that some misfortune had happened to him, and she and his
mother, Eleanor, were wild with anxiety.

[Illustration: "There for months he was kept a close prisoner, loaded
with chains"]

Finally, Blondel de Nesle, the minstrel friend, who had been with
Richard on the Crusade, journeyed through Germany, looking for his lost
king. One day, beneath the walls of a castle where he had heard that a
prisoner of rank was held captive, Blondel halted and sang a verse of
a song that he and Richard had composed together:--

"Your beauty, ladye faire,
None views without delight,
But still so cold an air
No passion can excite;
Yet this I patient see,
While _all_ are shunned like me."

Instantly the king's well-known voice took up the strain and sang the
next stanza:--

"No nymph my heart can wound
If favor she divide
And smile on all around,
Unwilling to decide;
I'd rather hatred bear,
Than love with others share!"

Then the overjoyed Blondel hastened back to England, and told the queen
and people of Richard's sad plight and his place of imprisonment.

Berengaria and Eleanor immediately besought the emperor to release
Richard, and also implored the intercession of the Pope and the
sovereigns of Europe. The emperor was at last compelled to bring Richard
before the council of the empire. To these princes and lords he accused
the king of many crimes, among them the murder of Conrade. Richard
defended himself with so much force and eloquence that these groundless
charges were dropped; but the emperor still refused to liberate his
prisoner, except upon payment of a ransom of one hundred and fifty
thousand marks,--nearly a million dollars.

The people of England, who loved their heroic king, gladly raised this
large sum; and in 1194, Eleanor journeyed to Germany, paid the ransom,
and had the happiness of seeing her son set at liberty. She accompanied
her beloved Richard to England, where he was received most joyfully.
After being crowned again in Westminster, the king made a royal progress
through the kingdom. Those nobles who had joined in the rebellion of
John were called to account; but on profession of repentance, all were
generously pardoned. Richard then set out for Normandy to subdue John,
who had fled to that country on receiving King Philip's warning message
after Richard's release, "Look to yourself; the Devil is unchained."

But the craven John dared not battle again