THE Churchman's Companion. PART XLII. VOL. VII.] [JUNE, 1950. TALES OF THE HOUSEHOLD. THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. THE old Arm Chair having finished his story, there was a brief pause; no other member of the household coming forward to relate his adventures. At last an appeal was made to the Family Prayer Book, who occupied a place of honoured splendour. "Thou art full," said they, "of words of wisdom; open thy mouth and teach us what thou knowest." 66 The Prayer Book willingly consented. "My lips," said he, are always open to those who inquire of me; my pages are ready for those who desire to read therein. But what I will now relate is truth wrapped in allegory. The truth contained in my pages shall be spoken in the form of metaphor, not obvious, it may be, to the careless hearer; but easy to be understood by those who desire knowledge. Listen then to my allegory." There lived in former times a great king who ruled over a fair country. The country abounded in gold and precious stones, and, what was better still, there were fine rivers and fruitful hills and valleys. And the king had three sons. The name of the first was Ausonius; he was a young man of rash and impetuous temper, generous, and noble, but over hasty and confident. The name of the second was Piger, he was cold, cowardly, and selfish. And the name of the third Candidus. In this kingdom it was not the custom, as it is in England, for the eldest son always to inherit the throne of his father. All might inherit alike, if they were found worthy. But the father had the privilege of selecting for the inheritance those of his sons whom he approved. So the king called his sons together and told them that he was about to decide who should inherit his kingdom, and that in order to do so he should impose on them a trial. There was at the bottom of a deep cavern, in the Indian seas, a pearl of great value, more precious than any pearl that was ever before heard of, of such wonderful beauty and lustre that it astonished all who beheld it. This pearl they were to go in search of, and whichever of them should find and obtain it he should inherit the kingdom. When the three youths heard this, Ausonius felt quite sure that he would be the one to get the pearl. Piger wished to get it, but thought the task would be very troublesome; and Candidus also saw the difficulty and danger of the undertaking, but resolved nevertheless to do his best to accomplish it. They were all to set out separately and without delay, and that evening they spent in making preparation. We will first follow the course of Ausonius. The country of the great king was separated from the adjoining district by a river, which it was necessary to swim across. As soon as Ausonius came to the banks he cast off his garments and plunged at once into the water. Being an expert swimmer he soon reached the opposite banks. Here he was met by a venerable man in white flowing robes, bearing in his hand a suit of armour, which was prepared for all who swam across that river in exchange for the soiled clothes which they left behind. The venerable man in white garments assisted Ausonius to clothe himself in the armour. It was a complete suit of chain mail, which covered him from head to foot. And over this he placed a tunic or surcoat of snow-white cloth, with a blood-red cross emblazoned on the front. This tunic the venerable man bade him be very careful not to tear or soil. It was of such strong material that it would take little harm even in the most bloody conflict, provided the wearer bore himself faithfully, but if there were any cowardice or unfaithfulness then the white tunic would soon be spoiled or lost altogether. The venerable man also informed Ausonius that in order to find the pearl of great price he must travel onward along the course of the river, which would in time bring him to the sea in the depths of whose caves the pearl was hidden, and that if at any time he was in great peril he had but to call on him and he should be ready to assist him. Ausonius thanked the old man for his kind offer, but thought it very unlikely that one in the prime of youth and strength would ever want the aid of so old a man; he felt very confident that he should preserve his white emblazoned surcoat free from every stain and rent; and having received his sword and shield he set forward boldly in quest of the pearl of great price. For some while he travelled onward through a pleasant country, with beautiful landscapes on every side, sometimes over gentle eminences, sometimes through shady woods and groves. The sky was clear over his head, the air soft and balmy. For many days he travelled thus, resting at night at some pleasant cottage or reposing on some mossy bank. One day he arrived at a spot of unusual beauty, and as the day was sultry he rested under the shade of a spreading tree and presently fell fast asleep. After some while he awoke with a sensation of cold, and perceived that the face of the sky was changed, and a black storm was gathering all around. Large drops were already beginning to fall, and the young prince thought it best to take refuge in the forest. He had not proceeded far before he perceived a terrible giant approaching with a great knotted club covered with spikes. As soon as the giant came up he commanded Ausonius to render himself prisoner; but the young prince told him he was travelling in search of the precious pearl, and would not be stopped in his course. Then the giant said, that if he did not yield he would beat his brains out with his club. The giant looked very fierce and formidable, but Ausonius was too brave to yield, so he drew his sword and prepared to do battle. And the giant, who at first seemed so terrible, now appeared not half the size he was before. And the blows of his great knotted club were unable to penetrate the armour of Ausonius, or even hurt him through it, and the prince springing forward made a great stroke and cut off the giant's right leg and laid him prostrate on the ground. Then the giant, when he saw that he was conquered, uttered a doleful cry and confessed to Ausonius that he had already taken many prisoners and kept them confined in his castle, which was about a league distant. So Ausonius took from the giant the keys of the castle, and went forward to release the prisoners. The castle gate was guarded by a terrible lion, which the giant hoped would have killed the young prince, but Ausonius rushed forward and as the lion opened his mouth to seize him, the young prince thrust his sword down his throat and pierced his heart, so that the lion rolled lifeless in the dust. Then Ausonius took the keys and opened the castle gate, where he found strewn around in the court-yard many bones and skeletons of those who had been already slain, and in the chambers and dungeons there were knights and princesses and persons of all degrees, some hanging up by the hair of the head, some fastened to the wall by iron staples, and most of them sadly hacked and maimed. These the young prince at once set free, and those that were able to walk he bade assist their weaker companions, while he himself set forward to the neighbouring town in order to send skilful physicians to cure them from their wounds. What was very surprising was that in all the conflict with the giant, and in the labour of releasing the maimed and wounded prisoners, and washing their wounds, the white surcoat of Ausonius took neither soil nor rent, but was more pure and white than ever. The young prince still pursued the course of the river and presently arrived at a city which was at the mouth of it. Here he told the inhabitants that he had slain the terrible giant who infested the neighbouring forest, and bade them send assistance to the liberated prisoners. Then the inhabitants of the city highly commended Ausonius and raised a great shout, saying, " Here comes the brave Ausonius who has killed the giant of the forest." And Ausonius began to think himself a great hero, and they made a splendid feast in honour of the young prince, and he was greatly pleased to receive these marks of honour. Howbeit as he went to the feast he perceived that his surcoat was not so white and pure as it had been. And as he entered the brilliant hall he heard a voice near him which said, "Beware, Ausonius, beware of pride;" and on looking round he saw amongst the crowd the face of the venerable man who had clad him in armour on the banks of the river. But the young prince heeded not the old man's words, and in the praise and honour which he received soon forgot the warning. The company was brilliant, the feast plenteous, the wines rich and sparkling; delightful music ravished the senses, and the praises and compliments which Ausonius received increased his feelings of pride and satisfaction. The city at which Ausonius had arrived was celebrated for its wealth and magnificence, and the young prince was soon filled with ambitious desires, and thought it useless to labour in his search after the precious pearl while he might obtain so much luxury and honour in the country where he was. So he gave himself up to the enjoyments of the present. One night, after partaking of a rich banquet, he proceeded to a part of the palace where a company of men were engaged at dice and cards, and Ausonius saw great heaps of gold which some of them had won; and though not of a covetous temper, he desired to possess wealth in order thus to be the more honoured. For he perceived that, in this city, though great exploits were highly regarded, yet after all wealth was the chief object of estimation. So he went to the table and laying down all the money which he possessed, risked it on the cast of the die. The first time he was successful, and the next, and the next, until he got a great heap of gold. But presently his heap began to diminish, until at length it was all gone and the young prince was reduced to beggary. Then said one of the company, Pledge me that surcoat of thine-it is not over white; but I will gage against it a thousand pieces." At this moment the young prince saw in the shadow of the room the eyes of the venerable man fixed with compassionate gaze upon him. At first he felt disposed to go from the room without risking that which was so precious; but 66 the shame of remaining poor and in low estimation prevailed, and in the madness of the moment he pledged his white surcoat against a thousand gold pieces. He seized the dice with trembling hand-the cast was against him. Then a loud laugh was heard through the wide saloon, a terrible gust of wind extinguished all the lights-he felt himself seized, and in spite of all his efforts the white embroidered surcoat was stripped from his body-he swooned with terror and dismay, and when he came to himself he found himself lying naked and helpless, in a dark, damp, and dreary dungeon. But it is now time to turn to the second brother, whose name was Piger. When Piger came to the edge of the river which separated his father's dominions from the district he was to traverse, he sat for a while on the banks, irresolute whether he should proceed or not; but when he perceived that he could make no progress at all without crossing it, he presently waded as far as he could into the water, and then spread forth his hands to swim; and being vigorous in body, though inert in spirit, he soon arrived at the opposite bank. Here he received a suit of armour and surcoat as his brother had before him. He felt greatly pleased when he was assured that the armour was of impenetrable material, and was extremely obliged to the venerable man for his offers of timely assistance. Piger travelled onward through the same country which his brother had passed before him, and found the journey so pleasant that he began to think he might obtain the precious pearl without much trouble. When, however, he came to the forest he observed signs of recent conflict, and presently found the maimed giant lying at the point of death. Piger at first was rather alarmed, but when he found the giant could not move on account of the loss of his right leg, he drew his sword and put an end to his sufferings by cutting off his head. No sooner had he performed this valorous exploit than he perceived coming towards him from amongst the trees of the forest another giant more dreadful than the one he had slain. "Who art thou?" said the new giant, "that hast in a cowardly manner cut off the head of my brother when he was unable to resist. Yield thee prisoner to me, or thou shalt die on the spot." Then Piger was in great dismay, and he bethought him of the venerable man who had promised to help him. So he called out aloud and the venerable man stood by his side. "Take good heart," said he to Piger, "the giant whom thou seest is but weak and cowardly if boldly faced he can do thee no harm, whilst thou art clad in thy chain armour and surcoat. Only resist him manfully and thou wilt overcome him as Ausonius has overcome his brother." : |