Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/503

 Rh William of Malmesbury (ed. 1725, ch. iv, pp. 23-26) of the “Doughtre of Ypocras [i.e., Hippocrates], in forme and lykenesse of a gret Dragoun, that is an hundred Fadme of lengthe, as Men seyn, for I have not seen hire,” the famous traveller is careful to add. “And sche lyethe in an olde Castelle, in a Cave, and schewethe twyes or thryes in the Zeer. And sche dothe non harm to no Man, but if [i.e., unless] Men don hire harm. And sche was thus chaunged and transformed, from a fair Damysele, in to lykenesse of a Dragoun, be a Goddesse, that was clept Deane [i.e., called Diana]. And Men seyn, that sche schalle so endure in that forme of a Dragoun, unto the tyme that a Knighte come, that is so hardy, that dar come to hire and kisse hire on the Mouthe: And then schalle sche turne ayen to hire owne Kynde, and ben a Woman ayen: But aftre that sche schalle not liven longe.” One brave Knight of Rhodes, it seems, undertook this bold enterprise, but so soon as he beheld “that forme so hidous and so horrible he fleyghe away”, and the disappointed damsel cast him and his horse into the sea. Another time, a youth, who knew not of the enchanted maiden, quitted his ship, and, going over the island, came upon her, and she told him that if he would kiss her on the mouth she should be restored to her woman’s form, and he should have, for his reward, herself and all her great treasure; but he also could not screw his courage to the kissing point.

In most cases, however, the spell can only be broken in entire ignorance of the fact that the hideous creature is not what he, or she, appears to be, as in Grimm’s story, where a princess accidentally drops her golden ball into a well, and a frog puts up his head and offers to restore it to her on condition that she love him, let him live with her, eat off a golden plate, and sleep on her couch. She promises to do all that he requires, in order to get back her golden ball. At night the frog comes to her door, and chants:

“Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!