will light the
lamps of my honour that are now dark and dismal."

When Miuccio heard this proposal he was about to reply that the King
was ill-informed and had mistaken him, as he was neither a raven to
pick out eyes nor an auger to bore holes; but the King said, "No more
words--so I will have it, so let it be done! Remember now, that in the
mint of this brain of mine I have the balance ready; in one scale the
reward, if you do what I tell you; in the other the punishment, if you
neglect doing what I command."

Miuccio, who could not butt against a rock, and had to do with a man
who was not to be moved, went into a corner to bemoan himself; and the
bird came to him and said, "Is it possible, Miuccio, that you will
always be drowning yourself in a tumbler of water? If I were dead
indeed you could not make more fuss. Do you not know that I have more
regard for your life than for my own? Therefore don't lose courage;
come with me, and you shall see what I can do." So saying off she flew,
and alighted in the wood, where as soon as she began to chirp, there
came a large flock of birds about her, to whom she told the story,
assuring them that whoever would venture to deprive the sorceress of
sight should have from her a safeguard against the talons of the hawks
and kites, and a letter of protection against the guns, crossbows,
longbows, and bird-lime of the fowlers.

There was among them a swallow who had made her nest against a beam of
the royal palace, and who hated the sorceress, because, when making her
accursed conjurations, she had several times driven her out of the
chamber with her fumigations; for which reason, partly out of a desire
of revenge, and partly to gain the reward that the bird promised, she
offered herself to perform the service. So away she flew like lightning
to the city, and entering the palace, found the fairy lying on a couch,
with two damsels fanning her. Then the swallow came, and alighting
directly over the fairy, pecked out her eyes. Whereupon the fairy, thus
seeing night at midday, knew that by this closing of the custom-house
the merchandise of the kingdom was all lost; and uttering yells, as of
a condemned soul, she abandoned the sceptre and went off to hide
herself in a certain cave, where she knocked her head continually
against the wall, until at length she ended her days.

When the sorceress was gone, the councillors sent ambassadors to the
King, praying him to come back to his castle