Royston Gower or the Days of King John Author:Thomas Miller General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1838 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II. Forest, and bill, and vale, and mountain wild, Bore the deep foot-marks where the tyrant trod ; The peasant wept when gazing on his child : -- The little slave played on the daisied sod, Nor knew the doom reserved for after years. Knew not, the world was filled with bitter tears, Drawn forth by cruel lords, who only mocked their fears. Silas Gedding. Our travellers had by this time reached a green glade, which spread out on either hand, and sloped with a lovely and pasture-like effect through the forest. Down that part which opened to the left, approached a rustic maiden, driving before her a herd of horned cattle ; she was chaunting some old ditty in a voice remarkable for its clearness, and which was given back with even a sweter sound by the sylvan echoes. Her face was browned through constant exposure to the weather, and her long dark hair fell in wild, but not ungraceful disorder down her olive neck, while her arms, which were naked above the elbows, had caught the hue of ripe hazel nuts. Her features though not strictly beautiful, had an agreeable appearance, wearing the frankness of good-nature, which was evinced by the dimples in her cheek, the softness of her eyes, and the clear and open forehead, which from its breadth denoted no small intelligence. There was, moreover, an air of contentment over all, which spoke of happiness in her humble station. Her dress was simple, consisting of a long tunic of coarse woollen material, resembling the dress of a Christ- school-boy, with the exception of not being open in front, and having shorter sleeves; she wore rude sandals on ...« less