Early Travels in Palestine: Comprising the Narratives of Arculf, Willibald, Bernard, Sæwulf, Sigurd, Benjamin of Tudela, Sir John Maundeville, de la Brocquière, and Maundrell
History
Early Travels in Palestine: Comprising the Narratives of Arculf, Willibald, Bernard, Sæwulf, Sigurd, Benjamin of Tudela, Sir John Maundeville, de la Brocquière, and Maundrell
Middle East -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Palestine -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
And from Ephesus we go through many islands in the sea to the city of
Patera, where St. Nicholas was born, and so to Myra, where he was chosen
to be bishop; and there grows very good and strong wine, which they call
wine of Myra. And from thence men go to the isle of Crete, which the
emperor once gave to the Genoese. And then we pass through the isles of
Colos and of Lango[293], of the which isles Ypocras was lord; and some
men say, that in the isle of Lango is still the daughter of Ypocras, in
form and likeness of a great dragon, which is a hundred fathoms in
length, as they say, for I have not seen her. And they of the isles call
her lady of the land. And she lies in an old castle, in a cave, and
appears twice or thrice in the year; and she doth no harm to any man
unless he do her harm. She was thus changed and transformed from a fair
damsel into the likeness of a dragon by a goddess named Diana; and they
say that she shall remain in that form until the time that a knight
come, who shall be so bold that he dare come to her and kiss her on the
mouth; and then she shall turn again to her own nature, and be a woman
again, but after that she shall not live long. And it is not long since
a knight of Rhodes, who was bold and doughty in arms, said that he would
kiss her; when he was upon his courser and went to the castle, and
entered into the cave, the dragon lifted up her head towards him, and
when the knight saw her in that form, so hideous and horrible, he fled
away. But the dragon carried the knight upon a rock, and from thence she
cast him into the sea, and so was lost both horse and man. A young man
that knew not of the dragon, went out of a ship, and proceeded through
the isle until he came to the castle and entered the cave, and went so
far that he found a chamber; and there he saw a damsel who was combing
her head and looking in a mirror, and she had much treasure about her,
and he believed that she had been a common woman, who dwelled there to
receive men to folly; and he abode till the damsel saw the shadow of him
in the mirror, and she turned her towards him and asked him, what he
would? And he said, he would be her paramour. And she asked him if he
were a knight? And he said, nay. And then she said, that he might not be
her leman; but she bid him go again unto his fellows and get him
knighted, and come again upon the morrow, and she would come out of the
cave before him; and then he should come and kiss her on the mouth, and
have no fear, "for I shall do thee no harm, although thou see me in
likeness of a dragon; for though thou see me hideous and horrible to
look upon, know that it is made by enchantment. For without doubt I am
no other than thou seest now, a woman, and therefore fear not; and if
thou kiss me, thou shalt have all this treasure, and be my lord, and
lord also of all the isle." And he departed from her and went to his
fellows, in the ship, and was made a knight, and returned on the morrow
to kiss this damsel.
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