(D.)

After the Prince has thus escaped, he flies on to his father's court, alone. But he returns, as we shall presently see. In this, and other minute particulars, the French romance of 'Cleomades' agrees with Mr. Lane's version:

"Then anxious thoughts were aroused in the mind of the king's son by his love of the damsel, the daughter of the King of Sana: so he rose, and went to the horse and mounted it, and turned the pin of ascent; whereupon it soared with him into the air, and rose with him towards the upper region of the sky. And in the morning, his father missed him, and found him not: he therefore went up to the top of the palace, in a state of affliction, and he beheld his son mounting into the air; and upon this he grieved for his separation, and repented extremely that he had not taken the horse and concealed it.

"Then he led her up to the roof of the palace, mounted his horse, and placed her on it behind him, and after he had bound her firmly, he turned the pin of ascent in the shoulder of the horse, and it ascended with them into the sky. Upon this the female slaves cried out, and acquainted the king her father, and her mother, who thereupon came up in haste to the roof of the palace; and the king, looking up into the sky, beheld the ebony horse soaring with them in the air. The king was agitated, and his agitation increased, and he called out and said, O son of the king, I conjure thee by Allah that thou have mercy upon my wife, and that thou make not a separation between us and our daughter! The king's son, however, answered him not; but he imagined that the damsel repented of parting from her mother and her father; so he said to her, O temptation of the age, dost thou desire that I restore thee to thy mother and thy father? O my master, she answered, by Allah that is not my desire: my desire is rather to be with thee wherever thou shalt be; for I am drawn off by my love of thee from everything else, even from my father and my mother. And when the king's son heard her reply, he rejoiced exceedingly, and began to make the horse proceed gently with them, that it might not disquiet her; and he ceased not to journey on with her until he beheld a green meadow, in which was a spring of water. There they alighted, and ate, and drank; after which the king's son mounted his horse again, took her up behind him, and bound her, in his fear for her. He then proceeded with her, and ceased not in his course through the air until he arrived at the city of his father."

THE WONDROUS HORSE OF BRASS.

We select from 'The Squire's Tale,' of Chaucer, the passages which bear reference to the Wondrous Horse:'

Right as it were a steed of Lumbardy,
Therewith so horsely and so quick of eye
As it a gentle Pocleis courser were;
For certés from his tail unto his ear
Nature nor art, ne could not him amend
In no degree, as all the people ween'd.

But evermore their mosté wonder was
How that it couldé go and was of brass:
It was of Faerie, as the people seeméd:
Diversé folk diversély had deeméd:
As many heads as many wittés been,
They murmuréd as doth a swarm of been,
And maden skillés after their fantasies,
Rehearsing of the oldé poetries,
And said it was ylike the Pegasee,
The horse that haddé wingés for to flee,
Or else it was the Greekés horse Sinon,
That broughté Troyé to destruction,
As men may in these oldé gestés read.

(skilles, reasons.

(gestes, stories.

Such wond'ring was there on this horse of brass,
That since the great assiege of Troyé was,
There as men wond'red on a horse also,
Ne was there such a wond'ring as was tho.
But, finally, the king asketh the knight
The virtue of this courser and the might,
And prayed him to tell his governance.

This horse anon 'gan for to trip and dance,
When that the knight laid hand upon his rein,
And saidé," Sire, there is no more to sain,
But when you list to riden anywhere,

Ye moten trill a pin stant in his ear,

Which I shall tellen you betwixt us two,

(tho, then.

(stant, standing.

Ye moten nempn' him to what place also (moten nempn', must name. Or to what country, that you list to ride.

And when ye come thereas you list abide,

Bid him descend, and trill another pin,

(For therein li'th th' effect of all the gin)

(gin, engine.

And he will down descend and do your will,

And, in that place he will abiden still.

Though all the world had the contráry swore,
He shall not thence be drawen nor be bore:

(clepen, call.

Or if you list to bid him thennés gone,
Trillé this pin, and he will van'sh anon
Out of the sight of every manner wight,
And come again, be it by day or night,
When that you list to clepen him again,
In such a guise as I shall to you sain
Betwixen you and me, and that full soon.
Ride when you list, there n'is no more to done.
Enformed when the king was of the knight,
And hath conceived in his wit aright

The manner and the form of all this thing,
Full glad and blith this noble doughty king
Repairéth to his revel as beforn,

The bridle is into the tow'r yborne,

And kept among his jewels lefe and dear:
The horse vanish'd, I n'ot in what mannere,
Out of their sight.

(lefe, pleasing.

(n'ot, know not.