INTRODUCTION. You have all of you heard of St. James for Spain Who, having been good Knights on Earth, Their history once was in good repute, Little friends, I dare say you have read it: Of this St. James that book proclaims But more amazing are the things How once a ship of marble made, And how, though then he had no head, Which both work'd miracles so well, And how he used to fight the Moors But in their cause of latter years For that he never struck a stroke is plain, When our Duke, in many a hard campaign, Beat the French armies out of Spain, And conquer'd Buonaparte. * Whereby, my little friends, we see Which picture-buyers won't believe, Young Connoisseurs who will be! And not to interrupt The order of narration, This warning shall be printed By way of annotation. Yet still they worship him in Spain, And believe in him with might and main: Santiago there they call him; And if any one there should doubt these tales, They've an Inquisition to maul him. At Compostella in his Church His body and one head Have been for some eight hundred years Old scores might there be clean rubb'd off, To clear all toll gates on the way Some went for payment of a vow And some who found that pilgrimage And some, I trow, because it was Some upon penance for their sins, In person, or by attorney; And some who were, or had been sick; And some who thought to cheat Old Nick; And some who liked the journey: Which well they might when ways were safe; Went in that age on pilgrimage, The poor with scrip, the rich with purse, They took their chance for better for worse, From many a foreign land, With a scallop-shell in the hat for badge, Something there is, the which to leave For the scallop shows in a coat of arms, Some one, in former days, hath been And the staff was bored and drilled for those THE LEGEND. PART I. ONCE on a time three Pilgrims true, Their names, little friends, I am sorry to say, But the son, if you please, we 'll call Pierre, From France they came, in which fair land And they took up their lodging one night on the way |