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Never was grief voiced with such sweet and shrill absurdity. Never was such a formidable array of curses launched at the head of any murderer, since murders were known to man.

"That vengeaunce I aske and crye,

By way of exclamacyon,

On all the whole nacyon

Of cattes wylde and tame;

God send them sorowe and shame!

That cat especyally

That slew so cruelly

My lytell pretty sparowe

That I brought up at Carowe.

O cat of churlyshe kynde,

The Fynde was in thy minde

When thou my byrde untwynde!

I would thou haddest ben blynde!

The leopardes savage,

The lyons in theyr rage,

Myght catche thee in theyr pawes!

And gnawe thee in theyr jawes!

The serpentes of Lybany

Myght stynge thee venymously!

The dragones with theyr tonges

Myght poyson thy lyver and longes!

The mantycors of the montaynes

Myght fede them on thy braynes!

Melanchates, that hounde

That plucked Actæon to the grounde,