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proneunced the following words:-“Do not, O king and queen, thus deeply afflict yourselves ; the princess shall not die of the wound; for though I have not the power
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wholly to prevent what an older fairy than I has decreed, I can, however, make her gift prove less injurious to the princess; accordingly, your daughter shall pierce her hand with a spindle; but instead of dying of the wound, she shall only fall into a deep sleep, which shall continue for one hundred years, at the end of which time she shall bo awakened by a young prince.”
The king, thinking to avoid so terrible a misfortune, had it everywhero proclaimed, that no person, on pain of death, should spin with a spindle, or even keep one in their house.
About sixteen years after this, the king and queen being at one of their palaces in the country, it happened that the young princess was one day running from room to room to amuso herself; she at length found her way to a small apartment at the top of a tower, in which an old woman sat spinning with a spindle (for the poor old creature had never heard of the proclamation that had been made against spindles.)
“What aro you doing, Goody?” said the princess; “I am spinning, my pretty lady,” replied the old woman, who did not know to whom she was speaking. “Ah! how I should like to do such pretty work!” continued the princess,—“Pray let me try.” She had no sooner taken the spindle in her hand than, being very sprightly
