_Nurse: (Putting her arm round Princess.)_ Och!
do not listen or give heed to him at all!

_Queen_: When is he coming so?

_Fintan_: Amn't I tired telling you this day
in the place of this day twelvemonth. But as to
the minute, there's too much lies in this place
for me to be rightly sure.

_King_: The curse of the seven elements upon
him!

_Fintan_: Little he'll care for your cursing. The
whole world wouldn't stop him coming to your
own grand gate.

_Princess: (Coming forward.)_ Then I am to die
to-night?

_Fintan_: You are, without he will be turned
back by someone having a stronger star than your
own, and I know of no star is better, unless it might
be the sun.

_Queen_: If you had minded me, and given in
to ring the wedding bells, you would be safe out
of this before now.

_Fintan_: That Dragon not to find her before
him, he will ravage and destroy the whole district
with the poisonous spittle of his jaw, till the want
will be so great the father will disown his son and
will not let him in the door. Well, good-bye to ye!
Ye'll maybe believe me to have foreknowledge
another time, and I proved to be right. I have
knocked great comfort out of that!

_(Goes.)_

_King_: Oh, my poor child! My poor little
Nu! I thought it never would come to pass, I
to be sending you to the slaughter. And I too
bulky to go out and face him, having led an easy life!

_Princess_: Do not be fretting.

_King_: The world is gone to and fro! I'll
never ask satisfaction again either in bed or board,
but to be wasting away with watercresses and rising
up of a morning before the sun rises in Babylon!
_(Weeps.)_ Oh, we might make out a way to baffle
him yet! Is there no meal will serve him only
flesh and blood? Try him with Grecian wine,
and with what was left of the big dinner a while ago!

_Gateman: (Coming in.)_ There is some strange
thing in the ocean from Aran out. At first it was
but like a bird's shadow on the sea, and now you
would nearly say it to be the big island would have
left its moorings, and it steering its course towards
Aughanish!

_Dall Glic_: I'm in dread it should be the Dragon
that has cleared the ocean at a leap!

_King: (Holding Princess.)_ I will not give you
up! Let him devour myself along with you!

_Dull Glic: (To Princess.)_ It is best for me
to put you in a hiding-hole under the ground,
that has seven locked doors and seven locks on
the farthest door. It might fail him to make
you o