Children's literature; Fairy tales; People with disabilities -- Juvenile fiction; Princes -- Juvenile fiction
assuming his own shape, he boldly began to pluck the queen's cherries,
apricots, strawberries, and flowers, though he knew she set such a high
value on them that it was as much as a man's life was worth to touch
one. The gardeners, all amazed, came and told their majesties that
Prince Leander was making havoc of all the fruits and flowers in the
queen's gardens.
“What insolence!” said the queen: then turning to Furibon, “my pretty
child, forget the pain of thy ear but for a moment, and fetch that vile
wretch hither; take our guards, both horse and foot, seize him, and
punish him as he deserves.”
Furibon, encouraged by his mother, and attended by a great number of
armed soldiers, entered the garden and saw Leander; who, taking refuge
under a tree, pelted them all with oranges. But when they came running
toward him, thinking to have seized him, he was not to be seen; he had
slipped behind Furibon, who was in a bad condition already. But Leander
played him one trick more; for he pushed him down upon the gravel walk,
and frightened him so that the soldiers had to take him up, carry him
away, and put him to bed.
Satisfied with this revenge, he returned to his servants, who waited
for him, and giving them money, sent them back to his castle, that
none might know the secret of his red cap and roses. As yet he had
not determined whither to go; however, he mounted his fine horse
Gris-de-line, and, laying the reins upon his neck, let him take his
own road: at length he arrived in a forest, where he stopped to shelter
himself from the heat. He had not been above a minute there before he
heard a lamentable noise of sighing and sobbing; and looking about
him, beheld a man, who ran, stopped, then ran again, sometimes crying,
sometimes silent, then tearing his hair, then thumping his breast like
some unfortunate madman. Yet he seemed to be both handsome and young:
his garments had been magnificent, but he had torn them all to tatters.
The prince, moved with compassion, made toward him, and mildly accosted
him. “Sir,” said he, “your condition appears so deplorable that I must
ask the cause of your sorrow, assuring you of every assistance in my
power.”
“Oh, sir,” answered the young man, “nothing can cure my grief; this day
my dear mistress is to be sacrificed to a rich old ruffian of a husband
who will make her miserable.”
“Does she love you, then?” asked Leander.
“I flatter myself so,” answered the young man.
“Where is she?” continued Leander.
“In the castle at the end of this forest,” replied the lover.
“Very well,” said Leander; “stay you here till I come again, and in a
little while I will bring you good news.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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