Page:Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus.djvu/122

108 disclose in clear and living forms, as soon as thou hast uttered the words. But, take care not to ask counsel of it out of mere curiosity, or to please thy vanity; nor thoughtlessly demand of it the future fate of thy life. Guard this wonderful mirror as a friend worthy of regard, whom one would be afraid of tiring with useless questions, but in whom one would always find a faithful counsellor, in the most important affairs of life. Therefore, be wise and cautious in its use, and walk in the ways of piety and virtue; then the polished mirror will not be clouded before thy face, by the poisoned breath of vice. When the dying mother had ended her swan’s song, she embraced the lamenting Richilda, and expired.

The maiden felt deep in her heart the loss of her tender mother, clothed herself in mourning, and passed one of the most beautiful years of life in weeping, between the walls of a narrow convent, in the society of the worthy Canoness and the pious sisterhood, without once examining the temporal property of her mother, or looking into the secret mirror. By degrees, time softened this childish feeling of sorrow, her tears ceased, and as the maiden’s heart could find no more occupation in the overflow of sorrow, she felt herself oppressed by weariness in her lonely cell. She often sought the audience-chamber, and found great pleasure in chatting with the friends and kinsmen of the nuns; and the latter were so eager to see the innocent novice, that they pressed in troops to the grating, whenever the beautiful Richilda was in the audience-chamber. There were many stately knights among them, who made fine speeches to the unveiled boarder, and in these flatteries laid the first seeds of vanity, which here fell on no unfertile soil, but soon took root, and grew up. Richilda thought that she would be better outside in the open air, than in the cage behind the iron lattice; she hastily forsook the cloister; fixed the place of her court; appointed, for propriety, a matron as a guardian, and entered with much splendour into the great world.

The fame of her beauty and modesty spread itself towards the four winds of Heaven. Many princes and counts came from distant lands to make their court to her. The Tagus, the Seine, the Po, the Thames, and father Rhine, sent their heroic sons to Brabant, to do homage to the beautiful Richilda. Her palace seemed to be a fairy’s castle; strangers enjoyed there the best reception, and failed not to requite the politeness of the charming possessor with the finest flatteries. No day passed in which the tilting course was not occupied by some well-armed knights, who caused their challenges to be proclaimed by their kings-at-arms, in the market-place and corner houses of the city; whoever would not acknowledge the Countess of Brabant as the most beautiful woman among her contemporaries, or ventured to maintain the contrary, was challenged to appear in the lists, and support his