sages of Greece could not have devised any comparable to them, she entered, one night, the chamber of Constancia, and without waking her, carried her off on her fiery camel to a fertile country, where people lived without ambition or trouble; it was a real valley of Tempè, where no one was to be found but shepherds and shepherdesses, who dwelt in cottages of their own construction.
The Fairy was aware, that if the Princess passed sixteen years without seeing the Giant, she had only to return in triumph to her kingdom: but that if he set eyes on her sooner, she would be exposed to great sufferings. The Fairy, therefore, took every precaution to conceal the Princess from the sight of everybody, and that she might appear less handsome, she dressed her like a shepherdess, with coarse caps always pulled over her forehead; but as the sun darts its long rays of light through the cloud that envelopes it, this lovely princess could not be so shrouded but that some of her charms must be observable; and notwithstanding all the Fairy's care, Constancia was spoken of as a master-piece of the gods, that enchanted all hearts. Her beauty was not the only thing that rendered her a wonder; the Sovereign Fairy had endowed her with so admirable a voice, and such skill in touching any instrument she fancied playing on, that without having ever been taught music, she was capable of giving lessons to the Muses, and even to celestial Apollo himself: she was not dull, therefore, in her solitude. The Fairy had explained to her the reasons she had for bringing her up in such obscurity. As she had great good sense, she comprehended them so perfectly, that her protectress was astonished that any one so young could display so much docility and intelligence. She had not visited the Kingdom of Deserts for some months, as it was always painful for her to leave the Princess; but her presence there had become necessary, as they only acted by her orders, and the ministers were not equally attentive to their duties. She departed, therefore, strictly advising Constancia to lock herself up until she should return.
The fair Princess had a little ram she was very fond of. She amused herself with making garlands of flowers for him, or sometimes with dressing him up with bows of riband; she called him Ruson. He was more intelligent than any of his
