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beſt Shape that ever was ſeen. I went nearer, the better to obſerve him, and found he had a Saddle and a Bridle of maſſy Gold, curiouſly wrought. The one ſide of his Trough was fill’d with clean Barley, and Sefſems, and the other with Roſe-Water: I took him by the Bridle, and led him forth to view him by the Light: I got on his Back, and would have had him move; but he not ſtirring, I whipt him with a Switch I had taken up in his magnificent Stable; and he had no ſooner felt the Stroke, when he began to neigh with a horrible Noiſe, and extended his Wings, which I had not ſeen before: He flew up with me into the Air, quite out of ſight. I thought on nothing, then, but to ſit faſt; and conſidering the Fear that had ſeized upon me, I ſate very well: He afterwards flew down again towards the Earth, and lighting upon the Terraſs of a Caſtle, without giving me any Time to get off, he ſhook me out of the Saddle with ſuch Force, that he made me fall behind him, and with the End of his Tail ſtruck out my Right-Eye.
Thus I became blind of one Eye, and then I began to remember the Predictions of the ten young Gentlemen. The Horſe flew again out of ſight. I got up very much troubled at the Misfortune I had brought upon my ſelf. I walk’d upon the Terraſs, covering my Eye with one of my Hands, for it pain’d me exceedingly, and then came down and enter’d into a Hall, which I knew preſently by the 10 Sofa’s in a Circle, and the 11th in the middle, lower than the reſt, to be the ſame Caſtle from whence I was taken away by the Roc.
The 10 halſ blind Gentlemen were not in the Hall when I came in, but ſoon after came with the old Man; they were not at all ſurpriz’d to ſee me again, nor at the loſs of my Eye; but ſaid, we are very ſorry that we cannot congratulate you upon your Return, as we could have deſired; but we are not the Cauſe of your Misfortune, I ſhould be in the wrong to accuſe you, ſaid I, for I have drawn it upon my ſelf, and I can charge the Fault upon no other Perſon. If it be a Conſolation to the Unfortunate, ſaid they, to have Fellows, this Example may afford us a Subject of rejoycing; all that has happened to you, we have alſo undergone; we taſted all forts of Pleaſure, during a Year ſucceſſively; and we had continued to enjoy the ſame Happineſs ſtill, had we not open-ed
