Wherefore I intended to runne away, but the remembrance of you put
alwayes the thought out of my minde, and so I came homeward very
sorrowful: but because I would not seeme to come to my mistresse sight
with empty hands, I saw a man shearing of blowne goat skinnes, and the
hayre which he had shorne off was yellow, and much resembled the haire
of the Boetian, and I tooke a good deale thereof, and colouring of the
matter, I brought it to my mistresse. And so when night came, before
your returne from supper, she to bring her purpose to passe, went up to
a high Gallery of her house, opening to the East part of the world, and
preparing her selfe according to her accustomed practise, shee gathered
together all substance for fumigations, she brought forth plates of
mettal carved with strange characters, she prepared the bones of such
as were drowned by tempest in the seas, she made ready the members of
dead men, as the nosethrils and fingers, shee set out the lumps of
flesh of such as were hanged, the blood which she had reserved of such
as were slaine and the jaw bones and teeth of willed beasts, then she
said certaine charmes over the haire, and dipped it in divers waters,
as in Wel water, Cow milk, mountain honey, and other liquor. Which when
she had done, she tied and lapped it up together, and with many
perfumes and smells threw it into an hot fire to burn. Then by the
great force of this sorcerie, and the violence of so many confections,
those bodies whose haire was burning in the fire, received humane
shape, and felt, heard and walked: And smelling the sent of their owne
haire, came and rapped at our doores in stead of Boetius. Then you
being well tipled, and deceived by the obscurity of the night, drew out
your sword courageously like furious Ajax, and kild not as he did,
whole heard of beastes, but three blowne skinnes, to the intent that I,
after the slaughter of so many enemies, without effusion of bloud might
embrace and kisse, not an homicide but an Utricide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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