Stories from the Faerie Queen, Told to the Children

by Edmund Spenser

  III

  BRITOMART AND THE MAGIC MIRROR

  Long years ago there lived a beautiful princess whose name was Britomart.

  When she was a little girl she did not care to play with dolls nor to sew,but she loved to ride and to play boys' games. And when she grew older shelearned to fight with spears and swords like the knights at her father'scourt.

  Now a great magician called Merlin had once given a wonderful gift to theking, Britomart's father.

  It was a magic mirror, that looked like a ball of the clearest crystal.

  When the king looked in this mirror he saw all that was going to happen tohim, and which of his friends were false and which true. There was nohidden secret which that crystal ball could not tell.

  One day Britomart went into her father's room and looked into his magicmirror.

  'What shall I wish to see?' she asked of herself.

  Then she thought, 'Some day I shall marry. I should like the crystal ballto show me what my husband will be like.'

  Even as she thought this, she saw, like a moving picture, a knight ridingacross the crystal.

  He was tall and broad and strong, and looked very brave. The front of hisshining helmet was drawn up, and from under it looked out the handsomeface that his friends loved and his foes feared. He wore beautiful armour,all inlaid with gold, and she knew what his name was, and that he had wonthis armour in a fight with another great knight, for on it was written:

  '_Achilles' armes which Artegall did win._'

  From that day Britomart could think of nothing but the knight whosepicture had ridden across the mirror and vanished away.

  She grew thoughtful and sad, and could not sleep, for she feared it was adreadful thing to love a shadow.

  Her old nurse slept in her room, and at night when she heard Britomarttossing about in bed and softly crying to herself, the old woman was veryunhappy. Night after night she heard her, till she could bear it nolonger. She asked Britomart what was wrong, and Britomart sobbingly toldher.

  Then the good old nurse comforted Britomart. She said she was sure thatArtegall must be a real man, and not just a shadow, and that she wouldfind him. Then she tucked the bedclothes round Britomart, and put out theflickering lamp. When Britomart, much comforted, had fallen quietlyasleep, her nurse sat and watched beside her, and dropped some tearsbecause Britomart was no longer a little baby-girl for her to take careof, but a grown-up girl who loved a knight.

  Next day the old nurse went to the woods and gathered all sorts of herbs.She boiled them down together, and mixed them with milk and other things,and put them in an earthen pot. Round the pot she bound three of her hairsplaited together. Then she said a charm over the pot, and made Britomartturn round and round and round about it. She thought that this charm wouldcure Britomart of loving the knight, and make her gay and happy again. Butthe old nurse's charm was no good. Britomart grew thin and sad and ill.

  Then the old woman thought of Merlin, the magician who had made themirror.

  'It is all his fault that my princess is so sad,' she said; 'he must makeher happy again.'

  So she dressed Britomart and herself in shabby old clothes, and went toseek Merlin.

  The magician lived in a dark cave under a rock. The rock lay near aswift-rushing river that ran down between thickly wooded hills. Hollow,fearful sounds, and a clanking, as of chains, were always heard there.

  When Britomart and her nurse reached the lonely cave, and heard the noiseof moans and groans and clanking chains, they were too frightened at firstto go in. But at length they plucked up courage and entered the cave, andfound Merlin writing magic words on the dark floor. He knew very well,although they wore shabby old clothes, that his visitors were the PrincessBritomart and the princess's nurse. But he pretended that he did not knowthem, and asked them what they wanted.

  'Three moons have come and gone,' said the nurse, 'since this fair maidfirst turned ill. I do not know what ails her, but if you cannot cure her,she will die.'

  Merlin smiled.

  'If that is all you want,' he said, 'you had better take her to a doctor.'

  'If any doctor could have done her good,' said the nurse, 'I should nothave troubled you. But I fear that a witch or a wicked fairy must havebewitched her.'

  Then Merlin burst out laughing.

  'Why do you go on pretending to me?' he said. 'I know all about it. Thisis the beautiful Princess Britomart, and you are her nurse.'

  At that Britomart blushed rosy red, but the nurse said:

  'If you know all our grief, then have pity on us, and give us your help.'

  Then Merlin told Britomart not to be sad, for Artegall was a real livingknight, and one of the bravest and noblest that lived. His home was inFairyland, but he was a king's son that the fairies had stolen away whenhe was a baby.

  'You shall marry Artegall,' said the magician, 'and bring him back fromFairyland to his own country, where he shall be king.'

  Then he gave her much advice, and told her of the great things that shouldbe done in the days to come by the sons that were to be hers andArtegall's.

  And Britomart and her nurse, with happy hearts, came away from themagician's gloomy cave.

  'But how shall we seek my knight?' asked Britomart of her nurse. 'Howshall we find him?'

  The nurse said: 'Let us dress ourselves in some of the armour that yourfather has taken from his enemies. You shall be a knight, and I will beyour squire. Together we will ride to Fairyland and find Artegall.'

  When Britomart was dressed in shining armour of silver and gold, shelooked a very handsome, tall, young knight. Her nurse dressed her ascarefully as she had dressed her long ago in her baby-clothes, and, whenall her armour was on, she put into her hand a long spear. It was a magicspear, and there had never yet been born a knight who could sit on hissaddle when it struck him.

  In the silent night they got on their horses and rode away, no longer aprincess and her nurse, but a gallant knight and a little old squire, whoseemed to find his big shield much too heavy for him.

  Before Britomart and her nurse had ridden very far, they saw two knightsriding towards them. These were Guyon and the Red Cross Knight.

  Guyon rode furiously at Britomart, but Britomart rode as furiously at himwith her magic spear. And, for the first time in his life, Guyon foundhimself thrown from his horse and sitting heavily down on the ground. Hewas very much ashamed and very angry, and would have rushed at Britomartwith his sword. But the old palmer, who was with him, calmed his rage, andhe made friends with Britomart. And for some time Britomart and those twobrave knights rode on together, and shared fights and adventures.

  One day as they rode together, Britomart asked the Red Cross Knight if heknew a wicked knight called Artegall.

  'He is not a wicked knight,' said the Red Cross Knight angrily. 'He is oneof the bravest and the best.'

  Britomart was so glad to hear him say this of Artegall, that she couldscarcely hide her joy. But she went on pretending that she thoughtArtegall bad and cruel, just that she might hear his friend praise him.

  'There is no knight more brave than Artegall,' said the Red Cross Knight.'Ladies who suffer wrong, and little children who have none to care forthem, are always sure of having Artegall to fight for them. He is as goodas he is brave, and as brave as he is good.'

  Britomart loved the Red Cross Knight because he was so true to his friend,and more than ever she loved Artegall, the knight of the Mirror.

  Presently her way and that of the Red Cross Knight parted, and she rode onwith her squire until they came to the sea-shore.

  The sea was beating against the rocks, and moaning as it cast itselfagainst the high crags.

  Britomart made her old nurse unlace her helmet, and sat down and watchedthe cold grey waves.

  'I feel like a little boat beaten about by the sea,' she said. 'When shallI ever reach my harbour, and find the knight I seek?'

  For a long time she sat, sadly thinking. But at last she saw a knightcantering along
the sand, and quickly put on her helmet and leaped on herhorse, and rode to meet him.

  He was a bold knight, and told her to fly, or he would kill her.

  '_Fly!_' proudly said Britomart. 'Words only frighten babies. I will notfly. I will fight you!'

  Then they fought, and with her spear Britomart gave the knight a terriblewound, and rode away, leaving him lying senseless on the shore.

  Many other fights had Britomart as she sought Artegall, and always hermagic spear made her the winner.

  One day she came to a place where a great many knights were having atournament.

  A beautiful golden girdle, sparkling with jewels, was to be the prize forthe knight that fought the best.

  For three days they had fought and fought, until the ground was strewedwith broken spears and swords.

  On the last day of the tournament a stranger knight had appeared. Hisarmour did not shine with silver and gold like those of the other knights,but looked like an old tree all overgrown with moss. His horse was deckedwith oak-leaves, and he carried a battered old shield.

  'The Savage Knight,' the others called him, and they would have laughed athim and his shabby armour, had he not fought so well. All day long hefought, and one knight after another he threw wounded or dead on theground. At sunset they feared him as they might have feared a fierce lion,and none dared stand against him.

  Just then Britomart rode up with her golden armour gleaming against thesunset sky.

  She couched her spear and rode at the Savage Knight, and threw him to theground.

  The other knights then all rode at her, but them, too, she threw down withher magic spear.

  So they had to own that Britomart was the victor, and had won the goldengirdle.

  Now the Savage Knight was not really a savage knight. He was no other thanArtegall, the knight of the Crystal Ball.

  Artegall was so ashamed, and so angry with Britomart for having thrown himfrom his horse, that when the tournament was over, he rode away to a wood,through which he knew that Britomart must pass.

  'The stranger knight with his magic spear shall fight me once again,' heangrily said, 'and this time he shall not be the victor.'

  Presently, as he sat under the trees, and watched his horse grazing, hesaw Britomart riding up, brave and fearless, in her golden armour.

  Artegall sprang on his horse, and furiously rode at Britomart with hissteel-headed lance. But, in the twinkling of an eye, he found himselflying on the turf, again unseated by the magic spear.

  He rushed at Britomart then with his sword, and cut and thrust at her sosavagely that her horse backed away from him. At last he struck a greatblow at her head, and the sword, glancing down her armour, struck herhorse with such force on its back that it fell to the ground, andBritomart had to jump off. She threw aside her spear and furiously smoteArtegall with her sword. She cut his armour through, and wounded him sodeeply that blood from his wound streamed to the ground. The blows fromArtegall's sword fell on her like hail, but she struck him as fiercely ashe struck her. The grass got trampled down and stained with blood, yetstill they smote and thrust and smote again.

  At last Artegall grew very tired, and Britomart was more tired still. WhenArtegall saw how tired she was, he gathered up all his strength and struckher a terrific blow, hoping to kill her quite. But the blow only shearedoff the front part of her helmet, and left her face uncovered.

  And as Artegall's arm rose again for another deadly stroke, it stoppedshort in the air. For instead of the grim face of the fierce knight hethought he was fighting, there looked out a face that Artegall thought wasthe loveliest he had ever seen.

  Britomart's cheeks were hot and pink, and her hair, that was so long thatit reached her feet, had burst from its band and framed her fair face likea golden frame.

  The sword slipped from Artegall's fingers to the ground. He knelt atBritomart's feet and begged her to forgive him for having treated her soroughly.

  But Britomart was still angry with him for that last fierce stroke of his.

  'Rise!' she said, 'or I shall kill you!' and she held her sword over hishead.

  But Artegall would not rise, but only prayed her the more earnestly toforgive him.

  Then the old nurse drew near and begged Britomart to have a truce.

  'Rest yourself for a little,' she said, 'and let the Savage Knight resttoo.'

  Britomart agreed, and the knight raised the front of his helmet that hemight breathe more freely.

  When Britomart saw his face, so handsome and so brave, she knew at oncethat the Savage Knight that she had tried to kill was Artegall, the knightof the Mirror.

  Her arm dropped, and her sword fell from her hand.

  She tried to speak roughly to him, but her tongue would not say the words.

  Together they rode off to a castle, where they stayed till they wererested and their wounds were healed.

  And each day that they were together Artegall loved Britomart more andmore, until at last he could stay no longer silent, but told her that heloved her more than all the world.

  So it was that the beautiful princess Britomart found her husband, thegallant knight of the Magic Mirror.