Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/443

Rh A herald was commanded to proclaim, that whosoever would marry either of the two daughters, should do so upon the following conditions. First, that they should be the worthiest of the candidates; secondly, that whoever chose the beautiful girl, should have nothing but her beauty; but he who selected the dark girl should succeed him to the throne. Multitudes flocked to the summons; but every one still clung to the fair lady, and not even the temptation of a kingdom could induce any one to espouse the other. Gratiaplena wept bitterly at her unhappy fate; "My daughter," said the king, "why are you so grievously afflicted?" "Oh, my father," returned she, "no one visits or speaks kindly to me; all pay their attentions to my sister, and despise me." "Why, my dear daughter," said the father, "do you not know, that whosoever marries you will possess the crown?" This was touching the right string; the lady dried her tears, and was marvellously comforted.

Not long after a king entered the royal palace, and seeing the great beauty of