Page 330 - Child's own book

t h e i n v i s i b l e p r i n c e . 3 2 3

was to redress public wrongs, and relieve the oppressed, he flew to
the tcmpie, where he sawthe young virgin, crowned with flowers,
clad in white, anil with her dishevelled hair flowing about her
shoulders* Two of her brothers led her by each hand, and her
mother followed her with a great crowd of men and women.
Leander being in visible, cried out, “ Slop, stop, wicked brethren;
stop, rash and inconsiderate mo­
ther ; if yon proceed any farther,
you shall be squeezed to death
like so many frogs.” They looked
about, hot cou Id not conceive from
whence these terrible mcnaces
c;ime. Thebrotherssaid it wasonly
their sister’s sweetheart, who had
hid himself in some hole. At Which
Leander, in wrath, took a long
cudgel, and they had no reason to
say the blows were not well laid on.
The multitude fledt the vestals ran away, and Leander was left
alone with the victim; immediately he pulled off bis red cap,
and asked the virgin wherein he might serve her. She answered
him, with a confidence rarely to be expected from a virgin of her
age, that ihere was a certain gentleman whom she would be glad
to marry, but that he wanted an estate. Leander then shook his
rose so long, that be supplied (hem with ten milt ions; after which
they married and Jived happily together. But his last ad venture
was the most agreeable: for entering into a wide forest, he heard
t'ne lamentable cries of a young person, ns if some violence were
offered to her. Looking about him every way, at h ngth he spied
four men well armed, that were carrying away by force a young
lady, thirteen or fourteen years of age ; upon which, making up
to them as fast as he could, “ What harm has that virgin done/’