Lendle

All the stories about Princes and Princesses in this book are true stories, and were written by Mrs. Lang, out of old books of history. There are some children who make life difficult by saying, first that stories about fairies are true, and that they like fairies; and next that they do not like true stories about real people, who lived long ago. I am quite ready to grant that there really are such things as fairies, because, though I never saw a fairy, any more than I have seen the little animals which lecturers call molecules and ions, still I have seen people who have seen fairies—truthful people. Now I never knew a lecturer who ventured to say that he had seen an ion or a molecule. It is well known, and written in a true book, that the godmother of Joan of Arc had seen fairies, and nobody can suppose that such a good woman would tell her godchild what was not true—for example, that the squire of the parish was in love with a fairy and used to meet her in the moonlight beneath a beautiful tree. In fact, if we did not believe in fairy stories, who would care to read them? Yet only too many children dislike to read true stories, because the people in them were real, and the things actually happened. Is not this very strange? And grown-ups are not much wiser. They would rather read a novel than Professor Mommsen's 'History of Rome'!How are we to explain this reluctance to read true stories? Is it because children are obliged, whether they like it or not, to learn lessons which, to be sure, are often dry and disagreeable, and history books are among their lessons. Now Nature, for some wise purpose probably, made most children very greatly dislike lesson books. When I was about eight years old I was always reading a book of true stories called 'The Tales of a Grandfather': no book could be more pleasant. It was in little dumpy volumes that one could carry in his pocket. But when I was sent to school they used this book as a school book, in one large ugly volume, and at school I never read it at all, and could not answer questions in it, but made guesses, which were not often right. The truth seems to be that we hate doing what we must do; and Sir Walter Scott himself, who wrote the book, particularly detested reading or writing what he was obliged to read or write, and always wanted to be doing something else.CONTENTSNapoleonHis Majesty the King of RomeThe Princess JeanneHacon the KingMi Reina! Mi Reina!Henriette the Siege BabyThe Red RoseThe White RoseRichard the FearlessFrederick and WilhelmineUne Reine MalheureuseThe 'Little Queen'Two Little Girls and their MotherThe Troubles of the Princess ElizabethILLUSTRATIONSCamilla tells her TaleThe OubliettesInga trusts the Baby to ErlendMarie Louise makes her Petition to the KingThe Red Rose for Lancaster, the White Rose for York'You are the first King who has entered Sanctuary'William Longsword is proud of his Son RichardIsabel 'in the dark evenings''Why did they ever let these beasts enter?''Open, I want Papa.' 'Sire, I must not let in your Majesty'Inga endures the Ordeal of the Hot IronRichard's last Charge on Bosworth FieldFrederick practises his Flute even when out HuntingFrederick bids farewell to KatteMarie Antoinette and Mozart'Led by the King and the Dauphin'Marie Antoinette goes Hunting with the DauphinBonaparte commands his first ArmyBonaparte hears the 'Marseillaise' for the first timeBonaparte in the Battery of the FearlessFeeding the Gazelles with TobaccoNapoleon shows the Portrait to the GeneralsJeanne and the KingJeanne's rudeness to the Duke of ClèvesThe Cardinal reads the King's Letter to Jeanne'To make him grow taller'Marie Louise receives the Visits of CondolenceTwo Spanish Gentlemen rescue the QueenThe Camarera Mayor gets her Ears boxed!The Queen envies the Flemish Skaters'If capture is sure blow up the vessel,' she saidLady Dalkeith's Journey to Dover'She only wa