The course of the hole was traced for
some distance, but it was never of any size, and was suddenly lost by
the falling in of the earth.
At length, after five hours' close watching, Henry's patience was
exhausted, and he ordered the pit to be filled up, and every crevice and
fissure in the ground about to be carefully stopped.
"If we cannot unkennel the fox," he said, " we will at least earth him up.
"For all your care, gossip Henry," muttered Will Sommers, as he rode
after his royal master to the castle, "the fox will work his way out."
THUS ENDS THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLE OF WINDSOR
CASTLE
BOOK III. The History of the Castle
I. Comprising the First Two Epochs in the History of Windsor Castle.
Amid the gloom hovering over the early history of Windsor Castle
appear the mighty phantoms of the renowned King Arthur and his
knights, for whom it is said Merlin reared a magic fortress upon its
heights, in a great hall whereof, decorated with trophies of war and of
the chase, was placed the famous Round Table. But if the antique tale
is now worn out, and no longer part of our faith, it is pleasant at least to
record it, and surrendering ourselves for a while to the sway of fancy, to
conjure up the old enchanted castle on the hill, to people its courts
with warlike and lovely forms, its forests with fays and giants,
Windsor, or Wyndleshore, so called from the winding banks of the river
flowing past it, was the abode of the ancient Saxon monarchs; and a
legend is related by William of Malmesbury of a woodman named
Wulwin, who being stricken with blindness, and having visited eighty-
seven churches and vainly implored their tutelary saints for relief, was
at last restored to sight by the touch of Edward the Confessor, who
further enhanced the boon by making him keeper of his palace at
Windsor.
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