1 
 
 .■■0 
 
 
 
 
 
Glass. 
 Book 
 
 
STORIES FROM 
 OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
STORIES FROM 
 OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 BY 
 
 JOYCE POLLARD 
 
 w 
 
 NEW YORK 
 FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 1912 
 
PRnat 
 
 Jftf/ii 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I'AGE 
 
 I. Beowulf and Grendel i 
 
 II. Beowulf and the Fire-Dragon .... 9 
 
 III. The Story of Cedmon 15 
 
 IV. The Fight at Maldon 18 
 
 V. VORTIGER AND CONSTANCE 24 
 
 VI. VORTIGER AND HENGEST 29 
 
 VII. The Return of Aurelius 33 
 
 VIII. Havelok the Dane. How Havelok came to marry 
 
 Goldborough 41 
 
 IX. Havelok the Dane. How Havelok became King 
 
 of Denmark and of England .... 48 
 
 X. King Horn 54 
 
 XI. Guy of Warwick. How Guy won the hand of 
 
 Felice the Beautiful 63 
 
 XII. Guy of Warwick. How Guy went on a Pilgrimage 68 
 
 XIII. The Tale of Gamelyn 75 
 
 XIV. The Vision of William concerning the Field 
 
 Full of Folk 82 
 
 XV. The Vision of William concerning Piers the 
 
 Ploughman 87 
 
 XVI. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Of the 
 
 Great Chan of Cathay 92 
 
 XVII. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Of the 
 
 Governance of the Great Chan's Court . , 96 
 v 
 
vi STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 XVIII. The Story of Mak 103 
 
 XIX. London Lickpenny . . . . . . . 109 
 
 XX. Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lee . 112 
 
 XXI. Robin Hood and King Edward . . . .119 
 
 XXII. The Story of Sir Balin. How Balin took King 
 
 Rience of North Wales 125 
 
 XXIII. The Story of Sir Balin. How Balin smote the 
 
 Dolorous Stroke . . . . . . -132 
 
 XXIV. Sir Gareth of Orkney 139 
 
STORIES FROM 
 OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 BEOWULF AND GRENDEL 
 
 IONG ago there ruled over the Danes a king called 
 v Hrothgar. He gained success and glory in war, so 
 that his loyal kinsmen willingly obeyed him, and every- 
 thing prospered in his land. 
 
 One day it came into his mind that he would build a 
 princely banquet-hall, where he might entertain both the 
 young and old of his kingdom; and he had the work 
 widely made known to many a tribe over the earth, so 
 that they might bring rich gifts to beautify the hall. 
 
 In course of time the banquet-house was built and 
 towered aloft, high and battlemented. Then Hrothgai 
 gave it the name of Heorot, and called his guests to the 
 banquet, and gave them gifts of rings and other treasures; 
 and afterwards every day the joyous sound of revelry 
 rang loud in the hall, with the music of the harp and the 
 clear notes of the singers. 
 
 But it was not long before the pleasure of the king's 
 men was broken, for a wicked demon began to work 
 mischief against them. This cruel spirit was called Grendcl, 
 and he dwelt on the moors and among the fens. One night 
 he came to Heorot when the noble guests lay at rest after 
 the feast, and seizing thirty thanes as they slept, set off on 
 his homeward journey, exulting in his booty. 
 
 At break of day his deed was known to all men, and 
 great was the grief among the thanes. . The good King 
 i 
 
a STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Hrothgar also sat in sorrow, suffering heavy distress for 
 the death of his warriors. 
 
 Not long afterwards Grendel again appeared, and 
 wrought a yet worse deed of murder. After that the 
 warriors no longer dared to sleep at Heorot, but sought 
 out secret resting-places, leaving the great house empty. 
 
 A long time passed. For the space of twelve winters 
 Grendel waged a perpetual feud against Hrothgar and his 
 people ; the livelong night he roamed over the misty 
 moors, visiting Heorot, and destroying both the tried 
 warriors and the young men whenever he was able. 
 Hrothgar was broken-hearted, and many were the councils 
 held in secret to deliberate what it were best to do against 
 these fearful terrors ; but nothing availed to stop the 
 fiend's ravages. 
 
 Now the tale of Grendel's deeds went forth into many 
 lands ; and amongst others who heard of it were the Geats, 
 whose king was Higelac. Chief of his thanes was a noble 
 and powerful warrior named Beowulf, who resolved to go 
 to the help of the Danes. He bade his men make ready 
 a good sea-boat, that he might go across the wild swan's 
 path to seek out Hrothgar and aid him ; and his people 
 encouraged him to go on that dangerous errand even 
 though he was dear to them. 
 
 So Beowulf chose fourteen of his keenest warriors, and 
 sailed away over the waves in his well-equipped vessel, 
 till he came within sight of the cliffs and mountains of 
 Hrothgar's kingdom. The Danish warder, who kept 
 guard over the coast, saw them as they were making their 
 ship fast and carrying their bright weapons on shore. So 
 he mounted his horse and rode to meet them, bearing in 
 his hand his staff of office; and he questioned them closely 
 as to whence they came and what their business was. 
 
 Then Beowulf explained their errand, and the warder, 
 when he had heard it, bade them pass onwards, bearing 
 their weapons, and gave orders that their ship should 
 be safely guarded. 
 
BEOWULF AND GRENDEL 3 
 
 Soon they came within sight of the fair palace Heorot, 
 and the warder showed them the way to Hrothgar's court, 
 and then bade them farewell, and returned to keep watch 
 upon the coast. 
 
 Then the bold thanes marched forward to Heorot, their 
 armour and their weapons glittering and clanking as 
 they went. Entering the hall, they set their shields and 
 bucklers against the walls, placed their spears upright in 
 a sheaf together, and sat down on the benches, weary with 
 their seafaring. 
 
 Then a proud liegeman of Hrothgar's stepped forward 
 and asked — 
 
 " Whence bring ye your shields, your grey war-shirts and 
 frowning helmets, and this sheaf of spears ? Never saw I 
 men of more valiant aspect." 
 
 "We are Higelac's boon companions,'' answered Beowulf. 
 " Beowulf is my name, and I desire to declare my errand 
 to the great prince, thy lord, if he will grant us leave to 
 approach him." 
 
 So Wulfgar, another of Hrothgar's chieftains, went out 
 to the king where he sat with the assembly of his earls and 
 told him of the arrival of the strangers, and Hrothgar 
 received the news with joy, for he had known Beowulf 
 when he was a boy, and had heard of his fame as a 
 warrior. Therefore he bade Wulfgar bring him to his 
 presence, and soon Beowulf stood before him and cried — 
 
 " Hail to thee, Hrothgar ! I have heard the tale of 
 Grendel, and my people, who know my strength and 
 prowess, have counselled me to seek thee out. For I have 
 wrought great deeds in the past, and now I shall do battle 
 against this monster. Men say that so thick is his tawny 
 hide that no weapon can injure him. I therefore disdain 
 to carry sword or shield into the combat, but will fight with 
 the strength of my arm only, and either I will conquer the 
 fiend, or he will bear away my dead body to the moor. Send 
 to Higelac, if I fall in the fight, my beautiful breastplate. 
 I have no fear of death, for Destiny must ever be obeyed." 
 
4 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Then Hrothgar told Beowulf of the great sorrow caused 
 to him by Grendel's terrible deeds, and of the failure of all 
 the attempts that had been made by the warriors to over- 
 come him ; and afterwards he bade him sit down with his 
 followers to partake of a meal. 
 
 So a bench was cleared for the Geats, and a thane waited 
 upon them, and all the noble warriors gathered together, 
 and a great feast was held once more in Heorot with song 
 and revelry. Waltheow, Hrothgar's queen, came forth also, 
 and handed the wine-cup to each of the thanes, pledging 
 the king in joyful mood, and thanking Beowulf for his 
 offer of help. 
 
 At last all the company arose to go to rest ; and 
 Hrothgar entrusted the guardianship of Heorot to Beowulf 
 with cheering words, and so bade him good night. Then 
 all left the hall, save only a watch 'appointed by Hrothgar, 
 and Beowulf himself with his followers, who laid them- 
 selves down to rest. 
 
 No long time passed before Grendel came prowling from 
 his home on the moors under the misty slopes. Full of his 
 evil purpose, he burst with fury into the hall and strode 
 forward raging, a hideous, fiery light gleaming from his 
 eyes. In the hall lay the warriors asleep, and Grendel 
 laughed in his heart as he gazed at them, thinking to feast 
 upon them all. Quickly he seized a sleeping warrior and 
 devoured him ; then, stepping forward, he reached out his 
 hand towards Beowulf as he lay at rest. 
 
 But the hero was ready for him, and seized his arm in a 
 deadly grip, such as Grendel had never felt before. Terror 
 arose in the monster's heart, and his mind was bent on 
 flight ; but he could not get away. 
 
 Then Beowulf stood upright and grappled with him 
 firmly, and the two rocked to and fro in the struggle, 
 knocking over benches, and shaking the hall with the 
 violence of their fight. Suddenly a new and terrible cry 
 arose, the cry of Grendel in fear and pain, for never once 
 did Beowulf relax his hold upon him. Then many of 
 
BEOWULF AND GRENDEL 5 
 
 Beowulf's earls drew their swords and rushed to aid their 
 master ; but no blade could pierce him, and nothing but 
 Beowulf's mighty strength could prevail. 
 
 At last the monster's arm was torn off at the shoulder, 
 and sick unto death, he fled to the fens, there to end his 
 joyless life. Then Beowulf rejoiced at his night's work 
 wherein he had freed Heorot for ever from the fiend's 
 cruel ravages. 
 
 Now on the morrow the warriors flocked to the hall ; 
 and when they heard what had taken place, they went out 
 and followed Grendel's tracks to a mere upon the moors, 
 into which he had plunged and given up his life. Then, 
 sure of his death, they returned rejoicing to Heorot, talking 
 of Beowulf's glorious deed ; and there they found the king 
 and queen and a great company of people awaiting them. 
 
 And now there was great rejoicing and happiness. Fair 
 and gracious were the thanks that Hrothgar gave to 
 Beowulf, and great was the feast prepared in Heorot. 
 Cloths embroidered with gold were hung along the walls, 
 and the hall was decked in every possible way. 
 
 When all were seated at the feast, Hrothgar bade the 
 attendants bring forth his gifts to Beowulf as a reward of 
 victory. He gave him an embroidered banner, a helmet 
 and breastplate, and a valuable sword, all adorned with 
 gold and richly ornamented. Also he gave orders to the 
 servants to bring into the court eight horses, on one of 
 which was a curiously adorned and very precious saddle, 
 which the king was wont to use himself when he rode to 
 practise the sword-game. These also he gave to Beowulf, 
 thus like a true man requiting his valiant deeds with horses 
 and other precious gifts. He bestowed treasures also on 
 each of Beowulf's followers, and gave orders that a price 
 should be paid in gold for the man whom the wicked 
 Grendel had slain. 
 
 After this there arose within the hall the din of voices 
 and the sound of song ; the instruments also were brought 
 out, and Hrothgar's minstrel sang a ballad for the delight 
 
6 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 of the warriors. Waltheow too came forth, bearing in her 
 turn presents for Beowulf — a cup, two armlets, raiment and 
 rings, and the largest and richest collar that could be found 
 in all the world. 
 
 Now when evening came Hrothgar departed to his rest, 
 and the warriors cleared the hall and lay down to sleep 
 once more, with their shields and armour beside them as 
 was their custom. But Beowulf was not with them, for 
 another resting-place had been assigned to him that night, 
 for all thought that there was now no longer any danger 
 to be feared. 
 
 But in this they were mistaken, as they soon learnt to 
 their cost. For no sooner were they all asleep than 
 Grendel's mother, a monstrous witch who dwelt at the 
 bottom of a cold mere, came to Heorot to avenge her 
 son and burst into the hall. The thanes started up in 
 terror, hastily grasping their swords ; but she seized upon 
 Asher, the most beloved of Hrothgar's warriors, who still lay 
 sleeping, and bore him off with her to the fens, carrying with 
 her also Grendel's arm, which lay at one end of the hall. 
 
 Then there arose an uproar and the sound of mourning 
 in Heorot. In fierce and gloomy mood Hrothgar sum- 
 moned Beowulf and told him the ghastly tale, begging 
 him, if he dared, to go forth to seek out the monster and 
 destroy it. 
 
 Full of courage, Beowulf answered with cheerful words, 
 promising that Grendel's mother should not escape him ; 
 and soon he was riding forth fully equipped on his quest, 
 accompanied by Hrothgar and many a good warrior. 
 They were able to follow the witch's tracks right through 
 the forest glades and across the gloomy moor, till they 
 came to a spot where some mountain trees bent over a hoar 
 rock, beneath which lay a dreary and troubled lake ; and 
 there beside the water's edge lay the head of Asher, and 
 they knew that the witch must be at the bottom of the water. 
 
 Full of grief, the warriors sat down, while Beowulf 
 arrayed himself in his cunningly fashioned coat of mail and 
 
BEOWULF AND GRENDEL 7 
 
 his richly ornamented helmet. Then he turned to 
 Hrothgar and spoke a last word to him. 
 
 "If the fight go against me, great chieftain, be thou a 
 guardian to my thanes, my kinsmen, and my trusty com- 
 rades ; and send thou to Higelac those treasures that thou 
 gavest me, that he may know thy kindness to me. Now 
 will I earn glory for myself, or death shall take me away." 
 
 So saying, he plunged into the gloomy lake, at the 
 bottom of which was Grendel's mother. Very soon she per- 
 ceived his approach, and rushing forth, grappled with him 
 and dragged him down to her den, where many horrible 
 sea-beasts joined in the fight against him. This den was 
 so fashioned that the water could not enter it, and it was lit 
 by the light of a fire that shone brightly in the midst of it. 
 
 And now Beowulf drew his sword and thrust at his ter- 
 rible foe ; but the weapon could not injure her, and he was 
 forced to fling it away and trust in the powerful grip of 
 his arms, as he had done with Grendel. Seizing the witch, 
 he shook her till she sank down on the ground : but she 
 quickly rose again and requited him with a terrible hand- 
 clutch, which caused Beowulf to stagger, and then fall. 
 Throwing herself upon him, she seized a dagger to strike 
 him ; but he wrenched himself free and once more stood 
 upright. 
 
 Then he suddenly perceived an ancient sword hanging 
 upon the wall of the den, and seized it as a last resource. 
 Fierce and savage, but wellnigh hopeless, he struck the 
 monster heavily upon the neck with it. Then, to his joy, 
 the blade pierced right through her body, and she sank 
 down dying. 
 
 At that moment the flames of the fire leapt up, throwing 
 a brilliant light over the den ; and there against the wall 
 Beowulf beheld the dead body of Grendel lying on a 
 couch. With one swinging blow of the powerful sword 
 he struck off his head, as a trophy to carry to Hrothgar. 
 
 But now a strange thing happened, for the blade of the 
 sword began to melt away even as ice melts, and soon 
 
8 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 nothing was left of it save the hilt. Carrying this and 
 Grendel's head, Beowulf now left the den and swam up- 
 wards to the surface of the lake. 
 
 There the thanes met him with great rejoicings, and 
 some quickly helped him to undo his armour, while others 
 prepared to carry the great head of Grendel back to 
 Heorot. It took four men to carry it, and ghastly, though 
 wonderful, was the sight of it. 
 
 And now once more the warriors assembled in Heorot, 
 and Beowulf recounted to Hrothgar the full tale of his 
 adventure and presented to him the hilt of the wonderful 
 sword. Again the king thanked him from the depth of 
 his heart for his valiant deeds ; and as before a fair feast 
 was prepared, and the warriors made merry till night came 
 and they repaired to rest, certain this time of their safety. 
 
 Now on the morrow Beowulf and his nobles made ready 
 to depart to their own land ; and when they were fully 
 equipped they went to bid farewell to Hrothgar. Then 
 Beowulf spoke, saying — 
 
 " Now are we voyagers eager to return to our lord 
 Higelac. We have been right well and heartily entertained, 
 O king, and if there is aught further that I can ever do for 
 thee, then I shall be ready for thy service. If ever I hear 
 that thy neighbours are again persecuting thee, I will bring 
 a thousand thanes to thy aid ; and I know that Higelac 
 will uphold me in this." 
 
 " Dear are thy words to me, O Beowulf," Hrothgar made 
 answer, " and great is thy wisdom. If Fate should take 
 away the life of Higelac, the Geats could have no better 
 king than thee ; and hereafter there shall never more be 
 feuds between the Danes and the Geats, for thou, by thy 
 great deeds, hast made a lasting bond of friendship 
 between them." 
 
 Then Hrothgar gave more gifts to Beowulf, and bade 
 him seek his beloved people, and afterwards come back 
 again to visit him, for so dearly had he grown to love him 
 that he longed to see him again. 
 
BEOWULF AND THE FIRE-DRAGON 9 
 
 So the two embraced and bade each other farewell with 
 great affection, and then at last Beowulf went down to 
 where his ship rode at anchor and sailed away with his 
 followers to his own country, taking with him the many 
 gifts that Hrothgar had made to him. And coming to 
 Higelac's court, he told him of his adventures, and having 
 shown him the treasure, gave it all up to him, so loyal and 
 true was he. But Higelac in return gave Beowulf a goodly 
 sword, and seven thousand pieces of gold, and a manor- 
 house also, a princely seat for him to dwell in. There 
 Beowulf lived in peace, and not for many years was he 
 called to fresh adventures. 
 
 II 
 
 BEOWULF AND THE FIRE-DRAGON 
 
 AFTER his return to the land of the Geats, Beowulf 
 served Higelac faithfully till the day of the kings 
 death, which befell in an expedition that he made to 
 Friesland. Beowulf was with him on that disastrous 
 journey, and only with difficulty did he escape with his 
 life. But when he returned as a poor solitary fugitive to 
 his people, Hygd, Higelac's wife, offered him the kingdom 
 and the king's treasures, for she feared that her young son 
 Heardred was not strong enough to hold the throne of his 
 fathers against invading foes. 
 
 Beowulf, however, would not accept the kingdom, but 
 rather chose to uphold Heardred among the people, 
 giving him friendly counsel, and serving him faithfully 
 and honourably. 
 
 But before very long Heardred was killed in battle ; and 
 then at last Beowulf consented to become king of the Geats. 
 
 For fifty years he ruled well and wisely, and his people 
 prospered. But at last trouble came in the ravages of 
 a terrible Dragon, and once more Beowulf was called 
 forth to a terrific combat. 
 
 For three hundred years this Dragon had kept watch 
 
10 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 over a hoard of treasure on a mountain by the sea-shore 
 in the country of the Geats. The treasure had been 
 hidden in a cave under the mountain by a band of sea- 
 robbers ; and when the last of them was dead, the Dragon 
 took possession of the cave and of the treasure and kept 
 fierce watch over them. 
 
 But one day a poor man came to the spot while the 
 Dragon was fast asleep, and carried off part of the 
 treasure to his master. 
 
 When the Dragon awoke he soon discovered the man's 
 footprints, and on examining the cave he found that part 
 of the gold and splendid jewels had disappeared. In 
 wrathful and savage mood he sought all round the 
 mountain for the robber, but could find no one. 
 
 So, when evening came, he went forth eager for 
 revenge, and throwing out flashes of fire in every direc- 
 tion, he began to set fire to all the land. Beowulf's 
 own princely manor-house was burnt down, and terrible 
 destruction was wrought on every hand, till day broke 
 and the Fire-Dragon returned to his den. 
 
 Great was Beowulf's grief at this dire misfortune, and 
 eager was his desire for vengeance. He scorned to seek 
 the foe with a great host behind him, nor did he dread the 
 combat in any way, for he called to mind his many feats 
 of war, and especially his fight with Grendel. 
 
 So he quickly had fashioned a mighty battle-shield, 
 made entirely of iron, for he knew that the wooden one 
 that he was wont to use would be burnt up by the flames 
 of the Fire-Dragon. Then he chose out eleven of his 
 earls, and together they set out for the mountain, led 
 thither by the man who had stolen the treasure. 
 
 When they came to the mouth of the cave Beowulf 
 bade farewell to his companions, for he was resolved to 
 fight single-handed against the foe. 
 
 " Many a fight have I fought in my youth," he said, " and 
 now once more will I, the guardian of my people, seek the 
 combat. I would not bear any sword or other weapon 
 
BEOWULF AND THE FIRE-DRAGON 11 
 
 against the Dragon if I thought that I could grapple with 
 him as I did with the monster Grendel. But I fear that 
 I shall not be able to approach so close to this foe, for he 
 will send forth hot, raging fire and venomous breath. 
 Yet am I resolute in mood, fearless, and resolved not to 
 yield one foot's-breadth to the monster. 
 
 " Tarry ye here on the hill, my warriors, and watch which 
 of us two will survive the deadly combat, for this is no enter- 
 prise for you. I only can attempt it, because such great 
 strength has been given to me. Therefore I will do battle 
 alone, and will either slay the Dragon and win the treasure 
 for my people, or fall in the fight, as Destiny shall appoint." 
 
 When he had spoken thus Beowulf strode forward to 
 the fight, armed with his iron shield, his sword and his 
 dagger. A stone arch spanned the mouth of the cave, 
 and on one side a boiling stream, hot as though with 
 raging fires, rushed forth. Undaunted by it, Beowulf 
 uttered a shout to summon the Dragon to the fight. 
 Immediately a burning breath from the monster came 
 out of the rock, the earth rumbled, and then the Dragon 
 rushed forth to meet his fate. 
 
 Standing with his huge shield held well before him, 
 Beowulf received the attack, and struck from beneath his 
 shield at the monster's side. But his blade failed him and 
 turned aside, and the blow but served to enrage the 
 Dragon, so that he darted forth such blasting rays of 
 deadly fire that Beowulf was wellnigh overwhelmed and 
 the fight went hard with him. 
 
 Now his eleven chosen comrades could see the combat 
 from where they stood ; and one of them, Beowulf's kins- 
 man Wiglaf, was moved to great sorrow at the sight of his 
 lord's distress. At last he could bear it no longer, but 
 grasped his wooden shield and his sword, and cried to the 
 other thanes — 
 
 " Remember how we promised our lord in the banquet- 
 hall, when he gave us our helmets and swords and battle- 
 gear, that we would one day repay him for his gifts. Now 
 
12 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 is the day come that our liege lord has need of the strength 
 of good warriors. We must go help him, even though he 
 thought to accomplish this mighty work alone, for we can 
 never return to our homes if we have not slain the enemy 
 and saved our king's life. Rather than live when he is 
 dead, I will perish with him in the deadly fire." 
 
 Then he rushed through the noisome smoke to his lord's 
 side, crying— 
 
 " Dear Beowulf, take courage. Remember thy boast 
 that thy valour should never fail thee in thy lifetime, and 
 defend thyself now with all thy might, and I will help thee." 
 
 But the other warriors were afraid to follow him, so that 
 Beowulf and Wiglaf stood alone to face the Dragon. 
 
 As soon as the monster advanced upon them, Wiglaf 's 
 wooden shield was burnt away by the flames, so that he 
 was forced to take refuge behind Beowulf's iron shield; 
 and this time, when Beowulf struck with his sword, it was 
 shivered to pieces. Then the Dragon flung himself upon 
 him and caught him up in his arms, crushing him till he 
 lay senseless and covered with wounds. 
 
 But now Wiglaf showed his valour and strength, and 
 smote the monster with such mighty blows that at last 
 the fire coming forth from him began to abate somewhat. 
 Then Beowulf came once more to his senses, and drawing 
 his deadly knife, struck with it from beneath ; and at last 
 the force of the blows from the two noble kinsmen felled 
 the fierce foe and he sank down dead beside them. 
 
 But Beowulf's wounds were very great, and he knew 
 that the joys of life were ended for him and that death 
 was very near. So while Wiglaf with wonderful tender- 
 ness unfastened his helmet for him and refreshed him 
 with water, he spoke, saying — 
 
 " Though I am sick with mortal wounds, there is yet 
 some comfort remaining for me. For I have governed 
 my people for fifty winters and kept them safe from 
 invading foes ; yet have not sought out quarrels, nor led 
 my kinsmen to dire slaughter when there was no need. 
 
BEOWULF AND THE FIRE-DRAGON 13 
 
 Therefore the Ruler of all men will not blame me when 
 my life departs from my body. 
 
 " And now go thou quickly, dear Wiglaf, to spy out the 
 treasure within the cave, so that I may see what wealth 
 I have won for my people before I die." 
 
 So Wiglaf went into the cave, and there he saw many 
 precious jewels, old vessels, helmets, gold armlets, and 
 other treasures, which excelled in beauty and number any 
 that mankind has ever known. Moreover, high above the 
 treasure flapped a marvellous gilded standard, from which 
 came a ray of light which lit up all the cave. 
 
 Then Wiglaf seized as much as he could carry of the 
 precious spoils, and taking the standard also, hastened 
 back to his lord, dreading lest he should find him already 
 dead. 
 
 Beowulf was very near his life's end, but when Wiglaf 
 had again revived him with water, he had strength to 
 speak once more. 
 
 " Glad am I," he said, " that I have been able before my 
 death to gain so much for my people. But now I may no 
 longer abide here. Bid the gallant warriors burn my body 
 on the headland here which juts into the sea, and after- 
 wards to raise a huge mound on the same spot, that the 
 sailors who drive their vessels over the misty floods may 
 call it Beowulf's Mound." 
 
 Then the dauntless prince undid the golden collar from 
 his neck, and gave it to Wiglaf with his helmet and coat 
 of mail, saying — 
 
 " Thou art the last of all our race, for Fate has swept 
 away all my kindred save thee to their doom, and now 
 I also must join them," and with these words the aged 
 king fell back dead. 
 
 Now as Wiglaf sat by his lord, grieving sorely at his 
 death, the other ten thanes who had shown themselves to 
 be faithless and cowardly approached with shame to his 
 side. Then Wiglaf turned to them, crying bitterly — 
 
 " Truly our liege-lord flung away utterly in vain the 
 
14 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 battle-gear that he gave ye. Little could he boast of his 
 comrades when the hour of need came. I myself was 
 able to give him some succour in the fight, but ye should 
 have stood by him also to defend him. But now the 
 giving of treasure shall cease for ye, and ye will be shamed 
 and will lose your land-right when the nobles learn of your 
 inglorious deed. Death is better for every earl than igno- 
 minious life." 
 
 After this Wiglaf summoned the other earls, and told 
 them of all that had happened and of the mound that 
 Beowulf wished them to build. Then they gathered to- 
 gether at the mouth of the cave, and gazed with tears 
 upon their lifeless lord, and looked with awe upon the 
 huge Dragon as it lay stiff in death beside its conqueror. 
 Afterwards, led by Wiglaf, seven chosen earls entered the 
 cave and brought forth all the treasure, while others 
 busied themselves in preparing the funeral pyre. 
 
 When all was ready, and the huge pile of wood had 
 been hung with helmets, war-shields, and bright coats of 
 mail, as befitted the funeral pyre of a noble warrior, the 
 earls brought their beloved lord's body to the spot and 
 laid it on the wood. Then they kindled the fire, and stood 
 by mourning and uttering sorrowful chants, while the 
 smoke rose up and the fire roared and the body was 
 consumed away. Afterwards they built a mound on the 
 hill, making it high and broad so that it could be seen 
 from very far away. Ten days they spent in building it ; 
 and because they desired to pay the highest of honours to 
 Beowulf, they buried in it the whole of the treasure that 
 the Dragon had guarded, for no price was too heavy 
 to pay as a token of their love for their lord. So the 
 treasure even now remains in the earth, as useless as it 
 was before. 
 
 When at last the mound was completed, the noble 
 warriors gathered together and rode round it, lamenting their 
 king and singing the praise of his valour and mighty deeds. 
 
 Thus mourned the people of the Geats for the fall of 
 
THE STORY OF C.EDMON 15 
 
 Beowulf, who of all kings in the world was the mildest and 
 kindest, the most gracious to his people, and the most 
 eager to win their praise. 
 
 The story of Beowulf is a legend which belo?iged in the first 
 place to Scandinavia, and was made the subject of an Old English 
 poem in the eighth century. 
 
 Ill 
 
 THE STORY OF CEDMON 
 
 IN a certain monastery, at the head of which was an 
 abbess, there was once a monk named Caedmon to 
 whom great honour was paid and who became very famous 
 by reason of a wonderful gift that he possessed. This gift 
 was the gift of writing poetry, and many were the beauti- 
 ful songs that he wrote. 
 
 He was not a learned man himself, and could not read 
 the sacred writings written in the Greek and Latin tongues 
 which the other monks were wont to study. But they 
 would tell him what they had read, and by the aid of the 
 gift that he had received he would make what they had 
 told him into wonderful poems, written in English, and 
 full of such beauty and power that all who read them were 
 inspired to lead better and holier lives than they had 
 done before. And though many among the English people 
 began afterwards to write sacred songs like those of Caed- 
 mon, yet none could do as he had done, because he had 
 not learnt the art of making poetry from any other man, 
 but had received it as a gift from God, in the manner 
 which you shall hear. 
 
 Until the time that he was growing old, Caedmon was 
 not a monk, but only a poor cowherd. Now it was the 
 custom in those days that when a feast was held, and the 
 guests had eaten and drunken, a harp should be passed 
 round among them, and each in turn should play and sing 
 for the pleasure and amusement of the company. But 
 Caedmon had never learnt any songs and knew not how 
 
16 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 to play the harp. So when he saw that his turn was 
 drawing near, he would rise from the table and go home 
 ashamed to his own house. 
 
 Now once when he had done this, he went out from the 
 banquet-house to the cattle-shed, the care of which had 
 been entrusted to him that night, and laid himself down 
 beside the oxen to sleep. And as he slept, it seemed to 
 him that there came One and stood beside him, and called 
 him by his name, saying — 
 
 11 Csedmon, sing Me something." 
 Then answered he and said — 
 
 " I cannot sing, and it was even for that reason that I 
 went out from the banquet and came hither." 
 But He that was speaking with him answered — 
 " Nevertheless thou shalt sing to Me." 
 Then said Caedmon — 
 " What shall I sing ? " 
 And He made answer — 
 "Sing to Me of the Creation." 
 
 So when Csedmon heard this he began forthwith to 
 sing in praise of God the Creator, using verse and words 
 which he had never heard before, and this is the order of 
 his song : — 
 
 Now will we honour the heavenly Guardian, 
 The might of the Maker, the thought of His Mind, 
 Glorious Father of man, Who made every marvel 
 In the beginning, the Lord God Eternal. 
 He first created the earth for His children, 
 With the heavens as a roof, the Holy Creator. 
 Yea, the mid-earth the Guardian of men 
 Ordained and created, the Lord God Eternal, 
 The earth for mankind, the Lord God Almighty. 
 
 Then Csedmon arose from sleep, keeping in his mind all 
 that which he had sung while sleeping, and soon he added 
 to it many more words of a song to God in the same metre. 
 
 On the morrow he went to the headman of the town 
 and told him of the gift which he had received ; and the 
 headman soon led him to the abbess of the monastery 
 and made known to her the story. 
 
THE STORY OF C^DMON 17 
 
 So the abbess bade all the most learned men come 
 together, and told Csedmon to relate his vision and sing 
 his song, so that they might decide how it was that he 
 had been able to write so beautiful a poem ; and when 
 they had listened to him, they were all agreed that a 
 heavenly gift had been given unto him from the Lord 
 Himself. Thereat they told him a certain holy tale, 
 bidding him, if he could, to turn it into poetry. So when 
 he had understood the story he betook himself to his 
 house, and coming again on the morrow, performed that 
 which he was bidden and sang the story in a beautiful poem. 
 
 Now the abbess loved the gift which God had given to 
 Caedmon and wished to help him to use it. So she bade 
 him become a monk, in order that he might learn many 
 sacred stories from the other monks and spend his time 
 in writing poems. To this he gladly consented, and she 
 received him into her own monastery and helped him to 
 learn the sacred histories. All that he could learn he 
 stored in his mind and pondered, even as a cow chews the 
 cud ; and afterwards he turned it into songs which were so 
 sweet and lovely that his very teachers learnt from the 
 words of his mouth. 
 
 He sang first of the world's creation and the beginning of 
 mankind, and all the story of Genesis (which is the first 
 book of Moses); and afterwards of the going out of the 
 people of Israel from the land of Egypt and their entry 
 into the promised land. Many other stories wrote he also 
 from the holy writings, and in all he wrote he strove to 
 help men to lead better lives and to love only that which 
 is good. For he was in all things a most holy man, and 
 was kindled with a great and burning fervour to save those 
 who would do evil. 
 
 Now when the time of his death drew near, he was very 
 weak and ill for fourteen days, but nevertheless he was 
 able to continue his usual life and did not take to his bed. 
 There was in the neighbourhood of the monastery a house 
 for the sick, and the custom was that those who were ill 
 
 2 
 
18 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 and dying should be taken thither from the monastery, so 
 that they might all be cared for together there ; but for 
 the first fourteen days of his illness Caedmon would not 
 go thither. 
 
 But on the night that he was about to leave the world, 
 he bade his servant prepare him a bed in that house that 
 he might rest there. The servant wondered at this, for 
 he did not think that his master's death was so near ; 
 nevertheless he did what he was bidden. 
 
 So Csedmon went to rest in the sick-house, and with a 
 cheerful mind he talked and jested with those who were 
 therein. But after midnight he asked whether they all 
 thought kindly of him and bore him no grudge ; and they 
 answered with one accord that he was most dear to them 
 and that they had no fault to find with him. Then in 
 their turn they asked him if he had anything against them, 
 and he answered — 
 
 " My brothers so dear, I feel nothing but love towards 
 you and towards all God's people." 
 
 Then he asked how near the time was when the 
 brothers would be going forth to teach the people and to 
 sing their morning chant ; and when they said, " It is not 
 far hence," he answered — 
 
 " It is well ; let us joyfully await the time"; and laying 
 his head on the pillow, in a little while he fell asleep, and 
 so peacefully ended his life. 
 
 The story of Ccedmon ivas told by King Alfred in a translation 
 that he made of a book by the Vejierable Bede which ivas writte?i 
 in Latin. 
 
 IV 
 
 THE STORY OF THE FIGHT AT MALDON 
 
 NEAR the town of Maldon, in Essex, flows the River 
 Panta, or Blackwater, as it is now called ; and on 
 its banks was once fought one of the fiercest fights that 
 ever took place between the Danes and the English. The 
 river is divided into two branches, and on the strip of land 
 
THE STORY OF THE FIGHT AT MALDON 19 
 
 between them the Danish sea-warriors were stationed, 
 while the English, with their leader Brygtnoth at their 
 head, were on the other side of one of the streams. 
 
 Then Brygtnoth bade his men dismount from their 
 horses and go forth to battle, trusting in the might of 
 their arms and their good purpose. One of the warriors 
 was playing with a hawk, so little did he fear the fight ; 
 but now he loosed it from his hand, and as it flew to the 
 woods strode forth to the battle ; and all men could see 
 by his bold countenance that he at least would not flag 
 in the fight. Eadric also stepped forth, eager to fight for 
 his lord, and bearing his weapons in readiness. Of good 
 courage was he as he gripped his shield and broadsword, 
 for now was his boast that he would fight before his lord 
 about to be fulfilled. 
 
 Then Brygtnoth began to encourage his men. He rode 
 and he counselled ; he taught the warriors how they should 
 stand, keeping each his appointed place, and bade them 
 hold their spears upright and firm, fearing naught ; and 
 when he had full nobly exhorted his people, he sprang 
 from his horse amid those of his retainers whom he knew 
 to be most faithful and who were most dear to him. 
 
 Now soon a messenger from the Vikings stood forth on 
 the bank of the river and shouted boastfully to Brygtnoth — 
 
 " The swift sea-warriors send me to thee, bidding me 
 say that thou must quickly send bracelets and rings to 
 win safety for thyself and for thy people ; for it were 
 better to pay tribute to keep back our attack than to let 
 us deal fierce battle to you. We need not destroy you 
 if you will perform this, for we will make a firm truce in 
 exchange for your gold. If thou, who art most powerful 
 here, counsellest thus thy people, we will go to our ships 
 with the tribute and leave you in peace." 
 
 But Brygtnoth grasped his spear, and with angry and 
 resolute mien made answer — 
 
 " Listen, O seafarer, to what this people saith. The 
 tribute that they will pay you shall be one of spears and 
 
20 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 swords, nor shall your own weapons avail you in the fight. 
 Give to thy people, O messenger of pirates, tidings of 
 hatred. Say that a noble earl stands here with his army, 
 who will defend this country, the home of Ethelred ; yea, 
 and ye heathen shall perish in the fight. Great shame 
 does it seem to me that you should go scathless to your 
 ships with our tribute ; you shall not obtain the treasure 
 so easily. For ere we give you tribute, the spear and the 
 sword shall be satisfied." 
 
 Thus he spake, and ordered his men to go forward, 
 bearing their shields, till they stood upon the river-bank. 
 Yet neither army could come to the other, for the water 
 of Panta's stream flowed between them, and only by the 
 flight of the arrows could one side injure the other. 
 
 But soon the tide began to go out, and then many a 
 sea-warrior stood ready and eager to begin the fight. 
 The Danes would have to cross the stream by a ford ; 
 and Brygtnoth bade the bold warrior Wulfstan, Ceola's 
 son, go to hold it, taking with him JEHheve and Maccus, 
 men of dauntless courage. On no account would they 
 leave their post, but would fight steadfastly as long as 
 they could wield their weapons. 
 
 Now when the enemy found these fierce guardians at 
 the ford, they tried to deceive them, begging that they 
 might lead their troops unharmed over the stream ; and 
 Brygtnoth, in his pride, granted their boon, crying — 
 
 " Now is the way laid open for ye. Come ye quickly to 
 us, and bring your warriors to the battle." 
 
 So the host of the Vikings bore their shields and their 
 spears over the bright water to where Brygtnoth and his 
 followers stood ready ; and Brygtnoth bade his men form 
 the battle-hedge with their shields and hold fast against 
 the enemy. 
 
 Now was the hour of battle near, and soon the doomed 
 men were to die. The cry of battle arose, and the ravens 
 circled round, eager for prey. 
 
 Then the sharp javelins began to fly, bows were kept 
 
THE STORY OF THE FIGHT AT MALDON 21 
 
 busy, and shields were gripped. Bitter was the onslaught, 
 and many a warrior fell, Wulfmaer, the kinsman of Brygt- 
 noth, among them. But he was soon avenged, for Edward, 
 the chamberlain, stayed not his blows till a Danish warrior 
 lay dead at his feet. 
 
 Thus, stern of purpose, the warriors fought, and each 
 strove to be the first to take the life of an enemy. 
 
 But ere long a Viking sent forth a dart which wounded 
 Brygtnoth. Full of wrath, he thrust with his spear and 
 pierced the man through the neck. Then he struck at 
 another and slew him, and rejoiced at the deeds he had 
 wrought. 
 
 But another dart flew from an enemy's hand and struck 
 the noble thane. Then Wulfmaer the Young, who stood 
 by his lord, drew the dart from the wound and sent it 
 forth again fiercely, and it struck him who had wounded 
 Brygtnoth to the ground. 
 
 Meanwhile a warrior drew nigh to the earl, eager to 
 seize his rings and armlets and his richly ornamented 
 sword. Brygtnoth drew the weapon from its sheath and 
 struck at the other's corselet ; but one of the Vikings 
 quickly stayed his arm and the gold-hilted sword fell 
 to the ground. Then the old warrior, feeling that he had 
 received his death-wound, spoke a last word of good cheer 
 to his brave comrades, bidding them press forward in the 
 fight ; and looking up to the heavens he cried — 
 
 " I thank Thee, Ruler of all men, for all the joys that I 
 have had in this world. Now, merciful God, I desire that 
 Thou grant my soul bliss, that it may depart in peace, and 
 journey to Thee, the Lord of the angels ; and I beseech 
 Thee also that these fiends may not conquer us." 
 
 Then the heathens hewed him down ; and both the meiy 
 who stood on either side of him, ^Elfnoth and Wulfmaer, 
 gave up their lives beside their lord. 
 
 Now those who had no spirit for the fight began to take 
 flight when they saw their lord fall, and foremost among 
 them were the sons of Odda. Godric was one, to whom 
 
22 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Brygtnoth had many a time shown favour ; but now he 
 leapt upon the horse which belonged to his lord, taking his 
 trappings of war also, though shameful was the act, and 
 he and his two brothers, Godrinc and Godwig, galloped off 
 to the woods, caring nothing for the battle. 
 
 Many others also went with them, forgetful of the 
 benefits that Brygtnoth had wrought for them. Even so 
 had Offa one day foretold it, saying that though many 
 spoke boldly in the assembly, yet in the time of need 
 their courage would be found wanting. 
 
 But the proud thanes who stayed behind pressed forward 
 eagerly, for they longed either to lose their lives or to 
 avenge their lord ; and a young warrior, ^Elfwin, en- 
 couraged the others, crying boldly — 
 
 " Remember the boasts that we made at the banquet 
 concerning the day of battle. Now shall we see who is in 
 good sooth brave. I will make known my noble birth to 
 all men ; for my father was Ealhelm, a wise and rich 
 alderman of a clan that is great among the Mercians. 
 Now therefore shall no man among my people twit me, 
 saying that I fled from this army to my home when my 
 lord lay hewn to pieces in the battle. Great is my grief at 
 his death, for he was both my kinsman and my lord." 
 
 Then he pressed on to the forefront of the battle, and 
 soon he lay dead with his weapon beside him. 
 
 Now after this Offa bade his comrades go forward, and 
 shaking his spear he cried — 
 
 " Lo ! thou, JElhv'm, hast nobly encouraged the thanes ; 
 now that our lord is dead, we have great need to put heart 
 into each other. For Godric, the coward, has betrayed us, 
 and turned many a man from the battle, when he rode 
 away on the horse that was our lord's ; for then was our 
 army divided and our shield-array broken up." 
 
 Leofson spoke also, raising on high his linden-shield. 
 
 " I swear," quoth he, " that I will not flee a single step 
 hence, but rather will go forward, to avenge our lord. The 
 men of Stourmere, where I live, shall not taunt me, now 
 
THE STORY OF THE FIGHT AT MALDON 23 
 
 that the earl is dead, saying that I went home from the 
 battle without a master ; for the cold steel of the weapon's 
 point shall take away my life." 
 
 And with these words he strode forth fiercely, scornful of 
 flight, and did battle without flinching. 
 
 Then Dunhere, the old freeman, cried aloud to them all, 
 bidding each man avenge the death of Brygtnoth. 
 
 " He who thinks to wreak the earl's death on the foe," he 
 said, " must neither hesitate, nor care aught for his life." 
 
 So now all the warriors joined together in the onslaught, 
 and called upon God to give them vengeance. There was 
 with them also a hostage, named Ashferth, a man of 
 Northumbria ; and he, plying his arrows rapidly, fought 
 with great valour, dealing many a death-wound to the 
 enemy. 
 
 At length Edward the Tall stood forth, eager and 
 ready, boasting that he too would not turn back a foot's 
 length since his lord lay dead ; and breaking through the 
 wall of shields, he fought hand to hand with the enemy, 
 and worthily avenged the earl's death. So also did 
 ^Etheric and many another ; and the din and stress of 
 conflict waxed great. Many a bold warrior fell, and many 
 encouraged the others, bidding them fight resolutely and 
 yield nothing. Of these Brygtwold was one, an aged 
 retainer whose words were of the bravest. 
 
 " Let your courage be fiercer, your spirits be bolder, 
 your purpose more steadfast as our forces grow smaller," 
 he cried. " Here lies our good leader all hewn to pieces 
 in the dust, and he who departs at this hour from the battle 
 will for ever repent it. I am now old in years, but I shall 
 not flee : rather I think to lie beside my lord, and beside 
 the many dear comrades who have fallen in the fight." 
 
 In like manner also did Godric exhort them all, and 
 then sprang at their head into the fight, dealing death- 
 blows to the Vikings, till he too perished ; but this was not 
 the Godric who had fled from the battle. 
 
 Then the conflict grew sterner ; yet the warriors stood 
 
24 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 steadfast, though many sank down, worn out by their 
 wounds, and destruction fell upon them. But the Danes 
 far outnumbered their foes, and at last all Brygtnoth's 
 followers lay dead and the victory fell to the invaders ; 
 but from that day to this the English have received all 
 honour for the gallant fight that they made. 
 
 The fight at Maldon, which took place between the English and 
 the Danes at the end of the tenth century, was described by a poet 
 zvho zuas probably himself an eye-witness of the battle. 
 
 V 
 
 THE STORY OF VORTIGER AND CONSTANCE 
 
 ONCE there dwelt in Britain a king who was named 
 Constantin ; and he had three sons, Constance, 
 Aurelius, and Uther. 
 
 Now when Constance had grown old enough to ride the 
 king was advised to send him to Winchester to be made 
 a monk ; but Aurelius and Uther remained in the court 
 under the care of a good archbishop named Guencelin. 
 
 But Constantin did not live long to rule his kingdom, 
 for he was done to death by a wicked traitor, and sorrow 
 fell among his people. Moreover, they knew not what to 
 do, for Constance was a monk, and Aurelius and Uther 
 were too young to reign. So they assembled together in 
 London to take counsel, and at last decided to make 
 Aurelius king in spite of his youth. 
 
 But a certain crafty man named Vortiger advised them 
 to wait for a fortnight and consider the matter further 
 and then to meet again. To this they agreed, and all 
 departed to their homes. 
 
 Then Vortiger, who owned a part of Wales, and had 
 with him a retinue of forty good knights from his estate, 
 rode to Winchester, and asked leave of the abbot who 
 governed the monastery where Constance was a monk to 
 
THE STORY OF VORTIGER AND CONSTANCE 25 
 
 be allowed to speak to the king's young son ; and the 
 abbot granted him his request. So Constance was sum- 
 moned, and Vortiger said to him — 
 
 " Constance, hearken to my counsel, for now is thy father 
 dead, and the elders have chosen Aurelius for their king. 
 But I have opposed them, and if thou wilt swear an oath 
 to me that thou wilt increase my land and wilt make me 
 thy steward, I will take off thy monk's robes and make 
 thee king of Britain." 
 
 Constance was well pleased at these words and readily 
 swore to do as Vortiger wished. 
 
 Then Vortiger the Crafty took a cloak belonging to one 
 of his knights and put it on the boy, and led him out of 
 the place where they were holding speech together, and 
 bade him ride away from the monastery ; and he put 
 the monk's robes on a knight and pretended to be talking 
 with him, so that when the other monks passed by they 
 were deceived and thought that it was Constance. 
 
 At last Vortiger arose and departed from the monastery 
 with his knights ; and then the monks found that Con- 
 stance had gone too. 
 
 So the abbot leapt upon his horse and rode after 
 Vortiger, and overtook him, and bade him give up Con- 
 stance. But Vortiger swore to hang him if he did not 
 immediately release the king's son from his vows as 
 a monk ; and the abbot durst not refuse him, and so was 
 forced to unhood Constance forthwith. 
 
 After this Vortiger rode on his way towards London, 
 and he bade his knights keep secret all that had happened 
 till the appointed day of meeting came. 
 
 Now a great company of people came together on that 
 day, and again they agreed to make Aurelius king, for 
 Uther was too little, they said, and Constance was a monk, 
 and they did not think it right to make a monk king. 
 But when he heard their decision Vortiger leapt to his 
 feet in the assembly, looking fierce as a lion, and cried out 
 that Constance was no longer a monk, for the abbot had 
 
26 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 unhooded him ; and when he had spoken thus, he brought 
 forth the boy before them all, saying — 
 
 " Lo, here is he who shall be king of Britain, and who- 
 ever gainsays it shall pay dearly for his words." 
 
 At this they were all afraid and durst not say anything. 
 So Vortiger took the crown and set it on Constance's 
 head, and he became king, and made Vortiger his steward, 
 as he had promised to do. But Constance knew nothing 
 of the laws of the land and how to govern it, for he had 
 only learnt the duties of a monk, so that he was very much 
 in Vortiger's power. Now one day Vortiger came to him, 
 and said that it was rumoured that the kings of Norway, 
 Denmark, Russia, and Scotland were all coming to make 
 war upon his kingdom, and that he must send for strong 
 knights to fill his castles and defend his land. 
 
 Constance agreed readily to this, and Vortiger took his 
 leave with an evil laugh, and straightway sent messengers 
 to Scotland inviting three hundred of the best knights 
 among the Picts to come to the court in London. 
 
 Soon the knights arrived, and Vortiger greeted them 
 gladly. 
 
 " Knights," he said, " you are welcome. I have this 
 kingdom entirely in my power, and you shall dwell 
 with me, and I will bring you before the king, and you 
 shall have silver and gold and fine raiment, and the best 
 horses in the land, if you will hold me for your lord." 
 
 Then the knights answered with one accord, " We will" ; 
 and Vortiger gave them high places in the court, and 
 loaded them with presents, and even took away the goods 
 of the Britons to give them to the Picts. 
 
 So for two years the knights dwelt at the court, till one 
 day the wicked Vortiger made a treacherous plan. He 
 invited all the Picts to eat with him at an inn, and when 
 they sat with him at the board, he gave them many kinds 
 of drinks and kept them revelling till the day was nearly 
 spent. Then when he saw that they were drunk he said 
 to them — 
 
THE STORY OF VORTIGER AND CONSTANCE 27 
 
 " Hearken now to me, knights, and I will tell you of a 
 great sorrow that troubles me. The king made me the 
 steward of this land, but I have to yield up to him all the 
 tribute money that I take in my stewardship ; and now I 
 have spent all my own wealth to please you, and have 
 nothing more to give to you who are dearer to me than 
 "any men. Therefore I must depart hence, and go to serve 
 some other king and gain wealth with him ; and if I thrive 
 well I will come again and reward you for your services. 
 And now farewell, for I must go hence to-night, and it 
 may be that you will never see me more." 
 
 When he had spoken thus, he saddled his horse and 
 rode away with twelve knights as though he were depart- 
 ing out of the land. 
 
 Now the Picts believed all the treacherous words that 
 he had spoken, and when he had gone they took counsel 
 together, and agreed to slay Constance and make Vortiger 
 king in his stead. 
 
 So they rode away to the court and passed through the 
 hall to the king's chamber, where they found him sitting 
 by the fire. Then one of their number named Gille Cal- 
 laet spoke to the king and asked him to give them some 
 beer to drink, and Constance ordered some drink to be 
 brought for them, and they began to revel. 
 
 But presently Gille Callaet cried out — 
 
 " Where are ye, knights ? Bestir yourselves forthwith." 
 
 Then they seized the king and smote off his head, and 
 slew all his knights beside him. 
 
 Now when they had carried out their wicked deed, they 
 sent a messenger to London whither Vortiger had gone, 
 bidding him come and take the kingdom for his own. 
 
 Meanwhile Vortiger had made a yet more treacherous 
 plan than any he had made before. When the messenger 
 came he bade him ride back to the Picts and bid them 
 all await him where they were, until he came to divide the 
 land among them. Then he sent over all London, bidding 
 the people come together for a meeting ; and when the 
 
28 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 townsmen were assembled, he began to weep and sigh 
 most sorrowfully. 
 
 So the townsmen asked what grieved him, and he replied 
 with cunning speech, saying — 
 
 " Alas, a great calamity is come to the land. I have 
 been your king's steward, and have loved him as my life ; 
 but he would not take my advice, and now misfortune has 
 befallen him. He loved the Picts, but he gave them no 
 reward for their services. I spent my wealth for them 
 while it lasted, and I was even now on my way to my own 
 land in Wales to collect the tribute owing to me, and then 
 return to the court. But when the Picts saw that there 
 was no longer any one who would give them riches, they 
 entered the king's chamber and slew him ; and now they 
 think to destroy us all, and choose a king from among 
 themselves. But I will avenge my lord, and every brave 
 man will help me. I will put on my battle gear and set 
 forth straightway." 
 
 The people were greatly stirred by these words, and 
 soon thirty hundred knights marched out of London 
 behind Vortiger the Traitor and hastened to the place 
 where the Picts were assembled. But at first Vortiger 
 pretended that he was come in peace and sent a message 
 to them asking them to receive him. 
 
 So they came forth unarmed, carrying with them the 
 king's head. Now when Vortiger saw it he began to 
 mourn and lament, though inwardly he rejoiced in his 
 wicked heart ; and presently he cried to his followers — 
 
 " Every brave man lay on them with the sword and 
 avenge our lord the king." 
 
 Then the Britons fell upon the Picts and slew every 
 one of them, and sought out their servants and slew them 
 also, so that there was not a Pict left in the land. 
 
 Now when they heard that Constance was dead, the 
 wise men who had charge of Aurelius and Uther were 
 afraid of Vortiger. So they took the children over the sea 
 into Lesser Britain and delivered them to King Biduz, 
 
THE STORY OF VORTIGER AND HENGEST 29 
 
 who ruled there ; and he received them kindly, for he was 
 their kinsman and their friend, and was glad to bring them 
 up in his own court. 
 
 But Vortiger the Traitor was made king in Britain, and 
 all the strong towns lay in his power, and he ruled harshly 
 and oppressed the people. 
 
 Nevertheless all did not go well with him, for he was 
 continually troubled by the Picts, who came out of their 
 own land and did great harm by their ravages in his king- 
 dom ; for they sought to avenge their kinsmen whom he 
 had slain. 
 
 VI 
 
 THE STORY OF VORTIGER AND HENGEST 
 
 WHEN Vortiger had been ruling in Britain for some 
 time, there came a day when strange tidings were 
 brought to him. Three ships had come over the sea and 
 sailed up the Thames, bearing three hundred knights, 
 besides the sailors who manned the ships. 
 
 So Vortiger sent a messenger to the strangers asking 
 them their business and whether they were come in peace ; 
 and they sent back word that they desired to speak to him 
 peaceably, and that if he would receive them they would 
 serve him, and hold him as their lord. 
 
 So the knights were brought to Vortiger's court at Canter- 
 bury, and he welcomed them gladly and asked them whence 
 they came. Then the eldest of them answered — 
 
 " Listen to me, Lord King, and I will make known to 
 you what knights we are and whence we come. I am 
 called Hengest, and this is Hors, my brother. We come 
 from Saxland in Alemaine, a rich land where the people 
 are so numerous that every fifteen years we draw lots 
 among ourselves, and those upon whom the lot falls must 
 leave their country and go to a foreign land on pain of 
 death. So now the lot has fallen upon us, and we are 
 come to seek service under thee." 
 
 Vortiger rejoiced when he heard Hengest's speech, for 
 
30 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 he thought that these foreign knights would help him 
 against the Picts. So Hengest and Hors and all their 
 Saxon kinsmen were received into the court, and Vortiger 
 paid them great honour, and even favoured them more 
 than he did his own knights. 
 
 Xot long after this tidings came to the court that the 
 Picts had crossed the Humber and were ravaging the 
 country in the north. Then Vortiger sent Hengest and 
 Hors with the Saxon knights to do battle for him, and 
 they overcame the Picts and drove them back into their 
 own land. 
 
 After this the Saxons were in higher favour with the 
 king than ever. But Hengest wished to make himself 
 more powerful still, so he devised a cunning plan to deceive 
 Vortiger. 
 
 He told him that he had often heard the courtiers 
 whisper secretly among themselves that they hated the 
 king, and that they wished Aurelius and Uther would 
 come to avenge their brother Constance's death upon him. 
 In order that Vortiger might be safe if Aurelius did come 
 back, or if the Britons rose in rebellion, Hengest suggested 
 that he should send for some more of his kinsfolk to come 
 to Britain. But if he did this, Vortiger must give him a 
 royal castle to dwell in, where he might be safe from the 
 jealousy of the Britons ; and in return the king should 
 have Hengest's daughter Rouwenne for his wife. 
 
 Vortiger was pleased with this plan, and promised to 
 cnve Hensrest all manner of riches for his kinsfolk if thev 
 
 O O y 
 
 came to Britain ; but he said that he could not give 
 Hengest the castle, because his people would reproach him 
 too bitterly for it. Then the wily Hengest begged that 
 instead of the castle he might have as much land as a bull's 
 hide would cover, and Vortiger agreed to give him the land. 
 So Hengest sent messengers to Alemaine to fetch his 
 kinsfolk, and then he took the hide of a strong wild bull and 
 set forth to find a fair spot on which to spread the hide. 
 Now when he had found a place that pleased him, he took 
 
THE STORY OF VORTIGER AND HENGEST 31 
 
 the hide and laid it on a board ; and he sharpened his 
 shears and cut the skin into a long, narrow thong, like a 
 thread of twine. With this he enclosed a great piece of 
 land, and on it he built a strong castle with a moat and a 
 stone wall surrounding it ; and he named the castle 
 Thongchester, and so it was called for many years, till the 
 Danes came and drove out those who dwelt there and gave 
 it the name of Lancaster. 
 
 In the meantime Hengest's wife and daughter and kins- 
 men had come to Britain, and he received them into his 
 castle and invited Vortiger to a feast in honour of their 
 arrival. So they made great revelry together, and in the 
 midst of the banquet Hengest's daughter Rouwenne came 
 forth clad in splendid robes, and she and Vortiger were 
 wedded, as Hengest had promised. 
 
 Not long after this the king himself made a feast and 
 invited all the knights in the land to it. But the Britons 
 refused to go, because the king showed so much greater 
 favour to Hengest and his knights than towards themselves. 
 
 Now when Hengest heard of this, he again went to 
 Vortiger with wily counsel. There were yet left in 
 Alemaine two of Hengest's strongest kinsmen, Octa his 
 son and Ebissa his son-in law ; and Hengest now proposed 
 that they also should come to Britain to defend Vortiger 
 against his enemies, bringing with them as large a com- 
 pany of knights as they could gather together. 
 
 Again Vortiger agreed to Hengest's plans, and soon 
 afterwards a great company of Saxon warriors came sail- 
 ing in their ships to Britain and spread all over the land, 
 so that they almost outnumbered the Britons. 
 
 But when the Britons saw how many strangers had come 
 to live in their country, they went to the king with sorrow- 
 ful hearts and begged him to drive the Saxons out. 
 
 " For if thou*wilt not," they said, " we will make a great 
 fight and drive them from the land ourselves, or else die in 
 the attempt and leave this realm to these strangers." 
 
 But Vortiger answered — 
 
32 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 " By my life, I will not turn these men away ! Hengest 
 is my father, and I am his son, and his daughter Rouwenne 
 is my wife. Moreover, I have sent for Octa and his 
 companions to be my guests. How may I for very shame 
 forsake my dear friends and drive them from my land ? " 
 
 Then the Britons answered sorrowfully — 
 
 " Nevermore, then, will we obey thy commands, nor come 
 to thy court, nor hold thee for king. But we will hate thee 
 with great strength and seek to do harm to all thy 
 foreign friends." 
 
 So they went out of the king's presence and betook 
 themselves to London, where a great meeting was assem- 
 bled to decide what might best be done. 
 
 Now Vortiger had three sons who were the children of 
 his first wife, and their names were Vortimer, Pascent, and 
 Catiger. These three all came to the meeting, for they 
 were loyal Britons and hated the Saxon knights. Then 
 the people took Vortimer and made him their king with 
 much rejoicing ; and he at once sent a bold message to 
 Hengest and Hors, bidding them depart out of Britain, or 
 they would soon suffer death at his hands. 
 
 Hengest, however, sent back a defiant answer, and Vorti- 
 mer began immediately to gather together a great army. 
 
 In a few days a great company of warriors marched 
 out of London with Vortimer and Catiger at their head to 
 meet Vortiger and Hengest and their forces ; and soon the 
 two armies, numbering sixty thousand men, met on the 
 banks of the River Darwent. 
 
 Then a great battle took place, for each side fought with 
 might and valour. Many were the men who fell, but most 
 fell on Hengest's side ; and once a fierce encounter took 
 place between Hors and Catiger, and both were sorely 
 wounded. But at last Hengest and Vortiger took to flight 
 with all their followers, and Vortimer and the Britons 
 pursued them. 
 
 They fled till they came to the Kentish coast opposite 
 the Isle of Thanet ; there they turned and faced their 
 
THE STORY OF THE RETURN OF AURELIUS 33 
 
 enemies, and another fierce combat took place. But again 
 the Saxons were worsted, and at last they leapt into the 
 ships that lay at anchor in the Thames and rowed towards 
 the island, hoping to find refuge there. But the Britons 
 found other boats, and followed them, and began to strike 
 at them and shoot them once more. 
 
 Then Hengest took a spear-shaft that was long and 
 tough, and put on the end of it a fair mantle to make 
 a flag of truce, and called out to the Britons, asking for a 
 parley, and saying that he would send Vortiger to them to 
 make an agreement. 
 
 So the Britons went back to Vortimer on the mainland, 
 and Hengest called Vortiger to him and spoke to him 
 secretly ; and then Vortiger went over to the mainland, 
 bearing a wand of peace in his hand. 
 
 But while Vortimer and his father were talking together, 
 the Saxons suddenly leapt into their ships once more, and 
 hoisting their sails as quickly as possible, sailed away 
 towards the open sea, leaving Vortiger and all their wives 
 and children to their fate. Great was Vortiger's grief as 
 he saw them go, for now he had not a single friend left to 
 help him to regain his throne, and no man would give him 
 anything but reproaches. 
 
 But the Britons were full of joy at their deliverance 
 from the foreign knights who had dwelt in their country 
 for so long and obtained so much power for themselves 
 The young king, Vortimer, was a mild yet powerful king 
 and ruled his people wisely, so that all the nation loved 
 him greatly, and once more for a time the Britons lived in 
 peace and prosperity. 
 
 VII 
 
 THE STORY OF THE RETURN OF AURELIUS 
 
 VORTIMER ruled over the Britons for five years. 
 But Rouwenne, his stepmother, was plotting all the 
 time to avenge her kinsmen and to win back her husband's 
 power. She did not do this openly, but pretended to be 
 3 
 
34 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 friendly towards Vortimer, sending him presents of gold 
 and silver and other treasures, and asking him humbly to 
 allow her to live in peace with Vortiger. This request he 
 granted, for he knew nothing of her treachery. 
 
 At last one day Rouwenne went to Vortimer and told 
 him that she had come to be baptized, for she and all the 
 Saxons were heathens. At this he rejoiced greatly, for he 
 had long wished that she would receive the Christian faith. 
 So he ordered trumpets to be sounded as a sign of thanks- 
 giving, and he summoned his courtiers to feast with him, 
 and called forth his harpers to play during the banquet. 
 
 Now in the midst of the feast Rouwenne arose from her 
 seat, and taking a golden bowl, she filled it with wine and 
 carried it to the king before all the people. And first she 
 drank half of the wine herself; but before she offered the 
 cup to Vortimer, she poured into it some poison from 
 a little phial that she had hidden in her dress. 
 
 The king took the cup from her and drank up the 
 wine, and the feast went on merrily. 
 
 When night came the courtiers separated, and Rouwenne 
 went to her inn and all her knights with her. But she 
 did not stay for her evil deed to be discovered. Bidding 
 her followers saddle their horses at once, she rode away 
 with them secretly and in haste to Thongchester, where 
 she shut herself into the castle, telling Vortiger that 
 Vortimer was coming to besiege it. 
 
 In the meanwhile Vortimer had discovered that he had 
 taken poison, and he soon saw that nothing could save his 
 life. So he summoned all his knights, and divided among 
 them his lands and his riches, and begged them to make 
 ready to defend themselves against the Saxons, for he felt 
 sure that when he was dead Hengest would return to 
 Britain. 
 
 So Vortimer the king died and was buried in London 
 amidst great mourning. 
 
 But afterwards the Britons listened to the evil advice of 
 foolish men among themselves, for they took the crown 
 
THE STORY OF THE RETURN OF AURELIUS 35 
 
 and offered it once more to the wicked Vortiger, and 
 delivered to him all the kingdom of Britain. 
 
 As soon as he was king again, Vortiger sent word to 
 Hengest, inviting him to come back to Britain. But he 
 bade him bring with him only a hundred knights, lest the 
 Britons should be angered again. 
 
 Soon, however, tidings came to Vortiger which filled 
 him with anxiety. Hengest had sailed up the Thames to 
 London with seven hundred ships, in each of which there 
 were three hundred knights. The message that he sent to 
 Vortiger was one of peace, however. 
 
 " I have come hither," he said, " to dwell in peace, and 
 I will love all this nation, and Vortiger the king also. 
 I have brought with me a company of the bravest knights 
 that dwell under the sun, and on an appointed day I will 
 lead them to the king before all his people. Then he shall 
 choose from them two hundred knights to fight for him 
 and guard him from his enemies, and the rest shall return 
 again to Saxland in peace and amity." 
 
 So Vortiger appointed a day and a place for the meet- 
 ing ; and it was agreed that neither the Britons nor the 
 Saxons should carry any weapons on that day, as a proof 
 of their friendship and their good faith in each other. 
 
 But the traitor Hengest bade his men hide long knives 
 under their hose and be ready to use them when he gave 
 the signal. 
 
 When the two companies of knights met Hengest greeted 
 the king with fair words, and soon the Britons and the Saxons 
 were riding up and down together, and talking as though 
 they were brothers. But suddenly Hengest cried out — 
 
 " Take your knives, my good warriors, and bestir your- 
 selves bravely, sparing none." 
 
 Then the Saxons seized their weapons and fell upon 
 the Britons, killing them by hundreds, for they had nothing 
 but stones with which to defend themselves. Vortig-er 
 himself would soon have teen slain, but Hengest protected 
 him, crying — 
 
36 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 " Stop, my knights ; ye shall not destroy him, for he has 
 suffered many troubles on our account, and moreover he 
 has my fair daughter Rouwenne as his queen. But if he 
 wishes to live he must deliver his kingdom to us." 
 
 Then Vortiger was bound in irons, and given no food, 
 nor allowed to speak with any man, till he had sworn a 
 solemn oath to give up the kingdom to Hengest. 
 
 So now Hengest became king of Britain, and divided up 
 all the richest part of the land among his followers, giving 
 Kent to one knight, and Essex to his steward, and Middle- 
 sex to his chamberlain ; and Vortiger fled away over the 
 Severn into Wales and tarried there with a small retinue. 
 
 But he had still a great many riches hoarded away, and 
 he now offered a reward to any knight who would come 
 and enter his service. Soon, therefore, many a Briton and 
 many a Scot came riding into Wales, till at last Vortiger 
 had assembled a force of sixty thousand men. 
 
 He then took counsel with them as to where he might 
 build a castle which he could hold against Hengest ; and 
 a wise man from among his knights advised him to build 
 it on the mount of Reir, in the west of Wales. 
 
 So Vortiger went thither with all his warriors, and they 
 set to work to build the castle. They dug a ditch for the 
 foundations of the first wall and piled up stones one on 
 the other with the aid of machines, using lime to bind the 
 stones together. 
 
 But during the night the wall fell down. On the 
 morrow, therefore, they had to build it up again ; but 
 again it fell down in the night, and again they built it up, 
 but to no purpose ; and so it continued for a fortnight ; 
 each day they raised up the wall, and each night it fell 
 down again. 
 
 Then the host was terribly afraid, for they expected 
 Hengest to come every day, before they were ready to 
 defend themselves against him. Vortiger also was filled 
 with grief and fear, and sent for sages to come and try by 
 their craft to make the wall stand firm. But it was all in 
 
THE STORY OF THE RETURN OF AURELIUS 37 
 
 vain, for the wall fell down afresh every night just as 
 before. 
 
 Now amongst the wise men there was one named 
 Joram, who bore a grudge against a certain young lad 
 named Merlin. This man came to Vortiger, and said that 
 if some blood from Merlin's breast were mingled with the 
 lime which was used for building the wall, that then it 
 would stand to the world's end. 
 
 So Merlin was sought out and brought before Vortiger. 
 But when he heard what Joram had said he was angered. 
 
 " Now Heaven be my witness," quoth he, " that there is 
 no need for my blood to be shed in order that the castle 
 may be built. The sages have lied, and Joram said this 
 because he is my foe. Let him and his companions come 
 forth, and if I can show truly why the wall falls down 
 and how it should be made stronger, then let me have 
 their heads to punish them for their lying." 
 
 So Joram and the other sages were brought before 
 Vortiger, and Merlin asked them why the wall fell to the 
 ground, and what there was at the bottom of the ditch in 
 which its foundations were laid ; but they could give him 
 no answer. 
 
 Then said Merlin, " Let the ditch be dug seven feet 
 deeper, and at the bottom of it will be found a very broad 
 stone." 
 
 This was soon done, and there lay the stone as Merlin 
 had said. 
 
 " Now tell me, Joram," said Merlin, " what kind of thing 
 lies beneath the stone." 
 
 But Joram could not tell. Merlin, however, said that 
 there was water there ; and when the stone was removed 
 they found the water. 
 
 " And what dvvelleth at the bottom of the water, winter 
 and summer ? " asked Merlin. But again Joram was 
 silent, and again Merlin was able to tell. 
 
 " Cause this water to be carried off," he said, " for at the 
 bottom dwell two strong dragons, one on the north side 
 
38 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 and one on the south. The first is milk-white, and unlike 
 any other beast ; the second is blood-red, and is the boldest 
 of all such monsters. Each night at midnight they have 
 begun to fight, and then the earth has been shaken and 
 the wall has tumbled down." 
 
 When they heard that the reason for the fall of the wall 
 had been discovered, all the knights rejoiced, and hastily 
 set to work to empty the water out of the ditch. 
 
 Soon the water was all carried off, and out rushed the 
 two dragons and began to fight fiercely, making a great 
 noise and breathing forth flames and sparks. First the 
 white dragon had the advantage in the fight, and then the 
 red one wounded him to death, and at last both fled away 
 into their holes and were never seen again. 
 
 Now when Vortiger saw that everything that Merlin 
 had foretold had come true, he loved him greatly, and 
 promised to give him land and gold and silver, for he 
 hoped that he would help him to win back the kingdom. 
 But he was angry with Joram and his companions and 
 had them all put to death. 
 
 After this Vortiger questioned Merlin first as to the 
 meaning of the two dragons, and afterwards as to what 
 would come to pass in the future ; and Merlin told him 
 that the dragons betokened two kings who were yet to 
 come, and who would fight against each other ; and he 
 warned him that on the very next day Aurelius and 
 Uther would land at Dartmouth with seven hundred ships 
 to avenge their brother Constance's death. Wherever 
 Vortiger might flee they would pursue him, and at last 
 Aurelius would be king of Britain, and after him Uther 
 would reign and would destroy all Vortiger's kinsfolk. 
 
 When Vortiger heard this, he caused thirteen trumpets 
 to t>e blown, and marched forth with his army as quickly 
 as he could, and took refuge in a castle near the River Wye. 
 
 On the morrow Aurelius and Uther landed at Dart- 
 mouth, as Merlin had foretold. They brought with them 
 a great army assembled from among the people of many 
 
THE STORY OF THE RETURN OF AURELIUS 39 
 
 lands, and directly they landed they set forth to the castle 
 where they heard that Vortiger lay and besieged it. 
 
 For a long time the siege lasted, and many fierce 
 onslaughts took place; but at last Aurelius' knights, seeing 
 that they could not win their way into the castle, hastened 
 to a wood hard by, cut down the trees, and brought great 
 piles of wood to fill the ditch around the castle. Then 
 they set fire to the wood on every side, and the wind blew 
 the flames into a mighty blaze, and soon the whole castle 
 with all the people therein was burnt to the ground. 
 
 Thus the wicked Vortiger perished at last, and the 
 Britons chose Aurelius to be king in his stead. 
 
 But Hengest was still ruling in Britain, and he had 
 Octa and Ebissa and many a Saxon knight to defend him, 
 so that Aurelius had a great many more battles to fight 
 before he could enter into possession of his kingdom. At 
 last, however, after many days had passed, Hengest was 
 taken prisoner and put to death, and Octa and Ebissa 
 came humbly to Aurelius asking for pardon, and promising 
 to be baptized as Christians and to live in peace for the 
 rest of their lives. So the king pardoned them and gave 
 them some land to dwell upon, and they were baptized, 
 and never troubled him more. 
 
 After this Aurelius set his kingdom in order, giving 
 a portion of land to each of his knights, and causing 
 churches and halls to be built in place of all those which 
 had been destroyed during the many wars that had been 
 waged in Britain since the death of his brother Constance. 
 
 When all this was done, he went to Ambresbury, the 
 place where so many Britons had been done to death 
 through the treachery of Hengest, and at the same time 
 he sent in search of clever stone-hewers, for he wished to put 
 up a memorial to his countrymen who had been buried there. 
 
 Now when this was made known, a certain bishop 
 advised the king to send for Merlin to help him to build 
 his memorial, for no man was so skilled as he in the art 
 of building mighty works. 
 
40 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 So Merlin came to the king's court, and all the people 
 rejoiced at his coming, and Aurelius told him what he had 
 in mind to do and asked him for his help. 
 
 Then said Merlin — 
 
 " I will counsel thee in thy need, O Aurelius, for I know 
 a work such as that which thou desirest. It stands in 
 Ireland, and is called the Giants' Ring; and it is made 
 of stones which are so great and heavy that no man would 
 be strong enough to bring them hither ; but if thou wilt 
 send a host to Ireland I will go with them, and with my 
 art will show them how to bring the stones to Ambresbury, 
 and set them up above the burial-place of thy friends." 
 
 So Aurelius sent Uther to Ireland at the head of an 
 army, and Merlin went with them. 
 
 Now the king of Ireland at that time was Gillomar, 
 and w r hen he heard that the Britons had come to his land 
 to fetch the stones, he swore they should not have them, 
 and boasted that he would soon drive the invaders out 
 of his country. But ere long he had cause to regret his 
 boasting, for in the battle that took place between his 
 followers and the Britons most of his men were killed and 
 the rest took to flight. 
 
 After this the Britons went on their way in peace, till 
 they came to the hill where the Giants' Ring stood ; and 
 when they beheld it they marvelled exceedingly, for it was 
 unlike anything that they had ever seen. 
 
 Then Merlin bade them try to move the stones, and 
 they tied strong sail-ropes around one of them, and 
 laboured with all their might to draw it from its place, 
 but they could not move it at all. 
 
 So Merlin bade the knights stand back, and going to 
 the stones himself, he walked around them three times, 
 and moved his lips as though he were telling his beads. 
 Then he called Uther to him and bade him carry the 
 stones quickly to the ships, for by his magic art he had 
 made them as light as feathers. 
 
 When the knights tried again to lift the stones they 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 41 
 
 found that they were indeed as light as Merlin had said, and 
 they easily carried them to their ships and brought them 
 over to the plain of Ambresbury. And there Merlin set them 
 up by his art, without the aid of any other man, and tidings 
 were sent to the king that the work was safely accomplished. 
 
 Aurelius was overjoyed when he heard this, and he bade 
 his people come together at Ambresbury on Whit Sunday, 
 to honour the place and rejoice that the memorial had 
 been raised. 
 
 So on Whit Sunday a great feast was held at Ambres- 
 bury. Nine thousand tents were pitched upon the plain, 
 and for three days there was rejoicing and merry-making. 
 The king was there, wearing his crown and royal robes; and 
 he caused the place to be hallowed, and decreed that from 
 thenceforth it should be called Stonehenge. 
 
 So now Aurelius had avenged his brother Constance's 
 death upon Vortiger, and had slain Hengest the Saxon 
 who had usurped the kingdom of Britain, and had raised 
 up a memorial to the Britons who had perished through 
 Hengest's treachery. He did not live many years to rule 
 over the land, and he had many more battles to fight 
 before he died ; but all his people loved him while he lived 
 and mourned him at his death ; and he was buried at the 
 eastern end of Stonehenge, among the other British warriors 
 who lay there. 
 
 The stories about Vortiger were told by a priest named Layamon, 
 in a poem writte?i at the end of the twelfth century. This poem 
 was a chronicle of early English history and legend \ and ivas called 
 Layamorfs " Brut" 
 
 VIII 
 
 THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 
 
 I. HOW HAVELOK CAME TO MARRY GOLDBOROUGH 
 
 THERE was once a king of England called Athelwold, 
 who ruled his people so well and so wisely that young 
 and old loved him, and the whole country was at peace. 
 
42 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Now he had but one daughter as his heir, and when she 
 was still so young that she could neither walk nor talk, he 
 fell ill with a mortal sickness. 
 
 Then was the king greatly distressed, for he knew not 
 who would take care of his little Goldborough when he 
 was dead. 
 
 So he sent forth writs, and summoned all his earls and 
 barons from Roxburgh unto Dover ; and with much sorrow 
 they gathered together at Winchester, where the king lay 
 sick. 
 
 Then Athelwold welcomed them and thanked them for 
 coming to him ; and afterwards he bade them tell him who 
 would best guard his daughter when he was dead, and rule 
 the kingdom till she was old enough to govern it herself. 
 
 To this the knights answered with one accord that 
 Earl Godrich of Cornwall would be the best man to under- 
 take the task, for he was a true man, and was wise in 
 counsel and in action, and much feared by the people. 
 
 So the king made Godrich swear a sacred oath to guard 
 Goldborough until she was old enough to marry, and then 
 to give her hand to the strongest and best man in the 
 realm ; and when Godrich had sworn the oath, Athelwold 
 delivered up the kingdom to him, bidding him keep it until 
 .the day of Goldborough's marriage. 
 
 When, therefore, Athelwold soon afterwards died, and 
 had been buried with much ceremony and mourning, 
 Godrich took possession of the land. He at once set to 
 work to get as much power for himself as he could, by 
 appointing justices, sheriffs, and other officers whom he 
 knew would obey him, and giving the castles in the land 
 into the hands of knights in whose loyalty to himself he 
 could trust. Soon all England was afraid of him, and he 
 grew both rich and powerful. 
 
 Now Goldborough grew up to be very good and beauti- 
 ful ; but as the years went on, Godrich, instead of loving 
 her and protecting her as he had promised, grew more and 
 more jealous of her ; and at last he was fully determined 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 43 
 
 that she should not be queen, but that his own son should 
 rule England instead of her. 
 
 So he sent poor Goldborough to Dover, and having shut 
 her up in the castle there, kept such close watch over it 
 that no one could go nigh to speak to her or to set her 
 free ; and there we must leave her while we turn to what 
 was happening in quite another country. 
 
 At that time there was a king of Denmark called 
 Birkabeyn, who had three children, a son and two 
 daughters, named Havelok, Swanborough, and Helfed. 
 But while they were still quite young, their father fell ill, 
 and feeling that he was dying, sent for his friend Godard 
 and gave the children into his care, making him swear to 
 cherish them, and to give the kingdom up to the boy 
 Havelok when he was old enough to rule over it 
 himself. 
 
 But Godard was as great a traitor as was Godrich, and 
 as soon as the king was dead, he shut the children up in 
 a castle and began to plot how he could get rid of them 
 altogether. 
 
 One day he went to the castle, and found the children 
 weeping for cold and hunger. But when Havelok saw 
 him, he ceased crying, and ran and climbed upon his knee, 
 calling out to him in welcome. 
 
 Then Godard asked him why they wept ; and the child 
 answered — 
 
 " We have nothing to eat or drink, nor any one to 
 befriend us in this castle. Is there no corn that could be 
 made into bread for us ? We are so hungry that we wish 
 we had never been born." 
 
 But Godard did not care a straw for the children's 
 misery, for the real reason that had brought him to the 
 castle was that he meant to kill them. So instead of 
 getting them some food, he seized the two little girls and 
 cut their throats, and then pointed the knife at Havelok's 
 breast, meaning to kill him also. But the child fell on his 
 knees and begged for mercy, promising to flee from Den- 
 
44 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 mark and give up all claim to the throne if only Godard 
 would spare his life. 
 
 At this the cruel traitor began to feel a little pity and 
 to repent of his violence. He stood staring before him 
 with the look of a madman, thinking of what he had done. 
 But soon his evil thoughts came back again, and he 
 remembered that if Havelok were dead his own children 
 would be the heirs to the kingdom. 
 
 At last he resolved to have Havelok drowned, and to 
 ask a certain fisherman named Grim to do it. So he sent 
 for Grim, and promised to make him a rich man if he 
 would throw the child secretly into the sea. 
 
 The fisherman consented to do this, and having bound 
 and gagged Havelok, he put him in a sack and carried 
 him home on his back, meaning to drown him that night. 
 
 When he got home he told his wife what had happened 
 and bade her take charge of the boy. 
 
 Thereupon she seized the sack and flung it down so 
 roughly that Havelok's crown was broken against a great 
 stone that lay on the ground. She paid no heed to his 
 plight, however, but left him lying where he was, and she 
 and her husband presently went to bed. 
 
 At midnight Grim awoke and remembered his oath to 
 drown Havelok ; so he bade his wife rise up, light the fire, 
 and bring him his clothes that he might dress. 
 
 Now when the dame approached the place where the 
 boy was lying, she saw a wonderful light like a sunbeam 
 coming out of his mouth. In great astonishment she 
 called her husband, and together they undid the ropes 
 which bound him and looked at him more closely ; and 
 presently Grim saw on his shoulder a birth-mark in the 
 shape of a cross, which he knew to be a sign that the boy 
 was the heir of Denmark. 
 
 Then he fell on his knees before Havelok and asked 
 him to forgive him, promising to guard him safely and 
 secretly until he was old enough to avenge himself on 
 Godard and win back the kingdom. His wife also 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 45 
 
 brought food and drink for Havelok, and then put him 
 to bed, bidding him sleep peacefully, for he need fear 
 nothing. 
 
 On the morrow Grim went to Godard and told him that 
 Havelok was drowned. But when he asked for his 
 reward, Godard, although he had no suspicion that the 
 boy was not really dead, looked at him grimly and bade 
 him go home as poor as he had come, for if he asked for 
 anything more he should be hanged. 
 
 Then Grim went home in great anxiety, for he feared 
 that Godard would discover that Havelok was not dead, 
 and would put both himself and the child to death ; and he 
 soon determined that he had better flee from the country. 
 
 So he sold his cattle, and fitted up his ship with care, 
 and when all was ready entered into it with the young 
 prince, his wife, his three sons, and his two fair daughters, 
 and rowed out to sea. 
 
 They had scarcely gone a mile from the shore when 
 a north wind arose, and drove the ship along fast towards 
 England ; and at last they came to land on the banks of 
 the River Humber. There Grim built a house for his 
 family, and there they settled down to live ; and from 
 that time to this the place has been called Grimsby, after 
 Grim's name. 
 
 For twelve years Grim lived at Grimsby with his family, 
 and he and his two sons plied their trade of fishermen 
 and sold fish to the people of Lincoln ; but they would 
 not let Havelok work, because he was a king's son. 
 
 At last, however, Havelok refused to live in idleness 
 any longer, and he too began to go about selling fish. 
 
 Not very long after this there was a great dearth in that 
 part of the country, and the price of bread grew so high 
 that Grim had much ado to feed his family. At last he 
 was so grieved to see how badly Havelok fared, that he 
 advised him to go to Lincoln and try to get work in some 
 rich man's house there, where he might get better food. 
 
 So Havelok set out for Lincoln barefoot, and clad in 
 
46 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 a coat made of an old sail, which was all that Grim was 
 able to provide for him. 
 
 For some days he could get no work and had to stay in 
 the town fasting ; but at last one day he heard the earl's 
 cook call for a porter to carry a load of fish to the castle, 
 and pushing aside the other lads who sprang forward to 
 offer themselves for the task, he caught up the fish and 
 was soon at the castle gates with it. 
 
 Now the cook saw that he was a stalwart lad, and he 
 decided to take him into his service. So Havelok went to 
 live in the castle, and was made to cut wood and carry 
 water, and do other menial tasks, for no one knew that he 
 was a king's son. But he did his work with a light heart, 
 and was always laughing and gay, so that everybody liked 
 him, and all the children made him their playmate. He 
 found such favour with the cook that he was given a new 
 suit of clothes, and when he put them on he looked so 
 handsome that he already had the air of a king. He was 
 the tallest man in Lincoln, and the strongest in all 
 England, but his nature was as pure and gentle as his 
 body was strong. 
 
 Now it befell at this time that Godrich, who was still 
 ruling over England, held a parliament at Lincoln ; and 
 afterwards games were held, and a number of strong men 
 played the game of putting the stone. The stone was so 
 heavy that few of them could even lift it ; but when 
 Havelok tried his hand he put it twelve feet farther than 
 any one else had done. 
 
 The story of this great feat was soon being told all over 
 the country, and ere long it came to the ears of Godrich. 
 
 Now as soon as he heard of it he thought of a plan to 
 humiliate Goldborough and make it quite impossible for 
 her ever to be queen of England. Athelwold had told 
 him to marry her to the strongest man in England, and 
 he now determined to make her marry Havelok, for if 
 she were only a poor man's wife the people would not 
 want her to be their queen. 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 47 
 
 So he sent for Goldborough and Havelok, and forced 
 them very much against their will to be married. 
 
 Havelok knew not what to do after this, for he dared 
 not stay in Lincoln, as he felt sure that Godrich hated 
 him and his wife. At last, however, he remembered his 
 good friends at Grimsby, and determined to return to 
 them and ask their help. 
 
 When he reached Grimsby he found that Grim was 
 dead ; but his five children were all alive, and they wel- 
 comed him very kindly and begged him to stay with 
 them, promising to serve him and his wife to the best of 
 their power. 
 
 Havelok gladly consented to this, and a feast was 
 spread for him and his wife, and everything was done 
 to pay them honour. 
 
 Now that night Goldborough lay awake, feeling very 
 sad at having been forced to marry a stranger, and one 
 who was of such humble birth as Havelok. But suddenly 
 she saw the same great light coming out of Havelok's 
 mouth and the same red cross on his shoulder that Grim 
 and his wife had seen long years before, and presently 
 a voice said to her — 
 
 " Goldborough, be not sad, for Havelok, thy husband, 
 is a king's son, and he shall be the king of both Denmark 
 and England, and thou shalt be the queen." 
 
 Then Goldborough rejoiced and kissed her husband 
 joyfully ; and he awoke, and told her that he had been 
 dreaming that all Denmark and England were his. So 
 she told him what the voice had said to her, and advised 
 him to set out for Denmark forthwith and make it his 
 own. 
 
 The next day, therefore, Havelok told Grim's sons the 
 story of his childhood and asked them to go with him 
 to Denmark, and in a very short time they had made 
 ready a ship and were sailing towards their native country. 
 
4S STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 IX 
 
 THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 
 
 II. HOW HAVELOK BECAME KING OF DENMARK 
 AND OF ENGLAND 
 
 WHEN Havelok and Goldborough and their friends 
 reached Denmark, they disembarked, and travelled 
 till they reached the castle of a great Danish earl, named 
 Ubbe, who had been a friend of Havelok's father, Birka- 
 beyn, in his lifetime ; and Havelok asked Ubbe to allow 
 him to live in that part of the country, and to buy and 
 sell there. 
 
 Now Ubbe was greatly taken with Havelok's appear- 
 ance, so he received him very kindly, and asked him and 
 his wife to feast with him at the castle. Havelok could 
 not refuse his request, and he and Goldborough and 
 Grim's sons entered the castle, and were welcomed with 
 great ceremony by Ubbe and his wife, and a splendid 
 banquet was set before them. 
 
 When the feast was over, Ubbe, who was by this time 
 very friendly towards his guests, determined that he must 
 provide a good lodging-place for them for the night. So 
 he sent them with a noble escort to the house of a certain 
 Bernard Brown, who was a good and trustworthy knight, 
 and who was very glad to entertain the strangers. 
 
 Now when evening came, Bernard and his guests were 
 seated at supper, when suddenly a great noise was heard 
 outside the house and a voice clamoured at the door, 
 crying — 
 
 " Let us in, Bernard, or we shall kill thee." 
 
 Hearing this, Bernard started to his feet, put on his 
 coat of mail, and seizing an axe, went to the door, and 
 told the thieves, for so they were, to go away, or they 
 would soon find themselves cast into fetters. 
 
 Nothing daunted, however, the band of robbers, who 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 49 
 
 numbered over sixty, set to work to break open the door 
 with a huge boulder. But when Havelok guessed what 
 they were doing, he drew out the bar which bolted the 
 door and threw it wide open, calling to those outside to 
 come in and right with him. 
 
 So the robbers rushed in, and a terrible fight began. 
 First they tried attacking Havelok at close quarters with 
 their swords, but when he had struck down seven of them 
 with great blows from the iron bar of the door, they drew 
 back somewhat, and began to throw spears and stones at 
 him and to set their dogs upon him. Many of the missiles 
 hit him, and he began to be covered with wounds ; but by 
 this time Bernard and the three sons of Grim, Robert the 
 Red, William Wendut, and Hugh Raven had come to the 
 rescue, and before long the whole band of thieves had 
 been slain. 
 
 Now on the morrow rumours of the fight came to Ubbe, 
 and he set out at once for Bernard Brown's house to learn 
 for himself what had happened. 
 
 Bernard soon told him the story, giving all the glory of 
 the fight to Havelok, who, he said, was worth a thousand 
 men, for he had slain almost all the thieves by himself. 
 
 Ubbe could scarcely believe this, but the other knights 
 who had been present at the fight bore witness that it was 
 true, and the earl thereupon resolved to dub Havelok 
 a knight, and to invite him and Goldborough to lodge with 
 him at the castle, for now that he had shown himself so 
 valiant a man, no honour was too great to pay him. 
 
 So Havelok, who was lying ill from his many wounds, 
 was brought before the earl, and a doctor was summoned 
 to attend to him. Then he was carried to the castle, and 
 Ubbe gave him a room to dwell in next to his own, where 
 he might rest until he was quite strong again. 
 
 Now on the first night that Havelok lay at the castle 
 
 Ubbe awoke at about midnight and saw a great light 
 
 coming from the next room. Going in to see what it was, 
 
 he found that it came from out of Havelok's mouth, while 
 
 4 
 
50 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 on his shoulder shone the bright cross that showed his 
 royal birth. 
 
 Then Ubbe summoned his knights to see the marvellous 
 sight, and when they had gazed upon Havelok as he lay 
 there surrounded by the light, they were all agreed that 
 he must be Birkabeyn's son and heir. 
 
 As they were rejoicing over the discovery, Havelok 
 awoke, and Ubbe immediately fell on his knees and did 
 him homage, promising to help him to become king of 
 Denmark ; and Havelok was full of joy as he listened to 
 him, for he knew that now it would be easy for him to win 
 back his kingdom. 
 
 On the morrow, therefore, Ubbe called all the people 
 together, and having told them Havelok's story, he made 
 them swear fealty to him as their rightful king. Ubbe 
 himself was the first to take the oath, and after him the 
 knights and constables and sheriffs, and all the poorer 
 people too, vowed to be faithful to Havelok all their 
 lives. 
 
 After this Ubbe first made Havelok a knight, and then 
 crowned him as king before all the people ; and when this 
 was done there was much feasting and merriment, with 
 games and minstrelsy, and every kind of sport such as 
 the people loved. 
 
 Grim's three sons also were not forgotten, for Ubbe 
 made them all barons, and gave them lands and cattle, 
 and a retinue of twenty knights each. 
 
 But Havelok had still before him the task of avenging 
 himself upon Godard and turning him off the throne, and 
 as soon as the feasting was over, he called the knights to 
 arms, and rode forth to meet his enemy, putting Robert 
 the Red to ride at the head of his army. 
 
 Now it so happened that Godard was out hunting that 
 day, and presently Havelok's knights came up with him, 
 and Robert called out to him, accusing him of having 
 treacherously usurped the throne, and bidding him come 
 quickly into the presence of the true king of Denmark. 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 51 
 
 But Godard replied by striking Robert in the face, and 
 this was the signal for a fierce fight to begin between his 
 followers and Havelok's. Havelok's knights, however, 
 soon gained the victory, and in a little while Godard was 
 bound hand and foot, cast upon an old mare, and led 
 before the newly crowned king. 
 
 Then Havelok summoned Ubbe and the other earls 
 and barons to a council, and they sat in judgment upon 
 Godard, and condemned him to death for having murdered 
 Havelok's two little sisters and having ordered Havelok 
 himself to be drowned. 
 
 So Godard was put to death, and Havelok ruled over 
 all Denmark in peace. But now that he had regained 
 his own kingdom he was resolved to win the throne of 
 England for Goldborough and himself, and he soon set 
 sail for Grimsby once more, taking with him Goldborough, 
 Grim's sons, Ubbe, and a company of knights to fight 
 for him. 
 
 They had scarcely landed when the news of their 
 arrival came to Earl Godrich, and he at once began to 
 gather together an army, for he swore that both Havelok 
 and Goldborough should suffer hanging. The place where 
 the knights were to meet was Lincoln, and the day 
 appointed was March 17th. 
 
 Now when they were all assembled, Godrich told them 
 that Havelok had come to attack them and their wives 
 and children, and urged them to go forth to meet him 
 and drive him out of the land. 
 
 " Let us hasten forth and put them to flight, and I 
 myself will lead the army and be the first to draw sword 
 against the foe," he cried. 
 
 At this the earls and knights, especially two, named 
 Earl Gunter and Earl Reyner of Chester, cried out in 
 assent, and began to arm themselves as quickly as they 
 could ; and when they were fully equipped they rode forth 
 out of Lincoln till they came nigh to Grimsby, where 
 Havelok's army was drawn up in readiness for the fight. 
 
52 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 The first blow in the battle was struck by Havelok 
 himself, who cut down the foremost knight of Godrich's 
 army, and Robert the Red had soon slain a second 
 warrior, while William Wendut disabled a third. Next 
 Hugh Raven smote an earl to the ground, while Ubbe 
 rode straight towards Earl Godrich, and a fierce fight 
 began between them. 
 
 It was the most marvellous fight of any that were 
 fought that day ; for the whole day long the two earls 
 struggled together, giving each other great blows that 
 well-nigh shattered their weapons. Both were unhorsed 
 early in the day, and for the rest of the time they fought 
 on foot. But towards evening Godrich gave Ubbe a 
 terrible wound in the side, and would have killed him had 
 not Hugh Raven come to his rescue and carried him 
 away into safety. 
 
 Meanwhile the other knights had been fighting with 
 great valour, and already a thousand of them lay dead ; 
 and now Godrich came among them, since his fight with 
 Ubbe was over, and attacked the Danes with the swift- 
 ness and keenness of lightning, so that they fell before 
 him like mown grass. 
 
 But when Havelok saw how his followers were being 
 destroyed, he rode in all haste to the spot where Godrich 
 stood and cried to him — - 
 
 " Godrich, what art thou doing that thou dost slay my 
 knights ? Thou knowest full well that Athelwold did 
 make thee swear a solemn oath to give up this kingdom 
 to Goldborough when she had grown to womanhood. 
 Perform now thine oath and give up the land to her, and 
 I will forgive thee the injury thou hast done her, for I 
 would fain have such a brave knight as thou art for my 
 friend." 
 
 But Godrich answered scornfully — 
 
 " If thou dost not quickly flee, I will put out the eyes 
 with which thou gazest at me, and will slay both thee and 
 thy bride." 
 
THE STORY OF HAVELOK THE DANE 53 
 
 And with these words he gripped his sword and struck 
 at Havelok so fiercely that he clave his shield in two. 
 
 Then Havelok drew out his sword in anger and struck 
 his enemy to the ground ; but Godrich rose up again 
 swiftly and wounded the Dane in the shoulder. But this 
 was the last blow he ever struck, for Havelok now smote 
 off his right hand, and soon had him bound with fetters 
 of steel. He then sent him to Goldborough, bidding her 
 protect him from injury until he had received judgment, 
 since, for the honour of knighthood, no knight was ever 
 put to shame till he had been condemned. 
 
 After this Havelok called an assembly of the people, 
 and told them that Goldborough was the rightful heir to 
 the throne ; and when they had heard him Goldborough 
 herself came before the assembly with an escort of six 
 earls, and all the people fell on their knees and asked her 
 pardon for having allowed Godrich to rule over them, 
 when they all knew that she ought to have been their 
 queen. Then they swore to serve both her and Havelok 
 faithfully, and never again to take up arms against them. 
 
 The next thing that had to be done was to pass judg- 
 ment upon Godrich ; and, like Godard, he was condemned 
 to death for his treachery and cruelty. 
 
 But when Godrich was dead Havelok had leisure for 
 pleasanter tasks. First of all he sought out Grim's two 
 daughters, Gunild and Levive, who were still living quietly 
 at Grimsby ; and he proposed that Gunild should marry 
 the young Earl Reyner of Chester, for he wished to give 
 Gunild happiness and honour and to make the earl his 
 friend. 
 
 So these two were married, and then Havelok thought 
 of Bertram, the cook who had befriended him when he 
 first went to Lincoln to earn his living. Him he made 
 Earl of Cornwall in place of Godrich and gave him 
 Levive as his wife, and they also were married and lived 
 very happily together. 
 
 After this Havelok rewarded his Danish men with lands 
 
54 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 and cattle ; and then, having settled all these matters, he 
 rode to London, and there he was crowned king of 
 England in the midst of great feasting and rejoicing. 
 
 When the feast was over most of the Danes returned 
 to their own land, and Havelok sent Ubbe to rule there 
 for him. But he himself stayed in England and ruled 
 over it with Goldborough for sixty years. Many children 
 were born to them, and they lived together happily all 
 their lives and were never apart, so great was their love 
 for each other; and this is the end of the tale of Havelok 
 and Goldborough. 
 
 "Havelok the Dane" is a romance ivhich was written in the 
 thirteenth cejitury\ and ivas probably founded on some old English 
 legend comiected ivith the tow?i of Grimsby ', the ancient seal of ivhich 
 shows Grim in the middle^ and Havelok and Goldborough on either 
 side of him. 
 
 X 
 
 THE STORY OF KING HORN 
 
 IN the west country there was a king called Murry. 
 Godhild was his queen, and he had one son named 
 Horn, who was so beautiful that in all the realm there was 
 none like him. 
 
 Now Horn had twelve comrades of high rank to play 
 with him, and he loved two of them above all the rest. 
 One was called Athulf and the other Fikenhild ; and 
 Athulf was the best of his playfellows, but Fikenhild was 
 the worst. 
 
 One day, when Horn was fifteen years old, King Murry 
 was riding by the seashore when, to his surprise, he found 
 there fifteen ships filled with heathen men. Riding up to 
 them, he asked what had brought them to his land, and 
 one of the pagans answered — 
 
 " We are come to slay thy people and thyself also, for 
 thou shalt not go hence alive." 
 
THE STORY OF KING HORN 55 
 
 At these words the king and two good knights who 
 were with him got off their horses, and gripping their 
 swords, smote together fiercely ; but they were all too few 
 to fight against such numbers, and the heathens soon slew 
 them and took possession of the land. They killed many 
 of the people, pulled down the churches, and forced the 
 inhabitants to forsake the Christian religion and become 
 heathens. 
 
 Of all women Godhild was now the most wretched. 
 Weeping bitterly, she rose up from among her maidens 
 and went out to a cave among some rocks ; and there she 
 lived alone, worshipping God in secret and praying for 
 her son Horn. 
 
 Now the pagans would have slain Horn had it not been 
 for his beauty. But one of their captains spoke, saying — 
 
 " Horn, thou art brave and strong and tall, and thou wilt 
 grow stronger yet in seven years. If w r e let thee go alive, 
 and thy comrades also, thou wouldst slay us all. There- 
 fore thou shalt go with them into a ship, and the ship will 
 sink, and the sea will drown you all, and we shall not have 
 to pay the penalty either for thy death or for thy 
 father's." 
 
 So the pagans took the children down to the shore and 
 put them in a boat ; and the sea began to ebb, and Horn 
 seized the oars and tried to row. But the boat drove on 
 fast, and the boys were sore afraid, thinking it would sink. 
 A whole day and night went by, and then at last Horn 
 caught sight of land. Soon they had set foot on shore 
 and were making their way inland. 
 
 They had not gone far before they met with the king of 
 that country, who was called Aylmar. Greeting them 
 with fair words, he asked whence they came. Then Horn 
 made answer — 
 
 " We come from Suddene, and are sprung from good 
 Christian people and from right noble families. But heathen 
 men came to our land and slew our people, and they put 
 us into a ship without sail or rudder, and we drifted to this 
 
56 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 land. Now couldst thou slay us; but, if thou wilt, help 
 us, lest we perish." 
 
 So Horn and his comrades rode home with King Aylmar, 
 and when they came to the palace the king called his 
 steward Athelbrus and said — 
 
 " Steward, take now my foundling, and teach him thy 
 crafts of wood and river. Teach him also to ride and to 
 play the harp, to carve for me and serve the wine-cup. 
 Give him whatsoever knowledge thou hast thyself." 
 
 So Horn dwelt at the palace and was taught by Athel- 
 brus ; and all men, both in the court and out, loved him. 
 
 Now the king's daughter Rymenhild loved Horn more 
 than did any one ; but she feared to speak to him either at 
 table or at any time, and this made her very sorrowful. 
 At last she sent a message to Athelbrus bidding him come 
 to her bower, bringing Horn with him. But Athelbrus 
 feared the king's anger, and in great distress he went to 
 Athulf, Horn's comrade, and said — 
 
 " Athulf, thou must go with me secretly in Horn's like- 
 ness to Rymenhild's chamber. Thou must deceive her ; 
 for if Horn went, I fear no good would come of it." 
 
 So these two went to the bower; and Rymenhild, thinking 
 that Athulf was Horn, embraced him and said — 
 
 " Horn, I have loved thee long. Plight me now thy 
 troth that thou shalt be my lord and I thy wife." 
 
 But Athulf answered — 
 
 " Cease thy speech, for I am not Horn ; and though he 
 Were dead, or a thousand miles away, I would not be false 
 to him." 
 
 At these words Rymenhild turned to Athelbrus and 
 bitterly reproached him. But he, falling upon the ground, 
 made answer — 
 
 " Lady my own, listen and I will tell thee why I brought 
 not Horn to thee. The good King Aylmar gave him into 
 my keeping, and I fear his anger if ye two love each other. 
 But forgive me for causing thee sorrow, and I will seek 
 Horn for thee, come what may." 
 
THE STORY OF KING HORN 57 
 
 Then Rymenhild rejoiced, and said — 
 
 " Go now and send him to me in the guise of a squire 
 when the king arises from table at noon. He shall stay 
 with me till evening and I care not what comes of it." 
 
 So Athelbrus returned to the hall, where he found Horn 
 serving wine before the king ; and he told him to go 
 secretly to Rymenhild, but to be careful to speak humbly 
 of himself. 
 
 Now when Horn came into Rymenhild's presence all 
 the bower was lit up by his beauty, and he fell on his 
 knees to greet her, saying — 
 
 " Sweet is the sight of thee, bright Rymenhild, as thou 
 sittest with thy six maidens. The king's steward has sent 
 me hither to thee. Speak now, that I may know thy will." 
 
 Then Rymenhild rose up, and taking him by the hand, 
 led him to a seat and gave him wine to drink. And she 
 kissed him and said — 
 
 " Horn, take pity upon me and plight me thy troth." 
 
 But Horn answered — 
 
 " Heaven send thee happiness, whosoever is thy husband. 
 But I am too low-born for thee. I am a poor man's son, 
 and it were no fair wedding between a thrall and a king's 
 daughter." 
 
 Rymenhild was so sad at these words that she fell down 
 in a swoon. But Horn raised her up, saying — 
 
 11 Dear lady-love, take comfort. Help me to become a 
 knight, and then I shall be able to do what thou askest." 
 
 So Rymenhild sent gifts to Athelbrus the steward, 
 praying him to beg the king to make Horn a knight ; 
 and Athelbrus went gladly to Aylmar and won his consent. 
 On the morrow, therefore, Horn went before the king, and 
 Aylmar dubbed him a knight, and gave him a sword and 
 spurs and a white steed. And afterwards Horn knighted 
 his twelve comrades also ; and they held a feast and made 
 merry together. 
 
 Rymenhild, however, was not at the feast. Weary of 
 waiting, she sent a message to Horn, and he went at once 
 
58 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 to her bower, taking Athulf with him. First she welcomed 
 them as befitted their knighthood, and then she asked 
 Horn to fulfil his promise and make her his wife. 
 
 But Horn replied that he must first prove his knight- 
 hood with deeds of prowess ; and Rymenhild consented to 
 this, and gave him a ring which was of such merit that if 
 he looked upon it and thought of her, he need fear naught 
 in battle. 
 
 Now on the morrow the king rode forth to hunt ; but 
 Horn stayed behind and went to see his lady-love. The 
 wicked Fikenhild, however, was watching him ; and pre- 
 sently he rode after the king and overtook him. 
 
 " Aylmar," he said, " take warning. I heard Horn say 
 that he will slay thee and take Rymenhild for his wife. 
 He is even now with her in her bower. Go thou thither 
 at once and drive him out of thy land before he does thee 
 harm." 
 
 At this the king turned home again with a gloomy 
 countenance, and finding Horn with Rymenhild as Fiken- 
 hild had said, he cursed him with hard words, and ordered 
 him out of the country. 
 
 Then with much sorrow Horn bade good-bye to his lady- 
 love and to Athulf, bidding him watch over Rymenhild ; 
 and going down to the sea, he took ship and sailed away 
 to another country. 
 
 There he landed and rode inland till he met the two 
 sons of the king of that realm, Harild and Berild ; and 
 Berild asked him his name and business. 
 
 To this Horn replied — 
 
 " I am called Cuthbert ; and I am come from afar to 
 seek my fortune." 
 
 Then Berild welcomed him and took him to the king 
 his father, who received him kindly also ; and Horn took 
 up his abode at the court. 
 
 Christmas-time came and the king and his knights sat at 
 the feast together. Suddenly there came into the hall a 
 heathen giant, bearing a message from a band of pagans 
 
THE STORY OF KING HORN 59 
 
 that one of their number would fight on the morrow 
 single-handed against three knights for the possession 
 of the kingdom. At this the king was sore afraid ; never- 
 theless he made answer that Horn (or Cuthbert, as he 
 was now called), Berild, and Harild should take up the 
 challenge. 
 
 But Cuthbert cried — 
 
 ".Sir King, it is not right for three to fight against one. 
 I will myself do battle alone against this pagan." 
 
 So on the morrow Cuthbert girt himself in his armour 
 and went forth to the fight. The giant was awaiting him, 
 and soon the blows were falling thick and fast. But as he 
 fought Cuthbert's blood grew hot within him, for he recog- 
 nized in his enemy the very man who had slain his father 
 and driven him out of the land. Gripping his sword more 
 tightly, he looked at his ring and thought of Rymenhild. 
 Then with a terrific blow he smote the giant through the 
 heart. 
 
 Seeing the defeat of their champion, the other pagans 
 fled to their ships. But before they could reach them 
 Cuthbert and his companions had overtaken them and 
 slain them ; and thus was King Murry avenged. 
 
 Now of all the king's knights none were slain save only 
 his two sons, Harild and Berild ; and for them his tears 
 fell fast. But when they had been buried, he came into 
 the hall of the palace among all his followers and said — 
 
 " Cuthbert, my heirs are slain, and thou art a strong and 
 worthy knight. Thou shalt govern my realm and take 
 Reynild my daughter for thy wife." 
 
 But Cuthbert answered — 
 
 " Sir King, I should do wrong to accept this. I will 
 serve thee many years ere thou give me my reward." 
 
 So Cuthbert dwelt there for a long time serving the 
 king. 
 
 Meanwhile Rymenhild's hand was being sought by 
 King Mody of Rennes. The day of the wedding drew 
 near, but she had heard nothing from Horn. So she asked 
 
60 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Athulf to write a letter for her, and sent a messenger with 
 it into every land to seek him out. 
 
 For a long time Horn heard naught of it ; but one day 
 as he was riding to shoot in the woods he met the 
 messenger ; and when he had read the letter, he sent back 
 word to Rymenhild that he would be with her the next 
 Sunday morning. But alas ! on his way back the messen- 
 ger was drowned, and no news of Horn came to his lady. 
 
 In the meantime Horn went to the king and told him 
 all his story, and besought him to help him to win 
 Rymenhild, promising to give him Athulf as a husband 
 for his own daughter Reynild. Then the king sent 
 messengers to Ireland and summoned a goodly band of 
 knights ; and Horn set sail for Westerness, as Aylmar's 
 kingdom was called, and arrived on the very day of 
 Rymenhild's wedding. 
 
 Leaving his comrades hidden in a wood, he went on 
 alone with a heavy heart ; and presently he met with a 
 palmer, whom he begged to change clothes with him. 
 Then, disguised with cloak and staff and scrip, he went 
 and knocked at the gate of the castle where the wedding 
 was taking place. Forcing his way into the hall, he sat 
 down among the beggars at the table and looked about 
 him. Rymenhild sat like one distracted, weeping con- 
 tinuously ; but Athulf was nowhere to be seen, for he was 
 in the castle-tower looking out to see if Horn were coming. 
 
 After a time Rymenhild arose to pour out wine and ale 
 for the knights and squires, and when they had all drunk, 
 Horn said — 
 
 " Gentle queen, we beggars also are thirsty. Wilt thou 
 give us to drink ? " 
 
 So Rymenhild set down the white drinking-horn, and 
 filling a great brown bowl with ale, took it to Horn. But 
 he passed it to his neighbour, saying — 
 
 " Dear queen, I will drink only out of a white cup, and do 
 thou drink to me, and drink to Horn, for I am thy own." 
 
 Then Rymenhild looked at him and her heart grew cold. 
 
THE STORY OF KING HORN 6l 
 
 She did not recognize him, but she wondered greatly why 
 he bade her drink to Horn. Filling her cup, she drank to 
 the supposed pilgrim, and asked him if he had ever seen 
 her lover ; and for answer Horn threw the ring that she 
 had given him into the bottom of the cup. 
 
 Alone in her bower with her maidens, Rymenhild ex- 
 amined the ring, and found that it was indeed the one 
 that she had given to Horn, and the fear came to her that 
 he was dead. So she sent a damsel to fetch the palmer, 
 and begged him to tell her where he got the ring. 
 
 " I met with Horn on a ship," was the reply, " and he 
 fell sick and died ; but first he prayed me to take this ring 
 to Rymenhild." 
 
 At this Rymenhild fell down upon the bed, and seizing 
 a knife which she had hidden there in order to slay herself 
 and King Mody that night if Horn did not come, she put 
 it to her heart. But Horn stayed her hand, crying — 
 
 " Dear and sweet queen, I am thy own Horn. Dost thou 
 not know me?" and at that they fell into each other's arms 
 and kissed each other joyfully. 
 
 Soon, however, Horn rose up, and casting off his disguise, 
 rode off to fetch his knights, who were hidden in the wood. 
 Rymenhild meanwhile went to tell Athulf the good news ; 
 and he, riding after Horn, overtook him, and they rejoiced 
 together. Then Horn summoned his knights, and they 
 entered the castle, and slew all that were therein save 
 King Aylmar and Horn's twelve comrades, and these 
 swore an oath never to betray him though he should lie at 
 death's door. But he gave no thought to Fikenhild's false 
 tongue. 
 
 And now at last the bells were rung for Horn and 
 Rymenhild's wedding, and a feast was made, and there 
 were great rejoicings. But when the feast was ended. Horn 
 told King Aylmar that he must ride forth yet once more 
 and win back his heritage, so that Rymenhild might be a 
 king's wife. 
 
 So once again Horn set sail, taking Athulf and the 
 
62 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Irish knights with him ; and they reached Suddene in 
 five days. There it was not long before Horn had sub- 
 dued the heathen, converting many of them, even, to the 
 Christian faith. He sought out his mother also in her rocky 
 dwelling-place and brought her to his castle with great joy. 
 Churches were built, the bells were rung, and everything 
 went on merrily in preparation for Rymenhild's home- 
 coming. 
 
 Meanwhile, however, it was going ill with Rymenhild ; 
 for the wicked Fikenhild began to woo her, as though 
 Horn were dead, and the king durst not gainsay him, but 
 had fixed a day for the wedding. 
 
 But one night Horn dreamt that his lady-love was in a 
 sinking boat ; and when she tried to reach the land, 
 Fikenhild thrust her back with the hilt of his sword. 
 
 This warned him of Rymenhild's danger, and he set off 
 immediately with Athulf to her rescue. 
 
 Now Fikenhild had just taken Rymenhild home to a new 
 castle that he had built on an island in the sea, when Horn 
 came sailing by in his ship. He would have sailed on 
 farther, but Arnoldin, Athulf's cousin, was on the watch 
 for him and told him all that had happened. Then Horn 
 took his harp and went with some of his comrades to the 
 castle, and sang and played outside the gate. 
 
 Hearing the music, Rymenhild sent to have the singers 
 admitted to the castle-hall. So Horn went in and sang a 
 song before her, which so moved her that she fell down in 
 a swoon. Grieving to see her thus, Horn took courage, 
 and without more ado he went up to the head of the 
 table, drew his sword, and fell upon Fikenhild. The fight 
 was short, and soon the traitor lay dead, and all his 
 followers with him. 
 
 Now after this Horn's troubles were ended and he lived 
 in peace ; but he did not forget his faithful friends. To 
 reward Arnoldin, he made him king instead of Aylmar ; 
 and to Athelbrus, the steward, he gave King Mody's 
 realm. Mindful of his promise, also, he sought out Rey- 
 
THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 63 
 
 nild to be the wife of his dear comrade Athulf. As for 
 Rymenhild, he took her back to his own kingdom of 
 Suddene, and there he made her his queen, and they were 
 beloved by all their people till the end of their days. 
 
 The story of" King Horn" like that of Havel ok, is a thirteenth- 
 century romance, based o?i some old legend of the south-zvestem part 
 of Efigland. 
 
 XI 
 
 THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 
 
 I. HOW GUY WON THE HAND OF FELICE THE 
 BEAUTIFUL 
 
 THERE was once an Earl of Warwick who had 
 a most lovely daughter named Felice the Beautiful. 
 So fair was she that many a duke and many an earl had 
 sought her hand in marriage, but all in vain, for she would 
 have none of them. 
 
 Now the earl had a steward who owned the town of 
 Wallingford and the country round about it ; and his son 
 Guy was the earl's cup-bearer. Guy was so courteous and 
 generous that he was loved and honoured by all men, and 
 the earl also showed him great favour and gave him 
 lodging among the knights, although he was only a 
 squire. 
 
 But he had not been long in the earl's household before 
 he fell deeply in love with the beautiful Felice. At first 
 she would have nothing to say to him; but at last she 
 promised that she would give him her love and wed him 
 if he could become a knight and prove his knighthood by 
 valiant deeds. 
 
 Guy rejoiced greatly when he heard this, and he soon 
 went to the earl and begged him to dub him a knight ; 
 and the earl at once promised that he would do so. 
 
 So Guy went forth and chose out twenty young squires 
 to be his fellows. They clad themselves in kirtles of 
 
64 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 white silk, with mantles of purple, and put garlands of 
 precious stones and pearls upon their heads ; and going 
 into a chapel, they all knelt before the altar till past mid- 
 night, each holding his sword by the point, with a pair of 
 newly gilded spurs upon the hilt, for such was the custom 
 in those days for those who were about to be knighted. 
 
 When their vigil was over the earl came to the chapel. 
 First he took Guy's spurs off his sword-hilt and placed 
 them on his feet ; then he girded him with his sword, and 
 when this was done, struck him on the neck with his own 
 sword, bidding him become a good knight. Afterwards, 
 all the other twenty squires were knighted too, and a 
 festival was held to celebrate the occasion. 
 
 Now when the feast was over Guy went to Felice and 
 said — 
 
 " Dear lady, for thy sake I have received the order of 
 knighthood. Now therefore fulfil thy promise to me." 
 
 But Felice answered — 
 
 "Nay, of what art thou thinking? Thou must prove 
 thy valour as a knight before I can be thy wife." 
 
 So Guy bade her farewell, and went to ask leave of the 
 earl to go into foreign lands to perform great deeds of 
 arms. Having won the earl's consent, he went to say 
 good-bye to his father who, however, tried to persuade him 
 to stay at home. But at last, finding that Guy was fully 
 resolved to go, he gave him money, and three trusty 
 knights, named Harrawde, Toralde, and Urry, to be his 
 companions on his travels ; and thus Guy set forth to 
 prove his knighthood. 
 
 The four knights sailed over the sea to France, and 
 when they had landed, rode on till they came to a city in 
 Normandy, where a great tournament was about to be held 
 in honour of the daughter of the emperor of Germany. 
 The winner of the tournament was to be rewarded by 
 a white falcon, three snow-white steeds, and two fair 
 greyhounds. 
 
 As soon as he heard of this Guy resolved to take part 
 
THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 65 
 
 in the tournament, and on the morrow he and his three 
 companions took their places among the other knights 
 who were preparing to fight. 
 
 Now the first knight to ride out into the lists was 
 Gayere, the emperor's own son. Guy at once rode to meet 
 him, and at the very first onslaught Gayere's spear was 
 broken in two against Guy's shield, and then Guy smote 
 him with such might that he threw him to the ground. 
 
 After this Guy fought against many other knights, and 
 overthrew them all, amongst them Duke Otoun of Pavia, 
 and his nephew Duke Raynere, who sought to avenge his 
 uncle's fall. But Guy when he had thrown him also, 
 returned his horse to him full courteously ; and the duke, 
 admiring his courage and courtesy, bade him tell them all 
 his name and country. So Guy made known his name, 
 and then the fight was begun anew. 
 
 Now at that tournament great valour was shown on 
 every hand, and many a knight gave proof of his hardi- 
 hood. Harrawde and Toralde and Urry were among the 
 most valiant ; but none won so much honour as did Guy, 
 and on the third day he was declared by all to have won 
 the prize. 
 
 So a squire was sent to him at his lodging with the 
 falcon, the three steeds, and the greyhounds ; and Guy 
 summoned two servants, and sent them over to England 
 with his prize, bidding them take it to the Earl of War- 
 wick and present it to him. 
 
 After this Guy set forth again on his travels, and won 
 fame for himself at other tournaments and in other 
 countries, till at last Harrawde advised him to return 
 home. 
 
 So he set forth for England once more, and on his 
 arrival was welcomed gladly by all his friends. But when 
 he went to Felice and asked her to marry him, as he had 
 now proved his valour by deeds of arms, she made answer 
 that she could not wed him till he had been declared the 
 best and strongest knight in all the world. 
 5 
 
66 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Guy was in despair when he heard this, for he had no 
 hope that he could ever become the best knight in the 
 world. Nevertheless, he resolved to set forth in search of 
 fresh adventures, and although both the earl and his 
 father begged him not to go, he was soon crossing the 
 seas once more, accompanied by the same three trusty 
 knights who had been with him before. 
 
 For many a long day Guy travelled about Europe, 
 doing great deeds in Brittany and Spain, Germany and 
 Lombardy, and winning honour wherever he went. 
 
 At last it fell out that he was wounded at a tournament 
 in a town near the place where Duke Otoun of Pavia 
 lived ; and the duke thought that the opportunity had 
 now come for him to avenge himself on Guy, for ever 
 since Guy had overthrown him in the tournament he had 
 hated him. 
 
 But Otoun was by nature a traitor, and instead of 
 meeting Guy in open fight, he laid an ambush for him. 
 He sent a band of knights to hide at a spot on the 
 road which Guy was following, and bade them take Guy 
 himself prisoner and slay his followers. 
 
 So the knights rode off and took up their position, and 
 presently Guy came along riding upon an ambling mule, 
 because his wound was so sore that he could not sit his 
 war-horse. Before he reached the ambush, however, he 
 heard the neigh of a horse and caught a glimpse of 
 shining helmets ; and suspecting treachery, he exchanged 
 his mule for a steed, armed himself, and bade his three 
 comrades make ready to fight. Harrawde, however, 
 begged him to save himself by riding away, while he and 
 Toralde and Urry went forward to the fight ; but Guy 
 refused to do this and rode on boldly in spite of his 
 wound. 
 
 In a few moments the two parties were face to face and 
 the fight began, and in a short time Guy and his friends 
 had each struck down a foe. But they could not hold 
 their advantage for long, and soon both Toralde and Urry 
 
THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 67 
 
 lay dead. Harrawde avenged them both, but at last he 
 too was wounded, and sank down to the ground as though 
 lifeless. 
 
 Now when Guy saw that he had lost all his dear friends 
 he was mad with rage and fought with renewed strength. 
 A violent combat took place between him and the last of 
 the duke's knights, but at length Guy was victorious, and 
 his enemy fled away dangerously wounded, and went to 
 tell Otoun what had happened. 
 
 Meanwhile Guy was left alone with his dead friends, and 
 very great was his grief for them. He mourned for them 
 a long time, and then he sought out a hermit who lived in 
 the neighbourhood, and begged him to bury Toralde and 
 Urry ; but because he had loved Harrawde best of all, he 
 wished to pay him special honour, and so he took his 
 body with him to the nearest abbey, and begged the abbot 
 to give it a burial such as befitted a knight. To this the 
 abbot consented, so Guy bade him farewell and rode forth 
 again on his travels. 
 
 By this time Guy's name had begun to be famous 
 throughout Europe, and wherever he went he was well 
 received and given praise and honour. 
 
 Now one day it befell that as he was out hunting he 
 met with a palmer ; and having fallen into a conversation 
 with him, he questioned him as to whence he came; and 
 the palmer told him that he came from Lombardy, where 
 he had lost his master through the treachery of Duke 
 Otoun of Pavia. His master's name, he said, was Guy of 
 Warwick, and his own was Harrawde. 
 
 At this Guy was overjoyed, but he was greatly amazed 
 to find that Harrawde was still alive. So when they had 
 embraced and rejoiced together, each told the other his 
 story; and Guy learnt how one of the monks at the abbey 
 had discovered that Harrawde was not quite dead when 
 Guy had brought him thither, and had healed him of his 
 wound, and how he had been wandering about ever since 
 seeking for Guy. 
 
68 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 After this the two friends travelled on together, doing 
 valiant deeds wherever they went ; and at last Guy thought 
 the time had come when he should return to England 
 to see if Felice would consent to marry him. 
 
 So he set sail with Harrawde for his own country, and 
 as it fell out, arrived just in time to deliver the people of 
 Winchester from a terrible dragon, which he slew after a 
 hard fight. 
 
 Afterwards he rode on his way northward till he came 
 to his own town of Wallingford. There he found that his 
 father was dead and that he was his sole heir. However, 
 he did not keep his inheritance for himself, but gave it all 
 to Harrawde as a reward to him for his loyalty and many 
 services. 
 
 Guy next went to Warwick, where he was received with 
 great honour, and now at last Felice confessed to him that 
 she loved him and was willing to become his wife. The 
 earl gladly gave his consent to the marriage, which was 
 soon afterwards celebrated with great ceremony and re- 
 joicing. Dukes, earls, and knights came from afar to be 
 present at it, and the festivities lasted for a whole fortnight ; 
 but no one was so joyous as was Guy, for at length he had 
 won for himself the happiness for which he had laboured 
 so long. 
 
 XII 
 
 THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 
 
 II. HOW GUY WENT ON A PILGRIMAGE 
 
 GUY and Felice lived very happily for a short time 
 after their marriage, but they did not remain to- 
 gether for very long, for the reason that you shall hear. 
 
 One summer's day Guy had been out hunting, and had 
 had good sport and taken plenty of venison ; and that 
 same evening, when he was come home, he went up into 
 a tower, and stood looking out over all the fair country 
 
THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 69 
 
 that lay beneath him. It was a clear, starlit night, and 
 the beauty of it made Guy very thoughtful. He thought 
 of the great happiness that had been given to him, and 
 of the gay life that he was leading ; and then he remem- 
 bered all the many deeds of violence that he had done, 
 how he had killed people and burnt abbeys and stormed 
 cities, and all for the sake of winning Felice, and thus 
 procuring his own happiness, while he had never sought 
 to do good or to live a holy life. 
 
 So he determined that from thenceforth he would change 
 his life, and do penance for all that he had done wrong 
 in the past, and he would begin his life of penance by 
 going on a pilgrimage. 
 
 While he was pondering thus, Felice came to him, and 
 finding him deep in thought, asked him to tell her his 
 thoughts, and Guy thereupon made known to her what 
 he had resolved. 
 
 Felice was full of grief at what he told her, and begged 
 him, instead of going away, to build churches and do good 
 deeds in his own country ; but Guy could not be shaken 
 from his purpose, though he did all he could to comfort 
 her, and promised to come back again to her when he 
 had performed his penance. He begged her not to grieve 
 for him, nor to let men see that she was sorrowful, but 
 to give fair greeting from him to her father and to Har- 
 rawde and his other knights, and to bear herself cheerfully 
 before them all. 
 
 So on the morrow Guy clad himself as a pilgrim and 
 made himself ready for his journey. Then he bade fare- 
 well to Felice, who gave him a ring as a keepsake, and 
 set forth, alone and heavy of heart, turning his steps 
 towards Jerusalem and the Holy Land. 
 
 That night Felice could not sleep, and so terrible was 
 her grief that she would have slain herself, but that she 
 feared that if she did so it would be thought that Guy 
 had killed her before he went away. But she was quite 
 unable to hide her sorrow as Guy had bade her, and on 
 
70 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 the morrow she went at once to her father and told him 
 what had happened. 
 
 The earl, however, bade her not to mourn, for he felt 
 sure that Guy had only left her to prove her love for him, 
 and he at once began to search for him throughout the 
 city. But it was all in vain, for he could learn nothing 
 of him ; so he sent his men to Guy's followers and told 
 them how their master had disappeared. 
 
 When Harrawde heard that his lord had gone away he 
 mourned greatly, and going to the earl, he begged him 
 to send messengers in quest of Guy all over England ; 
 and when this search too brought no result, he sent a 
 knight and a squire over the seas into Europe to continue 
 the search, and went himself also in the dress of a palmer, 
 meaning to go to every land and city where he had been 
 with Guy before in the hope of finding him in one of 
 them. But though he travelled all over Europe he could 
 hear no tidings of his lord, and at last he was obliged 
 to return to England alone, and give the sad news to the 
 earl and all the rest of Guy's friends, who mourned for 
 him very sorrowfully. 
 
 Meanwhile Guy had been to Jerusalem and to many 
 other holy places, and all the while he wore his pilgrim's 
 dress and told no man his name, so that it was not to be 
 wondered at that Harrawde could hear no news of him 
 from any one. 
 
 Guy met with several adventures on this second journey 
 through Europe, and more than once he performed great 
 feats of arms. But this time he did not fight to win 
 honour and fame for himself, but only to deliver the 
 wrong and the oppressed. Once he fought against a 
 terrible giant named Ameraunt, and thus set free an earl 
 and his two sons from prison, and also delivered a king 
 from death at the hands of one of his enemies, whose son 
 the king's own son had slain by misadventure. 
 
 Another time he fought on behalf of a poor earl who 
 had had all his lands taken from him, and had been 
 
THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 71 
 
 imprisoned and cruelly oppressed by the steward of the 
 emperor of the country in which he lived. Guy won his 
 lands back for him and restored him to the emperor's 
 favour, so that he was made steward in place of the 
 wicked man who had treated him so unfairly. 
 
 But in neither of these adventures did Guy seek to win 
 glory for himself, nor would he reveal his name save under 
 promise of secrecy to the earls for whom he had fought, 
 nor did he take any reward for his services to them, though 
 they offered him lands and riches, and begged him to stay 
 with them. Instead, when his fight on their behalf was 
 over, he resumed his pilgrim's habit and went on his way, 
 poor and unhonoured. 
 
 At length he returned to England once more, and there 
 he heard that the king, who was named Athelstan, was at 
 Winchester, and had assembled there a great company of 
 people, bishops and abbots and knights and earls, and had 
 appointed three days for fasting and for prayer that a 
 champion might be sent to them to fight against a certain 
 mighty giant named Collebrande. 
 
 This giant was an African who had been brought to 
 England by the king of Denmark. The Danish king 
 had been burning towns and destroying churches in 
 England for some time, and now he threatened Athelstan 
 that he must either yield up the country and become a 
 Danish liegeman, or he must find a knight who would 
 fight against Collebrande. 
 
 Athelstan had so far been unable to find a champion, 
 and his one wish was that he had Guy of Warwick with 
 him to do battle against the giant. But as no champion 
 could be found in England, the Duke of Kent at last 
 advised the king to send into other lands in search of one, 
 and this he resolved to do. 
 
 That night, however, the king had a marvellous dream. He 
 thought that an angel came to him and comforted him, and 
 bade him go at daybreak to the north gate of the city, where 
 he would meet a pilgrim who would undertake the battle. 
 
72 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 On the morrow, therefore, the king arose blithely at 
 daybreak and rode out to the north gate of the city, and 
 there in good sooth he found the pilgrim, who readily 
 agreed to be his champion. 
 
 Now this pilgrim was none other than Guy, who, when 
 he heard of the distress that Athelstan was in, had at 
 once set forth for Winchester to offer his services to 
 him. 
 
 Athelstan now sent word to the Danish king that he 
 had found a champion, and the day and place of the 
 combat were appointed. Meanwhile, however, he wished 
 to arm Guy fitly for the fray, and he bade his armourers 
 search out some suitable armour ; but none could be found 
 that would fit him. So Guy himself suggested that they 
 should send to Felice, and borrow her husband's armour 
 for him ; and Felice sent it gladly. It was in good con- 
 dition, moreover, for she had kept it carefully and not 
 allowed it to get rusty or injured. But though Guy sent 
 for his own armour in this way, he told no man his name, 
 and none guessed who he was. 
 
 Now when the day of combat came and Guy rode out 
 to meet his enemy, for the first time in his life he felt 
 afraid. Nevertheless he entered upon the fight bravely, 
 and though more than once ere it was ended the giant 
 gained the advantage over him, he never once lost courage, 
 and when at last he had gained the victory, the Danes 
 were so afraid of his strength and valour that they retreated 
 hastily to their ships, and sailed away at once to their own 
 country. 
 
 Then there was great rejoicing among the English, and 
 Guy was led into Winchester in a solemn procession, and 
 great thanksgivings were offered up. The king, moreover, 
 offered Guy all manner of riches as a reward for what he had 
 done, but he refused them all. Athelstan then begged him 
 to reveal his name, but he replied that he would only do 
 so if the king would go with him alone and secretly to a 
 place outside the town, where no one could possibly over- 
 
THE STORY OF GUY OF WARWICK 73 
 
 hear them, and would promise, moreover, not to tell his 
 name to any other person. 
 
 So Athelstan promised unwillingly, and rode out of 
 Winchester with Guy ; and then he learnt to his great 
 astonishment that his champion was none other than Guy 
 of Warwick, whom he had supposed to be dead. He at 
 once begged Guy to remain with him, and offered to give 
 him half his kingdom if he would do so. But Guy again 
 refused to take any reward, and having bade the king 
 farewell, rode away, while Athelstan returned to Win- 
 chester, guarding his secret with absolute loyalty, but with 
 much sorrow in his heart, for he would fain have kept Guy 
 with him. 
 
 And now you must hear how Felice had fared during 
 all this long time. After her first grief at losing Guy was 
 over, she had taken what comfort she could in caring for 
 the poor and in building churches and being very charitable. 
 Among other deeds of charity, she made it her habit to 
 feed twelve poor men every day at her own table, giving 
 them the same meat and drink as that which she had 
 herself; and this she did as a special act in memory of 
 Guy. 
 
 Now one day as she sat at meat, with the knights who 
 were in her service beside her, Guy came into the hall in his 
 pilgrim's garb, and took his place among the poor men as 
 they were fetched to sit at her table. And it befell that 
 all the knights took notice of him ; but when Felice saw 
 him, though she did not recognize him, she fell to thinking 
 of Guy. 
 
 So she bade a squire see that the pilgrim received special 
 attention, and sent a message to him also, inviting him 
 to return every day to take meat with her, and asking 
 him to come and speak with her as soon as the meal was 
 over. 
 
 But when the tables were cleared Guy arose at once, 
 and instead of going to speak to Felice, took his way out 
 of the town, for he was resolved that the time had not yet 
 
74 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 come when his life of penance might end, and when he 
 might have the great happiness of being with Felice again. 
 
 Leaving his native town of Wallingford he journeyed 
 to a place in the neighbourhood of Warwick where there 
 had once dwelt a holy hermit, who, however, was now 
 dead. So Guy took up his abode in the hermitage and 
 began to live a holy life there, and though Felice sought 
 for him everywhere, she could not find him. 
 
 But not long after this Guy fell ill, and it was revealed 
 to him in a dream that he would die in a week's time. 
 So when the seventh day came, he found a messenger to 
 carry to Felice the ring that she had given him at parting, • 
 so that she might know that he had come back. 
 
 The messenger took the ring to Felice, and as soon as 
 she saw it she knew that it was Guy's ring and begged 
 to be given news of him. So the man told her how 
 Guy had been living in the forest among the wild beasts, 
 eating herbs and roots and leading a life of prayer ; and 
 how he now lay at the point of death. 
 
 Then Felice mounted hastily upon a palfrey and rode 
 forth to the hermitage with a goodly escort of lords and 
 knights ; and partly was she full of sorrow because her 
 lord lay dying, and partly was she glad because she would 
 see him again. 
 
 When they came to the hermitage Felice got down 
 from her horse and entered the cell ; and Guy opened his 
 eyes and raised his hands towards her, as though asking 
 for her pardon for the sorrow he had caused her, but not 
 one word was he able to speak. Then she bent down and 
 kissed him ; and very soon afterwards he died peacefully. 
 
 Now after he was dead a strange wonder came to pass ; 
 for from his body there came forth a very sweet smell, as 
 though of strange spices; and sick persons were cured of 
 their diseases when they smelt it. It lasted until the day 
 of the burial, which took place in the hermitage, for no 
 man was able to remove the body from the cell, though 
 thirty knights tried to do so. 
 
THE TALE OF GAMELYN 75 
 
 When the body had been laid in the ground the lords 
 and knights took their departure ; but Felice remained 
 behind in the hermitage, for she was resolved that she 
 would never go thence again. And now she no longer 
 mourned and wept, but betook herself to a holy life of 
 prayer as Guy had done ; and in forty days she died also, 
 and was buried by his side. So thus ends the tale of Guy 
 and Felice the Beautiful. 
 
 " Guy of Warwick " is another romance, written in the first 
 half of the fourteenth century. 
 
 XIII 
 
 THE TALE OF GAMELYN 
 
 LISTEN and hearken well, and ye shall hear of a 
 j doughty knight whose name was Sir John of 
 Boundys. He had three sons, of whom the eldest was 
 a wicked fellow who deserved his father's curse ; but the 
 others loved their father and held him in awe. 
 
 Now the good knight lived a long life, but at last he 
 lay sick upon his death-bed. Then he sent word by 
 letters to certain wise knights in the country round, and 
 bade them come quickly to help him to divide his lands 
 among his three sons ; and when they stood by his bed- 
 side he said — 
 
 " Lords, I tell ye that the hour of my death is come. 
 If ye love me, therefore, go and divide my lands among 
 my three sons. And, sirs, forget not Gamelyn, my 
 youngest, but take heed that his share is as great as his 
 brothers'." 
 
 So the knights left Sir John and held a council for the 
 division of the land. But they divided it only into two 
 portions, for they said that the elder brothers could give 
 land to Gamelyn when it seemed good to them. Then 
 they returned to Sir John and told him what they had 
 done. 
 
76 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 But the knight was ill-pleased, and said — 
 
 " By Saint Martin, though ye have done this, the land 
 is still mine while I live, and ye shall now hear how it 
 pleases me to divide it. John, my eldest son, shall have 
 the five portions of land that I inherited from my father ; 
 and my second son, Ote, shall have the five portions that 
 I won with my good right hand ; and all the rest of my 
 estate which I bought for myself, and the men who work 
 thereon, and all my good steeds I leave to Gamelyn. And 
 I beseech you, who know the law of the land, see to it 
 that my bequests stand good." 
 
 Thus did the knight apportion his lands, and soon 
 afterwards he died. 
 
 But when he was dead and in his grave, the eldest son 
 beguiled Gamelyn, and took his lands and his followers 
 for himself, and made Gamelyn a servant in his house. He 
 let the lands and all the property go to ruin ; and though 
 he clothed and fed Gamelyn, he did so but grudgingly. 
 
 So Gamelyn dwelt in his brother's house, and as time 
 went on he grew so strong that he was feared by young 
 and old, and none durst anger him. 
 
 One day as he stood in the courtyard he fell to think- 
 ing of his lands that lay fallow, of the fair oaks that had 
 fallen, of the deer and the horses that were stolen, and 
 of his houses that were falling to pieces ; and the thought 
 made him angry. 
 
 Presently his brother came by and said — 
 
 "Is our meat ready?" For Gamelyn had been forced 
 to cook for him. 
 
 " Thou shalt go bake for thyself," replied Gamelyn 
 wrathfully, " for I will not be thy cook. By my faith, 
 I have never before taken heed of all the harm that thou 
 hast done me, but henceforth I shall take heed of it, and 
 mayst thou be cursed for it." 
 
 " Hold thy peace, vagabond," cried the elder brother, 
 " and be thankful that thou hast meat and drink, for what 
 hast thou to do with lands and followers ? " 
 
THE TALE OF GAMELYN 77 
 
 " Cursed be he that calls me a vagabond ! " retorted 
 Gamelyn. " I am as gently born as you are." 
 
 Then John bade his men fetch staves and beat his 
 brother ; but Gamelyn caught up a pestle that stood 
 against the wall of the courtyard and drove them back. 
 At this his brother fled away into a loft, and shutting 
 the door fast, peered cautiously out of the window. 
 
 Then Gamelyn looked up and cried — 
 
 "Brother, come down, and I will teach thee a little 
 game of sword and buckler." 
 
 But John replied — 
 
 " While the pestle is in thy hand I will not come near 
 thee. Brother, I swear I will appease thee. Cast away 
 the pestle, and be not angry any more." 
 
 " I have good cause to be angry, seeing that thou didst 
 wish thy men to break my bones," answered Gamelyn. 
 
 So the brothers quarrelled, but at last John promised 
 to restore all Gamelyn's property to him, and Gamelyn 
 trusted in his false promises and made peace with him. 
 
 Now there was to be a wrestling match in the neighbour- 
 hood that day, and a fine ram and a ring were offered as 
 the prize for whoever won the match ; and Gamelyn was 
 eager to go to it, to prove his might. So he told his 
 brother of it, and borrowed a steed, and rode away towards 
 the place where the match was to be held. 
 
 When he came to the spot, he found there a franklin, 
 who was lamenting and w r ringing his hands because his 
 two sons had been well-nigh slain by a champion in the 
 wrestling match. Thereupon Gamelyn resolved to wrestle 
 with the champion himself, and bidding the franklin hold 
 his steed, he prepared himself for the fight, and then 
 entered the wrestling ring, while all who were assembled 
 to watch the match marvelled at his boldness. 
 
 At first the champion tried many tricks of wrestling 
 upon him, but Gamelyn was always prepared for them, 
 and though he tried his best, he could not throw him. 
 Then Gamelyn himself tried a trick, and threw his enemy 
 
78 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 so heavily to the ground that three of his ribs were 
 broken. 
 
 After this the champion would wrestle no more, nor 
 would any other man come forward to try his strength 
 against Gamelyn's. 
 
 So Gamelyn won the ram and the ring, and rode home 
 with them rejoicing to the castle, accompanied by a fair 
 company of people who had been at the wrestling match. 
 
 Now when his wicked brother saw him approaching he 
 ordered the gate to be shut, and when Gamelyn shouted 
 to the porter to undo it he refused. 
 
 Then Gamelyn smote the wicket with his foot till the 
 pin broke, and bursting into the courtyard in great wrath, 
 he caught the porter by the neck and strangled him, and 
 then threw his body down the well. 
 
 Seeing this, all the other men in the courtyard drew 
 back in terror, and Gamelyn threw open the gate to all 
 the fair company that he had brought with him, and bade 
 them enter and feast with him. 
 
 For seven days and seven nights Gamelyn held his 
 feast, and all the while his brother stayed up in a little 
 turret in the castle, and saw him waste his goods, but 
 durst not say anything. But early on the morning of the 
 eighth day the guests bade farewell to Gamelyn and rode 
 away, and then John came down from the upper room 
 and said to his brother — 
 
 " Who made thee so bold as to make such free use of 
 my stores ? " 
 
 But Gamelyn answered that John had already received 
 payment for his stores, because he had had the use of his 
 lands for sixteen years. 
 
 Then John thought in his false heart to beguile his 
 brother once more, and assuming a friendly manner, he 
 promised to make him his heir. 
 
 " But, Gamelyn," said he, " one thing I must tell thee. 
 When thou didst throw my porter in the well, I swore in 
 my wrath that thou shouldst be bound hand and foot for 
 
THE TALE OF GAMELYN 79 
 
 it. Now therefore, I beseech thee, let me bind thee, that 
 I may not be forsworn." 
 
 So Gamelyn allowed himself to be bound hand and 
 foot, and fettered also. But once he was bound, John left 
 him without meat and drink, and told all those who came 
 to the hall that he was mad. 
 
 When two days and nights had passed, Gamelyn spoke 
 to Adam the Spencer, who had charge of the provisions, 
 and besought him to loose him from his bonds. So that 
 night, when John was in bed, Adam freed Gamelyn, and 
 took him to the larder, and gave him both meat and drink. 
 Afterwards they agreed that Gamelyn should remain in 
 his bonds in the hall till the following Sunday, when a 
 number of guests were coming to feast at the castle, and 
 that he should ask them to release him, so that if they 
 consented, Adam should be free from blame. But if they 
 refused, then Adam and Gamelyn, whose bonds and 
 fetters should only be loosely fastened, so that he could 
 slip out of them, should trust in their staves and fight. 
 
 The Sunday came, and a goodly feast was set before 
 the guests ; but Gamelyn was given nothing, and his 
 brother declared that he was mad, and spoke all the evil 
 of him that he could, so that when Gamelyn appealed to 
 the guests to set him free, they answered him with hard 
 words and curses. 
 
 Then Adam appeared at the door of the hall with two 
 good staves, and he gave the signal to Gamelyn, who cast 
 off his fetters, seized a staff, and began to lay about him 
 with a will, while Adam stood at the door, to catch all 
 those who tried to escape, and punish them for their 
 hard-heartedness. They did not draw blood from the 
 guests, but bruised them and beat them till they were 
 sore, and were obliged to go home in carts and wagons, 
 instead of riding gaily on their own horses. 
 
 All the while that this was going on John stood watch- 
 ing with an evil countenance ; but when the last of the 
 guests had fled Gamelyn approached him, struck him with 
 
80 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 his staff, and bound him with the fetters that he himself 
 had worn, saying — 
 
 " Sit there, brother, to cool thy blood as I did mine." 
 
 Now the story of what Gamelyn and Adam had done 
 soon came to the ears of the sheriff, who lived but five 
 miles away, and he sent four-and-twenty young men to 
 fetch them to him. 
 
 When they came to the gate of the castle they found it 
 shut, and the porter would not open to them, but went 
 immediately to Gamelyn to warn him. So Gamelyn and 
 Adam caught up their staves once more and went down 
 to the wicket, and laid about them so fiercely that soon 
 five men lay on the ground and the rest took to flight. 
 
 But ere long the sheriff himself was seen approaching 
 with a great company ; and this time Gamelyn and Adam 
 thought that their only safety lay in flight. 
 
 So they took refuge in the forest hard by, and when the 
 sheriff came to the castle he found only John there bound 
 fast in the fetters. 
 
 Now as Gamelyn and Adam walked through the forest 
 they came upon a company of seven score young men 
 sitting at meat ; and the leader of the company sent seven 
 of the men to fetch the two strangers to him, and bid 
 them yield up the bows and arrows they were carrying. 
 But Gamelyn refused, saying that he was willing to fight 
 twelve of them at once ere he would do so ; and the young 
 men, seeing what might was in his arm, led him before 
 their master, who, they said, was crowned king of outlaws. 
 
 The king welcomed them courteously and gave them 
 meat and drink ; and when he had learnt Gamelyn's name 
 and heard his story he made him master under himself 
 over all the other outlaws. But ere three weeks had 
 passed the king was summoned home, for pardon had 
 been obtained for him, and Gamelyn was made king in 
 his stead. 
 
 Meanwhile his brother John had been made a sheriff 
 and had offered a reward for Gamelyn's head. But some 
 
THE TALE OF GAMELYN 81 
 
 of Gamelyn's men sought him out to warn him of this, and 
 to tell him also that his followers were suffering ill-usage 
 at his brother's hands. 
 
 So Gamelyn determined to go boldly to the next assizes 
 and see his brother. But alas ! his brother was still 
 resolved to be avenged upon him, and when he appeared 
 at the meeting-hall he was seized and cast into prison. 
 
 Now Gamelyn's other brother, Sir Ote, was a good and 
 courteous knight ; and when a messenger went to him 
 with tidings of Gamelyn's evil plight, he saddled his horse 
 and rode post haste to John's castle, and reproached him 
 bitterly for imprisoning Gamelyn. John declared that he 
 had broken the law and must remain in prison till he 
 could be tried before a judge ; but at last Ote persuaded 
 him to release Gamelyn on bail till the day of the trial came. 
 
 When Gamelyn was released he begged Ote to let him 
 return to the forest to see how his young men were faring, 
 promising to come back in time for his trial. To this Ote 
 gave his consent, and Gamelyn went back to the outlaws, 
 and lived with them till the judgment day came. Then he 
 summoned all the young men and rode at their head to 
 the hall of justice. 
 
 Now when he drew near the spot he sent forward Adam 
 the Spencer to see what was happening; and Adam found 
 that Sir Ote had been cast into fetters, falsely accused, 
 and condemned to be hanged by a wicked judge who wished 
 to please John. 
 
 So Gamelyn rode into the hall at the head of his 
 followers, and all those gathered therein were afraid when 
 they saw him. Then he cried to the justice — 
 
 " Now is thy power ended, and thou must arise ; thou 
 hast given false judgments, and now I will sit in thy seat 
 and deal justly." 
 
 But the judge sat still and would not rise. Then 
 Gamelyn struck him on the jaw and broke it, and after- 
 wards dragged him from his seat and broke his arm ; and 
 sitting down in the seat of justice himself, he placed 
 6 
 
82 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Sir Ote beside him, and Adam at his feet, and caused the 
 judge and his brother John to be cast into fetters and 
 brought before him. The twelve jurymen also who had 
 given a false verdict against Sir Ote were brought to be 
 tried, and Gamelyn passed judgment upon them all, and 
 they and the judge and Sir John were all hanged by the 
 neck, and thus ended their wicked lives. 
 
 But Sir Ote and Gamelyn and his followers went before 
 the king of the land and made their peace with him ; and 
 the king loved Sir Ote well and made him a judge, and 
 Gamelyn he made chief justice of all the forest. 
 
 Thus did Gamelyn win back his lands and his people, 
 and avenge himself upon his enemies ; and Sir Ote made 
 him his heir, and he wedded a good and fair wife, and 
 lived happily till the end of his days. 
 
 The tale of il Gamelyn " was found among the papers of the poet 
 Chaucer, who had meant to rewrite it for one of his " Canterbury 
 Tales T Who the real author was is not k?iown. 
 
 XIV 
 
 THE VISION OF WILLIAM CONCERNING THE 
 FIELD FULL OF FOLK 
 
 ONE summer season when the sun shone warmly I 
 clad myself in rough clothes, as though I were a 
 shepherd or a hermit, and went forth into the world to 
 hear its wonders ; and on a May morning, when I was 
 weary with wandering, I lay down out on the Malvern 
 Hills, and fell asleep under a bank, beside a stream. 
 
 Then I began to dream a marvellous dream, of which I 
 will tell you. 
 
 I dreamt that I was in a wilderness, though where it 
 was I knew not ; and as I looked eastward toward the sun 
 I beheld a tower in which dwelt Truth; westward I observed 
 a deep dale, in which was a dungeon where lived Death 
 
THE VISION OF WILLIAM 83 
 
 and many wicked spirits ; and between the tower and the 
 valley was a fair field full of people. All manner of men 
 were there, poor and rich, workers and wanderers. Some 
 were working hard at the plough, others at planting and 
 sowing ; and these were winning by their labours what 
 wasteful men used up in gluttony. Others were trying to 
 show off their fine clothes. Others, for the love of our 
 Lord, lived a full strict life of prayer and penance, hoping 
 to have a good end and to win heavenly bliss, like 
 anchorites and hermits who stay in their cells, neither 
 desirous of wandering about over the country nor of living 
 a luxurious life. 
 
 And some chose to do trade, and they seemed to 
 prosper most. Others were minstrels who earned their 
 living innocently by making merry music, not like those 
 jesters and idle talkers who swear and make vile jests, and 
 will not use their wits to do honest work. 
 
 Beggars also went up and down the field begging for 
 more food than they could eat, and fighting over their ale. 
 
 Pilgrims and palmers agreed together to seek the 
 shrines of St. James and other saints, and set forth on 
 their way with much foolish talk, only to come back and 
 tell lies all their lives about their pilgrimage. 
 
 A crowd of hermits, some of whom were only idle men 
 who thought to lead a lazy life as a hermit, were going to 
 a shrine at Walsingham, carrying their hooked pilgrims' 
 staves. 
 
 I found there also friars of all the four orders, who 
 preached to the people to win money for themselves, 
 explaining the gospels just as they pleased. 
 
 In another place a pardoner preached as though he were 
 a priest, and brought forth a bull signed with a bishop's 
 seals, saying that he had power to forgive the people their 
 sins. Ignorant men believed him and liked his words, and 
 knelt down to kiss his bulls ; and he deceived them and 
 gave them a false blessing, and took their riches in pay- 
 ment. 
 
84 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Then there came forth a king, who was led by Knight- 
 hood, and accompanied by Conscience and Common 
 Sense, who said to him — 
 
 " God keep thee, Sir King, and thy kingdom also, and 
 help thee to govern thy land so that thy loyal people may 
 love thee, and thou mayst be rewarded in heaven for thy 
 good rule." 
 
 Conscience also gave the king good advice, and then 
 they rode into a court where were a number of lawyers, 
 who were ready to plead a case for pence or pounds, but 
 would not open their lips till money was shown to them. 
 
 Then suddenly there ran out a crowd of rats and small 
 mice, in number more than a thousand, who had come to 
 take counsel for their common profit. For a certain cat 
 came and went in the court as he pleased, and chased and 
 caught them at his ease, and played with them perilously, 
 pushing them about. 
 
 " If we grumble at his game, he will hurt us still more, 
 catching us in his claws, and holding us in his clutches, so 
 that we shall lose our lives before he lets us go. Could we 
 by any device withstand his will, we might be lords here, 
 and do as we please." 
 
 Thus spoke a rat of renown, who was most reasonable 
 in his speech. 
 
 " I have seen great lords in cities and towns wear collars 
 of bright gold about their necks ; and thus by the rattle of 
 the metal men might know their comings and goings. 
 Right so," quoth the rat, " reason tells me to buy a bell 
 of brass or of silver, and attach it to a collar, and hang it 
 about the cat's neck. For then we shall hear whether 
 he runs or rests, or roams about to play ; and if he wishes 
 to sport, then we may appear cautiously in his presence, 
 so long as he means no harm ; but if he grows angry, 
 we may beware, and avoid his path." 
 
 All the company of rats agreed to this reasoning, and 
 the bell was bought and hung upon the collar. But there 
 was no rat among them who for all the realm of France nor 
 
THE VISION OF WILLIAM 85 
 
 to win all England durst hang the bell about the cat's 
 neck. So their labour was lost. 
 
 Then a mouse of much good sense, as it seemed to me, 
 stood forth boldly before them all and addressed these 
 words to the company of rats. 
 
 " Though we had killed the cat, yet would there have 
 come a kitten in his place to clutch us and all our kind, 
 however much we hid ourselves under the benches. 
 Therefore I counsel that, for the common profit, we let the 
 cat alone, and never be so bold as to show him the bell. 
 For I once heard my father say that where the cat is but 
 a kitten the court is full wretched. So for my part I 
 advise that we annoy neither the cat nor the kitten, nor 
 talk of collars for them ; for misfortunes, that chasten 
 many men, may one day teach them better. If the cat 
 died, and the kitten ruled in his place, though we should 
 be rid of a tyrant, there would be confusion amongst us 
 all ; for even if you rats had your own way you could not 
 rule yourselves." 
 
 Now what this dream meant I leave you to divine, for 
 I dare not do so myself. 
 
 After this I saw in my sleep yet more people, barons 
 and burgesses, bakers and brewers and butchers, wool- 
 weavers and fullers, tailors and tanners and tillers of the 
 earth, ditchers and diggers, cooks and their boys crying, 
 " Hot pies, good geese and pigs ! Let's go and dine." 
 Taverners also were there, crying, " White wine of Gascony, 
 red wine of the Rhine, to help you digest the roast meat ! 
 A taste for nothing ! " 
 
 And now I will tell you what the tower and the 
 dungeon in the murky dale and the field full of people 
 meant. 
 
 A lady, lovely of countenance, came down from that 
 castle and called me by name, saying — 
 
 " Will, sleepest thou, and seest thou these people, and 
 how busy they are ? Most of the people who pass through 
 this world will get no better honour than what they have 
 
86 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 here, for they take no account of Heaven, and so they will 
 not receive honour in Heaven." 
 
 I was afraid at the sight of her face, although it was so 
 fair, and said — 
 
 " Have mercy, madam, and tell me what may this mean ? " 
 
 " The tower on the hill," quoth she, " is the abode of 
 Truth, who desires that ye should do as His words teach. 
 For He is the Father of faith and Creator of all things. 
 In order that ye might be faithful to Him, He gave you 
 five senses, wherewith ye may worship Him while ye live 
 here. He also ordered the elements to help you at all 
 times, and bring forth for your livelihood linen and wool, 
 and the three things that are needful to all men— food, 
 clothing, and drink." 
 
 " Ah, madam," quoth I, " I like your words well. And 
 what meaneth the dungeon in the dark dale, I beseech 
 you ? " 
 
 " That is the castle of Care," she said, " and whoso 
 enters it may utter curses that he was born. Therein 
 dwells a being whose name is Wrong, and who is father 
 of Falsehood. He caused Adam and Eve to do ill, and 
 counselled Cain to kill his brother. He deceived Judas 
 through the Jews' silver, and afterwards hung him on an 
 elder tree. He is a destroyer of love, and he tells lies at 
 all times ; but he betrays the soonest those who trust in 
 earthly treasure." 
 
 Then I wondered what woman it was who spoke such 
 wise words, and asked her what high name she bore that 
 she was able to instruct me so wisely. 
 
 So she told me that she was Holy Church, and then she 
 gave me more of her wise teaching. 
 
 She showed me how great a treasure is Truth, and how 
 kings and knights and all Christian men should follow it. 
 She taught me also that Love is the sovereign remedy for 
 all sin and evil, and that without it there is no merit in 
 any deeds or prayers ; and having bade me love Truth as 
 the best of all treasures, she took her leave of me. 
 
THE VISION OF WILLIAM 87 
 
 XV 
 
 THE VISION OF WILLIAM CONCERNING PIERS 
 THE PLOUGHMAN 
 
 NOW when Holy Church had left me, Reason stood 
 up in the field full of folk before the king, and 
 preached to all the people, bidding them mend their lives ; 
 and Repentance spoke after him, repeating what he had 
 said. 
 
 Then Peronelle Proudheart threw herself upon the earth, 
 and long was it before she looked up again, crying, " Lord, 
 have mercy," and promising that she would wear a hair- 
 shirt to punish herself for her pride. 
 
 " A proud heart shall never take possession of me hence- 
 forth, but I will be lowly, and suffer myself to be rebuked, 
 as I never did before. I will be meek and ask mercy 
 of all those whom I have inwardly hated," she said. 
 
 Then Luxury also began to lament and cry for mercy 
 for his misdeeds, promising that for the next seven years 
 he would keep a special fast on Saturdays, drinking only 
 water like a duck, and eating but once in the day. 
 
 Next Envy stood forth and asked with a heavy heart for 
 forgiveness. He was pale and palsied, and clad in coarse 
 rough cloth, with a knife by his side; and he accused 
 himself of backbiting and bearing false witness, of envying 
 his neighbours and wishing them ill. But now, he said, 
 he was resolved to repent and amend his life. 
 
 Then Wrath made his confession, and told how he was 
 once a friar, and had made the other friars quarrel, and how 
 he had also been cook in a convent, and had told evil tales of 
 the nuns. So Repentance bade him repent also, and learn 
 to keep his own counsel, and be sober in all things. 
 
 After this appeared Avarice, who was so lean and ghastly 
 to look upon that I can scarce describe him. 
 
 " I have been covetous," quoth he, " I acknowledge it here 
 
88 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 before you all. I was apprenticed to Symme at the Style, 
 and my first lesson was how to tell lies and to weigh un- 
 fairly. Then I went amongst the drapers, and learnt how 
 to cheat over the lengths of cloth; and I taught my wife to 
 cheat also in her trade of selling ale. But now I swear 
 I will never again use a false weight or drive an unfair 
 bargain, but will go on a pilgrimage to Walsingham with 
 my wife, and pray to be forgiven for my cheating." 
 
 Then Repentance asked him — 
 
 " Didst thou never repent or make restitution ? " 
 
 " Yes, once," replied Avarice, " when I was lodged with 
 a number of peddlers, and I arose in the night and robbed 
 their wallets." 
 
 "That was no restitution," quoth Repentance, "but a 
 theft, for which thou didst merit hanging." 
 
 " I thought restitution meant robbing," answered Avarice. 
 
 But Repentance said that there could be no forgiveness 
 for Avarice till he had made true restitution of all that he 
 had stolen by cheating and robbery. 
 
 And now Gluttony set out to make his confession, and 
 turned towards a church to go and tell his sins. But as 
 he went on his way, Beton the brewer's wife bade him 
 good morning and tempted him into the ale-house to 
 drink. There was a company of people gathered within — 
 Sesse the sempstress, Tom the tinker, Hugh the needle- 
 seller, Sir Piers of Prydie, Daw the ditcher, Clement the 
 cobbler, and many more besides, who greeted Gluttony 
 and gave him good ale. So he sat down and drank, while 
 the others quarrelled and shouted and sang. But he 
 drank so much that he became very ill, and was taken home 
 and laid upon his bed ; and there his wife, and his own 
 conscience, reproved him for his sin, and he was bitterly 
 ashamed, and confessed his greed, vowing to practise 
 abstinence in the future. 
 
 Last of all came Sloth, crying that he must sit while he 
 made his confession, for if he stood or knelt he would fall 
 asleep in the middle of it. He confessed to knowing 
 
THE VISION OF WILLIAM 89 
 
 rhymes about Robin Hood and Randolf, Earl of Chester, 
 better than he knew his Paternoster, though he had been 
 a priest for thirty years or more. He had not visited the 
 poor, nor kept fasts or vigils, nor fulfilled any of his duties 
 as a priest. But he too was resolved to amend his life, 
 and made vows to go to church and read the services, 
 instead of living in idleness and self-indulgence. 
 
 Now after this Repentance made them all kneel down, 
 while he prayed for their forgiveness ; and a great com- 
 pany of a thousand people joined them, and all resolved 
 to set out to find Truth. But there was not one of them 
 who knew the way, and for a long time they wandered up 
 and down like cattle straying over the banks and hills. 
 
 At last they met a palmer, who carried a staff, a bowl, 
 and a bag, and bore on his hat the signs of many pil- 
 grimages that he had made — the shells of Galicia, the cross 
 of the Holy Land, the keys of Rome, and many more 
 besides, each of which told people of some shrine that he 
 had visited. But when the crowd of repentant sinners 
 asked him to guide them to Truth he could not do so, for 
 he had never heard of such a person. 
 
 At this moment a ploughman appeared, who cried — 
 
 " By Saint Peter, I know Him as well as a clerk does his 
 books. Conscience and Common Sense guided me to Him, 
 and made me promise faithfully to serve Him for ever, by 
 working hard in my tasks of sowing and planting as long 
 as I am able to do so, and by thinking only of His profit 
 in whatever I do. I have been His follower these forty 
 years, and have served Him to His satisfaction, though I 
 say it myself. I am well paid by Him, moreover, for He 
 is the readiest payer that any poor man knows. He is 
 lowly as a lamb and loyal in His tongue ; and if any one 
 wishes to know where this Truth dwells, I will make known 
 to him the way to His abode." 
 
 Then the pilgrims thanked Piers the Ploughman and 
 offered him a reward. But he answered — 
 
 " Nay, by my soul's health, I will not take a farthing ! 
 
90 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Were it told to Truth that I took a reward, He would love 
 me the less for a long time." 
 
 So now the pilgrims learnt how to find Truth from this 
 simple ploughman. He told them that they must go by 
 the way of Meekness till they came to the abode of 
 Conscience, and then on by a brook till they found a ford 
 called Honour-thy-father-and-mother, by which they were 
 to cross the stream. Then they would see a place called 
 Swear-not, and beside it an enclosure named Covet-not, 
 into which they were on no account to enter. Close by 
 would be two stocks, Steal-not and Slay-not, but these 
 they must leave on their left. Next they would come to 
 the hill called Bear-no-false-witness, which was hedged 
 about with florins and many other fees ; but they must 
 turn aside from it, leaving untouched the plants that grew 
 around it, and pass on by the way of Tell-the-truth. 
 
 At last they would come to a shining court, surrounded 
 by the moat of Mercy, and walled in by Wisdom to keep 
 out Self-will. Its battlements were Christendom and its 
 buttresses Believe-so, and all its halls and chambers were 
 roofed with Love and Honest-speech. The bars were of 
 Obedience, the bridge was called Pray-well ; each pillar 
 was made of Penance, and the hooks on which hung the 
 gates were of Almsgiving. 
 
 The keeper of the gate was called Grace, and his man 
 was Amend-you ; and the pilgrims must ask Grace to 
 open up the wicket for them. Then if he granted them 
 their request and they entered in, they would find at last 
 that as they crossed the threshold Truth had come to dwell 
 in their own hearts, to solace their souls, and save them 
 from punishment for their sins. 
 
 Piers told the pilgrims also that there were seven sisters 
 at the posterns of the court, whose names were Absti- 
 nence, Humility, Charity and Chastity, Patience and 
 Peace and Generosity ; and all those who were related to 
 these sisters would be welcome at the court, but those who 
 were not would find it hard to enter in at the gates 
 
THE VISION OF WILLIAM 91 
 
 Now when they heard this some of the pilgrims cried 
 out that they had no relations at the court of Truth ; but 
 Piers explained that the maiden Mercy had power over all 
 the others, and was related to all sinful people, and would 
 help them of her grace to enter in. 
 
 But a few of the pilgrims now began to make excuses 
 for themselves and left the company of those who were 
 seeking for Truth. Even those who remained were afraid 
 of the difficulty of the way and feared to venture on it 
 without a guide. 
 
 So Piers the Ploughman said that he would go with 
 them himself when he had ploughed a half-acre more of 
 land ; and meanwhile one of the women in the company 
 asked him to give them some work to do, that they might 
 employ their time profitably. So he gave some of them 
 corn-sacks to sew, and others wool and flax to spin into 
 clothes for the poor, and others silk embroidery to do for 
 the churches. 
 
 As for the men of the company, he set them to dig and 
 to plough and to weed, while he himself was their over- 
 seer. But some of them were idle and would not do their 
 work. So Piers called in Hunger to help him, and Hunger 
 soon forced them all to work as hard as they could to win 
 bread for themselves. 
 
 Now soon after this Truth heard the tale of all that had 
 happened ; and He sent Piers what looked like a bull of 
 pardon for all those who were working under him, bidding 
 them stay where they were and go on with their work, 
 instead of going on a journey to find Him. But when a 
 priest who was in the company asked to read the pardon, 
 he found that it only contained the words — 
 
 " He who does well shall have eternal life ; but he who 
 does evil shall have an evil end." 
 
 Then the priest and Piers fell to disputing about the 
 pardon, and through the noise of their argument I awoke, 
 and saw that the sun had moved into the south, and 
 realized that I was without food and without money on 
 
92 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 the Malvern Hills. So I arose and went on my way, 
 musing upon my dream. 
 
 The stories of the " Field Full of Folk " and of " Piers the 
 Ploughman " are taken from William Langland s " Poke of 
 Piers Plowman" which was written in the middle of the fourteenth 
 century. 
 
 XVI 
 
 THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 
 
 I. OF THE GREAT CHAN OF CATHAY ; OF THE ROYALTY 
 OF HIS PALACE AND HOW HE SITS AT MEAT; AND 
 OF THE GREAT NUMBER OF OFFICERS THAT SERVE 
 HIM 
 
 CATHAY is a great country and a fair, noble and rich, 
 and full of merchants. Thither go merchants all 
 years to seek spices and all manner of merchandises, more 
 commonly than any other part. And ye shall understand 
 that merchants that come from Genoa or from Venice or 
 from Romania or other parts of Lombardy, they go 
 by sea and by land eleven months or twelve, or more 
 sometimes, ere they come to the isle of Cathay, that is the 
 principal region of all parts beyond ; and it belongs to the 
 great Chan. 
 
 From Cathay men go toward the east by many journeys. 
 And then they find a good city between these others that 
 men call Sugarmago. That city is one of the best stored 
 of silk and other merchandises that is in this world. 
 
 And besides that city the men of Tartary have made 
 another city that is called Caydon. 
 
 In this city is the seat of the Great Chan in a full great 
 palace, and the most passing fair in all the world, of which 
 the walls be in circuit more than two miles. And within 
 the walls it is all full of other palaces. And in the garden 
 of the great palace there is a great hill, upon which there 
 is another palace, and it is the most fair and the most rich 
 that any man may devise. And all about the palace and 
 
THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 93 
 
 the hill are many trees bearing diverse fruits. And all 
 about the hill are ditches great and deep, and beside 
 them are great fish ponds, and there is a full fair bridge 
 to pass over the ditches. And in all these ponds are so 
 many wild geese and ganders and wild ducks and swans 
 and herons that it is without number. And all about these 
 ditches and ponds is the great garden full of wild beasts, so 
 that when the Great Chan will have any disport, to take 
 any of the wild beasts or fowls, he will let chase them, and 
 take them at the windows without going out of his 
 chamber. 
 
 This palace, where his seat is, is both great and passing 
 fair. And within the palace, in the hall, there are twenty- 
 four pillars of fine gold. And all the walls are covered 
 within with red skins of beasts that men call panthers, 
 that are fair beasts and well-smelling ; so that for the 
 sweet odour of those skins, no evil air may enter into the 
 palace. Those skins are red as blood, and they shine so 
 bright against the sun that scarcely any men may behold 
 them. And many folk worship those beasts, when they 
 meet them first at morning, for their great virtue and for 
 the good smell that they have. And those skins they 
 prize more than though they were plates of fine gold. 
 
 And in the midst of this palace is the cistern for the 
 Great Chan, that is all wrought of gold and of precious 
 stones and great pearls. And at four corners of the 
 cistern are four serpents of gold. And all about there 
 are made large nets of silk and gold and great pearls 
 hanging all about the cistern. And under the cistern are 
 conduits of beverage that they drink in the emperor's 
 court. And beside the conduits are many vessels of gold, 
 by which they that are of the household drink at the 
 conduit. 
 
 And the hall of the palace is full nobly arrayed, and full 
 marvellously attired on all parts with all things that men 
 use to apparel any hall. And first, at the chief end of the 
 hall is the emperor's throne, full high, where he sitteth at 
 
94 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 the meat. And that is of full precious stones, bordered all 
 about with refined gold and precious stones and great 
 pearls. And the steps that he goeth up to the table are 
 of precious stones mingled with gold. 
 
 The emperor hath his table alone by himself, and it is 
 of gold and precious stones, or of crystal bordered with 
 gold, and full of precious stones or of amethysts, or of ivory 
 bordered with gold. And his eldest son and the other lords 
 also, and the ladies and all that sit with the emperor have 
 tables alone by themselves, full rich. And there is no table 
 but that it is worth an huge treasure of goods. 
 
 And below the emperor's table sit four clerks that write 
 all that the emperor saith, be it good, be it evil ; for all 
 that he saith must be holden, for he may not change his 
 word nor revoke it. 
 
 And at great solemn feasts before the emperor's table 
 men bring great tables of gold, and thereon are peacocks 
 of gold and many other manner of diverse fowls, all of 
 gold and richly wrought and enamelled. And men make 
 them dance and sing, clapping their wings together and 
 making a great noise. And whether it be by craft or by 
 magic I know not ; but it is a good sight to behold, and a 
 fair ; and it is a great marvel how it may be. But I have 
 the less marvel, because they are the most subtle men in 
 all sciences and in all crafts that are in the world. I did 
 great business for to have learned that craft, but the 
 master told me that he had made a vow to his god to teach 
 it to no creature, but only to his eldest son. 
 
 Also above the emperor's table and the other tables, and 
 above a great part of the hall is a vine made of fine gold. 
 And it spreadeth all about the hall. And it hath many 
 clusters of grapes; some white, some green, some yellow, 
 and some red and some black, all of precious stones. And 
 they are all so properly made that it seemeth a very vine 
 bearing kindly grapes. 
 
 And before the emperor's table stand great lords and 
 rich barons and others that serve the emperor at the meat. 
 
THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEV1LLE 95 
 
 And no man is so hardy as to speak a word, unless the 
 emperor speak to him, except it be minstrels that sing 
 songs and tell jests or other disports, to solace the emperor. 
 And all the vessels that men are served with in the hall or 
 in the chambers are of precious stones, and specially at 
 the great tables they are either of jasper or of amethysts 
 or of fine gold. And the cups are of emeralds and of 
 sapphires, or of topazes, and of many other precious 
 stones. Vessels of silver are there none, for they set no 
 value by it to make vessels of it ; but they make thereof 
 steps and pillars and pavements for the halls and chambers. 
 And before the hall door stand many barons and knights 
 fully armed to keep watch that no man enter, unless it is 
 the will or the commandment of the emperor, or if they are 
 servants or minstrels of the household ; and none other 
 is so hardy as to draw nigh the hall door. 
 
 And ye shall understand that my fellows and I with 
 our yeomen, we served this emperor and were his soldiers 
 fifteen months against the King of Mancy, that held war 
 against him. And the cause was because we had great 
 desire to see his noblesse and the estate of his court and 
 all his governance, to know if it were such as we heard say 
 that it was. And truly we found it more noble and more 
 excellent, and richer and more marvellous than ever we 
 had heard speak of, in so much that we would never have 
 believed it had we not seen it. 
 
 And albeit that some men will not believe me, but hold 
 it for fable to tell them the noblesse of his person and of 
 his estate and of his court and of the great multitude of 
 folk that he holds, nevertheless I shall tell you something 
 of him and of his folk, according as I have seen the 
 manner and the ordinance full many a time. For I know 
 well, if any man hath been in those countries beyond, 
 though he have not been in the place where the Great 
 Chan dwelleth, he shall hear spoken of him so many 
 marvellous things that he shall not believe it lightly. And 
 truly, no more did I myself till I saw it. And those 
 
96 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 that have been in the Great Chan's household know well 
 that I say sooth. 
 
 XVII 
 
 THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 
 
 II. WHEREFORE HE IS CALLED THE GREAT CHAN; OF 
 THE GOVERNANCE OF THE GREAT CHAN'S COURT, 
 AND WHEN HE MAKETH SOLEMN FEASTS ; AND OF HIS 
 ARRAY WHEN HE RIDETH IN THE COUNTRY 
 
 IT is but little more than eight score year that all 
 Tartary was in subjection and in servage to other 
 nations about. For they were but savage folk, and did 
 nothing but kept beasts and led them to pastures. But 
 among them they had seven principal nations that were 
 sovereigns of them all. Of the which, the first nation or 
 lineage was called Tartar, and that is the most noble and 
 the most prized. 
 
 Now it befell that of the first lineage succeeded an old 
 worthy man that was not rich, that had to name Changuys. 
 This man lay upon a night in his bed. And he saw in a 
 vision that there came before him a knight armed all in 
 white. And he sat upon a white horse, and said to him — 
 
 "Chan, sleepest thou? The Immortal God hath sent 
 me to thee, and it is His will that thou go to the seven 
 lineages and say to them that thou wilt be their emperor. 
 For thou shalt conquer the lands and the countries that 
 be about, and they that march upon you shall be under 
 your subjection, as ye have been under theirs, for that is 
 God's will." 
 
 And when the morrow came, Changuys rose, and went 
 to the seven lineages, and told them how the White 
 Knight had said. And they scorned him, and said that he 
 was a fool. And so he departed from them all ashamed. 
 And the night ensuing, this White Knight came to the 
 seven lineages, and commanded them on God's behalf 
 that they should make this Changuys their emperor, and 
 
THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 97 
 
 they should be out of subjection, and they should hold all 
 other regions about them in their servage as they had 
 been to them before. And on the morrow they chose him 
 to be their emperor. And they set him upon a black 
 palanquin, and after that they lifted him up with great 
 solemnity. And they set him in a chair of gold, and did 
 him all manner of reverence, and they called him Chan, 
 as the White Knight called him. 
 
 And when he was thus chosen, he wished to try if he 
 might trust in them or no, and whether they would be 
 obedient to him or no. And then he made statutes and 
 ordinances, that they call Ysya Chan. The first statute 
 was that they should believe in and obey God Immortal 
 that is Almighty, and at all times call to Him for help 
 in time of need. The second statute was that all manner 
 of men that might bear arms should be numbered, and to 
 every ten should be a master, and to every ten thousand 
 a master. Afterwards he commanded to the principals 
 of the seven lineages that they should leave and forsake 
 all that they had in goods and heritage, and from hence- 
 forth hold themselves paid with that which he would 
 give them of his grace. And they did so anon. 
 
 And when the Chan saw that they made no obstacle 
 to perform his commandment, then he thought well that 
 he might trust in them, and commanded them anon to 
 make them ready and to follow his banner. And after 
 this Chan put in subjection all the lands about him. 
 
 Afterwards it befell upon a day that the Chan rode with 
 a few followers to behold the strength of the country that 
 he had won. And it so befell that a great multitude of 
 his enemies met with him. And for to give good example 
 of hardiness to his people, he was the first that fought 
 in the midst of his enemies, and there he was cast from 
 his horse, and his horse was slain. 
 
 And when his folk saw him on the earth they were 
 all abashed, and weened he had been dead, and fled every 
 one, and their enemies chased them, but they knew not 
 7 
 
98 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 that the emperor was there. And when the enemies were 
 far pursuing the chase the emperor hid himself in a thick 
 wood. And when they were come again from the chase 
 they went and sought if any of them had been hid in the 
 thick of the woods ; and many they found, and slew them 
 anon. 
 
 So it happened that as they went searching towards 
 the place where the emperor was, they saw an owl sitting 
 upon a tree above him ; and then they said amongst them 
 that there was no man, because they saw that bird there, 
 and so they went their way ; and thus escaped the emperor 
 from death. 
 
 Then he went privily all by night, till he came to his 
 folk, who were full glad of his coming, and made great 
 thanks to God Immortal, and to that bird by whom their 
 lord was saved. And therefore principally above all fowls 
 of the world they worship the owl ; and when they have 
 any of their feathers they keep them full preciously instead 
 of relics, and bear them upon their heads with great rever- 
 ence, and they hold themselves blessed and safe from all 
 perils while that they have them upon them. 
 
 After all this the Chan assembled his people, and went 
 upon them that had assailed him before, and destroyed 
 them, and put them in subjection and servage. And when 
 he had won and put all the lands and countries on this 
 half the Mount Belian in subjection, the White Knight 
 came to him again in his sleep, and said to him — 
 
 " Chan ! the will of God Immortal is that thou pass the 
 Mount Belian. And thou shalt win the land, and thou 
 shalt put many nations in subjection. And because thou 
 shalt find no good passage to go toward that country, go 
 to the Mount Belian that is upon the sea, and kneel there 
 nine times towards the east in worship of God Immortal, 
 and He shall show the way to pass by." 
 
 And the Chan did so. And anon the sea that touched 
 and was fast to the mount began to withdraw, and showed 
 a fair way of nine foot in breadth ; and so he passed with 
 
THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 99 
 
 his folk, and won the land of Cathay, that is the greatest 
 kingdom in the world. 
 
 And for the nine kneelings and for the nine foot of 
 way, the Chan and all the men of Tartary have the 
 number of nine in great reverence. And therefore who- 
 ever will make the Chan any present, be it of horses, be 
 it of birds, or of arrows, or bows, or of fruit, or of any 
 other thing, always he must make it of the number nine. 
 And then the presents are of greater pleasure to him ; and 
 he will receive them more benignly than though he were 
 presented with an hundred or two hundred. For to him 
 the number of nine seems so holy, because the messenger 
 of God devised it. 
 
 Also, when the Chan of Cathay had won the country 
 of Cathay, and put in subjection and under foot many 
 countries round about, he fell sick. And when he felt that 
 he should die, he said to his twelve sons that each of them 
 should bring him one of his arrows. And so they did 
 anon. And he commanded that men should bind them 
 together in three places. And then he took them to his 
 eldest son, and bade him break them all together. And 
 he tried with all his might to break them, but he could 
 not. Then the Chan bade his second son to break them ; 
 and so shortly to all, each after the other ; but none of 
 them could break them. And then he bade the youngest 
 son dissever every one from the others, and break each 
 by himself. And so he did. Then said the Chan to his 
 eldest son and to all the others — 
 
 " Wherefore could ye not break them ? " 
 
 And they answered that they could not because they 
 were bound together. 
 
 " And wherefore," quoth he, " hath your little youngest 
 brother broken them ? " 
 
 "Because," quoth they," they were parted from each other." 
 
 Then said the Chan — 
 
 "My sons, truly thus will it fare with you. For as long 
 as ye are bound together in three places, that is to say, in 
 
100 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 love, in truth, and in good accord, no man shall be of 
 power to grieve you. But if ye are dissevered from these 
 three places, ye shall be destroyed and brought to naught. 
 And if all of you love one another and help one another, 
 ye shall be lords and sovereigns of all others." 
 
 And when he had made his ordinances, he died. And 
 then after him reigned Ecchecha Cane, his eldest son. 
 And his other brethren went to win for themselves many 
 countries and kingdoms, unto the lands of Prussia and of 
 Russia, and made themselves to be called Chane ; but they 
 were all obedient to their brother, and therefore was he 
 called the Great Chan. 
 
 Now I shall tell you the governance of the court of the 
 Great Chan when he maketh great feasts. 
 
 At each of these feasts he hath great multitude of 
 people, well ordained and well arrayed, by thousands, by 
 hundreds, and by tens. And every man knoweth well 
 what service he shall do, and giveth so good heed and so 
 good attendance to his service that no man findeth any 
 fault with it. And there are first ordained four thousand 
 barons, mighty and rich, for to govern and to make ordi- 
 nance for the feast, and for to serve the emperor. 
 
 And these solemn feasts are made without in halls and 
 tents made of cloths of gold and of Tartar cloth, full 
 nobly. And all those barons have crowns of gold upon 
 their heads, full noble and rich, full of precious stones and 
 great pearls. And they are all clothed in cloths of gold, 
 or of Tartar cloth, or of thick silk, so richly and so per- 
 fectly that no man in the world can better devise it. And 
 all those robes are embroidered with gold all about, and 
 set with precious stones and great orient pearls, full richly. 
 And they may well do so, for cloths of gold and of silk 
 are cheaper there a great deal than are cloths of wool. 
 And these four thousand barons are divided into four 
 companies, and every thousand is clothed in cloths all of 
 one colour, and that so well arrayed and so richly that it 
 is a marvel to behold. 
 
THE TRAVELS OF SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE 101 
 
 The first thousand, that is of dukes, of earls, of mar- 
 quises, and of admirals, are all clothed in cloths of gold, 
 with tissues of green, and bordered with gold full of 
 precious stones in manner as I have said before. The 
 second thousand are all clothed in cloths of red silk, all 
 wrought with gold, and the embroidery set full of great 
 pearls and precious stones. The third thousand are 
 clothed in cloths of silk, of purple or of blue. And the 
 fourth thousand are in cloths of yellow. 
 
 And when they are thus apparelled, they go two and 
 two together in order before the Emperor, without speech 
 of any word, save only inclining to him. And every one 
 of them beareth a tablet of jasper or of ivory or of crystal, 
 and the minstrels go before them, sounding their instru- 
 ments of divers melody. And when the first thousand 
 have thus passed and have made their muster, they with- 
 draw on one side ; and then entereth the second thousand, 
 and doth right so in the same manner of array and 
 countenance as did the first ; and after, the third ; and then 
 the fourth ; and none of them saith a word. 
 
 Then begin the minstrels to make their minstrelsy in 
 divers instruments with all the melody that they can 
 devise. And when they have done their craft, then they 
 bring before the emperor lions, leopards, and other kinds 
 of beasts, and eagles, and vultures, and other kinds of 
 fowls, and fishes and serpents, for to do him reverence. 
 And then come jugglers and enchanters, that do many 
 marvels ; for they make to come in the air, by seeming, 
 the sun and the moon to every man's sight. And after- 
 wards they make the night so dark that no man may see 
 anything. And then they make the day to come again, 
 fair and pleasant with bright sun, to every mari's sight. 
 
 Then they bring in dancers of the fairest damsels in the 
 world, and richest arrayed. And after they make to come 
 in other damsels bringing cups of gold full of milk, and 
 they give drink to the lords and ladies. And then they 
 make knights to joust in arms full lustily ; and they rush 
 
102 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 together full fiercely, and break their spears so rudely 
 that the truncheons fly in sprouts and pieces all about the 
 hall. And then they make to come in men hunting for 
 the hart and for the bear, with hounds running with open 
 mouths. And many other things they do by craft of their 
 enchantment, that it is a marvel for to see. 
 
 When the emperor will ride from one country to 
 another, he rides in a chariot with four wheels, upon which 
 is made a fair chamber, and this chamber is full well 
 smelling because of the wood that it is made of. And it 
 is covered within with plate of fine gold dubbed with 
 precious stones and great pearls. And four elephants 
 and four great war-horses, all white and covered with 
 rich coverings, lead the chariot. And four or five or six 
 of the greatest lords ride about this chariot, full richly 
 arrayed and full nobly, so that no man shall come nigh 
 the chariot but only those lords, unless the emperor 
 call any man to him to speak with him. And above 
 the chamber of this chariot that the emperor sitteth 
 in are set upon a perch four or five or six falcons, so 
 that when the emperor seeth any wild fowl, he may 
 take it at his own pleasure, and have the sport and the 
 play of the flight, first with one falcon and after with 
 another ; and so he taketh his sport passing by the country. 
 And no man rideth before him of his company, but all 
 after him. 
 
 Under the firmament is not so great a lord, nor so 
 mighty nor so rich as is the Great Chan ; not Prester 
 John, that is Emperor of the High Ind, nor the Soldan of 
 Babylon, nor the Emperor of Persia. All these are not to 
 be compared to the Great Chan, neither for their might, 
 nor for their noblesse, nor for their royalty, nor for their 
 riches ; for in all these he passeth all earthly princes. 
 
 The " Travels of Sir John Mandeville" was once thought to have 
 been wi'itten by a real Sir John Ma?ideville, who was describing his 
 oivn travels. But it was really written in the first place i?i French 
 
THE STORY OF MAK 103 
 
 by a Flemish writer, who took his descriptions from earlier books of 
 travels, and it was translated into English about the end of the 
 fourteenth century. 
 
 XVIII 
 
 THE STORY OF MAK 
 
 ONE cold winter's evening a poor shepherd was on his 
 way to look after his sheep ; and as he walked 
 along he groaned at the weather and at his own ill 
 fortune, for he lived in days when the retainers of great 
 lords did what they pleased to poor men, confident that 
 their masters would prevent them from being punished. 
 
 " Heaven, how cold it is," he said, " and I am but ill 
 wrapped up for such weather. My legs are stiff, my 
 fingers are chapped, and 1 am nigh stupid with sleeping 
 in the cold. My lot is not what I could wish, for we poor 
 shepherds, in faith, have scarce a roof to cover us. But no 
 wonder we are poor, for we are so taxed and robbed by 
 these gentle-folk that we have no spirit left in us. They 
 tell us that it is for the best ; but we find it quite the con- 
 trary. 'Tvvere a great wonder, when they oppress us thus, 
 if we were to thrive. For look ye, there comes along a 
 swain as proud as a peacock, and says he must borrow my 
 wagon and plough. I had better hang than say him nay, 
 for these men must have their way, even if they be but up- 
 starts. For nowadays, let a man but get a sleeve with 
 a lord's badge painted on it, and no one dares resist him, 
 however masterful he may be. He boasts and he brags, 
 and greater men uphold him, and woe to the man who 
 displeases or gainsays him ! Well, well, it does me good 
 to make my moan like this. But now I must be after my 
 sheep. I expect I shall have company ere long." 
 
 So he set off to his sheepfold, and very soon he met 
 another shepherd, who also began to grumble. 
 
 " As I am a true man. this weather is spiteful. The 
 
104 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 frosts are so hideous they make my eyes water, and my 
 shoes freeze to my feet with the sleet and the snow. Life 
 is not easy for us nowadays. But in truth, as far as I ken, 
 there has never been aught but woe for us poor wedded 
 men. We get but little of our will, and lead but a sorry 
 life. We must keep our sighs to ourselves, too. How- 
 ever, I have learnt my part — I know my lesson. But 
 have ye seen aught of Daw ? " 
 
 " Yea," replied the First Shepherd, " I heard him blow- 
 ing his pipe, and he must be near at hand." 
 
 Then a third shepherd, Daw, a boy who worked under 
 one of the other shepherds, appeared, and in his turn 
 began to make complaints, without at first seeing the 
 other two. 
 
 " Saint Nicholas speed me — and I have need of it, for 
 I fare worse than ever. Never since the days of Noah 
 were such floods seen, such rough wind and rain, and 
 such fierce storms." 
 
 At this moment he caught sight of the other shepherds, 
 and cried — 
 
 " Ah, sir, and my good master, heaven save you ! I 
 would fain have a drink and somewhat to eat." 
 
 But the First Shepherd replied — 
 
 " A curse be upon you, knave, for you are but a bad 
 shepherd"; and the Second Shepherd cried — 
 
 " What ? The boy raves. 'Tis an ill bargain to have 
 taken him as a servant. Though the rascal came late, yet 
 he would be taking his dinner already, if he had any." 
 
 To this Daw answered — 
 
 " Such servants as I, that sweat and work hard, must 
 yet eat our bread full dry, it seems. We are oft wet and 
 weary while our masters sleep, but both dinner and drinks, 
 and our pay too, come but slowly. But hereafter, master, 
 I shall work as I am paid. I shall do but little, and amuse 
 myself as I please ; for, as men say, ' a cheap bargain 
 yields but poorly.' " 
 
 But the Second Shepherd rebuked Daw, and bade him 
 
THE STORY OF MAK 105 
 
 be silent, or he would have reason to be afraid. Then he 
 asked after the sheep, and on learning that they " had 
 good pasture, and could not go wrong," he suggested 
 that as their minds were now at rest about their flocks 
 they should sing a song to pass the time. So they took 
 their parts, tenor, treble, and mean, and were carolling 
 merrily when a man named Mak appeared lamenting his 
 misfortunes, and wishing he were in Heaven, where no 
 bairns weep. Now Mak had a bad name as a thief, and 
 on seeing him Daw warned the others to look to their 
 goods, for fear Mak should try to steal them. But at 
 the moment he did nothing worse than give himself 
 humorous airs. 
 
 " I am a king's yeoman, I tell you," he said, " sent to 
 you by a great lord, and you must pay me reverence." 
 
 But the shepherds only laughed at his boasts, and being 
 Northerners themselves, told him to "take out his lying 
 Southern tooth," and admit that they were as good as he 
 was. At first he still went on boasting, but when the 
 Second Shepherd threatened him with a beating he decided 
 that it was best to hold his tongue. 
 
 The shepherds were still suspicious of him, however, 
 and accused him of being out so late in order to steal 
 sheep. But Mak replied that all men knew him to be 
 as true as steel. 
 
 So at last the shepherds decided to be friendly, and by 
 way of showing his goodwill the First Shepherd asked after 
 Mak's wife. 
 
 " Why," cried he, " she does naught but eat and drink 
 and loll by the fire. However rich I were, she would eat 
 me out of house and home." 
 
 After this the shepherds agreed to lie down and sleep 
 for a time ; but each wanted the other to keep watch for 
 fear of Mak. At last they settled it by making Mak lie 
 between them, and soon they were all three asleep. 
 
 Mak now saw his opportunity. 
 
 " This is the time," he said, " for a man who lacks what 
 
106 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 he desires to stalk secretly into a sheepfold and help him- 
 self. But I must make good shift, or I shall have to pay- 
 dearly for my bargain." 
 
 Then he pretended to cast a spell upon the shepherds 
 to make them sleep heavily, and when he found by their 
 snoring that they were deep in sleep he went to the 
 sheepfold, saying to himself — 
 
 " I was never a shepherd, but I'll soon learn the trade ! " 
 
 So he seized a sheep, crying — 
 
 " Ha, now my sorrows are beginning to mend ! I'll 
 borrow this fat sheep with its fine white fleece." 
 
 Then he went home with the sheep, knocked at the 
 door, and asked Gyll, his wife, to let him in. 
 
 But Gyll called out — 
 
 " Who makes such a din at this time of night ? I am 
 at my spinning, and will not get up, no, not even to earn 
 a penny. I can't be disturbed for such small matters." 
 
 " Good wife, open the door," answered Mak, "and come 
 and see what I bring with me." 
 
 So she let him in, but on seeing the stolen sheep 
 cried — 
 
 " Thou art like to hang by the neck for this." 
 
 But Mak was too pleased with himself to have any 
 fears, and answered boastingly — 
 
 " Get along ! See how worthy of my meat I am, for at 
 a pinch I can obtain more than those that work all the 
 long day." 
 
 " Yet it were a pity to hang for it," said Gyll. 
 
 " Pooh ! " cried Mak. " I have escaped many as great 
 a risk." 
 
 " Yes, but so oft goes the pitcher to the well, it comes 
 back broken at last," his wife replied. 
 
 Mak, however, was undaunted, and told Gyll to cook 
 the sheep quickly, for he wanted his dinner. But she was 
 still afraid of the shepherds, and proposed that they should 
 hide the sheep in her cradle, and pretend if the shepherds 
 came that it was a baby. They agreed upon this, and 
 
THE STORY OF MAK 107 
 
 then Mak went back to the field and lay down in his place 
 as though he had never left it. 
 
 Presently the shepherds began to wake one by one, 
 and Daw, who was still suspicious, asked where Mak was, 
 for he had dreamt that he had trapped one of the sheep. 
 Thereupon Mak pretended to wake, complaining of a stiff 
 neck from his heavy sleep. He then declared that he 
 must go home to his wife, but first he bade the shepherds 
 see that he had stolen nothing. So they separated to go 
 to the sheepfolds to count their sheep, and agreed to meet 
 afterwards at the " crooked thorn tree," a well-known land- 
 mark in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Meanwhile Mak went home, and Gyll inquired how he 
 had fared with the shepherds, and he told her that they 
 were counting their sheep, and that they would be sure to 
 suspect him when they found one missing. 
 
 So they swaddled the sheep in the cradle, and Gyll lay 
 down on the bed and pretended to be ill, while Mak 
 prepared to sing a lullaby directly the shepherds appeared. 
 
 The latter meanwhile had met again, and the First Shep- 
 herd complained that he had lost a fat sheep. Daw at 
 once suspected either Mak or Gyll, and they agreed to go 
 to Mak's house to see for themselves. 
 
 On arriving there they could hear Mak singing " clear 
 out of tune," and they called to him to let them in. He 
 soon did so, but begged them to speak softly as his wife 
 was ill. Then he asked them to sit down, and offered to 
 light a fire and give them dinner. 
 
 " Xay," said the Second Shepherd, " neither drink nor 
 meat will mend our mood." 
 
 " Why, sir," said Mak, " is aught wrong ? " 
 
 " Yea," answered Daw, " our loss is great ; one of our 
 sheep is stolen." 
 
 "What?" cried Mak. "'Had I been there the robber 
 should have paid sorely for it ! " 
 
 But to this the First Shepherd replied dryly — 
 
 " Marrv, some think that vou were there," and the other 
 
108 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 shepherds joined in with accusations against both Mak 
 and Gyll. Thereupon Mak, protesting his innocence, bade 
 them search the house, while Gyll tried to turn the tables 
 on them by saying that they had come to rob her. Mak 
 then reproached the shepherds for disturbing her, and she 
 declared that she would eat the child in the cradle if ever 
 she had beguiled them ! 
 
 But the shepherds could find nothing in the house, and 
 so thought that they must have made a mistake. A little 
 ashamed of themselves, they began to ask after Mak's 
 child, and he replied in his usual boastful manner that 
 " any lord might have the child for his son." 
 
 The shepherds then took their leave. But Daw's con- 
 science soon began to prick him for his unkind suspicions, 
 and he went back and asked Mak to let him give the child 
 sixpence. 
 
 At this Mak was frightened and cried — 
 
 " Nay, go away. He is asleep." 
 
 " But methinks he is peeping out," answered Daw. 
 
 But the other shepherds were now coming back, and 
 Mak cried out in terror — 
 
 " When he wakes, he weeps. I pray you go hence." 
 
 " Let me first lift the coverlet and kiss him," said Daw, 
 and he pulled back the cloth that covered the cradle. 
 
 " What is this ? " he cried. " He has a very long snout! " 
 
 "Yes," said the second shepherd, "and he is like our 
 sheep ! " 
 
 At this Mak and Gyll began to protest vehemently that 
 it was their own child that lay in the cradle, but even 
 when Gyll declared that an elf had bewitched him, and 
 changed him into a sheep, the shepherds were not to be 
 deceived. They were furious, and threatened death to 
 Mak and Gyll ; but at the same time they could not help 
 seeing the joke. 
 
 " Come and see how they've swaddled him," cried Daw 
 to the others, " with his four feet tied up in the middle ! 
 Never in my life did I see a horned boy in a cradle ! " 
 
LONDON LICKPENNY 109 
 
 So Mak at last pleaded guilty, but promised never to 
 steal again on penalty of losing his head, and the shepherds 
 agreed to let him off with a good tossing in a blanket. 
 They tossed him with a will till they were tired out, and 
 then they went out into the fields once more and lay down 
 to rest. 
 
 So Mak got off with very little punishment for his sheep- 
 stealing on that occasion. Whether or not he kept his 
 promise to the shepherds we do not know ; but it is greatly 
 to be feared that this was not the last occasion on which 
 he " borrowed " a fine fat sheep ! 
 
 The story of Mak is told in one of a great series of scriptural 
 plays known as "Miracle Plays" which used to be acted at Wakefield, 
 in Yorkshire, in the fifteenth century. 
 
 Though the latter half of the play is serious and contains an 
 account of the Nativity, the earlier scenes about Mak form what is 
 7-eally the first English comedy. 
 
 XIX 
 
 LONDON L1CKPENNY 
 
 THERE was once a day when I set out for London, 
 hoping to find Truth flourishing there ; and first I 
 went to Westminster to make my complaint to a man of 
 law. 
 
 Now as I pushed my way through the crowd, by an 
 evil chance my hood was stolen ; but for all that, I 
 did not stop my journey till I came to the King's Bench. 
 Then I knelt down before the judge, and prayed him, for 
 the love of Heaven, to take notice of my case. There was 
 a great company of clerks sitting on the benches beneath 
 him, and they were all writing with one accord, while one 
 stood up from time to time and called out the names of 
 those men whose cases were to be heard, crying, " Richard, 
 Robert, and John of Kent," though in truth I understood 
 
110 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 but half of what he meant. But these were rich men, 
 while I was poor, and no one paid any heed to me, and so 
 for lack of money my cause did not prosper in that court. 
 
 So then I went to the Court of Common Pleas, and 
 there I found a lav/yer wearing a fine silk hood. I made 
 my reverence to him as became me, and told him my 
 case as well as I could. I told him how I had been de- 
 frauded of my goods by lying men ; but I could not get 
 him so much as to open his mouth to answer me, so again 
 for lack of money my cause did not prosper. 
 
 From thence I betook myself to the Court of Chancery, 
 where many a man was earning pence, though none of 
 them would look at me. I pleaded my case to them upon 
 my knees, and they said it was a good one when they had 
 heard it ; but as I had no money, they could do nothing 
 for me. 
 
 Now in Westminster Hall I found a man dressed in a 
 long gown, and I crouched on my knees before him and 
 prayed him to help me. But he answered, " I know not 
 what you mean," and bade me go away. So once more 
 for lack of money I could not prosper. 
 
 For it was very clear that within that hall neither rich 
 nor poor would do anything for me, even though I were 
 dying. So I went out at the door, and immediately the 
 Flemish tradesmen beset me, crying — 
 
 " Master, what will you buy ? Fine felt hats, or spec- 
 tacles with which to read ? Lay down your silver, and 
 here you will get what you want." 
 
 But I had no silver, so I went on to Westminster Gate ; 
 and there the cooks began to call my attention. They 
 offered me bread, with ale and wine, and also some 
 fine, fat ribs of beef. They began to spread a fair cloth 
 too, but since I had no money, I could not pay for the 
 food. 
 
 Now after this I hied me to London, which is the finest 
 town in all the land. Here one was crying " Hot pea- 
 pods," another " Strawberry ripe," and a third " Cherries 
 
LONDON LICKPENNY 111 
 
 on the bough." Others bade me come near and buy some 
 spice, offering me pepper and saffron ; but how could I 
 buy them without any money ? 
 
 Then I drew nigh to Cheapside, where there were many 
 people. One offered me velvet, silk, and lawn, while 
 another took me by the hand, crying — 
 
 " Here is Paris thread, the finest in the land." In truth, 
 I was not used to seeing such fine things ; but it was all in 
 vain, for I still lacked money. 
 
 Next I went up Cannon Street, passing London Stone, 
 and here were the drapers, offering their cloth. Also I 
 met a man crying " Hot sheep's feet," while two more 
 cried " Mackerel," and u Green rushes." Yet a fourth bade 
 me buy a hood to cover my head ; but for want of money 
 I could not even do that. 
 
 After this I went to East Cheap, where ribs of beef and 
 many pies were being sold, while a man made a great 
 clatter by throwing pewter pots together in a heap. Llere, 
 too, there was the music of a harp and a pipe, and some 
 men were singing ballads to earn a reward of pence, and 
 others were shouting and arguing together. But still my 
 trouble was that I had no money. 
 
 At last I came to Cornhill, and there they were selling 
 stolen goods. What should I see but my own hood hang- 
 ing up, the very one that I had lost in the crowd ! I knew 
 it as well as I did the Creed, but it seemed to me a mistake 
 to buy my own hood ! Besides, I lacked money, so how 
 could I buy it ? 
 
 Now a tavern-keeper stood by, who caught me by the 
 sleeve and said — 
 
 " Sir, will you try our wine ? " 
 
 To this I answered — 
 
 " That cannot do me much harm. I have but a penny, 
 and what's the use of keeping it ? " and I drank a pint of 
 wine and paid for it. But I went away from the inn in 
 great hunger, and could buy no food for my lack of 
 money. 
 
112 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Then I hied me to Billingsgate, and prayed a bargeman 
 to take me across the river for the love of Heaven, and 
 spare me the expense of paying for my journey. 
 
 But he replied — 
 
 " You will not escape here for less than twopence, for 
 I have no mind yet to be giving alms in preparation for 
 my death." 
 
 So yet once more I could not get what I wanted for 
 lack of money. 
 
 And now at last I returned home into Kent, for I was 
 quite determined to meddle no more with the law, but to 
 put up with my grievances as best I could, since no man 
 would pay any heed to them. But may Heaven save 
 London, and send lawyers a fitting reward, for whoever 
 lacks money cannot prosper with them ! 
 
 The poem of " London Lickpenny " was formerly thought to 
 have bee?i written by John Zydgate, a monk who was born about 
 1370. The real author is still unknozvn, but it belongs to 
 Lydgate's period ', the early fiftee?ith century. 
 
 XX 
 
 ROBIN HOOD AND SIR RICHARD-AT- 
 THE-LEE 
 
 E»TEN, gentlemen, that are of freeborn blood, and 
 I will tell you about a good yeoman. His name was 
 Robin Hood, and all his life he was a proud outlaw. But 
 so courteous an outlaw as he was never found, and he 
 would never do any harm to a company in which there 
 was a woman, for he held all women in great respect and 
 honour. 
 
 Now one day Robin stood in the forest of Barnsdale 
 and leant against a tree, and beside him stood his good 
 yeoman Little John, and Scarlet also, and Much, the 
 miller's son. 
 
ROBIN HOOD AND SIR RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE 113 
 
 Then Little John spoke to Robin, saying — 
 
 " Master, 'tis time to dine." 
 
 But Robin answered — 
 
 " I will not dine till I have some bold baron or a knight 
 or a squire with me who will pay for his dinner." 
 
 So Little John prepared to set forth in search of a 
 guest ; but first he questioned his master, saying — 
 
 " Where shall we go, and how shall we act ? Whom 
 shall we rob, and whose goods shall we leave untouched ? 
 Whom shall we beat and bind ? " 
 
 To this Robin made answer — 
 
 " Do no harm to any husbandman who is tilling with 
 his plough, nor to any good yeoman who walks in the 
 greenwood, nor to any knight or squire. But ye may beat 
 and bind the rich clergy, who live in luxury themselves 
 and oppress poor men ; and keep in mind that the High 
 Sheriff of Nottingham is no friend of ours." 
 
 Then Little John and Much and William Scarlet set out 
 in search of a guest, and after a time they saw a knight 
 riding towards them with his retinue. He made but a 
 sorry appearance, and seemed to have lost his pride, for 
 he had but one foot in the stirrup, and his hood hung 
 down over his eyes, and his clothes and trappings were 
 mean and old. 
 
 But Little John showed him courtesy, and knelt before 
 him, saying — 
 
 " Welcome, gentle knight ; welcome to the greenwood. 
 My master has been waiting for you, fasting, these three 
 hours." 
 
 " Who is your master ? " asked the knight ; and John 
 answered, " Robin Hood." 
 
 " He is a good yeoman," said the knight, " and I have 
 heard men speak well of him. My purpose was to have 
 dined to-day at Blyth or Doncaster, but I will go with you 
 to your master, since you ask me." 
 
 So the knight, whose name was Sir Richard-at-the-Lee, 
 rode on his way with Little John, till they came to where 
 8 
 
114 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Robin was waiting ; and Robin took off his hood and went 
 on his knee, saying courteously — 
 
 " Welcome, Sir Knight. I have awaited thee these 
 three hours." 
 
 And the gentle knight replied with fair words : 
 
 " God save thee, good Robin, and all thy company." 
 
 When they had thus exchanged greetings, they washed 
 and wiped their hands, and sat them down to their dinner. 
 They had bread and wine and venison, with swans and 
 pheasants and many other birds. And Robin bade the 
 knight make good cheer, and the knight thanked him 
 heartily. 
 
 " For," said he, " I have not had such a dinner for three 
 weeks ; and if I come this way again, Robin, I will give thee 
 as good a dinner as thou hast given me." 
 
 " I thank thee, knight," said Robin ; " but methinks it 
 is right that thou shouldst pay ere thou goest. It was 
 never the custom, by Heaven, for a yeoman to pay for 
 a knight." 
 
 But Sir Richard answered — 
 
 " I have naught in my coffers that I can offer thee for 
 very shame. I have nothing but ten shillings." 
 
 To this Robin answered — 
 
 " If thou hast no more, I will not take a penny ; and if 
 thou hast need of more I will lend it to thee." 
 
 Then he called to Little John — 
 
 " Go forth, and see if there are but ten shillings in the 
 knight's mantle." 
 
 So Little John spread the mantle on the ground and 
 searched in it ; and he found but ten shillings as the 
 knight had said. 
 
 Now Robin wondered at this, and said to Sir Richard — 
 
 " Surely thou must have been made a knight against 
 thy will, if thou art so poor ; or else thou hast been a bad 
 husbandman, or a usurer, or hast done some evil or other." 
 
 But the knight replied — 
 
 " I am none of these. My ancestors have been knights 
 
ROBIN HOOD AND SIR RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE 115 
 
 before me for a hundred years. But it has often happened 
 that a knight has been disgraced through no fault of his 
 own. Two years ago, Robin, I could spend four hundred 
 pounds yearly, and my neighbours will bear me witness 
 of this. But now, alas ! it has come to pass that I have 
 no property whatsoever." 
 
 " And in what manner," asked Robin, " didst thou lose 
 thy riches ? " 
 
 Then Sir Richard told Robin how his son had slain 
 a knight in a joust, and how to save him he had put his 
 lands in pawn to a rich abbot whose abbey was near at 
 hand. The sum he had to pay to redeem them was four 
 hundred pounds, and since he could not pay it, there was 
 nothing left for him to do but to forfeit his lands and go 
 on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. For the men who 
 had boasted of their friendship towards him when he was 
 rich had now deserted him, and took no more heed of 
 him than if they had never seen him, so that he could find 
 no one to lend him any money. 
 
 Robin and his followers were moved to great pity by 
 this tale, and Robin sent Little John to his treasury to 
 fetch four hundred pounds to give to the knight. Then 
 Little John cried — 
 
 " Master, his apparel is full thin. Ye must give the 
 knight a suit of clothes, for ye have scarlet and green- 
 coloured cloth in plenty, and there is no merchant in 
 merry England so rich as ye are." 
 
 " Give him three yards of each colour," said Robin, 
 " and see you measure it fairly." 
 
 So Little John took his bow as a measure and measured 
 out the cloth, and then he turned to Robin Hood, 
 saying — 
 
 " Master, ye must give the knight a horse to carry home 
 all this cloth." 
 
 So Robin gave the knight a grey courser and a new 
 saddle, and Much added a good palfrey, and Scarlet a 
 pair of boots, and Little John a pair of gilt spurs. 
 
116 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Then the knight asked what day he should come back 
 to pay his debt, and Robin appointed that day twelve- 
 month. And, as a last act of kindness, he sent his trusty 
 yeoman, Little John, to attend his guest on his journey. 
 So Sir Richard went on his way rejoicing and blessing 
 Robin Hood ; and he redeemed his lands from the abbot's 
 hands, and then returned home to his castle, and began 
 to collect money against the day when he should return 
 to pay Robin Hood the four hundred pounds. 
 
 Now the year went by and the appointed day came, 
 but the knight did not appear, because as he rode on his 
 way to the trysting-place he had turned aside for the love 
 of Robin to help a poor yeoman who was not receiving 
 fair play in a wrestling match at some country games. 
 When Robin found therefore that the knight did not 
 come, he sent forth Little John, Scarlet, and Much to seek 
 another guest to dine with him, one who would be able to 
 pay him four hundred pounds ; for though he would never 
 rob a poor man, he did not think it wrong to make the 
 rich pay poor men's debts. 
 
 Before long the three trusty yeomen saw a monk riding 
 towards them, followed by a retinue of fifty men, with 
 seven strong pack-horses bearing his riches ; and Little 
 John cried — 
 
 " Brethren, I dare lay my life that this is the man who 
 shall pay our master ; and though we are but three against 
 so many, we must bring him to dinner, or we cannot go 
 back to Robin Hood." 
 
 Then he called to the monk — 
 
 " Abide, and come no farther, for if thou dost I shall 
 slay thee. Thou hast made our master wroth, because he 
 has waited for thee fasting for so long." 
 
 " Who is your master ? " asked the monk. 
 
 " Robin Hood." 
 
 " He is a thief," said the monk, " and I have never heard 
 aught good of him." 
 
 But Little John answered — 
 
ROBIN HOOD AND SIR RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE 117 
 
 " Thou liest, and thou shalt repent it. He is a yeoman 
 of the forest, and has bidden thee to dine with him." 
 
 Then the yeomen drew their bows, and Much pointed 
 his arrow at the monk's breast. At this all his followers 
 turned and fled, save only a little page and a groom, who 
 led the pack-horses to Robin Hood, while Much and 
 Little John took the monk in custody between them to 
 their master. 
 
 When Robin saw the monk he raised his hood ; but 
 the monk was not so courteous, and did not return the 
 greeting. 
 
 Then Robin summoned his yeomen, and they prepared 
 the meal, and served the monk with his dinner ; and after- 
 wards Robin asked, as was his custom, how much his 
 guest had in his coffers. 
 
 " Sir," said the monk, " but twenty pounds, as I hope to 
 prosper." 
 
 " If there is no more," said Robin, " I will not take a 
 penny ; and if thou hast need of more I will lend it thee. 
 But if I find more than twenty pounds thou wilt have to 
 give it up." 
 
 So Robin sent Little John to search the monk's mantle, 
 and there he found over eight hundred pounds. At this 
 Robin rejoiced, for it was twice the sum that he needed to 
 repay him for what he had lent the knight. 
 
 But the monk was very wroth, and cried — 
 
 " By Heaven, 'tis no courtesy to bid a man to dinner and 
 then treat him so ill." 
 
 " Nevertheless it is an old custom of ours to leave but 
 little behind for our guests to take away with them," said 
 Robin. 
 
 Then the monk put spurs to his horse, for he feared to 
 stay longer. But Robin cried after him — 
 
 " Will you not have a drink of wine before you go ? " 
 
 " Nay," said the monk, " I would I had never come near 
 you, for I should have dined far more cheaply at Blyth or 
 Doncaster." 
 
118 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROIUANCE 
 
 " Greet well your abbot and your prior for me," Robin 
 called back, " and bid them send me such a monk as you 
 to dinner every day." 
 
 So the monk rode away, leaving all his riches behind 
 him ; and now at last the knight came riding into the 
 greenwood, with all his merry company. When he saw 
 Robin he alighted from his palfrey, doffed his hood, and 
 fell on his knee, saying — 
 
 " God save thee, Robin Hood, and all this company." 
 
 " Welcome be thou, gentle knight," Robin answered. 
 " Hast thou thy land again ? " 
 
 11 Yea," said the knight, " and I thank Heaven and thee 
 for it. But take it not amiss that I am come so late, for I 
 have been at a wrestling match, where I helped a poor 
 yeoman who was not getting fair play in the game." 
 
 " Sir Knight," Robin answered, " I thank thee. Whoever 
 helps a good yeoman will always be my friend." 
 
 Now when they had thus greeted each other the knight 
 said — 
 
 " Here is thy four hundred pounds which thou didst 
 lend me, and twenty pounds more for thy courtesy." 
 
 " Nay, by Heaven," cried Robin, " thou shalt keep it for 
 thyself, for I have already received the money for the 
 debt, and it would be a disgrace to take it twice." And 
 he told the knight the story of how he had robbed the 
 monk, and they laughed together over it and made good 
 cheer. But the knight pressed Robin to take the four 
 hundred pounds that he had brought, till Robin cried — 
 
 " Use it well thyself, gentle knight, and do not give it 
 to me. But what are these bows and these feathered 
 arrows?" he added, looking at some new bows and arrows 
 that the knight had brought with him. 
 
 " They are a poor present to thee," replied the knight. 
 
 At this Robin was greatly pleased, and he bade Little 
 John go to his treasury and bring four hundred pounds, 
 which he offered to the knight, saying — 
 
 '■ Take these four hundred pounds, for the monk paid 
 
ROBIN HOOD AND KING EDWARD 119 
 
 the debt twice over, and buy a horse and some new 
 harness, and gild thy spurs afresh. And if thou lackest 
 money come to Robin Hood, and by my troth, while I 
 have any wealth at all, I will share it with thee. For I 
 like not to see thee going so poorly apparelled." 
 
 Thus Robin Hood helped the knight out of all his 
 troubles, and they were friends from that time forth to the 
 end of their days. 
 
 XXI 
 
 ROBIN HOOD AND KING EDWARD 
 
 THERE were many other pranks that Robin Hood 
 played besides robbing the abbot of his eight 
 hundred pounds, and at last the king himself came to 
 Nottingham with a great array of knights in order to 
 take him prisoner. Sir Richard-at-the-Lee, whom Robin 
 had befriended, was now with him in the forest, where 
 they were both hiding because they had killed the sheriff 
 of Nottingham. The king meant to take him prisoner 
 also, and the first thing that he did was to seize the 
 knight's lands. Then he set out to look for the two 
 outlaws, and he travelled both far and wide in his 
 search. 
 
 Now when he came to Plompton Park, where he had 
 kept many a herd of deer, he could scarce find a single 
 stag that bore a horn of any size, for Robin Hood had 
 shot them all. Then he was wondrous wroth, and 
 swore — 
 
 " By Heaven, I would I had Robin Hood under my very 
 eyes. And he who will smite off the head of Sir Richard- 
 at-the-Lee shall have all the knight's lands, for I will give 
 them to him with my charter and seal it with my own 
 hand." 
 
 But an old knight who was known to be loyal made 
 answer — 
 
120 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 " O my liege Lord the King, let me speak but a word 
 to you. There is no man in this country who may take 
 the knight's land with safety while Robin Hood is alive 
 to carry a bow, for he would assuredly lose his head at 
 Robin's hands. Give the lands, therefore, my Lord the 
 King, to no man whom you mean to befriend." 
 
 Now the king dwelt half a year and more at Notting- 
 ham, but could hear no word of Robin Hood ; yet all the 
 while Robin was slaying the deer and doing what he 
 pleased with them. 
 
 At last there appeared a proud forester, who knelt 
 before the king and said — 
 
 " If you would see good Robin, you must do as 
 I tell you. Take five of your best knights and walk down 
 by yonder abbey clad in monks' robes. I will go with 
 you to show you the way, and I swear, on pain of losing 
 my head, that if Robin is alive you shall meet him there 
 before you come back into Nottingham." 
 
 So the king and his five knights dressed themselves in 
 monks' robes and went forth eagerly. The king wore 
 a broad hat over his cowl as though he were the abbot, 
 and as he rode along he sang cheerily. 
 
 Now when they came to the greenwood there in good 
 truth stood Robin, with many a bold archer beside him ; 
 and he caught hold of the king's horse and cried — 
 
 " Sir Abbot ! by your leave ! You must stop a moment. 
 We are yeomen of this forest, and we live by shooting the 
 king's deer under the greenwood tree. But you have 
 churches and rents, and plenty of gold. Give us therefore 
 some of your riches, for the sake of holy charity." 
 
 Then the good king replied — 
 
 " I have brought but forty pounds to the greenwood, 
 for 1 have been to Nottingham for a fortnight with our 
 king, and have spent my money on many a great lord. 
 So forty pounds is all that I have left. But if I had 
 as much as a hundred pounds I would give it to 
 thee." 
 
ROBIN HOOD AND KING EDWARD 121 
 
 So Robin took the forty pounds and divided it in two. 
 Half he gave to his merry men and bade them have good 
 cheer ; and the other half he offered to the king, saying 
 full courteously — 
 
 " Sir, have this for your spending ! We shall meet 
 another day." 
 
 Then said the king — 
 
 "Grammercy! But Edward our king greets thee well, 
 and sends thee his seal, bidding thee come to Nottingham 
 to feast with him." 
 
 And he took out the broad seal and showed it to 
 Robin. 
 
 Then Robin made his reverence and bent his knee, 
 crying — 
 
 " I love no man in all the world as well as I do my king. 
 Right welcome is my lord's seal, and so art thou, Sir 
 Abbot, for thy good tidings. Thou must dine with me 
 to-day under my trysting-tree for love of the king." 
 
 Then Robin took a great horn and blew it loudly, and 
 seven score of strong young men appeared and knelt on 
 their knees before him. 
 
 At this the king said to himself — 
 
 " By St. Austin, here is a wondrous fair sight ! Me- 
 thinks his men do his bidding better than my men do 
 mine ! " 
 
 Then Robin and Little John and the yeomen set fat 
 venison before the king, with good white bread and red 
 wine and fine brown ale ; and Robin cried — 
 
 " Make good cheer, Sir Abbot, and mayst thou be blessed 
 for thy good tidings ! And now, before thou goest hence, 
 thou shalt see what kind of life we lead, that thou mayst 
 tell the king thereof." 
 
 Then they all started up in haste and bent their bows; and 
 the arrows passed so near the king that he was sore aghast, 
 thinking he would be shot. Moreover, the distance that 
 they sent their arrows was fifty paces more than was usual, 
 so that the king was astonished at their skill. 
 
122 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Now the marks were garlands of roses, and Robin 
 said — 
 
 " Whoever fails to hit the rose garland shall lose his bow 
 and arrows and give them up to his master, however fine 
 they are ; and he shall also receive a blow upon his bare 
 head, for I will spare no one." 
 
 So whoever missed his mark and fell into Robin's hands 
 was smitten full hard on the head. But Robin himself 
 shot twice, and both times he hit the mark ; so also did 
 one of the yeomen named Gilbert, and so did Little John 
 and Scarlet. 
 
 At last, however, Robin missed the garland by three 
 fingers' length ; whereat Gilbert cried — 
 
 " Master, your bow and arrows are lost ! Stand forth 
 and take your pay of strokes." 
 
 Then Robin turned to the king and said — 
 
 " Sir Abbot, I deliver my arrows to thee. I pray thee, 
 give me my blow." 
 
 But the king made answer — 
 
 " It is not my business, Robin, by your leave, to smite a 
 good yeoman." 
 
 " Smite on boldly," was Robin's reply. " I give thee 
 leave to strike as hard as thou canst." 
 
 So the king turned back his sleeve and gave Robin 
 such a blow that he came near falling to the ground 
 from it. 
 
 " By Heaven," cried he to the king, " thou art a stalwart 
 friar ! There is pith in thine arm and I trow thou couldst 
 shoot well also." 
 
 Then he looked at the king more closely and at last 
 he recognized him. Falling on his knees, with Sir Richard 
 and all his wild outlaws beside him, he cried — 
 
 " My Lord the King of England, now I know you 
 well." 
 
 " Have mercy of thy goodness then, Robin," said the 
 king, " upon me and my men under thy trysting-tree." 
 
 But Robin answered — 
 
ROBIN HOOD AND KING EDWARD 123 
 
 " 'Tis I must ask mercy of thee, my Lord, both for myself 
 and for my men.'' 
 
 " That will I grant thee, Robin, if thou and thy company 
 will leave the greenwood and come to dwell at my court 
 with me." 
 
 " Right so shall it be," said Robin. " I will come to 
 your court to try your service, and will bring with me 
 seven score men. But unless I like well your service, I 
 shall come again full soon and shoot the deer as I have 
 ever been wont to do." 
 
 Now after this was agreed upon, the king asked — 
 
 " Hast thou any green cloth that thou wilt sell to 
 me ? " 
 
 11 Yes, by Heaven," said Robin; " I have three-and-thirty 
 yards of it." 
 
 So the king bought the green cloth, and he and his 
 knights cast off their grey monks' robes and clad them- 
 selves all in Lincoln green, and then the whole company 
 set off towards Nottingham, shooting as they went. 
 
 The king and Robin Hood rode together and played the 
 game of pluck-buffet, in which whoever missed his mark 
 had to take a blow from the other. Many a hard blow 
 did the king have to take from Robin that day, and Robin 
 spared him nothing in striking him. 
 
 11 Thy game is too difficult for me to learn," the king 
 cried. "I should not beat thee were I to shoot for a 
 year." 
 
 Now when they came to Nottingham all the people 
 stood to watch them ; and they saw nothing but green 
 mantles on every side. Then every man began to say to 
 his neighbour — 
 
 " I fear that our king is slain, for Robin Hood would 
 never come to the town leaving him alive." 
 
 So yeomen and poor men, and even the old wives that 
 could hardly hobble along, even with the help of sticks, all 
 began to flee in terror. 
 
 Then the king laughed heartily and called to them to 
 
124 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 come back again, and when they beheld their fair king 
 they were overjoyed, and they feasted and made merry 
 with songs and revelry to celebrate his return. Also the 
 king gave back his lands to Sir Richard-at-the-Lee, so 
 that there was rejoicing on every hand. 
 
 Now Robin dwelt in the king's court for a year and 
 three months ; but at the end of that time he had spent 
 a hundred pounds and all his men's pay in entertaining 
 the knights and squires to win himself renown. Moreover, 
 all his men had left him except Little John and Scarlet, 
 for though they were still loyal to him, they could not 
 live without pay. 
 
 One day he was watching some young men shooting, 
 and the sight of them reminded him of his former life, and 
 he lamented, saying — 
 
 " Alas ! my wealth has all disappeared. Once I was a 
 good archer, and could shoot both straight and far. I was 
 counted the best archer in merry England. Woe is me, 
 for if I dwell longer with the king I shall die of grief, for 
 I long to go back to the greenwood." 
 
 Then he went to the king and said : 
 
 " My Lord the King of England, grant me my request. 
 I built once a fair chapel in Barnsdale, and I would fain go 
 thither again. I have not slept for seven nights, nor 
 scarcely eaten or drunk these seven days, so great is my 
 longing to be at Barnsdale. And now I have vowed to go 
 thither barefoot as an act of penance. I beseech thee to 
 let me go." 
 
 So the king gave him leave to be absent for seven nights, 
 and Robin thanked him on his knees, and taking his 
 leave most courteously, set out for Barnsdale and the 
 greenwood. 
 
 When he came to the greenwood it was a fair morning, 
 and the birds were singing merrily. Then Robin's heart 
 was glad, and he cried — 
 
 " It is long since I was last here, and great is my desire 
 to shoot once more at the deer." 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 125 
 
 So he drew his bow and shot a fine hart, and then, seiz- 
 ing his horn, he blew it, so that all the outlaws of the 
 forest might know that he had come back. Soon his 
 seven score of strong young men came together, and 
 taking off their hoods, knelt before him, crying — 
 
 " Welcome, master, to the greenwood tree once more." 
 
 So Robin took up his life in the forest again and dwelt 
 there for twenty-two years ; and even the fear of King 
 Edward's wrath could not make him go back to the court 
 again. 
 
 But at last he was betrayed and done to death by two 
 wicked enemies, and thus his life with his merry company 
 under the greenwood tree came to an end. Now may 
 Heaven have mercy on his soul, for he was a good outlaw 
 and did poor men much good. 
 
 The stories about Robin Hood were repeated in popular legends 
 some time before they were actually written down. The two stories 
 told here were printed by one of the earliest printers ; Wynkyn de 
 Worde^ at about the end of the fiftee?ith century. 
 
 XXII 
 
 THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 
 
 I. HOW BALIN TOOK KING RIENCE OF NORTH WALES 
 
 IN the days when King Arthur first ruled in Britain 
 he fought many wars in order to get all England into 
 his hand. For there were many kings within the realm of 
 England, and others also in Wales, Scotland, and Corn- 
 wall. 
 
 So it befell on a time when King Arthur was at London, 
 there came a knight and told the king tidings how that 
 King Rience of North Wales had reared a great number 
 of people, and was entered into the land, and burnt and 
 slew the king's true liege people. 
 
126 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Then the king sent forth word that all the lords, knights, 
 and gentlemen of arms should assemble at a castle 
 called Camelot in order that they might hold a council 
 there. 
 
 Now when the king was come thither with all his barons, 
 there came a damsel unto him who was girt with a noble 
 sword, whereof the king had marvel. Then said he to 
 her — 
 
 " Damsel, for what cause are ye girt with that sword ? " 
 
 " Now shall I tell you," said the damsel. " This sword 
 that I am girt with causes me great sorrow and trouble, 
 for I may not be delivered of it but by a knight. But he 
 must be a passing good man, without villainy or treachery, 
 and without treason. And I have been at King Rience's, 
 and he and all his knights have tried it, and none can 
 speed." 
 
 Then Arthur himself tried to pull out the sword, not 
 because he thought himself the best knight, but that 
 he might give an example to all the other knights, so 
 that they each might try after him. He took the sword 
 by the sheath and by the girdle and pulled at it eagerly, 
 but it would not come out. Most of the barons of the 
 Round Table tried also in turn, but none of them might 
 speed ; wherefore the damsel made great sorrow beyond 
 measure. 
 
 Now there was a poor knight with King Arthur that had 
 been prisoner with him half a year for slaying a knight who 
 was cousin unto the king. The name of this knight was 
 Balin, and he was born in Northumberland, and by good 
 means of the barons he was delivered out of prison at 
 that time. Then he went privily into the court and saw 
 this adventure ; and when he saw it he took heart, and 
 thought that he would try as the other knights did. Yet 
 because he was poor and poorly arrayed he did not put 
 himself forward among the knights. 
 
 But when the damsel took her leave of Arthur and of 
 all the barons and was departing, Balin called unto her 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 127 
 
 and asked leave to try and pull out the sword. And at 
 first she was loath, because he seemed such a sorry knight, 
 but afterwards she consented. Then Balin took the sword 
 by the girdle and by the sheath and drew it out easily, 
 and when he looked on the sword it pleased him much. 
 
 Then had the king and all the barons great marvel that 
 Balin had done that adventure, and many knights envied 
 him greatly. 
 
 After this the damsel asked the knight to give her back 
 the sword ; but he made answer — 
 
 " Nay, for this sword will I keep, unless it be taken from 
 me by force." 
 
 " Well," said the damsel, " ye are not wise to keep the 
 sword from me, for ye shall slay with it the best friend 
 that ye have, and the man that ye love most in the world, 
 and it shall be your destruction." 
 
 " I shall take the adventure," said Balin, " but the sword 
 ye shall not have at this time, by the faith of my body." 
 
 "Ye shall repent it within a short time," said the damsel, 
 " for I would have the sword more for your avail than for 
 mine, for I am passing sorrowful for your sake. For ye 
 will not believe that the sword shall be your destruction, 
 and that is a great pity." 
 
 With that the damsel departed, making great sorrow. 
 
 Soon after Balin sent for his horse and armour, and took 
 his leave of King Arthur. The king thought that he was 
 going because he had been imprisoned by him ; but he 
 besought him to stay at the court, and swore to give him 
 advancement. Balin thanked him courteously, but never- 
 theless he would not change his resolution to depart. 
 
 Now as he was making ready to set forth, there came 
 into the court a lady that was called the Lady of the Lake. 
 She it was who had given Arthur his wonderful sword 
 Excalibur ; and at that time he had promised her a gift. 
 So now she came to claim her gift, and said unto the 
 king — 
 
 " I ask the head of the knight that hath won the sword, 
 
128 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 or else the head of the damsel that brought it ; for he slew 
 my brother, a good knight and true, and that gentlewoman 
 caused my father's death." 
 
 " Truly," said King Arthur, " I may not grant either of 
 their heads with honour, but ask whatever else ye will, 
 and I will fulfil your desire." 
 
 " I will ask no other thing," said the lady. 
 
 Now when Balin was ready to depart he saw the Lady 
 of the Lake, for whom he had been seeking for three years 
 because she had slain his mother ; and when it was told 
 him that she asked his head of Kin^ Arthur he went to 
 her straight and said — 
 
 " Evil befall ye ! Ye would have my head, and there- 
 fore ye shall lose yours." 
 
 And with his sword he smote off her head lightly before 
 King Arthur. 
 
 Then the king cried, " Alas, for shame ! Why have ye 
 done this ? Ye have shamed me and all my court, for this 
 was a lady that I was beholden to, and she came hither 
 under my safe-conduct. I shall never forgive you that 
 trespass." 
 
 " Sir," said Balin, " I am sorry for your displeasure, but 
 this same lady was the untruest lady living, and by en- 
 chantment and sorcery she hath been the destroyer of 
 many good knights, and she caused my mother to be burnt 
 through her falsehood and treachery." 
 
 " What cause soever ye had," said Arthur, " ye should 
 have forborne to strike her in my presence ; therefore 
 withdraw ye out of my court in all the haste ye may." 
 
 So Balin went out from the king's presence to his 
 hostelry, and there he met with his squire, who was full 
 sorry that he had displeased King Arthur. And so they 
 rode forth out of the town. 
 
 Then Balin bade the squire ride to his friends in 
 Northumberland and relate to them all that had befallen 
 him ; but before he went the squire lamented once more, 
 and said — 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 129 
 
 " Alas, ye are greatly to blame for that ye have dis- 
 pleased King Arthur." 
 
 " As for that," said Balin, " I will hie me, in all the 
 haste that I may, to meet with King Rience, and de- 
 stroy him or else die ; and if it may chance that I win 
 him, then will King Arthur be my good and gracious 
 lord." 
 
 " Where shall I meet with you again ? " said the 
 squire. 
 
 " In King Arthur's court," said Balin. 
 
 So his squire and he parted at that time and each rode 
 on his way. 
 
 Meanwhile King Arthur and all the court made great 
 dole and had shame for the death of the Lady of the Lake, 
 and the king buried her richly. 
 
 At that time there was with Arthur a knight who was 
 son of the king of Ireland, and his name was Lanceor. 
 He was a proud knight and counted himself one of the 
 best of the court ; and because he had great envy of 
 Balin for the winning of the sword, he asked King Arthur 
 if he would give him leave to ride after Balin to revenge 
 the wrong that he had done. 
 
 " Do your best," said Arthur, " for I am right wroth 
 with Balin." 
 
 So the knight of Ireland armed him at all points 
 and rode after Balin at a great pace ; and in a little 
 space he had sight of Balin on a mountain, and cried 
 to him with a loud voice to stay and do battle with 
 him. 
 
 Then they took up their spears and rode at each other 
 as fiercely as they could ; and Balin's spear pierced 
 through Lanceor's shield and through his body, so that 
 he died. 
 
 Then Balin looked and was aware of a damsel that 
 
 came riding on a fair palfrey full fast as the horse might 
 
 ride. And when she espied that Lanceor was slain she 
 
 made sorrow beyond measure ; and therewith she took 
 
 9 
 
130 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 the sword from her love that lay dead and drove it through 
 her own body. 
 
 When Balin espied her deed he was passing heavy in 
 his heart, and ashamed that so fair a damsel had destroyed 
 herself for love of the knight whom he had slain ; and for 
 sorrow he could not longer behold them, but turned his 
 horse and looked towards a great forest that lay at hand. 
 Then was he aware of a knight that came riding, who by 
 his arms he knew to be his brother Balan. And when 
 they were met they put off their helmets and kissed to- 
 gether, and Balan said — 
 
 " I little weened to have met with you at this sudden 
 adventure. I am right glad of your deliverance out of 
 your dolorous prison, for a man told me in the Castle 
 of Four Stones that ye were delivered, and therefore I 
 came hither into this country, for here I supposed to find 
 you." 
 
 Then the knight Balin told his brother of all that had 
 befallen him, and how he was on his way to take King 
 Rience and so win back King Arthur's favour ; and 
 Balan agreed to go with him on the adventure. 
 
 But before they had set forth there came by that 
 place Merlin the Enchanter ; and he spoke unto Balin, 
 saying — 
 
 " Thou hast done thyself great hurt because thou didst 
 not save this lady that slew herself." 
 
 " By the faith of my body," said Balin, " I might not 
 save her, for she slew herself suddenly." 
 
 " Nevertheless," said Merlin, " because of the death of 
 that lady thou shalt strike a stroke more dolorous than 
 any that ever man struck, for thou shalt hurt the truest 
 knight and the man of most worship that now liveth, and 
 through that stroke three kingdoms shall be in great 
 poverty, misery, and wretchedness for twelve years ; and 
 the knight shall not be whole of that wound for many 
 years." 
 
 And therewith Merlin vanished away suddenly. 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 131 
 
 But a little while after, as the brothers rode on their 
 way in search of King Rience, he appeared unto them 
 again and told them that their enterprise would not 
 prosper unless they had his counsel ; and Balin agreed 
 to be ruled by his advice. 
 
 Then Merlin lodged them in a wood among leaves 
 beside the highway, and took off the bridles of their 
 horses and put the horses to grass, and made the knights 
 lie down to rest till it was nigh midnight. Then he bade 
 them rise and make ready, for the king was nigh them, 
 and had with him only a small escort of three score 
 men. 
 
 Anon, therefore, Balin and his brother met with the 
 king, and smote him down and wounded him fiercely, 
 and laid him on the ground ; and there they slew on the 
 right hand and the left hand more than forty of his men, 
 and the remnant fled. 
 
 Then went they again to King Rience, and would have 
 slain him had he not yielded himself unto their mercy. 
 Then said he thus — 
 
 " Knights full of prowess, slay me not, for by my life 
 ye may gain some advantage, but by my death ye shall 
 win nothing." 
 
 Then said these two knights — 
 
 " Ye say sooth." 
 
 And so they laid him on a horse-litter to carry him 
 away. 
 
 With that Merlin vanished, and came to King Arthur 
 aforehand, and told him how his greatest enemy was 
 taken and discomfited. 
 
 " By whom ? " said the king. 
 
 " By two knights," said Merlin, " that would please your 
 lordship, and to-morrow ye shall know what knights they 
 are." 
 
 Soon after came Balin and Balan, his brother, and 
 brought with them King Rience of North Wales, and 
 there delivered him to the porters, and charged them with 
 
132 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 him ; and then they two turned away from the court in 
 the dawning of the day. 
 
 King Arthur came then to King Rience, and said — 
 
 " Sir King, ye are welcome. By what adventure came 
 ye here ? " 
 
 " Sir," said King Rience, " I came hither by an hard 
 adventure." 
 
 " Who won you ? " said King Arthur. 
 
 Now King Rience knew not the names of the two 
 knights who had taken him ; but ever since the winning 
 of the sword Balin had carried two swords by his side ; 
 wherefore the king made answer — 
 
 " Sir, 'twas the Knight of the Two Swords and his 
 brother, who are two knights of marvellous prowess." 
 
 " I know them not," said Arthur, " but I am much 
 beholden to them." 
 
 " Ah," said Merlin, " I shall tell you ; it is Balin who 
 won the sword, and Balan his brother." 
 
 So Balin was restored to the king's favour, and he and 
 his brother both became Arthur's knights, and helped to 
 fight his battles for him. 
 
 XXIII 
 
 THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 
 
 II. HOW BALIN SMOTE THE DOLOROUS STROKE; 
 AND HOW HE CAME UNTO HIS END 
 
 NOT long after Balin had taken King Rience, King 
 Arthur was somewhat sick, and he let pitch his 
 pavilion in a meadow, and there he laid him down on 
 a pallet to sleep ; but he might have no rest. Right so 
 he heard a great noise of an horse, and therewith the king 
 looked out at the porch of the pavilion and saw a knight 
 coming by him, making great dole. 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 133 
 
 " Abide, fair sir," said Arthur, " and tell me wherefore 
 thou makest this sorrow." 
 
 " Ye may little amend me," said the knight, and so 
 passed forth on his way. 
 
 Anon after there came Balin, and when he saw King 
 Arthur he alighted off his horse, and came to the king on 
 foot, and saluted him. 
 
 " By my head," said Arthur, " ye are welcome. Sir, 
 right now came riding this way a knight making great 
 moan, for what cause I cannot tell ; wherefore I would 
 desire you of your courtesy and of your gentleness to 
 fetch again that knight, either by force or else by his 
 goodwill." 
 
 " I would do more for your lordship than that," said 
 Balin, and so he rode with haste, and found the knight 
 with a damsel in a forest, and said — 
 
 " Sir knight, ye must come with me unto King Arthur 
 for to tell him of your sorrow." 
 
 " That I will not," said the knight, " for it will injure me 
 greatly and do you no avail." 
 
 " Sir," said Balin, " I pray you make ready, for ye must 
 go with me, or else I must fight with you and bring you 
 by force, and that I were loath to do." 
 
 " Will ye be my warrant," said the knight, " if I go with 
 you ? " 
 
 " Yea," said Balin, " or else I will die for it." 
 
 So he made him ready to go with Balin, and left the 
 damsel in the forest. 
 
 Now as they were even before King Arthur's 
 pavilion, there came one invisible, and smote this 
 knight that went with Balin throughout the body with 
 a spear. 
 
 " Alas," said the knight, " I am slain under your con- 
 duct by a knight called Garlon ; therefore take my horse, 
 that is better than yours, and ride to the damsel, and 
 follow the quest that I was in as she will lead you, and 
 revenge my death when ye may." 
 
3 34 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 " That shall I do," said Balin, " and thereto I pledge my 
 knighthood." 
 
 And so he departed from this knight with great sorrow 
 and rode to fetch the damsel ; and she took the truncheon 
 of the spear wherewith the knight was slain and bore it 
 ever with her. 
 
 Then Balin and the damsel rode forth and came again 
 unto the forest ; and there they met with a knight that 
 had been a-hunting, and that knight asked Balin for what 
 cause he made so great sorrow ; and Balin told him all 
 the cause of his grief. 
 
 " Ah," said the knight, " is this all ? Here I promise 
 you by the faith of my body never to depart from you 
 while my life lasteth." And so the knight rode forth with 
 Balin. 
 
 Now as they came by an hermitage even by a church- 
 yard, there came the knight Garlon invisible, and smote 
 this knight through the body with a spear. 
 
 " Alas," said the knight, " I am slain by this traitor 
 knight that rideth invisible." 
 
 " Alas," said Balin, " it is not the first despite that he 
 hath done me," and there the hermit and Balin buried the 
 knight under a rich stone and a royal tomb. 
 
 After this Balin and the damsel rode for three or four 
 days and met with no adventures ; and by hap they were 
 lodged one night with a gentleman that was a rich man 
 and well at ease. From him Balin learnt that the knight 
 Garlon was brother to a certain king named Pellam, who 
 at that time was about to hold a great feast at his castle ; 
 wherefore Balin thought to ride unto the feast in quest 
 of Garlon. 
 
 So on the morn he rode towards the castle of Pellam 
 with the damsel, and they had fifteen days' journey ere 
 they came thither ; and that same day began the great 
 feast ; and so they alighted, and stabled their horses, and 
 went into the castle. 
 
 Then Balin was well received, and brought into a cham- 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 135 
 
 ber and unarmed, and there were brought him robes for 
 his pleasure ; but it was asked of him that he should leave 
 his sword behind him. 
 
 " Nay," said Balin, " that will I not, for it is the custom 
 of my country that a knight should always keep his 
 weapon, and that custom will I keep, or else I will depart 
 as I came." 
 
 Then they gave him leave to wear his sword, and so he 
 went unto the hall of the castle, and was set among knights 
 of great honour, and the damsel beside him. 
 
 Soon Balin asked a knight — 
 
 '* Is there not a knight in this court whose name is 
 Garlon ? " 
 
 "Yonder he goeth," said a knight, "he with a black 
 face ; he is the most marvellous knight that is now 
 living, and destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth 
 invisible." 
 
 Then Balin took counsel with himself for a long 
 time, for he thought, " If I slay him here I shall not 
 escape ; and if I leave him now, peradventure I shall 
 never meet with him again, and he will do much harm if 
 he lives." 
 
 Therewith Garlon espied that Balin beheld him, and 
 came and smote him on the face with the back of his hand, 
 and said — 
 
 " Knight, why dost thou look thus at me ? Eat thy meat 
 and do that which thou earnest for." 
 
 Then Balin cried — 
 
 " This is not the first despite that thou hast done me, 
 and therefore I will do what I came for." 
 
 And he rose up fiercely and clave Garlon's head to the 
 shoulders ; and then he called to the damsel — 
 
 " Give me the truncheon wherewith he slew your 
 knight." 
 
 Anon she gave it him, for always she bore it with her ; 
 and therewith Balin smote him through the body and said 
 openly — 
 
136 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 " With that truncheon thou hast slain a good knight, 
 and now it sticketh in thy body." 
 
 Anon all the knights arose from the table for to set on 
 Balin, and King Pellam himself arose up fiercely and 
 said — 
 
 " Knight, hast thou slain my brother ? Thou shalt die 
 therefore before thou mayst depart." 
 
 Then King Pellam caught in his hand a grim weapon 
 and smote eagerly at Balin; but Balin put his sword 
 betwixt his head and the stroke, and therewith the sword 
 burst in sunder. And when he was weaponless he ran 
 into a chamber for to seek some weapon, and so from 
 chamber to chamber, and no weapon could he find ; and 
 always King Pellam ran after him. 
 
 And at the last he entered into a chamber that was 
 marvellously well and richly furnished, and there was a 
 bed arrayed with cloth of gold, and thereby stood a table 
 of pure gold with four pillars of silver that bore up the 
 table, and upon the table stood a marvellous spear strangely 
 wrought. 
 
 When Balin saw that spear he seized it in his hand, and 
 turned him towards King Pellam, and smote him passingly 
 sore with it, so that the king fell down in a swoon. And 
 therewith the castle roof and walls brake and fell to the 
 earth, and Balin fell down so that he might not stir foot 
 nor hand. And so the most part of the castle that was 
 fallen down through that dolorous stroke lay upon Pellam 
 and Balin for three days. 
 
 Then Merlin came thither and took up Balin, and got 
 him a good horse, for his was dead, and bade him ride out 
 of that country. Then Balin departed from Merlin and 
 said — 
 
 "In this world we meet no more." 
 
 So he rode forth through the fair countries and cities, 
 and found the people dead, slain on every side. And all 
 that were alive cried — 
 
 " O Balin, thou hast caused great damage in these 
 
THE STORY OF SIR BALIN 137 
 
 countries ; because of the dolorous stroke thou gavest 
 unto King Pellam three countries are destroyed, and doubt 
 not but vengeance will fall on thee at the last." 
 
 When therefore Balin was past those countries he was 
 passing glad. 
 
 Now after some time he came unto a castle, and the 
 chief lady of the castle said unto him — ■ 
 
 " Knight with the Two Swords, ye must joust with a 
 knight hereby that keepeth an island, for no knight may 
 pass this way but he must joust before he pass." 
 
 " Well," said Balin, " I am ready." 
 
 Then said a knight unto him— 
 
 " Sir, methinks your shield is not good ; I will lend you 
 a bigger one." 
 
 So Balin took the knight's shield and left his own, and 
 put himself and his horse in a great boat and rowed unto 
 the island. 
 
 Then afore him he saw come riding out of a castle a 
 knight, and his horse was trapped all in red and himself in 
 the same colour. 
 
 Now this knight in red was none other than Balan, and 
 when he beheld Balin he thought it should be his brother 
 because of his two swords, but because he knew not his 
 shield he deemed it was not he. And so they came 
 marvellously fast together and smote each other in the 
 shields ; and so fiercely did they strike that both horses 
 and men fell to the ground. But Balin was bruised sore 
 with the fall of his horse, for he was weary with travel. 
 Therefore Balan was the first that rose on foot and drew 
 his sword, and he went towards Balin, who arose also and 
 went against him ; but Balan smote Balin first, and put up 
 his shield and smote him through the helm. Then Balin 
 smote again with that unlucky sword that he had won 
 from the damsel, and wellnigh had felled his brother 
 Balan ; and so they fought together till their breaths 
 failed. 
 
 Then when they had breathed a space they went unto 
 
138 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 battle again, and wounded each other dolefully, till each 
 had smitten the other seven great wounds, so that the 
 least of them might have been the death of the mightiest 
 giant in the world. 
 
 At last Balan the younger brother withdrew a little and 
 laid him down. Then said Balin — 
 
 " What knight art thou ? for ere now I found never 
 a knight that matched me." 
 
 " My name is Balan," said he, " brother unto the good 
 knight Balin." 
 
 " Alas," said Balin, " that ever I should see this 
 day ! " 
 
 And therewith he fell backward in a swoon. 
 
 Then Balan went on all four feet and hands, and put 
 off the helm from his brother, and might not know him by 
 his visage, it was so covered with wounds ; but when Balin 
 awoke he said — 
 
 " O Balan, my brother, thou hast slain me and I 
 thee, wherefore all the wide world shall speak of us 
 both." 
 
 " Alas," said Balan, " that ever I saw this day, and that 
 through mishap I might not know you. For I espied 
 well your two swords, but because ye had another shield 
 I deemed ye had been another knight." 
 
 " Alas," said Balin, " that was done by an unhappy 
 knight in the castle, for he caused me to leave my own 
 shield ; and if I might live I would destroy that castle for 
 its ill customs." 
 
 " That were well done," said Balan, " for I might never 
 depart from them since I came hither. For here it befell 
 that I slew a knight that kept this island, and since 
 might I never depart, and no more should ye have 
 done, my brother, if ye had slain me and escaped with 
 your life." 
 
 Then came the lady of the tower with four knights and 
 six ladies and six yeomen unto them, and gave them what 
 
THE STORY OF SIR GARETH OF ORKNEY 139 
 
 comfort she might, and wept for pity of that which had 
 befallen them. 
 
 Then anon Balan died, but Balin died not till the mid- 
 night after ; and so were they both buried, and the lady 
 made mention on the tomb of Balan how he was there 
 slain by his brother's hands ; but she knew not Balin's 
 name. But on the morrow came Merlin, and wrote Balin's 
 name on the tomb in letters of gold : — 
 
 HERE LIETH BALIN THAT WAS THE KNIGHT WITH 
 THE TWO SWORDS, AND HE THAT SMOTE THE DOLOROUS 
 STROKE. 
 
 Soon after this was done Merlin came to King Arthur, 
 and told him of the dolorous stroke that Balin gave to 
 King Pellam, and how Balin and Balan fought together 
 the most marvellous battle that ever was heard of, and 
 how they were both buried in one tomb. 
 
 " Alas," said King Arthur, " this is the greatest pity that 
 ever I heard tell of two knights, for in the world I know 
 not two such knights." 
 
 Thus endeth the tale of Balin and Balan, two brethren 
 born in Northumberland, good knights both. 
 
 XXIV 
 
 THE STORY OF SIR GARETH 
 OF ORKNEY 
 
 IT was the feast of Pentecost, and King Arthur had 
 assembled all the knights of his Round Table in a 
 castle on the borders of Wales. 
 
 Now the king had a custom that on this feast he would 
 not go to meat until he had heard or seen of a great 
 marvel ; and it befell that a little before noon of the day 
 of Pentecost, the great knight Sir Gawaine espied at a 
 
140 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 window three men upon horseback and a dwarf on foot. 
 And the three men alighted and the dwarf kept their 
 horses ; and one of the three men was taller than the 
 other two by a foot and a half. 
 
 Then Sir Gawaine went unto the King and said — 
 
 " Sir, go to your meat, for here at hand come strange 
 adventures." 
 
 So King Arthur went unto his meat with many other 
 kings and all the knights of the Round Table. 
 
 Right so came into the hall two men well and richly 
 arrayed, and upon their shoulders there leaned the good- 
 liest young man and the fairest that ever they all saw. 
 As soon as Arthur saw them, room was made for them, 
 and they went unto the high dais, without saying a 
 word. 
 
 Then this young man pulled himself back, and easily 
 stretched up straight, saying — 
 
 " King Arthur, God bless you and all your fair fellow- 
 ship. I am come hither to pray you to give me three 
 gifts ; and the first gift I will ask now, and the other two 
 I will ask this day twelvemonth, wheresoever ye hold 
 your high feast." 
 
 " Now ask," said Arthur, " and ye shall have your 
 asking." 
 
 " This is my petition," then said the young man, " that 
 ye will give me meat and drink sufficient for this twelve- 
 month." 
 
 " My fair son," said Arthur, " ask better, I counsel thee, 
 for this is but a simple asking." But the young man 
 would ask for nothing else, nor would he make known 
 his name. 
 
 Then the king bade Sir Kay the steward give him all 
 manner of meats and drinks of the best ; but Sir Kay 
 scorned the young man, thinking he was of lowly birth, 
 and he gave him the name of Beaumains, that is, Fair- 
 hands, and put him into the kitchen, and he lay nightly as 
 the boys of the kitchen did. And so he endured all that 
 
THE STORY OF SIR GARETH OF ORKNEY 141 
 
 twelvemonth, and never displeased man nor child, but 
 always he was meek and mild. And Sir Gawaine and 
 Sir Lancelot, two of the greatest knights at Arthur's 
 court, were wroth with Sir Kay that he treated him so 
 discourteously. 
 
 Now when a twelvemonth had gone by, there came a 
 damsel to the king on the feast of Pentecost, and 
 prayed him for succour for her sister, who was besieged in 
 her own castle by a tyrant called the Red Knight of the 
 Red Lands. 
 
 Then came Beaumains unto King Arthur, and 
 said — 
 
 " Sir King, I have been this twelvemonth in your 
 kitchen, and have had my fill of meat and drink, and now 
 I will ask my two gifts that ye did promise me. First, I 
 ask that I may have this adventure of the damsel, for it 
 belongeth unto me ; and secondly I ask that ye shall bid 
 Sir Lancelot to ride after me and make me a knight when 
 I require him, for I will be knighted by him and by none 
 other." 
 
 "All this shall be done," said the king. But the 
 damsel cried to him — 
 
 " Fie on thee. Shall I have none other but one that is 
 your kitchen page ? " 
 
 Then was she wroth, and took her horse and departed ; 
 and with that there came one to Beaumains and told him 
 his horse and armour was come for him ; and there was 
 the dwarf come with all things that he needed, in the 
 richest manner : thereat all the court marvelled much from 
 whence came all that gear. 
 
 So when he was armed, he came into the hall, and 
 took his leave of King Arthur and Sir Gawaine and 
 Sir Lancelot, and so he departed and rode after the 
 damsel. 
 
 Then said Sir Kay openly in the hall — 
 
 " I will ride after my kitchen-boy, to see if he will know 
 me for his better." 
 
142 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 So he made him ready and took his spear, and rode 
 after him, and said — 
 
 " Beaumains, know ye not me ? " 
 
 " Yea," said Beaumains, " I know you for an ungentle 
 knight of the court, therefore beware of me." 
 
 Therewith Sir Kay put his spear in rest and rode 
 straight upon him. Now Beaumains had neither spear 
 nor shield, but with his sword he turned aside Sir Kay's 
 spear, and thrust him through the side, so that he fell 
 down as though dead ; and Beaumains took his shield and 
 spear, and rode on his way. 
 
 All this saw Sir Lancelot, who had come riding after 
 them ; and now Beaumains offered to joust with him. 
 So they fought together for a space, and Beaumains 
 showed such prowess that Sir Lancelot was wellnigh put 
 to shame. Then said Beaumains, when they had ended 
 their jousting — 
 
 " I pray you, give me the order of knighthood." 
 
 " Then must ye tell me your name," said Lancelot, " and 
 of what kin ye were born." 
 
 " I will, sir," said Beaumains, " if ye will not reveal 
 it." 
 
 " Nay," said Sir Lancelot, " and that I promise you by 
 the faith of my body." 
 
 " Then, sir," he said, " my name is Gareth, and I am 
 the younger brother of Sir Gawaine." 
 
 Then Sir Lancelot rejoiced and gave him the order 
 of knighthood ; and afterwards Beaumains rode on his way 
 with the damsel. But she was ever scornful of him, 
 saying that he smelt of the kitchen, and bidding him ride 
 away, for he was not worthy to take up the adventure. 
 But Beaumains bore all patiently and was ever courteous 
 in his speech towards her. 
 
 So he rode with the lady till evensong time, and ever 
 she chid him, and would not rest. And they came to a 
 black land; and there was a black hawthorn, and thereon 
 hung a black banner, and on the other side there hung a 
 
THE STORY OF SIR GARETH OF ORKNEY 143 
 
 black shield, and by it stood a black spear great and long, 
 and a great black horse covered with silk, and a black 
 stone fast by. 
 
 There sat a knight armed in black harness on the horse, 
 and his name was the Knight of the Black Land ; and 
 anon he and Beaumains rode together in great wrath as it 
 had been the thunder, and strove together fiercely; and 
 at the last, after much fighting, the Black Knight fell 
 down off his horse and there died. Then Beaumains 
 armed him in the knight's armour, and took the black horse, 
 and rode after the damsel. But ever did she scorn him 
 and speak harshly unto him. 
 
 Then as they rode together, they saw a knight 
 come towards them all in green, both his horse and his 
 harness ; and when he came nigh the damsel, he asked 
 her — 
 
 " Is this my brother the Black Knight that ye have 
 brought with ye?" 
 
 " Nay, nay," she said; " this unhappy kitchen knave hath 
 slain your brother by an ill hap." 
 
 " Ah, traitor," said the Green Knight; " thou shalt die 
 for slaying of my brother." 
 
 Therewithal he rode at Beaumains with all his might, 
 and their spears broke as they met together. Then they 
 drew their swords, and gave many sad strokes, and 
 wounded each other full ill ; and the damsel stood by and 
 taunted Beaumains, calling him kitchen-knave. 
 
 So then suddenly he struck the Green Knight to the 
 ground and would have slain him ; but he cried for mercy 
 and swore to serve him with thirty other knights, and 
 besought the lady to plead for him also. Then said she 
 to Beaumains — 
 
 " Let be, thou knave, and slay him not." So he released 
 the Green Knight, who knelt down thereupon and did 
 him homage with his sword. 
 
 Now that night they all did lodge at the Green Knight's 
 manor, and he appointed thirty knights to be at Beau- 
 
144 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 mains' service ; but the damsel was yet scornful of 
 Beaumains, and would not suffer him to sit at her 
 table. 
 
 On the morrow they all arose and took their horses 
 and rode on their way, and the Green Knight conveyed 
 them through the forest, and at parting said unto 
 Beaumains — 
 
 " My lord Beaumains, I and these thirty knights shall 
 be always at your summons, so that ye may send us 
 wherever ye will." 
 
 " It is well," said Beaumains. " When I call upon you, ye 
 must yield yourself unto King Arthur, and all your 
 knights with you." 
 
 Then the Green Knight rode home again, and 
 Beaumains and the damsel went on their way, and still 
 she chid him and made mock of him. 
 
 But ere long there came riding against Beaumains a 
 Red Knight, whose spear and shield and horse and 
 harness were all of red ; and behold, it was with him as it 
 had been with the Green Knight. For he and Beaumains 
 fought fiercely together, and at the last the Red Knight 
 yielded him unto Beaumains and swore to give him fifty 
 knights to do him service; and Beaumains spared his life 
 at the damsel's command, and they were lodged that night 
 at the Red Knight's castle. 
 
 Now on the morrow, as they rode on their way, the 
 damsel fell once more to chiding Beaumains in the 
 cruellest manner. But he bore all so patiently that at the 
 last she cried — 
 
 " Great marvel have I as to what manner of man ye be, 
 for so shamefully did never woman rule a knight as I have 
 done you, and ever courteously ye have suffered me, and 
 that came never but of gentle blood." 
 
 " Damsel," said Beaumains, " a knight may do little that 
 cannot suffer a damsel. The more ye said, the more ye 
 angered me, but I wreaked my wrath upon them with 
 whom I fought ; and whether I be gentleman born or 
 
THE STORY OF SIR GARETH OF ORKNEY 145 
 
 no, I have done you gentleman's service, and perad- 
 venture I will do you better service yet ere I depart 
 from you." 
 
 Then the damsel was ashamed, and cried — 
 
 " Alas, fair Beaumains, forgive me all that I have said 
 or done against thee." 
 
 " With all my heart," said he. 
 
 And so they rode on together in good fellowship at 
 last. 
 
 Then they came to where there was a fair meadow, and 
 in it a pavilion all of blue, in which did lodge a Blue 
 Knight, Sir Persant of Inde by name, who was brother 
 unto the Black Knight and the Green Knight and the 
 Red Knight. Him also did Beaumains vanquish, so that 
 he swore to give him homage and fealty, and made an 
 hundred knights to be always at his command to do him 
 service. And that night they lodged at the Blue Knight's 
 pavilion, and Beaumains made known his birth unto him 
 and unto the damsel under a vow of secrecy, how that he 
 was Sir Gareth of Orkney, and brother to the great Sir 
 Gawaine. 
 
 Now when Beaumains and the lady rode forth again 
 on their journey, they came after a time to a fair 
 castle ; and upon the trees around it there hung nigh 
 forty knights. 
 
 Then said Sir Beaumains — 
 
 " What meaneth this ? " 
 
 "Sir," said the damsel, "all these knights came hither 
 to rescue my sister, Dame Lionesse, and when the 
 Red Knight of the Red Lands had overcome them, 
 he put them to this shameful death without mercy or 
 pity." 
 
 Then they rode to the walls of the castle and there 
 were lodged many great lords nigh the walls ; and also 
 there was near by a sycamore tree, and there hung a horn, 
 the greatest that ever they saw, of an elephant's bone. 
 The Knight of the Red Lands had hung it up there so 
 
146 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 that if there came any knight-errant, he might blow the 
 horn as a signal that he was ready to do battle. 
 
 Now the damsel would have had Beaumains wait to 
 blow the horn till noon, for it was said that until then the 
 Knight of the Red Lands had the strength of seven men. 
 But Beaumains scorned to delay the fight on that 
 account, and spurred his horse straight to the sycamore 
 tree, and blew the horn so eagerly that all the castle walls 
 rang, and they within looked over the walls and out at the 
 windows. 
 
 Then the Red Knight of the Red Lands armed himself 
 hastily, and his armour and spear and shield and the horse 
 that he rode upon were all blood-red ; and so he rode into 
 a little valley below the castle, that all that were therein 
 might behold the battle. 
 
 Then said the damsel unto Beaumains — 
 
 " Sir, yonder is your deadly enemy, and at yonder 
 window is my sister, Dame Lionesse." 
 
 So Beaumains looked up to the window and beheld 
 the lady; and then was he glad that he would fight for 
 her, for she was the fairest lady that ever he had looked 
 upon, and he was filled with love for her. 
 
 With that the Red Knight of the Red Lands called to 
 Sir Beaumains — 
 
 " Sir Knight, leave thy looking and make thee 
 ready." 
 
 So Beaumains bade the damsel go from him, and they 
 put their spears in rest, and came together with all their 
 might, and bore each other down to the ground, and for 
 a while they both lay there stunned. Then they rose up 
 and drew their swords, and ran together like two fierce 
 lions, and each gave the other such dire blows that great 
 pieces came off their armour and shields and lay about 
 the field. 
 
 Thus they fought till past noon, when both of them 
 lacked breath to continue the fight. So they rested them 
 awhile, and then went to the battle again, and fought like 
 
THE STORY OF SIR GARETH OF ORKNEY 147 
 
 wild boars, throwing each other often to the ground, and 
 neither gaining the advantage. 
 
 But towards evening there came a time when the Red 
 Knight smote Beaumains to the ground, so that his sword 
 fell out of his hand, and the Red Knight threw himself 
 upon him to hold him down. 
 
 Then cried the damsel — 
 
 " O Sir Beaumains, where is thy courage ? Alas, my 
 sister beholdeth thee, and sobbeth and weepeth at thy 
 downfall." 
 
 Thereat Beaumains wrenched himself free and sprang 
 to his feet ; and seizing his sword, he fell anew to 
 smiting with such fury that at length he struck the Red 
 Knight down and stood over him to slay him. But the 
 Red Knight cried with a loud voice — 
 
 " O noble knight, I yield me to thy mercy." 
 
 So Beaumains spared his life, and he promised to go 
 and yield himself up to King Arthur, and ask his mercy 
 for having put so many knights to shame by hanging 
 their bodies on the trees. And then came the damsel and 
 bound up their wounds, so that after a time they were 
 both healed and well again. 
 
 Thus did Beaumains set free Dame Lionesse and prove 
 his valour above all dispute, so that great honour and 
 fame were given to him. For the Green Knight and the 
 Red Knight and the Blue Knight and the Knight of the 
 Red Lands also all went to King Arthur's court at 
 Beaumains' bidding, and told him all that had befallen 
 them, and of how valiantly Beaumains had fought and 
 conquered them. Also after a time Sir Beaumains' noble 
 birth was made known to all the court, how that he was 
 Sir Gareth of Orkney, and brother to the great Sir 
 Gawaine ; and then was he wedded to Dame Lionesse of 
 the Castle Perilous, with the greatest rejoicing and 
 ceremony ; and there was none in all the court who 
 received so great honour and homage as he did on that 
 day. 
 
148 STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE 
 
 Thus endeth the tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney, who was 
 a most noble knight. 
 
 The story of Sir Balin } a?id also that of Sir Gareth, is found in 
 Sir Thomas Malory's book " Le Morte d' Arthur" which was 
 writte?i about the year 1470, and was printed by Caxton i?i 1485. 
 Malory took many of his stories from French ?'omances, but he 
 wrote i?i English, and most of his tales are of King Arthur and 
 
 his English knights. 
 
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