SIMPLE JOHNNY AND THE SPELL-BOUND PRINCESSES.
When Ferdinand King of Spain drove the Moors out of his dominions withhis invincible sword, there were among their chiefs many descended fromright noble lineage. Among them was one, of whose ancestor Clotaldothe following story was told, who for his prowess was elected king ofthe fertile provinces of that part of the East which is called Syria.
Clotaldo had three beautiful daughters, who were so beautiful thatmen said they were divinities and not women. The King thought that asthey were so very beautiful they ought not to be given in marriagein the ordinary way, but that whoso would marry them should performsome great deed of valour. So he called together all the masons ofthe kingdom and made them build an immense castle, so high that itseemed to reach up to heaven. And more than this, he gathered allthe magicians and made them enchant it with all their enchantments,so that no one might ever be able to get at them or see them unlessthe King himself should admit him.
So the magicians enchanted the castle with all their spells, and setthree enchanted horses to guard the enclosure so that no one mightbreak through.
Meantime the King sent heralds round into all countries to proclaimthat every noble, or knight of high degree, who could make hisway into the castle should have one of his daughters in marriage;they were likewise at the same time to set forth their beauty, tolet all men know the worth of the prize for which they were asked tocontend. And he did this because he thought that none but one worthyof them would be able to overcome all the obstacles he had interposed.
Many were the adventurous and valorous knights and nobles and princeswho were drawn to try their fortune at this high enterprise. Butnone could find any way into the castle, and they all came backcrest-fallen, without having effected any thing.
At last came three brothers, who though but simple knights and poorof estate, yet were of high and noble lineage, and of higher andnobler courage. They no sooner heard Clotaldo's heralds pronouncethis embassy in their country, which was Denmark, than they set outto try whether they might not be fortunate enough to deliver thethree princesses from the enchanted tower.
First they came to Clotaldo and told him their purpose, who orderedthat every thing they asked for should be given them for theirassistance; so the two elder brothers asked for mettled horses andshining arms; but the youngest brother said all he wanted was a waggonand two oxen, with provisions for several days, an immeasurably longrope, some long nails, and a powerful hammer. Whatever each askedfor he received.
The two elder brothers set off very confidently on their dashingsteeds, and in a very short time arrived at an eminence overlookingthe castle; but to their dismay they found it was ten times as highas they had ever imagined; and then, too, that it had neither doornor window, nor the smallest break of any kind in the massive walls.
"How can we ever get into a place like this?" said the eldest brother,looking very foolish.
"It looks to me very like a fool's errand," said the other.
"I vote we go back," answered the first.
"The best thing we can do," rejoined the second.
"And the sooner the better," continued the first.
"Here we go, then," added the second; and they turned their horses'heads round, like chicken-hearted men, and galloped back by the waythey had come.
They had not gone far when they met their younger brother toilingalong in his cart.
"It is no use your going to the castle," said the eldest brother:"we have been there, and find the game is impossible."
"We shall see," answered the youth.
"But I tell you the thing can't be done!" ejaculated the second.
"When I go out to do a thing I don't go back without doing it," saidthe youngest, quietly. "But as there is a considerable distance tobe got over yet, I am going to have some dinner: you had better dothe same."
The other brothers, who had not had the foresight to bring anyprovisions themselves, were very glad of the invitation, so they allsat down and dined. When they had done, the youngest brother set out tocontinue his journey in his waggon, and the two horsemen were going topursue theirs homewards, when suddenly one of them said to the other,"Suppose we stop and see what he does; may-be he will succeed, andthen, as we are two to one, who knows but that we may be able toovercome him, and take the merit to ourselves?"
"Well thought!" exclaimed the eldest, heartily; and they turnedtheir horses' heads again, and followed behind the cart; tellingtheir younger brother they had come to see if they could not be ofany service in case his temerity led him into danger.
The younger had overheard their conversation; but he saw no way ofgetting rid of the brothers, who were well armed and well mounted;so he could but continue his way and trust to his wits to save himfrom their intentions afterwards. As he rode along he measured thevast height of the castle with his eye, and laid all his plans in hishead. Arrived under the wall, he bound the nails and hammer into hisgirdle, and, tying one end of the rope round his arm, proceeded toscale the wall of the castle.
The brothers sat on their horses watching him, expecting every minuteto see him fall to the ground; but on he went, steady and lithe,with the tenacity of a cat or squirrel, till he got so high that helooked like a little speck, and at last was lost from sight altogether.
Scarcely had he attained the battlements of the wall, and trod a fewsteps upon the flat, than three most beautiful nymphs, who seemed moredivine than human, came out to meet him. At first he was so dazzledwith the sight of their exceeding beauty, that he could not speak,but stood gazing at them while they said,--
"Who art thou, young man, who venturest to profane the decorum of thisalcazar [6], the abode of three virgin princesses? With thy life mustthou expiate this temerity."
"To die at your command, fair ladies, and in your sight, would bejoy enough for me," stammered forth the young knight; "but yet I havefirst a work to accomplish, which is your liberation. So tell me now,what is it I have to do to set you free?"
"Since thou art so stout-hearted and so well-spoken," responded thesisters, "we will even tell thee what thou hast to do, and great shallbe thy reward. Know, then, in this castle are three noble horses, andthou hast to take one hair from the tail of each, for in this liesthe spell which binds us. But they are fierce and shy of approach;nevertheless fear not if they even breathe out fire upon thee; forif thou art bold, thou shalt succeed."
The young knight went out to meet the three enchanted horses withoutfearing or flinching; and though they breathed out fire upon him,he took the three hairs from their tails, and destroyed the spell ofthe princesses.
Then he bound the cord round the first princess, and with much care andaddress he lowered her gently and safely on to the ground below. Hedid the same with the second. But when he would have parted from thethird, she turned and thanked him with gentle words, and said,--
"Take this necklace, noble youth, which for both workmanship and powerhas no other like to it on earth. Never part from it, and may-be thatone day it may deliver thee from as great strait as that from whichthou hast delivered us."
With that she waved her hand to him, and prepared to descend as hersisters had done.
As soon as the young knight had watched her reach the ground in safety,he turned to drive the strong nails into the tower to make fast therope for his own descent; but scarcely was he thus occupied than hiswicked brothers, seeing the moment of their advantage had arrived,gave a violent pull to the rope, and down it came, leaving him nomeans of escape!
Then they made haste and carried off the princesses, riding on withoutstopping till they came to the king.
Clotaldo, seeing his daughters free, never doubted but that thosewho had brought them were their true deliverers, and thereforeloaded them with honour and favour, and married them to the twoelder princesses. It was in vain that the youngest princess tried toexplain the deceit: there were four living witnesses against her;for the elder princesses took the part of their promised husbands,and said that
the long imprisonment had turned their younger sister'smind, and no one listened to her. So there was a great rejoicing,and a noble marriage-feast; but she sat in her chamber apart, weeping.
Meantime the youngest brother was left full of terror and dismay ontop of the exceeding high tower, with no means of ever getting awayfrom it, and, which was worst of all, with the prospect of never againseeing his little princess. He did not care about the others, but shewho alone had thanked him, and that so prettily, and who had had athought for his future welfare in giving him the splendid necklace,he could not give her up.
He took it out and looked at it: it was indeed of curious workmanship,and the bright gems sparkled like rays of hope. He kissed it becauseit reminded him of the kind little princess, but he could not see howit was to help him; so after gazing at it for a long time, he at lastwrapped it up, and put it by in his bosom again. But as he continuedto think of all that had lately taken place, he remembered how thesisters had spoken of the wonderful qualities of the horses who heldtheir spell, and at last he began to wonder whether with their aidhe could not make his escape.
To remain where he was was certain death, and a shameful, pusillanimousdeath to boot. He was never wanting in clear thoughts, or fair courageto execute them, and a plan now ripened rapidly in his mind which hedetermined to put into execution.
"If thou art bold, thou shalt succeed." The words rang in his ears,and seemed an omen of good fortune. He went back to the place wherehe had found the horses before: there they stood, all three abreastof each other, as if waiting a word of command from him.
Resolutely the young knight sprang on the back of the centre one,and gathering the floating manes of the three in his hand, all startedtogether, and with one fearful bound, which seemed to shiver the towerto atoms behind them, they dashed off the battlements, the wild careerthrough the air depriving him of the use of his senses.
When he came to, he found himself lying on the ground in a wildwood so full of thick trunks of withered trees that daylight hardlypenetrated. He walked on for a long lonesome way, till at last hecame to a place where cattle were feeding. Of the herd tending themhe asked where he was, and found he was on the borders of Clotaldo'skingdom; "but," said the herd, "you are not of this people, by yourdress and speech."
"No, friend," replied the young knight; "I am a poor foreigner, who amcome out to seek fortune, and she has reduced me to a sad plight. ButI have one favour to ask, which is that you will exchange clotheswith me."
The cattle-herd was pleased enough at the proposal, and asked nofurther questions. He had soon arrayed himself in the knight's fineclothes, and he in turn found a complete disguise in the rough clothingof undressed skins which made up the peasant's attire.
Thus he walked on eight hundred leagues, begging alms to sustainhis life by the way; and with all the fatigues, and privations, andhardships he had endured, he was quite altered, so that his brotherswould not know him again. That he might appear still more differentfrom his former self, he assumed the manners of a half-silly person,and took the name of Juan; and all the people called him "Juanilloel loco [7]."
All this time Clotaldo had been urging his youngest daughter that sheshould marry like her sisters, but she never would look at any of theprinces he named to her. She had determined to belong to no one but theyoung knight her deliverer, and she felt all confidence in his valour,that he would find means to make his way to her. At last, one day, whenthe king had been persuading her very urgently to follow his counsel,she brought out a drawing she had made in secret of the necklace shehad bestowed on her knight, and told her father that when he could findany one who could produce a necklace like that, she would be his wife.
The king was very glad to have her consent on any conditions,and forthwith set clever draughtsmen to copy the drawing, and sentheralds abroad over the whole earth, to proclaim that whoever couldmake the necklet to the required pattern should have the hand ofhis daughter. But the workmanship was so fine, and the setting ofthe jewels so cunningly devised, that no goldsmith on earth couldproduce it.
It was just about the time that Juan reached the kingdom that all thepeople were full of excitement about this subject, and thus it cameto his ears also. So when he heard the conditions the princess hadmade, and remembered her words when she gave him the necklet--"thatthe earth could not produce such another"--he was beside himself forjoy, for he knew that she was waiting for his return.
However, not to betray himself too soon, he continued his sillyways, and, as if he knew nothing of the matter, asked to see thedesign. The guards and people told him to go away, but the king wasa very just man, and said there was no exception named in his decree,and therefore whoever applied must be allowed a fair trial.
"But," he added, when he saw the rough, uncouth form of the suppliant,"remember, fellow, if you fail, your throat shall pay the forfeit ofyour impudence."
The feigned Juanillo played his part perfectly; he gave his assent bya silly grin, and a nod of his head to all the remonstrances used todissuade him; and at last they shut him up in a tower, with a furnaceand crucible, and much gold, and priceless diamonds, and emeralds,and rubies.
So the knight let them fasten the gate as if he were going to set towork in earnest. And at the end of three days, when they came to seewhat he had done, he brought out the original necklet; and every onewas in amazement, because all could see that it presented the perfectimage of the design.
When the princess heard by the cries of all the people that some onehad succeeded in producing the necklet, she came forward to see whoit was; and in an instant, through all the disguise, she knew herdeliverer again; and she turning to the king said,--
"Well, the conditions are fulfilled: I am ready to do your bidding!"
Her father was amazed at her readiness to marry the rough, sillyman Juanillo appeared, and tried all he could to dissuade her; but,as she would not change her mind, there was no excuse for him togo back from the word plighted by his proclamation. So the princessand the knight were married; though Clotaldo was so ashamed of thebridegroom, he had the ceremony performed in the quietest way, andassigned them a little house outside the walls of the town to live in,where no one should see or hear any thing more of them.
Clotaldo had had a very prosperous career hitherto; but the troublesof life were beginning to press round him, and the first trouble hehad was failing eyesight. His physicians could not understand themalady, or do any thing for him; and at last he became quite blind. Indespair at the loss of his sight, he sent into all countries to calltogether the wisest mediciners; but none could help him; till oneday an ancient man appeared, who said that the only remedy for hiscase was the water of a fountain flowing out of a sharp rock in themountains of Sclavonia; but that it was a perilous journey to fetchit, on account of the fierce beasts inhabiting the surrounding country.
As there was no one with sufficient courage to run the great risks,the king called his two sons-in-law, and said, as they had beenso valiant in overcoming the spells of the great castle, they coulddoubtless help him now; and that they would not shrink from the perilsof the journey, which was to procure the means of restoring his sight.
The knights did not dare to show any hesitation, as it would havebetrayed their former deception. So they set out on the journey,but with heavy hearts, and plotting as they went what excuse theycould make for coming back without success.
But Juanillo, the moment he had heard the old physician's sentence,had taken counsel with his princess, and at her bidding went out intothe wilderness, and called one of the enchanted horses, and vaultingon to him, sped away like a whirlwind. After passing through tenthousand perils, he filled his flask with the water of the fountainwhich sprang out of the sharp rock in the mountains of Sclavonia,and made the best of his way back again.
As he had nearly reached home he met his two brothers riding out,looking very doleful and in great perplexity. When they saw himspeeding along like the wind, they were very curious to know whohe was and
whence he came; so they called to him to stop and tellthem. And he answered, courteously,--
"I have been to fill my flask with water which flows over the sharprock in the mountains of Sclavonia!"
When they heard that, their first impulse was to spring upon himand take the prize from him; but when they saw his impetuous horse,and reflected that he had come back unscathed from all the perils ofthe adventure, they perceived who he was, and feared to measure theirstrength against his, therefore they assumed a different tone. Instead,however, of making up for past faults, and cheerfully acquiescingand rejoicing in his success, they still followed their selfish aim,but in a more covert way than they had at first meditated. Thus theyoffered him any bribe he liked to name if he would give them theflask of water.
Juanillo gave them the flask, but refused their bribes, naming ashis only guerdon two golden pears which the king had given them offa tree in his garden, which only produced two every year, and whichnone might pluck but he.
The bargain was thus settled. Juanillo returned to tell all to thelittle princess; and the two knights bore the flask exulting to theking, and vaunting the deeds of valour by which they pretended theyhad won it, taking care to say nothing about poor Juanillo.
The king recovered his sight, and loaded them with rewards andhonours. But before long he was stricken with another infirmity:gradually his hearing began to fail; and getting no relief from hisphysicians, he very soon became quite deaf. A proclamation of greatreward attracted the learned in the medical art again to his court,and among the men of science came once more the old doctor who hadgiven effectual counsel before.
In the deserts of Albania, he said, under the shade of the highestmountains, live, among their many wild beasts, a race of lionesses,more fierce than the rest of their kind: if any one can by artificeprocure the milk of one of these, without injury to her life, thatwould be the sovereign remedy.
Juanillo no sooner heard the sentence than he went out into thewilderness and called another of the enchanted horses, and startedoff on him like the wind, to the desert of Albania; and, armed withthe words of magic the little princess had taught him, he could getup to the lioness without being perceived by her, and fill his flaskwith her milk.
Meantime the king had called his two elder sons-in-law, and notdoubting that, as they had acquitted themselves so well before, theywould be able to accomplish this feat also, despatched them to themountains of Albania. They, suspecting that their brother would do thework as before, set out with less concern than on former occasions,and only plotted how they should cajole him this time. Nor had theyadvanced many leagues when they met him coming back at full speedon his brave steed, and the bottle of lioness' milk in a flask athis girdle.
"Good morrow, friend!" they cried, as he came near: "whence ride ye,so fast and so early?"
"I have been to the desert of Albania, to fetch the lioness' milk tobathe the ears of our good king," replied the younger brother.
"At what price do ye put it, friend?"
"Nay, this I sell not."
"But we have come out to fetch it, and how shall we return to theking without it?" And they pleaded so wheedlingly, that Juanillo wasfain to give them the flask, but exacting this time the penalty ofan ear of each of them.
The condition was hard, but the game was desperate now. If theyreturned empty-handed this time, it was an acknowledgment of theirperfidy before; and after all it was a much less injury than mighthave befallen them in the deserts of Albania if they had pursued thejourney, or from the anger of the king and the populace if they hadremained at home. So they combed the hair over their ears to concealthe loss, and pushed their way home to the king with their trophy,while Juanillo returned to his little princess.
Clotaldo recovered his hearing by the use of the lioness' milk. Buta direr danger awaited him now; for a powerful neighbouring sovereignsuddenly declared war against him, while he was quite unprepared. Hisprowess in battle in his younger days it was which had procured him thethrone; but now, in his declining years, he feared to take the field,not through any coward fear for his life, but lest the glory of hiscountry should be tarnished by his waning energy. So he called his twosons-in-law to him, and said that their valour, which had been provedin so many enterprises, had now a signal occasion for manifestingitself; and he gave them the command of Captains-General of his forces,and sent them out as if they had been his own sons, to meet the foe.
This order gave them greater trepidation than any of the preceding,for there appeared no way out of it. How was Juanillo himself to fightthe battle for them without an army? and how could they transfer thecommand of the army to him without betraying all?
While they were going along, then, sad of heart, to put themselvesat the head of the forces and trust to good luck to extricate themfrom the fray, they met Juanillo, coming along at fiery speed, withtwo of the enemy's standards planted on his stirrups, and they saw bythe colours that the enemy had been laid low. For at the first threatof war he had taken soft leave of the little princess, had gone outinto the wilderness and called the third of the enchanted horses,and with him had ridden with such impetuosity against the enemy,imitating Saint Jago, that he had put the whole army to flight,and borne off their banners as trophies.
But the brothers talked and persuaded him, with soft words, intogiving these up also; and the payment he exacted this time was, thatthey should let him brand them on the shoulder as if they had beenhis slaves of war.
After this he returned home to the little princess, and his brotherscarried the banners to the king's feet. When the king saw this freshtestimony to their merit, his indignation rose high against his thirdson-in-law, whom he supposed to be living in shameful indolence,and doing nothing for the honour of the dynasty and nation. So hepronounced a decree banishing him from his kingdom, and forbiddinghim ever to appear before him again. The brothers, who had alwayslived in fear that their treachery would come out some day, upheldhim in his intention, as they thought they would breathe easier whenhe was removed to a distance.
Now Juanillo had been very forbearing and very generous all this time,but this was rather too much. He could not bear that his littleprincess should be banished from her friends and country withoutany fault; and she, too, represented to him how sad it would be forthe people when the old king died, if they were to live under thegovernance of the two wicked brothers. So Juanillo went up to theking, and begged him with great humility on his knees that he wouldgrant him one last favour before he went away for good and all; andthat was, to have a famous banquet on the last day, and invite allthe kingdom to it.
The good king granted the request; and a day was appointed when allthe great men and small of the kingdom met for a famous banquet.
Simple Johnny dressed himself for this occasion in his truecharacter. His massive chestnut curls were parted on his loftyforehead, and every one was struck by the dignity with which hisbroad shoulders carried the crimson and ermine mantle; in fact, fewsuspected that it was Simple Johnny at all, and the most inclined tobelieve it were still doubtful. But he, as one who had a great dutyto perform, went up with earnest mien to the king, and laying downthe two pears and the ears before him said,--
"The time is come, O King, to make known the truth to thee. Long have Isuffered in secret; but if my silence is to occasion my banishment andthat of my dear wife, I must make known that it was I who deliveredthe princesses, I who fetched the water from the sharp rock in themountains of Sclavonia, I who brought the milk of the lioness fromthe deserts of Albania, I who overcame thine enemies and broughthome the two standards. Here are my proofs; and if more are needed,bid the princes uncover their shoulders, and they shall be foundbranded as my slaves taken in war."
The good king was much astonished at this revelation; but now somethingcame back to him of what the little princess had said, and how hehad thought her mad for the story. And when he had investigated allpatiently, and was convinced of the truth of Juanillo's statement,he was full of indignation, and comm
anded the bad brothers to be putto death, and his daughters banished for their silent participation intheir infamy. To Simple Johnny he gave a very hearty embrace in thesight of the people, and not only made him heir to all the kingdom,but associated him with himself in the government, beginning fromthat very day.
Simple Johnny, however, would not allow his brothers to be put todeath, but only deprived them of the right to reign, which might havebrought misery on the kingdom, and appointed them houses and moneythat they might spend the rest of their days in harmless retirement.