One day King Wil-liam seemed to be thinking of something that made him
feel very sad; and the wise men who were about him asked him what
was the matter.
"I am thinking," he said, "of what my sons may do after I am dead.
For, unless they are wise and strong, they cannot keep the kingdom
which I have won for them. Indeed, I am at a loss to know which one of
the three ought to be the king when I am gone."
"O king!" said the wise men, "if we only knew what things your sons
admire the most, we might then be able to tell what kind of men they
will be. Perhaps, by asking each one of them a few ques-tions, we can
find out which one of them will be best fitted to rule in your place."
"The plan is well worth trying, at least," said the king. "Have the
boys come before you, and then ask them what you please."
The wise men talked with one another for a little while, and then
agreed that the young princes should be brought in, one at a time, and
that the same ques-tions should be put to each.
The first who came into the room was Robert. He was a tall, willful
lad, and was nick-named Short Stocking.
"Fair sir," said one of the men, "answer me this question: If, instead
of being a boy, it had pleased God that you should be a bird, what
kind of a bird would you rather be?"
"A hawk," answered Robert. "I would rather be a hawk, for no other
bird reminds one so much of a bold and gallant knight."
The next who came was young William, his father's name-sake and pet.
His face was jolly and round, and because he had red hair he was
nicknamed Rufus, or the Red.
"Fair sir," said the wise man, "answer me this question: If, instead
of being a boy, it had pleased God that you should be a bird, what
kind of a bird would you rather be?"
"An eagle," answered William. "I would rather be an eagle, because it
is strong and brave. It is feared by all other birds, and is
there-fore the king of them all."
Lastly came the youngest brother, Henry, with quiet steps and a sober,
thought-ful look. He had been taught to read and write, and for that
reason he was nick-named Beau-clerc, or the Hand-some Schol-ar.
"Fair sir," said the wise man, "answer me this question: If, instead
of being a boy, it had pleased God that you should be a bird, what
kind of a bird would you rather be?"
"A star-ling," said Henry. "I would rather be a star-ling, because it
is good-mannered and kind and a joy to every one who sees it, and it
never tries to rob or abuse its neigh-bor."
Then the wise men talked with one another for a little while, and when
they had agreed among themselves, they spoke to the king.
"We find," said they, "that your eldest son, Robert, will be bold and
gallant. He will do some great deeds, and make a name for himself; but
in the end he will be over-come by his foes, and will die in prison.
"The second son, William, will be as brave and strong as the eagle;
but he will be feared and hated for his cruel deeds. He will lead a
wicked life, and will die a shameful death.
"The youngest son, Henry, will be wise and prudent and peaceful. He
will go to war only when he is forced to do so by his enemies. He will
be loved at home, and re-spect-ed abroad; and he will die in peace
after having gained great pos-ses-sions."
Years passed by, and the three boys had grown up to be men. King
William lay upon his death-bed, and again he thought of what would
become of his sons when he was gone. Then he re-mem-bered what the
wise men had told him; and so he de-clared that Robert should have the
lands which he held in France, that William should be the King of
England, and that Henry should have no land at all, but only a chest
of gold.
So it hap-pened in the end very much as the wise men had fore-told.
Robert, the Short Stocking, was bold and reckless, like the hawk which
he so much admired. He lost all the lands that his father had left
him, and was at last shut up in prison, where he was kept until he
died.
William Rufus was so over-bear-ing and cruel that he was feared and
hated by all his people. He led a wicked life, and was killed by one
of his own men while hunting in the forest.
And Henry, the Handsome Scholar, had not only the chest of gold for
his own, but he became by and by the King of England and the ruler of
all the lands that his father had had in France.
THE WHITE SHIP.
King Henry, the Handsome Scholar, had one son, named William, whom he
dearly loved. The young man was noble and brave, and every-body hoped
that he would some day be the King of England.
One summer Prince William went with his father across the sea to look
after their lands in France. They were wel-comed with joy by all
their people there, and the young prince was so gallant and kind, that
he won the love of all who saw him.
But at last the time came for them to go back to England. The king,
with his wise men and brave knights, set sail early in the day; but
Prince William with his younger friends waited a little while. They
had had so joyous a time in France that they were in no great haste to
tear them-selves away.
Then they went on board of the ship which was waiting to carry them
home. It was a beau-ti-ful ship with white sails and white masts, and
it had been fitted up on purpose for this voyage.
The sea was smooth, the winds were fair, and no one thought of danger.
On the ship, every-thing had been ar-ranged to make the trip a
pleasant one. There was music and dancing, and everybody was merry and
glad.
The sun had gone down before the white-winged vessel was fairly out of
the bay. But what of that? The moon was at its full, and it would give
light enough; and before the dawn of the morrow, the narrow sea would
be crossed. And so the prince, and the young people who were with him,
gave themselves up to mer-ri-ment and feasting and joy.
The ear-li-er hours of the night passed by; and then there was a cry
of alarm on deck. A moment after-ward there was a great crash. The
ship had struck upon a rock. The water rushed in. She was sinking. Ah,
where now were those who had lately been so heart-free and glad?
Every heart was full of fear. No one knew what to do. A small boat was
quickly launched, and the prince with a few of his bravest friends
leaped into it. They pushed off just as the ship was be-gin-ning to
settle beneath the waves. Would they be saved?
They had rowed hardly ten yards from the ship, when there was a cry
from among those that were left behind.
"Row back!" cried the prince. "It is my little sister. She must be
saved!"
The men did not dare to disobey. The boat was again brought along-side
of the sinking vessel. The prince stood up, and held out his arms for
his sister. At that moment the ship gave a great lurch forward into
the waves. One shriek of terror was heard, and then all was still save
the sound of the moaning waters.
Ship and boat, prince and prin-cess, and all the gay com-pa-ny that
had set sail from France, went down to the bottom together. One man
clung to a floating plank, and was saved the next day. He was the only
person left alive to tell the sad story.
When King Henry heard of the death of his son his grief was more than
he could bear. His heart was broken. He had no more joy in life; and
men say that no one ever saw him smile again.
Here is a poem about him that your teacher may read to you, and
perhaps, after a while, you may learn it by heart.
HE NEVER SMILED AGAIN.
The bark that held the prince went down,
The sweeping waves rolled on;
And what was England's glorious crown
To him that wept a son?
He lived, for life may long be borne
Ere sorrow breaks its chain:
Why comes not death to those who mourn?
He never smiled again.
There stood proud forms before his throne,
The stately and the brave;
But who could fill the place of one,--
That one beneath the wave?
Before him passed the young and fair,
In pleasure's reckless train;
But seas dashed o'er his son's bright hair--
He never smiled again.
He sat where festal bowls went round;
He heard the minstrel sing;
He saw the tour-ney's victor crowned
Amid the knightly ring.
A murmur of the restless deep
Was blent with every strain,
A voice of winds that would not sleep--
He never smiled again.
Hearts, in that time, closed o'er the trace
Of vows once fondly poured,
And strangers took the kins-man's place
At many a joyous board;
Graves which true love had bathed with tears
Were left to heaven's bright rain;
Fresh hopes were born for other years--
_He_ never smiled again!
MRS. HEMANS.
KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT.
I. THE THREE QUESTIONS.
There was once a king of England whose name was John. He was a bad
king; for he was harsh and cruel to his people, and so long as he
could have his own way, he did not care what became of other folks. He
was the worst king that England ever had.
Now, there was in the town of Can'ter-bur-y a rich old abbot who lived
in grand style in a great house called the Abbey. Every day a hundred
noble men sat down with him to dine; and fifty brave knights, in fine
velvet coats and gold chains, waited upon him at his table.
When King John heard of the way in which the abbot lived, he made up
his mind to put a stop to it. So he sent for the old man to come and
see him.
"How now, my good abbot?" he said. "I hear that you keep a far better
house than I. How dare you do such a thing? Don't you know that no man
in the land ought to live better than the king? And I tell you that no
man shall."
"O king!" said the abbot, "I beg to say that I am spending nothing but
what is my own. I hope that you will not think ill of me for making
things pleasant for my friends and the brave knights who are with me."
"Think ill of you?" said the king. "How can I help but think ill of
you? All that there is in this broad land is mine by right; and how do
you dare to put me to shame by living in grander style than I? One
would think that you were trying to be king in my place."
"Oh, do not say so!" said the abbot "For I"--
"Not another word!" cried the king. "Your fault is plain, and unless
you can answer me three questions, your head shall be cut off, and all
your riches shall be mine."
"I will try to answer them, O king!" said the abbot.
"Well, then," said King John, "as I sit here with my crown of gold on
my head, you must tell me to within a day just how long I shall live.
Sec-ond-ly, you must tell me how soon I shall ride round the whole
world; and lastly, you shall tell me what I think."
"O king!" said the abbot, "these are deep, hard questions, and I
cannot answer them just now. But if you will give me two weeks to
think about them, I will do the best that I can."
"Two weeks you shall have," said the king; "but if then you fail to
answer me, you shall lose your head, and all your lands shall be
mine."
The abbot went away very sad and in great fear. He first rode to
Oxford. Here was a great school, called a u-ni-ver'si-ty, and he
wanted to see if any of the wise pro-fess-ors could help him. But they
shook their heads, and said that there was nothing about King John in
any of their books.
Then the abbot rode down to Cam-bridge, where there was another
u-ni-ver-si-ty. But not one of the teachers in that great school could
help him.
At last, sad and sor-row-ful, he rode toward home to bid his friends
and his brave knights good-by. For now he had not a week to live.
II. THE THREE ANSWERS.
As the abbot was riding up the lane which led to his grand house, he
met his shep-herd going to the fields.