Northumberland Yesterday And To Day - Jean F. Terry (i want to read a book TXT) 📗

They Brought Her Dayly, Whyche She Drank

  Before She Wente To Slepe."

 

This Offering Proved Successful In Pacifying The Creature, And It

Remained In The Cave At Spindleston, Coming Out Daily To Drink Its Fill

From The Trough Prepared For It. But The Fear Of It In No Wise

Diminished, And

 

  "Word Went East, And Word Went West,

  And Word Is Gone Over The Sea,

  That A Laidly Worm In Spindleston Heugh

  Would Ruin The North Countree."

 

The News In Due Course Comes To The Ears Of Princess Margaret's Only

Brother, The Childe Wynde, Who Is Away Seeking Fame And Fortune Abroad.

In Fear For His Lovely Sister, He Calls Together His "Merry Men All,"

And They Set To Work To Build A Ship

 

  "With Masts Of The Rowan-Tree,"

 

A Sure Defence Against The Spells Of Witchcraft; And Hoisting Their

Silken Sails They Hasten Homeward.

 

  "... ... The Wind With Speed

  Blew Them Along The Deep.

  The Sea Was Calm, The Weather Clear,

  When They Approached Nigher;

  King Ida's Castle Well They Knew,

  And The Banks Of Bamburghshire."

 

 

The Wicked Queen Saw The Little Bark Coming Near, And Knew That Her

Guilt Was About To Meet Its Reward. In Haste She Tried To Wreck The

Vessel, But The Rowan-Tree Masts Made Her Spells Of No Avail. Then She

Bade Her Servants Go To The Beach And Oppose The Landing Of The Childe

And His Crew; But The Servants Were Beaten Back, And The Young Knight

And His Men Landed In Budle Bay. The Worm Came Fiercely To The Attack,

As The Childe Wynde Advanced Against It; But On Meeting Him, And Feeling

The Touch Of His "Berry-Brown Sword," It Besought Him To Do It No Harm.

 

  "'O Quit Thy Sword, Unbend Thy Brow,

  And Give Me Kisses Three;

  For Though I Be A Laidly Worm

  No Harm I'll Do To Thee.

 

  O Quit Thy Sword, Unbend Thy Brow,

  And Give Me Kisses Three;

  If I'm Not Won Ere The Sun Goes Down

  Won Shall I Never Be.'

 

  He Quitted His Sword, And Smoothed His Brow,

  And Gave Her Kisses Three;

  She Crept Intill The Hole A Worm,

  And Came Out A Fayre Ladie."

 

The Knight Clasped His Lovely Sister In His Arms, And, Casting Around

Her His Crimson Cloak, Led Her Back To Her Home, Where The Trembling

Queen Awaited Them. Her Doom Was Spoken By The Childe Wynde--

 

  "Woe Be To Thee, Thou Wicked Witch;

  An Ill Death Mayst Thou Dee!

  As Thou Hast Likened My Sister Dear,

  So Likened Shalt Thou Be"

 

And He Turned Her Into The Likeness Of An Ugly Toad, In Which Hateful

Shape She Remained To Her Dying Day, Wandering Around The Castle And The

Green Fields, An Object Of Hatred To All Who Saw Her. The

"Spindlestone," A Tall Crag On Which The Young Knight Hung His Bridle,

When He Went Further On To Seek The Worm In The "Heugh," Is Still To Be

Seen, But The Huge Trough From Which The Worm Was Said To Drink Has Been

Destroyed.

 

There Are Two Legends Somewhat Similar To Each Other Which Are Told Of A

Company Held In The Spell Of A Magic Sleep, To Be Awakened By Certain

Devices, In Which The Blowing Of A Horn And The Drawing Of A Sword Are

Prominent. One Is The Story Of "Sir Guy The Seeker," And Is Told Of

Dunstanborough Castle. Sir Guy Sought Refuge In The Castle From A Storm;

And While Within The Walls A Spectre Form With Flaming Hair Addressed

Him,

 

  "Sir Knight, Sir Knight, If Your Heart Be Right,

  And Your Nerves Be Firm And True,"

 

(Fancy "Nerves" In A Ballad!)--

 

  "Sir Knight, Sir Knight, A Beauty Bright

  In Durance Waits For You."

 

The Ballad, Written By M.G. Lewis, Now Describes In A Painfully

Commonplace Manner The Knight's Further Adventures. He And His Guide

Wandered Round And Round And High And Low In The Maze Of Chambers Within

The Castle, Until At Last A Door Of Brass, Whose Bolt Was A Venomous

Snake, Gave Them Entrance To A Gloomy Hall, Draped In Black, Which The

"Hundred Lights" Failed To Brighten. In The Hall A Hundred Knights Of

"Marble White" Lay Sleeping By Their Steeds Of "Marble Black As The

Raven's Back." At The End Of The Hall, Guarded By Two Huge Skeleton

Forms, The Imprisoned Lady Was Seen In Tears Within A Crystal Tomb. One

Skeleton Held In His Bony Fingers A Horn, The Other A "Falchion Bright,"

And The Knight Was Told To Choose Between Them, And The Fate Of Himself

And The Lady Would Depend Upon His Choice. Sir Guy, After Long

Hesitation, Blew A Shrill Blast Upon The Horn; At The Sound The Hundred

Steeds Stamped Their Hoofs, The Hundred Knights Sprang Up, And The

Unlucky Knight Fell Down Senseless, With His Ghastly Guide's Words

Ringing In His Ears--

 

  "Shame On The Coward Who Sounded A Horn

  When He Might Have Unsheathed A Sword!"

 

In The Morning, The Unfortunate Sir Guy Awoke To Find Himself Lying

Amongst The Ruins, And Forthwith Began His Ceaseless And Unavailing

Search For The Lady He Had Failed To Rescue.

 

The Legend Similar To This In Many Respects Is That Of King Arthur And

His Court At Sewingshields, To Which Allusion Has Already Been Made In

The Chapter On The Roman Wall. I Cannot Do Better Than Give This In The

Words Of Mr. Hodgson, Who Tells The Story In His History Of

Northumberland. "Immemorial Tradition Has Asserted That King Arthur,

His Queen Guenever, His Court Of Lords And Ladies, And His Hounds Were

Enchanted In Some Cave Of The Crags, Or In A Hall Below The Castle Of

Sewingshields, And Would Continue Entranced There Until Someone Should

First Blow A Bugle-Horn That Lay On A Table Near The Entrance Of The

Hall, And Then With The 'Sword Of The Stone' (Was This Excalibur?) Cut A

Garter, Also Placed There Beside It. But None Had Ever Heard Where The

Entrance To This Enchanted Hall Was, Till The Farmer At Sewingshields,

About Fifty Years Since, Was Sitting Knitting On The Ruins Of The

Castle, And His Clew Fell, And Ran Downwards Through A Rush Of Briars

And Nettles, As He Supposed, Into A Subterraneous Passage. Full In The

Faith That The Entrance To King Arthur's Hall Had Now Been Discovered,

He Cleared The Briary Portal Of Its Weeds And Rubbish, And Entering A

Vaulted Passage, Followed In His Darkling Way The Thread Of His Clew.

The Floor Was Infested With Toads And Lizards; And The Dark Wings Of

Bats, Disturbed By His Unhallowed Intrusion, Flitted Fearfully Around

Him. At Length His Sinking Courage Was Strengthened By A Dim, Distant

Light, Which As He Advanced Grew Gradually Brighter, Till All At Once He

Entered A Vast And Vaulted Hall, In The Centre Of Which A Fire Without

Fuel, From A Broad Crevice In The Floor Blazed With A High And Lambent

Flame, That Showed All The Carved Walls And Fretted Roof, And The

Monarch And His Queen And Court Reposing Around, In A Theatre Of Thrones

And Costly Couches. On The Floor Beyond The Fire Lay The Faithful And

Deep-Toned Pack Of Thirty Couple Of Hounds; And On A Table Before It The

Spell-Dissolving Horn, Sword, And Garter. The Shepherd Reverently, But

Firmly, Grasped The Sword, And As He Drew It Leisurely From Its Rusty

Scabbard, The Eyes Of The Monarch And His Courtiers Began To Open, And

They Rose Till They Sat Upright. He Cut The Garter; And As The Sword Was

Being Slowly Sheathed The Spell Assumed Its Ancient Power, And They All

Gradually Sank To Rest; But Not Before The Monarch Had Lifted Up His

Eyes And Hands, And Exclaimed--

 

  "O Woe Betide That Evil Day

  On Which This Witless Wight Was Born,

  Who Drew The Sword, The Garter Cut.

  But Never Blew The Bugle Horn!"

 

Terror Brought On Loss Of Memory, And The Shepherd Was Unable To Give

Any Correct Account Of His Adventure, Or To Find Again The Entrance To

The Enchanted Hall.

 

Another Legend Is Connected With Tynemouth. Just Above The Short Sands

Was A Cave Known As Jingling Geordie's Hole; The "Geordie" Is Evidently

A Late Interpolation, For Earlier Mention Of The Cave Gives It As The

Jingling Man's Hole. No One Knows How It Came By Its Name; Tradition

Says That It Was The Entrance To A Subterranean Passage Leading From The

Priory Beneath The Tyne To Jarrow. In This Cave It Was Said That A

Treasure Of A Fabulous Amount Was Concealed, And The Tale Of This Hoard

Fired A Boy Named Walter To Seek It Out, When He Heard The Tale From His

Mother. On His Attaining To Knighthood, He Resolved To Make The Finding

Of The Treasure His Particular "Quest," And Arming Himself, He

Adventured Forth On The Eve Of St. John. Making His Way Fearlessly Down

Into The Cave, Undaunted By Spectre Or Dragon, As They Attempted To

Dispute His Passage, He Arrived At A Gloomy Gateway, Where Hung A Bugle,

Fastened By A Golden Cord. Boldly He Placed The Bugle To His Lips, And

Blew Three Loud Blasts. To His Amazement, At The Sound The Doors Rolled

Back, Displaying A Vast And Brightly-Lit Hall, Whose Roof Was Supported

On Pillars Of Jasper And Crystal; The Glow From Lamps Of Gold Shone

Softly Down On Gold And Gems, Which Were Heaped Upon The Floor Of This

Magic Chamber, And The Treasure Became The Rich Reward Of The Dauntless

Youth.

 

  "Gold Heaped Upon Gold, And Emeralds Green,

  And Diamonds And Rubies, And Sapphires Untold,

  Rewarded The Courage Of Walter The Bold."

 

The Fortunate Youth Became A Very Great Personage, Indeed, As By Means

Of His Great Riches He Was "Lord Of A Hundred Castles" And Wide Domains.

 

Of A Very Different Character Is The Story Of The Hermit Of Warkworth.

It Is Unfortunate That This, The Most Tragic And Moving Of All

Northumbrian Tales, Should Be Most Widely Known By Means Of The Prosy

Imitation Ballad By Dr. Percy, Whose Ability As A Poet Did By No Means

Equal His Zeal As A Collector Of Ballads. The Hero Of The Sorrowful Tale

Is Said To Have Been A Bertram Of Bothal, Who Loved Fair Isabel,

Daughter Of The Lord Of Widdrington. Bertram Was A Knight In Percy's

Train, And At A Great Feast Made By The Lord Of Alnwick The Fair Maiden

And Her Father Were Amongst The Guests. As The Minstrels Chanted The

Praises Of Their Lord, And Sang Of The Valiant Deeds By Which His Noble

House Had Won Renown, The Heart Of Isabel Thrilled At The Thought Of Her

True Knight Rivalling Those Deeds Of Fame. Summoning One Of Her

Attendant Maidens, She Sent Her To Bertram, Bearing A Helmet Of Steel

With Crest Of Gold. With The Helmet The Maiden Gave Her Mistress'

Message, That She Would Yield To Her Knight's Pleadings And Become His

Bride, As Soon As He Had Proved Himself A Valiant And Worthy Wearer Of

The Golden-Crested Helm. Reverently Bertram Accepted The Commands Of

His Lady, And Vowed To Prove His Devotion Wherever Hard Blows Were To Be

Given And Danger To Be Found. The Lord Of Alnwick Straightway Arranged

For An Expedition On To Scottish Land, In Requital Of Old Scores, And

Assembled Together A Goodly Company To Ride Against The Scots. Earl

Douglas And His Men Opposed Them, And Blows Were Dealt Thick And Fast On

Both Sides. Bertram Was Sorely Wounded, After Showing Wondrous Prowess

In The Fight; But Being Rescued By Percy, Was Borne To The Castle Of

Wark Upon The Tweed, To Recover From His Wounds In Safety. Isabel's Aged

Father Had Seen The Young Knight's Valour, And Promised That The Maiden

Herself Should Tend His Hurts And Care For Him Until He Recovered. Day

After Day Passed, However, And Still She Came Not. At Last The Knight,

Scarcely Able To Take The Saddle, Rode Back To Widdrington, Tended By

His Gallant Young Brother, To Satisfy Himself Of What Had Become Of His

Lady. They Reached Widdrington Tower To Find It All In Darkness; And

After Repeated Knockings The Aged Nurse Came To The Gateway And Demanded

The Name Of Those Who So Insistently Clamoured At The Door. Bertram

Enquired For The Lady Isabel; And Then, Indeed, All Was Dismay. The

Nurse, Trembling With Fear, Told The Two Youths That Her Mistress Had

Set Out Immediately On Hearing Of Her Lover's Plight, Reproaching

Herself For Having Led Him To Adventure His Life So Rashly, And It Was

Now Six Days Since She Had Gone. Weary And Weak, Bertram Rested The

Night At The Castle, And Then Set Out On His Search For His Lost Lady.

That They Might The Sooner Search The Country Round, He And His Brother,

Who Loved Him Dearly, Took Different Directions, One Going Eastward, And

The Other North. They Put On Various Disguises As