DEGORE AND THE DRAGON.
Degorë went forth his way,
Through a forest half a day:
He heard no man, nor sawë none,
Till it past the high none,
Then heard he great strokës fall,
That it made greatë noise withal,
Full soonë he thought that to see,
To weetë what the strokes might be:
There was an earl, both stout and gay,
He was come there that samë day,
For to hunt for a deer or a doe,
But his houndës were gone him fro.
Then was there a dragon great and grim,
Full of fire and also venim,
With a wide throat and tuskës great,
Upon that knight fast 'gan he beat.
And as a lion then was his feet,
His tail was long, and full unmeet:
Between his head and his tail
Was twenty-two foot withouten fail;
His body was like a wine tun,
He shone full bright against the sun:
His eyes were bright as any glass,
His scales were hard as any brass;
And thereto he was necked like a horse,
He bare his head up with great force:
The breath of his mouth that did out blow
As it had been a fire on lowe[1].
He was to look on, as I you tell,
As it had been a fiend of hell.
Many a man he had shent,
And many a horsë he had rent.
[1] 'On lowe:' in flame.
From Davie's supposed 'Life of Alexander' we extract a description of a battle, which shews some energy of genius:—