fashion, and the familiar spirit is his little daughter."

Stephen did not however look mollified. "Sword-blades! None have a
right to make them save our craft. This is one of the rascaille
Spaniards who have poured into the city under favour of the queen to
spoil and ruin the lawful trade. Though could you but have seen,
Ambrose, how our tough English ashwood in King Harry's band--from our
own armoury too--made all go down before it, you would never uphold
strangers and their false wares that can only get the better by
sorcery."

"How thou dost harp upon sorcery!" exclaimed Ambrose. "I must tell thee
the good old man's story as 'twas told to me, and then wilt thou own
that he is as good a Christian as ourselves--ay, or better--and hath
little cause to love the Spaniards."

"Come on, then," said Stephen. "Methought if we, went towards
Westminster we might yet get where we could see the lists. Such a rare
show, Ambrose, to see the King in English armour, ay, and Master
Headley's, every inch of it, glittering in the sun, so that one could
scarce brook the dazzling, on his horse like a rock shattering all that
came against him! I warrant you the lances cracked and shivered like
faggots under old Purkis's bill-hook. And that you should liefer pore
over crabbed monkish stuff with yonder old men! My life on it, there
must be some spell!"

"No more than of old, when I was ever for book and thou for bow," said
Ambrose; "but I'll make thee rueful for old Michael yet. Hast heard
tell of the Moors in Spain?"

"Moors--blackamoors who worship Mahound and Termagant. I saw a
blackamoor last week behind his master, a merchant of Genoa, in Paul's
Walk. He looked like the devils in the Miracle Play at Christ Church,
with blubber lips and wool for hair. I marvelled that he did not writhe
and flee when he came within the Minster, but Ned Burgess said he was a
christened man."

"Moors be not all black, neither be they all worshippers of Mahound,"
replied Ambrose.

However, as Ambrose's information, though a few degrees more correct and
intelligent than his brother's, was not complete, it will be better not
to give the history of Lucas's strange visitors in his words.

They belonged to the race of Saracen Arabs who had brought the arts of
life to such perfection in Southern Spain, but who had received the
general appellation of Moors from those Africans who were continually
reinforcing them, and, bringing a certain P