meeting wher after manie words on both sides Theonas wondring why she should sit so still in her seate and not offer the like curtesie he intended to her gins to draw néerer the place where she was when on a sudden the Rock closing together denies his néerer approach at which shee sorry within and he as sad without gins both of them disâ—il as manie amber teares from their christalcies as might haue dissolued againe the craggie cliffes of those â—ittiles Rockes At length shee as afore to the other two gins tell him the manner of her life and intreates his aid for her release telling him of a perilous Iland that was somteime kept by a skilfull woman named the wise Erganea where on an Altar in a Temple there built vnto her name lies a golden Booke in which quoth she is contained all the Enchauntments that Arte can affoord and their seuerall releases again kept by two Harpies such were those monstrous birds with whom Alcides fought and for his conflict with them was so great it was accounted as one of the xii Labours hee atchieued thence if thou canst but fetch it away it wil be the only meane to worke my release and end thy long desires and tedious labour Where too the yong man attentiuely harkening as one that longed to eternise his name to succéeding posterities for the perfourmance of some such famous Worke makes small delay to prosecute this busines with comfortable promises of fairer dayes cheering and comforting her minde leaues her to the mercy of her Foe till his happie returne make her more fortunate These seuerall Aduentures by her imposed on her Bretheren had this Witch before prouided only for a meane to destroy all them that should in this labour indeuour themselues and perforce made her tongue the vnwilling Instrument to incite them to this ill who otherwise intended their indeuours only for her good CHAP. IX How Chinon came to the Rocke where the Ladie was inchaunted and what happened thereof IN this time the Fayries by whose meanes Chinon was couueighed out of England had brought hym to the place where in the Vision whilest he lay asléep vnder the Arbour in England they shewed him the faire Shepheardesse and had taken their leaue telling him how by his meanes that Ladie now in Captiuitie was to bee released but how manie dangers hee must first passe through left him there to folow his farder fortune with great promises that after labour he should finde rest after stormes calmes and after frowning aduersitie smyling prosperitie and so on a sudden vanished away When he séeking vp and downe for her whome by no meanes he could find wondring how so rare beutie could be bred in such a homely soyle whereas the Earth was vnfruitfull for want of tillage the Trées vnorderly bearing frute for lacke of pruning and the seuerall Beasts disagréeing in their owne kindes for want of ordering plainly the true definition of solitarie desolation that oft abounding in all things is cause of decay to euerie thing At last as hee wandered along the Riuer he heard excellent musique and a more excellent voyce tune forth this Ditie How sweete a thing is this Content To which poore countrie Swaines are born These falls of Fortune they preuent And other hard mishaps doo scorne Oh how thrice blessed had I beene If but obscurde in countrie weedes Those mightie men I nere had seene Whose loathed loue my sorrow breedes But such is the vnconstant state Of this still-changing Worlds delight Making the meane a Princes mate Crossing high hopes with low despight Which makes my Soule in sad despaire Die here ten thousand times a day Woond vp within a world of care Whence nought can it release away When hée following the sound of the voyce at length found her where she was sitting in the hollow side of a Rocke hemmed round about with a show of such creatures as her selfe to whom Chinon ginnes thus to bewray himselfe Ah thou more than thy selfe in that thou retainest too heauenly a forme for anie earthly frame How impartiall are the Fates that turnes the neuer standing Whéele of Fortune to grace with so continuall a Sunne this Soyle and lowre with obscure showres on other places Goddesse of these Plaines that giuest more grace to these fields than did the Goddesses to the place where they pleaded for the golden Prize Hadst thou liued in those dayes when young Apollo loued then hadst thou béen the Paramour of Learnings Prince and guided his will that now gouernes the World For thy sake am I transported from the furthest place of the wide western World into these cynged Plaines of euer ouer dried Egypt For thée will I follow the aduentures of Armes so that when for thy sake I haue sought the World and with my sword engraued in neuer changing characters thy God like name in the farthest corners of all-bréeding Earth where no consuming fire cutting sword nor eating eternitie shall euer weare awaye thy memorie so that for my labour thou wilt reward me with thy loue When with excéeding passion he had deliuered these spéeches with more than common admiration he paused like one that were suddenly amazed wyth the showe of some vnacquainted sight stood a long while as in a traunce when as the wylie Witch perceiuing this new come Companion likely to marre what shee and false Perosus by their practises had béen so long a making beginnes to take once more the charge of her tongue and thus boldly begins to tie him to his taske Faire Knight quoth shee whose willing minde to doo me seruice wins more reward than I am able any wise to bestow If I were what now I am not then would I doe what now I doe not with fauour requite thy forward fortunes but thus it is and then she begins in a long Historie to relate her frowning fortunes First drawne from the Court then perforces long time by her selfe to dwell solitarily vpon that vnpeopled soyle and lastly when shee began to comfort her selfe with that country content then solitarily to shut her vp in that place where was no passage for any people to come to her and she depriued of all power to come out to them then telling how there rested no hope of redresse if that for her sake some mighty man would not vndertake a trebble taske worse than tormented Sisiphus hys toyle Which words wrought such a desire in the minde of this forward Knight as vowing to performe more mightie deedes than those déedes of the olde Giantes that heaping hill vpon hil assayd the height of heauen he instantly begins to intreat that in this her charge she would admit of him as her Champion At which wordes the Hag that all this while had hid her substance in an inuisible shade gins vrge her to impose vpon him all those plagues she had appointed the other thrée and when hys perswasiue Oration was scarce done hys eager minde that alreadie was working for
of his prize the other seueral rewardes he determined to send ouer into England to present to his Laura for whose conueyance he adressed a trustie Esquire of his owne that from a childe had followed him in all hys actions of honor where awhile we must leaue him to his further aduentures and prosecute the presentment of his Prize to his peareles Parramour which by his Page was quickly performed who flying with the fauorable fortune of well wishing windes in shorter space than commonly acompanieth such tired trauellers ariued in England at the olde Earle Cadors Court where was then a Royal assembly of Courtlike company to whom when it was knowne that there was arriued one ready to tell straunge tydings of the admirable atchiuements of their late fortune finding friends assembled all together to heare those welcome wordes into the Earles great Hall where both himselfe his daughter and his vnséemely sonne as also the rest of that Royall resort orderlie placed with attentiue diligeÌ„ce quieted themselues to heare expressed these straunge exploits to whose presence did prease a comely Esquire attended by a drudging Dwarffe that was loaded with a rich Armour who after he had in order rendred deseruing duty to euery seuerall assemblant thus deliuered hys message Great Earle to whose honor wholly submites it selfe the whole worth of his worke that from the fierce furie of Alians armes hath brauely born away these Princely rewards Grant pardoÌ„ to my rash resort and giue licence to my truth telling tonge in few wordes to disclose the especial cause of my hastie comming and then with the honorable accidents of these worth worthie wars gins he to paint forth the praises of that famous fight wherein from the stil flowing force of many furious foes had his matchles master brauely borne away the home brought booties Which tale hee so furnished with fitting Epethites and true titles of aduenterous valour as neuer sung the swéet tuned tongue of heauenly Tullie in the famous Capitoll of still renowmed Roome with more applausiue spéeches of a truth vrging tale extolling the eternized honor of those thrice famous aduenterours with the heauen scaling stile of a more than earthly Oration and then with the blacke tragicke tunes of strange misfortune sâ—ch as was the Art framed action of that Thracian Knight when he described to doleful Dido the true story of Troys estate To whose powerfull spéech listned the attentiue care of that pitty mouing Prince of whom we before told wheÌ„ the happy heauens dispersing now the sable vale of sad faced follie that so long in the darke dungeon of ignominy had lockt vp the happines of his after hopes being now able in himselfe to sée that which before in another he could not discerne euen as the Eagle after her age casts her bill the Serpent slides off his skin or the wanton Bucke his harmles head So he to the great admiration of all those worthy witnesses suddainely starting at the strange tale of this well spoken Page griuouslie be wailed the lucklesse date of his forespent dayes that had so sluggishly ouer slipt the young yeares of his youthfull iollitie in the fabling fancies of childish follie wherein hee neyther had discharged the duty of a sonne satisfied the honour owing to hys countries seruice nor won the least part of that worth that by due desert he saw generally attributed to many men of far meaner byrth therefore nowe turning his former foolish demeanors to more Princely promising â—ndeuours he suddainelie sollicited his old sorrow tyred sire that hee would thus far further his intent as to graunt him leaue a while to forsake his natiue soyle and learne thus to aduenture for honor in far forraine lands whose instant intreatie not brooking the deferring of further delay earnestly vrged his now more fortunate Father to further so his forward Sonne as that presently prouiding all such necessaries as to him was most néedefull without any more meanes made for his bootlesse abode fitly furnished him in euery point for such a purpose where euery necessary being prouided and himselfe now readie to depart blessed with the many praiers of hys ioyful father to sée hys forward sonne recouered from the helples horror of darke ignorance to the approuing prowesse of Princely pusance and with the well willing wishes of all his friendly fauorites he departs his home to séeke his so long lost glorie abroad Meane while whilest thus Lancelot has sent ouer to hys Mistris the afore named fauors spéedy preparation was prouided in Fraunce for the solemnezing of this Royall marriage betwixt Sir Triamore and faire Celestina which for that his father then resident vpon his Dukedome was desirous to content his old conceit with the sight of his sonnes marriage Syr Triamore earnestly intreated of the King that he would so farre further his olde fathers request as to licence their departure home into Brittanie whereto the old King willingly condiscended and most Royally furnished this their ioyfull iourney whither being attended with sir Lancelot du Lake and sir Tristram du Lions besides many other aswell valiant Knights as beauty brauing Dames drawen out from the chiefest choice of all that Countrie merrily sets forward on their way In the meane time the Soldan hearing of the disgraced death of his sonne and certefied by some of his â—spials of the pretended purpose of these Christian Princes were the onely sharers of that glorie gins presently to leuy what forces his Countrie in so short a time was able to lend and imbarking with all spéede his Armie in short time landed all his men vppon the vnhappy Coast of Britanie where orderly incamping themselues about the warlike walls of that strong defended Towne where the Duke with all his attendants kept then a puisant Court for the welcomming of his sonne and his beauteous Bride cutting off all those conueying passages that leades any way to their neighbour compassing Confines remoouing all semblance of succour from their longing fight And being further certefied of the néere approach of that triumphant troope of valiant Victors that fearing nothing lesse than such trothlesse treason weares out their iourney with such ioy as experience in farre meaner mens matters proues passing all other pleasure Whose purpose the subtle Soldan purposing to preuent in an old ouergrowne wood scituate some foure miles from the Citie flily insconseâ— a great Scout both of horse and foote who as sooâ—e as they had encompassed this carelesse company within their ill intending Armes rudely rusht out vpon them who for because their comming somewhat too sudden in with the other Knights could hardly prouide to resist their foreplotted purpose and the numbers so far different as scarcely might they afford one Christian to twenty Pagans whereby they were forced to a furious sight In which sane onely Lancelot Tristram and Triamore all were slaine and Celestina maugre all their force conueyed away in the sight Which when they perceaued like three inraged Lions amidst the troopes
so faire a rewarde like the towring hawke that swiftly takes the aduantage of the fearefull foule fares hee that proud to himselfe so faire a Saint should so soone accept of his seruice and imploy him in so serious a peece of seruice as was the remedy of her release flies with at spéed to effect hys purpose and shée poore soule hoping well that one of her workmen would at last returne againe with the reward of their worke with comfort contents her selfe to abide the end where wee must a while leaue her very melancholily meditating with her selfe howe shée might best spende her time in that wicked Prison thinking euery houre to bee a whole yeare and euery yeare a thousand till shee had heard againe some newes of her searching seruants that had spred them selues all abroad in the wide world to séeke her some meanes for to mittigate her miserie and restore her to her former fréedome againe and nowe a while follow our seuerall Aduenturers for her aide that by this time had trauailed far from the place where they first tooke in hand this iournie CHAP. X. How these brethren came to the seuerall places appointed by the sister and of their aduenture there TErpander the eldest brother who first vndertooke this charge iournying through the spacious plains of Asia hopelesse to finde for that béeing long since hee came to the side of the mountaine where hée was promised to finde this viall of teares and had almost sought euerie seuerall corner of the same and yet could finde no likelyhood of any such matter Notwithstanding loath to leaue vnsought any place where shewed any appearance of such a matter At last he saw a farre off the rising as it were of an Alablaster Rocke that halfe ouershadowed a hole artificially cut into the side of the hill whether hying him apace to see what there by might be meant came at last to the place and there at the first seacute eing nothing that might any waies auaile him was about to depart againe till hearing somewhat hasting it self foorth of the hole he stood stil to sée what it might bee at last appeares vnto him the forepart as it were of an ouergrowne Cocke but farre greater than any of that kinde that with his fierie eyes poysons euery obiect he sées against whose force Terpander had prouidently prouided a bright Armour of stéele which couered euery seuerall part of him on whome when he looked the reflexe of hys sight sending back againe the dart of poyson to himselfe that hee threw out at another powerfully poysoned himselfe the hinder part of this beast was framed after the manner of a Cocodriles tayle such as are commonly resident about the bankes of Nilus in Egipt that with the force thereof had béene able to haue brused the best prooued Armour with which when by the retorquation of hys ouer sight he had lost the vse of his eyes hee lustily laid about till such time as the vpper part of hys bodie forceably swelling with the inwarde working poyson made him so vnwildie that now vnable to weald his body any more was forced to fall downe and with the power of the poyson shortly after died which when Terpander perceaued that his we was so soone foiled taking it to be the place of which his sister had foretold by reason that in her disccurse she discribed vnto him such a like kéeper of that precious water as was this same that there kild with his owne weapon lay dead before him gins diligently to search vp and downe for the thing it selfe which at last on the other side of the rocke he perceaued where vnder a faire Lillies roote stoode the treasure for which he had spent so much paines which when he said hartely thanking those helping heaueÌ„s that had so mightely not only preserued him from the force of hys foe but also helped him to the inheritance of that hee so much desired goes boldly forward to the place where hee saw this Lillie spring taking away the viall which he poore soule tooke to be no other than the teares of a virgin that by such kind of meanes as his sister had discribed vnto him was placed there and about to returne with ioyfull newes of his sisters deliuerance hee had not gone farre from the place where first hee found it ere the Viall beginning to warme with the heat of his hand sodainely by vertue of the venomous water therein inclosed infused such a contagious heate into euery seuerall vaine and sinnow of his body as that wherewith the poysoned shirt was that inraged madding Hercules So this poore man that for his good meaning was thus recompensed with ill measure inraged with the extreame paine of his inuenomed limmes gins fall into a frantike humor leauing the way should lead him backe againe to hys Sister and furiously without regard of himselfe gins reuenge hys iniurie vpon sensles and brutish beastes that had now lost all the power of a man This was the end the sorceres had intended shuld beside to him that in hope to fetch his sisters blis shuld there finde his owne bane and by some meanes or other kill himselfe or els vnable so with reason to rule himselfe should fall into the daunger of some wilde beast who without pittying his case might cast hym away where we must leaue him in his lunacie and come to the sâ—cond brother who by this time was attained to the appointed place scituate in the bosome of the Arabian deserts where vpon a Cypresse branch he might a far off discerne the golden instrument on whose trembling stringes the beauteous beames of the sunne delights to dally There vnderneath this dismall shade for that now the sunne at the Zenith of this Sphere dartes downe his perpendicular beames with such force vpon the face of the earth as makes euery creature séeke to shelter himselfe in the coole shades for which cause this monster was then crept vnder the Cipresse shadowes and ouercommed with the heate of the aire war then falne a sléepe to whome when Micander came néere diligently vewing each seuerall part of his deformed body for that the Instrument hung high vpon the trée and without styrring this stubborne beast could no waies be come by prepares himselfe after the best manner hee could to Combat with this Curre and when he had buckled on his Armour made readie his weapon and was now encouraged to encounter with hys enemie gins with some such noyse as then hee made to rouse hym from hys rest When as the Canniball like the throted Dogge whome Theseus awaked in the Gates of hell sends out such a hideous crie as affrighted the neighboring Birdes and Beastes that inhabite that part of the world with his terrible sounde and shaking of himselfe gins shew in hys vpper parts the perfect forme of a Dogge with long eares which long dangling eares that excéeded the substance of the greatest spanniels hung well nie downe to his middle From the