Northern mythology

326 NETHERLANDISH TRADITIONS.
and there was consequently great rejoicing in tlie whole
court.
Some time after Helias assembled all his friends and
relations^ and recounted to them his adventures, and w^hen
he had finished, said :
" I now bid all of you farewell ; for
I am about to leave the world, that I may expiate my sins
and pray for all of you/^ At this the w4iole court wept,
though no one ventured to utter a word against his resolve.
Helias then went, with a staff in his hand, to a monastery
which his father had founded, and was received by the
monks with much gladness. He afterwards caused a
beautiful and spacious castle to be built in the Ardennes,
exactly resembling that of Billoen, and to which he gave
the same name. On the monastery he bestowed great
franchises, and placed in it thirty monks, to pray day and
night, and lived himself according to the rules of the
monastery.
The duchess of Billoen and her daughter lived in the
mean while in constant grief and affliction for the loss of
Helias ; for all the messengers that she had sent out, to
get tidings of him, had returned without success.
She at
length despatched a servant, named Pucius, to Jerusalem,
in search of Helias, who, finding no trace of him there,
resolved on wandering to Rome. On this journey, however,
he and his companions lost their way, and came to
the Ardennes, and to the very castle that Helias had caused
to be erected. At the sight of it Pucius said :
''
Behold,
here we are in my country, for this castle appears to me
exactly like that of Billoen." They then went to an inn
in the village that was adjacent to the castle, and inquired
where they were, and received answers to all their questions,
and were, moreover, informed that King Oriant and
Beatrix had left Lillefort and taken their abode at Billoen,
that they might be near their beloved son Helias.
Pucius heard this he was overjoyed and thanked God.
AVhcn