Fable VI. History of Florisa

A Country-woman chancing to be acquainted with a neighbouring fairy, invited her to one of her inlyingSy at which (he had a daughter, the fairy took the child into her arms as soon as it was born, and said to the mother, take your choice; your daughter (hall be» if you will, beauteous as the day, of a wit (till brighter than her beauty, and Queen of a great kbgdom, but unhappy; or else (he (hall be an homely country-woman like yourself, but contented in hjer condition, the woman chose instantly for the child beauty and wit, with a crown, at the hazard of any unhappiness. and now behold the little girl, whose beauty begins already to edipfe all that the world ever saw; her temper was soft, polite, and engaging; (he learned whatever they pleased to teach her, and soon knew it beter than those that taught her; (he would dance upon the grass of a holiday, with more grace than all her comparuons; her voice was more moyiog than any instrument of music, and the foogs (he sang. were of her^own composition. for some time (he did not know that (he was beautiful; but playing one.day. with her companions, by the side of a cryflal fountain, (he chanced to see herself; (he took notice how difierent>(he wasfrom the rest; (he admired herself; the vhol& country, who flocked to see her, made her still more conscious of her charms, her mother relying upon the fairy's predidtions, looked upon her already as a Queen, and spoiled her by her indulgence: the young woman would neither (pin, nor (ew, nor tend the (heep; (he amused herself in gathering flowers, in deddng her head with them, in (inging and dandng in the. (hady groves.

The King of that country was a very powerful. Prince, and had an only son named Rofimund, whom he desired to marry, he would never hear of any Prince(s of the neighbouring kingdoms, a fairy having affured him, that he (hould find a country maid, more beautiful and more accomplished than all the Princefles in the world, he took a resolution to cause all the.country lafles of his kingdom, under eighteen years of age, to be assembled, in order to make choice of the person most.worthy to be chosen. there were presently excluded vast numbers of girls, who poflcffed but an ordinary beauty, and thirty were fele^ed, who infinitely furpaiTed all the rest. Florifa (such was oar.

46 TKi irrtTo^T or rto«tM« dtmTert ntme) bad no difficulty tQ be |itt fo shi^ iramber. these thirty maids were rang.^ b the nkidk of a great ball, io a kind of amphitbeatre* where tbt Ktog aod bis Ton might behold there all at once. Flo* rifa appeared forthwith amiddthe rest, wbatabemtifui anemone would appear amongst marigolda, or what a flDoriibing oraoge-tree would appear aaidft wild buflies. the King cried out, that (ha dcfimrcd fait eimni. Ro&mand thought himfclf happy to poffcfi Fiorifii^ her country cloaths were pulled off, aod others givei her, embroidered all with gold; ia ao uftaai flie fitw hsrfelf coveted with pearls aod ifiamonds; m gnm number of ladies were occupied io attendiag herfi tfaeir fok ftndy was' to difioe what raig^ pieafe hsi; in order to save her the trouble of aiking it. iie wai lodged in a magaificeot apartment of the palace, which hadfioftesd of tapeflry, large nairrours, of ffae wholi height of the chambers and closets, that ih« flsigbi have the pleasure of seeing her beauty BMiktplieil €• all sides, and that the Prince might admire hsr, which way foerer he cast his eyes. Rofimuad had fitted dbi chace, play, and all bodily exercises, in order to bo continually with her; and as the King her fathor had died fooa after the marriage, it was the wifii Flovib became Queeo, whose counsels decided aU afiiin of state.

The Queen -mother of the new King, oanaod&Oi aipotyfooogcgiw jealous of hor daughter-ifi^laii^* §m rtik HtsTOR'V bv flori^i; 4^ was artful, malicious, and cruel; age had added a iHghtful deformity to her natural ugliness, fb that in body and mind she was a perfedt fury. Florifa's beauty made her appear flill more hideous, and afforded her constant matter of provocation; (he could not bear that fo beautiful a person, should render her more deformed; (he dreaded also her wit, and gave herself up to all the rage of envy: you have no spirit, would she oftentinaes say to her son, else you never had matrried diat little country wench, and now you have the meanik£s to make her your idol; fhd is as proud,' as if she had been bom to the place she £lls; when the King your father had a mind to marry, he preferred me to any other, becaafe t was daughter to a King, his equal; and fo ought you to have done; send back that little ihepherdeis to her cottage, and think of some Princess, whose binh may fait with your^. Rofimund was deaf to all his mother's remonstrances; but Gronfpot one day got hold of a billet, which Florifa was writing to the King, and gave it to a young courtier, whom she obliged to carry it to the King, as tho' Florifa had expre£ed for him all that affection she ought to have for the King alone. Rofimund, blinded by his jealousy» and by the malicious counsels his mother gave him, caused Florifa to be shut up for life, in an high tower, built upon the point of a rock, which reared itself in the sea. there she cried night and day, not knowing by what unjufl; representation the King, who had fo lor-

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5^ TUB HlftTOftY OF FLOKISA.;

ed her, now treated her fo uoworthUy. (he Vna allowed to see sooe but ao old wcnnan, to whose ftrift charge Grooipot had committed her, and who infolted her every moment in her confinement, then Fbrifa remembred, with regret, her village, her cottage, and all her rural pleasures. one day, as ihe was over* whelmed with anguish, and deploring the blindaefs of her mother, who had chose rather that (he fhoold be an handsome and unfortunate Queen, than an homdy and contented (hepherdefs, the old hag, who used her fo ill, came to tell her, that the King was sending aft executioner to cut off her head, and that now ihe had only to prepare for death.

Florifa answered, that {he was ready to recdve the fatal blow; and a^ually the executioner, sent by the King's order, and the advice of Gronipot, held up a great cutlass, in order to execution, when there ap« peared a woman, who said she eame from that Queen^ to speak two words in private to Florifa before her death, the old hag could not reflife her this liberty^ because that person seemed to be one of the ladies of the palace; but it was the fairy, who had predi^ed Florifa's misfortunes at her birth, and had aflamed the figure of that lady of the Queen-mother, when she had got Florifa by herself, having caused every one else to withdraw; are you willing, said (he, Fk>* rifa, to renounce the beauty, which has proved fo fk* tal to you? are you willing to part with the title of

Queeo» to re-alTume your ancient Gray, and to return to your Tillage? Florifa was overjoyed to accept the offer, the fairy then clapped an inchanted maik upon her face, and immediately her features became coarse, and lost all their proportion; flie now became as homely aod unpleaiing, at she had been handsome and agreeable, in this condition, (he was no longer to be known; fb she paiTed, without difficulty, thro' the midst of the people, who were come to be witneiTes of her tragical end* file followed the faiiy, and repafled with her into her own country, they might search as they would for J'lorifa, no Florifa was to be &und in any part of the tower, the news was earned to the King and Groni- (poc, who caused fre&, but fruitleis search to be made ibr her over ii>e whole kingdom, the fairy had re-. -stored her to her jaother, who would not hare kaowti iier ia £0 great a change, haMl Ae not been apprised J9i it. Florifa was conteat co live hcxnely, poor, and imknowii in her village, whene kmooeoc, (he kept.the hamilefs Iheep: daily did she hear her adveatures vebiod, and her misfortnaes deplored; they were the 'MytEt of noumfnl ditties, which mekedevery hearer onto tears; she took pkafiire in fioging them frequently with her oonpaaions, and tvould weep at her songs, like the rest; but she duMight herself happy In tending liar lode, and would Atrer <lifcover to aoy one who ihe wae.

Ha

KING ALFAROUT

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