{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_25476/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_25476","id":"gutenberg_25476","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25476","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Historical Novels","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","History -- Juvenile literature"],"text":"Produced by Delphine Lettau, Emmy and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGOLDEN DEEDS\n\nSTORIES FROM HISTORY\n\n[Illustration]\n\nRETOLD FOR LITTLE FOLK\n\n          BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED\n          LONDON GLASGOW DUBLIN BOMBAY\n\n[Illustration]\n\nCONTENTS\n\n    How Horatius Kept the Bridge\n    William Tell\n    Catherine Douglas\n    Casabianca\n    Handel, the Great Musician\n    The Story of Columbus\n    Antonio Canova\n    Damon and Pythias\n    Charlemagne and the Charcoal-burner\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nHow Horatius Kept the Bridge\n\n\nMore than two thousand years ago Rome was ruled over by some kings\ncalled the Tarquins. As they were wicked men, the Roman people rose up\nagainst them, and drove them out of the city. The banished kings then\nwent to Tuscany, where Lars Porsena took up their cause, and gathering\nan army together, went to help them force an entrance into Rome again.\n\nThe city could only be entered by crossing the river Tiber, and there\nwas but one wooden bridge over which the army could pass. Then the\nleader of the Romans, who was called the Consul, cried out to his\nfollowers to destroy the bridge.\n\n\"But,\" he added sadly, \"I fear they will be upon us before we have time\nto hew it down.\"\n\nAt this a Roman called Horatius came forward and offered to stand at the\nfarther end of the bridge, to keep the Tuscans at bay while it was being\ndestroyed.\n\n\"The pathway is so narrow,\" said he, \"that if two others will help me,\nwe can stop the whole army from advancing. So who will keep the bridge\nwith me?\"\n\nTwo other brave Romans, called Spurius Lartius and Titus Herminius, at\nonce answered the call of their comrade, and these three gallant men\nwent to defend the passage, while the rest hastened to destroy the\nbridge.\n\nWhen the Tuscans saw the three men standing ready to meet the whole\narmy, they laughed aloud in scorn. But their laughter was soon changed\nto wrath and despair, as one after the other they and their chiefs were\nquickly laid low at the feet of the dauntless Romans.\n\nMeanwhile the supports of the bridge were destroyed. The Consul shouted\nto the three heroes to hasten across before the ruin fell into the water\nbeneath. Lartius and Herminius just succeeded in getting safely to the\nfarther bank, but Horatius remained facing the foe until the last beam\nfell. Then with a cry he leapt into the foaming stream, and although\nbadly wounded and heavy with his armour, he managed to rejoin his\ncomrades on dry land, to the joy of the whole city. During his gallant\nfight, a dart from an enemy's arrow had put out one eye, and because of\nthis he was given the surname of Cocles, which means one-eyed.\n\n[Illustration: HORATIUS AT THE BRIDGE]\n\n\n\n\nWilliam Tell\n\n\nWhen the Emperor Albert ruled over Germany, he wished to govern the\npeople of Switzerland in such a way that their independent spirit would\nbe broken. To bring about this end he appointed a governor, who treated\nthe Swiss unjustly and cruelly.\n\nThe name of this man was Gessler, and in order to test the people's\nobedience, he placed his hat upon a pole in the market square of one of\nthe principal towns, and commanded that all who passed it should bow\ndown before it in token of respect. A certain brave Swiss, named William\nTell, having refused to obey such an absurd order, was at once arrested\nand taken before Gessler. The tyrant, who knew him to be a clever\narcher, said that his life would be spared only on the condition that he\nshould with an arrow hit an apple placed upon the head of his only son.\nTell's eye was true, so he consented to the horrible proposal.\n\nAn apple having been placed upon the head of his little son, he took his\nbow and quiver, and prepared to take aim. A moment later the apple,\nsplit in two halves, fell to the ground.\n\nGessler, who was enraged at Tell's success, noticed that he carried\nanother arrow under his cloak.\n\n\"What have you a second arrow for?\" he demanded.\n\n\"If I had killed my boy,\" replied the bold Swiss, \"the second arrow was\nfor you.\"\n\nThe angry governor had him thrown into prison, but Tell escaped, and\nrevenged himself by killing the tyrant.\n\n[Illustration: TELL'S SON AND THE APPLE]\n\n[Illustration: FOR THE KING!]\n\n\n\n\nCatherine Douglas\n\n\nWhen King James came to the throne of Scotland, the whole country was in\na state of rebellion.\n\nThe King tried to restore order, but the wicked nobles hated him, and\nplotted together to take his life.\n\nIt was Christmas, and King James, with his Queen Joan and a party of\nfaithful friends, was celebrating the season at an old monastery in\nPerth. The day had passed merrily, and the royal couple prepared to\nretire.\n\nSuddenly the clang of arms was heard. The ladies rushed to secure the\ndoor of the room, but alas! the bolts and bars had gone, and only the\nempty staples remained. Meanwhile King James seized the tongs, and\ntearing up a board in the floor, let himself down into a vault below.\nBut before there was time to replace the board, the murderers came\nrushing along. Then Catherine Douglas, one of the Queen's ladies, flew\nto the door and thrust her arm through the empty staples, thus gaining\ntime to allow her sovereign to escape. The brave arm was but a frail\nbar, and was soon broken, and the traitors burst into the room, to find\nno sign of King James.\n\nUnfortunately the King was unable to get out of the vault. The ladies\nthen made ropes of the sheets, and tried to pull him up, but the noise\nwas heard by the ruffians. They again rushed into the room and the\nunfortunate monarch was most cruelly murdered.\n\nAlthough Catherine's brave deed was not rewarded by the salvation of her\nKing's life, yet it was an act of self-sacrifice which places her among\nthe ranks of true heroines.\n\n\n\n\nCasabianca\n\n\nThe Battle of the Nile was a great battle fought at sea between the\nBritish and French in the year 1798. The famous admiral, Lord Nelson,\nwas in command of the British fleet, and he won a most glorious victory\nin which only four French ships escaped.\n\nTowards the close of the battle the French Admiral's flagship,\n_L'Orient_, caught fire, and blazed up with terrible brightness. Lord\nNelson immediately gave orders that the British boats should be put off\nto save as many as possible of the poor sailors on the burning vessel.\n\nWhen the boats reached her side, most of the French officers accepted\nthe offer of safety and sprang into them. Standing upon _L'Orient's_\ndeck was the little ten-year-old son of the Captain, named Casabianca,\nwho was the favourite of everyone on board, and as he made no attempt to\nmove, the British sailors shouted to him to come with them.\n\n\"No,\" replied the boy; \"my father told me to remain here, and not to\nstir unless he called me.\"\n\n\"But,\" cried the sailors in amazement, \"your father lies mortally\nwounded on deck, and the ship will soon blow up. Jump into the boat and\nsave yourself.\"\n\n\"No,\" again responded the little fellow; \"I must obey my father's\norders.\"\n\nAs there was no time to linger, the boat put off from the ship's side. A\nfew minutes later the figure of Casabianca was seen in the glare of the\nflames, leaning over the prostrate figure of his father.\n\n[Illustration: CASABIANCA ON THE BURNING SHIP]\n\nSoon after, a terrible explosion shook every ship in the bay, while\nburning fragments of _L'Orient_ were hurled in the air, falling heavily\nto the water in all directions. A dead silence followed this fearful\nsound, and then the British boats rowed busily about, picking up those\nwho had leapt from the burning vessel in time to save their lives. In\nthis way about seventy were saved. But where was the brave boy,\nCasabianca? Not a sign of him was to be seen. The noble lad had perished\nwith his father, faithful until death.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nHandel, the Great Musician\n\n\nIn the small German town of Halle there once lived a barber-surgeon\nnamed George Handel. In those days barbers were nearly always surgeons\nas well, and George Handel was a very respected member of the\nprofession. He had a large family of sons and daughters, the youngest of\nwhom was called George Frederick. When quite a small child this little\nfellow showed a decided taste for music. In the nursery his only toys\nwere trumpets, drums, flutes, and anything out of which he could get\nmusical sounds. As he grew older this intense love of music increased,\nuntil it became the one great thought and pleasure of his life. Seeing\nthis his father was very distressed and alarmed, for he did not wish his\nlittle son to take up music as the means of earning his living.\n\nAt that time organists and musicians were very poorly paid, and George\nHandel wanted his boy to get on well in the world. So he tried to turn\nthe child's mind away from all such ideas, by never allowing him to go\nto any place where music was performed, and by sending every instrument\nout of his house. But in spite of so much care and trouble taken, it was\nimpossible to destroy the strongest desire of the boy's nature.\n\nOne night, after the household had gone to bed, Mr. Handel was awakened\nby the sound of soft music stealing from an unused garret. He arose in\ngreat surprise, and calling his wife they went to find out the cause of\nthese strange sounds.\n\nGoing quietly to the garret they paused to listen outside for a few\nmoments, when their astonishment was increased by the beauty of the\nmelody which met their ears. Then, opening the door and holding up the\ncandle he carried, George Handel peered wonderingly into the dusty old\nlumber-room. There, seated at a clavichord (an instrument something like\na piano, only much smaller), was his little son Frederick, then only six\nyears old. The child had coaxed one of his aunts, who was his friend and\nsympathizer, to help him smuggle the clavichord into the garret, where\nhe taught himself to play while his parents were asleep, or out of the\nhouse.\n\nThe wonderful sweetness of the music, together with the earnest\nentreaties of the tiny performer, softened the heart of his father to\nforgiveness of his conduct. But even then the old gentleman could not be\ninduced to allow his son to follow the profession for which nature had\nso well fitted him, as he feared he would not be able to earn his living\nat it. However, it happened not long after that the Duke of\nSaxe-Weissenfels heard the boy play, and was so struck by his genius\nthat he persuaded his parent to consent to have him properly trained.\n\nWhen once he was enabled to continue his studies under the guidance of a\ngood master, it did not take young Handel long to show not only his\nfather, but the whole world, that he was a truly great and marvellously\ngifted musician. To-day his famous oratorios are played everywhere, and\npeople delight in them and marvel at them just as much as when they were\nfirst produced.\n\n[Illustration: THE CHILD MUSICIAN]\n\n[Illustration: COLUMBUS ON HIS VOYAGE TO AMERICA]\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Columbus\n\n\nAbout four hundred years ago there lived an Italian sailor, named\nChristopher Columbus. In those days people supposed that there were no\ncontinents in the world besides Europe, Asia, and Africa, but Columbus\nbelieved there was a great country across the ocean that had never been\ndiscovered. He felt a burning desire to sail in search of this land, but\nas he was a poor man he had not the money with which to get the\nnecessary ships and men. For some time he wandered from place to place\ntrying to induce others to help him carry out his plan, but he was only\nlaughed at and called a fool and a madman. At length he obtained an\ninterview with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. At first they\nrefused to give him any assistance, but afterwards the Queen said she\nwould pledge her jewels to raise the needful money.\n\nSo in the month of August, Columbus sailed away upon his voyage of\ndiscovery, his little fleet consisting of three small vessels. For four\nweeks they sailed on over the dark and stormy waters, during which time\nColumbus had much trouble with his sailors, who grumbled and complained\nunceasingly. When at length they found themselves alone on the vast\nunknown seas, with no sign of land, they became panic-stricken, and\nimplored Columbus to take them home again. He reproved them for their\nwant of courage. Then for a little while they showed a braver spirit,\nbut before long they again broke out into rebellion; but Columbus was so\nstrong-minded and courageous that he succeeded in quelling the mutiny.\n\nThus days passed, until one night, in the middle of October, as Columbus\nwas walking on deck he suddenly saw a light ahead which told the\nsea-weary mariners that the longed-for land must lie not far distant.\nWhen at last dawn came it showed an island lying in the blue waters\nbefore them. A boat was at once lowered, in which Columbus and a party\nof his men landed upon the unknown shore. Groups of dark-skinned natives\ncrowded to the water side, gazing in fear and wonder at the strange\nwhite men. Then, with the Spanish royal flag in one hand and his sword\nin the other, he took possession of the island in the name of King\nFerdinand and Queen Isabella. Having visited other islands, Columbus\nreturned in triumph to Spain, where he was greeted as a hero.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nAntonio Canova\n\n\nIn the sunny land of Italy, in the obscure little village of Possagno\nnear Venice, there once lived a little lad whose name was Antonio\nCanova. As he was left an orphan at three years old he dwelt with his\ngrandfather, who earned his living by cutting figures and ornaments out\nof stone. The old man took the greatest care of his grandson and wished\nto train Antonio to become a stone-cutter too, so with this end in view\nthe boy was taught drawing. He soon showed great talent, and when he\nbegan to model birds and flowers in clay, he succeeded so well that his\ngrandfather was both astonished and delighted. Even in his ninth year he\nmade two beautiful marble shrines which can be seen to this day.\n\nOne day a nobleman called Giovanni Falieri, who was about to give a\nlarge dinner party, asked old Canova to make him some ornament for the\ntable. He said he did not care what it was, but wanted something new and\nuncommon. There was but little time before the date fixed for the party,\nand the old stone-cutter tried in vain to think of a suitable object.\nSeeing his grandfather so troubled, Antonio said to him, \"I think I can\nmake something to please his lordship. If you will let me have some good\nhard butter I will make him a butter lion.\"\n\n\"That is an excellent idea,\" replied the old man. And he sent for the\nbutter at once.\n\nAntonio set to work, and very soon he had shaped a lion's head, with\nfine flowing mane, out of the creamy mass. Then followed a beautifully\nformed body and limbs.\n\n[Illustration: A CLEVER PUPIL]\n\n[Illustration: CANOVA'S BUTTER LION]\n\nWhen the animal was complete his grandfather looked at it with intense\npride and admiration, and it was carefully carried to his lordship. It\nattracted a great deal of attention at the dinner party, and amid cries\nof wonderment was passed from hand to hand. When the nobleman and his\nguests heard that it was the work of a boy, they expressed a great\ndesire to see the talented young artist. Antonio was sent for, and his\nlordship was so impressed with his talent that he promised to see that\nhe had the best masters, and that he was given every chance to succeed\nin his profession.\n\nGiovanni Falieri nobly kept his word, and placed him as a pupil under\nBernardi, or as he is usually called Torretti, a famous Venetian\nsculptor, who happened to be staying in a neighbouring village at the\ntime. By the aid of this kind friend, and the power of his own genius,\nAntonio became a world-renowned sculptor. And not only was he a famous\nsculptor, but he was even entrusted with great affairs of state.\n\nWhen the great Napoleon conquered Italy he carried off most unjustly\nhundreds of priceless works of art, and when the tyrant was overthrown\nthe young Canova was sent as ambassador to Paris to find the whereabouts\nof these works. For these and other services he was made by the Pope\nMarquis of Ischia, and given a pension of 3000 scudi. But Canova was\nvery good and generous and he devoted all this pension for the relief of\nhis poor brother artists. Thus the little figure of the butter lion\nproved to be the stepping-stone to fame.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nDamon and Pythias\n\n\nThe city of Syracuse was once ruled over by a clever but very cruel man\ncalled Dionysius. Perhaps he would not have been so harsh and cruel if\nhe had been able to trust his people; but he knew that the Syracusans\nhated him. It happened that he once suspected a certain Greek called\nPythias, and his anger was so terrible that he sentenced the unfortunate\nman to death. Pythias begged to be allowed to go and bid his relations\nin the country farewell, promising to return at a given time to suffer\nthe death to which he had been condemned. Dionysius laughed his request\nto scorn, saying that once he was safely out of Syracuse it was not\nlikely he would ever return to die. Pythias replied that he had a\nfriend, named Damon, who would be answerable for his return at the\ngiven time. Damon then came forward and swore that if Pythias did not\nkeep his word, he himself would suffer death in his stead. Dionysius\nconsented to let Pythias go.\n\nTime went on and the day fixed for his return drew near, but still he\ndid not come. The Syracusans told Damon that he would have to die for\nhis faithless friend, but Damon showed no anxiety. At length the very\nday and hour upon which the condemned man was to die came round. But a\nfew minutes before the fatal time Pythias rushed in, and having warmly\nembraced his friend, he went forward to take his place. Dionysius was so\nstruck by the conduct of the two men that he pardoned Pythias, and\ncalling him and Damon to his side he entreated them to allow him to be a\nthird in their friendship.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: CHARLEMAGNE AND THE CHARCOAL BURNER]\n\n\n\n\nCharlemagne and the Charcoal-burner\n\n\nOnce the noble Charlemagne, King of the Franks, was riding across a\nlonely moor with some of his courtiers, when they were overtaken by a\nterrific storm. It became so dark that the party lost sight of one\nanother, and the King found himself alone in the tempest of wind and\nrain. As he struggled on he met a poor man leading a horse with two\ngreat baskets upon its back.\n\n\"What is your name, friend?\" enquired Charlemagne.\n\n\"I am Ralph, the charcoal-burner,\" replied the man.\n\n\"Can you tell me where I can find shelter for my horse and myself?\"\nasked the King.\n\n\"If you care to come with me to my cottage you will be very welcome,\"\nanswered Ralph.\n\nThe King was only too glad to accompany the man to his house in the\nforest. When they reached the door the charcoal-burner called to his\nwife to hasten to let them in. Ralph stood aside for his companion to\npass in first, but Charlemagne hung back behind. Seeing this the man\ntook him by the neck and pushed him in the house, saying, \"It is only\nright that my guest should enter first.\"\n\nWhen supper was ready the charcoal-burner bade King Charlemagne go to\nthe table before him. But again His Majesty held back. Then Ralph gave\nhis visitor such a sound box on the ear that he staggered and fell.\n\n\"Why will you not do as I bid you?\" he cried angrily.\n\n\"These are strange doings indeed,\" said the King to himself, as he rose\nfrom the ground.\n\n\"Now tell me who you are, and where you live?\" said the peasant to his\nroyal guest.\n\n\"My name is Uzmond, and I live at Court, where I have an office with the\nQueen,\" replied Charlemagne.\n\nEarly the next morning, Charlemagne before starting offered to pay Ralph\nfor his food and lodging, but the man refused to take payment for\nsheltering one who belonged to the Court of the noble King of France.\n\n\"So be it,\" answered His Majesty. \"But if you will not let me pay you,\ncome to the Court with a load of coals and I will see that you sell your\ngoods.\"\n\n\"That will I do,\" answered Ralph.\n\nThe following day Ralph loaded his mare with two large baskets of coal\nand set off to Court. When he arrived there he asked for one Uzmond, but\nno one knew of such a person. The King had given orders that he should\nbe admitted into the Palace, and at length he came to a splendid hall,\nwhere Charlemagne sat at dinner with his nobles. The poor\ncharcoal-burner at once pointed at His Majesty, exclaiming, \"See, there\nsits Uzmond, but truly he must be a greater man than he said!\"\n\nAt this His Majesty burst into a loud laugh, and rising from his seat he\ntold the whole company how he had fared at Ralph's cottage. The lords\nall laughed heartily, but some of them would have had Ralph punished for\nhaving boxed the King's ears.\n\n\"Nay,\" said Charlemagne, \"Heaven forbid I should harm him. He is an\nhonest man who can strike a hard blow, and I shall make him a knight\ninstead.\"\n\n[Illustration: THE CHARCOAL BURNER AT THE PALACE]\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nTranscriber's Note: The original did not have a List of Stories, one was\nadded to this version.","title":"Golden Deeds: Stories from History","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":3756}