The Well at the World's End - By William Morris

CHAPTER 1 - The Sundering of the Ways

Long ago there was a little land, over which ruled a regulus or kinglet,
who was called King Peter, though his kingdom was but little.
He had four sons whose names were Blaise, Hugh, Gregory and Ralph:
of these Ralph was the youngest, whereas he was but of twenty winters
and one; and Blaise was the oldest and had seen thirty winters.

Now it came to this at last, that to these young men
the kingdom of their father seemed strait; and they longed
to see the ways of other men, and to strive for life.
For though they were king's sons, they had but little world's wealth;
save and except good meat and drink, and enough or too
much thereof; house-room of the best; friends to be merry with,
and maidens to kiss, and these also as good as might be;
freedom withal to come and go as they would; the heavens
above them, the earth to bear them up, and the meadows and acres,
the woods and fair streams, and the little hills of Upmeads,
for that was the name of their country and the kingdom
of King Peter.

So having nought but this little they longed for much;
and that the more because, king's sons as they were,
they had but scant dominion save over their horses and dogs:
for the men of that country were stubborn and sturdy vavassors,
and might not away with masterful doings, but were like to pay
back a blow with a blow, and a foul word with a buffet.
So that, all things considered, it was little wonder if King
Peter's sons found themselves straitened in their little land:
wherein was no great merchant city; no mighty castle, or noble
abbey of monks: nought but fair little halls of yeomen, with here
and there a franklin's court or a shield-knight's manor-house;
with many a goodly church, and whiles a house of good canons,
who knew not the road to Rome, nor how to find the door
of the Chancellor's house.

So these young men wearied their father and mother a long while with
telling them of their weariness, and their longing to be gone:
till at last on a fair and hot afternoon of June King Peter rose up
from the carpet which the Prior of St. John's by the Bridge had given him
(for he had been sleeping thereon amidst the grass of his orchard after
his dinner) and he went into the hall of his house, which was called
the High House of Upmeads, and sent for his four sons to come to him.
And they came and stood before his high-seat and he said:

"Sons, ye have long wearied me with words concerning your longing
for travel on the roads; now if ye verily wish to be gone,
tell me when would ye take your departure if ye had your choice?"

They looked at one another, and the three younger ones nodded
at Blaise the eldest: so he began, and said: "Saving the love
and honour that we have for thee, and also for our mother, we would
be gone at once, even with the noon's meat still in our bellies.
But thou art the lord in this land, and thou must rule.
Have I said well, brethren?" And they all said "Yea, yea."
Then said the king; "Good! now is the sun high and hot;
yet if ye ride softly ye may come to some good harbour
before nightfall without foundering your horses.
So come ye in an hour's space to the Four-want-way, and there
and then will I order your departure."

The young men were full of joy when they heard his word; and they
departed and went this way and that, gathering such small matters as
each deemed that he needed, and which he might lightly carry with him;
then they armed themselves, and would bid the squires bring them
their horses; but men told them that the said squires had gone
their ways already to the Want-way by the king's commandment:
so thither they went at once a-foot all four in company,
laughing and talking together merrily.

It must be told that this Want-way aforesaid was but four
furlongs from the House, which lay in an ingle of the river
called Upmeads Water amongst very fair meadows at the end
of the upland tillage; and the land sloped gently up toward
the hill-country and the unseen mountains on the north;
but to the south was a low ridge which ran along the water,
as it wound along from west to east. Beyond the said ridge,
at a place whence you could see the higher hills to the south,
that stretched mainly east and west also, there was presently
an end of the Kingdom of Upmeads, though the neighbours on that
side were peaceable and friendly, and were wont to send gifts
to King Peter. But toward the north beyond the Want-way King
Peter was lord over a good stretch of land, and that of the best;
yet was he never a rich man, for he had no freedom to tax
and tail his folk, nor forsooth would he have used it if he had;
for he was no ill man, but kindly and of measure. On these northern
marches there was war at whiles, whereas they ended in a great
forest well furnished of trees; and this wood was debateable,
and King Peter and his sons rode therein at their peril:
but great plenty was therein of all wild deer, as hart,
and buck, and roe, and swine, and bears and wolves withal.
The lord on the other side thereof was a mightier man than
King Peter, albeit he was a bishop, and a baron of Holy Church.
To say sooth he was a close-fist and a manslayer; though he did
his manslaying through his vicars, the knights and men-at-arms
who held their manors of him, or whom he waged.

In that forest had King Peter's father died in battle,
and his eldest son also; therefore, being a man of peace,
he rode therein but seldom, though his sons, the three eldest
of them, had both ridden therein and ran therefrom valiantly.
As for Ralph the youngest, his father would not have him ride
the Wood Debateable as yet.

So came those young men to the Want-ways, and found their father
sitting there on a heap of stones, and over against him eight horses,
four destriers, and four hackneys, and four squires withal.
So they came and stood before their father, waiting for his word,
and wondering what it would be.

Now spake King Peter: "Fair sons, ye would go on all adventure to seek
a wider land, and a more stirring life than ye may get of me at home:
so be it! But I have bethought me, that, since I am growing old
and past the age of getting children, one of you, my sons, must abide
at home to cherish me and your mother, and to lead our carles in war
if trouble falleth upon us. Now I know not how to choose by mine own
wit which of you shall ride and which abide. For so it is that ye are
diverse of your conditions; but the evil conditions which one of you
lacks the other hath, and the valiancy which one hath, the other lacks.
Blaise is wise and prudent, but no great man of his hands.
Hugh is a stout rider and lifter, but headstrong and foolhardy,
and over bounteous a skinker; and Gregory is courteous and many worded,
but sluggish in deed; though I will not call him a dastard. As for Ralph,
he is fair to look on, and peradventure he may be as wise as Blaise,
as valiant as Hugh, and as smooth-tongued as Gregory; but of all this
we know little or nothing, whereas he is but young and untried.
Yet may he do better than you others, and I deem that he will do so.
All things considered, then, I say, I know not how to choose between you,
my sons; so let luck choose for me, and ye shall draw cuts for your roads;
and he that draweth longest shall go north, and the next longest shall
go east, and the third straw shall send the drawer west; but as to him
who draweth the shortest cut, he shall go no whither but back again
to my house, there to abide with me the chances and changes of life;
and it is most like that this one shall sit in my chair when I am gone,
and be called King of Upmeads.

"Now, my sons, doth this ordinance please you? For if so be it
doth not, then may ye all abide at home, and eat of my meat,
and drink of my cup, but little chided either for sloth or misdoing,
even as it hath been aforetime."

The young men looked at one another, and Blaise answered and said:
"Sir, as for me I say we will do after your commandment,
to take what road luck may show us, or to turn back home again."
They all yeasaid this one after the other; and then King Peter said:
"Now before I draw the cuts, I shall tell you that I have appointed
the squires to go with each one of you. Richard the Red shall
go with Blaise; for though he be somewhat stricken in years,
and wise, yet is he a fierce carle and a doughty, and knoweth
well all feats of arms.

"Lancelot Longtongue shall be squire to Hugh; for he is good
of seeming and can compass all courtesy, and knoweth logic
(though it be of the law and not of the schools), yet is he a
proper man of his hands; as needs must he be who followeth Hugh;
for where is Hugh, there is trouble and debate.

"Clement the Black shall serve Gregory: for he is a careful carle,
and speaketh one word to every ten deeds that he doeth;
whether they be done with point and edge, or with the hammer
in the smithy.

"Lastly, I have none left to follow thee, Ralph, save Nicholas Longshanks;
but though he hath more words than I have, yet hath he more wisdom,
and is a man lettered and far-travelled, and loveth our house right well.

"How say ye, sons, is this to your liking?"

They all said "yea." Then quoth the king; "Nicholas, bring hither
the straws ready dight, and I will give them my sons to draw."

So each young man came up in turn and drew; and King Peter laid
the straws together and looked at them, and said:

"Thus it is, Hugh goeth north with Lancelot, Gregory westward with Clement."
He stayed a moment and then said: "Blaise fareth eastward and Richard
with him. As for thee, Ralph my dear son, thou shalt back with me and
abide in my house and I shall see thee day by day; and thou shalt help me
to live my last years happily in all honour; and thy love shall be my hope,
and thy valiancy my stay."

Therewith he arose and threw his arm about the young man's neck;
but he shrank away a little from his father, and his face grew troubled;
and King Peter noted that, and his countenance fell, and he said:

"Nay nay, my son; grudge not thy brethren the chances
of the road, and the ill-hap of the battle. Here at least
for thee is the bounteous board and the full cup, and the love
of kindred and well-willers, and the fellowship of the folk.
O well is thee, my son, and happy shalt thou be!"

But the young man knit his brows and said no word in answer.

Then came forward those three brethren who were to fare at all adventure,
and they stood before the old man saying nought. Then he laughed and said:
"O ho, my sons! Here in Upmeads have ye all ye need without money,
but when ye fare in the outlands ye need money; is it not a lack of yours
that your pouches be bare? Abide, for I have seen to it."

Therewith he drew out of his pouch three little bags, and said; "Take ye
each one of these; for therein is all that my treasury may shed as now.
In each of these is there coined money, both white and red, and some deal
of gold uncoined, and of rings and brooches a few, and by estimation
there is in each bag the same value reckoned in lawful silver of Upmeads
and the Wolds and the Overhill-Countries. Take up each what there is,
and do the best ye may therewith."

Then each took his bag, and kissed and embraced his father;
and they kissed Ralph and each other, and so got to horse and
departed with their squires, going softly because of the hot sun.
But Nicholas slowly mounted his hackney and led Ralph's war-horse
with him home again to King Peter's House.

Continue on to Chapter Two