Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 200 of 400
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# "Albions England," Chapter 36, Book 7 (page 176) This page contains running prose poetry describing a tragic supernatural tale. A lady, left bereft after two knights die in combat over her, is haunted by their ghosts and gradually wastes away in despair. The narrative explains that the ghosts were actually deceptions sent by "subtull Fiends," yet the lady's fate remains sealed—she is condemned to eternal torment for her "dotage" in love and the deceitfulness of passion. The passage concludes with a moral warning that those who love without their love being reciprocated are "murdrous" in their own ruin. The text employs archaic spelling and Early Modern English verse conventions typical of this narrative poem.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Then Scotland wart’d on sesdlendsat in ii f aime watre did eid | ‘The Knight that had coryued, fo the Ladie lofteach frend. ; ~ Oft faw I her in teares,and oft I heard herto complayne — - For faith ert lott, for loffe now found sdeuiding fighes in twayne. _ There be chat fay if truely fayd)vn-bodied Soutes! haue walk't, © 0 - Andofthe Gholts of thefe two Knights the like abroad was ral, | ~ Her eares had this and fhee the heart that dared not het eves; - For thether whence the brute did grow fhe(feareles faultie)hies. Her Followers {tood aloofe when fhe,alone approching,fayd : _ Beloued both what boods his fight? (they feem’d as ifthey frayd) : a tipesin me({weet Firft- below d)my guile grauntwas great, — _ Sois my griefe : My latcer Loue,refraine,let me intreate. > Butwhilft the {poke of deadly wounds they both did feeme to fall, ~ And after vanitht,leauing her perplext in feare not fmall, | ) Who thenceforth fared as che Knightthat died for her diftraught, _ Stil haunted ofthe Ghofts,& haunts $ place where they had mau ~ Vatill of her defpayring life her felfe the Period wraught. § Thus liu‘d the till the left her life and for the ruth of this net b. | ~ Ivow'd,that who fo once were mine I would be onely his. ee | ‘Tuh sthis wasbut a Phantafie,quoth he,of fubtull Feends, - Ddluding her fimplicitie in figure of her frends : ~* Theare not that they faid or did aught taching her vntruth, ae foolifh was her feare;thelike I cenfure of your ruth, ~ And fhall I tell what they did tell,and fay whatthey diddoe? * will, for fo,perhaps, you will furceafe (quoth the)to wowe. The Ghoft refembling him to whom fhe had difloyal! bin : S Sayd : Land This,and thou be thus and thalbe doom’d for fin: For dotage i in my loue,for his deceitfull luft,we twaine | ~ Of freth-fore wounds do hourely faint hurt,beale,heale burt againe: _ Nor can I veter halfe we fec,and feare and futfer fill ~ Of endles Torments: onely thou art Audtteffe of fuch ill. | _ Who loue,belou’d,beleeue no life but wheare theirloue doth lines | - Tofauleis then their murdrous fac that firlt defect doth gine: com ane ‘SicOmM | Rss XT D. i . pts fa " ' is Z A) Vy ‘ us . ~~ i‘ 4 — m LP ee ee eG Se eee or — ‘ era — = , . a eer SER SNARES