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the son of a king then reigning, and who was of another family from that of the sleeping princess, being out a hunting on that side of the country, asked what these towers were which he saw in the midst of a great thiek wood. Every one answered aecording as they had heard, some said it was an old ruinous eastle, haunted by spirits: others, that all the soreerers and witehes kept their sabbath, or weekly meeting, in that place.
The most common opinion was, that an ogree [1] lived there, and that he earried thither all the little children he could catch, that he might eat them up at his leisure, without any body being able to follow him, as having himself only power to pass through the wood.
The prince was at a stand, not knowing what to believe, when an aged man spoke to him thus:
May it please your highness, it is about fifty years since I heard from my father, who heard my grandfather say, that there was then in this castle a princess, the most beautiful that was ever seen, that she must sleep there for a hundred
- ↑ An ogree is a giant with long teeth and elaws, a raw head and bloody bones; who runs away with little boys and girls, and eats them up.
