The Well at the World’s End by William Morris — Bibliomancer edition cover
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Fiction · 1896

The Well at the World’s End

A Tale

William Morris

Reading time
about 16.5 h
Length
224,544 words · 448 pages
Structure
119 chapters
Language
English
Era
Victorian

Ralph, the youngest of four princes of the small kingdom of Upmeads, rides out against his father's wishes in search of the legendary Well at the World's End, whose waters are said to grant long life and strength, and finds his quest through a landscape of witches, warring cities and the fatal Lady of Abundance leading him somewhere very different from where he expected.

William Morris published the novel in 1896, one of his last prose romances, blending medieval-influenced fantasy with an invented world of his own devising — an early and direct influence on the epic fantasy that followed.

Bibliomancer restores the 1896 text exactly as Morris wrote it.

Contents

  1. Book One — The Road Unto Love
  2. Book Two — The Road Unto Trouble
  3. Book Three — The Road to the Well at World’s End
  4. Book Four — The Road Home
  5. Book One — The Road Unto Love
  6. Chapter 1 — The Sundering of the Ways
  7. Chapter 2 — Ralph Goeth Back Home to the High House
  8. Chapter 3 — Ralph Cometh to the Cheaping-Town
  9. Chapter 4 — Ralph Rideth the Downs
  10. Chapter 5 — Ralph Cometh to Higham-on-the-Way
  11. Chapter 6 — Ralph Goeth His Ways from the Abbey of St. Mary at Higham
  12. Chapter 7 — The Maiden of Bourton Abbas
  13. Chapter 8 — Ralph Cometh to the Wood Perilous. An Adventure Therein
  14. Chapter 9 — Another Adventure in the Wood Perilous
  15. Chapter 10 — A Meeting and a Parting in the Wood Perilous
  16. Chapter 11 — Now Must Ralph Ride for It
  17. Chapter 12 — Ralph Entereth Into the Burg of the Four Friths
  18. Chapter 13 — The Streets of the Burg of the Four Friths
  19. Chapter 14 — What Ralph Heard of the Matters of the Burg of the Four Friths
  20. Chapter 15 — How Ralph Departed from the Burg of the Four Friths
  21. Chapter 16 — Ralph Rideth the Wood Perilous Again
  22. Chapter 17 — Ralph Cometh to the House of Abundance
  23. Chapter 18 — Of Ralph in the Castle of Abundance
  24. Chapter 19 — Ralph Readeth in a Book Concerning the Well at the World’s End
  25. Chapter 20 — Ralph Meeteth a Man in the Wood
  26. Chapter 21 — Ralph Weareth Away Three Days Uneasily
  27. Chapter 22 — An Adventure in the Wood
  28. Chapter 23 — The Leechcraft of the Lady
  29. Chapter 24 — Supper and Slumber in the Woodland Hall
  30. Book Two — The Road Unto Trouble
  31. Chapter 1 — Ralph Meets with Love in the Wilderness
  32. Chapter 2 — They Break Their Fast in the Wildwood
  33. Chapter 3 — The Lady Telleth Ralph of the Past Days of Her Life
  34. Chapter 4 — The Lady Tells of Her Deliverance
  35. Chapter 5 — Yet More of the Lady’s Story
  36. Chapter 6 — The Lady Tells Somewhat of Her Doings After She Left the Wilderness
  37. Chapter 7
  38. Chapter 8 — The Lady Maketh an End of Her Tale
  39. Chapter 9 — They Go on Their Way Once More
  40. Chapter 10 — Of the Desert-House and the Chamber of Love in the Wilderness
  41. Chapter 11 — Ralph Cometh Out of the Wilderness
  42. Chapter 12 — Ralph Falleth in with Friends and Rideth to Whitwall
  43. Chapter 13
  44. Chapter 14 — Ralph Falleth in with Another Old Friend
  45. Chapter 15 — Ralph Dreams a Dream or Sees a Vision
  46. Chapter 16 — Of the Tales of Swevenham
  47. Chapter 17 — Richard Bringeth Tidings of Departing
  48. Chapter 18 — Ralph Departeth from Whitwall with the Fellowship of Clement Chapman
  49. Chapter 19
  50. Chapter 20 — They Come to the Mid-Mountain Guest-House
  51. Chapter 21 — A Battle in the Mountains
  52. Chapter 22 — Ralph Talks with Bull Shockhead
  53. Chapter 23 — Of the Town of Cheaping Knowe
  54. Chapter 24 — Ralph Heareth More Tidings of the Damsel
  55. Chapter 25 — The Fellowship Comes to Whiteness
  56. Chapter 26 — They Ride the Mountains Toward Goldburg
  57. Chapter 27 — Clement Tells of Goldburg
  58. Chapter 28 — Now They Come to Goldburg
  59. Chapter 29 — Of Goldburg and the Queen Thereof
  60. Chapter 30 — Ralph Hath Hope of Tidings Concerning the Well at the World’s End
  61. Chapter 31 — The Beginning of the Road to Utterbol
  62. Chapter 32 — Ralph Happens on Evil Days
  63. Chapter 33 — Ralph is Brought on the Road Towards Utterbol
  64. Chapter 34 — The Lord of Utterbol Will Wot of Ralph’s Might and Minstrelsy
  65. Chapter 35 — Ralph Cometh to the Vale of the Tower
  66. Chapter 36 — The Talk of Two Women Concerning Ralph
  67. Chapter 37 — How Ralph Justed with the Aliens
  68. Chapter 38 — A Friend Gives Ralph Warning
  69. Chapter 39 — The Lord of Utterbol Makes Ralph a Free Man
  70. Chapter 40 — They Ride Toward Utterness from Out of Vale Turris
  71. Chapter 41 — Redhead Keeps Tryst
  72. Book Three — The Road to the Well at World’s End
  73. Chapter 1 — An Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountains
  74. Chapter 2 — Ralph Rides the Wood Under the Mountains
  75. Chapter 3 — Ralph Meeteth with Another Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountain
  76. Chapter 4 — They Ride the Wood Under the Mountains
  77. Chapter 5 — They Come on the Sage of Swevenham
  78. Chapter 6 — Those Two Are Learned Lore by the Sage of Swevenham
  79. Chapter 7 — An Adventure by the Way
  80. Chapter 8 — They Come to the Sea of Molten Rocks
  81. Chapter 9 — They Come Forth from the Rock-Sea
  82. Chapter 10 — They Come to the Gate of the Mountains
  83. Chapter 11 — They Come to the Vale of Sweet Chestnuts
  84. Chapter 12 — Winter Amidst of the Mountains
  85. Chapter 13 — Of Ursula and the Bear
  86. Chapter 14 — Now Come the Messengers of the Innocent Folk
  87. Chapter 15 — They Come to the Land of the Innocent Folk
  88. Chapter 16 — They Come to the House of the Sorceress
  89. Chapter 17 — They Come Through the Woodland to the Thirsty Desert
  90. Chapter 18 — They Come to the Dry Tree
  91. Chapter 19 — They Come Out of the Thirsty Desert
  92. Chapter 20 — They Come to the Ocean Sea
  93. Chapter 21 — Now They Drink of the Well at the World’s End
  94. Chapter 22 — Now They Have Drunk and Are Glad
  95. Book Four — The Road Home
  96. Chapter 1 — Ralph and Ursula Come Back Again Through the Great Mountains
  97. Chapter 2 — They Hear New Tidings of Utterbol
  98. Chapter 3 — They Winter with the Sage; and Thereafter Come Again to Vale Turris
  99. Chapter 4 — A Feast in the Red Pavilion
  100. Chapter 5 — Bull Telleth of His Winning of the Lordship of Utterbol
  101. Chapter 6 — They Ride from Vale Turris. Redhead Tells of Agatha
  102. Chapter 7 — Of Their Riding the Waste, and of a Battle Thereon
  103. Chapter 8 — Of Goldburg Again, and the Queen Thereof
  104. Chapter 9 — They Come to Cheaping Knowe Once More. Of the King Thereof
  105. Chapter 10 — An Adventure on the Way to the Mountains
  106. Chapter 11 — They Come Through the Mountains Into the Plain
  107. Chapter 12 — The Roads Sunder Again
  108. Chapter 13 — They Come to Whitwall Again
  109. Chapter 14 — They Ride Away from Whitwall
  110. Chapter 15 — A Strange Meeting in the Wilderness
  111. Chapter 16 — They Come to the Castle of Abundance Once More
  112. Chapter 17 — They Fall in with That Hermit
  113. Chapter 18 — A Change of Days in the Burg of the Four Friths
  114. Chapter 19 — Ralph Sees Hampton and the Scaur
  115. Chapter 20 — They Come to the Gate of Higham by the Way
  116. Chapter 21 — Talk Between Those Two Brethren
  117. Chapter 22 — An Old Acquaintance Comes from the Down Country to See Ralph
  118. Chapter 23 — They Ride to Bear Castle
  119. Chapter 24 — The Folkmote of the Shepherds
  120. Chapter 25 — They Come to Wulstead
  121. Chapter 26 — Ralph Sees His Father and Mother Again
  122. Chapter 27 — Ralph Holds Converse with Katherine His Gossip
  123. Chapter 28 — Dame Katherine Tells of the Pair of Beads, and Whence She Had Them
  124. Chapter 29 — They Go Down to Battle in Upmeads
  125. Chapter 30 — Ralph Brings His Father and Mother to Upmeads
  126. Chapter 31 — Ralph Brings Ursula Home to the High House
  127. Chapter 32 — Yet a Few Words Concerning Ralph of Upmeads

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About this edition

The text is free of copyright. This edition was prepared from an authoritative digitisation, processed by Bibliomancer under its own review protocol; every automated correction is recorded in its transformation log. Rights assessed for CA, EU, GB, US.

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About the author

William Morris

1834–1896 · Victorian

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