English Fairy Tales

le him to journey to Wales, and there strive to set free a certain beautiful lady who was possessed by seven evil spirits. In vain the King denied him; so at last he gave way and the Princ

corpse of a very generous man had been arrested on its way to the

bury the dead in peace, and let the creditors com

hat by evening the Prince had but twopence left fo

t he determined to be the Prince's servant. So this was agreed upon, and next morning, after Jack had paid the reckoning with his last farthing, the two set out together. But as

ve the old woman the twopence that was left to him. So now they had

o money, how are we to

of this place there lives a huge and monstrous giant with three heads, who can figh

s?" quoth the Prince. "He will f

re the way for you. By all accounts this giant i

full speed till he came to the giant's castle, at the gate of whi

ared from within in

's t

as brass, "None but y

news with my poor cousin Jack?" For, see you, he was

heavy new

can come to me. Have I not three heads? Can I not fight five hundre

you because the great King Arthur's son with a

Ah! Cousin Jack! Kind cousin Jack! This is heavy

d I will lock and bolt and bar you in; and keep the

ng thus secure, he went and fetched his master, and the two made themselves heartily merry over what the giant

ward on his journey. So when Jack judged that the Prince was pretty well out of the smell of the giant, he took the key and let his prisoner out. He was half dead with cold an

out him. "All I want is the old coat and cap, together with

ings I possess, but as I have promised, you must have them. The coat will make you invisible, the cap will tell you all you want to kn

ippers, and soon overtook his master; and they rode on together until the

the Prince sought her as a suitor, she smiled and ordered a splendid banquet to be prepa

out her own handkerchief and wiped h

You must show me that kerchief to

handkerchief in her boso

dead of the night, when the beautiful lady called on one of her familiar spirits to carry her to Lucifer himself, Jack was beforehand with her, and putting on his coat of darkness and his slippers

dy looked to see the Prince crestfallen, he just mad

ed another and still more splendid repast to be got ready. And this time,

w me to-morrow morning the last lips

none but mine, I will." Now the beauteous lady, for all she was possessed by seven devils, coul

here: you must show me them

before; but Jack put on the cap of knowledge

her familiar spirit to take her to Lucifer himself, Jack in his

owning, "by letting go my handkerchief. Now will I give thee somethi

upon Jack with one blow of the rusty sword of strength cut off Lucifer's hea

d last kissed, he pulled out the demon's head by the horns. On that the seven devils, which possessed the poor lady, gave

ey journeyed back to the court of King Arthur, where Jack the Giant-Kill