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    December 23, 1854.] THE LEADER. 1219

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    I. ^^^Rince Edward, Prince Alfred, And P...

    blessed assurance our friends here will bear me out ; and so might some of those who have gone before you by that -unhappy experience in finding Englishmen not around them . Sir , the strength and truth of battle at Crecy lay not : in the clothyard shaft , and lietJh not in your petronels , though they be of the best , but in the English heart ; and woe to the Prince that mistrusteth that heart , for if he be not the enemy , he is the traitor of England . " " Prince , " cried the Fairy , " that is your second lesson . But now you must go on your quest ; but I tell you that you shall receive it here whence you . started , and these are the hands that shall give it you—the hands of the Lady of Salisbury . " So she said , and yet she was alone with the Prince . The young Edward kneeling , very devoutly kissed her hand to take leave ; and then set forth on his pilgrimage .

    Scarcely had the Prince , however , moved away ere he remembered himself , and running back , asked the lady if she would tell him the way . " There are many -ways , " she answered ; " seek and you will find . "

    II . The Prince walked on , ever delighted by the beauty of all around him ; and even when the scene grew less beautiful , still he loved the air that brought strength and happiness to his breast , and he liked the change because it was change . At last he came to a great town , where everybody was so busy that no one could attend to him . ; and by this time he felt very hungry . So he stopped one man who looked rather more good-natured than the rest , and told him how hungry he was , and asked for some food . " Food ! ' cried the man , " none can eat that do not work : least of all likel

    y lads like you . " "I am on a long journey , " said the youth . " Well then , you tnust walk and fast , " answered the mail ; " travellers must take care of themselves . " " But I am in search of something that will be of great benefit to tny country . " The man laughed very loud at that , and said that people who were in search of something- for the good of their country always starved , and were too useless to be rescued from starving . So the Prince saw that he must have a . harder search than he thought , for he must travel and work too . " That , " be said to himself after the fairy's way , "is your third lesson , Edward . But perhaps , " 'he thought , "I shall find it where I work ; for who can tell where the gifts of God lie hidden V

    So he followed the man into a . great building , where the rooms were large and the walls bare , and the air clogged with oily vapours , and the people pale and saddened in face ; in short * a place as unlike the dear earth as if one had set himself to create a world exactly the reverse of God ' s own ; and the Prince began to fear that be was in the devil ' s house . The room was fuD of ingeniously-contrived machines , each cne spinning as many threads as fifty women ; and the man set him to one of these machines , to watch the threads that they did not break . " But , " said the Prince , " that is women ' s work ; it is , indeed , less , since the machine does half . " "Well , " cried the man , " do as you like ; work or starve ; but see how many as good as you are content and glad to do half woman ' s work . " Perforce then , the Prince did as he was bidden , and . he worked many days . But when he had done , he had let so many threads be broken , and had so little wages left after the fines , that he knew he should not be able for years and years to fill his purse to travel with ; and it is a sad thing to work on through daylight and dark , trying to reach-what makes life intelligible and independent , and only to reach it or see it in the distance when life fades and expires . So taking his leave of his master , who was not the devil ' s steward , he knew , for he meant no ill , the Prince set out again and left the town .

    " Aye , " he exclaimed , as he once more faced the air , " it is better to be hungry , and feed on this . " And when he had got away , he thought sadly of those he had left behind , and who had no motive given to them by a good fairy to leave that hopeless life and come away ; but lived there crowding , poisonin g each other , barely feeding , striving bravely to learn without time to learn in , dooming their progeny to their own death-life , and reproached by the master for the inborn hopes that would not die out and sometimes spoke forth . Hunger is not the worst fiend that dogs the man that travelleth , but after hunger comes faintness , which stops even the journey to food ; and the Prince felt that coming on , when he met a stout farmer . " Stout farmer , "

    he cried , give me to eat , and— " he continued , stopping the word in the man's mouth— " I will work for it . " " Say you so , my lad ; thou sbalt have a day ' s wage . " " And perhaps , " thought the Prince , " I may dig up what I seek . " So he worked hard all that day , and the man g . ive him some money . Yet when ho had paid for his food and his bed , he found that ho had nothing left 5 but he had to begin again at dawn . Now the farmer was a kindhearted man , so the Prince told him what he told the master spinner ; and the farmer did not laugh : but he did not understand . "A likely lad like thee , " ho said , " may do what none of these poor folks do , and may get to be a farmer ; but thou must work for ' t , lad . So just go on as thou art . " u It is the same , " thought the Prince ; * ' I may get the means of finding when it is too late . "

    And beyond food , or comfort , or safety , or life , ho loved his search ; and , therefore , he left the farm and walked on , until he onmo to a port . There he saw a large bill , tolling everybody that a good ship was sailing to the country where all mans desires were satisfied ; so he went to tho captain , and asked him for si voyage . The captain held out his hand for tlio money , and when the- I ' rinco said that ho held none , the man told him that he could not go , unless ho workod . " Gladly , " answered the Prince ; and he stepped on boaird . Ho had to assist tho men in helping the people and goods on board ; but he was strong , and tho men were kind , and at last it w « s all done ; and than they sailed . The Prince had often been on his mother ' s favourite ship , and loll half at home , an < l almost a sailor . " At all events , " no said , thinking of thus factory and tho farm , and remembering how much sweeter hunger was when ho tended tho beasts and tho corn , growing after God's good laws , than a full belly in a poisoned air , " I shall have to fame- nothing worse thun God hns mado . " But the nhijp waa not hie mother's favourite ship , and the captain wus not tho lady his mother . Ono night it came on to rain and blow , and ho was on dock ; but he had nothing particular to do , mid lie thought ho would go down into his cabin , cloaa aa it whs . Just as ho bogan to descend , a auilor

    struck him a smart blow with a rope ' s end , and told him not to skulk Edward did not mind the blow , but he did mind the bein <* thought a skulker ; _ so he stopped on deck , although he was nearly washed ° off and felt so wet with salt water that he thought he was a sponge or a piece ' of bread soaking in salt broth . Some time after the master said he anio-ht as well begiu to go aloft , and then he learned how a ship looks from the top of a pole making a sweep of scores of yards . It must fall , he thought ; but it didn ' t . ] Sfor did he . Afterwards one day he was told that he must go out on the yard—must crawl along that round , wet , slippery spar , wavLno-and jerking over the waves that now rose up and tried to reach himand ° now

    , opened to let him in as he fell . " It will be my death , " thought the Prince . " and I shall never find what I seek . " But it wasn't his death . He was not worse off , poor Prince , than many a bold fell ow . At last they passed the Cape of Storms , and here they felt safe ; but then came the worst storm they ever had had , and the ship , atter straining , and groaning , and beatinothe waves , was dashed upon the rocks , and went to pieces . " Well , " cried the good Prince , as he felt himself sinking , "if it is God ' s law that I seek no more but in the other world , it is best so ; but who can tell till he tries ?" So he struck out bravely , and for all his boots he managed to crawl on shore-

    -He scrambled over the rocks , and walked on into the country , again faint and hungry . At last he saw something coming over the plain , which might be a host ; but he found that it was a great herd of cattle , with long horns , walking , trotting , galloping , tossing their heads , and lifting their noses wildly into the . air . Few trees were there near , but he got behind one to let the herd pass without trampling him down ; and behind the beasts he found a man on horseback , with a rifle at his saddle and a great whip , and he told the man what had befallen him . " You shall tend my herd , " said the man j and so the Prince did , not only driving it , but helping the drovers of other , herds to keep watch against the black thieves of the border . " The rascals had been better since the Queen ' s Generals had thrashed them instead of petting , " said the farmer . u But why did they pet them before ? " asked the Prince . " Ohl I never could tell . I think they learned how to treat black

    savages by studying dame schools . But we soon taught them better . " tc How did you . do that ? " asked the Prince . " Why , you see , vre struck out ; and , young man , I will tell you one thing that may serve you as a settler— - for you will be a settler before you are old—that when kings govern badly , the shortest way for the people to get righted is just— - " u To do what ?" said the Prince , for that was coming close to his study . "To rebel , " said the farmer stoutly . " Are not fair words better— -a mild answer , you know •" " Mild answer be ! No ; deputations only get gracious replies . " " Have you tried ? " " Tried both , young man . They told us not to beat tnose thieves on the border , and we petitioned ^ and much good did it . The

    Dutchmen went over the border ; and for all the-King ' sent orders to bring them back , there they are—free . They sent us thieves home-made ; we sent our Governor to Coventry , and they sent the thieves away again . Einding us so stout to take care of ourselves , they began to take care of us , and gave us a free constitution as they call it ; and free enough we are— -for I have a voice in my own laws , 1 have a good rifle to proteet myself ; and now , if our good Queen wants it , that same rifle is at her service—to the death , my boy ; and can any man say more than that ? " But , although it was a fine life , the Prince did not fill his purse , for travel ; so he went down to the town , and took ship again with stout heart , and went on to the Land of Promise .

    A fine town did he land in , and a . pleasant . Everybody looked happy , so everybody was kind ; and bare as he was , the youth , being well educated , had his choice of work . Every man was free , every man could make way in life , every man could have a voice in the laws , every man bad hie rifle , and every man offered it for the service of his Queen . The Prince might sit in the bank and write , lie might tend a vineyard , keep a waggon , work on a farm , mind a store ; and all under a gay sua . lie tried them all , each after the other ; and found there , as at home , that whatever the gain , that labour is the sweetest which comes closest to tho working of God ' s own . laws in his own free air and under his own broad sun . " Kilt , " he asked , < e where is that which uruvn most wantsV" " Oh ! " cried these happy people , " that is in the desert behind us . " So the Prince went oh into the tawny desert .

    And faint enough he was with hunger , toiling over the hard ground under the broiling sun oi Christmas . At last he came up with a man who was busy about ^ the ground , —a rough-looking fellow , dressed in a leather-shirt over his trousers ; and again the Prince asked for food , offering to work for it . " Xou won ' t get much food out of this ground , " answered the man , " though we must all work for what we oat . Ihou canst buy some at tho store yonder or stay , hero is a biaeuit which 1 will soil thoc for a piece of silver , and that is cheap in this land . " u But I have no money , " said tho Prince . " God's life ! lad , why didst not say so ut first V Hero , take tho biscuit , and anothoc too , for Bob Oldham will never sec a comrade starve while ho huu a biscuit in his pocket . " When he had appeased his hunger somewhat , the Prince asked the man what they were working there for . " What for ? " asked the man , '" why for this ; " duel ho took up a large lump of something which ho gave to tho Prince . " Wliut is itV asked the young man . " Canst not tell it ? Mayhap thou hast not often aeon it so lurgo or so pure . It is gold ,

    lad ; wliat every man longs for—whut thousands of us come hero to dig , and when we come , wo fiuu that it will satisfy neither luinyer nor thirst . Xhou'lt grow no fatter in these diggings ; and if tliou wishusl to Jmy , thou must work longer than thou wouldst at loom or plough to gut a bellyful . " Seeing the man so fair a comrade , and fouling tho want of con verso In that desert , tho Prince frankly told him his whole bivvy . " What ! tlwu art thou a Prince ? " cried the man ; " a roul PriucoV Well , nil down , lad ; tliou'lt find , a scut with more gold in it Lhuu thy uioilior ' a ihruno , though ihou tiitteat upon the ground . " Tho Prince tola tlio man what he was iu ueurch of . " Well , " cried Oldhiun , " thou ' st cumu to thu othur aide of the world , with . thy foot right opposite to thoao nt homo , mid thuu ' at not found it yet ; but I don ' t think thou canst bo far wrong , it in uot this , at all events , '' he > criod , tossing the gold in his hand ; " wo know what thut ht worth und what it isn ' t ; but when thou imd I como together at tho opposite side of tho otirth , and

    December 23, 1854.] The Leader. 1219

    December 23 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 1219

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 23, 1854, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_23121854/page/19/