Stories from the Faerie Queen, Told to the Children

  IV

  THE QUEST OF SIR GUYON

  Long ago, on the first day of every year, the Queen of the Fairies used togive a great feast.

  On that day all the bravest of her knights came to her court, and whenpeople wanted help to slay a dragon or a savage beast, or to drive away awitch or wicked fairy, they also came and told their stories.

  To one of those feasts there came an old palmer dressed in black. His hairwas grey, and he leaned heavily on his long staff. He told a sad tale ofthe evil things done in his land by a wicked witch.

  The Faery Queen turned to Guyon, one of the bravest and handsomest of heryoung knights. 'You shall go with this old man and save his land,' shesaid to him.

  'I am not worthy,' said Sir Guyon, 'but I will do your bidding and mybest.'

  So he rode away with the palmer. His good horse had never paced so slowlybefore, for Guyon made him keep step with the feeble old man.

  It was not possible to go far from the fairy court without having fightsand adventures, but in every fight Guyon was the victor, because helistened to what the good old palmer said, and did not think that hehimself knew better.

  One day they came to a wide river on which floated a little boat, alldecked out with green branches. In it sat a fair lady, who sang andlaughed and seemed very happy and very gay. She was a servant of thewicked witch for whom Guyon was looking, but this Guyon did not know. Sheoffered to ferry Guyon across the river, but she said there was no room inher boat for the palmer.

  Guyon thought she looked so pretty and merry, and so kind, that he gladlywent with her.

  Together they gaily sailed down the river. When the birds sang, she sangalong with them, and when little waves gurgled and laughed against theside of the boat, she laughed too.

  But soon Guyon found that she was not really good, and he loved her gaylaugh no longer, and presently left her and wandered on alone in theisland to which she had brought him.

  At last he came to a gloomy glen where trees and shrubs grew so thicklythat no sunlight could get in. Sitting there in the darkness he found arough and ugly man. His face was tanned with smoke and his eyes werebleared. Great heaps of gold lay about him on every side. When he sawGuyon, he dashed in a great fright at his money, and began to try to pourit into a hole and hide it, lest Guyon should steal it from him.

  But Guyon ran quickly at him and caught him by the arm.

  'Who are you,' he asked, 'who hide your money in this lonely place,instead of using it rightly or giving it away?'

  To which the man answered, 'I am Mammon, the Money God. I am the greatestgod beneath the sky. If you will be my servant, all this money shall beyours. Or if this be not gold enough for you, a mountain of gold, tentimes more than what you see, shall be your very own.'

  But Guyon shook his head. 'I want none of your gold,' said he.

  'Fair shields, gay steeds, bright arms be my delight, Those be the riches fit for an adventurous knight.'

  Then said the Money God, 'Money will buy you all those things. It can buyyou crowns and kingdoms.'

  'Money brings wars and wrongs, bloodshed and bitterness,' said Guyon. 'Youmay keep your gold.'

  The Money God grew angry then.

  'You do not know what you refuse,' he said. 'Come with me and see.'

  Guyon the fearless followed him into the thickest of the bushes and down adark opening in the ground.

  On and on they went through the darkness. Ugly things came and glared atthem, and owls and night ravens flapped their wings, but Guyon had nofear.

  At length they came to a huge cave whose roof and floor and walls were allof gold, but the gold was dimmed by dust and cobwebs. A light like thelight of the moon from behind a dark cloud showed Guyon great ironchests and coffers full of money, but the ground was strewn with theskulls and dry bones of men who had tried to get the gold, and who hadfailed and perished there.

  Great heaps of gold lay about him on every side (page 47)]

  'Will you serve me now?' asked Mammon. 'Only be my servant, and all theseriches shall be yours.'

  'I will not serve you,' answered Guyon. 'I place a higher happiness beforemy eyes.'

  Then Mammon led him into another room where were a hundred blazingfurnaces.

  Hideous slaves of the Money God blew bellows and stirred the flames, andladled out of huge caldrons on the fires great spoonfuls of molten gold.When they saw Guyon in his shining armour, they stopped their work andstared at him in fear and amazement. Never before had they seen any onewho was not as horrible and as ugly as themselves. Once again Mammonoffered him the gold he saw, but again Guyon refused it.

  Then did he bring him to a place where was a gate of beaten gold. Throughthis gate they passed, and Guyon found himself in a vast golden room,upheld by golden pillars that shone and sparkled with precious stones.

  On a throne in this room sat a beautiful lady, dressed in clothes moregorgeous than any that the greatest king on earth ever wore.

  'That is my daughter,' said Mammon. 'She shall be your wife, and all thesetreasures that are too great to be counted shall be yours, if only youwill be my servant.'

  'I thank you, Mammon,' said Guyon, 'but my love is given to another lady.'

  The Money God was full of rage, yet still he thought that he might winGuyon to his will. He took him to a garden where dark cypresses hung theirheads over the flaming blossoms of poppies that made men sleep for ever,and where every sort of poisonous flower and shrub flourished richly. Itwas called the Garden of Proserpine.

  The most beautiful thing in the garden was a great tree, thickly leavedand heavily hung with shining golden apples. The branches of the tree hungtheir golden fruit over a dark river.

  When Guyon went to the river's brink and looked in, he saw many menstruggling and moaning in the dark and fearful water. Some were trying tograsp the fruit that hung just beyond their reach, and others were tryingvainly to get out.

  'You fool!' said Mammon, 'why do you not pick some of the golden fruitthat hangs so easily within your reach?'

  But Guyon, although for three long days and nights he had been withoutsleep and meat and drink in the dark land of the Money God, was too trueand good a knight to do what Mammon wished. Had he picked the fruit, hewould have put himself in Mammon's power, and at once been torn into athousand pieces.

  'I will not take the fruit,' he said; 'I will not be your slave.'

  And then, for days and days, Guyon knew no more.

  When he came to himself and opened his eyes, he found that his head wasresting on the knee of the good old palmer.

  After the witch's beautiful servant had rowed Guyon away, the palmer hadtried and tried to find a means of crossing the river, until at last hesucceeded.

  Day after day he sought Guyon, until one day a fairy voice called to him,loud and clear, 'Come hither! hither! oh come hastily!'

  He hurried to the place from whence the voice came, and in the darkthicket where Mammon had sat and counted his gold, he found Guyon lying.

  A beautiful spirit with golden hair and shining wings of many colours,like the wings of a lovely bird, sat by Guyon's side, keeping all enemiesand evil things far from him.

  When Guyon felt able for the journey, he and the palmer went on with theirtravels, and he had many fights and many adventures. But ever after he hadbeen tempted to be Mammon's slave and had resisted him, he was a betterand a braver knight.

  All his battles ended in victories, and he helped all those who neededhelp, and at last he and the palmer reached the shore of the sea acrosswhich was the land of the wicked witch.

  They got a little boat, and a boatman to row them, and for two days theywere far out at sea.

  On the morning of the third day, Guyon and the others heard the sound ofraging water. In the trembling light of the dawn that was spreading acrossthe sea they saw great waves casting themselves high into the sky.

  It was a gulf, called the Gulf of Greediness, and in its furious wavesmany ships were wrecked. But the palmer steere
d so straight and well thathe guided the little boat without harm through the angry seas.

  On one side of the gulf was a great black rock where screaming seamews andcormorants sat and waited for ships to be wrecked. It was a magic rock,and the water round it tried to draw Guyon's boat against its raggedsides, that it might be smashed to pieces like the other boats and shipswhose broken fragments tossed up and down in the tide.

  But so wisely did the palmer steer, and so strongly did the boatman row,that they safely passed the magic rock and got into calm water. And stillthe boatman rowed so hard that the little boat cut through the water likea silver blade, and the spray dashed off the oars into Guyon's face.

  'I see land!' at last called Guyon.

  On every side they saw little islands. When they got nearer they foundthat they looked fresh and green and pleasant. Tall trees with blossoms ofwhite and red grew on them.

  'Let us land!' cried Guyon.

  But the boatman shook his head.

  'Those are the Wandering Islands,' he said. 'They are magic islands, andif any one lands on one of them he must wander for ever and ever.'

  On one island sat a beautiful lady, with her long hair flowing round her.She beckoned and called to them to come on shore, and when they would notlisten she jumped into a little boat and rowed swiftly after them.

  Then Guyon saw that it was the wicked witch's beautiful servant, and theytook no notice of her. So she got tired of coaxing, and went away, callingthem names.

  A terrible whirlpool, where the waves rushed furiously round and round,was the next danger that they met. Then, when they were free of that, agreat storm arose, and every fierce and ugly fish and monster that everlived in the sea came rushing at the boat from out the foaming waves,roaring as if they were going to devour them.

  'Have no fear,' said the palmer to Guyon. 'These ugly shapes were onlymade by the wicked witch to frighten you.'

  With his palmer's staff he smote the sea. The waves sank down to rest,and all the ugly monsters vanished away.

  When the storm had ceased they saw on an island a lady, who wept andwailed and cried for help.

  Guyon, who was always ready to help those who wanted help, wished at onceto go to her.

  But the palmer would not let him.

  'She is another of the servants of the witch,' he said, 'and is onlypretending to be sad.'

  They came then to a peaceful bay that lay in the shadow of a great greyhill, and from it came the sweetest music that Guyon had ever heard.

  Five beautiful mermaids were swimming in the clear green water, and themelody of their song made Guyon long to stop and listen. They had madethis song about Guyon:

  'O thou fair son of gentle fairy, Thou art in mighty arms most magnified Above all knights that ever battle tried. O! turn thy rudder hitherward awhile, Here may thy storm-beat vessel safely ride. This is the port of rest from troublous toil, The world's sweet inn from pain and wearisome turmoil.'

  The rolling sea gently echoed their music, and the breaking waves kepttime with their voices. The very wind seemed to blend with the melody andmake it so beautiful that Guyon longed and longed to go with them to theirpeaceful bay under the grey hill. But the palmer would not let him stop,and the boatman rowed onwards.

  Then a thick, choking, grey mist crept over the sea and blotted outeverything, and they could not tell where to steer. And round the boatflew great flocks of fierce birds and bats, smiting the voyagers in theirfaces with wicked wings.

  Still the boatman rowed steadily on, and steadily the palmer steered, tillthe weather began to clear. And, when the fog was gone, they saw at lastthe fair land to which the Faerie Queen had sent Guyon, that he might saveit from the magic of the wicked witch.

  When they reached the shore the boatman stayed with his boat, and Guyonand the palmer landed. And the palmer was glad, for he felt that theirtask was nearly done.

  Savage, roaring beasts rushed at them as soon as they reached the shore.But the palmer waved his staff at them, and they shrank trembling away.Soon Guyon and his guide came to the palace of the witch.

  The palace was made of ivory as white as the foam of the sea, and itglittered with gold. At the ivory gate stood a young man decked withflowers, and holding a staff in his hand. He impudently held out a greatbowl of wine for Guyon to drink. But Guyon threw the bowl on the ground,and broke the staff with which the man worked wicked magic.

  Then Guyon and the palmer passed on, through rich gardens full ofbeautiful flowers, and came to another gate made of green boughs andbranches. Over it spread a vine, from which hung great bunches of grapes,red, and green, and purple and gold.

  A beautiful lady stood by the gate. She reached up to a bunch of purplegrapes, and squeezed their juice into a golden cup and offered it toGuyon. But Guyon dashed the cup to the ground, and left her raging at him.

  Past trees and flowers and clear fountains they went, and all the timethrough this lovely place there rang magic music. Sweet voices, the songof birds, the whispering winds, the sound of silvery instruments, and themurmur of water all blended together to make melody.

  The farther they went, the more beautiful were the sights they saw, andthe sweeter the music.

  At last, lying on a bed of red roses, they found the wicked witch.

  Softly they crept through the flowery shrubs to where she lay, and beforeshe knew that they were near, Guyon threw over her a net that the palmerhad made. She struggled wildly to free herself, but before she couldescape, Guyon bound her fast with chains.

  Then he broke down and destroyed the palace, and all the things that hadseemed so beautiful, but that were only a part of her wicked magic.

  As Guyon and the palmer led the witch by her chains to their boat thatwaited by the shore, the fierce beasts that had attacked them when theylanded came roaring at them again.

  But the palmer touched each one with his staff, and at once they wereturned into men. For it was only the witch's magic that had made thembeasts. One of them, named Gryll, who had been a pig, was angry with thepalmer, and said he had far rather stay a pig than be a man.

  'Let Gryll be Gryll, and have his hoggish mind, But let us hence depart whilst weather serves and wind,'

  said the palmer.

  So they sailed away to the fairy court, and gave their wicked prisoner tothe queen to be punished.

  And Sir Guyon was ready once again to do the Faerie Queen's commands, towar against all evil things, and to fight bravely for the right.