Julian's father and mother dwelt in a castle built on the slope of a hill, in the heart of the
woods.
The towers at its four corners had pointed roofs covered with leaden tiles, and the
foundation rested upon solid rocks, which descended abruptly to the bottom of the moat.
In the courtyard, the stone flagging was as immaculate as the floor of a church. Long
rain-spouts, representing dragons with yawning jaws, directed the water towards the
cistern, and on each window-sill of the castle a basil or a heliotrope bush bloomed, in
painted flower-pots.
A second enclosure, surrounded by a fence, comprised a fruit-orchard, a garden decorated
with figures wrought in bright-hued flowers, an arbour with several bowers, and a mall
for the diversion of the pages. On the other side were the kennel, the stables, the bakery,
the wine-press and the barns. Around these spread a pasture, also enclosed by a strong
hedge.
Peace had reigned so long that the portcullis was never lowered; the moats were filled
with water; swallows built their nests in the cracks of the battlements, and as soon as the
sun shone too strongly, the archer who all day long paced to and fro on the curtain,
withdrew to the watch-tower and slept soundly.
Inside the castle, the locks on the doors shone brightly; costly tapestries hung in the
apartments to keep out the cold; the closets overflowed with linen, the cellar was filled
with casks of wine, and the oak chests fairly groaned under the weight of money-bags.
In the armoury could be seen, between banners and the heads of wild beasts, weapons of
all nations and of all ages, from the slings of the Amalekites and the javelins of the
Garamantes, to the broad-swords of the Saracens and the coats of mail of the Normans.
The largest spit in the kitchen could hold an ox; the chapel was as gorgeous as a king's
oratory. There was even a Roman bath in a secluded part of the castle, though the good
lord of the manor refrained from using it, as he deemed it a heathenish practice.
Wrapped always in a cape made of fox-skins, he wandered about the castle, rendered
justice among his vassals and settled his neighbours' quarrels. In the winter, he gazed
dreamily at the falling snow, or had stories read aloud to him. But as soon as the fine
weather returned, he would mount his mule and sally forth into the country roads, edged
with ripening wheat, to talk with the peasants, to whom he distributed advice. After a
number of adventures he took unto himself a wife of high lineage.
