LITMIR.BIZ

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gold and silver, and its sails were of silk. There was a gangway of ivory, so I entered the vessel, which immediately sailed into the ocean. The voyage was short, and we soon came to a wondrously beautiful island. In this island I walked, led by some secret guidance, till I reached its farthest shore, broken by cliffs and mountain ranges, while between the mountains and the sea I saw a fair and fruitful land through which there was flowing a silvery, winding river, with a castle at its mouth. When I came to the gate of the castle, I was amazed by its splendour. It was all covered with gold, silver and precious stones, and two fair youths, whom I saw playing chess, used pieces of gold on a board of silver. Their clothes were of black satin embroidered with gold, and golden circlets were on their heads. I gazed at the youths for a moment, and then became aware of an aged man sitting near them. His carved ivory seat was decorated with golden eagles, the token of Imperial Rome; his ornaments on arms and hands and neck were of bright gold, and he was carving fresh chessmen from gold. Beside him sat, on a golden chair, a maiden (the loveliest in the whole world she seemed, and still seems, to me). White was her inner dress under a golden overdress, her crown was of rubies and pearls, and a golden waist was on her. The beauty of her face won my love in that moment, and I knelt and said: ‘Hail, Empress of Rome!’ but as she bent forward from her seat to greet me, I awoke. Now I have no peace and no joy except in sleep, for in dreams I always see my lady, and in dreams we love each other and are happy; therefore in dreams will I live, unless you can find some way to satisfy my longing while I wake.”

      The senators were at first greatly amazed, and then one of them said: “My lord, will you not send out messengers to search throughout all your lands for this maiden? Let each group of messengers search for one year, and return at the end of the year. So you shall live in good hope of success from year to year.”

      The messengers were sent out accordingly; but, however hard they tried, after three years three separate groups had brought back no news of the mysterious land and the beautiful maiden.

      Then the groom of the chamber said to Maxen Wledig: “My lord, will you not go forth to hunt, as on the day when you had your dream?”

      To this the emperor agreed, and rode to the place in the valley where he had slept. The groom of the chamber then said: “Will you not send messengers to the river’s source, my lord, and tell them to follow the track of your dream?”

      And thirteen messengers were sent, who followed the river up until it issued from the highest mountain they had ever seen. “Behold our emperor’s dream!” they exclaimed, and they got to the top of the mountain, and descended the other side into a most beautiful and fertile plain, as Maxen Wledig had seen in his dream. Following the greatest river of all – probably it was the Rhine – the ambassadors reached the seaport on the North Sea, and found the fleet waiting with one ship larger than all the others; and they entered the ship and were carried to the fair island of Britain. Here they journeyed westward, and came to the mountainous land of Snowdon, where they could see the sacred isle of Mona, or Anglesey[13], and the fertile land of Arvon[14] lying between the mountains and the sea. “This,” said the messengers, “is the land of our master’s dream, and in that fair castle we shall find the maiden who our emperor loves.”

      So they went to the castle of Caernarvon, and in that impressive fortress was the great hall, with the two youths playing chess, the old man carving chessmen, and the maiden in her chair of gold. When the ambassadors saw the fair Princess Helena[15], they fell on their knees before her and said: “Empress of Rome, all hail!”

      But Helena half rose from her seat in anger as she said: “What does this mockery mean? You seem to be men of gentle breeding[16], and you are evidently messengers: why, then, do you mock me thus?”

      But the ambassadors calmed her anger, saying: “Do not be angry, lady: this is no mockery, for the Emperor of Rome, the great lord Maxen Wledig, saw you in a dream, and he swore to marry none but you. Which, therefore, will you choose, to accompany us to Rome, and there be made empress, or to wait here until the emperor can come to you?”

      The princess thought deeply for a time, and then replied: “I would not be too credulous, or too hard of belief. If the emperor loves me and would like to marry me, let him find me in my father’s house, and make me his bride in my own home.”

      After this the messengers returned to the emperor in haste. When they reached Rome and informed Maxen Wledig of the success of their mission he at once gathered his army and marched across Europe towards Britain. He conquered Britain and eventually reached the fair country of Snowdon. He entered the castle and saw, at last, with his own eyes first the two youths, Kynon[17] and Adeon[18], playing chess, then their father, Eudav[19], the son of Caradoc[20], and then his beloved, beautiful Helena, daughter of Eudav.

      “Empress of Rome, all hail!” Maxen Wledig said; and the princess bent forward in her chair and kissed him, for she knew he was her destined husband. The next day they were married, and the Emperor Maxen Wledig gave Helena as dowry all Britain for her father, the son of Caradoc, and for herself three castles, Caernarvon[21], Caerlleon[22], and Caermarthen[23], where she lived in turn; and in one of them was born her son Constantine, the only British-born Emperor of Rome. To this day in Wales the old Roman roads that once connected Helena’s three castles are known as “Sarn Helen.”

      The Tale of Gamelyn[24]

      In the reign of King Edward I[25], there lived in Lincolnshire a noble gentleman, Sir John of the Marches. He was now old, but was still a model of all courtesy and a perfect gentle knight. He had three sons, of whom the youngest, Gamelyn, was born in his father’s old age, and was greatly beloved by the old man; the other two were much older than he, and John, the eldest, had already developed a wicked character. Gamelyn and his second brother, Otho, respected their father, but John had no respect or obedience for the good gentleman, and was the chief trouble of his declining years, as Gamelyn was his chief joy.

      At last old age and weakness overcame the worthy old Sir John, and he was forced to take to his bed[26], where he lay sadly thinking of his children’s future, and wondering how to divide his possessions fairly among the three. Fearing that he could commit an injustice, Sir John sent throughout the district for wise knights, asking them to come hastily, if they wished to see him alive and help him. When the country squires and lords, his near neighbours, heard of his serious condition, they hurried to the castle, and gathered in the bedchamber, where the dying knight greeted them thus:

      “Lords and gentlemen, I may no longer live; but I pray, for my sake[27], to help me to divide my lands among my three sons. For the love of God, do it justly, and forget not my youngest, Gamelyn. Seldom does any heir to an estate help his brothers after his father’s death.”

      The friends whom Sir John had invited thought long over the disposal of the estate. Most of them wanted to give all to the eldest son, but a strong minority said they must not forget the second. They all agreed, however, that Gamelyn might wait till his eldest brother chose to give him a share of his father’s lands. At last it was decided to divide the inheritance between the two elder sons, and the knights returned to the room where the brave old knight lay dying, and told him their decision. He summoned up strength[28] enough to protest against their plan, and said:

      “No,

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