The ladies' garland. [volume], January 26, 1828, Page 130, Image 2

About The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828

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and neroic beauty. iiis complexion w as of the
true Castilian olive, anil Ins features of tli.it m
Lie cast w hicli gave )i*-r the idea that Ins w as no
common lineage (ilossv riocii Lair cl'Mcn d
iti rich curl* round a forehead of I ftv lo-nuty,
and t lie snincw hat stern expression of Lis coun
ten nice w.,s softened by r yes of the must melt
mg and lovelv Mur-. j
. ‘ And who is it,’ said the Ihince-r, sighing, !
that wool.I address to ( atharine of I.aneasler
i iiiguage which she most not hear except from
'oyul blond
* W hieh he who boasts nut even iiuhii.tr for
iiis portion must therr lure pour 1 »rti 1 hopeless
iy, said the kijigdit; ‘ami vet lie is h . Id enough
to believe, that had the loll}’ distinctions of the
i’lineeof Portugal been Iris to hack his suit with \
nl, he should not h ue sighed in vain.’
‘ Ah, thills' not, she replied, ‘ that ambitious j
feelings would influence the heart of her who ,
w ould prefer a cottage cm the banks of Ta jo
with love, to a throne without, and who would
not for a moment hesitate to excli tnge tntf
proudest diadem in the world for the wild flow
'■r wreath of peace, gathered by the hand of '
love ’ She sighed and sunk into silence.
The Knight threw himself at her feet, and by '
iiis passionate eloquence drew from her a foil
eonicssion of the secret interest witli which she j
had beheld him from the first dav he made his ■
appearance in the lists ‘And now,' said she. :
‘ that you have old.lined from me an aeknow j
’edgemerit ol all my weakness, let me no longer j
remain in ignoranecof ihe name of him to w hom 1
hue blindly given my maiden heait.’
‘iLmami if nut. fair Princess!’ said the
Knight, resuming !.;s mask, ami drawing the
folds ol Ins cloak yet closer round hint. * It is a
name that must not rn-n he whispered within
the walls of Tob-do. wi. re I appeal even when
.hrcmled w.'.hir. thi- d.sguifcmcnt at the risk of
that life to i,.„cL thy pure and unbonght love
)jas given a vrdiie which it never before possess
ed in my own eyes. iarewell, most lovely,
most beloved lady! my moment; are numbered,
and I must away.’
v.iicr,, e.nt: w t.ere,smut 1 see you again,
i Ted tin; Ihiticess anxi
• the approach!:'.;: tournament. lady. I shall
■-;? among the combatants, ami shall gather the
•aspiration that tvil! lead me to conquest from
ttiy eye I :hail behold thep as usual surround
d bj noble flatten r and princely lovers. Hut.
ili, Catharine! remember, they do not, tbev
» nunot, love thee like him w ho rushes through
ill peril', and braves chains and death to catch
but a lool. or smile of thine.’
‘ In the lists, then, I shall expect to see thee,’
said the Princess, • yet, among the numerous
•avalivts reporting thither, many may chance,
•n wear the -arrie colours and martial array, as
thou, chosen of my heart '
‘ *> ve me, then.fair Princess, some token, by
'•'•aieh valued distil) juishment thou shall recog -
. <■ hou who boasted) no heraldic bearings, or
•rest uf nobility, said the knight ; and the
I'lirervi. selecting from the orange trers that
a.cr-hadowed them, a sprig rivlv with the fra
..no! 1 los-oms. presented it to him bidding him
wear it lor her sake. 'Aye!’ returned the
Knight, pressing it to his lips, ‘and ever will 1
preserve it as a memorial of this sweet hour '
The approach of a crowd of masks forced
them to separate, and the princess retired to
her own apartment, and sought her pillow, not
to sleep, but to recall every particular of the
scene which had taken place between her and
her mysterious lover.
Howsoever sweet m '.t be the remembrance
nl that scene, her n 'lections on it were suffi
cient to furnish the smiles from lier lips, the co
loui from lier cheek, and to cloud her brow with
that expression of pensive thought which at
length attracted the attention of the court That
the appearance of mystery is seldom assumed
for worthy purposes, or by those who have not
vt rv urgent reasons for roneealnrient, may tie
established as a general maxim; Init, while this
truth appealed in all its force to the reason of
the f'l in cess, her heart obstinately refuser! to ad
mil a doubt injurious to the honor of the biave
( astilian.
ffn the morning that was to witm ss llie cele
bration ol the tournament, it was observed by
fo r holies m waiting that she rejected all the
magnificent diessos ostentatiously offered to her
attend hi hy her tire-women on tliis important
necasion, and selected a simple robe of white
tail la, made in the Castilian mode, with pearl
ornaments; and instead of the tiara of grins
which she had been accustomed to wear when
she appeared in public, her beautiful dark hair
was unadorned sue with a single sprig of
orange blossoms, and with the string of pearls
which confined hei long white veil,whose trans
parent folds were carelessly arranged, so as par
tial’y to shade her snowy bosom and exquisite
ly formed a ms.
‘ Although the s mplicity of that dress well
becomes the touch.ng cast of your beauty, my
fair sister,’ observed the Queen of Portugal,
when they met in the gallery of the palace, * yet
mrtliinks robes and jewels befitting your high
station won! 1 have been more suitable to (he
princely divertisement which vour royal hro
tiler in-law has provided, as much in vour ho
nour as in mine.’
• Truly, royal sister,’ said Don Pedro, who
now joined them, • the Lady Catharine is mind
ed to show how far her unadorned loveliness
w ill surpass the '•harms of the over dressed
beauties of Spain and Portugal.’
‘in complimenting my poor charms at the
i xpensc. of your country-women. Sir Pence. vou
farm to forget that I am, by the maternal blood,
at least halt a Castilian.'
‘ Ay! and the bright heiress of the Castilian
throne!’ returned the Prince, tendering her his
homage.
• I did not accuse you of forgetfulness on that
point, rt joined she. disdainfully ; ‘ and well, 1
trust, are ray princely suitors aware of that ap
panage to Catharine of Lancaster.’
‘ Vnu forget, lair Madam, that iour dowry is
yet to be tvon at the point of the sword.’ retort
ed Don Pedro, reddening; * and little, I wren,
does that lover deserve to be taunted with seek
ing you for the sake of a heritage which is to he
forced from Henry of Trastamarad
‘Pie! fie! Don Pedro!’exclaimed the young
Queen ; ‘ had your brother Juan wooed me in
iin> fashion. 1 had doubtlessly preferred one of
my father’s ‘squires to his kingship, or gone to
my grave as Phillippa Plantagenet. And yet,
C atharine, I musi say mat you received your
subject's homagein a manner uneourteous
enough to provoke 'S-retort from a better tem
pered Prince than Don Pedro.’
• Her ungraciousness shall have no other ef
fect on me than to nerve my arm in the lists,
where I trust this day to prove myself such a
champion in her c.iu.-e as her hopes of the Cas
tilian succession may require,’ returned he;
■ her colours, I see, ate white ; of the same im
maculate hue shall lie my scarf and plumes.—
She has unkindly refused me a token of her fa
vnur ; hut this day 1 will wear In my beaver a
sprigof our national flower, theorangc blossom.
| with which she hits chosen to adorn tier ebor.
i tresses.'
! ‘ No!’ ‘.lid Catharine, turnin'; petulantly from
j I'im;-! hate given yon no |iermission to near
toy colours, and methinks those of your liege
latly, rny sister, would better become you.’
Che laws of knight errantry do not prerludt
! :l champion from wearing the colours of a cruel
j mi-tress, and this day, lair Catharine, I shall
i appear in yours.’
■ W ith the assurance of my sincere wishes for
your oi rr'throw lor your wages withal,’return
ed the Princess, and they parted,
1' rom the earliesi hour m the morning, Tole
do, and every avenue leading thereto, had been
thlonged with gallant and noble adventurers.—
1 he (lower of Lugli-h, Spanish, and Portuguese
chivalry were there assembled, well mounted
and splendidly caparisoned The city was a
scene cf gay hustle and confusion. Danners
and plumes were waving, music was resound
ing, and steeds were curvetting through every
street. Train after train of gallantly arrayed
horsemen appeared, and, taking the road to
the scene ol action, disappeared only to he suc
ceeds! by fresh bands of knights and cavaliers
resorting to this chivalric pageant.
Never was tournament more splendidly at
tended than this Many a noble and even roy
al knight bore the colours of the Lady Catha
rine; but among them all the Prince of Portu
gal alone wore orange blossoms in his helmet,
and she looked in vain for him, who should have
been also distinguished by this token, among
the gallants who saluted her by lowering tluii
lances as they passed the balcony where she
was seated, w ith the Queen of Portugal and the
Dutchess of Lancaster her mother
The king of Portugal, after breaking a lance
in honour of hi- bride, at her request declined
entering tardier into tho business of die day
and joined the Duke of Lancaster as one of the
umpires of the lists.
Il was Don Pedro r good Ijrtunc to overcome
every adversary who presumed to engage Lis
powerful arm; and. towards the close of the
day, none among the knights and nohles assem
bled evinced ur.y desire to dispute with him the
honour of the victory. 'I he Duke of Lancas
ter. therefore, dire tied him to order his defiance
to he tiiree times repealed; and should the
third challenge remain unanswered, he would
be entitled to the prize as the victor of the day
Already had the echoes twice returned the
inspiring notes of Don Pedro's trumpets, and
twice had the warlike notes been suffered to die
away without reply; but how did the heart of
Catharine flutter with tumultuous emotions,
when the third triumphant flourish was answer
ed by a faint blast from a distant trumpet! All
listened with overwhelming-interest a- the sound
was more distinctly repeated, and the next mo
ment the streets of Toledo echoed to the fuiious
riding of a single knight, who hadfaroutstripped
his ’squire and trumpeter, and soiled with dost,
and breathless with speed and agitation, now
rode up to the lists, and. flinging his gauntlet on
the earth, pronounced these words- —
‘ I. a Christian knight and true, do hereby in
the name of St. Michael and St James, accept
the defiance which the successful combatant lias
| just off. red to all the world, and challenge him,
; in presence of this goodly company, to enter
I the lists with me forthwith, there to prot e w Inch
! of us two is more worthy to wear the colours
! of the brightest princess in the world, the Lady
j Catharine of Lancaster.’
‘ First prove, presumptuous man !' returned
• Don Pedro, ‘some qualification which may o*