Tales of Lusitania from The Folklore of Portugal

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TALES of OLD LUSITANIA

FROM

The Folk-Lore of Portugal

St. Anthony's Goddaughter

ST. ANTONY'S GODDAUGHTER.

There once lived a good, honest man, who had had so many children that all the men in the neighbourhood had been asked to stand godfather to one or another of them.

So, when another child, a girl, was born to him, the poor man, not knowing whom to ask to be godfather, went out into the high road, and walked along with the child in his arms, with the intention of asking the first man he met to be godfather. It so happened that the first man he met in the road was a friar, who not only acceded to his request, but took the child to be baptised, and gave her the name of Antonia. The friar then took leave of the man with these words: "Bring up the girl with the greatest care, and when she is thirteen years old I shall return for her, and see that she gets a good situation."

Thirteen years had elapsed, and the man, finding that the godfather did not return as he had promised, resolved to send his daughter into service; and, hav obtained for her a good post in a respectable family, he started from home with his daughter to her new employers. When they were out of the city, and already in the high road, the godfather suddenly stood before them like an apparition, and addressing the father, he said: "I have secured an excellent situation for my goddaughter in the king's palace, and she must not delay in going to it. But it is requisite that she should be attired in men's clothes, and be known by the name of Antonio instead of Antonia; otherwise she may run great risks in the king's palace, on account of her beauty." Before leaving them, the godfather gave the girl some good advice—to be of modest behaviour, and fulfil her duties faithfully in the palace; and he moreover told her, whenever she found herself in any strait or difficulty, to call upon him and say: "Oh godfather, hasten to help me!"

The girl entered upon her duties in the palace as page to the queen, and was thought by everyone to be a boy.

Antonia, as she grew into womanhood, increased in cleverness and beauty; by her natural gift of pleasing she gained the affections of all, and was soon the general favourite in the palace; and she even unconsciously attracted the admiration of the queen, who was foolish enough to fall in love with her handsome page. But the queen found that her favour and attentions were received with indifference and sometimes with disdain, and, unwilling to brook the affront, she began to intrigue against her with the purpose of getting the king to dismiss her.

On one occasion the queen went to the king and said: "My page has been conceited enough to say, 'I am able to gather in all the wheat from his majesty's cornfields in one night.'"

The king summoned Antonia before him, and said: "Is it true, master page, that you can perform this wonderful feat of gathering all the wheat crop in my fields in one night?"

"I never said anything of the kind, sire; but I am willing to try what I can do."

That same night Antonia repaired to the cornfields, and, when she surveyed the work before her, her heart sank within her; but presently, recollecting her godfather's injunction, she lifted her hands to heaven and cried: "Come, my good godfather, and help me!"

That very instant the friar appeared to her, and said: "Do not be troubled, child, retire to your bed and sleep free of anxiety, for in the morning you will find the work done." And so it actually came to pass.

The king was delighted to find that all his wheat had been garnered with so little trouble; but the queen, who was every day more and more in love with her page, felt annoyed, and said to Antonia: "If you do not respond to my passion for you I shall set the king against you."

The only reply that Antonia made was: "Your majesty may act as it best pleases you, but I could not respond to your majesty's love without being disloyal to my king."

The queen in a rage went and sought the king, saying: "I have let a ring fall into the sea, and Antonio says that he is sure he can dive to the bottom of the sea and find my ring. If he is so clever, tell him, O king, to go and do it."

Antonia was again called up before the king, who said: "The queen tells me that you boast of being able to find her ring which has fallen into the sea. What say you to this?"

"I have not said that I could, but I am willing to try, sire."

Antonia called upon her godfather to assist her, and he appeared to her as before, and said: "Go to the beach, and throw out a line; the first fish you catch, cut it open and inside it you will find the ring."

Antonia did as she was instructed, and having found the ring, gave it back to the queen. The queen, exasperated to find that all her plans to ruin her page were thwarted by some unaccountable adroitness in him, tried once more to bring Antonia into disgrace with the king: "Do you know, oh king! that my page has the impudence to boast that he can rescue our daughter, who is a captive with the Moors? Did you ever hear of such arrogance? Call him, and tell him that if he is unable to accomplish the feat you will bring him to grief."

The king then spoke to Antonia: "Have you the power to rescue my daughter from the hands of the Moors?"

"I have," replied Antonia firmly.

"Then go, but recollect that your life is at stake if you do not succeed."

Antonia set out on her perilous adventure, but first she implored her godfather's assistance. He came, and said: "Yes, go on your errand. When you reach the castle where the princess is detained, you will find the guard asleep; walk in without fear and lead her out, for no harm will befall you. Take this switch, and strike the princess with it thrice. Strike her the first time when you are out of Morocco; the second time when you are half way home; and the third when you enter the palace on your return."

Antonia followed her godfather’s directions, and succeeded in delivering the princess from the hands of the Moors, and brought her back safe to her parents.

Now the princess was deaf and dumb; and among the many accusations the queen had brought against Antonia one was that she had said she could cure the princess; and the king, seeing that Antonia had hitherto accomplished whatever was proposed to her, however difficult of execution, said to her: "Antonio, if you can loosen the tongue of the princess, and cure her of her deafness, you shall marry her."

Antonia, raising her hands to heaven, cried: "Oh, godfather, help me!"

The godfather instantly came, and said: "Ask the princess why you struck her thrice with the switch, and she will answer you."

Antonia then came before the king and queen, and in their presence asked the princess:

"Oh, princess! why did I strike you with the switch on leaving the land of the Moors?"

"Because my mother had tried three times to injure you."

"And why did I strike you on our way home?"

"Because Saint Antony is your godfather?"

"And why, oh, princess! did I strike you the third time as we entered the palace?"

"Because you wished it to be known that you are a woman, and not a man as you seem to be."

The king was struck with wonder and delight; embraced his daughter, who had been cured in such a marvellous manner, and stretched out his hand to Antonia, saying: "I thank you, Antonio, for your loyalty to me, and I now fully comprehend how cruel the queen has been to you, at the same time that she was faithless to me. I discard her from this moment, and will make you my queen instead."

Antonia lived very happily with the king, who never for a single day regretted the change. All the jewels and rich robes that the queen had worn were taken from her and given to Antonia: and she governed jointly with the king, dealing justly with her subjects, and ever ready to better their condition in every possible way. She was virtuous and kind to the end of her days, for Saint Antony was her constant protector and intercessor.

Coimbra.

The Prediction

THE PREDICTION.

Once upon a time a certain king had a son born to him, and, following the prevailing custom in those distant ages, the instant his son was born he invited all the astrologers of the land to read his destiny.

These wise men after ruling the planets discovered that the boy would be a misfortune to his father and cause his death, and that this would be effected by the stab of a dagger.

The prediction made the king very sad, and so haunted his mind that to avert if possible the impending doom he ordered a wooden chest to be made, lined inside with satin and covered outside with velvet. Unknown to any one, he secretly laid the child in it and then rode away with the chest till he reached a river that ran through a distant part of the country, and there he threw it in.

Many years elapsed, during which no one knew what had become of the child, while the queen, who felt very unhappy, was continually shedding tears for her son, and sought him everywhere with loud cries.

When the king cast the chest which contained his son into the running waters of the great river, it was carried down by the current till it touched the wheel of a mill and there it stopped. The miller and his wife, who lived in a cottage close to the mill, heard the crying of a child, and as they searched about to ascertain where the cries came from to their great surprise they discovered the chest in the stream. They drew it out, and on opening it they were delighted to find in it the loveliest little boy they had ever seen. The worthy couple had been married many years, but had never had any children, which was a subject of great sorrow to them; and they said one to another: "Since God has not favoured us with a son, let us adopt this little foundling and bring him up the best we can as our own."

The miller's wife nursed him with the greatest care and kindness, and when he was old enough to learn a trade, they asked him what he would like to be, and on his replying that he would like to be a tailor, they put him to learn the business. Before long he became the best master tailor in the neighbourhood, and his reputation for good and clever work even reached the palace. The queen, unknown to the king, sent for him, and, to try his skill, ordered him to make a dress for one of her attendants. This maiden was a Moorish slave called Isabel, whom the king had taken captive in a war with the Moors. The tailor merely looked at the slave's figure, and said to the queen, "I shall bring the dress finished to-morrow," and then took his leave. The queen was surprised to see him hurrying away without taking her measure, but she was much more astonished when the dress came next day not only well stitched, but exactly fitting the slave's figure. The queen then ordered him to make a robe for herself of rich damask, saying, at the same time, "I shall pay you for all to-morrow."

Punctually next day the tailor brought the robe, and when the queen asked him to present his bill for payment, he replied: "Your majesty owes me nothing." The queen, seeing that the tailor would take no money, opened a valuable casket made of chased gold and covered with precious stones. This casket contained all kinds of beautiful articles made of gold and silver and other costly materials. The queen then said to him: "Take from here whatever pleases you most." The tailor made choice of a dagger, the handle of which was of ivory, most cleverly carved and set with diamonds.

As he was on the point of leaving the chamber, well satisfied and in peace and quietness, the king entered, and finding a stranger in the room, was stung with jealousy, and unsheathed his sword to kill him, whilst the tailor defended himself with his newly acquired dagger. The king approached him a second time with his drawn sword, and the tailor giving him a stab the king fell wounded to the ground. Then the queen and attendant began to scream and call for help; the pages and others in the palace, attracted by the cries, hastened into the chamber, and seeing the king lying on the floor covered with blood they seized the tailor and held him until the king ordered him to be flogged.

The poor tailor was stripped to the waist, and he had already received many stripes when the queen suddenly cried out, in great agitation, "Stop! stop! this man has the very same mark on his back that my son had." The king, much surprised, sent messengers at once to make inquiries in the village where the man lived and find out who was his father, and everything about him.

For two days nothing could be discovered, but on the third day the messengers arrived at the palace accompanied by the miller, who being set before the king related the whole story how he and his wife had found the man that was now a prisoner, when a child, in a chest which had drifted down the river against the wheel of their mill. "And to prove to your majesty the truth of what I say, here is the chest." So saying, the miller produced the chest which he had concealed until then.

The king was so startled on seeing it that, after crying aloud, "This man is indeed my son!" he immediately fell to the ground and died.

The prince now assumed the reins of government. But the grief he felt at having been the cause of his father's death was such that from much weeping his eyes became totally blind. Every remedy was tried, and physicians from every part of the world were consulted as to the best means of restoring the king's sight, but it was all of no avail; he remained as blind as before.

As a last resource they consulted a witch, who said that the king's sight could only be restored by some one procuring the spittle of the blue bird that had its habitation on the highest tree in the world, which grew in a far off country; but the person seeking it must be a spinster and the daughter of a king.

Many maidens proceeded in search of the blue bird, travelling for miles and leagues; they succeeded in finding the great tree, and saw the bird perched upon it; but the moment they approached it the bird eluded their grasp and flew away to a distance. At last Isabel, the captive Moorish maiden, thought she would try and find it. On reaching the tall tree she looked up its branches, and there saw the bird with its wings fluttering as if to invite her. She climbed up the tree and the bird allowed her to take the spittle which was contained in a little bucket that hung from its neck.

Isabel brought the spittle to the palace and anointed the king's eyes with it, and immediately he recovered his sight. The king then married Isabel, and the festivities on the occasion lasted many days.

They lived happily, and thus ends my story.

Espadanedo.

The Three Students and the Soldier

THE THREE STUDENTS AND THE SOLDIER.

Three students were going home for their holidays, and, as it happened, they all took the same road. As they went along, merrily chatting and singing, they found a dead wolf by the road side, and this set one of them thinking what a capital subject they had before them for the composition of some good poetry; and as he prided himself on his poetical talents, he turned to his companions and said: "He who shall compose the best couplet on this dead wolf, I propose shall have his dinner free of charge."

"Agreed!" cried his friends, and one of them immediately began thus:—

While he lived, this voracious old sinner Never paid a reál for his dinner.

The next student then followed:—

He never stopt to cook his mutton, But ate it raw, the greedy glutton! The third replied:—

The longest nap he's ever taken Is this, from which he'll never waken.

When the students had finished reciting their compositions, they could not agree as to which of them had succeeded best, and was entitled to his dinner.

Just at that moment a soldier overtook them, so they asked him to stop awhile and settle their dispute: "Come here, comrade, tell us what you think of the couplets we have made, and you shall have your dinner for nothing." Here they all three read their compositions, and when the soldier had heard them out, he said, "All three couplets are excellent, so now for my trouble you gentlemen may order dinner for four."

"Oh, yes—to be sure—of course," replied the three students at once; but being annoyed to find that they had been sold by a soldier, they agreed among themselves to trick him for his impudence. Coming to an inn, they entered and ordered dinner for four; but privately they told the hostess to cook a large piece of sausage, and send it to table cut into three equal parts. When they sat down, one of the students thrust his fork into one of the pieces of sausage, and said:—

In the name of the Holy One, I'll have this piece or none. The next student did the same, saying:—

In the name of the Holy Two, This piece for me will do.

When the soldier saw that only one portion was left in the dish, he quickly seized hold of it, and cried:—

In the name of the Holy Three, This piece will just suit me, And the fourth may fatten thee!

And thus he was able to secure the last piece, which would have escaped him had he not had his wits about him.

The Poor and the Rich Godfather

THE POOR AND THE RICH GODFATHER.

Two godfathers once lived in the same hamlet, one was a poor man and the other was rich, but miserly. It was the custom among the people of that country whenever they killed a pig to make a present of the loin to the abbot. Now, the rich godfather wanted to kill his pig, but could not bring himself to part with any portion of it, and not knowing how to avoid doing so he betook himself to his neighbour's house and began grumbling at the absurdity of the custom. His neighbour, though poor, was not wanting in artfulness, and, moreover, despised the rich man for his stinginess; he said he would give him a piece of advice by which he could get out of his dilemma; and that was to hang up the loin in the garden over night, and at early dawn to bring it in, and say that some one had stolen it.

The miser was charmed with the suggestion and followed it out to the very letter; when he had finished hanging up the loin he went to bed, intend to rise very early next morning and bring in the piece of pork. The other man, however, took good care he should not find it there next morning, for during the night he got it safely into his own house.

The rich godfather rose early next morning, dressed hurriedly, and proceeded to the garden to fetch the loin, and finding that it was gone he ran in great distress of mind to his neighbour's house to tell him of his loss. He seized his neighbour's arm and gesticulated frantically as he told him what had occurred. The needy godfather, purposely misunderstanding him, cried, "Well done! that's the way to do it, gossip! Bravo! Very well, very well indeed! You act it capitally. Anyone would believe you. If you do like that before the abbot, you will get off easily; he will think you have really lost the loin, and will excuse you, gossip."

The more the rich man protested that he was speaking seriously, that it was no joke, but the loin of pork had in truth been stolen from his garden, the more did the poor man laugh and applaud him for his good acting, until, despairing of making his friend understand that he was in earnest, he left him and went home.

The godfather who had purloined the piece of pork was left chuckling at the success of his sharp stroke of business. Going up to his wife, he said, "I tell you what, wife, we must now see if we can't manage to get some wine from the same quarter; you go to our friend, crying, and as if running away from me, pretending that I want to beat you. Take a wine bag under your dress, and when you hear my voice, run as if you were afraid of me, and hide in our gossip's wine cellar; and while I am talking to him, fill the bag with wine, slip out by the other door, and go home."

The wife, pretending to be in great trouble, ran to the rich godfather's house, and implored him to defend her from her husband, who wanted to kill her. Then, hearing the sound of her husband's voice, she ran down into the cellar, and while the godfather was doing his best to calm her husband's wrath, she was busy filling the leathern bag with wine. But she had forgotten to bring a string to tie the bag with. So she began singing out, "Oh, dear, there is no string to the neck of the bag!"

The husband, who understood what she wanted, replied, "Ah! you wicked woman! When I get down to you, I'll choke you with the ribbon that binds your hair!" The moment she heard these words she unfastened her hair, tied the mouth of the bag with the ribbon, and quickly went home with it. In this manner they got both pork and wine without having to pay for it, while they had the great satisfaction of outwitting the miserly godfather.

(Lisbon. From a person from Beira-Baixa.)

The Daughters of the Two Counsellors

THE DAUGHTERS OF THE TWO COUNSELLORS.

A certain king had two favourites who were allowed to be in constant attendance upon him, and as the king was very affable they had many an opportunity of a chat with him. On these occasions the king noticed that one of his favourites was continually singing the praises of his two daughters; while the other, whose one daughter the king knew was renowned for her beauty, never so much as mentioned her name. Struck with the difference of behaviour in the two noblemen, his majesty determined to go and see these maidens for himself, and observe their conduct and manner of life.

For this purpose the king disguised himself as a poor beggar woman, and went to the house of the favourite that had two daughters; pretending to be a beggar he asked to be allowed a corner in their house where he could spend the night. This he obtained with great difficulty after much entreaty, and he was at last shown into the kitchen as being a place "quite good enough for such as she."

During the dead of the night the king heard a noise as of some persons coming into the house, so he peeped out and observed two of his officers engaged in tender conversation with the two maidens, who had come down stairs on tiptoe to open the door for them. The king saw the officers take off their swords and belts and lay them in a corner of an adjoining chamber; so when they had left the room, the king went in unperceived, took possession of the swords and belts, and glided out of the house with them.

The king went next to the house of the maiden whose father never spoke of her. When he knocked at the door and begged for alms and shelter for the evening, the beautiful maiden came herself and served the poor stranger to a good supper with her own hands; and bade her come and sleep in a room next to hers, which was warm and comfortable.

The king kept very quiet in his room, to hear what passed. Though the night was far advanced, he heard the maiden still moving in her room; so he went and looked through a chink of the door, and was quite charmed to see her kneeling in prayer at her little oratory. She rose from prayer, and taking up a tiny silver casket that was on the table, containing some scented powder, she smelt the perfume and then got into bed. When the king saw that she was fast asleep, he entered and stole away the tiny casket, and quickly left the apartment.

Two days after this occurrence the king sent invitations to the two favourites and their daughters to a great banquet; and towards the end of the feast he ordered the waiters to bring him a tray that lay in the adjoining hall, and to place it before him on the table. On this tray were the two swords and belts, and the silver casket. When the two sisters and their lovers saw the swords and belts, which they had missed on the night I have mentioned, they were terribly frightened and did not dare to say a word. But the beautiful and virtuous maiden, who had nothing to fear, when she saw who the thief was that had carried away her casket, exclaimed, addressing the king with a smile:—

There's a poor beggar woman that sits on a throne, Ran away with a casket that was not her own.

And the king replying in the same strain said:—

Lovely maid, if the casket be thine, Casket and maiden shall both be mine.

As the king thought the other two damsels had already had a sufficient lesson, he ordered the two officers to marry them.

The Enchanted Moorish Princess

THE ENCHANTED MOORISH PRINCESS.

Once a young man set out to travel through the world. Coming to a certain town, he looked about for a night's lodging, but in vain. He was told that the whole city was full; but that in the immediate neighbourhood there stood an old castle, which was empty, where he might find quarters, provided he had no objection to sleeping in a haunted house. The family to whom it belonged had lived there many years, but had suddenly left it, on account of the awful noises heard, and the apparition which wandered through the chambers every night. The castle and its grounds had, therefore, been left to rack and ruin.

As the traveller could find no other shelter he resolved to avail himself of the haunted mansion, since he had no fear of ghosts or apparitions. Nevertheless, when he reached the place, and saw the dismal and decayed aspect of the building, a weird feeling came over him, and he did not venture inside its walls, but thought he would sleep in the verandah, where he arranged a bed for himself with the wraps he had brought.

Night had hardly set in when he perceived a hand stretched out to him, holding a lighted candle. This hand made signs to him to enter the deserted mansion. He took courage, went in, and found himself in a magnificently furnished room, in the middle of which stood a table, with an elegant supper spread for him, comprising delicious viands, sweets and wines of every description. As he was hungry, he ate to his heart's content; after which, feeling drowsy and tired from the day's fatigue, he leaned his head upon his hand and dozed off to sleep. While he slept, a gold ring he wore was taken from his finger and replaced by another. When he awoke, the hand again beckoned him to a chamber where there was a magnificent bed prepared for him. He threw himself on the bed, and then, for the first time, he noticed the new ring on his finger. About midnight he was awakened by some one moving in the chamber, and he made bold to ask who it was that flitted about him, whether it was a man or a woman. A weak voice replied, "I am a hapless Moorish maiden, who has been spell-bound within these walls for many a long year. Good man," said she, "if you have any pity for a forlorn creature, and are willing to break the spell I am under, I promise to make you rich and prosperous. But the conditions are hard; in order to succeed you will have to remain here three days and three nights, subjected to being turned out of bed by the hands of invisible beings, who will cry, Police! Police! What has brought you here? Besides, they will drag you about and beat you unmercifully, bruising your body and causing many wounds. But at the end of each day you will be cured of your wounds by drinking one drop out of three bottles which you will find under the bed. If you decide to remain here the three nights and days, I will leave you three bags of gold, of which you can spend as much as you please, for you have only to say, 'Ah, poor me! I have no money,' and immediately the bags will be filled again. Before I leave you, I must tell you that my father is viceroy in the land of the Moors." Saying this, she departed; for, though he had not seen the person who had spoken, he could tell that he was left alone.