Page:Strange and wonderful history and prophecies of Mother Shipton.pdf/4

4 common tory, which therefore, I hall follow, yet without forcing the reader to believe whether he will or no, is, that he never had any father of human race, or mortal weight, but was begot as the great Welch prophet Motlia was of old, by the phantam of Apollo, or ome wanton ærial Dæmon, in manner following: Her mother, whom ome records call Agatha, and others Emmathe, being left an orphan about the age of ixteen, very poor, and much troubled with that grievous, but common dieae, called by some idlenes, and others loth: As he was once upon a time itting bemoaning herelf on a hady bank by the highway ide, a pirit appeared to her in the hape of a handome young man; and miling on her, "pretty maid" quoth he, "why dot thou it o ad; thou art not old enough to have thy head petered with the cares of the world: Prithee tell me thy buines and doubt not but I will help thee out of thy troubles," The maid cating up her eyes, and not upecting a devil hid in o comely a countenance, related to him her wants, and that he knew not how to live: