298 THE FaIR ONE

you will meet with a very deep hole, into which you must go
‘down, and will find it full of toads, adders, and serpents, At
the bottom of this hole there is a kind of cellar, through which
runs the fountain of beauty and health. This is the water I
must have ; its virtues are wonderful; for the fair, by washing
in it, preserve their beauty ; and the deformed it renders beau—
tiful ; if they are young it preserves them always youthful ;
and, if old, it makes them young again. Now judge you,
Avenant, whether I will ever leave my kingdom, without
carrying some of this water along with me.”—* Madam,” said
he, “you are so beautiful that this water will be of no use to
you; but I am an unfortunate ambassador, whose death you
seek. However, I will go in search of what you desire, though
T am certain never to return.”

‘At length he arrived at the top of a mountain, where he
sat down to rest himself; giving his horse liberty to feed, and
Cabriole to run after
the flies. He knew
that the gloomy cave
was not far off, and
looked about to see
whether he could dis-
cover it; and at length
he perceived a horrid
rock as black as ink,
whence issued a thick
smoke ; and immedi-
ately after he spied
one of the dragons cast-
ing forth fire from his jaws and eyes; his skin all over yellow
and green, with prodigious claws, and a long tail rolled up in
an hundred folds, Avenant, with a resolution to die in the
attempt, drew his sword, and with the phial which the Fair