English Fairy Tales

The Project Gutenberg eBook, English Fairy Tales, by Flora Annie Steel, Illustrated by Arthur Rackham This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: English Fairy Tales Author: Flora Annie Steel Release Date: November 9, 2005 [eBook #17034] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ENGLISH FAIRY TALES*** E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Janet Blenkinship, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 17034-h.htm or 17034-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/7/0/3/17034/17034-h/17034-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/7/0/3/17034/17034-h.zip) ENGLISH FAIRY-TALES Retold by FLORA ANNIE STEEL Illustrated by Arthur Rackham First published by Macmillan & Co. 1918 [Illustration: Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar at home (page 190).]CONTENTS ST. GEORGE OF MERRIE ENGLAND THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS TOM-TIT-TOT THE GOLDEN SNUFF-BOX TATTERCOATS THE THREE FEATHERS LAZY JACK JACK THE GIANT-KILLER THE THREE SILLIES THE GOLDEN BALL THE TWO SISTERS THE LAIDLY WORM TITTY MOUSE AND TATTY MOUSE JACK AND THE BEANSTALK THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY CATSKIN THE THREE LITTLE PIGS NIX NAUGHT NOTHING MR. AND MRS. VINEGAR THE TRUE HISTORY OF SIR THOMAS THUMB HENNY-PENNY THE THREE HEADS OF THE WELL MR. FOX DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG THE WEE BANNOCK HOW JACK WENT OUT TO SEEK HIS FORTUNE THE BOGEY-BEAST LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD CHILDE ROWLAND THE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM CAPORUSHES THE BABES IN THE WOOD THE RED ETTIN THE FISH AND THE RING LAWKAMERCYME MASTER OF ALL MASTERS MOLLY WHUPPIE AND THE DOUBLE-FACED GIANT THE ASS, THE TABLE, AND THE STICK THE WELL OF THE WORLD'S END THE ROSE TREE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar at home "Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!" Tattercoats dancing while the gooseherd pipes The giant Cormoran was the terror of all the country-side Taking the keys of the castle, Jack unlocked all the doors The giant Galligantua and the wicked old magician transform the duke's daughter into a white hind "Tree of mine! O Tree of mine! Have you seen my naughty little maid?" "Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman" She went along, and went along, and went along And that is the story of Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar They thanked her and said good-bye, and she went on her journey Many's the beating he had from the broomstick or the ladle When Puss saw the rats and mice she didn't wait to be told "Well!" she chuckled, "I am in luck!" She sat down and plaited herself an overall of rushes and a cap to match The fisherman and his wife had no children, and they were just longing for a baby IN TEXT Headpiece--St. George of Merrie England When she came to St. George she started and laid her hand on her heart "Somebody has been lying in my bed,--and here she is!" "What is that you are singing, my good woman?" A small, little, black Thing with a long tail Away That flew into the dark, and she never saw it no more They brought the Castle of the golden pillars Jack found it hard to hoist the donkey on his shoulders "Odds splutter hur nails!" cried the giant, not to be outdone. "Hur can do that hurself!" "Ah! Cousin Jack! Kind cousin Jack! This is heavy news indeed" Seated on a huge block of timber near the entrance to a dark cave On his way ... to be revenged The country folk flying before him like chaff before the wind Headpiece--The Three Sillies Headpiece--The Golden Ball He heard the bogles striving under the bed Headpiece--The Laidly Worm Tatty sat down and wept As he spoke he drew out of his pocket five beans Jack seized the axe and gave a great chop at the beanstalk So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house in Well! he huffed and he puffed ... but he could _not_ blow the house down At last he flew into a violent rage and flung his stick at the bird A spider one day attacked him "I will go first and you come after, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey" So she escaped The thorns closed in around her so that she was all scratched and torn Dick finds that the streets of London are not paved with gold Dick Whittington hears Bow Bells The old woman and her pig Headpiece--How Jack went out to seek his Fortune They both met together upon Nottingham bridge "A vengeance on her!" said they. "We did not make our hedge high enough" He took out the cheeses and rolled them down the hill And they left the eel to drown The hare ran on along the country way A courtier came riding by, and he did ask what they were seeking Headpiece--Lawkamercyme A funny-looking old gentleman engaged her and took her home White-faced simminy has got a spark of hot cockalorum on its tail [Illustration: Headpiece--St. George of Merrie England] ST. GEORGE OF MERRIE ENGLAND In the darksome depths of a thick forest lived Kalyb the fell enchantress. Terrible were her deeds, and few there were who had the hardihood to sound the brazen trumpet which hung over the iron gate that barred the way to the Abode of Witchcraft. Terrible were the deeds of Kalyb; but above all things she delighted in carrying off innocent new-born babes, and putting them to death. And this, doubtless, she meant to be the fate of the infant son of the Earl of Coventry, who long long years ago was Lord High Steward of England. Certain it is that the babe's father being absent, and his mother dying at his birth, the wicked Kalyb, with spells and charms, managed to steal the child from his careless nurses. But the babe was marked from the first for doughty deeds; for on hisbreast was pictured the living image of a dragon, on his right hand was a blood-red cross, and on his left leg showed the golden garter. And these signs so affected Kalyb, the fell enchantress, that she stayed her hand; and the child growing daily in beauty and stature, he became to her as the apple of her eye. Now, when twice seven years had passed the boy began to thirst for honourable adventures, though the wicked enchantress wished to keep him as her own. But he, seeking glory, utterly disdained so wicked a creature; thus she sought to bribe him. And one day, taking him by the hand, she led him to a brazen castle and showed him six brave knights, prisoners therein. Then said she: "Lo! These be the six champions of Christendom. Thou shalt be the seventh and thy name shall be St. George of Merrie England if thou wilt stay with me." But he would not. Then she led him into a magnificent stable where stood seven of the most beautiful steeds ever seen. "Six of these," said she, "belong to the six Champions. The seventh and the best, the swiftest and the most powerful in the world, whose name is Bayard, will I bestow on thee, if thou wilt stay with me." But he would not. Then she took him to the armoury, and with her own hand buckled on a corselet of purest steel, and laced on a helmet inlaid with gold. Then, taking a mighty falchion, she gave it into his hand, and said: "This armour which none can pierce, this sword called Ascalon, which will hew in sunder all it touches, are thine; surely now thou wilt stop with me?" But he would not. Then she bribed him with her own magic wand, thus giving him power over all things in that enchanted land, saying: "Surely now wilt thou remain here?" But he, taking the wand, struck with it a mighty rock that stood by; and lo! it opened, and laid in view a wide cave garnished by the bodies of a vast number of innocent new-born infants whom the wicked enchantress had murdered. Thus, using her power, he bade the sorceress lead the way into the place of horror, and when she had entered, he raised the magic wand yet again, and smote the rock; and lo! it closed for ever, and the sorceress was left to bellow forth her lamentable complaints to senseless stones. Thus was St. George freed from the enchanted land, and taking with him the six other champions of Christendom on their steeds, he mounted Bayard and rode to the city of Coventry. Here for nine months they abode, exercising themselves in all feats of arms. So when spring returned they set forth, as knights errant, to seek for foreign adventure. And for thirty days and thirty nights they rode on, until, at the beginning of a new month, they came to a great wide plain. Now in the centre of this plain, where seven several ways met, there stood a great brazen pillar, and here, with high heart and courage, they bade each other farewell, and each took a separate road.Hence, St. George, on his charger Bayard, rode till he reached the seashore where lay a good ship bound for the land of Egypt. Taking passage in her, after long journeying he arrived in that land when the silent wings of night were outspread, and darkness brooded on all things. Here, coming to a poor hermitage, he begged a night's lodging, on which the hermit replied: "Sir Knight of Merrie England--for I see her arms graven on thy breastplate--thou hast come hither in an ill time, when those alive are scarcely able to bury the dead by reason of the cruel destruction waged by a terrible dragon, who ranges up and down the country b