Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second SeriesBottrell, William
General
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
Bottrell, William
Cornwall (England : County) -- Social life and customs; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
At length the Queen, feeling drowsy, reclined in a long
window-seat, thence rolled on the floor, where she lay puffing
and snoring, unable to rise. Dame Pendar, by so often drinking
"Here's health and long life to 'e, my dear lady, the Queen,"
was too fuddled to help her up, so she lay down with her for
company; and old Joan, who had been sipping of all sorts, and
drinking everybody's health, was stretched under the kitchen
table.
The Queen's attendants, having passed hours in viewing the
Logan Rock and other wonders of Castle-Treen, 'couranted' about
amongst the rocks, where they found pleasant places for courting,
till nearly sunset. They then, concluding it was too late for going
to the Land's End, mounted and returned to Baranhual, that
they might wait on their royal mistress, and reach Moushal in
time to be on board before dark. They galloped away in hot
haste, expecting to find Her Majesty impatiently awaiting their
return; but, sad to say, they found her—all her state forgotten—lying
helpless on the floor, beside Dame Pendar. The royal
lady was hastily lifted on her palfrey; Joan Taskes—now the
least drunk of the three—helped to fasten a giss (hempen girth)
across her Majesty's lap, to keep her safe in the saddle, and they
quickly departed.
Now it so happened that Squire Pendar, his wife, and their
servants, tired waiting for the Queen, in Church-town, till near
night, returned home across the fields, Selena way, arrived at the
Green-court gate just in time to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty
under the trees that darkened the avenue. He had the merest
glance of her going down hill with her head drooping over
her horse's mane, and a gentleman holding her steady; and
that's the last seen of her in Buryan. Squire Pendar, his wife,
and their servants were all rather muddled too, from having passed
all day at Church-town with hundreds of gentle and simple, in
drinking "Here's to the Queen and ourselves, comrades;" yet
he and his wife expressed great surprise and ill-humour at
finding their house all in disorder.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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