Once upon a time, there lived a good king and queen, who felt very sad because God had not sent them any children. At last, there came to them a little daughter as lovely as the day.
The king was so pleased that he made up his mind to give a great feast, and to ask to it all the fairy godmothers in the land. There were thirteen of them, but one was not sent for, because, many years ago, she had shut herself up in a lonely tower, and no one knew whether she was living or dead.
Twelve golden plates were set out on the table for the twelve fairies, and, as soon as the feast was over, the godmothers stood round the baby"s cradle with their twelve gifts. One gave to her still greater beauty, another gave her grace, another gave her riches, another gave her skill in music, another said that she should sing as sweetly as the birds, another that she would have the mind of an angel, and so they went on till eleven of the fairies had given her almost everything that is to be wished for in the world.
Just then, the thirteenth fairy came in, the one who had not been asked to the feast, and, at the same time, the twelfth hid herself behind a curtain. The old fairy who had justcome was in a dreadful temper. She shook with rage, for she thought herself ill used; and, bending over the cradle, she said these words, " The king"s daughter shall prick herself with a spindle on her fifteenth birthday, and shall fall down dead." The wicked old fairy then turned round and flew out through the window.
Then the twelfth fairy, who had not yet had her wish, came from behind the curtain and said, "I cannot take away the evil; I can only make it less. She shall not die, but she shall sleep for a hundred years."After this, the king gave an order that every spindle in the land should be burnt, and no one must spin. The princess grew up so fair and wise and good that all who knew, her loved her. On her fifteenth birthday, she went with her father and mother to a distant castle, and, rambling about by herself, she climbed to a high tower and went into a little room where an old woman sat spinning. " What is that, good dame, which whirls so merrily?" said she, and she took the spindle in her hand. As she did so, she pricked her finger, and sank down in a deep sleep on a couch that stood near.
Everybody and everything in the castle fell asleep also- the king and queen and all their servants, the horses in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof, the fire in the chimney, the flies on the wall, even the clock on the shelf.
A great hedge of thorns sprang up all round the castle and hid it from the sight of every person in the land. Years andyears went by, and it became an old story that few people held to be true that there had ever been a beautiful princess who went away from all men"s sight on her fifteenth birthday.
From time to time, young princes who had heard the story tried to push their way through the hedge, but the thorns laid hold of them like hands, and many a bold youth was so sorely hurt that he lost his life.
At last, on the very day that the hundred years were ended, there came another king"s son to dare the hedge of thorns and seek for the beautiful princess he had seen only in his dreams.
His friends had warned him of the risk he ran, but no danger could daunt him. He reached the hedge, and, behold, the thorns turned to lovely flowers, and the branches moved aside to make way for him, and then closed in behind him.
He reached the castle yard, where the dogs lay here and there asleep. No sound was heard but that of his own footsteps. He passed through a great hall where men sat sleeping in their chairs. He climbed the stairs, and at last went into the little room where the princess lay.
She was so fair, so very fair, that he could not lift his eyes from her. Softly, he bent over and kissed her. Then she opened her eyes and smiled on him and arose; and they went out together.
Then all the castle awoke. The horses neighed in their stalls, the dogs barked, the flies buzzed, the doves fluttered,the clock began to strike and the fire to blaze. The king and queen awoke also, and the servants sat up and rubbed their eyes. At the same time, the hedge of thorns melted into thin air, and all was as it had been before.
By and by, the prince and Brier Rose were married, and they lived happily ever after. And now for the moral :
Prince ! would you gain your heart"s desire,
Press boldly on through thorn and brier.
Author.-This is a very old story that has been told in many forms in many countries.
General Notes.-The sleep of the Princess may have meant the sleepof the earth in winter time. Name the good gifts of the kind godmothers. If the sleep meant winter time, what would you say the Prince stood for?
