blematical meaning. Thus, they might meet a knight-errant reposing under a tree in the field, and making a frugal meal upon his shield. A third said, jocosely, “I fear our way leads us straight down into the workshops of the Cyclopes, and we shall have to bring up the lame Vulcan, or one of his associates, who dines upon an iron anvil, to our Venus.”
In the midst of their discourse they saw their leader, the white horse, who was considerably in advance, take his way across a new-ploughed field, and stop, to their great astonishment, before a ploughman. They approached in great haste, and found a husbandman sitting upon a turned-up plough, and taking his meal, consisting of black bread, from the iron plough-share, in the shadow of a wild pear-tree. He seemed to be pleased with the beautiful horse, coaxed it, and offered it bread, which it took from his hand, and ate.
The embassy was greatly astonished at the apparition. None of them, however, doubted but that they had found the right man. They approached him respectfully; the eldest amongst them began to speak, and said, “The duchess of Bohemia has sent us, and orders that, according to the decision of the gods, thou shalt change thy plough for the throne, and thy driving-stick
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