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
thoughe thou see me hidouse and horrible to loken onne, I do the to wytene,
[Footnote: Know.] that it is made be enchauntement. For withouten doubte, I
am non other than thou seest now, a woman; and therfore drede the noughte.
And zif thou kysse me, thou schalt have alle this tresoure, and be my lord,
and lord also of alle that ile. And he departed fro hire and wente to his
felowes to schippe, and leet make him knyghte, and cam azen upon the morwe,
for to kysse this damysele. And whan he saughe hire comen out of the cave,
in forme of a dragoun, so hidouse and so horrible, he hadde so grete drede,
that he fleyghe azen to the schippe; and sche folewed him. And whan sche
saughe, that he turned not azen, sche began to crye, as a thing that hadde
meche sorwe: and thanne sche turned azen, in to hire cave; and anon the
knyghte dyede. And siththen hidrewards, myghte no knyghte se hire, but that
he dyede anon. But whan a knyghte comethe, that is so hardy to kisse hire,
he schalle not dye; but he schalle turne the damysele in to hire righte
forme and kyndely schapp, and he schal be lord of alle the contreyes and
iles aboveseyd.
And from thens men comen to the Ile of Rodes, the whiche ile Hospitaleres
holden and governen; and that token thei sumtyme from the Emperour: and it
was wont to be clept Collos; and so callen it the Turks zit. And Seynt
Poul, in his Epistles, writeth to hem of that Ile, _ad Colossenses_.
[Footnote: The truth is the Epistle was written to the Church of Collosae in
Phrygia Major.] This ile is nyghe 800 myle from Costantynoble.
And from this ile of Rodes, men gon to Cipre, where bethe many vynes, that
first bene rede, and aftre o zeer, thei becomen white: and theise wynes
that ben most white, ben most clere and best of smelle. And men passen be
that way, be a place that was wont to ben a gret cytee and a gret lond: and
the cytee was clept Cathaillye: the which cytee and lond was lost thorghe
folye of a zonge man. For he had a fayr damysele, that he loved wel, to his
paramour; and sche dyed sodeynly, and was don in a tombe of marble: and for
the grete lust, that he had to hire, he wente in the nyghte unto hire tombe
and opened it, and went in and lay be hire, and wente his way. And whan it
came to the ende of nine monethes, there com a voys to him, and seyde, Go
to the tombe of that woman, and open it and beholde what thou hast begotten
on hire: and if thou lette to go, thou schalt have a gret harm. And he zede
[Footnote: Went.] and opened the tombe; and there fleyghe out an eddere
righte hidous to see; the whiche als swythe fleighe aboute the cytee and
the contree; and sone after the cytee sank downe. And there ben manye
perilouse passages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account