the sittings were about to be concluded, on the last day of these
assizes audience was demanded by a free neighbour of the potent
Wladomir, and by deputies from the subjects of the hunter Mizisla. They
were admitted, and the Freeholder first addressing her, began: "An
industrious planter," said he, "fenced-in a little circuit, on the bank
of a broad river, whose waters glided down with soft rushing through the
green valley; for, he thought, The fair stream will be a guard to me on
this side, that no hungry wild-beast eat my crops, and it will moisten
the roots of my fruit-trees, that they flourish speedily and bring me
fruit. But when the earnings of his toil were about to ripen, the
deceitful stream grew troubled; its still waters began to swell and
roar, it overflowed its banks, and carried one piece after another of
the fruitful soil along with it; and dug itself a bed through the middle
of the cultivated land; to the sorrow of the poor planter, who had to
give up his little property to the malicious wasting of his strong
neighbour, the raging of whose waves he himself escaped with difficulty.
Puissant daughter of the wise Krokus, the poor planter entreats of thee
to command the haughty river no longer to roll its proud billows over
the field of the toilsome husbandman, or wash away the fruit of his
weary arms, his hope of glad harvest; but to flow peacefully along
within the limits of its own channel."
During this speech, the cheerful brow of the fair Libussa became
overclouded; manly rigour gleamed from her eyes, and all around was ear
to catch her sentence, which ran thus: "Thy cause is plain and straight;
no force shall disturb thy rightful privileges. A dike, which it shall
not overpass, shall set bounds to the tumultuous river; and from its
fishes thou shalt be repaid sevenfold the plunder of its wasteful
billows." Then she beckoned to the eldest of the Deputies, and he bowed
his face to the earth, and said: "Wise daughter of the far-famed Krokus,
Whose is the grain upon the field, the sower's, who has hidden the
seed-corn in the ground that it spring up and bear fruit; or the
tempest's, which breaks it and scatters it away?" She answered: "The
sower's."--"Then command the tempest," said the spokesman, "that it
choose not our corn-fields for the scene of its caprices, to uproot our
crops and shake the fruit from our trees."--"So be it," said the
Duchess; "I will tame the tempest, and banish it from your fields; it
shall battle with the clouds, and disperse them, where they are rising
from the south, and threatening the land with hail and heavy weather."
Prince Wladomir and Ritter Mizisla were both assessors in the general
tribunal. On hearing the complaint, and the rigorous sentence passed
regarding it, they waxed pale, and looked down upon the ground with
suppressed indignation; not daring to discover how sharply it stung them
to be condemned by a decree from female lips. For although, out of
tenderness to their honour, the complainants had modestly overhung the
charge with an allegorical veil, which the righteous sentence of the
fair President had also prudently respected, yet the texture of this
covering was so fine and transparent, that whoever had an eye might see
what stood behind it. But as they dared not venture to appeal from the
judgment-seat of the Princess to the people, since the sentence passed
upon them had excited universal joy, they submitted to it, though with
great reluctance. Wladomir indemnified his freeholding neighbour
sevenfold for the mischief done him; and Nimrod Mizisla engaged, on the
honour of a knight, no more to select the corn-fields of his subjects as
a chase for hare-catching. Libussa, at the same time, pointed out to
them a more respectable employment, for occupying their activity, and
restoring to their fame, which now, like a cracked pot when struck,
emitted nothing but discords, the sound ring of knightly virtues. She
placed them at the head of an army, which she was dispatching to
encounter Zornebock, the Prince of the Sorbi, a giant, and a powerful
magician withal, who was then meditating war against Bohemia. This
commission she accompanied with the penance, that they were not to
appear again at Court, till the one could offer her the plume, the other
the golden spurs, of the monster, as tokens of their victory.
The unfading rose, during this campaign, displayed its magic virtues
once more. By means of it, Prince Wladomir was as invulnerable to mortal
weapons, as Achilles the Hero; and as nimble, quick and dextrous, as
Achilles the Light-of-foot. The armies met upon the southern boundaries
of the Kingdom, and joined in fierce battle. The Bohemian heroes flew
through the squadrons, like storm and whirlwind; and cut down the thick
spear-crop, as the scythe of the mower cuts a field of hay. Zornebock
fell beneath the strong dints of their falchions; they returned in
triumph with the stipulated spoils to Vizegrad; and the spots and
blemishes, which had soiled their knightly virtue, were now washed clean
away in the blood of their enemies. Libussa bestowed on them every mark
of princely honour, dismissed them to their homes when the army was
discharged; and gave them, as a new token of her favour, a purple-red
apple from her pleasure-garden, for a memorial of her by the road,
enjoining them to part the same peacefully between them, without cutting
it in two. They then went their way; put the apple on a shield, and had
it borne before them as a public spectacle, while they consulted
together how the parting of it might be prudently effected, according to
the meaning of its gentle giver.
While the point where their roads divided lay before them at a distance,
they proceeded with their partition-treaty in the most accommodating
mood; but at last it became necessary to determine which of the two
should have the apple in his keeping, for both had equal shares in it,
and only one could get it, though each promised to himself great wonders
from the gift, and was eager to obtain possession of it. They split in
their opinions on this matter; and things went so far, that it appeared
as if the sword must decide, to whom this indivisible apple had been
allotted by the fortune of arms. But a shepherd driving his flock
overtook them as they stood debating; him they selected (apparently in
imitation of the Three Goddesses, who also applied to a shepherd to
decide their famous apple-quarrel), and made arbiter of their dispute,
and laid the business in detail before him. The shepherd thought a
little, then said: "In the gift of this apple lies a deep-hidden
meaning; but who can bring it out, save the sage Virgin who hid it
there? For myself, I conceive the apple is a treacherous fruit, that has
grown upon the Tree of Discord, and its purple skin may prefigure bloody
feud between your worshipful knightships; that each is to cut off the
other, and neither of you get enjoyment of the gift. For, tell me, how
is it possible to part an apple, without cutting it in twain?" The
Knights took the shepherd's speech to heart, and thought there was a
deal of truth in it. "Thou hast judged rightly," said they: "Has not
this base apple already kindled anger and contention between us? Were we
not standing harnessed to fight, for the deceitful gift of this proud
Princess? Did she not put us at the head of her army, with intention to
destroy us? And having failed in this, she now arms our hands with the
weapons of discord against each other! We renounce her crafty present;
neither of us will have the apple. Be it thine, as the reward of thy
righteous sentence: to the judge belongs the fruit of the process, and
to the parties the rind."
The Knights then went their several ways, while the herdsman consumed
the _objectum litis_ with all the composure and conveniency common among
judges. The ambiguous present of the Duchess cut them to the heart; and
as they found, on returning home, that they could no longer treat their
subjects and vassals in the former arbitrary fashion, but were forced to
obey the laws, which Fraeulein Libussa had promulgated for the general
security among her people, their ill humour grew more deep and
rancorous. They entered into a league offensive and defensive with each
other; made a party for themselves in the country; and many mutinous
wrongheads joined them, and were sent abroad in packs to decry and
calumniate the government of women. "Shame! Shame!" cried they, "that we
must obey a woman, who gathers our victorious laurels to decorate a
distaff with them! The Man should be master of the house, and not the
Wife; this is his special right, and so it is established everywhere,
among all people. What is an army without a Duke to go before his
warriors, but a helpless trunk without a head? Let us appoint a Prince,
who may be ruler over us, and whom we may obey."
These seditious speeches were no secret to the watchful Princess; nor
was she ignorant what wind blew them thither, or what its sounding
boded. Therefore she convened a deputation of the States; entered their
assembly with the stateliness of an earthly goddess, and the words of
her mouth dropped like honey from her virgin lips. "A rumour flies about
the land," said she, "that you desire a Duke to go before you to battle,
and that you reckon it inglorious to obey me any longer. Yet, in a free
and unconstrained election, you yourselves did not choose a man from
among you; but called one of the daughters of the people, and clothed
her with the purple, to rule over you according to the laws and customs
of the land. Whoso can accuse me of error in conducting the government,
let him step forward openly and freely, and bear witness against me. But
if I, after the manner of my father Krokus, have done prudently and
justly in the midst of you, making crooked things straight, and rough
places plain; if I have secured your harvests from the spoiler, guarded
the fruit-tree, and snatched the flock from the claws of the wolf; if I
have bowed the stiff neck of the violent, assisted the down-pressed, and
given the weak a staff to rest on; then will it beseem you to live
according to your covenant, and be true, gentle and helpful to me, as in
doing fealty to me you engaged. If you reckon it inglorious to obey a
woman, you should have thought of this before appointing me to be your
Princess; if there is disgrace here, it is you alone who ought to bear
it. But your procedure shows you not to understand your own advantage:
for woman's hand is soft and tender, accustomed only to waft cool air
with the fan; and sinewy and rude is the arm of man, heavy and
oppressive when it grasps the supreme control. And know ye not that
where a woman governs, the rule is in the power of men? For she gives
heed to wise counsellors, and these gather round her. But where the
distaff excludes from the throne, there is the government of females;
for the women, that please the king's eyes, have his heart in their
hand. Therefore, consider well of your attempt, lest ye repent your
fickleness too late."
The fair speaker ceased; and a deep reverent silence reigned throughout
the hall of meeting; none presumed to utter a word against her. Yet
Prince Wladomir and his allies desisted not from their intention, but
whispered in each other's ear: "The sly Doe is loath to quit the fat
pastures; but the hunter's horn shall sound yet louder, and scare her
forth."[14] Next day they prompted the knights to call loudly on the
Princess to choose a husband within three days, and by the choice of her
heart to give the people a Prince, who might divide with her the cares
of government. At this unexpected requisition, coming as it seemed from
the voice of the nation, a virgin blush overspread the cheeks of the
lovely Princess; her clear eye discerned all the sunken cliffs, which
threatened her with peril. For even if, according to the custom of the
great world, she should determine upon subjecting her inclination to her
state-policy, she could only give her hand to one suitor, and she saw
well that all the remaining candidates would take it as a slight, and
begin to meditate revenge. Besides, the private vow of her heart was
inviolable and sacred in her eyes. Therefore she endeavoured prudently
to turn aside this importunate demand of the States; and again attempted
to persuade them altogether to renounce their schemes of innovation.
"The eagle being dead," said she, "the birds chose the Ring-dove for
their queen, and all of them obeyed her soft cooing call. But light and
airy, as is the nature of birds, they soon altered their determination,
and repented them that they had made it. The proud Peacock thought that
it beseemed him better to be ruler; the keen Falcon, accustomed to make
the smaller birds his prey, reckoned it disgraceful to obey the peaceful
Dove; they formed a party, and appointed the weak-eyed Owl to be the
spokesman of their combination, and propose a new election of a
sovereign. The sluggish Bustard, the heavy-bodied Heath-cock, the lazy
Stork, the small-brained Heron, and all the larger birds chuckled,
flapped, and croaked applause to him; and the host of little birds
twittered, in their simplicity, and chirped out of bush and grove to the
same tune. Then arose the warlike Kite, and soared boldly up into the
air, and the birds cried out: 'What a majestic flight! The brave, strong
Kite shall be our King!' Scarcely had the plundering bird taken
possession of the throne, when he manifested his activity and courage on
his winged subjects, in deeds of tyranny and caprice: he plucked the
feathers from the larger fowls, and eat the little songsters."
[14] _Invita de laetioribus pascuis, autor seditionis inquit, bucula
ista decedit; sed jam vi inde deturbanda est, si sua sponte loco
suo concedere viro alicui principi noluerit_.--DUBRAVIUS.
Significant as this oration was, it made but a small impression on the
minds of the people, hungering and thirsting after change; and they
abode by their determination, that within three days, Fraeulein Libussa
should select herself a husband. At this, Prince Wladomir rejoiced in
heart; for now, he thought, he should secure the fair prey, for which he
had so long been watching in vain. Love and ambition inflamed his
wishes, and put eloquence into his mouth, which had hitherto confined
itself to secret sighing. He came to Court, and required audience of the
Duchess.
"Gracious ruler of thy people and my heart," thus he addressed her,
"from thee no secret is hidden; thou knowest the flames which burn in
this bosom, holy and pure as on the altar of the gods, and thou knowest
also what fire has kindled them. It is now appointed, that at the behest
of thy people, thou give the land a Prince. Wilt thou disdain a heart,
which lives and beats for thee? To be worthy of thy love, I risked my
life to put thee on the throne of thy father. Grant me the merit of
retaining thee upon it by the bond of tender affection: let us divide
the possession of thy throne and thy heart; the first be thine, the
second be mine, and my happiness will be exalted beyond the lot of
mortals."
Fraeulein Libussa wore a most maidenlike appearance during this oration,
and covered her face with her veil, to hide the soft blush which
deepened the colour of her cheeks. On its conclusion, she made a sign
with her hand, not opening her lips, for the Prince to step aside; as if
she would consider what she should resolve upon, in answer to his suit.
Immediately the brisk Knight Mizisla announced himself, and desired to
be admitted.
"Loveliest of the daughters of princes," said he, as he entered the
audience-chamber, "the fair Ring-dove, queen of the air, must no longer,
as thou well knowest, coo in solitude, but take to herself a mate. The
proud Peacock, it is talked, holds up his glittering plumage in her
eyes, and thinks to blind her by the splendour of his feathers; but she
is prudent and modest, and will not unite herself with the haughty
Peacock. The keen Falcon, once a plundering bird, has now changed his
nature; is gentle and honest, and without deceit; for he loves the fair
Dove, and would fain that she mated with him. That his bill is hooked
and his talons, sharp, must not mislead thee: he needs them to protect
the fair Dove his darling, that no bird hurt her, or disturb the
habitation of her rule; for he is true and kindly to her, and first
swore fealty on the day when she was crowned. Now tell me, wise
Princess, if the soft Dove will grant to her trusty Falcon the love
which he longs for?"
Fraeulein Libussa did as she had done before; beckoned to the Knight to
step aside; and, after waiting for a space, she called the two rivals
into her presence, and spoke thus:
"I owe you great thanks, noble Knights, for your help in obtaining me
the princely crown of Bohemia, which my father Krokus honourably wore.
The zeal, of which you remind me, had not faded from my remembrance; nor
is it hid from my knowledge, that you virtuously love me, for your looks
and gestures have long been the interpreters of your feelings. That I
shut up my heart against you, and did not answer love with love, regard
not as insensibility; it was not meant for slight or scorn, but for
harmoniously determining a choice which was doubtful. I weighed your
merits, and the tongue of the trying balance bent to neither side.
Therefore I resolved on leaving the decision of your fate to yourselves;
and offered you the possession of my heart, under the figure of an
enigmatic apple; that it might be seen to which of you the greater
measure of judgment and wisdom had been given, in appropriating to
himself this gift, which could not be divided. Now tell me without
delay, In whose hands is the apple? Whichever of you has won it from the
other, let him from this hour receive my throne and my heart as the
prize of his skill."
The two rivals looked at one another with amazement; grew pale, and held
their peace. At last, after a long pause, Prince Wladomir broke silence,
and said:
"The enigmas of the wise are, to the foolish, a nut in a toothless
mouth, a pearl which the cock scratches from the sand, a lantern in the
hand of the blind. O Princess, be not wroth with us, that we neither
knew the use nor the value of thy gift; we misinterpreted thy purpose;
thought that thou hadst cast an apple of contention on our path, to
awaken us to strife and deadly feud; therefore each gave up his share,
and we renounced the divisive fruit, whose sole possession neither of us
would have peaceably allowed the other!"
"You have given sentence on yourselves," replied the Fraeulein: "if an
apple could inflame your jealousy, what fighting would ye not have
fought for a myrtle-garland twined about a crown!"
With this response she dismissed the Knights, who now lamented that
they had given ear to the unwise arbiter, and thoughtlessly cast away
the pledge of love, which, as it appeared, had been the casket of their
fairest hopes. They meditated severally how they might still execute
their purpose, and by force or guile get possession of the throne, with
its lovely occupant.
Fraeulein Libussa, in the mean while, was not spending in idleness the
three days given her for consideration; but diligently taking counsel
with herself, how she might meet the importunate demand of her people,
give Bohemia a Duke, and herself a husband according to the choice of
her heart. She dreaded lest Prince Wladomir might still more pressingly
assail her, and perhaps deprive her of the throne. Necessity combined
with love to make her execute a plan, with which she had often
entertained herself as with a pleasant dream; for what mortal's head has
not some phantom walking in it, towards which he turns in a vacant hour,
to play with it as with a puppet? There is no more pleasing pastime for
a strait-shod maiden, when her galled corns are resting from the toils
of the pavement, than to think of a stately and commodious equipage; the
coy beauty dreams gladly of counts sighing at her feet; Avarice gets
prizes in the Lottery; the debtor in the jail falls heir to vast
possessions; the squanderer discovers the Hermetic Secret; and the poor
woodcutter finds a treasure in the hollow of a tree; all merely in
fancy, yet not without the enjoyment of a secret satisfaction. The gift
of prophecy has always been united with a warm imagination; thus the
fair Libussa had, like others, willingly and frequently given heed to
this seductive playmate, which, in kind companionship, had always
entertained her with the figure of the young Archer, so indelibly
impressed upon her heart. Thousands of projects came into her mind,
which Fancy palmed on her as feasible and easy. At one time she formed
schemes of drawing forth her darling youth from his obscurity, placing
him in the army, and raising him from one post of honour to another; and
then instantly she bound a laurel garland about his temples, and led
him, crowned with victory and honour, to the throne she could have been
so glad to share with him. At other times, she gave a different turn to
the romance: she equipped her darling as a knight-errant, seeking for
adventures; brought him to her Court, and changed him into a Huon of
Bourdeaux; nor was the wondrous furniture wanting, for endowing him as
highly as Friend Oberon did his ward. But when Common Sense again got
possession of the maiden's soul, the many-coloured forms of the magic
lantern waxed pale in the beam of prudence, and the fair vision vanished
into air. She then bethought her what hazards would attend such an
enterprise; what mischief for her people, when jealousy and envy raised
the hearts of her grandees in rebellion against her, and the alarum
beacon of discord gave the signal for uproar and sedition in the land.
Therefore she sedulously hid the wishes of her heart from the keen
glance of the spy, and disclosed no glimpse of them to any one.
But now, when the people were clamouring for a Prince, the matter had
assumed another form: the point would now be attained, could she combine
her wishes with the national demand. She strengthened her soul with
manly resolution; and as the third day dawned, she adorned herself with
all her jewels, and her head was encircled with the myrtle crown.
Attended by her maidens, all decorated with flower garlands, she
ascended the throne, full of lofty courage and soft dignity. The
assemblage of knights and vassals around her stood in breathless
attention, to learn from her lips the name of the happy Prince with whom
she had resolved to share her heart and throne. "Ye nobles of my
people," thus she spoke, "the lot of your destiny still lies untouched
in the urn of concealment; you are still free as my coursers that graze
in the meadows, before the bridle and the bit have curbed them, or their
smooth backs have been pressed by the burden of the saddle and the
rider. It now rests with you to signify, Whether, in the space allowed
me for the choice of a spouse, your hot desire for a Prince to rule over
you has cooled, and given place to more calm scrutiny of this intention;
or you still persist inflexibly in your demand." She paused for a
moment; but the hum of the multitude, the whispering and buzzing, and
looks of the whole Senate, did not long leave her in uncertainty, and
their speaker ratified the conclusion, that the vote was still for a
Duke. "Then be it so!" said she; "the die is cast, the issue of it
stands not with me! The gods have appointed, for the kingdom of Bohemia,
a Prince who shall sway its sceptre with justice and wisdom. The young
cedar does not yet overtop the firm-set oaks; concealed among the trees
of the forest it grows, encircled with ignoble shrubs; but soon it shall
send forth branches to give shade to its roots; and its top shall touch
the clouds. Choose a deputation, ye nobles of the people, of twelve
honourable men from among you, that they hasten to seek out the Prince,
and attend him to the throne. My steed will point out your path;
unloaded and free it shall course on before you; and as a token that
you have found what you are sent forth to seek, observe that the man
whom the gods have selected for your Prince, at the time when you
approach him, will be eating his repast on an iron table, under the open
sky, in the shadow of a solitary tree. To him you shall do reverence,
and clothe his body with the princely robe. The white horse will let him
mount it, and bring him hither to the Court, that he may be my husband
and your lord."