--- title: The Crimson Fairy Book, part 4 — The Crimson Fairy Book · full text with trees · page 2 description: The Crimson Fairy Book, part 4, «The Crimson Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Quite early next morning came the Lord Chamberlain, carrying a lamp and he nearly fell backwards with surprise when he saw the shepherd alive --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The Crimson Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/) / The Crimson Fairy Book, part 4 # The Crimson Fairy Book, part 4 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/) **2** - [101](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/101/) — “That is very clever of you,” answered the king; “and what does Simon the fifth do?” - [102](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/102/) — “My work, your Majesty, is mere smith’s work. - [103](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/103/) — Order me to build a smithy and I will make you a cross-bow, but from which neither the eagle in the sky nor the wild beast in the forest is safe. - [104](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/104/) — The bolt hits whatever the eye sees.” - [105](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/105/) — “That sounds very useful,” said the king. - [106](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/106/) — “And now, Simon the sixth, tell me your trade.” - [107](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/107/) — “Sire, it is so simple I am almost ashamed to mention it. - [108](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/108/) — If my brother hits any creature I catch it quicker than any dog can. - [109](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/109/) — If it falls into the water I pick it up out of the greatest depths, and if it is in a dark forest I can find it even at midnight.” - [110](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/110/) — The king was much pleased with the trades and talk of the six brothers, and said: “Thank you, good people; your father did well to teach you all these things. - [111](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/111/) — Now follow me to the town, as I want to see what you can do. - [112](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/112/) — I need such people as you about me; but when harvest time comes I will send you home with royal presents.” - [113](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/113/) — The brothers bowed and said: “As the king wills.” - [114](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/114/) — Suddenly the king remembered that he had not questioned the seventh Simon, so he turned to him and said: “Why are you silent? - [115](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/115/) — What is your handicraft?” - [116](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/116/) — And the seventh Simon answered: “I have no handicraft, O king; I have learnt nothing. - [117](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/117/) — I could not manage it. - [118](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/118/) — And if I do know how to do anything it is not what might properly be called a real trade—it is rather a sort of performance; but it is one which no one—not the king himself—must watch me doing, and I doubt whether this performance of mine would please your Majesty.” - [119](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/119/) — “Come, come,” cried the king; “I will have no excuses, what is this trade?” - [120](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/120/) — “First, sire, give me your royal word that you will not kill me when I have told you. - [121](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/121/) — Then you shall hear.” - [122](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/122/) — “So be it, then; I give you my royal word.” - [123](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/123/) — Then the seventh Simon stepped back a little, cleared his throat, and said: “My trade, King Archidej, is of such a kind that the man who follows it in your kingdom generally loses his life and has no hopes of pardon. - [124](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/124/) — There is only one thing I can do really well, and that is—to steal, and to hide the smallest scrap of anything I have stolen. - [125](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/125/) — Not the deepest vault, even if its lock were enchanted, could prevent my stealing anything out of it that I wished to have.” - [126](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/126/) — When the king heard this he fell into a passion. - [127](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/127/) — “I will not pardon you, you rascal,” he cried; “I will shut you up in my deepest dungeon on bread and water till you have forgotten such a trade. - [128](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/128/) — Indeed, it would be better to put you to death at once, and I’ve a good mind to do so.” - [129](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/129/) — “Don’t kill me, O king! - [130](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/130/) — I am really not as bad as you think. - [131](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/131/) — Why, had I chosen, I could have robbed the royal treasury, have bribed your judges to let me off, and built a white marble palace with what was left. - [132](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/132/) — But though I know how to steal I don’t do it. - [133](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/133/) — You yourself asked me my trade. - [134](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/134/) — If you kill me you will break your royal word.” - [135](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/135/) — “Very well,” said the king, “I will not kill you. - [136](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/136/) — I pardon you. - [137](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/137/) — But from this hour you shall be shut up in a dark dungeon. - [138](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/138/) — Here, guards! away with him to the prison. - [139](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/139/) — But you six Simons follow me and be assured of my royal favour.” - [140](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/140/) — So the six Simons followed the king. - [141](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/141/) — The seventh Simon was seized by the guards, who put him in chains and threw him in prison with only bread and water for food. - [142](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/142/) — Next day the king gave the first Simon carpenters, masons, smiths and labourers, with great stores of iron, mortar, and the like, and Simon began to build. - [143](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/143/) — And he built his great white pillar far, far up into the clouds, as high as the nearest stars; but the other stars were higher still. - [144](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/144/) — Then the second Simon climbed up the pillar and saw and heard all that was going on through the whole world. — checked by a teacher - [145](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/145/) — When he came down he had all sorts of wonderful things to tell. - [146](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/146/) — How one king was marching in battle against another, and which was likely to be the victor. - [147](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/147/) — How, in another place, great rejoicings were going on, while in a third people were dying of famine. - [148](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/148/) — In fact there was not the smallest event going on over the earth that was hidden from him. [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/4/) **2** - ← previous: [The Crimson Fairy Book, part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/3/) - next →: [The Crimson Fairy Book, part 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/5/) - ↑ back to [The Crimson Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/)