Page:History of Fortunatus (4).pdf/17

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for he suspected she had it, and accordingly it succeeded; for going to a coffer and taking it out, she fastened it to her girdle: when he having his wishing hat on, clasped her in his arms, and wishing himself in a wild desert, away they flew together over sea and land till they came to a vast wilderness in Ireland; there he set her down faint and breathless, under a tree, on which grew very curious apples to look to. Agrippina, pasting her eyes upon them, intreated him to pull some of them to quench her thirst, for she was almost ready to perish with drought. Yet he still loving her, though she had played him such a slippery trick, clapped unadvisedly his cap on her head to keep off the scorching sun, as knowing she knew not the virtue of it, so climbing up fell to gathering. In the mean while she sat pensive and sad and wishing to God she was out of that desolate place, and in her father’s palace, all on a sudden, contrary to her expectations, she was carried away, leaving Andolocia to fret at his folly, and vex himself more than ever: so that, wandering up and down, faint and weary, at length sat down by a brook, and fell to eating his apples, when immediately a grevious pain seized his head, so that he supposed them infectious, and began to fear his life: but on the contrary a great pair of goat's horns sprung out of his forehead, and then the pain ceased This made him wonder at himself, and stand amazed, but as he was sad and pensive, an old hermit came to him, and seeing him a stranger, and in that condition, invited him to his cave, and gave him such poor refreshment as he had, which consisted of nuts, wild apples, and roots,