the heiress of Thomas de Montacute.] from a woman came the heritage of
Monthermer and Montagu, and Salisbury's famous earldom; and the dower
of thy peerless countess was the broad domains of Beauchamp."

"And a woman's craft, young prince, wrought my king's displeasure!
But enough of these dissour's tales; behold the son of poor Malech,
whom, forgetting all such legends, I slew at Towton. Ho, Saladin,
greet thy master!"

They stood now in the black steed's stall.--an ample and high-vaulted
space, for halter never insulted the fierce destrier's mighty neck,
which the God of Battles had clothed in thunder. A marble cistern
contained his limpid drink, and in a gilded manger the finest wheaten
bread was mingled with the oats of Flanders. On entering, they found
young George, Montagu's son, with two or three boys, playing
familiarly with the noble animal, who had all the affectionate
docility inherited from an Arab origin. But at the sound of Warwick's
voice, its ears rose, its mane dressed itself, and with a short neigh
it came to his feet, and kneeling down, in slow and stately grace,
licked its master's hand. So perfect and so matchless a steed never
had knight bestrode! Its hide without one white hair, and glossy as
the sheenest satin; a lady's tresses were scarcely finer than the hair
of its noble mane; the exceeding smallness of its head, its broad
frontal, the remarkable and almost human intelligence of its eye,
seemed actually to elevate its conformation above that of its species.
Though the race had increased, generation after generation, in size
and strength, Prince Richard still marvelled (when, obedient to a sign
from Warwick, the destrier rose, and leaned its head, with a sort of
melancholy and quiet tenderness, upon the earl's shoulder) that a
horse, less in height and bulk than the ordinary battle-steed, could