it of pleasure to a
castle at a distance from the city, his royal seat was usurped by a
certain sorceress. Whereupon, having consulted a wooden statue which
used to give oracular responses, it answered that he would recover his
dominions when the sorceress should lose her sight. But seeing that the
sorceress, besides being well guarded, knew at a glance the people whom
he sent to annoy her, and did dog's justice upon them, he became quite
desperate, and out of spite to her he killed all the women of that
place whom he could get into his hands.

Now after hundreds and hundreds had been led thither by their ill-luck,
only to lose their lives, there chanced, among others, to come a maiden
named Porziella, the most beautiful creature that could be seen on the
whole earth, and the King could not help falling in love with her and
making her his wife. But he was so cruel and spiteful to women that,
after a while, he was going to kill her like the rest; but just as he
was raising the dagger a bird let fall a certain root upon his arm, and
he was seized with such a trembling that the weapon fell from his hand.
This bird was a fairy, who, a few days before, having gone to sleep in
a wood, where beneath the tent of the Shades Fear kept watch and defied
the Sun's heat, a certain satyr was about to rob her when she was
awakened by Porziella, and for this kindness she continually followed
her steps in order to make her a return.

When the King saw this, he thought that the beauty of Porziella's face
had arrested his arm and bewitched the dagger to prevent its piercing
her as it had done so many others. He resolved, therefore, not to make
the attempt a second time, but that she should die built up in a garret
of his palace. No sooner said than done: the unhappy creature was
enclosed within four walls, without having anything to eat or drink,
and left to waste away and die little by little.

The bird, seeing her in this wretched state, consoled her with kind
words, bidding her be of good cheer, and promising, in return for the
great kindness she had done for her, to aid her if necessary with her
very life. In spite, however, of all the entreaties of Porziella, the
bird would never tell her who she was, but only said that she was under
obligations to her, and would leave nothing undone to serve her. And
seeing that the poor girl was famished with hunger, she flew out and
speedily returned with a pointed knife which she had taken from