Page:MU KPB 018 Comus by John Miltow - Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.pdf/130

And in requitall ope his leather’n scrip,
And shew me simples of a thousand names,
Telling their strange and vigorous faculties.
Amongst the rest a small unsightly root,
But of divine effect, he cull’d me out;
The leaf was darkish, and had prickles on it,
But in another Countrey, as he said,
Bore a bright golden flowre, but not in this soyl:
Unknown, and like esteem’d, and the dull swayn
Treads on it daily with his clouted shoon;
And yet more med’cinal is it then that Moly
That Hermes once to wise Ulysses gave;
He call’d it Hœmony, and gave it me,
And bad me keep it as of sov’ran use
’Gainst all inchantments, mildew blast, or damp,
Or gastly furies apparition;
I purs’t it up, but little reck’ning made
Till now that this extremity compell’d,
But now I find it true; for by this means
I knew the foul inchanter though disguis’d,
Enter’d the very lime-twigs of his spells,
And yet came off: if you have this about you
(As I will give you when we go), you may
Boldly assault the necromancers hall;
Where if he be, with dauntless hardihood