and ill-nature; and, in short, was much of the same mould as her
mother. But in a few weeks the king, attended by the nobility and
gentry, brought his deformed bride to the palace, where the marriage
rites were performed. They had not been long in the Court before they
set the king against his own beautiful daughter by false reports. The
young princess having lost her father's love, grew weary of the Court,
and one day, meeting with her father in the garden, she begged him,
with tears in her eyes, to let her go and seek her fortune; to which
the king consented, and ordered her mother-in-law to give her what she
pleased. She went to the queen, who gave her a canvas bag of brown
bread and hard cheese, with a bottle of beer; though this was but a
pitiful dowry for a king's daughter. She took it, with thanks, and
proceeded on her journey, passing through groves, woods, and valleys,
till at length she saw an old man sitting on a stone at the mouth of a
cave, who said: "Good morrow, fair maiden, whither away so fast?"

"Aged father," says she, "I am going to seek my fortune."

"What have you got in your bag and bottle?"

"In my bag I have got bread and cheese, and in my bottle good small
beer. Would you like to have some?"

"Yes," said he, "with all my heart."

With that the lady pulled out her provisions, and bade him eat and
welcome. He did so, and gave her many thanks, and said: "There is a
thick thorny hedge before you, which you cannot get through, but take
this wand in your hand, strike it three times, and say, 'Pray, hedge,
let me come through,' and it will open immediately; then, a little