One day when roses were in bloom, two noblemen came to angry words in the
Temple Gardens, by
the side of the river Thames. In the midst of their quarrel one of them
plucked a white rose
from a bush, and, turning to those who were near him, said:--
"He who will stand by me in this quarrel, let him pluck a white rose with
me, and wear it in
his hat.''
Then the other gentleman tore a red rose from another bush, and said:--
"Let him who will stand by me pluck a red rose, and wear it as his badge.''
Now this quarrel led to a great civil war, which was called "The War of the
Roses,'' for every
soldier wore a white or red rose in his helmet to show to which side he
belonged.
The leaders of the "Red Rose'' sided with King Henry the Sixth and his
wife, Queen Margaret,
who were fighting for the English throne. Many great battles were fought,
and wicked
deeds were done in those dreadful times.
In a battle at a place called Hexham, the king's party was beaten, and
Queen Margaret and her
little son, the Prince of Wales, had to flee for their lives. They had not
gone far before they
met a band of robbers, who stopped the queen and stole all her rich jewels,
and, holding a drawn
sword over her head, threatened to take her life and that of her child.
The poor queen, overcome by terror, fell upon her knees and begged them to
spare her only son,
the little prince. But the robbers, turning from her, began to fight among
themselves as to how
they should divide the plunder, and, drawing their weapons, they attacked
one another. When
the queen saw what was happening she sprang to her feet, and, taking the
prince by the hand,
made haste to escape.
There was a thick wood close by, and the queen plunged into it, but she was
sorely afraid
and trembled in every limb, for she knew that this wood was the
hiding-place of robbers and
outlaws. Every tree seemed to her excited fancy to be an armed man waiting
to kill her and her
little son.
On and on she went through the dark wood, this way and that, seeking some
place of shelter,
but not knowing where she was going. At last she saw by the light of the
moon a tall, fierce-
looking man step out from behind a tree. He came directly toward her, and
she knew by his
dress that he was an outlaw. But thinking that he might have children of
his own, she determined
to throw herself and her son upon his mercy.
When he came near she addressed him in a calm voice and with a stately
manner.
"Friend,'' said she, "I am the queen. Kill me if thou wilt, but spare my
son, thy prince. Take
him, I will trust him to thee. Keep him safe from those that seek his
life, and God will have pity
on thee for all thy sins.''
The words of the queen moved the heart of the outlaw. He told her that he
had once fought on
her side, and was now hiding from the soldiers of the "White Rose.'' He
then lifted the little prince
in his arms, and, bidding the queen follow, led the way to a cave in the
rocks. There he gave them
food and shelter, and kept them safe for two days, when the queen's friends
and attendants, discovering
their hiding-place, came and took them far away.
If you ever go to Hexham Forest, you may see this robber's cave. It is on
the bank of a little
stream that flows at the foot of a hill, and to this day the people call it
"Queen Margaret's Cave.''
