Endymion is the name of a man who fell in love with the Moon, the beautiful, bright shining Moon whom the waves obey, and which sends her light silver down upon the earth to ripple across the tranquil waters and to shine upon the towers of sleeping cities, to creep peacefully into the bed-chambers of its inhabitants and kiss the tangled, golden ringlets of dreaming children. Now Endymion’s friends thought he was very foolish to fall in love with any one so far beyond his reach. Especially was this true of the Earth, who was, in fact, in love with Endymion. And altho Earth put forth her gayest and sweetest smelling flowers to attract Endymion, Endymion would not even take the trouble to look upon poor Earth, but always kept his eyes directed toward the shining Moon.

At last poor Earth could stand it no longer, so she went to an old enchantress named Dipsas and asked her whether she could weave a charm that would bring Endymion’s thoughts back to Earth. Dipsas said that such was not her power, but she could bewitch Endymion so that a long sleep would fall upon him and therefore he couldn’t love the Moon any more. So one night when Endymion was out gazing longingly upon the Moon and sighing and calling for her to look down upon him and at least smile upon him, the enchantress Dipsas stole up behind him and waving a fan of hemlock above his head, put him in a sound sleep.

And there upon the bank he slept for twenty years, and finally even the Moon began to miss him and inquired where he was, and when she found that Endymion had been thrown into a long sleep she became interested in his welfare and perhaps sighed a little for his love, but try as she would she could find no one who could break the spell. Finally she sent Eumenides, a close friend of Endymion, to seek over the world for a remedy.

In his travels about the earth to find a remedy Eumenides met with an old man sitting beside a fountain, and he told the old man what he sought.

OH,” said the old man, “you need travel no farther, for he who can clearly see the bottom of this fountain has found remedy for anything.”

And so Eumenides looked and saw the bottom of the fountain clearly and read as follows: “When the bright, round Moon shall come and kiss Endymion, he shall rise from his sleep.”

Eumenides hastened back and told the Moon what he had read at the bottom of the fountain.

Now the Moon was much surprised when she heard of the remedy for Endymion’s long sleep, but finally she consented to kiss him, and—wonder upon wonders!—the sleeper of twenty years awoke. And so delighted was Endymion for the awakening that he immediately lost all traces of his twenty years’ sleep and stood before them a young man again. And so delighted was the Moon with this young man who had undergone so much because of his love for her that she said he might continue to worship her forever and ever.

And the writer of this story meant to represent by the Moon the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth, whom all Englishmen loved and honored and some day when you study English history you will see what brave deeds these Englishmen performed for their Queen, the shining Moon, so bright, and beautiful, but so beyond their reach.