Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 58 of 400
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What you’re looking at
# Description of Page This is a page of running verse prose from Chapter 8 of "Albions England." The text narrates mythological episodes involving the Centaur, the Lernaean Hydra, and Hercules. It describes how a Centaur's corpse was left unburied, the monstrous Hydra's clever but destructive arguments, Hercules's battle with the Hydra resulting in the monster's death and descent to hell, and concludes with Hercules traveling to Athens, Lycia, and Hesperia to confront Geryon, a triple-tyrant giant plaguing neighboring realms with war and wrongdoing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
7 the fatal! Shafts that st (hould the death of ae Adbilles proue, bthe Tn Phebus Church sby Pars hand, for Polixenas loue. | He Centaure left vntoombed there,Hee, Shee, ol all their traine 4 are come to Lerza: whom the King did noblie entertaine, 7 neare had he from their common teares the cruell hauock made | By Lernad Hydra, whom in Fenne not armies durft inuade, ~ His vpper parts had humane forme,hisnecher Serpentine, —_—(fine _ The whole was monftrous, yeat his wit more monftrous, bue mofk. — (For witis montftrous when the fame from vertue doth decline ) — Such were his fubtill arguments,and ftill f{upphies therein, _ Tharhe{ by often loffe of heads was fained heads to winne: ~ And wittie thus to others wrong confounded all hee found, _ Propounding queitions,and a word vnanfwered was a ‘otitie _ The Scourge of Tyrants hearing this,did promife death or ayde, — Whilft fearefull Deéanira did the contrarie perfwaide. ~ But womans fpeech from weapons vfe might not withdraw him then, _ Tilentring Palws,he had roufd the Monfter from his Denne. Difdainfully did Hydra take the prefence of his Foe, _ And after fubtillarguments to fturdie fight they goe. _ Twoblowes at once with Glaue and Tailemade Hercules to reele: ~ \Vho fince he firft had vfed armes the like did neuer feele. 4 _ Not long he borrowed had the Loan, but Hydra had the like : So either twayne repay their debt,and neither faintly ftrike. ~ Butwho might ftand with Hercules ? By him the montfter fell: ae: burning vp his ygly shape, did pafle his foule to hell: — Which happie fate of Hydr as fallleft Lerna glad and well. - From whence to_Athens,andfrom thence to Lyeia did hefaile, _ hen to He(peris Gerons Realnic his outrages to quaile. 1 Eby his triple tyrannie(for Geron he was faid Be Three headed,in refpect that him three other Giants sid). ne. # So “athe & plaug’d dthencighbour R Realmes with daily wrongs & war, That — sees ¢ . | , _ Co choo SH KoF