Then, as he spoke all these glorious words, my heart burned within me to see how the travellers sped.
But he had not yet done with them; for he brought out of his stores a golden vial for each one; and he told them that in it the King had stored the oil of light and beauty for the dressing of their lamps.
Then he shewed them how to use it: not carelessly or lightly, for then the oil would not flow; but earnestly, and with great care; and then sweet odours issued from the vial, and the flame of the lamp burned brightly and high. He gave them, too, the precious light-book,
which I had seen; and he bade them read in it when it was dark, or the way was slippery; and that they should ever find that it was a “lantern unto their feet, and a light unto their paths.” He put, too, into the hand of each a trusty staff, suited to their age; and then he told them, while they leant upon it, it would bear them up at many a pinch, and ever grow with their growth, and strengthen with their strength. “Church-truth” he called these staffs; and they were made after a marvellous fashion, for they were as if many wands had been woven together to make one; and as I looked, I could see “example,” and “experience,” and “discipline,” and “creeds,” written upon some of these wands, which grew together into “Church-truth.”
Then I longed greatly to follow forth some of these whom I had seen under the porch; and as I gazed, I saw the man look earnestly into the face of a fair
boy, who stood before him: he gave him the name of “Gottlieb,” [45a] and entered it in the book, and put the staff in his hand, and washed him with living water, and hung the vial at his side, and put the banded staff into his hands; and, bidding him God-speed, set him out upon his journey.
Then he looked steadily into the face of another, and it, too, was fair to look upon; but it had not the quiet happy peace of the last. The man wrote it down as “Irrgeist;” [45b] and I thought a shade of sadness swept over his brow as he gave to him the King’s goodly gifts.
Then he sent forth a third, whose timid eye seemed hardly firm enough for so long a journey; and I heard the name that was given him, and it was “Furchtsam.” [45c] Close to him went another, with a firm step, and an eye of steady gentleness;
and I saw, by the King’s book, that he bore the name of “Gehulfè.” [46]
So these four set out upon their journey; and I followed them to see how they should fare. Now, I saw that at first, when they started, they were so small that they could not read in the goodly book, neither could they use the golden vials; and their little banded sticks would have fallen from their hands, if they had not been small and thin, like the first green shoots of the spring. Their lamps, too, cast no light outwardly, yet still they made some way upon the path; and whilst I wondered how this might be, I saw that a loving hand was stretched out of the darkness round them, which held them up and guided them on their way.