bidding him remember that God can provide a remedy for every
+disease, and the good knight received their kindly words without
+dispute. "That God can send remedy for an ill I will never deny; but
+I beseech you, for my sake, to divide my lands among my three sons.
+For the love of God deal justly, and forget not my youngest, Gamelyn.
+Seldom does any heir to an estate help his brothers after his father's
+death."
+
+
+How Shall he Dispose of his Estate?
+
+The friends whom Sir John had summoned deliberated long over the
+disposal of the estate. The majority wished to give all to the eldest
+son, but a strong minority urged the claims of the second, but all
+agreed that Gamelyn might wait till his eldest brother chose to give
+him a share of his father's lands. At last it was decided to divide
+the inheritance between the two elder sons, and the knights returned
+to the chamber where the brave old knight lay dying, and told him
+their decision. He summoned up strength enough to protest against
+their plan of distribution, and said:
+
+    "'Nay, by St. Martin, I can yet bequeath
+    My lands to whom I wish: they still are mine.
+    Then hearken, neighbours, while I make my will.
+    To John, my eldest son, and heir, I leave
+    Five ploughlands, my dead father's heritage;
+    My second, Otho, ploughlands five shall hold,
+    Which my good right hand won in valiant strife;
+    All else I own, in lands and goods and wealth,
+    To Gamelyn, my youngest, I devise;
+    And I beseech you, for the love of God,
+    Forsake him not, but guard his helpless youth
+    And let him not be plundered of his wealth.'"
+
+Then Sir John, satisfied with having proclaimed his will, died with
+Christian resignation, leaving his little son Gamelyn in the power of
+the cruel eldest brother, now, in his turn, Sir John.
+
+
+The Cruel Eldest Son
+
+Since the boy was a minor, the new knight, as natural guardian,
+assumed the control of Gamelyn's land, vassals, education, and
+nurture; and full evilly he discharged his duties, for he clothed and
+fed him badly, and neglected his lands, so that his parks and houses,
+his farms and villages, fell into ruinous decay. The boy, when he grew
+older, noticed this and resented it, but did not realize the power in
+his own broad limbs and mighty sinews to redress his wrongs, though by
+the time he fully understood his injuries no man would dare to face
+him in fight when he was angry, so strong a youth had he become.
+
+
+Gamelyn Resists
+
+While Gamelyn, one day, walking in the hall, mused on the ruin of all
+his inheritance, Sir John came blustering in, and, seeing him, called
+out: "How now: is dinner ready?" Enraged at being addressed as if he
+were a mere servant, he replied angrily: "Go and do your own baking; I
+am not your cook."
+
+[Illustration: "Go and do your own baking!"]
+
+Sir John almost doubted the evidence of his ears. "What, my dear
+brother, is that the way to answer? Thou hast never addressed me so
+before!"
+
+"No," replied Gamelyn; "until now I have never considered all the
+wrong you have done me. My parks are broken open, my deer are driven
+off; you have deprived me of my armour and my steeds; all that my
+father bequeathed to me is falling into ruin and decay. God's curse
+upon you, false brother!"
+
+Sir John was now enraged beyond all measure, and shouted: "Stand
+still, vagabond, and hold thy peace! What right hast thou to speak of
+land or vassals? Thou shalt learn to be grateful for food and
+raiment."
+
+"A curse upon him that calls me vagabond! I am no worse than
+yourself; I am the son of a lady and a good knight."
+
+
+Gamelyn Terrifies the Household
+
+In spite of all his anger, Sir John was a cautious man, with a prudent
+regard for his own safety. He would not risk an encounter with
+Gamelyn, but summoned his servants and bade them beat him well, till
+he should learn better manners. But when the boy understood his
+brother's intention he vowed that he would not be beaten alone--others
+should suffer too, and Sir John not the least. Thereupon, leaping on
+to the wall, he seized a pestle which lay there, and so boldly
+attacked the timid servants, though they were armed with staves, that
+he drove them in flight, and laid on furious strokes which quenched
+the small spark of courage in them. Sir John had not even that small
+amount of bravery: he fled to a loft and barred the door, while
+Gamelyn cleared the hall with his pestle, and scoffed at the cowardly
+grooms who fled so soon from the strife they had begun. When he sought
+for his brother he could not see him at first, but afterwards
+perceived his sorry countenance peeping from a window. "Brother," said
+Gamelyn, "come a little nearer, and I will teach you how to play with
+staff and buckler."
+
+"Nay, by St. Richard, I will not descend till thou hast put down that
+pestle. Brother, be no more enraged, and I will make peace with thee.
+I swear it by the grace of God!"
+
+"I was forced to defend myself," said Gamelyn, "or your menials would
+have injured and degraded me: I could not let grooms beat a good
+knight's son; but now grant me one boon, and we shall soon be
+reconciled."
+
+
+Sir John's Guile
+
+"Yes, certainly, brother; ask thy boon, and I will grant it readily.
+But indeed I was only testing thee, for thou art so young that I
+doubted thy strength and manliness. It was only a pretence of beating
+that I meant."
+
+"This is my request," said the boy: "if there is to be peace between
+us you must surrender to me all that my father bequeathed me while he
+was alive."
+
+To this Sir John consented with apparent willingness, and even
+promised to repair the decayed mansions and restore the lands and
+farms to their former prosperity; but though he feigned content with
+the agreement and kissed his brother with outward affection yet he was
+inwardly meditating plans of treachery against the unsuspecting youth.
+
+
+A Wrestling Match
+
+Shortly after this quarrel between the brothers a wrestling
+competition was announced, the winner of which would become the owner
+of a fine ram and a ring of gold, and Gamelyn determined to try his
+powers. Accordingly he begged the loan of "a little courser" from Sir
+John, who offered him his choice of all the steeds in the stable, and
+then curiously questioned him as to his errand. The lad explained that
+he wished to compete in the wrestling match, hoping to win honour by
+bearing away the prize; then, springing on the beautiful courser that
+was brought him ready saddled, he spurred his horse and rode away
+merrily, while the false Sir John locked the gate behind him, praying
+that he might get his neck broken in the contest. The boy rode along,
+rejoicing in his youth and strength, singing as he went, till he drew
+near the appointed place, and then he suddenly heard a man's voice
+lamenting aloud and crying, "Wellaway! Alas!" and saw a venerable
+yeoman wringing his hands. "Good man," said Gamelyn, "why art thou in
+such distress? Can no man help thee?"
+
+
+A Dreaded Champion
+
+"Alas!" said the yeoman. "Woe to the day on which I was born! The
+champion wrestler here has overthrown my two stalwart sons, and unless
+God help them they must die of their grievous hurts. I would give ten
+pounds to find a man to avenge on him the injuries done to my dear
+sons."
+
+"Good man, hold my horse while my groom takes my coat and shoes, and I
+will try my luck and strength against this doughty champion."
+
+"Thank God!" said the yeoman. "I will do it at once; I will guard thy
+coat and shoes and good steed safely--and may Jesus Christ speed thee
+well!"
+
+
+Gamelyn Enters
+
+When Gamelyn entered the ring, barefooted and stripped for wrestling,
+all men gazed curiously at the rash youth who dared to challenge the
+stalwart champion, and the great man himself, rising from the ground,
+strolled across to meet Gamelyn and said haughtily: "Who is thy
+father, and what is thy name? Thou art, forsooth, a young fool to come
+here!"
+
+Gamelyn answered equally haughtily: "Thou knewest well my father while
+he lived: he was Sir John of the Marches, and I am his youngest son,
+Gamelyn."
+
+The champion replied: "Boy, I knew thy father well in his lifetime,
+and I have heard of thee, and nothing good: thou hast always been in
+mischief."
+
+"Now I am older thou shalt know me better," said Gamelyn.
+
+
+Defeats the Champion
+
+The wrestling had lasted till late in the evening, and the moon was
+shining on the scene when Gamelyn and the champion began their
+struggle. The wrestler tried many wily tricks, but the boy was ready
+for them all, and stood steady against all that his opponent could do.
+Then, in his turn, he took the offensive, grasped his adversary round
+the waist, and cast him so heavily to the ground that three ribs were
+broken, and his left arm. Then the victor said mockingly:
+
+"Shall we count that a cast, or not reckon it?"
+
+"By heaven! whether it be one or no, any man in thy hand will never
+thrive," said the champion painfully.
+
+The yeoman, who had watched the match with great anxiety, now broke
+out with blessings: "Blessed be thou, young sir, that ever thou wert
+born!" and now taunting the fallen champion, said: "It was young
+'Mischief' who taught thee this game."
+
+"He is master of us all," said the champion. "In all my years of
+wrestling I have never been mishandled so cruelly."
+
+Now the victor stood in the ring, ready for more wrestling, but no man
+would venture to compete with him, and the two judges who kept order
+and awarded the prizes bade him retire, for no other competitor could
+be found to face him.
+
+But he was a little disappointed at this easy victory. "Is the fair
+over? Why, I have not half sold my wares," he said.
+
+The champion was still capable of grim jesting. "Now, as I value my
+life, any purchaser of your wares is a fool; you sell so dearly."
+
+"Not at all," broke in the yeoman; "you have bought your share full
+cheap, and made a good bargain."
+
+
+He Wins the Prizes
+
+While this short conversation had been going on the judges had
+returned to their seats, and formally awarded the prize to Gamelyn,
+and now came to him, bearing the ram and the ring for his acceptance.
+
+Gamelyn took them gladly, and went home the next morning, followed by
+a cheering crowd of admirers; but when the cowardly Sir John saw the
+people he bolted the castle doors against his more favourite and
+successful brother.
+
+
+He Overcomes his Brother's Servants
+
+The porter, obeying his master's commands, refused Gamelyn entrance;
+and the youth, enraged at this insult, broke down the door with one
+blow, caught the fleeing porter, and flung him down the well in the
+courtyard. His brother's servants fled from his anger, and the crowd
+that had accompanied him swarmed into courtyard and hall, while the
+knight took refuge in a little turret.
+
+"Welcome to you all," said Gamelyn. "We will be masters here and ask
+no man's leave. Yesterday I left five tuns of wine in the cellar; we
+will drain them dry before you go. If my brother objects (as he well
+may, for he is a miser) I will be butler and caterer and manage the
+whole feast. Any person who dares to object may join the porter in the
+well."
+
+Naturally no objections were raised, and Gamelyn and his friends held
+high revel for a week, while Sir John lay hidden in his turret,
+terrified at the noise and revelry, and dreading what his brother
+might do to him now he had so great a following.
+
+
+A Reckoning with Sir John
+
+However, the guests departed quietly on the eighth day, leaving
+Gamelyn alone, and very sorrowful, in the hall where he had held high
+revel. As he stood there, musing sadly, he heard a timid footstep, and
+saw his brother creeping towards him. When he had attracted Gamelyn's
+attention he spoke out loudly: "Who made thee so bold as to destroy
+all my household stores?"
+
+"Nay, brother, be not wroth," said the youth quietly. "If I have used
+anything I have paid for it fully beforehand. For these sixteen years
+you have had full use and profit of fifteen good ploughlands which my
+father left me; you have also the use and increase of all my cattle
+and horses; and now all this past profit I abandon to you, in return
+for the expense of this feast of mine."
+
+Then said the treacherous Sir John: "Hearken, my dear brother: I have
+no son, and thou shalt be my heir--I swear by the holy St. John."
+
+"In faith," said Gamelyn, "if that be the case, and if this offer be
+made in all sincerity, may God reward you!" for it was impossible for
+his generous disposition to suspect his brother of treachery and to
+fathom the wiles of a crafty nature; hence it happened that he was so
+soon and easily beguiled.
+
+
+Gamelyn Allows Himself to be Chained
+
+Sir John hesitated a moment, and then said doubtfully: "There is one
+thing I must tell you, Gamelyn. When you threw my porter into the well
+I swore in my wrath that I would have you bound hand and foot. That is
+impossible now without your consent, and I must be forsworn unless you
+will let yourself be bound for a moment, as a mere form, just to save
+me from the sin of perjury."
+
+So sincere Sir John seemed, and so simple did the whole thing appear,
+that Gamelyn consented at once. "Why, certainly, brother, you shall
+not be forsworn for my sake." So he sat down, and the servants bound
+him hand and foot; and then Sir John looked mockingly at him as he
+said: "So now, my fine brother, I have you caught at last." Then he
+bade them bring fetters and rivet them on Gamelyn's limbs, and chain
+him fast to a post in the centre of the hall. Then he was placed on
+his feet with his back to the post and his hands manacled behind him,
+and as he stood there the false brother told every person who entered
+that Gamelyn had suddenly gone mad, and was chained for safety's sake,
+lest he should do himself or others some deadly hurt. For two long
+days and nights he stood there bound, with no food or drink, and grew
+faint with hunger and weariness, for his fetters were so tight that he
+could not sit or lie down; bitterly he lamented the carelessness which
+made him fall such an easy prey to his treacherous brother's designs.
+
+
+Adam Spencer to the Rescue
+
+When all others had left the hall Gamelyn appealed to old Adam
+Spencer, the steward of the household, a loyal old servant who had
+known Sir John of the Marches, and had watched the boy grow up. "Adam
+Spencer," quoth he, "unless my brother is minded to slay me, I am kept
+fasting too long. I beseech thee, for the great love my father bore
+thee, get the keys and release me from my bonds. I will share all my
+free land with thee if thou wilt help me in this distress."
+
+The poor old servant was greatly perplexed. He knew not how to
+reconcile his grateful loyalty to his dead master with the loyalty due
+to his present lord, and he said doubtfully: "I have served thy
+brother for sixteen years, and if I release thee now he will
+rightly call me a traitor." "Ah, Adam! thou wilt find him a false
+rogue at the last, as I have done. Release me, dear friend Adam, and I
+will be true to my agreement, and will keep my covenant to share my
+land with thee." By these earnest words the steward was persuaded,
+and, waiting till Sir John was safely in bed, managed to obtain
+possession of the keys and release Gamelyn, who stretched his arms and
+legs and thanked God for his liberty. "Now," said he, "if I were but
+well fed no one in this house should bind me again to-night." So Adam
+took him to a private room and set food before him; eagerly he ate and
+drank till his hunger was satisfied and he began to think of revenge.
+"What is your advice, Adam? Shall I go to my brother and strike off
+his head? He well merits it."
+
+
+A Plan of Escape
+
+"No," answered Adam, "I know a better plan than that. Sir John is to
+give a great feast on Sunday to many Churchmen and prelates; there
+will be present a great number of abbots and priors and other holy
+men. Do you stand as if bound by your post in the hall, and beseech
+them to release you. If they will be surety for you, your liberty will
+be gained with no blame to me; if they all refuse, you shall cast
+aside the unlocked chains, and you and I, with two good staves, can
+soon win your freedom. Christ's curse on him who fails his comrade!"
+
+"Yes," quoth Gamelyn, "evil may I thrive if I fail in my part of the
+bargain! But if we must needs help them to do penance for their sins,
+you must warn me, brother Adam, when to begin."
+
+"By St. Charity, master, I will give you good warning. When I wink at
+you be ready to cast away your fetters at once and come to me."
+
+"This is good advice of yours, Adam, and blessings on your head. If
+these haughty Churchmen refuse to be surety for me I will give them
+good strokes in payment."
+
+
+A Great Feast
+
+Sunday came, and after mass many guests thronged to the feast in the
+great hall; they all stared curiously at Gamelyn as he stood with his
+hands behind him, apparently chained to his post, and Sir John
+explained sadly that he, after slaying the porter and wasting the
+household stores, had gone mad, and was obliged to be chained, for his
+fury was dangerous. The servants carried dainty dishes round the
+table, and beakers of rich wines, but though Gamelyn cried aloud that
+he was fasting no food was brought to him. Then he spoke pitifully and
+humbly to the noble guests: "Lords, for Christ's sake help a poor
+captive out of prison." But the guests were hard-hearted, and answered
+cruelly, especially the abbots and priors, who had been deceived by
+Sir John's false tales. So harshly did they reply to the youth's
+humble petition that he grew angry. "Oh," said he, "that is all the
+answer I am to have to my prayer! Now I see that I have no friends.
+Cursed be he that ever does good to abbot or prior!"
+
+[Illustration: "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of
+prison!"]
+
+
+The Banquet Disturbed
+
+Adam Spencer, busied about the removal of the cloth, looked anxiously
+at Gamelyn, and saw how angry he grew. He thought little more of his
+service, but, making a pretext to go to the pantry, brought two good
+oak staves, and stood them beside the hall door. Then he winked
+meaningly at Gamelyn, who with a sudden shout flung off his chains,
+rushed to the hall door, seized a staff, and began to lay about him
+lustily, whirling his weapon as lightly as if it had been a holy
+water sprinkler. There was a dreadful commotion in the hall, for the
+portly Churchmen tried to escape, but the mere laymen loved Gamelyn,
+and drew aside to give him free play, so that he was able to scatter
+the prelates. Now he had no pity on these cruel Churchmen, as they had
+been without pity for him; he knocked them over, battered them, broke
+their arms and legs, and wrought terrible havoc among them; and during
+this time Adam Spencer kept the door so that none might escape. He
+called aloud to Gamelyn to respect the sanctity of men of Holy Church
+and shed no blood, but if he should by chance break arms and legs
+there would be no sacrilege, because no blood need be shed.
+
+
+Sir John in Chains
+
+Thus Gamelyn worked his will, laying hands on monks and friars, and
+sent them home wounded in carts and waggons, while some of them
+muttered: "We were better at home, with mere bread and water, than
+here where we have had such a sorry feast!" Then Gamelyn turned his
+attention to his false brother, who had been unable to escape, seized
+him by the neck, broke his backbone with one blow from his staff, and
+thrust him, sitting, into the fetters that yet hung from the post
+where Gamelyn had stood. "Sit there, brother, and cool thy blood,"
+said Gamelyn, as he and Adam sat down to a feast, at which the
+servants waited on them eagerly, partly from love and partly from
+fear.
+
+
+The Sheriff's Men Appear
+
+Now the sheriff happened to be only five miles away, and soon heard
+the news of this disturbance, and how Gamelyn and Adam had broken the
+king's peace; and, as his duty was, he determined to arrest the
+law-breakers. Twenty-four of his best men were sent to the castle to
+gain admittance and arrest Gamelyn and his steward; but the new
+porter, a devoted adherent of Gamelyn, denied them entrance till he
+knew their errand; when they refused to tell it, he sent a servant to
+rouse Gamelyn and warn him that the sheriff's men stood before the
+gate.
+
+    "Then answered Gamelyn: 'Good porter, go;
+    Delay my foes with fair speech at the gate
+    Till I relieve thee with some cunning wile.
+    If I o'erlive this strait, I will requite
+    Thy truth and loyalty. Adam,' quoth he,
+    'Our foes are on us, and we have no friend--
+    The sheriff's men surround us, and have sworn
+    A mighty oath to take us: we must go
+    Whither our safety calls us.' He replied:
+    'Go where thou wilt, I follow to the last
+    Or die forlorn: but this proud sheriffs troop
+    Will flee before our onset, to the fens.'"
+
+
+The Sheriff Arrives
+
+As Gamelyn and Adam looked round for weapons the former saw a
+cart-staff, a stout post used for propping up the shafts; this he
+seized, and ran out at the little postern gate, followed by Adam with
+another staff. They caught the sheriff's twenty-four bold men in the
+rear, and when Gamelyn had felled three, and Adam two, the rest took
+to their heels. "What!" said Adam as they fled. "Drink a draught of my
+good wine! I am steward here." "Nay," they shouted back; "such wine as
+yours scatters a man's brains far too thoroughly." Now this little
+fray was hardly ended before the sheriff came in person with a great
+troop. Gamelyn knew not what to do, but Adam again had a plan ready.
+"Let us stay no longer, but go to the greenwood: there we shall at
+least be at liberty." The advice suited Gamelyn, and each drank a
+draught of wine, mounted his steed, and lightly rode away, leaving
+the empty nest for the sheriff, with no eggs therein. However, that
+officer dismounted, entered the hall, and found Sir John fettered and
+nearly dying. He released him, and summoned a leech, who healed his
+grievous wound, and enabled him to do more mischief.
+
+
+Gamelyn Goes to the Greenwood
+
+Meanwhile Adam wandered with Gamelyn in the greenwood, and found it
+very hard work, with little food. He complained aloud to his young
+lord:
+
+    "'Would I were back in mine old stewardship--
+    Full blithe were I, the keys to bear and keep!
+    I like not this wild wood, with wounding thorns,
+    And nought of food or drink, or restful ease.'
+    'Ah! Adam,' answered Gamelyn, 'in sooth
+    Full many a good man's son feels bitter woe!
+    Then cheer thee, Adam.'"
+
+[Illustration: "Then cheer thee, Adam"]
+
+As they spoke sadly together Gamelyn heard men's voices near by, and,
+looking through the bushes, saw seven score young men, sitting round a
+plentiful feast, spread on the green grass. He rejoiced greatly,
+bidding Adam remember that "Boot cometh after bale," and pointing out
+to him the abundance of provisions near at hand. Adam longed for a
+good meal, for they had found little to eat since they came to the
+greenwood. At that moment the master-outlaw saw them in the underwood,
+and bade his young men bring to him these new guests whom God had
+sent: perchance, he said, there were others besides these two. The
+seven bold youths who started up to do his will cried to the two
+new-comers: "Yield and hand us your bows and arrows!" "Much sorrow may
+he have who yields to you," cried Gamelyn. "Why, with five more ye
+would be only twelve, and I could fight you all." When the outlaws
+saw how boldly he bore himself they changed their tone, and said
+mildly: "Come to our master, and tell him thy desire." "Who is your
+master?" quoth Gamelyn. "He is the crowned king of the outlaws," quoth
+they; and the two strangers were led away to the chief.
+
+The master-outlaw, sitting on a rustic throne, with a crown of
+oak-leaves on his head, asked them their business, and Gamelyn
+replied: "He must needs walk in the wood who may not walk in the town.
+We are hungry and faint, and will only shoot the deer for food, for we
+are hard bestead and in great danger."
+
+
+Gamelyn Joins the Outlaws
+
+The outlaw leader had pity on their distress, and gave them food; and
+as they ate ravenously the outlaws whispered one to another: "This is
+Gamelyn!" "This is Gamelyn!" Understanding all the evils that had
+befallen him, their leader soon made Gamelyn his second in command;
+and when after three weeks the outlaw king was pardoned and allowed to
+return home, Gamelyn was chosen to succeed him and was crowned king of
+the outlaws. So he dwelt merrily in the forest, and troubled not
+himself about the world outside.
+
+
+The Law at Work
+
+Meanwhile the treacherous Sir John had recovered, and in due course
+had become sheriff, and indicted his brother for felony. As Gamelyn
+did not appear to answer the indictment he was proclaimed an outlaw
+and wolf's-head, and a price was set upon his life. Now his bondmen
+and vassals were grieved at this, for they feared the cruelty of the
+wicked sheriff; they therefore sent messengers to Gamelyn to tell him
+the ill news, and deprecate his wrath. The youth's anger rose at the
+tidings, and he promised to come and beard Sir John in his hall and
+protect his own tenants.
+
+
+Gamelyn Arrested
+
+It was certainly a stroke of rash daring thus to venture into the
+county where his brother was sheriff, but he strode boldly into the
+moot-hall, with his hood thrown back, so that all might recognise him,
+and cried aloud: "God save all you lordings here present! But, thou
+broken-backed sheriff, evil mayst thou thrive! Why hast thou done me
+such wrong and disgrace as to have me indicted and proclaimed an
+outlaw?" Sir John did not hesitate to use his legal powers, but,
+seeing his brother was quite alone, had him arrested and cast into
+prison, whence it was his intention that only death should release
+him.
+
+
+Otho as Surety
+
+All these years the second brother, Otho, had lived quietly on his own
+lands and taken no heed of the quarrels of the two others; but now,
+when news came to him of Sir John's deadly hatred to their youngest
+brother, and Gamelyn's desperate plight, he was deeply grieved, roused
+himself from his peaceful life, and rode to see if he could help his
+brother. First he besought Sir John's mercy for the prisoner, for the
+sake of brotherhood and family love; but he only replied that Gamelyn
+must stay imprisoned till the justice should hold the next assize.
+Then Otho offered to be bail, if only his young brother might be
+released from his bonds and brought from the dismal dungeon where he
+lay. To this Sir John finally consented, warning Otho that if the
+accused failed to appear before the justice he himself must suffer the
+penalty for the breach of bail. "I agree," said Otho. "Have him
+released at once, and deliver him to me." Then Gamelyn was set free
+on his brother's surety, and the two rode home to Otho's house,
+talking sadly of all that had befallen, and how Gamelyn had become
+king of the outlaws. The next morning Gamelyn asked Otho's permission
+to go to the greenwood and see how his young men fared but Otho
+pointed out so clearly how dreadful would be the consequences to him
+if he did not return that the young man vowed:
+
+    "'I swear by James, the mighty saint of Spain,
+    That I will not desert thee, nor will fail
+    To stand my trial on the appointed day,
+    If God Almighty give me strength and health
+    And power to keep my vow. I will be there,
+    That I may show what bitter hate Sir John,
+    My cruel brother, holds against me.'"
+
+
+Gamelyn Goes to the Woods
+
+Thereupon Otho bade him go. "God shield thee from shame! Come when
+thou seest it is the right time, and save us both from blame and
+reproach." So Gamelyn went gaily to the merry greenwood, and found his
+company of outlaws; and so much had they to tell of their work in his
+absence, and so much had he to relate of his adventures, that time
+slipped by, and he soon fell again into his former mode of life, and
+his custom of robbing none but Churchmen, fat abbots and priors, monks
+and canons, so that all others spoke good of him, and called him the
+"courteous outlaw."
+
+
+The Term Expires
+
+Gamelyn stood one day looking out over the woods and fields, and it
+suddenly came to his mind with a pang of self-reproach that he had
+forgotten his promise to Otho, and the day of the assize was very
+near. He called his young men (for he had learned not to trust
+himself to the honour or loyalty of his brother the sheriff), and
+bade them prepare to accompany him to the place of assize, sending
+Adam on as a scout to learn tidings. Adam returned in great haste,
+bringing sad news. The judge was in his place, a jury empanelled to
+condemn Gamelyn to death, bribed thereto by the wicked sheriff, and
+Otho was fettered in the gaol in place of his brother. The news
+enraged Gamelyn, but Adam Spencer was even more infuriated; he would
+gladly have held the doors of the moot-hall and slain every person
+inside except Otho; but his master's sense of justice was too strong
+for that. "Adam," he said, "we will not do so, but will slay the
+guilty and let the innocent escape. I myself will have some
+conversation with the justice in the hall; and meanwhile do ye, my
+men, hold the doors fast. I will make myself justice to-day, and thou,
+Adam, shalt be my clerk. We will give sentence this day, and God speed
+our new work!" All his men applauded this speech and promised him
+obedience, and the troop of outlaws hastened to surround the hall.
+
+
+Gamelyn in the Court
+
+Once again Gamelyn strode into the moot-hall in the midst of his
+enemies, and was recognised by all. He released Otho, who said gently:
+"Brother, thou hast nearly overstayed the time; the sentence has been
+given against me that I shall be hanged."
+
+"Brother," said Gamelyn, "this day shall thy foes and mine be hanged:
+the sheriff, the justice, and the wicked jurors." Then Gamelyn turned
+to the judge, who sat as if paralysed in his seat of judgment, and
+said:
+
+    "'Come from the seat of justice: all too oft
+    Hast thou polluted law's clear stream with wrong;
+    Too oft hast taken reward against the poor;
+    Too oft hast lent thine aid to villainy,
+    And given judgment 'gainst the innocent.
+    Come down and meet thine own meed at the bar,
+    While I, in thy place, give more rightful doom
+    And see that justice dwells in law for once.'"
+
+[Illustration: "Come from the seat of justice"]
+
+
+A Scene
+
+The justice sat still, dumb with astonishment, and Gamelyn struck him
+fiercely, cut his cheek, and threw him over the bar so that his arm
+broke; and no man durst withstand the outlaw, for fear of his company
+standing at the doors. The youth sat down in the judge's seat, with
+Otho beside him, and Adam in the clerk's desk; and he placed in the
+dock the false sheriff, the justice, and the unjust jurors, and
+accused them of wrong and attempted murder. In order to keep up the
+forms of law, he empanelled a jury of his own young men, who brought
+in a verdict of "Guilty," and the prisoners were all condemned to
+death and hanged out of hand, though the false sheriff attempted to
+appeal to the brotherly affection of which he had shown so little.
+
+
+Honour from the King
+
+After this high-handed punishment of their enemies Gamelyn and his
+brother went to lay their case before King Edward, and he forgave
+them, in consideration of all the wrongs and injuries Gamelyn had
+suffered; and before they returned to their distant county the king
+made Otho sheriff of the county, and Gamelyn chief forester of all his
+free forests; his band of outlaws were all pardoned, and the king gave
+them posts according to their capabilities. Now Gamelyn and his
+brother settled down to a happy, peaceful life. Otho, having no son,
+made Gamelyn his heir, and the latter married a beauteous lady, and
+lived with her in joy till his life's end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI: WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The outlaw of mediaeval England has always possessed a potent charm for
+the minds of less rebellious persons. No doubt now the attraction has
+somewhat waned, for in the exploration of distant lands and the study
+of barbaric tribes men can find that breadth of outlook, that escape
+from narrow conventionalities, which they could formerly gain only by
+the cult of the "noble outlaw." The romance of life for many a worthy
+citizen must have been found in secret sympathy with Robin Hood and
+his merry band of banished men, robbing the purse-proud to help the
+needy and gaily defying law and authority.
+
+To the poor, however, the outlaw was something more than an easy
+entrance to the realms of romance; he was a real embodiment of the
+spirit of liberty. Of all the unjust laws which the Norman conquerors
+laid upon England, perhaps the most bitterly resented were the forest
+laws, and resistance to them was the most popular form of national
+independence. Hence it follows that we find outlaw heroes popular very
+early in our history--heroes who stand in the mind of the populace for
+justice and true liberty against the oppressive tyranny of subordinate
+officials, and who are always taken into favour by the king, the fount
+of true justice.
+
+
+Famous Outlaws
+
+There is some slight tinge of the "outlaw hero" in Hereward, but the
+outlaw period of that patriot's life is but an episode in his defence
+of England against William the Norman. There is a fully developed
+outlaw hero, the ideal of the type, in Robin Hood, but he has been
+somewhat idealized and ennobled by being transformed into a banished
+Earl of Huntingdon. Less known, but equally heroic, is William of
+Cloudeslee, the William Tell of England, whose fame is that of a good
+yeoman, a good archer, and a good patriot.
+
+
+The Outlaws
+
+In the green forest of Englewood, in the "North Countree," not far
+from the fortified town of Carlisle, dwelt a merry band of outlaws.
+They were not evildoers, but sturdy archers and yeomen, whose outlawry
+had been incurred only for shooting the king's deer. Indeed, to most
+men of that time--that is, to most men who were not in the royal
+service--the shooting of deer, and the pursuit of game in general,
+were not only venial offences, but the most natural thing in life. The
+royal claim to exclusive hunting in the vast forests of Epping,
+Sherwood, Needwood, Barnesdale, Englewood, and many others seemed
+preposterous to the yeomen who lived on the borders of the forests,
+and they took their risks and shot the deer and made venison pasty,
+convinced that they were wronging no one and risking only their own
+lives. They had the help and sympathy of many a man who was himself a
+law-abiding citizen, as well as the less understanding help of the
+town mob and the labourers in the country.
+
+
+The Leaders
+
+While the outlaws of merry Sherwood recognised no chief but Robin Hood
+and no foe but the Sheriff of Nottingham, the outlaws of Englewood
+were under the headship of three famous archers, brothers-in-arms
+sworn to stand by each other, but not brothers in blood. Their names
+were Adam Bell, William of Cloudeslee, and Clym of the Cleugh; and of
+the three William of Cloudeslee alone was married. His wife, fair
+Alice of Cloudeslee, dwelt in a strong house within the walls of
+Carlisle, with her three children, for they were not included in
+William's outlawry. It was possible thus for her to send her husband
+warning of any attack planned by the Sheriff of Carlisle on the
+outlaws, and she had saved him and his comrades from surprise already.
+
+
+William Goes to Carlisle
+
+When the blithe spring had come, and the forest was beautiful with its
+fresh green leaves, William began to long for his home and family; he
+had not ventured into Carlisle for some time, and it was more than six
+months since he had seen his wife's face. Little wonder was it, then,
+that he announced his intention of visiting his home, at the risk of
+capture by his old enemy the Sheriff. In vain his comrades dissuaded
+him from the venture. Adam Bell was especially urgent in his advice
+that William should remain in the greenwood.
+
+"You shall not go to Carlisle, brother, by my advice, nor with my
+consent. If the sheriff or the justice should know that you are in the
+town short would be your shrift and soon your span of life would end.
+Stay with us, and we will fetch you tidings of your wife."
+
+William replied: "Nay, I must go myself; I cannot rest content with
+tidings only. If all is well I will return by prime to-morrow, and if
+I fail you at that hour you may be sure I am taken or slain; and I
+pray you guard well my family, if that be so."
+
+Taking leave of his brother outlaws, William made his way unobserved
+into the town and came to his wife's dwelling. It was closely shut,
+with doors strongly bolted, and he was forced to knock long on the
+window before his wife opened the shutter to see who was the
+importunate visitor.
+
+"Let me in quickly, my own Alice," he said. "I have come to see you
+and my three children. How have you fared this long time?"
+
+"Alas!" she replied, hurriedly admitting him, and bolting the door
+again, "why have you come now, risking your dear life to gain news of
+us? Know you not that this house has been watched for more than six
+months, so eager are the sheriff and the justice to capture and hang
+you? I would have come to you in the forest, or sent you word of our
+welfare. I fear--oh, how I fear!--lest your coming be known!"
+
+
+The Old Woman's Treachery
+
+"Now that I am here, let us make merry," quoth William. "No man has
+seen me enter, and I would fain enjoy my short stay with you and my
+children, for I must be back in the forest by prime to-morrow. Can you
+not give a hungry outlaw food and drink?"
+
+Then Dame Alice bustled about and prepared the best she had for her
+husband; and when all was ready a very happy little family sat down to
+the meal, husband and wife talking cheerily together, while the
+children watched in wondering silence the father who had been away so
+long and came to them so seldom.
+
+There was one inmate of the house who saw in William's return a means
+of making shameful profit. She was an old bedridden woman, apparently
+paralysed, whom he had rescued from utter poverty seven years before.
+During all that time she had lain on a bed near the fire, had shared
+all the life of the family, and had never once moved from her couch.
+Now, while husband and wife talked together and the darkness deepened
+in the room, this old impostor slipped from her bed and glided
+stealthily out of the house.
+
+
+News Brought to the Sheriff
+
+It happened that the king's assize was being held just then in
+Carlisle, and the sheriff and his staunch ally the justice were
+sitting together in the Justice Hall. Thither this treacherous old
+woman hurried with all speed and pushed into the hall, forcing her way
+through the crowd till she came near the sheriff. "Ha! what would you,
+good woman?" asked he, surprised. "Sir, I bring tidings of great
+value." "Tell your tidings, and I shall see if they be of value or no.
+If they are I will reward you handsomely." "Sir, this night William of
+Cloudeslee has come into Carlisle, and is even now in his wife's
+house. He is all alone, and you can take him easily. Now what will you
+pay me, for I am sure this news is much to you?" "You say truth, good
+woman. That bold outlaw is the worst of all who kill the king's deer
+in his forest of Englewood, and if I could but catch him I should be
+well content. Dame, you shall not go without a recompense for your
+journey here and for your loyalty." The sheriff then bade his men give
+the old woman a piece of scarlet cloth, dyed in grain, enough for a
+gown, and the treacherous hag hid the gift under her cloak, hastened
+away to Alice's house, and slipped unperceived into her place again,
+hiding the scarlet cloth under the bed-coverings.
+
+
+The Hue and Cry
+
+Immediately he had heard of Cloudeslee's presence in Carlisle the
+sheriff sent out the hue and cry, and with all speed raised the whole
+town, for though none hated the outlaws men dared not refuse to obey
+the king's officer. The justice, too, joined the sheriff in the
+congenial task of capturing an outlaw whose condemnation was already
+pronounced. With all the forces at their disposal, sheriff and justice
+took their way towards the house where William and Alice unconscious
+of the danger besetting them, still talked lovingly together.
+
+Suddenly the outlaw's ears, sharpened by woodcraft and by constant
+danger, heard a growing noise coming nearer and nearer. He knew the
+sound of the footsteps of many people, and among the casual shuffling
+of feet recognised the ominous tramp of soldiers.
+
+"Wife, we are betrayed," cried William. "Hither comes the sheriff to
+take me."
+
+
+The Siege of the House
+
+Alice ran quickly up to her bedchamber and opened a window looking to
+the back, and saw, to her despair, that soldiers beset the house on
+every side and filled all the neighbouring streets. Behind them
+pressed a great throng of citizens, who seemed inclined to leave the
+capture of the outlaw to the guard. At the same moment William from
+the front called to his wife that the sheriff and justice were
+besieging the house on that side.
+
+"Alas! dear husband, what shall we do?" cried Alice. "Accursed be all
+treason! But who can have betrayed you to your foes? Go into my
+bedchamber, dear William, and defend yourself there, for it is the
+strongest room in the house. The children and I will go with you, and
+I will guard the door while you defend the windows."
+
+The plan was speedily carried out, and while William took his stand by
+the window Alice seized a pole-axe and stationed herself by the door.
+"No man shall enter this door alive while I live," said she.
+
+
+The Attack
+
+From the window Cloudeslee could perceive his mortal enemies the
+justice and the sheriff; and drawing his good longbow, he shot with
+deadly aim fair at the breast of the justice. It was well for the
+latter then that he wore a suit of good chain-mail under his robes;
+the arrow hit his breast and split in three on the mail.
+
+"Beshrew the man that clad you with that mail coat! You would have
+been a dead man now if your coat had been no thicker than mine," said
+William.
+
+"Yield yourself, Cloudeslee, and lay down your bow and arrows," said
+the justice. "You cannot escape, for we have you safe."
+
+"Never shall my husband yield; it is evil counsel you give," exclaimed
+the brave wife from her post at the door.
+
+
+The House is Burnt
+
+The sheriff, who grew more angered as the hours passed on and
+Cloudeslee was not taken, now cried aloud: "Why do we waste time
+trifling here? The man is an outlaw and his life is forfeit. Let us
+burn him and his house, and if his wife and children will not leave
+him they shall all burn together, for it is their own choice."
+
+This cruel plan was soon carried out. Fire was set to the door and
+wooden shutters, and the flames spread swiftly; the smoke rolled up in
+thick clouds into the lofty bedchamber, where the little children,
+crouching on the ground, began to weep for fear.
+
+"Alas! must we all die?" cried fair Alice, grieving for her children.
+
+William opened the window and looked out, but there was no chance of
+escape; his foes filled every street and lane around the house.
+"Surely they will spare my wife and babes," he thought; and, tearing
+the sheets from the bed, he made a rope, with which he let down to the
+ground his children, and last of all his weeping wife.
+
+He called aloud to the sheriff: "Sir Sheriff, here have I trusted to
+you my chief treasures. For God's sake do them no harm, but wreak all
+your wrath on me!"
+
+Gentle hands received Alice and her babes, and friendly citizens led
+them from the press; but Alice went reluctantly, in utter grief,
+knowing that her husband must be burnt with his house or taken by his
+foes; but for her children she would have stayed with him. William
+continued his wonderful archery, never missing his aim, till all his
+arrows were spent, and the flames came so close that his bowstring was
+burnt in two. Great blazing brands came falling upon him from the
+burning roof, and the floor was hot beneath his feet. "An evil death
+is this!" thought he. "Better it were that I should take sword and
+buckler and leap down amid my foes and so die, striking good blows in
+the throng of enemies, than stay here and let them see me burn."
+
+[Illustration: "William continued his wonderful archery"]
+
+Thereupon he leaped lightly down, and fought so fiercely that he
+nearly escaped through the throng, for the worthy citizens of Carlisle
+were not anxious to capture him; but the soldiers, urged by the
+sheriff and justice, threw doors and windows upon him, hampered his
+blows, and seized and bound him, and cast him into a deep dungeon.
+
+
+The Sheriff Gives Sentence
+
+"Now, William of Cloudeslee," quoth the sheriff, "you shall be hanged
+with speed, as soon as I can have a new gallows made. So noted an
+outlaw merits no common gibbet; a new one is most fitting.
+To-morrow at prime you shall die. There is no hope of rescue, for the
+gates of the town shall be shut. Your dear friends, Adam Bell and Clym
+of the Cleugh, would be helpless to save you, though they brought a
+thousand more like themselves, or even all the devils in Hell."
+
+Early next morning the justice arose, went to the soldiers who guarded
+the gates, and forbade them to open till the execution was over; then
+he went to the market-place and superintended the erection of a
+specially lofty gallows, beside the pillory.
+
+
+News is Brought to the Greenwood
+
+Among the crowd who watched the gallows being raised was a little lad,
+the town swineherd, who asked a bystander the meaning of the new
+gibbet.
+
+"It is put up to hang a good yeoman, William of Cloudeslee, more's the
+pity! He has done no wrong but kill the King's deer, and that merits
+not hanging. It is a foul shame that such injustice can be wrought in
+the king's name."
+
+The little lad had often met William of Cloudeslee in the forest, and
+had carried him messages from his wife; William had given the boy many
+a dinner of venison, and now he determined to help his friend if he
+could. The gates were shut and no man could pass out, but the boy
+stole along the wall till he found a crevice, by which he clambered
+down outside. Then he hastened to the forest of Englewood, and met
+Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh.
+
+"Come quickly, good yeomen; ye tarry here too long. While you are at
+ease in the greenwood your friend, William of Cloudeslee, is taken,
+condemned to death, and ready to be hanged. He needs your help this
+very hour."
+
+Adam Bell groaned. "Ah! if he had but taken our advice he would have
+been here in safety with us now. In the greenwood there is no sorrow
+or care, but when William went to the town he was running into
+trouble." Then, bending his bow, he shot with unerring aim a hart,
+which he gave to the lad as recompense for his labour and goodwill.
+
+
+The Outlaws Go to Carlisle
+
+"Come," said Clym to Adam Bell, "let us tarry no longer, but take our
+bows and arrows and see what we can do. By God's grace we will rescue
+our brother, though we may abide it full dearly ourselves. We will go
+to Carlisle without delay."
+
+The morning was fair as the two yeomen strode from the deep green
+shades of Englewood Forest along the hard white road leading to
+Carlisle Town. They were in time as yet, but when they drew near the
+wall they were amazed to see that no entrance or exit was possible;
+the gates were shut fast.
+
+Stepping back into the green thickets beside the road, the two outlaws
+consulted together. Adam Bell was for a valiant attempt to storm the
+gate, but Clym suddenly bethought him of a wiser plan.
+
+
+Clym's Stratagem
+
+Said he: "Let us pretend to be messengers from the king, with urgent
+letters to the justice. Surely that should win us admission. But alas!
+I forgot. How can we bear out our pretence, for I am no learned clerk.
+I cannot write."
+
+Quoth Adam Bell: "I can write a good clerkly hand. Wait one instant
+and I will speedily have a letter written; then we can say we have the
+king's seal. The plan will do well enough, for I hold the gate-keeper
+no learned clerk, and this will deceive him."
+
+[Illustration: Adam Bell writes the letter]
+
+Indeed, the letter which he quickly wrote and folded and sealed was
+very well and clearly written, and addressed to the Justice of
+Carlisle. Then the two bold outlaws hastened up the road and thundered
+on the town gates.
+
+
+They Enter the Town
+
+So long and loud they knocked that the warder came in great wrath,
+demanding who dared to make such clamour.
+
+Adam Bell replied: "We are two messengers come straight from our lord
+the king." Clym of the Cleugh added: "We have a letter for the justice
+which we must deliver into his own hands. Let us in speedily to
+perform our errand, for we must return to the king in haste."
+
+"No," the warder replied, "that I cannot do. No man may enter these
+gates till a false thief and outlaw be safely hanged. He is William of
+Cloudeslee, who has long deserved death."
+
+Now Clym saw that matters were becoming desperate, and time was
+passing too quickly, so he adopted a more violent tone. "Ah, rascal,
+scoundrel, madman!" quoth he. "If we be delayed here any longer thou
+shalt be hanged for a false thief! To keep the king's messengers
+waiting thus! Canst thou not see the king's seal? Canst thou not read
+the address of the royal letter? Ah, blockhead, thou shalt dearly
+abide this delay when my lord knows thereof."
+
+Thus speaking, he flourished the forged letter, with its false seal,
+in the porter's face; and the man, seeing the seal and the writing,
+believed what was told him. Reverently he took off his hood and bent
+the knee to the king's messengers, for whom he opened wide the gates,
+and they entered, walking warily.
+
+
+They Keep the Gates
+
+"At last we are within Carlisle walls, and glad thereof are we," said
+Adam Bell, "but when and how we shall go out again Christ only knows,
+who harrowed Hell and brought out its prisoners."
+
+"Now if we had the keys ourselves we should have a good chance of
+life," said Clym, "for then we could go in and out at our own will."
+"Let us call the warder," said Adam. When he came running at their
+call both the yeomen sprang upon him, flung him to the ground, bound
+him hand and foot, and cast him into a dark cell, taking his bunch of
+keys from his girdle. Adam laughed and shook the heavy keys. "Now I am
+gate-ward of merry Carlisle. See, here are my keys. I think I shall be
+the worst warder they have had for three hundred years. Let us bend
+our bows and hold our arrows ready, and walk into the town to deliver
+our brother."
+
+
+The Fight in the Market-place
+
+When they came to the market-place they found a dense crowd of
+sympathizers watching pityingly the hangman's cart, in which lay
+William of Cloudeslee, bound hand and foot, with a rope round his
+neck. The sheriff and the justice stood near the gallows, and
+Cloudeslee would have been hanged already, but that the sheriff was
+hiring a man to measure the outlaw for his grave. "You shall have the
+dead man's clothes, good fellow, if you make his grave," said he.
+
+Cloudeslee's courage was still undaunted. "I have seen as great a
+marvel ere now," quoth he, "as that a man who digs a grave for another
+may lie in it himself, in as short a time as from now to prime."
+
+"You speak proudly, my fine fellow, but hanged you shall be, if I do
+it with my own hand," retorted the sheriff furiously.
+
+Now the cart moved a little nearer to the scaffold, and William was
+raised up to be ready for execution. As he looked round the dense mass
+of faces his keen sight soon made him aware of his friends. Adam Bell
+and Clym of the Cleugh stood at one corner of the market-place with
+arrow on string, and their deadly aim bent at the sheriff and justice,
+whose horses raised them high above the murmuring throng. Cloudeslee
+showed no surprise, but said aloud: "Lo! I see comfort, and hope to
+fare well in my journey. Yet if I might have my hands free I would
+care little what else befell me."
+
+
+The Rescue
+
+Now Adam said quietly to Clym: "Brother, do you take the justice, and
+I will shoot the sheriff. Let us both loose at once and leave them
+dying. It is an easy shot, though a long one."
+
+Thus, while the sheriff yet waited for William to be measured for his
+grave, suddenly men heard the twang of bowstrings and the whistling
+flight of arrows through the air, and at the same moment both sheriff
+and justice fell writhing from their steeds, with the grey goose
+feathers standing in their breasts. All the bystanders fled from the
+dangerous neighbourhood, and left the gallows, the fatal cart, and the
+mortally wounded officials alone. The two bold outlaws rushed to
+release their comrade, cut his bonds, and lifted him to his feet.
+William seized an axe from a soldier and pursued the fleeing guard,
+while his two friends with their deadly arrows slew a man at each
+shot.
+
+
+The Mayor of Carlisle
+
+When the arrows were all used Adam Bell and Clym of the Cleugh threw
+away their bows and took to sword and buckler. The fight continued
+till midday for in the narrow streets the three comrades protected
+each other, and drew gradually towards the gate. Adam Bell still
+carried the keys at his girdle, and they could pass out easily if they
+could but once reach the gateway. By this time the whole town was in a
+commotion; again the hue and cry had been raised against the outlaws,
+and the Mayor of Carlisle came in person with a mighty troop of armed
+citizens, angered now at the fighting in the streets of the town.
+
+The three yeomen retreated as steadily as they could towards the gate,
+but the mayor followed valiantly armed with a pole-axe, with which he
+clove Cloudeslee's shield in two. He soon perceived the object of the
+outlaws, and bade his men guard the gates well, so that the three
+should not escape.
+
+
+The Escape from Carlisle
+
+Terrible was the din in the town now, for trumpets blew, church-bells
+were rung backward, women bewailed their dead in the streets, and over
+all resounded the clash of arms, as the fighting drew nigh the gate.
+When the gatehouse came in sight the outlaws were fighting
+desperately, with diminishing strength, but the thought of safety
+outside the walls gave them force to make one last stand. With backs
+to the gate and faces to the foe, Adam and Clym and William made a
+valiant onslaught on the townsfolk, who fled in terror, leaving a
+breathing-space in which Adam Bell turned the key, flung open the
+great ponderous gate, and flung it to again, when the three had passed
+through.
+
+[Illustration: The fight at the gate]
+
+
+Adam and the Keys
+
+As Adam locked the door they could hear inside the town the
+hurrying footsteps of the rallying citizens, whose furious attack on
+the great iron-studded door came too late. The door was locked, and
+the three friends stood in safety outside, with their pleasant forest
+home within easy reach. The change of feeling was so intense that Adam
+Bell, always the man to seize the humorous point of a situation,
+laughed lightly. He called through the barred wicket:
+
+"Here are your keys. I resign my office as warder--one half-day's work
+is enough for me; and as I have resigned, and the former gate-ward is
+somewhat damaged and has disappeared, I advise you to find a new one.
+Take your keys, and much good may you get from them. Next time I
+advise you not to stop an honest yeoman from coming to see his own
+wife and have a chat with her."
+
+Thereupon he flung the keys over the gate on the heads of the crowd,
+and the three brethren slipped away into the forest to their own
+haunts, where they found fresh bows and arrows in such abundance that
+they longed to be back in fair Carlisle with their foes before them.
+
+
+William of Cloudeslee and his Wife Meet
+
+While they were yet discussing all the details of the rescue they
+heard a woman's pitiful lament and the crying of little children.
+"Hark!" said Cloudeslee, and they all heard in the silence the words
+she said. It was William's wife, and she cried: "Alas! why did I not
+die before this day? Woe is me that my dear husband is slain! He is
+dead, and I have no friend to lament with me. If only I could see his
+comrades and tell what has befallen him my heart would be eased of
+some of its pain."
+
+William, as he listened, was deeply touched, and walked gently to
+fair Alice, as she hid her face in her hands and wept. "Welcome, wife,
+to the greenwood!" quoth he. "By heaven, I never thought to see you
+again when I lay in bonds last night." Dame Alice sprang up most
+joyously. "Oh, all is well with me now you are here; I have no care or
+woe." "For that you must thank my dear brethren, Adam and Clym," said
+he; and Alice began to load them with her thanks, but Adam cut short
+the expression of her gratitude. "No need to talk about a little
+matter like that," he said gruffly. "If we want any supper we had
+better kill something, for the meat we must eat is yet running wild."
+
+With three such good archers game was easily shot and a merry meal was
+quickly prepared in the greenwood, and all joyfully partook of venison
+and other dainties. Throughout the repast William devotedly waited on
+his wife with deepest love and reverence, for he could not forget how
+she had defended him and risked her life to stand by him.
+
+
+William's Proposed Visit to London
+
+When the meal was over, and they reclined on the green turf round the
+fire, William began thoughtfully:
+
+"It is in my mind that we ought speedily to go to London and try to
+win our pardon from the king. Unless we approach him before news can
+be brought from Carlisle he will assuredly slay us. Let us go at once,
+leaving my dear wife and my two youngest sons in a convent here; but I
+would fain take my eldest boy with me. If all goes well he can bring
+good news to Alice in her nunnery, and if all goes ill he shall bring
+her my last wishes. But I am sure I am not meant to die by the law."
+His brethren approved the plan, and they took fair Alice and her two
+youngest children to the nunnery, and then the three famous archers
+with the little boy of seven set out at their best speed for London,
+watching the passers-by carefully, that no news of the doings in
+Carlisle should precede them to the king.
+
+
+Outlaws in the Royal Palace
+
+The three yeomen, on arriving in London, made their way at once to the
+king's palace, and walked boldly into the hall, regardless of the
+astonished and indignant shouts of the royal porter. He followed them
+angrily into the hall, and began reproaching them and trying to induce
+them to withdraw, but to no purpose. Finally an usher came and said:
+"Yeomen, what is your wish? Pray tell me, and I will help you if I
+can; but if you enter the king's presence thus unmannerly you will
+cause us to be blamed. Tell me now whence you come."
+
+William fearlessly answered: "Sir, we will tell the truth without
+deceit. We are outlaws from the king's forests, outlawed for killing
+the king's deer, and we come to beg for pardon and a charter of peace,
+to show to the sheriff of our county."
+
+
+The King and the Outlaws
+
+The usher went to an inner room and begged to know the king's will,
+whether he would see these outlaws or not. The king was interested in
+these bold yeomen, who dared to avow themselves law-breakers, and bade
+men bring them to audience with him. The three comrades, with the
+little boy, on being introduced into the royal presence, knelt down
+and held up their hands, beseeching pardon for their offences.
+
+"Sire, we beseech your pardon for our breach of your laws. We are
+forest outlaws, who have slain your fallow deer in many parts of your
+royal forests." "Your names? Tell me at once," said the king. "Adam
+Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and William of Cloudeslee," they replied.
+
+The king was very wrathful. "Are you those bold robbers of whom men
+have told me? Do you now dare to come to me for pardon? On mine honour
+I vow that you shall all three be hanged without mercy, as I am
+crowned king of this realm of England. Arrest them and lay them in
+bonds." There was no resistance possible, and the yeomen submitted
+ruefully to their arrest. Adam Bell was the first to speak. "As I hope
+to thrive, this game pleases me not at all," he said. "Sire, of your
+mercy, we beg you to remember that we came to you of our own free
+will, and to let us pass away again as freely. Give us back our
+weapons and let us have free passage till we have left your palace; we
+ask no more; we shall never ask another favour, however long we live."
+
+The king was obdurate, however; he only replied: "You speak proudly
+still, but you shall all three be hanged."
+
+
+The Queen Intercedes
+
+The queen, who was sitting beside her husband, now spoke for the first
+time. "Sire, it were a pity that such good yeomen should die, if they
+might in any wise be pardoned." "There is no pardon," said the king.
+She then replied: "My lord, when I first left my native land and came
+into this country as your bride you promised to grant me at once the
+first boon I asked. I have never needed to ask one until to-day, but
+now, sire, I claim one, and I beg you to grant it." "With all my
+heart; ask your boon, and it shall be yours willingly." "Then, I pray
+you, grant me the lives of these good yeomen." "Madam, you might have
+had half my kingdom, and you ask a worthless trifle." "Sire, it seems
+not worthless to me; I beg you to keep your promise." "Madam, it vexes
+me that you have asked so little; yet since you will have these three
+outlaws, take them." The queen rejoiced greatly. "Many thanks, my lord
+and husband. I will be surety for them that they shall be true men
+henceforth. But, good my lord, give them a word of comfort, that they
+may not be wholly dismayed by your anger."
+
+
+News Comes to the King
+
+The king smiled at his wife. "Ah, madam! you will have your own way,
+as all women will. Go, fellows, wash yourselves, and find places at
+the tables, where you shall dine well enough, even if it be not on
+venison pasty from the king's own forests."
+
+The outlaws did reverence to the king and queen, and found seats with
+the king's guard at the lower tables in the hall. They were still
+satisfying their appetites when a messenger came in haste to the king;
+and the three North Countrymen looked at one another uneasily, for
+they knew the man was from Carlisle. The messenger knelt before the
+king and presented his letters. "Sire, your officers greet you well."
+
+"How fare they? How does my valiant sheriff? And the prudent justice?
+Are they well?"
+
+"Alas! my lord, they have been slain, and many another good officer
+with them."
+
+"Who hath done this?" questioned the king angrily.
+
+"My lord, three bold outlaws, Adam Bell, Clym of the Cleugh, and
+William of Cloudeslee."
+
+"What! these three whom I have just pardoned? Ah, sorely I repent that
+I forgave them! I would give a thousand pounds if I could have them
+hanged all three; but I cannot."
+
+
+The King's Test
+
+As the king read the letters his anger and surprise increased. It
+seemed impossible that three men should overawe a whole town, should
+slay sheriff, justice, mayor, and nearly every official in the town,
+forge a royal letter with the king's seal, and then lock the gates and
+escape safely. There was no doubt of the fact, and the king raged
+impotently against his own foolish mercy in giving them a free pardon.
+It had been granted, however, and he could do nought but grieve over
+the ruin they had wrought in Carlisle. At last he sprang up, for he
+could endure the banquet no longer.
+
+"Call my archers to go to the butts," he commanded. "I will see these
+bold outlaws shoot, and try if their archery is so fine as men say."
+
+Accordingly the king's archers and the queen's archers arrayed
+themselves, and the three yeomen took their bows and looked well to
+their silken bowstrings; and then all made their way to the butts
+where the targets were set up. The archers shot in turn, aiming at an
+ordinary target, but Cloudeslee soon grew weary of this childish
+sport, and said aloud: "I shall never call a man a good archer who
+shoots at a target as large as a buckler. We have another sort of butt
+in my country, and that is worth shooting at."
+
+
+William of Cloudeslee's Archery
+
+"Make ready your own butts," the king commanded, and the three outlaws
+went to a bush in a field close by and returned bearing hazel-rods,
+peeled and shining white. These rods they set up at four hundred
+yards apart, and, standing by one, they said to the king: "We should
+account a man a fair archer if he could split one wand while standing
+beside the other." "It cannot be done; the feat is too great,"
+exclaimed the king. "Sire, I can easily do it," quoth Cloudeslee, and,
+taking aim very carefully, he shot, and the arrow split the wand in
+two. "In truth," said the king, "you are the best archer I have ever
+seen. Can you do greater wonders?" "Yes," quoth Cloudeslee, "one thing
+more I can do, but it is a more difficult feat. Nevertheless I will
+try it, to show you our North Country shooting." "Try, then," the king
+replied; "but if you fail you shall be hanged without mercy, because
+of your boasting."
+
+
+Cloudeslee Shoots the Apple from his Son's Head
+
+Now Cloudeslee stood for a few moments as if doubtful of himself, and
+the South Country archers watched him, hoping for a chance to retrieve
+their defeat, when William suddenly said: "I have a son, a dear son,
+seven years of age. I will tie him to a stake and place an apple on
+his head. Then from a distance of a hundred and twenty yards I will
+split the apple in two with a broad arrow." "By heaven!" the king
+cried, "that is a dreadful feat. Do as you have said, or by Him who
+died on the Cross I will hang you high. Do as you have said, but if
+you touch one hair of his head, or the edge of his gown, I will hang
+you and your two companions." "I have never broken my pledged word,"
+said the North Country bowman, and he at once made ready for the
+terrible trial. The stake was set in the ground, the boy tied to it,
+with his face turned from his father, lest he should give a start and
+destroy his aim. Cloudeslee then paced the hundred and twenty yards,
+anxiously felt his string, bent his bow, chose his broadest arrow, and
+fitted it with care.
+
+[Illustration: William of Cloudeslee and his son]
+
+
+The Last Shot
+
+It was an anxious moment. The throng of spectators felt sick with
+expectation, and many women wept and prayed for the father and his
+innocent son. But Cloudeslee showed no fear. He addressed the crowd
+gravely: "Good folk, stand all as still as may be. For such a shot a
+man needs a steady hand, and your movements may destroy my aim and
+make me slay my son. Pray for me."
+
+Then, in an unbroken silence of breathless suspense, the bold marksman
+shot, and the apple fell to the ground, cleft into two absolutely
+equal halves. A cheer from every spectator burst forth deafeningly,
+and did not die down till the king beckoned for silence.
+
+
+The King and Queen Show Favour
+
+"God forbid that I should ever be your target," quoth he. "You shall
+be my chief forester in the North Country, with daily wage, and daily
+right of killing venison; your two brethren shall become yeomen of my
+guard, and I will advance the fortunes of your family in every way."
+
+The queen smiled graciously upon William, and she bestowed a pension
+upon him, and bade him bring his wife, fair Alice, to court, to take
+up the post of chief woman of the bedchamber to the royal children.
+
+Overwhelmed with these favours, the three yeomen became conscious of
+their own offences, more than they had told to the royal pair; their
+awakened consciences sent them to a holy bishop, who heard their
+confessions, gave them penance and bade them live well for the
+future, and then absolved them. When they had returned to Englewood
+Forest and had broken up the outlaw band they came back to the royal
+court, and spent the rest of their lives in great favour with the king
+and queen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII: BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In considering the hero-myths of Scotland we are at once confronted
+with two difficulties. The first, and perhaps the greater, is this,
+that the only national heroes of Lowland Scotland are actual
+historical persons, with very little of the mythical character about
+them. The mention of Scottish heroes at once suggests Sir William
+Wallace, Robert Bruce, the Black Douglas, Sir Andrew Barton, and many
+more, whose exploits are matter of serious chronicle and sober record
+rather than subject of tradition and myth. These warriors are too much
+in reach of the fierce white searchlight of historic inquiry to be
+invested with mythical interest or to show any developments of ancient
+legend.
+
+The second difficulty is of a different nature, and yet almost equally
+perplexing. In the old ballads and poems of the Gaelic Highlands there
+are mythical heroes in abundance, such as Fingal and Ossian, Comala,
+and a host of shadowy chieftains and warriors, but they are not
+distinctively Scotch. They are only Highland Gaelic versions of the
+Irish Gaelic hero-legends, Scotch embodiments of Finn and Oisin, whose
+real home was in Ireland, and whose legends were carried to the
+Western Isles and the Highlands by conquering tribes of Scots from
+Erin. These heroes are at bottom Irish, the champions of the Fenians
+and of the Red Branch, and in the Scotch legends they have lost much
+of their original beauty and chivalry.
+
+
+The Highland Clans
+
+It is rather in the private history of the country, as it were, than
+in its national records that we are likely to find a hero who will
+have something of the mythical in his story, something of the romance
+of the Middle Ages. The wars and jealousies of the clans, the
+adventures of a chief among hostile tribesmen, the raids and forays,
+the loves and hatreds of rival families, form a good background for a
+romantic legend; and such a legend occurs in the story of Black Colin
+of Loch Awe, a warrior of the great Campbell clan in the fourteenth
+century. The tale is common in one form or another to all European
+lands where the call of the Crusades was heard, and the romantic
+Crusading element has to a certain extent softened the occasionally
+ferocious nature of Highland stories in general, so that there is no
+bloodthirsty vengeance, no long blood-feud, to be recorded of Black
+Colin Campbell.
+
+
+The Knight of Loch Awe
+
+During the wars between England and Scotland in the reigns of Edward
+I. and Edward II. one of the chief leaders in the cause of Scottish
+independence was Sir Nigel Campbell. The Knight of Loch Awe, as he was
+generally called, was a schoolfellow and comrade of Sir William
+Wallace, and a loyal and devoted adherent of Robert Bruce. In return
+for his services in the war of independence Bruce rewarded him with
+lands belonging to the rebellious MacGregors, including Glenurchy, the
+great glen at the head of Loch Awe through which flows the river
+Orchy. It was a wild and lonely district, and Sir Nigel Campbell had
+much conflict before he finally expelled the MacGregors and settled
+down peaceably in Glenurchy. There his son was born, and named Colin,
+and as years passed he won the nickname of Black Colin, from his
+swarthy complexion, or possibly from his character, which showed
+tokens of unusual fierceness and determination.
+
+
+Black Colin's Youth
+
+Sir Nigel Campbell, as all Highland chiefs did, sent his son to a
+farmer's family for fosterage. The boy became a child of his
+foster-family in every way; he lived on the plain food of the
+clansmen, oatmeal porridge and oatcake, milk from the cows, and beef
+from the herds; he ran and wrestled and hunted with his
+foster-brothers, and learnt woodcraft and warlike skill, broadsword
+play and the use of dirk and buckler, from his foster-father. More
+than all, he won a devoted following in the clan, for a man's
+foster-parents were almost dearer to him than his own father and
+mother, and his foster-brethren were bound to fight and die for him,
+and to regard him more than their own blood-relations. The
+foster-parents of Black Colin were a farmer and his wife, Patterson by
+name, living at Socach, in Glenurchy, and well and truly they
+fulfilled their trust.
+
+
+He Goes on Crusade
+
+In course of time Sir Nigel Campbell died, and Black Colin, his son,
+became Knight of Loch Awe, and lord of all Glenurchy and the country
+round. He was already noted for his strength and his dark complexion,
+which added to his beauty in the eyes of the maidens, and he soon
+found a lovely and loving bride. They dwelt on the Islet in Loch Awe,
+and were very happy for a short time, but Colin was always restless,
+because he would fain do great deeds of arms, and there was peace just
+then in the land.
+
+At last one day a messenger arrived at the castle on the Islet bearing
+tidings that another crusade was on foot. This messenger was a palmer
+who had been in the Holy Land, and had seen all the holy places in
+Jerusalem. He told Black Colin how the Saracens ruled the country,
+and hindered men from worshipping at the sacred shrines; and he told
+how he had come home by Rome, where the Pope had just proclaimed
+another Holy War. The Pope had declared that his blessing would rest
+on the man who should leave wife and home and kinsfolk, and go forth
+to fight for the Lord against the infidel. As the palmer spoke Black
+Colin became greatly moved by his words, and when the old man had made
+an end he raised the hilt of his dirk and swore by the cross thereon
+that he would obey the summons and go on crusade.
+
+
+The Lady of Loch Awe
+
+Now Black Colin's wife was greatly grieved, and wept sorely, for she
+was but young, and had been wedded no more than a year, and it seemed
+to her hard that she must be left alone. She asked her husband: "How
+far will you go on this errand?" "I will go as far as Jerusalem, if
+the Pope bids me, when I have come to Rome," said he. "Alas! and how
+long will you be away from me?" "That I know not, but it may be for
+years if the heathen Saracens will not surrender the Holy Land to the
+warriors of the Cross." "What shall I do during those long, weary
+years?" asked she. "Dear love, you shall dwell here on the Islet and
+be Lady of Glenurchy till I return again. The vassals and clansmen
+shall obey you in my stead, and the tenants shall pay you their rents
+and their dues, and in all things you shall hold my land for me."
+
+
+The Token
+
+The Lady of Loch Awe sighed as she asked: "But if you die away in that
+distant land how shall I know? What will become of me if at last such
+woeful tidings should be brought?"
+
+"Wait for me seven years, dear wife," said Colin, "and if I do not
+return before the end of that time you may marry again and take a
+brave husband to guard your rights and rule the glen, for I shall be
+dead in the Holy Land."
+
+[Illustration: "Wait for me seven years, dear wife"]
+
+"That I will never do. I will be the Lady of Glenurchy till I die, or
+I will become the bride of Heaven and find peace for my sorrowing soul
+in a nunnery. No second husband shall wed me and hold your land. But
+give me now some token that we may share it between us; and you shall
+swear that on your deathbed you will send it to me; so shall I know
+indeed that you are no longer alive."
+
+"It shall be as you say," answered Black Colin, and he went to the
+smith of the clan and bade him make a massive gold ring, on which
+Colin's name was engraved, as well as that of the Lady of Loch Awe.
+Then, breaking the ring in two, Colin gave to his wife the piece with
+his name and kept the other piece, vowing to wear it near his heart
+and only to part with it when he should be dying. In like manner she
+with bitter weeping swore to keep her half of the ring, and hung it on
+a chain round her neck; and so, with much grief and great mourning
+from the whole clan, Black Colin and his sturdy following of Campbell
+clansmen set out for the Holy Land.
+
+
+The Journey
+
+Sadly at first the little band marched away from all their friends and
+their homes; bagpipes played their loudest marching tunes, and plaids
+fluttered in the breeze, and the men marched gallantly, but with heavy
+hearts, for they knew not when they would return, and they feared
+to find supplanters in their homes when they came back after many
+years. Their courage rose, however, as the miles lengthened behind
+them, and by the time they had reached Edinburgh and had taken ship at
+Leith all was forgotten but the joy of fighting and the eager desire
+to see Rome and the Pope, the Holy Land and the Holy Sepulchre.
+Journeying up the Rhine, the Highland clansmen made their way through
+Switzerland and over the passes of the Alps down into the pleasant
+land of Italy, where the splendour of the cities surpassed their
+wildest imaginations; and so they came at last, with many other bands
+of Crusaders, to Rome.
+
+
+The Crusade
+
+At Rome the Knight of Loch Awe was so fortunate as to have an audience
+of the Pope himself, who was touched by the devotion which brought
+these stern warriors so far from their home. Black Colin knelt in
+reverence before the aged pontiff, whom he held in truth to be the
+Vicar of Christ on earth, and received his blessing, and commands to
+continue his journey to Rhodes, where the Knights of St. John would
+give him opportunity to fight for the faith. The small band of
+Campbells went on to Rhodes, and there took service with the Knights,
+and won great praise from the Grand Master; but, though they fought
+the infidel, and exalted the standard of the Cross above the Crescent,
+Colin was still not at all satisfied. He left Rhodes after some years
+with a much-diminished band, and made his way as a pilgrim to
+Jerusalem. There he stayed until he had visited all the shrines in the
+Holy Land and prayed at every sacred spot. By this time the seven
+years of his proposed absence were ended, and he was still far from
+his home and the dear glen by Loch Awe.
+
+
+The Lady's Suitor
+
+While the seven years slowly passed away his sad and lonely wife dwelt
+in the castle on the Islet, ruling her lord's clan in all gentle ways,
+but fighting boldly when raiders came to plunder her clansmen. Yearly
+she claimed her husband's dues and watched that he was not defrauded
+of his rights. But though thus firm, she was the best help in trouble
+that her clan ever had, and all blessed the name of the Lady of Loch
+Awe.
+
+So fair and gentle a lady, so beloved by her clan, was certain to have
+suitors if she were a widow, and even before the seven years had
+passed away there were men who would gladly have persuaded her that
+her husband was dead and that she was free. She, however, steadfastly
+refused to hear a word of another marriage, saying: "When Colin parted
+from me he gave me two promises, one to return, if possible, within
+seven years, and the other to send me, on his deathbed, if he died
+away from me, a sure token of his death. I have not yet waited seven
+years, nor have I had the token of his death. I am still the wife of
+Black Colin of Loch Awe."
+
+This steadfastness gradually daunted her suitors and they left her
+alone, until but one remained, the Baron Niel MacCorquodale, whose
+lands bordered on Glenurchy, and who had long cast covetous eyes on
+the glen and its fair lady, and longed no less for the wealth she was
+reputed to possess than for the power this marriage would give him.
+
+
+The Baron's Plot
+
+When the seven years were over the Baron MacCorquodale sought the Lady
+of Loch Awe again, wooing her for his wife. Again she refused,
+saying, "Until I have the token of my husband's death I will be wife
+to no other man." "And what is this token, lady?" asked the Baron, for
+he thought he could send a false one. "I will never tell that,"
+replied the lady. "Do you dare to ask the most sacred secret between
+husband and wife? I shall know the token when it comes." The Baron was
+not a little enraged that he could not discover the secret, but he
+determined to wed the lady and her wealth notwithstanding; accordingly
+he wrote by a sure and secret messenger to a friend in Rome, bidding
+him send a letter with news that Black Colin was assuredly dead, and
+that certain words (which the Baron dictated) had come from him.
+
+
+A Forged Letter
+
+One day the Lady of Loch Awe, looking out from her castle, saw the
+Baron coming, and with him a palmer whose face was bronzed by Eastern
+suns. She felt that the palmer would bring tidings, and welcomed the
+Baron with his companion. "Lady, this palmer brings you sad news,"
+quoth the Baron. "Let him tell it, then," replied she, sick with fear.
+"Alas! fair dame, if you were the wife of that gallant knight Colin of
+Loch Awe, you are now his widow," said the palmer sadly, as he handed
+her a letter. "What proof have you?" asked Black Colin's wife before
+she read the letter. "Lady, I talked with the soldier who brought the
+tidings," replied the stranger.
+
+The letter was written from Rome to "The Right Noble Dame the Lady of
+Loch Awe," and told how news had come from Rhodes, brought by a man of
+Black Colin's band, that the Knight of Loch Awe had been mortally
+wounded in a fight against the Saracens. Dying, he had bidden his
+clansmen return to their lady, but they had all perished but one,
+fighting for vengeance against the infidels. This man, who had held
+the dying Knight tenderly upon his knee, said that Colin bade his wife
+farewell, bade her remember his injunction to wed again and find a
+protector, gasped out, "Take her the token I promised; it is here,"
+and died; but the Saracens attacked the Christians again, drove them
+back, and plundered the bodies of the slain, and when the one survivor
+returned to search for the precious token there was none! The body was
+stripped of everything of value, and the clansman wound it in the
+plaid and buried it on the battlefield.
+
+
+The Lady's Stratagem
+
+There seemed no reason for the lady to doubt this news, and her grief
+was very real and sincere. She clad herself in mourning robes and
+bewailed her lost husband, but yet she was not entirely satisfied, for
+she still wore the broken half of the engraved ring on the chain round
+her neck, and still the promised death-token had not come. The Baron
+now pressed his suit with greater ardour than before, and the Lady of
+Loch Awe was hard put to it to find reasons for refusing him. It was
+necessary to keep him on good terms with the clan, for his lands
+bordered on those of Glenurchy, and he could have made war on the
+people in the glen quite easily, while the knowledge that their chief
+was dead would have made them a broken clan. So the lady turned to
+guile, as did Penelope of old in similar distress. "I will wed you,
+now that my Colin is dead," she replied at last, "but it cannot be
+immediately; I must first build a castle that will command the head of
+Glenurchy and of Loch Awe. The MacGregors knew the best place for a
+house, there on Innis Eoalan; there, where the ruins of MacGregor's
+White House now stand, will I build my castle. When it is finished the
+time of my mourning will be over, and I will fix the bridal day." With
+this promise the Baron had perforce to be contented, and the castle
+began to rise slowly at the head of Loch Awe; but its progress was not
+rapid, because the lady secretly bade her men build feebly, and often
+the walls fell down, so that the new castle was very long in coming to
+completion.
+
+
+Black Colin Hears the News
+
+In the meantime all who loved Black Colin grieved to know that the
+Lady of Loch Awe would wed again, and his foster-mother sorrowed most
+of all, for she felt sure that her beloved Colin was not dead. The
+death-token had not been sent, and she sorely mistrusted the Baron
+MacCorquodale and doubted the truth of the palmer's message. At last,
+when the new castle was nearly finished and shone white in the rays of
+the sun, she called one of her sons and bade him journey to Rome to
+find the Knight of Loch Awe, if he were yet alive, and to bring sure
+tidings of his death if he were no longer living. The young Patterson
+set off secretly, and reached Rome in due course, and there he met
+Black Colin, just returned from Jerusalem. The Knight had at last
+realized that he had spent seven years away from his home, and that
+now, in spite of all his haste, he might reach Glenurchy too late to
+save his wife from a second marriage. He comforted himself, however,
+with the thought that the token was still safe with him, and that his
+wife would be loyal; great, therefore, was his horror when he met his
+foster-brother and heard how the news of his death had been brought to
+the glen. He heard also how his wife had reluctantly promised to marry
+the Baron MacCorquodale, and had delayed her wedding by stratagem,
+and he vowed that he would return to Glenurchy in time to spoil the
+plans of the wicked baron.
+
+
+Black Colin's Return
+
+Travelling day and night, Black Colin, with his faithful clansman,
+came near to Glenurchy, and sent his follower on in advance to bring
+back news. The youth returned with tidings that the wedding had been
+fixed for the next day, since the castle was finished and no further
+excuse for delay could be made. Then Colin's anger was greatly roused,
+and he vowed that the Baron MacCorquodale, who had stooped to deceit
+and forgery to gain his ends, should pay dearly for his baseness.
+Bidding his young clansman show no sign of recognition when he
+appeared, the Knight of Loch Awe sent him to the farm in the glen,
+where the anxious foster-mother eagerly awaited the return of the
+wanderer. When she saw her son appear alone she was plunged into
+despair, for she concluded, not that Black Colin was dead, but that he
+would return too late. When he, in the beggar's disguise which he
+assumed, came down the Glen he saw the smoke from the castle on the
+Islet, and said: "I see smoke from my house, and it is the smoke of a
+wedding feast in preparation, but I pray God who sent us light and
+love that I may reap the fruit of the love that is there."
+
+
+The Foster-Mother's Recognition
+
+The Knight then went to his foster-mother's house, knocked at the
+door, and humbly craved food and shelter, as a beggar. "Come in, good
+man," quoth the mistress of the house; "sit down in the
+chimney-corner, and you shall have your fill of oatcake and milk."
+Colin sat down heavily, as if he were overwearied, and the farmer's
+wife moved about slowly, putting before him what she had; and the
+Knight saw that she did not recognise him, and that she had been
+weeping quite recently. "You are sad, I can see," he said. "What is
+the cause of your grief?" "I am not minded to tell that to a wandering
+stranger," she replied. "Perhaps I can guess what it is," he
+continued; "you have lost some dear friend, I think." "My loss is
+great enough to give me grief," she answered, weeping. "I had a dear
+foster-son, who went oversea to fight the heathen. He was dearer to me
+than my own sons, and now news has come that he is dead in that
+foreign land. And the Lady of Loch Awe, who was his wife, is to wed
+another husband to-morrow. Long she waited for him, past the seven
+years he was to be away, and now she would not marry again, but that a
+letter has come to assure her of his death. Even yet she is fretting
+because she has not had the token he promised to send her; and she
+will only marry because she dare no longer delay."
+
+"What is this token?" asked Colin. "That I know not: she has never
+told," replied the foster-mother; "but oh! if he were now here
+Glenurchy would never fall under the power of Baron MacCorquodale."
+"Would you know Black Colin if you were to see him?" the beggar asked
+meaningly; and she replied: "I think I should, for though he has been
+away for years, I nursed him, and he is my own dear fosterling." "Look
+well at me, then, good mother of mine, for I am Colin of Loch Awe."
+
+The mistress of the farm seized the beggar-man by the arm, drew him
+out into the light, and looked earnestly into his face; then, with a
+scream of joy, she flung her arms around him, and cried: "O Colin!
+Colin! my dear son, home again at last! Glad and glad I am to see you
+here in time! Weary have the years been since my nursling went away,
+but now you are home all will be well." And she embraced him and
+kissed him and stroked his hair, and exclaimed at his bronzed hue and
+his ragged attire.
+
+
+The Foster-Mother's Plan
+
+At last Colin stopped her raptures. "Tell me, mother, does my wife
+seem to wish for this marriage?" he asked; and his foster-mother
+answered: "Nay, my son, she would not wed now but that, thinking you
+are dead, she fears the Baron's anger if she continues to refuse him.
+But if you doubt her heart, follow my counsel, and you shall be
+assured of her will in this matter." "What do you advise?" asked he.
+She answered: "Stay this night with me here, and to-morrow go in your
+beggar's dress to the castle on the Islet. Stand with other beggars at
+the door, and refuse to go until the bride herself shall bring you
+food and drink. Then you can put your token in the cup the Lady of
+Loch Awe will hand you, and by her behaviour you shall learn if her
+heart is in this marriage or not." "Dear mother, your plan is good,
+and I will follow it," quoth Colin. "This night I will rest here, and
+on the morrow I will seek my wife."
+
+
+The Beggar at the Wedding
+
+Early next day Colin arose, clad himself in the disguise of a sturdy
+beggar, took a kindly farewell of his foster-mother, and made his way
+to the castle. Early as it was, all the servants were astir, and the
+whole place was in a bustle of preparation, while vagabonds of every
+description hung round the doors, begging for food and money in honour
+of the day. The new-comer acted much more boldly: he planted himself
+right in the open doorway and begged for food and drink in such a
+lordly tone that the servants were impressed by it, and one of them
+brought him what he asked--oatcake and buttermilk--and gave it to him,
+saying, "Take this and begone." Colin took the alms and drank the
+buttermilk, but put the cake into his wallet, and stood sturdily right
+in the doorway, so that the servants found it difficult to enter.
+Another servant came to him with more food and a horn of ale, saying,
+"Now take this second gift of food and begone, for you are in our way
+here, and hinder us in our work."
+
+
+The Beggar's Demand
+
+But he stood more firmly still, with his stout travelling-staff
+planted on the threshold, and said: "I will not go." Then a third
+servant approached, who said: "Go at once, or it will be the worse for
+you. We have given you quite enough for one beggar. Leave quickly now,
+or you will get us and yourself into trouble." The disguised Knight
+only replied: "I will not go until the bride herself comes out to give
+me a drink of wine," and he would not move, for all they could say.
+The servants at last grew so perplexed that they went to tell their
+mistress about this importunate beggar. She laughed as she said: "It
+is not much for me to do on my last day in the old house," and she
+bade a servant attend her to the door, bringing a large jug full of
+wine.
+
+
+The Token
+
+As the unhappy bride came out to the beggar-man he bent his head in
+greeting, and she noticed his travel-stained dress and said: "You have
+come from far, good man"; and he replied: "Yes, lady, I have seen many
+distant lands." "Alas! others have gone to see distant lands and have
+not returned," said she. "If you would have a drink from the hands of
+the bride herself, I am she, and you may take your wine now"; and,
+holding a bowl in her hands, she bade the servant fill it with wine,
+and then gave it to Colin. "I drink to your happiness," said he, and
+drained the bowl. As he gave it back to the lady he placed within it
+the token, the half of the engraved ring. "I return it richer than I
+took it, lady," said he, and his wife looked within and saw the token.
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Trembling violently, she snatched the tiny bit of gold from the bottom
+of the bowl, which fell to the ground and broke at her feet, and then
+she saw her own name engraved upon it. She looked long and long at the
+token, and then, pulling a chain at her neck, drew out her half of the
+ring with Colin's name engraved on it. "O stranger, tell me, is my
+husband dead?" she asked, grasping the beggar's arm. "Dead?" he
+questioned, gazing tenderly at her; and at his tone she looked
+straight into his eyes and knew him. "My husband!" was all that she
+could say, but she flung her arms around his neck and was clasped
+close to his heart. The servants stood bewildered, but in a moment
+their mistress had turned to them, saying, "Run, summon all the
+household, bring them all, for this is my husband, Black Colin of Loch
+Awe, come home to me again." When all in the castle knew it there was
+great excitement and rejoicing, and they feasted bountifully, for the
+wedding banquet had been prepared.
+
+
+The Baron's Flight
+
+While the feast was in progress, and the happy wife sat by her
+long-lost husband and held his hand, as though she feared to let him
+leave her, a distant sound of bagpipes was heard, and the lady
+remembered that the Baron MacCorquodale would be coming for his
+wedding, which she had entirely forgotten in her joy. She laughed
+lightly to herself, and, beckoning a clansman, bade him go and tell
+the Baron that she would take no new husband, since her old one had
+come back to her, and that there would be questions to be answered
+when time served. The Baron MacCorquodale, in his wedding finery, with
+a great party of henchmen and vassals and pipers blowing a wedding
+march, had reached the mouth of the river which enters the side of
+Loch Awe; the party had crossed the river, and were ready to take boat
+across to the Islet, when they saw a solitary man rowing towards them
+with all speed. "It is some messenger from my lady," said the Baron,
+and he waited eagerly to hear the message. With dreadful consternation
+he listened to the unexpected words as the clansman delivered them,
+and then bade the pipers cease their music. "We must return; there
+will be no wedding to-day, since Black Colin is home again," quoth he;
+and the crestfallen party retraced their steps, quickening them more
+and more as they thought of the vengeance of the long-lost chieftain;
+but they reached their home in safety.
+
+
+Castle Kilchurn
+
+In the meantime Colin had much to tell his wife of his adventures, and
+to ask her of her life all these years. They told each other all, and
+Colin saw the false letter that had been sent to the Lady of Loch Awe,
+and guessed who had plotted this deceit. His anger grew against the
+bad man who had wrought this wrong and had so nearly gained his end,
+and he vowed that he would make the Baron dearly abide it. His wife
+calmed his fury somewhat by telling him how she had waited even
+beyond the seven years, and what stratagem she had used, and at last
+he promised not to make war on the Baron, but to punish him in other
+ways.
+
+"Tell me what you have done with the rents of Glenurchy these seven
+years," said he. Then the happy wife replied: "With part I have lived,
+with part I have guarded the glen, and with part have I made a cairn
+of stones at the head of Loch Awe. Will you come with me and see it?"
+And Colin went, deeply puzzled. When they came to the head of Loch
+Awe, there stood the new castle, on the site of the old house of the
+MacGregors; and the proud wife laughed as she said: "Do you like my
+cairn of stones? It has taken long to build." Black Colin was much
+pleased with the beautiful castle she had raised for him, and renamed
+it Kilchurn Castle, which title it still keeps. True to his vow, he
+took no bloody vengeance on the Baron MacCorquodale, but when a few
+years after he fell into his power the Knight of Loch Awe forced him
+to resign a great part of his lands to be united with those of
+Glenurchy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII: THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+The heroes of chivalry, from Roland the noble paladin to Spenser's
+Red-Cross Knight, have many virtues to uphold, and their
+characteristics are as varied as are the races which adopted chivalry
+and embodied it in their hero-myths. It is a far cry from the loyalty
+of Roland, in which love for his emperor is the predominant
+characteristic, to the tender and graceful reverence of Sir Calidore;
+but mediaeval Wales, which has preserved the Arthurian legend most free
+from alien admixture, had a knight of courtesy quite equal to Sir
+Calidore. Courage was one quality on the possession of which these
+mediaeval knights never prided themselves, because they could not
+imagine life without courage, but gentle courtesy was, unhappily,
+rare, and many a heroic legend is spoilt by the insolence of the hero
+to people of lower rank. Again, the legends often look lightly on the
+ill-treatment of maidens; yet the true hero is one who is never
+tempted to injure a defenceless woman. Similarly, a broken oath to a
+heathen or mere churl is excused as a trifling matter, but the ideal
+hero sweareth and breaketh not, though it be to his own hindrance.
+
+
+Sir Gawayne
+
+The true Knight of Courtesy is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur's nephew, who
+in many ways overshadows his more illustrious uncle. It is remarkable
+that the King Arthur of the mediaeval romances is either a mere
+ordinary conqueror or a secondary figure set in the background to
+heighten the achievements of his more warlike followers. The latter is
+the conception of Arthur which we find in this legend of the gentle
+and courteous Sir Gawayne.
+
+
+King Arthur Keeps Christmas
+
+One year the noble King Arthur was keeping his Christmas at Carlisle
+with great pomp and state. By his side sat his lovely Queen Guenever,
+the brightest and most beauteous bride that a king ever wedded, and
+about him were gathered the Knights of the Round Table. Never had a
+king assembled so goodly a company of valiant warriors as now sat in
+due order at the Round Table in the great hall of Carlisle Castle, and
+King Arthur's heart was filled with pride as he looked on his heroes.
+There sat Sir Lancelot, not yet the betrayer of his lord's honour and
+happiness, with Sir Bors and Sir Banier, there Sir Bedivere, loyal to
+King Arthur till death, there surly Sir Kay, the churlish steward of
+the king's household, and King Arthur's nephews, the young and gallant
+Sir Gareth, the gentle and courteous Sir Gawayne, and the false,
+gloomy Sir Mordred, who wrought King Arthur's overthrow. The knights
+and ladies were ranged in their fitting degrees and ranks, the
+servants and pages waited and carved and filled the golden goblets,
+and the minstrels sang to their harps lays of heroes of the olden
+time.
+
+
+His Discontent
+
+Yet in the midst of all this splendour the king was ill at ease, for
+he was a warlike knight and longed for some new adventure, and of late
+none had been known. Arthur sat moodily among his knights and drained
+the wine-cup in silence, and Queen Guenever, gazing at her husband,
+durst not interrupt his gloomy thoughts. At last the king raised his
+head, and, striking the table with his hand, exclaimed fiercely: "Are
+all my knights sluggards or cowards, that none of them goes forth to
+seek adventures? You are better fitted to feast well in hall than
+fight well in field. Is my fame so greatly decayed that no man cares
+to ask for my help or my support against evildoers? I vow here, by the
+boar's head and by Our Lady, that I will not rise from this table till
+some adventure be undertaken." "Sire, your loyal knights have gathered
+round you to keep the holy Yuletide in your court," replied Sir
+Lancelot; and Sir Gawayne said: "Fair uncle, we are not cowards, but
+few evildoers dare to show themselves under your rule; hence it is
+that we seem idle. But see yonder! By my faith, now cometh an
+adventure."
+
+
+The Damsel's Request
+
+Even as Sir Gawayne spoke a fair damsel rode into the hall, with
+flying hair and disordered dress, and, dismounting from her steed,
+knelt down sobbing at Arthur's feet. She cried aloud, so that all
+heard her: "A boon, a boon, King Arthur! I beg a boon of you!" "What
+is your request?" said the king, for the maiden was in great distress,
+and her tears filled his heart with pity. "What would you have of me?"
+"I cry for vengeance on a churlish knight, who has separated my love
+from me." "Tell your story quickly," said King Arthur; and all the
+knights listened while the lady spoke.
+
+"I was betrothed to a gallant knight," she said, "whom I loved dearly,
+and we were entirely happy until yesterday. Then as we rode out
+together planning our marriage we came, through the moorland ways,
+unnoticing, to a fair lake, Tarn Wathelan, where stood a great castle,
+with streamers flying, and banners waving in the wind. It seemed a
+strong and goodly place, but alas! it stood on magic ground, and
+within the enchanted circle of its shadow an evil spell fell on every
+knight who set foot therein. As my love and I looked idly at the
+mighty keep a horrible and churlish warrior, twice the size of mortal
+man, rushed forth in complete armour; grim and fierce-looking he was,
+armed with a huge club, and sternly he bade my knight leave me to him
+and go his way alone. Then my love drew his sword to defend me, but
+the evil spell had robbed him of all strength, and he could do nought
+against the giant's club; his sword fell from his feeble hand, and the
+churlish knight, seizing him, caused him to be flung into a dungeon.
+He then returned and sorely ill-treated me, though I prayed for mercy
+in the name of chivalry and of Mary Mother. At last, when he set me
+free and bade me go, I said I would come to King Arthur's court and
+beg a champion of might to avenge me, perhaps even the king himself.
+But the giant only laughed aloud. 'Tell the foolish king,' quoth he,
+'that here I stay his coming, and that no fear of him shall stop my
+working my will on all who come. Many knights have I in prison, some
+of them King Arthur's own true men; wherefore bid him fight with me,
+if he will win them back.' Thus, laughing and jeering loudly at you,
+King Arthur, the churlish knight returned to his castle, and I rode to
+Carlisle as fast as I could."
+
+
+King Arthur's Vow
+
+When the lady had ended her sorrowful tale all present were greatly
+moved with indignation and pity, but King Arthur felt the insult most
+deeply. He sprang to his feet in great wrath, and cried aloud: "I vow
+by my knighthood, and by the Holy Rood, that I will go forth to find
+that proud giant, and will never leave him till I have overcome him."
+The knights applauded their lord's vow, but Queen Guenever looked
+doubtfully at the king, for she had noticed the damsel's mention of
+magic, and she feared some evil adventure for her husband. The damsel
+stayed in Carlisle that night, and in the morning, after he had heard
+Mass, and bidden farewell to his wife, King Arthur rode away. It was a
+lonely journey to Tarn Wathelan, but the country was very beautiful,
+though wild and rugged, and the king soon saw the little lake gleaming
+clear and cold below him, while the enchanted castle towered up above
+the water, with banners flaunting defiantly in the wind.
+
+
+The Fight
+
+The king drew his sword Excalibur and blew a loud note on his bugle.
+Thrice his challenge note resounded, but brought no reply, and then he
+cried aloud: "Come forth, proud knight! King Arthur is here to punish
+you for your misdeeds! Come forth and fight bravely. If you are
+afraid, then come forth and yield yourself my thrall."
+
+[Illustration: "The King blew a loud note on his bugle"]
+
+The churlish giant darted out at the summons, brandishing his massive
+club, and rushed straight at King Arthur. The spell of the enchanted
+ground seized the king at that moment, and his hand sank down. Down
+fell his good sword Excalibur, down fell his shield, and he found
+himself ignominiously helpless in the presence of his enemy.
+
+
+The Ransom
+
+Now the giant cried aloud: "Yield or fight, King Arthur; which will
+you do? If you fight I shall conquer you, for you have no power to
+resist me; you will be my prisoner, with no hope of ransom, will lose
+your land and spend your life in my dungeon with many other brave
+knights. If you yield I will hold you to ransom, but you must swear
+to accept the terms I shall offer."
+
+"What are they," asked King Arthur. The giant replied: "You must swear
+solemnly, by the Holy Rood, that you will return here on New Year's
+Day and bring me a true answer to the question, 'What thing is it that
+all women most desire?' If you fail to bring the right answer your
+ransom is not paid, and you are yet my prisoner. Do you accept my
+terms?" The king had no alternative: so long as he stood on the
+enchanted ground his courage was overborne by the spell and he could
+only hold up his hand and swear by the Sacred Cross and by Our Lady
+that he would return, with such answers as he could obtain, on New
+Year's Day.
+
+
+The King's Search
+
+Ashamed and humiliated, the king rode away, but not back to
+Carlisle--he would not return home till he had fulfilled his task; so
+he rode east and west and north and south, and asked every woman and
+maid he met the question the churlish knight had put to him. "What is
+it all women most desire?" he asked, and all gave him different
+replies: some said riches, some splendour, some pomp and state; others
+declared that fine attire was women's chief delight, yet others voted
+for mirth or flattery; some declared that a handsome lover was the
+cherished wish of every woman's heart; and among them all the king
+grew quite bewildered. He wrote down all the answers he received, and
+sealed them with his own seal, to give to the churlish knight when he
+returned to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan; but in his own heart King
+Arthur felt that the true answer had not yet been given to him. He was
+sad as he turned and rode towards the giant's home on New Year's Day,
+for he feared to lose his liberty and lands, and the lonely journey
+seemed much more dreary than it had before, when he rode out from
+Carlisle so full of hope and courage and self-confidence.
+
+
+The Loathly Lady
+
+Arthur was riding mournfully through a lonely forest when he heard a
+woman's voice greeting him: "God save you, King Arthur! God save and
+keep you!" and he turned at once to see the person who thus addressed
+him. He saw no one at all on his right hand, but as he turned to the
+other side he perceived a woman's form clothed in brilliant scarlet;
+the figure was seated between a holly-tree and an oak, and the berries
+of the former were not more vivid than her dress, and the brown leaves
+of the latter not more brown and wrinkled than her cheeks. At first
+sight King Arthur thought he must be bewitched--no such nightmare of a
+human face had ever seemed to him possible. Her nose was crooked and
+bent hideously to one side, while her chin seemed to bend to the
+opposite side of her face; her one eye was set deep under her beetling
+brow, and her mouth was nought but a gaping slit. Round this awful
+countenance hung snaky locks of ragged grey hair, and she was deadly
+pale, with a bleared and dimmed blue eye. The king nearly swooned when
+he saw this hideous sight, and was so amazed that he did not answer
+her salutation. The loathly lady seemed angered by the insult: "Now
+Christ save you, King Arthur! Who are you to refuse to answer my
+greeting and take no heed of me? Little of courtesy have you and your
+knights in your fine court in Carlisle if you cannot return a lady's
+greeting. Yet, Sir King, proud as you are, it may be that I can help
+you, loathly though I be; but I will do nought for one who will not be
+courteous to me."
+
+
+The Lady's Secret
+
+King Arthur was ashamed of his lack of courtesy, and tempted by the
+hint that here was a woman who could help him. "Forgive me, lady,"
+said he; "I was sorely troubled in mind, and thus, and not for want of
+courtesy, did I miss your greeting. You say that you can perhaps help
+me; if you would do this, lady, and teach me how to pay my ransom, I
+will grant anything you ask as a reward." The deformed lady said:
+"Swear to me, by Holy Rood, and by Mary Mother, that you will grant me
+whatever boon I ask, and I will help you to the secret. Yes, Sir King,
+I know by secret means that you seek the answer to the question, 'What
+is it all women most desire?' Many women have given you many replies,
+but I alone, by my magic power, can give you the right answer. This
+secret I will tell you, and in truth it will pay your ransom, when you
+have sworn to keep faith with me." "Indeed, O grim lady, the oath I
+will take gladly," said King Arthur; and when he had sworn it, with
+uplifted hand, the lady told him the secret, and he vowed with great
+bursts of laughter that this was indeed the right answer.
+
+
+The Ransom
+
+When the king had thoroughly realized the wisdom of the answer he rode
+on to the Castle of Tarn Wathelan, and blew his bugle three times. As
+it was New Year's Day, the churlish knight was ready for him, and
+rushed forth, club in hand, ready to do battle. "Sir Knight," said the
+king, "I bring here writings containing answers to your question; they
+are replies that many women have given, and should be right; these I
+bring in ransom for my life and lands." The churlish knight took the
+writings and read them one by one, and each one he flung aside, till
+all had been read; then he said to the king: "You must yield yourself
+and your lands to me, King Arthur, and rest my prisoner; for though
+these answers be many and wise, not one is the true reply to my
+question; your ransom is not paid, and your life and all you have is
+forfeit to me." "Alas! Sir Knight," quoth the king, "stay your hand,
+and let me speak once more before I yield to you; it is not much to
+grant to one who risks life and kingdom and all. Give me leave to try
+one more reply." To this the giant assented, and King Arthur
+continued: "This morning as I rode through the forest I beheld a lady
+sitting, clad in scarlet, between an oak and a holly-tree; she says,
+'All women will have their own way, and this is their chief desire.'
+Now confess that I have brought the true answer to your question, and
+that I am free, and have paid the ransom for my life and lands."
+
+
+The Price of the Ransom
+
+The giant waxed furious with rage, and shouted: "A curse upon that
+lady who told you this! It must have been my sister, for none but she
+knew the answer. Tell me, was she ugly and deformed?" When King Arthur
+replied that she was a loathly lady, the giant broke out: "I vow to
+heaven that if I can once catch her I will burn her alive; for she has
+cheated me of being King of Britain. Go your ways, Arthur; you have
+not ransomed yourself, but the ransom is paid and you are free."
+
+Gladly the king rode back to the forest where the loathly lady awaited
+him, and stopped to greet her. "I am free now, lady, thanks to you!
+What boon do you ask in reward for your help? I have promised to
+grant it you, whatever it may be." "This is my boon King Arthur, that
+you will bring some young and courteous knight from your court in
+Carlisle to marry me, and he must be brave and handsome too. You have
+sworn to fulfil my request, and you cannot break your word." These
+last words were spoken as the king shook his head and seemed on the
+point of refusing a request so unreasonable; but at this reminder he
+only hung his head and rode slowly away, while the unlovely lady
+watched him with a look of mingled pain and glee.
+
+
+King Arthur's Return
+
+On the second day of the new year King Arthur came home to Carlisle.
+Wearily he rode along and dismounted at the castle, and wearily he
+went into his hall, where sat Queen Guenever. She had been very
+anxious during her husband's absence, for she dreaded magic arts, but
+she greeted him gladly and said: "Welcome, my dear lord and king,
+welcome home again! What anxiety I have endured for you! But now you
+are here all is well. What news do you bring, my liege? Is the
+churlish knight conquered? Where have you had him hanged, and where is
+his head? Placed on a spike above some town-gate? Tell me your
+tidings, and we will rejoice together." King Arthur only sighed
+heavily as he replied: "Alas! I have boasted too much; the churlish
+knight was a giant who has conquered me, and set me free on
+conditions." "My lord, tell me how this has chanced." "His castle is
+an enchanted one, standing on enchanted ground, and surrounded with a
+circle of magic spells which sap the bravery from a warrior's mind and
+the strength from his arm. When I came on his land and felt the power
+of his mighty charms, I was unable to resist him, but fell into his
+power, and had to yield myself to him. He released me on condition
+that I would fulfil one thing which he bade me accomplish, and this I
+was enabled to do by the help of a loathly lady; but that help was
+dearly bought, and I cannot pay the price myself."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Devotion
+
+By this time Sir Gawayne, the king's favourite nephew, had entered the
+hall, and greeted his uncle warmly; then, with a few rapid questions,
+he learnt the king's news, and saw that he was in some distress. "What
+have you paid the loathly lady for her secret, uncle?" he asked.
+"Alas! I have paid her nothing; but I promised to grant her any boon
+she asked, and she has asked a thing impossible." "What is it?" asked
+Sir Gawayne. "Since you have promised it, the promise must needs be
+kept. Can I help you to perform your vow?" "Yes, you can, fair nephew
+Gawayne, but I will never ask you to do a thing so terrible," said
+King Arthur. "I am ready to do it, uncle, were it to wed the loathly
+lady herself." "That is what she asks, that a fair young knight should
+marry her. But she is too hideous and deformed; no man could make her
+his wife." "If that is all your grief," replied Sir Gawayne, "things
+shall soon be settled; I will wed this ill-favoured dame, and will be
+your ransom." "You know not what you offer," answered the king. "I
+never saw so deformed a being. Her speech is well enough, but her face
+is terrible, with crooked nose and chin, and she has only one eye."
+"She must be an ill-favoured maiden; but I heed it not," said Sir
+Gawayne gallantly, "so that I can save you from trouble and care."
+"Thanks, dear Gawayne, thanks a thousand times! Now through your
+devotion I can keep my word. To-morrow we must fetch your bride from
+her lonely lodging in the greenwood; but we will feign some pretext
+for the journey. I will summon a hunting party, with horse and hound
+and gallant riders, and none shall know that we go to bring home so
+ugly a bride." "Gramercy, uncle," said Sir Gawayne. "Till to-morrow I
+am a free man."
+
+
+The Hunting Party
+
+The next day King Arthur summoned all the court to go hunting in the
+greenwood close to Tarn Wathelan; but he did not lead the chase near
+the castle: the remembrance of his defeat and shame was too strong for
+him to wish to see the place again. They roused a noble stag and
+chased him far into the forest, where they lost him amid close
+thickets of holly and yew interspersed with oak copses and hazel
+bushes--bare were the hazels, and brown and withered the clinging oak
+leaves, but the holly looked cheery, with its fresh green leaves and
+scarlet berries. Though the chase had been fruitless, the train of
+knights laughed and talked gaily as they rode back through the forest,
+and the gayest of all was Sir Gawayne; he rode wildly down the forest
+drives, so recklessly that he drew level with Sir Kay, the churlish
+steward, who always preferred to ride alone. Sir Lancelot, Sir
+Stephen, Sir Banier, and Sir Bors all looked wonderingly at the
+reckless youth; but his younger brother, Gareth, was troubled, for he
+knew all was not well with Gawayne, and Sir Tristram, buried in his
+love for Isolde, noticed nothing, but rode heedlessly wrapped in sad
+musings.
+
+
+Sir Kay and the Loathly Lady
+
+Suddenly Sir Kay reined up his steed, amazed; his eye had caught the
+gleam of scarlet under the trees, and as he looked he became aware of
+a woman, clad in a dress of finest scarlet, sitting between a
+holly-tree and an oak. "Good greeting to you, Sir Kay," said the lady,
+but the steward was too much amazed to answer. Such a face as that of
+the lady he had never even imagined, and he took no notice of her
+salutation. By this time the rest of the knights had joined him, and
+they all halted, looking in astonishment on the misshapen face of the
+poor creature before them. It seemed terrible that a woman's figure
+should be surmounted by such hideous features, and most of the knights
+were silent for pity's sake; but the steward soon recovered from his
+amazement, and his rude nature began to show itself. The king had not
+yet appeared, and Sir Kay began to jeer aloud. "Now which of you would
+fain woo yon fair lady?" he asked. "It takes a brave man, for methinks
+he will stand in fear of any kiss he may get, it must needs be such an
+awesome thing. But yet I know not; any man who would kiss this
+beauteous damsel may well miss the way to her mouth, and his fate is
+not quite so dreadful after all. Come, who will win a lovely bride!"
+Just then King Arthur rode up, and at sight of him Sir Kay was silent;
+but the loathly lady hid her face in her hands, and wept that he
+should pour such scorn upon her.
+
+
+The Betrothal
+
+Sir Gawayne was touched with compassion for this uncomely woman alone
+among these gallant and handsome knights, a woman so helpless and
+ill-favoured, and he said: "Peace, churl Kay, the lady cannot help
+herself; and you are not so noble and courteous that you have the
+right to jeer at any maiden; such deeds do not become a knight of
+Arthur's Round Table. Besides, one of us knights here must wed this
+unfortunate lady." "Wed her?" shouted Kay. "Gawayne, you are mad!" "It
+is true, is it not, my liege?" asked Sir Gawayne, turning to the king;
+and Arthur reluctantly gave token of assent, saying, "I promised her
+not long since, for the help she gave me in a great distress, that I
+would grant her any boon she craved, and she asked for a young and
+noble knight to be her husband. My royal word is given, and I will
+keep it; therefore have I brought you here to meet her." Sir Kay burst
+out with, "What? Ask me perchance to wed this foul quean? I'll none of
+her. Where'er I get my wife from, were it from the fiend himself, this
+hideous hag shall never be mine." "Peace, Sir Kay," sternly said the
+king; "you shall not abuse this poor lady as well as refuse her. Mend
+your speech, or you shall be knight of mine no longer." Then he turned
+to the others and said: "Who will wed this lady and help me to keep my
+royal pledge? You must not all refuse, for my promise is given, and
+for a little ugliness and deformity you shall not make me break my
+plighted word of honour." As he spoke he watched them keenly, to see
+who would prove sufficiently devoted, but the knights all began to
+excuse themselves and to depart. They called their hounds, spurred
+their steeds, and pretended to search for the track of the lost stag
+again; but before they went Sir Gawayne cried aloud: "Friends, cease
+your strife and debate, for I will wed this lady myself. Lady, will
+you have me for your husband?" Thus saying, he dismounted and knelt
+before her.
+
+
+The Lady's Words
+
+The poor lady had at first no words to tell her gratitude to Sir
+Gawayne, but when she had recovered a little she spoke: "Alas! Sir
+Gawayne, I fear you do but jest. Will you wed with one so ugly and
+deformed as I? What sort of wife should I be for a knight so gay and
+gallant, so fair and comely as the king's own nephew? What will Queen
+Guenever and the ladies of the Court say when you return to Carlisle
+bringing with you such a bride? You will be shamed, and all through
+me." Then she wept bitterly, and her weeping made her seem even more
+hideous; but King Arthur, who was watching the scene, said: "Lady, I
+would fain see that knight or dame who dares mock at my nephew's
+bride. I will take order that no such unknightly discourtesy is shown
+in my court," and he glared angrily at Sir Kay and the others who had
+stayed, seeing that Sir Gawayne was prepared to sacrifice himself and
+therefore they were safe. The lady raised her head and looked keenly
+at Sir Gawayne, who took her hand, saying: "Lady, I will be a true and
+loyal husband to you if you will have me; and I shall know how to
+guard my wife from insult. Come, lady, and my uncle will announce the
+betrothal." Now the lady seemed to believe that Sir Gawayne was in
+earnest, and she sprang to her feet, saying: "Thanks to you! A
+thousand thanks, Sir Gawayne, and blessings on your head! You shall
+never rue this wedding, and the courtesy you have shown. Wend we now
+to Carlisle."
+
+
+The Journey to Carlisle
+
+A horse with a side-saddle had been brought for Sir Gawayne's bride,
+but when the lady moved it became evident that she was lame and halted
+in her walk, and there was a slight hunch on her shoulders. Both of
+these deformities showed little when she was seated, but as she moved
+the knights looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders and pitied
+Sir Gawayne, whose courtesy had bound him for life to so deformed a
+wife. Then the whole train rode away together, the bride between King
+Arthur and her betrothed, and all the knights whispering and sneering
+behind them. Great was the excitement in Carlisle to see that ugly
+dame, and greater still the bewilderment in the court when they were
+told that this loathly lady was Sir Gawayne's bride.
+
+
+The Bridal
+
+Only Queen Guenever understood, and she showed all courtesy to the
+deformed bride, and stood by her as her lady-of-honour when the
+wedding took place that evening, while King Arthur was groomsman to
+his nephew. When the long banquet was over, and bride and bridegroom
+no longer need sit side by side, the tables were cleared and the hall
+was prepared for a dance, and then men thought that Sir Gawayne would
+be free for a time to talk with his friends; but he refused. "Bride
+and bridegroom must tread the first dance together, if she wishes it,"
+quoth he, and offered his lady his hand for the dance. "I thank you,
+sweet husband," said the grim lady as she took it and moved forward to
+open the dance with him; and through the long and stately measure that
+followed, so perfect was his dignity, and the courtesy and grace with
+which he danced, that no man dreamt of smiling as the deformed lady
+moved clumsily through the figures of the dance.
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Bride
+
+At last the long evening was over, the last measure danced, the last
+wine-cup drained, the bride escorted to her chamber, the lights out,
+the guests separated in their rooms, and Gawayne was free to think of
+what he had done, and to consider how he had ruined his whole hope of
+happiness. He thought of his uncle's favour, of the poor lady's
+gratitude, of the blessing she had invoked upon him, and he determined
+to be gentle with her, though he could never love her as his wife. He
+entered the bride-chamber with the feeling of a man who has made up
+his mind to endure, and did not even look towards his bride, who sat
+awaiting him beside the fire. Choosing a chair, he sat down and looked
+sadly into the glowing embers and spoke no word.
+
+"Have you no word for me, husband? Can you not even give me a glance?"
+asked the lady, and Sir Gawayne turned his eyes to her where she sat;
+and then he sprang up in amazement, for there sat no loathly lady, no
+ugly and deformed being, but a maiden young and lovely, with black
+eyes and long curls of dark hair, with beautiful face and tall and
+graceful figure. "Who are you, maiden?" asked Sir Gawayne; and the
+fair one replied: "I am your wife, whom you found between the oak and
+the holly-tree, and whom you wedded this night."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Choice
+
+"But how has this marvel come to pass?" asked he, wondering, for the
+fair maiden was so lovely that he marvelled that he had not known her
+beauty even under that hideous disguise. "It is an enchantment to
+which I am in bondage," said she. "I am not yet entirely free from it,
+but now for a time I may appear to you as I really am. Is my lord
+content with his loving bride?" asked she, with a little smile, as she
+rose and stood before him. "Content!" he said, as he clasped her in
+his arms. "I would not change my dear lady for the fairest dame in
+Arthur's court, not though she were Queen Guenever herself. I am the
+happiest knight that lives, for I thought to save my uncle and help a
+hapless lady, and I have won my own happiness thereby. Truly I shall
+never rue the day when I wedded you, dear heart." Long they sat and
+talked together, and then Sir Gawayne grew weary, and would fain have
+slept, but his lady said: "Husband, now a heavy choice awaits you. I
+am under the spell of an evil witch, who has given me my own face and
+form for half the day, and the hideous appearance in which you first
+saw me for the other half. Choose now whether you will have me fair by
+day and ugly by night, or hideous by day and beauteous by night. The
+choice is your own."
+
+
+The Dilemma
+
+Sir Gawayne was no longer oppressed with sleep; the choice before him
+was too difficult. If the lady remained hideous by day he would have
+to endure the taunts of his fellows; if by night, he would be unhappy
+himself. If the lady were fair by day other men might woo her, and he
+himself would have no love for her; if she were fair to him alone, his
+love would make her look ridiculous before the court and the king.
+Nevertheless, acting on the spur of the moment, he spoke: "Oh, be fair
+to me only--be your old self by day, and let me have my beauteous wife
+to myself alone." "Alas! is that your choice?" she asked. "I only must
+be ugly when all are beautiful, I must be despised when all other
+ladies are admired; I am as fair as they, but I must seem foul to all
+men. Is this your love, Sir Gawayne?" and she turned from him and
+wept. Sir Gawayne was filled with pity and remorse when he heard her
+lament, and began to realize that he was studying his own pleasure
+rather than his lady's feelings, and his courtesy and gentleness again
+won the upper hand. "Dear love, if you would rather that men should
+see you fair, I will choose that, though to me you will be always
+as you are now. Be fair before others and deformed to me alone, and
+men shall never know that the enchantment is not wholly removed."
+
+
+Sir Gawayne's Decision
+
+Now the lady looked pleased for a moment, and then said gravely: "Have
+you thought of the danger to which a young and lovely lady is exposed
+in the court? There are many false knights who would woo a fair dame,
+though her husband were the king's favourite nephew; and who can
+tell?--one of them might please me more than you. Sure I am that many
+will be sorry they refused to wed me when they see me to-morrow morn.
+You must risk my beauty under the guard of my virtue and wisdom, if
+you have me young and fair." She looked merrily at Sir Gawayne as she
+spoke; but he considered seriously for a time, and then said: "Nay,
+dear love, I will leave the matter to you and your own wisdom, for you
+are wiser in this matter than I. I remit this wholly unto you, to
+decide according to your will. I will rest content with whatsoever you
+resolve."
+
+
+The Lady's Story
+
+Now the fair lady clapped her hands lightly, and said: "Blessings on
+you, dear Gawayne, my own dear lord and husband! Now you have released
+me from the spell completely, and I shall always be as I am now, fair
+and young, till old age shall change my beauty as he doth that of all
+mortals. My father was a great duke of high renown who had but one son
+and one daughter, both of us dearly beloved, and both of goodly
+appearance. When I had come to an age to be married my father
+determined to take a new wife, and he wedded a witch-lady. She
+resolved to rid herself of his two children, and cast a spell upon us
+both, whereby I was transformed from a fair lady into the hideous
+monster whom you wedded, and my gallant young brother into the
+churlish giant who dwells at Tarn Wathelan. She condemned me to keep
+that awful shape until I married a young and courtly knight who would
+grant me all my will. You have done all this for me, and I shall be
+always your fond and faithful wife. My brother too is set free from
+the spell, and he will become again one of the truest and most gentle
+knights alive, though none can excel my own true knight, Sir Gawayne."
+
+[Illustration: "Now you have released me from the spell completely"]
+
+
+The Surprise of the Knights
+
+The next morning the knight and his bride descended to the great hall,
+where many knights and ladies awaited them, the former thinking
+scornfully of the hideous hag whom Gawayne had wedded, the latter
+pitying so young and gallant a knight, tied to a lady so ugly. But
+both scorn and pity vanished when all saw the bride. "Who is this fair
+dame?" asked Sir Kay. "Where have you left your ancient bride?" asked
+another, and all awaited the answer in great bewilderment. "This is
+the lady to whom I was wedded yester evening," replied Sir Gawayne.
+"She was under an evil enchantment, which has vanished now that she
+has come under the power of a husband, and henceforth my fair wife
+will be one of the most beauteous ladies of King Arthur's court.
+Further, my lord King Arthur, this fair lady has assured me that the
+churlish knight of Tarn Wathelan, her brother, was also under a spell,
+which is now broken, and he will be once more a courteous and gallant
+knight, and the ground on which his fortress stands will have
+henceforth no magic power to quell the courage of any knight alive.
+Dear liege and uncle, when I wedded yesterday the loathly lady I
+thought only of your happiness, and in that way I have won my own
+lifelong bliss."
+
+King Arthur's joy at his nephew's fair hap was great for he had
+grieved sorely over Gawayne's miserable fate, and Queen Guenever
+welcomed the fair maiden as warmly as she had the loathly lady, and
+the wedding feast was renewed with greater magnificence, as a fitting
+end to the Christmas festivities.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV: KING HORN
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Among the hero-legends which are considered to be of native English
+growth and to have come down to us from the times of the Danish
+invasions is the story of King Horn; but although "King Horn," like
+"Havelok the Dane," was originally a story of Viking raids, it has
+been so altered that the Norse element has been nearly obliterated. In
+all but the bare circumstances of the tale, "King Horn" is a romance
+of chivalry, permeated with the Crusading spirit, and reflecting the
+life and customs of the thirteenth century, instead of the more
+barbarous manners of the eighth or ninth centuries. The hero's desire
+to obtain knighthood and do some deed worthy of the honour, the
+readiness to leave his betrothed for long years at the call of honour
+or duty, the embittered feeling against the Saracens, are all typical
+of the romance of the Crusades. Another curious point which shows a
+later than Norse influence is the wooing of the reluctant youth by the
+princess, of which there are many instances in mediaeval literature; it
+reveals a consciousness of feudal rank which did not exist in early
+times, and a certain recognition of the privileges of royal birth
+which were not granted before the days of romantic chivalry. King Horn
+himself is a hero of the approved chivalric type, whose chief
+distinguishing feature is his long indifference to the misfortunes of
+the sorely-tried princess to whom he was betrothed.
+
+
+The Royal Family of Suddene
+
+There once lived and ruled in the pleasant land of Suddene a noble
+king named Murry, whose fair consort, Queen Godhild, was the most
+sweet and gentle lady alive, as the king was a pattern of all
+knightly virtues. This royal pair had but one child, a son, named
+Horn, now twelve years old, who had been surrounded from his birth
+with loyal service and true devotion. He had a band of twelve chosen
+companions with whom he shared sports and tasks, pleasures and griefs,
+and the little company grew up well trained in chivalrous exercises
+and qualities. Childe Horn had his favourites among the twelve. Athulf
+was his dearest friend, a loving and devoted companion; and next to
+him in Horn's affection stood Fikenhild, whose outward show of love
+covered his inward envy and hatred. In everything these two were
+Childe Horn's inseparable comrades, and it seemed that an equal bond
+of love united the three.
+
+
+The Saracen Invasion
+
+One day as King Murry was riding over the cliffs by the sea with only
+two knights in attendance he noticed some unwonted commotion in a
+little creek not far from where he was riding, and he at once turned
+his horse's head in that direction and galloped down to the shore. On
+his arrival in the small harbour he saw fifteen great ships of strange
+build, and their crews, Saracens all armed for war, had already
+landed, and were drawn up in warlike array. The odds against the king
+were terrible, but he rode boldly to the invaders and asked: "What
+brings you strangers here? Why have you sought our land?" A Saracen
+leader, gigantic of stature, spoke for them all and replied: "We are
+here to win this land to the law of Mahomet and to drive out the
+Christian law. We will slay all the inhabitants that believe on
+Christ. Thou thyself shalt be our first conquest, for thou shalt not
+leave this place alive." Thereupon the Saracens attacked the little
+band, and though the three Christians fought valiantly they were soon
+slain. The Saracens then spread over the land, slaying, burning, and
+pillaging, and forcing all who loved their lives to renounce the
+Christian faith and become followers of Mahomet. When Queen Godhild
+heard of her husband's death and saw the ruin of her people she fled
+from her palace and all her friends and betook herself to a solitary
+cave, where she lived unknown and undiscovered, and continued her
+Christian worship while the land was overrun with pagans. Ever she
+prayed that God would protect her dear son, and bring him at last to
+his father's throne.
+
+[Illustration: Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn]
+
+
+Horn's Escape
+
+Soon after the king's death the Saracens had captured Childe Horn and
+his twelve comrades, and the boys were brought before the pagan emir.
+They would all have been slain at once or flayed alive, but for the
+beauty of Childe Horn, for whose sake their lives were spared. The old
+emir looked keenly at the lads, and said: "Horn, thou art a bold and
+valiant youth, of great stature for thine age, and of full strength,
+yet I know thou hast not yet reached thy full growth. If we release
+thee with thy companions, in years to come we shall dearly rue it, for
+ye will become great champions of the Christian law and will slay many
+of us. Therefore ye must die. But we will not slay you with our own
+hands, for ye are noble lads, and shall have one feeble chance for
+your lives. Ye shall be placed in a boat and driven out to sea, and if
+ye all are drowned we shall not grieve overmuch. Either ye must die or
+we, for I know we shall dearly abide your king's death if ye youths
+survive." Thereupon the lads were all taken to the shore, and, weeping
+and lamenting, were thrust into a rudderless boat, which was towed
+out to sea and left helpless.
+
+
+Arrival in Westernesse
+
+The other boys sat lamenting and bewailing their fate, but Childe
+Horn, looking round the boat, found a pair of oars, and as he saw that
+the boat was in the grasp of some strong current he rowed in the same
+direction, so that the boat soon drifted out of sight of land. The
+other lads were a dismal crew, for they thought their death was
+certain, but Horn toiled hard at his rowing all night, and with the
+dawn grew so weary that he rested for a little on his oars. When the
+rising sun made things clear, and he could see over the crests of the
+waves, he stood up in the boat and uttered a cry of joy. "Comrades,"
+cried he, "dear friends, I see land not far away. I hear the sweet
+songs of birds and see the soft green grass. We have come to some
+unknown land and have saved our lives." Then Athulf took up the glad
+tidings and began to cheer the forlorn little crew, and under Horn's
+skilful guidance the little boat grounded gently and safely on the
+sands of Westernesse. The boys sprang on shore, all but Childe Horn
+having no thought of the past night and the journey; but he stood by
+the boat, looking sadly at it.
+
+
+Farewell to the Boat
+
+    "'Boat,' quoth he, 'which hast borne me on my way,
+    Have thou good days beside a summer sea!
+    May never wave prevail to sink thee deep!
+    Go, little boat, and when thou comest home
+    Greet well my mother, mournful Queen Godhild;
+    Tell her, frail skiff, her dear son Horn is safe.
+    Greet, too, the pagan lord, Mahomet's thrall,
+    The bitter enemy of Jesus Christ,
+    And bid him know that I am safe and well.
+    Say I have reached a land beyond the sea,
+    Whence, in God's own good time, I will return
+    Then he shall feel my vengeance for my sire.'"
+
+Then sorrowfully he pushed the boat out into the ocean, and the ebbing
+tide bore it away, while Horn and his companions set their faces
+resolutely towards the town they could see in the distance.
+
+
+King Ailmar and Childe Horn
+
+As the little band were trudging wearily towards the town they saw a
+knight riding towards them, and when he came nearer they became aware
+that he must be some noble of high rank. When he halted and began to
+question them, Childe Horn recognised by his tone and bearing that
+this must be the king. So indeed it was, for King Ailmar of
+Westernesse was one of those noble rulers who see for themselves the
+state of their subjects and make their people happy by free,
+unrestrained intercourse with them. When the king saw the forlorn
+little company he said: "Whence are ye, fair youths, so strong and
+comely of body? Never have I seen so goodly a company of thirteen
+youths in the realm of Westernesse. Tell me whence ye come, and what
+ye seek." Childe Horn assumed the office of spokesman, for he was
+leader by birth, by courage, and by intellect. "We are lads of noble
+families in Suddene, sons of Christians and of men of lofty station.
+Pagans have taken the land and slain our parents, and we boys fell
+into their hands. These heathen have slain and tortured many Christian
+men, but they had pity upon us, and put us into an old boat with no
+sail or rudder. So we drifted all night, until I saw your land at
+dawn, and our boat came to the shore. Now we are in your power, and
+you may do with us what you will, but I pray you to have pity on us
+and to feed us, that we may not perish utterly."
+
+
+Ailmar's Decision
+
+King Ailmar was touched as greatly by the simple boldness of the
+spokesman as by the hapless plight of the little troop, and he
+answered, smiling: "Thou shalt have nought but help and comfort, fair
+youth. But, I pray thee, tell me thy name." Horn answered readily:
+"King, may all good betide thee! I am named Horn, and I have come
+journeying in a boat on the sea--now I am here in thy land." King
+Ailmar replied: "Horn! That is a good name: mayst thou well enjoy it.
+Loud may this Horn sound over hill and dale till the blast of so
+mighty a Horn shall be heard in many lands from king to king, and its
+beauty and strength be known in many countries. Horn, come thou with
+me and be mine, for I love thee and will not forsake thee."
+
+
+Childe Horn at Court
+
+The king rode home, and all the band of stranger youths followed him
+on foot, but for Horn he ordered a horse to be procured, so that the
+lad rode by his side; and thus they came back to the court. When they
+entered the hall he summoned his steward, a noble old knight named
+Athelbrus, and gave the lads in charge to him, saying, "Steward, take
+these foundlings of mine, and train them well in the duties of pages,
+and later of squires. Take especial care with the training of Childe
+Horn, their chief; let him learn all thy knowledge of woodcraft and
+fishing, of hunting and hawking, of harping and singing; teach him how
+to carve before me, and to serve the cup solemnly at banquets; make
+him thy favourite pupil and train him to be a knight as good as
+thyself. His companions thou mayst put into other service, but Horn
+shall be my own page, and afterwards my squire." Athelbrus obeyed the
+king's command, and the thirteen youths soon found themselves set to
+learn the duties of court life, and showed themselves apt scholars,
+especially Childe Horn, who did his best to satisfy the king and his
+steward on every point.
+
+
+The Princess Rymenhild
+
+When Childe Horn had been at court for six years, and was now a
+squire, he became known to all courtiers, and all men loved him for
+his gentle courtesy and his willingness to do any service. King Ailmar
+made no secret of the fact that Horn was his favourite squire, and the
+Princess Rymenhild, the king's fair daughter, loved him with all her
+heart. She was the heir to the throne, and no man had ever gainsaid
+her will, and now it seemed to her unreasonable that she should not be
+allowed to wed a good and gallant youth whom she loved. It was
+difficult for her to speak alone with him, for she had six maiden
+attendants who waited on her continually, and Horn was engaged with
+his duties either in the hall, among the knights, or waiting on the
+king. The difficulties only seemed to increase her love, and she grew
+pale and wan, and looked miserable. It seemed to her that if she
+waited longer her love would never be happy, and in her impatience she
+took a bold step.
+
+
+Athelbrus Deceives the Princess
+
+She kept her chamber, called a messenger, and said to him: "Go quickly
+to Athelbrus the steward, and bid him come to me at once. Tell him to
+bring with him the squire Childe Horn, for I am lying ill in my room,
+and would be amused. Say I expect them quickly, for I am sad in mind,
+and have need of cheerful converse." The messenger bowed, and,
+withdrawing, delivered the message exactly as he had received it to
+Athelbrus, who was much perplexed thereby. He wondered whence came
+this sudden illness, and what help Childe Horn could give. It was an
+unusual thing for the squire to be asked into a lady's bower, and
+still more so into that of a princess, and Athelbrus had already felt
+some suspicion as to the sentiments of the royal lady towards the
+gallant young squire. Considering all these things, the cautious
+steward deemed it safer not to expose young Horn to the risks that
+might arise from such an interview, and therefore induced Athulf to
+wait upon the princess and to endeavour to personate his more
+distinguished companion. The plan succeeded beyond expectation in the
+dimly lighted room, and the infatuated princess soon startled the
+unsuspecting squire by a warm and unreserved declaration of her
+affection. Recovering from his natural amazement, he modestly
+disclaimed a title to the royal favour and acknowledged his identity.
+
+On discovering her mistake the princess was torn by conflicting
+emotions, but finally relieved the pressure of self-reproach and the
+confusion of maiden modesty by overwhelming the faithful steward with
+denunciation and upbraiding, until at last, in desperation, the poor
+man promised, against his better judgment, to bring about a meeting
+between his love-lorn mistress and the favoured squire.
+
+
+Athelbrus Summons Horn
+
+When Rymenhild understood that Athelbrus would fulfil her desire she
+was very glad and joyous; her sorrow was turned into happy
+expectation, and she looked kindly upon the old steward as she said:
+"Go now quickly, and send him to me in the afternoon. The king will
+go to the wood for sport and pastime, and Horn can easily remain
+behind; then he can stay with me till my father returns at eve. No one
+will betray us; and when I have met my beloved I care not what men may
+say."
+
+Then the steward went down to the banqueting-hall, where he found
+Childe Horn fulfilling his duties as cup-bearer, pouring out and
+tasting the red wine in the king's golden goblet. King Ailmar asked
+many questions about his daughter's health, and when he learnt that
+her malady was much abated he rose in gladness from the table and
+summoned his courtiers to go with him into the greenwood. Athelbrus
+bade Horn tarry, and when the gay throng had passed from the hall the
+steward said gravely: "Childe Horn, fair and courteous, my beloved
+pupil, go now to the bower of the Princess Rymenhild, and stay there
+to fulfil all her commands. It may be thou shalt hear strange things,
+but keep rash and bold words in thy heart, and let them not be upon
+thy tongue. Horn, dear lad, be true and loyal now, and thou shalt
+never repent it."
+
+
+Horn and Rymenhild
+
+Horn listened to this unusual speech with great astonishment, but,
+since Sir Athelbrus spoke so solemnly, he laid all his words to heart,
+and thus, marvelling greatly, departed to the royal bower. When he had
+knocked at the door, and had been bidden to come in, entering, he
+found Rymenhild sitting in a great chair, intently regarding him as he
+came into the room. He knelt down to make obeisance to her, and kissed
+her hand, saying, "Sweet be thy life and soft thy slumbers, fair
+Princess Rymenhild! Well may it be with thy gentle ladies of honour! I
+am here at thy command, lady, for Sir Athelbrus the steward, bade me
+come to speak with thee. Tell me thy will, and I will fulfil all thy
+desires." She arose from her seat, and, bending towards him as he
+knelt, took him by the hand and lifted him up, saying, "Arise and sit
+beside me, Childe Horn, and we will drink this cup of wine together."
+In great astonishment the youth did as the princess bade, and sat
+beside her, and soon, to his utter amazement, Rymenhild avowed her
+love for him, and offered him her hand. "Have pity on me, Horn, and
+plight me thy troth, for in very truth I love thee, and have loved
+thee long, and if thou wilt I will be thy wife."
+
+
+Horn Refuses the Princess
+
+Now Horn was in evil case, for he saw full well in what danger he
+would place the princess, Sir Athelbrus, and himself if he accepted
+the proffer of her love. He knew the reason of the steward's warning,
+and tried to think what he might say to satisfy the princess and yet
+not be disloyal to the king. At last he replied: "Christ save and keep
+thee, my lady Rymenhild, and give thee joy of thy husband, whosoever
+he may be! I am too lowly born to be worthy of such a wife; I am a
+mere foundling, living on thy father's bounty. It is not in the course
+of nature that such as I should wed a king's daughter, for there can
+be no equal match between a princess and a landless squire."
+
+Rymenhild was so disheartened and ashamed at this reply to her loving
+appeal that her colour changed, she turned deadly pale, began to sigh,
+flung her arms out wildly, and fell down in a swoon. Childe Horn
+lifted her up, full of pity for her deep distress, and began to
+comfort her and try to revive her. As he held her in his arms he
+kissed her often, and said:
+
+    "'Lady, dear love, take comfort and be strong!
+    For I will yield me wholly to thy guidance
+    If thou wilt compass one great thing for me.
+    Plead with King Ailmar that he dub me knight,
+    That I may prove me worthy of thy love.
+    Soon shall my knighthood be no idle dream,
+    And I will strive to do thy will, dear heart.'"
+
+Now at these words Rymenhild awoke from her swoon, and made him repeat
+his promise. She said: "Ah! Horn, that shall speedily be done. Ere the
+week is past thou shalt be Sir Horn, for my father loves thee, and
+will grant the dignity most willingly to one so dear to him. Go now
+quickly to Sir Athelbrus, give him as a token of my gratitude this
+golden goblet and this ring; pray him that he persuade the king to dub
+thee knight. I will repay him with rich rewards for his gentle
+courtesy to me. May Christ help him to speed thee in thy desires!"
+Horn then took leave of Rymenhild with great affection, and found
+Athelbrus, to whom he delivered the gifts and the princess's message,
+which the steward received with due reverence.
+
+
+Horn Becomes a Knight
+
+This plan seemed to Athelbrus very good, for it raised Horn to be a
+member of the noble Order of Knights, and would give him other chances
+of distinguishing himself. Accordingly he went to the king as he sat
+over the evening meal, and spoke thus: "Sir King, hear my words, for I
+have counsel for thee. To-morrow is the festival of thy birth, and the
+whole realm of Westernesse must rejoice in its master's joy. Wear thou
+thy crown in solemn state, and I think it were nought amiss if thou
+shouldst knight young Horn, who will become a worthy defender of thy
+throne." "That were well done," said King Ailmar. "The youth pleases
+me, and I will knight him with my own sword. Afterwards he shall
+knight his twelve comrades the same day."
+
+The next day the ceremony of knighting was performed with all
+solemnity, and at its close a great banquet was prepared and all men
+made merry. But Princess Rymenhild was somewhat sad. She could not
+descend to the hall and take her customary place, for this was a feast
+for knights alone, and she would not be without her betrothed one
+moment longer, so she sent a messenger to fetch Sir Horn to her bower.
+
+
+Horn and Athulf Go to Rymenhild
+
+Now that Horn was a newly dubbed knight he would not allow the
+slightest shadow of dishonour to cloud his conduct; accordingly, when
+he obeyed Rymenhild's summons he was accompanied by Athulf. "Welcome,
+Sir Horn and Sir Athulf," she cried, holding out her hands in
+greeting. "Love, now that thou hast thy will, keep thy plighted word
+and make me thy wife; release me from my anxiety and do as thou hast
+said."
+
+    "'Dear Rymenhild, hold thou thyself at peace,'
+    Quoth young Sir Horn; 'I will perform my vow.
+    But first I must ride forth to prove my might;
+    Must conquer hardships, and my own worse self,
+    Ere I can hope to woo and wed my bride.
+    We are but new-fledged knights of one day's growth,
+    And yet we know the custom of our state
+    Is first to fight and win a hero's name,
+    Then afterwards to win a lady's heart.
+    This day will I do bravely for thy love
+    And show my valour and my deep devotion
+    In prowess 'gainst the foes of this thy land.
+    If I come back in peace, I claim my wife.'"
+
+Rymenhild protested no longer, for she saw that where honour was
+concerned Horn was inflexible. "My true knight," said she, "I must in
+sooth believe thee, and I feel that I may. Take this ring engraved
+with my name, wrought by the most skilled worker of our court, and
+wear it always, for it has magic virtues. The gems are of such saving
+power that thou shalt fear no strokes in battle, nor ever be cast down
+if thou gaze on this ring and think of thy love. Athulf, too, shall
+have a similar ring. And now, Horn, I commend thee to God, and may
+Christ give thee good success and bring thee back in safety!"
+
+
+Horn's First Exploit
+
+After taking an affectionate farewell of Rymenhild, Horn went down to
+the hall, and, seeing all the other new-made knights going in to the
+banquet, he slipped quietly away and betook himself to the stables.
+There he armed himself secretly and mounted his white charger, which
+pranced and reared joyfully as he rode away; and Horn began to sing
+for joy of heart, for he had won his chief desire, and was happy in
+the love of the king's daughter. As he rode by the shore he saw a
+stranger ship drawn up on the beach, and recognised the banner and
+accoutrements of her Saracen crew, for he had never forgotten the
+heathens who had slain his father. "What brings you here?" he asked
+angrily, and as fearlessly as King Murry had done, and received the
+same answer: "We will conquer this land and slay the inhabitants."
+Then Horn's anger rose, he gripped his sword, and rushed boldly at the
+heathens, and slew many of them, striking off a head at each blow. The
+onslaught was so sudden that the Saracens were taken by surprise at
+first, but then they rallied and surrounded Horn, so that matters
+began to look dangerous for him. Then he remembered the betrothal
+ring, and looked on it, thinking earnestly of Rymenhild, his dear
+love, and such courage came to him that he was able to defeat the
+pagans and slay their leader. The others, sorely wounded--for none
+escaped unhurt--hurried on board ship and put to sea, and Horn,
+bearing the Saracen leader's head on his sword's point, rode back to
+the royal palace. Here he related to King Ailmar this first exploit of
+his knighthood, and presented the head of the foe to the king, who
+rejoiced greatly at Horn's valour and success.
+
+[Illustration: Horn kills the Saracen leader]
+
+
+Rymenhild's Dream
+
+The next day the king and all the court rode out hunting, but Horn
+made an excuse to stay behind with the princess, and the false and
+wily Fikenhild was also left at home, and he crept secretly to
+Rymenhild's bower to spy on her. She was sitting weeping bitterly when
+Sir Horn entered. He was amazed. "Love, for mercy's sake, why weepest
+thou so sorely?" he asked; and she replied: "I have had a mournful
+dream. I dreamt that I was casting a net and had caught a great fish,
+which began to burst the net. I greatly fear that I shall lose my
+chosen fish." Then she looked sadly at Horn. But the young knight was
+in a cheery mood, and replied: "May Christ and St. Stephen turn thy
+dream to good! If I am thy fish, I will never deceive thee nor do
+aught to displease thee, and hereto I plight thee my troth. But I
+would rather interpret thy dream otherwise. This great fish which
+burst thy net is some one who wishes us ill, and will do us harm
+soon." Yet in spite of Horn's brave words it was a sad betrothal, for
+Rymenhild wept bitterly, and her lover could not stop her tears.
+
+
+Fikenhild's False Accusation
+
+Fikenhild had listened to all their conversation with growing envy
+and anger, and now he stole away silently, and met King Ailmar
+returning from the chase.
+
+    "'King Ailmar,' said the false one, 'see, I bring
+    A needed warning, that thou guard thyself,
+    For Horn will take thy life; I heard him vow
+    To slay thee, or by sword or fire, this night.
+    If thou demand what cause of hate he has,
+    Know that the villain wooes thine only child,
+    Fair Rymenhild, and hopes to wear thy crown.
+    E'en now he tarries in the maiden's bower,
+    As he has often done, and talks with her
+    With guileful tongue, and cunning show of love.
+    Unless thou banish him thou art not safe
+    In life or honour, for he knows no law.'"
+
+The king at first refused to believe the envious knight's report, but,
+going to Rymenhild's bower, he found apparent confirmation, for Horn
+was comforting the princess, and promising to wed her when he should
+have done worthy feats of arms. The king's wrath knew no bounds, and
+with words of harsh reproach he banished Horn at once, on pain of
+death. The young knight armed himself quickly and returned to bid
+farewell to his betrothed.
+
+
+Horn's Banishment
+
+"Dear heart," said he, "now thy dream has come true, and thy fish must
+needs break the net and be gone. The enemy whom I foreboded has
+wrought us woe. Farewell, mine own dear Rymenhild; I may no longer
+stay, but must wander in alien lands. If I do not return at the end of
+seven years take thyself a husband and tarry no longer for me. And now
+take me in your arms and kiss me, dear love, ere I go!" So they kissed
+each other and bade farewell, and Horn called to him his comrade
+Athulf, saying, "True and faithful friend, guard well my dear love.
+Thou hast never forsaken me; now do thou keep Rymenhild for me." Then
+he rode away, and, reaching the haven, hired a good ship and sailed
+for Ireland, where he took service with King Thurston, under the name
+of Cuthbert. In Ireland he became sworn brother to the king's two
+sons, Harold and Berild, for they loved him from the first moment they
+saw him, and were in no way jealous of his beauty and valour.
+
+
+Horn Slays the Giant Emir
+
+When Christmas came, and King Thurston sat at the banquet with all his
+lords, at noontide a giant strode into the hall, bearing a message of
+defiance. He came from the Saracens, and challenged any three Irish
+knights to fight one Saracen champion. If the Irish won the pagans
+would withdraw from Ireland; if the Irish chiefs were slain the
+Saracens would hold the land. The combat was to be decided the next
+day at dawn. King Thurston accepted the challenge, and named Harold,
+Berild, and Cuthbert (as Horn was called) as the Christian champions,
+because they were the best warriors in Ireland; but Horn begged
+permission to speak, and said: "Sir King, it is not right that one man
+should fight against three, and one heathen hound think to resist
+three Christian warriors. I will fight and conquer him alone, for I
+could as easily slay three of them." At last the king allowed Horn to
+attempt the combat alone, and spent the night in sorrowful musing on
+the result of the contest, while Horn slept well and arose and armed
+himself cheerily. He then aroused the king, and the Irish troop rode
+out to a fair and level green lawn, where they found the emir with
+many companions awaiting them. The combat began at once, and Horn gave
+blows so mighty that the pagan onlookers fell swooning through very
+fear, till Horn said: "Now, knights, rest for a time, if it pleases
+you." Then the Saracens spoke together, saying aloud that no man had
+ever so daunted them before except King Murry of Suddene.
+
+This mention of his dead father aroused Horn, who now realized that he
+saw before him his father's murderers. His anger was kindled, he
+looked at his ring and thought of Rymenhild, and then, drawing his
+sword again, he rushed at the heathen champion. The giant fell pierced
+through the heart, and his companions fled to their ships, hotly
+pursued by Horn and his company. Much fighting there was, and in the
+hot strife near the ships the king's two sons, Harold and Berild, were
+both slain.
+
+
+Horn Refuses the Throne
+
+Sadly they were laid on a bier and brought back to the palace, their
+sorrowful father lamenting their early death; and when he had wept his
+fill the mournful king came into the hall where all his knights
+silently awaited him. Slowly he came up to Horn as he sat a little
+apart from the rest, and said: "Cuthbert, wilt thou fulfil my desire?
+My heirs are slain, and thou art the best knight in Ireland for
+strength and beauty and valour; I implore thee to wed Reynild, my only
+daughter (now, alas! my only child), and to rule my realm. Wilt thou
+do so, and lift the burden of my cares from my weary shoulders?" But
+Horn replied: "O Sir King, it were wrong for me to receive thy fair
+daughter and heir and rule thy realm, as thou dost offer. I shall do
+thee yet better service, my liege, before I die; and I know that thy
+grief will change ere seven years have passed away. When that time is
+over, Sir King, give me my reward: thou shalt not refuse me thy
+daughter when I desire her." To this King Thurston agreed, and Horn
+dwelt in Ireland for seven years, and sent no word or token to
+Rymenhild all the time.
+
+
+Rymenhild's Distress
+
+In the meantime Princess Rymenhild was in great perplexity and
+trouble, for a powerful ruler, King Modi of Reynes, wooed her for his
+wife, and her own betrothed sent her no token of his life or love. Her
+father accepted the new suitor for her hand, and the day of the
+wedding was fixed, so that Rymenhild could no longer delay her
+marriage. In her extremity she besought Athulf to write letters to
+Horn, begging him to return and claim his bride and protect her; and
+these letters she delivered to several messengers, bidding them search
+in all lands until they found Sir Horn and gave the letters into his
+own hand. Horn knew nought of this, till one day in the forest he met
+a weary youth, all but exhausted, who told how he had sought Horn in
+vain. When Horn declared himself, the youth broke out into loud
+lamentations over Rymenhild's unhappy fate, and delivered the letter
+which explained all her distress. Now it was Horn's turn to weep
+bitterly for his love's troubles, and he bade the messenger return to
+his mistress and tell her to cease her tears, for Horn would be there
+in time to rescue her from her hated bridegroom. The youth returned
+joyfully, but as his boat neared the shore of Westernesse a storm
+arose and the messenger was drowned; so that Rymenhild, opening her
+tower door to look for expected succour, found her messenger lying
+dead at the foot of the tower, and felt that all hope was gone. She
+wept and wrung her hands, but nothing that she could do would avert
+the evil day.
+
+
+Horn and King Thurston
+
+As soon as Horn had read Rymenhild's letter he went to King Thurston
+and revealed the whole matter to him. He told of his own royal
+parentage, his exile, his knighthood, his betrothal to the princess,
+and his banishment; then of the death of the Saracen leader who had
+slain King Murry, and the vengeance he had taken. Then he ended:
+
+    "'King Thurston, be thou wise, and grant my boon;
+    Repay the service I have yielded thee;
+    Help me to save my princess from this woe.
+    I will take counsel for fair Reynild's fate,
+    For she shall wed Sir Athulf, my best friend,
+    My truest comrade and my doughtiest knight.
+    If ever I have risked my life for thee
+    And proved myself in battle, grant my prayer.'"
+
+To this the king replied: "Childe Horn, do what thou wilt."
+
+
+Horn Returns on the Wedding-day
+
+Horn at once invited Irish knights to accompany him to Westernesse to
+rescue his love from a hateful marriage, and many came eagerly to
+fight in the cause of the valiant Cuthbert who had defended Ireland
+for seven years. Thus it was with a goodly company that Horn took
+ship, and landed in King Ailmar's realm; and he came in a happy hour,
+for it was the wedding-day of Princess Rymenhild and King Modi of
+Reynes. The Irish knights landed and encamped in a wood, while Horn
+went on alone to learn tidings. Meeting a palmer, he asked the news,
+and the palmer replied: "I have been at the wedding of Princess
+Rymenhild, and a sad sight it was, for the bride was wedded against
+her will, vowing she had a husband though he is a banished man. She
+would take no ring nor utter any vows; but the service was read, and
+afterwards King Modi took her to a strong castle, where not even a
+palmer was given entrance. I came away, for I could not endure the
+pity of it. The bride sits weeping sorely, and if report be true her
+heart is like to break with grief."
+
+
+Horn Is Disguised as a Palmer
+
+"Come, palmer," said Horn, "lend me your cloak and scrip. I must see
+this strange bridal, and it may be I shall make some there repent of
+the wrong they have done to a helpless maiden. I will essay to enter."
+The change was soon made, and Horn darkened his face and hands as if
+bronzed with Eastern suns, bowed his back, and gave his voice an old
+man's feebleness, so that no man would have known him; which done, he
+made his way to King Modi's new castle. Here he begged admittance for
+charity's sake, that he might share the broken bits of the wedding
+feast; but he was churlishly refused by the porter, who would not be
+moved by any entreaties. At last Horn lost all patience, and broke
+open the door, and threw the porter out over the drawbridge into the
+moat; then, once more assuming his disguise, he made his way into the
+hall and sat down in the beggars' row.
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Rymenhild was weeping still, and her stern husband seemed only angered
+by her tears. Horn looked about cautiously, but saw no sign of Athulf,
+his trusted comrade; for he was at this time eagerly looking for his
+friend's coming from the lofty watch-tower, and lamenting that he
+could guard the princess no longer. At last, when the banquet was
+nearly over, Rymenhild rose to pour out wine for the guests, as the
+custom was then; and she bore a horn of ale or wine along the benches
+to each person there. Horn, sitting humbly on the ground, called out:
+"Come, courteous Queen, turn to me, for we beggars are thirsty folk."
+Rymenhild smiled sadly, and, setting down the horn, filled a bowl with
+brown ale, for she thought him a drunkard. "Here, drink this, and more
+besides, if thou wilt; I never saw so bold a beggar," she said. But
+Horn refused. He handed the bowl to the other beggars, and said:
+"Lady, I will drink nought but from a silver cup, for I am not what
+you think me. I am no beggar, but a fisher, come from afar to fish at
+thy wedding feast. My net lies near by, and has lain there for seven
+years, and I am come to see if it has caught any fish. Drink to me,
+and drink to Horn from thy horn, for far have I journeyed."
+
+When the palmer spoke of fishing, and his seven-year-old net,
+Rymenhild felt cold at heart; she did not recognise him, but wondered
+greatly when he bade her drink "to Horn." She filled her cup and gave
+it to the palmer, saying, "Drink thy fill, and then tell me if thou
+hast ever seen Horn in thy wanderings." As the palmer drank, he
+dropped his ring into the cup; then he returned it to Rymenhild,
+saying, "Queen, seek out what is in thy draught." She said nothing
+then, but left the hall with her maidens and went to her bower, where
+she found the well-remembered ring she had given to Horn in token of
+betrothal. Greatly she feared that Horn was dead, and sent for the
+palmer, whom she questioned as to whence he had got the ring.
+
+
+Horn's Stratagem
+
+Horn thought he would test her love for him, since she had not
+recognised him, so he replied: "By St. Giles, lady, I have wandered
+many a mile, far into realms of the West, and there I found Sir Horn
+ready prepared to sail home to your land. He told me that he planned
+to reach the realm of Westernesse in time to see you before seven
+years had passed, and I embarked with him. The winds were favourable
+and we had a quick voyage, but, alas! he fell ill and died. When he
+lay dying he begged me piteously, 'Take this ring, from which I have
+never been parted, to my dear lady Rymenhild,' and he kissed it many
+times and pressed it to his breast. May God give his soul rest in
+Paradise!"
+
+When Rymenhild heard those terrible tidings she sighed deeply and
+said: "O heart, burst now, for thou shalt never more have Horn, for
+love of whom thou hast been tormented so sorely!" Then she fell upon
+her bed, and grasped the dagger which she had concealed there; for if
+Horn did not come in time she had planned to slay both her hateful
+lord and herself that very night. Now, in her misery, she set the
+dagger to her heart, and would have slain herself at once, had not the
+palmer interrupted her. Rushing forward, he exclaimed: "Dear Queen and
+lady, I am Horn, thine own true love. Dost thou not recognise me? I am
+Childe Horn of Westernesse. Take me in thy arms, dear love, and kiss
+me welcome home." As Rymenhild stared incredulously at him, letting
+the dagger fall from her trembling hand, he hurriedly cast away his
+disguise, brushed off the disfiguring stain he had put on his cheeks,
+and stood up straight and strong, her own noble knight and lover. What
+joy they had together! How they told each other of all their
+adventures and troubles, and how they embraced and kissed each other!
+
+
+Horn Slays King Modi
+
+When their joy had become calmer, Horn said to his lady: "Dear
+Rymenhild, I must leave thee now, and return to my knights, who are
+encamped in the forest. Within an hour I will return to the feast and
+give the king and his guests a stern lesson." Then he flung away the
+palmer's cloak, and went forth in knightly array; while the princess
+went up to the watch-tower, where Athulf still scanned the sea for
+some sign of Horn's coming. Rymenhild said: "Sir Athulf, true friend,
+go quickly to Horn, for he has arrived, and with him he brings a great
+army." The knight gladly hastened to the courtyard, mounted his steed,
+and soon overtook Horn. They were greatly rejoiced to meet again, and
+had much to tell each other and to plan for that day's work.
+
+In the evening Horn and his army reached the castle, where they found
+the gates undone for them by their friends within, and in a short but
+desperate conflict King Modi and all the guests at the banquet were
+slain, except Rymenhild, her father, and Horn's twelve comrades. Then
+a new wedding was celebrated, for King Ailmar durst not refuse his
+daughter to the victor, and the bridal was now one of real rejoicing,
+though the king was somewhat bitter of mood.
+
+
+Horn's Departure
+
+When the hours wore on to midnight, Horn, sitting beside his bride,
+called for silence in the hall, and addressed the king thus: "Sir
+King, I pray thee listen to my tale, for I have much to say and much
+to explain. My name is in sooth Horn, and I am the son of King Murry
+of Suddene, who was slain by the Saracens. Thou didst cherish me and
+give me knighthood, and I proved myself a true knight on the very day
+when I was dubbed. Thou didst love me then, but evil men accused me to
+thee and I was banished. For seven years I have lived in a strange
+land; but now that I have returned, I have won thy fair daughter as
+my bride. But I cannot dwell here in idleness while the heathen hold
+my father's land. I vow by the Holy Rood that I will not rest, and
+will not claim my wife, until I have purified Suddene from the infidel
+invaders, and can lay its crown at Rymenhild's feet. Do thou, O King,
+guard well my wife till my return."
+
+The king consented to this proposal, and, in spite of Rymenhild's
+grief, Horn immediately bade her farewell, and with his whole army
+embarked for Suddene, this time accompanied by Athulf, but leaving the
+rest of his comrades for the protection of his wife.
+
+
+The Apostate Knight
+
+The wind blew fair for Suddene, and the fleet reached the port. The
+warriors disembarked, and marched inland, to encamp for the night in a
+wood, where they could be hidden. Horn and Athulf set out at midnight
+to endeavour to obtain news of the foe, and soon found a solitary
+knight sleeping. They awoke him roughly, saying, "Knight, awake! Why
+sleepest thou here? What dost thou guard?" The knight sprang lightly
+from the ground, saw their faces and the shining crosses on their
+shields, and cast down his eyes in shame, saying, "Alas! I have served
+these pagans against my will. In time gone by I was a Christian, but
+now I am a coward renegade, who forsook his God for fear of death at
+the hands of the Saracens! I hate my infidel masters, but I fear them
+too, and they have forced me to guard this district and keep watch
+against Horn's return. If he should come to his own again how glad I
+should be! These infidels slew his father, and drove him into exile,
+with his twelve comrades, among whom was my own son, Athulf, who loved
+the prince as his own life. If the prince is yet alive, and my son
+also, God grant that I may see them both again! Then would I joyfully
+die."
+
+
+The Recognition
+
+Horn answered quickly: "Sir Knight, be glad and rejoice, for here are
+we, Horn and Athulf, come to avenge my father and retake my realm from
+the heathen." Athulf's father was overcome with joy and shame; he
+hardly dared to embrace his son, yet the bliss of meeting was so great
+that he clasped Athulf in his arms and prayed his forgiveness for the
+disgrace he had brought upon him. The two young knights said nothing
+of his past weakness, but told him all their own adventures, and at
+last he said: "What is your true errand hither? Can you two alone slay
+the heathen? Dear Childe Horn, what joy this will be to thy mother
+Godhild, who still lives in a solitary retreat, praying for thee and
+for the land!" Horn broke in on his speech with "Blessed be the hour
+when I returned! Thank God that my mother yet lives! We are not alone,
+but I have an army of valiant Irish warriors, who will help me to
+regain my realm."
+
+
+The Reconquest of Suddene
+
+Now the king blew his horn, and his host marched out from the wood and
+prepared to attack the Saracens. The news soon spread that Childe Horn
+had returned, and many men who had accepted the faith of Mahomet for
+fear of death now threw off the hated religion, joined the true king's
+army, and were rebaptized. The war was not long, for the Saracens had
+made themselves universally hated, and the inhabitants rose against
+them; so that in a short time the country was purged of the infidels,
+who were slain or fled to other lands. Then Horn brought his mother
+from her retreat, and together they purified the churches which had
+been desecrated, and restored the true faith. When the land of Suddene
+was again a Christian realm King Horn was crowned with solemn rites,
+and a great coronation feast was held, which lasted too long for
+Horn's true happiness.
+
+
+Fikenhild Imprisons Rymenhild
+
+During Horn's absence from Westernesse, his comrades watched carefully
+over Rymenhild; but her father, who was growing old, had fallen much
+under the influence of the plausible Fikenhild. From the day when
+Fikenhild had falsely accused Horn to the king, Ailmar had held him in
+honour as a loyal servant, and now he had such power over the old
+ruler that when he demanded Rymenhild's hand in marriage, saying that
+Horn was dead in Suddene, the king dared not refuse, and the princess
+was bidden to make ready for a new bridal. For this day Fikenhild had
+long been prepared; he had built a massive fortress on a promontory,
+which at high tide was surrounded by the sea, but was easy of access
+at the ebb; thither he now led the weeping princess, and began a
+wedding feast which was to last all day, and to end only with the
+marriage ceremony at night.
+
+
+Horn's Dream
+
+That same night, before the feast, King Horn had a terrible dream. He
+thought he saw his wife taken on board ship; soon the ship began to
+sink, and Rymenhild held out her hands for rescue, but Fikenhild,
+standing in safety on shore, beat her back into the waves with his
+sword. With the agony of the sight Horn awoke, and, calling his
+comrade Athulf, said: "Friend, we must depart to-day. My wife is in
+danger from false Fikenhild, whom I have trusted too much. Let us
+delay no longer, but go at once. If God will, I hope to release her,
+and to punish Fikenhild. God grant we come in time!" With some few
+chosen knights, King Horn and Athulf set out, and the ship drove
+darkling through the sea, they knew not whither. All the night they
+drifted on, and in the morning found themselves beneath a newly built
+castle, which none of them had seen before.
+
+
+Horn's Disguise
+
+While they were seeking to moor their boat to the shore, one of the
+castle windows looking out to sea opened, and they saw a knight
+standing and gazing seaward, whom they speedily recognised; it was
+Athulf's cousin, Sir Arnoldin, one of the twelve comrades, who had
+accompanied the princess thither in the hope that he might yet save
+her from Fikenhild; he was now looking, as a forlorn hope, over the
+sea, though he believed Horn was dead. His joy was great when he saw
+the knights, and he came out to them and speedily told them of
+Rymenhild's distress and the position of affairs in the castle. King
+Horn was not at a loss for an expedient even in this distress. He
+quickly disguised himself and a few of his comrades as minstrels,
+harpers, fiddlers, and jugglers. Then, rowing to the mainland, he
+waited till low tide, and made his way over the beach to the castle,
+accompanied by his disguised comrades. Outside the castle walls they
+began to play and sing, and Rymenhild heard them, and, asking what the
+sounds were, gave orders that the minstrels should be admitted. They
+sat on benches low down the hall, tuning their harps and fiddles and
+watching the bride, who seemed unhappy and pale. When Horn sang a lay
+of true love and happiness, Rymenhild swooned for grief, and the
+king was touched to the heart with bitter remorse that he had tried
+her constancy so long, and had allowed her to endure such hardships
+and misery for his sake.
+
+[Illustration: Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels]
+
+
+Death of Fikenhild
+
+King Horn now glanced down and saw the ring of betrothal on his
+finger, where he had worn it ever, except that fateful day when he had
+given it as a token of recognition to Rymenhild. He thought of his
+wife's sufferings, and his mind was made up. Springing from the
+minstrels' bench, he strode boldly up the hall, throwing off his
+disguise, and, shouting, "I am King Horn! False Fikenhild, thou shalt
+die!" he slew the villain in the midst of his men. Horn's comrades
+likewise flung off their disguise, and soon overpowered the few of the
+household who cared to fight in their dead master's cause. The castle
+was taken for King Ailmar, who was persuaded to nominate Sir Arnoldin
+his heir, and the baronage of Westernesse did homage to him as the
+next king. Horn and his fair wife begged the good old steward Sir
+Athelbrus to go with them to Suddene, and on the way they touched at
+Ireland, where Reynild, the king's fair daughter, was induced to look
+favourably on Sir Athulf and accept him for her husband. The land of
+King Modi, which had now no ruler, was committed to the care of Sir
+Athelbrus, and Horn and Rymenhild at last reached Suddene, where the
+people received their fair queen with great joy, and where they dwelt
+in happiness till their lives' end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV: ROBIN HOOD
+
+
+Introduction
+
+England during the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries was
+slowly taught the value of firm administrative government. In Saxon
+England, the keeping of the peace and the maintenance of justice had
+been left largely to private and family enterprise and to local and
+trading communities. In Norman England, the royal authority was
+asserted throughout the kingdom, though as yet the king had to depend
+in large measure upon the co-operation of his barons and the help of
+the burghers to supply the lack of a standing army and an adequate
+police. Under the Plantagenets, the older chivalry was slowly breaking
+up, and a new, wealthy burgher and trading community was rapidly
+gaining influence in the land; whilst the clergy, corrupted by excess
+of wealth and power, had strained, almost to breaking, the controlling
+force of religion. It was therefore natural that in these latter days
+a class of men should arise to avail themselves of the unique
+opportunities of the time--men who, loving liberty and hating
+oppression, took the law into their own hands and executed a rough and
+ready justice between the rich and the poor which embodied the best
+traditions of knight-errantry, whilst they themselves lived a free and
+merry life on the tolls they exacted from their wealthy victims. Such
+a man may well have been the original Robin Hood, a man who, when once
+he had captured the popular imagination, soon acquired heroic
+reputation and was credited with every daring deed and every
+magnanimous action in two centuries of 'freebooting.'
+
+
+Robin Hood Seeks a Guest
+
+At one time Robin Hood lived in the noble forest of Barnesdale, in
+Yorkshire. He had but few of his merry men with him, for his
+headquarters were in the glorious forest of Sherwood. Just now,
+however, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire was less active in his
+endeavours to put down the band of outlaws, and the leader had
+wandered farther north than usual. Robin's companions were his three
+dearest comrades and most loyal followers, Little John (so called
+because of his great stature), Will Scarlet, Robin's cousin, and Much,
+the miller's son. These three were all devoted to their leader, and
+never left his side, except at such times as he sent them away on his
+business.
+
+On this day Robin was leaning against a tree, lost in thought, and his
+three followers grew impatient; they knew that before dinner could be
+served there were the three customary Masses to hear, and their leader
+gave no sign of being ready for Mass. Robin always heard three Masses
+before his dinner, one of the Father, one of the Holy Spirit, and the
+last of Our Lady, who was his patron saint and protector. As the three
+yeomen were growing hungry, Little John ventured to address him.
+"Master, it would do you good if you would dine early to-day, for you
+have fasted long." Robin aroused himself and smiled. "Ah, Little John,
+methinks care for thine own appetite hath a share in that speech, as
+well as care for me. But in sooth I care not to dine alone. I would
+have a stranger guest, some abbot or bishop or baron, who would pay us
+for our hospitality. I will not dine till a guest be found, and I
+leave it to you three to find him." Robin turned away, laughing at the
+crestfallen faces of his followers, who had not counted on such a
+vague commission; but Little John, quickly recovering himself, called
+to him: "Master, tell us, before we leave you, where we shall meet,
+and what sort of people we are to capture and bring to you in the
+greenwood."
+
+
+The Outlaws' Rules
+
+"You know that already," said their master. "You are to do no harm to
+women, nor to any company in which a woman is travelling; this is in
+honour of our dear Lady. You are to be kind and gentle to husbandmen
+and toilers of all degrees, to worthy knights and yeomen, to gallant
+squires, and to all children and helpless people; but sheriffs
+(especially him of Nottingham), bishops, and prelates of all kinds,
+and usurers in Church and State, you may regard as your enemies, and
+may rob, beat, and despoil in any way. Meet me with your guest at our
+great trysting oak in the forest, and be speedy, for dinner must wait
+until the visitor has arrived." "Now may God send us a suitable
+traveller soon," said Little John, "for I am hungry for dinner now."
+"So am I," said each of the others, and Robin laughed again. "Go ye
+all three, with bows and arrows in hand, and I will stay alone at the
+trysting tree and await your coming. As no man passes this way, you
+can walk up to the willow plantation and take your stand on Watling
+Street; there you will soon meet with likely travellers, and I will
+accept the first who appears. I will find means to have dinner ready
+against your return, and we will hope that our visitor's generosity
+will compensate us for the trouble of cooking his dinner."
+
+
+Robin Hood's Guest
+
+The three yeomen, taking their longbows in hand and arrows in their
+belts, walked up through the willow plantation to a place on Watling
+Street where another road crossed it; but there was no one in sight.
+As they stood with bows in hand, looking towards the forest of
+Barnesdale, they saw in the distance a knight riding in their
+direction. As he drew nearer they were struck by his appearance, for
+he rode as a man who had lost all interest in life; his clothes were
+disordered, he looked neither to right nor left, but drooped his head
+sadly, while one foot hung in the stirrup and the other dangled
+slackly in the air. The yeomen had never seen so doleful a rider; but,
+sad as he was, this was a visitor and must be taken to Robin;
+accordingly Little John stepped forward and caught the horse by the
+bridle.
+
+[Illustration: "Little John caught the horse by the bridle"]
+
+
+Little John Escorts the Knight
+
+The knight raised his head and looked blankly at the outlaw, who at
+once doffed his cap, saying, "Welcome, Sir Knight! I give you, on my
+master's behalf, a hearty welcome to the greenwood. Gentle knight,
+come now to my master, who hath waited three hours, fasting, for your
+approach before he would dine. Dinner is prepared, and only tarries
+your courteous appearance." The stranger knight seemed to consider
+this address carefully, for he sighed deeply, and then said: "I cry
+thee mercy, good fellow, for the delay, though I wot not how I am the
+cause thereof. But who is thy master?" Little John replied: "My
+master's name is Robin Hood, and I am sent to guide you to him." The
+knight said: "So Robin Hood is thy leader? I have heard of him, and
+know him to be a good yeoman; therefore I am ready to accompany thee,
+though, in good sooth, I had intended to eat my midday meal at Blythe
+or Doncaster to-day. But it matters little where a broken man dines!"
+
+
+Robin Hood's Feast
+
+The three yeomen conducted the knight along the forest ways to the
+trysting oak where Robin awaited them. As they went they observed
+that the knight was weeping silently for some great distress, but
+their courtesy forbade them to make any show of noticing his grief.
+When the appointed spot was reached, Robin stepped forward and
+courteously greeted his guest, with head uncovered and bended knee,
+and welcomed him gladly to the wild greenwood. "Welcome, Sir Knight,
+to our greenwood feast! I have waited three hours for a guest, and now
+Our Lady has sent you to me we can dine, after we have heard Mass."
+The knight said nothing but, "God save you, good Robin, and all your
+merry men"; and then very devoutly they heard the three Masses, sung
+by Friar Tuck. By this time others of the outlaw band had appeared,
+having returned from various errands, and a gay company sat down to a
+banquet as good as any the knight had ever eaten.
+
+
+Robin Converses with the Knight
+
+There was abundance of good things--venison and game of all kinds,
+swans and river-fowl and fish, with bread and good wine. Every one
+seemed joyous, and merry jests went round that jovial company, till
+even the careworn guest began to smile, and then to laugh outright. At
+this Robin was well pleased, for he saw that his visitor was a good
+man, and was glad to have lifted the burden of his care, even if only
+for a few minutes; so he smiled cheerfully at the knight and said: "Be
+merry, Sir Knight, I pray, and eat heartily of our food, for it is
+with great goodwill that we offer it to you." "Thanks, good Robin,"
+replied the knight. "I have enjoyed my dinner to-day greatly; for
+three weeks I have not had so good a meal. If I ever pass by this way
+again I will do my best to repay you in kind; as good a dinner will I
+try to provide as you have given me."
+
+
+Robin Demands Payment
+
+The outlaw chief seemed to be affronted by this suggestion, and
+replied, with a touch of pride in his manner: "Thanks for your
+proffer, Sir Knight, but, by Heaven! no man has ever yet deemed me a
+glutton. While I eat one dinner I am not accustomed to look eagerly
+for another--one is enough for me. But as for you, my guest, I think
+it only fitting that you should pay before you go; a yeoman was never
+meant to pay for a knight's banquet." The knight blushed, and looked
+confused for a moment, and then said: "True, Robin, and gladly would I
+reward you for my entertainment, but I have no money worth offering;
+even all I have would not be worthy of your acceptance, and I should
+be shamed in your eyes, and those of your men."
+
+[Illustration: "I have no money worth offering"]
+
+
+The Knight's Poverty
+
+"Is that the truth?" asked Robin, making a sign to Little John, who
+arose, and, going to the knight's steed, unstrapped a small coffer,
+which he brought back and placed before his master. "Search it, Little
+John," said he, and "You, sir, tell me the very truth, by your honour
+as a belted knight." "It is truth, on my honour, that I have but ten
+shillings," replied the knight, "and if Little John searches he will
+find no more." "Open the coffer," said Robin, and Little John took it
+away to the other side of the trysting oak, where he emptied its
+contents on his outspread cloak, and found exactly ten shillings.
+Returning to his master, who sat at his ease, drinking and gaily
+conversing with his anxious guest, Little John whispered: "The knight
+has told the truth," and thereupon Robin exclaimed aloud: "Sir Knight,
+I will not take one penny from you; you may rather borrow of me if
+you have need of more money, for ten shillings is but a miserable sum
+for a knight. But tell me now, if it be your pleasure, how you come to
+be in such distress." As he looked inquiringly at the stranger, whose
+blush had faded once, only to be renewed as he found his word of
+honour doubted, he noticed how thin and threadbare were his clothes
+and how worn his russet leather shoes; and he was grieved to see so
+noble-seeming a man in such a plight.
+
+
+The Knight's Story
+
+Yet Robin meant to fathom the cause of the knight's trouble, for then,
+perhaps, he would be able to help him, so he continued pitilessly:
+"Tell me just one word, which I will keep secret from all other men:
+were you driven by compulsion to take up knighthood, or urged to beg
+it by reason of the ownership of some small estate; or have you wasted
+your old inheritance with fines for brawling and strife, or in
+gambling and riotousness, or in borrowing at usury? All of these are
+fatal to a good estate."
+
+The knight replied: "Alas! good Robin, none of these hath been my
+undoing. My ancestors have all been knights for over a hundred years,
+and I have not lived wastefully, but soberly and sparely. As short a
+time ago as last year I had over four hundred pounds saved, which I
+could spend freely among my neighbours, and my income was four hundred
+pounds a year, from my land; but now my only possessions are my wife
+and children. This is the work of God's hand, and to Him I commit me
+to amend my estate in His own good time."
+
+
+How the Money was Lost
+
+"But how have you so soon lost this great wealth?" asked Robin
+incredulously; and the knight replied sadly: "Ah, Robin, you have no
+son, or you would know that a father will give up all to save his
+first-born. I have one gallant son, and when I went on the Crusade
+with our noble Prince Edward I left him at home to guard my lands, for
+he was twenty years old, and was a brave and comely youth. When I
+returned, after two years' absence, it was to find him in great
+danger, for in a public tournament he had slain in open fight a knight
+of Lancashire and a bold young squire. He would have died a shameful
+death had I not spent all my ready money and other property to save
+him from prison, for his enemies were mighty and unjust; and even that
+was not enough, for I was forced to mortgage my estates for more
+money. All my land lies in pledge to the abbot of St. Mary's Abbey, in
+York, and I have no hope to redeem it. I was riding to York when your
+men found me."
+
+
+The Sum Required
+
+"For what sum is your land pledged?" asked the master-outlaw; and the
+knight replied: "The Abbot lent me four hundred pounds, though the
+value of the land is far beyond that." "What will you do if you fail
+to redeem your land?" asked Robin. "I shall leave England at once, and
+journey once more to Jerusalem, and tread again the sacred Hill of
+Calvary, and never more return to my native land. That will be my
+fate, for I see no likelihood of repaying the loan, and I will not
+stay to see strangers holding my father's land. Farewell, my friend
+Robin, farewell to you all! Keep the ten shillings; I would have paid
+more if I could, but that is the best I can give you." "Have you no
+friends at home?" asked Robin; and the knight said: "Many friends I
+thought I had, sir. They were very kind and helpful in my days of
+prosperity, when I did not need them; now they will not know me, so
+much has my poverty seemed to alter my face and appearance."
+
+
+Robin Offers a Loan
+
+This pitiful story touched the hearts of the simple and kindly
+outlaws; they wept for pity, and cared not to hide their tears from
+each other, until Robin made them all pledge their guest in bumpers of
+good red wine. Then their chief asked, as if continuing his own train
+of thought: "Have you any friends who will act as sureties for the
+repayment of the loan?" "None at all," replied the knight hopelessly,
+"but God Himself, who suffered on the Tree for us." This last reply
+angered Robin, who thought it savoured too much of companionship with
+the fat and hypocritical monks whom he hated, and he retorted sharply:
+"No such tricks for me! Do you think I will take such a surety, or
+even one of the saints, in return for good solid gold? Get some more
+substantial surety, or no gold shall you have from me. I cannot afford
+to waste my money."
+
+
+The Knight Offers Surety
+
+The knight replied, sighing heavily: "If you will not take these I
+have no earthly surety to offer; and in Heaven there is only our dear
+Lady. I have served her truly, and she has never failed me till now,
+when her servant, the abbot, is playing me so cruel a trick." "Do you
+give Our Lady as your surety?" said Robin Hood. "I would take her bond
+for any sum, for throughout all England you could find no better
+surety than our dear Lady, who has always been gracious to me. She is
+enough security. Go, Little John, to my treasury and bring me four
+hundred pounds, well counted, with no false or clipped coin therein."
+
+
+Robin Hood's Gifts
+
+Little John, accompanied by Much, the careful treasurer of the band,
+went quickly to the secret place where the master-outlaw kept his
+gold. Very carefully they counted out the coins, testing each, to see
+that it was of full weight and value. Then, on the suggestion of
+Little John, they provided the knight with new clothing, even to boots
+and spurs, and finally supplied him with two splendid horses, one for
+riding and one to carry his baggage and the coffer of gold.
+
+The guest watched all these preparations with bewildered eyes, and
+turned to Robin, crying, "Why have you done all this for me, a perfect
+stranger?" "You are no stranger, but Our Lady's messenger. She sent
+you to me, and Heaven grant you may prove true."
+
+
+The Bond of Repayment
+
+"God grant it," echoed the knight. "But, Robin, when shall I repay
+this loan, and where? Set me a day, and I will keep it." "Here,"
+replied the outlaw, "under this greenwood tree, and in a twelvemonth's
+time; so will you have time to regain your friends and gather your
+rents from your redeemed lands. Now farewell, Sir Knight; and since it
+is not meet for a worthy knight to journey unattended, I will lend you
+also my comrade, Little John, to be your squire, and to do you yeoman
+service, if need be." The knight bade farewell to Robin and his
+generous followers, and was turning to ride away, when he suddenly
+stopped and addressed the master-outlaw: "In faith, good Robin, I had
+forgotten one thing. You know not my name. I am Sir Richard of the
+Lea, and my land lies in Uterysdale." "As for that," said Robin Hood,
+"I trouble not myself. You are Our Lady's messenger; that is enough
+for me." So Sir Richard rode gladly away, blessing the generous outlaw
+who lent him money to redeem his land, and a stout yeoman to defend
+the loan.
+
+
+Sir Richard's Journey
+
+As the knight and his new servant rode on, Sir Richard called to his
+man, saying, "I must by all means be in York to-morrow, to pay the
+abbot of St. Mary's four hundred pounds; if I fail of my day I shall
+lose my land and lordship for ever"; and Little John answered: "Fear
+not, master; we will surely be there in time enough." Then they rode
+on, and reached York early on the last day of the appointed time.
+
+
+The Abbot and Prior of St. Mary's
+
+In the meantime the abbot of St. Mary's was counting that Sir
+Richard's lands were safely his; he had no pity for the poor unlucky
+knight, but rather exulted in the legal cruelty which he could
+inflict. Very joyfully he called aloud, early that morn: "A
+twelvemonth ago to-day we lent four hundred pounds to a needy knight,
+Sir Richard of the Lea, and unless he comes by noon to-day to repay
+the money he will lose all his land and be disinherited, and our abbey
+will be the richer by a fat estate, worth four hundred pounds a year.
+Our Lady grant that he keep not his day." "Shame on you!" cried the
+prior. "This poor knight may be ill, or beyond the sea; he may be in
+hunger and cold as well as poverty, and it will be a foul wrong if you
+declare his land forfeit."
+
+"This is the set day," replied the abbot, "and he is not here." "You
+dare not escheat his estates yet," replied the prior stubbornly. "It
+is too early in the day; until noon the lands are still Sir Richard's,
+and no man shall take them ere the clock strikes. Shame on your
+conscience and your greed, to do a good knight such foul wrong! I
+would willingly pay a hundred pounds myself to prevent it."
+
+"Beshrew your meddlesome temper!" cried the abbot. "You are always
+crossing me! But I have with me the Lord Chief Justice, and he will
+declare my legal right." Just at that moment the high cellarer of the
+abbey entered to congratulate the abbot on Sir Richard's absence. "He
+is dead or ill, and we shall have the spending of four hundred pounds
+a year," quoth he.
+
+
+Sir Richard Returns
+
+On his arrival Sir Richard had quietly gone round to his old tenants
+in York, and had a goodly company of them ready to ride with him, but
+he was minded to test the charity and true religion of the abbot, and
+bade his followers assume pilgrims' robes. Thus attired, the company
+rode to the abbey gate, where the porter recognised Sir Richard, and
+the news of his coming, carried to the abbot and justice, caused them
+great grief; but the prior rejoiced, hoping that a cruel injustice
+would be prevented. As they dismounted the porter loudly called grooms
+to lead the horses into the stable and have them relieved of their
+burdens, but Sir Richard would not allow it, and left Little John to
+watch over them at the abbey portal.
+
+
+The Abbot and Sir Richard
+
+Then Sir Richard came humbly into the hall, where a great banquet was
+in progress, and knelt down in courteous salutation to the abbot and
+his guests; but the prelate, who had made up his mind what conduct to
+adopt, greeted him coldly, and many men did not return his salutation
+at all. Sir Richard spoke aloud: "Rejoice, Sir Abbot, for I am come to
+keep my day." "That is well," replied the monk, "but hast thou brought
+the money?" "No money have I, not one penny," continued Sir Richard
+sadly. "Pledge me in good red wine, Sir Justice," cried the abbot
+callously; "the land is mine. And what dost thou here, Sir Richard, a
+broken man, with no money to pay thy debt?" "I am come to beg you to
+grant me a longer time for repayment." "Not one minute past the
+appointed hour," said the exultant prelate. "Thou hast broken pledge,
+and thy land is forfeit."
+
+[Illustration: "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation"]
+
+
+Sir Richard Implores the Justice
+
+Still kneeling, Sir Richard turned to the justice and said: "Good Sir
+Justice, be my friend and plead for me." "No," he replied, "I hold to
+the law, and can give thee no help." "Gentle abbot, have pity on me,
+and let me have my land again, and I will be the humble servant of
+your monastery till I have repaid in full your four hundred pounds."
+Then the cruel prelate swore a terrible oath that never should the
+knight have his land again, and no one in the hall would speak for
+him, kneeling there poor, friendless, and alone; so at last he began
+to threaten violence. "Unless I have my land again," quoth he, "some
+of you here shall dearly abide it. Now may I see the poor man has no
+friends, for none will stand by me in my need."
+
+
+The Justice Suggests a Compromise
+
+The hint of violence made the abbot furiously angry, and, secure in
+his position and the support of the justice, he shouted loudly: "Out,
+thou false knight! Out of my hall!" Then at last Sir Richard rose to
+his feet in just wrath. "Thou liest, Sir Abbot; foully thou liest! I
+was never a false knight. In joust and tourney I have adventured as
+far and as boldly as any man alive. There is no true courtesy in thee,
+abbot, to suffer a knight to kneel so long." The quarrel now seemed so
+serious that the justice intervened, saying to the angry prelate,
+"What will you give me if I persuade him to sign a legal deed of
+release? Without it you will never hold this land in peace." "You
+shall have a hundred pounds for yourself," said the abbot, and the
+justice nodded in token of assent.
+
+
+Sir Richard Pays the Money
+
+Now Sir Richard thought it was time to drop the mask, for noon was
+nigh, and he would not risk his land again. Accordingly he cried:
+"Nay, but not so easily shall ye have my lands. Even if you were to
+pay a thousand pounds more you should not hold my father's estate.
+Have here your money back again"; and, calling for Little John, he
+bade him bring into the hall his coffer with the bags inside. Then he
+counted out on the table four hundred good golden pounds, and said
+sternly: "Abbot, here is your money again. Had you but been courteous
+to me I would have rewarded you well; now take your money, give me a
+quittance, and I will take my lands once more. Ye are all witnesses
+that I have kept my day and have paid in full." Thereupon Sir Richard
+strode haughtily out of the hall, and rode home gladly to his
+recovered lands in Uterysdale, where he and his family ever prayed for
+Robin Hood. The abbot of St. Mary's was bitterly enraged, for he had
+lost the fair lands of Sir Richard of the Lea and had received a bare
+four hundred pounds again. As for Little John, he went back to the
+forest and told his master the whole story, to Robin Hood's great
+satisfaction, for he enjoyed the chance of thwarting the schemes of a
+wealthy and usurious prelate.
+
+
+Sir Richard Sets Out to Repay the Loan
+
+When a year had passed all but a few days, Sir Richard of the Lea said
+to his wife: "Lady, I must shortly go to Barnesdale to repay Robin
+Hood the loan which saved my lands, and would fain take him some small
+gift in addition; what do you advise?" "Sir Richard, I would take a
+hundred bows of Spanish yew and a hundred sheaves of arrows,
+peacock-feathered, or grey-goose-feathered; methinks that will be to
+Robin a most acceptable gift."
+
+Sir Richard followed his wife's advice, and on the morning of the
+appointed day set out to keep his tryst at the outlaws' oak in
+Barnesdale, with the money duly counted, and the bows and arrows for
+his present to the outlaw chief.
+
+
+The Wrestling
+
+As he rode, however, at the head of his troop he passed through a
+village where there was a wrestling contest, which he stayed to watch.
+He soon saw that the victorious wrestler, who was a stranger to the
+village, would be defrauded of his well-earned prize, which consisted
+of a white bull, a noble charger gaily caparisoned, a gold ring, a
+pipe of wine, and a pair of embroidered gloves. This seemed so wrong
+to Sir Richard that he stayed to defend the right, for love of Robin
+Hood and of justice, and kept the wrestling ring in awe with his
+well-appointed troop of men, so that the stranger was allowed to claim
+his prize and carry it off. Sir Richard, anxious not to arouse the
+hostility of the villagers, bought the pipe of wine from the winner,
+and, setting it abroach, allowed all who would to drink; and so, in a
+tumult of cheers and blessings, he rode away to keep his tryst. By
+this time, however, it was nearly three in the afternoon, and he
+should have been there at twelve. He comforted himself with the
+thought that Robin would forgive the delay, for the sake of its cause,
+and so rode on comfortably enough at the head of his gallant company.
+
+
+Robin's Impatience
+
+In the meantime Robin had waited patiently at the trysting tree till
+noon, but when the hour passed and Sir Richard had not appeared he
+began to grow impatient. "Master, let us dine," said Little John. "I
+cannot; I fear Our Lady is angered with me, for she has not sent me my
+money," returned the leader; but his follower replied: "The money is
+not due till sunset, master, and Our Lady is true, and so is Sir
+Richard; have no fear." "Do you three walk up through the willow
+plantation to Watling Street, as you did last year, and bring me a
+guest," said Robin Hood. "He may be a messenger, a minstrel, a poor
+man, but he will come in God's name."
+
+
+The Monks Approach
+
+Again the three yeomen, Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much the
+miller's son, took bow in hand and set out for Watling Street; but
+this time they had not long to wait, for they at once saw a little
+procession approaching. Two black monks rode at the head; then
+followed seven sumpter-mules and a train of fifty-two men, so that the
+clerics rode in almost royal state. "Seest thou yon monks?" said
+Little John. "I will pledge my soul that they have brought our pay."
+"But they are fifty-four, and we are but three," said Scarlet. "Unless
+we bring them to dinner we dare not face our master," cried Little
+John. "Look well to your bows, your strings and arrows, and have stout
+hearts and steady hands. I will take the foremost monk, for life or
+death."
+
+
+The Capture of the Black Monk
+
+The three outlaws stepped out into the road from the shelter of the
+wood; they bent their bows and held their arrows on the string, and
+Little John cried aloud: "Stay, churlish monk, or thou goest to thy
+death, and it will be on thine own head! Evil on thee for keeping our
+master fasting so long." "Who is your master?" asked the bewildered
+monk; and Little John replied: "Robin Hood." The monk tossed his head.
+"He is a foul thief," cried he, "and will come to a bad end. I have
+heard no good of him all my days." So speaking, he tried to ride
+forward and trample down the three yeomen; but Little John cried:
+"Thou liest, churlish monk, and thou shalt rue the lie. He is a good
+yeoman of this forest, and has bidden thee to dine with him this day";
+and Much, drawing his bow, shot the monk to the heart, so that he fell
+to the ground dead. The other black monk was taken, but all his
+followers fled, except a little page, and a groom who tended the
+sumpter-mules; and thus, with Little John's help and guidance, the
+panic-stricken cleric and his train of baggage were brought to Robin
+under the trysting tree.
+
+[Illustration: "Much shot the monk to the heart"]
+
+
+The Outlaws' Feast
+
+Robin Hood doffed his cap and greeted his guest with all courtesy, but
+the monk would not reply, and Little John's account of their meeting
+made it evident that he was a churlish and unwilling guest. However,
+he was obliged to celebrate the three usual Masses, was given water
+for his ablutions before the banquet, and then when the whole
+fellowship was assembled he was set in the place of honour at the
+feast, and reverently served by Robin himself. "Be of good cheer, Sir
+Monk," said Robin. "Where is your abbey when you are at home, and who
+is your patron saint?" "I am of St. Mary's Abbey, in York, and, simple
+though I be, I am the high cellarer."
+
+
+The High Cellarer and the Suretyship
+
+"For Our Lady's sake," said Robin, "we will give this monk the best of
+cheer. Drink to me, Sir Monk; the wine is good. But I fear Our Lady is
+wroth with me, for she has not sent me my money." "Fear not, master,"
+returned Little John; "this monk is her cellarer, and no doubt she has
+made him her messenger and he carries our money with him." "That is
+likely," replied Robin. "Sir Monk, Our Lady was surety for a little
+loan between a good knight and me, and to-day the money was to be
+repaid. If you have brought it, pay it to me now, and I will thank you
+heartily." The monk was quite amazed, and cried aloud: "I have never
+heard of such a suretyship"; and as he spoke he looked so anxiously at
+his sumpter-mules that Robin guessed there was gold in their
+pack-saddles.
+
+
+The Monk is Searched
+
+Accordingly the leader feigned sudden anger. "Sir Monk, how dare you
+defame our dear Lady? She is always true and faithful, and as you say
+you are her servant, no doubt she has made you her messenger to bring
+my money. Tell me truly how much you have in your coffers, and I will
+thank you for coming so punctually." The monk replied: "Sir, I have
+only twenty marks in my bags"; to which Robin answered: "If that be
+all, and you have told the truth I will not touch one penny; rather
+will I lend you some if you need it; but if I find more, I will leave
+none, Sir Monk, for a religious man should have no silver to spend in
+luxury." Now the monk looked very greatly alarmed, but he dared make
+no protest, as Little John began to search his bags and coffers.
+
+
+Success of the Search
+
+When Little John opened the first coffer he emptied its contents, as
+before, into his cloak, and counted eight hundred pounds, with which
+he went to Robin Hood, saying, "Master, the monk has told the truth;
+here are twenty marks of his own, and eight hundred pounds which Our
+Lady has sent you in return for your loan." When Robin heard that he
+cried to the miserable monk: "Did I not say so, monk? Is not Our Lady
+the best surety a man could have? Has she not repaid me twice? Go back
+to your abbey and say that if ever St. Mary's monks need a friend they
+shall find one in Robin Hood."
+
+
+The Monk Departs
+
+"Where were you journeying?" asked the outlaw leader. "To settle
+accounts with the bailiffs of our manors," replied the cellarer; but
+he was in truth journeying to London, to obtain powers from the king
+against Sir Richard of the Lea. Robin thought for a moment, and then
+said: "Ah, then we must search your other coffer," and in spite of the
+cellarer's indignant protests he was deprived of all the money that
+second coffer contained. Then he was allowed to depart, vowing
+bitterly that a dinner in Blythe or Doncaster would have cost him much
+less dear.
+
+
+Sir Richard Arrives
+
+Late that afternoon Sir Richard of the Lea and his little company
+arrived at the trysting tree, and full courteously the knight greeted
+his deliverer and apologised for his delay. Robin asked of his
+welfare, and the knight told of his protection of the poor wrestler,
+for which Robin thanked him warmly. When he would fain have repaid the
+loan the generous outlaw refused to accept the money, though he took
+with hearty thanks the bows and arrows. In answer to the knight's
+inquiries, Robin said that he had been paid the money twice over
+before he came; and he told, to his debtor's great amusement, the
+story of the high cellarer and his eight hundred pounds, and
+concluded: "Our Lady owed me no more than four hundred pounds, and she
+now gives you, by me, the other four hundred. Take them, with her
+blessing, and if ever you need more come to Robin Hood."
+
+So Sir Richard returned to Uterysdale, and long continued to use his
+power to protect the bold outlaws, and Robin Hood dwelt securely in
+the greenwood, doing good to the poor and worthy, but acting as a
+thorn in the sides of all oppressors and tyrants.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI: HEREWARD THE WAKE
+
+
+Introduction
+
+In dealing with hero-legends and myths we are sometimes confronted
+with the curious fact that a hero whose name and date can be
+ascertained with exactitude has yet in his story mythological elements
+which seem to belong to all the ages. This anomaly arises chiefly from
+the fact that the imagination of a people is a myth-making thing, and
+that the more truly popular the hero the more likely he is to become
+the centre of a whole cycle of myths, which are in different ages
+attached to the heroes of different periods. The folk-lore of
+primitive races is a great storehouse whence a people can choose tales
+and heroic deeds to glorify its own national hero, careless that the
+same tales and deeds have done duty for other peoples and other
+heroes. Hence it happens that Hereward the Saxon, a patriot hero as
+real and actual as Wellington or Nelson, whose deeds were recorded in
+prose and verse within forty years of his death, was even then
+surrounded by a cloud of romance and mystery, which hid in vagueness
+his family, his marriage, and even his death.
+
+
+The Saxon Patriot
+
+Hereward was, naturally, the darling hero of the Saxons, and for the
+patriotism of his splendid defence of Ely they forgave his final
+surrender to William the Norman; then they attributed to him all the
+virtues supposed to be inherent in the free-born, and all the glorious
+valour on which the English prided themselves; and, lastly, they
+surrounded his death with a halo of desperate fighting, and made his
+last conflict as wonderful as that of Roland at Roncesvalles. If
+Roland is the ideal of Norman feudal chivalry, Hereward is equally
+the ideal of Anglo-Saxon sturdy manliness and knighthood, and it seems
+fitting that the Saxon ideal in the individual should go down before
+the representatives, however unworthy, of a higher ideal.
+
+
+Leofric of Mercia
+
+When the weak but saintly King Edward the Confessor nominally ruled
+all England the land was divided into four great earldoms, of which
+Mercia and Kent were held by two powerful rivals. Leofric of Mercia
+and Godwin of Kent were jealous not only for themselves, but for their
+families, of each other's power and wealth, and the sons of Leofric
+and of Godwin were ever at strife, though the two earls were now old
+and prudent men, whose wars were fought with words and craft, not with
+swords. The wives of the two great earls were as different as their
+lords. The Lady Gytha, Godwin's wife, of the royal Danish race, was
+fierce and haughty, a fit helpmeet for the ambitious earl who was to
+undermine the strength of England by his efforts to win kingly power
+for his children. But the Lady Godiva, Leofric's beloved wife, was a
+gentle, pious, loving woman, who had already won an almost saintly
+reputation for sympathy and pity by her sacrifice to save her
+husband's oppressed citizens at Coventry, where her pleading won
+relief for them from the harsh earl on the pitiless condition of her
+never-forgotten ride. Happily her gentle self-suppression awoke a
+nobler spirit in her husband, and enabled him to play a worthier part
+in England's history. She was in entire sympathy with the religious
+aspirations of Edward the Confessor, and would gladly have seen one of
+her sons become a monk, perhaps to win spiritual power and a saintly
+reputation like those of the great Dunstan.
+
+[Illustration: "Her pleading won relief for them"]
+
+
+Hereward's Youth
+
+For this holy vocation she fixed on her second son, Hereward, a wild,
+wayward lad, with long golden curls, eyes of different colours, one
+grey, one blue, great breadth and strength of limb, and a wild and
+ungovernable temper which made him difficult of control. This reckless
+lad the Lady Godiva vainly tried to educate for the monkish life, but
+he utterly refused to adopt her scheme, would not master any but the
+barest rudiments of learning, and spent his time in wrestling, boxing,
+fighting and all manly exercises. Despairing of making him an
+ecclesiastic, his mother set herself to inspire him with a noble ideal
+of knighthood, but his wildness and recklessness increased with his
+years, and often his mother had to stand between the riotous lad and
+his father's deserved anger.
+
+
+His Strength and Leadership
+
+When he reached the age of sixteen or seventeen he became the terror
+of the Fen Country, for at his father's Hall of Bourne he gathered a
+band of youths as wild and reckless as himself, who accepted him for
+their leader, and obeyed him implicitly, however outrageous were his
+commands. The wise Earl Leofric, who was much at court with the
+saintly king, understood little of the nature of his second son, and
+looked upon his wild deeds as evidence of a cruel and lawless mind, a
+menace to the peace of England, while they were in reality but the
+tokens of a restless energy for which the comparatively peaceable life
+of England at that time was all too dull and tame.
+
+
+Leofric and Hereward
+
+Frequent were the disputes between father and son, and sadly did Lady
+Godiva forebode an evil ending to the clash of warring natures
+whenever Hereward and his father met; yet she could do nothing to
+avert disaster, for though her entreaties would soften the lad into
+penitence for some mad prank or reckless outrage, one hint of cold
+blame from his father would suffice to make him hardened and
+impenitent; and so things drifted from bad to worse. In all Hereward's
+lawless deeds, however, there was no meanness or crafty malice. He
+hated monks and played many a rough trick upon them, but took his
+punishment, when it came, with equable cheerfulness; he robbed
+merchants with a high hand, but made reparation liberally, counting
+himself well satisfied with the fun of a fight or the skill of a
+clever trick; his band of youths met and fought other bands, but they
+bore no malice when the strife was over. In one point only was
+Hereward less than true to his own nobility of character--he was
+jealous of admitting that any man was his superior in strength or
+comeliness, and his vanity was well supported by his extraordinary
+might and beauty.
+
+
+Hereward at Court
+
+The deeds which brought Earl Leofric's wrath upon his son in a
+terrible fashion were not matters of wanton wickedness, but of lawless
+personal violence. Called to attend his father to the Confessor's
+court, the youth, who had little respect for one so unwarlike as "the
+miracle-monger," uttered his contempt for saintly king, Norman
+prelate, and studious monks too loudly, and thereby shocked the weakly
+devout Edward, who thought piety the whole duty of man. But his
+wildness touched the king more nearly still; for in his sturdy
+patriotism he hated the Norman favourites and courtiers who surrounded
+the Confessor, and again and again his marvellous strength was shown
+in the personal injuries he inflicted on the Normans in mere boyish
+brawls, until at last his father could endure the disgrace no longer.
+
+
+Hereward's Exile
+
+Begging an audience of the king, Leofric formally asked for a writ of
+outlawry against his own son. The Confessor, surprised, but not
+displeased, felt some compunction as he saw the father's affection
+overborne by the judge's severity. Earl Godwin, Leofric's greatest
+rival, was present in the council, and his pleading for the noble lad,
+whose faults were only those of youth, was sufficient to make Leofric
+more urgent in his petition. The curse of family feud, which
+afterwards laid England prostrate at the foot of the Conqueror, was
+already felt, and felt so strongly that Hereward resented Godwin's
+intercession more than his father's sternness.
+
+
+Hereward's Farewell
+
+"What!" he cried, "shall a son of Leofric, the noblest man in England,
+accept intercession from Godwin or any of his family? No. I may be
+unworthy of my wise father and my saintly mother, but I am not yet
+sunk so low as to ask a favour from a Godwin. Father, I thank you. For
+years I have fretted against the peace of the land, and thus have
+incurred your displeasure; but in exile I may range abroad and win my
+fortune at the sword's point." "Win thy fortune, foolish boy!" said
+his father. "And whither wilt thou fare?" "Wherever fate and my
+fortune lead me," he replied recklessly. "Perhaps to join Harald
+Hardrada at Constantinople and become one of the Emperor's Varangian
+Guard; perhaps to follow old Beowa out into the West, at the end of
+some day of glorious battle; perhaps to fight giants and dragons and
+all kinds of monsters. All these things I may do, but never shall
+Mercia see me again till England calls me home. Farewell, father;
+farewell, Earl Godwin; farewell, reverend king. I go. And pray ye that
+ye may never need my arm, for it may hap that ye will call me and I
+will not come." Then Hereward rode away, followed into exile by one
+man only, Martin Lightfoot, who left the father's service for that of
+his outlawed son. It was when attending the king's court on this
+occasion that Hereward first saw and felt the charm of a lovely little
+Saxon maiden named Alftruda, a ward of the pious king.
+
+
+Hereward in Northumbria
+
+Though the king's writ of outlawry might run in Mercia, it did not
+carry more than nominal weight in Northumbria, where Earl Siward ruled
+almost as an independent lord. Thither Hereward determined to go, for
+there dwelt his own godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, and his castle was
+known as a good training school for young aspirants for knighthood.
+Sailing from Dover, Hereward landed at Whitby, and made his way to
+Gilbert's castle, where he was well received, since the cunning
+Fleming knew that an outlawry could be reversed at any time, and
+Leofric's son might yet come to rule England. Accordingly Hereward was
+enrolled in the number of young men, mainly Normans or Flemings, who
+were seeking to perfect themselves in chivalry before taking
+knighthood. He soon showed himself a brave warrior, an unequalled
+wrestler, and a wary fighter, and soon no one cared to meddle with the
+young Mercian, who outdid them all in manly sports. The envy of the
+young Normans was held in check by Gilbert, and by a wholesome dread
+of Hereward's strong arm; until, in Gilbert's absence, an incident
+occurred which placed the young exile on a pinnacle so far above them
+that only by his death could they hope to rid themselves of their
+feeling of inferiority.
+
+
+The Fairy Bear
+
+Gilbert kept in his castle court an immense white Polar bear, dreaded
+by all for its enormous strength, and called the Fairy Bear. It was
+even believed that the huge beast had some kinship to old Earl Siward,
+who bore a bear upon his crest, and was reputed to have had something
+of bear-like ferocity in his youth. This white bear was so much
+dreaded that he was kept chained up in a strong cage. One morning as
+Hereward was returning with Martin from his morning ride he heard
+shouts and shrieks from the castle yard, and, reaching the great gate,
+entered lightly and closed it behind him rapidly, for there outside
+the shattered cage, with broken chain dangling, stood the Fairy Bear,
+glaring savagely round the courtyard. But one human figure was in
+sight, that of a girl of about twelve years of age.
+
+
+Hereward Slays the Bear
+
+There were sounds of men's voices and women's shrieks from within the
+castle, but the doors were fast barred, while the maid, in her terror,
+beat on the portal with her palms, and begged them, for the love of
+God, to let her in. The cowards, refused, and in the meantime the
+great bear, irritated by the dangling chain, made a rush towards the
+child. Hereward dashed forward, shouting to distract the bear, and
+just managed to stop his charge at the girl. The savage animal turned
+on the new-comer, who needed all his agility to escape the monster's
+terrible onset. Seizing his battle-axe, the youth swung it around
+his head and split the skull of the furious beast, which fell dead. It
+was a blow so mighty that even Hereward himself was surprised at its
+deadly effect, and approached cautiously to examine his victim. In the
+meantime the little girl, who proved to be no other than the king's
+ward, Alftruda, had watched with fascinated eyes first the approach of
+the monster, and then, as she crouched in terror, its sudden
+slaughter; and now she summoned up courage to run to Hereward, who had
+always been kind to the pretty child, and to fling herself into his
+arms. "Kind Hereward," she whispered, "you have saved me and killed
+the bear. I love you for it, and I must give you a kiss, for my dame
+says so do all ladies that choose good knights to be their champions.
+Will you be mine?" As she spoke she kissed Hereward again and again.
+
+[Illustration: Alftruda]
+
+
+Hereward's Trick on the Knights
+
+"Where have they all gone, little one?" asked the young noble; and
+Alftruda replied: "We were all out here in the courtyard watching the
+young men at their exercises, when we heard a crash and a roar, and
+the cage burst open, and we saw the dreadful Fairy Bear. They all ran,
+the ladies and knights, but I was the last, and they were so
+frightened that they shut themselves in and left me outside; and when
+I beat at the door and prayed them to let me in they would not, and I
+thought the bear would eat me, till you came."
+
+"The cowards!" cried Hereward. "And they think themselves worthy of
+knighthood when they will save their own lives and leave a child in
+danger! They must be taught a lesson. Martin, come hither and aid me."
+When Martin came, the two, with infinite trouble, raised the carcase
+of the monstrous beast, and placed it just where the bower door,
+opening, would show it at once. Then Hereward bade Alftruda call to
+the knights in the bower that all was safe and they could come out,
+for the bear would not hurt them. He and Martin, listening, heard with
+great glee the bitter debate within the bower as to who should risk
+his life to open the door, the many excuses given for refusal, the
+mischievous fun in Alftruda's voice as she begged some one to open to
+her, and, best of all, the cry of horror with which the knight who had
+ventured to draw the bolt shut the door again on seeing the Fairy Bear
+waiting to enter. Hereward even carried his trick so far as to thrust
+the bear heavily against the bower door, making all the people within
+shriek and implore the protection of the saints. Finally, when he was
+tired of the jest, he convinced the valiant knights that they might
+emerge safely from their retirement, and showed how he, a stripling of
+seventeen, had slain the monster at one blow. From that time Hereward
+was the darling of the whole castle, petted, praised, beloved by all
+its inmates, except his jealous rivals.
+
+
+Hereward Leaves Northumbria
+
+The foreign knights grew so jealous of the Saxon youth, and so restive
+under his shafts of sarcastic ridicule, that they planned several
+times to kill him, and once or twice nearly succeeded. This
+insecurity, and a feeling that perhaps Earl Siward had some kinship
+with the Fairy Bear, and would wish to avenge his death, made Hereward
+decide to quit Gilbert's castle. The spirit of adventure was strong
+upon him, the sea seemed to call him; now that he had been
+acknowledged superior to the other noble youths in Gilbert's
+household, the castle no longer afforded a field for his ambition.
+Accordingly he took a sad leave of Alftruda, an affectionate one of
+Sir Gilbert, who wished to knight him for his brave deed, and a
+mocking one of his angry and unsuccessful foes.
+
+
+Hereward in Cornwall
+
+Entering into a merchant-ship, he sailed for Cornwall, and there was
+taken to the court of King Alef, a petty British chief, who, on true
+patriarchal lines, disposed of his children as he would, and had
+betrothed his fair daughter to a terrible Pictish giant, breaking off,
+in order to do it, her troth-plight with Prince Sigtryg of Waterford,
+son of a Danish king in Ireland. Hereward was ever chivalrous, and
+little Alftruda had made him feel pitiful to all maidens. Seeing
+speedily how the princess loathed her new betrothed, a hideous,
+misshapen wretch, nearly eight feet high, he determined to slay him.
+With great deliberation he picked a quarrel with the giant, and killed
+him the next day in fair fight; but King Alef was driven by the
+threats of the vengeful Pictish tribe to throw Hereward and his man
+Martin into prison, promising trial and punishment on the morrow.
+
+
+Hereward Released from Prison
+
+To the young Saxon's surprise, the released princess appeared to be as
+grieved and as revengeful as any follower of the Pictish giant, and
+she not only advocated prison and death the next day, but herself
+superintended the tying of the thongs that bound the two strangers.
+When they were left to their lonely confinement Hereward began to
+blame the princess for hypocrisy, and to protest the impossibility of
+a man's ever knowing what a woman wants. "Who would have thought," he
+cried, "that that beautiful maiden loved a giant so hideous as this
+Pict? Had I known, I would never have fought him, but her eyes said
+to me, 'Kill him,' and I have done so; this is how she rewards me!"
+"No," replied Martin, "this is how"; and he cut Hereward's bonds,
+laughing silently to himself. "Master, you were so indignant with the
+lady that you could not make allowances for her. I knew that she must
+pretend to grieve, for her father's sake, and when she came to test
+our bonds I was sure of it, for as she fingered a knot she slipped a
+knife into my hands, and bade me use it. Now we are free from our
+bonds, and must try to escape from our prison."
+
+
+The Princess Visits the Captives
+
+In vain, however, the master and man ranged round the room in which
+they were confined; it was a tiny chapel, with walls and doors of
+great thickness, and violently as Hereward exerted himself, he could
+make no impression on either walls or door, and, sitting sullenly down
+on the altar steps, he asked Martin what good was freedom from bonds
+in a secure prison. "Much, every way," replied the servant; "at least
+we die with free hands; and I, for my part, am content to trust that
+the princess has some good plan, if we will only be ready." While he
+was speaking they heard footsteps just outside the door, and the sound
+of a key being inserted into the lock. Hereward beckoned silently to
+Martin, and the two stood ready, one at each side of the door, to make
+a dash for freedom, and Martin was prepared to slay any who should
+hinder. To their great surprise, the princess entered, accompanied by
+an old priest bearing a lantern, which he set down on the altar step,
+and then the princess turned to Hereward, crying, "Pardon me, my
+deliverer!" The Saxon was still aggrieved and bewildered, and replied:
+"Do you now say 'deliverer'? This afternoon it was 'murderer,
+villain, cut-throat.' How shall I know which is your real mind?" The
+princess almost laughed as she said: "How stupid men are! What could I
+do but pretend to hate you, since otherwise the Picts would have slain
+you then and us all afterwards, but I claimed you as my victims, and
+you have been given to me. How else could I have come here to-night?
+Now tell me, if I set you free will you swear to carry a message for
+me?"
+
+[Illustration: Hereward and the Princess]
+
+
+Sigtryg Ranaldsson of Waterford
+
+"Whither shall I go, lady, and what shall I say?" asked Hereward.
+"Take this ring, my ring of betrothal, and go to Prince Sigtryg, son
+of King Ranald of Waterford. Say to him that I am beset on every side,
+and beg him to come and claim me as his bride; otherwise I fear I may
+be forced to marry some man of my father's choosing, as I was being
+driven to wed the Pictish giant. From him you have rescued me, and I
+thank you; but if my betrothed delays his coming it may be too late,
+for there are other hateful suitors who would make my father bestow my
+hand upon one of them. Beg him to come with all speed." "Lady, I will
+go now," said Hereward, "if you will set me free from this vault."
+
+
+Hereward Binds the Princess
+
+"Go quickly, and safely," said the princess; "but ere you go you have
+one duty to fulfil: you must bind me hand and foot, and fling me, with
+this old priest, on the ground." "Never," said Hereward, "will I bind
+a woman; it were foul disgrace to me for ever." But Martin only
+laughed, and the maiden said again: "How stupid men are! I must
+pretend to have been overpowered by you, or I shall be accused of
+having freed you, but I will say that I came hither to question you,
+and you and your man set on me and the priest, bound us, took the key,
+and so escaped. So shall you be free, and I shall have no blame, and
+my father no danger; and may Heaven forgive the lie."
+
+Hereward reluctantly agreed, and, with Martin's help, bound the two
+hand and foot and laid them before the altar; then, kissing the
+maiden's hand, and swearing loyalty and truth, he turned to depart.
+But the princess had one question to ask. "Who are you, noble
+stranger, so gallant and strong? I would fain know for whom to pray."
+"I am Hereward Leofricsson, and my father is the Earl of Mercia." "Are
+you that Hereward who slew the Fairy Bear? Little wonder is it that
+you have slain my monster and set me free." Then master and man left
+the chapel, after carefully turning the key in the lock. Making their
+way to the shore, they succeeded in getting a ship to carry them to
+Ireland, and in course of time reached Waterford.
+
+
+Prince Sigtryg
+
+The Danish kingdom of Waterford was ruled by King Ranald, whose only
+son, Sigtryg, was about Hereward's age, and was as noble-looking a
+youth as the Saxon hero. The king was at a feast, and Hereward,
+entering the hall with the captain of the vessel, sat down at one of
+the lower tables; but he was not one of those who can pass unnoticed.
+The prince saw him, distinguished at once his noble bearing, and asked
+him to come to the king's own table. He gladly obeyed, and as he drank
+to the prince and their goblets touched together he contrived to drop
+the ring from the Cornish princess into Sigtryg's cup. The prince saw
+and recognised it as he drained his cup, and, watching his
+opportunity, left the hall, and was soon followed by his guest.
+
+
+Hereward and Sigtryg
+
+Outside in the darkness Sigtryg turned hurriedly to Hereward, saying,
+"You bring me a message from my betrothed?" "Yes, if you are that
+Prince Sigtryg to whom the Princess of Cornwall was affianced." "Was
+affianced! What do you mean? She is still my lady and my love." "Yet
+you leave her there unaided, while her father gives her in marriage to
+a hideous giant of a Pict, breaking her betrothal, and driving the
+hapless maiden to despair. What kind of love is yours?" Hereward said
+nothing yet about his own slaying of the giant, because he wished to
+test Prince Sigtryg's sincerity, and he was satisfied, for the prince
+burst out: "Would to God that I had gone to her before! but my father
+needed my help against foreign invaders and native rebels. I will go
+immediately and save my lady or die with her!" "No need of that, for I
+killed that giant," said Hereward coolly, and Sigtryg embraced him in
+joy and they swore blood-brotherhood together. Then he asked: "What
+message do you bring me, and what means her ring?" The other replied
+by repeating the Cornish maiden's words, and urging him to start at
+once if he would save his betrothed from some other hateful marriage.
+
+
+Return to Cornwall
+
+The prince went at once to his father, told him the whole story, and
+obtained a ship and men to journey to Cornwall and rescue the
+princess; then, with Hereward by his side, he set sail, and soon
+landed in Cornwall, hoping to obtain his bride peaceably. To his grief
+he learnt that the princess had just been betrothed to a wild Cornish
+leader, Haco, and the wedding feast was to be held that very day.
+Sigtryg was greatly enraged, and sent a troop of forty Danes to King
+Alef demanding the fulfilment of the troth-plight between himself and
+his daughter, and threatening vengeance if it were broken. To this
+threat the king returned no answer, and no Dane came back to tell of
+their reception.
+
+[Illustration: Hereward and Sigtryg]
+
+
+Hereward in the Enemy's Hall
+
+Sigtryg would have waited till morning, trusting in the honour of the
+king, but Hereward disguised himself as a minstrel and obtained
+admission to the bridal feast, where he soon won applause by his
+beautiful singing. The bridegroom, Haco, in a rapture offered him any
+boon he liked to ask, but he demanded only a cup of wine from the
+hands of the bride. When she brought it to him he flung into the empty
+cup the betrothal ring, the token she had sent to Sigtryg, and said:
+"I thank thee, lady, and would reward thee for thy gentleness to a
+wandering minstrel; I give back the cup, richer than before by the
+kind thoughts of which it bears the token." The princess looked at
+him, gazed into the goblet, and saw her ring; then, looking again, she
+recognised her deliverer and knew that rescue was at hand.
+
+
+Haco's Plan
+
+While men feasted Hereward listened and talked, and found out that the
+forty Danes were prisoners, to be released on the morrow when Haco was
+sure of his bride, but released useless and miserable, since they
+would be turned adrift blinded. Haco was taking his lovely bride back
+to his own land, and Hereward saw that any rescue, to be successful,
+must be attempted on the march. Yet he knew not the way the bridal
+company would go, and he lay down to sleep in the hall, hoping that
+he might hear something more. When all men slept a dark shape came
+gliding through the hall and touched Hereward on the shoulder; he
+slept lightly, and awoke at once to recognise the old nurse of the
+princess. "Come to her now," the old woman whispered, and Hereward
+went, though he knew not that the princess was still true to her
+lover. In her bower, which she was soon to leave, Haco's sorrowful
+bride awaited the messenger.
+
+
+Rescue for Haco's Bride
+
+Sadly she smiled on the young Saxon as she said: "I knew your face
+again in spite of the disguise, but you come too late. Bear my
+farewell to Sigtryg, and say that my father's will, not mine, makes me
+false to my troth-plight." "Have you not been told, lady, that he is
+here?" asked Hereward. "Here?" the princess cried. "I have not heard.
+He loves me still and has not forsaken me?" "No, lady, he is too true
+a lover for falsehood. He sent forty Danes yesterday to demand you of
+your father and threaten his wrath if he refused." "And I knew not of
+it," said the princess softly; "yet I had heard that Haco had taken
+some prisoners, whom he means to blind." "Those are our messengers,
+and your future subjects," said Hereward. "Help me to save them and
+you. Do you know Haco's plans?" "Only this, that he will march
+to-morrow along the river, and where the ravine is darkest and forms
+the boundary between his kingdom and my father's the prisoners are to
+be blinded and released." "Is it far hence?" "Three miles to the
+eastward of this hall," she replied. "We will be there. Have no fear,
+lady, whatever you may see, but be bold and look for your lover in the
+fight." So saying, Hereward kissed the hand of the princess, and
+passed out of the hall unperceived by any one.
+
+
+The Ambush
+
+Returning to Sigtryg, the young Saxon told all that he had learnt, and
+the Danes planned an ambush in the ravine where Haco had decided to
+blind and set free his captives. All was in readiness, and side by
+side Hereward and Sigtryg were watching the pathway from their covert,
+when the sound of horses' hoofs heard on the rocks reduced them to
+silence. The bridal procession came in strange array: first the Danish
+prisoners bound each between two Cornishmen, then Haco and his unhappy
+bride, and last a great throng of Cornishmen. Hereward had taken
+command, that Sigtryg might look to the safety of his lady, and his
+plan was simplicity itself. The Danes were to wait till their
+comrades, with their guards, had passed through the ravine; then while
+the leader engaged Haco, and Sigtryg looked to the safety of the
+princess, the Danes would release the prisoners and slay every
+Cornishman, and the two parties of Danes, uniting their forces, would
+restore order to the land and destroy the followers of Haco.
+
+
+Success
+
+The whole was carried out exactly as Hereward had planned. The
+Cornishmen, with Danish captives, passed first without attack; next
+came Haco, riding grim and ferocious beside his silent bride, he
+exulting in his success, she looking eagerly for any signs of rescue.
+As they passed Hereward sprang from his shelter, crying, "Upon them,
+Danes, and set your brethren free!" and himself struck down Haco and
+smote off his head. There was a short struggle, but soon the rescued
+Danes were able to aid their deliverers, and the Cornish guards were
+all slain; the men of King Alef, never very zealous for the cause of
+Haco, fled, and the Danes were left masters of the field. Sigtryg had
+in the meantime seen to the safety of the princess, and now placing
+her between himself and Hereward, he escorted her to the ship, which
+soon brought them to Waterford and a happy bridal. The Prince and
+Princess of Waterford always recognised in Hereward their deliverer
+and best friend, and in their gratitude wished him to dwell with them
+always; but he knew "how hard a thing it is to look into happiness
+through another man's eyes," and would not stay. His roving and daring
+temper drove him to deeds of arms in other lands, where he won a
+renown second to none, but he always felt glad in his own heart, even
+in later days, when unfaithfulness to a woman was the one great sin of
+his life, that his first feats of arms had been wrought to rescue two
+maidens from their hapless fate, and that he was rightly known as
+Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women.
+
+
+
+
+GLOSSARY AND INDEX
+
+
+In the following Index no attempt is made to indicate the exact
+pronunciation of foreign names; but in the case of those from the
+Anglo-Saxon a rough approximation is given, as being often essential
+to the reading of the metrical versions. In these indications the
+letters have their ordinary English values; [)e] indicates the very
+light, obscure sound heard in the indefinite article in such a phrase
+as "with a rush."
+
+
+A
+
+  ABLOEC. See Anlaf
+
+  ACHILLES. His sulks, 184;
+    Cuchulain, "the Irish," 184
+
+  ADEON. Son of Eudav; grandson of Caradoc, 49
+
+  AGE. See Golden Age
+
+  AILILL. King of Connaught, husband of Queen Meave; to decide claims
+          to title of Chief Champion, 189;
+    seeks aid of Fairy People of the Hills, 193
+
+  AILMAR. King of Westernesse, 290;
+    welcomes and adopts Childe Horn, 291;
+    Princess Rymenhild, daughter of, 292;
+    dubs Horn knight, 297;
+    hears of Horn's first exploit, 299;
+    Fikenhild betrays Horn and Rymenhild to, 300;
+    Horn returns to, 304;
+    reluctantly gives his daughter to Horn, 308;
+    Horn leaves Rymenhild to his care, 308, 309
+
+  AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. Wondrous springs of, 125;
+    Charlemagne at, 155
+
+  ALEF. King of Cornwall; Hereward at court of, 343;
+    casts Hereward into prison, 343;
+    his daughter releases Hereward, 344, 345;
+    Sigtryg sends forty Danes to, 348
+
+  ALFTRUDA. Ward of Edward the Confessor, 339;
+    Hereward's first meeting with, 339;
+    rescues from Fairy Bear, 340, 341;
+    Hereward takes farewell of, 342
+
+  ALICE OF CLOUDESLEE. Wife of William of Cloudeslee, 227;
+    outlaw husband visits, 227, 228;
+    rescued from burning house, 232;
+    thanks Adam Bell and Clym for delivering her husband, 240;
+    appointed chief woman of bedchamber to the royal children, 246
+
+  ALL-FATHER. Praised for Beowulf's victory over Grendel, 18
+
+  ALTO-BIS-CA'R. Song of (a forgery), 120
+
+  ANGLESEY. Same as Mona, 47
+
+  ANGLO-SAXON NOBILITY. Hereward the ideal of, 334, 335
+
+  ANGLO-SAXON TIMES. Legends regarding Constantine during, 42
+
+  AENGUS THE EVER-YOUNG. Irish people and wrath of, 158
+
+  ANLAF. Same as Olaf, or Sihtricson; known to Welsh as Abloec or
+          Habloc; romantic stories concerning, 73
+
+  ANSEIS, DUKE OF. Mortally wounded, 143
+
+  ARABIA. Physicians from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  ARMAGH. Capital of Ulster; Cuchulain and Emer dwell at, 186;
+    King Conor and heroes return to, 190;
+    heroes return to, 195
+
+  ARNOLDIN, SIR. Cousin of Athulf; helps to save Rymenhild, 312;
+    King Ailmar nominates as his heir, 313
+
+  ARTHUR, KING. Uncle of Sir Gawayne, 265;
+    Christmas kept at Carlisle by, 266;
+    Guenever, queen of, 266;
+    uncle of Sir Gareth and Sir Mordred, 266;
+    damsel requests a boon of, 267;
+    his journey to Tarn Wathelan, and fight with giant, 269;
+    humiliated by the giant and released on certain conditions, 270;
+    his search for the answer to the giant's question, 270-272;
+    learns it from the loathly lady, 272;
+    the ransom paid to giant, 273;
+    the loathly lady demands a young and handsome knight for husband
+          for helping, 274;
+    Sir Gawayne offers to pay ransom for, 275;
+    summons court to hunt in greenwood near Tarn Wathelan, 276;
+    rebukes Sir Kay, 277;
+    his joy over his nephew's wedding with the supposed loathly lady,
+          284, 285
+
+  ARTHURIAN LEGEND. Preserved by mediaeval Wales, 265
+
+  ARVON. Fertile land of, searched by ambassadors of Maxen Wledig,
+          47-49
+
+  ASBRAND. Brother of Biargey, 113;
+    helps Howard against Thorbiorn, 115
+
+  ASCHERE (ask-her[)e]). One of King Hrothgar's thanes, carried off by
+          Grendel's mother, 21
+
+  ATHELBRUS. King Ailmar's steward, to train Childe Horn to be a
+          knight, 291, 292;
+    induces Athulf to personate Horn, 293;
+    sends Horn to Princess Rymenhild, 294;
+    land of King Modi committed to care of, 313
+
+  ATHELSTAN. King of England; kinship of Anlaf with, 73
+
+  ATHELWOLD. King of England, father of Goldborough, 80;
+    his death and burial, 81
+
+  ATHULF. Horn's favourite companion, 287;
+    personates Horn before Rymenhild, 293;
+    writes to Horn on behalf of Rymenhild, 303;
+    plans with Horn the rescue of Rymenhild, 308;
+    his father found at Suddene, 309, 310;
+    weds Reynild, 313
+
+  AUDE THE FAIR. Sister of Oliver, betrothed bride of Roland, 155;
+    Charlemagne promises his son Louis to, 155;
+    dies of grief for Roland's loss, 155
+
+  AUGUSTUS. Constantine's elevation to rank of, 64
+
+  AWE, LOCH. Black Colin, Knight of, 249, 250;
+    Black Colin dwells at, with wife, 250;
+    Lady of, 251;
+    Black Colin far away from, 254;
+    Black Colin's return to, 258
+
+
+B
+
+  BABYLON, EMIR OF. Marsile's vassal; defeated by Charlemagne, 154
+
+  BALTIC SEA. Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, 1
+
+  BANIER, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BARNESDALE. Forest in South Yorkshire, once dwelling-place of Robin
+          Hood, 314, 315;
+    Sir Richard of the Lea sets out for, to repay loan, 328
+
+  BARTON, SIR ANDREW. Scottish hero, 248
+
+  BASQUES. Attack Charlemagne, 119
+
+  BATHSTEAD. Place on shores of Icefirth near where Thorbiorn lived,
+          97-118
+
+  BEAN-STAN. Father of Breca, 12
+
+  BEDIVERE, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BELI. Son of Manogan; Britain conquered by Maxen Wledig from, 48
+
+  BELL, ADAM. Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, 226;
+    declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, 233;
+    rescues William from death, 237, 238;
+    visit to London to see the king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243
+
+  BEO'WA. Stories of, crystallised in stories of Beowulf, 1
+
+  BEO'WULF.
+    1. The poem of, 1.
+    2. Thane of Hygelac, King of Geats, 1;
+       son of Ecgtheow, 6;
+       nephew of King Hygelac, 6;
+       grandson of Hrethel, 6;
+       brought up at Geatish court, 6;
+       famous swimming match with Breca, 6;
+       his mighty hand-grip, 6;
+       sails for Denmark to attack Grendel, 6;
+       challenged by Warden of Denmark, 6;
+       declares his mission to Hrothgar, 10;
+       disparaged by Hunferth, 12;
+       honoured by Queen Wealhtheow, 14, 20;
+       struggles with Grendel, 16;
+       mortally wounds Grendel, 17;
+       vows to slay mother of Grendel, 23;
+       does so, 26;
+       carries off sword-hilt and Grendel's head, 26;
+       sails to Geatland, 29;
+       welcomed by King Hygelac and Queen Hygd, 29, 30;
+       chief champion of Hygelac, 30;
+       refuses the throne in favour of Heardred, and becomes guardian
+          of, 31;
+       again chosen King of Geatland, 31;
+       encounters with fire-dragon, 31-39;
+       recites slaying of Frankish warrior, Daghrefn, 35;
+       forsaken by Geats in his encounter with the fire-dragon, 36;
+       slays the dragon, 37;
+       his death and funeral, 39-41
+
+  BERILD. Son of King Thurston, 301;
+    slain by the Saracens, 302
+
+  BERNARD BROWN. Danish magistrate; protects Havelok and Goldborough,
+          88-89
+
+  BER-NA'R-DO DEL CA'R-PIO. Hero in Spanish legend who defeats Roland,
+          121
+
+  BERTRAM. Earl's cook who befriended Havelok, 82-83;
+    marries one of Grim's daughters and becomes Earl of Cornwall, 94
+
+  BIARGEY. Wife of Howard the Halt, 97;
+    urges Howard to claim wergild for Olaf, 106, 107, 108;
+    Howard returns to, 111;
+    visits her brothers, Valbrand, Thorbrand, and Asbrand, 112, 113;
+    hails Thorbiorn while out fishing, 112;
+    urges Howard to seek vengeance, 113, 114
+
+  BIRKABEYN. Rule of, as king over Denmark, 74;
+    Swanborow and Elfleda, daughters of, and Havelok, son of, 74;
+    commits Havelok to care of Jarl Godard, 75;
+    death and funeral of, 75;
+    Jarl Ubbe, an old friend of, 87
+
+  BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE, 249;
+    son of Sir Nigel Campbell, 249;
+    Patterson, name of foster-parents, 250;
+    messenger tells of new crusade, 250;
+    decides to go on crusade, 251;
+    his wife's grief, 251;
+    touches at Edinburgh and ships at Leith, _en route_ to Holy Land,
+          253;
+    his desire to see Holy Land and Holy Sepulchre, 253;
+    reaches Rome, 253;
+    sees Pope, 253;
+    regards Pope as Vicar of Christ, 253;
+    journeys to Rhodes, 253;
+    takes service with Knights of St. John, 253;
+    a pilgrim at Jerusalem, 253;
+    letter in name of, forged by Baron MacCorquodale, 255;
+    falsely reported wounded by Saracens, 255;
+    hears news of wife's impending second marriage, 257;
+    returns home, 258;
+    welcomed by foster-mother, 259;
+    disguised as a beggar, hands token to his wife, 262;
+    recognised and welcomed by his wife, 262
+
+  BLACK DOUGLAS. Scottish hero, 248
+
+  BLACK MONK, THE. Captured by Robin Hood's followers, 330;
+    high cellarer in Abbey of St. Mary, 331;
+    Robin Hood confiscates his gold as repayment of loan to Sir
+          Richard of the Lea, 331, 332;
+    departs from greenwood, 332
+
+  BLACK SAINGLAIN. One of Cuchulain's magic steeds, 191
+
+  BLANCANDRIN. Vassal of King Marsile, 123;
+    overtaken by Ganelon, 130;
+    Ganelon and, plot Roland's destruction, 131
+
+  BLAYE. Bodies of Roland, Oliver, and Turpin buried in cathedral of,
+          155
+
+  BLUEMIRE. Dwelling-place of Howard the Halt, 97
+
+  BOG OF ALLEN. Cathleen's messenger declared to be sick in, 177
+
+  BORS, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  BOURNE, HALL OF. Home of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 336
+
+  BRAND. Trusted serving-man of Thorbiorn, 97, 102
+
+  BRECA. Famous swimming champion, beaten by Beowulf, 6;
+    son of Beanstan, 12
+
+  BRICRIU OF THE BITTER TONGUE. Compared with Thersites, 186;
+    invites King Conor and Red Branch heroes to a feast, 186;
+    stirs up strife among heroes of Ulster, 187, 188;
+    flatters the wives of the heroes, 189, 190
+
+  BRIGIT.
+    1. Of the Holy Fire; wrath of, and Irish people, 158.
+    2. Cathleen's old servant, 173
+
+  BRISEIS. Achilles and his sulks concerning, 184
+
+  BRITAIN. Legend of "The Dream of Maxen Wledig" shows importance of
+          Constantine to, 42;
+    ambassadors of Maxen Wledig carried to, 47;
+    conquered by Maxen Wledig from Beli, son of Manogan, 48;
+    given by Maxen Wledig to Eudav, 49;
+    Elene summoned from, is baptized, and seeks the sacred Cross,
+          54-62;
+    Constantine sent to, 63;
+    Constantine proclaimed emperor of, 63
+
+  BRITONS, EARLY, Greeks of Homer, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+          between, 184
+
+  BRITTANY. Roland, prefect of marches of, 120
+
+  BRUCE, ROBERT. Scottish hero, 248;
+    Sir Nigel Campbell, adherent of, 249
+
+
+C
+
+  CAERLLEON. See Caernarvon, 49
+
+  CAERMARTHEN. See Caernarvon, 49
+
+  CAERNARVON. Castle in land of Arvon in which Princess Helena dwelt,
+          48;
+    given with castles Caerlleon and Caermarthen to Princess Helena as
+          dowry, 49
+
+  CAIN. Grendel, offspring of, 4
+
+  CALEDONIANS. Defeated by Constantius, 63
+
+  CALIDORE, SIR. Mediaeval Wales had a knight of courtesy equal to, 265
+
+  CALVARY. The hill of, 58, 59, 61
+
+  CAMPBELL, SIR NIGEL. Leader in Scottish Independence, 249;
+    father of Black Colin, 249;
+    his death, 250;
+    clansmen of, accompany Black Colin to Holy Land, 252
+
+  CARADOC. Father of Eudav; grandfather of Princess Helena, and of
+          Princes Kynon and Adeon, 49
+
+  CARLISLE. Outlaw band near town of, in Englewood Forest, 226;
+    reference to sheriff of, 227;
+    William of Cloudeslee goes to, 227;
+    sheriff informed of William's presence at, 229;
+    outlaws Adam Bell and Clym go to, 234;
+    the outlaws escape from, 239;
+    King Arthur keeps Christmas at, 266;
+    Sir Gawayne and loathly lady wedded at, 280
+
+  CATHBAD. Druid; Cuchulain's tutor, 185
+
+  CATHLEEN. Irish countess; legend concerning, 156;
+    antiquity of the legend, 156;
+    the story, 156-183;
+    her grief because of her people's famine, 161;
+    prays to Virgin Mary, 163;
+    Fergus, steward of, 163;
+    value of her wealth, 164;
+    commands Fergus to provide food for sufferers from famine, 165;
+    her goodness extolled by the demons, 169;
+    hears of demon traders, 172;
+    tries to check traffic in souls, 174;
+    visits demons, 176;
+    Oona, foster-mother to, 178;
+    revisits demons, 179;
+    sells her soul, 179, 180;
+    her death, 182
+
+  CATHOLIC CHURCH. Pope, head of, 119
+
+  CELION. Constantine to send to, for Bishop Sylvester, 71
+
+  CELTIC LITERATURE. Spirit of mysticism in all, 156
+
+  CELTS. Gospel preached to, by St. Patrick, 157;
+    Irish, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, racial affinity between,
+          184
+
+  CHAMPION.
+    1. Of Erin: compared with Achilles, 184;
+       Cuchulain the, his fame at age of seventeen, 185;
+       Bricriu urges Laegaire to claim title of, 187;
+       title to go to warrior who obtains Champion's Bit, 187;
+       tests to decide claims to title of, 193, 194, 196-203;
+       Uath the Stranger challenges the heroes to a test to decide
+          claims to title, 199-203.
+    2. Of Women: Hereward known as, 351
+
+  CHAMPION OF IRELAND. See Champion of Erin.
+
+  CHAMPION'S BIT, THE, 187, 188;
+    claimed by chariot-drivers of Laegaire, Conall, and Cuchulain,
+          188, 189;
+    awarded by Queen Meave to Laegaire, 195;
+    heroes severally claim, 195, 196;
+    tests to decide claims to, 196-203
+
+  CHANSON DE ROLAND. Roland and, 121;
+    late version of Anglo-Norman poem, 122;
+    Thorold, author of, 122
+
+  CHARLEMAGNE. World-famed equivalent, 119;
+    head of Roman Empire, 119;
+    Roland, nephew of, 119;
+    expedition into Spain, 119;
+    receives an embassage from Marsile, 124;
+    calls his Twelve Peers to council, 125;
+    sends Ganelon to Saragossa, 128-130;
+    receives through Ganelon the keys of Saragossa, 134;
+    his evil dream, 134, 137;
+    hears Roland's horn, 145, 146;
+    hastens to the rescue, 146;
+    avenges death of Roland and the Peers, 153, 154;
+    his return to Aix, 155;
+    his son, Louis, promised to Aude the Fair, 155
+
+  CHARLES THE GREAT. King of the Franks, world-famed as Charlemagne,
+          119.
+    See Charlemagne
+
+  CHILDE HORN. See Horn
+
+  CHOSEN PEOPLE. The Jews the, 56
+
+  CHRIST. The Cross the sign of, 53;
+    the Resurrection of, preached to Constantine, 53;
+    Constantine's desire to find the sacred Cross, 54;
+    inhabitants of Suddene who believe on, threatened with death, 287
+
+  CHRISTENDOM. Enriched by treasures of the True Cross and Holy Nails,
+          62
+
+  CHRISTIAN-S. Preach the way of life to Constantine, 53;
+    the Lord of, 57;
+    faith, in Iceland, 96, 97;
+    law, to be driven out of Suddene by law of Mahomet, 287
+
+  CHURCH OF ROME. Constantine's generosity to, 42
+
+  CHURCHMEN. Beaten and battered by Gamelyn, 217
+
+  CINDERELLA. Root idea of, similar to "Gamelyn," 204
+
+  CLYM OF THE CLEUGH. Outlaw leader in forest of Englewood, 226;
+    declared powerless to deliver William of Cloudeslee, 233;
+    his stratagem to save William of Cloudeslee, 234;
+    rescues William from death, 238;
+    visits London to see the king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243
+
+  COLIN, BLACK. See Black Colin, 249
+
+  COMALA. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248
+
+  CONALL CEARNACH. Cuchulain's cousin, a Red Branch chief, 187;
+    urged to claim title of Chief Champion, 187;
+    awarded Champion's Portion, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    disgraced by Uath, 201
+
+  CONFESSIO AMANTIS. Early English poem, by "the moral Gower," 42;
+    story told in, of Constantine's true charity, 64
+
+  CONNAUGHT. Ailill, King of, 189;
+    heroes sent to Cruachan in, 190
+
+  CONOR. King of Ulster, 185;
+    Cuchulain, nephew of, 185;
+    Dechtire, sister of, 185;
+    invited with the heroes of Red Branch to a feast by Bricriu, 186;
+    received with court at Dundrum by Bricriu, 188
+
+  CONQUEROR, WILLIAM THE. Cause of England being laid at feet of, 338
+
+  CONSTANTINE III. King of Scotland; marriage of Anlaf with daughter
+      of, 73
+
+  CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. Emperor of Rome; renown in mediaeval England,
+          42;
+    Cynewulf's poem, "Elene," written on the subject of his conversion,
+          42;
+    his vision of the Holy Cross, 42, 50, 51;
+    generosity to Church of Rome and Bishop Sylvester, 42;
+    legends concerning, 42;
+    the only British-born Roman emperor, 49;
+    his greatness provokes a confederation to overthrow him by Huns,
+          Goths, Franks, and Hugas, 50;
+    conquers Huns by Cross standard, 52;
+    Christians preach the way of life to, 53;
+    is baptized into the Christian faith, 53;
+    his desire to find the sacred Cross, 54;
+    sends for Elene, 54;
+    ordains "Holy Cross Day," 62;
+    eldest son of Constantius, 63;
+    sent to Britain, 63;
+    proclaimed emperor, 63;
+    granted title of "Caesar," 64;
+    marriage with Fausta, 64;
+    elevation to rank of Augustus, 64;
+    Emperor of Rome, 64;
+    attacked by leprosy, 64;
+    the remedies suggested, 65-72;
+    his noble resolve, 68;
+    his vision, 69-70;
+    his healing, 71-72
+
+  CONSTANTIUS. Emperor Maxentius hero of the Welsh saga instead of, 42;
+    father of Constantine the Great, 63;
+    proclaimed Emperor of Britain, 63
+
+  CORNISH PRINCESS, THE. Daughter of King Alef, affianced to Prince
+          Sigtryg, 343, 344, 345, 346;
+    Haco betrothed to, 347, 348;
+    receives token from Hereward, 348;
+    reveals Haco's plans to Hereward, 349;
+    rescued from Haco, 350;
+    guards, all slain, 351;
+    wedded by Sigtryg, 351
+
+  CORNWALL. Godrich, Earl of, 80;
+    Bertram made Earl of, 94;
+    Hereward sails for, 343;
+    Alef, King of, 343;
+    Sigtryg and Hereward sail for, 347
+
+  COVENTRY. Lady Godiva's ride through, 335
+
+  CRESCENT. Cross exalted above the, 253
+
+  CROSS. The Holy, Constantine's vision of, 42, 50, 51;
+    Romans conquer Huns by, 52;
+    the people awed by the standard of the, 53;
+    Constantine's desire to find the sacred, 54;
+    Elene's quest after, 54-62;
+    secret place of, revealed by Judas, 61;
+    "Holy Cross Day" ordained, 62
+
+  CRUACHAN. Conor sends heroes to Ailill at, 190;
+    Good People's Hill at, 193;
+    heroes bid farewell to court at, 195
+
+  CRUSADE-S. Reference to, 249;
+    Black Colin receives tidings of one about to be set on foot, 250;
+    Black Colin decides to go on, 251;
+    story of Horn typical of romance of the, 286
+
+  CUCHULAIN. Reference to Connla and, 95;
+    Irish hero, 156;
+    often called "the Irish Achilles," 184;
+    nephew of King Conor and son of Dechtire, 185;
+    god Lugh, reputed father of, 185;
+    champion in Ulster and all Ireland, 185;
+    bride sought for, 186;
+    wooes and weds Emer, daughter of Forgall the Wily, 186;
+    Conall Cearnach, cousin of, 187;
+    urged to claim title of Chief Champion, 188;
+    Grey of Macha and Black Sainglain, magic steeds of, 191;
+    awarded golden cup and Champion's Portion, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    answers Uath's tests, 202;
+    acclaimed Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, 203
+
+  CUROI OF MUNSTER. Failing a judgment from Ailill, to be asked to
+          decide claims to title of Chief Champion, 190;
+    heroes go to, to hear his judgment, 196;
+    puts heroes to certain tests in order to decide claims, 196-203;
+    assumes form of giant under name of Uath, the Stranger, 199-203
+
+  CURTIUS. Reference to, 156
+
+  CUTHBERT. Name under which Childe Horn serves King Thurston in
+          Ireland, 301, 302
+
+  CYNEWULF (ki'n[)e]-wulf). Early English religious poet; "Elene," his
+          poem on the subject of conversion of Constantine the Great,
+          42
+
+  CYRIACUS. Baptismal name of Judas, 61;
+    Bishop of Jerusalem, 61
+
+
+D
+
+  DAGDA. Irish people and wrath of, 158
+
+  DA'G-HREFN. Frankish warrior who slays Hygelac; killed by Beowulf's
+          deadly hand-grip, 35
+
+  DANES. Corpse of Scyld sorrowfully placed in vessel by, 2;
+    feasting of, in Heorot, 4;
+    slain in Heorot by Grendel, 4;
+    desert Heorot, 5;
+    welcome Geats and Beowulf, 10;
+    rejoice over Beowulf's victory, 18-29;
+    friendship with Geats, 30;
+    Gospel preached to, 157;
+    Prince Sigtryg sends forty to King Alef, 348;
+    plan ambush for Haco, 350;
+    rescue Cornish princess, 350, 351
+
+  DANISH.
+    1. Occupation of England and its influence on language, &c., 73.
+    2. Invasions, hero-legends which have come down from times of, 286
+
+  DANUBE. Huns overwhelmed in, 52
+
+  DECHTIRE. Sister of King Conor, 185
+
+  DECIUS. Reference to, 156
+
+  DEMONS. Appear in Erin to buy souls, 168;
+    visited by Cathleen, 176;
+    revisited by her, 179;
+    Cathleen sells her soul to, to ransom her people, 179;
+    cheated of Cathleen's soul, 182
+
+  DENMARK. Under sway of Scyld Scefing, 2;
+    Scyld Scefing mysteriously comes to, as babe, 2;
+    Beowulf sails to deliver King of, from Grendel, 6;
+    Warden of, challenges Beowulf, 6;
+    King Birkabeyn's rule over, 74;
+    Godard made regent of, on behalf of Havelok, 75;
+    Havelok sails from, with Grim, 80;
+    Havelok's dream concerning, 86;
+    Havelok's return to, and recognition as King of, 87-92
+
+  DIARMUIT. Irish hero, 156
+
+  DIOCLETIAN. Emperor; Constantine evades jealousy of, 63
+
+  DODDERER. Horse offered as wergild by Thorbiorn to Howard, 107
+
+  DOVER. Princess Goldborough imprisoned in castle of, 81;
+    Hereward sails from, to Whitby, 339
+
+  DUBLIN. Demons arrive at village near, 168
+
+  DUNDRUM. Bricriu receives King Conor and court at, 188
+
+  DUNSTAN. Monk; his saintly reputation, 335
+
+  DURENDALA. Roland's famous sword, 136;
+    Roland tries in vain to break, 152
+
+
+E
+
+  ECGTHEOW (eg'theow). Father of Beowulf, 10;
+    shielded by Hrothgar against Wilfings, 11
+
+  EDINBURGH. Black Colin at, _en route_ to Holy Land, 253
+
+  EDWARD.
+    1. The First: reference to war between England and Scotland during
+          reign of, 249;
+    2. The Second: reference, _ibid._, 249.
+    3. The Confessor: division of England under, 335;
+       Hereward at court of, 337, 338;
+       banishes Hereward, 338, 339;
+       Alftruda, ward of, 339
+
+  EGYPT. Constantine's valour in wars in, 64;
+    philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  ELECTRA. Reference to Orestes and, 95
+
+  ELENA. Same as Elene and Helena, 63
+
+  "ELENE" (el[=a]'n[)e]). Cynewulf's poem of, on the subject of
+          Constantine's conversion, 42;
+    summoned from Britain by Constantine, is baptized, and seeks the
+          sacred Cross, 54-62.
+    Same as Helena (Elena), 63
+
+  ELFLEDA THE FAIR. Daughter of King Birkabeyn, 74;
+    slain by Godard, 76
+
+  ELY. Hereward's defence of, 334
+
+  EMER. Daughter of Forgall the Wily; wooed and wedded by Cuchulain,
+          186;
+    flattered by Bricriu, 189;
+    flattered by Queen Meave, 195;
+    adjudged by Uath to have first place among all the women of Ulster,
+          203
+
+  ENGELIER THE GASCON. Mortally wounded, 143
+
+  ENGLAND. Mediaeval, and Constantine the Great, 42;
+    influence on language by Danish occupation, 73;
+    Athelstan, King of, 73;
+    Athelwold, King of, 80;
+    Grim sails from Denmark to, 80;
+    arrives at, in Humber (Grimsby), 81;
+    Havelok's dream concerning, 86;
+    Fergus journeys to, 165;
+    the outlaw of mediaeval, 225;
+    King of, pardons outlaws, William of Cloudeslee, &c., 243;
+    war between Scotland and, 249;
+    government of, during twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth
+          centuries, 314;
+    division of, under Edward the Confessor, 335;
+    cause of being laid at Conqueror's feet, 338
+
+  ENGLEWOOD. Outlaws in forest of, under Adam Bell, William of
+          Cloudeslee, and Clym of the Cleugh, 226;
+    outlaw band broken up, 247
+
+  ERCOL. Ailill's foster-father; heroes sent to, 194
+
+  ERIN. See Ireland, 157;
+    demons appear in, 168;
+    Champion of, compared with Achilles, 184;
+    land of, searched for bride for Cuchulain, 186
+
+  EUDAV. Son of Caradoc, father of Princess Helena, 49;
+    Kynon and Adeon, sons of, 49
+
+  EUROPE. Ruled from City of Seven Hills (Rome) by Emperor Maxen
+          Wledig, 43;
+    Constantine granted rule over Western, 64;
+    relation between Greek and Irish literature among literatures of,
+          184
+
+  EVIL ONE. Tales relating dealings with, reference to, 157;
+    demons buy souls for, 168-182
+
+  EXCALIBUR. King Arthur's sword, 269
+
+
+F
+
+  FAIRY BEAR, THE. A white Polar bear owned by Gilbert of Ghent, 340;
+    reputed kinship of, to Earl Siward, 340, 342;
+    slain by Hereward, 341;
+    Hereward's trick on Norman knights with, 341, 342
+
+  FAIRY PEOPLE OF THE HILLS. King Ailill seeks aid of, 193
+
+  FAITH. Bishop Sylvester preaches the Christian, to Constantine, 71;
+    Charlemagne fights for, 119;
+    Marsile to embrace the Christian, 131;
+    the true, English knowledge of, 165;
+    Irish sufferers tempted to revolt from, 167
+
+  FALL, THE, OF MAN, 71
+
+  FAUST. Legends, trend of, 157
+
+  FAUSTA. Daughter of Emperor Maximian and wife of Constantine, 64
+
+  FEDELM. Wife of Laegaire, 189
+
+  FEN COUNTRY. Hereward, the terror of the, 336
+
+  FENIANS. Champions of the, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, 248
+
+  FERGUS THE WHITE. Cathleen's steward, 163;
+    foster-brother to Cathleen's grandfather, 164;
+    declares value of Cathleen's wealth, 164;
+    sends servant to buy food at Ulster, 165;
+    journeys to England, 165;
+    returns with help, 182
+
+  FIKENHILD. Horn's companion next in favour to Athulf, 287;
+    spies on Horn and Rymenhild, 299, 300;
+    demands Rymenhild in marriage, 311;
+    slain by Horn, 313
+
+  FINGAL. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248;
+    Scotch embodiment of Finn, 248
+
+  FINN. Fingal Scotch embodiment, 248
+
+  FINN OF THE FRISIANS. Victory of Danes over, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  FINNSBURG. Fight in, sung of in Heorot, 19
+
+  FITELA. Son of Sigmund; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, 18
+
+  FLEMINGS. Or Normans; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for
+          knighthood, 339;
+    Hereward's trick on, with Fairy Bear, 341, 342
+
+  FOREFATHERS. Feelings of our, embodied in "Beowulf," 1
+
+  FORGALL THE WILY. Cuchulain wooes Emer, daughter of, 186
+
+  FRANCE. Victories of Charlemagne for, 119;
+    Charlemagne sets out for, 134
+
+  FRANKISH.
+    1. Warrior, Daghrefn, slays Hygelac, and is slain by Beowulf, 35.
+    2. Army marches towards Pyrenees, 134;
+       arrives too late to rescue Roland, 146
+
+  FRANKS. Charles the Great (Charlemagne), King of, 119;
+    Saracen host encamps near, 134;
+    and Moors meet in battle, 140;
+    defeat the Saracens, 141;
+    attacked by second Saracen army, 142;
+    defeat the heathens once more, 143;
+    attacked by third Saracen army, 144
+
+  FRENCH LITERATURE, developing "Roland Saga," 121
+
+  FRIAR TUCK. See Tuck
+
+
+G
+
+  GALERIUS. Constantine evades hatred of, 63;
+    grants Constantine title of "Caesar," 63
+
+  GAMELYN. Tale of, a variant of fairy-tale "Wicked Elder Brothers,"
+          204;
+    ultimate source, through Lodge's "Euphues' Golden Legacy," of
+          _As You Like It_, 204;
+    literary ancestor of "Robin Hood," 204;
+    Sir John of the Marshes, father of, 205;
+    left in charge of eldest brother, John, 206;
+    resists him, 207, 208;
+    victorious at wrestling match, 210, 211;
+    overcomes his brother's servants, 212;
+    allows himself to be chained, 213;
+    released by Adam Spencer, 214, 215;
+    batters the Churchmen, 217;
+    puts his brother John in chains, 217;
+    puts sheriff's men to flight, 218;
+    goes to the greenwood, 219;
+    joins the outlaws, 220;
+    proclaimed a wolf's-head, 220;
+    arrested, 221;
+    Otho offers himself as surety, 221;
+    fails to appear at court, 222, 223;
+    releases Otho, 223;
+    sits on judge's seat and condemns Sir John, 224;
+    made chief forester by King Edward, 224;
+    made Otho's heir, 224
+
+  GANELON. Romance version of Danilo or Nanilo, 121;
+    compared with Judas, 121;
+    one of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 125;
+    his hostility to Roland, 126;
+    plots with Blancandrin the destruction of Roland, 131;
+    delivers to Marsile the message of Charlemagne, 131, 132;
+    swears on sacred relics the treacherous death of Roland, 134;
+    delivers keys of Saragossa to Charlemagne, 134;
+    deceives Charlemagne concerning sound of Roland's horn, 145, 146;
+    arrested for treason, 146;
+    his death as a traitor, 155;
+    his name a byword in France for treachery, 155
+
+  GARETH, SIR. One of King Arthur's nephews, 266
+
+  GASCONS. Attack Charlemagne, 119
+
+  GAUTIER, COUNT. Roland's vassal, 136
+
+  GAWAYNE, SIR. King Arthur's nephew, the true Knight of Courtesy, 265;
+    learns of King Arthur's adventure with the giant, 274;
+    learns the price to be paid for the loathly lady's secret, 275;
+    offers to pay it by marrying the loathly lady, 275;
+    betroths the loathly lady, 279, 280;
+    weds the loathly lady, 280;
+    his choice frees the loathly lady from magic spells, 281, 283;
+    the beauty of his bride, 281-285
+
+  GEATISH COURT. Beowulf brought up at, 6
+
+  GEATLAND. Same as Goetaland; news of Grendel's ravages reaches, 6;
+    Beowulf sails to, 29;
+    welcomed to shores of, 29, 30
+
+  GEATS. Hygelac, King of, 1;
+    Goetaland, realm of, 5;
+    arrival with Beowulf at Danish shores, 7;
+    friendship with Danes, 30;
+    forsake Beowulf in his encounter with the fire-dragon, 36;
+    their sorrow over Beowulf's death, 40-41
+
+  GERIER. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  GERIN. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  GERMANY. Forefathers who dwelt in North, 1;
+    Hygelac seeks conquest of his neighbours on mainland of, 5
+
+  GHENT. See Gilbert
+
+  GILBERT OF GHENT. Hereward's godfather, 339;
+    Hereward received by, 339;
+    his Fairy Bear, slain by Hereward, 340, 341;
+    Hereward quits his castle, 342;
+    Hereward takes farewell of, 343
+
+  GLENURCHY. Glen belonging to MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell,
+          249;
+    Black Colin inherits, 250;
+    Lady of, grieves over her husband's departure on crusade, 251;
+    Baron MacCorquodale's land borders, 256;
+    Black Colin's return to, 258;
+    new castle built with rents of, 264
+
+  GOD. The Unknown, reverenced by Constantine, 51;
+    the people awed by the token of the Unknown, 53;
+    worship of the True, 157;
+    famine cools love for, 167
+
+  GODARD, JARL. Counsellor and friend of King Birkabeyn, 75;
+    Havelok committed to care of, 75;
+    regency over Denmark, 75;
+    his cruelty, 76-78;
+    his treachery disclosed and punished by death, 91-92
+
+  GODHILD. Queen of Suddene, King Murry's consort, the mother of Horn,
+          286;
+    hears of husband's death and flees, 288
+
+  GODIVA, LADY. Wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 335;
+    her famous ride through Coventry, 335;
+    Hereward, second son of, 336
+
+  GODRICH. Earl of Cornwall, regent for Princess Goldborough, 80;
+    his rule, 81;
+    imprisons Princess Goldborough out of jealousy, 81;
+    attends sports at Lincoln, 83;
+    hears of Havelok's skill and strength, 83;
+    enforces a marriage between Havelok and Goldborough, 84;
+    captured, tried as a traitor, and burnt at the stake, 93-94
+
+  GODWIN. Earl of Kent, 335;
+    Lady Gytha, wife of, 335;
+    intercedes on behalf of Hereward, 338;
+    Hereward bids farewell to, 339
+
+  GOLDBOROUGH. English princess, daughter of King Athelwold; orphaned,
+          80;
+    Earl Godrich regent for, 80;
+    imprisoned in Dover Castle, 81;
+    forced to wed Havelok, 84;
+    learns in a dream of Havelok's royal birth, 86;
+    crowned Queen of England, 94
+
+  GOLDEN AGE. Forefathers cherished lifetime of ancestors as, 1
+
+  GOeTALAND. Realm of Geats, in south of Sweden, 5.
+    See Geatland, 7
+
+  GOTHS. Form a confederation with the Huns, Franks, and Hugas to
+          overthrow Constantine, 50
+
+  GOWER, "THE MORAL." Early English poet; his poem "Confessio Amantis"
+          and Constantine's conversion, 42;
+    story told in "Confessio Amantis" of Constantine's true charity, 64
+
+  GREECE. Philosophers from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy,
+          65
+
+  GREEK-S. Elene touches at land of, 56;
+    literature, relation of, to Irish literature, 184;
+    of Homer, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity between,
+          184
+
+  GRENDEL. A loathsome fen-monster, 3;
+    enmity aroused by the feasting at Heorot, 4;
+    slays and devours Danes in Heorot, 4;
+    master of Heorot, 5;
+    Beowulf determines to attack, 6;
+    struggles with Beowulf in Heorot, 16;
+    worsted by Beowulf, 17;
+    mother of, avenges his death, 21
+
+  GREY OF MACHA. Cuchulain's best-beloved horse, 191
+
+  GRIM. Legendary hero whose loyalty secured privileges to Grimsby,
+          74;
+    Godard's thrall, 77;
+    ordered to drown Havelok, 77;
+    saves and maintains Havelok, 79-82;
+    sails from Denmark to England, 80;
+    sends Havelok to Lincoln, 82;
+    his death, 85;
+    his three sons, Robert the Red, William Wendut, and Hugh the
+          Raven, 87
+
+  GRIMSBY. The town of Grim, 74;
+    Havelok at fish-market of, 82;
+    battle near, between Havelok and Godrich, 93
+
+  GUDRUN. Reference to Siegfried and, 95
+
+  GUENEVER, QUEEN. Wife of King Arthur, 266;
+    dreads magic arts during husband's absence, 274;
+    learns of King Arthur's adventure with the giant, 274;
+    welcomes the loathly lady at court, 280
+
+  GUEST, THE WISE. Sister of, marries Thorbiorn, 103;
+    Howard seeks at the Thing, 108, 109, 110;
+    his judgment against Thorbiorn, 110, 111;
+    removes his sister from Thorbiorn, 111;
+    gives judgment at Thing against Howard, 118
+
+  GYTHA, LADY. Wife of Godwin, Earl of Kent, 335
+
+
+H
+
+  HABLOC. Welsh name for Havelok, 73
+
+  HACO. Cornish leader; betrothed to the Cornish princess, 347;
+    Cornish princess reveals plans of, to Hereward, 349;
+    ambush planned for, 350;
+    slain by Hereward, 350
+
+  HAROLD. Son of King Thurston, 301;
+    slain by the Saracens, 302
+
+  HART, THE. See Heorot, 3
+
+  HASTINGS. Battle of, and "Song of Roland," 122
+
+  HATHCYN. Son of King Hrethel, brought up with Beowulf; slays his
+          brother, Herebeald, 34;
+    slain himself by Swedes, 35
+
+  HAUTECLAIRE. Oliver's sword, 141
+
+  HAVELOK THE DANE. Legend of, 73;
+    Anlaf, equivalent, 73;
+    hero of the strong arm, in mediaeval England, 74;
+    son of King Birkabeyn of Denmark, 74;
+    committed to care of Jarl Godard, 75;
+    imprisoned by Godard, 76-77;
+    saved and maintained by Grim, 78-82;
+    brought by Grim to England, 80;
+    his feats of strength, 82-84;
+    Goldborough forced to wed, 84-85;
+    Grim's three sons accompany to Denmark, 87;
+    aided by Jarl Ubbe, 88-93;
+    Ubbe recognises as heir to throne of Denmark, and renders homage
+          to, 90-91;
+    acknowledged King of Denmark, 92;
+    and of England, 94
+
+  HEALFDENE (ha'lf-d[=a]n[)e]). Father of King Hrothgar, 9
+
+  HEARDRED (ha'rd-red). Son of Hygelac and Hygd; succeeds his father,
+          31;
+    his death, 31
+
+  HECTOR. Reference to death of, 95
+
+  HELENA. British princess; marriage with Constantine glorified in
+          "Mabinogion," 42;
+    hailed as Empress of Rome, 48, 49;
+    receives three castles as dowry, Caernarvon, Caerlleon, and
+          Caermarthen, 49;
+    mother of Constantine the Great, 63
+
+  HELL. The purchase of souls for, 170-183;
+    Cathleen sells her soul to, 179
+
+  HENGEST. Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HEOROT (hyo'r-[)o]t). Hall built by Hrothgar, 3;
+    same as "The Hart," 3;
+    enmity of Grendel to, 4;
+    feasting of Danes in, 4;
+    Danes slaughtered in, by Grendel, 4;
+    deserted by Danes, 5;
+    Grendel master of, 5;
+    Geats proceed to, 9;
+    feast in, to welcome Beowulf, 12;
+    Grendel and Beowulf struggle in, 16;
+    Grendel's mother enters and carries off Aschere, 21
+
+  HEREBEALD (he'r[)e]-bald). Son of King Hrethel, brought up with
+          Beowulf, 34
+
+  HEREWARD. One of the famous outlaws, 225;
+    the Saxon, personality real, yet surrounded by cloud of romance,
+          334;
+    the ideal of Anglo-Saxon chivalry, as Roland of Norman, 334;
+    second son of Leofric and Godiva, 336;
+    terror of Fen Country, 336;
+    at court, and his conduct there, 337;
+    banished as an outlaw, 338, 339;
+    his farewell, 338, 339;
+    his first meeting with Alftruda, 339;
+    goes to his godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, 339;
+    enrolled among Flemings to qualify for knighthood, 339;
+    his encounter with the Fairy Bear, 340, 341;
+    rescues Alftruda, 341;
+    his trick on the Norman knights, 341, 342;
+    leaves Northumbria, 342;
+    takes farewell of Alftruda, 342;
+    takes farewell of Gilbert of Ghent, 343;
+    sails for Cornwall, 343;
+    at court of King Alef, 343;
+    kills the Pictish giant, 343;
+    imprisoned by King Alef, 343;
+    released by King Alef's daughter, 344, 345;
+    sails for Ireland, 346;
+    sails for Cornwall with Prince Sigtryg, 347;
+    obtains admission to Haco's bridal feast, 348;
+    learns Haco's plans, 349;
+    slays Haco and helps to rescue Cornish princess, 350, 351;
+    known as Hereward the Saxon, the Champion of Women, 351
+
+  HEROD. Constantine declared more cruel than, 67
+
+  HET-WARE, THE. Expedition against, 31, 34
+
+  HIGHLANDS. Gaelic, old ballads, heroes in, 248;
+    ballads, merely versions of Irish Gaelic hero-legends, 248;
+    Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried from Erin to, 248
+
+  HILDEBURH, QUEEN. Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HNAEF (n[)a]f). Deeds of, chanted in Heorot, 19
+
+  HOLY CROSS. Constantine's vision of, 42, 50, 51;
+    his desire to find, 54;
+    Elene's quest after, 54-62;
+    Judas confesses to knowledge of sacred truth of, 57;
+    Judas refuses to reveal place of, at first, but is prevailed upon
+          by starvation, 58, 59;
+    the "Day" of, ordained, 62
+
+  HOLY INNOCENTS. Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who
+          killed the, 67
+
+  HOLY LAND. Black Colin receives tidings of fresh crusade in, 250;
+    sets out for, 252;
+    Black Colin's desire to see, 253
+
+  HOLY NAILS. Obtained by Elene, 61;
+    given to Constantine, 62
+
+  HOLY ROOD. King Arthur vows by, 268;
+    giant forces him to swear by, 270
+
+  HOLY SEPULCHRE. Black Colin's desire to see, 253
+
+  HOLY TREE. See Holy Cross
+
+  HOMER. Greeks of, early Britons, and Irish Celts, racial affinity
+          between, 184
+
+  HOOD, ROBIN. See Robin Hood
+
+  HORN. His story originally a story of Viking raids, 286;
+    son of King Murry and Queen Godhild, 286, 308;
+    Athulf, and next Fikenhild, his favourite companions, 287;
+    captured by Saracens, 288;
+    cast adrift upon the sea, 288, 289;
+    lands on shore of Westernesse, 289;
+    questioned by King of Westernesse, 290;
+    adopted by King Ailmar, 291;
+    Athelbrus trains as a knight, 291, 292;
+    loved by Princess Rymenhild, 292;
+    Athulf personates before Princess Rymenhild, 293;
+    welcomed to Rymenhild's bower, and hears her declaration of love,
+          294, 295;
+    dubbed knight, 297;
+    his first exploit, 298;
+    spied on by Fikenhild, 299, 300;
+    banished by King Ailmar, 300;
+    sails for Ireland, 301;
+    serves King Thurston under name of Cuthbert, 301;
+    slays the giant emir, 301, 302;
+    King Thurston offers his kingdom and daughter to, 302;
+    receives letter from Rymenhild, 304;
+    reveals his identity to King Thurston and implores his help, 304;
+    returns to Westernesse, accompanied by Irish knights, 304;
+    in disguise, visits Rymenhild's wedding feast, 305;
+    his stratagem to test Rymenhild's love, 306, 307;
+    the fictitious death of, 307;
+    reveals his identity to Rymenhild, 307;
+    arranges with Athulf to deliver Rymenhild, 308;
+    weds Rymenhild, 308;
+    reconquers Suddene, 310;
+    finds his mother, 310, 311;
+    crowned King of Suddene, 311;
+    warned in dream of Rymenhild's danger, 311;
+    his return to Westernesse, 311, 312;
+    slays Fikenhild, 313;
+    dwells at Suddene with Rymenhild, 313
+
+  HOWARD THE HALT. Popular Icelandic saga, 96;
+    famous Viking, 97;
+    Biargey, wife of, 97;
+    Olaf, son of, 97;
+    upbraids Olaf, 100;
+    removes from Bathstead, 103;
+    mourns Olaf's death, 106;
+    claims wergild for Olaf, 106-111;
+    sheltered by Steinthor, 108, 109;
+    urged by Biargey to seek vengeance, 106, 107, 113;
+    seeks help of Valbrand, 114;
+    slays Thorbiorn, 116;
+    sheltered by Steinthor, 117;
+    judgment of Thing against, 118;
+    his nephews exiled, 118
+
+  HRETHEL (rethel). Father of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf, 6;
+    Beowulf and the king's sons, Herebeald, Hathcyn, and Hygelac, 34;
+    Beowulf recites his death, 35
+
+  HRETHRIC (re'th-ric). Son of Hrothgar; succeeds his father, 31
+
+  HROTHGAR (roth'g[=a]r). Great-grandson of Scyld, 2;
+    builds the hall Heorot, or "The Hart," 3;
+    grief of, over Grendel's fierce ravages, 4;
+    champions offer aid to, 5;
+    Geats conducted to, 8;
+    son of Healfdene, 9;
+    Wealhtheow, wife of, 14;
+    rejoices over Beowulf's victory, 18-29;
+    Aschere, thane of, carried off by Grendel's mother, 21;
+    grief of, over loss of Aschere, 22;
+    succeeded by his son Hrethric, 31
+
+  HRUNTING (runting). Hunferth's sword, lent Beowulf for the purpose
+          of attacking Grendel's mother, 23-25
+
+  HUGAS. See Huns, 50
+
+  HUGH THE RAVEN. Youngest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to
+          Denmark, 87
+
+  HUMBER. Grim arrives in, 81
+
+  HUNFERTH. Hrothgar's orator, jealous of Beowulf, 12;
+    lends Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, 23, 24
+
+  HUNS. Form a confederation with the Goths, Franks, and Hugas to
+          overthrow Constantine, 50;
+    Romans conquer by Cross standard, 52
+
+  HYGD. Wife of King Hygelac; hails Beowulf's return to Geatland,
+          29, 30;
+    offers crown to Beowulf, 31
+
+  HYGELAC (h[=e]'g[)e]-lac). King of Geats, 1;
+    son of King Hrethel, 5, 34;
+    brother-in-law of Ecgtheow, 6;
+    uncle of Beowulf, 6;
+    hails Beowulf's return to Geatland, 29, 30;
+    Beowulf chief champion of, 30;
+    slain in expedition against the Hetware, 31;
+    succeeded by his son, Heardred, 31;
+    brought up with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn, and Beowulf, 34
+
+
+I
+
+  ICEFIRTH. Thorbiorn in, 97
+
+  ICELAND. Christian faith in, 96, 97
+
+  ICELANDIC.
+    1. Saga, "Howard the Halt," 96.
+    2. Ghosts, reference to, 96
+
+  INNIS EOALAN. The Lady of Loch Awe builds a castle on ruins of White
+          House on, 257
+
+  INNOCENTS, HOLY. Constantine declared more cruel than Herod, who
+          killed the, 67
+
+  IRELAND. Characteristics common to people of, 156;
+    known in olden Europe as "Isle of Saints," 157;
+    Gospel preached to people of, 157;
+    High King of, convinced of truth of Trinity, 157;
+    strife in, 158;
+    famine in, 159-183;
+    famine tempts people to revolt from the True Faith, 167;
+    demons arrive in, 168;
+    Cuchulain without fear among the champions of, 185;
+    Horn at, 301-304;
+    Horn touches at, on way to Suddene, 313;
+    Sigtryg, son of a Danish king, in, 343;
+    Hereward sails for, 346
+
+  IRISH. Relation of literature, to Greek literature, 184;
+    Celts, early Britons, and Greeks of Homer, one stock, 184;
+    heroes, and legends concerning, 248
+
+  ISLE OF SAINTS. See Ireland, 157
+
+  ITALY. Claims Roland in guise of Orlando, Orlando Furioso, Orlando
+          Innamorato, 121
+
+
+J
+
+  JERUSALEM. The place where Christ suffered, 54;
+    Elene's quest in, to find the sacred Cross, 54-62;
+    Constantine and Elene build a glorious church in, 61;
+    Cyriacus (Judas) Bishop of, 61;
+    messenger to Black Colin familiar with all holy places in, 250;
+    Black Colin as a pilgrim at, 253
+
+  JESUS CHRIST. The Cross the sign of, 53;
+    the Resurrection and Ascension of, preached to Constantine, 53
+
+  JEWS. Elene's quest to land of, to find sacred Cross, 55-58;
+    the Chosen People, 56;
+    summoned, but dismissed in peace, by Elene, 58
+
+  JOHN.
+    1. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, 205;
+       Gamelyn left in charge of, 206;
+       Gamelyn resists, 207, 208;
+       his great feast, 216;
+       put in chains by Gamelyn, 217;
+       proclaims Gamelyn a wolf's-head, 220;
+       his death by hanging, 224.
+    2. Little. See Little John
+
+  JOSEPH and his brethren, "Gamelyn," a version of story of, 204
+
+  JUDAEA. See Jerusalem
+
+  JUDAS. Grandson of Zacchaeus; confesses to knowledge of secret truth
+          of Holy Tree, 57;
+    refuses at first to disclose the secret place of the Holy Cross,
+          but is prevailed upon by starvation, 58, 59;
+    baptismal name Cyriacus, 61;
+    Ganelon compared with, 121
+
+  JUDGMENT, DAY OF, 71
+
+  JULIUS CAESAR and early Britons, 184
+
+
+K
+
+  KAY, SIR. Steward of King Arthur's household, 266;
+    jeers at loathly lady, 277
+
+  KENT. Earldom of, held by Godwin, 335
+
+  KERRY. Champions drive to, 196
+
+  KILCHURN CASTLE. New castle built with rents of Glenurchy, 264
+
+  KNIGHT OF COURTESY. The true, is Sir Gawayne, King Arthur's nephew,
+          265
+
+  KNIGHT OF LOCH AWE. Equivalent, Black Colin Campbell, 249
+
+  KYNON. Son of Eudav, grandson of Caradoc, 49
+
+
+L
+
+  LADY OF GLENURCHY. Grief of, 251;
+    the gold ring token, 252;
+    wooed by Baron MacCorquodale, 254-257;
+    receives forged letter, 255;
+    her stratagem to delay her marriage, 256;
+    builds a castle on ruins of White House on Innis Eoalan, 256, 257;
+    recognises and welcomes her husband, 262
+
+  LADY OF LOCH AWE. Same as Lady of Glenurchy, 251
+
+  LAE-GAI'RE. Bricriu urged to claim title of, 187;
+    Fedelm, wife of, 189;
+    awarded Champion's Portion by Queen Meave, 195;
+    claim tested by Curoi, 196-203;
+    disgraced by Uath, 201
+
+  LANCELOT, SIR. A Knight of the Round Table, 266
+
+  LEA, SIR RICHARD OF THE. Stranger guest of Robin Hood's, 323
+
+  LEITH. Black Colin takes ship at, for Holy Land, 253
+
+  LENDABAIR. Conall's wife, 189
+
+  LEOFRIC. Earl of Mercia, 335;
+    Lady Godiva, wife of, 335;
+    Hereward, second son of, 336;
+    Hall of Bourne, home of, 336;
+    his wrath kindled against Hereward, 337;
+    asks for writ of outlawry against Hereward, 338;
+    Hereward bids farewell to, 339
+
+  LEOFRICSSON, HEREWARD. See Hereward
+
+  LEVE (l[=a]v[)e]). Wife of Grim the fisherman, 78
+
+  LIGHTFOOT, MARTIN. Hereward's follower who accompanied him into
+          exile, 339;
+    assists Hereward in his trick on Norman knights, 341, 342;
+    cast into prison by King Alef, 343;
+    released by King Alef's daughter, 344, 345
+
+  LINCOLN. Grim carries fish to, 81;
+    Havelok goes to, 82;
+    Havelok becomes porter, 82;
+    Havelok's fame in, 83;
+    Godrich summons his army to, against Havelok, 93;
+    Godrich's trial and death at, 94
+
+  LITTLE JOHN. One of Robin Hood's followers, 315;
+    searches the stranger knight's coffer, 319;
+    counts out four hundred pounds to stranger guest, 322, 323;
+    acts as squire to Sir Richard of the Lea, 323-327
+
+  LOATHLY LADY, THE, and King Arthur, 271-274;
+    demands of King Arthur a young and handsome knight for husband,
+          as price of her help, 274;
+    Sir Gawayne offers to wed, 275;
+    Sir Kay jeers at, 277;
+    her betrothal to Sir Gawayne, 279;
+    her marriage with Sir Gawayne, 280;
+    set free from magic spells, 281-285
+
+  LOCH AWE. See Awe, Loch
+
+  LONDON. Visit to, of William of Cloudeslee and fellow outlaws, 241
+
+  LOUIS. Charlemagne's son, Count of the Marshes, promised to Aude the
+          Fair, 155
+
+  LUGH OF THE LONG HAND. Great god, reputed father of Cuchulain, 185
+
+
+M
+
+  MABINOGION. A series of Welsh legends; glorifies marriage of British
+          princess Helena and Constantine, 42
+
+  MACCORQUODALE, BARON. Wooes the Lady of Loch Awe, 254-257;
+    his stratagem of a forged letter, 255;
+    hears of Black Colin's return, 263
+
+  MACGREGORS. Expelled from Glenurchy, 249
+
+  MAHOMET. Saracens declare determination to win land of Suddene
+          according to law of, 287;
+    faith of, thrown off by Saracens for the true faith, 310
+
+  MAIRI. Old widow in whose house the demon traders lived, 173
+
+  MARSILE. King of Moors; defies Charlemagne, 122;
+    idols of, 122;
+    Blancandrin's advice to, 123;
+    sends an embassage to Charlemagne, 124;
+    offers to become a Christian, 124-126;
+    Ganelon sent to, with Charlemagne's terms, 130;
+    Ganelon's reception by, 131, 132;
+    takes counsel with leaders, 132;
+    swears on the book of Law of Mahomet the treacherous death of
+          Roland, 134;
+    pursues the Frankish army, 137;
+    Roland slays only son of, 147;
+    mortally wounded, he returns to Saragossa, 147;
+    his death, 154
+
+  MARTIN. See Lightfoot
+
+  MASSES. Of the Father, of the Holy Spirit, of Our Lady, heard daily
+          by Robin Hood, 315
+
+  MAXEN WLEDIG. "The Dream of," preserved in the "Mabinogion," 42-49;
+    Emperor of Rome, 43;
+    expedition down the Tiber, 43;
+    his vision near Rome, 43;
+    his vision declared, 44-47;
+    ambassadors sent out to find the maiden of his dream, 47, 48;
+    journeys himself to land of Arvon, 48, 49;
+    conquers Britain from Beli, son of Manogan, 48;
+    weds Helena, daughter of Eudav, 49;
+    Constantine, son of, the only British-born Emperor of Rome, 49
+
+  MAXENTIUS. Emperor; hero of Welsh saga "Mabinogion," 42
+
+  MAXIMIAN. The Emperor; father of Fausta, who became Constantine's
+          wife, 64
+
+  MEAD. Dwelling-place of Guest the Wise, 103
+
+  MEAVE. Queen of Connaught, wife of King Ailill; to decide claims to
+          title of Chief Champion, 189;
+    pronounces judgment, 195
+
+  MERCIA. Earldom of, held by Leofric, 335
+
+  MODI. King of Reynes; wooes Rymenhild, 303;
+    slain by Horn, 308;
+    land of, committed to care of Sir Athelbrus, 313
+
+  MONA. Sacred isle of; same as Anglesey; ambassadors of Maxen Wledig
+          view, 47
+
+  "MONTJOIE! MONTJOIE!" Battle cry of Franks, under Roland, 140, 142,
+          148
+
+  MOORS. Rulers of, and Charlemagne, 119;
+    and Franks meet in battle, 140
+
+  MORDRED, SIR. One of King Arthur's nephews, 266
+
+  MOST HIGH. Grendel outcast from mercy of, 4
+
+  MUCH. One of Robin Hood's followers, 315;
+    assists to count out gold for stranger guest, 323
+
+  MURRY. King of Suddene, 286;
+    Queen Godhild consort of, 286;
+    Horn, son of, 286;
+    attacked and slain by Saracens, 287, 288
+
+
+N
+
+  NAESI. Irish hero, 156
+
+  NAILS, THE HOLY. Obtained by Elene, 61;
+    given to Constantine, 62
+
+  NAIMES, DUKE. One of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 126, 136, 137;
+    urges Charlemagne to hasten to rescue of Roland, 146
+
+  NORMAN ENGLAND. Royal authority in, how asserted, 314
+
+  NORMANS. Or Flemings; Hereward enrolled among, to qualify for
+          knighthood, 339;
+    Hereward's trick on, with Fairy Bear, 341, 342
+
+  NORSE influence in connection with story of "King Horn," 286
+
+  NORSEMEN. Firm hold of blood-feud on imagination of, 96
+
+  NORTH COUNTRY. Equivalent, Ulster, 165
+
+  NORTH SEA. Forefathers who dwelt on shores of, 1;
+    ambassadors of Maxen Wledig reach, 47
+
+  NORTHUMBRIA. Inheritance of Anlaf, 73;
+    writ of outlawry against Hereward only of nominal weight in, 339;
+    Earl Siward ruler in, 339;
+    Hereward leaves, 342
+
+  NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. The Sheriff of, and Robin Hood, 315
+
+
+O
+
+  ODIN. The raven, the bird of, 115
+
+  OISIN. Scotch embodiment of Ossian, 248
+
+  OLAF.
+    1. Same as Anlaf, &c., 73.
+    2. Son of famous Viking, Howard the Halt, 97;
+       finds Thorbiorn's lost sheep, 98-100;
+       kills a wizard, 101;
+       second fight with the wizard's ghost, 102;
+       wooes Sigrid, 99, 103;
+       meets Thorbiorn, 103-106;
+       his death, 106;
+       Howard claims wergild for, 106-111;
+       wergild awarded for, 118
+
+  OLIFANT. Roland's horn, 138;
+    blown by Roland, 145, 146;
+    Roland's dying blast on, 149
+
+  OLIVER. One of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers, 125, 136;
+    descries the Saracens and proclaims Ganelon's treason, 138;
+    appeals to Roland to blow his horn, 138;
+    Hauteclaire, sword of, 141;
+    objects to Roland blowing his horn, 144;
+    mortally wounded by Marsile's uncle, 148;
+    under misapprehension, strikes Roland with Hauteclaire, 148;
+    his death, 148, 149;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  OONA. Cathleen's foster-mother, 178;
+    her vision, 182
+
+  ORCHY. River, running through Glenurchy, 249
+
+  ORESTES. Reference to Electra and, 95
+
+  ORLANDO, ETC. Italy claims Roland in guise of, 121
+
+  OSSIAN. Hero in Gaelic Highland poems, 248;
+    Scotch embodiment of Oisin, 248
+
+  OTHO. Son of Sir John of the Marshes, 205;
+    becomes surety for Gamelyn, 221;
+    arrested owing to failure of Gamelyn to appear at court, 223;
+    released by Gamelyn, 223;
+    sits on judge's seat with Gamelyn and condemns Sir John, 224;
+    appointed sheriff by King Edward I., 224;
+    makes Gamelyn his heir, 224
+
+  OUR LADY. Robin Hood accepts her surety for four hundred pounds lent
+          to stranger guest, 322;
+    the Black Monk and the suretyship, 331-333
+
+  OUTLAWS. Famous: Hereward, Robin Hood, William of Cloudeslee, 226;
+    pardoned by king, 243;
+    rules of, in case of Robin Hood, 316;
+    their feast, 317, 318, 330
+
+
+P
+
+  PAMPELUNA. Taken by Charlemagne, 119
+
+  PARADISE. Cathleen's soul in, 182
+
+  PATTERSON. Name of foster-parents of Black Colin, 250
+
+  PEERS. Of France, 125, 136;
+    the champions of the Moors challenge the Twelve, of France, 137;
+    of Charlemagne, triumph over Marsile's twelve champions, 141;
+    their death, 143-153;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  PENELOPE. Lady of Loch Awe turns to guile, as did, 256
+
+  PEOPLE OF THE HILLS. Cuchulain's friends among, 198, 199
+
+  PERSIA. Constantine's valour in wars in, 64;
+    physicians from, with remedies for Constantine's leprosy, 65
+
+  PETER AND PAUL. The Apostles; appear in a vision to Constantine,
+          70, 71
+
+  PICTISH GIANT. King Alef's daughter betrothed to, 343;
+    slain by Hereward, 343
+
+  PLANTAGENETS. England under, 314
+
+  POPE. Head of Holy Catholic Church, 119;
+    proclaims Holy War at Rome, 251;
+    sees Black Colin, 253;
+    regarded by Black Colin as Vicar of Christ on earth, 253
+
+  PRIAM. Reference to lament of, 95
+
+  PYRENEES. Charlemagne's march through passes of, 119;
+    Frankish army marches toward, 134
+
+
+R
+
+  RANALD. King of Waterford, 345, 346;
+    Prince Sigtryg, son of, 345;
+    Hereward at feast of, 346, 347
+
+  RANALDSSON, SIGTRYG. See Sigtryg
+
+  RED BRANCH. Heroes of, invited to feast by Bricriu, 186;
+    heroes return to, 199;
+    Uath, the Stranger, comes to, 199;
+    heroes of, and Uath, the Stranger, 199-203;
+    champions of, identical with Highland Gaelic heroes, 248
+
+  REYNES. Modi, King of, 303;
+    wooes Rymenhild, 303, 304
+
+  REYNILD. Daughter of King Thurston; offered to Horn, 302;
+    weds Sir Athulf, 313
+
+  RHINE. Black Colin's journey up, 253
+
+  RHODES. Black Colin journeys to, 253;
+    supposed news from, by man of Black Colin's band, 255
+
+  RICHARD, SIR, OF THE LEA, Robin Hood's stranger-guest, 317-324;
+    Robin Hood's loan to, 322-324;
+    his land in Uterysdale, 323;
+    redeems his land from Abbot of St. Mary's, 324-327;
+    sets out to repay loan, 328;
+    defends the right at a wrestling contest, 328;
+    arrives before Robin Hood to repay loan, but is exempt, 333;
+    returns to Uterysdale, 333;
+    his power used to protect the outlaws, 333
+
+  ROBERT THE RED. Eldest son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+          87
+
+  ROBIN HOOD. Romantic sympathy with, 225;
+    one of the famous outlaws, 226;
+    the original, 314;
+    forest of Barnesdale at one time his dwelling-place, 314, 315;
+    Sherwood Forest, headquarters of, 315;
+    Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much, his three most loyal
+          followers, 315;
+    three Masses heard by, 315;
+    sends his followers to Watling Street, 316;
+    his outlaw rules, 316;
+    stranger guest brought to, 317;
+    lends stranger guest four hundred pounds, 322;
+    sends his followers again to Watling Street, 329;
+    his followers capture and bring to greenwood, as guest, the Black
+          Monk, 330;
+    appropriates gold of the Black Monk as payment of loan to Sir
+          Richard of the Lea, 331, 332;
+    exempts Sir Richard from repayment of four hundred pounds, 333;
+    dwells securely in the greenwood under Sir Richard's protection,
+          333
+
+  ROLAND. Charlemagne's nephew; fame of, in romance, 119;
+    historical basis of legend of, 120;
+    in Spanish legend, 121;
+    "Saga" in French literature, 121;
+    "Chanson de Roland" and, 121;
+    one of the Twelve Peers, 125;
+    destruction plotted by Blancandrin and Ganelon, 131, 134;
+    plants his banner on topmost summit of Pyrenees, 134;
+    appointed to command rearguard, 135;
+    appealed to by Oliver to blow his horn, 138;
+    his army defeats Saracens, 141;
+    defeats second Saracen army, 143;
+    attacked by third Saracen army, 144;
+    willing to blow horn, but Oliver objects, 144;
+    blows Olifant, 145, 146;
+    Charlemagne hastens to rescue of, but arrives too late, 146;
+    slays only son of Marsile, 147;
+    smitten by Oliver in mistake, 148;
+    set upon by four hundred Saracens, 150;
+    realising death near, he tries to destroy sword Durendala, 152;
+    his death, 153;
+    avenged by Charlemagne, 153, 154
+
+  ROMAN EMPIRE. Charlemagne head of, 119
+
+  ROMANS. Conquer Huns by the Cross standard, 52
+
+  ROME. Church of, Constantine's generosity to, 42;
+    Maxen Wledig seeks rest near, 43, 46;
+    Princess Helena hailed Empress of, 48, 49;
+    Constantine calls a council of all wisest men in, 53;
+    Black Colin's messenger just home from, 251;
+    Holy War proclaimed by Pope at, 251;
+    Black Colin reaches, 253;
+    Black Colin's supposed letter from, 255
+
+  RONCESVALLES. Roland's glory from, 119;
+    celebrated in "Song of Altobiscar," 120;
+    Spain claims part of honour of, 120;
+    the battle of, 140-153
+
+  RONCEVAUX. Same as Roncesvalles, 122
+
+  ROUND TABLE. Knights of, 266
+
+  RYMENHILD. Princess, daughter of King Ailmar;
+    loves Horn, 292;
+    Athulf personates Horn before, 293;
+    welcomes Horn in her bower and declares her love, 294;
+    wishes Horn good success as knight, 298;
+    gives token to Horn, 298;
+    spied on by Fikenhild, 299, 300;
+    wooed by King Modi, 303;
+    writes to Horn through Athulf, 303;
+    Horn at wedding-feast of, 305;
+    Horn's stratagem to test her love, 306, 307;
+    her knight and lover, Horn, restored, 307;
+    wedded to Horn, 308;
+    left to her father's care, 309;
+    demanded in marriage by traitor, Fikenhild, 311;
+    delivered by Horn, 313;
+    dwells at Suddene as queen, 313
+
+
+S
+
+  SAMSON. Peer of Charlemagne; mortally wounded, 143
+
+  SARACEN-S. Host, encamps near Franks, 134;
+    pursue the Frankish army, 137;
+    chiefs vow to slay Roland, 137;
+    defeat of, by Roland's army, 141;
+    second army attacks Roland, 142;
+    defeated once more, 143;
+    third army attacks Roland, 144;
+    their rule in the Holy Land, 251;
+    Horn's hatred of, typical of romance of Crusades, 286;
+    attack and slay King Murry, 287, 288;
+    Horn's victory over, 298;
+    Suddene purged of, by Horn, 310
+
+  SARAGOSSA. Charlemagne repulsed at, 119;
+    decided to send Ganelon to, as ambassador, 128;
+    Charlemagne's threat to take, 132;
+    Charlemagne receives through Ganelon the keys of, 134;
+    captured by Charlemagne, 154
+
+  "SARN HELEN." Roman roads in Wales connecting Helena's three castles
+          known as, 49
+
+  SAXON ENGLAND. The maintenance of justice in, 314
+
+  SAXON-S. Hereward the, 334;
+    the darling hero of the, 334;
+    Anglo-, chivalry, Hereward the ideal of, 334, 335;
+    Hereward the, known as the Champion of Women, 351
+
+  SCARLET, WILL. Cousin to and one of Robin Hood's followers, 315
+
+  SCOTLAND. Hero-myths of, 248;
+    national heroes of Lowland, actual, not mythical, 248;
+    war between England and, 249
+
+  SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE. Sir Nigel Campbell one of leaders in cause
+          of, 249
+
+  SCYLD SCEFING (skild ske'f-ing). Founder of Scyldings dynasty, 2;
+    coming to and passing from Denmark, 2;
+    Hrothgar, great-grandson of, 2
+
+  SEVEN HILLS. Rome, the City of, 43;
+    Maxen Wledig, emperor, rules Europe from, 43
+
+  SHERWOOD, FOREST OF. Headquarters of Robin Hood, 315
+
+  SIEGFRIED. Gudrun and, in "Nibelungenlied," 95
+
+  SIGMUND. Father of Fitela; glory of, chanted by Danish bard, 18
+
+  SIGRID. Thorbiorn's housekeeper, 97;
+    loved by Olaf, 99;
+    quits Thorbiorn's service, 103;
+    disappearance of, 106
+
+  SIGT-RYG RANALDSSON. Prince of Waterford; his troth-plight with King
+          Alef's daughter, 343;
+    son of King Ranald, 345;
+    Hereward's mission to, 345-347;
+    sails for Cornwall to rescue his love, 347;
+    sends forty Danes to demand fulfilment of troth-plight, 348;
+    Sigtryg and Danes plan ambush for Haco, 350;
+    rescues, and marries, Cornish princess, 350, 351
+
+  SI'HT-RIC-SON. Same as Anlaf, Abloec, &c., 73
+
+  SIR JOHN OF THE MARSHES. Noble gentleman who lived in Lincolnshire,
+          in reign of Edward I., 204, 205;
+    father of John, Otho, and Gamelyn, 205;
+    his death, 206
+
+  SI-WARD, EARL. Ruler in Northumbria, 339;
+    reputed kinship to Fairy Bear, 340, 342
+
+  SNOWDON. Mountainous land of, reached by ambassadors of Maxen
+          Wledig, 47
+
+  SOCACH. Black Colin's foster-parents' dwelling-place, 250
+
+  SOULS. The traffic in, during Irish famine, 170-183;
+    Cathleen tries to check traffic in, 174
+
+  SPAIN. Charlemagne's expedition into, 119;
+    begins to quit, 134;
+    returns to, to rescue Roland, 146
+
+  SPANISH LEGEND. Bernardo del Carpio and Roland in, 121
+
+  SPENCER.
+    1. Adam, steward in household of Sir John, releases Gamelyn,
+          214, 215.
+    2. Edmund, reference to his Red Cross Knight, 265
+
+  STEINTHOR OF ERE. Great chieftain who shelters Howard, 108, 109,
+          117;
+    speaks on Howard's behalf at the Thing, 118
+
+  ST. JOHN, KNIGHTS OF. Black Colin takes service with, 253;
+    Grand Master of, 253
+
+  ST. MARY. Abbey of, in York, lands of stranger knight in pledge to
+          Abbot of, 321;
+    land redeemed by Sir Richard of the Lea, 324-327;
+    the Black Monk high cellarer in Abbey of, 331
+
+  ST. PATRICK. Preached Gospel to people of Ireland, 157
+
+  SUDDENE. King Murry and Queen Godhild, and son Horn, the royal
+          family of, 286;
+    Horn sails for, to wrest from Saracens, 309;
+    Athulf's father found at, 309, 310;
+    Horn reconquers, 310;
+    a Christian realm once more, 311;
+    Horn crowned king of, 311
+
+  SWANBOROW. Daughter of King Birkabeyn, 74;
+    slain by Godard, 76
+
+  SWEDEN. Goetaland, realm of Geats in south of, 5
+
+  SWEDES. Slay Hathcyn, son of King Hrethel, 35
+
+  SWITZERLAND. Black Colin and Highland clansmen pass through, 253
+
+  SYLVESTER. Bishop of Rome; and Constantine, 42;
+    Constantine told in a vision to send for, 70;
+    preaches the Christian faith to Constantine, 71
+
+
+T
+
+  TAILLEFER. "Song of Roland" and, 122
+
+  TARA. Black stone of, 157
+
+  TARN WATHELAN. Giant in castle near, ill-treats maiden, 267;
+    King Arthur's journey to, and fight with giant who lived in Castle
+          of, 269, 270;
+    King Arthur summons court to hunt near, 276;
+    the churlish knight of, set free from magic spells, 284
+
+  TEUTONIC NORTH. Beowulf famous throughout, 5
+
+  THERSITES. Compared with Bricriu of the Bitter Tongue, 186
+
+  THING. Howard at the, 107, 108, 117, 118
+
+  THOR-BIORN. Mighty chief on shores of Icefirth, 97;
+    Vakr, nephew of, 97;
+    Olaf and sheep of, 98-100;
+    whale unjustly adjudged to, 102;
+    marries sister of Guest, 103;
+    Sigrid leaves, 103;
+    meets Olaf, 103-106;
+    Warflame, magic sword of, 104-106;
+    thrusts Olaf with Warflame, 106;
+    Howard claims wergild from, 106-111;
+    Guest's judgment against, 110, 111;
+    hailed by Biargey while out fishing, 112;
+    slain by Howard, 116
+
+  THOR-BRAND. Brother of Biargey, 113;
+    helps Howard against Thorbiorn, 115
+
+  THOR-DIS. Mother of Vakr; sends second son to assist in fight
+          against Olaf, 105
+
+  THOR-KEL. Lawman and arbitrator of Icefirth, 97;
+    his false decree concerning a whale, 102
+
+  THOR-OLD. Same as Turoldus; author of "Song of Roland," 122
+
+  THURSTON. King of Ireland; served by Horn, 301;
+    Harold and Berild, sons of, 302;
+    offers kingdom and his daughter Reynild to Horn, 302;
+    Horn discloses his identity to, 304
+
+  TIBER. Hunting expedition down, by Maxen Wledig, 43
+
+  TIR-NAN-OG. The land of never-dying youth, 163
+
+  TREE, THE HOLY. See Holy Cross
+
+  TRINITY. Truth of, demonstrated by shamrock-leaf, 157
+
+  TROJAN WAR. An ancient story, yet well known, 58
+
+  TUCK, FRIAR. Masses sung by, for Robin Hood, 318
+
+  TURPIN. Archbishop of Charlemagne, one of Twelve Peers, 125, 136;
+    blesses the knights, 139, 140;
+    mediates between Roland and Oliver, 145;
+    mortally wounded, 149;
+    his death, 150, 151
+
+
+U
+
+  UATH, THE STRANGER. Giant who tests champions, 199-203;
+    adjudges Cuchulain Champion of Heroes of all Ireland, 203
+
+  UBBE (ub-b[)e]). Danish jarl, friend of King Birkabeyn; befriends
+          Havelok and Goldborough, 87-93;
+    appointed Regent of Denmark for Havelok, 94
+
+  ULSTER. Fergus commanded to buy food at, 165;
+    Conor, King of, 185;
+    Cuchulain peer among champions of, 185;
+    Armagh, capital of, 186;
+    Red Branch heroes, royal bodyguard of, 186;
+    Bricriu stirs up strife among champions of, 187, 188
+
+  UNKNOWN GOD. Constantine's acceptance and reverence of the, 51;
+    the people awed by token of, 53
+
+  UTERYSDALE. Land of Sir Richard of the Lea in, 323;
+    Sir Richard redeems the land, 324-327;
+    Sir Richard returns to, 333
+
+
+V
+
+  VAKR. Thorbiorn's nephew, 97;
+    mocks Olaf, 100;
+    jeers at Brand the Strong, 102, 103;
+    accompanies Thorbiorn to meet Olaf, 103-106;
+    Thordis, mother of, 105;
+    his miserable end, 116
+
+  VALBRAND. Brother of Biargey, 112, 113;
+    visited by Howard, 114
+
+  VALTIERRA. Charlemagne retires to, on way to France, 134
+
+  VEILLANTIF. Roland's steed, 136;
+    slain by Saracens, 150
+
+  VICAR OF CHRIST on earth, Black Colin regards Pope as, 253
+
+  VIKINGS. Gospel preached to, 157
+
+  VIRGIN MARY. Cult of, 121;
+    Cathleen invokes, 163;
+    Cathleen's people invoke, 181
+
+
+W
+
+  WALES. Old Roman roads in, that connected Helena's three castles
+          still known as "Sarn Helen," 49;
+    legend of Havelok the Dane thought to have originated in, 73;
+    mediaeval, Arthurian legend preserved by, 265
+
+  WALLACE, SIR WILLIAM. Scottish hero, 248;
+    schoolfellow and comrade of Sir Nigel Campbell, 249
+
+  WARDEN. Of the coast of Denmark, welcomes Beowulf, 6;
+    conducts Geats to Heorot, 8;
+    Wulfgar, one of Hrothgar's nobles, greets Beowulf, 9;
+    of Geatland, welcomes Beowulf's return, 29
+
+  WARFLAME. Magic sword, owned by Thorbiorn, and by which he himself
+          is slain by Howard, 115, 116
+
+  WASHERS OF THE FORD. Wrath of, and Irish people, 158
+
+  WATERFORD. Prince Sigtryg of, his troth-plight with daughter of King
+          Alef, 343;
+    Ranald, King of, 345;
+    Hereward reaches, 346;
+    Prince and Princess of, Hereward the best friend of, 351
+
+  WATLING STREET. Robin Hood sends his followers to, 316;
+    a year later sends followers once more to, 329
+
+  WEALHTHEOW (wal-thyow), QUEEN. Wife of Hrothgar; honours Beowulf,
+          14, 20
+
+  WELSH.
+    1. Legends, "Mabinogion" and "The Dream of Maxen Wledig," 42;
+       Celtic features in, 185.
+    2. Saga, hero of, Emperor Maxentius, 42
+
+  WEOHSTAN (wyo-stan). Father of Wiglaf, who supported Beowulf in his
+          fight with the fire-dragon, 36
+
+  WEST. Constantine a favourite of Roman soldiery of the, 63;
+    Roman soldiery of the, proclaim Constantine emperor, 63;
+    the fictitious wanderings of Horn in realms of, 307
+
+  WESTERN ISLES. Irish Gaelic hero-legends carried to, from Erin, 248
+
+  WESTERNESSE. Childe Horn lands on shore of, 289;
+    Ailmar, King of, questions Horn, 290;
+    Horn returns to, accompanied by Irish knights, 304;
+    recital of the fictitious plans of Horn to reach, within seven
+          years, 307
+
+  WHITBY. Hereward lands at, 339
+
+  WIG-LAF. Son of Weohstan; supports Beowulf in his fight with the
+          fire-dragon, 36-41
+
+  WILF-INGS. Hrothgar shields Ecgtheow from, 11
+
+  WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE. One of the famous outlaws of England, 226
+
+  WILLIAM TELL. William of Cloudeslee the, of England, 226;
+    Alice, wife of, 227;
+    goes to Carlisle, 227;
+    sheriff informed of his presence, 229;
+    attacked by sheriff and his men, 231;
+    capture of, 232;
+    sheriff sentences to be hanged, 232;
+    news of his sentence conveyed to the greenwood, 233;
+    Clym's stratagem to save, 234;
+    rescued from death, 237, 238;
+    visits London to see king, 241;
+    the king pardons, 243;
+    shoots apple from son's head, 245, 246;
+    receives royal favours from king and queen, 246
+
+  WILLIAM WENDUT. Second son of Grim; accompanies Havelok to Denmark,
+          87
+
+  WINCHESTER. Godrich takes Goldborough from, to Dover, 81
+
+  WLEDIG. See Maxen Wledig
+
+  WOMEN, CHAMPION OF. Hereward known as, 351
+
+  WYRD (weird). Goddess of Fate, 13, 34
+
+
+Y
+
+  YORK. Archbishop of, unites in marriage Havelok and Goldborough, 85;
+    Abbot of St. Mary's Abbey, in, 321
+
+  YORKSHIRE. Barnesdale, forest in, once dwelling-place of Robin Hood,
+          314, 315
+
+  YULETIDE. King Arthur's knights keep, 267
+
+
+Z
+
+  ZACCHAEUS. Grandfather of Judas, 57
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Minor typographic errors in punctuation have been corrected without
+note. Hyphen inconsistencies have been corrected without note where
+there was a prevalence of one formation over another.
+
+There is some variation in spelling, sometimes of proper names, often
+between the main text and quoted texts, and a number of archaic words.
+These remain as printed, unless they were an obvious typographic
+error, which were amended as follows:
+
+    Page 48--need amended to heed--"... that when their
+    horses failed they gave no heed, but took others ..."
+
+    Page 73--crystalized amended to crystallized--"These
+    stories finally crystallized in a form ..."
+
+    Page 84--Havelock amended to Havelok--"... and so, in
+    great fear, Havelok agreed to the wedding."
+
+    Page 233--vension amended to venison--"... William had
+    given the boy many a dinner of venison, ..."
+
+    Page 338--Whereever amended to Wherever--""Wherever fate
+    and my fortune lead me," ..."
+
+    Page 355--7 amended to 74--"... and Havelok, son of, 74;"
+
+    Page 358--o amended to of--"... Daughter of King Alef,
+    affianced to Prince Sigtryg ..."
+
+    Page 359--Alaf amended to Alef--"Prince Sigtryg sends
+    forty to King Alef, 348;"
+
+    Page 362--Niger amended to Nigel--"Glen belonging to
+    MacGregors, given to Sir Nigel Campbell, 249;"
+
+    Page 366--Herebald amended to Herebeald--"brought up
+    with brothers, Herebeald and Hathcyn ..."
+
+    Page 372--missio nto amended to mission to--"Hereward's
+    mission to, 345-347;"
+
+    Page 375--332 amended to 232--"... capture of, 232;"
+
+There were some instances of omitted text; these were all checked
+against another edition of the text, and, in the case of the omitted
+page references, cross-checked against this edition, and repaired as
+follows:
+
+    Page 347--omitted word (marriage) inserted at the end of
+    the section just prior to "Return to Cornwall"--"... he
+    would save his betrothed from some other hateful
+    marriage."
+
+    Page 368--the entry for London had no page number
+    reference; 241 inserted.
+
+    Page 370--the entry for Priam had no page number
+    reference; 95 inserted.
+
+The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page.
+Other illustrations have been moved so that they are near the text
+they refer to. Some of the illustration captions have the artist's
+name included, some do not; these are all reproduced as printed.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Myths & Legends of the British
+Race, by Maud Isabel Ebbutt
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