So much had long been patent to the world, but only of recent
years had he shown other and more formidable characteristics: a
restless ambition which coveted his neighbor's throne, and a wise
foresight in matters of commerce, which engaged him now in
transplanting Flemish weavers and sowing the seeds of what for
many years was the staple trade of England. Each of these varied
qualities might have been read upon his face. The brow, shaded by
a crimson cap of maintenance, was broad and lofty. The large
brown eyes were ardent and bold. His chin was clean-shaven, and
the close-cropped dark mustache did not conceal the strong mouth,
firm, proud and kindly, but capable of setting tight in merciless
ferocity. His complexion was tanned to copper by a life spent in
field sports or in war, and he rode his magnificent black horse
carelessly and easily, as one who has grown up in the saddle. His
own color was black also, for his active; sinewy figure was set
off by close-fitting velvet of that hue, broken only by a belt of
gold, and by a golden border of open pods of the broom-plant.
With his high and noble bearing, his simple yet rich attire and
his splendid mount, he looked every inch a King.
The picture of gallant man on gallant horse was completed by the
noble Falcon of the Isles which fluttered along some twelve feet
above his head, "waiting on," as it was termed, for any quarry
which might arise.
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