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THE BALLAD OF
THE WHITE HORSE
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Charles Dickens
All Things Considered
Tremendous Trifles
Alarms and Discursions
THE BALLAD OF
THE WHITE HORSE
BY
G. K. CHESTERTON
P^
PREFATORY NOTE
r MHIS ballad needs no historical notes, for
-*- the simple reason that it does not profess
him.
it telescopes history. G. K. C.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Dedication xiii
BOOK I
BOOK II
BOOK III
BOOK IV
The Woman in the Forest 67
BOOK V
Ethandune: The First Stroke. ... 89
BOOK VI
Ethandune : The Slaying of the Chiefs . 109
BOOK VII
Ethandune : The Last Charge . . . .131
BOOK VIII
The Scouring of the Horse .... 157
TO
MY AVIFE
DEDICATION
As on a staircase go in grace.
G. K. C.
THE BALLAD OF
THE WHITE HORSE
THE BALLAD OF THE
WHITE HORSE
BOOK I
Rome
Were filled with faces that moved like foam,
A Christless chivalry
To be an English king.
"
Shall we come home at last ?
THE VISION OF THE KING 15
Upon me in a lane,
"
Yea, faith without a hope ?
In daylight on a deck.
An everlasting laugh.
'
No more of comfort shall ye get.
God
I have seen the truth like fire,
Of Colan of Caerleon.
3
— ;
On an undiscovered isle.
THE GATHERING OF THE CHIEFS 37
To remember it again."
A broken-hearted king,
BOOK IV
Go powerfully in pain.
Come, as it is in heaven.
looked down,
In a wild solemnity,
right,
high.
night,
wood,
ETHANDUNE 93
ETHANDUNE 95
And he cried :
" What broken bits of earth
;
ETHANDUNE 105
*'
So shall you earn a king's sword,
To westward easily,
ETHANDUNE ni
He murmured as in sleep,
ETHANDUNE 115
"
God ! are you bloodless now ?
ETHANDUNE 117
Confregit potentias
Gladium et bellum."
A statue on a roof.
ETHANDUNE 123
As he stood on my shield.
down.
world
world.
under,
ETHANDUNE 127
him,
m
;
ETHANDUNE 129
pass,
t;t
ETHANDUNE 133
ETHANDUNE 135
To drink up infamy ?
ETHANDUNE 145
ETHANDUNE 147
ETHANDUNE 149
throat
ETHANDUNE 151
strange
earth's knees,
ETHANDUNE 155
BOOK VIll
earth,
*'
The steel that sang so sweet a tune
'
Take England all, from tide to tide
Be Athelney my share/
And said :
" The King is old."
Crying :
" Arm, Lord King, the hamlets arm.
; —
1 68 BALLAD OF THE WHITE HORSE
In the horror and the shade of harm,
Crying :
" 111 the watchmen watch, and ill
Or charity or chivalry,
t
—