Chapter I: Front Matter

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 1
Neighbours_
_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 34
Mountain_
_VI_. _Of Face-of-god and those 39
Mountain-dwellers_
_VII_. _Face-of-god talketh with the Friend on the 50
Mountain_
_VIII_. _Face-of-god cometh home again to 57
Burgstead_
_IX_. _Those Brethren fare to the Yew-wood with 59
the Bride_
_X_. _New Tidings in the Dale_ 63
_XI_. _Men make Oath at Burgstead on the Holy 69
Boar_
_XII_. _Stone-face telleth concerning the 74
Wood-wights_
_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 87
Woodlanders_
_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 105
Shadowy Vale_
_XIX_. _The fair Woman telleth Face-of-god of her 109
Kindred_
_XX_. _Those two together hold the Ring of the 124
Earth-god_
_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 165
Bride_
_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 191
Wood_
_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 231
and their Neighbours_
_XXXII_. _The Men of Shadowy Vale come to the Spring 239
Market at Burgstead_
_XXXIII_. _The Alderman gives Gifts to them of 251
Shadowy Vale_
_XXXIV_. _The Chieftains take counsel in the Hall of 255
the Face_
_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 282
Shepherd-Folk_, _and the Woodland Carles_:
_the Banner of the Wolf displayed_
_XXXVIII_. _Of the Great Folk-mote_: _Atonements 287
given_, _and Men made sackless_
_XXXIX_. _Of the Great Folk-mote_: _Men take rede of 292
the War-faring_, _the Fellowship_, _and the
War-leader_. _Folk-might telleth whence
his People came_. _The Folk-mote sundered_
_XL_. _Of the Hosting in Shadowy Vale_ 301
_XLI_. _The Host departeth from Shadowy Vale_: 311
_the first Day’s journey_
_XLII_. _The Host cometh to the edges of 318
Silver-dale_
_XLIII_. _Face-of-god looketh on Silver-dale_: _the 322
Bowmen’s battle_
_XLIV_. _Of the Onslaught of the Men of the Steer_, 335
_the Bridge_, _and the Bull_
_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 372
telleth of his Errand_: _the Kindreds eat
their meat in Silver-dale_
_L_. _Folk-might seeth the Bride and speaketh 378
with her_
_LI_. _The Dead borne to bale_: _the Mote-house 382
re-hallowed_
_LII_. _Of the new Beginning of good Days in 384
Silver-dale_
_LIII_. _Of the Word which Hall-ward of the Steer 386
had for Folk-might_
_LIV_. _Tidings of Dallach_: _a Folk-mote in 391
Silver-dale_
_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 418
accomplished_: _a Mote-stead appointed for
the three Folks_, _to wit_, _the Men of
Burgdale_, _the Shepherds_, _and the
Children of the Wolf_