Rein

“ The horse, accustomed to the resistance of a heavy vehicle, moves forward with slow and heavy strides. Urged to greater speed, he rolls his shoulders so that it is almost impossible to rise to his trot. When put to the canter he pounds along the road, his hind-feet kept far in the rear and his head swaying up and down, while, missing the customary support of the bearing-rein, he all the time leans his heavy head on his rider's delicate arm, till it seems as if she would be pulled out of the saddle. ”

“ These figures combine the irresistible energy with the sublime and perfect loveliness supposed to have belonged to their divine nature. The reins no longer exist, but the position of their hands and the sustained and calm command of their regard, seem to require no mechanical aid to enforce obedience. ”

“ Queen. Farewell, good knight, and as thou darest,
Remember them, though they forget themselves.
[Exit Morton.
Bishop. Your grace herein is very well advised.
With resolution fitting your degree,
Your grace must show yourself to be a king,
And rule like God's vicegerent here on earth,
The looks of kings do lend both life and death,
[Pg 389] And when a king doth set down his decree,
His sentence should be irrevocable.
Your grace herein hath shown your princely mind,
In that you hate to prey on carrion flesh ”

“ Perhaps we err greatly in cherishing thoughts of resistance and of bloodshed. Let us rejoice that there is a kingdom which is stable, and which shall know no end; whose Prince is the Prince of Peace. Angels are its heralds, and saints its warriors. Love and mercy are the twin pillars of our Prince's throne; and gentle hands and loving hearts may battle for His supremacy. 'Tis a Kingdom in which torn and bleeding hearts may find the herb called heartsease, and sweet content. ”

“ It was built—for till now it ne’er welcomed a Prince!
A Prince, then, was coming—a Prince of Blood Royal—
The son of a Queen to whom every one’s loyal;
A Prince, too, who wears the triumphant blue jacket,
To guard from affronting
That famed bit of bunting,
And pitch into the foe who shall dare to attack it. ”

“ Reign, Thou Son of Mary, in the midst of heretics and blasphemers! Reign, Thou Galilæan, in the midst of infidels once rebels! Reign, Thou Nazarene, in the midst of Julians and persecutors! Reign, Thou innocent Lamb, in the midst of ravening wolves! Reign, Thou Lamb which was slain, in the midst of angels and all the elect!’ I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. ”

“ THE PRINCESS. I had rather be a Gypsy, and choose my lover as I wandered the roads!
THE KING. But you are a Princess, and your choosing is between peace and war. Do you choose war?
THE PRINCESS (fiercely) For myself, yes. I would gladly lead an army against you. I would destroy with the sword everything that your kingdom stands for. And you—I would kill with pleasure.
THE KING. You might kill me, but the things for which my kingdom stands you cannot kill. They are indestructible. They are older than the world, and will last longer. ”

“ Nobles of the people, select from among you a deputation of twelve honest men, to seek the prince and accompany him to the throne. My horse shall show them the path, trotting before you free and unburdened; and as a sign that you have found that which you are sent out to seek, observe that the man whom the gods have selected for your prince, will at the time when you approach him, be taking his meal at an iron table, beneath the open sky, and in the shadow of a lonely tree. ”

“ The keen voice of a bell,
"Lan-up, lan-up," they ring,
And call and call the king
With the voice of the old spell
That they inherit from the hermit's bell—
Five times as strong,—
The king must go ere long—
He has the key to the garden gates,
He only waits
In courtesy to say the queen farewell.
Alas! Alas! The king is mad!
The people throng to see him pass,
And he has heard a mass.
All the world is convinced of his madness, especially lovers. ”

“ My prince, you have spoken as with the tongue of an angel, and I swear to you and to your royal mother that I will never forget this moment. The kiss I have impressed upon the hand of my future king is at once the seal of a solemn vow and the oath of unchangeable fidelity and devotion to my king and the royal family. Dauphin of France, you have to-day gained a soldier for your throne who is prepared to shed his last drop of blood for you and your house, and on whose loyalty you may always count. ”

“ And every gum's a comrade old and every oak's a friend;
But gone the smiling faces that welcomed her of yore —
They crowd her tented places and hold her hand no more.
And she, the friend they once could trust to serve their eager wish,
Shall show no more the golden dust that hides in many a dish;
And through the dismal mullock-heaps she threads her mournful way
Where here and there some gray-beard keeps his windlass-watch to-day;
Half-flood no more she looses her reins as once of old
To wash the busy sluices and whisper through the gold. ”

“ Great God! incomprehensible, unknown
By sense, we bow at thine exalted throne.
Oh, while we beg thine excellence to feel,
Thy sacred Spirit to our hearts reveal,
And give us of that mercy to partake,
Which thou hast promised for the Saviour's sake! ”

“ Now when the King heard this, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and said, “O excellent Sage, thou hast indeed come to us at a time when we need thee.” Then he acquainted him with the case of the Princess, adding, “If thou cure her and recover her from her madness, thou shalt have of me everything thou seekest.” Replied the Prince, 28“Allah save and favour the King: describe to me all thou hast seen of her insanity and tell me how long it is since the access attacked her; also how thou camest by her and the horse and the Sage.” ”

“ The king filled his cup and called the prince and gave it to him and said: ‘Name your wish! it is yours.’ The prince drained off the wine and answered: ‘O king of the world! learn and know that I have only one aim in life, and this is to know what the rose did to the cypress.’
‘Never yet,’ replied the king, ‘has any man come out from that question alive. ”

“ In cheerful praises to the power divine. To sing thy praise, do thou, O God! inspire A mortal breast with more than mortal fire. In dreadful majesty thou sitt'st enthroned, With light encircled, and with glory crown'd: Through all infinitude extends thy reign, For thee, nor heaven, nor heaven of heavens contain; But though thy throne is fix'd above the sky Thy omnipresence fills immensity. BYRON. BY LUCRETIA M. DAVIDSON. ”

“ O Mother of our Eternal Prince, the King of Glory, by those sharp Thorns wherewith His Sacred Head was pierced, we beseech thee to obtain, through thine intercession, that we may be delivered from all emotions of pride, and escape that shame which our sins deserve on the day of judgment. ”

“ What! but that which is written in the Scripture of the prince of pride—‘I will climb up into heaven; I will set my throne above the stars; I will sit me down on the mount of the covenant; I will make myself even with the Most High.’ . ”

“ Within the Hall of Columns now the two minstrels stand,
Upon his throne the monarch, his queen at his right hand;
The king all dread and stately—a blood red Northern Light,
The queen all sweet and gentle—a full moon shining bright. ”

“ A proclamation was sent out as the King commanded, saying that whoever could kill the Stoorworm or drive it away should have the Princess, and the half of the kingdom as a reward, and the King’s sword, and after the King’s death should reign over the whole realm. ”

“ Every word is truth, sire.
King of Hearts. Then go thou and seek the fire-crackers. (To the other Knaves.) And go ye with him. (To the Knave of Hearts.) The Queen holds my word that if thou bringest them back, I spare thy life. Now look to thyself. Away! ”

“ My most honoured king and lord, the prince, my betrothed, knows the vow I made when I was carried away by Vikhar the Storm—only to give my hand to him who should succeed in guessing my six enigmas. Is a princess with golden locks permitted to break her word? ”

“ The Prince he sought, only great princes, strong
And valorous he found, who bowed them down
Before the power of Evil; but for them
He took no thought, who had seen their master blench
Before the Lord of Light; but him indeed
He saw not yet; filled with the pride of life,
A satisfied soul which bowed not down to wrong,
Touched with desire for good, since good was strong,
But loving strength alone. ”

“ Some one of us far back was a king, and this is the badge of a king's house. There comes a day, little one, when the fruit of our bodies shall possess a throne. See that the lad be royal in thought and deed, as he is royal in blood. ”

“ Before the throne my Surety stands,
Before the throne my Surety stands;
My name is written on his hands.
He ever lives above,
For me to intercede,
His all redeeming love,
His precious blood to plead ”

“ Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers ”

“ And though a Crown is no certain Title to Content; yet to the Honour of that Institution be it said, the Royal Harmony of Hearts that now inchants us from the Throne, is a Reproach to the frequent Disquiet of those many insensible Subjects about it, who (from his Majesty's paternal Care of his People) have more Leisure to be happy: And 'tis our Queen's peculiar Glory, that we often see Her as eminently rais'd above her Circle, in private Happiness, as in Dignity. ”

“ The king, who was braver than they, and felt it needful to set them a good example besides, had never left his seat, and when at a new command of the princess the bear once more turned into a man, he was silent from astonishment, and a suspicion of the truth began to dawn on him. 'Was it he who fetched the sword?' asked the king. ”

“ Since the happiest day of the glorious enthronement of his Imperial Majesty, the greatest, wisest of all the rulers of the universe, we most fortunate subjects of the pearly throne—the glory of which equals the brightness of the celestial constellations—have always been enjoying innumerable and marvellous signs of his bottomless ocean of wisdom and unparalleled prudence, which is the miraculous heavenly gift to the worthiest of all the monarchs upon thrones. ”

“ In a moment the king became as white as snow, to the great rejoicings of all his people. But no one was so pleased as the king himself, so he said again, “Only ask! I will give you whatever you wish, even if it be my throne!” ”

“ More than one queen, for reasons of state, placed at the side of a mighty king, has gazed each night in hopeless adoration at the miniature of some one far from the throne, yet who, supreme and alone, reigned in her heart. ”

“ An ideal Queen and an ideal Prince, a thin disguise over the tokens of their magnificence, stealing out with their companions, like so many ghosts, to enjoy common sights and experiences and the little thrill of adventure in the undetected deed. ”

“ Three Kings from the far-off East, bearing rich and costly presents.
They bow down low to the ground, and offer rare gifts: bright gold to the Infant King; sweet frankincense to God, who has come on earth; bitter myrrh to the Son of Man, who is to die for men. ”

“ The giant picked up the ball, and to the surprise of the princess he was transformed into the handsome young prince she had seen in her dreams. They went back together to the king and queen, and before long there was a great marriage-feast, and the princess became the wife of the prince she had delivered from his enchantment. After the death of the king the prince became the ruler of the kingdom, and he and his queen lived happily all the days of their life. ”

“ Only the High Gods are omnipotent, Your Excellency; but, if I have seen rightly, he is as a god to us of the lower life, and therefore I would pray you again to utterly relinquish your lately and, as I have dared for your sake to say, rashly-formed designs to make the Queen who was, and his daughter that is, the sharer of your future throne. ”

“ Thus, when death, which cannot fail to come at last, shall summon us, we may follow him with joy to the throne of the Good and Great King, to hear him pronounce these sweet and consoling words: O good and faithful servant! ”

“ The prince but ask'd a question.
BAL. In faith, Hieronimo, and you be in earnest,
I'll make one.
LOR. And I another.
HIERO. Now, my good lord, could you entreat,
Your sister, Bel-imperia, to make one,—
For what's a play without a woman in it? ”

“ Slow-pacing past the throne with large black eyes
Fixed on the ground, for when they saw the Prince
More than the awe of Majesty made beat
Their fluttering hearts, he sate so passionless,
Gentle, but so beyond them. Each maid took
With down-dropped lids her gift, afraid to gaze ”

“ Alike in joy and sorrow bring
Thy mighty aid, God save the King!
4⁠And oh! when earthly thrones decay,
And earthly kingdoms fade away,
Grant him a throne in worlds on high,
A Crown of immortality. ⁠Amen. ”

“ For seven long years the spell had worked—
Comes then the Prince too late?
Lo! from her fair limbs fall the chains,
The rank weeds fade away;
Her Prince awakes her with a kiss
And knowledge brings the day. ”

“ Which Jesus's grace did bring,
And of the wild beasts in the field
The lion shall be king.
We'll choose our virtuous princess
Of birth and high degree,
In every sundry nation,
Whereer we come and see. ”

“ By life that will be for the brief life gone:
Hear, ere the shroud o'er these frail limbs be thrown--
Since every king is vassal unto thee,
My heart's lord needs must listen loyally--
O tell him I am waiting for my Death! ”