"It was na warwolf in the wood,
"Nor was it mermaid in the sea;
"But it was my wicked step-mother,
"And wae and weary may she be!"
"O a heavier weird[7] shall light her on,
"Than ever fell on vile woman;
"Her hair shall grow rough, and her teeth grow lang,
"And on her four feet shall she gang.
"None shall take pity her upon;
"In Wormeswood she aye shall won;
"And relieved shall she never be,
"Till St Mungo[8] come over the sea."
And sighing said that weary wight,
"I doubt that day I'll never see!"
NOTES
ON
KEMPION.
On Estmere crags, when ye them climb.—P. [26]. v. 2.
If by Estmere crags we are to understand the rocky cliffs of Northumberland, in opposition to Westmoreland, we may bring our scene of action near Bamborough, and thereby almost identify the tale of Kempion with that of the Laidley Worm of Spindleston, to which it bears so strong a resemblance.
I weird ye to a fiery beast.—P. [26]. v. 3.
Our ideas of dragons and serpents are probably derived from the Scandinavians. The legends of Regnar Lodbrog, and of the huge snake in the Edda, by whose folds the world is encircled, are well known. Griffins and dragons were fabled, by the Danes, as watching over, and defending, hoards of gold.—Bartholin. de caus. cont. mortis, p. 490. Saxo Grammaticus, lib. 2. The Edda also mentions one Fafner, who, transformed into a serpent, brooded over his hidden treasures. From these authorities, and that of Herodotus, our Milton draws his simile—