of man ne may not ben comprehended ne3 withheld, for the frailty of mankind.

Of Hippocras's daughter transformed from a woman to a dragon.

Some men say, that in the isle of Lango1 is yet the daughter of Hippocras, in form and likeness of a great dragon, that is an hundred fathoms of length, as men say; for I have not seen her

call her the Lady of the Land.

the

And they of the isles

And she lieth in an

old castle, in a cave, and sheweth twice or thrice in year, and she doth none harm to no man, but if* men do her harm. And she was thus changed and transformed, from a fair damsel into likeness of a dragon, by a goddess that was clept Deane. And men say, that she shall so endure in the form of a dragon, unto the time that a knight come, that is so hardy, that dare come to her and kiss her on the mouth and then shall she turn again to her own kind, and be a woman again; but after that she shall not live long. And it is not long sithen that a knight of the Rhodes, that was hardy and doughty in arms, said that he would kiss her. And when he was upon

1 neither. 2 be. 3 nor. 4 An island not far from Crete. 6 called Diana. 7 since.

5 unless.

his courser, and went to the castle, and entered into the cave, the dragon lift up her head against him. And when the knight saw her in that form so hideous and so horrible, he flew away. And the dragon bare the knight upon a rock, maugre his hede1; and from this rock she cast him into the sea; and so was lost both horse and man. And also a young man, that wist not of the dragon, went out of a ship, and went through the isle, till that he came to the castle and came into the cave; and went so long, till that he found a chamber, and there he saw a damsel, that kembed her head, and looked in a mirror; and she had much treasure about her; and he trowed3 that she had been a common woman, that 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 toward him, and asked him what he would? And he said he would be her lemman, or paramour. And she asked him, if that he were a knight. And he said, Nay. And then she said, that he might not be her lemman; but she bad him go again unto his fellows, and make him a knight, and come again upon the morrow, and she should come out of the cave before him; and then come and kiss her on the mouth and have no dread: for 1 shall do thee no manner harm, albeit that thou

see me in likeness of a dragon. For though thou see me hideous and horrible to look on, I do thee to wytene', that it is made be enchantment: for without doubt, I am none other than thou seest now, a woman; and therefore dread thee nought. And if thou kiss me thou shalt have all this treasure, and be my lord, and lord also of all that isle. And he departed from her and went to his fellows to the ship, and let make him knight, and came again upon the morrow, for to kiss this damsel. And when he saw her come out of the cave, in form of a dragon, so hideous and so horrible, he had so great dread, that he flew again to the ship, and she followed him. And when she saw that he turned not again, she began to cry as a thing that had much sorrow: and then she turned again into her cave; and anon the knight died. And sithen hitherwards, might no knight see her, but that he died anon. But when a knight cometh, that is so hardy to kiss her, he shall not die; but he shall turn the damsel into her right form and kindly shape, and he shall be lord of all the countries and isles above-said.

Of the devil's head in the Valley Perilous.

Beside that isle of Mistorak, upon the left side, nigh to the river Phison, is a marvellous thing. 'I give thee to understand.

There is a vale between the mountains, that dureth nigh a four mile. And some clepen1 it the Vale Enchanted, some clepen it. the Vale of Devils, and some clepen it the Vale Perilous; in that vale hearen' men oftentime great tempests and thunders, and great murmurs and noises, all day and nights; and great noise as it were sound of tabors and of nakeres▪ and trumps, as though it were of a great feast. This vale is all full of devils, and hath been always. And men say there, that it is one of the entries of hell. In that vale is plenty of gold and silver; wherefore many misbelieving men, and many christian men also, gon in often time, for to have of the treasure that there is, but few comen again; and namely, of the misbelieving men, ne of the christian men nouther3: for they ben anon strangled of devils. And in mid place of that vale, under a rock, is an head of the visage of a devil bodily, full horrible and dreadful to see; and it sheweth not but the head, to the shoulders. But there is no man in the world so hardy, christian man ne other, but that he would ben adrad for to behold it; and that it would seemen him to die for dread; so is it hideous for to behold, For he beholdeth every man SO

4

Nakeres.-Nacara, (Du Cange,) a kind of brazen drum used

in the cavalry.

s neither.

4 go.

• afraid.

:

sharply with dreadful eyen1 that ben evermore moving and sparkling as fire, and changeth and steereth so often in divers manner, with so horrible countenance, that no man dare not nighen towards him. And fro3 him cometh smoke and stink, and fire, and so much abomination, that unethe1 no man may there endure. But the good christian men, that ben stable in the faith, entren well withouten peril for they will first shriven hem3, and marken him with the token of the Holy Cross; so that the fiends ne han no power over hem. But albeit that they ben withouten peril, zit nathales" ne ben they not withouten dread, when that they seen the devils visibly and bodily all about hem, that maken full many divers assauts and me naces in air and in earth, and agasten hem with strokes of thunder-blasts and of tempests. And the most dread is, that God will taken vengeance then, of that men han10 misdone again" his will. And ye should understand, that when my fellows and I weren in that vale, we weren in great thought whether that we dursten putten our bodies in aventure, to gon in or non, in the protection of God. And some of our fellows accordeden12 to enter, and some noght.13 So there were with us two worthy men,

1