The famous history of the seven champions of Christendom St. George of England, St. Denis of France, St. James of Spain, St. Anthony of Italy, St. Andrew of Scotland, St. Patrick of Ireland, and St. David of Wales. Shewing their honourable battels by sea and land: their tilts, justs, turnaments, for ladies: their combats with gyants, monsters and dragons: their adventures in foreign nations: their enchantments in the Holy Land: their knighthoods, prowess, and chivalry, in Europe, Africa, and Asia; with their victories against the enemies of Christ. Also the true manner and places of their deaths, being seven tragedies: and how they came to be called, the seven saints of Christendom. The first part.

CAlling now to mind the long and weary Travels of Saint Denis the Champion of France endured, after his departure from the other Six Champions at the Brazen Pillar, as you heard in the beginning of the former Chapter, from which he wan∣dred through many a Desolate Grove and Wilderness; without any Adventure worthy the noting, till he arrived upon the Bor∣ders

of Thessaly (being a Land as then inhabited only with Wild Beasts:) wherein he endured such a penury and scarcity of Uic∣tuals, that he was forced the space of seven years to feed upon the Herbs of the field, and the Fruits of Trees, till the hairs of his ••e••d were like Eagles Feathers, and the Nails of his Fingers to Birds Claws: his drink the dew of Heaven, the which he licked from the Flowers of Meadows, the Attire he cloathed his Body withal, Bay-leaves, and broad Docks that grew in the Wood, his Shoes the barks of Trees, whereon he Travelled through many a Thorny Brake: but at last as it was his Fortune or cruel Desti∣ny (being over-prest with the extremity of hunger) to taste and feed upon the Berries of an inchanted Mulberry Tree, whereby he lost the lively Form and Image of his Humane substance, and was Transformed into the shape and likeness of a Wild Hart; which strange and sudden transformation, this Noble Champion little mistrusted, till he espied his mishapen form in a clear Foun∣tain, which Nature had erected in a cool and shady Ualley; but when he beheld the shadow of his deformed substance, and how his Head, late honoured with a Burgonet of Stéel, now dishonoured with a pair of Silvan Horns: his face whereon the countenance of true Nobility was lately charactered, now covered with a Beast∣like similitude, and his Body late the true Image of Magnanimi∣ty, now over-spread with a hairy hide, in colour like to the follow Fields; which strange alteration, not a little perplexed the mind of Saint Denis, that it caused him with all speed (having the na∣tural reason of a Man still remaining) to ••epair back to the Mulber∣ry tree again, supposing the Berries he had eaten, to be the cause of his Transformation, under which Tree the distressed Knight laid his deformed Limbs upon the bare ground, and thus wofully began to complain.

What Magick Charms (said he) or other bewitching Spells, remain within this cursed Tree? whose wicked Fruit hath con∣founded my future Fortunes, and converted me to a miserable estate; O thou Coelestial Director of the World, and all you piti∣ful Powers of Heaven, look down with a kind Countenance upon my hapless Transformation: and bend your browsto hear my woful Lamentation: I was of late a Man, but now a horned Beast; I was a Soldier, and my Countrey's Champion, but now a loath∣some Creature, and a prey for Dogs, my glistering Armour is ex∣changed into a Hide of Hair, and my brave Array more baser than the low Earth: henceforth instead of Princely Palaces, these sha∣dy Woods must serve to shrowd me in: wherein my Bed of Down

must be a heap of Sun-burn'd Moss; my sweet recording Musick the blustering Winds, that with Tempestuous Gusts, do make the Wilderness to tremble: the Company I daily keep must be the Silvan Satyrs, Driades, and Airy Nymphs, which never appear to worldly eyes, but in twilights, or at the prime of the Moon, the Stars that beautifie the Crystal Veil of Heaven shall henceforth serve as Torches to light me to my woful Bed: the scowling Clouds shall be my Canopy: my Clock to count how Time runs stealing on, the sound of hissing Snakes, or else the croaking of Toads.

Thus described he his own Misery, till the watry Tears of Ca∣lamity gushed out in such abundance from the Conduits of his Eyes, and his scorching Sighs so violently forced from his bleed∣ing Breast, that they seemed as it were to constrain the untamed Bears, and merciless Tygers to relent his moan, and like harm∣less Lambs sit bleating in the Woods, to hear his woful exclama∣tions.

Long and many days continued this Champion of France in the shape of an Hart, in more distressed misery than the unfortu∣nate English Champion in Persia, not knowing how to recover his former likeness, and humane substance. So upon a time as he lamented the loss of Nature's Ornaments, under the branches of that Enchanted Mulberry-Tree, which was the cause of his Transformation, he heard a grievous and terrible groan, which he supposed to be the induction of some admirable Accident that would ensue: so taking Truce for a time with sorrows, he heard a hollow voice breath from the Trunk of that Mulberry-Trée, these words following.