XXXIII.
“A peer of France, Astolpho was my name[7],
“Whilom a paladin, sore feared in fight;
“Cousin I was to two of boundless fame,
“Orlando and Rinaldo. I by right
“Looked to all England’s crown; my lawful claim
“After my royal father, Otho hight.
“More dames than one my beauty served to warm,
“And in conclusion wrought my single harm.
XXXIV.
“Returning from those isles, whose eastern side
“The billows of the Indian ocean beat,
“Where good Rinaldo and more knights beside
“With me were pent in dark and hollow seat,
“Thence, rescued by illustrious Brava’s pride[1],
“Whose prowess freed us from that dark retreat,
“Westward I fared along the sandy shores,
“On which the stormy north his fury pours.
XXXV.
“Pursuing thus our rugged journey, we
“Came (such our evil doom) upon the strand;
“Where stood a mansion seated by the sea:
“Puissant Alcina owned the house and land.
“We found her, where, without her dwelling, she
“Had taken on the beach her lonely stand;
“And though nor hook nor sweeping net she bore,
“What fish she willed, at pleasure drew to shore.
- ↑ Orlando.
