Chap. 42. Of the great perplexity the Palatine was in.

BUT notwithstanding all this boasting, Ranting and Triumphing, the Palatine was very much perplexed and tormented in mind, for fear lest the Belgians should come out after these Rodomantades, and thrash him as they did before: Which would have been such a Hare-lip in his Reputation tha• all the State-surgery in the World would never be able to sow up again. While he was in this Dilemma, he fell a sleep, and as all the ancient Hero's were direct∣ed in dreams what to do in a case of necessity, so did the Emperor of Gehenna send the Spirit Oniar to in∣struct his good Friend and Ally the Palatine; Who having dreamt a strange dream, accordingly re∣solved forthwith to put his dream in execution. To this purpose he sent for two Monstrous Saracens, which he entertain'd among others for emergent occasions. Monsters indeed, for they were so tall, that they were not above Arm-hole high in the water, wading in the deepest part of the Sea: They had two Eyes in the usual places, and a third in the middle of their foreheads, all as big as whole Can∣non Bullets: and they had six Arms and four Legs apiece, with seven Fingers and seven Toes upon each Hand and Foot: and they had a peculiar Quality, that they could stoop, and walk and breathe under water for five hours together. To these Monstrous Saracens,

The Saracens thus encourag'd, got thirty vast Augurs apiece, ten yards in circumference at the boaring place, which they hung at their backs, and so went wading through the Sea in prosecution of the Palatines dismal design. But the Silver-slipper'd Thaumantis, having over-heard the terrible Instru∣ctions given by the Palatine to the Saracens, flew presently to the Belgians, and gave them full In∣formation of the mischief that was intended against them. The Tidings of this contrivance set all the Belgians upon the watch, and as they were fore∣warn'd, so they made all the haste imaginable to be fore-arm'd; and they lookt out so sharp, that at length by the heaving of the Sea, and the foaming of the forc'd Waves, they perceiv'd where the Sa∣racens were coming along. Presently they threw out their Whale-hooks, and Grapling-Irons fasten'd to the end of great Cables, some of which so lucki∣ly stuck in the Ribs of one of the Saracens, that they pull'd him up by the help of their Cap∣stalls and other massie Engines, roaring and bellowing like all the Bulls of Basan in a Herd at once, and so they dragg'd him to the shore, and over-master'd by number, laid him upon the dry Sand, stretched out like Leviathan himself, at his full length of threescore yards, and thirty yards in breadth. The first thing they did, they put out his three Eyes with burning firebrands, through the torments of which (for notwithstanding his Bulk, he was but Cow-hearted) they forc'd him to con∣fess the whole design, and who set him at work. Which done, they slit the Continuum of his Wind∣pipe, which was Mortar-piece bore, and having flead off his Skin five Inches thick, and cover'd all over with Scales, and pull'd out his heart, as big as a great Oyl-Jarr, they bury'd the Promethean car∣kass Page  124 in the Sands. In his heart were discover'd all the marks of Cruelty and Barbarism; for it was hairy, and as hard as Adamant. Both the skin and the heart were sold by the Belgians to the Loyolists, who purchas'd them with a great sum of money, and sent them to New Babylon, where they are kept very choicely as the Relicks of a Martyr that suffer'd for the Pagan Cause.

As for the other Saracen, what became of him, no body knows, neither is it a matter of any im∣portance to make any farther enquiry after him. But this we have to say, that when the Palatine heard the News of this Disaster, and the ill success of his Project, he lay roaring three days and nights together, like the King of Palestine for the loss of his Child, and would neither eat nor drink in all that time.