The Well at the World's End: A Tale, Volume 2Longmans, Green and Company, 1903 - 657 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
abide amidst amongst anigh armour arms bade belike betimes betwixt Bourton Bull Burg Burgers captain carles Champions chapmen Clement cried dastard deemed drave drew Dry Tree eyes face fair lord fair sir fear fell foemen forsooth Four Friths Goldburg goodly grass guisarme hand hath hauberk hearken heart High House Higham horse King Peter King Ralph kissed knew Lady land laughed Lord of Utterbol men-at-arms mountains naught nigh night quoth raiment Ralph and Ursula Ralph rose Redhead Richard ride rode Roger Sage of Swevenham sallet slain smiled sooth spake stood sweet sword tale tell thee thereof therewith thine thither thou art thou hast thou shalt thou wert thou wilt thrall told took turned venison voice weapons wend whereas wild things wildwood wilt thou wise withal woman wood word World's End Wulstead
Popular passages
Page 76 - Mountains are stronger and more godlike than we, as all tales tell; and ye wear away your lives desiring that which ye may scarce get; and ye set your hearts on high things, desiring to be masters of the very Gods. Therefore ye know sickness and sorrow, and oft ye die before your time, so that ye must depart and leave undone things which ye deem ye were born to do; which to all men is grievous. And because of all this ye desire healing and thriving, whether good come of it, or ill. Therefore ye do...
Page 54 - Despite the terror of the desert and the lonely ways, when Ralph laid him down on his stony bed, happiness wrapped his heart about. Albeit all this while he durst not kiss or caress her, save very measurely, for he deemed that she would not suffer it ; nor as yet would he ask her wherefore, though he had it in his mind that he would not always forbear to ask her. Many days they rode that pass of the mountains, though...
Page 43 - Yet since the journey shall be yet with grievous toil and much peril, and shall try the very hearts within you, were ye as wise as Solomon and as mighty as Alexander, I will say this much unto you ; that if ye love not the earth and the world with all your souls, and will not strive all ye may to be frank and happy therein, your toil and peril aforesaid shall win you no blessing, but a curse.
Page 43 - Friths, who even now, it may be, are pierced by their own staff or overwhelmed by their own wall. But rather I bid you to live in peace and patience without fear or hatred, and to succour the oppressed and love the lovely, and to be the friends of men, so that when ye are dead at last, men may say of you, they brought down Heaven to the Earth for a little while.
Page 92 - Well came gushing forth from a hollow therein in a great swelling wave as clear as glass; and the sun glistened in it and made a foam-bow about its edges. But above the issue of the waters the black rock had been smoothed by man's art, and thereon was graven the Sword and the Bough, and above it these words, to wit: YE WHO HAVE COME A LONG WAY TO LOOK UPON ME, DRINK OF ME, IF YE DEEM THAT YE BE STRONG ENOUGH IN DESIRE TO BEAR LENGTH OF DAYS: OR ELSE DRINK NOT; BUT BOOK III TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND THE...
Page 83 - But a very midmost of this dreary theatre rose up a huge and monstrous tree, whose topmost branches were even the horns which they had seen from below the hill's brow. Leafless was that tree and lacking of twigs, and its bole upheld but some fifty of great limbs, and as they looked on it, they doubted whether it were not made by men's hands rather than grown up out of the earth. All round about the roots of it was a pool of clear water, that cast back the image of the valley-side and the bright sky...
Page 75 - true it is that the water of that Well shall cause a man to thrive in all ways, and to live through many generations of men, maybe, in honour and good-liking; but it may not keep any man alive for ever; for so have the Gods given us the gift of death lest we weary of life. Now our folk live well and hale, and without the sickness and pestilence, such as I have heard oft befall folk in other lands: even as I heard the Sage of Swevenham say, and I wondered at his words.
Page 94 - Yea, and for thee," she said. Now that level place, or bench-table, went up to the very gushing and green bow of the water, so Ralph took Ursula's hand and led her along, she going a little after him, till he was close to the Well, and stood amidst the spray-bow thereof, so that he looked verily like one of the painted angels on the choir wall of St. Laurence of Upmeads. Then he reached...
Page 124 - I gave her rich gifts and good lands, and freedom, to boot her for her many stripes. And lo there, King's Son and Sweet Lady, the end of all my tale.