Book Description:
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PALAMON AND ARCITE OR THE KNIGHT'S TALE BOOK I In days of old there lived, of mighty fame, A valiant prince, and Theseus was his name; A chief who more in feats of arms excelled, The rising nor the setting sun beheld. Of Athens he was lord; much land he won, And added foreign countries to his crown. In Scythia with the warrior queen he strove, Whom first by force he conquered, then by love; He brought in triumph back the beauteous dame, With whom her sister, fair Emilia, came. 10 With honour to his home let Theseus ride, With Love to friend, and Fortune for his guide, And his victorious army at his side. I pass their warlike pomp, their proud array, Their shouts, their songs, their welcome on the way; But, were it not too long, I would recite The feats of Amazons, the fatal fight Betwixt the hardy queen and hero knight; The town besieged, and how much blood it cost The female army and the Athenian host; 20 7. Warrior queen, Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. 19. The town besieged. Uniformity of construction woulil require ' the siege of the town,' or ' how the town was besieged.' The spousals of Hippolyta the queen; What tilts and turneys at the feast were seen; The storm at their return, the ladies' fear: But these and other things I must forbear. The field is spacious I design to sow, With oxen far unfit to draw the plough: The remnant of my tale is of a length To tire your patience, and to waste my strength; And trivial accidents shall be forborne, That others may have time to take their turn, 30 As was at first enjoined us by mine host, That he whose tale is best, and pleases most, Should win his supper at our common cost. And therefore where I left, I will pursue This an...
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