The Roots of the Mountains / Wherein Is Told Somewhat of the Lives of the Men of Burgdale, Their Friends, Their Neighbours, Their Foemen, and Their Fellows in Arms

by William Morris

Transcribed from the 1896 Longmans, Green, and Co. edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

THE ROOTS OF THE MOUNTAINS
WHEREIN IS TOLD SOMEWHAT OF
THE LIVES OF THE MEN OF BURG-
DALE THEIR FRIENDS THEIR
NEIGHBOURS THEIR FOEMEN AND
THEIR FELLOWS IN ARMS

BY WILLIAM MORRIS

Whiles carried o’er the iron road,
We hurry by some fair abode;
The garden bright amidst the hay,
The yellow wain upon the way,
The dining men, the wind that sweeps
Light locks from off the sun-sweet heaps—
The gable grey, the hoary roof,
Here now—and now so far aloof.
How sorely then we long to stay
And midst its sweetness wear the day,
And ’neath its changing shadows sit,
And feel ourselves a part of it.
Such rest, such stay, I strove to win
With these same leaves that lie herein.

LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY
MDCCCXCVI

First Edition printed November, 1889.

250 copies were printed on Large Paper.

Second Edition, February, 1893.

CONTENTS.

		Page
Chapter I.	Of Burgstead and its Folk and its Neighbours	[1]
II.	Of Face-of-god and his Kindred	[12]
III.	They talk of divers matters in the Hall	[18]
IV.	Face-of-god fareth to the Wood again	[25]
V.	Face-of-god falls in with Menfolk on the Mountain	[34]
VI.	Of Face-of-god and those Mountain-dwellers	[39]
VII.	Face-of-god talketh with the Friend on the Mountain	[50]
VIII.	Face-of-god cometh home again to Burgstead	[57]
IX.	Those Brethren fare to the Yew-wood with the Bride	[59]
X.	New Tidings in the Dale	[63]
XI.	Men make Oath at Burgstead on the Holy Boar	[69]
XII.	Stone-face telleth concerning the Wood-wights	[74]
XIII.	They fare to the hunting of the elk	[78]
XIV.	Concerning Face-of-god and the Mountain	[82]
XV.	Murder amongst the Folk of the Woodlanders	[87]
XVI.	The Bride speaketh with Face-of-god	[93]
XVII.	The Token cometh from the Mountain	[97]
XVIII.	Face-of-god talketh with the Friend in Shadowy Vale	[105]
XIX.	The fair Woman telleth Face-of-god of her Kindred	[109]
XX.	Those two together hold the Ring of the Earth-god	[124]
XXI.	Face-of-god looketh on the Dusky Men	[141]
XXII.	Face-of-god cometh home to Burgstead	[151]
XXIII.	Talk in the Hall of the House of the Face	[162]
XXIV.	Face-of-god giveth that Token to the Bride	[165]
XXV.	Of the Gate-thing at Burgstead	[170]
XXVI.	The Ending of the Gate-thing	[183]
XXVII.	Face-of-god leadeth a Band through the Wood	[191]
XXVIII.	The Men of Burgdale meet the Runaways	[202]
XXIX.	They bring the Runaways to Burgstead	[216]
XXX.	Hall-face goeth toward Rose-dale	[225]
XXXI.	Of the Weapon-show of the Men of Burgdale and their Neighbours	[231]
XXXII.	The Men of Shadowy Vale come to the Spring Market at Burgstead	[239]
XXXIII.	The Alderman gives Gifts to them of Shadowy Vale	[251]
XXXIV.	The Chieftains take counsel in the Hall of the Face	[255]
XXXV.	Face-of-god talketh with the Sun-beam	[268]
XXXVI.	Folk-might speaketh with the Bride	[275]
XXXVII.	Of the Folk-mote of the Dalesmen, the Shepherd-Folk, and the Woodland Carles: the Banner of the Wolf displayed	[282]
XXXVIII.	Of the Great Folk-mote: Atonements given, and Men made sackless	[287]
XXXIX.	Of the Great Folk-mote: Men take rede of the War-faring, the Fellowship, and the War-leader. Folk-might telleth whence his People came. The Folk-mote sundered	[292]
XL.	Of the Hosting in Shadowy Vale	[301]
XLI.	The Host departeth from Shadowy Vale: the first Day’s journey	[311]
XLII.	The Host cometh to the edges of Silver-dale	[318]
XLIII.	Face-of-god looketh on Silver-dale: the Bowmen’s battle	[322]
XLIV.	Of the Onslaught of the Men of the Steer, the Bridge, and the Bull	[335]
XLV.	Of Face-of-god’s Onslaught	[343]
XLVI.	Men meet in the Market of Silver-stead	[352]
XLVII.	The Kindreds win the Mote-house	[363]
XLVIII.	Men sing in the Mote-house	[367]
XLIX.	Dallach fareth to Rose-dale: Crow telleth of his Errand: the Kindreds eat their meat in Silver-dale	[372]
L.	Folk-might seeth the Bride and speaketh with her	[378]
LI.	The Dead borne to bale: the Mote-house re-hallowed	[382]
LII.	Of the new Beginning of good Days in Silver-dale	[384]
LIII.	Of the Word which Hall-ward of the Steer had for Folk-might	[386]
LIV.	Tidings of Dallach: a Folk-mote in Silver-dale	[391]
LV.	Departure from Silver-dale	[394]
LVI.	Talk upon the Wild-wood Way	[403]
LVII.	How the Host came home again	[404]
LVIII.	How the Maiden Ward was held in Burgdale	[409]
LIX.	The Behest of Face-of-god to the Bride accomplished: a Mote-stead appointed for the three Folks, to wit, the Men of Burgdale, the Shepherds, and the Children of the Wolf	[418]