The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
And from Ephesim men gon throghe many iles in the see, unto the cytee of
Paterane, [Footnote: Patera.] where Seynt Nicholas was born, and so to
Martha, [Footnote: Myra.] where he was chosen to ben bisschoppe; and there
growethe right gode wyn and strong; and that men callen wyn of Martha. And
from thens gone men to the ile of Crete, that the Emperour zaf somtyme to
Janeweys. [Footnote: The Genoese.] And thanne passen men thorghe the isles
of Colos and of Lango; [Footnote: Cos.] of the whiche iles Ypocras
[Footnote: Hippocrates.] was lord offe. And some men seyn, that in the ile
of Lango is zit the doughtre of Ypocras, in forme and lykeness of a gret
dragoun, that is a hundred fadme of lengthe, as men seyn: for I have not
seen hire. And thei of the isles callen hire, lady of the lond. And sche
lyethe in an olde castelle, in a cave, and schewethe twyes or thryes in the
zeer. And sche dothe none harm to no man, but zif men don hire harm. And
sche was thus chaunged and transformed, from a fair damysele, into lyknesse
of a dragoun, be a goddesse, that was clept Deane. [Footnote: Diana.] And
men seyn, that sche schalle so endure in that forme of a dragoun, unto the
tyme that a knyghte come, that is so hardy, that dar come to hire and kiss
hire on the mouthe: and then schall sche turne azen to hire own kynde, and
ben a woman azen: but aftre that sche schalle not liven longe. And it is
not long siththen, that a knyghte of the Rodes, that was hardy and doughty
in armes, seyde that he wole kyssen hire. And whan he was upon his
coursere, and wente to the castelle, and entred into the cave, the dragoun
lifte up hire hed azenst him. And whan the knyghte saw hire in that forme
so hidous and so horrible, he fleyghe awey. And the dragoun bare the
knyghte upon a roche, mawgre his hede; and from that roche, sche caste him
in to the see: and so was lost bothe hors and man. And also a zonge man,
that wiste not of the dragoun, wente out of a schipp, and wente thorghe the
ile, til that he come to the castelle, and cam in to the cave; and wente so
longe, til that he fond a chambre, and there he saughe a damysele, that
kembed hire hede, and lokede in a myrour: and sche hadde meche tresoure
abouten hire: and he trowed, that sche hadde ben a comoun woman, that
dwelled there to resceyve men to folye. And he abode, tille the damysele
saughe the schadewe of him in the myrour. And sche turned hire toward him,
and asked hym, what he wolde. And he seyde, he wolde ben hire limman or
paramour. And sche asked him, zif that he were a knyghte. And he seyde,
nay. And then sche seyde, that he myghte not ben hire lemman: but sche bad
him gon azen unto his fellowes, and make him knyghte, and come azen upon
the morwe, and sche scholde come out of the cave before him; and thanne
come and kysse hire on the mowthe, and have no drede; for I schalle do the
no maner harm, alle be it that thou see me in lyknesse of a dragoun. For
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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