Isabeau a Dramatic Legend in Three Acts (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Isabeau a Dramatic Legend in Three ActsThe period is the age of chivalry, in the year 1012, the place, a king's palace. Yet the hero is neither knight nor courtier, but a forest-born youth, Folco, whose pure, artless soul is filled with a visionary passion. - The aged King Raimondo has been persuaded by his marplot Chancellor, Messer Cornelius, to convoke knights from near and far to a Tournament of Love, the winner to wed the chaste Isabeau, the King's only surviving child, who appears in public ever veiled in a cloak of snowy white. The Herald proclaims the Opening of the lists for the Tournament, the only weapons permitted the contestants being their eyes, wherewith they are to strive for Isabeau's favor. She is about to return from a pious pilgrimage, Cornelius seizes the occasion to urge the aged monarch to act towards her as the King alone, not the Father. The King is left alone, Isabeau enters, is amazed and alarmed at her father's unwonted severity, but finally submits, praying only to be allowed to wear her spotless mantle till Love shall win her heart. Both go out. Enter the Old woodwife Giglietta with her grandson Folco, whose dreams have so wrought upon her anxious mind that she hopes to save him by gaining him favor and a career at Court. Astounded by the splendors of the Hall, en hanced by preparations for the Tournament, they are dazed at first, but Folco speedily recognizes the very scene of his wonderful dream. Cornelius happens in, and harshly bids the intruders to leave, but Isabeau interposes, graciously receives Giglietta's gift Of doves, and accepts the wild falcon which Folco calls down from the skies in his ecstasy on seeing the Maiden Of his dream. - The Tourna ment is at hand, the enthusiastic crowd rushes into the Hall, hemming in Gigli etta and Folco, who seek refuge behind a pillar. Enter the King and the Contest ants, with their trains, the last is an Outlaw Knight whom Cornelius would bar from the contest, but who successfully appeals to the King. Isabeau herself now appears. The Tournament begins, one after the other the Knights present themselves before her, only to be rejected, tho' on the Outlaw Knight she bestows a ring in pity, not in love, thus rescuing Foico's soul from despair. The angered Knights challenge the unexpected verdict, and are in turn challenged by the Out law after the King has torn from the Knight's shield the black cloth which con cealed the royal armorial bearings-for this Outlaw is none other than Ethel, the King's nephew, who had exiled himself for the making of knightly amends for his father's disloyal conduct toward King Raimondo. - Again the King's evil genius, Cornelius, prompts him to wrath against his rejoicing people, Isabeau interposes, and on her falls her father's displeasure, he dooms her to ride unclad thro' the'city Istreets at high noon of that same day. Dismay pervades the as sembled multitude.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.