Stories from the Faerie Queen, Told to the Children Read online

  Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttps://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from imagesgenerously made available by The Internet Archive.)

  TOLD TO THE CHILDREN SERIES

  EDITED BY LOUEY CHISHOLM

  THE FAERIE QUEEN

  I should like the crystal ball to shew me what my husbandwill be like (page 33)]

  STORIES FROM The Faerie Queen

  TOLD TO THE CHILDREN BY JEANIE LANG

  WITH PICTURES BY ROSE LE QUESNE

 

  LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK, LTD. NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.

  TO DIANA

  PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY THOMAS NELSON AND SONS, LTD.

  ABOUT THE FAERIE QUEEN

  More than three hundred years ago there lived in England a poet namedEdmund Spenser. He was brave and true and gentle, and he loved all thatwas beautiful and good.

  Edmund Spenser wrote many poems, and the most beautiful of all is the onecalled 'The Faerie Queen.' He loved so dearly all things that arebeautiful and all things that are good, that his eyes could see Fairylandmore clearly than the eyes of other men ever could.

  There are many, many stories in 'The Faerie Queen,' and out of them all Ihave told you only eight. Some day you will read the others for yourself.

  In this little book Miss Rose Le Quesne has made one pretty picture foreach story. But when you are old enough to read for yourself 'The FaerieQueen' that Edmund Spenser wrote, you will find that there is a picture onevery page.

  JEANIE LANG.

  LIST OF STORIES

  Page

  Una and the Lion, 1

  St. George and the Dragon, 15

  Britomart and the Magic Mirror, 32

  The Quest of Sir Guyon, 45

  Pastorella, 60

  Cambell and Triamond, 79

  Marinell, the Sea-Nymph's Son, 89

  Florimell and the Witch, 101

  LIST OF PICTURES

  BRITOMART AND THE MAGIC MIRROR. 'I should like the crystal ball to show me what my husband will be like, _Frontispiece_

  At page

  UNA AND THE LION. He followed her like a faithful dog, 6

  ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON. The dragon was dead, 30

  THE QUEST OF SIR GUYON. Great heaps of gold lay about him on every side, 48

  PASTORELLA. In the middle of the ring of girls sat Pastorella, 64

  CAMBELL AND TRIAMOND. She asked the Fates to let her sons have long, long lives, 80

  MARINELL, THE SEA-NYMPH'S SON. But the knight was Britomart, the fair lady with a man's armour and a man's heart, 92

  FLORIMELL AND THE WITCH. Florimell's golden hair flew behind her, 102

  I

  UNA AND THE LION

  Once upon a time, in a country not far from Fairyland, there lived a kingand queen and their daughter, whose name was Una.

  Una was one of the most beautiful princesses that ever were seen, and shewas as good as she was beautiful.

  She and her father and mother loved each other very dearly, and they werevery happy together, until a dreadful thing happened in their kingdom andtook all their happiness away.

  A hideous dragon came from another country, and killed men and women andlittle children. With its fiery breath it turned the trees and grass andflowers into black ashes, and it slew everybody that it came across.

  It would have killed Una's father and mother too, but they and some oftheir servants shut themselves up in a tower made of brass. The dragontried very hard to get in and eat them up, but it could not break into atower so strong.

  For seven years the king and queen hid in their tower, while the dragonlay outside.

  Many brave knights came and fought with the horrible monster and tried tosave the king and queen. But the dragon was stronger than all the knights,and killed every one of them.

  At last Una made up her mind to ride to Fairyland and ask the Queen of theFairies to send one of her knights to kill the dragon.

  Una took no soldiers nor servants with her, but a dwarf carried for herthe food and clothes she needed, and she rode on a little white ass.

  Her dress was of white, but she covered it and her beautiful, shining,golden hair up with a black cloak to show that she felt sad. Her lovelyface was very sorrowful, for she was so unhappy at the cruel things thedragon had done, and the danger her dear father and mother were in.

  Una safely got to the court of the Faerie Queen, and a young knight,fearless and faithful and true, offered to come back with her to kill thedragon.

  His name was George, but on the breast of his silver armour, and on hissilver shield, a red cross was painted. So people called him the Red CrossKnight.

  The sun shone bright, and the birds sang sweetly, as Una and her knightrode away through the woods that lay between her father's kingdom and thelands of the Faerie Queen.

  The knight's great war-horse pranced and champed at its bit, and Una'slittle donkey put down its dainty feet gently on the grass and wondered atthe great big horse and his jingling harness as they went along side byside.

  Before they had gone very far a storm came on. The sky grew dark and rainfell heavily, and they would have been drenched had they not found shelterin a thick wood. There were wide paths in this wood, and tall trees whoseleafy branches grew so close that no rain could come through.

  It was such a beautiful wood, and they were so happy talking together andlistening to the birds' sweet song, that they rode along without noticingwhere they went.

  So when the rain stopped and they wished to get back to the open road,they could not find the way. On and on they went, until they came to themouth of a great dark cave.

  The knight sprang from his horse, and giving his spear to the dwarf tohold, went forward to see what might be hidden in the darkness.

  'Do not be so rash!' cried Una; 'I know that this is a terribly dangerousplace, and that a dreadful monster stays in that black den!'

  The frightened dwarf also begged him to come away, but the knight said, 'Ishould be ashamed to come back. If one is good, one need have no fear ofthe darkness.'

  So into the darkness he went, and in the faint light that came from hisshining armour he saw a hideous monster. It had a great ugly head and along speckled tail like a serpent's, and it rushed at the knight, roaringfuriously. He struck at it with his sword, but it wound its horrible tailaround him, until he was nearly crushed to death.

  Una called to him not to fear, but to strike the monster bravely. And he,smiting it with all his might, cut off its head.

  Then Una and he rode joyfully onwards, and, as evening fell, they found away out of the wood. On the road they met an old man who looked kind andgood. He asked them to stay all night in his cottage in a little valleynear at hand, and they gladly went.

  This old man was a wicked magician, and all he wanted was to do them harm.

  When they had lain down to rest, he began to work his magic on them. Sowell did he do it, that he made the Red Cross Knight believe that Una wasvery false and wicked, and that the best thing he could do was to go awayfrom her. Very early in the morning the knight made the dwarf saddle hishorse, and they went off together and left Una
asleep in the house of thewicked magician.

  When she awoke and found them gone, Una could only weep bitterly at whatseemed to her their cruelty.

  She rode after them as quickly as she could, but her little donkey couldonly go slowly, and in his anger and sorrow the knight had made his horsegallop so fast that she had no chance of overtaking them.

  Day after day, up hill and down dale, in woods and on lonely moors, shesought her knight. And her heart was very sad, because he whom she lovedhad left her so ungently.

  One day when she was very tired she lay down to rest under the trees in athick wood. She took off her black cloak, and her beautiful golden hairfell loosely round her face. Her face was so fair and so full of goodnessthat it seemed to make sunshine in the shady place.

  Suddenly there rushed at her from out of the wood a furious lion. He washunting for something to kill and eat, and when he saw Una he ran at hergreedily, with hungry gaping jaws.

  But when it had looked at her lovely face, instead of tearing her inpieces it gently licked her little white hands and feet. And Una's sadheart was so grateful to the noble beast that her tears dropped on him ashe did it.

  The lion would not leave her. He kept watch while she slept, and when shewas awake he followed her like a faithful dog.

  He followed her like a faithful dog (page 6)]

  Together they wandered on, but never met any one that Una could ask if hehad seen the Red Cross Knight.

  At last, one evening, they saw a young woman walking up a steep mountainpath, and carrying a pot of water on her back. Una called to her, but whenthe woman looked round and saw a lovely lady and a lion, she got such afright that she threw down the pot and ran for her life. Her old motherwas blind, and they lived in a hut on the mountain, and when she got thereshe rushed in and shut the door.

  Una and the lion followed her, and the lion, with one blow from his strongpaw, drove the door in.

  The two women were hiding in a dark corner, half-dead from fear. Una triedto comfort them, and asked them if she and her lion might shelter therefor the night. When darkness came she lay down, very tired, to sleep,while her lion lay and watched at her feet.

  In the middle of the night a knock came to the door. It was a wickedrobber, who used to bring the things he stole and give them to those twobad women. The women were so afraid of the lion that they dared not comeout of their hiding-place. So the thief, in a rage, burst the door open,and when he did this, the lion rushed at him and tore him in pieces.

  Next morning Una rose early and went away with the lion.

  When she had gone, the women came out, and when they saw the robber's deadbody, they were filled with rage at Una and her lion. They ran after her,calling her bad names, but they could not overtake her.

  As they were going home they met the wicked magician. They told him aboutUna, and he rode quickly after her. By his magic he made himself armourthe same as that of the Red Cross Knight, and when Una saw him she thoughtit was her own true knight come back to her at last. He spoke to her as ifhe was really her knight, and her heart was filled with gladness.

  But she was not the only one who thought that the wicked magician was theRed Cross Knight. Sansloy, a rough and wicked man, whose brother had beenkilled in a fight with the Knight of the Red Cross, came riding along andmet them. When he saw the red cross on the magician's breast he rode athim furiously.

  The old magician had to fight, whether he wanted to or not, and Sansloyfought so fiercely that he wounded him and cast him bleeding on theground. Then Sansloy dragged off his helmet and was going to kill him,when he found, instead of the Red Cross Knight's handsome young face, thewicked old face and grey hair of the magician.

  Sansloy was afraid of the magician, so he drew back and did not hurt himmore. But when he saw how beautiful Una was, he roughly dragged her offher ass, and made up his mind to take her away with him and make her hiswife.

  When the lion saw the knight roughly take hold of Una, he made a fiercerush at him, and would have torn him in pieces; but Sansloy beat the lionback with his shield, and when the lion would have torn the shield fromhim, he drove his sword deep into the lion's faithful heart. With a greatroar the noble beast fell dead, and Sansloy threw Una before him on hishorse and galloped away with her. She wept and sobbed and begged him tolet her go, but Sansloy would not listen. And it seemed as if Una had nofriend left, or, at least, no friend that could help her. For the littlewhite donkey trotted after her, afraid of nothing except to be left alonewithout his mistress.

  The darkness fell, and the stars that came out looked down like weepingeyes on Una's sorrow and helplessness.

  Sansloy stopped his horse at last and lifted Una down. When she shrankfrom him in fear, he was so rough that she screamed for help until thewoods rang and echoed her screams.

  Now in the woods there lived wild people, some of whom were more likebeasts than men and women. They were dancing merrily in the starlight whenthey heard Una's cries, and they stopped their dance and ran to see whatwas wrong.

  When Sansloy saw them, with their rough long hair and hairy legs and armsand strange wild faces, he was so frightened that he jumped on his horseand galloped away.

  But the wild people of the woods were more gentle than the cowardlyknight. When they saw Una, so beautiful and so frightened and so sad, theysmiled at her to show her that they meant to be kind. Then they kneltbefore her to show her that they would obey her, and gently kissed herfeet.

  So Una was no longer afraid, and when the wild people saw that she trustedthem, they were so glad that they jumped and danced and sang for joy. Theybroke off green branches and strewed them before her as she walked, andthey crowned her with leaves to show that she was their queen. And so theyled her home to their chief, and he and the beautiful nymphs of the woodall welcomed her with gladness.

  For a long time Una lived with them and was their queen, but at last abrave knight came that way. His father had been a wild man of the woods,but his mother was a gentle lady. He was brave and bold as his father hadbeen. When he was a little boy and lived with the wild people, he used tosteal the baby lions from their mothers just for fun, and drive panthers,and antelopes, and wild boars, and tigers and wolves with bits andbridles, as if they were playing at horses. But he was gentle like hismother, although he was so fearless. And when Una told him the story ofthe Red Cross Knight and the lion, and of all her adventures, his heartwas filled with pity. He vowed to help her to escape, and to try to findthe Red Cross Knight. So one day he and she ran away, and by night had gotfar out of reach of the wild men of the woods.

  When the wicked magician knew of Una's escape, he dressed himself up likea pilgrim and came to meet her and the brave knight of the forest.

  'Have you seen, or have you heard anything about my true knight, who bearsa red cross on his breast?' asked Una of the old man.

  'Ah yes,' said the magician, 'I have seen him both living and dead. To-dayI saw a terrible fight between him and another knight, and the otherknight killed him.'

  When Una heard this cruel lie she fell down in a faint. The brave youngknight lifted her up and gently tried to comfort her.

  'Where is this man who has slain the Red Cross Knight, and taken from usall our joy?' he asked of the false pilgrim.

  'He is near here now,' said the magician. 'I left him at a fountain,washing his wounds.'

  Off hurried the knight, so fast that Una could not keep up with him, andsure enough, at a fountain they found a knight sitting. It was the wickedSansloy who had killed Una's lion and carried her away.

  The brave knight rushed up to him with his drawn sword.

  'You have slain the Red Cross Knight,' he said; 'come and fight and bepunished for your evil deed.'

  'I never slew the Red Cross Knight,' said Sansloy, in a great rage. 'Yourenemies have sent you to me to be killed.'

  Then, like two wild beasts, they fought, only resting sometimes for amoment that they might rush at each other again with the more strength andfury.
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  Blood poured from their wounds, the earth was trampled by their feet, andthe sound of their fierce blows rang through the air.

  Una was so terrified at the dreadful sight that she ran away and left themfighting furiously.

  Before she had gone far she saw a little figure running through the woodstowards her. It was her own dwarf, and his woful face told her that someevil thing had happened to the Red Cross Knight.

  The knight had had many adventures since he left her in the magician'shut, and at last a giant had caught him, and kept him a prisoner in adreary dungeon. The dwarf had run away, lest the giant should kill him.

  Una loved the Red Cross Knight so much that her heart almost broke whenshe heard the dwarf's story. But she made up her mind to find her knightand free him. So on she went, up hill and down dale, beaten by drivingrain and buffeted by bitter winds.

  At last, by good chance, she met a knight and his squire. This knight wasthe good Prince Arthur, of all the knights of the Faerie Queen the bravestand the best. To him she told her sorrowful tale.

  'Be of good cheer and take comfort,' said the good prince. 'I will neverleave you until I have freed the Red Cross Knight.'

  And the prince kept his promise.

  The story of St. George and the Dragon will tell you how Una and herknight met together again and were married, and forgot their past sorrowsin their great happiness.