The Roots of the Mountains Read online

  Transcribed from the 1896 Longmans, Green, and Co. edition by DavidPrice, email [email protected]

  THE ROOTS OF THE MOUNTAINS WHEREIN IS TOLD SOMEWHAT OF THE LIVES OF THE MEN OF BURG- DALE THEIR FRIENDS THEIR NEIGHBOURS THEIR FOEMEN AND THEIR FELLOWS IN ARMS

  BY WILLIAM MORRIS

  Whiles carried o’er the iron road, We hurry by some fair abode; The garden bright amidst the hay, The yellow wain upon the way, The dining men, the wind that sweeps Light locks from off the sun-sweet heaps— The gable grey, the hoary roof, Here now—and now so far aloof. How sorely then we long to stay And midst its sweetness wear the day, And ’neath its changing shadows sit, And feel ourselves a part of it. Such rest, such stay, I strove to win With these same leaves that lie herein.

  LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY MDCCCXCVI

  * * * * *

  _First Edition printed November_, 1889.

  250 _copies were printed on Large Paper_.

  _Second Edition_, _February_, 1893.

  _CONTENTS_.

  _Page_ _Chapter I_. _Of Burgstead and its Folk and its 1 Neighbours_ _II_. _Of Face-of-god and his Kindred_ 12 _III_. _They talk of divers matters in the Hall_ 18 _IV_. _Face-of-god fareth to the Wood again_ 25 _V_. _Face-of-god falls in with Menfolk on the 34 Mountain_ _VI_. _Of Face-of-god and those 39 Mountain-dwellers_ _VII_. _Face-of-god talketh with the Friend on the 50 Mountain_ _VIII_. _Face-of-god cometh home again to 57 Burgstead_ _IX_. _Those Brethren fare to the Yew-wood with 59 the Bride_ _X_. _New Tidings in the Dale_ 63 _XI_. _Men make Oath at Burgstead on the Holy 69 Boar_ _XII_. _Stone-face telleth concerning the 74 Wood-wights_ _XIII_. _They fare to the hunting of the elk_ 78 _XIV_. _Concerning Face-of-god and the Mountain_ 82 _XV_. _Murder amongst the Folk of the 87 Woodlanders_ _XVI_. _The Bride speaketh with Face-of-god_ 93 _XVII_. _The Token cometh from the Mountain_ 97 _XVIII_. _Face-of-god talketh with the Friend in 105 Shadowy Vale_ _XIX_. _The fair Woman telleth Face-of-god of her 109 Kindred_ _XX_. _Those two together hold the Ring of the 124 Earth-god_ _XXI_. _Face-of-god looketh on the Dusky Men_ 141 _XXII_. _Face-of-god cometh home to Burgstead_ 151 _XXIII_. _Talk in the Hall of the House of the Face_ 162 _XXIV_. _Face-of-god giveth that Token to the 165 Bride_ _XXV_. _Of the Gate-thing at Burgstead_ 170 _XXVI_. _The Ending of the Gate-thing_ 183 _XXVII_. _Face-of-god leadeth a Band through the 191 Wood_ _XXVIII_. _The Men of Burgdale meet the Runaways_ 202 _XXIX_. _They bring the Runaways to Burgstead_ 216 _XXX_. _Hall-face goeth toward Rose-dale_ 225 _XXXI_. _Of the Weapon-show of the Men of Burgdale 231 and their Neighbours_ _XXXII_. _The Men of Shadowy Vale come to the Spring 239 Market at Burgstead_ _XXXIII_. _The Alderman gives Gifts to them of 251 Shadowy Vale_ _XXXIV_. _The Chieftains take counsel in the Hall of 255 the Face_ _XXXV_. _Face-of-god talketh with the Sun-beam_ 268 _XXXVI_. _Folk-might speaketh with the Bride_ 275 _XXXVII_. _Of the Folk-mote of the Dalesmen_, _the 282 Shepherd-Folk_, _and the Woodland Carles_: _the Banner of the Wolf displayed_ _XXXVIII_. _Of the Great Folk-mote_: _Atonements 287 given_, _and Men made sackless_ _XXXIX_. _Of the Great Folk-mote_: _Men take rede of 292 the War-faring_, _the Fellowship_, _and the War-leader_. _Folk-might telleth whence his People came_. _The Folk-mote sundered_ _XL_. _Of the Hosting in Shadowy Vale_ 301 _XLI_. _The Host departeth from Shadowy Vale_: 311 _the first Day’s journey_ _XLII_. _The Host cometh to the edges of 318 Silver-dale_ _XLIII_. _Face-of-god looketh on Silver-dale_: _the 322 Bowmen’s battle_ _XLIV_. _Of the Onslaught of the Men of the Steer_, 335 _the Bridge_, _and the Bull_ _XLV_. _Of Face-of-god’s Onslaught_ 343 _XLVI_. _Men meet in the Market of Silver-stead_ 352 _XLVII_. _The Kindreds win the Mote-house_ 363 _XLVIII_. _Men sing in the Mote-house_ 367 _XLIX_. _Dallach fareth to Rose-dale_: _Crow 372 telleth of his Errand_: _the Kindreds eat their meat in Silver-dale_ _L_. _Folk-might seeth the Bride and speaketh 378 with her_ _LI_. _The Dead borne to bale_: _the Mote-house 382 re-hallowed_ _LII_. _Of the new Beginning of good Days in 384 Silver-dale_ _LIII_. _Of the Word which Hall-ward of the Steer 386 had for Folk-might_ _LIV_. _Tidings of Dallach_: _a Folk-mote in 391 Silver-dale_ _LV_. _Departure from Silver-dale_ 394 _LVI_. _Talk upon the Wild-wood Way_ 403 _LVII_. _How the Host came home again_ 404 _LVIII_. _How the Maiden Ward was held in Burgdale_ 409 _LIX_. _The Behest of Face-of-god to the Bride 418 accomplished_: _a Mote-stead appointed for the three Folks_, _to wit_, _the Men of Burgdale_, _the Shepherds_, _and the Children of the Wolf_