Linne.

These words were written so plain to see

THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY.

OLD stories tell how Hercules

A dragon slew at Lerna,
With seven heads and fourteen eyes,
To see and well discern-a;
But he had a club this dragon to drub,

Or he ne'er had done it, I warrant ye; But More, of More-hall, with nothing at all, He slew the dragon of Wantley.

This dragon had two furious wings,

Each one upon each shoulder; With a sting in his tail as long as a flail,

Which made him bolder and bolder. He had long claws, and in his jaws Four and forty teeth of iron; With a hide as tough as any buff,

Which did him round environ.

Have you not heard how the Trojan horse
Held seventy men in his belly?
This dragon was not quite so big,

But very near, I'll tell ye;
Devoured he poor children three,

That could not with him grapple; And at one sup he ate them up,

As one would eat an apple.

All sorts of cattle this dragon would eat, Some say he ate up trees,

And that the forests sure he would

Devour up by degrees;

This being done, he did engage
To hew the dragon down;
But first he went new armor to

Bespeak at Sheffield town;
With spikes all about, not within but without,
Of steel so sharp and strong,

Both behind and before, legs, arms, and all o'er,

Some five or six inches long.

Had you but seen him in this dress,

How fierce he looked, and how big, You would have thought him for to be Some Egyptian porcupig:

He frighted all, cats, dogs, and all,

Each cow, each horse, and each hog; For fear they did flee, for they took him to be Some strange, outlandish hedge-hog.

To see this fight all people then

Got up on trees and houses,
On churches some, and chimneys too;

But these put on their trousers,
Not to spoil their hose. As soon as he rose,
To make him strong and mighty,
He drank, by the tale, six pots of ale,
And a quart of aqua-vitæ.

It is not strength that always wins, For wit doth strength excel; Which made our cunning champion Creep down into a well,

and turkeys;

He ate all and left none behind,

But some stones, dear Jack, that he could not

crack,

Which on the hills you will find.

Hard by a furious knight there dwelt;
Men, womer girls, and boys,
Sighing and soboing, came to his lodging,
And made a hideous noise.

Oh, save us all, More of More-hall,

Thou peerless knight of these woods; Do but slay this dragon, who won't leave us

a rag on,

We'll give thee all our goods.