Then heard he great strokes fall,
That it made greate noise withal,
Full soone he thought that to see,
To weete what the strokes might be:
There was an earl, both stout and gay,
He was come there that same day,
For to hunt for a deer or a doe,
But his houndes were gone him fro.
Then was there a dragon great and grim,
Full of fire and also venim,
With a wide throat and tuskes great,
Upon that knight fast 'gan he beat.
And as a lion then was his feet,
His tail was long, and full unmeet:
Between his head and his tail
Was twenty-two foot withouten fail;
His body was like a wine tun,
He shone full bright against the sun:
His eyes were bright as any glass,
His scales were hard as any brass;
And thereto he was necked like a horse,
He bare his head up with great force:
The breath of his mouth that did out blow
As it had been a fire on lowe[1].
He was to look on, as I you tell,
As it had been a fiend of hell.
Many a man he had shent,
And many a horse he had rent.

[1] 'On lowe:' in flame.