Then Locrinus straightway took the Princess Esyllt for his wife, and delighted in her more and more: for she was as prudent as she was beautiful, and she loved the king, her deliverer, with the love of a true wife, and of a noble princess. But when Corineus, the giant-slayer, heard that Locrinus had taken a toreign princess to be his wife, and that she sat beside him on his throne to the open scorn of Guendolen, his daughter, he arose in great wrath, and swore a mighty oath, that he would either make him put away his wife and marry the Lady Guendolen, to whom he was affianced, or that one of the two should never eat bread more; and gathering together a band of Cornish men, sons of the giants, and taking with him Guendolen, his daughter, he marched eastward, passing like an angry meteor through town and hamlet, for wrath drove him like a scourge.
Premature labor
King Locrinus, hearing of his coming, and boding ill of the issue, hid his wife privily in a shepherd `s cottage, and caused a rumor to be spread that at the terror of the coming of the Giant-slayer, his queen had fallen into the pangs of premature labor, and that she and her infant had both perished; and to add greater faith to the tale, he had funeral rites performed, and went heavily as one who mourneth, and put on mourning garments. These tidings, meeting Corineus on the way, somewhat slaked the fury of his wrath, and halting, he sent forward a messenger to Locrinus, to demand of him that he would fulfil his contract with the Lady Guendolen. The King with a sad heart assented, but would that the marriage should be deferred for the present that he might furnish himself, with fitting ceremony to do honor to his bride; but Corineus would hear nothing of delay, and resuming his onward course burst furiously into the city of Trinovant, where Locrinus abode, and breaking unannounced into the presence of the King bade him keep to his covenant, and take the Lady Guendolen at once to his throne. The fierce countenance of Corineus was not less terrible because it was furrowed by age, and set round with strong white hair, and a beard like a trail of autumn cloud; the muscles stood out like serpents from his bare arms, and his loose garment of Tyrian purple left to view a broad patch of the shaggy breast against which, as in a vise, he had crushed the ribs of the monster Gogmagog.
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