His hinder legges was like to a catte, All of tynne, and like a scorpion; He had a tayle wyth a head therat, All of leade, of plyaunt facion; His herte stele, without menission. Toward me he came, roring like the thonder, Spyttyng out fyre, for to se greate wonder. In his forehead, with letters of Grewe, Was wrytten: My name is Malyce prevy, That olde debate can full sone renewe Betwene true lovers wyth colour crafty. Agaynst Graund Amoure I shall so fortefy My evell subtell power, and cursed courage, To let hym trulye of his hye passage. I toke my boxe, as Pallas commaunded, And my sworde and sheld, with al my armure, In every place I right well anoynted, To hardines she toke my herte in cure; Makinge me redy, and whan I thought me sure, I toke my swerde, and with an hardy herte Towarde the dragon I began to sterte. And as I gan my grete stroke to charge, He blew out so much fyre innumerable, That on the ground I did my might discharge; The smoke was derke, full gretely domageable, And the hote fyre was so intollerable, Above me fleying, that unneth I might Through my visure cast abrode my sight. But the swete oyntmente had suche a vertue, That the wilde fyre might nothing endomage Me through hete, for it did extue The magikkes arte with greate advantage, Causing the fyre right wel to asswage; And wyth my swerde, as nothing agast, Upon the serpente I did stryke full fast. His body was great as any tunne, The devyll about did his body beare; He was as egre as grype or lyon, So was his tallantes he did my herneys tere, That ofte he put me in a mortall fere. Tyll at the last I did his body perce With my good swerde, he might it not reverce. Ryght ther wythall the dragon to-brast, And out there flew, ryght blacke and tedyous, A foule Ethyope, which such smoke did cast, That all the ylond was full tenebrous; It thondred loude wyth clappes tempestious. Then all the ladyes were full sore adred, They thought none other but that I was ded. The spiryte vanished, the ayre wexed clere; Then did I loke and beholde aboute Wher was the toure of my lady so dere; Tyll at the last I had espyed it oute, Set on a rocke right hie, without doubte, And all the ladies, wyth Perseveraunce, To me did come with joye and pleausaunce. Forsoth, quod they, you are muche fortunate, So to subdue the serpent venimous, Which by sorcery was surely ordinate You for to sle with fyre so vicious. Blessed be Pallas, the goddes glorious, Which that thou taught a perfyte remedy, For to devoyde the crafte of sorcery. It was no wonder though that I was glad, After the payne and tribulacion That in many places I right often had, For to attayne the hye promocion Of La Bell Pucelles dominacion; Considering in my passage daungerous All I subdued to me contrarious.