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Elidore
In the days of Henry Beauclerc of England, there was a little lad named Elidore being brought up to be a cleric. Day after day, Elidore would trudge from his mother's house, and she was a widow, up to the monks' Scriptorium. There he would learn his ABC's, to read it and to write it.
But Elidore was a lazy little rogue, and as fast as he learned to write one letter, he forgot another. So it was very little progress he was making.
When the good monks saw this, they remembered the saying in the good Book, "Spare the rod and spill the child." Whenever, Elidore forgot a letter, the monks tried to make him remember it with the rod. At first, they used it seldom and lightly, but Elidore was not driven, but the more they thwacked him, the less he learned, so the thwackings became more frequent. The more severe till Elidore could not stand any longer.
So, one day when he was 12 yrs old, he upped with them and offed with him into the great forest neat St. David's. There for two long days and nights, he wandered about eating nothing bt hips and haws. At last, he found himself at the mouth of a cave, at the side of a river, and there he sank down, all tired and exhausted.
Suddenly two little pigmies appeared to him and said, "Come with us, and we will lead you into a land full of games and sports." So, Elidore raised himself and went with these two, at first, through an underground passage all in the dark, but soon they came out into a most beautiful country. With rivers, meadows, woods, and plains as pleasant as can be; only this there curious about it, that the sun never shone and clouds were always over the sky; the sun, or moon and stars, were not seen.
The two little men led Elidore before their King asked why he came. Elidore told him, and the kings said, "Thou shalt attend on my son," and waved him away. So for a long time, Elidore waited on the king's son and joined in all the games and sports of the little men.
They were little but not dwarfs, for all their limbs, were of suitable size one with another. Their hair was fair and hung upon their shoulders like that of women. They had little horses, about the size of greyhounds, and did not eat flesh, fowl, or fish, but lived on milk flavored with saffron. They always lied. They would jeer and scoff at men for their struggles, lying, and treachery. Yet though they were so good, they worshipped none, unless you might say they were worshippers of Truth.
After a time, Elidore began to long to see boys and men of his own size, and he begged permission to go and visit his mother. The King gave him permission, so the little men led him along the passage and guided him through the forest till he came near his mother's cottage, and when he entered, was not she rejoiced to see her dear son again?
"Where have you been? What have you done?" she cried, and he had to tell her all that had happened to him. She begged him to stay with her, but he had promised the King to go back. Soon, he returned after making his mother promise not to tell where he was or with whom. Henceforth Elidore lived partly with the little men and partly with his mother.
"Where have you been? What have you done?" she cried, and he had to tell her all that had happened to him. She begged him to stay with her, but he had promised the King to go back. Soon, he returned after making his mother promise not to tell where he was or with whom. Henceforth Elidore lived partly with the little men and partly with his mother.
Now one day, when he was with his mother, be told her of the yellow balls they used in their play, which she felt sure must be of gold. So, she begged him that the next time her son came back to her, he would bring with him one of these balls.
When he came to his mother, he did not wait for the little men to guide him back, as he now knew the road. But seizing one of the yellow balls with which he used to play, he rushed home through the passage.
As he got near his mother's house, he heared tiny footsteps behind him. He rushed to the door as quickly as he could. He reached it, his foot slipped, and he fell down, and the ball rolled out of his hand at his mother's feet.
At that moment, two little men rushed forward, seized the ball, and ran away, making faces and spitting at the boy as they passed him. Elidore remained with his mother for a time, but he missed the play and games of the little men and determined to go back to them.
But when he came to where the cave had been, bear the river where the underground passage commenced, he could not find it again, and he searched again and again in the years to come he could not get back to that fair country.
So, after a time, Elidor returned to the monastery and became a monk. The men sought him out, asking what happened to him when he was in the Land of the Little Men. Nor could he ever speak of that happy time without shedding tears.
Now it happened once, when this Elidore was old, that David, Bishop of St. David's, came to visit his monastery and ask him about the manners and customs of the little men, and above all, he was curious to know what language they spoke, and Elidore told him some of their words. When they asked for water, they would say: Udor udorum. When they wanted salt, they would say: Hapru udorum. From this, the Bishop, a learned man, discovered they spoke some form of Greek. Udor is Greek for Water, and Hap for Salt.
Hence we know the Britons came from Troy, descendants from Brito, son of Priam, King of Troy.
Bibliography:
Elidore by John D. Batten (1895).
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