The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-08
CEDRIC THE WISE.

In manhood, the folk are wont to tell many
t,les anent the good King Alfred. Albeit
those who dwelt at the same time a. that
GOOD king have had sons aud daughters,
and these in their turn children, and these
again vet other children, and SO on TIL the
wears be many that lie betwiXt our time
md his. vet does the renOwn Of King Al
fred last among MS, and is spoken OF even
now lie il was who fought the wicked
Danes and beat them, driving them all out
Of our country 10 their own save Only
those whom he slew so that they couiu
work no more wo and this. indeed Is the
only sure way TO forcfcnd against Dane
doing i'll, for they are of truth bad men
and given 10 all manner OF knaVery ana
sin.
Now my father has often told 10 me how
that when King Alfred had driven out the
Danes he ruled SO wisely and 50 well that
men could hang chains Of gold and jewels
by the roadside, and there they would stay
untouched save by him who owned them
And this was so not because there were no
evil men in the lnnd-fOr these are every
where TO be found save in the kingdom OF
DIR Lord alone-but because doomsmen
were set I'D by the king before whom were
hailed all who did not righteously, ana ac-
cording 10 their faults they were doomed
It followed I'm its course that among these
doomsmen some were wiser than others
and more even handed; but among them
all was none 20 be found more righteous
and more blameless I'm his findings than
Cedric. the son Of Hend.
In Reading was his dwelling, and over
the men OF that borough he sat III the
doomsman's chair every day In the church
yard setting straight that which was crook
ed and uplifting the small against the
great the feeble folk against the strong
Now the talk Of his righteousness spread,
az when stone drops in a mere the ripples
Of il spread until they touch the shore, so
that even 70 the kings ears came the name
of Doomsman Cedric, the son of Hend.
And the king said unto himself Per
chance these be but fond tidings which are
told TO me, and yet again there may be
truth in them; but strange it is that "a man
should De not only 80 righteous but so
wise that none make plant touching any
of the dooms ne gives forth" and he
so pondered over this thing that in the end
he habited himself like unto "a simple
knight at arms, and rode forth from Lon
don. taking the high road 10 Reading 10
see for himself what manner Of man this
Cedric might be- Ditton he passed and
Windsor also. and wherever he tarried fol
the night as folk ate their supper he heard
them talk as they quaffed their ale on
mead Of Cedric the Doomsman and the
wonder Of his wisdom and his rightful-
ness. until the king began 10 grow hot
within him at the endless babble, rs II
seemed TO him, concerning the worthincs-
Of this one man.
SO he rode until he came 20 Staines, and
as he was about 10 pass over the bridge ho
saw. lying in the dust at the wayside, a
beggar. habited in rags, and begging aims
from the passers by.
Help me, oh, stranger said the beggar.
with all my heart, answered the king
and took from his pouch three pennies,
which he gave TO the beggar.
"Help me, oh, stranger quoth once
more the beggar.
"Thou art a greedy varlet" said the
king; what more dost thou wantf'
II am old and weak answered the bee
gar. "Wilt thou not set me behind thee
on thy horse and carry me % Reading
town.
"Wlth all my heart" replied once more
the king. and straightway set him foul n
he was upon his horse, and in that wi5e
rode over the bridge and along the high
road into the town OF Reading. As they
went down the High street the king said
TO the beggar, where wilt thou that l set
thee DOWN.
To which made answer the other. "Nay
but rather where wilt thou that | set thee
DOWN."
"Thou art a saucy varlet," quoth th'
king: land it would be using thee not un
scurrily were to pitch thee of my horst
into the runnel there 10y the side of u.s.
Hast thou the face to call it thy horsef
auoth the beggarman. Thou shameless:
| tbingl thou knowest we'll the horse belong
| to me-"
THY horse" shouted the king.
"Ayl mine, said the beggar
1--WE will see about that, " said the king
Eve truly will" said the beggar, an,
with that he made loud cutlery, callin-
aloud: Thief thief" so that they who
passed by stopped and, wondering at the
noise asked who might be the thief, and il
what the beggar, who was a foreigner e
them all, had been wronged.
Then both the beggar and the king tole
each his tale. Now the tale of the beggai
was in this wise: That he, riding TOWARD
| the town Of Reading, had met the king
albeit he knew not, nor did the Reading
men, that he was IA king, but thought HIN
simple wayfarer, and seeing he wa
afoot and weary, had offered % him o.
ride before him on his horse. 1.-The
which," said the beggar, docs he now
with foul threats and evil knocks, try Il
take by force from me, saying il Is his
own, though it is plain 10 be seen that
am old and weak and he is young and
| lusty."
And after the king had told his truthful
| tale, how that il was he who had been rid
| ing toward the town and had in kindness
set the beggar behind him and holpen him
on his way with but scuryy payment foi
| his pains, the men of Reading were sOr,
beset in their minds rs 10 which OF the
twain might be the truth teller and which
| the liar. After some had talked this way
and some that, an elder among them said
Let us hale them both and also the hors,
before Cedric our doOmsman, and he will
1 tell us WHICH VIC HIdll itlltlt.
| Nothing loath was the king, nor did The
beggar dare to say them nay, and SO i
came to pass that in no great while they
stood before Cedric, the son Of Hend, II
the church yard where his seat was. Bu
they were not the first corners, and 50 had
70 wait until two trials had been held. The
first was a quarrel between a scriyener and
"A hedger concerning a woman. The scriv
| ener said that she was his wife, and had
been taken from him by the hedger. and
the hedger, indeed, said no; that she had
always been his wife, and that the scriyen-
er had no lawful right 10 her. The woman
said nothing, whereat all marveled. Wien
each had told his tale Cedric pondered and
said: Leave the woman here and return,
each of you, on the morrow and they
went away leaving the woman.
Next came feshcr and a miller, the
miller holding in his handasum Of money.
II went" said he. "at noon 10 the flesher
to buy meat for my household, and when
the time came for me to pay him drew
from my pouch these coins Of silver, the