boy king On the night before his coronation, the boy King sat alone in his beautiful house.his ministers press According to the etiquette at that time, he bowed to him with his head on the ground, and then left.They came to the halls of the palace to learn from the professor of etiquette The last few classes, because a few of them behaved uneducated, needless to say, it was very rude Affection. The lad—he was only a lad, only sixteen—was not at all sorry that they were gone.he He leaned back, sat on the soft cushion of his embroidered sofa, breathed a long sigh of relief, lay down, opened his eyes,

With its mouth open, it looked like a brown woodland faun, or a small forest animal just caught by a hunter. As it happened, he was found by the hunters, and it was almost by luck that they encountered him.He was barefoot, with With his flute, he was following the flock of the poor shepherd who had brought him up, and he had always considered himself the son of the poor shepherd. son.His mother turned out to be the only daughter of the old king.She secretly fell in love with someone much lower than her - someone Said that the man came from a foreign country, and he played the flute with a magical sound, which made the young princess fall in love with him;

Said that he is an artist from Rimini, Italy, and the princess thinks highly of him, perhaps too much.he somehow suddenly Time disappeared from the city, and his unfinished work remained in the cathedral—the child was only a week old at the time, and he He secretly took the child away from the sleeping mother and handed it over to an ordinary farm couple to take care of it.the couple themselves did not There are children, and they live in the depths of the dense forest, which is a day's ride from the city.I don't know if it is as announced by the imperial physician of the palace Because of excessive grief, or, as some say, an Italian acute poison in mulled wine,

The very pale maiden who had given life to the child died in less than an hour.A loyal policeman with The boy got into the saddle and went, and when he bent down from the weary horse and knocked at the door of the poor shepherd's hut, the princess's voice The body was being buried in an open vault dug in a desolate churchyard near the city. Door.It is said that in that tomb lay another body, a very handsome out-of-towner with his hands tied behind his back. Then, he tied a knot, leaving many bloody wounds on his chest. At least, that's what people whispered to each other.However, it is certain that the old king, on his deathbed, did not know

Whether out of remorse for a great crime he had committed, or simply because he hoped that his kingdom would not fall into the hands of outsiders, he sent People went to retrieve the young man, and in front of the ministers in the palace, recognized the young man as his successor. It seems that from the moment the teenager was recognized, he showed great enthusiasm for beautiful things, which was destined to be had a huge impact on his life.The servants who accompanied him to the spare room and waited for him to rest used to tell how when he looked When they saw those gorgeous clothes and precious stones, they would scream excitedly, and they would take off their rough leather jackets and rough sheepskin coats.

It was simply ecstatic.Sometimes he does miss his free forest life, and he always has a day's worth of time. Most of the time the complicated court etiquette is resentful, but this is a rich palace - people call it "Xiaoyao" Palace"—he was at once its owner now, and it seemed to him like a fashionable new building built just to please him. and if he could escape from the council hall or the meeting room, he would run down the shining gilded bronze lion The porphyry stone steps lead from one room to another, and from one corridor to another, as if to be alone It's like finding a painkiller, or a cure for a disease, in the midst of beauty.

That's what he calls this kind of travel full of new discoveries - and, really, it's the real thing for him. Roaming in the realm of the gods.Sometimes it is accompanied by a few fair-haired court guards in capes and flamboyant ribbons; but more often At times, he is often alone, by a certain quick instinct of feeling, which is almost a kind of foresight, grasping The secrets of art are best found in secrets, and beauty, like wisdom, loves the solitary admirer. During this period there were many anecdotes about him.It is said that there is a chubby mayor who represents the whole city

Min came out and made a lot of pomp and ceremony, and said he had seen him kneeling with great reverence at a painting he had just brought from Venice. In front of the huge screen, it seems to defend the worship of the new gods.Another time he was missing for hours with a lot of effort They found him in a hut in the small tower on the north side of the palace. He was staring blankly at a piece engraved with the beautiful boy Hodo Nice like a Greek gem.It is also reported that he was seen kissing the forehead of an ancient marble statue with his hot lips. The ancient statue was found in the riverbed when people were building a stone bridge. In addition to the statue, it was also engraved with Bis, which was owned by the Roman emperor Hadrian.

The name of the slaves of Nia.He also spent the whole night observing the various changes of the moonlight on the silver statue of Andymin. All things rare and expensive indeed had a great attraction for him, and made him eager to acquire them.For this he Many merchants were sent, some to the North Sea to buy amber from the poor fishermen there, and some to Egypt to find The emerald can only be found in the tomb of the pharaoh. It is said that this gem has extraordinary magic power, and some of them went to Persia to buy it. velvet woven carpets and painted pottery, and many others went to India to buy tulle and colored ivory, moon gems and emerald hands

bracelets, sandalwood and blue enamel, and fine woolen shawls. However, it was the robes he wore at his coronation that bothered him most.The robe was woven of gold thread, and was inlaid with The ruby ​​crown and the scepter with its string of pearls.In fact, that was all he was thinking about tonight, as he lay On the luxurious sofa, watching the large pine logs burn slowly in the fireplace.They were all created by the most famous artists of their time Designed by himself, and the design style was submitted to him for review a few months ago, and he also issued an order to ask the craftsmen to

They drove them out at night, and sent people to search all over the world for jewels worthy of their craftsmanship.he sees in imagination Seeing himself standing on the high altar in the cathedral in a luxurious imperial robe, a smile appeared on his childish lips, and his pair of The dark eyes characteristic of forest people also radiate bright light. After a while he stood up, leaned against the carved eaves on the top of the fireplace, and looked around the dimly lit room.Four Zhou's walls are decorated with ornate ornaments representing "the triumph of beauty".A large wardrobe, inlaid with agate and glass, put a The corners are filled.Facing the window stood an unusually fine cabinet, the lacquer lattice of which was either plated with gold powder or inlaid with gold. There are some exquisite Venetian glass goblets on the shelf, and a large black onyx cup.silk bed sheet It was embroidered with pale poppies that seemed to have fallen from the weary hands of sleep.tall bar grooved Ivory columns propped up a velvet canopy on which tufts of ostrich feathers stretched like white foam up to the silvery canopy. White palindrome decoration on the roof.The statue of the beautiful boy Narcissus made of bronze raised a shining face with both hands with a smile on his face. Mirror.On the table stood a flat basin made of amethyst. Outside the window, he could see the great dome of the church, floating faintly like a bubble above the dark houses.listless Cai's sentinels walked up and down the foggy balcony near the river.In a distant orchard a nightingale sang Song.A faint scent of jasmine wafted in through the open window.He brushed his brown curls back from his forehead, Finally, he picked up a lute and let his fingers pluck the strings casually.His eyelids drooped heavily, an inexplicable tiredness Assault on him.Never before had he felt so strongly and so excitedly the magic and mystery of beautiful things. When the clock tower struck midnight, he rang the bell, and the servants came in and undressed him with complicated etiquette. and sprinkled rosewater on his hands and flowers on his pillow.Not long after they left the room, he entered asleep. After he fell asleep, he had a dream. The dream was like this: It seemed to him that he was standing in a long, low attic, surrounded by the whirring and knocking of looms.weak The light coming in through the grilled windows made him see the haggard figures of the weavers bent over the loom tables.Some Children with sick faces and pale faces squatted on the huge beams.Whenever the shuttle flies through the warp, the weavers Then he raised the heavy box seat, and immediately lowered the sley as soon as the shuttle stopped to press the threads together.hunger on their faces With an unbearable expression, a pair of dry hands kept shaking and trembling.Some weak women are sitting at a table and sewing Sewing.The room was filled with a pungent stench, the air was stale and stuffy, and the walls were dripping with damp. The boy king came to a weaver and watched him work. But the weaver looked at him angrily and said, "Why do you keep looking at me? Are you a spy sent by the master to watch our work?" son? " "Who is your master?" asked the young king. "Our master!" cried the weaver in pain, "he is a man like me. In fact, that's all there is between me and him." The difference—he wears nice clothes and I'm always in rags, I'm starving and skinny, and he's full. " "This is a free country," said the boy king, "and you are nobody's slave." "In times of war," replied the weaver, "the strong make slaves of the weak, and in times of peace the rich make slaves of the poor." scribe.We had to work for a living, and they paid me so little, we'd starve to death.we spend all day for him slaves, their chests full of gold, our children die before they grow up, those we love The faces of men became sad and menacing.We squeeze the grape juice for others to taste.The grain we grow, but cannot handle to our table.We wear chains though they are invisible; and we are slaves though they say we are free people. " "Are all men like this?" asked the young King. "It is true of all men," answered the weaver, "whether young or old, man or woman, It is the same whether it is a child or a person who has been struggling all year round.The merchants squeeze us, and we have to do what they say.Priests ride Horses passed us, counting their beads, and no one cared about us.Poverty crawls with hungry eyes Dark alleys, where Sin followed with his alcoholic face.Grief wakes us in the morning, sleeps us at night is a disgrace.But what does any of this matter to you?You are not one of us.How happy you look! , Then he turned his head with a displeased face, and passed the shuttle through the loom, and the young king saw that a golden thread was woven out of the shuttle. Wire. He was startled and asked the weaver, "What kind of robe are you weaving?" "This is the robe worn by the young king at his coronation," he answered, "what do you ask for it?" Then the young king woke up with a loud cry, O God!He was in his room, and through the window he saw honey-colored The big moon is hanging in the faint sky. He fell asleep again, and dreamed again, and the dream went like this: He thought he was lying on the deck of a galleon with a hundred slaves at the oars.The captain is sitting next to him on the carpet.He was as black as a piece of ebony, and his turban was made of deep river-colored silk.A pair of huge white fungus hangs on the thick earlobe He held a pendant like an ivory balance in his hand. The slaves were naked save for a tattered fig leaf around their waists, each with another next to him locked together.The sun was hot on them and the niggers were running up and down the aisles while the whips kept on whipping on them.They paddled heavy oars into the water with outstretched, dry arms.Salt water splashed from the oars. At last they came to a small bay and began to measure the depth of the water.A breeze blew from the shore, giving deck and junior The spinnaker was covered with a fine layer of red sand.Three Arabs came riding on wild donkeys and threw javelins at them.the captain picked up a Zhang Gong shot one of them in the throat.He fell heavily into the waves, and his companions fled in haste.one The woman wearing a yellow veil followed slowly on a camel, looking back at the dead body from time to time. The niggers dropped anchor, lowered the sails, and went down to the cabin, and brought out a long hanging ladder, with plumb weights tied down to it. The captain threw the rope ladder over the side of the ship, and fastened the ends of the ladder to two iron posts.At this time, the blacks seized one of the youngest The slave, unshackled his fetters, filled his nostrils and ears with wax, and tied a stone around his waist.he Wearily climbing down the rope ladder, he disappeared into the sea.There were several blisters where he entered the water.some other slaves in a Looking around curiously.In the prow sat a shark driver, beating a drum in monotony. After a while the diver emerged from the water, panting heavily, climbing up the ladder, holding a pearl in his right hand.black people from He took the pearl out of his hand and threw him into the sea.And the slaves had fallen asleep by their oars. He came up again and again, and each time he brought a beautiful pearl.The captain weighed the pearls and put them in into a small green leather pouch. The young King tried to say something, but his tongue seemed to be stuck behind his upper teeth, and he could not move his lips. The Negroes were talking to each other, and began to quarrel over a string of pearls.Two white cranes flew around the sailboat non-stop. At this time the divers came out of the water for the last time, and the pearls they brought up were more beautiful than all the pearls in Omazi Island, because its Shaped like a full moon, it was whiter than the color of the morning star.But his face was very pale, and he fell headlong on the deck, Blood spurted from his ears and nostrils immediately.He just trembled for a moment and couldn't move anymore.black people shrugging shoulder, and threw his body into the sea over the side of the boat. The captain smiled, and he reached out for the pearl, and while he looked at it, he placed it on his forehead and bowed. bowed. "It shall be used," he said, "to adorn the scepter of the boy king." Gesture to raise anchor. Hearing this, the young king woke up with a sudden cry, and through the window he saw the long fingers of the dawn Harvesting the feeble stars. He fell asleep again and had a dream, which went like this: It seemed to him that he was wandering in a spooky wood hung with strange-shaped fruits and beautiful but poisonous flowers. flower.Vipers hissed at him as he passed, parrots with rich feathers screamed and flew from branch to branch. on the head.A huge tortoise sleeps in the hot mud.The trees are full of monkeys and peacocks. He walked until he came to the edge of the woods, where he saw a large group of Hard labor.They swarmed the rocks like ants.They dug deep holes in the ground and went down into the holes.of them Some were cutting rocks with big axes, others were groping in the sand.They uprooted the cacti and trod the scarlet flowers.They were hurrying to and fro, shouting to each other, and no one was idle. Death and greed watched them from the shadow of the cave, and Death said, "I am weary, take three of them Give me a quarter and I'm leaving. " Greed, however, shook his head. "They are my servants," she replied. Death said to her, "What is that in your hand?" "I have three grains of corn," she replied, "and what does that matter to you?" "Give me one," cried Death, "to plant in my garden, one of which, and I shall go." "I'll give you nothing," said Greed, hiding her hands under the hem of her dress. Death laughed.He took a cup and dipped it in the sink, and when the cup came out malaria was growing in it.malaria As soon as he passed through the crowd, a third of them fell down and died.A gust of cold air rolled up behind her, and countless Several water snakes. When Greed saw that a third of the people were dead, he beat his breast and wept loudly.She beat her dry chest and cried Said: "You have killed a third of my servants; go away. There is a war going on on the mountain of the Tartars, and both sides The king is calling you to go.The Afghans have killed the black bull and are heading to the front.They struck their shields with their spears, and Put on the helmet.What use is my valley to you, you don't need to stay here, do you?you go away, don't come here again up. " "No," replied Death, "unless you give me another grain, I will not go." Greed suddenly clenched his hand and clenched his teeth. "I won't give you anything," she murmured say. Death laughed.He picked up a black stone, threw it towards the woods, and walked out from the wild hemlock deep in the forest. Fever in robes of flame.She walked through the crowd to touch them, and everyone she touched died.she stepped on The past grass also withered. Greed trembled and put the dirt on his head. "You are cruel," she cried, "you are cruel. Famine is raging in many cities of India, and the cisterns of Samarkand are dry.Many cities in Egypt are also suffering from hunger Famine, locusts also flew from the desert.The Nile did not wash up, and the priests were cursing their own gods, Isis and Achilles.Go to those who need you, and spare my servants. " "No," replied Death, "I will not leave until you give me a grain of corn." "I will give you nothing," said Greed. Death laughed again, put his hand over his mouth and whistled between his fingers, and saw a woman flying from the sky. The word "Plague" is printed on her forehead, and a flock of hungry eagles are flying around her.She covered with huge wings In the entire valley, no one can escape her clutches. Greed ran screaming through the woods, and Death galloped away on his great red horse, which ran faster than the wind Still fast. Countless dragons and scaled monsters crawled out of the mud at the bottom of the valley, and a pack of jackals also came running along the sand, Kong sucked in the air greedily. The boy king wept, and said, "Who are these people? What are they looking for?" "The ruby ​​in the king's crown," said a man standing behind him. The young king was taken aback, turned his head, and saw a man who looked like a pilgrim holding a silver mirror in his hand. He turned pale, and asked, "Which king?" The pilgrim replied, "Look in this mirror and you will see him." He looked in the mirror, saw his own face, and woke up with a cry.The bright sun pours into the room house, and from the trees outside the garden and grounds came the singing of birds. The ministers of the court and the civil and military officials came into the room to salute him, and the attendants brought him a robe woven with gold thread, and put the crown and The scepter was placed before him. The boy King looked at them, and they were beautiful, more beautiful than anything he had seen before.Yet he remembers himself I had a dream, so I said to my ministers: "Take these things away, I will not wear them." The courtiers were amazed, and some even laughed, because they thought the king was joking. But he said to them again solemnly: "Take these things away, and don't let me see them. Although today is my The day of the coronation, but I shall not wear them.For this robe of mine is wrought on the loom of sorrow with pained pale Woven by hand.A ruby ​​heart is red with blood.In Pearl's heart there is the shadow of death. ’ Then he spoke to them Described three of his dreams. After listening to the story, the ministers looked at each other and talked in a low voice: "He must be crazy, isn't a dream just a dream? Feelings are nothing more than hallucinations, they are not real, don't worry about them.Besides, the lives of those who work for us are What do we have to do with it?Can a man eat bread without seeing the sowing of the seed, or talk with the man who planted the grapes? Can I drink wine? ’ said the chancellor of the court to the young king: ‘My lord, I implore you to put these sad thoughts aside, Put on this beautiful robe and this crown.How will the people know you are king if you don't wear royal robes Woolen cloth? " The young king looked at him. "Is that true?" he asked, "if I don't wear royal robes, they won't know I'm King yet? " "They will not know you, Your Majesty," cried the Minister of the Court. "I used to think there really were some people who looked like kings," replied the boy king, "but maybe it's just like you Said, yet I will not wear this robe, nor will I wear this crown, and I will go out of the palace as I entered. " Then he bade them all go away, leaving only one attendant with him, who took a bath in the middle of the year and opened a From the lacquered box he took out the leather jacket and rough sheepskin coat he had worn when he was herding sheep on the mountainside.he Putting them on, he took up the thick shepherd's staff in his hand. The little waiter widened his blue eyes in surprise, and said to him with a smile: "Your Majesty, I saw your robe and power Staff, but where is your crown? " The young king broke off a branch of the wild thorn that clung to the balcony, bent it into a circle, and placed it on his head. superior. "This is my crown," he replied. So dressed, he went out of the room into the hall, where the dignitaries were waiting for him. The dignitaries found it ridiculous, and some of them called out to him: "Your Majesty, the subjects are waiting to see their king, and You showed them a beggar. ’ Others said angrily: ‘He’s dishonoring our country, he doesn’t deserve to our master. ' Yet he said nothing to them, but went forward, down the bright porphyry steps, and out of the bronze the door, got on his horse, and ran towards the church, with the little attendant running beside him. The people laughed, and they said, "It is the king's jester who rides by." They laughed at him. But he stopped Mamen and said, "No, I am the king." So he told them his three dreams listen. A man came out from the crowd, and he said to the king in pain: "Your Majesty, you don't know that the poor live from the rich. Was it a luxury?It is by your wealth that we live, and your vices bring us bread.Give It is hard work with a strict master, but it is much harder without a master to make us live.you thought crows would feed us?Do you have any remedy for these things?You say to the buyer, 'You're going to pay this much for it', and at the same time Say to the seller, 'Are you going to sell at this price'?I bet you wouldn't.So go back to your own palace and put on your Noble purple robe.What have you to do with us and our suffering? " "Aren't the rich and the poor brothers brothers?" asked the young King. "Yes," the man replied, "that rich brother's name is Cain (that is, the murderer of his brother in the Bible) people). " The young king's eyes were full of tears, and he rode past amidst the murmurs of the people, and the little waiter felt so ashamed. Afraid, he walked away. When he came to the gate of the church, the guards raised their halberds and said to him: "What are you doing here? Except No one other than the king is allowed inside. " He blushed with anger when he heard this, and said to them, "I am the king." Then he pushed their halberds away, and went away. went in. When the old bishop saw him coming in dressed in shepherd's clothes, he stood up from his throne in surprise, went up to him, and said to him said, "My child, is this the garment of a king? What crown shall I crown you with? And what scepter shall I put on your in hand?It should certainly be a day of joy for you, not a day of humiliation. " "Should happiness be disguised as sorrow?" said the young King.Then he told the old bishop about his three dreams. After hearing the three dreams, the bishop frowned, and said, "My child, I am an old man, and I have entered my twilight years. I know Dao still has a lot of evil things in this great world.The vicious bandits came down from the mountain, abducted countless children, and took them Sold to the Moors.The lion is lying in the grass waiting for the passing caravan, ready to attack the camel.Wild boars root the crops in the valley pull up.The fox is biting the vines on the hill.The pirates made waves along the coast, burned fishing boats, and robbed fishermen of their fishing nets. Walk.In the salt marshes live the lepers, who build their huts out of reeds, and no one wants to come near them.beggars in big Drifting on the street, fighting for food with dogs.Can you keep these things from happening?Would you like a leper to sleep with you Do you want a beggar to dine with you?Will you make the lion obey you, and the boar obey your commands?Does it make these Is the god of suffering not as wise as you?Therefore, instead of commending you for what you have done, I ask you to ride back to your own In your own palace, put a smile on your face, and dress like a king, and I will crown you with a golden crown, I Put in your hand the scepter studded with pearls.As for your dreams, stop thinking about them.The burden of this world has The sutras are too heavy for one person to bear; the sorrows of the world are too great for a single heart to bear. " "Is this the house where you talk like that?" said the boy King.He strode past the bishop and mounted the altar The steps of the altar, standing in front of the statue of Christ. He stood in front of the Christ statue, and on his left and right were magnificent gold pots, a chalice containing rice wine and a chalice containing holy water. Oil bottle.He knelt under the statue of Christ, a huge candle burned brightly beside the jeweled throne, and the smoke of incense A circle of light blue smoke drifted toward the beams of the roof.He bowed his head to pray, and the priests in stiff vestments stepped down up the altar. Suddenly, there was a noise from the street outside, and a group of nobles wearing feather tassels walked in, holding Drawn swords and shining steel shields. "Where is the dreamer?" they cried. Where is the king, the boy who dressed like a beggar and brought disgrace to our country?we must kill him, for he is not worthy to rule over us. " Once more the young King bowed his head to pray, and when he had finished he rose, and turned his head to look at them sadly. what!Behold, the sun shines on him through the stained-glass windows, and the light weaves a robe of gold around him, more than that A royal robe woven to please him is even more beautiful.Flowers bloom from dry branches, lilies whiter than pearls flower.The dry thorns also bloomed, and red roses redder than rubies.Lilies whiter than the finest pearls, Their roots are made of shiny silver.Roses that are redder than rubies, their leaves are forged of gold. There he stood in the raiment of a king, the jeweled shrine opened, and from the crystal of the radiant sanctuary It emits a strange light.He stood there in the raiment of a king, and the place was filled with the glory of God, even the alcove The saints also seemed to be moving.Dressed in the rich clothes of a king, he stood before them, the organ played, the trumpeter Their trumpets were blown and the children in the choir sang. The people knelt down in awe, the nobles withdrew their swords and saluted the young king, the face of the bishop turned pale Bai, his hands were trembling. "He who crowns you is greater than I," he cried, and fell on his knees before the king. The young king stepped down from the high altar and walked through the crowd to his chambers.No one dared to look at him face, for that countenance was that of an angel. THE YOUNG KING It was the night before the day fixed for his coronation, and the young King was sitting alone in his beautiful chamber. His courtiers had all taken their leave of him, bowing their heads to the ground, according to the ceremonious usage of the day, and had retired to the Great Hall of the Palace, to receive a few last lessons from the Professor of Etiquette; there being some of them who had still quite natural manners, which in a courtier is, I need hardly say, a very grave offense. The lad - for he was only a lad, being but sixteen years of age - was not sorry at their departure, and had flung himself back with a deep sigh of relief on the soft cushions of his embroidered couch, lying there, wild-eyed and open-mouthed, like a brown woodland Faun, or some young animal of the forest newly snared by the hunters. And, indeed, it was the hunters who had found him, coming upon him almost by chance as, bare-limbed and pipe in hand, he was following the flock of the poor goatherd who had brought him up, and whose son he had always fancied himself to be. The child of the old Kings only daughter by a secret marriage with one much beneath her in station - a stranger, some said, who, by the wonderful magic of his lute-playing, had made the young Princess love him; while others spoke of an artist from Rimini, to whom the Princess had shown much, perhaps too much honor, and who had suddenly disappeared from the city, leaving his work in the Cathedral unfinished - he had been, when but a week old, stolen away from his mothers side, as she slept, and given into the charge of a common peasant and his wife, who were without children of their own, and lived in a remote part of the forest, more than a days ride from the town. Grief, or the plague, as the court physician stated, or, As some suggested, a swift Italian poison administered in a cup of spiced wine, slew, within an hour of her waking, the white girl who had given him birth, and as the trusty messenger who bare the child across his saddle-bow stooped from his weary horse and knocked at the rude door of the goatherds hut, the body of the Princess was being lowered into an open grave that had been dug in a deserted churchyard, beyond the city gates, a grave where it was said that another body was also lying, that of a young man of Marvelous and foreign beauty, whose hands were tied behind him with a knotted cord, and whose breast was stabbed with many red wounds. Such, at least, was the story that men whispered to each other. Certain it was that the old King, when on his deathbed, whether moved by remorse for his great sin, or merely desiring that the kingdom should not pass away from his line, had had the lad sent for, and, in the presence of the Council, had acknowledged him as his heir. And it seems that from the very first moment of his recognition he had shown signs of that strange passion for beauty that was destined to have so great an influence over his life. Those who accompanied him to the suite of rooms set apart for his service, often spoke of the cry of pleasure that broke from his lips when he saw the delicate raiment and rich jewels that had been prepared for him, and of the almost fierce joy with which he flung aside his rough leather tunic and coarse sheepskin cloak. He missed, Indeed, at times the fine freedom of his forest life, and was always apt to chafe at the tedious court ceremonies that occupied so much of each day, but the wonderful palace - JOYEUSE, as they called it - of which he now found himself lord, seemed to him to be a new world fresh-fashioned for his delight; and as soon as he could escape from the council-board or audience-chamber, he would run down the great staircase, with its lions of gilt bronze and its steps of bright porphyry, and wander from room to room, and from corridor to corridor, like one who was seeking to find in beauty an Anodyne from pain, a sort of restoration from sickness. Upon these journeys of discovery, as he would call them - and, indeed, they were to him real voyages through a marvellous land, he would sometimes be accompanied by the slim, fair-haired Court pages, with their floating mantles, and gay fluttering ribands; but more often he would be alone, feeling through a certain quick instinct, which was almost a divination, that the secrets of art are best learned in secret, and that Beauty, like Wisdom, loves the lonely worshipper. Many curious stories were related about him at this period. It was said that a stout Burgo-master, who had come to deliver a florid oratorical address on behalf of the citizens of the town, had caught sight of him kneeling in real adoration before a great picture that had just been brought from Venice, and that seemed to herald the worship of some new gods. On another occasion he had been missed for several hours, and after a lengthened search had been discovered in a little chamber in one of the northern turrets of the palace gazing, as one in a trance, at a Greek gem carved with the figure of Adonis. He had been seen, so the tale ran, pressing his warm lips to the marble brow of an antique statue that had been discovered in the bed of the river on the occasion of the building of the stone bridge, and was inscribed with the name of the Bithynian slave of Hadrian. He had passed a whole night in noting the effect of the moonlight on a silver image of Endymion. All rare and costly materials had certainly a great fascination for him, and in his eagerness to procure them he had sent away many merchants, some to traffic for amber with the rough fisher-folk of the north seas, some to Egypt to look for that curious green turquoise which is found only in the tombs of kings, and is said to possess magical properties, some to Persia for silken carpets and painted pottery, and others to India to buy gauze and stained ivory, moonstones and bracelets of jade, sandal-wood and blue enamel and shawls of fine wool. But what had occupied him most was the robe he was to wear at his coronation, the robe of tissued gold, and the ruby-studded crown, and the sceptre with its rows and rings of pearls. Indeed, it was of this that he was thinking to-night, as he lay back on his luxurious couch, watching the great pinewood log that was burning itself out on the open hearth. The designs, which were from the hands of the most famous artists of the time, had been submitted to him many months before, and he had given orders that the artificers were to toil night and day to carry them out, and that the whole world was to be searched for jewels that would be worthy of their work. He saw himself in fancy standing at the high altar of the cathedral in the fair raiment of a King, and a smile played and lingered about his boyish lips, and lit up with a bright lustre his dark woodland eyes. After some time he rose from his seat, and leaning against the carved penthouse of the chimney, looked round at the dimly-lit room. The walls were hung with rich tapestries representing the Triumph of Beauty. A large press, inlaid with agate and lapis- lazuli, filled one corner, and facing the window stood a curiously wrought cabinet with lacquer panels of powdered and mosaiced gold, on which were placed some delicate goblets of Venetian glass, and a cup of dark-veined onyx. Pale poppies were broidered on the silk coverlet of the bed, as though they had fallen from the tired hands of sleep, and tall reeds of fluted ivory bare up the velvet canopy, from which great tufts of ostrich plumes sprang, like white foam, to the pallid silver of the fretted ceiling. A laughing Narcissus in green bronze held a polished mirror above its head. On the table stood a flat bowl of amethyst. Outside he could see the huge dome of the cathedral, looming like a bubble over the shadowy houses, and the weary sentinels pacing up and down on the misty terrace by the river. Far away, in an orchard, a nightingale was singing. A faint perfume of jasmine came through the open window. He brushed his brown curls back from his forehead, and taking up a lute, let his fingers stray across the cords. His heavy eyelids drooped, and a strange languor came over him. Never before had he felt so keenly, or with such exquisite joy, the magic and the mystery of beautiful things. When midnight sounded from the clock-tower he touched a bell, and his pages entered and disrobed him with much ceremony, pouring rose-water over his hands, and strewing flowers on his pillow. A few moments after that they had left the room, he fell asleep. And as he slept he dreamed a dream, and this was his dream. He thought that he was standing in a long, low attic, amidst the whir and clatter of many looms. The meagre daylight peered in through the grated windows, and showed him the gaunt figures of the weavers bending over their cases. Pale, sickly-looking children were crouched on the huge crossbeams. As the shuttles dashed through the warp they lifted up the heavy battens, and when the shuttles stopped they let the battens fall and pressed the threads together. Their faces were pinched with famine, and their thin hands shook and trembled. Some haggard women were seated at a table sewing. A horrible odour filled the place. The air was foul and heavy, and the walls dripped and streamed with damp. The young King went over to one of the weavers, and stood by him and watched him. And the weaver looked at him angrily, and said, Why art thou watching me? Art thou a spy set on us by our master? Who is thy master? asked the young King. Our master! cried the weaver, bitterly. He is a man like myself. Indeed, there is but this difference between us - that he wears fine clothes while I go in rags, and that while I am weak from hunger he suffers not a little from overfeeding. The land is free, said the young King, and thou art no mans slave. In war, answered the weaver, the strong make slaves of the weak, and in peace the rich make slaves of the poor. We must work to live, and they give us such mean wages that we die. We toil for them all day long, and they heap up gold in their coffers, and our children fade away before their time, and the faces of those we love become hard and evil. We tread out the grapes, and another drinks the wine. We sow the corn, and our own board is empty. We have chains, though no eye beholds them; and are slaves, though men call us free. Is it so with all? he asked, It is so with all, answered the weaver, with the young as well as with the old, with the women as well as with the men, with the little children as well as with those who are stricken in years. The merchants grind us down, and we must needs do their bidding. The priest rides by and tells his beads, and no man has care of us. Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes, and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning, and Shame sits with us at night. But what are these things to thee? Thou art not one of us. Thy face is too happy. And he turned away scowling, and threw the shuttle across the loom, and the young King saw that it was threaded with a thread of gold. And a great terror seized upon him, and he said to the weaver, What robe is this that thou art weaving? It is the robe for the coronation of the young King, he answered; what is that to thee? And the young King gave a loud cry and woke, and lo! he was in his own chamber, and through the window he saw the great honey-coloured moon hanging in the dusky air. And he fell asleep again and dreamed, and this was his dream. He thought that he was lying on the deck of a huge galley that was being rowed by a hundred slaves. On a carpet by his side the master of the galley was seated. He was black as ebony, and his turban was of crimson silk. Great earrings of silver dragged down the thick lobes of his ears, and in his hands he had a pair of ivory scales. The slaves were naked, but for a ragged loin-cloth, and each man was chained to his neighbour. The hot sun beat brightly upon them, and the negroes ran up and down the gangway and lashed them with whips of hide. They stretched out their lean arms and pulled the heavy oars through the water. The salt spray flew from the blades. At last they reached a little bay, and began to take soundings. A light wind blew from the shore, and covered the deck and the great lateen sail with a fine red dust. Three Arabs mounted on wild asses rode out and threw spears at them. The master of the galley took a painted bow in his hand and shot one of them in the throat. He fell heavily into the surf, and his companions galloped away. A woman wrapped in a yellow veil followed slowly on a camel, looking back now and then at the dead body. As soon as they had cast anchor and hauled down the sail, the negroes went into the hold and brought up a long rope-ladder, heavily weighted with lead. The master of the galley threw it over the side, making the ends fast to two iron stanchions. Then the negroes seized the youngest of the slaves and knocked his gyves off, and filled his nostrils and his ears with wax, and tied a big stone round his waist. He crept wearily down the ladder, and disappeared into the sea. A few bubbles rose where he sank. Some of the other slaves peered curiously over the side. At the prow of the galley sat a shark-charmer, beating monotonously upon a drum. After some time the diver rose up out of the water, and clung panting to the ladder with a pearl in his right hand. The negroes seized it from him, and thrust him back. The slaves fell asleep over their oars. Again and again he came up, and each time that he did so he brought with him a beautiful pearl. The master of the galley weighed them, and put them into a little bag of green leather. The young King tried to speak, but his tongue seemed to cleave to the roof of his mouth, and his lips refused to move. The negroes chattered to each other, and began to quarrel over a string of bright beads. Two cranes flew round and round the vessel. Then the diver came up for the last time, and the pearl that he brought with him was fairer than all the pearls of Ormuz, for it was shaped like the full moon, and whiter than the morning star. But his face was strangely pale, and as he fell upon the deck the blood gushed from his ears and nostrils. He quivered for a little, and then he was still. The negroes shrugged their shoulders, and threw the body overboard. And the master of the galley laughed, and, reaching out, he took the pearl, and when he saw it he pressed it to his forehead and bowed. It shall be, he said, for the sceptre of the young King, and he made a sign to the negroes to draw up the anchor. And when the young King heard this he gave a great cry, and woke, and through the window he saw the long grey fingers of the dawn clutching at the fading stars. And he fell asleep again, and dreamed, and this was his dream. He thought that he was wandering through a dim wood, hung with strange fruits and with beautiful poisonous flowers. The adders hissed at him as he went by, and the bright parrots flew screaming from branch to branch. Huge tortoises lay asleep upon the hot mud. The trees were full of apes and peacocks. On and on he went, till he reached the outskirts of the wood, and there he saw an immense multitude of men toiling in the bed of a dried-up river. They swarmed up the crag like ants. They dug deep pits in the ground and went down into them. Some of them cleft the rocks with great axes; others grabbled in the sand. They tore up the cactus by its roots, and trampled on the scarlet blossoms. They hurried about, calling to each other, and no man was idle. From the darkness of a cavern Death and Avarice watched them, and Death said, I am weary; give me a third of them and let me go. But Avarice shook her head. They are my servants, she answered. And Death said to her, What hast thou in thy hand? I have three grains of corn, she answered; what is that to thee? Give me one of them, cried Death, to plant in my garden; only one of them, and I will go away. I will not give thee anything, said Avarice, and she hid her hand in the fold of her raiment. And Death laughed, and took a cup, and dipped it into a pool of water, and out of the cup rose Ague. She passed through the great multitude, and a third of them lay dead. A cold mist followed her, and the water-snakes ran by her side. And when Avarice saw that a third of the multitude was dead she beat her breast and wept. She beat her barren bosom, and cried aloud. Thou hast slain a third of my servants, she cried, get thee gone. There is war in the mountains of Tartary, and the kings of each side are calling to thee. The Afghans have slain the black ox, and are marching to battle. They have beaten upon their shields with their spears, and have put on their helmets of iron. What is my valley to thee, that thou shouldst tarry in it? Get thee gone, and come here no more. Nay, answered Death, but till thou hast given me a grain of corn I will not go. But Avarice shut her hand, and clenched her teeth. I will not give thee anything, she muttered. And Death laughed, and took up a black stone, and threw it into the forest, and out of a thicket of wild hemlock came Fever in a robe of flame. She passed through the multitude, and touched them, and each man that she touched died. The grass withered beneath her feet as she walked. And Avarice shuddered, and put ashes on her head. Thou art cruel, she cried; thou art cruel. There is famine in the walled cities of India, and the cisterns of Samarcand have run dry. There is famine in the walled cities of Egypt, and the locusts have come up from the desert. The Nile has not overflowed its banks, and the priests have cursed Isis and Osiris. Get thee gone to those who need thee, and leave me my servants. Nay, answered Death, but till thou hast given me a grain of corn I will not go. I will not give thee anything, said Avarice. And Death laughed again, and he whistled through his fingers, and a woman came flying through the air. Plague was written upon her forehead, and a crowd of lean vultures wheeled round her. She covered the valley with her wings, and no man was left alive. And Avarice fled shrieking through the forest, and Death leaped upon his red horse and galloped away, and his galloping was faster than the wind. And out of the slime at the bottom of the valley crept dragons and horrible things with scales, and the jackals came trotting along the sand, sniffing up the air with their nostrils. And the young King wept, and said: Who were these men, and for what were they seeking? For rubies for a kings crown, answered one who stood behind him. And the young King started, and, turning round, he saw a man habited as a pilgrim and holding in his hand a mirror of silver. And he grew pale, and said: For what king? And the pilgrim answered: Look in this mirror, and thou shalt see him. And he looked in the mirror, and, seeing his own face, he gave a great cry and woke, and the bright sunlight was streaming into the room, and from the trees of the garden and pleasaunce the birds were singing. And the Chamberlain and the high officers of State came in and made obeisance to him, and the pages brought him the robe of tissued gold, and set the crown and the sceptre before him. And the young King looked at them, and they were beautiful. More beautiful were they than aught that he had ever seen. But he remembered his dreams, and he said to his lords: Take these things away, for I will not wear them. And the courtiers were amazed, and some of them laughed, for they thought that he was jesting. But he spake sternly to them again, and said: Take these things away, and hide them from me. Though it be the day of my coronation, I will not wear them. For on the loom of Sorrow, and by the white hands of Pain, has this my robe been woven. There is Blood in the heart of the ruby, and Death in the heart of the pearl. And he told them his three dreams. And when the courtiers heard them they looked at each other and whispered, saying: Surely he is mad; for what is a dream but a dream, and a vision but a vision? They are not real things that one should heed them. And what have we to do with the lives of those who toil for us? Shall a man not eat bread till he has seen the sower, nor drink wine till he has talked with the vinedresser? And the Chamberlain spake to the young King, and said, My lord, I pray thee set aside these black thoughts of thine, and put on this fair robe, and set this crown upon thy head. For how shall the people know that thou art a king, if thou hast not a kings raiment? And the young King looked at him. Is it so, indeed? he questioned. Will they not know me for a king if I have not a kings raiment? They will not know thee, my lord, cried the Chamberlain. I had thought that there had been men who were kinglike, he answered, but it may be as thou sayest. And yet I will not wear this robe, nor will I be crowned with this crown, but even as I came to the palace so will I go forth from it. And he bade them all leave him, save one page whom he kept as his companion, a lad a year younger than himself. Him he kept for his service, and when he had bathed himself in clear water, he opened a great painted chest, and from it he took the leathern tunic and rough sheepskin cloak that he had worn when he had watched on the hillside the shaggy goats of the goatherd. These he put on, and in his hand he took his rude shepherds staff. And the little page opened his big blue eyes in wonder, and said smiling to him, My lord, I see thy robe and thy sceptre, but where is thy crown? And the young King plucked a spray of wild briar that was climbing over the balcony, and bent it, and made a circlet of it, and set it on his own head. This shall he my crown, he answered. And thus attired he passed out of his chamber into the Great Hall, where the nobles were waiting for him. And the nobles made merry, and some of them cried out to him, My lord, the people wait for their king, and thou showest them a beggar, and others were wroth and said, He brings shame upon our state, and is unworthy to be our master. But he answered them not a word, but passed on, and went down the bright porphyry staircase, and out through the gates of bronze, and mounted upon his horse, and rode towards the cathedral, the little page running beside him. And the people laughed and said, It is the Kings fool who is riding by, and they mocked him. And he drew rein and said, Nay, but I am the King. And he told them his three dreams. And a man came out of the crowd and spake bitterly to him, and said, Sir, knowest thou not that out of the luxury of the rich cometh the life of the poor? By your pomp we are nurtured, and your vices give us bread. To toil for a hard master is bitter, but to have no master to toil for is more bitter still. Thinkest thou that the ravens will feed us? And what cure hast thou for these things? Wilt thou say to the buyer, "Thou shalt buy for so much," and to the seller, "Thou shalt sell at this price"? I trow not. Therefore go back to thy Palace and