In his grandsire's day it was a mighty armlet, but in the famine years it was melted and part sold, and only this remains.

Some one of us far back was a king, and this is the badge of a king's house.

There comes a day, little one, when the fruit of our bodies shall possess a throne.

See that the lad be royal in thought and deed, as he is royal in blood." Next morning he kissed his wife and fondled his little son, and with his men rode northward, his eyes wistful but his mouth smiling.
What followed was for generations a tale among humble folk in England, who knew nothing of the deeds of the King's armies.

By cottage fires they wove stories about it and made simple songs, the echo of which may still be traced by curious scholars.