LXXXIV.

E in certa cameretta entrati sono,
Che d'armadure vecchie era copiosa ;
Dice l'abate: tutte ve le dono,
Morgante va rovistando ogni cosa;
Ma solo un certo sbergo gli fu buono,
Ch'avea tutta la maglia rugginosa :
Maravigliossi che lo cuopra appunto :
Che mai più guun forse glien' era aggiunto.

LXXXV.

Questo fu d'un gigante smisurata,
Ch'a la badía fu morto per antico
Dal gran Milon d'Angrante, ch' arrivato?
V'era, s'appunto questa istoria dico;
Ed era ne le mura istoriato,

Come e' fu morto questo gran nimico
Che fece a la badía già lunga guerra:
E Milon v'è com 'e' l'abbatte in terra.

LXXXVI

Veggendo questa istoria il conte Orlando,
Fra suo cor disse: o Dio, che sai sol tutto,
Come venne Milon qui capitando,
Che ha questo gigante quì distrutto
E lesse certe lettre lacrimando,
Che non potè tenir piu il viso asciutto,
Com'io dirò ne la seguente istoria:
Di mal vi guardi il Re de l'alta gloria.

LXXXIV.

And in a certain closet, where the wall

Was cover'd with old armour like a crust, The abbot said to them, " I give you all." Morgante rummaged piecemeal from the dust The whole, which, save one cuirass, was too small, And that too had the mail inlaid with rust. They wonder'd how it fitted him exactly, Which ne'er has suited others so compactly.

LXXXV.

"Twas an immeasurable giant's, who
By the great Milo of Agrante fell
Before the abbey many years ago.
The story on the wall was figured well
In the last moment of the abbey's foe,

;

Who long had waged a war implacable: Precisely as the war occurr'd they drew him, And there was Milo as he overthrew him.

LXXXVI.

Seeing this history, Count Orlando said

In his own heart, "Oh God, who in the sky Know'st all things! how was Milo hither led?

Who caused the giant in this place to die?"
And certain letters, weeping, then he read,

So that he could not keep his visage dry,―
As I will tell in the ensuing story.
From evil keep you the high King of glory!

THE

PROPHECY OF DANTE.

"Tis the sunset of life gives me mystical lore, And coming events cast their shadows before."

CAMPBELL