第567页 / 共626页

KING GRISLY-BEARD

A great king of a land far away in the East had a daughter who

was very beautiful, but so proud, and haughty, and conceited,

that none of the princes who came to ask her in marriage was good

enough for her, and she only made sport of them.

Once upon a time the king held a great feast, and asked thither

all her suitors; and they all sat in a row, ranged according to

their rank--kings, and princes, and dukes, and earls, and counts,

and barons, and knights. Then the princess came in, and as she

passed by them she had something spiteful to say to every one.

The first was too fat: 'He's as round as a tub,' said she. The

next was too tall: 'What a maypole!' said she. The next was too

short: 'What a dumpling!' said she. The fourth was too pale, and

she called him 'Wallface.' The fifth was too red, so she called

him 'Coxcomb.' The sixth was not straight enough; so she said he

was like a green stick, that had been laid to dry over a baker's

oven. And thus she had some joke to crack upon every one: but she

laughed more than all at a good king who was there. 'Look at

him,' said she; 'his beard is like an old mop; he shall be called

Grisly-beard.' So the king got the nickname of Grisly-beard.