Page:Metamorphoses (Ovid, 1567).djvu/333

 And brandishing his weapon brave, in circlewyse did prawnce About, and stoutly spake theis woordes: And must I beare with yow, Dame Cenye? for none other than a moother (I avow) No better than a moother will I count thee whyle I live. Remembrest not what shape by birth dame nature did thee give? Forgettst thou how thou purchasedst this counterfetted shape Of man? Consyderest what thou art by birth? and how for rape Thou art become the thing thou art? Go take thy distaffe, and Thy spindle, and in spinning yarne go exercyse thy hand. Let men alone with feates of armes. As Latreus made this stout And scornefull taunting in a ring still turning him about, This Cenye with a dart did hit him full uppon the syde Where as the horse and man were joyned togither in a hyde. The strype made Latreus mad: and with his lawnce in rage he stracke Uppon sir Cenyes naked ribbes. The lawnce rebounded backe Like haylestones from a tyled house, or as a man should pat Small stones uppon a dromslets head. He came more neere with that, And in his brawned syde did stryve to thrust his swoord. There was No way for swoord to enter in. Yit shalt thou not so passe My handes (sayd he.) Well sith the poynt is blunted thou shalt dye Uppon the edge: and with that woord he fetcht his blow awrye, And sydling with a sweeping stroke along his belly smit. The strype did give a clinke as if it had on marble hit. And therewithall the swoord did breake, and on his necke did lyght. When Ceny had sufficiently given Latreus leave to smyght His flesh which was unmaymeable, Well now (quoth he) lets see, If my swoord able bee or no to byght the flesh of thee. In saying so, his dreadfull swoord as farre as it would go He underneathe his shoulder thrust, and wrinching to and fro Among his gutts, made wound in wound. Behold with hydeous crye The dowblemembred Centawres sore abasht uppon him flye, And throwe theyr weapons all at him. Theyr weapons downe did fall As if they had rebated beene, and Cenye for them all Abydes unstriken through. Yea none was able blood to drawe. The straungenesse of the cace made all amazed that it sawe. Fy, fy for shame (quoth Monychus) that such a rable can Not overcome one wyght alone, who scarcely is a man.