THE King lost no time in putting the wizard's counsel into effect. The
very next day he caused a proclamation to be written, and ordered copies
of it to be fixed on all the church doors, and in all the public places
of every town in his kingdom. This is the way the proclamation read:
[Illustration:
WHEREAS a certain malicious fairy, forgetful of the
duties she owes to the most high and puissant King
and Queen, rightful sovereigns of these realms, and
to the Princess Briar-Rose, their dearly loved daughter,
has, of malice aforethought, and with intent to work
grievous bodily harm to the person of the said Princess,
in the presence of the said most puissant Sovereigns
and of divers of their loyal subjects made and uttered
a prophecy, to wit: that the said Princess shall in her
fifteenth year prick her finger with the spindle of a
spinning-wheel, and that a certain dire misfortune
shall fall upon her because of that injury, to the sorrow
of her loving parents: NOW BE IT DECREED
That all spinning-wheels or instruments of spinning
whatsoever, in the possession of any subjects of the
King's most excellent Majesty, whether they be
worked by hand or by treadle or by any other device,
together with all spindles, shuttles, bobbins, and all
other accessories or appurtenances thereunto belonging,
shall forthwith be rendered up to the officers of the
King's most excellent Majesty appointed to receive
them. AND BE IT FURTHER DECREED
That if any person or persons fail to observe or obey
this edict or ordinance by unlawfully retaining any
instrument of spinning or accessory thereunto, such
persons shall be dealt with according to the full rigour
of the law, and shall suffer the penalty of death.
Given under our royal hand and seal.]
The issue of this proclamation caused a great deal of interest and
excitement throughout the kingdom. All the people came out of their
houses to gaze at it, for they had never seen its like before, and
though very few of them knew how to read they realised that it must mean
something very important. So they sent for clerks and scholars to read
it to them, paying a penny apiece for the service, which pennies, the
clerks and scholars, being usually extraordinarily needy persons, were
very glad to earn. It usually took about three hours to read the
proclamation and to explain it; and one must admit that it might have
been expressed in fewer words. To do so, however, would not have been
dignified, for this proclamation was what is called a legal instrument.
The very next day into each town and village of the kingdom the King's
officers came riding. Before them went a trumpeter who stopped at the
head of each street and blew a loud call. Having thus commanded
attention he marched past the houses calling in a loud voice:
"Bring out your spinning-wheels. Bring out your spinning-wheels!"
So the people brought them out, not without grumbling, for a
spinning-wheel is a very useful thing to have in a house, and in those
days people spun and wove their own cloth to make their clothes. But
they were afraid to disobey the King's order.
And the spinning-wheels were of all shapes and sizes, some of them new
and some of them hundreds of years old, and there was hardly a house
that did not possess one of some kind or another. They were all
collected together and loaded into waggons and taken to the capital,
where they were piled up into an immense heap in the public square.
Then the King and Queen and all the court came out and watched while the
big heap was set on fire. The people came out to watch too in their
thousands, and a very fine sight it was to see the enormous flames
shooting up into the air and to hear the crackle and hiss of the burning
wood that sounded like the discharge of a hundred muskets.
The King laughed aloud in his relief, and even the Queen smiled, while
the little Princess Briar-Rose, who was held up to a window of the
palace to see the bonfire, stretched out her arms to the pretty flames
and crowed. But the people were not very much amused by the sight
because they were their spinning-wheels which were being burnt.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
"I've had my wheel for twenty years," said one woman, "and now I've none
at all, and how on earth I can get along without it I don't know, with
six growing lads to find breeches for!"
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
"Five silver crowns my wheel cost my good man last Candlemass," said
another, "and there it goes up in flames and smoke."
"What is a wheel if the burning of it saves our little Princess?" quoth
a third. "Come, cheer up, Mother, the King has reason for what he does
and he will not see us want."
And this man was right. The King had no wish to oppress his subjects,
for no sooner was the pile reduced to ashes than he caused another
proclamation to be issued, saying that the owner of every spinning-wheel
should be paid for its loss. And not only so, but the King told his
merchants to buy spun yarn from neighbouring countries so that the
people might be able to weave, even though they could not spin.