Produced by Al Haines
A Child's Book of Saints
by
William Canton
With illustrations by
T. H. Robinson
This is fairy gold, boy; And I will prove it so. --Shakespeare
Every man I will go with thee, be thy guide in thy most need to go by thy side.
London
Published by J. M. Dent & Co.
and in New York by
E. P. Dutton & Co.
First Edition, March 1906.
Reprinted May 1906.
EDITOR'S NOTE.
"A Child's Book of Saints" was first published in 1898, when Mr. Canton had already found his audience. The book is a near successor indeed to his "W. V.: Her Book," and to "The Invisible Playmate"; and W. V. again acts as guardian elf and guide to this new region of the child's earthly paradise. The Saints are here treated with a simplicity that is almost or altogether childlike, and with an unforced imagination which is only to be learnt by becoming as a child. And this is perhaps why, although comparatively a new book, it has the air of something pleasantly old, and written long ago; and thus wins its way into the children's library of old favourite authors.
Mr. Canton's published works, up to January 1906, comprise:--"A Lost Epic, and other Poems," 1887. "The Invisible Playmate: a Story of the Unseen," 1894, 1897. "W. V., Her Book and Various Verses," 1896. "A Child's Book of Saints," 1898, 1902. "Children's Sayings, Edited, with a Digression on the Small People," 1900. "The True Annals of Fairyland" (The Reign of King Herla), 1900, &c. "In Memory of W. V." (Winifred Vida Canton), 1901. "The Comrades: Poems, Old and New," 1902. "What is the Bible Society?" 1903. "The Story of the Bible Society," 1904. "A History of the British and Foreign Bible Society," 1904. "Little Hands and God's Book: a Sketch of the Bible Society," 1804-1904, 1905.
Contents
IN THE FOREST OF STONE THE SONG OF THE MINSTER THE PILGRIM OF A NIGHT THE ANCIENT GODS PURSUING THE DREAM OF THE WHITE LARK THE HERMIT OF THE PILLAR KENACH'S LITTLE WOMAN GOLDEN APPLES AND ROSES RED THE SEVEN YEARS OF SEEKING THE GUARDIANS OF THE DOOR ON THE SHORES OF LONGING THE CHILDREN OF SPINALUNGA THE SIN OF THE PRINCE BISHOP THE LITTLE BEDESMAN OF CHRIST THE BURNING OF ABBOT SPIRIDION THE COUNTESS ITHA THE STORY OF THE LOST BROTHER THE KING ORGULOUS THE JOURNEY OF RHEINFRID LIGHTING THE LAMPS
List of Illustrations
Women lived the life of prayer and praise and austerity and miracle
"These are the fields in which the Shepherds watched"
Hilary wondered and mused
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Child's Book of Saints by William Canton
- 2: Who have offended Thee but once
- 3: But legends of holy men and women
- 4: Catherine of Siena was a little child
- 5: Its lovely ideals and haunting legends
- 6: And he presented rich vestments to the Minster
- 7: Sometimes the song came from one part of the Minster
- 8: And floated about the high pillars of the Minster
- 9: And one plough was drawn by oxen and guided by Isidore
- 10: And gaze on the hill of Calvary
- 11: Isidore stretched out his hand
- 12: Hilary bade his companions gather berries and wild herbs
- 13: Rough with heather and bracken and tufts of bent
- 14: The Lady Pelagia hath heard of your coming into this land
- 15: And the companions saw no longer the Lady Pelagia
- 16: The Saint prepared to return home
- 17: Far up in the blue Asian sky Now
- 18: He found a vast pillar of marble still erect
- 19: And follow this road till thou reachest the third milestone
- 20: Before me was my father goose herd
- 21: The Goose herd looked at him blankly for a moment
- 22: He bent his steps towards the hermitage
- 23: And as Diarmait chanced to walk near it
- 24: No woman may come to this hermitage
- 25: Sweet Dorothea when thou hast joined thy lover
- 26: And the sword of the doomsman fell
- 27: The brethren formed a procession
- 28: She found Waldo meditating by the door of his hut
- 29: Playing on thy harp and singing
- 30: And when he came to the hut he saw that Waldo was dead
- 31: Serapion and his companions were
- 32: But Serapion replied To me it appears
- 33: Deeming it was we who were hanging heads nethermost
- 34: Serapion and the others wondered at this
- 35: Serapion said to the chorister Ha
- 36: Ringing the blessed bell of the Sea farers
- 37: Then Serapion lifted up his eyes above the cloud
- 38: Close they came to the Sea farers
- 39: Thrice did the Sea farers hold Easter in that island
- 40: Yet in no way do I repent of our sailing
- 41: When the Sea farers reached it
- 42: The Sea farers won nearest to the Earthly Paradise
- 43: The true Earthly Paradise round about him
- 44: And four good Angels watch my bed
- 45: The Vicar lit his lantern and went out of doors
- 46: So that she never knew what the old Vicar had seen
- 47: Now the Prior loved Bresal as Jonathan loved David
- 48: Bresal was sitting on a rock in the sun on the hillside
- 49: And whatsoever else Bresal now sees
- 50: And with the other on the shoulder of Brother Agnolo
- 51: And asked for a parley with the Syndic
- 52: Frate Agnolo gave each of them his blessing
- 53: And thus the Prince Bishop fell into the sin of vainglory
- 54: At the moment of midnight the master ringer gave the word
- 55: The Little Bedesman of ChristThis is the legend of Francis
- 56: Not that we might torture them unwisely
- 57: Then Brother Angelo did as he was bidden
- 58: Francis was dwelling in the town of Agobio
- 59: For song and sermon we ask largesse
- 60: Francis called aloud O Brother Leo
- 61: Francis with fatigue and illness
- 62: And thereon the image of a man crucified
- 63: Praised by Sister Moon be Thou
- 64: Spiridion gently shook his head
- 65: Even while Spiridion was speaking
- 66: And three times he called aloud Spiridion
- 67: And Itha was not loth to be won
- 68: The Countess Itha went daily to pray for her husband
- 69: He sprang upon Cuno as though he would strangle him
- 70: And plunging through the bracken
- 71: The trees and boulders were kindly
- 72: In those days Oswald the Gentle was Prior of Kilgrimol
- 73: Who was the first Saint born in green Erinn
- 74: And the Novice master was elected Prior in his stead
- 75: That the Prior would be their loving almoner
- 76: The Prior climbed up the mound through the tossing trees
- 77: But the leper himself had vanished
- 78: And thrice the life of a stag for the life of an ouzel
- 79: From the brink of the escarpment rises the rock of Essalona
- 80: Of the natural Adam in Desiderius
- 81: Talisso ascended the steps in front of the altar
- 82: Dark were the days which now fell on Sarras
- 83: In the centre stood Desiderius beside the King deposed
- 84: And thither Talisso was now speeding
- 85: And as Talisso opened his mouth
- 86: For they too had beheld Talisso
- 87: Because of the vision of Eoves
- 88: So for a while Rheinfrid ceased to repine
- 89: Rheinfrid looked up at the new comer
- 90: And Rheinfrid knew not what reply to make
- 91: Flying between them and the globe
- 92: And in great fear and doubt Rheinfrid followed
- 93: Rheinfrid asked in bewilderment
- 94: Rheinfrid shook his head sorrowfully
- 95: Some loads of dross had been shot between the haycocks
