Within an hour; and, pacing through the forest,
Chewing the food of sweet and bitter fancy,
Lo, what befell! he threw his eye aside, 104
And mark what object did present itself:
Under an old oak, whose boughs were moss'd with age,
And high top bald with dry antiquity,
A wretched ragged man, o'ergrown with hair, 108
Lay sleeping on his back: about his neck
A green and gilded snake had wreath'd itself,
Who with her head nimble in threats approach'd
The opening of his mouth; but suddenly, 112
Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself,
And with indented glides did slip away
Into a bush; under which bush's shade
A lioness, with udders all drawn dry, 116
Lay couching, head on ground, with catlike watch,
When that the sleeping man should stir; for 'tis
The royal disposition of that beast
To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead: 120
This seen, Orlando did approach the man,
And found it was his brother, his elder brother.
Cel. O! I have heard him speak of that same brother;
And he did render him the most unnatural 124
That liv'd 'mongst men.
Oli.And well he might so do,
For well I know he was unnatural.
Ros. But, to Orlando: did he leave him there,
Food to the suck'd and hungry lioness? 128
Oli. Twice did he turn his back and purpos'd so;
104 threw . . . aside: directed his eye to one side
110 gilded: i.e., of a golden color
113 unlink'd: uncoiled
114 indented glides: i.e., gliding in a zigzag line
117 couching: crouched for a spring
119 royal; cf. n.
124 render: describe
